Remember how the earlier sets constantly had problem cards which contradicted another card, and WotC had to make rule revisions to specific cards? It was a mess. At many early tournaments, a judge needed to know what version of the rules they were going to play with. The player wouldn't even all know the latest revisions and you'd have "rules lawyers" arguing technicalities.
Bridge, Go, Chess at least have very defined rules. Bridge relies on luck of the draw somewhat, but even with a bad hand, there are some ways to improve the position. With Magic, a bad proportion of land to spells in the opening few draws is disaster.
You can build a great deck, but the luck element of having the land you need to draw mana really hinders strategy.
I'm honestly getting tired of strategy + luck, because the luck factors way too much in some of these games. I prefer to see pure skill.
There was one short-lived card game called Anime Madness where there was a resource pile and a card pile. If you needed a resource (mana), you draw from that at the beginning of your turn instead of the card pile. While it's still luck of the draw in the card pile, you have the option for getting resources.
The death of Aeris was predictable. I noticed she ended up with the best weapon and high stats very early in the game. And going by "Game Formulas" that usually means you are going to lose them as a party member.
I don't like to play any of the games you mentioned. They aren't my thing.
The Japanese-made game marketshare will likely wane in the West, but it will not disappear. It will mean the Japanese developers will compete harder for the remaining Western audiences that do enjoy Japanese-made games. So, I woud expect more fallout from the Japanese gaming industry in the years to come as Western-made games rise.
Another thing is that a lot of Western games appeal to even Western casual gamers (sports games come to mind). Many Japanese games don't have that appeal to that same audience.
In any case, I'm still buying Japanese-made games.
An earlier Slashdot article pointed to the rising use of licensed music for U.S. video games.
If game music is suppsoed to provide the game's atmosphere and instill a bit of nostalgia long after the game is done, how can you convey those feelings nearly as well with licensed music, which were composed for different reasons?
Years from now, you will hear a song from the 80s. Which are you likely to remember from it? That is was a song from the 80s? Or that it was a song used in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?
For some reason, U.S. publishers don't seem to want to release the *entire* Japanese soundtrack (minus vocals, which often have separate licensed examples)
If you remember, TokyoPop used to release some game Square soundtracks, but they were all not complete soundtracks. Final Fantasy 9 is a 4 CD soundtrack in Japan, but when TokyoPop published it in the U.S., it was a 1 CD "Best of" album. Likewise, they did the same thing to Final Fantasy Chronicles. Instead of releasing the entire soundtracks to those two games (FF4 was 1 CD in Japan; Chrono Trigger was 3 CDs in Japan), TokyoPop releases 1 CD for both.
With that kind of mentality from U.S. publishers, how can Japanese game music EVER get a foothold in the West? People are missing out on a lot of music, and to the ones that play these games, they will notice the domestic soundtracks are missing music.
Remixes and covers are nice and all, but I want to see these bands write original music that could be used in a game. I don't want to keep hearing covers or remixes of existing music. If people continue to do this, they are doing what the RIAA bands are doing right now: re-doing older songs.
Doing remixes and covers heavily leverages the original composer's creative talent, so "half the work is done for you" in a way. Western game musicians need to practice more with composing game music on their own. They can always use an existing game and write *new* music for it. The Japanese fandom does this, and they produce some spectacular results (for example: http://www.risingsun.net/mushi/index/index.htm)
Currently, I find the West's approach to game music (Tommy Tollarico, et. al.) to be very different to Japanese approach. The Japanese seem to be able to use a variety of musical styles, while Western composers seem to use fewer styles.
Remixes and covers are nice and all, but I want to see these bands write original music that could be used in a game. I don't want to keep hearing covers or remixes of existing music. If people continue to do this, they are doing what the RIAA bands are doing right now: re-doing older songs.
Doing remixes and covers heavily leverages the original composer's creative talent, so "half the work is done for you" in a way. Western game musicians need to practice more with composing game music on their own. They can always use an existing game and write *new* music for it. The Japanese fandom does this, and they produce some spectacular results (for example: http://www.risingsun.net/mushi/index/index.htm)
Currently, I find the West's approach to game music (Tommy Tollarico, et. al.) to be very different to Japanese approach. The Japanese seem to be able to use a variety of musical styles, while Western composers seem to use fewer styles.
