It would be far better if government worked to reduce the amount of petroleum being consumed through initiatives to encourage telecommuting, locating companies in locations that don't require commuting in the first place, and research into fuel cells and hybrid vehicles.
Do you mean taxes, restrictions, mandates, and tax funded government research?
It doesn't sound to great when you put it my way though...
What you're speaking of is a section of fantasy sports; salary cap games. Most people play in draft-based leagues where salaries aren't involved. I don't like salary cap games because the salaries are normally decided either by some people or maybe a formula, and both aren't very indicative of what a player is truly worth.
Well, the pricing is fairly standard (good) and considering that most use Stats Inc., they can only add more perks to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. 32 teams in the Commissioner package is definitely a major perk. It makes for a much more deep, competitive game.
However, the League Manager package is coming up short since it doesn't look like it will let you run your own. Now, you might be asking if that is the same as asking for the Commissioner package for the $10 price. It is not. In most services, you can create your own league and invite people who paid the same fee as you (well, sometimes with extra fees for extra teams) and make your league public or private. The Commissioner package offers more control over how the league runs and is meant for use with your friends or coworkers. But, the ability to create your own public or private league and run it to an extent is normally standard in a package like League Manager. EA needs to recognize this shortcoming and fix it, otherwise they're taking a big dent out of their potential subscriber base.
Other than that, things look pretty normal. The prizes could be a little bit better and money leagues would be nice as well, but their name should carry them far.
On another note, an idea that would be cool (perhaps a new perk for Xbox Live gamers since it'd be hard to pull off on the PS2 as well) would be the ability to take your fantasy team and get to play it in Madden. That is assuming that they lump the defense and special teams guys (except kicker) together and they make the offensive line be determined by your quarterback. Their stat tracking has to stay very up to date as well. Anyways, have the teams clearly marked as fantasy teams and give the gamers special Xbox Live tournaments where they can duke it out with other people's fantasy teams for prizes. The link between their fantasy football packages and the video game would probably get people buying both just for that feature alone.
and stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson.
This is going to be the most untintelligible movie ever. No doubt. No question. Nobody's going to know what the hell is going on in the movie, especially not the cast.
Robert, I hope you don't take another stab at rehab. You'll just get disgruntled...
I want to go look at this guys website, but I am afraid to see what kind of pictures he has photoshopped (gimped?) together to descredit the politician.
Well, here's our geek in his underwea... Wait a second. Oh, wait a second! Michael Moore, is that you? Oh, come on Michael, I thought you said you were going to quit doctoring things. *Sowwy* Sorry doesn't cut it, mister! Hold it. Hold it! Are you back in the ice cream again? *Nowp* Yes you are! Yes you are! Don't you lie! That's why you can't pronounce your R's isn't it?...
Time Unleashed a New Beast
on
Meet Joe Blog
·
· Score: 4, Funny
The article's subtitle:
Why are more and more people getting their news from amateur websites called blogs? Because they're fast, funny and totally biased
Thanks Time, you've just encouraged a site with more traffic than most others on the internet to keep being more biased, as opposed to just giving the story. Does michael get to post smart-assed statements after an article twice as long as they used to be. Does CmdrTaco get that feeling he does absolutely no wrong even stronger? Does this site continue to get treated like a small site by the people who run it when it should be treated like the big one it is, all because of your little article?
With the site going on such a downward spiral, do they really need their ego stroked? God damn you Time. God damn you.
Exactly. You just mentioned what market Lindows should be aiming for, the computer newbies. The ones afraid to make a switch from what they first started with.
For somebody who knows enough about Linux to want to compare those three distros, they probably already know their way around Windows fairly well. So, when Lindows does things like automatically reset some of your Mozilla settings to Lindows's custom defaults, it's going to turn the very people who would be interested in the linuxshootout.com offer away from Lindows.
