I don't find this game very hard. Its got everything a good rpg is known for including grinding. I like that the first level is hard only to teach you that weapon, armor, and item upgrades is important and you can't win your way with basic weapons and little or no armor. Yes, its seems repetitive but if I recall during the war we had certain positions that were always manned no matter what.

If Soldier went down, it didn't necessarily mean the enemy or even our own military would give up on that defensive position. Sometimes a guard tower will stay a guard tower and unless totally blown away (and yes sometimes the tower or defensive position gets rebuilt in the same spot)

I guess that means we would be seeing the same repetitiveness in actual combat that we see in the game until we actually took the position or base away from the enemy. Same with the castle. You don't take the whole castle and you die, then comeback from the dead to take it again chances are the enemy is going to refortify old positions. Now of course in real life the dead don't come back to life (or do they mmm...) but unless you take the base,chances are the enemy will continue to refortify positions over and over until you take that opportunity away.

Oh, and the dragon on the bridge was a obvious puzzle to be solved not a boss. It was easy never died there no wonder this guy had issues.

What I like about this game is that you are rewarded and after awhile it just flows and gets easier (well better way to say it is that you get a rhythm which makes it seem easier)

Sorry for the reviewer who can't enjoy a well done rpg...

P.S. Grinding is a game play attribute that true rpg gamers like if incorporated correctly in a game..... which this game does in spades. Makes it easy to collects souls for upgrades.

I love this game.... View

of course not official but would be a good idea.

Just for my two cents, if Sony does go through with it then my choice as a student would be OpenOffice.org. Most schools still require assignments be .doc with no .docx files and OpenOffice has near perfect .doc support and Excel and PowerPoint compatibility is very usable with current version.
OpenOffice has .docx support but not quite as polished as the above.

My Point.... I wouldn't need a computer as a student if Sony had good App support (as well as printer compatibility). All my student, HD Movie, gaming, and social integration needs rapped up in a $350 (will need a bigger HDD drive than 120gb if used for things above). If you don't have a PC keyboard already it will probably put you at $400 (Logitech's current PS3 is pretty good if you want PS3 features but any usb keyboard will do). Name a $400 dollar PC that can game at the level that the PS3 can play equipped with a Blu-ray player. There isn't one.

Right now the only thing holding PS3 back from a very nice poor person's computer is an App Store for non gaming software. View

Has nothing to do with Microsoft and everything to do with the U.S. patent system.

Now where do you think Microsoft is going to get that money? From us of course. They will also spread it out to their corporate side as well and then those businesses will charge their customers for the increase as well which will get spread out further until eventually we will pay for it again.

U.S patent system is broke big time. It allows this nonsense which always ends up hurting the consumer in the Wallet. Microsoft has no real competitor (yet) so doesn't have to worry to much.

Apple has not had as many lawsuits against it as Microsoft has which is one of the MANY reasons Apple can charge considerably less for its operating system.

However,should this company win a huge sum of money against Apple; Apple users may never see a $30 upgrade again. Of course Apple has a huge surplus of cash and has not really went on a spending spree like most companies. Perhaps they are sitting on this cash flow for just this kind of a situation. View

NFL is the most Monopolistic organization that exist legally in the united states. They want ultra control over every little detail and only allow a single company to deal with with a genre of products (one official nfl clothing store, one official nfl video game developer). Madden NFL doesn't really push the limits to what both systems are capable of. Madden's menu structure and play calling is not best that can be had: but how do we know? There is no competition to show us, or the NFL, what can be done graphically or what can be bettered in the User interface. What it tells me is that NFL doesn't really care about its fan base. Thankfully, there is college football or my football withdrawal would have me watching NFL every week.

I still watch NFL but I really only watch the Playoffs consistently. I just stick to College during the regular season and briefly read the stats to see if any of the teams I like will make it to the Playoffs

NFL can just...... well the rest you can figure out on your own View

There are people here saying they would pay $50 to $100 for BC. Guess what? For $99 you can get a nice small Console that Plays PS2 games NATIVELY.....

