Microsoft needs to stop dicking around. Ditch the no-drive model. Drop the premium/pro down to $300. Drop the elite down to $400. If they were selling the premium/pro version at $300, they would sell like gangbusters.
You know where I wish you couldn't jump? WoW. Yes, I know there are some places where it is useful, but seriously...watching people jump constantly in that game pisses me off.
I appreciate keeping more obscure stuff on tap, but look at the major American-brand beers...ok, now look at the major german brand, or irish brand, or scottish brand...yeah. See my point?:-)
...would never use this service, and while I despise ads as much as the next person, I don't quite get what all the fuss is over. You KNOW that they are recording your phone call, they tell you everything up front, you get free phone service...yes, you have to look at ads, but hey! At least they are pertinent to you and yours.
If I have to see advertisements everywhere, I don't want to see shit for Viagra or a low mortgage rate...I want to see ads for video games, horror movies, fetish stores, and computer equipment.
Seriously, there is no way to escape advertisement (yes, I know there is AdBlock and NoScript), so why not at least have advertisements that you would be at least REMOTELY interested in? Target audience and all that... If Comcast knew what kind of products I was interested in and I got to see ads for only those type of products while watching what little TV I watch, I would be much less inclined to leave the room or fast forward on Tivo. Instead, I get stuck with commercials for tampons and "beer" (i.e. watered down piss...I love being from and living in the USA, but christ we have NO tatse in beer)
While an analog stick will NEVER be a replacement for a keyboard/mouse combo, all it takes is a little bit of use...after playing through only a couple of FPS with a controller, I found that I got used to it to the point where I feel comfortable picking up a controller and just playing. Granted, as I said, there really is no replacement for a keyboard and mouse, but it doesn't take long to get used to using the controller.
In some ways, I prefer the controller for games like Rainbow Six: Vegas and Bioshock...even with as well as I type and with how long I have played games on the PC, I sitll find it more conveinent to have all the controls right at my fingertips...I don't have to worry about having my hand in the wrong position and hitting a key I don't mean to hit. Bioshock's 360 controls are very well laid out, and it takes only a couple minutes for the scheme to feel entirely natural.
Blasphemy, some might say...but it's simply a different type of Micro...it's just a different skillset that is required. Not to mention if you play FPS on a console, you will find (or at least I did) that my keyboard/mouse accuracy actually increased since I got used to something that wasn't quite as accurate.
Based on you saying this, I can only assume you haven't played either game for more than 5 minutes...as a long time first person shooter fan (played them since Catacomb 3D) and as a die hard System Shock/SS2 fan, I can say that BioShock does indeed deserve every outstanding review that it gets...the controls are tight, the weapons are well balanced, the plasmids make for some VERY interesting fights, and the graphics are quite pretty.
As a fan of the metroid series since the very first one on NES was released, I have to say my number one reason for liking the Prime series so much is because of this: even if it is 3D, it still FEELS like a Metroid game...The atmosphere, music, weapons, enemies...even the areas that seem like dead ends but have some small little hidey hole or passage to find are intact. Prime is Metroid, through and through.
I haven't played Prime 3, but I know that the first two Primes had the best first-person jumping I've ever personally seen...I never had a problem determining a jump, and rarely did I have to try more than once to make said jump (compared to something like Mario Sunshine, in which some jumps take repeated attempts) You have a massive amount of control over Samus in mid-air in the original games, and that is something that DID in fact translate well into 3D
Appreciated, but are you able to do that at 1680 X 1050 resolution (the native resolution of my monitor) along with all the bells and whistles in bioshock (lighting, shadows, etc.) running at a smooth 60 frames per second (or hell, even solid and consistent 40 frames per second). Also, I VERY VERY HIGHLY doubt you can play that game at said 1680 X 1050 resolution with FSAA and AF maxed (or even set halfway) and the game still be smooth. Sorry, gotta call bullshit on that one.
To me, there is no point in playing a game on a computer unless you have it looking it's best and running it's smoothest. If there was no difference between a video card that costs a third as much (and runs slower, and has less onboard ram, and has a different design) then people wouldn't spend as much as they do.
Back when I had disposable income, I had no problem dropping that much money on a video card. Now that I have real life responsibilities, I do have a problem with it.
