It wouldn't matter if Microsoft got some exclusive Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games, it still wouldn't sell xboxes in Japan. That's just the reality of the situation.
Fun side note: The Sega Genesis did poorly in Japan, while the Sega Saturn did pretty well. The Playstation 3 is the new Sega Saturn. Reasonably successful only in Japan, and not #1 anywhere.
The NJ terror plot to go in guns blazing was spoiled by a video store clerk, despite them trying to claim they used their new powers to good effect.
Perhaps that one guy would have been ignored under the old system. Ever think of that?
As a matter of fact, similar warnings were lost and ignored prior to 9/11. It takes reforms to be more responsive to these kinds of tips, while at the same time filtering out the false leads.
A friend of mine got into a physical relationship with a woman he met through World of Warcraft. It may seem unlikely, but she was an actual woman around his age range. (Though she wasn't really a Night Elf. Lying bitch!;-)
Anyway, that event restored my faith in online relationships, even if the two of them are on the outs at the moment. The biggest barrier, IMHO, is finding out they live several hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Uh, the Gamasutra article clearly blames the PS3 (right or wrong). You're just being a knee-jerk.
Also, Take Two did say that both platforms had their difficulties, but: A) Perhaps they're being diplomatic. or B) It's possible that one platform's "difficulties" are more dire than the other's.
Well, a lot of Linux and Mac folks say that the only thing Windows is good for is playing games.
So it's theoretically a good thing that MS is crystallizing their gaming experience into a standalone console. With all these PC/Xbox cross-platform games (plus whatever console-only releases), it makes owning a Windows gaming PC less necessary.
If you wait for the PS3 to come down to a reasonable price, it won't be a very long-term investment at all, seeing as the next-next gen of consoles will be right around the corner.
I suppose you could always be a generation behind, but other people would be playing GTA4 on a much cheaper console in the meantime.
I understand that gaming is much bigger now than when I used to play online, but I guess I am just genuinely surprised that there seems to be so many people in these online worlds. When I hear all that 'gaming speak' about raids, and 'plus this' and 'casting spells' and all of it - I just snicker inside. I do find it interesting that so many people seem to REALLY get into it, enough to ruin their lives/marriage/jobs. It just seems so ridiculous. Maybe I am the odd one, because I just don't get it.
Well, I can't believe people actually get into your favorite hobby or pastime. It just seems so ridiculous. It makes me snicker inside.
> "The game managers have a huge incentive (and plenty of tools) to maintain the 'game economy' and keep players happy."
Government micromanaged economies always end in disaster, though I shouldn't be surprised that you suggested it.
> "They tacitly approve of farming (which encourages play for a certain population) by not aggressively restricting high volume item transfers."
Blizzard has all sorts of monitoring utilities and filtering set up to catch illicit behavior. But it's not like they can outright ban large transfers, because a lot of it is legitimate (guild related).
And they have a good financial incentive to ban as many farmers as possible. Besides maintaining the community (the value of which is incalculable), every banned account is another retail sale.
> "So don't worry - those pesky poor people won't interrupt your gaming."
You're the one that wants to give in-game advantages to the wealthy.
And in the process you'd destroy the game economy and make all the players leave. But I guess that's par for the course for such harebrained "global inequality" schemes.
Tip: the poor people of the world need to create their own wealth, not leech off of other's.
I always see this flamebait comment crop up whenever we have a story about goldfarming. The fact is, in any competitive game -- especially one that requires a long-term commitment -- there will always be people who will try to skip ahead via illegitimate means. Be it cheating, buying gold, or other exploitative behavior.
Some people just can't play and enjoy a good game on their own terms. They have to "keep up with the Joneses", so to speak.
If you decided to go any way other than pure ranged combat, you had to be an expert in running like hell, because you'd be cut down in every random encounter
Bullshit. I played through and had a very good time with a purely melee character in both Fallout games. Lots of AP + a Super Sledgehammer is surprisingly effective.
Slashdot Mirror
Gran Turismo 5 still doesn't have car damage, despite how pretty it looks. I've left the franchise altogether, personally.
Well, most PS3 ports have souped-down graphics, but you've got the right general idea.
It wouldn't matter if Microsoft got some exclusive Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games, it still wouldn't sell xboxes in Japan. That's just the reality of the situation.
Fun side note: The Sega Genesis did poorly in Japan, while the Sega Saturn did pretty well.
The Playstation 3 is the new Sega Saturn. Reasonably successful only in Japan, and not #1 anywhere.
