I've shopped at the College Park and Baltimore stores in Maryland. Their prices are very high! However, in this case my own observations led me to the following opinion: the article has the correct spin, i.e. pro-government, pro-console manufacturer, and pro-software publisher.
It's not unique to Pandora's Cube. Every import store I've visited sells grey/black market items in plain sight, with large signs, and sometimes light ropes! Depending on the quality of the copy, you may inadvertantly be purchasing illegal copies. Be wary when they say "They're from Hong Kong."
I'd venture to say they collected a bit more evidence in other areas (*cough* video/dvd *cough*), too. If you're gonna play, don't get caught. I mean, the probable cause was out in the open and the FBI HQ is 20 miles away?
The saddest example of law enforcement was when Pokemon: The First Movie was out, I was catching a preview of it at the store. Not only was this a week before theatrical release, but I was watching it along with four police officers who were in the store at that time. In the end, I guess it was truly a Federal case.
Since GAMES originally published the list, everyone should know some of their rules:
1) Games can only appear on one year's list. (They kept repeating all of the classics)
2) There is a Hall of Fame where the standards, like Monopoly, Risk, Acquire, and others are permanently recognized as great games.
So, if you don't see a "new classic," it is because it was on the list within the last ten years. If it's brand-spanking new, it may make it next year.
I also quit reading well before that. There are only two things in the article that are actually on-topic: the affidavit and the witness. Both are very biased (as they should be), but that's it. The rest of the article is speculation and regurgitation from many sources.
My BS sniffer twitched with this article. How convenient is it for a Republican politician to directly ask for code to rig the election? Isn't it easier to believe that he would ask for how Ne'er-do-wells would rig an election?
I'm using the Razor(TM) on this one. There are much simpler ways.
In movies, I check out Roger Ebert, because he knows when a movie lacks artistic merit, but can enjoy it for the action or horror! However, that's most like me!
One of the things EGM does, is they highlight their reviewers and say their favorite games that month. For example, if Sarah J. (fake name!) is playing the hell out of Halo 2 and Unreal 2, you can bet her review of another FPS is going to be according to her standards. If you like the same games the reviewer likes, you're more in a position to trust that reviewer.
However, if someone likes Halo 2, Super Puzzle Fighter, and Def Jam Vendatta, you're not sure whether they just love all video games to the point of all good reviews.
Scores do stink. I'm still trying to figure out how games achieve all 10's. There is always a drawback to every great game.
Mascots are very closely equated with "sequel" these days. "Sequel" means "more of the same that you love, plus some." It doesn't detract from the game, unless you HATED the previous game.
So you're dealing with diminishing returns on character mascots. Each sequel game is purchased by those who loved the former. Some new customers come on board, but they're probably less than those who hated the former (unless it was a sleeper hit) and just dropped the franchise altogether.
Judging from the "soft electronic sound" that accompanies the PS2 logo, the whispered "Game Cube," or the "SEGA!" shout, it's more about platform recognition.
The only way to maintain a mascot these days is to feature it sparingly on drastically different games, like "Go Kart," "Tennis," and "Golf," for example.
IANAMBA (I am not a Master of Business Administration).
The incredibly well-written AC response cites a lot of good reasons. I also smell a GBA Pokemon tie-in, like Colesseum DS, or anything else that uses Advance game data.
As for GBA slot memory cards, there are many reasons that could utilize this:
1) Mario Paint / art 2) Photo games (like Pokemon Snap) 3) Music Creation games (and sampling) 4) PDA storage if a PDA DS is released
Basically, any game that allows you to create detailed work to save and trade. Level editors could become more common on DS games.
The DS Games come in plastic boxes, not the cardboard Advance boxes. And yet, every box has a place to store an Advance game. This is good for sorting your GBA games for a trip. I sense another intention. They may use specially made Advance cartridges for memory cards.
Hamsterball is an excellent diversion. Although Super Monkeyball and Marble Madness are similar in game play, Hamsterball is pretty much a tribute to Marble Madness, because it has similar levels and enemies.
I am a rabid gamer for almost 30 years (yes, Pong on up!). I still play games a lot. Do I like to watch competitions on TV? No. They're uninteresting. Even more, the commentary is not needed. Commentary detracts from the overall experience.
