Valve announces that Dark Messiah Might and Magic (is the "of" really gone now?) is now available for preorder on the Steam client. The game will preload on your machine before the release of the game, just like Half Life 2 did two years ago. The digital purchase retails at $49.99.

Now, you can get the standard edition with discs and a manual for $49.99 with free shipping (based on your location). Why should we pay the same goddamn price for the ephemeral opportunity to play the game on its release date? Shouldn't the consummer get its share of the benefits of digital distribution? I'll stick to the retail version, thank you.

I'm much more happy about the new Dark Messiah skin created by Robenhagen at the Round Table. Simply access your profile, and select Dmomm in the Board Style field (several Heroes town themes are available too). Submit and go back to the forum index to apply the change.