Square has been nothing but crap since FF7. They are singly responsible for the lack of innovation in the RPG genre (we all know by now, fire hurts ice creatures, and lightning hurts robots). Games like Shenmue keep hinting at the possibilities of the genre-but Square keeps pulling us down with their pretensious and boring Maidens-and-Knights bullshit.
Add that to the jarring CGIs that seem to have very little to do with the game in all the PSX chapters of game, and you have games that take time instead of skill to complete, with "plots" cribbed from dimestore fantasy novels, with lame mini-games that are necessary for getting all the best items.
Square practically invented the modern RPG with FFI-FF3. But they're trapped in their own egos, and releasing crap like that driving game for the PS2 and the Bouncer.
If you're tired of video games that are "this year's model" of the same old $#!t, then I urge you, stay away from Square. The arrogant old bastards don't want to make great games, they want your money.
Actually, the corporations that control California's electricity (PG &E, South California Edison) hammered the "de-reg" law with the price caps through a few years back.
It was their stupidity that caused them to lose money, yet they begged the state for a $2 billion bailout (oops! Thought they wanted the state out of their business!)
They got bailout, completely shirking their own financial responsibilities, and they also got a rate hike.
Actually, the Dreamcast has several web browsers. I believe the newest one supports Flash, MPEG decoding, and the dreamcast keyboard and mouse...
The American web browsers were developed by PlanetWeb. Someone else did the Euro/Japanese browsers (called DreamKey) and they are actually decent.
Unfortunately, none of the American web browsers (as far as I know) support the Broadband Adapter (ethernet card).
Re:Break out? Can they hang on is the question
on
OSX/Win2K Deathmatch
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· Score: 1
Microsoft is not going to attack Apple. They've already beaten Apple, remember 1997 with Jobs and Gates getting together?
If MS were to make an attack, and squish Apple (which they probably could do, if they stopped making Office) the government would be at their gates with bloodhounds in no time.
Besides, if Apple went under, who would M$ steal all their ideas from?
Bzzzt! Wrong! The MPAA exists merely to stop Washington from regulating Hollywood. The people on the MPAA board often use arbitrary cultural values to determine what gets an R and what gets the commercial kiss of death (NC-17). Playboy (June 2000 I think) had a great interview with Trey Parker and Matt Stone about this. Consider these facts:
The South Park movie kept getting an "NC-17" from the MPAA. They had Paramount (a big studio) behind them for leverage, so the MPAA provided notes on how they could cut in and receive an "R". They did some arbitrary cutting of their own and finally received that "R."
One of their first movies, Orgazmo, was given an NC-17. (It has NO nudity besides a few seconds of a guy's butt). Because they did not have a large studio behind them, they were not given any notes on how to cut it, and the movie was effectively shut out of distribution (most movie places will not even show NC-17 movies, and Hollywood and Blockbuster videos will not carry them either.)
Saving Private Ryan *the most violent movie ever made* gets an "R" from the MPAA because it's an "important" movie.
Todd Solondz's "Happiness," which has a Something-about-Mary-like masturbation scene, (no nudity) and no other graphic content, receives an NC-17. No notes are given on what to cut. Distributors elect to release it as "unrated".
So what is the MPAA doing? It's arbitrarily punishing movies that it doesn't feel are "important," and basically insuring that they aren't seen, and discouraging further creation of such movies. (Think about it-no megaplex, no Blockbuster and Hollywood-that cuts a huge chunk out of the potential audience.)
Mod this shizzat down. Not only is it redundant, but it's blatantly wrong! Filthy is funnier and nastier than the frequently-self-indulgent Mr. Cranky. Plus, what makes a "real" movie critic anyway? Isn't that anyone who sees the movie and talks about it? Or is there some hidden critic school somewhere that I don't know of?
CD Clerk: Hi, welcome to the Music Shop! What can I do for you?
Anoynmous Coward: Yeah, I downloaded some Beck MP3s last week, and they really rock! Do you know what Beck's core beliefs are?
CD Clerk: What?
AC: You know, his core beliefs. I won't buy music unless it jibes with my personal philosophy.
CD Clerk: Well, you can find Beck in aisle 3, if that's what you mean.
AC: Yes, but tell me...is Beck a Christian? A nihilist? What would he do if he could press a button and win a million dollars, but it would result in an orphan being strangled? You've got to help me! I CAN'T BY AN ALBUM UNLESS I KNOW HIS CORE BELIEFS!
Microso~1 has done this sort of thing before. During the browser wars, I remember reading that Gates was furious the Netscape Directory Server (LDAP) was the fastest LDAP server running on NT. So, when NT needed a security patch, they put in a little something extra that slowed down Netscape's program.
This was documented in PC or Windows Magazine in '97, look around but I remember it because it was the first time I thought about ditching Windows.
