The most innaporpriate song to have stuck in your head during an act of passion with your partner? Ducktales! Woohoo! Dun da da da daaaaaa! :evil: *dances* 
So its 2008, and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of another console generation. Putting some though into the current state of the industry and where it is heading, I can't help but have a pessimistic outlook at what console gaming has become, and perhaps more importantly where it is going. Everywhere I look I see failure, disappointment, and missed opportunity. Rather than being able to place the blame on one system or company in particular I find Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft to be equally accountable for the degradation of our beloved hobby. What degradation is that? Games are selling like crazy, and sales are through the roof even in face of an ongoing economic crisis in North America. The slow withering death of console gaming has nothing to do with sales or money. Rather, this is a different kind of death, one that is smothering the heart and soul of the industry in excess greed and corporate takeover, shortcuts to faulty hardware and the pimping of new and useless features being force fed to us. This is the death of the industry we grew up loving and supporting being exchanged with a soulless corporate face and sales figures, hidden agendas and outright theft. Going ahead with this topic I realize this is one of the hardest subjects to tackle, as many of you are so enamoured with the latest and greatest thing that its impossible to fathom the industry in trouble, let alone dying. Many of you will likely skim this blog and throw me the same schlock "gaming is better than ever" response that everyone does, with nothing to back it up. This is for the people who want to look a little deeper into the industry and all the aspects that are combining together seemingly symbiotically to drag it into obscurity. To address another issue quickly before I begin. I have no agenda with this either. I'm not trying to tell everyone to give up playing games, or forcing my opinion on anyone, rather this is the thoughts of someone who has played games for a long time and likes to analyze, predict, and discuss the industry in all its facets. That being said im going to address each console, and its faults individually before offering my final thoughts. This interests me personally so much because I realize that while console gaming is headed down the highway to hell, we're all in the same vehicle with it. 
Nintendo The innovation is a lie The industry giant has again risen to the top of its game. The Nintendo Wii needs no introduction, you probably already own one or two of them. With a seemingly brilliant business strategy, Nintendo has pulled itself from the ashes and become the number one selling console system. In an age of high definition, bump mapping, and bloom lighting, Nintendo has taken a step back to take two forward. And boy has it worked. The sales figures for this beast are on through the roof, it continually sells faster than they can pump them out, and it is ahead by millions and millions of systems sold in comparison to Microsoft and Sony. Wow, that's awesome right? No. In fact its more detriment to the industry as a whole than anything. Nintendo has started out the console cycle touting that the industry is stagnant and withering on the vine, no a few years ago that was more debatable than now. Going into a new console generation Nintendo sold you fear that the competition was going to be behind the curve in comparison to their innovative and fresh take on gaming. But I question this innovation. How different are Wii games really? How much different is the game playing experience using a Wiimote than a controller? Not very. For the most part you are still seeing the same kind of games we always did on the system but instead of pressing a button to input your commands you flail your arm about, flick your wrist or make other motions to accomplish the same thing. Those are just the normal game types as well (action games, rpgs, racing etc) the system has also spawned a particularly vile breed of games- the minigames. I call them nongames because they are so fundamentally different and offer such a different experience than a regular game does that it is its own category. And boy are these things pointless, what target demographic were they made for 12 year old girls and grandmothers? Actually yes they are. Well ok then, were are the games for me the average gamer? The gamer that has been gaming almost all his life and likes more normal types of games? Oh well we do have a few bits of brilliance for the average gamer here the first party Nintendo games, their old franchises are almost all masterfully recreated here. Mario, Metroid, Zelda are great games. What else have you got though..... Wii Fit..... Wii Music.... .... ..oh ok you are making some nongames to up your sales too, well just don't forget about me then. Actually oh you did... this year has been one of the worst ive ever seen for Nintendo as far as the core gamer goes. Well at least I have a great third party