Mario Golf
P.N. 03 (better than people gave it credit for)
F-Zero
Viewtiful Joe
Rogue Squadron 3
Kirby's Air Ride
Mario Party 5
Mario Kart
And that's just off the top of my head. Every one of these games (except maybe PN03, depending on your taste) is worth owning. That's 8 exclusives, 5 of which I'd classify as AAA titles.
On top of those are all the multi-platform games (damn, Prince of Persia was good. So was Beyond Good & Evil).
Honestly, I haven't followed the release schedules of the PS2 or XBox very closely, since I have more than enough games to keep me very well occupied on my 'Cube and PC, so what am I supposedly missing? Grabbed by the Ghoulies? Final Fantasy: Teen-pop Edition?
Honestly, the RIAA doesn't bother me that much. But at the same time, I don't want my tools used to 'prove' their tenuous cases. Let them do their own damn work and track down their infringers.
What worries me more is that somebody might one day visit a web site -- maybe a site that presents extremist views, dissidents perhaps -- and goons in FBI jackets show up wanting to know who was browsing it from a particular IP address at a given time.
The tool I'm working on is for network management, not suppressing information dispersal. (that's hardly a university's mission statement...) However, it is *completely* possible to be used that way, since nobody may use the network anonymously.
--Jeremy
I'm sort of working on this same problem.
on
RIAA Files 532 Lawsuits
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I'm currently developing a new management system for our university network of ~4000 nodes. It has the ability not only to track every single IP address ever used by any student, but also what hub port/wireless AP they were connected to at the time.
As an internal debugging/security tool, this is *great* information. We can make sure that people aren't abusing the network. We can find and disable compromised machines with very simple tools. We can easily do tons of other useful administrative tasks.
However, I *really* worry that the information could be subpoenad and used against individual students by the likes of the RIAA/MPAA. I've been harping on upper management to let us purge the history after roughly a week (tops), which would give us plenty of debugging time, and at the same time not give the legal system enough time to issue a subpoena before the information is gone.
It's really a wierd situation for me. The tools I'm working on are extremely powerful, and will definitely save our network guys a lot of time. But there's a distinct possibility that the information we gather could be used in ways that I, personally, find abhorrent.
It makes me wonder about other developers working on software that's used for security: it's a fascinating job, and has tons of really good applications. But at the same time each piece moves us one step closer an Orwellian society becoming possible. Is this something I/we should really be persuing, given the potential outcome?
Wrong. Nintendo didn't censor BMX XXX at all. Sony was the only console manufacturer that forced Acclaim to censor any of BMX XXX's content.
In fact, Nintendo hasn't done any "censorship" since the very first Mortal Kombat and Wolfenstein 3D for the SNES. The market reacted badly in both cases, and Nintendo stopped the practice.
Of course, the current meme is that Nintendo won't let anything non-kid-friendly on their systems, but that in fact hasn't been true for about a decade now.
One of the reasons that Super Metroid is still my favorite game is because of precisely this: anyone can pick up the controller and get all the way through the game with nothing more than walking, shooting, jumping, and running.
But the more advanced players will learn how to do the wall kick and boost jumps, enabling them to find new areas and shortcuts and get through the game faster. So even after beating it once, there's still tons of room for improvement.
Basic control is both easy and adequate to finish the game, but the controls extend much further than the basics for those interested in mastering them.
Nintendo never really worked in the arcade? Uhh... Donkey Kong? (Super) Mario Bros.? Excitebike? Killer Instinct?
The arcade may not have been one of Nintendo's main focuses for quite some time, but to claim that they never worked in the arcade is just wrong. I mean, Donkey Kong was one of the most successful arcade games of all time, and may have single-handedly been responsible for the creation of Nintendo of America as it stands today.
The point is not that there seems to be an anti-Nintendo slant. The big problem that a lot of us have is that when there *is* an anti-Nintendo slant, the article will immediately suggest that Nintendo go 3rd party, or that the Gamecube is doing so poorly that it should be canned, or any number of other doom and gloom predictions.
