Yeah, you would think that. By all means, go track down a copy of the Famicom Disk with a suitable emulator. I'll even help you out. The disk image was linked in an earlier comment comparing the two games side by side and a decent emulator capable of playing the image would be FCE Ultra which is multi platform. Enjoy.
Just don't get your hopes up though. While it's nice to actually play an odd piece of history, you'll be left scratching your head wondering why NOJ (yes, Nintendo of Japan) thought that this would be the game to release as Super Mario 2 in the rest of the world.
Don't get me wrong, I love SMB2; it's one of my all time favorite games. Trust me, I've played quite a few good games in my lifetime and this is a definite recommendation; I even like it more than Mario 3! It's almost as if Miyamoto and the rest of the team saw YKDDP and thought that there was some great promise in it if only it was polished a bit more. While this discussion is about how absorbing YKDDP in to the Mario universe forever changed Mario and other platform games (arguably for the better), you've also got to realize that it changed YKDDP.
Yume Kojou Doki Doki Panic on its own is OK but it feels like an unfinished beta. It's like comparing Sonic Crackers to Knuckles' Chaotix. Maybe that analogy isn't exactly fair because Crackers was a beta but Chaotix wasn't exactly the best game either.:) It did have the "Door Into Summer" tune so we can forgive it a bit.
Off the top of my head, the spin kick would be called TATSUMAKISANPUUKYAKU but I'm too lazy to look it up.
I used to hang around some great SF players back in the day and there really isn't that much difference between Ken and Ryu. A skilled player can take out your average button masher or thrower with ease.
Seriously though, is there going to be online play? If not then there's really no need to purchase this when SF2T has been released for several different consoles already...
Nintendo owns the IP for Eternal Darkness. That doesn't prohibit Silicon Knights from working with Nintendo for a sequel. From what I have heard, the split was pretty amicable.
From what Dyack has to say in an interview here, SK learned a lot from Nintendo and here he stated that future games with Nintendo would be a possibility.
They probably have some rough storyline ideas and could even have some Wiimote gameplay ideas. Dyack bringing up Eternal Darkness again means that there could be talks... or not. It could be just speculation. I'm hopeful though, but hey, I'm a long time fan of SK from back when I played Steel Empire.
They better more thought out pillars of bone in the sequel. Fresh human bodies suck for construction work; once they start decomposing, the weight of the structure can cause a collapse. I'm just sayin' is all.
There was a demo early on showcasing some of the processing power of the Gamecube by displaying dozens of little Mario characters running around on the screen. Some game journalists referred to that as being "Mario 128".
The tech demo would eventually be reworked and refined to become "Pikmin".
Or how about release them on the DVD when "Futurama: The Second Coming Season 1 er um 5 or possibly 6" is released. DVD is a wonderful medium, you can store both video and audio on those little shiny circles.
This list of 50 badly named games doesn't even have XPlay's "worst named game" Tube Slider or even my perennial favorite Spawn In The Demon's Hand. Not even a mention of Capcom's "Street Fighter" sequelitis with "Super Street Fighter II Turbo" or "Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha".
Speaking of sequels, there are games like "Mega Man X" (right after MM6) and "Wizards and Warriors X" (sequel to W&W2, I believe) that just confuse people as to what game they are playing. Hey, what's all this "Super Castlevania IV" about? Is it better than regular old "Castlevania IV"?
I was going to make a joke linking this story and a recent story about an iBook catching fire (on video as well) with Dell now listing Apple Mac OS X as a choice on their driver download page. This is serious though.
People, do not use your laptop on carpet or in situations where it may not get ample ventilation. It can burst into flames and harm people or property... well definitely the laptop at least. Read your manuals and follow the disclaimers.
Warning: Do not place your iBook G4 on a pillow or other soft material when it is on, as the material may block the airflow vents, in particular the rear vents, and cause the computer to overheat. -Apple iBook manual (Page 70)
OK, I see a lot of people complaining that these are DRM encumbered and that they are the same price as the hardcover copies. There is no benefit to purchasing these over the printed books. Well there are slight benefits such as serchable text but that's about it.
I agree though, it's not worth it. The solution is to not buy it.