line-up of games to fallback on right? Well oh not really, I have a few good games like Trauma Center and Fire Emblem bringing the total of great core games to get up to about seven.... but mostly its ports of last gen games, dumbed down ports of games from other systems, minigames, licensed movie games and games targeted for a younger audience. Well no matter I hear Nintendo has online this time! I can just play my few good games online until the next good release and get tons of replay value and have fun hanging out with my friends. Friend codes? Are you serious? I can't talk to my friends in game either? No voice chat? Where is the unified online infrastructure and ease of online play? Oh there is none. And actually 80% of the scant few good games can't be played online anyways. Well the virtual console is pretty sweet, there's lots of great older games to play but why is there no hardrive available? Do I really have to keep deleting downloaded games to make room for new ones and swapping them out? Ugh that's kind of backwards, well at least I can use this thing to watch movies and listen to my favourite cds! ...oh no actually. I actually feel pity for the average gamer who owns just a Wii sitting idly by begging at Nintendo's table for scraps of real gaming greatness while the rest of the industry feasts at a smorgasbord of luxury and choice. The much touted innovation is a lie coming at the cost of good graphics which whether you can admit it or not greatly enhances your game play experience. Nintendo continually caters to a fickle casual audience buying into the latest fad, spewing out garbage shovel ware titles by the dozen and drowning the industry in mediocrity and casualization. They sold me their system on the premise of change and boy have they delivered that in spades. The change we are seeing is droves of horrible games outweighing any good, repackaging of last generation technology and a lack of any kind of decent online functionality. Nintendo is public enemy number one for gaming, they pulled the wool over everyone's eyes with their supposed "innovation" and are laughing all the way to the bank, buying their success on the broken hearts and dreams of the average gamer that has supported them their entire lives. If this is Nintendo's vision of the future than its a bleak one indeed. 
Microsoft The quality is a lie Well we have an interesting beast with Microsoft's latest offering. I'm going to go ahead and get all the good points out of the way first. It has the largest, most diverse and highest quality software library, the online structure is generally good, and it introduces some generally fun new features to console gaming like achievements, friend lists and Xbox live arcade. Too bad my system hates itself so much its constantly committing suicide. I speak of course of the infamous red rings of death. What the hell were they thinking letting this thing go to market with glaring hardware flaws, and such a high failure rate? One word: market share. It was imperative for the system to launch first and they knew that, they knew that being ahead of the competition would gain them lots of market share, mindshare and sales. That in and of itself isn't a bad goal really, but it is when it comes at the cost of hardware quality. Every 360 owner knows that it isn't a matter of if, but when their system is going to die and need to be sent in for replacement. Smartly, they instituted the warranty policy for the red rings, since failure rate is inevitable but no one enjoys spending four hundred dollars on a system to see it self destruct. The red rings aren't even all the systems problems, the earlier models has faulty disc drives that would just stop working, not reading any discs, or scratching every game and cd put into it destroying it. Where is the warranty for those problems? Next we have the whole downloadable content debacle currently blooming full seed in this generation. Why pay just once for a game when developers can withhold content and sell it to you later for an additional cost? Boy that's fun. I'm glad those extra levels or weapons released a week after your game launched cost me more money, im sure they are features you just couldn't get ready in time for the game to ship right? Then we have accessory costs. Why do I have to pay $180 for a hardrive I can get on the PC that is at least five times as large as the biggest 360 drive. Why are network adapters $100? Why are controllers $60? Why are gold memberships, the only way to play online so much money too? Surely you don't have to charge quite so much for that? I understand you get a lot of great features with the service and I like that, but $50 for it seems a little steep. I find Microsoft to be the epitome of soulless corporate greed. You sell me something that doesn't work, gouge me on the accessories, withhold content from the games and make me pay more them, charge me for online play (every year).... what sort of new and inventive ways of gouging are you going to come up with next generation? Well I don't know, but I sure as hell know I won't be buying into the lies at your next launch. 
