In a company where you set a standard, in this case PS3 hardware, it affects all of your business from there out. Once "revealed," all of your software and peripheral manufacturers have to pledge their allegiance to the new standard or else they will be considered "old-fashioned." It does pressure developers. They have to pump up a demo at the next major event because "everybody else will have one." Even though these are just simulations and animations on a PS2 or PC.
It is a genuine nuisance for your top-level PR reps to have to pitch something that won't be around for a long time while we have perfectly good products coming out soon.
I have observed that I'm the only one who treat our tech's with respect. That's because I'm from a Computer Science background and understand how they have to deal with vague descriptions and annoying problems.
My co-workers, however, view the techs as troublemakers. Constantly installing software, making our computers inaccessible, or messing up our logins. They don't realize that this is a direct response to the increasing security threats to each PC connected to the Internet. If things were as the collective mind thinks, we'd all be blissfully farming out our CPU time to "Viagra/Oxycontin/Natural Herbal Remedy/...." and have it reboot every 20 seconds.
The solutions are the problems, in response to spammers, phishers, virus propogaters, and maliscious hacks. The solutions are unfriendly by nature because they limit our computer's versatility.
So I understand the author's point-of-view and sadly, it's true.
The article doesn't cite a single sales number, making it of dubious credibility. First off, Sony did sell out. The retails didn't. Second, was the original shipment 1 million? Or did they release 1.2 million, 1.5 million? Also, nobody expected more than 800,000 sold. DS sold 800,000 in one week. At higher price, the PSP should only sell 400,000 to 500,000 in its first week.
PSP was released during a rather weak gift-giving holiday. Most older generation folk, 30's and up, didn't give gifts at Easter, just candy. The real test will be Christmas. I doubt you have to do anything with the price of the system until 2006. The hype at Christmas will sell them all at a premium. The best move for Sony would be to check sales records on the PSP for the first 10 days after Thanksgiving. If sales aren't strong, drop the price $50.
As for cost, each DS was a minimum of $200. You had to buy a game to even operate it. Same with PSP, you can only watch Spiderman 2 so many times. You must spend a minimum of $300 to even play a game. I personally don't think you should sell bundles. A la carte will sell itself. It increases the demand for games. Bundles seem obscene.
Unfortunately, the Memory Sticks are expensive, and yet cheap (Sandisk, not Sony) considering the memory sizes. You have to truly appreciate the music, photo, and movie capabilities to really justify another memory stick.
For the record, my initial system (EB didn't require a bundle in the stores) was $420: Value Pack, two games, and a 512 MB stick.
It takes no time at all comparing the DS with the PSP that the PSP is superior in every aspect, except for the touchscreen.
In all cases of Placebo and Homeopathic studies, they're introducing a chemical that produces known effects into a sub-portion of the population, and a chemical that produces no known effects into another sub-portion. The studies seem to indicate that introducing anything in the body produces an effect. Human perception is always there. When the study was on cells, the human perception was the data analysts. They were looking for effects and found them. It seems likely that there is a different effect going on entirely, and our recorded data is only picking up the portions of the data we're looking for. So we may be witnessing the "side-effects" of seemingly weak and useless drugs.
Though the article does not enforce this idea very well: when the data do not support the hypothesis, you must alter your hypothesis and try again. In other words, hypothesis is the bias we're witnessing.
But ever lawyer does not have the right to a client. I think lawyers looking for a lawsuit help make them--which is accessory to the crime/incident.
However, in any legal case that uses expert studies or testamonies, the ones unfavorable to the side being argued are immediately thrown out. The bias of plaintiff or defendant forces non-scientific results from scientific studies.
The robot will be least active when the children exhibit good behavior. "Good Behavior" in children is characterized as being quiet and not moving. All the makings of West Daycare World.
Most people get recruited by being given a parallel or higher responsibility. These two are successful businessmen in the video games industry. I can't imagine they're going to get into the nitty-gritty, but instead anticipate executive producing. The important thing to consider is what kind of teams they will pull together. They will most likely recruit Japanese video game engineers, so there's your real impact.
