Actually, no.
You may be thinking of the Apple G4's (or maybe the G3's...) that, because of some outdated laws, were considered supercomputers and were not allowed to be sold in certain countries.
I don't think Japan has a law like that and, regardless, the PS2 doesn't have that power. Hell, my six year old mac had more power than the Xbox, and the Xbox is stronger than the PS2 in pretty much every technical facet.
Yeah, the bullshit factor has probably increased significantly over the years, but who cares?
It still remains one of the few times when projects are released en masse. The pre-show press conferences are basically the "state of the console" addresses for the big console makers.
Also, something that the author forgot to mention, there are a lot of little developers there, making games that might not have distributors yet or need investors in order to continue making their game.
If you don't care about the huge companies, and actually want to see something, then don't head to the big main area: They're only courting the IGN's and GameSpots and EGM's out there, the news outlets with millions of readers (or at least a few hundred thou), because they're just showing off.
The little guys need as much press as they can get, and they will probably be more than willing to show you their game if it means an article on any kind of gaming news site.
Over a thousand games at the con. Look for the 90% that people don't know about if you want to do news!
I'm not entirely sure this is such a great idea. There isn't going to be a lot of games that take advantage of this, since they will probably have to supply a lot of the resources themselves instead of Nintendo taking care of a lot of it.
Not that I love Xbox's current model, but at least there's only one bill to pay and pretty much most of the games that come out on Xbox has some form of online support.
Then again, you do have to admit that there might be more, quality online programs going on for the Revolution, since the individual companies might have more of a motive to create a more immersive environment.
But, again, ya gotta wait for the games. Until we see a game take advantage of any of the features in a good way, then the feature is just window dressing.
Case in point: When was the last time someone came out with a good Eye-Toy game?
I believe there's this old saying regarding fiction:
"There are only 5 unique stories. Everything else is just a minor change on the same plot."
I realize I probably butchered the line, but still, the point remains.
I think the reason why everyone is fortelling the doom of the videogame industry is because they are right, mostly: There isn't the same kind of innovation that there was ten, twenty years ago. We are sort of playing the same games over and over again.
The thing that will keep the industry alive is the stories. Look at the RPG genre, for example. With the exception of anything made by Bioware, the genre's kinda been in a gameplay rut for a while now. There really hasn't been a lof of innovation there in a while.
But the RPG genre remains because its the best avenue for storytelling in the video game industry, because it gives players the most oppurtunities to mold their character in their own images, and changing the plot along the way.
Eventually that's going to spill into all of the other genres. And, in some ways, it already has.
Why do people want a Starcraft 2? or a Halo 3?
They want to finish the stories, they want to tie up the loose ends. They want to know what happens to the Master Chief and the Arbiter, or Jim Raynor, Kerrigan and Zeratul. Yes, they are excellent games in their own right, but what's made them such a legacy is the quality of the story.
Look, the only way the game industry will live is if it can evolve, to change with the times so that the thing that drives it on isn't just massive improvements to gameplay or amazingly beautiful graphics.
Cause we are running smack dab into that wall right now.
Oh, and by the way, if they're talking about the initial concept of the game, such as setting, genre, features, then that would likely fall under the purview of the developers, not the concept artists.
Sure, if were're talking about designing the landscapes or the characters, then concept artists come into play, but the first steps are taken by the developers themselves.
1: They aren't releasing it four days before E3, they're just showing it off with a few tech demos.
Ya know, stuff that makes everyone go ooh and ahh and won't matter much because its all about the games, not graphical specs. Otherwise, Xbox and Gamecube would be the top-sellers in this generation, since they have the best graphics, instead of the PS2's lackluster visuals.
2: Just a note: The OurColony.net thing has a countdown timer that ends an hour and a half after this special, and its been pretty much proven that Microsoft is behind it all:).
So two questions: 1: Why an hour and a half difference? Did they forget to account for daylight savings time or did MTV change the time?
2: What happens there when it hits 0?
Like my esteemed colleage above, I am indeed excited about the prospect of more killing.
That, and mulitplayer with scorpions. I can't believe Bungie forgot about that!
But I would've like some kind of new single player thing. Or new weapons. I have no doubt that the new maps will indeed be awesome, but there's so many things they could do than the requisite fancy schmancy new maps.
I am happy for the retail CD. There really haven't been many ways for the un-Live among us to use the live content.
