I agree with you that the points thing is important.
But it is not just because it isn't 'real money'.
I buy XBLA games because it is EASY. I don't have to go find my wallet and take out my card. I don't have to type in a bunch of numbers, I don't have to fill out any personal information and wonder how much spam I am requesting. I don't have to worry about whether or not my information is going to the Russian mafia.
I just click the 'buy this' button, and I'm done. Easy on-line purchasing has finally arrived. And I'm willing to give them $50 every few months (load up my points) to make it happen. Even putting in more money is easy.
I really don't give a shit about $50, or $100. I don't mind spending it if the process is easy, and it seems like I am getting something for my money. This just works well.
On the first version of Xbox/Live, the games were tied to your Xbox.
Now they are tied to your gamertag. You can put your Live account info on a memory card, bring it to a friend's house, and download all of your games there.
When your Xbox Live account has been removed (you went back home) your friend will be left with the demo versions of the games.
His example of a complaint about Microsoft and games was the commercial with the basketball player who had a sweaty back. That was a 3rd party game.
Check Overly Critical Guy's history. He feels that Microsoft is responsible for all of the games on their system. My point was that Sony doesn't do any better.
Nintendo on the other hand has done a good job of losing third party support. So their average game is probably better- led by their first party games.
So Microsoft doesn't care about the quality of the games...but Sony does?
The Xbox library is not all 8.5's and above...no doubt there were some real lemons. But buying Playstation games is a real crap-shoot. Once you get away from the obvious AAA titles, you have about a 1 in 3 chance of getting a game that is worth even opening up the wrapper.
I'd like to respond to one of your comments-
You try to knock Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter...well, I will just assume you haven't even PLAYED the game. That is one awesome, incredible, fantastic game. And it looks as good as it plays.
In fact, there is really only one thing you can knock the graphics on- and if you had played the game, you would know exactly what it is. But you don't mention it, so once again, I assume you have never seen it and you base your senseless ramblings on some distorted point of view which is not rooted in any sort of reality. (Occasionally in the single player game you lose all textures, and end up with a wireframe view. Use that in your next bullshit post, you'll sound a little more informed.)
GRAW is the BEST on-line shooter out right now. It has finally wrestled that title away from Halo 2- which I am thankful for. Admittedly, it was embarassing to play Halo 2 on my 360, but the truth is, Halo 2 is a damn good multiplay experience.
GRAW blows it away. And when I say it is the best on-line shooter, I am not limiting this to consoles...it is better than anything on a PC also....except of course the PC version of GRAW.
But back to my original point- your post is full of lies.
Okay, I'll admit that I am somewhat of a Microsoft fan. (see my history...) Yeah, you might think I'm sick. But I do think they put out a lot of good software.
I was excited about this when it was announced. I've downloaded the betas...umm...it just isn't quite good.
Yes, I understand it is a beta.
But this thing is ugly, it's SLOW and it doesn't seem to be anywhere NEAR Photoshop.
I've downloaded tons on Microsoft betas (working on IE 7 now) and this had to have been the worst that I ever used. I just don't know where this one is heading. People up above suggested that this will be an integral part of the OS and bundled in...
I don't see how it has a chance otherwise...
Not to mention the fact that the world isn't even ASKING for a Photoshop replacement.
Well, that might work for you, but not for people who REALLY want to play games. (Like me)
It would be like if I said I was going to boycott rap music. It would be a very easy thing to do...and it wouldn't affect the rap industry much (at all really).
But the person who is really into rap...well, they are going to do anything to listen to the music. Buy it, copy it, steal it, whatever. It is worth it to them.
I'm guessing that you've probably reached a point in your life where games just aren't important anymore and boycotting is easy.
I don't have any problem with Counterstrike being popular for 7 years.
But I think I would kill myself before I played the SAME DAMN GAME for 7 years.
Variety is the spice of life.
Counterstrike is not the most popular multiplayer game because it is the BEST multiplayer game. It is the most popular for other reasons- like the low hardware requirements...the number of servers available...the large base that knows how to play...etc. etc.
Halo 2 on the other hand is popular because it is the BEST console multiplayer experience.
(Yes, I specified consoles...and I said 'experience' which unfortunately takes Call of Duty 2 out of the running.)
