Cue the whining! Oh no, Lucas is making a TV series I don't have to watch, and wouldn't have to pay any extra money for if I do watch it!
Whatever. What is with everyone thinking Lucas should never do anything Star Wars again because it won't be as good as the originals? So he isn't going to top his early work, so what? I'm sure it will still be better than most the other crap I'd normally watch. Personally, I think some of the other works have had great plots. In some cases, poor execution, but the good far outweighed the bad.
I still fail to see how MS or PS3 are competing against the Wii. Maybe the fact that they all play games, but MS and Sony are the two really competing for a similar market.
Anyway, Halo was huge for the Xbox and will continue to push sales for a while. The downside of this seems to be that alot of other really good games are being drowned out. The Orange Box hit the 360 with very little fanfare and poor marketing, despite being one of the best collection of games I've ever seen. In November, Assassins Creed, Blacksite, and Mass Effect will be released. Although Blacksite initially looked really good, I can't see buying it now that I have Halo 3 and 3 updated Half Life titles.
Simply put, most of the world is filled with dumb asses of some flavor or another. America in particular? Howso?
A nation of poorly educated dumb asses does not put a man on the moon. They don't unleash the power of the atom. They don't lead the world in developing software and computer hardware. They don't have F22s and robots running around Mars.
Just saying we accomplish a lot of cool shit for being as stupid as you would suggest.
Huh? Speed limits were created for fuel economy, not safety. And whats with all the bullshit generalizations? Automatic transmission doesn't have anything to do with it. I'll agree they suck to drive, but they don't make you a worse driver.
It should be pretty commonly known these days that "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to war according to religious leadership. And since Master Chief is at war with the aliens, it's all good.
Personally, I think it's great. Now we all get to teabag us some choir boys, not just the Priests.
Instead of foaming at the mouth every time a law maker tries to pass a misguided law we need to explain what is wrong with it.
In a perfect world, that sounds great. In reality, it is completely ineffective. Why does everyone on this site know who Jack Thompson is, yet we don't remember a user that made a remarkably insightful comment ten minutes after we read it? The average person is a moron and don't have any use for a logical, well reasoned argument. If what I said weren't true, we wouldn't have 99% of the people in government there. We wouldn't have Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Ann Coulter, Keith Olberman, Rush limbaugh, etc, etc, etc filling "news" or "informational" air time.
Civil and rational argument is dead. If it's not packaged into a few second talkiing point, people don't have time for it. If it isn't inflammatory, people aren't interested.
While an attitude such as yours is admirable, sadly, I think you're tilting at windmills.
Well, in theory, lobbyist are a healthy part of a representative democracy. Lobbyists do in fact represent a certain number of people, giving them a greater voice. That's pretty much how the House of Representatives works. Each district sends a lobbyist to lobby on behalf of that section of people. I'd say lobbyists are even a better idea, because they are supported by people who all have a common cause, not just a by-chance geographical proximity.
However, the problem with lobbyists today is that their influence is not determined by the number of people they represent, but how much money they move. For example, one lobbyist supported by Bill Gates could have more power than one backed by a million Linux supporters. AT that point government is not representative by people, but by money.
The problem is not the practice of lobbying, but the endless need for money to campaign with. Since we don't have any effective spending limits and flimsy donation rules, the problem can only get worse.
If I remember correctly, they did a good job of concluding the KOTOR games, even though they were able to pick up the storyline for the next one. So I do think they can do it effectively. Although it's kind of a bummer to come out and say that once you've beaten the game, you haven't finished the storyline. Makes me feel like there will be another Halo 2/Gears of War moment at the end of the game where you feel robbed of any sense of accomplishment.
If you really want to play, it's best to bite the bullet and buy the elite off the bat. If you do wish to upgrade the hard drive (likely if you have good internet speed, there's lots to download out on the marketplace), it is much more expensive to buy the 120 Gig seperate.
I filled my 20 gigs quick. Each demo is ~1 gig. High def game trailers and TV shows add up very quick. On top of that, Halo 3 now lets you save all the game replays you want to your hard drive.