Watching games played on TV is exactly like watching bowling or golf on TV. To me, these three things (video games, bowling, golf) are fun to play, but not to watch. It kind of reminds me that I'm not doing anything but vegetating in front of the boob tube.
Yes, exactly. Add to that cheap (as a paper book) and mass-marketed. Essentially, as easy to look at an buy at current venues. This means that unless a person has the same ownership feeling to an e-book as a book, they'll have a harder time embracing the concept. It has to feel semi-permanent, not ephemeral (memory).
I guess that means someday a Barnes & Noble e-shop may be attached to a Starbuck's.
Yes, they're all carbs. However, they're not sugar coated. The mixture has less carbs than the Frosted Flakes. This is what Coke and Pepsi have done. They reduced the carbs by 50%, but it's still carbs. Lo and behold! The Diet version are No Carb. They already had their solution.
But yes, the example sucked because it was "lower carb" rather than "low carb." I believe that's how the soda companies advertise it. However, after being bombarded with all of the "no carb," "low carb," and "lower carb" phrases, they've abused the concept to the point that average people don't really understand.
Of course play time is not a good indicator of quality...
And it is becoming worthless when it it abused as it is now. It's like:
1) Pinball scores with six zeroes on the end completely obscuring the ACTUAL value of shots. The scoring system is meaningless.
2) "Low-carb." I can eat a bowl of Frosted Flakes or a Bowl of 50% Corn Flakes and 50% Frosted Flakes, essentially creating a "low-carb" Frosted Flakes. If you think I'm being ridiculous, think of the "low carb" sodas that are out now.
3) Video Game Ratings. If most games are pushed into "Teen" unnecessarily, the ratings are completely off.
So basically, overuse of any metric combined with abuse makes the metric meaningless and laughable.
I read the magazine for years, too. The biggest clue was the drastically different writing styles that appeared in different issues, including particularly feminine POVs. And the special Sushi-X insert for subscribes was a guilty pleasure of mine.
If SID nostalgia is your thing, also check out C64 Audio, a group (and sometimes consortium) of musicians (often the original composers/performers) that specialize in new arrangements of the classic C64 themes. I have bought several of their CDs, and the ordering process is very international-friendly (no VAT outside of the EU). Of special interest to me were the Forbidden Forest and Trap. Original material all the time is on C64 Remixes, including SID versions if you have an emulator.
Isn't the real issue here the fear of kids learning sex from polygons and thinking we're all a flesh mesh of triangles under our clothes? This fear is well founded as our parents continue to preach abstinence without teaching "from what?" and the (American) schools' utter inability to teach kids what sex really is? Parents need to take a preemptive strike on this so their kids' aren't asking "what's that?" during their first real encounter.
If your first exposure to sex is from a video game, someone has failed in parental/educational duties.
I'm guessing the big difference in battery life is the mechanism behind spinning an optical disk. Solid state is cheaper on battery life.
I'll probably get both, but the PSP may have shock & vibe problems. Also, I now have nephews that are into these games and the biggest problem are optical disks. They DON'T put them away and they get scratched into uselessness. They're getting cartridge players like GBA or the "DS" until they show a little care.
Part of the non-subscription based MMORPG is to provide the user a seemingly free network. In fact, the cost is tacked onto the product. Then, as long as the markup is greater than actual usage time (and maintenance) costs per copy sold, they make a profit. Continuing upgrades keeps the money coming in, as an earlier comment mentioned. Neverwinter Nights is an excellent example. They must be timed just so that people who avidly play will continue to purchase the game.
The article focused on console game (including PC) development by video game companies. This is just my opinion, but it appears the game companies have forced this upon themselves. Meanwhile, companies that license titles from independent developers (Real, AOL, Pogo, etc.) seem to obtain software cheaply and quickly. And remove the costs of publishing from the mix. Admittedly this is not great for the independents, cash-wise, and it often produces bombs-to-gem ratio of at least 10-to-1.
As an anecdote, I asked Everett Kaser of Kaser Games (Sherlock, Honeycomb Hotel, etc.) about some of his games I bought at WalMart in the pre-online distribution days. He said something I'll paraphrase as "Oh, I didn't get hardly anything for those."