Halo was a really good game. It had a good campaign, and a great multiplayer that unfortunately was not net enabled.
Halo 2 was an even better game. The single player stuff wasn't as good, but the multiplayer was REALLY good. That thing has legs- people are still playing the heck out of it now. I don't think that a better on-line console game has been created yet. On each game I probably spent 30 hours on the single player. But I have spent MANY hundreds of hours on the Halo 2 multiplayer.
Bungie/Microsoft are willing to put the money/time into Halo 3 to make sure that it is even better than Halo 2. Because if it sucks, then the marquee Xbox game sucks- and they can't afford to let that happen.
I bought Halo 2 because I really liked Halo. I'll buy Halo 3 because I really liked Halo 2.
*I am* one of those guys who wanted it for the multimedia stuff. I steam movies/TV shows to my TV as well as music to my surround sound system.
So far these have been very good for me. (Except for the sound getting out of sync when streaming HD XviD versions of Lost...which have to go through Transcoder 360 first...)
Yeah...it sucks. Because Ping Pong is OBVIOUSLY a stupid game.
You know what else sounds stupid? Rolling a ball of crap around, and other things stick to it. The ball gets bigger and bigger, and more crap sticks to it.
THAT would never be a good game...because all of us dumbasses on Slashdot just *KNOW* about this stuff.
When I heard about this, I thought, "Wow, THIS sounds like an awesome game."
Really- I'm damn excited about this.
I *loved* Top Spin on the Xbox. Tennis makes a pretty decent video game. But Ping Pong is FAST. It's like tennis, but with much quicker response times.
And the fact that Rockstar is making the game, tells me that it should have *some* decent level of quality.
Yes, I was excited when I heard about it. And I'm even happier now, knowing that there is a real street date already identified.
Genius signature...I just wish that more programmers understood that marketing really is a necessity.
But more on topic-
I'm a big Xbox fan, have a 360, etc. etc. I also USED to be a big HDTV fan. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Until I finally set my TV back to 480p, instead of the higher resolutions.
Guess what- no big difference.
I'm really not in that big of a hurry for any HD disc format. Once you get beyond crap quality analog cable, everything else is good enough.
Rainbow Six 3 did this - (My experience with it was on the Xbox)
After messing around with it for a few days, I realized that using the d-pad was easier than giving voice commands. The d-pad brought up a little menu with options. Sometimes I would forget what to say- but when the menu was there, I could always figure it out.
But the worst part was the fact that I looked and felt like a total dork, telling a videogame "Breach and Clear on Zulu."
Yes, people can be annoying on Xbox Live. But it is far less frequent than on PC games. On the PC I can create as many profiles as I want. If I am feeling like a pain in the ass, I can log on as 'Dickfucker' and harass everyone. Then later on go back and play serious games.
On Xbox Live, you have one account unless you want to pay for more. Generally, those who WANT to be idiots don't have credit cards (mom and dad do) so they can't set up their own accounts.
It's like the difference between going to the public pool, or swimming at your gym/club. Sure, people piss in both of them, but at least you don't get the little kids in diapers at the club.
Slashdot Mirror
Geometry Wars is good, but it is not my favorite XBLA game.
That goes to Mutant Storm. A game I can actually 'finish'. Geometry Wars is just too damn hard. It is a good game, but hard.
I like the 'level' format that Mutant Storm has.
I agree with you that the points thing is important.
But it is not just because it isn't 'real money'.
I buy XBLA games because it is EASY. I don't have to go find my wallet and take out my card. I don't have to type in a bunch of numbers, I don't have to fill out any personal information and wonder how much spam I am requesting. I don't have to worry about whether or not my information is going to the Russian mafia.
I just click the 'buy this' button, and I'm done. Easy on-line purchasing has finally arrived. And I'm willing to give them $50 every few months (load up my points) to make it happen. Even putting in more money is easy.
I really don't give a shit about $50, or $100. I don't mind spending it if the process is easy, and it seems like I am getting something for my money. This just works well.
Imagine if QVC could do the same thing...
Yes, you can download the games again.
On the first version of Xbox/Live, the games were tied to your Xbox.
Now they are tied to your gamertag. You can put your Live account info on a memory card, bring it to a friend's house, and download all of your games there.