Lindows is one of those operating systems that tries to hold your hand through almost everything. A lot of people in that type are going to be too afraid to install an operating system as it is; that is why they need to stick to prebundling it with cheap PCs. When they offer this comparison to people who know enough about computers to want to try out Linux, it's going to fall short of their expectations. And if they think that they were going to attract the computer newbie to this offer, odds are they haven't even heard of it let alone would care to participate.
I think Robertson's shooting himself in the foot here. Lindows is stripped down so much that probably only the extreme newbie (as in computer newbie, not so much Linux newbie) will find it suitable. The other two allow a bit more breathing room.
He better hope that the people who buy this package try Lindows first and decide not to install Mandrake or Fedora Core otherwise there won't be too many CNR subscriptions coming his way.
In summary, he's going for the wrong market. Stick to bundling it with cheap Wal-Mart PCs, Michael.
I'm saying that he should pay up regardless. He should close up if he really didn't know what he was doing. If that's his only source of income and he has to keep it going to pay the fee, then those are the breaks. However, I'd recommend that he try to find other means (getting employed) to pay up, because if this was because if he was unknowledgeable (slim chance; he was in the business) we wouldn't want him to fuck up again.
He was in a position where he definitely should've known and because of that it's safe for Valve to assume that he did. Valve's demand for him to pay up is just. They shouldn't have to offer just a cease and desist when the gaming center should've known better. It's all in who you're dealing with. If this was a situation like the one that I made up with the lan party in a previous post, it'd be a whole different story.
This guy disregarded the licensing situation and Valve wants the money they were supposed to receive. Whether or not their license was too constricting is a moot point here as it was what the game was licensed under and the gaming center wasn't forced to use Valve's product. Whether or not this guy knew to license is a moot point as his position practically required him to. For him to accomplish what he has with his business, I would highly doubt that he wasn't aware of the licensing situation. You can set up a lan, grab a T1, keep the business afloat, but not be aware of a licensing situation? I doubt that. At the very least, a lawyer should've caught it. Let's face it, we're talking deliberate disregard here.
Don't feel bad for this guy. I know that the Slashdot crowd likes to root for the little guy in a big guy vs. little guy situation. But the little guy made a mistake and should have to pay for it. And when it appears that the little guy deliberately ignored their license, it just makes him look worse. If this takes the gaming center with it, then that's just the way things will have to be. When you're in a position where these type of things must be taken care of, there are no excuses to be made when they aren't. Do what you can to rectify the situation and move forward.
One other little thing I was thinking of that isn't important enough to make another post for. It's kind of interesting how a place like Corante ends up picking this one up, or any other source for that matter. However, all that I noticed from a Google News search for Valve was the Slashdot report and Slashdot gave Corante as their source. This is one of those stories that woudln't normally make it out on its own. I have a gut feeling that this person knew where the sympathetic sources were and went to them personally. So, if that's indeed true, that'll help damn him some more. You only tend to know about sites like this and Corante if you have good grasp on tech.
I don't think that this was necessarily a nice move in business, but it is business; you can't always be nice. This guy might not've known about how to license, but he really should've. If this was, say, a one-time fee-based lan party that some college kids threw and they get this letter, I'd be pissed off with Valve too. In that case being unknowledgeable about licensing schemes could very well be a legitimate excuse. However, we're talking about a place that is out to sustain profit and operates regularly. A place that should have known better.
I think that the bigger question, the one that Valve is probably asking, is: How could they not know?
If this person truly didn't know, they should've went to Valve first and try to work something out regardless of what stated in the letter. If Valve acted like a jerk in response then you could let it go to court and hope for leniency there. But this should be a very important lesson to them; know what you're doing first.
I'm guessing that Valve doesn't see this guy as some schmuck. His site design might make you think so but check out the pictures as well. He seems to have a good handle on that end. When it comes to something like a gaming center, it's not unreasonable at all to expect that they have their licensing issues settled before allowing the game to be played. If they knew enough to get a T1 line (as stated on their site), set up a lan, and run a for-profit business, making sure that you can do so legally isn't too much of an expectation. Valve probably felt that this was a glaring enough issue that a reasonable business would know to have it settled beforehand either by their own good sense or by a lawyer's. And, therefore, not taking care of the issue could only be in bad faith (yes, I read the AC's response to your post).
