Morning Discussion

Hooray for Tuesday--one step closer to Friday! And, inevitably, next Monday :(

I played a bit more Dawn of War II last night. Whereas I used to just click until things eventually died, I actually grasp enough of the mechanics now to feel like I'm actually making some strategic decisions here and there. That doesn't mean I can make it through a boss fight without losing temporarily losing anyone, but I'm trying, darn it.

And despite an ever-growing backlog, I keep going back to Dawn of War II. I may or may not have woken up this morning thinking about the path I'm going to take my Scout squad down. It's not like I would admit such a thing, but they're focusing on melee.

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
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    February 24, 2009 7:17 AM

    I guess I should get this Dawn of War II game everyone keeps going on about.

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      February 24, 2009 7:18 AM

      I think Im gonna snag it on steam tonight. I know I shouldnt since I have so many fucking games to play, but I liked the beta enough to justify.

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        February 24, 2009 7:34 AM

        Same , just wondering if anyone has bought the retail version and added to steam without issue ? I've got coupon code that will make it pretty cheap if I get it from Amazon.

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          February 24, 2009 7:44 AM

          I think the game requires steam activation for DRM, so its probably the exact same thing.

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          February 24, 2009 11:10 AM

          I bought it at best buy, installed (off disk) and added to steam no problem.

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      February 24, 2009 7:19 AM

      Is there a demo at all anywhere? I'm thinking about getting it before a business trip for my laptop, but I don't want to waste $50 on something I couldn't play for a while.

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        February 24, 2009 3:01 PM

        demo was on steam, but it was mp only. dunno if its still there or not.

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      February 24, 2009 7:22 AM

      First game in a real long time that I've thought about when I wasn't playing. I really like replacing the "build an entirely new fortress every mission" style campaign with "fuck shit up with your elite strike force of badasses". The mechanics just work really well. Special abilities actually make a difference, units aren't made of paper (well Cyrus is, but he can DIAF), your units aren't complete retards that just wait to die if you leave them alone for a minute. It's quite good.

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      February 24, 2009 7:24 AM

      buy two and gift one of them to me plz

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      February 24, 2009 7:27 AM

      I'm probably going to pick it up because of all the love for it but I'm waiting for amazon to carry it.

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      February 24, 2009 7:27 AM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2009 7:29 AM

        I dunno, after hearing what Nick Breckon said about the game on the latest Idle Thumbs podcast, I want to play it ASAP. The fact that it has a very long SP campaign and a loot system like DOTA really makes it awesome. I will probably not even touch the MP part of it.

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          February 24, 2009 7:30 AM

          [deleted]

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          February 24, 2009 7:32 AM

          yeah its all about what you like in a game. Their comparison to Syndicate isnt too far off.... you have a couple of squads, you send them on missions and level them up, etc

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            February 24, 2009 7:35 AM

            Yep, I am much more a fan of small strike forces raping faces than huge base building. Also, LOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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          February 24, 2009 7:52 AM

          [deleted]

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          February 24, 2009 8:11 AM

          Nick talking about it is what clenched it for me. It's a blast - love this game.

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          February 24, 2009 9:59 AM

          [deleted]

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          February 24, 2009 11:00 AM

          I hate RTSs (although I love TD and DOTA), and I'm really liking the game so far. So even with no MP, it's awesome.

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      February 24, 2009 7:29 AM

      Haven't touched the MP, but the SP is pretty great. The Syndicate comparisons are not far off.

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      February 24, 2009 7:36 AM

      I picked it up. It seems to have some really horrible performance issue on my Seven machine. After ~ 30 minutes of play the game will begin progressively making worse and worse stutters until it just halts with the sound looping. (Ati 4870x2 and 4 GB of ram)

      I have no idea what the problem is.

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        February 24, 2009 7:37 AM

        I think there's a known bug that causes poor performance on dual-gpu machines. :(

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      February 24, 2009 7:38 AM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2009 7:44 AM

      I LOVE this game but I suck. I have trouble keeping track of all my dudes and their abilities. I just end up going in there all four units selected and having the jump guys do their thing and my leader guy heal. I am sure there is more strategy then that. Sometimes actually, I'll send the scout dude in stealth to scope out their numbers.

