Sure, the Final Fantasy games are great, and wildly popular, but there is one RPG series even more popular (at least in Japan). Dragon Quest VII sold more copies than any Final Fantasy game ever did. Enix hasn't named which platform they're going to develop the next one on, but whatever console they annouce it for is guaranteed success, at least in Japan.
If anyone at Microsoft has half a brain, they're in negotiations to buy them outright, or at least get DQ8 to be an Xbox exclusive.
Oh, and I wouldn't count on FF for Gamecube. Nintendo's idiot president is still holding a grudge against Square.
This is good news for the Xbox, since that seems to be a product of their hardware, operating system, application, and game divisions. I'd imagine it'd be a big pain in the ass for them if those were all separate companies all of a sudden. Besides hampering internal communcation and collaboration, what if suddenly MS Hardware had to BUY copies of Windows for all their Xboxes due to an anti-trust decision? That would drive up the cost of the system dramatically.
Smart tags wouldn't be so bad if they were actually smart. I'm not interested in having every instance of the word Microsoft link to www.microsoft.com, but can't we think of some useful implementations of Smart Tags? Just because it's from Microsoft doesn't mean the idea is completely without merit.
For instance, I might like to be able to click on a word, any word, and have it open up a window with a definition from dict.org. Not sure what LXHTMRAM is? The definition is just a click away.
Or maybe be able to pop up a quick Google search on the word (or words) you choose. In fact, multiple Smart Tags could co-exist. Just right-click and choose which one to implement.
I don't think it should underline keywords on a page, as it would screw with the graphical style. And of course it should never be activated by a simple (accidental) left-click, but those are two simple design issues.
Don't think MS would release useful smart tag packages? Well, you do realize that anyone can develop their own. My company, for instance, is developing a smart tag pack (for Office XP though) that'll let people grab flight data from their online database whenever someone types in a flight number. In the same vein, I'm sure that two minutes after the release, everyone would be developing their own smart tag packs for other people to download, providing useful links to dictionary definitions, image searches, or even relevant comic strips.
Hey, while I'm dreaming, it'd be nice if webmasters could specifically enable (or disable) certain smart-tag packages, instead of just disabling smart tags altogether. Oh, and third party browsers (Mozilla) could be developed to use the same smart tags. And MS could GPL Internet Explorer, and...
Sorry if I got out of hand. I just like the idea customizing my web browsing experience to add functionality. That's all.
I'd prefer to think of them as Evil Nazi Clones. You do know that Nazis had cloning back then, don't you? Yep, cloning and rockets. Don't believe any of that genetic mutation crap, though, that was all done by sorcery.
World War II is a historical setting, in which many works of fiction (books, movies, etc.) take place. I'd like to think that I could make a movie or a game set in WWII and not have it be a documentary.
I mean, I don't see anyone complaining about Indiana Jones, even though it's got all sorts of Nazi-looking stuff in it. How else are you going to do a movie set in World War 2? (Well, unless you focus on the Japanese side of it.) Sheesh, next you'll be asking for a Civil War game without the confederate flag, or a game set in the Cold War without Soviet symbols or propaganda.
Anyway, I trust Return to Castle Wolfenstein will display Nazi's in roughly the same light as good ol' Indy did: They're evil, they want to take over the world, and they melt easily.
Heh, this reminds me of when a bunch of kids in my high school got in trouble for installing a few copies of the Wolf 3D on a couple of the computers.
Did they get in trouble for installing games on school computers? No. They get in trouble because it was violent? No. They got in trouble because the game "displayed Nazi symbols." i.e. Sometimes there would be a swastika on the wall, etc..
I tried explaining it to the vice principal of the time, "Uh... in the game you're an American soldier and you have to kill the Nazis. I even think your guy is Jewish." But he would have none of that. There were Nazi symbols on those computer screens, and darnit, somebody was in big trouble. I don't remember what happened to the kids, though. I suppose nowadays they'd get expelled because the game involved shooting. Add Nazi propaganda, and I guess they'd be in jail for life.