My opinion is that the a game designer shouldn't consider morality, because there are as many moral codes as there are people. It is a loaded question which means different things to different people. Instead, they need to make the game content match the game goals. If nothing is gratuitous in the game, based on the designed content, the game is properly labeled "game."
So, if the game is meant to be an over-the-top pseudo-realistic gang warfare simulation aimed to allow the player to vicariously experience things that real life disallows, the inclusion of "Winners Don't Use Drugs" (WDUD) messages is gratuitous. If there's a mission to destroy all of the WDUD billboards, the message isn't gratuitous.
If a game is meant to teach a certain set of moral values, then it should stay true to those values. If a Christian-themed game has you shooting anything at people, even if it's spitwads or Exorcising Energy (TM), it's clearly gratuitous.
Finally, if a game isn't meant to consider morals at all, then the moment the designers start pushing towards specific ethical values, they need to consider if that's the direction the game should go or if it's a gratuitous waste of code.
This is bad. If they can apply decency to media I pay to have piped into my house, they'll shoot at DVD and CD content. The only difference is the transmission media. Only adults can order cable, so you already have your "adult check" verification.
I have a diverse collection of GBA games. After having a DS since launch, I think it needs to be really clear: Nintendo DS is not completely downward compatible with GBA. It is disappointing that it can't play GB games, but many of the GBA games, past and present, simply don't work with DS. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the bug will prevent the game from playing. I spent about an hour playing Phantasy Star before realizing that it cannot save games. My GBA SP could, though. There are sound problems, graphics problems, animation problems, and DS features (sleep mode) can interfere with GBA games. It's so uncertain, I wouldn't advise anyone to sell their GBA's to buy a DS.
Previously, Nintendo had three major (non-software) strategies to maintain handheld dominance: size, price, features. The GBA SP is fairly small already, has a decent price, and features screen projection and a built in light (but minus the headphones). New features in Nintendo Systems are: More buttons, stereo speakers, wireless link, touchscreen, better graphics, and better sound. I expect the SP to drop to $50 in the third quarter of 2005, regardless of what's coming out. The touchscreen is interesting, but it's more of a novelty at the moment. If it's the next GB, it will most likely have built in wireless link, better graphics, sound, and more buttons. If they add a folding touch screen, it will be a "DS Complete," because the current one seems a bit rushed to the consumers.
After playing both the DS and the PSP, the PSP is so more advanced than Gameboy, Nintendo must evolve their handhelds to survive. Nintendo will continue the "Gameboy" line because of product recognition.
I'm not sure of the intricacies of Nintendo in Japan, but Nintendo of America is a part of the Big N that might be sold to the MS. Perhaps Nintendo sees more money in no longer making hardware? (*cough* Sega *cough*)
About the rushed Xbox 2-before-others, I remember two systems that did that (*cough* Saturn *cough* Dreamcast *cough*). Both systems were superior in everyway, but early release meant more expensive hardware and greater initial loss. By the time the costs caught up, the other systems were out and much cheaper with a greater initial software base.
Therefore, HD-DVD vs. DVD format will be a moot point until the other systems come out. The extra space won't be used until extra content is needed. But if they don't use a denser format, they may as well continue on with the XBox and wait for the processors and drives to be cheaper.
That has to be one of the toughest decisions in hardware. Be superior or be popular. The "rush" idea has been tried--we'll see if it works.
While they're at it, I hope they try forward compatibility on new games: games for XBox that play with greater detail and features when played on the next system. They might actually convince people to have both Xboxes.
I read the FA, which says nothing bad about Everquest or Online Gaming. Even the referenced old story had Wooley suing for information about the content of Everquest, not to blame them for the suicide--at least, so far. In the FA, Wooley states:
My son, Shawn, committed suicide as a direct result of being addicted to the EverQuest game.
