Nintendo doesn't hate Europe. They aren't releasing it STRICTLY for financial reasons. If the installed base for GameCube or Game Boy Advance doesn't warrant releasing the peripheral in Europe, then they won't release it.
So please, save the drama for your mama... it has nothing to do with how Nintendo "feels" about Europe. It was a business decision, just like everything else they do. They focus on Europe last because they ARE the smallest of Nintendo's markets, and requires a great deal more work. Work that's REQUIRED by the EU. Want to blame someone, blame the EU, because they're the ones that cause all your delays.
You know, I never thought a game like DDR would be fun, or that at 290lbs, I'd be coordinated enough to handle it.
Then I saw a friend who had been playing DDR for a year, and lost about 200lbs. on the "DDR Diet". Talk about motivation!
So I bought a couple of cheap, knock-off Ignition pads on eBay, bought a copy of DDRMAX for PS2, and started playing.
I sucked. BAD.
But I simply kept at it, slowly making progress on the easier songs. Each has a "foot rating" one-foot being the easiest on up. I'm now down to 240lbs. (I eliminated non-diet soda too), I have AA'd a few songs, I'm up to five-footers, and I'm generally improving to the point where I think I want a more authentic pad to play on at home.
In fact, I finally got up the nerve to play on an arcade machine (DDR Extreme) a few days ago, and had a blast. Trust me... everyone looks like an imbecile their first few times. Get a pad, play at home, and practice. If you're overweight, use the "Workout" mode, which has no pressure except to keep going until you meet your goal.
Seriously, does it really matter if they're tracking you, and if they end up using that information to change or plan new theme parks? Quite frankly, isn't that exactly what we should want? We're the guests, and anything they do to make the parks better for me is great. Carrying around a MPM seems to be the perfect way to tell Disney what interests me at the park without having to actually TELL them.
I've had the unfortunate opporunity to use an N-Gage myself at E3. It's not a good game machine by any means. The Game Boy is a SPEED DEMON compared to this thing.
It's not a good cell phone either. I don't know what the hell Nokia was thinking, but they threw everything they knew about cell phones out the window when they designed this thing.
You want an example? OK... take this. To use the handset (not a HEADSET) to talk on this phone, you hold it to your head like a taco, sideways. The top edge of the phone rests against your face, and you look like a freaking idiot.
The price will probably be a non-issue with subsidies, but they're expecting to have this thing selling in stores like Electronics Boutique and GameStop. This is going to go one of two ways... either there are kickbacks for selling these things that go right into the salesperson's pocket (and that's all you're going to be able to get them to talk about), or they simply won't care to deal with the hassle, and will pretend it doesn't exist.
I'm betting on the latter.
Regardless, I've already got a Series 60-based cellphone (the Nokia 3650), and rumor has it that it can play the N-Gage games too. Probably not as comfortably, but it'll play.
Actually, you're incorrect. You're using anecdotal evidence to prove your point, but you arrived at the wrong conclusion. AC2 was never meant to REPLACE AC1. What's happenning at Microsoft is that they aren't making as much money per player on AC1 as they could be on AC2, and with the player count dwindling, they're trying to forcably migrate people to AC2. That's a business decision, and has nothing to do with what the original intent of the game was.
I think the point was to leave AC1 running so that the people that loved that game would continue to play (and PAY), while AC2 would be a NEW experience. Not more of the same in a prettier shell, but something new.
Regardless, I don't think it's a failure or even unpopular. But let's face it, AC2 is still fairly new, and most people have dumped it for the next "Johnny-come-lately" MMORPG... Star Wars Galaxies.
I personally couldn't be more thrilled. All the JACKASSES have left AC2, and I'm now free to play with people that actually care, while all the people that used to ruin my online experience have left to go torment people in whatever is hot and new. Good riddance.
I have to agree. I bought my first laptop the very minute I could get one with 1600x1200 resolution. That's on a 15.4" screen (Dell Inspiron 8000). It disturbs me to see these 16 and 17" screens with sub UXGA resolutions when I'm looking to replace my screen.
I do have to say, though... I saw the most fabulous laptop screen on a Toshiba the other day. 16", 1600x1200, but it looked like a sheet of glass... incredibly clear! It used a technology called CASV, rather than TFT, and I just loved it. Is this a standard, or is it Toshiba only? If it's proprietary, I think I might have just found my next machine.
Screw a number pad. When are we going to see one of these laptop behemoths with something akin to an ERGONOMIC keyboard?! I mean, there's plenty of room to split the keyboard down the middle and spread it out diagonally.