If this person was truly stupid enough to not find out that he needed a special license beforehand, than anybody remotely close to him, anybody who has an ounce of compassion for him, should force him to close up immediately. I just don't buy that he's that stupid when he's in the business already.
This guy is running a business for Christ's sake. He should have known the score beforehand. The fact that this person is ignoring the legal side of things while running a business is stupid no matter how you look at it.
Frankly, I don't feel sympathetic for this person at all. They're running a cybercafe; getting the licensing issues out of the way should be top priority for them before they allow the game to be played. That "poor, pitiful me" shit doesn't fly here. If they didn't know the ins and outs of their business before they got in it, they shouldn't be in it now.
Valve did no wrong here. Hopefully something good will come out of this; Valve will show this person that they should stick to being an employee.
Here's the deal. The BBB only thinks that they have a bunch of cell phone complaints. Most of the time they only can make out something like "fucking cell pho..." before the call is dropped, so they mark it as a complaint about the service.
As more people sign on to high-speed access, how long will it be before we start seeing the cable companies (such as Comcast) start dropping their prices to levels which compete directly with dial-up?
As long as dial-up is around, I don't think that broadband prices will drop to its level. However, a major step in the right direction would be for state and local governments to allow for competition in the cable market by beginning to let others install fiber lines.
Seeing how there would probably be quite a few closed roads and other disturbances, it would be up to those two forms of government to make sure that minimum disturbance would be created. Once the government-allowed monopoly on the cable market is over, you're bound to see some steep price drops and probably better service, too. With more fiber roll-outs taking their share of customers, less bandwidth would be utilized.
You will see keyboards plugged into PS2's, but only for communication. The Xbox will supposedly never see a keyboard, and what do you think the chances of Nintendo ever supporting one? It's not like consoles are incapable of supporting a keyboard at all, it's just that there is no demand for it.
Both the XBox and Gamecube do have keyboards for their Phantasy Star Online offerings for communication puproses.
It wasn't a matter of bad management. Itagaki knew what market he was aiming Ninja Gaiden for. Gamers shouldn't act like he made a bad decision just because the game isn't for them. Ninja Gaiden is meant for good players who want a challenge. If it's too hard for you, there's nothing wrong with playing another game.
Here's another example from the film world. David Mamet gives a test screening for his new film, but a decent portion of the audience complains because they don't understand the dialogue between characters. So, while doing the final edit, David sticks a bunch more of that dialogue into the movie because he knows that his fans will eat it up.
This whole idea sounds kind of funny considering that they probably run some of the worst programming on television.
Mind you, their shows probably don't do all that great in the Nielsen's, but what if their major advertisers wanted to implement some sort of positive review policy before shelling out the bucks?
How long until people just give up and listen to local music?
When folk music is popular again.
That's the problem, most people don't have a scene that they can get to. So, we're basically left with a bunch of NEA funded shit that wouldn't see a penny if people didn't have to worry about the Tax Fairy sneaking it away to them.
I'm not arguing that King of Fighters: Maximum Impact won't be a fun game. But, this is already getting comparisons to Dead or Alive 2 and Soul Calibur. Notice how these aren't the lastest and greatest of those series. By the looks of the screenshots, I'd have to agree. And, considering the number of KOF titles that have already been released, I don't see how they can change the gameplay mechanics too much without resorting to a complete overhaul; essentially taking away what makes a KOF game a KOF game. That's why we generally see a plateau in the innovation of a fighting license's gameplay. So, we probably won't be getting much else than a pretty solid game with somewhat dated 3D graphics; not too bad.
But then I start to think about the Street Fighter EX line of games. For the most part, they were alright games with the third one coming up shorter than the first two. However, they were by no means memorable. With Capcom making the decision to go into 3D, I figured that they would do it in a big way. Instead, those games end up being less than memorable. They weren't terrible by any means, but these were Street Fighter games. They were meant to be a cut above the rest! So, unfortunately, I'm left with disappointing memories of games that didn't do much more than muddy the waters of a great license.