She is attributing the addiction, not the game. However, the subtext implies that she's fishing for direct evidence of non-game-like psychological techniques use to influence the players' psyches.
I think the worst part is the 12-Step concept to "curing" addiction. Okay, so I'm heavily influenced by Penn & Teller's Bullsh!t episode on 12-Steps. It appears the best thing for addiction recovery is understanding the addiction. However, the blame and responsibility is ultimately on the person him/herself.
The scary part is, I have some of the symptoms of MMORPG addiction on offline, single-player games. Mostly it's the food, sleep, and housekeeping neglect. I need to reevaluate my time management.
Music. Unless you're new to it, the big bands lack real variety (with rare exceptions). The problem isn't the musicians, it's the way music is chosen and played on the radio. The consumer doesn't have a say in it, even though they're the ones who buy, by definition. The big companies keep buying the independent, bona-fide, mp3 repositories where you can listen or buy indie music with the artists permission.
To learn from our mistakes with music, we need to try out independent software now and then. That's where the unique ideas are. The more people try and buy, the more independent concepts will be "spruced up" for the mainstream by a publisher. After all, who wants to spend $50 on an untested concept?
As for sequels, if the publisher can't describe "What's new and unique with the sequel?" It probably shouldn't be published.
Everett Kaser for advancing the genre of "logic puzzles" as computer games. But I'm not part of the academy. Still, Honeycomb Hotel has got to be an all-time favorite. I'm fairly certain he'll make it someday!
Now Mr. Hawkins' company, 3DO, did so much melding of entertainment and media! I really understand the induction. The failure of the 3DO console didn't change that.
IANAT, but I was a holdout against XBox for a long time. When I purchased it in 2004, I bought a lot of the cheaper games and many of the newer ones, like Halo 2. Perhaps this is evidence that the software enticed the hardware purchase which enticed further purchases? It'd make a good study.
Online content has gotten so much better, I only wish custom soundtracks were a more common feature.
No one suggested changing your passwords. You're safer if you change your passwords.
The real issue is: did she hack the password or not? Hacking is the crime described. Being given the password is not the crime described. Okay, so he had an emotional interest in the character, having spent so many hours playing. Guess what? It's a game. Anyone who plays a game knows that sometimes you lose.
The article is so short, you get no new information than the headline. I understand being upset, but I think perhaps he was going to auction off goods/money/character. I also suspect the reason they broke up was Lineage. Sort of a "force you to pay attention" motive.
I have the dubious honor of having a charter subscription to Nintendo Power. They pretty much only print letters and drawings from the young ones (skip those), and they try to write to a 3rd to 5th grade reading level. However, Nintendo Power does some very adult-attractive things in their publishing:
1) They're cheap and they give you stuff for subscribing. Usually a hint book or demo disk. 2) They give you more stuff for subscribing. At least once a year, Nintendo throws music (like E3 Nintendo Orchestra) or some other minimum-value item to keep you hooked. 3) Ad control. This is mostly so that Nintendo products are represented and no adult (smoking, drinking) products are advertised. Nintendo used to be ad-free. I actually prefer the ads to be child-safe because I know where to get ciggies and beer. 4) In-depth reviews w/ maps. They show the map, they walk you thru part one. Next month, part two, and they leave the rest to you. They've done this from day one. 5) Loyal to product. The magazine is obviously all about Nintendo. It is a much more focused mag than the general interest ones. General interest mags are the same size as Nintendo Power, so they have to be practicing "less is more."
These are all advanced concepts that require taking financial hits for the overall product, but they still make a profit.
Games of this type are much harder than you'd think, but when you get good at them, it's amazing, fun and addictive! I've played mostly Beatmania IIDX, and I always felt that a note editor would be fun to play around with. IIDX is sequenced, though, so editing on the existing sequence would be challenging.
This game's editor looks more like Jester Interactive's Pocket Music for Gameboy Advance. It's main limitation is memory. It's other big problem is bass. But otherwise, you have so much freedom that if you write your own RIFFs, the variety is endless.