I have Live, but its something that needed to be done.
Straight from the horse's mouth...
on
Halo 2 Expansion?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
"Next week, we're going to have a major announcement about the details of our new maps. Right now, there are some dates, details and ideas out there that are actually wrong, so please take everything you read between now and then with a grain of salt. We can't talk about how and when the new maps will be released, we'll leave that to the smart folks who actually do all the logistical work for this stuff - marketing and PR, but we can tell you this much - our entire plan is designed to make new content available for everybody, those with Xbox Live and those without Xbox Live. We hope in the end, everyone will be satisfied."
If they do do an expansion, it'll probably throw in a few new weapons (we are missing the flamethrower, after all), a new campaign, some rebalancing, and hopefully the ability to dual wield swords!
Yeah, I know its redundant, since one sword is deadly enough, but TWO ENERGY SWORDS!
I was expecting it to be a bit overzealous, but after reading the MGS, PoP, and Sonic articles, I'm rather impressed.
Sure, I have some specific complaints regarding what they were saying (the PoP author never mentioned the Dahaka), and I was a bit overwhelmed by the massive amount of knowledge that they possessed (especially the Sonic Article. Major fanboy of the originals), but the idea is exactly what is needed.
It treats video games as something of an art form, which is something that I think is sorely needed. I like the lack of focus on the visuals when compared to the gameplay. In the entire MGS article, he mentioned the graphics only once, to say that they were a bit sluggish when compared to the first two games, because of the massive environments. He spent the other ten pages talking about the gameplay.
Anyone notice that, while its a Sony branded mall where this is taking place, that the characters on the walk are all Nintendo, the two people are the Pong creator and Nintendo, and the first game was Bungie (and, by ownership, Microsoft)?
Are there actually any Sony titles with a star in the Sony shopping center?
Just a thought...
(sorry for the lack of paragraphs. Here's a paragraphed version)
"What's the difference between the first Metal Gear Solid and the latest Metal Gear Solid? Right, it's - wow, the graphics!"
Well, that, and:
1: A first person camera mode that allowed you to shoot enemies with great preciscion.
2: A Camoflauge system that allowed you to hide from your enemies in a more sensible way.
3: Plot.
4: Main characters (Snake to Raiden to Big Boss)
5: Persistant bodies, requiring some forethought before killing every enemy in sight.
6: Tranqualizer darts, allowing you to go through the game without killing anyone (its hard, but possible).
7: Enemy guards radioing for backup.
8: Numerous weapon changes.
9: Several improvements to melee combat.
10: Several different ways to move around (hanging from rails, for example)
There are more, of course.
The impact of the gameplay enhancements is shown in the Gamecube release of MGS1. Yes, the graphics are better, but many of the gameplay additions introduced in MGS2 are there, making it a different game, which shows in the fact that the FPS camera makes the game a LOT easier.
Graphics are the least important aspect of video games. Otherwise, everyone would be playing War3 instead of Starcraft. Sure, its nice to have some eye candy, but you won't keep playing the game for twenty hours just to look at the pretty images.
"What's the difference between the first Metal Gear Solid and the latest Metal Gear Solid? Right, it's - wow, the graphics!"
Well, that, and:
1: A first person camera mode that allowed you to shoot enemies with great preciscion.
2: A Camoflauge system that allowed you to hide from your enemies in a more sensible way.
3: Plot.
4: Main characters (Snake to Raiden to Big Boss)
5: Persistant bodies, requiring some forethought before killing every enemy in sight.
6: Tranqualizer darts, allowing you to go through the game without killing anyone (its hard, but possible).
7: Enemy guards radioing for backup.
8: Numerous weapon changes.
9: Several improvements to melee combat.
10: Several different ways to move around (hanging from rails, for example)
There are more, of course.
The impact of the gameplay enhancements is shown in the Gamecube release of MGS1. Yes, the graphics are better, but many of the gameplay additions introduced in MGS2 are there, making it a different game, which shows in the fact that the FPS camera makes the game a LOT easier.
Graphics are the least important aspect of video games. Otherwise, everyone would be playing War3 instead of Starcraft. Sure, its nice to have some eye candy, but you won't keep playing the game for twenty hours just to look at the pretty images.
Its the bait. The gameplay is the hook.
Ubisoft might, repeat, might be able to get their money's worth in the NBA area, since there has yet to be a clear winner in that category.
