The reason why they have such a problem with it is because they can't get the relationship right. Ebert got it backwards. They both involve rules and a victory condition, sports are just a subset of games that involve some athleticism.
I'm completely with you on the first paragraph, I just don't think the underlying game ever becomes art. I just don't see how a set of rules and a victory condition can evoke emotion and be considered art. Think about Chess, great game but not art and playing the game using pieces that are art doesn't change that.
I'm not the biggest fan of Gears adversarial multiplayer but I did think that the single player and coop modes were done fairly well. The problem with reviews currently is that the multiplayer review gets done before the game gets released and none of the reviewers have a chance to actually experience what the game is like when you're not playing with 7 people that you know and are in a relatively close geographic proximity. Gears online is kinda fun and at least with me it was only after trying to deal with the numerous failed attempts to connect to servers and waiting ~10 minutes for rooms to fill up only to realize on match 7 that its was best of 21... and we were already down 6-1... elegance is not a word that I would expect to be used to describe this online system.
The single player game probably did deserve ~9.5, the multiplayer game deserved a 6 (I can't play it but I'll give it a point or two because its been the top XBL game since release, so someone clearly can). I would think an ~8.5 for the whole package would be fair.
Can't agree more. I remember being somewhat confused as to why I couldn't just host or join a game like I had in RS3 when I first started Halo 2. A couple months later I couldn't imagine playing an online game any another way. Halo 2's matchmaking system wasn't prefect (some of the playlists had their 'quirks' from time to time) but it definitely had the right idea. There have actually been a few games over the last couple years that I haven't purchased because I knew they didn't have a quality matchmaking system, most recently Lost Planet.
Party based matchmaking should have been a requirement for all team based online games since the launch of the 360. I expected CoD, PDZ, GRAW and Gears to have had this implemented, needless to say this is one thing I have been disappointed with on the 360.
You do realize you just brought up a game that spans 4 or 5 DVDs as a claim that the Xbox 360 doesn't need to come out with a new HD-DVD version?
No, actually he's not. WoW came on 4 CDs, it did not ship on DVD. I have heard that the collectors edition of BC shipped on a DVD but my regular BC box had another 4 cds in it.
I believe the trial that you can pick up in the store comes on a single DVD.
I don't think the sarcasm was the problem... I think it was the bad analogy. Purchasing decisions for Windows and OS X are not like those for PS3 and Xbox360,
1. Apple actually has a product that is expected to ship around the same time as Vista, so anyone sitting on the fence may be MORE likely to choose Vista since Microsoft is handing out vouchers if you purchase now. If you buy a new Mac its going to run you $130 in February for the new OS. 2. Most customers don't buy the PC for the OS they buy a PC, the OS doesn't even enter the picture. When shopping for the PC most of them don't compare Windows to Mac they compare Dells and HPs. 3. On the other hand quite a few gamers do make an active decision in which console they purchase, or at least narrow it down via "I don't like the X".
It is hard to really say if the shortage actually hurts Sony but I am pretty sure that it doesn't help them.
Fair enough, what about WoW supporting OS X and Windows in the same box though? If the publisher wants to target both platforms in a single box then will find a way to do it.
Actually I've seen DVD reviews in AV mags give separate categories for different elements of the disc; video quality, sound quality, special features, overall movie. The "overall movie" is usually what most movie reviewers would do their review on, AV magazines have a different audience and take this into account. Same thing goes for video games, I care about graphics and I care about sound and I really think they glaze over these categories too much.
What I would love to see is for reviewers to hammer game makers for the truly lazy oversights in games. ie I just picked up Marvel:UA for my 360 and the audio balance between the music and the effects is so off that I could hardly hear any punches at the default levels. I shouldn't have to balance the sound in a game! 6/10. No mention of this problem on IGN, but in there defense they did only give the sound a 7/10.
Oh and my speakers still haven't forgotten how far off the default volume in NBA2k6 was from every other game for the 360... That was half the reason that I didn't pick up 2k7.
So... after that long stroll around the point I'm going to say I agree with you, as they are currently handled categorized scores are BS, they don't spend enough time on any give category to make it worth while. Now if they were to examine each category to the point that they mention small problems with graphics, sound and UI, even issues that may not affect every users experience, I would be all for it.
As it stands the numbers are a completely worthless.
Why would he need to borrow songs from a friend's Zune? Wouldn't he just rip the CD, or listen to it on their Zune?
