I was actually making reference to the movie Over the Top. If you haven't seen this movie, consider yourself lucky. There is really no good reason to see it (except maybe if you're looking for a good reason to gouge out your eyes).
What this game really needs is a $10,000 payout for beating it, so that some down-on-his-luck father can get enough money to gain custody of his child...
Right now is indeed a great time to be a gamer. The only problem is, come December, I'm going to be so broke it'll be sad. Heck, even the most spoiled, rich kids are going to have a tough time. Right now I have plans to buy the "big 3" for the Wii and maybe a few others. I really wish I could afford a 360 so I could pick up many of the games for it as well.
Naturally, the fanboys will argue which console has better games, but my question is: does that even matter? Just enjoy the plethora of good games available for your console(s) and let the others be. We need to unite as gamers to encourage this kind of greatness in our games.
I do feel sorry for some of these "lesser knowns." To be honest, they probably would have been better off waiting for Q1 or Q2 to release when gamers have finished their holiday games and are looking for something new. I'm hoping that we'll have another dry, boring Spring (which is sad, really) so that I can catch up on all the games I missed.
We all know that man came to earth in a giant bubble (yep, the original bubble-boy). The only question left is: Which came first, the bubble, or the boy?
Just as the article says, everyone here will give the standard denial out of fear of giving the opposition new ammo.
But they do make a point. I've experienced a similar phenomenom. After playing hours of Tetris, I've found myself almost unwillingly thinking about moves, combos etc... even after I'd moved on. There was a pop-cap game where you shoot off fireworks that did the same thing, making me constantly think of new combos and such. We can deny the affects all we like, but anything that is repetitive will eventually get under your skin when over-exposed. The moment of truth comes in how we allow this to affect our behaviour. Most people are able to shake these affects and move on with their life, but a few can become consumed by it. These are the people who become your psychopaths and mass-murderers. Every person feels that urge every now and again to just go off. Whether you're sitting in traffic, in line at the bank, or doing some other tedious and/or annoying task, the urges exist. Those of us who are civilized and possess the ability to think rationally can get past these moments without incident, but again, there are always the few who can't.
This is why violent videogames are important. They help us to see what lies within us, and what the consequences of giving into can lead to. Games like Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto are great not because of their gameplay, but because they allow us to do that which we suppress in ourselves. It allows us to act out our most deviant and perverse fantasies without fear of repercussions. Nobody in their right mind will admit to it (which begs the question if I'm in my right mind), but we all have these fantasies at one point or another.
In a way, video games do affect me, just not in the way the "analysts" think. I'd say I'm far less likely to go on a killing spree or whatever after playing GTA. Why? Because I realize that driving my car into a "Pay n' Spray" will not help me one iota in a full on man-hunt involving the FBI and the National Guard. It reinforces that there is nothing great or glorious about killing someone in whatever gruesome manner the developer has cooked up. But most importantly, it helps me realize just how dark and terrible these urges are, and reinforces in me the need to suppress them.
So mod me into oblivion for speaking the truth if you must (It's the slashdot way, afterall), afterall, we wouldn't want our opponents to know this.
As a recently graduated CS student, I find this type of thinking to be incredibly infuriating at times. Companies only want to hire people with experience. Yet to gain this experience, I need a job. The circular logic goes round and round until you have a brain aneurism.
My college never stressed learning any one language well. Rather, it taught us the tools and techniques we would need to survive in the ever-changing world of software development. Yet none of this seems to count for anything. No past experience with a company? Goodbye. The fact of the matter is, I need to start somewhere. Right now I'm sitting at a job that I feel doesn't tap my abilities, yet I put up with it for the "experience." The number of opportunities for fresh graduates are few and far between, and you have to take what you can get.
Here, on slashdot, nobody thought of "someone sent us up the bomb"?
Although I've never played it, from what I've read, this game was quite bad (especially the traslation). Yet it is very well known amongst gamers as being such.
For shame, slashdot, for shame. Clearly, all your base are belong to me!!
Let my clarify for you: I am not necessarily saying Rockstar is the most innovative of developers. Rather, I am saying they seem to be one of the few left in the industry willing to take a risk. What other companies are pushing the boundaries of what we find acceptable in games? Rockstar has been doing this for sometime now. And it appears as though they may have finally found it.
It will be interesting to see if Manhunt 2 is ever released and what changes they make in order for it to "comply." The only other Rockstar game I've played is Vice City (which I love). They make some very interesting social commentary in that game (listen to any of the talk stations). That's what I find interesting about all of their games, as both in game and in real life, there are some very interesting social implications being explored.