I am sure that people have been demanding a PDF release for quite a while. This is pretty much the only way to do it. Release it as restricted PDF to cut down on "sharing" of the files is obvious but why make it the same price as the paper material? Simply to not piss off the small game vendors.
Yes the local RPG outlets are usually Mom & Pop style stores owned and operated by fans. They have a few rooms in back where you can get together with other players and play a game; if you need more players or are looking for a group, they offer a bulletin board. This is where new players learn how to play.
They have been slowly going the way of the video game arcade. The difference is that video games could easily move right into the home. RPGs, a social experience, aren't so lucky. Role-playing cannot survive in an online only world. I've tried dozens of times including currently with WoW but it isn't the same. It's like online poker; the mechanics are there but the social aspect is gone.
Now I personally hate D&D, as well as the whole D20 system, but it does bring new blood into the hobby. (So does LARPing but that's another story) RPG based video games also do but afterwards players need a place to meet up with others. These game stores are exactly that.
If people purchase their books and resources online exclusively, the struggling game stores lose even more money and close. Once they close, the gamers either play in their homes or leave the hobby entirely. Either way, there is no new blood infused into the hobby. No people to buy the RPG books be it printed or PDF and the game industry suffers.
So if you like the hobby, go support your local game store. Buy your overpriced splat books there instead of online. Have a chat with the owner, he's probably there. I don't think that his story will differ much from what you've just read here.
What Apple needs to do is hire the WINE people or Transgaming to get something usable on the Intel Macs and include it free of charge (no Quicktime Pro nag) with the OS. This would be a stop gap solution as Microsoft is planning on destroying everything with Vista anyway but it would at least lower the "Mac's aren't for games" cries.
First though, Apple needs to sit down with ATi, Intel, and likely soon nVidia and get their drivers in better working order. they have the push to be able to do this so there should be no reason not to. Currently, the Intel Macs perform significantly worse under World of Warcraaft under OSX than booting into XP. Yes, this is just one app but it is a driver issue. This needs to change immediately.
Apple also needs to woo the developers (developers! developers!) to OSX. It's not going to happen immediately but if they can prove that there is both a market and a valid gaming system (get rid of crappy GMA-950, fix drivers) then they might have a chance. Developers are already going to have to switch to Vista's new way of doing things, they could also switch to OSX.
So, first step: get the back catalog. Next step: get the developers. Apple has a serious chance here. They better not screw it up.
SNES: Huge Success The Super Famicom (SNES) was designed around the 65816 processor initially to retain backward compatibility with the Famicom (NES). Although the systems used a different cartridge layout, adapters do exist.
Sega MegaDrive/Genesis: Huge Success The Mega Drive 1 and 2 used a Z80 to retain backwards compatibility with the Mark III (Master System). Sega manufactured and sold a device called the Power Base Converter to retain compatibility. The Mega Drive 3 as well as other systems (Nomad, CDX) released at the end of the system's life did not have the Z80.
NES: Huge Success Yep, the Famicom (NES) maintained backwards compatibility with all of Nintendo's existing multi-game cartridge based systems... meaning that there wasn't anything to maintain backwards compatibility with. Same with the original Playstation. Sony had nothing to be compatible with at that time.
Microsoft has promised fans of the Halo series that the exclusive content for Halo 2 on Windows Vista will be an ending.
We have this quote from the Microsoft's game division formerly known as Bungie: "With the new technologies available to us in Windows Vista we can bring gamers the actual ending to the game that we envisioned instead of simply fading to credits in the middle of the story."
It was also revealed that players will need a monitor and video card with HDCP technology to actually view this new ending. "We believe that gamers will demand this new technology from manufacturers, probably in some sort of online petition."
Microsoft's warranty for the original Xbox wasn't worth the digital paper it was printed on. I had to send mine back three times with a defective DVD drive before I finally gave up and stopped buying games for the damn thing. It would refuse to play any discs be it movies or games intermittantly. The braindead techs at Microsoft's Xbox repair center would run their diagnostic disc on it once and then send it back with the same defective drive.
I only started using it again when I decided to mod it to run unsigned binaries like XBMC on it. An interesting side effect was that I was able to copy my until recently unusable games to the hard drive to actually get to play them without the system locking up with an "Unable to read disc" message all too often.
I actually bought a few games after I modded the system due to the fact that I was now able to once again use the console for what it was intended to do.