Oh, and another side benefit in case family and friends want to jump on your PS3 or they are already playing on the PS3 and you don't want to be rude you can jam on the PS2 you just bought on the Second TV. If you don't have one then get one PS2 isn't HD so those TVs are cheap to come by. If you can't afford a $100-$300 second TV or Monitor for the PS2 then you probably should be paying $100 for BC on a PS3.

The flip side is if you are in the Rude mode and kick people off the PS3 they can play on the PS2 on the second TV or Monitor.

Even if you only have one TV if I pay for PS2 compatibility I want...

NATIVE not Emulation....

I have never been a fan of Emulation even on the PC. It takes a couple of Generations minimum where hardware is powerful enough to emulate the past effectively. As technology progressively gets better it will become even harder to emulate that power. View

Good News for Audiophiles. Yes, it is eventually all zeros and ones but in a perfect world this would be true and this would not be that big of news. However Bitstreams are handle different than LPCM on all receiver and not all receivers are able to give the full arsenal of extra's to LPCM such as filtering and the little glowing light telling you that your using HD lossless audio. There are many receivers out there that do allow full access for LPCM (except the glowing light of course) but many of the receivers do it at the expense of lower quality audio that generally plagues many medium and low end receivers and generally does not affect high end receivers if your lucky enough to afford one. However the latest model receivers seem to be addressing the issues plaguing LPCM more and more and if you haven't bought a new receiver yet chances you will find more choices for LPCM.

However this is the fault of Receivers not the Player, which in this case is PS3, so you really can't blame the PS3 for that. However, not everyone here has the luxury of buying a high quality receiver or the time to research every review comparing receivers so we can find out which one does LPCM better than the the other (good luck on finding decent LPCM performance reviews). Easy to find reviews on receivers using bitstreaming for Lossless audio since reviews want to know the performance of the decoder in the receiver not the player. By Sony offering Bitstreaming they are offering better choices for the consumer (Hmmm.. Bistreaming HD audio or Linux compatibility such a hard choice-sarcasm) and at prices significantly less as before - I don't see a problem here.

This news is also significant for Sony as a marketing tool as well. There is a huge population of People who swear by bitstreaming their audio enough to justify the minor improvement to PS3's hardware to support it. This allows Sony to advertise improved performance (which is minor but of course this is in the eye of the beholder). However minor or major it may be, it still is a significant improvement and a great marketing tool for Sony (taking one more ammunnition away from Blu-ray competitors and Xbox 360 fanboys) and giving just a little more control back to the Audiophile. View

$150 game console/ $150 bluray player.

$200 game console/ $100 bluray player.

$300 game console/ free bluray player,

However, you want to look at it. Its a fantastic price point. Its sitting right in the sweet spot where it would be safe from bluray or console drops for at least a year. A $50 price drop by MS would be foolish at this point and still would not be enough to justify the difference (or change Sony PS3 sales growth so why lose money) and they would lose out on money if they played early. MS needs to sit out of the price war until after the holidays and feel how this price drop will affect sales and use their marketing strength to slow the damage and make as much they can this holiday. MS needs to try to hold off till summer 2010 then drop the xbox 360 another $100 if they need a price drop. $50 price cut won't work and if sales do start to suffer or PS3 starts on a landslide sales during the Holiday season a $200 360 would certain make people think twice who are holding off until next year. I love console wars and in the end only benefits gamers. MS needs to not panick they aren't in that bad of a position.

Nintendo is the one who will probably scew up again. A $50 price drop is not enough to justify the machine especially since motion controls are coming to both 360 and PS3 by next year. They need $100 drop now which I feel would even nuff out Sony's price drop and could squash the competition. $150 price would be the only price drop they need for the life of the Wii as I doubt 360 or PS3 will see below $200 until new consoles come out. PS2 did fine at $150 despite a lot of short comings. .....

But will it happen for the Wii..... probably not ........ but here is to hoping.

