Go to EBGam... err, Gamestop now isn't it? But yeah... recently released games? If you trade one in to them its usually $20-25 to your pocket here. But when they go up on the rack for sale, the prices have suddenly risen to $55. To me, that really just screams "Hey! Don't take your chance on something that might be scratched to oblivion, spend $5 more and get a new copy."
This is of course in the US, and it's this way in every Gamestop I've ever set foot in. Probably the other chain stores as well (though Game Rush is the only other chain I can think of)
This is true... and I won't say that the amount of the judgment has no importance in regard to future legal dealings with the RIAA. However, the verdict is still the most important aspect of the case since it sets precedent. It would be nice to live in a fantasy world where a not guilty was likely.
I'll concede that there will be a new trial, I misread it.
However, there will still probably be a guilty verdict at the end... The judge chimed in saying that distribution to an investigator such as MediaSentry still provides basis for claims. If they can prove that then don't they essentially have the verdict?
Their income is only zilcho if you choose to ignore the large amount of out-of-court settlements they've obtained from those who don't want to go through a legal battle. I'm sure it doesn't totally make up for all they've spent, but it's still gotta be worth quite the pretty penny.
Yup, first and only... though she'll still end up guilty I bet. The only thing this does is require the RIAA to prove distribution for the monetary value of the punishment, not absolve her and require them to prove anything to get a guilty verdict (at least that's what I gather from RTFA.)
I suppose you do offer a valid point... I know plenty of people who ignore minor problems until they develop into major ones. Making sure my electronics are in a suitable environment is second nature to me, though I can definitely acknowledge that this isn't necessarily true for everyone. Especially those not willing to put the effort into it so it lasts.
Perhaps Honda or Toyota would have been the better choice for an analogy. If you keep up with the maintenance those things will run forever. Or at least the older ones do.
Pretty awesome that your buddy has a Ferrari, by the way. I hear the clutches on those things only last like 5k miles due to the power they put out. Even still, I'm like your buddy. When I hear the roar of the engine, I know it's worth the cost. Now if only I could afford one:-p
I've had my "Lemon" since launch and have had no problems whatsoever... which I suppose puts me in the upper 66% of consoles.
Or maybe it's that I took proper care of it, keeping it well ventilated and all. Many people are hard on stuff. Pretty much all of my buddies have 360's, and the only ones that have returned theirs were the ones that DIDN'T listen to the rest of us (stuck it in a closed cabinet and left it running for 3 days, moved it while it was playing, etc.) They're the same people who think they can overclock their PCs to 6GHz without having the expensive memory or an elaborate cooling system and then STILL shove them in their desk cabinet.
Just my take on the entire RRoD thing. I know the cause, and it is caused by a case of bad engineering... but if you treat your consoles like you'd treat your Ferrari, it wouldn't overheat and break the solder points. To me it's just plain common sense to keep it ventilated.
Oh I know. I still have an old CD walkman from the early 90's and it works like it's brand new. Sad indeed that a manufacturer can let their quality standards fall that much.
It's kinda like my friend and his Mercedes. He's got a '92 300D or something like that which has over 300K miles on it and no major problems, but his '05 or so CLK500 has been in for sensors and engine problems multiple times. He's even been through a transmission.
Yeah, their head units and speakers are kinda crappy too. My friends brag about the "Sony Quality (TM)" that they get and the superior sound quality. That is, until the faceplate breaks off from being removed too much or the head's amp blows out creating a small fire in their dash (true story). And the speakers? He's on his third set in two years in his car, and his home speakers didn't last a month.
You have a good point. I know that an increase in the need for strategy and tactics with the direct types will increase the fun factor for me, but if you now need strategy for them... well, you'd probably need even more for the magic slinging classes.
It sounds as if they wanted to bring in a strategy angle for the PvE element with this new installment... I remember not needing much strategy at all in Diablo 2, just hack and slash and power through everything. Also, if I'm understanding TFA correctly, there are no potions (But as you get further and further into the game, you start having to go, 'Okay now I've really got to use this ground stomp thing to stun some monsters and get some distance from them to recover.') They also imply the monsters will be weaker to balance this out however, so it'll be interesting indeed to see how everything turns out.
Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3... Blizzard is going to make some cash off me when they finally hit the market.
Reminds me of Monday's Penny Arcade strip. Doing that to CoD3 is like making Gears of War family friendly. Just can't wrap my mind around how it's possible without ruining a great game.
I've also heard there's so much red tape bureaucracy to get through in order to build a nuclear power plant, that it becomes very expensive due to specifications changing and redesigns being needed to comply even before the construction starts. Seems like I saw somewhere that one of the new plants coming up here in the US took like 10 years or something ridiculous to make it through the paperwork and design stages.
