If I wasn't myself a poor college student, I'd gift it to you

Haha, I appreciate the gesture. I'm sure that when I get this eventually, I'll enjoy it more than I won't. And I know that just looking at a list of what's new is very different than actually experiencing the content first hand, but for whatever reason, looking at lists of new content is the only way Bethesda's allowed me to experience any new content. If I actually was able to play the content, I'd probably have a different opinion, but as it stands, I have to wait for the chance to, and as time elapses I'm going to find more and more reasons not to buy this because the flaws, legitimate or not, will overcome the hype.
have you played it? I think you have too many conflicting opinions imo. I think you should stick to one console if your playing on xbox as well. Because your just going to compare one to the other. Why there is a need for spears i wouldnt know, or werebears i wouldnt know. But I dont mind either of it. I hope you end up enjoying the dlc. I am enjoying the new stuff.

Only have a PS3 so hopefully I'll have the chance to play this sometime next year, but I have my doubts. Can't stand the feel of an Xbox controller.
Spears and werebears were prerequisites for a new character I wanted to make, the first new character I've been looking forward to making in Skyrim for ages, rather than being made because I ran into another unsolvable bug. WIthout either of those, his entire basis is gone.
Maybe if you focused on what is actually in the dlc you would enjoy it. Plus basing your opinion on just what you heard prior to actually playing for yourself is a pretty ridiculous method of forming an opinion on something.
And yet, I doubt you'd tell me thinking that this seemed good based on what others are saying about it was ridiculous. I'm not saying anything about whether or not this DLC is good or bad. I'm just saying it seems to be lacking many features I was looking forward to, and as such, I'm in no rush to go out and buy it.
If I want the Dark Knight Rises, I buy the Dark Knight Rises, I don't buy the Complete dike Van Dyke Show on Blu-ray. That's not the say the Complete dike Van Dyke Show on Blu-ray is a bad product, but it doesn't contain what I'm looking for. Same thing here.
My point is that when you get it, you wont care about what isn't in it. It seems silly to not get it just because some features that were never promised in the first place are not in it.
But those were features that actually made me feel excited about playing Skyrim again. There lack of inclusion in this DLC diminishes my interest in it. My spear using Nord werebear living in the wild as a follower of Hircine can't be done, I still don't find any appeal in playing as a mage in Skyrim, and the lack of a Thu'um tree and its promotion to being a core battle mechanic rather than a nifty add-on all take away from the things I wanted to do in this DLC.
The lack of these features is, in some ways, Bethesda telling me that this DLC isn't for me. Oh well, maybe I'll finally get what I'm looking for if/when we go to Orsinium...