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The sequel beat the record achieved by the original game, which took 2 years to achieve.

It took the first one two years because it sucked.

Modern console gamers seem to have forgotten this. Whenever I see a game reviewed as a potential "Halo killer", I weep for the reviewer, who clearly has Alzheimer's.

Do people remember the "buzz" about the X-Box launch and Halo. Sure, those people who had wrapped their egos so tightly into Microsoft's success claimed that rainbows were coming out their asses, but the more realistic gamers sighed with a "Well, I guess at least Halo's not bad." Halo's most shining characterastic was that most of the other launch titles were dreadful. The key word in Halo was repitition. You'll see the same enemies over and over again. You (and they) will use the same tactics over and over again. The levels brought their own level of boring repetition, so painful that Penny Arcade compared it to pounding nails through their dicks.

Halo was redeamed by its multiplayer which I understand is very good. I must yield that it had exceptional control for a console based first person shooter. But Halo took a long time to move 5 million units because the single player simply wasn't compelling. It only did as well as it did at first because there were no other real options. Later on multi-player became popular.

Gotta reference Romero!

And now for this thread's obligatory PA reference.

Ssshhhh....big secrets, crazy shit. Alright?

And anyway, mostly Americans here it seems. No-one can break it ;)

And whaddaya know? It's a month already!!!

yeah. because Acclaim was making such great games, had top-notch marketing, and always kept fans wanting more.

there's no reason they wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for those dirty pirates.

Has no one played Half-Life 2 and thought of how awesome the struggle between the Combine and the Rebels would be if it was a persistent role playing game with things to do besides fighting?

Check out System Shock 2. It's not extremely recent as far as graphics engines go, but it's probably one of the better FPS/roleplaying game ever. It has to be good to make Tycho's (PA) 3 games he'd take on a deserted island (: (and strangely enough, WoW is another one on that list).

Oh no no no I think you need to try out this game instead.

Though I fear of PA overload here at Slashdot, I feel that this particular cartoon is really worth a nod. Very much explains where BMX XXX (one of Acclaim's more ludicrous products, which they are likely auctioning off many copies of) may have come from...

I used to MUD back in the day, and loved it.. but over the past 5 years or more I just rarely bother to play online games with people I don't already know, because, well, online gamers tend to either be a) 14 years old, or b) just act like it.

I've been intrigued by the MMORPG concept, but never really ventured in, but WoW is really tempting me, if only because I love Blizzard. I'm just wondering if there's any chance that this game won't lend further proof to the Internet Fuckwad Theory.

Don't forget the Penny Arcade link

...or one that says "This one isn't for critics!" :)

Just a reminder: Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray now require the implementation of Windows Media 9 (now VC-9, or VC-1 depending on who you ask). This means that anyone using a computer to play DVDs may be subject to Microsoft licensing restrictions.

Just a reminder: DVD and ATSC (American digital television spec, mandated by law) require the implementation of Dolby Labs AC3. This means anyone using a computer to play DVDs, or using a computer to watch broadcast television may be subject to Dolby licensing restrictions.

Just a reminder: VideoCD (MPEG-1) requires the implementation of The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Layer 3 algorithm. This means anyone using a computer to play Video CDs or listen to .MP3 music files may be subject to Fraunhofer licensing restrictions.

At the moment, Fraunhofer, for example, realize the futility of prosecuting implementations of software-only MP3 decoders. This does not mean they do not have the right to file lawsuits against the users and producers of such, even, should they so desire, to the point of requiring per-use license payments.

The ogg / vorbis / theora solutions that the industry is paying no attention to are the only specs that are free of this insanity. But don't get all worked up just because Microsoft was the company whose codec was chosen instead of one of the other evil companies in mpegla.com's portfolio, unless you want to be thought of as this guy.

Looks like a couple of jobs for Mr. Period!

I find Angst Technology much more geek friendly than Penny Arcade.

When can we expect their adaptation of Strawberry Shortcake?

I'd provide a link, but, well, you know...

Seriously, though, the Unseen Comic pretty much describes my own opinion of American McGee by now, and somehow I doubt I'm alone judinging the department this came from.

I can't understand why a lot of people loved this Arcade cabinet stuff.
I began playing old & "free" N.E.S. games. May be some real-like arcade machines may be funny. But I never liked to pay for a noisy and expensive machine.

Thanks for using the insightful "M$" -- really. If I were a moderator, I don't know what I'd do.

I guess you can kill other people. They say it's fun.

The possibility of that being taken out of context reminds me of this.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2004-11 -22&res=l

You Know what they say!

Bioware did just that. They used to be with Interplay, who then tried to screw them since they were going under. Bioware jumped ship and went with Atari then.

Actually, Bioware was mostly following D&D license, which is a whole other story (although they were hosed by Interplay as well PA)

Finally, I have found an outlet for my urges to smash bottles on people's heads... Technology is grand.