As the other poster said, it seems the majority of game players, who are not hardcore gamers, don't care for original game music. Some people even turn the sound off and play their own music.
Using licensed pop music that was not originally created for a game can create a mismatch with the game environment. I've often thought, "How does this song relate to the game?"
I think using licensed soundtracks will apply mostly to U.S. created console games. The Japanese games will most likely still have original music. My musical tastes lean heavily toward Japanese game music, so I will ignore U.S. created game music.
And yes, I know about Warp Pipe. It sucks right now, unless you have a killer internet connection to the other system.
Even if Nintendo did write the network software, you'd still need to have an ideal netowrk connection to have virtually no lag. I still think that in addition to no believe there is enough money to be made for online gaming for their console, Nintendo must also be concerned that lag and other network degradations may dampen the gameplay experience. Nintendo is usually very focused on the gameplay experience, so they might view internet gaming as not ready for them. I think the LAN ability of Mario Kart as an experiemental step for them.
I recall many articles citing broadband and telecom costs being expensive in Japan compared to the U.S. Maybe more people just would rather hang out and play in Japan?
Nintendo's next console will probably have to take the U.S. online numbers into account. So, it is more likely they will bundle or build in the network/modem adapters. They still probably don't want to set up their own network and be content to let the developers set up their own strategy, because Nintendo is more interested in making games than maintaining network servers.
With their high standards on the gameplay experience, they could have decided the lag wasn't worth it. They enabled the internal LAN instead.
Though the other big blunder with the game is that when you plan LAN mode, the characters are randomly chosen.
Hard to say if the GH version will have it, but the music sampler isn't the greatest compilation. You're better off buying the import game soundtracks if you really are fond of the music.
Have you seen the tremendous amount of products with Nintendo character brands? Licensed products are all over. Licensing is also a way to generate revenue.
CD Japan (www.cdjapan.co.jp) provides much better selection and service. It is advised that you buy multiple albums, because Express mail shipping is fairly expensive. You can choose airmail if you're money-strapped.
Also, a good site that sells import game music is CocoeBiz (www.cocoebiz.com). Their selection is smaller, but they carry some things the other retailers don't, like the soundtrack to Okage and Metal Slug 3. They also have official English translations of certain game composer sites, like the ones of Motoi Sakuraba (Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile) and Noriyuki Iwadare (Lunar, Grandia).
Hudson was a major publisher for the NEC Turbografx-16. The majority of the U.S. game library were derived from them. Many of their games were really cool.
They also handled many of the Turbo CD games, especially the great port of Ys Book I and II.
A lot of FAQ authors don't have a lot of money to pursue a legal challenge if CNet decides to wiggle out of the agreement (unless it turns into a class-action lawsuit).
This is not much different than Escient buying up cddb and taking away all the user-submitted tracklists.
I do occassionally find an old game I'm intersted and would like to access the archives. I have to pay for access to old stuff? That seems contrary to the business model of charging for new stuff.
It seems nobody has gone to Cooper Union's website and do a little reading.
Cooper Union is a private institution. It was founded by Peter Cooper, a wealthy industrialist in the 1800s. He also did this without ever learning to read. So, he took much of his money and set up The Cooper Union. The university runs on an endowment set up by the founder. Therefore, the school isn't paid for by taxes.
Cooper Union does own real estate and land, so rents from people leasing the university's land and properities also help pay for the upkeep of the school.
The tuition is completely paid for students. They still have to pay for books, an annual student fees, and living expenses (i.e. dorm), but the education itself is paid. The tuition's value is an estimate based on competing universities' tuitions that offer similar programs.
By the way, it is really hard to get admitted into the school (this is also reinforced by several surveys, including U.S. News). There are less than 1000 matriculated students total, so there are no more than 150-200 freshman slots available. This is how the school can keep costs down for making tuitions free for students: limit the available seats.
Slashdot Mirror
Remember how the earlier sets constantly had problem cards which contradicted another card, and WotC had to make rule revisions to specific cards? It was a mess. At many early tournaments, a judge needed to know what version of the rules they were going to play with. The player wouldn't even all know the latest revisions and you'd have "rules lawyers" arguing technicalities.
