@maxwell97 and @meeerkat456 Sorry guys/girls, but I reckon you've got some growing up to do if you think what was written to or about Ms Hepler should just be brushed off. It's fricking disgraceful behaviour that NO ONE should have to tolerate or accept, EVER. These idiots deserve any consequence that comes their way. Maybe one day they'll realize their cowardice.

I have almost finished Ace Combat Assault Horizon, which Kevin VanOrd hated, but I am enjoying immensely. I'd suggest it's better than Fires of Liberation. The core gameplay and mission types are still there, but there is much more diverse gameplay built on that, and the various aircraft are sensational. Great combat, wonderful visuals and audio. This game IS polished and deserves a much higher score than what Kevin gave it, with all respect :-)

I haven't played the demo. There seem to be mixed opinions about it. BUT...the previews based on the finished code have been universally positive. The poor standard of the demo has been explained already if people care to read, and while the studio seems to have stuffed up, at least Schilling had the guts to admit it and apologize. Finally, I would have thought people would by now have realized that a demo is never a true and fair representation of a complete game. I find it bewildering that studios/publishers release demos at all.

Re: companions - I just got 2 of them killed! Poor Lydia followed me faithfully into a cave to take out an assassin leader and we got jumped by about 8 of them at the end. That was pretty disappointing. Then Faendal (?) the wood elf companion got smoked by a dragon near Riften. I have since found another follower but I am very curious as to whether there are a finite number of companions. I'm only level 11 and I don't want to get them all killed too early in the game.

Pretty much agree with this article. I think it's fine for people to be able to access DLC etc by paying extra as a choice, either by way of a collector's/special addition retail copy or via online features. However, when gamers pay $60 they should not get a compromised game due to future DLC releases, but the full experience of a game otherwise they will revolt. I play exclusively offline, so I don't particularly care in relation to my gaming. If others choose to part with cash for more of the same it's their choice. I buy only games with a genuinely long or unique offline single player experience such as Red Dead Redemption and Metro 2033. I am dying to get Deus Ex HR and Skyrim. There's your value for money. And I never pay full retail price. I only shop online for a price difference of at least 40-50% for new games, or trade in a few games that add up to the full cost.

Very interesting interview. Eurogamer also has one with Mike from a couple of weeks back. I just finished DAII and loved it. Played it on Normal cause I don't have time to work through on Hard these days. Took me about 39 hours, and I had a blast. I tried a few parts on hard and it was fantastic, lots of pausing during the big battles. To me it was just like Origins and I commend Bioware for having the guts to make changes. Loved the story and characters, specially Varric, Isabella and Aveline. Can't wait for the next installment.

My yearly plan goes roughly like this: - start the year with 5-6 games in stock for trade purposes. - request 2 games on birthday and 2 at Xmas (strongly suggesting an online purchase) - only buy new games online or waiting for great trade in deals at EB or Game. This way I can guarantee 4 games that I really want, and keep rotating games by trading at the right time. I will end up playing about 7 new release games throughout 2011 without spending a cent, and be able to justifiably spend $100-$150 out of pocket without being on the receiving end of any wifely disapproving stares! Big games retailers like EB and Game seem to make a lot of their money from pre- owned games, which I am more than happy to buy due to their return policies. Unless you are driven by impatience, there is never the need to buy games at full RRP. Having said all that, there needs to be some happy medium whereby everyone gets an appropriate cut for their efforts. I don't know what that might be.

I don't think the updated graphics are a massive improvement on Halo 3. Halo Reach is not at the pinnacle of visual achievement but stakes it's reputation on the gaming experience, while also maintaining pretty sharp graphics. I actually prefer the look of some of the vehicles from H3. I think Reach presents visually very similar to Mass Effect 2 (which is a superior single player experience in my opinion). However, what Halo has always lacked in sophistication it has made up for with FUN, and Reach builds on that with a more mature experience than the others.