corps
1 a : an organized subdivision of the military establishment b : a tactical unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and auxiliary arms and services
2 : a group of persons associated together or acting under common direction; especially : a body of persons having a common activity or occupation
Well, you're right. The behind the scenes string pulling was just that... behind the scenes. However, the dynamic of Babylon 5 has always been about the immediate characters and how they react/deal with the situations.
And the "bad guy"s in this case were Babylon 5's own security force, as they were conscripted and recruited by the Night Watch. Normally good people doing undesirable actions.
The federation was indeed at real risk, and he felt stronger action needed to be taken to deal with this threat and used the events, plus some of his own making, to try and get his way.
But that's the point. While Earth wasn't at a great, "direct" risk -- Earth Gov used the conflicts of the galaxy as propaganda to further their own political agendas. *We*, the viewers, know that the risk isn't that severe; but the people of Earth do not, which makes them susceptible to the propaganda programs. IMO, this is a far more relevant and interesting situation, both as a parallel for current day and historical events and as good drama.
And it was through these events that Zack Allen (who was Nightwatch, but had questions) became a fixture on the show (and I think that intro helped the character, because, surprise, he has faults -- like every other character).
So yes, the true villains of Babylon 5 were distant shadows and servants -- but it is through their influence and their indirect actions towards the main characters where the drama is created.
This was a strong theme running through Babylon 5 Seasons Two and Three, which culminated in the secession of Babylon 5 from Earth.
Seriously, all the good aspects that people rave about in DS9, B5 did first. DS9 was just a Paramount copy of B5, quite frankly -- almost to the point of lawsuit.
I'm going to need to know this in a few years: How do you explain to your child that it is "Right" for you to own a game that he sometimes sees you playing, but that it is "Wrong" for him to play it?
The same way it's been done for centuries: when you're old enough to make the decisions yourself, you can make that decision. *I* am mature enough, *I* can play this immature game. *You* have to earn that right.
It's worked for centuries, why should it stop now?
I mean, this is the same as the stereotypical smoking parent telling his/her child not to smoke (or drink, or whatever).
The scheme that I saw (sorry, didn't RTFA) Microsoft tout before was that, in addition to the software API, the hardware interfaces would be standardized too. Which means... you can take your XBox controller and plug it into your PC (In a way, with a little tweaking, you can already do this... it is USB afterall) to play that adventure game; or, you can take your pc mouse/keyboard and plug it into your XBox to play generic-RTS game. The interface is already considered.
Of course, this doesn't solve the context issue of console vs PC. Certainly, even though you can plug in a mouse/keyboard to your console... if your console is on a large screen tv in front of a sofa, it isn't necessarily desirable to do so. Playing Warcraft on a coffee table isn't my idea of fun.
That's a bad example. A more apt example would be this GBA 3D engine. A relatively impressive 3D engine for a considerably weaker system. So, I imagine that the DS could do a lot... especially when you factor in the screen-size and, obviously, the resolution that it has.
Great. I've already lost my Dr. Mario, which was a "big" GB cart; the GBA carts are even smaller, and now we're getting even smaller cards? They're going to make a killing selling new games to people that lose their old ones!
The PS2 Is not the best selling console because it's got the best line-up of exclusive titles - it's the best selling most likely because it came out first.
Your selective memory seems to forget that the Dreamcast came first. And not only was it first, but it had the far better game library. The PS2 was absolutely barren for almost a year! Just because you're the first on the block doesn't mean you'll be first in sales (see also Saturn).
Unfortunately, that's not as far fetched as it might seem. In fact, it's one of the selling features for the GameTrac... er Gizmondo, whatever. Warning, annoying Flash site.
Don't underestimate the buying power of the "Paranoid Parent" market.
Dude. Super Mario Bros was the NUMBER TWO (out of everything) game in Japan in mid-April. It sold more in a week than the XBox sold THIS YEAR (granted, it's Japan, so that's not much of a comparison.)