As much as I hate censorship, this is a minor change to the game. What's really odd is that they removed the crosses from the church scene! It appears the use of Christian symbology is taken out of context for most Japanese and therefore they blanket-remove them instead of understanding where they're gratuitous. It's also a shame they're removing things that look like crosses, because like Freudian Psychology (mostly bunk), you see certain common shapes everywhere because they're practical. Stop at the next intersection and ponder this.
I tried Adventure + last night. The basic quest, game 1, was very well though out! It was very much like playing Adventure for the first time. The really clever part is there is a trap in there for careless button pressing that could easily force you to reset just when you thought you'd won.
They picked a real winner in the hack category. Unfortunately, the remake of Starfire won over a completely original game. I think that kind of violates the "original" award's spirit. If Starfire had no decent competition, I'd understand the choice. Still, remembering how bad Space War was, shooting sherbert and teddy bears, StarFire would've been wonderful.
I think the proper way to look at the awards is to see what kind of games were possible in the 80's and how some sort of pop-culture related video-game backlash caused an unnecessary drought in Atari software.
Atari Age is worth a look. And if you think there's no market for original 2600 games, the latest versions of Activision Anthology have some of these recent homebrews packed in.
Megaman is coming out soon for GBA, but only the 5 Gameboy versions. See Gamespot for that. For the NES games, you'll have to go to the GameCube.
I'm with you on Kirby, though. And I like the Lolo puzzle series (I, II, & III), but I doubt there's a market for it. I only mentioned it because Lololo and Lalala were enemies in one of the Kirby games.
To stay strictly on talking remakes and not sequels, here are the characteristics I prefer in remakes:
1) Same software, better hardware. Like, Gameboy Advance Namco games, it's best if the better hardware has an advantage over it's previous incarnation, but sometimes it's just a matter of availability.
2) Cheaper. Activision Classics series are games that wouldn't be worth much today, so they cram a lot of them on one cart.
3) Better Sound and Graphics. All of the incarnations of Lunar: Silver Star Story keep messing with these, to good effect.
4) Expanded gameplay, footage, levels, level editor. Old game with bonus modes, a new ability, interstitials, levels beyond the end, or unlimited play on a previously limited game.
5) Availability. Releasing unreleased games, finished or not. Bloody Freeway for Activision? Maybe Thrill Kill will come out legitimately?
Things I don't like:
1) Bad emulation. Sometimes emulators run a bit fast, a bit slow, or totally different AI. Atari Anniversary collection on Dreamcast emulated rasters poorly.
2) Inappropriate Content. Fighting games on Gameboy are almost always bad because of integrated controller with too few buttons. Another example is Japanese Dance Dance Revolution games on Gameboy Color.
And of course, I only have myself to blame if the game isn't as fun as I remembered.
One of the nicest things to find in a sequel/remake is when the original game is included, like on Metroid. In these cases the game is emulated, and that's usually fine as long as it was play tested.
So I typically like remakes with the originals, and sequels with the originals. One game that shows this is Pokemon Coliseum. The battles mimic the Gameboy, except with 3D characters and special effects worthy of Gamecube. It's a shame with this game, as it was with Pokemon Stadium (N64), that they simply didn't emulate the Pokemon Sapphire/Ruby in 3D with the same Pokemon models. Yes, the graphics would have square borders around areas, but it'd be a nice twist on the game play.
As an adult with no children, I don't even use the rating system. I buy games I either know or think will be fun to play. Since theoretically only adults should be buying M-Games, the rating system doesn't really apply to them.
Therefore, the Mature label is really an enticement for younger age groups. It's very obvious to me. Old gamers stay old gamers until the games aren't appealing anymore. But young gamers get drawn in "for the first time." Therefore, the "M" is attempting to keep it's customer base.
This unfortunately means we're in for a lot of artificially rated "M" games which could really be "E" if you removed the cursing or gratuitous violence. This has already taken over the movie industry where I see a PG-13 movie artificially rated R with gratuitous swearing.
Slashdot Mirror
I've shopped at the College Park and Baltimore stores in Maryland. Their prices are very high! However, in this case my own observations led me to the following opinion: the article has the correct spin, i.e. pro-government, pro-console manufacturer, and pro-software publisher.