I think that, as a society, and as Rockstar was saying, we've yet to come to grips video games being a valid form of media. We need someone to ask the tough questions, to push the limits. At the moment, the only one I see doing that is Rockstar. And that is why I salute them.
... for being one of the few developers still willing to take a risk in this industry. You refuse to play by anybody else's rules.
I used to think that the "main-streamification" that began 10-15 years ago was a good thing. More people were playing games, which meant that because of the increase in sales, more games would be offered. Aw, if it only were that simple. Now most development houses are too cowardly to take a risk on a game that might fail. They would rather stick to the tried and true shovelware we see year after year (see: EA Games). So when I see someone like Rockstar, who's willing to stick their neck out there with an unconventional game, it makes me smile to know that somewhere, creativity still has chance, instead of being stifled under the usual corporate greed. So I salute you, Rockstar, for giving creativity a chance.
It seems to be that recently everybody seems to be associating games with a decent length to "hardcore." While I don't entirely agree with this, it serves my purpose for this post.
If we look at what happened at E3 and where the anticipation seems to be, I note that Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3. Looking at the past, these games predecessors have typically been quite lengthy affairs. Thus, it would seem that these games appeal more to the "hardcore" crowd.
We also see games like Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Wii Fit, which seems to resemble the mechanics used in Wii Sports and Wii play, will sport short games. SSBB is often seen as a quick, pick-up-and-play-a-round style game as well. These games appear to appeal more to the casual gamer who don't have as much time to play.
I guess what I'm saying is, whether you're "hardcore" or casual, you have some really great games to look forward to this year and next.
The problem with games like Manhunt 2 is that you are a playing a person of questionable/evil morality. It's all about your perspective. I've seen so many games where you fight the obviously evil Nazis, Aliens, or Hellspawn. There's no moral ambiguity there, just obvious good versus obvious evil.
Lets say I'm making 2 games which are almost identical, which would you guess would garner more controversy? A. A tactical shooter where you must prevent terrorist acts from being committed in America. B. A tactical shooter where you must plan and execute terrorist acts on America.
I recall a recent article in PCGamer about how it is actually impossible to role-play an evil character in any RPG. Sure, you are granted a few evil choices, but you are not actually allowed to do truly evil things.
I guess my point is, violence in games is OK so long as you're on the "good side," but playing evil or amoral characters is a whole other story. This, in my opinion, is a large load of crap. Who decides what's moral and what's not? The ESRB? Again, crap. I hate it when people try to push their morals and values on others, and I consider myself a Christian. The great thing about being an American (or at least it used to be) was my ability to believe whatever I wanted, without being bullied into someone else's beliefs. Why is it I'm only allowed the see, hear, and experience that which the government deems "safe?" Life is supposed to be dangerous. It's what makes being alive worthwhile.
- What's good for the goose, is good for the gander. - That's the pot calling the kettle black. - What comes around goes around. - You reap what you sow. - A stitch in time, saves nine. - Whoever smelt it, dealt it. - Whoever made the rhyme, did the crime. -... - Profit!!!
If we cared so much about stories when we want to have fun, then how come we now have nothing but plot-less porn movies? Forget porn, just look at regular movies. Oh yeah, "Live Free or Die Hard" has such an ORIGINAL story. Lets see:
Bad Guys do Bad Things
Good Guy responds, begins kicking ass
Bad Guys get worried, kidnap daughter for "insurance"
Good Guy just gets pissed off, kicks it up a notch, and kills even more people and causes even more explosions.
Good Guy fights Bad Guy, Bad Guy is winning for a while.
Good Guy gets second wind, kills the bad guy, rescues his daughter, saves the world.
Roll Credits
Profit!!
Almost as inspired as the new "Fantastic 4" movie, whose plotline is so thin I'm surprised they made it past FCC censors (its downright scandalous).
In fact, the new "Pirates" porn movie looks to have more of a plotline than these movies.
I have an old HP inkjet printer that's probably close to 6 years old (and it was't the latest and greatest when I bought it). Its held up well over the years. It doesn't have any fancy "ink is low" light on it, so I have to make due using other methods.
Color cartridge - When the colors on the pictures I print come out distorted or just plain wrong, I know that it's time to replace the color cartridge.
Black cartridge - When the text I print is unreadable, that usually means its time to replace the old black cartridge.