In fact, the first thing I thought of when I started seeing 17" screens is that there SHOULD be room to expand the keyboard and give us something approaching ergonomic... but no one has made that move yet.
How many games are purchased after reading reviews? 5%? 10%? How many are purchased on a whim, or by parents who figure if the kids like superman they gotta like the game, or just because it's got a 2-player mode and you kids can play together and quit kicking your brother and leave me the hell alone I'm trying to drink?
Except that if any of what you said were still true (it certainly USED to be), then companies like Acclaim and Midway wouldn't be shy about continuing their shovelware reputations. If their crap isn't selling, then what is? The really good games are still selling, selling even MORE copies, in fact.
The point that you apparently completely missed is that times, they are a'changin', and that people are spending less and going for the tried and true, rather than just buying any old thing. While not everyone is reading reviews, people are buying on word of mouth more, and when one person has read a review, they'll tell their friends.
At first blush, it's easy to take all these "doom and gloom" reports as the inevitable sinking of the GameCube. But look at who has been dropping their support... companies like Midway and Acclaim, who are used to being able to shovel crap onto any system and get it to sell through slick marketing.
We're in a recession. Gamers are educating themselves more, and are spending their dollars on games that will give them the most bang for the buck. For the GameCube market, that means that most are saving their hard earned cash on first-party games.
So what does the loss of Acclaim mean in the long run? Jack shit, honestly. Less games that weren't selling anyway, so what? The GameCube won't be dead until Nintendo stops supporting it, and Nintendo supports their machines better than anyone.
There were no reviews because most game reviews are written before the game releases, then posted in time for release. In this particular case, the game was intentionally withheld from publications/web sites in order to save the surprises for the movie release (and presumably, to keep the DVD footage from being ripped and posted on the internet early).
Atari gave away copies of the game to the press at E3, so expect to see reviews soon.
I have to agree with this. Just because the glass of my back door "can" be shattered with a brick allowing anyone to enter, doesn't make it OK for them to do so.
See, that's just the thing. If they're going to downplay the value and utility of WNP, then why are they fighting it so hard? Simple, because their customers tell them all the time that they would leave if they didn't have to change their number. I'm shackled to my carrier because I don't want my number, which I've had for years, to change.
What they fail to see is that if they are competitive, and they beleive their service is what they say it is, they will likely have a net loss of ZERO customers, because people will leave their current service to come to yours. It's going to be a whole lot of work for no net benefit, but that's about it.
There is another benefit we're likely to see out of this. Customer retention incentives are likely to get more substantial. I've been "convinced" to stay with my current carrier on several different occasions by getting discounts on new equipment and what not. I can only see this getting better.
I'm running 1600x1200 on my Inspiron 8000, and I absolutely love it. No eyestrain whatsoever, plenty of screen real estate for windows, I can't imagine why anyone would want anything less unless your eyesight is really shitty.
1600x1200 on a 15" screen is not nearly as hard to see on a crisp LCD screen as it is on a CRT.
How is it different? Because a great many people's credit reports are completely screwed up through no fault of their own. And the fact that they can be denied a job out of hand with no discussion of the matter because of something a third party said about you is completely unfair.
Look at it this way... at least in Washington State, unemployment is still at an all time high. Many people here entered into "credit counseling" just to be able to pay all of their bills on time with the limited money they get from Unemployment Insurance.
Of course, the Catch-22 is that the credit bureaus list this as a NEGATIVE on your credit report, and the fact that you were trying to be responsible and weather the storm is going to keep your from getting a job. And they may NEVER tell you WHY they denied you the job.
Now, explain to me again how this is just like a drug screen or background check?
The BSA isn't a government body. If the BSA asks you to do a self-audit, or they'll come audit you, just ignore it, or plead dumb. They're hoping that you're going to come forward and get your software licensed. If you have a small, non-profit company, you're not going to have to worry about the BSA coming to you to do an audit. They don't have the manpower. If the BSA does happen to show up at your company, unless they have a WARRANT, they don't have the right to audit anything.
There's your answer. Rick Berman is a complete fucking retard. If he watched "Nemesis" and was convinced that they made a very good movie, then someone should fucking shoot him in the head before he kills another movie.
That said, yes, Rick... it was the competition at the box office that caused most of your problems. That, and your shitty fucking movie.
Seriously, though...
