How do they justify the price to themselves then? I mean, at least you have mediocre Blu-Ray movies to watch while the console stagnates and remains without games to play. Oh, I forgot, it's all marketing. People are sheep and like commercials. Sony doesn't even need current commercials, because all of the Playstation and Playstation 2 commercials already have it so ingrained in peoples' minds. They see a brand and feel the need to purchase it regardless of any factors.
Very depressing that people are now hacking content they paid for:( I've been hacking legitimately purchased video games for years because I don't like the hassle of inserting discs. It's nothing new, and certainly nothing new when it comes to people that want to watch films or listen to music on devices that they may not "legally" be allowed to, regardless of how they acquired them. In the case of NetFlix though, I can't see a lot of theoretical work around for pirates to argue. It's not as if someone goes through the trouble of downloading a film just ot watch it and then delete it afterwards like the rental it is.
I haven't had a Blockbuster in my area in years (and good riddance), but the in-store rental never seemed like too much of a perk unless you're into the recently released crap that they make sure to keep in stock. I'm not sure if their online selection is any better, but NetFlix allows me to find just about any film I could ever think of with the exception of a few super obscure ones. And not to sound like a commercial or anything but NetFlix has pretty darn good customer service. They've yet to let me down in the almost two years I've had them.
Though not a doctor, I can assure you that I am not paid too much.:P
However, that said... I am totally screwed if anything outside of the common cold afflicts me, because I can't afford insurance and certainly can't afford a hospital visit or medicine. I live decently, but am angered by America's answer to health care. Of course you are correct; greed is the underlying problem as it is with almost all problems, though admittedly not only from doctors in this case. I'm just glad that a recent bout of tonsillitis (the best I diagnosis I could muster) didn't develop into anything worse than a sore throat and yucky white spots.
Try Nation Healtcare, America. Stop letting the insurance companies and the pharmaceuticals run the country. You can afford it, especially if you get rid of that expensive-ass war over in the Middle East. But if you're really THAT much of a tight wad, how about legalizing recreational drugs and taxing them? Not only would you then have better health but also less crime!
They should. I don't subscribe to television myself. I wouldn't mind having the local network channels, but can't get get proper reception without investing in a decent antenna. Maybe if cable (or preferably the superior satellite) television payments worked on a per channel basis as opposed to crappy "tiers" then I'd stray away from my NetFlix account...
I've never given them my cash. I played the demo, as well as briefly had a character on a friend's account. That was more than enough to open my eyes. It is certainly an alright game, but I think it'd be a lot better with just a few friends over the LAN. It is definitely not worth the price regardless, no game is. Of course, I had to really talk myself into a monthly NetFlix bill.:P
Doesn't anyone feel just a tad ripped off by the fact that after they pay full price for a game they then have to pay a monthly fee for the privilege to play and then they have to buy an expansion pack every so often to stay relevant within the world that they're paying for!? I mean, the boring gameplay and complete lack of any objective is enough for me to feel ripped off...
Spore will ship when it will look complete enough to sell for a bunch of money. We can then release expansion packs and "item" packs every three months which introduce all new bugs on top of the original flaws that we never bothered to patch.
Elton John is saying something much more interesting than the usual "file sharing is killing the music industry" line, and it's silly to dismiss him because he hasn't moved with the times onto hip-hop or something like that. Um, didn't he do a duet with Slim Shady, or Eminem, or whatever the douche's name is?
I'm an Ohio resident and am fairly pleased with what Ted has done so far with my vote. Not only that, but he's generally a pleasant guy, as I am a Scioto County native and know him impersonally. This is a good step, because the Scioto County area especially is lacking in not only accessible broadband, but decent internet in general (aged telephone lines make sure you don't ever recieve anything over 26.4kbps on a modem!). I just wish the rest of the Stricklands around here weren't so scummy and inbred.:P
Many designers don't seem to appreciate anything that will make soft players cry, such as being pick pocketed or killed by another player. Such popular safeguards only drag MMOs further down into the "waste of time" pit as opposed to elevating them into the "immersing world" category.
Fact of the matter? TBC is a danmned good expansion. Damned good. By industry standards. By MMORPG standards. By Blizzard's own standards. And of course, by mine. An MMO good enough to have a "damned good" expansion? Clearly everyone has very low standards...
As is Windows... You still have to waste the money on overpriced, proprietary hardware from Apple though. With almost no choice over components and little options to upgrade in the future. People blast Microsoft for vendor lock-in, but Apple has always been worse. But who cares when you get something that's sleek and cool looking like a Mac, right?
I must admit to always thinking that the Lord of the Rings were rather boring for just that reason as well, novel or film. But I'm biased when it comes to high fantasy, as it does all seem so overtly cliche.;)
As far as 300 goes, it does capture the comic well, as Sin City did. That doesn't necessarily make for a good film however, and even further makes one wonder what the point is at all if it's going to be exactly the same. With comic book adaptations such as X-Men and Spiderman you have the physical, "realistic" interpretations of something that was previously hand drawn. With the slew of Frank Miller adaptations you have a film that practically uses the comic as a storyboard. It's as redundant as a band covering a previously popular song without adding or changing anything. Different interpretations are fine, and surely add a lot to any art, but rehashing something seems like time wasted.
Overall we agree however; the best kind of CGI isn't the kind made out to be fantastic. My original post's point however, was that often times CGI detracts from the story by simply being there and standing out. I can't recall how many movies I've watched that have been good, but have a few little points where something just doesn't look quite right. Maybe it's the lighting, or the effect looks plastic, I don't know. I find that older effects like clay and stop animation don't suffer from such downfalls. Sure, you still realize that they're special effects, regardless of how fleeting or important to the story, but at least the objects actually exist. You mention Luke (Skywalker, I assume) getting out alright. The original Star Wars trilogy has stood the test of time precisely because scale models and such were used, whereas the newer trilogy already looks dated because of its abundance of CGI vehicles if nothing else.