Sony 4d gaming! get a second job! $599 us dollars! Riiiidge raccccer! Yeah you can't help but laugh at some of the funny quotes coming from the Sony executives. However out of all the systems honestly I find the PS3 is finally starting to come into its own. It offers virtually the same library as the 360 and doesn't constantly try to kill itself. The first party offerings I find are a little weak, but that's more of a personal taste situation for me than the games being bad. It has pulled itself up from being the laughing stock of the industry, and in the next few years could develop itself into a really valuable core system to own. Oh but make no mistake its gets no free pass either, even now its just scratched above being an average value and only took a couple years to get here. They still have no hope for being anything but a distant third in the sales and market share race, its beginning lifespan was horrible plagued by one stupid decision after another. Five hundred and ninety nine of them to be exact. That's right, $600 smackers for your ticket to the next gen,The diehard fans of course bought into the hyperbole that of course if the system costs so much than its going to be the bestest evar, the diehard techies snatched it up for the blu ray functionality and then the system sputtered with scant, staggered releases, and third party ports that were under par, plagued with performance issues developers generally address to the systems architecture being so hard to adapt and design for. Eventually though the price has now reached a reasonable level, and their third party games are having less and less issues, being the developers finally started to figure things out, but the system is not without its issues. First of all I want to talk about Blu Ray. Has this done anything to really help gaming at all? No its hasn't. You can scream and tell me that Metal Gear Solid 4 couldn't have been made without out but that's not true, they would just have to use two discs. Whoopee. If you can't get off your lazy butt to switch a disc then you have problems. Provided you have the requisite TV the movies really do look good but why do they cost so much more than a DVD? Going to say Wal-Mart to buy a few movies I notice that I can generally get any new release on DVD for under $20 but Blu Ray movies are around $40! Really? There is no way in hell im spending that kind of cash for upgraded visuals, there is no reason for them to cost so much. Yeah there's always movies rentals, but even those the stores generally charge more for just because its a Blu Ray. Next we have Sony's complete lack of an imagination. Trophies=achievements, the controllers are the same thing as last gen, six axis motion controls have yet to provide any meaningful use to game play and is a quick cash in on Nintendo's idea of motion control, hardrives are nothing new.... every "new" feature the system has is a borrowed idea from someone else. And while its a relatively minor complaint to be honest it just shows to me that Sony doesn't have their heads in the game as much as they used to. In closing: Console gaming as we know it has drastically changed, the machines are becoming more and more expensive, there are several different "versions" of each system to choose from, harddrives and online play are becoming a large facet, You can now install the games on the systems, seemingly its becoming more and more like PC gaming. While im a big PC gamer myself, I don't like seeing consoles which are meant to be a fundamentally different experience taking this route. They are losing their identity, and more importantly their relevance. The companies are more concerned with pimping new hardware features and fleecing you with exhorbirant prices at every turn than offering you good games. Console gaming is withering on the vine and fading away. All the sales and popularity in the world can't change the fact that the hobby, systems, and company's we grew up loving have changed so drastically. The console is becoming a thing of the past, make way for soulless corporations defining their systems with their bottom line. 
Down there. See? *pelvic thrusts* *cartwheel kicks a ninja* 
What does it take to be number one? For many, myself included, we have never really been number one at anything. Sure if we look hard enough at ourselves we can find at least a few things we are really good at, but it seems like no matter how good you are at something there is someone who is better. Giving the subject some serious thought the other day I have come to the conclusion that to be number one it takes an unswerving amount of dedication, perserverance, and the ability to learn as much from ones failures as their sucesses. Several months ago I downloaded an innocent enough little game on Xbox live, Frogger. This is one of those games as a kid that I loved along with many others like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong and Pacman back in the day of the mystical, almost surreal arcade scene we were drawn to to the sights, the sounds, and most of all the experience. In the heyday of highscores your skill spoke for itself. You can be of any race, creed, or religion, any age, size, shape and everything in between. The universal factor of videogames being fun for everyone has always boiled down to this I think. All it requires is a love for the game. Finding that one you can play over and over and the hours pass by one after another, as you perfect your strategy, approach and even overall mental state. Going back to Frogger I downloaded it several months ago and played it a bit but never gave it much thought as I couldn't get very far and thought "man this game is hard as hell, how did I ever enjoy this?" Then a few days ago I was going through my downloadable games and giving them some more playtime when I thought "Oh what the hell ill try this again" and I did. I was horrible at first, but the hours went by,,, one, two, three.... suddenly I am able to get to the third level without dying and getting a lot of points... im...getting good. But its not enough. My love for getting those little frogs home safe has taken a new shape, I have a need to play this game daily, to better myself and close in on perfection. This here and now is a turning point in the history of my life. By this time next year I will be the Frogger world champion, this is my goal, my purpose. I know it won't be easy, but I think I got what it takes this time to be number one at something. I will play the arcade game every day time permitting until I can finish all the levels, and then do better and better. It will take thousands of hours of practice and skill growing but this is my game, and this is my time. After a few months im going to seriously look into grabbing myself a Frogger arcade machine, and then I will play it for several more months and submit myself to Twin Galaxies. My goal is to be in the running for world champion by this time next year. My quest starts now. 