Yes, it was probably hard to do, but so were the pyramids. When there's a meglomaniac with lots of money behind the project, a lot can be accomplished...
i just got done spending 3 hours trying to hook my sister's Armada into my cable modem. It's a celeron that she uses mostly to type papers...anyhow, she wanted to stop by my place to use iMesh to download her anime movies or whatever she likes so much.
Well, three hours later, I have nothing good to say about Compaq. The CD-ROM wouldn't work (and the cable modem driver CD got stuck) I tried copying the drivers onto a floppy; the floppy didn't work either. Plus, for a Celeron-400 w 96 MB RAM it's about the least responsive computer I've ever seen. Stay away from Compaq!
Her school forces them to buy Compaq (we live in houston-and guess what-a rich compaq exec is on the school board!).
Because this could put some company off making a new console!
Uh huh. Sony LOSES money on the consoles, bright eyes. They make money on software licensing, which emulators do not threaten (unless they are specifically coded to play burns-and none of the big commercial PSone emulators are.) Plus, emulators will never have anywhere near as big a market share as computers, especially with the increasing complexity of consoles (PS2 is a nasty beast).
Sony just can't stand the likes of anyone having any control over "their" platform which is why they use lawsuits as a bullying tactic with both Bleem! and Connectix (makers of VGS, another PS emu).
They know they won't win, and now Sony is fighting dirty-they are threatening retailers that carry Bleem!cast (the PS emu for Dreamcast) which is flying off the shelves at EB...but was cancelled at another major game retailer (not sure which one, check planetdreamcast.com for full story).THAT'Swhy Bleem! is suing Sony, and it's a damn good thing they are, too.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, historically every port from console to
PC or vice versa has been a complete failure without exception
Actually, the Dreamcast has some pretty impressive PC ports, with Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. You won't mistake them for the PC versions, but they are incredibly fun, and you'll only be out $150 if you buy the DC and a game. Make that $200 if you play with the broadband adapter. Plus, you can program your own stuff on the DC.
And now that I think of it, the SNES version of SimCity beats the original PC version any day of the week...
Almost all Dreamcast titles run in the Dreamcast's native language and OS. They added WinCE compatibility for easy porting of PC games, and just about all of the WinCE games are sloppy and buggy. (Armada being the exception).
Is it because WinCE sucks or because the developers were too sloppy to rewrite their apps in DC code? Probably a combo of both...the DC ports of Unreal and Quake 3 were designed in the DC native environment, and they are very, very good considering the DC's scant specs (16MB RAM, 200mhz SH4 processor).
I've only played two DC native games that crash, Phantasy Star Online which crashes more than it should (although it's the server's fault usually), and NFL2k1 has gone down once or twice.
Still, it's bound to be more stable than an X-Box as it was engineered to be an *appliance*, instead of a stripped down Windows machine with "game console" slapped on top of it.
Look harder, Simba! The DC has a lot of top-tier games, and not all of them are Sega. If you like fighting games, there's everything Capcom makes (gotta check out Power Stone 2), plus Dead or Alive 2, Soul Calibur, KOF '99 etc.
Great driving games include Daytona, MSR, Vanishing point, and (worth the price of the DC alone) Crazy Taxi 1 AND two.
There's some cool action games too, like Rayman 2, Legacy of Kain, Jet Grind Radio, and Spider-Man.
Not too many RPG's, but...oh yeah, PSO!
It's too bad Sega pulled the plug...but at least it means PS2 will finally have some good games.
A stripped down PC does not a decent console make. I guess Microso~1 and Sony are having a contest to determine which is the most ineptly designed and overhyped console. Or is the contest over who can bruteforce their way into the console market by spending buckets of cash?
I can't speak for anything else, but the Dreamcast failed because Sega dropped it. It was doing well in the US and Europe, with plenty of number one sellers (virtua tennis, shenmue, and phantasy star onlinee, to name a few). Backwards compatibility with a good system (and the DVD player) is about all the PS2 has going for it, as its library of games is WEAK.
If they were legal, I would probably do both drugs, at least on occation.
And the problem with this would be???
If we legalize drugs, a lot more people would probably try them once or twice. It's doubtful addiction would rise, and even if it did, treatment would be much easier.
I recently spoke with a doctor who runs a methodone clinic, he talked about all the hoops that one has to jump through just to help people get off opiates. Some people drive an hour out of their way every morning just to break the habit and stay off heroin. How is this helping anyone?
You damn right. The only real "public TV" in the US is public access, and you know how pathetically funded/distributed that is. So what's to be done?
I think a healthy dose of hypocrisy might cure the ills...populists like Michael Moore or Rage Against the Machine can get spaces in the corporate-owned media for their message..why? Because people are willing to pay money to hear that message!