If I were a big SNK fan, I'd be worried that the same might happen to the King of Fighters line. Sure, you might end up with a good game. But, are you going to be able to hold it as high as you would the other King of Fighters games? Aren't you expecting a little bit more than just good from SNK?
One of the interesting things that I see potential for is that, if this game does indeed tarnish the King of Fighters series, it probably won't stop there. Because King of Fighters is comprised of characters from multiple SNK licenses, Maximum Impact could possibly have the same effect on the licenses that make up the King of Fighters license.
Personally, I'd rather see SNK do what Capcom should have done; stick to 2D and let the King of Fighters license and the ones under it bow out gracefully. I wouldn't flood the market with 2D games, either. Maybe a few more and a grand final salute would be suitable. Then, focus on creating new licenses better suited for the future. That way, you're company is still alive and people can keep the fond memories of their favorite licenses without having to remember the ones that didn't quite live up to the high standards set.
All of the hopes that The Day After Tommorow will strike a mainstream debate pretty much depends on how big of an impact it will make in the box office. I'm not even speaking of whether or not it'll go #1, but whether or not it'll go #1 in a big way. So far, there doesn't seem to be that much hype behind it. They are airing a lot of commercials but the only thing I've noticed a station doing for it is giving the basic pre-release interviews and a Weather Channel special.
It probably wouldn't hurt that this movie doesn't suck either. But, this is coming from Roland Emmerich, the guy who gave us such junk as the 1998 Godzilla (directed and wrote the screenplay) and Independence Day (directed and wrote). In fact, The Day After Tomorrow is marketed as being done by the man who brought us Independence Day. We all might have thought it was nifty back then because of all the special effects, but those who try to give it another look find it to be a total cheese fest.
But hey, why can't a bad movie still strike a debate? I mean, a lot of people thought The Passion of the Christ was a steaming pile. However, it did get rave reviews from the Christian community. Let's face it, global warming isn't the contentious issue Jesus is. It might have a lot of heat behind it, but it's no Jesus. So, you're less likely such a strong debate no matter what.
Also, any smart Green supporter would keep out of any debate that might arise from this movie anyway. This movie is not based on science at all; meaning that any Green in a debate would have to make the concession that "this movie isn't really based in science, but something like this really could happen if we let things get out of hand!" That does nothing but make the supporter look like an uneducated jackass; which is part of the debate anyways. Remember, Christians weren't really asked to cough up proof of the Biblical stories when The Passion was a center of debate. Most of the talk was around potential anti-Semitism. Besides, all they have to do is believe to keep alive in a debate since they're not really dealing with science most of the time. However, it's going to take a little more than a belief to push Green solutions and ideals.
Slashdot Mirror
It would be far better if government worked to reduce the amount of petroleum being consumed through initiatives to encourage telecommuting, locating companies in locations that don't require commuting in the first place, and research into fuel cells and hybrid vehicles.
Do you mean taxes, restrictions, mandates, and tax funded government research?
It doesn't sound to great when you put it my way though...
What you're speaking of is a section of fantasy sports; salary cap games. Most people play in draft-based leagues where salaries aren't involved. I don't like salary cap games because the salaries are normally decided either by some people or maybe a formula, and both aren't very indicative of what a player is truly worth.
Well, the pricing is fairly standard (good) and considering that most use Stats Inc., they can only add more perks to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. 32 teams in the Commissioner package is definitely a major perk. It makes for a much more deep, competitive game.
However, the League Manager package is coming up short since it doesn't look like it will let you run your own. Now, you might be asking if that is the same as asking for the Commissioner package for the $10 price. It is not. In most services, you can create your own league and invite people who paid the same fee as you (well, sometimes with extra fees for extra teams) and make your league public or private. The Commissioner package offers more control over how the league runs and is meant for use with your friends or coworkers. But, the ability to create your own public or private league and run it to an extent is normally standard in a package like League Manager. EA needs to recognize this shortcoming and fix it, otherwise they're taking a big dent out of their potential subscriber base.