It's not unique to Pandora's Cube. Every import store I've visited sells grey/black market items in plain sight, with large signs, and sometimes light ropes! Depending on the quality of the copy, you may inadvertantly be purchasing illegal copies. Be wary when they say "They're from Hong Kong."
I'd venture to say they collected a bit more evidence in other areas (*cough* video/dvd *cough*), too. If you're gonna play, don't get caught. I mean, the probable cause was out in the open and the FBI HQ is 20 miles away?
The saddest example of law enforcement was when Pokemon: The First Movie was out, I was catching a preview of it at the store. Not only was this a week before theatrical release, but I was watching it along with four police officers who were in the store at that time. In the end, I guess it was truly a Federal case.
Sour grapes: Customer service sucked, too.
Since GAMES originally published the list, everyone should know some of their rules:
1) Games can only appear on one year's list. (They kept repeating all of the classics)
2) There is a Hall of Fame where the standards, like Monopoly, Risk, Acquire, and others are permanently recognized as great games.
So, if you don't see a "new classic," it is because it was on the list within the last ten years. If it's brand-spanking new, it may make it next year.
I also quit reading well before that. There are only two things in the article that are actually on-topic: the affidavit and the witness. Both are very biased (as they should be), but that's it. The rest of the article is speculation and regurgitation from many sources.
My BS sniffer twitched with this article. How convenient is it for a Republican politician to directly ask for code to rig the election? Isn't it easier to believe that he would ask for how Ne'er-do-wells would rig an election?
I'm using the Razor(TM) on this one. There are much simpler ways.
In movies, I check out Roger Ebert, because he knows when a movie lacks artistic merit, but can enjoy it for the action or horror! However, that's most like me!
One of the things EGM does, is they highlight their reviewers and say their favorite games that month. For example, if Sarah J. (fake name!) is playing the hell out of Halo 2 and Unreal 2, you can bet her review of another FPS is going to be according to her standards. If you like the same games the reviewer likes, you're more in a position to trust that reviewer.
However, if someone likes Halo 2, Super Puzzle Fighter, and Def Jam Vendatta, you're not sure whether they just love all video games to the point of all good reviews.
Scores do stink. I'm still trying to figure out how games achieve all 10's. There is always a drawback to every great game.
Mascots are very closely equated with "sequel" these days. "Sequel" means "more of the same that you love, plus some." It doesn't detract from the game, unless you HATED the previous game.
So you're dealing with diminishing returns on character mascots. Each sequel game is purchased by those who loved the former. Some new customers come on board, but they're probably less than those who hated the former (unless it was a sleeper hit) and just dropped the franchise altogether.
Judging from the "soft electronic sound" that accompanies the PS2 logo, the whispered "Game Cube," or the "SEGA!" shout, it's more about platform recognition.
The only way to maintain a mascot these days is to feature it sparingly on drastically different games, like "Go Kart," "Tennis," and "Golf," for example.
IANAMBA (I am not a Master of Business Administration).
I think D&B and Jillians are great, but also miss the mark for two reasons:
1) Arcade games that are made with teenage boys in mind (as opposed to adults and women). They're missing a little over half of their target adults.
2) You play for tickets??? I realize this is the pachinko model, but I'd rather just buy what I want than play skee ball for it at 10x the price.
The games themselves have to adjust. Which may be the root cause of arcades failing.
To reply to both responses:
The incredibly well-written AC response cites a lot of good reasons. I also smell a GBA Pokemon tie-in, like Colesseum DS, or anything else that uses Advance game data.
As for GBA slot memory cards, there are many reasons that could utilize this:
1) Mario Paint / art
2) Photo games (like Pokemon Snap)
3) Music Creation games (and sampling)
4) PDA storage if a PDA DS is released
Basically, any game that allows you to create detailed work to save and trade. Level editors could become more common on DS games.
The DS Games come in plastic boxes, not the cardboard Advance boxes. And yet, every box has a place to store an Advance game. This is good for sorting your GBA games for a trip. I sense another intention. They may use specially made Advance cartridges for memory cards.
Hamsterball is an excellent diversion. Although Super Monkeyball and Marble Madness are similar in game play, Hamsterball is pretty much a tribute to Marble Madness, because it has similar levels and enemies.