I bought mine when it first came out and I certainly don't regret it.
I'm pretty sure Rooster Teeth have nothing to worry about. They have been officially supported by MS and Bungie for years. Not to mention they were even cast in Halo 3. I'm sure they had some sort of business agreement long before this EULA required them to, if it does at all.
My main problem with Vista is that it is a resource hog. As far as I have seen, it isn't a flop in terms of capability like Windows ME was. The problem MS has is that standard computers are designed for low price. Most models still come with a gig or less of RAM and second class CPUs. On those machines, Vista doesn't run well. On a high-end dual monitor machine, it runs well.
The biggest problem they face is that a computer that runs Vista well still costs quite a bit of money. Leaving aside the obvious complaint that people don't want to waste so many resources on the OS no matter what they have, I'd think that waiting is the best bet for MS. Following Moore's law, it won't be too long before bargain PCs are fully capable to run it. Then, I think it would catch on better.
When I first got it, I thought it was an absolute blast. Then after 4 $50+ games, I began to realize that Paris Hilton has more depth. Yeah, it is the perfect console for minigames, but it can't do anything else of interest. The freakin frame rate drops when it tries to do anything graphically beyond what the N64 would do.
I was a true believer at first, but now I'm pretty dissapointed with the Wii. I think in part because of all the hype it fails to live up to.
Not just Halo 3.
For the 360, Halo 3 was just one on my list of must-buys this year. I'm actually relieved that GTA is moved back because there are too many other great games hitting the 360 around the same time. For me, I'm looking forward to Mass Effect, Ace Combat 6, Halo 3, Blacksite, and Assassin's Creed. Along with some others I'm interested in (two worlds, bioshock, etc.), but at $60 a shot, that's already $300 without GTA.
PS3, on the other hand, I'd be awfully sick of Oblivion and Resistance by the time GTA comes out. At least with the 360, I had Saints Row, Dead Rising, GRAW, Perfect Dark, and Oblivion to tide me over until a more solid line-up comes out.
In the video, the desktop background of the computer is three girls in wet or see-through tee shirts. I'd say they are really baiting the guy. They probably had a hot chic in skimpy clothes drop the machine off to. Would he have searched for it with a different background, maybe not.
Personally, I have done some pretty tempting machines myself. Includind an aspiring model aquaintance that had nude pictures of herself on the desktop. I can't say that there isn't a voyueristic urge when fixing a PC. Although I have never taken files from someone's personal computer, I can't say that I don't find it understandable.
A work PC is a different story, the IT staff gathers and laughs at some of the stuff we find on work computers. Although it becomes a bit less fun when you have to confront the person about it.
Never had any trouble with the PS2, yeah right. I've had the same disc read errors with that that you eventually get on any machine.
Anyway, what is the reason you buy any console? It's the games. I don't buy a console to play music, watch video, or IM. I buy one because I want to play the new high end games and I cannot afford the bleeding edge of high-end PC gaming. Yeah, the Wii is fun for minigames, but not even in the same league as PCs, 360, or PS3. To suggest that it is an alternative to them is totally bogus. I have a Wii that is a lot of fun with company, but not much fun otherwise. It has weak graphics, and it's games by and large have very little depth. It provides a gaming exerience much different than that of the other consoles. For those that want graphics, depth, and powerful AI, the Wii is no substitute.
Why buy a 360? Once again, it's the games, and the cost. Want to play Halo 3, you're going to need a 360, or ruin your powerful PC with Vista. That's a no-brainer. Want to play Dead Rising, Ace Combat 6, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Forza 2, Bioshock, etc.? You're gonna need a 360 for most of them, or PC with a graphics card that costs more than a 360.
The PS3 seems to have plenty of power, but no games to really take advantage of it. Oblivion is the best game the PS3 has, and it plays just as well on the Xbox, and even better on the PC. Other than that, the PS3 has a long list of lackluster titles. With better titles, the PS3 would be a better system, but it keeps missing out on exclusives that really hurt it.
