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" Right, but you fail to realize that there must be a reason that companies began using the *.99 marketing. They can't all be doing it because everyone else is doing it, because then where would it have begun? Your argument, if you don't mind my saying so, is somewhat illogical."

Actually, I do mind. I don't fail to realize - I simply failed to state. Another poster took care of this issue and proved that you are the one that is mistaken, so I won't waste any time with you on that point.

" I don't really see your point. I know that 19.99 + 0.01 = 20.00, and so does the average shopper; that doesn't mean that we, as shoppers, aren't psychologically affected by pricing."

It doesn't mean that shoppers are psychologically affected either. You've offered no proof.

" I don't doubt that. But is it significant enough to warrant sales suddenly doubling? I was not sure about that, and so therefore in my original post I ruminated on the psychological devices that would cause the average shopper to perceive the PS2 as dirt-cheap."

Actually, yes - especially considering that the price drop had been hinted at so before the price drop went into effect, sales would have dropped. It's easier to double sales once sales drop off.

"I apologize, this is pretty much off on a tangent, but...how many good games are there in the cheap bin at EB? Be honest, now.

Oh yeah? Here's games below $10.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Metacritic score of 96
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory: Metacritic score of 84
Max Payne: Metacritic score of 80
Grand Theft Auto III: Metacritic score of 97
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: Metacritic score of 95
Devil May Cry: Metacritic score of 95

Pretty easy to pick out good games in the cheap bin. If I were to open up my search to games less than $20, I could provide even more.

"Or they may not. Anyway, the issue is moot; the lower to middle class consumer is perfectly capable of saving money from month to month. Hell, I do that. I have a good understanding of the middle class, considering that I'm in it."

Again, you missed the point completely. Anyone who has not bought a console, specifically a PS2 - the best selling console for this hardware generation, is not a very hardcore gamer. At this point in the PS2's life cycle, the purchases are coming from casual gamers. These are not the types of people who want to save money for a console. If the price point is lowered to the point where no saving has to be done, obviously sales are going to increase. Your intuition about how people think is sorely lacking.

"No, I believe that the function of government is to serve its citizens, to keep them healthy, and to provide a safety net to those who need it. How stupid people are is entirely irrelevant.

It's amusing how much disdain you, as a typical liberal, have for the general public. You were quite prepared to call them stupid cows in your original post yet you want to provide a safety net for them, why? You obviousl

" Right, but you fail to realize that there must be a reason that companies began using the *.99 marketing. They can't all be doing it because everyone else is doing it, because then where would it have begun? Your argument, if you don't mind my saying so, is somewhat illogical."

Actually, I do mind. I don't fail to realize - I simply failed to state. Another poster took care of this issue and proved that you are the one that is mistaken, so I won't waste any time with you on that point.

" I don't really see your point. I know that 19.99 + 0.01 = 20.00, and so does the average shopper; that doesn't mean that we, as shoppers, aren't psychologically affected by pricing."

It doesn't mean that shoppers are psychologically affected either. You've offered no proof.

" I don't doubt that. But is it significant enough to warrant sales suddenly doubling? I was not sure about that, and so therefore in my original post I ruminated on the psychological devices that would cause the average shopper to perceive the PS2 as dirt-cheap."

Actually, yes - especially considering that the price drop had been hinted at so before the price drop went into effect, sales would have dropped. It's easier to double sales once sales drop off.

"I apologize, this is pretty much off on a tangent, but...how many good games are there in the cheap bin at EB? Be honest, now.

Oh yeah? Here's games below $10.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Metacritic score of 96
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory: Metacritic score of 84
Max Payne: Metacritic score of 80
Grand Theft Auto III: Metacritic score of 97
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: Metacritic score of 95
Devil May Cry: Metacritic score of 95

Pretty easy to pick out good games in the cheap bin. If I were to open up my search to games less than $20, I could provide even more.