      Am I suppose to attack from multiple sides? Should I control units separately? How do I make the most of all the abilities? I am only one man with one mouse (although I do find keyboard shortcuts 1-4 helpful)!

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        February 24, 2009 7:46 AM

        [deleted]

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        February 24, 2009 7:51 AM

        Bait tactics. Set up a suppressing unit somewhere behind cover with your tac squad. Use jumpers or scouts to draw them into suppression. Once drawn, jump back in with your assault marines and commander to finish.

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          February 24, 2009 8:22 AM

          I've got this green jumppack for my commander, it's so hype, I even get some 50ish health from it. He jumps in, then Assault Terminators teleport in, plus the Heavy Weapons squad with a Plasma Cannon (just finally picked up a green one) put down whole sale death.

          I keep swapping my third squad w/ the scouts, the dreadnaught or the tac terminators.

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            February 24, 2009 11:04 AM

            The scouts are awesome. Most of my SP missions are completely based off the scouts. Once properly powered up, they're awesome. The rest of the classes are only used to clean up the mess afterward.

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        February 24, 2009 8:14 AM

        i came to just know the 1 2 3 4 shortcuts.... in my case, 4 is always the jumppack guys, 3 the mg squad, 2 is the variable between the army men, and the rogue, and 1 is the commander.


        1- M for heal and E to teleport. kickass melee
        2- f for grenades and click to get aggro
        3 to position for MG nest, and q to focus fire
        4- q to jump.

        i dont really click on the squads onscreen, its simpler I think.

        if you see it that way, it might help you.

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          February 24, 2009 8:18 AM

          Learning the shortcuts really changes everything. Esp when you hold shift to select sets of guys and queue up commands (haven't really got that one down yet).

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            February 24, 2009 8:32 AM

            !!! Didn't know the Shift select command. That will help!

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          February 24, 2009 8:18 AM

          [deleted]

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        February 24, 2009 11:09 AM

        pause key

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      February 24, 2009 7:50 AM

      SHACKHYPE'D

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        February 24, 2009 7:51 AM

        Nope.

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        February 24, 2009 8:13 AM

        i think it surpasses shackhype since the game is legitimately good

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          February 24, 2009 8:14 AM

          proof: its been almost a week and people are still playing it, shackhype usually ends up being half the people crying that it sucks the day after they buy it

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        February 24, 2009 8:16 AM

        I dunno about that. This game was "yay MP" before release with no mind to the SP campaign - then after it came out it was "Holy shit SP!" I think it took a ton of people by surprise.

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          February 24, 2009 8:21 AM

          I know it had this effect on me for sure.

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          February 24, 2009 8:24 AM

          Yeah, this happened to me.

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          February 24, 2009 9:45 AM

          Indeed sir this is what occurred

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          February 24, 2009 11:35 AM

          Yup. The single player took me by surprise and I lubs it.

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        February 24, 2009 8:19 AM

        Genuinely deserving of it too.

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      February 24, 2009 7:53 AM

      I picked this up and I can't even get to the menu. The CPU spikes into the 90s before the THQ video is done swooshing and eventually I have to kill it. Tried the usual suspects (updated drivers, disabled second monitor, disabled steam overlay, disabled antivirus) and nothing helps.

      Anyone know what this is? :(

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      February 24, 2009 8:00 AM

      would it be weird if my ringtone was orks going "dakka dakka dakka"?

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        February 24, 2009 8:05 AM

        Only if I was there, cause I'd think It was my phone ringing.

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      February 24, 2009 8:07 AM

      So, do Thule, Cyrus or terminator devestator squads ever pick up swanky gear?

      I found a swanky armour for Thule a while back, which I'm enjoying but he's still using that first white dreadnought cannon you find. By the same token, the sniper rifle selection is pretty awful.