I am a rabid gamer for almost 30 years (yes, Pong on up!). I still play games a lot. Do I like to watch competitions on TV? No. They're uninteresting. Even more, the commentary is not needed. Commentary detracts from the overall experience.
Watching games played on TV is exactly like watching bowling or golf on TV. To me, these three things (video games, bowling, golf) are fun to play, but not to watch. It kind of reminds me that I'm not doing anything but vegetating in front of the boob tube.
Yes, exactly. Add to that cheap (as a paper book) and mass-marketed. Essentially, as easy to look at an buy at current venues. This means that unless a person has the same ownership feeling to an e-book as a book, they'll have a harder time embracing the concept. It has to feel semi-permanent, not ephemeral (memory).
I guess that means someday a Barnes & Noble e-shop may be attached to a Starbuck's.
Yes, they're all carbs. However, they're not sugar coated. The mixture has less carbs than the Frosted Flakes. This is what Coke and Pepsi have done. They reduced the carbs by 50%, but it's still carbs. Lo and behold! The Diet version are No Carb. They already had their solution.
But yes, the example sucked because it was "lower carb" rather than "low carb." I believe that's how the soda companies advertise it. However, after being bombarded with all of the "no carb," "low carb," and "lower carb" phrases, they've abused the concept to the point that average people don't really understand.
Of course play time is not a good indicator of quality...
And it is becoming worthless when it it abused as it is now. It's like:
1) Pinball scores with six zeroes on the end completely obscuring the ACTUAL value of shots. The scoring system is meaningless.
2) "Low-carb." I can eat a bowl of Frosted Flakes or a Bowl of 50% Corn Flakes and 50% Frosted Flakes, essentially creating a "low-carb" Frosted Flakes. If you think I'm being ridiculous, think of the "low carb" sodas that are out now.
3) Video Game Ratings. If most games are pushed into "Teen" unnecessarily, the ratings are completely off.
So basically, overuse of any metric combined with abuse makes the metric meaningless and laughable.
I read the magazine for years, too. The biggest clue was the drastically different writing styles that appeared in different issues, including particularly feminine POVs. And the special Sushi-X insert for subscribes was a guilty pleasure of mine.
If SID nostalgia is your thing, also check out C64 Audio, a group (and sometimes consortium) of musicians (often the original composers/performers) that specialize in new arrangements of the classic C64 themes. I have bought several of their CDs, and the ordering process is very international-friendly (no VAT outside of the EU). Of special interest to me were the Forbidden Forest and Trap. Original material all the time is on C64 Remixes, including SID versions if you have an emulator.
Isn't the real issue here the fear of kids learning sex from polygons and thinking we're all a flesh mesh of triangles under our clothes? This fear is well founded as our parents continue to preach abstinence without teaching "from what?" and the (American) schools' utter inability to teach kids what sex really is? Parents need to take a preemptive strike on this so their kids' aren't asking "what's that?" during their first real encounter.
If your first exposure to sex is from a video game, someone has failed in parental/educational duties.
I'm guessing the big difference in battery life is the mechanism behind spinning an optical disk. Solid state is cheaper on battery life.
I'll probably get both, but the PSP may have shock & vibe problems. Also, I now have nephews that are into these games and the biggest problem are optical disks. They DON'T put them away and they get scratched into uselessness. They're getting cartridge players like GBA or the "DS" until they show a little care.
Part of the non-subscription based MMORPG is to provide the user a seemingly free network. In fact, the cost is tacked onto the product. Then, as long as the markup is greater than actual usage time (and maintenance) costs per copy sold, they make a profit. Continuing upgrades keeps the money coming in, as an earlier comment mentioned. Neverwinter Nights is an excellent example. They must be timed just so that people who avidly play will continue to purchase the game.
It's a gamble, but they've got a good reputation.
The article focused on console game (including PC) development by video game companies. This is just my opinion, but it appears the game companies have forced this upon themselves. Meanwhile, companies that license titles from independent developers (Real, AOL, Pogo, etc.) seem to obtain software cheaply and quickly. And remove the costs of publishing from the mix. Admittedly this is not great for the independents, cash-wise, and it often produces bombs-to-gem ratio of at least 10-to-1.
