@drag: I love it

As I'm sure somebody has already said, the future would be in downloads if internet speeds kept increasing.

I bought the introversion pack in the Steam sale and loved it. I'd already played Uplink and it's one of my favourite games. Defcon was a revelation, and although I didn't really get into Darwinia I still like what I've played of it so far.

I really like the level setting. Seems like the invisibility idea could be interesting if it's not overused. The guns seem meaty, as long as they're fun to use and well balanced I think it'll play well.

I love the setting and the idea. A great twist for a great series. I'm really looking forward to this now.

@Whooped.D.Dew: yeah, why do the media persist with this idea that games are still some niche basement-dwelling-teen-passtime only?

I like how the Reuters article starts out with this header:

I liked your Mario 64 nightmare.

@Zinger314: you don't get energy directly from water. The 'benefit' of drinking water is to hydrate you, not to give you energy.

@ShaggE: Restarreded: I think this is the biggest problem. Obviously it's slower to move from d pad to stick as you cycle through players to make adjustments, but that's intentional. They're trying to slow that down, and this is a decent way to do it.

If it has Ninja assassins and Buddhist Warrior Monks I'll be getting it. I loved the cavalry and footsoldier combat of Shogun and Rome, I didn't care too much for artillery and gunpowder stuff in Medieval.

Kotick is a mass market guy - he sells games to the unwashed hordes that people who post and read kotaku don't like to think about. The silent majority who make Just Dance #1 and buys £40 HDMI cables cause the guy in GAME says that's what you need.

It's easier to be friends with people online because you don't have to make any effort to see them, there are no hangers on who you have to placate and you don't have to spend anything to spend time together - the logistics are much simpler.

@Han: They always say they've done a big revamp of the game but it's the same engine and the same thing every year.

@twistedmetaphor: I think its popular because its always the same. After the initial shock of it being a bit slower or faster than last years, everyone is instantly as good at it as they were before.

@douglasjfresh: It's no worse than spending any amount on any luxury, from a moral standpoint. Spending $2000 on two TVs or $1000 on one it's all the same in moral terms.

@Diesel: I'm a sucker for artbooks and special editions too. Steel boxes with embossed graphics? Yes. Yes. Yes.

it'll be identical to last years version apart from being either slightly slower or faster. If it's faster in the demo it'll be slower at retail and vice versa.

@enDyne: Yeah it's way more likely if you're female, I hadn't considered that.

@Zulthar: "I'm sorry, but your post is a bit ignorant. Are you implying that only gamers go mental?"