Going up against "The Two Towers", "Die Another Day", "Harry Potter", and several other holiday releases was a key factor. But not so much the competition, because the public will find a way to see a GOOD movie. But in this case, the people that did see it told the people that DIDN'T exactly how terrible it was. That cost you not just your repeat sales, but most of your first-time sales from fans that you can usually count on. Nothing kills a bad movie faster that word-of-mouth.
Really, doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But I think we've already determined that Rick Berman is in fact, NOT a genius.
Aside from that, I think Wil Wheaton's comments hit the nail on the head. Keep the movie focused on the characters, rather than being a "space action" flick, and you'll usually have a winner. Take a look at the plots for the Star Trek movies that did gangbuster business, and you'll see that trend CLEARLY.
I'm not a science fiction fan. I'm a fan of watching or reading about interesting people in places I can't go. Those places can be the future, outer space, foreign lands, it doesn't really matter. But if the characters aren't interesting, and if they don't evolve and keep me guessing, then you're going to lose my money.
The story WAS posted at ConsoleTalk, and has since been removed. That's because they finally realized that this so-called "announcement" couldn't be verified with any of the companies involved, nor any legitimate news media.
I can't beleive Slashdot was taken in by this hoax. This was concocted on an internet forum and has been spreading like wildfire. This ConsoleTalk story is an amalgamation of several popular "rumors" all concerning a major announcement to hit in the next few days, but This one is completely untrue.
Anyone who's actually played the GameCube's Legend of Zelda "The Wind Waker" will tell you that your comments are so off-base that they're laughable. There is a great deal of "adult" anime in the world, movies like Princess Mononoke. Are these just for kids? No. Same with Zelda. Just because the art style is cartoon animation doesn't immediately make the game something of the Saturday Morning variety.
Maybe you should try playing it before you make snap judgements.
Miyamoto's games aren't aimed at kids, per se. They're aimed at the young at heart, those that can set aside their preconceived notions and enjoy a game regardless of how "realistic" or "mature" it is.
I've been playing the Japanese import of the GameCube "Legend of Zelda" game, and it's easily the best game ever made, irrespective of it's "toon-shading".
Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo doesn't hate Europe. They aren't releasing it STRICTLY for financial reasons. If the installed base for GameCube or Game Boy Advance doesn't warrant releasing the peripheral in Europe, then they won't release it.
... it has nothing to do with how Nintendo "feels" about Europe. It was a business decision, just like everything else they do. They focus on Europe last because they ARE the smallest of Nintendo's markets, and requires a great deal more work. Work that's REQUIRED by the EU. Want to blame someone, blame the EU, because they're the ones that cause all your delays.
So please, save the drama for your mama
You know, I never thought a game like DDR would be fun, or that at 290lbs, I'd be coordinated enough to handle it.
... everyone looks like an imbecile their first few times. Get a pad, play at home, and practice. If you're overweight, use the "Workout" mode, which has no pressure except to keep going until you meet your goal.
Then I saw a friend who had been playing DDR for a year, and lost about 200lbs. on the "DDR Diet". Talk about motivation!
So I bought a couple of cheap, knock-off Ignition pads on eBay, bought a copy of DDRMAX for PS2, and started playing.
I sucked. BAD.
But I simply kept at it, slowly making progress on the easier songs. Each has a "foot rating" one-foot being the easiest on up. I'm now down to 240lbs. (I eliminated non-diet soda too), I have AA'd a few songs, I'm up to five-footers, and I'm generally improving to the point where I think I want a more authentic pad to play on at home.
In fact, I finally got up the nerve to play on an arcade machine (DDR Extreme) a few days ago, and had a blast. Trust me
Which would make it just like all the other handhelds that required the user to purchase batteries. Just like the original GBA.
...
What a silly thing to say
"For Mickey to really be useful, start by telling me which attractions have the shortest lines at the moment. "
You didn't read the second link, did you? Pal Mickey DOES tell you which attractions have the short wait times.
Seriously, does it really matter if they're tracking you, and if they end up using that information to change or plan new theme parks? Quite frankly, isn't that exactly what we should want? We're the guests, and anything they do to make the parks better for me is great. Carrying around a MPM seems to be the perfect way to tell Disney what interests me at the park without having to actually TELL them.
I've had the unfortunate opporunity to use an N-Gage myself at E3. It's not a good game machine by any means. The Game Boy is a SPEED DEMON compared to this thing.
... take this. To use the handset (not a HEADSET) to talk on this phone, you hold it to your head like a taco, sideways. The top edge of the phone rests against your face, and you look like a freaking idiot.