Yes, I remember pre-GTA graffiti, and it existed before video games, too. If GTA only influences kids to vandalize, and only two kids, I'd guess GTA was pretty non-influential overall. You can't get any good statistics from a sample size of 2.
They put out GTA on the premise that gameplay was more important than graphics. They were right because it looked more like Spy Hunter from 10+ years prior to publishing on PSOne.
Eleven year olds are, in general, very bright. The key is to break the ice between the adult and each pair of children. Video games and Coca-Cola do this very well. Then by listening, an adult can pick up all the knowledge they've absorbed. I think the conversation is severely edited down, because a group of 11-12 year olds will talk you to death! It may sound fake from this editing process.
As for them "badmouthing" classic games, I don't look at it that way. The conversations reveal a lot about what most typical boys and girls want out of a game. Though I vote Bobby to be most likely to be metrosexual in a few years. Rachel is very stereotypically girlie, too, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Unfortunately, the dumbing-down of high school will soon be upon them....
I couldn't RTFA because I'm still using my soul. The game is interesting. As for this being at new deconstructionist artform? This time its fairly original. Next time? YAWN.
In a very small, unofficial, biased event, a 3-hour videogame marathon in a college theater, Rez was the most popular! Believe it or not.
The PS2 games played were: Soul Calibur II, Beatmania IIDX 8th Style, Amplitude, and Rez. Rez had the pick-up-and play quality and was extremely "trippy" on the big screen. Soul Calibur II was 2nd place.
I'm not sure it's fair to discount Rez, it just didn't get the exposure it needed.
Slashdot Mirror
In a company where you set a standard, in this case PS3 hardware, it affects all of your business from there out. Once "revealed," all of your software and peripheral manufacturers have to pledge their allegiance to the new standard or else they will be considered "old-fashioned." It does pressure developers. They have to pump up a demo at the next major event because "everybody else will have one." Even though these are just simulations and animations on a PS2 or PC.
It is a genuine nuisance for your top-level PR reps to have to pitch something that won't be around for a long time while we have perfectly good products coming out soon.
I have observed that I'm the only one who treat our tech's with respect. That's because I'm from a Computer Science background and understand how they have to deal with vague descriptions and annoying problems.
My co-workers, however, view the techs as troublemakers. Constantly installing software, making our computers inaccessible, or messing up our logins. They don't realize that this is a direct response to the increasing security threats to each PC connected to the Internet. If things were as the collective mind thinks, we'd all be blissfully farming out our CPU time to "Viagra/Oxycontin/Natural Herbal Remedy/...." and have it reboot every 20 seconds.
The solutions are the problems, in response to spammers, phishers, virus propogaters, and maliscious hacks. The solutions are unfriendly by nature because they limit our computer's versatility.
So I understand the author's point-of-view and sadly, it's true.
The article doesn't cite a single sales number, making it of dubious credibility. First off, Sony did sell out. The retails didn't. Second, was the original shipment 1 million? Or did they release 1.2 million, 1.5 million? Also, nobody expected more than 800,000 sold. DS sold 800,000 in one week. At higher price, the PSP should only sell 400,000 to 500,000 in its first week.
PSP was released during a rather weak gift-giving holiday. Most older generation folk, 30's and up, didn't give gifts at Easter, just candy. The real test will be Christmas. I doubt you have to do anything with the price of the system until 2006. The hype at Christmas will sell them all at a premium. The best move for Sony would be to check sales records on the PSP for the first 10 days after Thanksgiving. If sales aren't strong, drop the price $50.
As for cost, each DS was a minimum of $200. You had to buy a game to even operate it. Same with PSP, you can only watch Spiderman 2 so many times. You must spend a minimum of $300 to even play a game. I personally don't think you should sell bundles. A la carte will sell itself. It increases the demand for games. Bundles seem obscene.
Unfortunately, the Memory Sticks are expensive, and yet cheap (Sandisk, not Sony) considering the memory sizes. You have to truly appreciate the music, photo, and movie capabilities to really justify another memory stick.