But for Sony fans at least for a year from GamesCom things look very good indeed, with a streamlined PS3, $100 price drop and great game line-up Sony seems to be playing their cards well. View

World of Warcraft was originally released in 2004. Graphically computers have come along way. There should be a lot of improvement graphically to any MMO but not necessarily CGI quality. If the graphics are not that much improved than a game like WOW that will be 5 years old when it comes out then somewhere else in the game needs to Innovate to justify the cost of a new modern game. From what I see, the focus of the innovation is not necessarily the graphics but in the Voice Over and interaction with Sound and voice to give a MMO a more Movie like experience SOUND WISE!

The whole video is about the voice over technology and how they are using it to improve on the experience to make it more story driven and perhaps movie like than other MMOs

So sound is the INNOVATION here NOT the Graphics. Since there has never been this level of Voice-over interaction in any MMO then the price of a New "Modern" Game can be justified. The visuals are still better than WOW but don't quite match up to what is possible on current generation of Computers.

Again Sound is the Innovation here with special attention to voice-over technology - especially the Level of A.I. involved in knowing what level a player will be an adjusting the conversation to match that level of player - Truly astonishing - in a MMO.

Graphics can be forgiven at the expense of other innovations in the game but of course it never hurts to provide the best experience possible - again no release date so who knows maybe more graphical polish is possible with all this Sound A.I. going on. It will be interesting to see how smart the Non Player Characters (NPC)can be with all the A.I going on for Sound/Voice Over experience.

Give it a chance View

World of Warcaft can be played on any computer over the last five years no reason to really need to stream and there might still be legal concerns over streaming other platform games like super mario kart specially if this service allows anybody to be a server. Point: console owners aren't the only people a game service has to appease, it is also the developers and how it affects their wallets and the business.

Also, too much empasis has been placed on the amount of pixels used and frames per second over 30. Example: we have yet to have a computer or console that can mimic real life in physics, lighting, and color processing at vhs quality resolution. Where would Nintendo be today had they provided real world physics, color processing, lighting but only with the promise of 480p at 30 fps. Nintendo would have not only been the winning console in sales but would have flatten the competition.

I am not saying Onlive can or will provide realistic games, the point that is that 480p at 30 fps can be forgiven if I can play Crysis: Warhead at the highest at settings for physics and lighting and other Processor heavy calculations on my NETBOOK because it was all done for me on some powerful game server somewhere. In other words, realistic water with the sunlight gleaming off the water still looks fantastic at standard resolution as well as HD. Of course, more pixels can improve the sharpess and help when the TV or display is very large but it is not a show stopper. Also, Onlive has been very clear that they are very aware of Latency and have never promised ever that their service solves that issue. I believe they are taking the appropriate actions to assure that their sevice provides a great exprience at the start and that is why they are limiting the distance from their servers at start. Nobody said it would be perfect but there is a market for low cost gaming for both gamer and DEVELOPER.

I myself can't wait for Onlive to surface, the only thing I see that could kill it would be a subsciption base service that is too expensive or gamers don't see a significant price reduction in the games purchased knowing the developers are saving big bucks...... just have too wait and see. View

because most of their games suck! The few that are good generally compete with Sony 1st and 2nd party Sony Developers who get better treatment. Microsoft philosophy is to buy them not make them which works for Third Parties because of the money of course but also no worries about competition. This is complete opposite of Nintendo which is make'm themselves and screw the rest of the world which works great if your a mario/zelda/metroid fan but doesn't work that great for Third Party Developers. Sony kinda of falls in the middle and preferring to balance it out as much as possible. Of course no matter how hard you try your going to step on somebody's shoe strings eventually and Activision is one of them. Problem is Sony has other first and second party IPs that are in the same genre as Activision's top games and they are more popular among the Sony crowd.

Basically, Sony isn't going to miss what isn't really being played on the Playstation anyway so the threat is idle at best. Activision is very much aware of this that is why the publicity stunt.

The negative publicity stunt doesn't work and if anybody is aware of this it is EA.

Activision should just shut their traps and either back out or make games Playstation gamers actually want to experience....

and play.... View

Ah it always happens, somebody on that blog posted (and almost always from the americas) picking violence over sex. That is one thing I can't get over about a lot a people in my country (yes I'm from america. If I had to choose to do something with friends and the only choice was gory violence or sex - hell would have to freeze first before I feel awkward about sex (It's down right unnatural, in my opinion, to choose violence over sex. Heck, mankind is one of the most violent mammals in regards to killing their own kind and that's sad - not something to be proud of).