"Or they may not. Anyway, the issue is moot; the lower to middle class consumer is perfectly capable of saving money from month to month. Hell, I do that. I have a good understanding of the middle class, considering that I'm in it."

Again, you missed the point completely. Anyone who has not bought a console, specifically a PS2 - the best selling console for this hardware generation, is not a very hardcore gamer. At this point in the PS2's life cycle, the purchases are coming from casual gamers. These are not the types of people who want to save money for a console. If the price point is lowered to the point where no saving has to be done, obviously sales are going to increase. Your intuition about how people think is sorely lacking.

"No, I believe that the function of government is to serve its citizens, to keep them healthy, and to provide a safety net to those who need it. How stupid people are is entirely irrelevant.

It's amusing how much disdain you, as a typical liberal, have for the general public. You were quite prepared to call them stupid cows in your original post yet you want to provide a safety net for them, why? You obviousl

" Right, but you fail to realize that there must be a reason that companies began using the *.99 marketing. They can't all be doing it because everyone else is doing it, because then where would it have begun? Your argument, if you don't mind my saying so, is somewhat illogical."

Actually, I do mind. I don't fail to realize - I simply failed to state. Another poster took care of this issue and proved that you are the one that is mistaken, so I won't waste any time with you on that point.

" I don't really see your point. I know that 19.99 + 0.01 = 20.00, and so does the average shopper; that doesn't mean that we, as shoppers, aren't psychologically affected by pricing."

It doesn't mean that shoppers are psychologically affected either. You've offered no proof.

" I don't doubt that. But is it significant enough to warrant sales suddenly doubling? I was not sure about that, and so therefore in my original post I ruminated on the psychological devices that would cause the average shopper to perceive the PS2 as dirt-cheap."

Actually, yes - especially considering that the price drop had been hinted at so before the price drop went into effect, sales would have dropped. It's easier to double sales once sales drop off.

"I apologize, this is pretty much off on a tangent, but...how many good games are there in the cheap bin at EB? Be honest, now.

Oh yeah? Here's games below $10.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Metacritic score of 96
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory: Metacritic score of 84
Max Payne: Metacritic score of 80
Grand Theft Auto III: Metacritic score of 97
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: Metacritic score of 95
Devil May Cry: Metacritic score of 95

Pretty easy to pick out good games in the cheap bin. If I were to open up my search to games less than $20, I could provide even more.

"Or they may not. Anyway, the issue is moot; the lower to middle class consumer is perfectly capable of saving money from month to month. Hell, I do that. I have a good understanding of the middle class, considering that I'm in it."

Again, you missed the point completely. Anyone who has not bought a console, specifically a PS2 - the best selling console for this hardware generation, is not a very hardcore gamer. At this point in the PS2's life cycle, the purchases are coming from casual gamers. These are not the types of people who want to save money for a console. If the price point is lowered to the point where no saving has to be done, obviously sales are going to increase. Your intuition about how people think is sorely lacking.

"No, I believe that the function of government is to serve its citizens, to keep them healthy, and to provide a safety net to those who need it. How stupid people are is entirely irrelevant.

It's amusing how much disdain you, as a typical liberal, have for the general public. You were quite prepared to call them stupid cows in your original post yet you want to provide a safety net for them, why? You obviousl

" Right, but you fail to realize that there must be a reason that companies began using the *.99 marketing. They can't all be doing it because everyone else is doing it, because then where would it have begun? Your argument, if you don't mind my saying so, is somewhat illogical."

Actually, I do mind. I don't fail to realize - I simply failed to state. Another poster took care of this issue and proved that you are the one that is mistaken, so I won't waste any time with you on that point.

" I don't really see your point. I know that 19.99 + 0.01 = 20.00, and so does the average shopper; that doesn't mean that we, as shoppers, aren't psychologically affected by pricing."

It doesn't mean that shoppers are psychologically affected either. You've offered no proof.

" I don't doubt that. But is it significant enough to warrant sales suddenly doubling? I was not sure about that, and so therefore in my original post I ruminated on the psychological devices that would cause the average shopper to perceive the PS2 as dirt-cheap."