Honestly I'll wait for the hackers to perfect a similar method for the 360 before I'll pick one up. I have no interest in pirating games but I would like to ensure that I will be able to play games that I purchase without being frustrated again./rant
It's a computer. Use a standard click-through disclaimer.
Seriously, just get with HR or whomever is in charge of personnel and have a simple disclaimer written up that states that anyone who takes advantage of this waives all rights to sue for damages. Make sure that it covers both the company and the individual contractor performing the task. Include this in the employee handbook or in the information packet that is given out to people when they are hired.
Are they going to have the annoying Windows XP style message box hovering over the tray that tells me that my USB 2 device could work faster if it was plugged into a non-existant USB 2 port on my USB 1.1 system?
Maybe they could have the annoying Search Mutt take up the left hand window and do a little animation while I have to figure out how to turn it off?
Or they could have that bastard Clippy come on screen and tell me something like "It looks like your copy of Microsoft Windows" isn't licensed properly." with a list of solutions on how I can throw more money at MS.
Lastly there is the universal message box that could pop up right in the middle of the screen stealing focus. That's a classic.
Microsoft Windows has so many annoyances to choose from that most users will probably just click OK when the message box pops up. After all, it's worked so well for WinZip.
Looks like Linspire is planning on giving away the razor and trying to sell the blades for $20 a year.
On the other hand, at least the "creating a user account so you don't run everyhing as root" step isn't optional in Freespire. This "new" distribution is something that might be a good first step for newbie Linux users that want certain features (DVD/MP3 playback) immediately after install.
Remember that he also said that he wasn't going to do a sequel to Katamari Damashi and he eventually made two. He is free to change his opinion later if he wants. Who knows, the next game he makes could actually be a killer app for the Revolution. Nothing is set in stone at this point.
On another note, I am enthused about the Revolution's controller but even I still have a nagging feeling that this step won't stop cookie-cutter games that all play alike, it will just create new styles of cookie-cutter games. I have a DS and play it quite frequently but developers will eventually reach the limit of what a touch screen can do as far as game mechanics goes. Not to mention games like Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow which would've been better without touch screen support and I can see some Revolution games that would be better off with a "standard" controller.
I've got two DCs that rearely get hooked up anymore. Yes, there were some great games but many of them have been ported to other systems by now. There are a few games that I will still play though and oddly have not been added to the list by anyone else...
There are several fishing games and even a fishing controller for the DC. They are Sega Bass Fishing, Sega Marine Fishing, and Reel Fishing: Wild. If you happen to have access to a them, give them a shot. Not the deepest games but fun for a bit.
Other games that get the occaisional play are Tech Romancer (Kikai-oh), Power Stone 1 and 2, Chu Chu Rocket, and Typing of the Dead. Yes, TotD with two keyboards is amazingly fun. Crazy Taxi also gets a nod because there have been many ports but they just didn't feel right.
There are other games that I enjoy but they all have had better ports or sequels on other systems now.
I have to agree with this site that talks about Apple possibly resurrecting "Yellow Box" for Windows which would allow for running Cocoa (and possibly Carbon) apps under Windows after a paltry 150MB install. Sort of a sanctioned WINE for running OS X apps cross platform.
This would allow developers to continue developing Cocoa for Mac and have instant ports to Windows; no dual booting or emulation involved.
Yes there have been many non-Nintendo consoles that retailed for quite a bit (the Pioneer LaserActive was $1200) but Nintendo's price point is usually around $200.
This is the Apple story for their 30th anniversary? Kind of a letdown if you ask me. No real press release... no fake press release... just some boring story that no one will read.
Oh well, at least there is still some OMG PONIES!!
I like the GC controller. I find it having two major flaws and a few minor ones but it is the most comfortable of the current generation console controllers IMHO.
Really though, there isn't much innovation with the design. The analog sticks are the most sensitive (as pointed out by the Super Monkey Ball series) but this would be evolutionary and not revolutionary. What else? The C stick (second analog stick) doesn't have a lip on it. OK, fine. There is one thing that is interesting in the design; the L and R buttons are analog.
Now I would hardly call analog shoulder buttons revolutionary since the PS2 technically had them, the Dreamcast came standard with them and the Saturn had them as an add-on in 1996 but what made them unique on the GC was that they were not triggers (DC, Sat) or odd pressure sensitive buttons (PS2) but were in fact sliders which also each had a digital button. I suppose that this is revolutionary.
