The projected release date for Halo 2, according to this article, has NOT slipped. What I get from Mr. Bach is that they don't have a firm release date at all - hell, they've probably never had one at all - and they're avoiding a firm commitment to consumers on the issue.
The dates quoted by retailers further than a month in advance are tentative, and they've been so for a long, LONG time (which is part of the reason it's news when a game "goes gold"). I can still recall my "favorite" waiting period back when Microprose kept promising Gunship 2000. The Software, Etc. I frequented at the time had it on the "maybe next month" list for an exceedingly long period of time (at least a year).
Well done! The get-a-life troll COMBINED with the more-important-issues troll, and a homophobic remark to boot. I salute you, sir.
PS - The apostrophe between "you" and "all" is unnecessary since you didn't leave any letters out. When contracting "you" and "all," it's typically accomplished by removing the "ou" like so: "y'all."
See how I managed to get some grammar nazi nonsense into this thread? I will now go off into the sunset singing the Rawhide theme, replacing "rollin'" with "trollin'."
I'm sure you're right, but it doesn't make the grandparent wrong. If AMD receives a larger-than-expected number of chips for replacement during the warranty period, spread over multiple production runs, it's reasonable to infer that the end-users might be doing something exotic like overclocking. Thus, preventing/limiting overclocking could indeed reduce the number of returns with little to no downside for AMD.
I don't know which to envy more - the fact that you [apparently] have a job where you get to travel, or the fact that you have a girlfriend who could be expected to remember how to beat a level on a video game.
What you're describing is conventional wisdom as opposed to the truth. The truth is that Nintendo has claimed that they always profit on their hardware, Sony has said that at worst they have broken even on hardware, and even Sega has only tried to dump hardware when they've been in trouble (see Saturn, see Dreamcast). Only Microsoft with the Xbox has used the true "razor blade" model, and even then they weren't planning on a profit in the current generation.
As far as your comments about the PS1 and PS2, it seems to me that Sony has proven that they know how to fight in the console trenches and produce systems that people want. I think YOU are the one being cocky in assuming that Sony doesn't know what they're doing and is going into the portable gaming arena with blinders on.
In short, just because YOU think that the PSP is too expensive doesn't make it so to others. Frankly, if the PSP meets their lofty performance expectations (near-PS2 quality), they might not be charging ENOUGH compared to the "FAR, FAR outdated hardware" of the GBA.
I think you're wrong. If the PSP has a good portion of the capability hyped, and obviously if there are good games with the promise of more, there is a large segment of the gaming population who WILL buy it. The idea that people won't spend $200, $300 or more on a portable device has been disproven by the success of the iPod. Further, unless one is afflicted with a serious hand tremor (i.e., Parkinson's and the like), the risk of dropping it with serious damage is minimal unless it's really badly designed.
For me, if the device has good games (new games at PS1-minimum technical quality) and the battery life is decent (8 hours minimum, preferably 10), I'd go for $300-350. The combination of Memory Stick compatibility and MP3 playback will be a nice bonus for those of us who haven't yet taken the portable digital music plunge.
Generally, I'm fine with in-game product placement. I don't mind if they stick a billboard into a game set in a current or futuristic virtual world. I don't even mind if one's avatar drinks a Coke or eats a Snickers bar.
There was one good game, though, that springs to my mind and had just awful product placement: Beach Spikers (Sega volleyball game for Gamecube). Now, there was product placement all through the game (each event had a sponsor) and most of it was fine. However, one of the events was sponsored by Pringles, where there were huge Pringles cans that just about made me retch. The area surrounding the court was so over-the-top gaudy that it really worked on my nerves.
I think it's kind of fun when there's a real product put into a game here and there, and even a little product interaction is acceptable. I just hope game developers and marketing people try to keep it as tasteful as they possibly can. I don't have any specific guidelines as to what keeps the placement in the tasteful range, but, like obscenity, I know offensive, annoying and intrusive advertising when I see it.
Nothing puzzling at all about Square Enix hesitation to jump on the PSP:
1. The PSP hasn't sold unit one. They're not a company that looks to develop launch games for any console (kind of too bad since the launch titles for all three current home consoles were pathetic).
2. This is a corollary to #1. Square Enix games tend to be on the expensive side, especially since FFVII. The FMV, the large environments, the expected long playtime...These aren't 2D shooters that can be put together over a long weekend (hyperbole).