Actually, yes - especially considering that the price drop had been hinted at so before the price drop went into effect, sales would have dropped. It's easier to double sales once sales drop off.

"I apologize, this is pretty much off on a tangent, but...how many good games are there in the cheap bin at EB? Be honest, now.

Oh yeah? Here's games below $10.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Metacritic score of 96
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory: Metacritic score of 84
Max Payne: Metacritic score of 80
Grand Theft Auto III: Metacritic score of 97
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: Metacritic score of 95
Devil May Cry: Metacritic score of 95

Pretty easy to pick out good games in the cheap bin. If I were to open up my search to games less than $20, I could provide even more.

"Or they may not. Anyway, the issue is moot; the lower to middle class consumer is perfectly capable of saving money from month to month. Hell, I do that. I have a good understanding of the middle class, considering that I'm in it."

Again, you missed the point completely. Anyone who has not bought a console, specifically a PS2 - the best selling console for this hardware generation, is not a very hardcore gamer. At this point in the PS2's life cycle, the purchases are coming from casual gamers. These are not the types of people who want to save money for a console. If the price point is lowered to the point where no saving has to be done, obviously sales are going to increase. Your intuition about how people think is sorely lacking.

"No, I believe that the function of government is to serve its citizens, to keep them healthy, and to provide a safety net to those who need it. How stupid people are is entirely irrelevant.

It's amusing how much disdain you, as a typical liberal, have for the general public. You were quite prepared to call them stupid cows in your original post yet you want to provide a safety net for them, why? You obviousl

You should take a look at the GBA versions of Splinter Cell and Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow.

Think franchise instead of port.

Why not try Metacritc, instead of buying dead tree things, what are they called again? Buying books for changing subjects is insane, imho. Who the hell owns a current encyclopedia in this day and age for instance?

Was Spirited Away too mainstream for you?

Seriously, that's part of the problem. Animation is a very painstaking and laborious process and - popular though it is among some groups - Anime is a niche market outside Japan. Perhaps there is a need for films that reach out more to a mainstream demographic?

This is definitely cool, but I thought that one of the running jokes of the series was that the town always seems to suddenly have new major geological features that don't fit with ones they've shown before. It seems like making a map of the place kinda misses the point.

But, then again, someone must have made a map of it for The Simpsons Hit & Run, right? Speaking of which, does this map match the one used in that game? Hmm...

I'm not sure Hollywood is the best place to look for a standard of well thought through 'quality' projects. Don't believe me? Take a look at the "major" releases that came out this week. I'm thinking there are some 'quantity' films there.

Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings there's a Tony Hawk, and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter, there's a Battlefield Earth.

I'm not sure Hollywood is the best place to look for a standard of well thought through 'quality' projects. Don't believe me? Take a look at the "major" releases that came out this week. I'm thinking there are some 'quantity' films there.

Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings there's a Tony Hawk, and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter, there's a Battlefield Earth.

I'm not sure Hollywood is the best place to look for a standard of well thought through 'quality' projects. Don't believe me? Take a look at the "major" releases that came out this week. I'm thinking there are some 'quantity' films there.

Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings there's a Tony Hawk, and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter, there's a Battlefield Earth.

I'm not sure Hollywood is the best place to look for a standard of well thought through 'quality' projects. Don't believe me? Take a look at the "major" releases that came out this week. I'm thinking there are some 'quantity' films there.

Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings there's a Tony Hawk, and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter, there's a Battlefield Earth.

I'm not sure Hollywood is the best place to look for a standard of well thought through 'quality' projects. Don't believe me? Take a look at the "major" releases that came out this week. I'm thinking there are some 'quantity' films there.

Don't let the flash and glamour of tinsel town fool you, games are pretty much at the level of movies right now. For every Lord of the Rings there's a Tony Hawk, and at the same time, for every Fugitive Hunter, there's a Battlefield Earth.