Why are they releasing a new batch of retro over-priced games? Because they sold over a million of them.
Except Street Fighter 2, Samurai Shodown, uh.. Super Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition, and, er, Samurai Shodown 2.
At least from a pure gameplay point of view. I turned on my SNES and pulled out the old SM cart after playing through Zero Mission three times... maybe more. Better atmosphere with SM (though not being portable helps that), but far slower paced and less balanced out IMO. Don't get me wrong, Super Metroid is great, and from a historical point of view it is the superior game, but Zero Mission topped it.
I ran for about 1 minute. If I liked the time, I recorded it. If it wasn't up to par, I stopped my stopwatch, turned it back to the end of my last segment, and tried again once I caught my breath. When I combined the times and distances, it was marathon length... but in less than an hour and a half! Call Guiness!!
*yawn* Seriously, wake me when somebody does this in a single run without restarts on original hardware. Otherwise it is missing the point, not me (as the FAQ would want me to believe).
Console Disadvantages:
Lack of standards and customizability (e.g. PS2 hardware would not work with GC hardware). PC Advantages:
Better standards.
Err. Wrong. What if I want to play my Windows game on an Apple? On Linux? It only seems like there are greater standards because Wintel dominates completely. It's easy to have "standards" when you have only one player -- but then, everyone loses.
Generally more troublesome to develop for consoles.
Maybe getting the kits and licenses, yeah. But it's easier to produce a solid product when you know that every system it's going to be for is going to be identical. For PCs, you have to take into account someone's 3 year old PC with equal consideration to the new top-of-the-line monsters.
Console Advantages (more):
I can sit on a couch, grab a wireless controller, and play comfortably in front of a 30" tv. I sit in front of a desk enough at work, I don't need to do this during my "leisure time" -- which, really, is the only option for PC games.
Yeah, but when you go online, there's a larger disparity in mental capacity. At least if I play with friends and kick their asses, I can brag freely. I've earned it. If I play well online, I get called a shitface or some other (often homophobic) idiotic insult. No thanks. Anonymity = Fuckwads.
I believe that the Sony Europe president (or some high-up) said that the PSP will be "closer to 200 than 300" -- which, obviously, means 249.99.
However, that's 250 Pounds. And 250.00 GBP = 449.221 USD so... yeah. I don't think a $400 price point is out of the question. When you consider, also, that Sony wants to make this into an all-in-one platform rather than a game system, the price isn't so far-fetched.
The GPL applies to distribution, not use, so this analogy is completely invalid.
This is true only if you are making your own copies. In the case the parent was making, in regard to *downloading* copies, it is valid because you're downloading off of somebody -- which is distribution.
And this is what irks me: everyone says "I have these ROMS for back-up *nudge*nudge* purposes. Yet, I guarantee you, 99.9% of all people that have NES ROMS do not have the means to rip those roms off of their cartridges. In which case, the roms were distributed from somewhere and were, no matter what excuses are thrown, completely illegal.
Emmulating games which are out of print is fine, but games which are still shipping in mass quantities?
No it's not. If a company chooses to release something in limited quantities, that's their choice -- you can't go and rip the product off because, in your mind, there weren't enough copies and it's no longer available.
Yes. But *making* a back-up and *downloading* a copy are two different things. You are allowed to rip your CD to your hard-drive; you are, technically, not allowed to download someone else's copy. That's the difference.
Of course, it's a bit different here in Canada, but that's the general idea.
Slashdot Mirror
Both prices are reasonable. I think you're failing to take the CDN$->USD$ conversion between the sites into consideration.
Psi-Corps! Get it right.
corps
1 a : an organized subdivision of the military establishment b : a tactical unit usually consisting of two or more divisions and auxiliary arms and services
2 : a group of persons associated together or acting under common direction; especially : a body of persons having a common activity or occupation
Well, you're right. The behind the scenes string pulling was just that... behind the scenes. However, the dynamic of Babylon 5 has always been about the immediate characters and how they react/deal with the situations.