First off I have to let you know I enjoy getting head shots in UT2k4 just as much as the next guy. Second does this remind you of that columbine mod? http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2001-07 -18

Now let me say there is no way this is going to satisfy any of the conspiracy theorist. Nothing short of going back in time and showing them the events for real would stop any of that. You have to realize that people don't necessarily think it was impossible, they just don't think Oswald did it. Besides conspiracy theories are one of these ways people help to explain events of seeming random and harsh violence.
Further more I don't historical re-enactments are comparable to this game. First of all re-enactments are general done for battles of one sort or another. I know every year people go out and re-enact civil war battles. I don't think every year some one re-enacts the Kennedy assassination, or any other assassination. The only reenactments of the Kennedy assassination I've seen are part of an investigation. It's there to show you specific details or something like that.
While you can say that's the purpose of this game I would have reason to doubt that. A game like this would be more acceptable if it had more educational material packed in with it. A sort of encyclopedia britican of the kennedy assassination. Second historical reenactments are a performances done for an audience. This is not being done for an audience. If there selling this as a game, which they are, the idea is that it entertains you. Finally their making money on this. I know the documentaries make money off their commercials. However the documentaries could just as easily make that money without the reenactments, and some do.
Finally this guy made state of emergency. While you can say he uses edgy game content to push an idea I couldn't disagree more. Honestly he's like marlin mansion, he tries to get a shocker and uses that to help sell his stuff.
Before any of you trolls out there jumps I don't think marlin mansion is a bad guy, I don't think his music sucks. I've honestly never listened his stuff. In bowling for columbine I though he came across as intelligent and nice. However when you have fetuses in iv bags in a music video, you have to admit he uses shock to sell his stuff.

the Penny Arcade solution!

LOL. Anyone who labels someone "pedestrian" is trying so hard to sound like the enlightened intellectual. Put down the coffee.

Actually, I was referencing a Penny Arcade comic. Nice try, however.

You're right, it's a conspiracy of a small minority of gamers crossposting to all the threads listed in the linked site of this article. Next.

Didn't go as far as to say that. Don't put words in my mouth.

Nothing makes you special. Sorry. It's rather amusing when people click the Read More link of an article they think shouldn't be there, read it, and post a reply...instead of just skipping over it and moving on. Some people apparently need to see their words up in a Slashdot post.

Just like you did?

Nope, it's called refund. Rather "pedestrian" of you, I should say.

Come again? How does paying 90 bucks for a game mean I get money back? Please, give me a pass to your magical world. I wish to join in the vast richness involved.

Next.

Next what? Next up on Maurry, we have some girl that banged a 60 year old?

Oh, and stop hiding behind the AC.

from the you're-all-beta-testers dept.

Yawn. Every Linux distro gets released bug-free, right? ...Usually, a game bug isn't news-worthy, but the sporadic nature of this bug makes me wonder - who else has problems with HL2 pausing/skipping?

Well, you sure linked a ton of forums, how about you just read those threads? Or perhaps other gamer boards?

Listen, I know HL2 is the biggest thing to happen to the gaming community in quite some time. I know the controversy surrounding it, Gabe Newell, Vivendi, Valve and a piece of caerphilly cheese. I just don't see why a bug that is sporadic and what seems like a very minute number of people are having makes the frontpage.

Yes, I expected to get modded down.
No, I don't care.
Yes, I have "been around here for a while, and I know how the place works!"
No, these aren't the droids you're looking for.

I usually get flamed for this, but I just do NOT do family tech support any more.

Penny Arcade said it best.

Mr Period Returns!

Wow, I really screwed up that post.

that letter

tribes 2 (Ooh! Right in the Mean Bean Machine!).

Your grocery discount card is only safe in the right hands! Just imagine what they'd do if they found your National ID card.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2004-11 -17

I could spend an hour just throwing television sets out windows at the police on the ground.

Apparently, you're not the only one.

I need to remind no-one, least of all the hardcore, of the seminal Ringtales on the SNES. Taking what it needed from every genre and ejecting the desiccated husks, Ringtales picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Starfox, put it on, and said, "You know what? This is actually a pretty good gauntlet." Equal parts space shooter, platformer, and RPG, the Derelict Cruisers still represent the most satisfying and well-conceived dungeon experiences of the entire 16-bit generation.

I need to remind no-one, least of all the hardcore, of the seminal Ringtales on the SNES. Taking what it needed from every genre and ejecting the desiccated husks, Ringtales picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Starfox, put it on, and said, "You know what? This is actually a pretty good gauntlet." Equal parts space shooter, platformer, and RPG, the Derelict Cruisers still represent the most satisfying and well-conceived dungeon experiences of the entire 16-bit generation.

Jack Tycho and John Gabriel, I think. From Tycho's first attempt at drawing a strip, which proved why he does the writing.

*digs around*

Here, from Names at Last!

Get out and about once and a while. And when you go out somewhere, talk to girls. It helps.

Get out and about once and a while. And when you go out somewhere, talk to girls. It helps.

You missed 7.

Obviously they've been heavily influenced by Scott McCloud

1 2 3

1 2 3

1 2 3

I'm glad this is already at 5; I'd love to see what he has to say. My attitude toward the two of them is that Gabe is the cutest thing ever, but Tycho's more likely to make me cry. (See: the birth of the baby.) His writing is by turns amusing and touching, and definitely of a high enough caliber to match many syndicated columnists.

Scroll down from here my child.

Why is Penny Arcade so popular when your comics are no funnier than random words strung together?

Where's the love?

Hate 1, Hate 2, Hate 3

Where's the love?

Hate 1, Hate 2, Hate 3

Where's the love?

Hate 1, Hate 2, Hate 3

You gotta link the comics if you really want people to understand all about the Fruit Fucker:
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