... either there are kickbacks for selling these things that go right into the salesperson's pocket (and that's all you're going to be able to get them to talk about), or they simply won't care to deal with the hassle, and will pretend it doesn't exist.
It's not a good cell phone either. I don't know what the hell Nokia was thinking, but they threw everything they knew about cell phones out the window when they designed this thing.
You want an example? OK
The price will probably be a non-issue with subsidies, but they're expecting to have this thing selling in stores like Electronics Boutique and GameStop. This is going to go one of two ways
I'm betting on the latter.
Regardless, I've already got a Series 60-based cellphone (the Nokia 3650), and rumor has it that it can play the N-Gage games too. Probably not as comfortably, but it'll play.
Actually, you're incorrect. You're using anecdotal evidence to prove your point, but you arrived at the wrong conclusion. AC2 was never meant to REPLACE AC1. What's happenning at Microsoft is that they aren't making as much money per player on AC1 as they could be on AC2, and with the player count dwindling, they're trying to forcably migrate people to AC2. That's a business decision, and has nothing to do with what the original intent of the game was.
I think the point was to leave AC1 running so that the people that loved that game would continue to play (and PAY), while AC2 would be a NEW experience. Not more of the same in a prettier shell, but something new.
... Star Wars Galaxies.
Regardless, I don't think it's a failure or even unpopular. But let's face it, AC2 is still fairly new, and most people have dumped it for the next "Johnny-come-lately" MMORPG
I personally couldn't be more thrilled. All the JACKASSES have left AC2, and I'm now free to play with people that actually care, while all the people that used to ruin my online experience have left to go torment people in whatever is hot and new. Good riddance.
Get Xbox Live.
... since the entire service was designed around voice communications to begin with, it works REMARKABLY well.
No, seriously
I have to agree. I bought my first laptop the very minute I could get one with 1600x1200 resolution. That's on a 15.4" screen (Dell Inspiron 8000). It disturbs me to see these 16 and 17" screens with sub UXGA resolutions when I'm looking to replace my screen.
... I saw the most fabulous laptop screen on a Toshiba the other day. 16", 1600x1200, but it looked like a sheet of glass ... incredibly clear! It used a technology called CASV, rather than TFT, and I just loved it. Is this a standard, or is it Toshiba only? If it's proprietary, I think I might have just found my next machine.
I do have to say, though
Screw a number pad. When are we going to see one of these laptop behemoths with something akin to an ERGONOMIC keyboard?! I mean, there's plenty of room to split the keyboard down the middle and spread it out diagonally.
... but no one has made that move yet.
In fact, the first thing I thought of when I started seeing 17" screens is that there SHOULD be room to expand the keyboard and give us something approaching ergonomic
Except that if any of what you said were still true (it certainly USED to be), then companies like Acclaim and Midway wouldn't be shy about continuing their shovelware reputations. If their crap isn't selling, then what is? The really good games are still selling, selling even MORE copies, in fact.
The point that you apparently completely missed is that times, they are a'changin', and that people are spending less and going for the tried and true, rather than just buying any old thing. While not everyone is reading reviews, people are buying on word of mouth more, and when one person has read a review, they'll tell their friends.
At first blush, it's easy to take all these "doom and gloom" reports as the inevitable sinking of the GameCube. But look at who has been dropping their support ... companies like Midway and Acclaim, who are used to being able to shovel crap onto any system and get it to sell through slick marketing.
We're in a recession. Gamers are educating themselves more, and are spending their dollars on games that will give them the most bang for the buck. For the GameCube market, that means that most are saving their hard earned cash on first-party games.
So what does the loss of Acclaim mean in the long run? Jack shit, honestly. Less games that weren't selling anyway, so what? The GameCube won't be dead until Nintendo stops supporting it, and Nintendo supports their machines better than anyone.
There were no reviews because most game reviews are written before the game releases, then posted in time for release. In this particular case, the game was intentionally withheld from publications/web sites in order to save the surprises for the movie release (and presumably, to keep the DVD footage from being ripped and posted on the internet early).
Atari gave away copies of the game to the press at E3, so expect to see reviews soon.
I have to agree with this. Just because the glass of my back door "can" be shattered with a brick allowing anyone to enter, doesn't make it OK for them to do so.
See, that's just the thing. If they're going to downplay the value and utility of WNP, then why are they fighting it so hard? Simple, because their customers tell them all the time that they would leave if they didn't have to change their number. I'm shackled to my carrier because I don't want my number, which I've had for years, to change.