And the "bad guy"s in this case were Babylon 5's own security force, as they were conscripted and recruited by the Night Watch. Normally good people doing undesirable actions.
The federation was indeed at real risk, and he felt stronger action needed to be taken to deal with this threat and used the events, plus some of his own making, to try and get his way.
But that's the point. While Earth wasn't at a great, "direct" risk -- Earth Gov used the conflicts of the galaxy as propaganda to further their own political agendas. *We*, the viewers, know that the risk isn't that severe; but the people of Earth do not, which makes them susceptible to the propaganda programs. IMO, this is a far more relevant and interesting situation, both as a parallel for current day and historical events and as good drama.
And it was through these events that Zack Allen (who was Nightwatch, but had questions) became a fixture on the show (and I think that intro helped the character, because, surprise, he has faults -- like every other character).
So yes, the true villains of Babylon 5 were distant shadows and servants -- but it is through their influence and their indirect actions towards the main characters where the drama is created.
And yes, I am an unabashed Babylon 5 fanboy.
This was a strong theme running through Babylon 5 Seasons Two and Three, which culminated in the secession of Babylon 5 from Earth.
Seriously, all the good aspects that people rave about in DS9, B5 did first. DS9 was just a Paramount copy of B5, quite frankly -- almost to the point of lawsuit.
Looks like their web server was running off of a Pokemon mini.
I'm going to need to know this in a few years: How do you explain to your child that it is "Right" for you to own a game that he sometimes sees you playing, but that it is "Wrong" for him to play it?
The same way it's been done for centuries: when you're old enough to make the decisions yourself, you can make that decision. *I* am mature enough, *I* can play this immature game. *You* have to earn that right.
It's worked for centuries, why should it stop now? I mean, this is the same as the stereotypical smoking parent telling his/her child not to smoke (or drink, or whatever).
The scheme that I saw (sorry, didn't RTFA) Microsoft tout before was that, in addition to the software API, the hardware interfaces would be standardized too. Which means... you can take your XBox controller and plug it into your PC (In a way, with a little tweaking, you can already do this... it is USB afterall) to play that adventure game; or, you can take your pc mouse/keyboard and plug it into your XBox to play generic-RTS game. The interface is already considered.
Of course, this doesn't solve the context issue of console vs PC. Certainly, even though you can plug in a mouse/keyboard to your console... if your console is on a large screen tv in front of a sofa, it isn't necessarily desirable to do so. Playing Warcraft on a coffee table isn't my idea of fun.
That's a bad example. A more apt example would be this GBA 3D engine. A relatively impressive 3D engine for a considerably weaker system. So, I imagine that the DS could do a lot... especially when you factor in the screen-size and, obviously, the resolution that it has.
Great. I've already lost my Dr. Mario, which was a "big" GB cart; the GBA carts are even smaller, and now we're getting even smaller cards? They're going to make a killing selling new games to people that lose their old ones!
The PS2 Is not the best selling console because it's got the best line-up of exclusive titles - it's the best selling most likely because it came out first.
Your selective memory seems to forget that the Dreamcast came first. And not only was it first, but it had the far better game library. The PS2 was absolutely barren for almost a year! Just because you're the first on the block doesn't mean you'll be first in sales (see also Saturn).
Unfortunately, that's not as far fetched as it might seem. In fact, it's one of the selling features for the GameTrac... er Gizmondo, whatever. Warning, annoying Flash site.
Don't underestimate the buying power of the "Paranoid Parent" market.
what, like SEGA GT Online? Or Phantasy Star Online? Your dreams need to catch up with reality.
Dude. Super Mario Bros was the NUMBER TWO (out of everything) game in Japan in mid-April. It sold more in a week than the XBox sold THIS YEAR (granted, it's Japan, so that's not much of a comparison.)
Why are they releasing a new batch of retro over-priced games? Because they sold over a million of them.
You underestimate the market.
> Nothing beats good old Mortal Kombat.