...the killer app to persuade me to wipe my harddrive and install Linux. Or perhaps I should wait for the port of Hooters Road Trip? P.

Why is it appropriate to exclude the GC? Aside from the fact that hardly anyone would buy a title for their PC and then buy the same title for their Xbox or PS2 (or maybe even favour buying the "next in series" for their console rather than their PC) the original article says, "If everybody turns to an Xbox or a PlayStation for entertainment, who's going to need new PC equipment?"

Well, I used to upgrade my PC all the time to keep up with games (I remember paying 150ukp for my Righteous 3D 3dfx card), and I'm as big a fan as any of Half-Life, Quake 3 etc. But I'm really fed up with the cost of upgrading and the pain of trying to get my older games to work with new hardware and new operating systems. So I decided to buy a console for my entertainment because it's a lot of hardware for the money, and guaranteed compatibility of old and new games. I chose the GameCube over the Xbox and PS2. Metroid Prime, Zelda: Wind Waker and Pikmin absolutely rock, to mention a few. Now I don't bother upgrading my PC and just buy GC games (of which there is a reasonable enough selection to keep me happy). This is entirely relevant to the original article and therefore not an "appropriate exclusion".

Indeed. Several times. There is at least metacritic, GameRankings and Rotten Tomatoes. The first and last of those also have other media reviews.

(since I've already posted, I sure hope someone with mod status tags the parent as flamebait or troll)

Um, you do realize that I was the Lead Programmer on DX:IW, right?

As far as reviews go, DX:IW ended up with marginally worse reviews than its predecessor, see:
GameRankings or
MetaCritic

Note that the vast majority of reviews are in the 80-100% range. And then read a few of the ones that aren't to get a gauge on their quality.

Anyway, sorry that you didn't like the game. I hope that our future endeavors are more to your liking.

Often reviewers are given versions that aren't completely finished. One of the reasons for this is that the print-magazines have deadlines very long time ahead of publishing (especially the case for PC games where the time from the game is finished and until it appears in shops are much shorter that for console games)

If a game has serious bugs like that it is disturbing that it made it's way through Sony's QA which is usually rather welldone, but of course I just took the tinfoil out of my hat so maybe the brainwashing orbital lasers made me ignore that it is a game made by Sony and published by Sony.

Remember Next Generation magazine? That was the last seriously credible game review mag - and I was pretty upset when they folded.

Everybody I know uses online game reviews no (eg: Gametab and Metacritic). I'm not sure that a pure game print mag is able to survive anymore. Those that are left are probably still alive because they've resorted to using sex to try and help sell themselves.

DK64 came out two years (IIRC) before 'Tooie. I'm not arguing with you, i'm just wondering how you rationalise Rare "starting to suck" on the N64. I thought Conker was meant to be good, it certainly had the Rare/British sense of humour.. JFG seems a pretty standard shoot/collect-em-up.. don't see how it is better than DK64 (which is also heavy on the collecting stuff side). Each to his own i guess, but you have got modded up +4 insightful so i wondered what you meant. I haven't heard of Ghoulies or SF Adv. i guess they are GameCube games, so they're probably after the Rare people left Rare co., right?

"You don't eat or sleep or mow the lawn, you just fuck your uncle all day long!" Inspired.

Well, sorry you didn't dig it, you gave it a shot, but I still stand by my original comment that I think it's the best game I've played all year.

Also, perhaps you don't want to read any more GLOWING reviews of the game, but they're out there, so I'm certainly not alone.

Let me know what you think if Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time.

CB

Metacritics has Knights of the Old Republic for the PC an 89, while gamerankings has it at 92.5. Note that the reader score at gamerankings is an 89. The PC version of Prince of Persia gets a 92 at gamerankings while metacritic gives it an 88. The gameranking reader score is an 86.

Both times the difference is about half a review point (on a ten point scale) which is pretty significant. And both times the high metascore goes to gamerankings. And both times the reader score is closer to Metacritic's metascore.