You already admitted to not reading the article. Let me ask you this: How many "Nintendo should leave the hardware industry" articles have you read? Now, taking into account the fact that Nintendo is currently #1 in hardware sales (GBA + 'Cube account for >50% market share), #2 in set-top-box sales, and Microsoft is a solid #3 worldwide, how many articles have you read that say that Microsoft should get out of the game hardware business?
And no, I'm not suggesting that there's some sort of conspiracy. A conspiracy takes a level of manipulation and cooperation that I don't think the video game press is capable of pulling off. But there's a definite defeatist attitude toward Nintendo in the gaming press, and just claiming to not see it doesn't mean it's not there.
Oh -- and how's this: I hate morons. If you are a moron, do not reply. (substitute 'rabid conservative' for 'moron' if you want. They're synonomous in my vocabulary, anyway.)
The only hard 'fact' in those 3 pages is that the PS3 will use 'CELL' technology. Other than that there's just speculation that the XBox 2 might not have a hard drive, some more Sony marketing hyperbole (PS3 will be 1000 times faster!), and the requisite Nintendo questioning.
There was absolutely nothing in that article to make it worth reading. Of course, it was on GameSpy, so that's not too surprising.
The only really ugly graphics you see are on the PS1/Saturn/N64 era games
Agreed. I recently went back and played FF7 a bit, since I think it still has one of the best opening sequences in any game. It'd been at least 5 years since I last played it, and I remembered it looking great at the time.
Boy, was that a shock. Low-resolution, low-framerate intro, terrible looking characters... It just didn't look nearly as good as I remembered it.
However, I then put in FF3, and it looks *exactly* like I remembered it, and still looked good (IMO, anyway).
Had a similar (but not nearly as bad) experience with Super Mario 64 vs. Super Mario World.
Maybe a bill to force parents to actually look at the game they buy their children would be better.
That's what this bill does. Kids can't legally buy M-rated games (under the bill), forcing parents to buy it for them. And while that doesn't force them to read the label, at least they might give it a glance.
Personally, I wish the ESRB had the ability to crack down on dealers who sell M-rated games to minors. The ratings are there for a reason. They aren't working right now because nobody can enforce them. (and honestly, do you think that EB and company will turn down a customer's money if they don't have to?) This bill would make them enforcable.
But current ratings systems (ESRB, MPAA, etc) are *privately* run. A goverment mandated ratings system makes content subject to the whims of special interests and big donors of elected officials.
And this is different from the MPAA's ratings... how? Why is it that we can't see any form of sex in a movie without an R rating, but any amount of violence is ok for PG? Maybe... because of special interests like the Christian right?
Just because something isn't government-run doesn't mean it's impervious to the whims of special interests.
The fact that it uses 2.4ghz instead of 900 mhz makes a HELL of a difference in lag
Ummm... what? 2.4 ghz signals travel at the same speed as 900 mhz signals. And even if they didn't, you're talking about a distance so short that it wouldn't make a difference. The 'lag' has everything to do with the quality of the transmitter/receiver, and nothing to do with the frequency.
I've change my batteries at least 5 times this past year
Wow. Using my Wavebird (which, admittedly, doesn't have rumble), I've changed batteries twice in the ~20 months I've owned it (and once was last week). And that's certainly not because I don't play it very often... Judging from some of the games I went through on a single set of batteries, I'd guess I put at least 250 hours on my last set of AA's.
The only problems I've had are, like you said, not having a cradel and rechargable batteries. Also, I've got a 900Mhz phone, and whenever it rings it interferes with the controller. Doesn't hurt much, since most of my gaming is in the late evenings and nobody's calling, but still an annoyance.
I don't know what decade you're posting from, but most console games these days allow you to save. Maybe you can't always save anywhere you want, but they're also typically designed to be playable for shorter times, so you won't have to re-do much.
SOF 2 -- ok, has a hardcore mode with limited saves. Resident Evil (as was mentioned earlier) has multiple difficulties. In the easier ones, you get plenty of saves, but not enough to just save indiscriminately. In the harder ones, you get far fewer, so you have to carefully plan.
