@ch0diac: The code is on an insert in the game box, at least mine was. You redeem it through XBL.

@LunaticHigh7777: If I had that, I'd definitely have started in Hardcore Mode...as it is, I'm waiting to do that for my second playthrough.

@nerdbox: The machete is pretty great, and I think the tribal armor is 4 dt but I'd have to wait until I get home to check.

@Kage56: What's the necklace called?

@Mr.Wake: Damn, that canteen sounds useful.

@talks2wall: That sounds awesome. I have the Tribal Pack and the machete is pretty good—it did a nice job on the geckos around the wells.

@Kage56: Thanks, I'll hunt around Goodspring for the 1-shot version ASAP.

Speaking of bonuses, has anyone used the Classic, Caravan, or Mercenary packs? What are they like?

@Hatebunny: I don't think that was it, I began with the Dalish Leather Armor and the dual Dar'Misu daggers and still was getting worked early on. The problem may have been that I wasn't good at managing my party—had a tough time getting the hang of those controls on the 360.

Got to begin New Vegas last night and am really enjoying the ammo, crafting, and music.

@Guitarzan2k5: I had a tough time with DA:O. It was the first game that felt like work for the first several quests.

So long, productivity. It was nice knowing you.

@Kovitlac: The WBC case is "Snyder vs. Phelps" and there's some background here:

@This is not the commentor you were looking for...: It's even more extreme than that.

My Fallout: New Vegas CE won't arrive until tomorrow.

@Zelyre: Those sound like good tweaks. I don't have a Windows box anymore, but I've been thinking of getting Parallels mostly to play modded versions of FO3 and New Vegas.

@SgtBarry: Now that's a picture I'd like to see!

@Zelyre: Great point, do you have a mod you're looking forward to seeing? "Hardcore mode" for New Vegas sounds like a lot of the mods that I saw for FO3.

@Robert Anhalt: That's funny—I hadn't heard about that! Would have made "Alien Archivist" a lot easier to get, since you could just assign things from the console...that damn achievement took me hours.

I'm sympathetic to PC gamers who wanted DLC on the same timeframe as the 360, and I hope Bethesda steps up to the plate and doesn't screw it up.