4 GB seems so small but how much data are games installing these days?

Unlike the PS3, XBox 360 game installation is always optional, and the majority of games play just fine without installing them.  I'd still go with the larger hard drive for XBLA games and full game downloads (now that we're finally seeing good sale prices on them).  I have the original 20 GB version with a 16 GB and 32 GB flash drives hooked up (you can use up to 2 32 GB drives for extra storage) and I have lots of XBLA games and a few full games installed and still have room left over.

I've really been enjoying it.  I've played EO2 and EO3, but never got very far before being pulled away by something else.  With the early introduction of the world map and graphical update, EO4 has kept my interest better than the earlier games.  It's also nice to know I can switch to casual mode at any time if things get too tough.  My party is Fortress/Nightseeker/Dancer in the front row and Medic/Runemaster in the back.

Also, Atlus just annouced that they're remaking the first Etrian Odyssey with an increased focus on characters and story.  The game will have set characters, but you'll still be able to change their classes.  Hopefully, they'll also upgrade the graphics to EO4 level.

They're also having a 1-day sale on Monday.

Here are some new screenshots.

Giantbomb has a quick look at the game.  The toy box looks a lot deeper than I thought it would be.

The game will be released on Steam on April 4

Here's a gameplay video.  The game looks great in motion.

Here's the first screenshot of the sequel.  It looks like we'll be going outside this time.

Is anyone else having a problem with things getting stuck?  The first kinetoscope video worked fine, but the second and third wouldn't stop playing until I hit the skip button.  Also, the shotgun game in the Fairgrounds seems really messed up.  Sometimes it ends normally, but more often I get stuck in the gun view and can't get out of it without restarting from the last checkpoint.

Here are some more details and screenshots.

Bioshock Infinite is preloaded on Steam, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is on its way from Amazon, and I'll be downloading Harmoknight on Thursday.  I'm glad Pandora's Tower and Class of Heroes 2 got delayed, or this week would have been even more overloaded.

There has been almost no information out of PAX East on this game, but there is a short preview here.  The game is supposed to take about 25 hours to complete and will be out for PC in September.

They also teased the fourth major campaign DLC - Bunkers & Badasses, Borderlands' take on Dungeons & Dragons.

Firaxis may be teasing a sequel or expansion at PAX.

According to the previews from PAX, the game will play quite differently than Bastion.  The battle system looks more like a Baldur's Gate/Dragon Age real-time pausable system than an action-RPG.

Judging movies by their trailers is pointless.  The sole purpose of a trailer is to get people into theaters.  The movie could be full of everything that the editorial says its lacking, and they'd still show the big battle scenes and exciting moments in the trailer.  Look at the trailer for Wrath of Khan.  It consists solely of Khan taunting, Kirk yelling, and ships battling, but the movie was certainly about more than that.  Just because a movie's trailer plays up the action elements doesn't mean that's all there is to it.

Square Enix has confirmed that the games will be released in the US and Europe this year.

Calling attention to something like that is bound to be more detrimental to Steam than beneficial.  

This is the Steam Special Edition that automatically allocates 50% of your monthly budget to Steam games (75% during big sale months)

The April games for European PS+ have been revealed -
3rd April: Okami HD
3rd April: Lord of the Rings: War in the North
3rd April: The Cave
10th April: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
24th April: Thomas Was Alone

I really hope US PS+ gets Virtue's Last Reward.  I got burned on the buggy 3DS version, so it would be great not to have to pay for the Vita version.

Here's the official website with some more details.

Through the Might & Magic traditional and acclaimed first-person turn-based gameplay system, lead your team of four Heroes in their journey!

Choose your gender among four different races: Humans, Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, the choice is yours! Each race also boasts three unique classes, each one having their own skills and abilities.

Defeat creatures and unique bosses, fulfill challenging quests, level up your group, and earn new powerful artifacts.

Classic RPG at its finest!

What would be a classic RPG without numerous dungeons to explore? In Might & Magic®X Legacy, you will need to crawl and fight your way through twisted dungeons, immense cities, and mind-boggling labyrinths.