3. Finally, S E already has a large number of remakes available on current hardware, and [obviously] everything they did for the PS is playable on the PS2. Porting their software to yet another portable can't look overly appealing.
If the PSP is half as capable as Sony is hyping (in other words, at least as capable as a PSOne), and it sells well, I can see S E deciding to release FFVII through FFIX, the PSOne Dragon Warriors/Quests, etc. on the PSP at some point. But committing right now would be a mistake and would disappoint fans if they later decided the PSP wasn't a viable platform for that purpose. Even better, one would hope that they would do something new for the PSP, a la Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but I expect THAT decision would be even further down the line.
a) Modern televisions in Europe support both PAL and NTSC, so that's barely an issue (not to mention the fact that changing a game from NTSC to PAL is simple, especially compared to the complexities of language translation).
b) The metric system IS meters/kilograms/etc.
c) Kelvin is a measurement of temperature that nobody uses but scientists (unless someone is actually reporting that it's 270.3 degrees in Portland, Oregon right now).
d) America seems capable of using both Imperial and metrics. If others can't, well, sorry about that and tough luck.:)
I'm surprised that anyone would say anything so stupid. Sid Meier's library of games BEFORE Civilization would make him a legendary designer. Furthermore, just about anyone who's designed a role-playing game has ripped off AD&D - does that mean that they should all be considered hacks, ineligible for honors?
It has diddly to do with releasing a Pokemon game and everything to do with the fact that Nintendo can't seem to release more than 4-5 big first-party titles a year (not to mention that the UK/European market sucks hind teat when it comes to GC game releases). Microsoft and Sony can get away with having relatively few first-party hits since their third-party support is solid - dual-platform games are generally more likely to be PS2/Xbox than they are to be PS2/GC or [obviously] Xbox/GC, and the list of third-party GC exclusives is anemic at best.
Of course, all three companies could do better in the UK if they would all acknowledge that the US and UK speak the same language (at least close enough for jazz) and give that country near-concurrent release dates with the US. I know it irks English gamers that they usually have to wait for French/German/Spanish/etc. translations to be done before they get to play a game, and they can often get games faster by buying a US console and importing - something that weakens game sales at regular UK outlets and which game companies discourage.
Say it loud. Since installing Windows XP (I know, I know, Microsoft is evil) when Windows 98 passed my pain threshold, I've ONLY used eDonkey and BitTorrent. The latter in particular has the advantage that it's not as much a 24/7 proposition as other solutions. I typically leave a Torrent open long enough to give 2:1 to 3:1 ratios of upload:download and then I close out. There's also a legal advantage to the individual in that even if the RIAA/MPAA/etc. found me sharing/downloading, they're at most going to catch me with an album or three as opposed to every MP3 on my hard drive - this of course limits my potential liability if the RIAA files suit (and in fact makes such a suit far less attractive in a cost/benefit analysis).
It would be interesting if they could actually identify the people who stopped using the file-sharing programs they looked at. It might correspond to the more tech-savvy geeks who've moved on to better things.
Maybe you can explain why high-end audio fanatics often prefer records to cd's.
I've found that most high-end audio fanatics enjoy listening to music wherever they want rather than being chained to a turntable and a tube amplifier in order to get that "faithful, warmer and brighter" sound.
Oh yeah. I've also found that most "fanatics" are insane enough that I don't need to be taking advice from them...the voices in my OWN head are loud enough that I don't need to hear from THEIR imaginary friends.
RTFQ. His mom already has an MP3 player that she likes (noting the small size - FYI, the Rush is about 50 gm while the iPod is about 150 gm). Besides, why would someone base a decision like this on possible future products instead of products that are available today?
I recommend reposting your response when someone asks what the rumors are about the mini iPod and NOT when someone asks about services to use with an existing MP3 player.
To be fair to Gamespy (hard, I know, but bear with me), I've read all their N-Gage articles and, while they might indeed be written to complement/encourage advertising, they haven't gone over the edge in recommending the product. While it might seem kind of sad being satisfied with only faint praise for an system almost universally considered bad, I think it's the best we're going to get when content providers have to pay money (in bandwidth) every time someone comes to their site.
Even Sony has recognized the limitations of dial-up connections by making their two biggest online titles - SoCom and SoCom II - broadband-only affairs.