For the record, my initial system (EB didn't require a bundle in the stores) was $420: Value Pack, two games, and a 512 MB stick.
It takes no time at all comparing the DS with the PSP that the PSP is superior in every aspect, except for the touchscreen.
In all cases of Placebo and Homeopathic studies, they're introducing a chemical that produces known effects into a sub-portion of the population, and a chemical that produces no known effects into another sub-portion. The studies seem to indicate that introducing anything in the body produces an effect. Human perception is always there. When the study was on cells, the human perception was the data analysts. They were looking for effects and found them. It seems likely that there is a different effect going on entirely, and our recorded data is only picking up the portions of the data we're looking for. So we may be witnessing the "side-effects" of seemingly weak and useless drugs.
Though the article does not enforce this idea very well: when the data do not support the hypothesis, you must alter your hypothesis and try again. In other words, hypothesis is the bias we're witnessing.
I'd pay 5 cents, considering I pay more at the store (which is still less than iTunes).
But I oppose the concept of a sales tax. That belongs to the States, not the Fed. Make it a service charge, instead.
"We're going to make our next generation games for only 50 per cent more than our last generation games," Rein bullishly claimed
Okay, so a last-gen $50 game costs new-gen $75. That's about what previous reports said. Odd.
But ever lawyer does not have the right to a client. I think lawyers looking for a lawsuit help make them--which is accessory to the crime/incident.
However, in any legal case that uses expert studies or testamonies, the ones unfavorable to the side being argued are immediately thrown out. The bias of plaintiff or defendant forces non-scientific results from scientific studies.
Still, the interview is great!
The robot will be least active when the children exhibit good behavior. "Good Behavior" in children is characterized as being quiet and not moving. All the makings of West Daycare World.
Most people get recruited by being given a parallel or higher responsibility. These two are successful businessmen in the video games industry. I can't imagine they're going to get into the nitty-gritty, but instead anticipate executive producing. The important thing to consider is what kind of teams they will pull together. They will most likely recruit Japanese video game engineers, so there's your real impact.
My opinion is that the a game designer shouldn't consider morality, because there are as many moral codes as there are people. It is a loaded question which means different things to different people. Instead, they need to make the game content match the game goals. If nothing is gratuitous in the game, based on the designed content, the game is properly labeled "game."
So, if the game is meant to be an over-the-top pseudo-realistic gang warfare simulation aimed to allow the player to vicariously experience things that real life disallows, the inclusion of "Winners Don't Use Drugs" (WDUD) messages is gratuitous. If there's a mission to destroy all of the WDUD billboards, the message isn't gratuitous.
If a game is meant to teach a certain set of moral values, then it should stay true to those values. If a Christian-themed game has you shooting anything at people, even if it's spitwads or Exorcising Energy (TM), it's clearly gratuitous.
Finally, if a game isn't meant to consider morals at all, then the moment the designers start pushing towards specific ethical values, they need to consider if that's the direction the game should go or if it's a gratuitous waste of code.
This is bad. If they can apply decency to media I pay to have piped into my house, they'll shoot at DVD and CD content. The only difference is the transmission media. Only adults can order cable, so you already have your "adult check" verification.
I have a diverse collection of GBA games. After having a DS since launch, I think it needs to be really clear: Nintendo DS is not completely downward compatible with GBA. It is disappointing that it can't play GB games, but many of the GBA games, past and present, simply don't work with DS. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the bug will prevent the game from playing. I spent about an hour playing Phantasy Star before realizing that it cannot save games. My GBA SP could, though. There are sound problems, graphics problems, animation problems, and DS features (sleep mode) can interfere with GBA games. It's so uncertain, I wouldn't advise anyone to sell their GBA's to buy a DS.