When your Xbox Live account has been removed (you went back home) your friend will be left with the demo versions of the games.
So how *should* they work? I've never had Notepad crash. It has always done for me exactly what it should do.
If I want a program to do more, I use something else. But for what it is designed to do, Notepad is great.
You give Overly Critical Guy way too much credit.
His example of a complaint about Microsoft and games was the commercial with the basketball player who had a sweaty back. That was a 3rd party game.
Check Overly Critical Guy's history. He feels that Microsoft is responsible for all of the games on their system. My point was that Sony doesn't do any better.
Nintendo on the other hand has done a good job of losing third party support. So their average game is probably better- led by their first party games.
Honestly, would the addition of Linux bring in more than maybe 5,000 new customers?
Which apps will it run? Will it be anything that will ADD to the experience?
So Microsoft doesn't care about the quality of the games...but Sony does?
The Xbox library is not all 8.5's and above...no doubt there were some real lemons. But buying Playstation games is a real crap-shoot. Once you get away from the obvious AAA titles, you have about a 1 in 3 chance of getting a game that is worth even opening up the wrapper.
Sony is the king of console shovel-ware.
Dude, 4 words for you:
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
THIS is the best game of the bunch, and the first one that really blew me away. Check it out and you'll love your 360 even more...
I'd like to respond to one of your comments- You try to knock Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter...well, I will just assume you haven't even PLAYED the game. That is one awesome, incredible, fantastic game. And it looks as good as it plays. In fact, there is really only one thing you can knock the graphics on- and if you had played the game, you would know exactly what it is. But you don't mention it, so once again, I assume you have never seen it and you base your senseless ramblings on some distorted point of view which is not rooted in any sort of reality. (Occasionally in the single player game you lose all textures, and end up with a wireframe view. Use that in your next bullshit post, you'll sound a little more informed.) GRAW is the BEST on-line shooter out right now. It has finally wrestled that title away from Halo 2- which I am thankful for. Admittedly, it was embarassing to play Halo 2 on my 360, but the truth is, Halo 2 is a damn good multiplay experience. GRAW blows it away. And when I say it is the best on-line shooter, I am not limiting this to consoles...it is better than anything on a PC also....except of course the PC version of GRAW. But back to my original point- your post is full of lies.
Okay, I'll admit that I am somewhat of a Microsoft fan. (see my history...) Yeah, you might think I'm sick. But I do think they put out a lot of good software.
I was excited about this when it was announced. I've downloaded the betas...umm...it just isn't quite good.
Yes, I understand it is a beta.
But this thing is ugly, it's SLOW and it doesn't seem to be anywhere NEAR Photoshop.
I've downloaded tons on Microsoft betas (working on IE 7 now) and this had to have been the worst that I ever used. I just don't know where this one is heading. People up above suggested that this will be an integral part of the OS and bundled in...
I don't see how it has a chance otherwise...
Not to mention the fact that the world isn't even ASKING for a Photoshop replacement.
Well, that might work for you, but not for people who REALLY want to play games. (Like me)
It would be like if I said I was going to boycott rap music. It would be a very easy thing to do...and it wouldn't affect the rap industry much (at all really).
But the person who is really into rap...well, they are going to do anything to listen to the music. Buy it, copy it, steal it, whatever. It is worth it to them.
I'm guessing that you've probably reached a point in your life where games just aren't important anymore and boycotting is easy.
I don't have any problem with Counterstrike being popular for 7 years.
But I think I would kill myself before I played the SAME DAMN GAME for 7 years.
Variety is the spice of life.
Counterstrike is not the most popular multiplayer game because it is the BEST multiplayer game. It is the most popular for other reasons- like the low hardware requirements...the number of servers available...the large base that knows how to play...etc. etc.
Halo 2 on the other hand is popular because it is the BEST console multiplayer experience.
(Yes, I specified consoles...and I said 'experience' which unfortunately takes Call of Duty 2 out of the running.)
Halo was a really good game. It had a good campaign, and a great multiplayer that unfortunately was not net enabled.