The Dreamcast still failed with 10 million units sold, remember.
A console may have X million owners, but no single game can appeal to them all. They're split up amongst different markets for starters.
Perhaps that one guy would have been ignored under the old system. Ever think of that?
As a matter of fact, similar warnings were lost and ignored prior to 9/11. It takes reforms to be more responsive to these kinds of tips, while at the same time filtering out the false leads.
A friend of mine got into a physical relationship with a woman he met through World of Warcraft. It may seem unlikely, but she was an actual woman around his age range. (Though she wasn't really a Night Elf. Lying bitch! ;-)
Anyway, that event restored my faith in online relationships, even if the two of them are on the outs at the moment. The biggest barrier, IMHO, is finding out they live several hundreds or thousands of miles away.
I love how the article glosses over Opera. It's barely mentioned once, and certainly not looked at.
I guess the ability to run a third-party browser would be an "unfair comparison" to the iPhone.
You've got to be kidding. Perhaps you can find some good journalism there, underneath all the bile, slant, and anonymous sources.
He had one big story, and has been trying to recapture the magic ever since.
So the "pot of gold" is the best weapons and armor available, right?
I ask you, how are you meant to spend this particular pot of gold? It's only good for one thing: conquering tougher content.
Interesting. Link?
Wikipedia makes no mention of this fact, though it does mention that they're using the RAGE engine from their earlier Xbox 360 release, Table Tennis.
Uh, the Gamasutra article clearly blames the PS3 (right or wrong). You're just being a knee-jerk.
Also, Take Two did say that both platforms had their difficulties, but:
A) Perhaps they're being diplomatic.
or
B) It's possible that one platform's "difficulties" are more dire than the other's.
Plus:
* Hyjal
* Kul Tiras (island nation to the west of Menethil somewhere)
* Undermine
* The various buried old gods.
Not to mention all the unfinished terrain that prevents us from using flying mounts in Azeroth.
For all we know, this is another expansion to the WoW card game. Or perhaps the board game!
Well, a lot of Linux and Mac folks say that the only thing Windows is good for is playing games.
So it's theoretically a good thing that MS is crystallizing their gaming experience into a standalone console. With all these PC/Xbox cross-platform games (plus whatever console-only releases), it makes owning a Windows gaming PC less necessary.
In theory.
If you wait for the PS3 to come down to a reasonable price, it won't be a very long-term investment at all, seeing as the next-next gen of consoles will be right around the corner.
I suppose you could always be a generation behind, but other people would be playing GTA4 on a much cheaper console in the meantime.
Well, both Toyotas and Lexuses use the same gasoline. If fuel was brand-specific, Lexus owners might be SOL.
Interesting. Usually ad execs don't star in their own commercials.
I'm sorry, but mixing in bullshit statistics with your otherwise plausible arguments really dilutes your point.
Well, I can't believe people actually get into your favorite hobby or pastime. It just seems so ridiculous. It makes me snicker inside.
Because impressionable kids are far more likely to go out and have reckless sex than go on a reckless killing spree.
> "The game managers have a huge incentive (and plenty of tools) to maintain the 'game economy' and keep players happy."
Government micromanaged economies always end in disaster, though I shouldn't be surprised that you suggested it.
> "They tacitly approve of farming (which encourages play for a certain population) by not aggressively restricting high volume item transfers."
Blizzard has all sorts of monitoring utilities and filtering set up to catch illicit behavior. But it's not like they can outright ban large transfers, because a lot of it is legitimate (guild related).
And they have a good financial incentive to ban as many farmers as possible. Besides maintaining the community (the value of which is incalculable), every banned account is another retail sale.
> "So don't worry - those pesky poor people won't interrupt your gaming."
You're the one that wants to give in-game advantages to the wealthy.
And in the process you'd destroy the game economy and make all the players leave. But I guess that's par for the course for such harebrained "global inequality" schemes.
Tip: the poor people of the world need to create their own wealth, not leech off of other's.
I always see this flamebait comment crop up whenever we have a story about goldfarming. The fact is, in any competitive game -- especially one that requires a long-term commitment -- there will always be people who will try to skip ahead via illegitimate means. Be it cheating, buying gold, or other exploitative behavior.
Some people just can't play and enjoy a good game on their own terms. They have to "keep up with the Joneses", so to speak.
Bullshit. I played through and had a very good time with a purely melee character in both Fallout games. Lots of AP + a Super Sledgehammer is surprisingly effective.