Metacritics has Knights of the Old Republic for the PC an 89, while gamerankings has it at 92.5. Note that the reader score at gamerankings is an 89. The PC version of Prince of Persia gets a 92 at gamerankings while metacritic gives it an 88. The gameranking reader score is an 86.

Both times the difference is about half a review point (on a ten point scale) which is pretty significant. And both times the high metascore goes to gamerankings. And both times the reader score is closer to Metacritic's metascore.

He's also being too hard on Namco and Nintendo. Racing Evolution was no terrible game, it was just "different." In a series known for being identical to the way it flagshipped the PS1, it was time for a risk. They took the risk, they alienated some fans, and now they are in a much better position in the market. Would he have preferred another Ridge Racer 5? It was a failure, true, but a noble one.

Likewise, saying Nintendo's head is buried in the sand ignores the fact that nintendo has testmarketed an online adapter, the Bulky Drive. Japan doesn't have very high broadband penetration. If the decision were based on Japan alone, there just isn't enough households for all of the extra work required in porting games to online multiplayer. The X-Box online is a no-brainier, and the PS2 has to keep up, but the 'Cube? Would Mario Party be better if 10% of the 10% of households with broadband decided to play online? Except to the extremely hardcore, not releasing an online adapter shouldn't count as a blunder. The whole N64 cartridge thing... That was a blunder. No Mario Kart Online yet? Don't be foolish.

Movies: RottenTomatoes, imdb, and MetaCritic have saved me dozens of hours of time I might have wasted on crap (like Matrix Revolutions, or TimeLine).

Books: Amazon, despite its evils (patents/privacy), is a very nice filter (with a few shills and idiot-reviewers). I [ab]use amazon as a filter, and then buy them cheaper new or used.

News: Popular Daily News Tidbits, Blogdex, Daypop, and slashdot.

Music: iRATE radio, and word of mouth. Need more Collaborative Filtering in this area to root out the Clearchannels/RIAAs function as a giant pusher of "cool"

Ads (aka: mental engineering): I use PopFile to filter SPAM, and Privoxy to filter out slow-loading, privacy-invading, all-around-annoying ADS. I'm still missing a proxy for my eyeballs in the real world. Soooon. :)

Cheap Products: Not a quality filter exactly, but a quantity filter: PriceWatch, PriceGrabber, Froogle, Anand's Hot Deals ...

Phew, that's a lot of linkage. Anyway, I couldn't function without these and other filters; I'd really be info overloaded.

Collaborative filtering in general has a very bright future IMO.

--

Too bad you can't play Super Bomberman on gamecube; there was another great 4 player game

Metacritic

www.metacritic.com/film/titles/matrixrevolutions

Admittedly, the choices in iTunes are limited. Even though they signed several indpendent labels, including Matador and Kill Rock Stars, though don't have the entire catalog of those labels or any rarities. Heck, they don't even have some of the new releases - try looking for Her Majesty the Decemberists.

The advantage of the P2P networks from a selection standpoint was that you had thousands of people adding tracks, not just one or two labels. On the old Napster, I remember finding tracks from B-Sides and compilations albums from the 80's along with ton's of live materials - let alone regular recordings. In that respect, I think the P2P networks will probably stay around for hardcore fans, looking for rare items. However, I don't think the RIAA is worried about people who are downloading the Reiver's cover of "Atlantic City".

If anyone stands to lose from online music stores, it's Rhino and the producers of the "That's What I Call Music" series. For the hit single buyer, the online store is a great bargain. I wonder if you can pick up "Billy Don't Be a Hero" on iTunes yet.

In all honesty, you sound like you care and that you know what you're talking about. However, your examples aren't really on the money. Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast was extremely ahead of it's time. In 1999, it's detailed character models and fluid animations were like nothing else on the market. Also, the gameplay is much deeper than Street Fighter's.