What do they do? These are the people who protect our borders (you know, the Canadian and Mexican ones). They guard our airports and help enforce trade regulations.
This department was formed after 9/11 and joined several smaller departments into one, including (but not limited to) Customs, Immigration, and DNS. My dad worked for Customs, and was moved into the Department of Homeland Security when it was formed. As such, I am no stranger to these kinds of attitudes.
It's so easy to do, given the kind of media coverage they get. Do we hear about the millions of drugs they confiscate and destroy, or the ones the let slip through? Do we hear about the drug dealers, terrorists, and illegal immigrants the catch and deport/throw in prison, or the ones that sneak past. It's easy to point to the occasional slip-ups, but not as easy to point to the job-well-dones. It is impossible to catch everyone and everything. They do their best to catch as much as possible.
So my questions is, how many hacker attempts did they foil? How many hackers were stopped dead in their tracks? How many were traced, arrested, and thrown in prison? It is my guess that, given our current situation in the world, there had to have been a LOT more than 800 attempts. They probably get thousands of attempts on a daily basis.
It doesn't matter what group you talk about, there are always incompetants who are pointed to as examples of the whole group. Some police are corrupt, therefore all police must be corrupt? There are some incompetant fools in the Department of Homeland Security, therefore anyone who works there must be incompetant? Some IT folk have the people-skills of a rock, therefore all IT people are assholes (remember that classic SNL skit)? The fact of the matter is that most police and DHS workers who are average, hard-working citizens who are doing their best to protect our country, and most IT people are able to get along well with others.
Don't let the bad apples ruin the reputation of the crisp McIntoshes.
I have a question about this so-called "perfect phone" Does it cure cancer? AIDS? End world hunger? Effectively put an end to all wars? Provide a sustainable power source? (There must be someway to harness the raw power of teenage girl gab...) If not, then it is clearly not a "perfect" phone. For me, the "perfect phone" will have all of these, and probably some I'm forgetting right now.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah,
I got it about 3 hours too late.
*hides eyes*
I was actually making reference to the movie Over the Top. If you haven't seen this movie, consider yourself lucky. There is really no good reason to see it (except maybe if you're looking for a good reason to gouge out your eyes).
What this game really needs is a $10,000 payout for beating it, so that some down-on-his-luck father can get enough money to gain custody of his child...
Right now is indeed a great time to be a gamer. The only problem is, come December, I'm going to be so broke it'll be sad. Heck, even the most spoiled, rich kids are going to have a tough time. Right now I have plans to buy the "big 3" for the Wii and maybe a few others. I really wish I could afford a 360 so I could pick up many of the games for it as well.
Naturally, the fanboys will argue which console has better games, but my question is: does that even matter? Just enjoy the plethora of good games available for your console(s) and let the others be. We need to unite as gamers to encourage this kind of greatness in our games.
I do feel sorry for some of these "lesser knowns." To be honest, they probably would have been better off waiting for Q1 or Q2 to release when gamers have finished their holiday games and are looking for something new. I'm hoping that we'll have another dry, boring Spring (which is sad, really) so that I can catch up on all the games I missed.
Today its server with sensitive data in the UK.
Tomorrow: Profit!
We all know that man came to earth in a giant bubble (yep, the original bubble-boy). The only question left is: Which came first, the bubble, or the boy?
Just as the article says, everyone here will give the standard denial out of fear of giving the opposition new ammo.
But they do make a point. I've experienced a similar phenomenom. After playing hours of Tetris, I've found myself almost unwillingly thinking about moves, combos etc... even after I'd moved on. There was a pop-cap game where you shoot off fireworks that did the same thing, making me constantly think of new combos and such. We can deny the affects all we like, but anything that is repetitive will eventually get under your skin when over-exposed. The moment of truth comes in how we allow this to affect our behaviour. Most people are able to shake these affects and move on with their life, but a few can become consumed by it. These are the people who become your psychopaths and mass-murderers. Every person feels that urge every now and again to just go off. Whether you're sitting in traffic, in line at the bank, or doing some other tedious and/or annoying task, the urges exist. Those of us who are civilized and possess the ability to think rationally can get past these moments without incident, but again, there are always the few who can't.
This is why violent videogames are important. They help us to see what lies within us, and what the consequences of giving into can lead to. Games like Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto are great not because of their gameplay, but because they allow us to do that which we suppress in ourselves. It allows us to act out our most deviant and perverse fantasies without fear of repercussions. Nobody in their right mind will admit to it (which begs the question if I'm in my right mind), but we all have these fantasies at one point or another.