Finally, you have online service and achievement points. Being able to see all your friends on and invite them into a game while they are watching a movie or playing another game is pretty cool, as well are the game demos and extra content you find on Xbox Live. And although you would think those achievement points are just a gimic, and they are, they are a very compelling one.
The 360 has the games and online. Until PS3 can at least come up with some good games, it is a high-priced movie player. If you can afford PC gaming at that level, neither console is appealing.
Game Console or PC, a DVD Drive is still a DVD drive with a different face plate. Especially since they sold me the hardware below cost, I'm willing to cut them some slack. As far as a game not working, I'd be pretty bummed, but it's never been an issue. I've had drives go out on the PS2, Xbox, 360, and several on PCs. I guess I've been in IT long enough not to expect any drive to last more than a few years, even less for the cheap ones.
I'd suggest that smoking has declined because information about it is no longer censored, not because we censored the ads. If ads were truly the cause, I'm sure I would have tried Head On or Axe body spray by now.
I had a DVD drive go out, but no other problems. Considering the hours into the machine, It's no less reliable than any computer. Out everyone I know that has one, I'm the only one that has sent one back. IMO, the seem as reliable as any computer. Disk drives fail eventually, I'm not more sure of anything other than death and taxes. I haven't seen or personally heard of any other problems with them.
But you are correct, they can be quite noisy and and do put out a great deal of heat. As far North as I am, I've just considered it a bonus. It's like a space heater than gives me countless hours of entertainment as well.
Perhaps offtopic, but...
They don't appear to repair 360s. I had a DVD drive failure and I got back a new console in just a couple days. Being in MN and sending it to Texas, there is no way they even had time to look at it to see what the problem was, they just send out a new one as soon a one comes in. Although I was very happy there was so little down time, I can't help but wonder why they would shell out a new console for what is likely a $15 repair. Even with labor, costs can't be that high. In my experience, disk drives don't seem to last much more than 3 years, if they are paying for a new console for every drive that fails in three years time, they are going to lose alot of money.
Slashdot Mirror
Cue the whining! Oh no, Lucas is making a TV series I don't have to watch, and wouldn't have to pay any extra money for if I do watch it!
Whatever. What is with everyone thinking Lucas should never do anything Star Wars again because it won't be as good as the originals? So he isn't going to top his early work, so what? I'm sure it will still be better than most the other crap I'd normally watch. Personally, I think some of the other works have had great plots. In some cases, poor execution, but the good far outweighed the bad.
I still fail to see how MS or PS3 are competing against the Wii. Maybe the fact that they all play games, but MS and Sony are the two really competing for a similar market.
Anyway, Halo was huge for the Xbox and will continue to push sales for a while. The downside of this seems to be that alot of other really good games are being drowned out. The Orange Box hit the 360 with very little fanfare and poor marketing, despite being one of the best collection of games I've ever seen. In November, Assassins Creed, Blacksite, and Mass Effect will be released. Although Blacksite initially looked really good, I can't see buying it now that I have Halo 3 and 3 updated Half Life titles.
Simply put, most of the world is filled with dumb asses of some flavor or another. America in particular? Howso?
A nation of poorly educated dumb asses does not put a man on the moon. They don't unleash the power of the atom. They don't lead the world in developing software and computer hardware. They don't have F22s and robots running around Mars.
Just saying we accomplish a lot of cool shit for being as stupid as you would suggest.
Huh? Speed limits were created for fuel economy, not safety. And whats with all the bullshit generalizations? Automatic transmission doesn't have anything to do with it. I'll agree they suck to drive, but they don't make you a worse driver.
Huh?
You can block all you want on the recieving end, even with MS Exchange. That isn't exactly the problem.
It should be pretty commonly known these days that "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to war according to religious leadership. And since Master Chief is at war with the aliens, it's all good.
Personally, I think it's great. Now we all get to teabag us some choir boys, not just the Priests.
Shut up you fool! EA is listening.