Other than that, things look pretty normal. The prizes could be a little bit better and money leagues would be nice as well, but their name should carry them far.
On another note, an idea that would be cool (perhaps a new perk for Xbox Live gamers since it'd be hard to pull off on the PS2 as well) would be the ability to take your fantasy team and get to play it in Madden. That is assuming that they lump the defense and special teams guys (except kicker) together and they make the offensive line be determined by your quarterback. Their stat tracking has to stay very up to date as well. Anyways, have the teams clearly marked as fantasy teams and give the gamers special Xbox Live tournaments where they can duke it out with other people's fantasy teams for prizes. The link between their fantasy football packages and the video game would probably get people buying both just for that feature alone.
and stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson.
This is going to be the most untintelligible movie ever. No doubt. No question. Nobody's going to know what the hell is going on in the movie, especially not the cast.
Robert, I hope you don't take another stab at rehab. You'll just get disgruntled...
Just so you guys know I'm libertarian, because I think you guys thought I was a conservative.
So, from now on, reply accordingly. Because assuming makes an ass out of u and ming.
Please check all that applies to you:
[ ] I speak quietly.
[ ] I listen to NPR regularly.
[ ] Taxes, in general, are a good thing.
[ ] Poor people are helpless and need our money.
[ ] Radio stations are helpless and need our money.
[ ] I am helpless and need somebody's money.
[ ] The person who wrote this application is probably helpless and might need somebody's money.
[ ] Conservatives and other types have lots of money.
[ ] If it's put to a vote, taking other people's money is perfectly fine.
[ ] Being too rich is justification for taking a person's money.
[ ] We should write a proposal, put it to a vote, and take a rich person's money sometime.
[ ] The NEA is a good thing.
[ ] They're pretty successful in taking other people's money and floating it towards stuff we call art.
[ ] What we do is considered an artform.
It just gets longer from there...
I want to go look at this guys website, but I am afraid to see what kind of pictures he has photoshopped (gimped?) together to descredit the politician.
Well, here's our geek in his underwea... Wait a second. Oh, wait a second! Michael Moore, is that you? Oh, come on Michael, I thought you said you were going to quit doctoring things. *Sowwy* Sorry doesn't cut it, mister! Hold it. Hold it! Are you back in the ice cream again? *Nowp* Yes you are! Yes you are! Don't you lie! That's why you can't pronounce your R's isn't it?...
The article's subtitle:
Why are more and more people getting their news from amateur websites called blogs? Because they're fast, funny and totally biased
Thanks Time, you've just encouraged a site with more traffic than most others on the internet to keep being more biased, as opposed to just giving the story. Does michael get to post smart-assed statements after an article twice as long as they used to be. Does CmdrTaco get that feeling he does absolutely no wrong even stronger? Does this site continue to get treated like a small site by the people who run it when it should be treated like the big one it is, all because of your little article?
With the site going on such a downward spiral, do they really need their ego stroked? God damn you Time. God damn you.
Exactly. You just mentioned what market Lindows should be aiming for, the computer newbies. The ones afraid to make a switch from what they first started with.
For somebody who knows enough about Linux to want to compare those three distros, they probably already know their way around Windows fairly well. So, when Lindows does things like automatically reset some of your Mozilla settings to Lindows's custom defaults, it's going to turn the very people who would be interested in the linuxshootout.com offer away from Lindows.
Lindows is one of those operating systems that tries to hold your hand through almost everything. A lot of people in that type are going to be too afraid to install an operating system as it is; that is why they need to stick to prebundling it with cheap PCs. When they offer this comparison to people who know enough about computers to want to try out Linux, it's going to fall short of their expectations. And if they think that they were going to attract the computer newbie to this offer, odds are they haven't even heard of it let alone would care to participate.