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How do they justify the price to themselves then? I mean, at least you have mediocre Blu-Ray movies to watch while the console stagnates and remains without games to play. Oh, I forgot, it's all marketing. People are sheep and like commercials. Sony doesn't even need current commercials, because all of the Playstation and Playstation 2 commercials already have it so ingrained in peoples' minds. They see a brand and feel the need to purchase it regardless of any factors.
I haven't had a Blockbuster in my area in years (and good riddance), but the in-store rental never seemed like too much of a perk unless you're into the recently released crap that they make sure to keep in stock. I'm not sure if their online selection is any better, but NetFlix allows me to find just about any film I could ever think of with the exception of a few super obscure ones. And not to sound like a commercial or anything but NetFlix has pretty darn good customer service. They've yet to let me down in the almost two years I've had them.
Teaches OpenGL well.
Come on down to Southern Ohio and you'll see just what I mean. The Shadow Over Portsmouth!
However, that said... I am totally screwed if anything outside of the common cold afflicts me, because I can't afford insurance and certainly can't afford a hospital visit or medicine. I live decently, but am angered by America's answer to health care. Of course you are correct; greed is the underlying problem as it is with almost all problems, though admittedly not only from doctors in this case. I'm just glad that a recent bout of tonsillitis (the best I diagnosis I could muster) didn't develop into anything worse than a sore throat and yucky white spots.
Because that doesn't sound like a sitcom or anything...
Try Nation Healtcare, America. Stop letting the insurance companies and the pharmaceuticals run the country. You can afford it, especially if you get rid of that expensive-ass war over in the Middle East. But if you're really THAT much of a tight wad, how about legalizing recreational drugs and taxing them? Not only would you then have better health but also less crime!
Thank Thor! I never want to access a social network...
They should. I don't subscribe to television myself. I wouldn't mind having the local network channels, but can't get get proper reception without investing in a decent antenna. Maybe if cable (or preferably the superior satellite) television payments worked on a per channel basis as opposed to crappy "tiers" then I'd stray away from my NetFlix account...
I've never given them my cash. I played the demo, as well as briefly had a character on a friend's account. That was more than enough to open my eyes. It is certainly an alright game, but I think it'd be a lot better with just a few friends over the LAN. It is definitely not worth the price regardless, no game is. Of course, I had to really talk myself into a monthly NetFlix bill. :P
Doesn't anyone feel just a tad ripped off by the fact that after they pay full price for a game they then have to pay a monthly fee for the privilege to play and then they have to buy an expansion pack every so often to stay relevant within the world that they're paying for!? I mean, the boring gameplay and complete lack of any objective is enough for me to feel ripped off...
So long as Bill Nye is bringing along those naked mole rats... Ah, now that was entertainment.
Ha! Clearly the women and her brother are the victims here for actually paying to see Transformers.
Spore will ship when it will look complete enough to sell for a bunch of money. We can then release expansion packs and "item" packs every three months which introduce all new bugs on top of the original flaws that we never bothered to patch.
That Elton John is destroying good music. Have you heard any of his Beatles covers?!
Grey Album was better!
I'm an Ohio resident and am fairly pleased with what Ted has done so far with my vote. Not only that, but he's generally a pleasant guy, as I am a Scioto County native and know him impersonally. This is a good step, because the Scioto County area especially is lacking in not only accessible broadband, but decent internet in general (aged telephone lines make sure you don't ever recieve anything over 26.4kbps on a modem!). I just wish the rest of the Stricklands around here weren't so scummy and inbred. :P
Many designers don't seem to appreciate anything that will make soft players cry, such as being pick pocketed or killed by another player. Such popular safeguards only drag MMOs further down into the "waste of time" pit as opposed to elevating them into the "immersing world" category.
Ah yes. An intellectual if there ever was one! :)
As is Windows... You still have to waste the money on overpriced, proprietary hardware from Apple though. With almost no choice over components and little options to upgrade in the future. People blast Microsoft for vendor lock-in, but Apple has always been worse. But who cares when you get something that's sleek and cool looking like a Mac, right?
As far as 300 goes, it does capture the comic well, as Sin City did. That doesn't necessarily make for a good film however, and even further makes one wonder what the point is at all if it's going to be exactly the same. With comic book adaptations such as X-Men and Spiderman you have the physical, "realistic" interpretations of something that was previously hand drawn. With the slew of Frank Miller adaptations you have a film that practically uses the comic as a storyboard. It's as redundant as a band covering a previously popular song without adding or changing anything. Different interpretations are fine, and surely add a lot to any art, but rehashing something seems like time wasted.
Overall we agree however; the best kind of CGI isn't the kind made out to be fantastic. My original post's point however, was that often times CGI detracts from the story by simply being there and standing out. I can't recall how many movies I've watched that have been good, but have a few little points where something just doesn't look quite right. Maybe it's the lighting, or the effect looks plastic, I don't know. I find that older effects like clay and stop animation don't suffer from such downfalls. Sure, you still realize that they're special effects, regardless of how fleeting or important to the story, but at least the objects actually exist. You mention Luke (Skywalker, I assume) getting out alright. The original Star Wars trilogy has stood the test of time precisely because scale models and such were used, whereas the newer trilogy already looks dated because of its abundance of CGI vehicles if nothing else.
Now if I could only remember who said that...