That said, A lot of story's and fables were created around religion and were meant to frighten or inspire people into doing or not doing and Greek Mythology is a prime example of this. As said by one of the other commenters -there is always dark sides to mythology (and I will add religion). God of War is the dark side of Greek Story telling. If you don't like it don't read about it, watch it, or play it. The game wasn't meant for you but those people who feel the need to explore the dark side a little, perhaps as a reminder what humans are capable of or appreciate the artwork and depiction/re-telling of a part of human history.

Greek Mythology was mostly Gods at War with themselves and humans getting caught up in the middle of it. It's nice to see that game consoles are powerful enough now that the art of what was written in the past can be more accurately express in the future.

Now imagine if somebody had the guts to really portray games based on Bible History(especially the old Testament) and accurately depict the events as written - Definitely would be rate M for sure. View

You know, a lot of you above that are against Apple sound just like the MP3 crowd when Apple entered a supposedly over saturated Music player market. Remember, we are talking "console" which is hardware mostly. Apple has proven time and time again that it is a leader in hardware creation and innovation. On top of that Apple always provides excellent tools for users and developers for their computers/hardware. If Apple did enter the console market it would be something that has been known technically but never achieved (or even thought of): Good example.

I bet a lot of you did not know, or were not aware, that Apple has been a long time supporter of ray tracing - especially real time ray tracing. Even complained a tiny bit throughout the years about the lack of support from CPU and GPU alike. Take this past of Apple and add this to Intel's future larabee (which does focus more toward ray tracing) could be the place were apple takes that leap (remember Apple and Intel are Bedfellows right now).

Question then arises, why and why not?. Ray Tracing takes considerably more processing power to do as the hardware takes control of all lighting/shadowing. The Idea behind this is this would reduce the complexity on the software/artistic side of game creation as there would be no need to hire huge amounts of artist/programmers dedicated to drawing the effects in - thus creating superbly looking games at a faster and cheaper rate. However, this usually comes at a cost in hardware above where consoles are at - not really were dedicated gamers are comfortable with as a game console only machine. Apple would have to create some sort of hybrid game machine/home computer or media center that would justify the cost of being more expensive but the games could be sold cheaper and look better than current generation game consoles.

That above is one example another is Something like Onlive, which I personal think is a glimpse into the future of game. Sure, its only capable of 720p right now because of America's messed up current internet structure/speed , but above 720p is really only important if you are running larger than 50 inch screens. There is much more important stuff going on in games that immerses the player into their worlds than pixels. Lighting, Physics, Framerate, etc... all play important parts to the realism experienced. Onlive takes the expensive hardware that each player has to buy and everybody pitches in and purchases a Super console/computer that can push out massive details in graphics and can handle multiple monitors and inputs - basically think of Onlive as the ability to connect your monitor hundreds of miles away from the game machine. Also remember that 1080p is achievable, not because of hardware, but because of internet bandwidth and Speed. Eventually, the America's internet technology will improve in speed and bandwidth and we will then be able to experience 1080p or above without needing too really upgrade hardware.

I hope this little 2 cents shows that there is lots of room for improvement for innovation and creativity in exploring gaming in ways we never dreamed possible. More competition means more competitive pricing as well as innovation in gaming which is something that we as gamers can consider a win win situation or scenario. I would love to see Apple jump into the craziness with their own take on gaming as well as others and continue to hope other gamers see same advantages I see.....

Peace View

If your a fan of the genre and the gameplay is good I pay a small monthly fee. The fee didn't seem to stop WoW from growing into a massive community. Plus that money eventually feeds back into the game. Of course the game play and system have to be well established for it to work but I have been following pretty closely and it seems the game is really getting some love from the developers.