I think Robertson's shooting himself in the foot here. Lindows is stripped down so much that probably only the extreme newbie (as in computer newbie, not so much Linux newbie) will find it suitable. The other two allow a bit more breathing room.
He better hope that the people who buy this package try Lindows first and decide not to install Mandrake or Fedora Core otherwise there won't be too many CNR subscriptions coming his way.
In summary, he's going for the wrong market. Stick to bundling it with cheap Wal-Mart PCs, Michael.
I'm saying that he should pay up regardless. He should close up if he really didn't know what he was doing. If that's his only source of income and he has to keep it going to pay the fee, then those are the breaks. However, I'd recommend that he try to find other means (getting employed) to pay up, because if this was because if he was unknowledgeable (slim chance; he was in the business) we wouldn't want him to fuck up again.
He was in a position where he definitely should've known and because of that it's safe for Valve to assume that he did. Valve's demand for him to pay up is just. They shouldn't have to offer just a cease and desist when the gaming center should've known better. It's all in who you're dealing with. If this was a situation like the one that I made up with the lan party in a previous post, it'd be a whole different story.
This guy disregarded the licensing situation and Valve wants the money they were supposed to receive. Whether or not their license was too constricting is a moot point here as it was what the game was licensed under and the gaming center wasn't forced to use Valve's product. Whether or not this guy knew to license is a moot point as his position practically required him to. For him to accomplish what he has with his business, I would highly doubt that he wasn't aware of the licensing situation. You can set up a lan, grab a T1, keep the business afloat, but not be aware of a licensing situation? I doubt that. At the very least, a lawyer should've caught it. Let's face it, we're talking deliberate disregard here.
Don't feel bad for this guy. I know that the Slashdot crowd likes to root for the little guy in a big guy vs. little guy situation. But the little guy made a mistake and should have to pay for it. And when it appears that the little guy deliberately ignored their license, it just makes him look worse. If this takes the gaming center with it, then that's just the way things will have to be. When you're in a position where these type of things must be taken care of, there are no excuses to be made when they aren't. Do what you can to rectify the situation and move forward.
One other little thing I was thinking of that isn't important enough to make another post for. It's kind of interesting how a place like Corante ends up picking this one up, or any other source for that matter. However, all that I noticed from a Google News search for Valve was the Slashdot report and Slashdot gave Corante as their source. This is one of those stories that woudln't normally make it out on its own. I have a gut feeling that this person knew where the sympathetic sources were and went to them personally. So, if that's indeed true, that'll help damn him some more. You only tend to know about sites like this and Corante if you have good grasp on tech.
I don't think that this was necessarily a nice move in business, but it is business; you can't always be nice. This guy might not've known about how to license, but he really should've. If this was, say, a one-time fee-based lan party that some college kids threw and they get this letter, I'd be pissed off with Valve too. In that case being unknowledgeable about licensing schemes could very well be a legitimate excuse. However, we're talking about a place that is out to sustain profit and operates regularly. A place that should have known better.
I think that the bigger question, the one that Valve is probably asking, is: How could they not know?
If this person truly didn't know, they should've went to Valve first and try to work something out regardless of what stated in the letter. If Valve acted like a jerk in response then you could let it go to court and hope for leniency there. But this should be a very important lesson to them; know what you're doing first.
I'm guessing that Valve doesn't see this guy as some schmuck. His site design might make you think so but check out the pictures as well. He seems to have a good handle on that end. When it comes to something like a gaming center, it's not unreasonable at all to expect that they have their licensing issues settled before allowing the game to be played. If they knew enough to get a T1 line (as stated on their site), set up a lan, and run a for-profit business, making sure that you can do so legally isn't too much of an expectation. Valve probably felt that this was a glaring enough issue that a reasonable business would know to have it settled beforehand either by their own good sense or by a lawyer's. And, therefore, not taking care of the issue could only be in bad faith (yes, I read the AC's response to your post).