And I'm pretty sure that NCAA football hasn't gone exclusive yet, so some money could be made there, but no football and no baseball means they lose out on two of the three biggest sports games.
That, and Vijay doesn't really have the oooh-ahhh name power that Tiger does. Yeah, he's ranked #1 right now, but still no star power.
Ease off with the Xbox bashing. If there's one thing I've learned about Microsoft in the last five years is that when they have competition in an industry, they do some really good work.
This is a smart move by Microsoft. Lets face it, the only thing that kept Xbox afloat for the first year was Halo. When Halo 2 came out, Xbox live subscriptions jumped through the roof. What do you think is going to happen when Halo 3 comes out?
Microsoft is going to have to play all of its cards in order to have a chance against Sony, and doing a competitive release of Halo 3 against the PS3 may get some Sony loyalists to get the Xbox Next, especially if they do the marketing blitz strategy that worked so well in October.
Oh, and before anyone says I'm a Microsoft fanboy, I'm a mac user. Don't rule Microsoft out just because they're a US company (which many people seem to love doing)
I"ve seen this kind of thing before, actually. Basically it was about how some kind of brain surgery that uses tiny robots to do the work, and how the surgeons were using video games as practice, so to speak.
The fact that video games improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time isn't anything new, its just that there haven't been a lot of applications for it.
Well, besides the military at least.
Most jobs rely on careful, methodical actions and thinking, rather than quick reflexes. So twitch games don't really boost many crucial job skills.
Amazing! A comic book video game that's being developed by former LucasArts employees! What could possibly go wrong?
Oh.
Yeah.
Right.
I wouldn't bet on it being very good...
I do love final fantasy, especially the music that comes with them. So, tell me this:
Why the hell aren't there any CD's out in the US with the music?
They do freaking concerts in real concert halls, which sell out in minutes online, but there's no legal or professionally mixed release out there?
Come on, Square, wake up already!
An Xbox RPG that isn't Star Wars or Hack and Slash.
Not that I dislike KOTOR, hell I love it, but there is a certain draw to the PS2 for its vast RPG library. Hopefully the games released will actually be good:).
Probably won't be free, but that's because of the distribution costs.
That said, it'll probably cost $5 or thereabouts, simply to recover the manufacturing and distribution costs. The army isn't looking for a profit off of this. Hell, there in enough trouble already with Full Spectrum Warrior.
On a side note, does anyone else find it kinda funny that a French company is making America's Army? Cause, ya know, it has a certain ironic appeal:).
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, no. You may be thinking of the Apple G4's (or maybe the G3's...) that, because of some outdated laws, were considered supercomputers and were not allowed to be sold in certain countries. I don't think Japan has a law like that and, regardless, the PS2 doesn't have that power. Hell, my six year old mac had more power than the Xbox, and the Xbox is stronger than the PS2 in pretty much every technical facet.
Also, something that the author forgot to mention, there are a lot of little developers there, making games that might not have distributors yet or need investors in order to continue making their game.
If you don't care about the huge companies, and actually want to see something, then don't head to the big main area: They're only courting the IGN's and GameSpots and EGM's out there, the news outlets with millions of readers (or at least a few hundred thou), because they're just showing off.
The little guys need as much press as they can get, and they will probably be more than willing to show you their game if it means an article on any kind of gaming news site.
Over a thousand games at the con. Look for the 90% that people don't know about if you want to do news!
1: Halo 2
2: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
3: Unreal Championship 2
4: Forza Motorsport
5: The xbox specs are a 733 mghz P3 processor with 64 MB of RAM, while the xbox 360 specs are 3 3.2 GHZ IBM processor with 512 MB of RAM.
How can they not be able to make a decent emulator with that kind of technological buffer?
Not that I love Xbox's current model, but at least there's only one bill to pay and pretty much most of the games that come out on Xbox has some form of online support.
Then again, you do have to admit that there might be more, quality online programs going on for the Revolution, since the individual companies might have more of a motive to create a more immersive environment.
But, again, ya gotta wait for the games. Until we see a game take advantage of any of the features in a good way, then the feature is just window dressing.
Case in point: When was the last time someone came out with a good Eye-Toy game?
"There are only 5 unique stories. Everything else is just a minor change on the same plot."
I realize I probably butchered the line, but still, the point remains.