Instead of foaming at the mouth every time a law maker tries to pass a misguided law we need to explain what is wrong with it.
In a perfect world, that sounds great. In reality, it is completely ineffective. Why does everyone on this site know who Jack Thompson is, yet we don't remember a user that made a remarkably insightful comment ten minutes after we read it? The average person is a moron and don't have any use for a logical, well reasoned argument. If what I said weren't true, we wouldn't have 99% of the people in government there. We wouldn't have Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Ann Coulter, Keith Olberman, Rush limbaugh, etc, etc, etc filling "news" or "informational" air time.
Civil and rational argument is dead. If it's not packaged into a few second talkiing point, people don't have time for it. If it isn't inflammatory, people aren't interested.
While an attitude such as yours is admirable, sadly, I think you're tilting at windmills.
Fits right in with Oliver North, Mark Fuhrman, Geraldo,etc.
Welcome to the team!
Hardly the only reason. Reason #1 for me it that I can say that I live on the freakin moon!
Well, in theory, lobbyist are a healthy part of a representative democracy. Lobbyists do in fact represent a certain number of people, giving them a greater voice. That's pretty much how the House of Representatives works. Each district sends a lobbyist to lobby on behalf of that section of people. I'd say lobbyists are even a better idea, because they are supported by people who all have a common cause, not just a by-chance geographical proximity.
However, the problem with lobbyists today is that their influence is not determined by the number of people they represent, but how much money they move. For example, one lobbyist supported by Bill Gates could have more power than one backed by a million Linux supporters. AT that point government is not representative by people, but by money.
The problem is not the practice of lobbying, but the endless need for money to campaign with. Since we don't have any effective spending limits and flimsy donation rules, the problem can only get worse.
If I remember correctly, they did a good job of concluding the KOTOR games, even though they were able to pick up the storyline for the next one. So I do think they can do it effectively. Although it's kind of a bummer to come out and say that once you've beaten the game, you haven't finished the storyline. Makes me feel like there will be another Halo 2/Gears of War moment at the end of the game where you feel robbed of any sense of accomplishment.
If you really want to play, it's best to bite the bullet and buy the elite off the bat. If you do wish to upgrade the hard drive (likely if you have good internet speed, there's lots to download out on the marketplace), it is much more expensive to buy the 120 Gig seperate.
I filled my 20 gigs quick. Each demo is ~1 gig. High def game trailers and TV shows add up very quick. On top of that, Halo 3 now lets you save all the game replays you want to your hard drive.
I bought mine when it first came out and I certainly don't regret it.
P.S. I wouldn't count on the HDMI.
I'm pretty sure Rooster Teeth have nothing to worry about. They have been officially supported by MS and Bungie for years. Not to mention they were even cast in Halo 3. I'm sure they had some sort of business agreement long before this EULA required them to, if it does at all.
My main problem with Vista is that it is a resource hog. As far as I have seen, it isn't a flop in terms of capability like Windows ME was. The problem MS has is that standard computers are designed for low price. Most models still come with a gig or less of RAM and second class CPUs. On those machines, Vista doesn't run well. On a high-end dual monitor machine, it runs well.
The biggest problem they face is that a computer that runs Vista well still costs quite a bit of money. Leaving aside the obvious complaint that people don't want to waste so many resources on the OS no matter what they have, I'd think that waiting is the best bet for MS. Following Moore's law, it won't be too long before bargain PCs are fully capable to run it. Then, I think it would catch on better.
I almost died laughing watching the TF2 previews. I'm hoping I can put Halo down long enough to play it though.
Is there any word on how many copies they managed to pump out for US release?
I was a true believer at first, but now I'm pretty dissapointed with the Wii. I think in part because of all the hype it fails to live up to.