Granted that most games did not take advantage of this very well or they tried to treat the shoulder sliders the same as the shoulder buttons on other consoles. Take Prince of Persia for example; they ignored the sliders and used the digital buttons for actions forcing players to tire out their index fingers fighting the springs while they could have used a system similar to the Xbox's shoulder buttons where once a certain analog threshold was met then the action took place. Clearly there was little playtesting there.
Speaking of insufficient playtesting, one of the GC controller's major flaws was the addition of the Z button. This was clearly slapped on at the last moment after the L/R sliders were already complete. The lip on the R slider, which was designed for exclusive use by the right index finger, prevented quick movement over to the Z button. If the Z button had been placed lower on the controller for use with the middle finger or ring finger then this would not have been such an issue. Yes, the reason that it wasn't was because Nintendo had many problems with casual gamers wondering where the Z button was on the N64 controller and didn't want to have it "hidden". Sadly, this caused the near worthlessness of the Z button.
Just because the Z button was annoying to use didn't mean that developers, especially first party developers, wouldn't force its use whenever possible. Super Smash Bros. Melee used it as the sole button for dropping items despite the fact that "shield" could be performed by both L and R and "jump" could be performed by X, Y, and up! If the Gamecube's controller was revolutionary, it was due to the fact that it was the first time that Nintendo took a step backwards with ergonomics.
On a side note, any poorly executed game could probably cause a player to curse a controller feature. Try playing Gunvalkyrie on the Xbox for a while and you will be convinced that clickable buttons on analog sticks are the worst idea ever.
Slashdot Mirror
For FOSS women over 50, there is always the Red Hat Soceity. (That's the Cheery Red Tomatoes for you Simpsons fans) Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Seriously though, shouldn't Fedora contact them? At the very least they can cross promote each other.
Yeah, you would think that. By all means, go track down a copy of the Famicom Disk with a suitable emulator. I'll even help you out. The disk image was linked in an earlier comment comparing the two games side by side and a decent emulator capable of playing the image would be FCE Ultra which is multi platform. Enjoy.
:) It did have the "Door Into Summer" tune so we can forgive it a bit.
Just don't get your hopes up though. While it's nice to actually play an odd piece of history, you'll be left scratching your head wondering why NOJ (yes, Nintendo of Japan) thought that this would be the game to release as Super Mario 2 in the rest of the world.
Don't get me wrong, I love SMB2; it's one of my all time favorite games. Trust me, I've played quite a few good games in my lifetime and this is a definite recommendation; I even like it more than Mario 3! It's almost as if Miyamoto and the rest of the team saw YKDDP and thought that there was some great promise in it if only it was polished a bit more. While this discussion is about how absorbing YKDDP in to the Mario universe forever changed Mario and other platform games (arguably for the better), you've also got to realize that it changed YKDDP.
Yume Kojou Doki Doki Panic on its own is OK but it feels like an unfinished beta. It's like comparing Sonic Crackers to Knuckles' Chaotix. Maybe that analogy isn't exactly fair because Crackers was a beta but Chaotix wasn't exactly the best game either.
the link takes you to:
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Microsoft has asked us to remove this press release, which was erroneously sent to news outlets by them before actually intended.
We have complied, but will re-post the information as soon as it is officially released. We thank you for your understanding.]
They probably need to defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.
Off the top of my head, the spin kick would be called TATSUMAKISANPUUKYAKU but I'm too lazy to look it up.
I used to hang around some great SF players back in the day and there really isn't that much difference between Ken and Ryu. A skilled player can take out your average button masher or thrower with ease.
Seriously though, is there going to be online play? If not then there's really no need to purchase this when SF2T has been released for several different consoles already...
Nintendo owns the IP for Eternal Darkness. That doesn't prohibit Silicon Knights from working with Nintendo for a sequel. From what I have heard, the split was pretty amicable.
From what Dyack has to say in an interview here, SK learned a lot from Nintendo and here he stated that future games with Nintendo would be a possibility.
They probably have some rough storyline ideas and could even have some Wiimote gameplay ideas. Dyack bringing up Eternal Darkness again means that there could be talks... or not. It could be just speculation. I'm hopeful though, but hey, I'm a long time fan of SK from back when I played Steel Empire.