You must avoid hidden traps and solve puzzling riddles in order to survive!

This sounds like a game about German pants.

Yep.  Add in a hefty dose of Britney Spears-ish J-Pop, and you have a fairly accurate summary of FF X-2.  Just one of the reasons I couldn't stomach it.

Of the first hour, maybe, but not of the whole game.  Way too much was made of the sillier aspects, when they actually represent a fairly small part of the whole game.  The whole "dress up" thing is just a version of the job change system seen in lots of RPGs.  The game is silly and goofy at times, but it's nowhere near what people make it out to be.

Did anyone here preorder at Greenman and choose the cash back option?  If so, have you gotten your cash back yet?  I thought it was only supposed to take a few days after purchase, but it's been weeks, and I haven't received anything.

Gamefly PC has thrown their hat in the preorder ring.  You get -
Bioshock
Bioshock 2
XCOM
$5 coupon off any 2K digital game
$12 coupon off any digital game

It makes sense, since much of FFX-2 consists of the same locations and characters as FFX.  It's also a really good game, with perhaps the best battle system in the series' history.

Since we're including Sunday, I'm getting Pokemon Mystery Dungeon this week.

Thankfully, nothing for me this week, as next week is crazy.

Ubisoft appears to be teasing an announcement for Might & Magic X at their website with an image of a giant "X" made up of sprites from earlier Might & Magic games.  The bottom of the page says "Meet us at Pax East", so it should be unveiled this weekend.

So I can buy the Anno 2070 complete pack (base game + DLC) for $34.99, or I can buy the base game by itself for $16.99 and all the DLC by itself for $5.99.

Hmmm...wonder which one I'll go with.

The DLC Pack doesn't include the "Deep Ocean" expansion, which is $11.99.  You'd still save two cents by buying them separately, though

Two new videos - the "False Shepherd" trailer and a combat video from IGN showing off the best look I've seen yet of combat.

In rather unexpected news, Square Enix has announced that Drakengard 3 is in development for the PS3.  The game is being developed by Deadly Premonition developer Access Games, with some of the creators of the original Drakengard games and Nier on board as well.

it's not an expansion.   Don't know why people keep saying this...

The fact that the box has "Expansion Set" written across the top may have something to do with that although that probably has more to do with the fact that Blizzard doesn't want people wondering why the game is $40 rather than the standard $50 or $60.

As someone who has never really played Starcraft, would it be worth grabbing the Starcraft Battlechest just to experience the singleplayer story? I have no interest whatsoever of playing online.

Definitely.  The story in Starcraft is one of the best things about it, even if the CGI is no longer impressive today.  I loved Starcraft 1 and 2 and never played either online.

Microsoft has announced that an updated version of Age of Empires 2 is coming to Steam in early April.  It will include all the content from AoE2 and its expansion and updated graphics.

They've announced some stretch goals.  $1.5 million adds more writers, while $2 million adds a writer, more music, and a fifth companion, "a changing ball of goo [that] responds to the way you treat it by changing its appearance and abilities to reflect what it perceives as your desires."  They've already passed the first stretch goal, so I'm guessing they'll need some more.  They also added a new reward - a digital Planescape: Torment Developer Retrospective for anyone who backs this and the Project Eternity kickstarter.

I've heard this one has a significant reliance on quick-time events, is that true?  Would you say that it would be too annoying for somebody that generally hates QTEs?

I'm not far into the game myself, but from what I've read in reviews, QTEs are mostly limited to the tightly scripted beginning part of the game and pretty much disappear once the game opens up.

I ended up with Dark Messiah M&M, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Metal Gear Solid 2&3 HD, and Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker HD for $26 total.

Tomb Raider on PC for me, and maybe Bit.Trip Presents Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien on PSN.  I'd love to get SimCity and Castlevania, but with so many games coming out this month, they're going to have to wait.

The release date has been announced - June 4 in North America and June 7 in Europe.

Man, I can't wait to see if this gets confirmed as survival-horror!

Is this some sort of snarky comment about how woefully out-of-date my original title for this topic has become?  Just for that, I'm not changing it