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. The year was 2005, and hopes were high. An oncoming generation of gaming awaited us as we eagerly anticipated the new wave of consoles, the three seemingly magical systems that would surely define our hobby in the years to follow. Many of us were excited for different reasons. Some simply wanted to see their favourite franchises updated with the new horsepower such gaming systems could offer, others wondered at the innovation Nintendo brought to the world with their Wiimote and motion sensing technology and a myriad amount of other reasons such as integrated online play or Blu Ray functionality. It was a tense time for game forums everywhere. The new generation had yet to arrive and we had none of these new games to talk about, so instead the focus of discussion fell to the systems and companies themselves. Lines in the sand were inevitably drawn. Rare was the level headed poster in these turbulent times who stood to analyze all three companies equally. Mostly people were content to choose a side and defend their chosen system and company come hell or high water. You couldn't express interest in one system without having at least one other person tear down your opinion and fling ridicule at you, much as a monkey flings their own feces. Some people simply stood with the companies they loved the previous generations, surely anything they released would be pure gold and sparkles. Some were inundated with one or more features of the new wave enough to attach themselves to that one beacon of hope. Blu Ray is the future of gaming! Motion sensing controllers are the future of gaming! Xbox Live is the future of gaming! A fan boy by definition is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession. So why would anyone want to be this person? Does this sound like a mentally healthy, or well balanced outlook? As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I see a lot of this coming from the fact that gaming is still largely a children's hobby, and most non adults can only afford to have and support one system. This is not necessarily just aimed at non adults either. Sadly, a lot of adults share this mentality. So in the age of internet technology everyone has a voice and little Johnny gamer (and john senior) reinforce the validity of their consumer purchases by tearing down others. Oh you got that system, that is so lame. This system is going to be the clear cut winner because: A) Its the most powerful, Has Blu Ray, and Sony won last gen. So there's no reason they won't be repeating their success and subsequent domination of the industry. B) It has motion sensing technology. All other systems are lame in comparison and fail to innovate or drive this industry forward like Nintendo. This industry has been dying for years and only Nintendo can save it! C) Microsoft has this in the bag man. Xbox Live is the future of gaming, everyone is going to online playing each other. The system is also the best priced for the power it provides. Also: Halo. Each in hindsight sounds equally ridiculous. But we were utterly convinced that a single system could be the herald of the future, and we alone had chosen the right path. Like a misunderstood messiah of our time we had to preach to the others why we were right at every available opportunity. Not only were we reaffirming and validating our own choices we were surely informing the others of their mistaken choices and opinions. So everything was debated down to the nitty gritty detail. The effects of blu ray on gaming, the wiimote, Xbox live, hard drives, system appearances, system specs...everything but the games themselves. Games were irrelevant. What emerged from this was a forum suffocating from the blanket of strife and argument that permeated every facet of its daily life. You choose your side, and you defended everything you had to say about liking anything with zealous impunity for fear or "losing" Board moderators were a lot more slack back in these days and people got away with a lot that they probably wouldn't in today's Gamespot. Some people stood back and took it all, weighing options carefully and not professing allegiance one way or another because they knew a slew of nay saying attackers lay in wait for the slightest misstep or sign of weakness of their part. Some forum members left, some alliances were formed, some were broken and some people thrived under the chaos and strife. And so the systems were finally released and gradually general games discussion became general games discussion again. Lo and behold a lot of particular people that were adamant and stunt in their defence of one company and their position relegated themselves to multi console owner status! Heresy? A few months before yes, it would have undermined that persons beliefs, decisions and previous months upon months of arguing to confess to owning multiple platforms. But now is a different time. The cloud has lifted, the dark ages are past and its all about the games again. Some few of us still stick stubbornly to our chosen systems to this day, while many of us have seen the proverbial grass on the other side. We have learned that is not necessarily greener, its just nice to eat some different kinds now and then. Oh but mark my words the chaos is returning. Already