Bridge, Go, Chess at least have very defined rules. Bridge relies on luck of the draw somewhat, but even with a bad hand, there are some ways to improve the position. With Magic, a bad proportion of land to spells in the opening few draws is disaster.
You can build a great deck, but the luck element of having the land you need to draw mana really hinders strategy.
I'm honestly getting tired of strategy + luck, because the luck factors way too much in some of these games. I prefer to see pure skill.
There was one short-lived card game called Anime Madness where there was a resource pile and a card pile. If you needed a resource (mana), you draw from that at the beginning of your turn instead of the card pile. While it's still luck of the draw in the card pile, you have the option for getting resources.
"Name all successful companies that you know of which are not publicly traded. my two cents"
Bloomberg LLP is not a publicly traded company.
It has a few private owners.
It seems to be doing just fine.
The death of Aeris was predictable. I noticed she ended up with the best weapon and high stats very early in the game. And going by "Game Formulas" that usually means you are going to lose them as a party member.
He wasn't jumping on the "blame games" bandwagon.
There is some common sense left in the world.
SotN gave you a free music track on track 1 if you attempted to listen to the game disc on a CD player.
Most TurboDuo games had a young woman's voice speaking the warning. "This disc contains..."
I don't like to play any of the games you mentioned. They aren't my thing.
The Japanese-made game marketshare will likely wane in the West, but it will not disappear. It will mean the Japanese developers will compete harder for the remaining Western audiences that do enjoy Japanese-made games. So, I woud expect more fallout from the Japanese gaming industry in the years to come as Western-made games rise.
Another thing is that a lot of Western games appeal to even Western casual gamers (sports games come to mind). Many Japanese games don't have that appeal to that same audience.
In any case, I'm still buying Japanese-made games.
Then all cultural products will lose historical context at this rate. People will just remember the licensed version rather than the original.
An earlier Slashdot article pointed to the rising use of licensed music for U.S. video games.
If game music is suppsoed to provide the game's atmosphere and instill a bit of nostalgia long after the game is done, how can you convey those feelings nearly as well with licensed music, which were composed for different reasons?
Years from now, you will hear a song from the 80s. Which are you likely to remember from it? That is was a song from the 80s? Or that it was a song used in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?
For some reason, U.S. publishers don't seem to want to release the *entire* Japanese soundtrack (minus vocals, which often have separate licensed examples)
If you remember, TokyoPop used to release some game Square soundtracks, but they were all not complete soundtracks. Final Fantasy 9 is a 4 CD soundtrack in Japan, but when TokyoPop published it in the U.S., it was a 1 CD "Best of" album. Likewise, they did the same thing to Final Fantasy Chronicles. Instead of releasing the entire soundtracks to those two games (FF4 was 1 CD in Japan; Chrono Trigger was 3 CDs in Japan), TokyoPop releases 1 CD for both.
With that kind of mentality from U.S. publishers, how can Japanese game music EVER get a foothold in the West? People are missing out on a lot of music, and to the ones that play these games, they will notice the domestic soundtracks are missing music.
Remixes and covers are nice and all, but I want to see these bands write original music that could be used in a game. I don't want to keep hearing covers or remixes of existing music. If people continue to do this, they are doing what the RIAA bands are doing right now: re-doing older songs.
Doing remixes and covers heavily leverages the original composer's creative talent, so "half the work is done for you" in a way. Western game musicians need to practice more with composing game music on their own. They can always use an existing game and write *new* music for it. The Japanese fandom does this, and they produce some spectacular results (for example: http://www.risingsun.net/mushi/index/index.htm)
Currently, I find the West's approach to game music (Tommy Tollarico, et. al.) to be very different to Japanese approach. The Japanese seem to be able to use a variety of musical styles, while Western composers seem to use fewer styles.
Remixes and covers are nice and all, but I want to see these bands write original music that could be used in a game. I don't want to keep hearing covers or remixes of existing music. If people continue to do this, they are doing what the RIAA bands are doing right now: re-doing older songs. Doing remixes and covers heavily leverages the original composer's creative talent, so "half the work is done for you" in a way. Western game musicians need to practice more with composing game music on their own. They can always use an existing game and write *new* music for it. The Japanese fandom does this, and they produce some spectacular results (for example: http://www.risingsun.net/mushi/index/index.htm) Currently, I find the West's approach to game music (Tommy Tollarico, et. al.) to be very different to Japanese approach. The Japanese seem to be able to use a variety of musical styles, while Western composers seem to use fewer styles.