And as for mod-ability as being able to 'do what you want,' well yeah. But modding the game to something different is completely different than having a game that just lets you 'do what you want.' Which do you want? Mod-ability, or some nebulous request about a game that lets you play however you want? Let's look at, say, WarCraft 3. You can build grunts instead of taurans. Ok, you get to play how you want. Now Mario Sunshine -- you have an objective to complete, how you make your way around the level to complete it is up to you. Or are you saying that Mario should be given choice of a bazooka, instead of being restricted to only a water cannon?
What exactly do you mean by 'doing what you want?'
Let's go back to SOF2 again. You've got a hardcore mode for hardcore players to choose, letting them compare scores and prove something. Ok, they make that choice. In Metroid Prime, you can play through the game and try to get 100% scans/equipment. Or maybe try to get the least equipment and ignore speed. Or maybe only go for 100% equipment as fast as you can. It lets the user make whatever choice they want about how they play. GTA lets you go through missions or just drive around and wreak havoc. Metal Gear lets you try to be silent and sneaky or go through the game with guns blazing.
So, again, what exactly do you mean by 'doing what you want?' My response to whatever you say is that it's got absolutely nothing to do with console vs. PC games. Unless, of course, you're talking about modding. Then I just say: if you're modding, you're not playing the *game* that the developers made. You're playing something else, and that's a different discussion.
Dunno. I challenge anyone to tell me that Quest for Glory/Hero's Quest wasn't an adventure game, despite all its swordplay and simple action elements. It was certainly one of my favorites in the genre.
I'd say that the QG series was your vegetarian's 'salad' with croutons.
I think that the only disincentive to porting the game to the 'Cube that's worth worrying about is the exclusivity deals that Rockstar signed, that Sony and Microsoft paid for.
You spent about $1000 on your PC, lasted 3 years. We'll call that $333/yr.
My Gamecube (which I bought on release day, 2001), cost me $200, + $90 for controllers, +$20 for memory cards = $310. It would be substantially cheaper I bought it today, but it also wouldn't have the same 'lifespan'. So, anyway, I'm looking at having to replace it in 2005, so that's roughly $80/yr it cost me. I saved $253/yr. And that's not even counting the fact that I can play 4-player games on my 'Cube. If I want to have 3 friends over to play PC games, the price difference skyrockets.
I won't argue that PC titles depreciate in value much faster than console titles. But I will argue that you can generally get $15 towards a trade-in with a console game, where you're lucky to ever sell a PC game on consignment (at least at the mom'n'pop game store I frequent). The Gamecube has a limited budget line of good games, the PS2 has a larger budget line (but also far more crap), as does the XBox.
However, this is all a moot point for me since I generally just buy games (PC and console) when they come out, and pay the price premium for having them immediately. I can typically pick up good games that are a year or so old at larger retailers for $20 if it wasn't something I had to have right away, even if they aren't on the official budget line. (Tony Hawk 4, Dead to Rights, Timesplitters 2 come to mind)
My biggest issue with PC games is patching. Other than buggy pieces of crap (which devout PC gamers love to point at) like the latest Tomb Raider (which any intelligent gamer would have avoided based on reviews or word of mouth), there are very, very few significant bugs in console games.
I also have a somewhat psychological aversion to PC games any more... I spend 8 hours a day coding in front of a PC. If I play WC3 at home, I just feel like I'm working. I don't have that problem with console games.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Let me think back over this last fall/summer...
Mario Golf
P.N. 03 (better than people gave it credit for)
F-Zero
Viewtiful Joe
Rogue Squadron 3
Kirby's Air Ride
Mario Party 5
Mario Kart
And that's just off the top of my head. Every one of these games (except maybe PN03, depending on your taste) is worth owning. That's 8 exclusives, 5 of which I'd classify as AAA titles.
On top of those are all the multi-platform games (damn, Prince of Persia was good. So was Beyond Good & Evil).
Honestly, I haven't followed the release schedules of the PS2 or XBox very closely, since I have more than enough games to keep me very well occupied on my 'Cube and PC, so what am I supposedly missing? Grabbed by the Ghoulies? Final Fantasy: Teen-pop Edition?
--Jeremy
Honestly, the RIAA doesn't bother me that much. But at the same time, I don't want my tools used to 'prove' their tenuous cases. Let them do their own damn work and track down their infringers.