It's not much of a weakness in the corporate system, but until America starts giving real money to real public media initiatives (LPFM being one of them) it's all we have. Unless you think endless fund drives and recycled British sitcoms are "indispensible."
I disagree with the Financial times article, as the DC sold more on its launch date than the saturn did in its first year. It has a healthy installed base of about 6 million units in the US(more since the $99 price drop). The problem is, it didn't hit big in Japan for a number or reasons (recession, expensive internet, PS2's DVD capability). Sega could have survived on the US and European market, but they wanted to cash in-and believe me, they will. I wish them luck, but I wish they would have supported my DC a little longer...:(
Slashdot Mirror
Square has been nothing but crap since FF7. They are singly responsible for the lack of innovation in the RPG genre (we all know by now, fire hurts ice creatures, and lightning hurts robots). Games like Shenmue keep hinting at the possibilities of the genre-but Square keeps pulling us down with their pretensious and boring Maidens-and-Knights bullshit.
Add that to the jarring CGIs that seem to have very little to do with the game in all the PSX chapters of game, and you have games that take time instead of skill to complete, with "plots" cribbed from dimestore fantasy novels, with lame mini-games that are necessary for getting all the best items.
Square practically invented the modern RPG with FFI-FF3. But they're trapped in their own egos, and releasing crap like that driving game for the PS2 and the Bouncer.
If you're tired of video games that are "this year's model" of the same old $#!t, then I urge you, stay away from Square. The arrogant old bastards don't want to make great games, they want your money.
It was their stupidity that caused them to lose money, yet they begged the state for a $2 billion bailout (oops! Thought they wanted the state out of their business!)
They got bailout, completely shirking their own financial responsibilities, and they also got a rate hike.
If you're curious about this debacle, check out this link: The Real Energy Solution
The American web browsers were developed by PlanetWeb. Someone else did the Euro/Japanese browsers (called DreamKey) and they are actually decent.
Unfortunately, none of the American web browsers (as far as I know) support the Broadband Adapter (ethernet card).
If MS were to make an attack, and squish Apple (which they probably could do, if they stopped making Office) the government would be at their gates with bloodhounds in no time.
Besides, if Apple went under, who would M$ steal all their ideas from?
The South Park movie kept getting an "NC-17" from the MPAA. They had Paramount (a big studio) behind them for leverage, so the MPAA provided notes on how they could cut in and receive an "R". They did some arbitrary cutting of their own and finally received that "R."
One of their first movies, Orgazmo, was given an NC-17. (It has NO nudity besides a few seconds of a guy's butt). Because they did not have a large studio behind them, they were not given any notes on how to cut it, and the movie was effectively shut out of distribution (most movie places will not even show NC-17 movies, and Hollywood and Blockbuster videos will not carry them either.)
Saving Private Ryan *the most violent movie ever made* gets an "R" from the MPAA because it's an "important" movie.
Todd Solondz's "Happiness," which has a Something-about-Mary-like masturbation scene, (no nudity) and no other graphic content, receives an NC-17. No notes are given on what to cut. Distributors elect to release it as "unrated".
So what is the MPAA doing? It's arbitrarily punishing movies that it doesn't feel are "important," and basically insuring that they aren't seen, and discouraging further creation of such movies. (Think about it-no megaplex, no Blockbuster and Hollywood-that cuts a huge chunk out of the potential audience.)
Mod this shizzat down. Not only is it redundant, but it's blatantly wrong! Filthy is funnier and nastier than the frequently-self-indulgent Mr. Cranky. Plus, what makes a "real" movie critic anyway? Isn't that anyone who sees the movie and talks about it? Or is there some hidden critic school somewhere that I don't know of?
The previous poster goes to the music shop
a short play by Gizzmonic
CD Clerk: Hi, welcome to the Music Shop! What can I do for you?
Anoynmous Coward: Yeah, I downloaded some Beck MP3s last week, and they really rock! Do you know what Beck's core beliefs are?
CD Clerk: What?
AC: You know, his core beliefs. I won't buy music unless it jibes with my personal philosophy.
CD Clerk: Well, you can find Beck in aisle 3, if that's what you mean.
AC: Yes, but tell me...is Beck a Christian? A nihilist? What would he do if he could press a button and win a million dollars, but it would result in an orphan being strangled? You've got to help me! I CAN'T BY AN ALBUM UNLESS I KNOW HIS CORE BELIEFS!
CD Clerk: Sorry, I can't help you...(leaves)
AC: WHY DOESN'T ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING?
---
This was documented in PC or Windows Magazine in '97, look around but I remember it because it was the first time I thought about ditching Windows.
Yes, it was probably hard to do, but so were the pyramids. When there's a meglomaniac with lots of money behind the project, a lot can be accomplished...