Is this 2004 or 1998? Online console play has been done so many times now, and in so many genres, that it's laughable to argue that the process is too complex. If Rockstar thinks there's a market and is concerned about pushing back their main products, they could even release a multiplayer game separate from the single-player game (a la Unreal Tournament) - because of the popularity of the franchise, both games would sell well.
Online play, on PC or console, isn't the mystery it once was. Whilst I don't personally care if there's ever an online-ready GTA, there's no reason AT ALL that Rockstar couldn't do it. Oh yes, and as far as concerns about latency go, it's a simple thing indeed to restrict the game to broadband only.
Well, if she doctored the photos then she'll have the evidence, including, but not limited to, the separate original photos used to make the composite(s).
On another facet entirely, I found it amusing that she said "I'm going to fight it." Well, duh, of course she's going to fight it. If she can get more publicity, generating more membership in her website, even six months in jail might not be that bad of a deal...Given that it would probably be minimum security, she could probably even arrange for some "caged heat" shots down the line.
You'd be entirely right except that Xox Live has less anonymity than PC online games (apart from MMORPGs). Every time you play a game on Xbox Live, you're logging in with the same name. Thus, if you're an ass during games people can easily avoid playing with you in the future, or slap a mute on you so they don't have to listen to the garbage. As a special bonus, it is possible to get booted off the network if an XBL admin happens to be in a game where someone is particularly vile - rare, true, but possible.
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The dates quoted by retailers further than a month in advance are tentative, and they've been so for a long, LONG time (which is part of the reason it's news when a game "goes gold"). I can still recall my "favorite" waiting period back when Microprose kept promising Gunship 2000. The Software, Etc. I frequented at the time had it on the "maybe next month" list for an exceedingly long period of time (at least a year).
PS - The apostrophe between "you" and "all" is unnecessary since you didn't leave any letters out. When contracting "you" and "all," it's typically accomplished by removing the "ou" like so: "y'all."
See how I managed to get some grammar nazi nonsense into this thread? I will now go off into the sunset singing the Rawhide theme, replacing "rollin'" with "trollin'."
I'm sure you're right, but it doesn't make the grandparent wrong. If AMD receives a larger-than-expected number of chips for replacement during the warranty period, spread over multiple production runs, it's reasonable to infer that the end-users might be doing something exotic like overclocking. Thus, preventing/limiting overclocking could indeed reduce the number of returns with little to no downside for AMD.
Personally, I prefer the "Xbox Next" - if only because they could then call their third console "Xbox Yet Another."
Definitely!
I'm more of a Care Bear fan, myself.
(I really need to avoid hanging around Slashdot while I'm tipsy.) :)
I don't know which to envy more - the fact that you [apparently] have a job where you get to travel, or the fact that you have a girlfriend who could be expected to remember how to beat a level on a video game.
One-button? I prefer no-button myself. Pac-Man (actually "Ms." was my favorite) and Robotron: 2084 were particular favorites way back in "the day."
As far as your comments about the PS1 and PS2, it seems to me that Sony has proven that they know how to fight in the console trenches and produce systems that people want. I think YOU are the one being cocky in assuming that Sony doesn't know what they're doing and is going into the portable gaming arena with blinders on.
In short, just because YOU think that the PSP is too expensive doesn't make it so to others. Frankly, if the PSP meets their lofty performance expectations (near-PS2 quality), they might not be charging ENOUGH compared to the "FAR, FAR outdated hardware" of the GBA.
For me, if the device has good games (new games at PS1-minimum technical quality) and the battery life is decent (8 hours minimum, preferably 10), I'd go for $300-350. The combination of Memory Stick compatibility and MP3 playback will be a nice bonus for those of us who haven't yet taken the portable digital music plunge.
There was one good game, though, that springs to my mind and had just awful product placement: Beach Spikers (Sega volleyball game for Gamecube). Now, there was product placement all through the game (each event had a sponsor) and most of it was fine. However, one of the events was sponsored by Pringles, where there were huge Pringles cans that just about made me retch. The area surrounding the court was so over-the-top gaudy that it really worked on my nerves.
I think it's kind of fun when there's a real product put into a game here and there, and even a little product interaction is acceptable. I just hope game developers and marketing people try to keep it as tasteful as they possibly can. I don't have any specific guidelines as to what keeps the placement in the tasteful range, but, like obscenity, I know offensive, annoying and intrusive advertising when I see it.