Can't wait. View

Game streaming machine that is only limited by bandwidth. Even with that limitation the average American home with broadband connection can display any game at 720p 60fps on just about any pc or mac over the last 4-5 years or they will sell a small cheap client game console. Suppose to hit the market 4th quarter 2009. Difference between this 720p machine and a console or pc is that they are using powerful special game servers that can push way more graphically in other areas such as lighting, physics, number of objects on screen, etc... ; the point is this has huge potential IF the company markets the correctly. Imagine playing Crysis at 720p with the gaming server playing with the graphics totally pumped up to highest settings ......on your netbook. Potential is huge check out OnLive's website (you will have to google it I'm typing on my cellphone and copy and paste is not available) View

Don't group America together in one large moral belief DJ. Yes its true that Neo-Religious-Conservatives have suppressed our freedom of expression but don't go grouping me with the idiots that have controlled this country for years. Violence is never better than sex and sex can be a Healthy rewarding experience - done right.

Sex is just as much a Human trait as our supposedly violent 'nature'. I for one would rather my children be accidentally exposed to a Human trait that can have a possible positive outcome like sex, if done appropriately, than Violence which never has a positive outcome even if the reasons can be justified as appropriate (like defending your self in war or from a crime).

Often times, Nudity gets grouped with Sex and religious conservatives try to ban both. Just make it clear that Nudity is not Sex and shouldn't be lumped together. Showing a breast, butt, or penus is not bad, and men and women have been peering at their own ever since they realize they had them. It's not the end of the world if they find out the opposite sex has different body parts depicting what sexual orientation they are.

However, sex is considered a private act and should be used in discretion. I don't support games like GTA IV where senseless violence is possible or a Porno game where meaningless sex is controlled by the user/gamer but when we start to suppress people's freedoms and start to impose our own set of morals on others that is when it becomes wrong. I know what my children watch and play. I can control what they play and watch and teach them what " I " believe is right for my children and hope the lessons taught take hold when they become old enough to make those decisions on their own.

Violence is an unhealth human trait that needs to be completely removed from this world - the world would keep marching on. However, if you completely remove Sex from the picture the Human Race would eventually lead to distinction. This is very basic comparison but it gets the point across.

It is sad that not all, but some Americans, truly believe that Nudity leads to Unhealthy Sexual lifestyle which falsely leads these people to believe that all Nudist must be Shagging each other but thats not the case. Its also sad that Americans can't openly talk about one of the most wonderful parts of being human without being sensored or shunned which I hope doesn't happen here.

Banning freedom of expression from video games is wrong but it should be carefully portrayed. Sex should be allowed to a point as long as it is used with discretion. Nudity doesn't necessarilly lead to Sex, but again, to respect the rights of others it should be used with discretion. When used, the contents of the game should be well documented and advertise so parents can be informed when making decisions when purchasing. This goes for Violence as well. Senseless violence is not healthy and shouldn't be allowed in a game but Violence is a part of human nature and therefore the story should be told whether through fiction or fact.

It is ultimately the Parents responsibility to teach their children what is right and wrong and leave moral judgment out of the hands of governments. View

To the comment made by Dragonwarrior, you hit it on the nail as to what I was hoping to point out.

This game is old school done pretty! Great if you are hard core JRPG

However.....

The original idea push by this game gave the impression it wasn't going to be traditional but innovative; and bridge the gap between different Genres while maintaining RPG qualities.

That is not what this game ended up as and I think this is what will confuse some reviewers and perhaps some gamers looking for a "Next Gen" JRPG with innovation and something to standout amoung the others. When they realize that this is just another JRPG with pretty graphics and a great storyline and review it and play it with that intent, instead of expecting something different, The scores and gamer opinions should better reflect what this game is about.

I wasn't dogging the game. Just pointing out some misconceptions I believe people had about the game. This game is for Die Hard JRPG fans who like the idiosyncrasies that come with JRPGs and what has kept some gamers away. White Knight gave a lot of people the impression that it was going to be the one to change the way we play JRPGs and still keep us Hard core fans happy.

Even though I love JRPGs (and will get White Knight),that doesn't mean I agree with everything in JRPG games that seem to be associated with them ( for instance: Town Folk who seem like an after thought (lifeless) or the vast empty towns with to few people in it). I also felt the deaths could be less scripted and robotic). This was just good criticism and still looking for that JRPG innovator.