If this person was truly stupid enough to not find out that he needed a special license beforehand, than anybody remotely close to him, anybody who has an ounce of compassion for him, should force him to close up immediately. I just don't buy that he's that stupid when he's in the business already.
This guy is running a business for Christ's sake. He should have known the score beforehand. The fact that this person is ignoring the legal side of things while running a business is stupid no matter how you look at it.
Frankly, I don't feel sympathetic for this person at all. They're running a cybercafe; getting the licensing issues out of the way should be top priority for them before they allow the game to be played. That "poor, pitiful me" shit doesn't fly here. If they didn't know the ins and outs of their business before they got in it, they shouldn't be in it now.
Valve did no wrong here. Hopefully something good will come out of this; Valve will show this person that they should stick to being an employee.
Here's the deal. The BBB only thinks that they have a bunch of cell phone complaints. Most of the time they only can make out something like "fucking cell pho..." before the call is dropped, so they mark it as a complaint about the service.
The last sentence was incomplete, it should read ...less bandwidth would be utilized per line.
As more people sign on to high-speed access, how long will it be before we start seeing the cable companies (such as Comcast) start dropping their prices to levels which compete directly with dial-up?
As long as dial-up is around, I don't think that broadband prices will drop to its level. However, a major step in the right direction would be for state and local governments to allow for competition in the cable market by beginning to let others install fiber lines.
Seeing how there would probably be quite a few closed roads and other disturbances, it would be up to those two forms of government to make sure that minimum disturbance would be created. Once the government-allowed monopoly on the cable market is over, you're bound to see some steep price drops and probably better service, too. With more fiber roll-outs taking their share of customers, less bandwidth would be utilized.
I hear that Dvorak uses QWERTY. The fucking hypocrite.
You will see keyboards plugged into PS2's, but only for communication. The Xbox will supposedly never see a keyboard, and what do you think the chances of Nintendo ever supporting one? It's not like consoles are incapable of supporting a keyboard at all, it's just that there is no demand for it.
Both the XBox and Gamecube do have keyboards for their Phantasy Star Online offerings for communication puproses.
It wasn't a matter of bad management. Itagaki knew what market he was aiming Ninja Gaiden for. Gamers shouldn't act like he made a bad decision just because the game isn't for them. Ninja Gaiden is meant for good players who want a challenge. If it's too hard for you, there's nothing wrong with playing another game.
Here's another example from the film world. David Mamet gives a test screening for his new film, but a decent portion of the audience complains because they don't understand the dialogue between characters. So, while doing the final edit, David sticks a bunch more of that dialogue into the movie because he knows that his fans will eat it up.
Aah, no problem! Here's the part that you missed:
Jo: Hey Flagness, have you been to America?
Flagness: Not yet, why do you ask?
Jo: Do you know what this is?
Flagness: No, but it looks yummy!
Jo: In America, they call this a beet.
Flagness: Ooh, I bet it's tasty!
Jo: It sure is!
Flagness: Gimme gimme gimme!
Jo: Hahahaha!
Flagness: What's so funny?!
Jo: If you take that, you're getting beet.
Flagness: I want to get beet!
Jo: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Flagness: Stop laughing at me! Why are you laughing so hard!
Jo: Because in America, that means you want to get defeated!
Flagness: What a dirty trick!
Jo: I got you Flagness, and you know it!
Flagness: Aaargh!
Flagness: You can now only watch! You cannot record! Ahahaha.
Jo: We'll see about that, Flagness. That's my recorder, you can't tell me what to do!
Flagness: I own the stream you fool!
Jo: I pay for the stream! Everybody pays for the stream! That stream is as good as ours!
Arfie: Arf!
Jo: You tell 'em, Arfie! We're not taking it anymore!
Flagness: I cannot be toooooooooooooooold!
Jo: Wanna beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet?!
*Shink*
Tune in next week to see who dies!
This whole idea sounds kind of funny considering that they probably run some of the worst programming on television.
Mind you, their shows probably don't do all that great in the Nielsen's, but what if their major advertisers wanted to implement some sort of positive review policy before shelling out the bucks?