They better more thought out pillars of bone in the sequel. Fresh human bodies suck for construction work; once they start decomposing, the weight of the structure can cause a collapse. I'm just sayin' is all.
There was a demo early on showcasing some of the processing power of the Gamecube by displaying dozens of little Mario characters running around on the screen. Some game journalists referred to that as being "Mario 128".
The tech demo would eventually be reworked and refined to become "Pikmin".
Or how about release them on the DVD when "Futurama: The Second Coming Season 1 er um 5 or possibly 6" is released. DVD is a wonderful medium, you can store both video and audio on those little shiny circles.
This list of 50 badly named games doesn't even have XPlay's "worst named game" Tube Slider or even my perennial favorite Spawn In The Demon's Hand. Not even a mention of Capcom's "Street Fighter" sequelitis with "Super Street Fighter II Turbo" or "Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha".
Speaking of sequels, there are games like "Mega Man X" (right after MM6) and "Wizards and Warriors X" (sequel to W&W2, I believe) that just confuse people as to what game they are playing. Hey, what's all this "Super Castlevania IV" about? Is it better than regular old "Castlevania IV"?
Gah, now I need to make my own list.
People, do not use your laptop on carpet or in situations where it may not get ample ventilation. It can burst into flames and harm people or property... well definitely the laptop at least. Read your manuals and follow the disclaimers.
OK, I see a lot of people complaining that these are DRM encumbered and that they are the same price as the hardcover copies. There is no benefit to purchasing these over the printed books. Well there are slight benefits such as serchable text but that's about it.
I agree though, it's not worth it. The solution is to not buy it.
I am sure that people have been demanding a PDF release for quite a while. This is pretty much the only way to do it. Release it as restricted PDF to cut down on "sharing" of the files is obvious but why make it the same price as the paper material? Simply to not piss off the small game vendors.
Yes the local RPG outlets are usually Mom & Pop style stores owned and operated by fans. They have a few rooms in back where you can get together with other players and play a game; if you need more players or are looking for a group, they offer a bulletin board. This is where new players learn how to play.
They have been slowly going the way of the video game arcade. The difference is that video games could easily move right into the home. RPGs, a social experience, aren't so lucky. Role-playing cannot survive in an online only world. I've tried dozens of times including currently with WoW but it isn't the same. It's like online poker; the mechanics are there but the social aspect is gone.
Now I personally hate D&D, as well as the whole D20 system, but it does bring new blood into the hobby. (So does LARPing but that's another story) RPG based video games also do but afterwards players need a place to meet up with others. These game stores are exactly that.
If people purchase their books and resources online exclusively, the struggling game stores lose even more money and close. Once they close, the gamers either play in their homes or leave the hobby entirely. Either way, there is no new blood infused into the hobby. No people to buy the RPG books be it printed or PDF and the game industry suffers.
So if you like the hobby, go support your local game store. Buy your overpriced splat books there instead of online. Have a chat with the owner, he's probably there. I don't think that his story will differ much from what you've just read here.
What Apple needs to do is hire the WINE people or Transgaming to get something usable on the Intel Macs and include it free of charge (no Quicktime Pro nag) with the OS. This would be a stop gap solution as Microsoft is planning on destroying everything with Vista anyway but it would at least lower the "Mac's aren't for games" cries.
First though, Apple needs to sit down with ATi, Intel, and likely soon nVidia and get their drivers in better working order. they have the push to be able to do this so there should be no reason not to. Currently, the Intel Macs perform significantly worse under World of Warcraaft under OSX than booting into XP. Yes, this is just one app but it is a driver issue. This needs to change immediately.
Apple also needs to woo the developers (developers! developers!) to OSX. It's not going to happen immediately but if they can prove that there is both a market and a valid gaming system (get rid of crappy GMA-950, fix drivers) then they might have a chance. Developers are already going to have to switch to Vista's new way of doing things, they could also switch to OSX.
So, first step: get the back catalog. Next step: get the developers. Apple has a serious chance here. They better not screw it up.
SNES: Huge Success
The Super Famicom (SNES) was designed around the 65816 processor initially to retain backward compatibility with the Famicom (NES). Although the systems used a different cartridge layout, adapters do exist.
