GC: You’re bringing back such memories for me now. I knew this guy that always got his girlfriend to time when they respawned. And they all used to… I can’t remember exactly what they were doing but they turned all the textures off or something, to make sure it was always 60fps?

TW: [laughs] It was called flat-shaded. It normalised the textures to a single colour.

Initial installation requires one-time internet connection; Ability to save game, earn achievements, receive title updates and online play requires log-in to Games for Windows LIVE; software installations required including Microsoft Visual C++2008 Runtime Libraries, Games for Windows LIVE client, Games for Windows LIVE Client Patch, Sony DADC SecuROM, Microsoft DirectX.

Steam buyers will have to be logged in to Valve's service, wait for BioShock 2 to unlock, undergo SecuRom activation (and install limits too, most likely), then log in to Games For Windows Live once the game has loaded, and then use it exclusively for multiplayer. With all multiplayer GFWL setups being less than great to date, I have to say that my pessimism for BioShock 2's multiplayer mode has just gone up a notch.

Over the past two days, I’ve fielded a lot of questions and concerns about the DRM for both the retail and digital versions of BioShock 2. Because of this feedback, we are scaling back BioShock 2’s DRM.

There will be no SecuROM install limits for either the retail or digital editions of BioShock 2, and SecuROM will be used only to verify the game’s executable and check the date. Beyond that, we are only using standard Games for Windows Live non-SSA guidelines, which, per Microsoft, comes with 15 activations (after that, you can reset them with a call to Microsoft.)

What does that mean for your gameplay experience? This means that BioShock 2’s new DRM is now similar to many popular games you advised had better DRM through both digital and retail channels. Many of you have used Batman: Arkham Asylum as an example to me, which uses the exact same Games for Windows Live guidelines as us as well as SecuROM on retail discs, and now our SecuROM is less restrictive on Steam.

I know that the variables of PC gaming can be frustrating and confusing, and when you say there is a problem, we listen, and use your suggestions to make things better. Feedback like this does not go unheard, and while this might not be the ideal protection for everyone, we will continue to listen and work with you in the future when formulating our DRM plans.

I used to believe that if I worked hard then I would reap rewards but after the Budget, I just think why bother? It seems to me that the harder you work, the higher you earn and the higher you get taxed.

The game was still fun to play after all these years, and I began to think that it might be worthwhile to actually make a product out of Wolfenstein on the iPhone, rather than just using it as a testbed, assuming the controls worked out as fun to play. The simple episodic nature of the game would make it easy to split up into a $0.99 version with just the first episode, a more expensive version with all sixty levels, and we could release Spear of Destiny if there was additional demand. I was getting a little ahead of myself without a fun-to-play demonstration of feasibility on the iPhone, but the idea of moving the entire line of classic Id titles over -- Wolf, Doom, Quake, Quake 2, and Quake Arena, was starting to sound like a real good idea.

Still, at least eSports holds sufficient number of competitions to satisfy gamers. But is there enough money? Some evidence would suggest that there isn't. Between 2000 and 2002, the likes of the Fatal1ty might have scooped $65,000 or more in winnings. In 2005, he won $150,000 for the CPL World Tour Championship. By contrast, last year's most successful player, Alexey "Cyph3r" Yushanevsky, is estimated to have won between $20,000 and $30,000. Is professional gaming still a route to riches, or is it on a steady downhill slope?

What are the benefits of creating and using a Battle.net Account?
The new Battle.net Account allows you to log in to World of Warcraft, manage purchases at the online Blizzard Store, keep track of CD keys for your Blizzard Entertainment games, access our websites (such as the World of Warcraft Armory), opt in to upcoming beta tests, and more using a single login -- just your email address and a password. In the future, we plan to add more features, including tools to make it easier for friends to communicate between games and to help bring our community of players closer together.

"We are happy that CPL is providing the best possible environment for Quake 3 competitions. Aside from the immediate benefits to the players thanks to CPMA's advanced featureset, we'll be improving the spectator experience by adding VQ3 support to our MultiView GTV and demo technology," said Kevin Blenkinsopp ("arQon") project lead for CPMA.