In a way, video games do affect me, just not in the way the "analysts" think. I'd say I'm far less likely to go on a killing spree or whatever after playing GTA. Why? Because I realize that driving my car into a "Pay n' Spray" will not help me one iota in a full on man-hunt involving the FBI and the National Guard. It reinforces that there is nothing great or glorious about killing someone in whatever gruesome manner the developer has cooked up. But most importantly, it helps me realize just how dark and terrible these urges are, and reinforces in me the need to suppress them.
So mod me into oblivion for speaking the truth if you must (It's the slashdot way, afterall), afterall, we wouldn't want our opponents to know this.
Seriously, he just drew a bunch of pictures of bunnies, exclamation points, and boxes. They don't seem to relate to the story whatsoever.
Normally, I would say no. But what's the difference between the $300 and $400 X-Box 360s? A 20 GB hard drive.
It's the Blu-ray drive that causes the PS3 to be so expensive and still sell at a loss. Heres an idea:
1. Replace Blu-ray with DVD-rom
2. Drop price to $350-$400
3. Profit!
Oh wait, that would mean that Sony would have to do something that could be construed as "sensible." My bad.
As a recently graduated CS student, I find this type of thinking to be incredibly infuriating at times. Companies only want to hire people with experience. Yet to gain this experience, I need a job. The circular logic goes round and round until you have a brain aneurism.
My college never stressed learning any one language well. Rather, it taught us the tools and techniques we would need to survive in the ever-changing world of software development. Yet none of this seems to count for anything. No past experience with a company? Goodbye. The fact of the matter is, I need to start somewhere. Right now I'm sitting at a job that I feel doesn't tap my abilities, yet I put up with it for the "experience." The number of opportunities for fresh graduates are few and far between, and you have to take what you can get.
It's been so long since Slashdot had news "that mattered."
So in order to fight these terrorists, we should all go on a burning crusade?
I'm sorry, I don't feel right about that at all.
Although I've never played it, from what I've read, this game was quite bad (especially the traslation). Yet it is very well known amongst gamers as being such.
For shame, slashdot, for shame. Clearly, all your base are belong to me!!
Let my clarify for you: I am not necessarily saying Rockstar is the most innovative of developers. Rather, I am saying they seem to be one of the few left in the industry willing to take a risk. What other companies are pushing the boundaries of what we find acceptable in games? Rockstar has been doing this for sometime now. And it appears as though they may have finally found it.
It will be interesting to see if Manhunt 2 is ever released and what changes they make in order for it to "comply." The only other Rockstar game I've played is Vice City (which I love). They make some very interesting social commentary in that game (listen to any of the talk stations). That's what I find interesting about all of their games, as both in game and in real life, there are some very interesting social implications being explored.
I think that, as a society, and as Rockstar was saying, we've yet to come to grips video games being a valid form of media. We need someone to ask the tough questions, to push the limits. At the moment, the only one I see doing that is Rockstar. And that is why I salute them.
... for being one of the few developers still willing to take a risk in this industry. You refuse to play by anybody else's rules.
I used to think that the "main-streamification" that began 10-15 years ago was a good thing. More people were playing games, which meant that because of the increase in sales, more games would be offered. Aw, if it only were that simple. Now most development houses are too cowardly to take a risk on a game that might fail. They would rather stick to the tried and true shovelware we see year after year (see: EA Games). So when I see someone like Rockstar, who's willing to stick their neck out there with an unconventional game, it makes me smile to know that somewhere, creativity still has chance, instead of being stifled under the usual corporate greed. So I salute you, Rockstar, for giving creativity a chance.
It seems to be that recently everybody seems to be associating games with a decent length to "hardcore." While I don't entirely agree with this, it serves my purpose for this post.
If we look at what happened at E3 and where the anticipation seems to be, I note that Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3. Looking at the past, these games predecessors have typically been quite lengthy affairs. Thus, it would seem that these games appeal more to the "hardcore" crowd.
We also see games like Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Wii Fit, which seems to resemble the mechanics used in Wii Sports and Wii play, will sport short games. SSBB is often seen as a quick, pick-up-and-play-a-round style game as well. These games appear to appeal more to the casual gamer who don't have as much time to play.
I guess what I'm saying is, whether you're "hardcore" or casual, you have some really great games to look forward to this year and next.