I did know about them closing down around the time that KOTOR 2 was finished up... didn't know where the new team was coming from though. It'll be interesting to see what a game from ILM is like. I can imagine, with their artistic vision and talent for graphics design and execution, that it will be quite a gem.
I'd actually like it if the KOTOR MMO shipped with a single-player option, complete with story wrap-up and all. I know that's alot to ask for though and would probably never happen. Still, there's no doubt in my mind that they'll finish up the storyline, stand-alone game or no.
I've heard alot of buzz recently about a new KOTOR. I'd personally love a third installment, but there's something wrong with the one I've heard about - its supposedly an MMO. I played Galaxies when it was fresh, and the grind really got to me. I'm hoping that if KOTOR 3 is an MMO that they find a way to do it right.
Agreed. I loved the X games and Freelancer because they were so freeform in how you could advance, but starting from scratch was always such a bear. You couldn't just jump into the action, and the long trips in-between systems made minutes seem like hours and doing anything involved took forever because of it.
I've been waiting years for another good space sim to come out... I miss my Freespace and my TIE Fighter. And Wing Commander too. All the great times I had back in the day, playing with friends or proceeding through the campaigns alone. I hope it lives up to all those that same before it.
Perhaps he used a legal download service, such as Direct2Drive or whatever was around back then. There are alternatives to having a physical copy that are perfectly legal.
I emphatically agree with you. Give me a good game of C&C or Gears of War with a buddy over the incessant grinding of the popular MMOs any day.
Even better, how about a unique single-player experience? System Shock 2 and Deus Ex are some of my all-time favorite games... They aren't considered some of the best games ever based upon their graphics (*cough* Crysis *cough*)
This statement is somewhat incorrect... I don't know of any minivan that comes with AWD or 4WD. Also, Minivans are built on car chassis whereas SUVs are built on truck chassis. SUVs theoretically could take more abuse / tow more weight.
Course, most people I know with SUVs got them as people-carriers... which is why minivans were created.
Note - I do not drive an SUV. In fact, I hate them. Driving a sporty, low, small car doesn't help, as SUV drivers generally can't see me unless I honk first:-/
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Go to EBGam... err, Gamestop now isn't it? But yeah... recently released games? If you trade one in to them its usually $20-25 to your pocket here. But when they go up on the rack for sale, the prices have suddenly risen to $55. To me, that really just screams "Hey! Don't take your chance on something that might be scratched to oblivion, spend $5 more and get a new copy." This is of course in the US, and it's this way in every Gamestop I've ever set foot in. Probably the other chain stores as well (though Game Rush is the only other chain I can think of)
And now for the ever present movie reference...
Move over Colonel, here comes the General!
This is true... and I won't say that the amount of the judgment has no importance in regard to future legal dealings with the RIAA. However, the verdict is still the most important aspect of the case since it sets precedent. It would be nice to live in a fantasy world where a not guilty was likely.
I'll concede that there will be a new trial, I misread it.
However, there will still probably be a guilty verdict at the end... The judge chimed in saying that distribution to an investigator such as MediaSentry still provides basis for claims. If they can prove that then don't they essentially have the verdict?
Their income is only zilcho if you choose to ignore the large amount of out-of-court settlements they've obtained from those who don't want to go through a legal battle. I'm sure it doesn't totally make up for all they've spent, but it's still gotta be worth quite the pretty penny.
Yup, first and only... though she'll still end up guilty I bet. The only thing this does is require the RIAA to prove distribution for the monetary value of the punishment, not absolve her and require them to prove anything to get a guilty verdict (at least that's what I gather from RTFA.)
I suppose you do offer a valid point... I know plenty of people who ignore minor problems until they develop into major ones. Making sure my electronics are in a suitable environment is second nature to me, though I can definitely acknowledge that this isn't necessarily true for everyone. Especially those not willing to put the effort into it so it lasts.
:-p
Perhaps Honda or Toyota would have been the better choice for an analogy. If you keep up with the maintenance those things will run forever. Or at least the older ones do.
Pretty awesome that your buddy has a Ferrari, by the way. I hear the clutches on those things only last like 5k miles due to the power they put out. Even still, I'm like your buddy. When I hear the roar of the engine, I know it's worth the cost. Now if only I could afford one
I've had my "Lemon" since launch and have had no problems whatsoever... which I suppose puts me in the upper 66% of consoles.
Or maybe it's that I took proper care of it, keeping it well ventilated and all. Many people are hard on stuff. Pretty much all of my buddies have 360's, and the only ones that have returned theirs were the ones that DIDN'T listen to the rest of us (stuck it in a closed cabinet and left it running for 3 days, moved it while it was playing, etc.) They're the same people who think they can overclock their PCs to 6GHz without having the expensive memory or an elaborate cooling system and then STILL shove them in their desk cabinet.