Sega MegaDrive/Genesis: Huge Success
The Mega Drive 1 and 2 used a Z80 to retain backwards compatibility with the Mark III (Master System). Sega manufactured and sold a device called the Power Base Converter to retain compatibility. The Mega Drive 3 as well as other systems (Nomad, CDX) released at the end of the system's life did not have the Z80.
NES: Huge Success
Yep, the Famicom (NES) maintained backwards compatibility with all of Nintendo's existing multi-game cartridge based systems... meaning that there wasn't anything to maintain backwards compatibility with. Same with the original Playstation. Sony had nothing to be compatible with at that time.
Microsoft has promised fans of the Halo series that the exclusive content for Halo 2 on Windows Vista will be an ending.
We have this quote from the Microsoft's game division formerly known as Bungie: "With the new technologies available to us in Windows Vista we can bring gamers the actual ending to the game that we envisioned instead of simply fading to credits in the middle of the story."
It was also revealed that players will need a monitor and video card with HDCP technology to actually view this new ending. "We believe that gamers will demand this new technology from manufacturers, probably in some sort of online petition."
Microsoft's warranty for the original Xbox wasn't worth the digital paper it was printed on. I had to send mine back three times with a defective DVD drive before I finally gave up and stopped buying games for the damn thing. It would refuse to play any discs be it movies or games intermittantly. The braindead techs at Microsoft's Xbox repair center would run their diagnostic disc on it once and then send it back with the same defective drive.
/rant
I only started using it again when I decided to mod it to run unsigned binaries like XBMC on it. An interesting side effect was that I was able to copy my until recently unusable games to the hard drive to actually get to play them without the system locking up with an "Unable to read disc" message all too often.
I actually bought a few games after I modded the system due to the fact that I was now able to once again use the console for what it was intended to do.
Honestly I'll wait for the hackers to perfect a similar method for the 360 before I'll pick one up. I have no interest in pirating games but I would like to ensure that I will be able to play games that I purchase without being frustrated again.
It's a computer. Use a standard click-through disclaimer.
Seriously, just get with HR or whomever is in charge of personnel and have a simple disclaimer written up that states that anyone who takes advantage of this waives all rights to sue for damages. Make sure that it covers both the company and the individual contractor performing the task. Include this in the employee handbook or in the information packet that is given out to people when they are hired.
Are they going to have the annoying Windows XP style message box hovering over the tray that tells me that my USB 2 device could work faster if it was plugged into a non-existant USB 2 port on my USB 1.1 system?
Maybe they could have the annoying Search Mutt take up the left hand window and do a little animation while I have to figure out how to turn it off?
Or they could have that bastard Clippy come on screen and tell me something like "It looks like your copy of Microsoft Windows" isn't licensed properly." with a list of solutions on how I can throw more money at MS.
Lastly there is the universal message box that could pop up right in the middle of the screen stealing focus. That's a classic.
Microsoft Windows has so many annoyances to choose from that most users will probably just click OK when the message box pops up. After all, it's worked so well for WinZip.
Looks like Linspire is planning on giving away the razor and trying to sell the blades for $20 a year.
On the other hand, at least the "creating a user account so you don't run everyhing as root" step isn't optional in Freespire. This "new" distribution is something that might be a good first step for newbie Linux users that want certain features (DVD/MP3 playback) immediately after install.
Mine says:
Welcome to Darwin!
Remember that he also said that he wasn't going to do a sequel to Katamari Damashi and he eventually made two. He is free to change his opinion later if he wants. Who knows, the next game he makes could actually be a killer app for the Revolution. Nothing is set in stone at this point.
On another note, I am enthused about the Revolution's controller but even I still have a nagging feeling that this step won't stop cookie-cutter games that all play alike, it will just create new styles of cookie-cutter games. I have a DS and play it quite frequently but developers will eventually reach the limit of what a touch screen can do as far as game mechanics goes. Not to mention games like Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow which would've been better without touch screen support and I can see some Revolution games that would be better off with a "standard" controller.