What they fail to see is that if they are competitive, and they beleive their service is what they say it is, they will likely have a net loss of ZERO customers, because people will leave their current service to come to yours. It's going to be a whole lot of work for no net benefit, but that's about it.
There is another benefit we're likely to see out of this. Customer retention incentives are likely to get more substantial. I've been "convinced" to stay with my current carrier on several different occasions by getting discounts on new equipment and what not. I can only see this getting better.
I'm running 1600x1200 on my Inspiron 8000, and I absolutely love it. No eyestrain whatsoever, plenty of screen real estate for windows, I can't imagine why anyone would want anything less unless your eyesight is really shitty.
1600x1200 on a 15" screen is not nearly as hard to see on a crisp LCD screen as it is on a CRT.
How is it different? Because a great many people's credit reports are completely screwed up through no fault of their own. And the fact that they can be denied a job out of hand with no discussion of the matter because of something a third party said about you is completely unfair.
... at least in Washington State, unemployment is still at an all time high. Many people here entered into "credit counseling" just to be able to pay all of their bills on time with the limited money they get from Unemployment Insurance.
Look at it this way
Of course, the Catch-22 is that the credit bureaus list this as a NEGATIVE on your credit report, and the fact that you were trying to be responsible and weather the storm is going to keep your from getting a job. And they may NEVER tell you WHY they denied you the job.
Now, explain to me again how this is just like a drug screen or background check?
The BSA isn't a government body. If the BSA asks you to do a self-audit, or they'll come audit you, just ignore it, or plead dumb. They're hoping that you're going to come forward and get your software licensed. If you have a small, non-profit company, you're not going to have to worry about the BSA coming to you to do an audit. They don't have the manpower. If the BSA does happen to show up at your company, unless they have a WARRANT, they don't have the right to audit anything.
In other words, yes. It IS a scam.
Actually, it's a link to a Japanese site, but the link sends it through Excite to be translated.
"I'm convinced that we made a very good movie"
... it was the competition at the box office that caused most of your problems. That, and your shitty fucking movie.
...
There's your answer. Rick Berman is a complete fucking retard. If he watched "Nemesis" and was convinced that they made a very good movie, then someone should fucking shoot him in the head before he kills another movie.
That said, yes, Rick
Seriously, though
Going up against "The Two Towers", "Die Another Day", "Harry Potter", and several other holiday releases was a key factor. But not so much the competition, because the public will find a way to see a GOOD movie. But in this case, the people that did see it told the people that DIDN'T exactly how terrible it was. That cost you not just your repeat sales, but most of your first-time sales from fans that you can usually count on. Nothing kills a bad movie faster that word-of-mouth.
Really, doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But I think we've already determined that Rick Berman is in fact, NOT a genius.
Aside from that, I think Wil Wheaton's comments hit the nail on the head. Keep the movie focused on the characters, rather than being a "space action" flick, and you'll usually have a winner. Take a look at the plots for the Star Trek movies that did gangbuster business, and you'll see that trend CLEARLY.
I'm not a science fiction fan. I'm a fan of watching or reading about interesting people in places I can't go. Those places can be the future, outer space, foreign lands, it doesn't really matter. But if the characters aren't interesting, and if they don't evolve and keep me guessing, then you're going to lose my money.
The story WAS posted at ConsoleTalk, and has since been removed. That's because they finally realized that this so-called "announcement" couldn't be verified with any of the companies involved, nor any legitimate news media.
I can't beleive Slashdot was taken in by this hoax. This was concocted on an internet forum and has been spreading like wildfire. This ConsoleTalk story is an amalgamation of several popular "rumors" all concerning a major announcement to hit in the next few days, but This one is completely untrue.
Anyone who's actually played the GameCube's Legend of Zelda "The Wind Waker" will tell you that your comments are so off-base that they're laughable. There is a great deal of "adult" anime in the world, movies like Princess Mononoke. Are these just for kids? No. Same with Zelda. Just because the art style is cartoon animation doesn't immediately make the game something of the Saturday Morning variety.
Maybe you should try playing it before you make snap judgements.
Miyamoto's games aren't aimed at kids, per se. They're aimed at the young at heart, those that can set aside their preconceived notions and enjoy a game regardless of how "realistic" or "mature" it is.
I've been playing the Japanese import of the GameCube "Legend of Zelda" game, and it's easily the best game ever made, irrespective of it's "toon-shading".