I mentioned Valkyria Chronicles - this did a great job blending RTS with JRPG and also had Great Graphics to boot. The world gives a better impression of being alive and the Graphics seem (a little) more consistent than White Knight but that is sort of unfair because White Knight is definitely pushing the graphic envelope but, in my opinion, did so at the sacrifice of consistency.

Pretty Graphics aren't everything and I prefer more consistent graphics over super pretty graphics and like to see the characters, environment, story and gameplay all blend together with harmony. It's great that a Marble floor looks super realistic in White Knight but the Characters, Objects, even buildings don't fit that picture. Transition from game to story and back again seem like two seperate parts of the experience - not a cohesive one. I've played JRPGs that are less prettier than this that did a better job blending story and game play.

This is all just Simple healthy Criticism and doesn't bother JRPG fans like you or me but it does bother others. I wish to add more gamers to Genre not alienate an already alienated game category. The more people who play the more companies will create games in the Genres we love.

However, JRPGs are not perfect, and like any Genre they need to evolve eventually and I just don't see that in White Knight....

But if Old school is what you like then by all means this is the one of the best, prettiest, old school JRPGs I've seen this next gen.

I also recommend Valkyria Chronicles, as well. Especially for new comers who wish to dabble in the RPG world or for those people who are looking for a bit more innovation in RPG genre. View

When they first portrayed White knight, they gave the impression the game would play and look like the real-time cutscenes in this game. The more the game developed the more it became just another JRPG with pretty graphics. I don't see any real innovation in this game other than a decent look battle system. I still see issues with the game (like when a door opened on a character he magically went through it).

I would have like to see the all the characters even while running. Too much space need more Towns folk to make the place seem more alive. The guy ran a lot (which can be typical in a jrpg when there is lot of space and nothing to do) so you only see one character for like 20 minutes then go to a cutscene and see all the characters hanging with him in the story sort of breaks the smoothness of the transition from play to story.

Same thing happens when going back from story to game play. It goes back to just showing one character and when the player takes off running still only showing the one character.

Yes, this is typical behaviour in many JRPGs but, in my opinion, a flaw that continues to shine on many JRPG. While the Battle System is cool the Graphic portrayal of damage still looks similar to JRPGs of old (for instance sword striking enemy flashing light and enemy's whole body shifts) and when the creature dies it does a robotic static scripted death (just like old school). It just seems to fight against the incredible graphics that otherwise accompany the game (amazing reflections, especially off the marble floors with lighting be fantastic). The flowing clothes and shadow detail is fantastic but the body's seem plastic which makes me feel like a grown man playing with barbie dolls (especially the cloth changing part of the game). All that clothes changing and we only really see our creations during Cutscenes or if we stop to look around (which is o.k but not ideal)

Now it was my impression that all this static, empty stuff on old school JRPGs look cool on our old school systems because it was pretty great graphics for what limited resources were available on our old school system but the PS3 is much more powerful system with 50GB Blu-ray disc with a hard drive to stream off of. I just don't see the Generation Leap with this game that I was hoping for. I also don't see this game bringing any new people in the genre or bridging the gap between those people who don't like static animation with lifeless world and usually play online games or the few RPGs that attempt at fixing these issues with JRPGs. I am still more impress with game play videos of
Valkyria Chronicles game play than watching this game online

But I regress......

This is a Hardcore JRPG wet dream come true. Holding to old ideologies of JRPGs of the past with beautiful graphics and a great battle system.... Oh and a Fantastic storyline to boot.

Its a good thing I like JRPGs...... View

Dead Space doesn't really excite me as I have plenty shooters on my list third or first.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

I like fighting games but this also has more. Graphics are incredible for cel-shaded

ok I admit, I do watch the series Naruto Shippuuden its pretty good and Sakura kicks ...! View

You are not sitting less than 3 feet from your tv screen like a computer monitor. Artist and people who Profession Video editing can tell the difference and I bet a few Gamers and People who watch movies on their PC will and can tell the difference. View

Get your PC building (speciallyinformation from a PC hardware review or tech site not some generic gaming site. They usually stay more up-to-date.