Not just Halo 3. For the 360, Halo 3 was just one on my list of must-buys this year. I'm actually relieved that GTA is moved back because there are too many other great games hitting the 360 around the same time. For me, I'm looking forward to Mass Effect, Ace Combat 6, Halo 3, Blacksite, and Assassin's Creed. Along with some others I'm interested in (two worlds, bioshock, etc.), but at $60 a shot, that's already $300 without GTA. PS3, on the other hand, I'd be awfully sick of Oblivion and Resistance by the time GTA comes out. At least with the 360, I had Saints Row, Dead Rising, GRAW, Perfect Dark, and Oblivion to tide me over until a more solid line-up comes out.
Personally, I have done some pretty tempting machines myself. Includind an aspiring model aquaintance that had nude pictures of herself on the desktop. I can't say that there isn't a voyueristic urge when fixing a PC. Although I have never taken files from someone's personal computer, I can't say that I don't find it understandable.
A work PC is a different story, the IT staff gathers and laughs at some of the stuff we find on work computers. Although it becomes a bit less fun when you have to confront the person about it.
Anyway, what is the reason you buy any console? It's the games. I don't buy a console to play music, watch video, or IM. I buy one because I want to play the new high end games and I cannot afford the bleeding edge of high-end PC gaming. Yeah, the Wii is fun for minigames, but not even in the same league as PCs, 360, or PS3. To suggest that it is an alternative to them is totally bogus. I have a Wii that is a lot of fun with company, but not much fun otherwise. It has weak graphics, and it's games by and large have very little depth. It provides a gaming exerience much different than that of the other consoles. For those that want graphics, depth, and powerful AI, the Wii is no substitute.
Why buy a 360? Once again, it's the games, and the cost. Want to play Halo 3, you're going to need a 360, or ruin your powerful PC with Vista. That's a no-brainer. Want to play Dead Rising, Ace Combat 6, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Forza 2, Bioshock, etc.? You're gonna need a 360 for most of them, or PC with a graphics card that costs more than a 360.
The PS3 seems to have plenty of power, but no games to really take advantage of it. Oblivion is the best game the PS3 has, and it plays just as well on the Xbox, and even better on the PC. Other than that, the PS3 has a long list of lackluster titles. With better titles, the PS3 would be a better system, but it keeps missing out on exclusives that really hurt it.
Finally, you have online service and achievement points. Being able to see all your friends on and invite them into a game while they are watching a movie or playing another game is pretty cool, as well are the game demos and extra content you find on Xbox Live. And although you would think those achievement points are just a gimic, and they are, they are a very compelling one.
The 360 has the games and online. Until PS3 can at least come up with some good games, it is a high-priced movie player. If you can afford PC gaming at that level, neither console is appealing.
Game Console or PC, a DVD Drive is still a DVD drive with a different face plate. Especially since they sold me the hardware below cost, I'm willing to cut them some slack. As far as a game not working, I'd be pretty bummed, but it's never been an issue. I've had drives go out on the PS2, Xbox, 360, and several on PCs. I guess I've been in IT long enough not to expect any drive to last more than a few years, even less for the cheap ones.
I'd suggest that smoking has declined because information about it is no longer censored, not because we censored the ads. If ads were truly the cause, I'm sure I would have tried Head On or Axe body spray by now.
I had a DVD drive go out, but no other problems. Considering the hours into the machine, It's no less reliable than any computer. Out everyone I know that has one, I'm the only one that has sent one back. IMO, the seem as reliable as any computer. Disk drives fail eventually, I'm not more sure of anything other than death and taxes. I haven't seen or personally heard of any other problems with them.
But you are correct, they can be quite noisy and and do put out a great deal of heat. As far North as I am, I've just considered it a bonus. It's like a space heater than gives me countless hours of entertainment as well.
Perhaps offtopic, but...
They don't appear to repair 360s. I had a DVD drive failure and I got back a new console in just a couple days. Being in MN and sending it to Texas, there is no way they even had time to look at it to see what the problem was, they just send out a new one as soon a one comes in. Although I was very happy there was so little down time, I can't help but wonder why they would shell out a new console for what is likely a $15 repair. Even with labor, costs can't be that high. In my experience, disk drives don't seem to last much more than 3 years, if they are paying for a new console for every drive that fails in three years time, they are going to lose alot of money.