What's wrong with 9 console games appearing on the list? Why is it so hard to believe that a system designed from the ground up for gaming would have better games?

Anyway, I'm not really asking you to respond to these arguments. What I really want to know is, what games do you play?
What games have you played that allow you to dismiss that list so easily? What am I missing?

How do you know a console game is buggy before you buy it? Okay, maybe you know a good website or something, but does the general public? No. The general public buys a console game expecting it to work without bugs.

Which is why sites like metacritic.com come in handy. It aggregates the scores of all reviews found for the game. It's interesting to see a game that garners a perfect 100 from a place like IGN that also gets a 60 from some indie mag.

*Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
*007: Nightfire
*Rock N' Roll Racing

*Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
*007: Nightfire
*Rock N' Roll Racing

But fortunately, we know better than to play it anywhere.

I don't know about you but that N-gage thing sure looks a lot like the OLDER GBA, so if you pulled a N-gage out of your pocket, people might say, "Hey what's the deal with the old GBA. Why don't you have an SP yet?" There is a reason Nintendo created the SP, and most folks agree that the SP is the best design yet.

And as if anybody needed another reason why GBA is a system for mature gamers who want great gaming: I give you Castlevania.

GameFaqs has a really great selection of FAQs but its problem is that it does not 'own' any of the FAQ submissions. GameRankings mainly owns a database filled with statistics and although not easily replicated there are alternatives.

I prefer GameTab to GameRankings (and to a lesser extent MetaCritic.com). GameTab is not owned by a large company like CNet and has a much nicer design and set of user features. It also uses quotes in its review summary pages and quotes help me decide much more easily than raw numbers whether or not a game will be to my liking. So for now on I'll be supporting GameTab (but I'm sure I'll go to GameFaqs because as of yet there is no nice alternative to that site.)

metacritic.com/games/

Good coverage of all platforms and, IMO, a cleaner interface.

I miss the simplicity of side scrollers, bottom shooters, etc. ... it would be cool to see what could be done with this genre using today's technology and wizardry.

If you're willing to count console games, the bottom shooter, or top-down scroller, is getting another look, as Ikaruga is being ported to the Gamecube. Having fond memories of Zaxxon from my youth, I could almost be convinced to buy a Gamecube for this (and for Zelda the Windwalker! ;^)~ ).

If you're less than strict about what constitutes a side-scroller ("what could be done with this genre using today's technology"), then Panzer Dragoon Orta is actually a good example (Xbox only).

What people who actually want to know what's up with a game need to actually do some research. As with the rest of life, you reap what you sow. Unless your taste runs to whatever's "cool" at the moment (and obviously a lot of people have such taste) just picking up a copy of insert gaming magazine here] or browsing to [insert game review site here] isn't going to tell you squat.

You need to look at a range of review sites. It doesn't take long to figure out which magazines and web sites are schills for whatever game publisher gave them the most cash/best junket. You learn how to read them, and what filters you need to deal with. Check gaming fan sites and message boards. Yes, there are going to be fanboys and schills on the a publisher's payroll, but again, don't take one person's word for it, for goodness sake. Common freakin' sense people. Look at the gestalt.

Be patient. Even if the game sells out on the first day, they _will_ make more copies of them. Don't buy a game the first day unless you're willing to throw that $50 in the trash, because no matter what the previews may have said about it, there's an even chance at best that you are going to hate it. I've done my share of camping out in a game store waiting for FedEx to get in with the new shipment of whatever spiffy new "Popular Video Game Concept" is coming in that day. I've had some successes, and my fair share of disasters (in other words, most of them). The most recent and painful experience being Master of Orion 3: How The Hell Do I Do Anything Here?.

The game publishing industry certainly is able to shove crap out the door, but there will always be plenty of other gamers out there without the ethical handicaps that the commercial reviewers have, who are going to be more than willing to give you and anyone else who will listen the straight poop. Also, not all commercial reviewers are alike. Sometimes you'll find one whos taste aligns with yours, and if so go for it. But even then, you owe it to yourself to look at a lot of opinions before you buy.