Except Street Fighter 2, Samurai Shodown, uh.. Super Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition, and, er, Samurai Shodown 2.
Metroid: Zero Mission > Super Metroid
At least from a pure gameplay point of view. I turned on my SNES and pulled out the old SM cart after playing through Zero Mission three times... maybe more. Better atmosphere with SM (though not being portable helps that), but far slower paced and less balanced out IMO. Don't get me wrong, Super Metroid is great, and from a historical point of view it is the superior game, but Zero Mission topped it.
I ran for about 1 minute. If I liked the time, I recorded it. If it wasn't up to par, I stopped my stopwatch, turned it back to the end of my last segment, and tried again once I caught my breath. When I combined the times and distances, it was marathon length... but in less than an hour and a half! Call Guiness!!
*yawn*
Seriously, wake me when somebody does this in a single run without restarts on original hardware. Otherwise it is missing the point, not me (as the FAQ would want me to believe).
Dude, if you wanted an open system, then you shouldn't have bought the GBA and, instead, should have bought yourself a GP32.
Console Disadvantages: Lack of standards and customizability (e.g. PS2 hardware would not work with GC hardware).
PC Advantages: Better standards.
Err. Wrong. What if I want to play my Windows game on an Apple? On Linux? It only seems like there are greater standards because Wintel dominates completely. It's easy to have "standards" when you have only one player -- but then, everyone loses.
Generally more troublesome to develop for consoles.
Maybe getting the kits and licenses, yeah. But it's easier to produce a solid product when you know that every system it's going to be for is going to be identical. For PCs, you have to take into account someone's 3 year old PC with equal consideration to the new top-of-the-line monsters.
Console Advantages (more):
I can sit on a couch, grab a wireless controller, and play comfortably in front of a 30" tv. I sit in front of a desk enough at work, I don't need to do this during my "leisure time" -- which, really, is the only option for PC games.
Yeah, but when you go online, there's a larger disparity in mental capacity. At least if I play with friends and kick their asses, I can brag freely. I've earned it. If I play well online, I get called a shitface or some other (often homophobic) idiotic insult. No thanks. Anonymity = Fuckwads.
Yes, but if you make a copy you can argue product dilution which, in effect, does affect the inventory (and, obviously, profits).
I believe that the Sony Europe president (or some high-up) said that the PSP will be "closer to 200 than 300" -- which, obviously, means 249.99.
However, that's 250 Pounds. And 250.00 GBP = 449.221 USD so... yeah. I don't think a $400 price point is out of the question. When you consider, also, that Sony wants to make this into an all-in-one platform rather than a game system, the price isn't so far-fetched.
The GPL applies to distribution, not use, so this analogy is completely invalid.
This is true only if you are making your own copies. In the case the parent was making, in regard to *downloading* copies, it is valid because you're downloading off of somebody -- which is distribution.
And this is what irks me: everyone says "I have these ROMS for back-up *nudge*nudge* purposes. Yet, I guarantee you, 99.9% of all people that have NES ROMS do not have the means to rip those roms off of their cartridges. In which case, the roms were distributed from somewhere and were, no matter what excuses are thrown, completely illegal.
Emmulating games which are out of print is fine, but games which are still shipping in mass quantities?
No it's not. If a company chooses to release something in limited quantities, that's their choice -- you can't go and rip the product off because, in your mind, there weren't enough copies and it's no longer available.
Yes. But *making* a back-up and *downloading* a copy are two different things. You are allowed to rip your CD to your hard-drive; you are, technically, not allowed to download someone else's copy. That's the difference.
Of course, it's a bit different here in Canada, but that's the general idea.
E.g. Civilization has taught me that when Egypt built the Pyramids, they essentially doubled the rate of growth in all the cities on the continent.
E.g. SimCity has taught me about urban planning -- use railroads everywhere! They reduce pollution.
E.g. Gran Turismo has taught me that if I were to crash my GTO at full speed, I wouldn't even dent it!