the rumours are brooding of the Xbox 720 super system that will surely crush all gaming before its awesomeness, of Sony patenting motion sensing technology, and so on and so on. It never stops. War is coming, again. When the lines are drawn in the sand which one will you stand behind? As a reformed fan boy myself I will be the observer far away from the battle this time, watching in bemusement. This is an open challenge to every fan boy on this site. Do you think that Nintendo is going to come to your house and cuddle with you at night because you only buy or talk about their products? Do you think Sony is going to fly overhead in a hot air balloon and shower you with candy and kisses because you defend them valiantly on a game forum? Do you think Microsoft is going to send you a killer cyborg robot from the future that will slay all your enemies because you pwnz0red a fan of another system? Take a moment and reflect on how ridiculous it is to leap to the defence of a multi billion dollar corporation that cares nothing but trying to get as much money from you as they can. Can you imagine someone loving Subway so much that they actively go out of their way to destroy the reputation of Mr. Sub? Imagine going to a store and making fun of someone who buys Duracell batteries because Energizer is obviously the superior brand. How about openly mocking someone because they went to see a Miramax Film over a Universal film? These companies are laughing at you, all the way to the bank. They don't really need multi million dollar ad campaigns, innovative ideas or software when they have the legions of frothing hopefuls lapping at the bile they spew in the name of their profit margins and bottom line. And still you will glorify your chosen company, herald it as the be all end all of the industry. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. 
Joneleth Irenicus Irenicus at first appears to be a simple villain with a keen interest in torture. He is seen torturing the protagonist with powerful magic at the very beginning of Shadows of Amn. However, minutes into the game he reveals that his apparent motive for said torture is to unlock his victim's latent power, thereby benefiting them in the long run. His lair seems to confirm the view of him being a strange character, on one hand, grossly harmed creatures that lie deformed in containers emphasize the evil in him. On the other, his obsession with a woman he'd previously maintained a relationship with reveals a much more human (or elven) side to him. It becomes apparent later in the game that Irenicus's embarking on his dark path came about partly from love. His overly possessive nature eventually became too much for his partner to bear, and unable to let go, Irenicus turned to pursuit of power and revenge, which in turn led to him becoming utterly evil. However, not only love was responsible for his downfall.
Irenicus was already a powerful spellcaster, and the power he sought was the power of the gods themselves, trying to enter the elven pantheon. So he was punished for his lust for power by being stripped of what made him an elf. No longer being able to feel with the same intensity as before, he became bitter, obsessed about his downfall, and embarked on a mission where it was hard to tell if his objective was that of gaining power or satisfying his revenge. At the start of the game, Irenicus appears to be a human, although later dialog reveals that both he and his sister, Bodhi, are exiled elves. The elves of Suldanessellar refer to him as 'the Exile', and it turns out his lost love is the elven Queen Ellesime. He is a highly arrogant, and an incredibly powerful wizard. Capable of causing a huge explosion within the city of Athkatla that reduces part of Waukeen's Promenade to rubble, and eliminate several Cowled Wizards that were sent to arrest him thereafter, before eventually surrendering by choice rather than continue his violent actions.
Irenicus is, at first, not readily identifiable as an elf, due mainly to his lack of that race's pointed ears and unblemished physical appearance. He is also unusually large for an elf, being as tall as a full-grown human. (While most Faerûnian elves are tall, the graphics of the game mostly show them as shorter as well as slimmer than humans.) Additionally, Irenicus is unusually well-muscled for a mage, and his body shows the ravages of time as a result of being disconnected from the life-force and immortality of the elven people. Irenicus' face is deeply veined and invariably bears a cold, disdainful expression. There has been some contention among players as to whether that is Irenicus' actual face, or some sort of enchanted mask. Irenicus' elven ears appear to have been surgically removed and replaced with a form-fitting skullcap that covers the rear half of his head. The exact purpose of this skullcap is unknown, though it (possibly in conjunction with Irenicus' armour) presumably serves some sort of life-support function. This is especially likely in light of the self-imposed vampirism used by Bodhi (Irenicus' likewise-exiled "sister", though whether this is in blood or merely name remains unclear) to sustain her own existence. It is also possible that Irenicus' bodily modifications allow him to augment or better focus his considerable magic power.