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Sure, the Final Fantasy games are great, and wildly popular, but there is one RPG series even more popular (at least in Japan). Dragon Quest VII sold more copies than any Final Fantasy game ever did. Enix hasn't named which platform they're going to develop the next one on, but whatever console they annouce it for is guaranteed success, at least in Japan.
If anyone at Microsoft has half a brain, they're in negotiations to buy them outright, or at least get DQ8 to be an Xbox exclusive.
Oh, and I wouldn't count on FF for Gamecube. Nintendo's idiot president is still holding a grudge against Square.
This is good news for the Xbox, since that seems to be a product of their hardware, operating system, application, and game divisions. I'd imagine it'd be a big pain in the ass for them if those were all separate companies all of a sudden. Besides hampering internal communcation and collaboration, what if suddenly MS Hardware had to BUY copies of Windows for all their Xboxes due to an anti-trust decision? That would drive up the cost of the system dramatically.
;-)
Well, they could always switch to Linux.
Smart tags wouldn't be so bad if they were actually smart. I'm not interested in having every instance of the word Microsoft link to www.microsoft.com, but can't we think of some useful implementations of Smart Tags? Just because it's from Microsoft doesn't mean the idea is completely without merit.
For instance, I might like to be able to click on a word, any word, and have it open up a window with a definition from dict.org. Not sure what LXHTMRAM is? The definition is just a click away.
Or maybe be able to pop up a quick Google search on the word (or words) you choose. In fact, multiple Smart Tags could co-exist. Just right-click and choose which one to implement.
I don't think it should underline keywords on a page, as it would screw with the graphical style. And of course it should never be activated by a simple (accidental) left-click, but those are two simple design issues.
Don't think MS would release useful smart tag packages? Well, you do realize that anyone can develop their own. My company, for instance, is developing a smart tag pack (for Office XP though) that'll let people grab flight data from their online database whenever someone types in a flight number. In the same vein, I'm sure that two minutes after the release, everyone would be developing their own smart tag packs for other people to download, providing useful links to dictionary definitions, image searches, or even relevant comic strips.
Hey, while I'm dreaming, it'd be nice if webmasters could specifically enable (or disable) certain smart-tag packages, instead of just disabling smart tags altogether. Oh, and third party browsers (Mozilla) could be developed to use the same smart tags. And MS could GPL Internet Explorer, and...
Sorry if I got out of hand. I just like the idea customizing my web browsing experience to add functionality. That's all.
I'd prefer to think of them as Evil Nazi Clones. You do know that Nazis had cloning back then, don't you? Yep, cloning and rockets. Don't believe any of that genetic mutation crap, though, that was all done by sorcery.
World War II is a historical setting, in which many works of fiction (books, movies, etc.) take place. I'd like to think that I could make a movie or a game set in WWII and not have it be a documentary.
I mean, I don't see anyone complaining about Indiana Jones, even though it's got all sorts of Nazi-looking stuff in it. How else are you going to do a movie set in World War 2? (Well, unless you focus on the Japanese side of it.) Sheesh, next you'll be asking for a Civil War game without the confederate flag, or a game set in the Cold War without Soviet symbols or propaganda.
Anyway, I trust Return to Castle Wolfenstein will display Nazi's in roughly the same light as good ol' Indy did: They're evil, they want to take over the world, and they melt easily.
Heh, this reminds me of when a bunch of kids in my high school got in trouble for installing a few copies of the Wolf 3D on a couple of the computers.
Did they get in trouble for installing games on school computers? No. They get in trouble because it was violent? No. They got in trouble because the game "displayed Nazi symbols." i.e. Sometimes there would be a swastika on the wall, etc..
I tried explaining it to the vice principal of the time, "Uh... in the game you're an American soldier and you have to kill the Nazis. I even think your guy is Jewish." But he would have none of that. There were Nazi symbols on those computer screens, and darnit, somebody was in big trouble. I don't remember what happened to the kids, though. I suppose nowadays they'd get expelled because the game involved shooting. Add Nazi propaganda, and I guess they'd be in jail for life.