ATI 4850 X2 (dual core gpu on one card) 2gb memory is on the horizon (if not out already) will retail around
$400 (price of 2 4850 1gb memory) This card is definitely faster than a single Nvidia 280 GTX

For $50 more than their quoted board for their gaming PC you can get Foxconn Blackops X48 for around $300 (newegg $309). You want a board that has multiple PCI 2.0 (three to be exact 2x16 and 1x4/or1) for expandability (expecially in a gaming machine. You only need one 4850 X2 now but 6 months to a year from now things change quickly and its good to be able to just pop in another 4850 X2 in Crossfire mode when the price drops $100 to $150 in Six months supports CrossfireX here is a discription from Overclockers UK (source from http://www.overclockers.co....

BLACKOPS delivers the ultimate in computing power for todays' most demanding applications, and enables greater agility and control through specialist hardware and BIOS features. Based on the Intel® X48 chipset and supporting processors up to 2000MHz FSB (via overclocking), BLACKOPS is designed for high-performance computing 3* PCIe x16 Gen2.0 slots with CrossFireX™ support enable powerful graphics configurations, whilst unique enthusiast features such as the 4in1 Quantum Cooler enable air/water/LN2 cooling of NB, SB and VRM areas. The highly-configurable Quantum BIOS reveals a huge range of performance settings and tuning capabilities, and coupled with the robust 8 phase Digital PWM, enthusiasts can take their PC to new overclocking heights! The dedicated SONAR daughter card provides high-quality 7.1 channel HD audio, whilst Dual Gigabit LAN, eSATA, FireWire, USB2.0 and SATA RAID are all integrated onboard. Special accessories include the Quantum Flow GPU cooling system, for improving air-flow around graphics cards, and the Quantum Lap motherboard tray for easier access to the motherboard when on the testing bench..

- Supports Intel® Core™2 Quad, Core™2 Extreme, Core™2 Duo, Pentium® Dual-Core, Pentium® Dual-Core and 45nm processors, Socket T (LGA775)
- Chipset: Intel® X48 + ICH9R Chipset
- Front Side Bus: 2000(oc**)1600/1333/1066/800 MHz.
- Memory: Dual channel DDR3 1600/1333/1066800/667 x 4 DIMMs, Max. 8GB
- 3 x PCIe2.0 x16
- 3 x PCI
- 1 x ATA 133
- 6 x SATAII
- 2 x eSATA
- RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; Intel Matrix storage technology and Intel Rapid Recover Technology
- SONAR audio card, Realtek ALC885, 7.1 channel Audio
- Dual Gigabit LAN by BroadcomTM PCIe and PCI LAN chip
- IEEE1394: 2 x 1394a
- 12 x USB 2.0 ports

Anandtech has a great article on this board at: http://www.anandtech.com/mb...

As you can see it has decent options and Foxconn Black OPS is a really good overclocker since gameradar mention overclocking. Even comes with a sound card (decent but not the best) that supports surround sound 7.1 HD so no need to shove out money for a good sound card right away) comes with 2xesata (external SATA) connections further future proof the board its a great board that should keep you going for 3-5 years.

A decent gaming machine is still going to cost you $1500 -$1700 without the monitor but you can have a screaming machine that plays the latest PC games above 1600x1200 for heavy games and most other games plus 1080p Blu-ray if you decide on a blu-ray player I can recommend a better one:

LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20L (at newegg for $149)

See I just Made up $50 of the $60 dollars more the Foxconn board cost over the current set up and the LG Blu-ray player has dececent DVD read and right speeds for a combo player. It supports Lightscribe and is a much better and faster blu-ray player than the sony one mentioned in the gameradar article. You really don't need a sound card right a way as the built in one will do for awhile until you save up later for a sound card upgrade which saves you another $130 to make up for the $100 difference in graphic cards plus save you about $30. Unfortunately, Intel processors have change much in price so your out of luck there. A dual core extreme will put you into the $2500 dollar bracket as extremes still hanging at $1000 but they are fantastic overclockers.

Anyhow, good luck on building your dream PC hope it works out for you.

Hopefully you will see how it you can modify the recommendations in these articles to increase performance at the same price level. View