Just my take on the entire RRoD thing. I know the cause, and it is caused by a case of bad engineering... but if you treat your consoles like you'd treat your Ferrari, it wouldn't overheat and break the solder points. To me it's just plain common sense to keep it ventilated.
Oh I know. I still have an old CD walkman from the early 90's and it works like it's brand new. Sad indeed that a manufacturer can let their quality standards fall that much.
It's kinda like my friend and his Mercedes. He's got a '92 300D or something like that which has over 300K miles on it and no major problems, but his '05 or so CLK500 has been in for sensors and engine problems multiple times. He's even been through a transmission.
Yeah, their head units and speakers are kinda crappy too. My friends brag about the "Sony Quality (TM)" that they get and the superior sound quality. That is, until the faceplate breaks off from being removed too much or the head's amp blows out creating a small fire in their dash (true story). And the speakers? He's on his third set in two years in his car, and his home speakers didn't last a month.
*shakes head*
You have a good point. I know that an increase in the need for strategy and tactics with the direct types will increase the fun factor for me, but if you now need strategy for them... well, you'd probably need even more for the magic slinging classes.
It sounds as if they wanted to bring in a strategy angle for the PvE element with this new installment... I remember not needing much strategy at all in Diablo 2, just hack and slash and power through everything. Also, if I'm understanding TFA correctly, there are no potions (But as you get further and further into the game, you start having to go, 'Okay now I've really got to use this ground stomp thing to stun some monsters and get some distance from them to recover.') They also imply the monsters will be weaker to balance this out however, so it'll be interesting indeed to see how everything turns out.
Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3... Blizzard is going to make some cash off me when they finally hit the market.
Reminds me of Monday's Penny Arcade strip. Doing that to CoD3 is like making Gears of War family friendly. Just can't wrap my mind around how it's possible without ruining a great game.
I've also heard there's so much red tape bureaucracy to get through in order to build a nuclear power plant, that it becomes very expensive due to specifications changing and redesigns being needed to comply even before the construction starts. Seems like I saw somewhere that one of the new plants coming up here in the US took like 10 years or something ridiculous to make it through the paperwork and design stages.
I did know about them closing down around the time that KOTOR 2 was finished up... didn't know where the new team was coming from though. It'll be interesting to see what a game from ILM is like. I can imagine, with their artistic vision and talent for graphics design and execution, that it will be quite a gem.
I'd actually like it if the KOTOR MMO shipped with a single-player option, complete with story wrap-up and all. I know that's alot to ask for though and would probably never happen. Still, there's no doubt in my mind that they'll finish up the storyline, stand-alone game or no.
Seconded. I still break out the original from time to time... If infinite milking is the price I must pay, so be it.
I've heard alot of buzz recently about a new KOTOR. I'd personally love a third installment, but there's something wrong with the one I've heard about - its supposedly an MMO. I played Galaxies when it was fresh, and the grind really got to me. I'm hoping that if KOTOR 3 is an MMO that they find a way to do it right.
Have not heard of it, will have to look it up and give it a try. Would be great to find something that could utilize my X52.
Agreed. I loved the X games and Freelancer because they were so freeform in how you could advance, but starting from scratch was always such a bear. You couldn't just jump into the action, and the long trips in-between systems made minutes seem like hours and doing anything involved took forever because of it.
I've been waiting years for another good space sim to come out... I miss my Freespace and my TIE Fighter. And Wing Commander too. All the great times I had back in the day, playing with friends or proceeding through the campaigns alone. I hope it lives up to all those that same before it.
Perhaps he used a legal download service, such as Direct2Drive or whatever was around back then. There are alternatives to having a physical copy that are perfectly legal.
I emphatically agree with you. Give me a good game of C&C or Gears of War with a buddy over the incessant grinding of the popular MMOs any day.
Even better, how about a unique single-player experience? System Shock 2 and Deus Ex are some of my all-time favorite games... They aren't considered some of the best games ever based upon their graphics (*cough* Crysis *cough*)
This statement is somewhat incorrect... I don't know of any minivan that comes with AWD or 4WD. Also, Minivans are built on car chassis whereas SUVs are built on truck chassis. SUVs theoretically could take more abuse / tow more weight. Course, most people I know with SUVs got them as people-carriers... which is why minivans were created. Note - I do not drive an SUV. In fact, I hate them. Driving a sporty, low, small car doesn't help, as SUV drivers generally can't see me unless I honk first :-/
Twisp and Catsby ftw. One of my favorite running gags on the site!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alltel#Network_technology