Previously, Nintendo had three major (non-software) strategies to maintain handheld dominance: size, price, features. The GBA SP is fairly small already, has a decent price, and features screen projection and a built in light (but minus the headphones). New features in Nintendo Systems are: More buttons, stereo speakers, wireless link, touchscreen, better graphics, and better sound. I expect the SP to drop to $50 in the third quarter of 2005, regardless of what's coming out. The touchscreen is interesting, but it's more of a novelty at the moment. If it's the next GB, it will most likely have built in wireless link, better graphics, sound, and more buttons. If they add a folding touch screen, it will be a "DS Complete," because the current one seems a bit rushed to the consumers.
After playing both the DS and the PSP, the PSP is so more advanced than Gameboy, Nintendo must evolve their handhelds to survive. Nintendo will continue the "Gameboy" line because of product recognition.
I'm not sure of the intricacies of Nintendo in Japan, but Nintendo of America is a part of the Big N that might be sold to the MS. Perhaps Nintendo sees more money in no longer making hardware? (*cough* Sega *cough*)
About the rushed Xbox 2-before-others, I remember two systems that did that (*cough* Saturn *cough* Dreamcast *cough*). Both systems were superior in everyway, but early release meant more expensive hardware and greater initial loss. By the time the costs caught up, the other systems were out and much cheaper with a greater initial software base.
Therefore, HD-DVD vs. DVD format will be a moot point until the other systems come out. The extra space won't be used until extra content is needed. But if they don't use a denser format, they may as well continue on with the XBox and wait for the processors and drives to be cheaper.
That has to be one of the toughest decisions in hardware. Be superior or be popular. The "rush" idea has been tried--we'll see if it works.
While they're at it, I hope they try forward compatibility on new games: games for XBox that play with greater detail and features when played on the next system. They might actually convince people to have both Xboxes.
I read the FA, which says nothing bad about Everquest or Online Gaming. Even the referenced old story had Wooley suing for information about the content of Everquest, not to blame them for the suicide--at least, so far. In the FA, Wooley states:
;)
My son, Shawn, committed suicide as a direct result of being addicted to the EverQuest game.
She is attributing the addiction, not the game. However, the subtext implies that she's fishing for direct evidence of non-game-like psychological techniques use to influence the players' psyches.
I think the worst part is the 12-Step concept to "curing" addiction. Okay, so I'm heavily influenced by Penn & Teller's Bullsh!t episode on 12-Steps. It appears the best thing for addiction recovery is understanding the addiction. However, the blame and responsibility is ultimately on the person him/herself.
The scary part is, I have some of the symptoms of MMORPG addiction on offline, single-player games. Mostly it's the food, sleep, and housekeeping neglect. I need to reevaluate my time management.
I need another cup of coffee
Ubi Soft, a French and French-Canadian company is preventing EA in America from closing their child companies for budget reasons.
Infogrames, the old name for the French company that bought ATARI (and adopted its name) is now closing down their child companies for budget reasons.
I'm not completely sure, but I think "la bouilloire est noire."
Music. Unless you're new to it, the big bands lack real variety (with rare exceptions). The problem isn't the musicians, it's the way music is chosen and played on the radio. The consumer doesn't have a say in it, even though they're the ones who buy, by definition. The big companies keep buying the independent, bona-fide, mp3 repositories where you can listen or buy indie music with the artists permission.
To learn from our mistakes with music, we need to try out independent software now and then. That's where the unique ideas are. The more people try and buy, the more independent concepts will be "spruced up" for the mainstream by a publisher. After all, who wants to spend $50 on an untested concept?
As for sequels, if the publisher can't describe "What's new and unique with the sequel?" It probably shouldn't be published.
Everett Kaser for advancing the genre of "logic puzzles" as computer games. But I'm not part of the academy. Still, Honeycomb Hotel has got to be an all-time favorite. I'm fairly certain he'll make it someday!
Now Mr. Hawkins' company, 3DO, did so much melding of entertainment and media! I really understand the induction. The failure of the 3DO console didn't change that.