(And my troll is in Haiku)
Windows xp still better
need to run useful software
Mac and Linux are toys
that is not quite right
both the troll and the haiku
are somewhat lacking
but please understand
Mac and Linux are not toys
just other systems
Windows has problems
while it does have more software
it is insecure
please try something else
you might find that you like it
don't stagnate yourself
if end users switch
developers will follow
more software for all
so please help yourself
and help the rest of the world
try something else
if you don't like them
that is your prerogative
simply don't use them
but I'm warning you
going back is much harder
but it is your choice
other OSes
few viruses and malware
true computing bliss
as for poetry
haiku sylable count is
5-7-5
I've got two DCs that rearely get hooked up anymore. Yes, there were some great games but many of them have been ported to other systems by now. There are a few games that I will still play though and oddly have not been added to the list by anyone else...
There are several fishing games and even a fishing controller for the DC. They are Sega Bass Fishing, Sega Marine Fishing, and Reel Fishing: Wild. If you happen to have access to a them, give them a shot. Not the deepest games but fun for a bit.
Other games that get the occaisional play are Tech Romancer (Kikai-oh), Power Stone 1 and 2, Chu Chu Rocket, and Typing of the Dead. Yes, TotD with two keyboards is amazingly fun. Crazy Taxi also gets a nod because there have been many ports but they just didn't feel right.
There are other games that I enjoy but they all have had better ports or sequels on other systems now.
I have to agree with this site that talks about Apple possibly resurrecting "Yellow Box" for Windows which would allow for running Cocoa (and possibly Carbon) apps under Windows after a paltry 150MB install. Sort of a sanctioned WINE for running OS X apps cross platform.
This would allow developers to continue developing Cocoa for Mac and have instant ports to Windows; no dual booting or emulation involved.
Yes there have been many non-Nintendo consoles that retailed for quite a bit (the Pioneer LaserActive was $1200) but Nintendo's price point is usually around $200.
Oh and it's 3DO and not 3D0.
This is the Apple story for their 30th anniversary? Kind of a letdown if you ask me. No real press release... no fake press release... just some boring story that no one will read.
Oh well, at least there is still some OMG PONIES!!
I like the GC controller. I find it having two major flaws and a few minor ones but it is the most comfortable of the current generation console controllers IMHO.
Really though, there isn't much innovation with the design. The analog sticks are the most sensitive (as pointed out by the Super Monkey Ball series) but this would be evolutionary and not revolutionary. What else? The C stick (second analog stick) doesn't have a lip on it. OK, fine. There is one thing that is interesting in the design; the L and R buttons are analog.
Now I would hardly call analog shoulder buttons revolutionary since the PS2 technically had them, the Dreamcast came standard with them and the Saturn had them as an add-on in 1996 but what made them unique on the GC was that they were not triggers (DC, Sat) or odd pressure sensitive buttons (PS2) but were in fact sliders which also each had a digital button. I suppose that this is revolutionary.
Granted that most games did not take advantage of this very well or they tried to treat the shoulder sliders the same as the shoulder buttons on other consoles. Take Prince of Persia for example; they ignored the sliders and used the digital buttons for actions forcing players to tire out their index fingers fighting the springs while they could have used a system similar to the Xbox's shoulder buttons where once a certain analog threshold was met then the action took place. Clearly there was little playtesting there.
Speaking of insufficient playtesting, one of the GC controller's major flaws was the addition of the Z button. This was clearly slapped on at the last moment after the L/R sliders were already complete. The lip on the R slider, which was designed for exclusive use by the right index finger, prevented quick movement over to the Z button. If the Z button had been placed lower on the controller for use with the middle finger or ring finger then this would not have been such an issue. Yes, the reason that it wasn't was because Nintendo had many problems with casual gamers wondering where the Z button was on the N64 controller and didn't want to have it "hidden". Sadly, this caused the near worthlessness of the Z button.
Just because the Z button was annoying to use didn't mean that developers, especially first party developers, wouldn't force its use whenever possible. Super Smash Bros. Melee used it as the sole button for dropping items despite the fact that "shield" could be performed by both L and R and "jump" could be performed by X, Y, and up! If the Gamecube's controller was revolutionary, it was due to the fact that it was the first time that Nintendo took a step backwards with ergonomics.
On a side note, any poorly executed game could probably cause a player to curse a controller feature. Try playing Gunvalkyrie on the Xbox for a while and you will be convinced that clickable buttons on analog sticks are the worst idea ever.