I think the reason why everyone is fortelling the doom of the videogame industry is because they are right, mostly: There isn't the same kind of innovation that there was ten, twenty years ago. We are sort of playing the same games over and over again.
The thing that will keep the industry alive is the stories. Look at the RPG genre, for example. With the exception of anything made by Bioware, the genre's kinda been in a gameplay rut for a while now. There really hasn't been a lof of innovation there in a while.
But the RPG genre remains because its the best avenue for storytelling in the video game industry, because it gives players the most oppurtunities to mold their character in their own images, and changing the plot along the way.
Eventually that's going to spill into all of the other genres. And, in some ways, it already has.
Why do people want a Starcraft 2? or a Halo 3?
They want to finish the stories, they want to tie up the loose ends. They want to know what happens to the Master Chief and the Arbiter, or Jim Raynor, Kerrigan and Zeratul. Yes, they are excellent games in their own right, but what's made them such a legacy is the quality of the story.
Look, the only way the game industry will live is if it can evolve, to change with the times so that the thing that drives it on isn't just massive improvements to gameplay or amazingly beautiful graphics.
Cause we are running smack dab into that wall right now.
Which sucks.
Oh, and by the way, if they're talking about the initial concept of the game, such as setting, genre, features, then that would likely fall under the purview of the developers, not the concept artists.
Sure, if were're talking about designing the landscapes or the characters, then concept artists come into play, but the first steps are taken by the developers themselves.
1: They aren't releasing it four days before E3, they're just showing it off with a few tech demos. Ya know, stuff that makes everyone go ooh and ahh and won't matter much because its all about the games, not graphical specs. Otherwise, Xbox and Gamecube would be the top-sellers in this generation, since they have the best graphics, instead of the PS2's lackluster visuals. 2: Just a note: The OurColony.net thing has a countdown timer that ends an hour and a half after this special, and its been pretty much proven that Microsoft is behind it all :).
So two questions: 1: Why an hour and a half difference? Did they forget to account for daylight savings time or did MTV change the time?
2: What happens there when it hits 0?
Like my esteemed colleage above, I am indeed excited about the prospect of more killing. That, and mulitplayer with scorpions. I can't believe Bungie forgot about that! But I would've like some kind of new single player thing. Or new weapons. I have no doubt that the new maps will indeed be awesome, but there's so many things they could do than the requisite fancy schmancy new maps. I am happy for the retail CD. There really haven't been many ways for the un-Live among us to use the live content. I have Live, but its something that needed to be done.
"Next week, we're going to have a major announcement about the details of our new maps. Right now, there are some dates, details and ideas out there that are actually wrong, so please take everything you read between now and then with a grain of salt. We can't talk about how and when the new maps will be released, we'll leave that to the smart folks who actually do all the logistical work for this stuff - marketing and PR, but we can tell you this much - our entire plan is designed to make new content available for everybody, those with Xbox Live and those without Xbox Live. We hope in the end, everyone will be satisfied."
If they do do an expansion, it'll probably throw in a few new weapons (we are missing the flamethrower, after all), a new campaign, some rebalancing, and hopefully the ability to dual wield swords!
Yeah, I know its redundant, since one sword is deadly enough, but TWO ENERGY SWORDS!
Sure, I have some specific complaints regarding what they were saying (the PoP author never mentioned the Dahaka), and I was a bit overwhelmed by the massive amount of knowledge that they possessed (especially the Sonic Article. Major fanboy of the originals), but the idea is exactly what is needed.
It treats video games as something of an art form, which is something that I think is sorely needed. I like the lack of focus on the visuals when compared to the gameplay. In the entire MGS article, he mentioned the graphics only once, to say that they were a bit sluggish when compared to the first two games, because of the massive environments. He spent the other ten pages talking about the gameplay.
Definitely looking forward to the next issue.
Anyone notice that, while its a Sony branded mall where this is taking place, that the characters on the walk are all Nintendo, the two people are the Pong creator and Nintendo, and the first game was Bungie (and, by ownership, Microsoft)? Are there actually any Sony titles with a star in the Sony shopping center? Just a thought...
"What's the difference between the first Metal Gear Solid and the latest Metal Gear Solid? Right, it's - wow, the graphics!"
Well, that, and:
1: A first person camera mode that allowed you to shoot enemies with great preciscion.