On that note, I'll give a shout-out to Acclaim!
1. The PSP hasn't sold unit one. They're not a company that looks to develop launch games for any console (kind of too bad since the launch titles for all three current home consoles were pathetic).
2. This is a corollary to #1. Square Enix games tend to be on the expensive side, especially since FFVII. The FMV, the large environments, the expected long playtime...These aren't 2D shooters that can be put together over a long weekend (hyperbole).
3. Finally, S E already has a large number of remakes available on current hardware, and [obviously] everything they did for the PS is playable on the PS2. Porting their software to yet another portable can't look overly appealing.
If the PSP is half as capable as Sony is hyping (in other words, at least as capable as a PSOne), and it sells well, I can see S E deciding to release FFVII through FFIX, the PSOne Dragon Warriors/Quests, etc. on the PSP at some point. But committing right now would be a mistake and would disappoint fans if they later decided the PSP wasn't a viable platform for that purpose. Even better, one would hope that they would do something new for the PSP, a la Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but I expect THAT decision would be even further down the line.
b) The metric system IS meters/kilograms/etc.
c) Kelvin is a measurement of temperature that nobody uses but scientists (unless someone is actually reporting that it's 270.3 degrees in Portland, Oregon right now).
d) America seems capable of using both Imperial and metrics. If others can't, well, sorry about that and tough luck. :)
I'm surprised that anyone would say anything so stupid. Sid Meier's library of games BEFORE Civilization would make him a legendary designer. Furthermore, just about anyone who's designed a role-playing game has ripped off AD&D - does that mean that they should all be considered hacks, ineligible for honors?
Of course, all three companies could do better in the UK if they would all acknowledge that the US and UK speak the same language (at least close enough for jazz) and give that country near-concurrent release dates with the US. I know it irks English gamers that they usually have to wait for French/German/Spanish/etc. translations to be done before they get to play a game, and they can often get games faster by buying a US console and importing - something that weakens game sales at regular UK outlets and which game companies discourage.
No, no, no. This is a review of a service pack BETA. Just the fact that someone reviewed it is news.
It would be interesting if they could actually identify the people who stopped using the file-sharing programs they looked at. It might correspond to the more tech-savvy geeks who've moved on to better things.
I've found that most high-end audio fanatics enjoy listening to music wherever they want rather than being chained to a turntable and a tube amplifier in order to get that "faithful, warmer and brighter" sound.
Oh yeah. I've also found that most "fanatics" are insane enough that I don't need to be taking advice from them...the voices in my OWN head are loud enough that I don't need to hear from THEIR imaginary friends.
I recommend reposting your response when someone asks what the rumors are about the mini iPod and NOT when someone asks about services to use with an existing MP3 player.
To be fair to Gamespy (hard, I know, but bear with me), I've read all their N-Gage articles and, while they might indeed be written to complement/encourage advertising, they haven't gone over the edge in recommending the product. While it might seem kind of sad being satisfied with only faint praise for an system almost universally considered bad, I think it's the best we're going to get when content providers have to pay money (in bandwidth) every time someone comes to their site.
"Kill the litigators."
Even Sony has recognized the limitations of dial-up connections by making their two biggest online titles - SoCom and SoCom II - broadband-only affairs.
Online play, on PC or console, isn't the mystery it once was. Whilst I don't personally care if there's ever an online-ready GTA, there's no reason AT ALL that Rockstar couldn't do it. Oh yes, and as far as concerns about latency go, it's a simple thing indeed to restrict the game to broadband only.
On another facet entirely, I found it amusing that she said "I'm going to fight it." Well, duh, of course she's going to fight it. If she can get more publicity, generating more membership in her website, even six months in jail might not be that bad of a deal...Given that it would probably be minimum security, she could probably even arrange for some "caged heat" shots down the line.
You'd be entirely right except that Xox Live has less anonymity than PC online games (apart from MMORPGs). Every time you play a game on Xbox Live, you're logging in with the same name. Thus, if you're an ass during games people can easily avoid playing with you in the future, or slap a mute on you so they don't have to listen to the garbage. As a special bonus, it is possible to get booted off the network if an XBL admin happens to be in a game where someone is particularly vile - rare, true, but possible.