Irenicus' magic is, like Irenicus himself, elven in origin. The extent of Irenicus' magical ability is so great that he ranks among the most powerful wizards in all of Faerûn, rivalling mages such as Elminster Aumar and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. In combat, Irenicus is decisive and overwhelmingly potent, usually eliminating opponents with only a single spell at a time. Irenicus is clearly able to cast spells of the ninth level or even beyond, and often disintegrates or detonates enemies in an instant-a display of his power is given in Waukeen's Promenade, where he dispatches several assailants with his powerful magic's. Irenicus commands some spells that are not even available to the Player Character and his or her party, a notable example being Rapture of the Father, a death spell that appears to be able to instantly kill six enemies with no regard to magic resistance or saving throws, and a cloning spell with which he clones the main character and his friends to keep them occupied while he makes his escape.
Joneleth is Irenicus' elven name, and Jon Irenicus is later revealed to mean "Jon the Shattered One." The name "Irenicus" was born out of Joneleth's hatred, self-pity, and desire for revenge on Queen Ellesime, and the people of Suldanessellar, for his exile. Irenicus is an ultimately unsympathetic character who seeks to claim divine power to which he has no right. This hubris is in contrast to the motivations of Bhaalspawn individuals such as Sarevok and the Player Character, who can at least pursue Bhaal's power under the excuse of heredity.
What makes him so great? The character is the classic villian personified and the epitome of evil for self gain. The very opening of Baldurs Gate 2 has you in a test tube with him rasping at you "Its time for more....experiments." Being exiled from his race, family and love drives him to live for only revenge. Every line he delivers in the game is full of bitterness and hate, and everything he does is to gain immense power and revenge. I've never seen a villian I love to hate so much, and one that you can understand the motives of at the same time.
Lady Aribeth De Tylmarande Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande is a elven paladin of Tyr, the Blind God of Justice. She is said to have been born in Thundertree, a town in the Neverwinter Woods of uncertain parentage; some say a union between half-elves, others a moon elf and a human. The village was wiped out in an orc raid leaving her the sole survivor of the massacre. Vowing vengeance, she hunted down the perpetrators and slew them all, but, unsatisfied, continued to hunt and kill orcs in an obsessive quest until she was trapped in a sudden blizzard and rescued by a one-armed man she believed an avatar of the god Tyr, who took her to a monastery of Ilmater.
Recovering her health there, she learned to be a paladin, gaining such fame that when she moved to Neverwinter, she was named to the elite bodyguard of Lord Nasher Alagondar, being the first woman and first non-human to be so honoured. There she met and became engaged to Fenthick Moss, cleric of Tyr in that temple. In the original campaign, Lady Aribeth is chosen by Nasher Alagondar to be in charge of the investigations surrounding the Wailing Death. She begins training adventurers at an academy to combat the forces behind the plague, and after the Waterdhavian creatures needed for a magical cure become scattered throughout the city, the hero, who was an exceptional student at the academy, is placed by Aribeth in charge of tracking them down. After her lover, Fenthick Moss, is found guilty by association and is hanged for trusting Desther, a false Helmite and agent of Maugrim who was actually in charge of spreading the plague, Aribeth views Neverwinter as having betrayed Fenthick and needing to atone for his death.
It is revealed also that Morag appears to Aribeth in her dreams and tempts her to join Maugrim's cult with promises of revenge. Aribeth initially continues to lead Neverwinter's effort to find the cult as they search outside and around Port Llast, but eventually disappears. Upon reaching the Luskan's Host Tower, the hero learns that Aribeth has become a blackguard in the service of Morag and has agreed to lead Maugrim's Luskan army in their impending assault on Neverwinter. At the climax of this assault, the hero confronts Aribeth and defeats her in combat. The hero may then either persuade Aribeth to surrender and return to Lord Nasher to face judgment or be forced to fight her to the death.
In Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, Aribeth is revealed to have died. According to accounts of her given by Sharwyn, Daelan Red Tiger, Tomi Undergallows, and Linu La'neral, Aribeth tragically died sometime after Morag's defeat. Upon encountering her spirit in Cania, the hero finds her distraught with her betrayal of Neverwinter due to her realization that she never truly loved Fenthick; her betrayal therefore was not motivated by her love of Fenthick as she had thought and was consequently much less justified. The hero can either persuade her to return to the service of Tyr, or accept the evil path that she has chosen; either way, she will join the hero in his/her quest. Aribeth herself says that she died violently, though her memories were somewhat hazy. Presumably, the hero of Neverwinter attempted to defend Aribeth while she was tried for her crimes. The hero would have been heavily outvoted, since the majority of Neverwinter called for Aribeth's execution.
Lord Nasher complied with the city's request and as a result, the hero of Neverwinter's friendship with Lord Nasher ended, and he (the hero is revealed to have been male) left Neverwinter, never to be heard from again. Because of the hero's falling out of favour with Lord Nasher, Nasher had revisionists play down his role in saving Faerûn from destruction. If Aribeth is at the protagonist's side at the very end in the confrontation with Mephistopheles, the archdevil will use his considerable charisma to play on her uncertainties and turn her to his side unless the player character can be even more persuasive.
What makes her so great? Well she is another kind of classic villian done extremley well in my opinion. One who is forced to choose between her country and her true love. Emotions overtake her and she goes from being a warm loving person to a bitter, evil black knight by the end of the game. The tragic hero that is manipulated by a greater evil after experiencing a life altering tragedy she shows you just how far and hard you can fall in love.
Ahh... you spot her from across the way when you're out with your friends. Shes stunning, amazing... you get talking to her, ask her out, take her out a few times, and then hook up. Then after the very first time you make love it actually opens the gates of hell and this girl turns into satan. "Do my laundry!" "do the cleaning!" "stop hanging out with your friends!" "pay attention to me!" "stop drinking!" "stop scratching your junk in public its embarassing!" "Sex? with YOU? lol. Thats what my OTHER boyfriend is for... go clean my car." Numero Four Cats 
Maybe its a jealousy thing. If I could lay around all day sleep, be petted and loved and then lick my own groin id have it made! But actually its more of an allergy thing. Anytime I enter a cat persons house I gradually within the half hour begin sneezing fits and eye watering hell. Have you ever been making out with a cute girl whos clothes are covered in cat fur and you end up sneezing all over her face? Im not talking light mist sneeze either.... ohh frickin noez I mean full on booger coating madness.... oh sure its funny cause you're sitting there laughing going "lol ur a stupid boogerface" but it seriously ruins your odds of super happy nekked playtime. ****in cats :evil: Numero Three Pants 
Look, I did NOT buy glow in the dark scooby doo boxer shorts to NOT show them off to people! And besides that think of how awesome it would be eh ladys? You could check out what a guy is packing before bothering to put up with his crap! At least you know it would be worthwhile then. Besides it would be fun to swing my mighty hammer of love at the unsuspecting public! Id have to legally change my name to hugeu mcwang. But the terrible truth is... Ive been anti pants ever since a squirrel ran up mine and I couldnt get him out! He had his way with me! :shock: and now im pregnant with his bastard squirrel baby :( Stop the madness-If you support pants you support squrriel rape :evil: Numero Deuceo Beans 
Contrary to popular belief they are not magical. Eating a big meal of these before you go out on a date with that special loved one is only a recipe for disaster- trust me. Guys if you were ever to take my word on just one thing I say in your whole lives make it this one. If you thought allergy boogers killed your game wait until you see what mighty tectonic farts of stink will do. :( Numer Uno The Duck Billed Platypus 
Look at THIS crazy ****ing thing! Truly the stuff nightmares are born of! Half duck, half beaver, ALL EVIL. You're out at the park at nighttime... the crys of quack quack can be heard all around and then lulling you into a false sense of security.. and then something crawls in from the water and claws your ****ing eyes out! Look if they were to do a documentary on this thing it would go something like this: "The duck billed platypus's natural habitat is unknown.... most scientists agree its likley the seventh layer of hell where it serves satan. Its diet consists mainly of human innocence and love. Like the horny humping squirrels of mexico they have been known to violate behinds!" :shock: 
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MAI ASS! *backflips off cliff*
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