Halo 2 was an even better game. The single player stuff wasn't as good, but the multiplayer was REALLY good. That thing has legs- people are still playing the heck out of it now. I don't think that a better on-line console game has been created yet. On each game I probably spent 30 hours on the single player. But I have spent MANY hundreds of hours on the Halo 2 multiplayer.
Bungie/Microsoft are willing to put the money/time into Halo 3 to make sure that it is even better than Halo 2. Because if it sucks, then the marquee Xbox game sucks- and they can't afford to let that happen.
I bought Halo 2 because I really liked Halo. I'll buy Halo 3 because I really liked Halo 2.
I don't see a problem with that.
My Xbox 360 does more than play games.
*I am* one of those guys who wanted it for the multimedia stuff. I steam movies/TV shows to my TV as well as music to my surround sound system.
So far these have been very good for me. (Except for the sound getting out of sync when streaming HD XviD versions of Lost...which have to go through Transcoder 360 first...)
But, it DOES do more than just play games.
Yeah...it sucks. Because Ping Pong is OBVIOUSLY a stupid game.
You know what else sounds stupid? Rolling a ball of crap around, and other things stick to it. The ball gets bigger and bigger, and more crap sticks to it.
THAT would never be a good game...because all of us dumbasses on Slashdot just *KNOW* about this stuff.
What about these facts:
The Revolution has not been released yet.
The controller sounds interesting, but since you have NOT had one in your hands yet, you don't really know if it would be good for ping pong.
Rockstar *MIGHT* have more information about the Revolution than the typical person on Slashdot.
When I heard about this, I thought, "Wow, THIS sounds like an awesome game."
Really- I'm damn excited about this.
I *loved* Top Spin on the Xbox. Tennis makes a pretty decent video game. But Ping Pong is FAST. It's like tennis, but with much quicker response times.
And the fact that Rockstar is making the game, tells me that it should have *some* decent level of quality.
Yes, I was excited when I heard about it. And I'm even happier now, knowing that there is a real street date already identified.
Windows XP can serve up media to a 360. But the full Media Center requires Windows MCE.
.01% you quote.
Go to Best Buy/CompUSA/Etc. and try to buy a Windows computer that does NOT run MCE...
It is far more than the
Genius signature...I just wish that more programmers understood that marketing really is a necessity.
But more on topic-
I'm a big Xbox fan, have a 360, etc. etc. I also USED to be a big HDTV fan. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Until I finally set my TV back to 480p, instead of the higher resolutions.
Guess what- no big difference.
I'm really not in that big of a hurry for any HD disc format. Once you get beyond crap quality analog cable, everything else is good enough.
Rainbow Six 3 did this - (My experience with it was on the Xbox)
After messing around with it for a few days, I realized that using the d-pad was easier than giving voice commands. The d-pad brought up a little menu with options. Sometimes I would forget what to say- but when the menu was there, I could always figure it out.
But the worst part was the fact that I looked and felt like a total dork, telling a videogame "Breach and Clear on Zulu."
ANYTHING you've heard at this point is just hype.
It stops being hype when it ships. Until it ships...it is nothing but hype, rumor, and PR.
I agree. 100%.
I've played all of these old games. I've been playing games for over 30 years.
The games coming out now are BETTER than they were 10 years ago...20 years ago...
It is only nostalgia that keeps people thinking those old games were better.
Hmm...now that I re-read it...
Pussy...or Pus-y...
I meant Pus-y of course.
I used to do that. I would get a cold, and it would turn into Strep throat almost every time.
I took antibiotics whenever I had a cold.
Now I've got MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) one of the bacteria on the list in TFA.
I'm stuck taking antibiotics for the rest of my life...unless I want to break out in disgusting pussy sores...(again)
Cheaters...
It works...
Voice communication...
and the best one- 'Barrier to entry'
Yes, people can be annoying on Xbox Live. But it is far less frequent than on PC games. On the PC I can create as many profiles as I want. If I am feeling like a pain in the ass, I can log on as 'Dickfucker' and harass everyone. Then later on go back and play serious games.
On Xbox Live, you have one account unless you want to pay for more. Generally, those who WANT to be idiots don't have credit cards (mom and dad do) so they can't set up their own accounts.
It's like the difference between going to the public pool, or swimming at your gym/club. Sure, people piss in both of them, but at least you don't get the little kids in diapers at the club.