Right...because that $800 dollar computer that you buy today will really be able to play games at max visual quality four years after you buy it.
The $400 dollar video card that I bought a few years ago (x800xt) doesn't even meet the minimum requirements for most games out there now.
I agree with you...a keyboard and mouse combined with top-notch innards blows away a console any day...but those top-notch innards become minimum required innards in a very, very short amount of time.
One other thing. If you have to hold a controller at a weird angle just so you can keep your hands in their natural position, then it is quite clear which gaming system was your first.
Either that, or you're full of shit. (See how stupid that sounds?)
Actually, yes, my right thumb in certain genres (FPS comes to mind) does in fact get tired faster than my left with with an xbox/360/gamcube controller. And with a playstation controller, with certain genres, they do both get fatigued just as quickly.
hey hey, no fair turning my own illogical logic against me! 8D
Anyway, I know you don't have to be the beer-guzzling fratboy, it's just that I find people that are fanatical about it tend to be a certain kind of gamer (i.e. the type that don't delve into unknowns like Ico, Psychonauts, etc.) I know that is a very broad generlization and I know that I am wrong, but just in my own experience that is what it seems to be.
I suppose another thing about it is I've been playing FPS games since Catacomb 3D...it takes quite a lot (Quake, Half-Life 2, Bioshock, etc.) for me to be excited about one.
For me, Mass Effect, Fable 2, and Prototype are tied for the stuff I am most excited about.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft needs to stop dicking around. Ditch the no-drive model. Drop the premium/pro down to $300. Drop the elite down to $400. If they were selling the premium/pro version at $300, they would sell like gangbusters.
I gotta ask. I just gotta.
Who are the other two?
You know where I wish you couldn't jump? WoW. Yes, I know there are some places where it is useful, but seriously...watching people jump constantly in that game pisses me off.
...combined with excessive bloat are why I use Trillian.
Yes, it's used for some widescreen LCD's (in my case, a Dell 2005FPW)
BRING ON THE NEW SEASON OF DEXTER!
Seriously. One of the greatest shows on TV.
I appreciate keeping more obscure stuff on tap, but look at the major American-brand beers...ok, now look at the major german brand, or irish brand, or scottish brand...yeah. See my point? :-)
...would never use this service, and while I despise ads as much as the next person, I don't quite get what all the fuss is over. You KNOW that they are recording your phone call, they tell you everything up front, you get free phone service...yes, you have to look at ads, but hey! At least they are pertinent to you and yours.
If I have to see advertisements everywhere, I don't want to see shit for Viagra or a low mortgage rate...I want to see ads for video games, horror movies, fetish stores, and computer equipment.
Seriously, there is no way to escape advertisement (yes, I know there is AdBlock and NoScript), so why not at least have advertisements that you would be at least REMOTELY interested in? Target audience and all that... If Comcast knew what kind of products I was interested in and I got to see ads for only those type of products while watching what little TV I watch, I would be much less inclined to leave the room or fast forward on Tivo. Instead, I get stuck with commercials for tampons and "beer" (i.e. watered down piss...I love being from and living in the USA, but christ we have NO tatse in beer)
Sorry, DEFINATLEY have to call bullshit.
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=315&page=1
There is absolutely no way you are telling the truth, dude.
So, what you are saying is that I don't belong on a mac because I'm not an elitist prick? Gotcha.
While an analog stick will NEVER be a replacement for a keyboard/mouse combo, all it takes is a little bit of use...after playing through only a couple of FPS with a controller, I found that I got used to it to the point where I feel comfortable picking up a controller and just playing. Granted, as I said, there really is no replacement for a keyboard and mouse, but it doesn't take long to get used to using the controller.
In some ways, I prefer the controller for games like Rainbow Six: Vegas and Bioshock...even with as well as I type and with how long I have played games on the PC, I sitll find it more conveinent to have all the controls right at my fingertips...I don't have to worry about having my hand in the wrong position and hitting a key I don't mean to hit. Bioshock's 360 controls are very well laid out, and it takes only a couple minutes for the scheme to feel entirely natural.