      I've picked up a few assault cannons for devestator terminators but the plasma cannon is such fun I'd rather use that.

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        February 24, 2009 8:13 AM

        Since you mentioned Cyrus being useful I've been playing with him and I freaking love it. I don't use him all of the time but goodness well timed stealth with some det packs and the sniper rifle makes him a surgical master.

        However the Sniper Rifle selection really blows, I agree. =(

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          February 24, 2009 8:16 AM

          Are the shotguns any good? I didn't use him at all but I saw the shotguns and thought, "LOL, he can't stay alive a mile away, fuck if I'm going to send him into close quarters."

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            February 24, 2009 8:18 AM

            Shotguns are powerful early on for the knockdown but yes, eventually he is too fragile to really get in there.

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            February 24, 2009 8:19 AM

            Not sure yet, I just started using them. The explosive shot seems generally useful but I doubt it's a boss killer like power shot is.

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          February 24, 2009 8:17 AM

          Neat! I'm glad you have experienced the joys of sploding everything unseen. My Cyrus has the trait which allows him to use equipment while stealthed and so is decked out with melta bombs, detpacks, remote detonators. It's fun.

          His high-powered shot is also an incredible boss killer for most of the game but yes, without decent sniper rifles he's not much use in regular combat.

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            February 24, 2009 8:22 AM

            Yesss, it's freaking great for search and destroy missions. Working on getting that trait now. Have a feeling it's going to make him pretty brutal for taking down things.

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        February 24, 2009 8:15 AM

        I found a few assault cannons for the Dreadnaught and there were some pretty fancy terminator armors on some of the missions (one with "Cannot be knocked down"). Never found the hammer/shield for terminators though.

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          February 24, 2009 8:20 AM

          I guess the drops are against me. Now I know this, I'll be using my patented Diablo II mantra, "Come on.. come onnnnnnn... ASSAULT CANNON COME ON!"

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            February 24, 2009 8:21 AM

            I really, really wish they'd built some sort of item purchasing/tradeout system, because the random drop mechanics suck!

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              February 24, 2009 8:25 AM

              Totally agreed. Getting ranged shit when you need more melee equipment is just annoying.

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              February 24, 2009 11:19 AM

              I have found 4 or 5 flamers and I never use 'em. That being said, I still like the random element. Having to make-do with what you find adds a bit of fun to the game.

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            February 24, 2009 8:24 AM

            Wow, I never thought of that, no wonder I could never track down the assault cannons in Diablo II ;(

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          February 24, 2009 11:15 AM

          If you give the Termie armor to the assault marines, they are automaticly outfitted wtih Thunder Hammers and Strom Sheilds. Very good at pounding on Carnifexes.

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      February 24, 2009 8:10 AM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2009 8:32 AM

        nope

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        February 24, 2009 11:26 AM

        you'd have to sell me your steam account name, but I would be in the market for a 2nd copy.

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      February 24, 2009 8:15 AM

      You should. Also does how about that Iron Halo ability? I got it early on but I can't seem to swap it out with anything else because it rocks so hard. I liked Rally but Iron Halo is just insane.

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        February 24, 2009 8:19 AM

        Iron Halo is better when you get the ability that gives you energy for every kill - you can mow through swarms of dudes fairly unmolested as they can't overcome your shield regeneration.

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          February 24, 2009 8:24 AM

          I can imagine, I haven't grabbed that ability yet though I may try for it. Right now I seldom lose the shield unless I just get mobbed by Tyranids. And even then the energy regen is so high that a moment later I'm back in business.

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      February 24, 2009 8:17 AM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2009 8:29 AM

      I like how well xbox live and steam integrate with the game. More games should do this!
      I love steam, but their friends and achievements system pails in comparison to Microsoft's.

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        February 24, 2009 8:31 AM

        Dude I disagree...perhaps you don't have the right type of friends on your Steam list, but I have shitloads of shackers and other friends that I can see what they are playing, or join them, at any time - inside and outside of game.....more than Xbox Live even, and I'm at the 100 cap there. I'm not seeing how XBLA is any better at that system at all. If you are into achievements that's a bit different, although some steam titles have this implemented as well, sans the whole 'gamerscore' business....I'd prefer they NOT have that on steam actually.