The problem with games like Manhunt 2 is that you are a playing a person of questionable/evil morality. It's all about your perspective. I've seen so many games where you fight the obviously evil Nazis, Aliens, or Hellspawn. There's no moral ambiguity there, just obvious good versus obvious evil.
Lets say I'm making 2 games which are almost identical, which would you guess would garner more controversy?
A. A tactical shooter where you must prevent terrorist acts from being committed in America.
B. A tactical shooter where you must plan and execute terrorist acts on America.
I recall a recent article in PCGamer about how it is actually impossible to role-play an evil character in any RPG. Sure, you are granted a few evil choices, but you are not actually allowed to do truly evil things.
I guess my point is, violence in games is OK so long as you're on the "good side," but playing evil or amoral characters is a whole other story. This, in my opinion, is a large load of crap. Who decides what's moral and what's not? The ESRB? Again, crap. I hate it when people try to push their morals and values on others, and I consider myself a Christian. The great thing about being an American (or at least it used to be) was my ability to believe whatever I wanted, without being bullied into someone else's beliefs. Why is it I'm only allowed the see, hear, and experience that which the government deems "safe?" Life is supposed to be dangerous. It's what makes being alive worthwhile.
Popcap, I believe some of these may apply to you.
...
- What's good for the goose, is good for the gander.
- That's the pot calling the kettle black.
- What comes around goes around.
- You reap what you sow.
- A stitch in time, saves nine.
- Whoever smelt it, dealt it.
- Whoever made the rhyme, did the crime.
-
- Profit!!!
- Bad Guys do Bad Things
- Good Guy responds, begins kicking ass
- Bad Guys get worried, kidnap daughter for "insurance"
- Good Guy just gets pissed off, kicks it up a notch, and kills even more people and causes even more explosions.
- Good Guy fights Bad Guy, Bad Guy is winning for a while.
- Good Guy gets second wind, kills the bad guy, rescues his daughter, saves the world.
- Roll Credits
- Profit!!
Almost as inspired as the new "Fantastic 4" movie, whose plotline is so thin I'm surprised they made it past FCC censors (its downright scandalous).In fact, the new "Pirates" porn movie looks to have more of a plotline than these movies.
I have an old HP inkjet printer that's probably close to 6 years old (and it was't the latest and greatest when I bought it). Its held up well over the years. It doesn't have any fancy "ink is low" light on it, so I have to make due using other methods.
Color cartridge - When the colors on the pictures I print come out distorted or just plain wrong, I know that it's time to replace the color cartridge.
Black cartridge - When the text I print is unreadable, that usually means its time to replace the old black cartridge.
Just a few handy hints.
This department was formed after 9/11 and joined several smaller departments into one, including (but not limited to) Customs, Immigration, and DNS. My dad worked for Customs, and was moved into the Department of Homeland Security when it was formed. As such, I am no stranger to these kinds of attitudes.
It's so easy to do, given the kind of media coverage they get. Do we hear about the millions of drugs they confiscate and destroy, or the ones the let slip through? Do we hear about the drug dealers, terrorists, and illegal immigrants the catch and deport/throw in prison, or the ones that sneak past. It's easy to point to the occasional slip-ups, but not as easy to point to the job-well-dones. It is impossible to catch everyone and everything. They do their best to catch as much as possible.
So my questions is, how many hacker attempts did they foil? How many hackers were stopped dead in their tracks? How many were traced, arrested, and thrown in prison? It is my guess that, given our current situation in the world, there had to have been a LOT more than 800 attempts. They probably get thousands of attempts on a daily basis.
It doesn't matter what group you talk about, there are always incompetants who are pointed to as examples of the whole group. Some police are corrupt, therefore all police must be corrupt? There are some incompetant fools in the Department of Homeland Security, therefore anyone who works there must be incompetant? Some IT folk have the people-skills of a rock, therefore all IT people are assholes (remember that classic SNL skit)? The fact of the matter is that most police and DHS workers who are average, hard-working citizens who are doing their best to protect our country, and most IT people are able to get along well with others.
Don't let the bad apples ruin the reputation of the crisp McIntoshes.
I have a question about this so-called "perfect phone" Does it cure cancer? AIDS? End world hunger? Effectively put an end to all wars? Provide a sustainable power source? (There must be someway to harness the raw power of teenage girl gab...) If not, then it is clearly not a "perfect" phone. For me, the "perfect phone" will have all of these, and probably some I'm forgetting right now.
Every Time.
Because clearly anyone who disagrees with your beliefs (or non-beliefs) deserves to be killed.