Blasphemy, some might say...but it's simply a different type of Micro...it's just a different skillset that is required. Not to mention if you play FPS on a console, you will find (or at least I did) that my keyboard/mouse accuracy actually increased since I got used to something that wasn't quite as accurate.
Based on you saying this, I can only assume you haven't played either game for more than 5 minutes...as a long time first person shooter fan (played them since Catacomb 3D) and as a die hard System Shock/SS2 fan, I can say that BioShock does indeed deserve every outstanding review that it gets...the controls are tight, the weapons are well balanced, the plasmids make for some VERY interesting fights, and the graphics are quite pretty.
As a fan of the metroid series since the very first one on NES was released, I have to say my number one reason for liking the Prime series so much is because of this: even if it is 3D, it still FEELS like a Metroid game...The atmosphere, music, weapons, enemies...even the areas that seem like dead ends but have some small little hidey hole or passage to find are intact. Prime is Metroid, through and through.
I haven't played Prime 3, but I know that the first two Primes had the best first-person jumping I've ever personally seen...I never had a problem determining a jump, and rarely did I have to try more than once to make said jump (compared to something like Mario Sunshine, in which some jumps take repeated attempts) You have a massive amount of control over Samus in mid-air in the original games, and that is something that DID in fact translate well into 3D
Appreciated, but are you able to do that at 1680 X 1050 resolution (the native resolution of my monitor) along with all the bells and whistles in bioshock (lighting, shadows, etc.) running at a smooth 60 frames per second (or hell, even solid and consistent 40 frames per second). Also, I VERY VERY HIGHLY doubt you can play that game at said 1680 X 1050 resolution with FSAA and AF maxed (or even set halfway) and the game still be smooth. Sorry, gotta call bullshit on that one.
To me, there is no point in playing a game on a computer unless you have it looking it's best and running it's smoothest. If there was no difference between a video card that costs a third as much (and runs slower, and has less onboard ram, and has a different design) then people wouldn't spend as much as they do.
Back when I had disposable income, I had no problem dropping that much money on a video card. Now that I have real life responsibilities, I do have a problem with it.
Ah...whether or not that is what he meant, that makes sense to me 8D
Different strokes for different folks, I suppose...
See that's the thing...visuals are nice, but money is nicer ;-)
Right...because that $800 dollar computer that you buy today will really be able to play games at max visual quality four years after you buy it.
The $400 dollar video card that I bought a few years ago (x800xt) doesn't even meet the minimum requirements for most games out there now.
I agree with you...a keyboard and mouse combined with top-notch innards blows away a console any day...but those top-notch innards become minimum required innards in a very, very short amount of time.
Or, you could be like me (a pc gamer since '87) and get fed up with having to constantly upgrade your computer with expensive shit.
Well, it has had 23 years to mold itself to the shape of my left hand, hasn't it..
I know I am in the minority, but I actually liked the Dreamcast controller...it was ugly as sin, but it fit rather comfortably in my hand.
One other thing. If you have to hold a controller at a weird angle just so you can keep your hands in their natural position, then it is quite clear which gaming system was your first.
Either that, or you're full of shit. (See how stupid that sounds?)
It's not hate, it's frustration that it gets so much attention when better, lesser known games are exactly that: lesser known.
I'm not suprised, it's not like I didn't expect a huge marketing blitz and a lot of talk...but it still annoys me regardless:-)
Actually, yes, my right thumb in certain genres (FPS comes to mind) does in fact get tired faster than my left with with an xbox/360/gamcube controller. And with a playstation controller, with certain genres, they do both get fatigued just as quickly.
hey hey, no fair turning my own illogical logic against me! 8D
Anyway, I know you don't have to be the beer-guzzling fratboy, it's just that I find people that are fanatical about it tend to be a certain kind of gamer (i.e. the type that don't delve into unknowns like Ico, Psychonauts, etc.) I know that is a very broad generlization and I know that I am wrong, but just in my own experience that is what it seems to be.
I suppose another thing about it is I've been playing FPS games since Catacomb 3D...it takes quite a lot (Quake, Half-Life 2, Bioshock, etc.) for me to be excited about one.
For me, Mass Effect, Fable 2, and Prototype are tied for the stuff I am most excited about.