Well, three hours later, I have nothing good to say about Compaq. The CD-ROM wouldn't work (and the cable modem driver CD got stuck) I tried copying the drivers onto a floppy; the floppy didn't work either. Plus, for a Celeron-400 w 96 MB RAM it's about the least responsive computer I've ever seen. Stay away from Compaq!
Her school forces them to buy Compaq (we live in houston-and guess what-a rich compaq exec is on the school board!).
Uh huh. Sony LOSES money on the consoles, bright eyes. They make money on software licensing, which emulators do not threaten (unless they are specifically coded to play burns-and none of the big commercial PSone emulators are.) Plus, emulators will never have anywhere near as big a market share as computers, especially with the increasing complexity of consoles (PS2 is a nasty beast).
Sony just can't stand the likes of anyone having any control over "their" platform which is why they use lawsuits as a bullying tactic with both Bleem! and Connectix (makers of VGS, another PS emu).
They know they won't win, and now Sony is fighting dirty-they are threatening retailers that carry Bleem!cast (the PS emu for Dreamcast) which is flying off the shelves at EB...but was cancelled at another major game retailer (not sure which one, check planetdreamcast.com for full story).THAT'Swhy Bleem! is suing Sony, and it's a damn good thing they are, too.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, historically every port from console to PC or vice versa has been a complete failure without exception
Actually, the Dreamcast has some pretty impressive PC ports, with Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. You won't mistake them for the PC versions, but they are incredibly fun, and you'll only be out $150 if you buy the DC and a game. Make that $200 if you play with the broadband adapter. Plus, you can program your own stuff on the DC.
And now that I think of it, the SNES version of SimCity beats the original PC version any day of the week...
Is it because WinCE sucks or because the developers were too sloppy to rewrite their apps in DC code? Probably a combo of both...the DC ports of Unreal and Quake 3 were designed in the DC native environment, and they are very, very good considering the DC's scant specs (16MB RAM, 200mhz SH4 processor).
I've only played two DC native games that crash, Phantasy Star Online which crashes more than it should (although it's the server's fault usually), and NFL2k1 has gone down once or twice.
Still, it's bound to be more stable than an X-Box as it was engineered to be an *appliance*, instead of a stripped down Windows machine with "game console" slapped on top of it.
Look harder, Simba! The DC has a lot of top-tier games, and not all of them are Sega. If you like fighting games, there's everything Capcom makes (gotta check out Power Stone 2), plus Dead or Alive 2, Soul Calibur, KOF '99 etc. Great driving games include Daytona, MSR, Vanishing point, and (worth the price of the DC alone) Crazy Taxi 1 AND two. There's some cool action games too, like Rayman 2, Legacy of Kain, Jet Grind Radio, and Spider-Man. Not too many RPG's, but...oh yeah, PSO! It's too bad Sega pulled the plug...but at least it means PS2 will finally have some good games.
Oh, for the days of Nintendo and Sega...
I can't speak for anything else, but the Dreamcast failed because Sega dropped it. It was doing well in the US and Europe, with plenty of number one sellers (virtua tennis, shenmue, and phantasy star onlinee, to name a few). Backwards compatibility with a good system (and the DVD player) is about all the PS2 has going for it, as its library of games is WEAK.
If Mac OS X is UNIX, could somebody please show me how to build an SH-4 cross compiler! I want to program for my Dreamcast! Let's Use Teamwork!
And the problem with this would be???
If we legalize drugs, a lot more people would probably try them once or twice. It's doubtful addiction would rise, and even if it did, treatment would be much easier.
I recently spoke with a doctor who runs a methodone clinic, he talked about all the hoops that one has to jump through just to help people get off opiates. Some people drive an hour out of their way every morning just to break the habit and stay off heroin. How is this helping anyone?
You damn right. The only real "public TV" in the US is public access, and you know how pathetically funded/distributed that is. So what's to be done? I think a healthy dose of hypocrisy might cure the ills...populists like Michael Moore or Rage Against the Machine can get spaces in the corporate-owned media for their message..why? Because people are willing to pay money to hear that message! It's not much of a weakness in the corporate system, but until America starts giving real money to real public media initiatives (LPFM being one of them) it's all we have. Unless you think endless fund drives and recycled British sitcoms are "indispensible."
I disagree with the Financial times article, as the DC sold more on its launch date than the saturn did in its first year. It has a healthy installed base of about 6 million units in the US(more since the $99 price drop). The problem is, it didn't hit big in Japan for a number or reasons (recession, expensive internet, PS2's DVD capability). Sega could have survived on the US and European market, but they wanted to cash in-and believe me, they will. I wish them luck, but I wish they would have supported my DC a little longer... :(