This is a worthless feature, anyone you know would be able to accommodate you sampling some tracks easier and no one is going to sacrifice battery life so a stranger can sample their music.
They were making the mod for the thrill of making the mod. They aren't selling it and you never gave them money. So they don't owe you anything. They need people to help test, if you actually help them test then they will let you sample the mod. Sounds fair to me. I'm sure there are tons of people that would download the mod and either provide no feedback, provide incoherent feedback, or make vague bug reports that just caused the developers to waste several hours trying to identify the circumstances that were required to reproduce the bug. They may view testers as part of the team, just like artists and coders, which doesn't sound like a bad idea.
It sounds like you're the selfish one that thinks they owed you the mod simply because they made it.
If only all the Libertarians just moved into a virtual world to create their wet dream survival of the fittest dystopias and let us decent people build something better together in reality... and remove all motivation for hard work and invention.
Actually its even more than that. Not sure of the current number but I did find a more recent article that states 4.3 mil subscribers in China, ~2/3 of the current total.
This really depends on the game, in most single player games I'd agree. Leave it alone, save for some glitches. ie. the hurricane packs for NG that fixed the camera issues. Balancing a game for single player isn't as big a deal.
As for multiplayer, I'm all for periodic tweaks to the game to try to balance things out. How many times has Blizzard tweaked Warcraft 3 over the years? Change the health on this, the speed on that, hmm maybe this unit should have a different armor type... all in the name of making the game more balanced. These gameplay changes might have even helped to keep the community interested in the game by forcing players to rethink their strategy .
Actually I think WoW made most of the crafting professions useless, not gold farmers. The best armor and weapons have to be found in high level raid instances. Is there anything that a 300 tailor can make that interests a level 60 mage enough to actually have them part with a large amount of gold knowing that something even better could be found on their next run through Molten Core?
You've got to remember that Namco arcade probably has 2-3 games that you actually want to play while the rest you could do without. So spending 12-18 on the games you want might be better than spending 20-30 on the games you want and 7 others that you couldn't care less about.
Slashdot Mirror
The reason why they have such a problem with it is because they can't get the relationship right. Ebert got it backwards. They both involve rules and a victory condition, sports are just a subset of games that involve some athleticism.
I'm completely with you on the first paragraph, I just don't think the underlying game ever becomes art. I just don't see how a set of rules and a victory condition can evoke emotion and be considered art. Think about Chess, great game but not art and playing the game using pieces that are art doesn't change that.
What other Zunes?
Actually, you slept through Marketroid Bullshit 1.1
make that 4...
I'm not the biggest fan of Gears adversarial multiplayer but I did think that the single player and coop modes were done fairly well. The problem with reviews currently is that the multiplayer review gets done before the game gets released and none of the reviewers have a chance to actually experience what the game is like when you're not playing with 7 people that you know and are in a relatively close geographic proximity. Gears online is kinda fun and at least with me it was only after trying to deal with the numerous failed attempts to connect to servers and waiting ~10 minutes for rooms to fill up only to realize on match 7 that its was best of 21... and we were already down 6-1... elegance is not a word that I would expect to be used to describe this online system.
The single player game probably did deserve ~9.5, the multiplayer game deserved a 6 (I can't play it but I'll give it a point or two because its been the top XBL game since release, so someone clearly can). I would think an ~8.5 for the whole package would be fair.
Can't agree more. I remember being somewhat confused as to why I couldn't just host or join a game like I had in RS3 when I first started Halo 2. A couple months later I couldn't imagine playing an online game any another way. Halo 2's matchmaking system wasn't prefect (some of the playlists had their 'quirks' from time to time) but it definitely had the right idea. There have actually been a few games over the last couple years that I haven't purchased because I knew they didn't have a quality matchmaking system, most recently Lost Planet.
Party based matchmaking should have been a requirement for all team based online games since the launch of the 360. I expected CoD, PDZ, GRAW and Gears to have had this implemented, needless to say this is one thing I have been disappointed with on the 360.
No, actually he's not. WoW came on 4 CDs, it did not ship on DVD. I have heard that the collectors edition of BC shipped on a DVD but my regular BC box had another 4 cds in it.
I believe the trial that you can pick up in the store comes on a single DVD.
When I first read that I thought you said BLISTER... flashbacks of playing Street Fighter Alpha 3
I don't think the sarcasm was the problem... I think it was the bad analogy. Purchasing decisions for Windows and OS X are not like those for PS3 and Xbox360,
1. Apple actually has a product that is expected to ship around the same time as Vista, so anyone sitting on the fence may be MORE likely to choose Vista since Microsoft is handing out vouchers if you purchase now. If you buy a new Mac its going to run you $130 in February for the new OS.
