Here's another reason German/European games score less in the US. What was the delay between Oblivion in the US and Oblivion in Germany? What was the delay for Fallout New Vegas, etc. Was it over 2 months? Didn't think so. Instead of purchasing Two Worlds II at the same time as everyone else on the Watch, I've been forced to wait. I've been reading others' impressions and now I'm just not as excited about the game as I was when it was released originally. I'll probably not buy it first day, like I would have if it was released simultaneously here. I might wait for a sale or just get it second hand. Simultaneous releases gives less chance for negative word of mouth to affect sales. If I had read everything here about Fallout New Vegas, I might have waited for a couple of patches before buying. As it was, I was excited to get the game the same time as everyone else because it's a lot more fun to share impressions with folks who are playing it at the same time you are. Most of our European friends will have moved on from TW2 by the time I get it and play it, so it won't be as fun to talk about here. This lowers my overall enjoyment of the game and so it will "score" less in my rankings.