Now I understand when playing (Regular / Official) Battle.NET you require individual CD-Keys for each game played (1 for each Base and EP account).  I know Open Battle.NET is "Relaxed" in comparison to Battle.NET, you can use local or "Single Player" characters.  Furthermore I've heard that players using hacked Characters and Items (eg: Hero Editor modified Characters and Gear) making it easy to waltz through Diablo on the hardest setting online and open up the floor to unrestricted item trade.

What I'm wanting to know is this...

 If someone has one copy of Diablo II and two copies of the Lord of Destruction EP, can you get away with using a single Diablo II CD-Key whilst having separate LOD CD-Keys or do you require separate sets of CD-keys for all Diablo II games (D2 & LOD)?

Mario Kart has definitely come a long way, now you can either drive a kart or ride a bike. Further more you have three classes of both karts/cars and bikes... Standard, 4x4s / Sportsbikes and Grand Tourers /Cruiser Bikes (The Hog).

Anyway what do you like to use more?

...Karts and Cars or Bikes?

Personally I enjoy racing the bikes using the right one to suit the character's weight class in order to compensate for their weaknesses.

Standard or Sportsbikes when playing the PeeWee's

Usually Standard when playing Mid-Weights

Cruisers for when playing the Heavies.

I've played the original game on PC and personally thought that was pretty good for a tennis game with the way you could play as yourself and work your way through the ranks from zero to champion. But a few months ago I bought the latest installment for the PS3 thinking it would've improved since the original, but found that wasn't quite the case.

The Audio/Visuals were very well done and up to scratch for a next-gen console game, but when it came down to playing the game... I found the control scheme so damn frustrating I came close to smashing my Sixaxis. Seriously I found the control scheme on PS3 (and suspect X360 wouldn't be much different) the game's biggest killer having to push, hold and release. What I'm really wondering, do Wii gamers have to put up with the crap of an over complexed control scheme?

Which brings me to my point (more a query)

Which system is best for getting the maximum enjoyment out Top Spin 3?

With Super Smash Bros. (SSB or Smash) Brawl you have four control options to choose from.

Remote on VC-Mode, Remote & Nunchuck, The Wii and NGC Pads.

Having tried playing both with remote alone and with a nunchuck I find myself partial to the remote and nunchuck because it give me better degree of control than VC mode. But as for using the pads, I don't have either but I imagine they're be fair effective as well.

Anyway I was just curious to know just which control schemes gamers favoured the most when playing Brawl.

I've noticed since a major update for Team Fortress 2 you can now (somehow) earn new gear (weapons and stuff) for the classes.

I'm just really curious to know how you go about that...

Is the certain awards to be earned to unlock these goodies or is there some kind of "XP" system?

Okay here's an interesting conversation piece...

Over the entire Need For Speed franchise which car do you believe to be worthy of "The Godfather" title?

Some might say the Lamborghini Diablo VT or the Ferrari 512TR from NFS I, others may say the MacLaren F1 from NFS II, the BMW M5 from NFS IV or even the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X from NFS XI (if you're a Tuner/Rally fan).

Me. I'm more partial to the Supercars. Lamborghini Mercelago from NFS VI, IX, X & XI.

How you guys, what's your idea of the NFS Godfather?

It's funny how you have all these FPS availible on today's market that are impressive audio/visuals and physics but just about everyone (myself included) seems to have a soft spot for the '97 N64 release of Goldeneye.

Comparing Goldeneye to FPS games today...

There's a significant differences with the Audio/Visual side of things as well as the physics, and the level design for single player has a very "Scripted" nature to it compared to the more open ended shooters. But compared to today's average shooter, gameplay has a very high level of "Replayability" to it, especially when you're using cheats to create a "Sandbox" session.

...Made for some stupidly crazy moments over at you mates place. LOL!

Remote mines plastered all over the facility level... no second guesses as to what happens next ;-)

Anyway... What are the things you remember from Goldeneye that you loved so much and what are the things that keep you coming back for more (even after all this time) for more (if you found it to be one of those games)?

If you've got a good rig that can contend with the "High-End Heavy Weights" like Doom 3 / Quake 4, Crysis, UT3...

Nexuiz is "Free" (http://www.alientrap.org/nexuiz/), is both a high-end spec game (when fully cranked) and has some pretty intense gameplay Online and Offline.

I've played it on both Windows XP and Ubuntu, so I can safely say it plays and looks great on both Windows and Linux. As for Macintosh, I've never seen it played. If anyone has let us know how Nexuiz plays on MAC.

I have also played Open Arena (Open Source clone of Quake III Arena) and Warsaw, both good but I personally favour Nexuiz for it's intensity!

why the heck do you call all PC's "IBMs"? That's like calling my telephone a Graham Bell.

F1_2004

PC (Technically) refers to IBMs (or Compatibles), MACs, Amigas, C64s, Amstrads (just to name a few relics to make a point) alike.

PC often understood to be an IBM or Compatible (the old term) running a Windows (Primarily - for now) or a Linux based OS, more or less interpretted as "Business Oriented" computer which is a major missunderstanding considering the term "PC" is truly a "Broad-Spectrum" (as I originally stated).

It's no secret (to veterans at least) that Personal Computers (or PCs) have been around since the late 1970's / early 1980's, one there seems to be a "Missunderstanding" of sorts with the term PC as many associate it as being an Windows or Linux powered IBM. Seriously PC is a very "Broad-Spectrum" term with refers to all computers whether it's an IBM or MAC, Desktop or Notebook. PC is NOT a term restricted to any one "Breed" when you truly think about it.

It's pretty clear that there seems to be two main PC Breeds being the IBM (Both Manufacturer and Custom Built) and the Apple Macintosh (MAC), along with whatever else is currently out there (or in development for that matter).

With the IBMs these computers pretty much get their name from their original creators - International Business Machines (IBM) who are still going strong while competing against other manufacters like Dell and HP. Another thing about IBMs is that a lot performance models are being custom built by the users or by businesses who specialize in building models to "Specification", while manufacturers are building their own range/s of Perfomance Models for their "Power-Hungry" clientel.

I'm more or less posting this poll to see roughly which PCs are popular among the world's Gamer population.

Anyway feel free to cast you vote and specify (if you want to let everyone know just what you've got).

For those who are curious...

Custom Built (Rebuilt) IBM , Powered by a AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core 5600+, 2 GB RAM with a nVidia GeForce 8600GT with 512 MB RAM, house in a basic Aluminium Case with Air Intake and Exhaust fans Running both Ubuntu and Windows XP PRO.