2: A Camoflauge system that allowed you to hide from your enemies in a more sensible way.
3: Plot.
4: Main characters (Snake to Raiden to Big Boss)
5: Persistant bodies, requiring some forethought before killing every enemy in sight.
6: Tranqualizer darts, allowing you to go through the game without killing anyone (its hard, but possible).
7: Enemy guards radioing for backup.
8: Numerous weapon changes.
9: Several improvements to melee combat.
10: Several different ways to move around (hanging from rails, for example)
There are more, of course.
The impact of the gameplay enhancements is shown in the Gamecube release of MGS1. Yes, the graphics are better, but many of the gameplay additions introduced in MGS2 are there, making it a different game, which shows in the fact that the FPS camera makes the game a LOT easier.
Graphics are the least important aspect of video games. Otherwise, everyone would be playing War3 instead of Starcraft. Sure, its nice to have some eye candy, but you won't keep playing the game for twenty hours just to look at the pretty images.
Its the bait. The gameplay is the hook.
"What's the difference between the first Metal Gear Solid and the latest Metal Gear Solid? Right, it's - wow, the graphics!" Well, that, and: 1: A first person camera mode that allowed you to shoot enemies with great preciscion. 2: A Camoflauge system that allowed you to hide from your enemies in a more sensible way. 3: Plot. 4: Main characters (Snake to Raiden to Big Boss) 5: Persistant bodies, requiring some forethought before killing every enemy in sight. 6: Tranqualizer darts, allowing you to go through the game without killing anyone (its hard, but possible). 7: Enemy guards radioing for backup. 8: Numerous weapon changes. 9: Several improvements to melee combat. 10: Several different ways to move around (hanging from rails, for example) There are more, of course. The impact of the gameplay enhancements is shown in the Gamecube release of MGS1. Yes, the graphics are better, but many of the gameplay additions introduced in MGS2 are there, making it a different game, which shows in the fact that the FPS camera makes the game a LOT easier. Graphics are the least important aspect of video games. Otherwise, everyone would be playing War3 instead of Starcraft. Sure, its nice to have some eye candy, but you won't keep playing the game for twenty hours just to look at the pretty images. Its the bait. The gameplay is the hook.
And I'm pretty sure that NCAA football hasn't gone exclusive yet, so some money could be made there, but no football and no baseball means they lose out on two of the three biggest sports games.
That, and Vijay doesn't really have the oooh-ahhh name power that Tiger does. Yeah, he's ranked #1 right now, but still no star power.
This is a smart move by Microsoft. Lets face it, the only thing that kept Xbox afloat for the first year was Halo. When Halo 2 came out, Xbox live subscriptions jumped through the roof. What do you think is going to happen when Halo 3 comes out?
Microsoft is going to have to play all of its cards in order to have a chance against Sony, and doing a competitive release of Halo 3 against the PS3 may get some Sony loyalists to get the Xbox Next, especially if they do the marketing blitz strategy that worked so well in October.
Oh, and before anyone says I'm a Microsoft fanboy, I'm a mac user. Don't rule Microsoft out just because they're a US company (which many people seem to love doing)
The fact that video games improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time isn't anything new, its just that there haven't been a lot of applications for it.
Well, besides the military at least.
Most jobs rely on careful, methodical actions and thinking, rather than quick reflexes. So twitch games don't really boost many crucial job skills.
Amazing! A comic book video game that's being developed by former LucasArts employees! What could possibly go wrong? Oh. Yeah. Right. I wouldn't bet on it being very good...
I do love final fantasy, especially the music that comes with them. So, tell me this: Why the hell aren't there any CD's out in the US with the music? They do freaking concerts in real concert halls, which sell out in minutes online, but there's no legal or professionally mixed release out there? Come on, Square, wake up already!
An Xbox RPG that isn't Star Wars or Hack and Slash. Not that I dislike KOTOR, hell I love it, but there is a certain draw to the PS2 for its vast RPG library. Hopefully the games released will actually be good :).
Probably won't be free, but that's because of the distribution costs.
:).
That said, it'll probably cost $5 or thereabouts, simply to recover the manufacturing and distribution costs. The army isn't looking for a profit off of this. Hell, there in enough trouble already with Full Spectrum Warrior.
On a side note, does anyone else find it kinda funny that a French company is making America's Army? Cause, ya know, it has a certain ironic appeal