IANAT, but I was a holdout against XBox for a long time. When I purchased it in 2004, I bought a lot of the cheaper games and many of the newer ones, like Halo 2. Perhaps this is evidence that the software enticed the hardware purchase which enticed further purchases? It'd make a good study.
Online content has gotten so much better, I only wish custom soundtracks were a more common feature.
No one suggested changing your passwords. You're safer if you change your passwords.
The real issue is: did she hack the password or not? Hacking is the crime described. Being given the password is not the crime described. Okay, so he had an emotional interest in the character, having spent so many hours playing. Guess what? It's a game. Anyone who plays a game knows that sometimes you lose.
The article is so short, you get no new information than the headline. I understand being upset, but I think perhaps he was going to auction off goods/money/character. I also suspect the reason they broke up was Lineage. Sort of a "force you to pay attention" motive.
I have the dubious honor of having a charter subscription to Nintendo Power. They pretty much only print letters and drawings from the young ones (skip those), and they try to write to a 3rd to 5th grade reading level. However, Nintendo Power does some very adult-attractive things in their publishing:
1) They're cheap and they give you stuff for subscribing. Usually a hint book or demo disk.
2) They give you more stuff for subscribing. At least once a year, Nintendo throws music (like E3 Nintendo Orchestra) or some other minimum-value item to keep you hooked.
3) Ad control. This is mostly so that Nintendo products are represented and no adult (smoking, drinking) products are advertised. Nintendo used to be ad-free. I actually prefer the ads to be child-safe because I know where to get ciggies and beer.
4) In-depth reviews w/ maps. They show the map, they walk you thru part one. Next month, part two, and they leave the rest to you. They've done this from day one.
5) Loyal to product. The magazine is obviously all about Nintendo. It is a much more focused mag than the general interest ones. General interest mags are the same size as Nintendo Power, so they have to be practicing "less is more."
These are all advanced concepts that require taking financial hits for the overall product, but they still make a profit.
Games of this type are much harder than you'd think, but when you get good at them, it's amazing, fun and addictive! I've played mostly Beatmania IIDX, and I always felt that a note editor would be fun to play around with. IIDX is sequenced, though, so editing on the existing sequence would be challenging.
This game's editor looks more like Jester Interactive's Pocket Music for Gameboy Advance. It's main limitation is memory. It's other big problem is bass. But otherwise, you have so much freedom that if you write your own RIFFs, the variety is endless.
I'm looking forward to this.
Yes, I remember pre-GTA graffiti, and it existed before video games, too. If GTA only influences kids to vandalize, and only two kids, I'd guess GTA was pretty non-influential overall. You can't get any good statistics from a sample size of 2.
I guess we'll need and "M" rating on spraypaint.
They put out GTA on the premise that gameplay was more important than graphics. They were right because it looked more like Spy Hunter from 10+ years prior to publishing on PSOne.
Eleven year olds are, in general, very bright. The key is to break the ice between the adult and each pair of children. Video games and Coca-Cola do this very well. Then by listening, an adult can pick up all the knowledge they've absorbed. I think the conversation is severely edited down, because a group of 11-12 year olds will talk you to death! It may sound fake from this editing process.
As for them "badmouthing" classic games, I don't look at it that way. The conversations reveal a lot about what most typical boys and girls want out of a game. Though I vote Bobby to be most likely to be metrosexual in a few years. Rachel is very stereotypically girlie, too, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Unfortunately, the dumbing-down of high school will soon be upon them....
I couldn't RTFA because I'm still using my soul. The game is interesting. As for this being at new deconstructionist artform? This time its fairly original. Next time? YAWN.
In a very small, unofficial, biased event, a 3-hour videogame marathon in a college theater, Rez was the most popular! Believe it or not.
The PS2 games played were: Soul Calibur II, Beatmania IIDX 8th Style, Amplitude, and Rez. Rez had the pick-up-and play quality and was extremely "trippy" on the big screen. Soul Calibur II was 2nd place.
I'm not sure it's fair to discount Rez, it just didn't get the exposure it needed.