As the other poster said, it seems the majority of game players, who are not hardcore gamers, don't care for original game music. Some people even turn the sound off and play their own music.
Using licensed pop music that was not originally created for a game can create a mismatch with the game environment. I've often thought, "How does this song relate to the game?"
I think using licensed soundtracks will apply mostly to U.S. created console games. The Japanese games will most likely still have
original music. My musical tastes lean heavily toward Japanese game music, so I will ignore U.S. created game music.
After all, there will always be kids. Nintendo seems to focus on that demographic before extending to other demographics.
Even if Nintendo did write the network software, you'd still need to have an ideal netowrk connection to have virtually no lag. I still think that in addition to no believe there is enough money to be made for online gaming for their console, Nintendo must also be concerned that lag and other network degradations may dampen the gameplay experience. Nintendo is usually very focused on the gameplay experience, so they might view internet gaming as not ready for them. I think the LAN ability of Mario Kart as an experiemental step for them.
I recall many articles citing broadband and telecom costs being expensive in Japan compared to the U.S. Maybe more people just would rather hang out and play in Japan?
Nintendo's next console will probably have to take the U.S. online numbers into account. So, it is more likely they will bundle or build in the network/modem adapters. They still probably don't want to set up their own network and be content to let the developers set up their own strategy, because Nintendo is more interested in making games than maintaining network servers.
With their high standards on the gameplay experience, they could have decided the lag wasn't worth it. They enabled the internal LAN instead. Though the other big blunder with the game is that when you plan LAN mode, the characters are randomly chosen.
Hard to say if the GH version will have it, but the music sampler isn't the greatest compilation. You're better off buying the import game soundtracks if you really are fond of the music.
Have you seen the tremendous amount of products with Nintendo character brands? Licensed products are all over. Licensing is also a way to generate revenue.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Advanced Wars
Advanced Wars II
Fire Emblem
There are strategy games available.
CD Japan (www.cdjapan.co.jp) provides much better selection and service. It is advised that you buy multiple albums, because Express mail shipping is fairly expensive. You can choose airmail if you're money-strapped.
Also, a good site that sells import game music is CocoeBiz (www.cocoebiz.com). Their selection is smaller, but they carry some things the other retailers don't, like the soundtrack to Okage and Metal Slug 3. They also have official English translations of certain game composer sites, like the ones of Motoi Sakuraba (Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile) and Noriyuki Iwadare (Lunar, Grandia).
Hudson was a major publisher for the NEC Turbografx-16. The majority of the U.S. game library were derived from them. Many of their games were really cool. They also handled many of the Turbo CD games, especially the great port of Ys Book I and II.
That is an observable trend I see as well.
A lot of FAQ authors don't have a lot of money to pursue a legal challenge if CNet decides to wiggle out of the agreement (unless it turns into a class-action lawsuit).
This is not much different than Escient buying up cddb and taking away all the user-submitted tracklists.
I do occassionally find an old game I'm intersted and would like to access the archives. I have to pay for access to old stuff? That seems contrary to the business model of charging for new stuff.
It seems nobody has gone to Cooper Union's website and do a little reading. Cooper Union is a private institution. It was founded by Peter Cooper, a wealthy industrialist in the 1800s. He also did this without ever learning to read. So, he took much of his money and set up The Cooper Union. The university runs on an endowment set up by the founder. Therefore, the school isn't paid for by taxes. Cooper Union does own real estate and land, so rents from people leasing the university's land and properities also help pay for the upkeep of the school. The tuition is completely paid for students. They still have to pay for books, an annual student fees, and living expenses (i.e. dorm), but the education itself is paid. The tuition's value is an estimate based on competing universities' tuitions that offer similar programs. By the way, it is really hard to get admitted into the school (this is also reinforced by several surveys, including U.S. News). There are less than 1000 matriculated students total, so there are no more than 150-200 freshman slots available. This is how the school can keep costs down for making tuitions free for students: limit the available seats.