What worries me more is that somebody might one day visit a web site -- maybe a site that presents extremist views, dissidents perhaps -- and goons in FBI jackets show up wanting to know who was browsing it from a particular IP address at a given time.
The tool I'm working on is for network management, not suppressing information dispersal. (that's hardly a university's mission statement...) However, it is *completely* possible to be used that way, since nobody may use the network anonymously.
--Jeremy
I'm currently developing a new management system for our university network of ~4000 nodes. It has the ability not only to track every single IP address ever used by any student, but also what hub port/wireless AP they were connected to at the time.
As an internal debugging/security tool, this is *great* information. We can make sure that people aren't abusing the network. We can find and disable compromised machines with very simple tools. We can easily do tons of other useful administrative tasks.
However, I *really* worry that the information could be subpoenad and used against individual students by the likes of the RIAA/MPAA. I've been harping on upper management to let us purge the history after roughly a week (tops), which would give us plenty of debugging time, and at the same time not give the legal system enough time to issue a subpoena before the information is gone.
It's really a wierd situation for me. The tools I'm working on are extremely powerful, and will definitely save our network guys a lot of time. But there's a distinct possibility that the information we gather could be used in ways that I, personally, find abhorrent.
It makes me wonder about other developers working on software that's used for security: it's a fascinating job, and has tons of really good applications. But at the same time each piece moves us one step closer an Orwellian society becoming possible. Is this something I/we should really be persuing, given the potential outcome?
--Jeremy
A mediocre game is getting a sequel. Why is this news I should care about?
--Jeremy
6000 limited edition Xboxes? Isn't that enough to just about double their Japanese user base?
I kid, I kid...
--Jeremy
Wrong. Nintendo didn't censor BMX XXX at all. Sony was the only console manufacturer that forced Acclaim to censor any of BMX XXX's content.
In fact, Nintendo hasn't done any "censorship" since the very first Mortal Kombat and Wolfenstein 3D for the SNES. The market reacted badly in both cases, and Nintendo stopped the practice.
Of course, the current meme is that Nintendo won't let anything non-kid-friendly on their systems, but that in fact hasn't been true for about a decade now.
--Jeremy
One of the reasons that Super Metroid is still my favorite game is because of precisely this: anyone can pick up the controller and get all the way through the game with nothing more than walking, shooting, jumping, and running.
But the more advanced players will learn how to do the wall kick and boost jumps, enabling them to find new areas and shortcuts and get through the game faster. So even after beating it once, there's still tons of room for improvement.
Basic control is both easy and adequate to finish the game, but the controls extend much further than the basics for those interested in mastering them.
--Jeremy
Consider this: if we just let people die off, as you suggest, where would Stephen Hawking be?
But, also consider this: are contributions to humanity from people like Hawking worth the detrimental effects of basically stifling natural selection?
Note: I'm not arguing one way or the other. Just some food for thought.
--Jeremy
Nintendo never really worked in the arcade? Uhh... Donkey Kong? (Super) Mario Bros.? Excitebike? Killer Instinct?
The arcade may not have been one of Nintendo's main focuses for quite some time, but to claim that they never worked in the arcade is just wrong. I mean, Donkey Kong was one of the most successful arcade games of all time, and may have single-handedly been responsible for the creation of Nintendo of America as it stands today.
--Jeremy
The point is not that there seems to be an anti-Nintendo slant. The big problem that a lot of us have is that when there *is* an anti-Nintendo slant, the article will immediately suggest that Nintendo go 3rd party, or that the Gamecube is doing so poorly that it should be canned, or any number of other doom and gloom predictions.
You already admitted to not reading the article. Let me ask you this: How many "Nintendo should leave the hardware industry" articles have you read? Now, taking into account the fact that Nintendo is currently #1 in hardware sales (GBA + 'Cube account for >50% market share), #2 in set-top-box sales, and Microsoft is a solid #3 worldwide, how many articles have you read that say that Microsoft should get out of the game hardware business?
And no, I'm not suggesting that there's some sort of conspiracy. A conspiracy takes a level of manipulation and cooperation that I don't think the video game press is capable of pulling off. But there's a definite defeatist attitude toward Nintendo in the gaming press, and just claiming to not see it doesn't mean it's not there.