2. Most customers don't buy the PC for the OS they buy a PC, the OS doesn't even enter the picture. When shopping for the PC most of them don't compare Windows to Mac they compare Dells and HPs.
3. On the other hand quite a few gamers do make an active decision in which console they purchase, or at least narrow it down via "I don't like the X".
It is hard to really say if the shortage actually hurts Sony but I am pretty sure that it doesn't help them.
Fair enough, what about WoW supporting OS X and Windows in the same box though? If the publisher wants to target both platforms in a single box then will find a way to do it.
Actually I've seen DVD reviews in AV mags give separate categories for different elements of the disc; video quality, sound quality, special features, overall movie. The "overall movie" is usually what most movie reviewers would do their review on, AV magazines have a different audience and take this into account. Same thing goes for video games, I care about graphics and I care about sound and I really think they glaze over these categories too much.
What I would love to see is for reviewers to hammer game makers for the truly lazy oversights in games. ie I just picked up Marvel:UA for my 360 and the audio balance between the music and the effects is so off that I could hardly hear any punches at the default levels. I shouldn't have to balance the sound in a game! 6/10. No mention of this problem on IGN, but in there defense they did only give the sound a 7/10.
Oh and my speakers still haven't forgotten how far off the default volume in NBA2k6 was from every other game for the 360... That was half the reason that I didn't pick up 2k7.
So... after that long stroll around the point I'm going to say I agree with you, as they are currently handled categorized scores are BS, they don't spend enough time on any give category to make it worth while. Now if they were to examine each category to the point that they mention small problems with graphics, sound and UI, even issues that may not affect every users experience, I would be all for it.
As it stands the numbers are a completely worthless.
Why would he need to borrow songs from a friend's Zune? Wouldn't he just rip the CD, or listen to it on their Zune?
This is a worthless feature, anyone you know would be able to accommodate you sampling some tracks easier and no one is going to sacrifice battery life so a stranger can sample their music.
They were making the mod for the thrill of making the mod. They aren't selling it and you never gave them money. So they don't owe you anything. They need people to help test, if you actually help them test then they will let you sample the mod. Sounds fair to me. I'm sure there are tons of people that would download the mod and either provide no feedback, provide incoherent feedback, or make vague bug reports that just caused the developers to waste several hours trying to identify the circumstances that were required to reproduce the bug. They may view testers as part of the team, just like artists and coders, which doesn't sound like a bad idea.
It sounds like you're the selfish one that thinks they owed you the mod simply because they made it.
Any doubts about the 360s library will end the moment DOAX2 is released. 2 words: "Butt Battle"
If only all the Libertarians just moved into a virtual world to create their wet dream survival of the fittest dystopias and let us decent people build something better together in reality... and remove all motivation for hard work and invention.
:)
Fixed
Star Trek rots the brain.
Just like my toilet!
Actually its even more than that. Not sure of the current number but I did find a more recent article that states 4.3 mil subscribers in China, ~2/3 of the current total.
o rld-warcraft-majority
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2157091/china-w
This really depends on the game, in most single player games I'd agree. Leave it alone, save for some glitches. ie. the hurricane packs for NG that fixed the camera issues. Balancing a game for single player isn't as big a deal.
As for multiplayer, I'm all for periodic tweaks to the game to try to balance things out. How many times has Blizzard tweaked Warcraft 3 over the years? Change the health on this, the speed on that, hmm maybe this unit should have a different armor type... all in the name of making the game more balanced. These gameplay changes might have even helped to keep the community interested in the game by forcing players to rethink their strategy .
What, couldn't think of a Yakov Smirnoff joke? I would mod you down if I had points...
Isn't that an argument FOR being less discrete?
Actually I think WoW made most of the crafting professions useless, not gold farmers. The best armor and weapons have to be found in high level raid instances. Is there anything that a 300 tailor can make that interests a level 60 mage enough to actually have them part with a large amount of gold knowing that something even better could be found on their next run through Molten Core?
So what games do you like?
Actually you can use your old headset, you will just have to change the volume in the menu. I've been using my H2 headset for months without problems.
You've got to remember that Namco arcade probably has 2-3 games that you actually want to play while the rest you could do without. So spending 12-18 on the games you want might be better than spending 20-30 on the games you want and 7 others that you couldn't care less about.