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        February 24, 2009 9:47 AM

        personally i wish it was one or the other. Not both. I am not sure why i am logged into both for one game.

        Can i join a friends game through the steam friend system? or do i always have to use XLIVE?

        just my take on it . . .

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          February 24, 2009 9:57 AM

          Yeah if you could join friends from steam, and see what they are doing, there would be no use at all for gfwl.

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      February 24, 2009 8:30 AM

      I haven't even bothered to check, but is there a demo still available for this?

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        February 24, 2009 8:32 AM

        there was a beta/demo for a full month before release

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      February 24, 2009 8:32 AM

      The victory conditions in multiplayer annoy me. You can virtually annihilate an enemy and still lose, because a few stragglers nabbed victory points while you weren't looking.

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        February 24, 2009 8:54 AM

        [deleted]

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          February 24, 2009 10:11 AM

          Not if I'm using my army to destroy theirs. I'm not keen on using my army to just hold onto points, even if that's what I'm supposed to be doing.

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            February 24, 2009 11:29 AM

            Victory points are awesome. If you want to do a lot of killing, then victory points are king, they offer up so many changes for ambushes, giant flanking maneuvers, etc etc. Don't think of it as protecting, think of it as ambushing.

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            February 24, 2009 11:33 AM

            well that's the point though.

            its a control points game.

            play anihilation if you want. (lol nobody does)

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        February 24, 2009 9:02 AM

        Perhaps you would rather play the Annihilate mode.

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          February 24, 2009 10:11 AM

          I must have missed this...

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            February 24, 2009 10:14 AM

            The Annihilate mode has no victory points, you simply destroy the enemy's base. It takes ages!

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          February 24, 2009 4:47 PM

          which would ironically result in less combat

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      February 24, 2009 8:56 AM

      What's the deal with this sniper gearset I got with my copy of DoW2? I activated it via the Live interface, but I don't have any new stuff in-game. Does it only crop up when you do a new game or something?

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        February 24, 2009 8:57 AM

        Yes, you only get it with a new campaign.

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          February 24, 2009 9:23 AM

          I have to start over?!? flak;sdjs;kfdasgip234j1234rdsfg

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        February 24, 2009 9:37 AM

        Did you read the card?

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        February 24, 2009 6:02 PM

        I want codes for the rest of the gear, I only have the chapter gear :(

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      February 24, 2009 10:39 AM

      Running with -nomovies got me past the movies crashing my system, granting me access to all the myriad other ways this game can force me to hard reset.

      Relic's games are fun but every time I buy one it seems like there's days of this kind of nonsense before I actually get to play.

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        February 24, 2009 1:48 PM

        -nomovies is a lifesaver. I still can't believe Relic thinks it's a good idea to force users to watch intro movies before being able to play the game.

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          February 24, 2009 2:56 PM

          Pretty sure the movies are forced only the first time you run the game.

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      February 24, 2009 11:17 AM

      Damn you people (and Nick Breckon). This better be fun. >:(

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        February 24, 2009 11:20 AM

        I'm not yet convinced it's 50 bucks fun but it IS definitely a fun game.

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      February 24, 2009 3:05 PM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2009 3:45 PM

        I can't handle 1v1 but 3v3 with a team full of shackers is bliss.

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      February 24, 2009 3:21 PM

      steam has crashed twice while accessing the store to purchase this, maybe its a sign :(

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        February 24, 2009 3:46 PM

        a sign you should buy faster! seriously, I wish i could buy another copy for my wife, but she won't play it ... but she is starting to get sucked into watching it now, so maybe her will is turning.

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        February 24, 2009 3:46 PM

        it's a sign you should go to the store and buy it :D (just don't crash doing that)

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      February 24, 2009 5:45 PM

      THQ is a bunch of fags and won't release it to Japan. :(

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