Personally, I've found sites like MetaCritic and GameFAQs are great places where a lot of different opinions about a game are collected under one roof, and the people who run those sites don't write any of the reviews that appear there. You usually can get the gist of what a game is going to be like, what the bugs are, etc, but it requires waiting until a critical mass of reviews comes in.

Also Metacritic...

Well according to Metacritic the game is getting mixed reviews, some as low as 50 others as high as 92, averaging out at 75 at this stage.

How does one bad review for a game constitute a statement like "Not Worth The Effort"?

Here's a tip: Try looking at more than one review before you bash something in such a high profile forum.

In the future, try looking up a game's rating on MetaCritic. Have a look and you'll see that altough not everyone liked it, it wasn't universally panned either.

The Slashdot editors need to wake up to the fact that Slashdot holds sway over many a mind. This influence should not be taken lightly.

How does one bad review for a game constitute a statement like "Not Worth The Effort"?

Here's a tip: Try looking at more than one review before you bash something in such a high profile forum.

In the future, try looking up a game's rating on MetaCritic. Have a look and you'll see that altough not everyone liked it, it wasn't universally panned either.

The Slashdot editors need to wake up to the fact that Slashdot holds sway over many a mind. This influence should not be taken lightly.

Imagine, if RT had a game review site, or, really, meta-review site, you'd get a collection of reviews from a wide range of famous and obscure reviewers, along with links to official websites and freebie "trailers" and desktop pix, etc.

No reviewer would be ranked higher than any other, so the first-glance-trending would probably not be as skewed. It would give everyone more information in one location, and plenty of obscure reviewers would get their chances at many more eyeballs.

The Game Industry does a far better job of ensuring customer satisfaction than the Movie/Music industry does. -Game reviews are plentiful.

So are movie reviews, which also happen to be in newspapers.

-Demo/rental versions are easy to acquire to try out.

So are movie rentals. And first run movies only cost $5 to $7.

-You can trade/sell a game to try out other ones. There's more entertainment for your buck.

Ebay sells used movies and games. Also, newly run movies cost $15 to $25 while first run games cost $30 to $50.

-You have the time to sit down and enjoy the game at your leisure. (as opposed to being at a theater by a certain time...)

Online gaming has comparable time constraints, especially for team games. And liesurely home viewing of movies is very common.

-Mods, mods, mods...

Phantom Edit, Extended Editions, Renderman Licensing...

-A bad game isn't as bad as a bad movie. (Your mileage may vary...)

Sure does. $50 wasted is much worse than $25 wasted.

But I agree that video games have more room to grow, and perhaps more potential overall.

This wasn't a review at all. It wasn't even a synopsis (a weak synopsis?).

He did look at it from more than one angle, without providing any real information. If you want to read REAL reviews of Solaris, follow these links:

Solaris reviews #1

Solaris reviews #2

Solaris reviews #3

Solaris reviews #4

Solaris reviews #5

Is anyone else here like me, and upon reading about Ballmer's "MVP" initiative thought of the
MVP: Most Valuable Primate movies?

Ballmer being advised on Microsoft's technical strategy by a worldwide network of programmer chimps : it's more than just an amusing thought.

Rotten Tomatoes, one of the two great meta-review sites, doesn't seem to "get" that this release is very different from all previous cuts of the film, especially the recut, tinted, rock-n-roll-soundtracked 1984 Moroder cut. Many of the reviews refer to the "out of place rock-n-roll soundtrack" and "terrible image quality". This is a real problem, because people will be choosing whether or not to see the film based on extremely inaccurate data.

I've emailed them about the problem (and offered to provide them with a list mapping reviews to releases), but they seem to be ignoring me. If we can get enough people to let them know that yes it is worth taking the time to be accurate about this, this release might actually get the respect and attendance it deserves. Please mail them and let them and (as politely as possible) inform them that this is important.
Thank you.