Oh -- and how's this: I hate morons. If you are a moron, do not reply. (substitute 'rabid conservative' for 'moron' if you want. They're synonomous in my vocabulary, anyway.)
--Jeremy
The only hard 'fact' in those 3 pages is that the PS3 will use 'CELL' technology. Other than that there's just speculation that the XBox 2 might not have a hard drive, some more Sony marketing hyperbole (PS3 will be 1000 times faster!), and the requisite Nintendo questioning.
There was absolutely nothing in that article to make it worth reading. Of course, it was on GameSpy, so that's not too surprising.
--Jeremy
The only really ugly graphics you see are on the PS1/Saturn/N64 era games
... It just didn't look nearly as good as I remembered it.
Agreed. I recently went back and played FF7 a bit, since I think it still has one of the best opening sequences in any game. It'd been at least 5 years since I last played it, and I remembered it looking great at the time.
Boy, was that a shock. Low-resolution, low-framerate intro, terrible looking characters
However, I then put in FF3, and it looks *exactly* like I remembered it, and still looked good (IMO, anyway).
Had a similar (but not nearly as bad) experience with Super Mario 64 vs. Super Mario World.
--Jeremy
Maybe a bill to force parents to actually look at the game they buy their children would be better.
That's what this bill does. Kids can't legally buy M-rated games (under the bill), forcing parents to buy it for them. And while that doesn't force them to read the label, at least they might give it a glance.
Personally, I wish the ESRB had the ability to crack down on dealers who sell M-rated games to minors. The ratings are there for a reason. They aren't working right now because nobody can enforce them. (and honestly, do you think that EB and company will turn down a customer's money if they don't have to?) This bill would make them enforcable.
--Jeremy
But current ratings systems (ESRB, MPAA, etc) are *privately* run. A goverment mandated ratings system makes content subject to the whims of special interests and big donors of elected officials.
... how? Why is it that we can't see any form of sex in a movie without an R rating, but any amount of violence is ok for PG? Maybe ... because of special interests like the Christian right?
And this is different from the MPAA's ratings
Just because something isn't government-run doesn't mean it's impervious to the whims of special interests.
--Jeremy
anyone who doesn't own one can leave their negative comments at home
That offer went out the window when Nokia called all of us Gameboy owners childish.
--Jeremy
The fact that it uses 2.4ghz instead of 900 mhz makes a HELL of a difference in lag
... what? 2.4 ghz signals travel at the same speed as 900 mhz signals. And even if they didn't, you're talking about a distance so short that it wouldn't make a difference. The 'lag' has everything to do with the quality of the transmitter/receiver, and nothing to do with the frequency.
... Judging from some of the games I went through on a single set of batteries, I'd guess I put at least 250 hours on my last set of AA's.
Ummm
I've change my batteries at least 5 times this past year
Wow. Using my Wavebird (which, admittedly, doesn't have rumble), I've changed batteries twice in the ~20 months I've owned it (and once was last week). And that's certainly not because I don't play it very often
The only problems I've had are, like you said, not having a cradel and rechargable batteries. Also, I've got a 900Mhz phone, and whenever it rings it interferes with the controller. Doesn't hurt much, since most of my gaming is in the late evenings and nobody's calling, but still an annoyance.
--Jeremy
With a standard mouse sensitivity, there are 8 mickeys to 1 pixel. (Source: PC Programmer's Sourcebook, MS Press)
--Jeremy
I don't know what decade you're posting from, but most console games these days allow you to save. Maybe you can't always save anywhere you want, but they're also typically designed to be playable for shorter times, so you won't have to re-do much.
SOF 2 -- ok, has a hardcore mode with limited saves. Resident Evil (as was mentioned earlier) has multiple difficulties. In the easier ones, you get plenty of saves, but not enough to just save indiscriminately. In the harder ones, you get far fewer, so you have to carefully plan.
And as for mod-ability as being able to 'do what you want,' well yeah. But modding the game to something different is completely different than having a game that just lets you 'do what you want.' Which do you want? Mod-ability, or some nebulous request about a game that lets you play however you want? Let's look at, say, WarCraft 3. You can build grunts instead of taurans. Ok, you get to play how you want. Now Mario Sunshine -- you have an objective to complete, how you make your way around the level to complete it is up to you. Or are you saying that Mario should be given choice of a bazooka, instead of being restricted to only a water cannon?