How long until people just give up and listen to local music?
When folk music is popular again.
That's the problem, most people don't have a scene that they can get to. So, we're basically left with a bunch of NEA funded shit that wouldn't see a penny if people didn't have to worry about the Tax Fairy sneaking it away to them.
I'm not arguing that King of Fighters: Maximum Impact won't be a fun game. But, this is already getting comparisons to Dead or Alive 2 and Soul Calibur. Notice how these aren't the lastest and greatest of those series. By the looks of the screenshots, I'd have to agree. And, considering the number of KOF titles that have already been released, I don't see how they can change the gameplay mechanics too much without resorting to a complete overhaul; essentially taking away what makes a KOF game a KOF game. That's why we generally see a plateau in the innovation of a fighting license's gameplay. So, we probably won't be getting much else than a pretty solid game with somewhat dated 3D graphics; not too bad.
But then I start to think about the Street Fighter EX line of games. For the most part, they were alright games with the third one coming up shorter than the first two. However, they were by no means memorable. With Capcom making the decision to go into 3D, I figured that they would do it in a big way. Instead, those games end up being less than memorable. They weren't terrible by any means, but these were Street Fighter games. They were meant to be a cut above the rest! So, unfortunately, I'm left with disappointing memories of games that didn't do much more than muddy the waters of a great license.
If I were a big SNK fan, I'd be worried that the same might happen to the King of Fighters line. Sure, you might end up with a good game. But, are you going to be able to hold it as high as you would the other King of Fighters games? Aren't you expecting a little bit more than just good from SNK?
One of the interesting things that I see potential for is that, if this game does indeed tarnish the King of Fighters series, it probably won't stop there. Because King of Fighters is comprised of characters from multiple SNK licenses, Maximum Impact could possibly have the same effect on the licenses that make up the King of Fighters license.
Personally, I'd rather see SNK do what Capcom should have done; stick to 2D and let the King of Fighters license and the ones under it bow out gracefully. I wouldn't flood the market with 2D games, either. Maybe a few more and a grand final salute would be suitable. Then, focus on creating new licenses better suited for the future. That way, you're company is still alive and people can keep the fond memories of their favorite licenses without having to remember the ones that didn't quite live up to the high standards set.
All of the hopes that The Day After Tommorow will strike a mainstream debate pretty much depends on how big of an impact it will make in the box office. I'm not even speaking of whether or not it'll go #1, but whether or not it'll go #1 in a big way. So far, there doesn't seem to be that much hype behind it. They are airing a lot of commercials but the only thing I've noticed a station doing for it is giving the basic pre-release interviews and a Weather Channel special.
It probably wouldn't hurt that this movie doesn't suck either. But, this is coming from Roland Emmerich, the guy who gave us such junk as the 1998 Godzilla (directed and wrote the screenplay) and Independence Day (directed and wrote). In fact, The Day After Tomorrow is marketed as being done by the man who brought us Independence Day. We all might have thought it was nifty back then because of all the special effects, but those who try to give it another look find it to be a total cheese fest.
But hey, why can't a bad movie still strike a debate? I mean, a lot of people thought The Passion of the Christ was a steaming pile. However, it did get rave reviews from the Christian community. Let's face it, global warming isn't the contentious issue Jesus is. It might have a lot of heat behind it, but it's no Jesus. So, you're less likely such a strong debate no matter what.
Also, any smart Green supporter would keep out of any debate that might arise from this movie anyway. This movie is not based on science at all; meaning that any Green in a debate would have to make the concession that "this movie isn't really based in science, but something like this really could happen if we let things get out of hand!" That does nothing but make the supporter look like an uneducated jackass; which is part of the debate anyways. Remember, Christians weren't really asked to cough up proof of the Biblical stories when The Passion was a center of debate. Most of the talk was around potential anti-Semitism. Besides, all they have to do is believe to keep alive in a debate since they're not really dealing with science most of the time. However, it's going to take a little more than a belief to push Green solutions and ideals.