As an anecdote, I asked Everett Kaser of Kaser Games (Sherlock, Honeycomb Hotel, etc.) about some of his games I bought at WalMart in the pre-online distribution days. He said something I'll paraphrase as "Oh, I didn't get hardly anything for those."
As much as I hate censorship, this is a minor change to the game. What's really odd is that they removed the crosses from the church scene! It appears the use of Christian symbology is taken out of context for most Japanese and therefore they blanket-remove them instead of understanding where they're gratuitous. It's also a shame they're removing things that look like crosses, because like Freudian Psychology (mostly bunk), you see certain common shapes everywhere because they're practical. Stop at the next intersection and ponder this.
I tried Adventure + last night. The basic quest, game 1, was very well though out! It was very much like playing Adventure for the first time. The really clever part is there is a trap in there for careless button pressing that could easily force you to reset just when you thought you'd won.
They picked a real winner in the hack category. Unfortunately, the remake of Starfire won over a completely original game. I think that kind of violates the "original" award's spirit. If Starfire had no decent competition, I'd understand the choice. Still, remembering how bad Space War was, shooting sherbert and teddy bears, StarFire would've been wonderful.
I think the proper way to look at the awards is to see what kind of games were possible in the 80's and how some sort of pop-culture related video-game backlash caused an unnecessary drought in Atari software.
Atari Age is worth a look. And if you think there's no market for original 2600 games, the latest versions of Activision Anthology have some of these recent homebrews packed in.
Megaman is coming out soon for GBA, but only the 5 Gameboy versions. See Gamespot for that. For the NES games, you'll have to go to the GameCube.
I'm with you on Kirby, though. And I like the Lolo puzzle series (I, II, & III), but I doubt there's a market for it. I only mentioned it because Lololo and Lalala were enemies in one of the Kirby games.
To stay strictly on talking remakes and not sequels, here are the characteristics I prefer in remakes:
1) Same software, better hardware. Like, Gameboy Advance Namco games, it's best if the better hardware has an advantage over it's previous incarnation, but sometimes it's just a matter of availability.
2) Cheaper. Activision Classics series are games that wouldn't be worth much today, so they cram a lot of them on one cart.
3) Better Sound and Graphics. All of the incarnations of Lunar: Silver Star Story keep messing with these, to good effect.
4) Expanded gameplay, footage, levels, level editor. Old game with bonus modes, a new ability, interstitials, levels beyond the end, or unlimited play on a previously limited game.
5) Availability. Releasing unreleased games, finished or not. Bloody Freeway for Activision? Maybe Thrill Kill will come out legitimately?
Things I don't like:
1) Bad emulation. Sometimes emulators run a bit fast, a bit slow, or totally different AI. Atari Anniversary collection on Dreamcast emulated rasters poorly.
2) Inappropriate Content. Fighting games on Gameboy are almost always bad because of integrated controller with too few buttons. Another example is Japanese Dance Dance Revolution games on Gameboy Color.
And of course, I only have myself to blame if the game isn't as fun as I remembered.
One of the nicest things to find in a sequel/remake is when the original game is included, like on Metroid. In these cases the game is emulated, and that's usually fine as long as it was play tested.
So I typically like remakes with the originals, and sequels with the originals. One game that shows this is Pokemon Coliseum. The battles mimic the Gameboy, except with 3D characters and special effects worthy of Gamecube. It's a shame with this game, as it was with Pokemon Stadium (N64), that they simply didn't emulate the Pokemon Sapphire/Ruby in 3D with the same Pokemon models. Yes, the graphics would have square borders around areas, but it'd be a nice twist on the game play.
As an adult with no children, I don't even use the rating system. I buy games I either know or think will be fun to play. Since theoretically only adults should be buying M-Games, the rating system doesn't really apply to them.
Therefore, the Mature label is really an enticement for younger age groups. It's very obvious to me. Old gamers stay old gamers until the games aren't appealing anymore. But young gamers get drawn in "for the first time." Therefore, the "M" is attempting to keep it's customer base.
This unfortunately means we're in for a lot of artificially rated "M" games which could really be "E" if you removed the cursing or gratuitous violence. This has already taken over the movie industry where I see a PG-13 movie artificially rated R with gratuitous swearing.