What exactly do you mean by 'doing what you want?'
Let's go back to SOF2 again. You've got a hardcore mode for hardcore players to choose, letting them compare scores and prove something. Ok, they make that choice. In Metroid Prime, you can play through the game and try to get 100% scans/equipment. Or maybe try to get the least equipment and ignore speed. Or maybe only go for 100% equipment as fast as you can. It lets the user make whatever choice they want about how they play. GTA lets you go through missions or just drive around and wreak havoc. Metal Gear lets you try to be silent and sneaky or go through the game with guns blazing.
So, again, what exactly do you mean by 'doing what you want?' My response to whatever you say is that it's got absolutely nothing to do with console vs. PC games. Unless, of course, you're talking about modding. Then I just say: if you're modding, you're not playing the *game* that the developers made. You're playing something else, and that's a different discussion.
--Jeremy
Dunno. I challenge anyone to tell me that Quest for Glory/Hero's Quest wasn't an adventure game, despite all its swordplay and simple action elements. It was certainly one of my favorites in the genre.
I'd say that the QG series was your vegetarian's 'salad' with croutons.
--Jeremy
I think that the only disincentive to porting the game to the 'Cube that's worth worrying about is the exclusivity deals that Rockstar signed, that Sony and Microsoft paid for.
Anything else is just mindless rationalization.
--Jeremy
Thank you, captain obvious.
The original post was sarcasm, to be both funny and to make a point.
--Jeremy
Your prices for consoles are greatly inflated.
... I spend 8 hours a day coding in front of a PC. If I play WC3 at home, I just feel like I'm working. I don't have that problem with console games. :)
You spent about $1000 on your PC, lasted 3 years. We'll call that $333/yr.
My Gamecube (which I bought on release day, 2001), cost me $200, + $90 for controllers, +$20 for memory cards = $310. It would be substantially cheaper I bought it today, but it also wouldn't have the same 'lifespan'. So, anyway, I'm looking at having to replace it in 2005, so that's roughly $80/yr it cost me. I saved $253/yr. And that's not even counting the fact that I can play 4-player games on my 'Cube. If I want to have 3 friends over to play PC games, the price difference skyrockets.
I won't argue that PC titles depreciate in value much faster than console titles. But I will argue that you can generally get $15 towards a trade-in with a console game, where you're lucky to ever sell a PC game on consignment (at least at the mom'n'pop game store I frequent). The Gamecube has a limited budget line of good games, the PS2 has a larger budget line (but also far more crap), as does the XBox.
However, this is all a moot point for me since I generally just buy games (PC and console) when they come out, and pay the price premium for having them immediately. I can typically pick up good games that are a year or so old at larger retailers for $20 if it wasn't something I had to have right away, even if they aren't on the official budget line. (Tony Hawk 4, Dead to Rights, Timesplitters 2 come to mind)
My biggest issue with PC games is patching. Other than buggy pieces of crap (which devout PC gamers love to point at) like the latest Tomb Raider (which any intelligent gamer would have avoided based on reviews or word of mouth), there are very, very few significant bugs in console games.
I also have a somewhat psychological aversion to PC games any more
--Jeremy
clearly superior to recent Batman films, Daredevil and The Incredible Hulk
Not that it's difficult to be superior to those cinematic masterpieces...
I mean, that's akin to saying that a full-body massage is superior to being punched in the face. (or maybe in this case, superior to prison rape...)
--Jeremy
Some other people have already replied with this, but let me paraphrase:
History has shown that while not a perfect solution, intertwining economies is the single best method of preventing wars.
It's also a damn good way to guarantee wars.
--Jeremy
I don't know why I'm bothering to reply to this, Mr. Micro$loth, but repeat after me:
Trademark, not copyright.
Once more:
Trademark, not copyright.
They're completely different beasts. Yes, it would be screwed up if a court gave MS a 'copyright' on the word Windows, but they didn't, so it's not.
--Jeremy