I agree with this comment- because I too suck at most games I play on-line.
The only exception that I have found is Links 2004. Only because you don't play head-to-head with anyone. The simple fact that the other guy is better, does not make you any worse.
In basketball for instance, if my opponent is good, he can completely shut me down. In golf though, if my opponent is good, he beats me by 10 strokes. I still get to play my game, but I just get beat worse.
That is where XSN is great though. You can enter tournaments that have 64 people. I will probably never be #1, or even #10. But I'm usually somewhere in the middle. That's a good feeling for us crappy older gamers.
In the game genres that you like, possibly this is true.
Personally, I am a huge fan of these exclusives:
Top Spin Links 2004 (better than PC version) Crimson Skies Mechassault
I've looked into the number of games that I've purchased, vs. the number of games I've returned (crap)
I've purchased 40 games for my Xbox, and sold back 7.
That's a pretty good ratio.
Sold back:
Pac Man world 2 Rayman 3 KOTOR (I know that others don't agree) Simpsons Road Rage Phantasy Star Online
And two other crappy games that I can't remember now. While most of these are not exclusives, I just was pointing out that there generally is a good excellent/crap ratio.
Links was also a good game. After playing Links for a while, Tiger Woods (EA) seems like a big piece of crap. I hope they still come out with some more new courses that are downloadable.
There is a huge difference in price between console and PC games.
Nearly all console games debut at $49.99. And many will stay at that price point for a long time.
On the other hand, PC games usually start out a little cheaper, and are discounted much more quickly.
Today you can buy Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow from Ubisoft for $49.99 on the Xbox. The same game (which just came out) is only $39.99 for the PC. And they were throwing in a free T-shirt if you bought the PC version. The T-Shirt sells for $14.99 separately.
I'm not saying you are wrong, but I am going to disagree with you on this.
I don't think that hardcore games are the ones out there buying the 'newly creative' games.
I buy a LOT of games each year, along the lines of 40 or so.
I spend a LOT of time reading about games, researching what is coming out, reading reviews, etc. I do not go to the store and blindly purchase anything- I know what I want, usually months before it becomes available. My wife and daughter are SOOO happy that Pandora Tomorrow has finally been released- that is about all they've heard about for the last month or so.
On the other hand, I see people at the games store, just randomly picking up boxes, reading the backs, and buying whatever sounds good. Occasionally I will say things like "dude...the camera is supposed to really suck in that game" and they stare at me funny. Either because they are wondering why in the hell a stranger is talking to them, or the don't know what the hell a 'camera' has to do with a video game, or, I'm just a freak. I try to restrain myself now because having people rushing over to protect their children isn't good for my image as an upstanding citizen.
I think I am far more likely to purchase Half-Life 2 than my neighbor is. He is probably much more likely to pick up 'Big Mutha Truckers' due to its...unique...gameplay. Sure, I buy a lot of games that are different- but after reading about them for so long, I'm not really 'taking a chance' on anything.
It's like Joe Consumer playing the stockmarket. He usually won't do nearly as well as someone who does the research, understands the system, and has the patience to wait for something really big to happen. I'm like the friggen Warren Buffet of video games.
Mario Party Mario Party 2 Mario Party 3 Mario Party 4 Mario Party 5
Super Mario Kart Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart Double Dash (Diddy Kong Racing could be thrown in here too)
A lot of their other games fall into the same trap- just re-making the same game for each generation of console.
I'm not going to say that it is junk. I owned the first 3 Nintendo consoles and I played the crap out of them (okay..not so much the 64, it was the beginning of the end for me). But after a while, you get sick of the same things, over and over. I used to love the Donkey Kong character- then I got a little burnt out on it.
Cube owners won't buy 'stupid generic movie based game number 3'.
But damn sure they'll buy stupid generic Mario based game number 10...and 11...and 12...
When Nintendo makes a game for the Gamecube, of course it sells zillions. A lot of Gamecube owners are true fanboys. And that is the problem for the 3rd party publishers. Maybe when they get older they will find out that just because Mario/Wario/Princess Toadstool are in a game, doesn't mean that it is fun.
If BMX-XXX could somehow be re-named "Kirby's Stunt Bike" it would probably sell millions too.
But your Penny Arcade comic had a little bit of truism to it. The cat in the background.
Right now publishers are leaving the Gamecube- and the only reason they would be leaving is lack of return on their investment (bringing in less money than they want). So, that will stretch the rubber band in one direction. Soon though, when there are very few 3rd party games, some third party will come out with something good and it will sell a zillion copies. This will be because people are hungering for anything a little different. Then more publishers will jump back to the cube (rubber band contracts) and the next 15 titles won't sell a damn thing. Stretch, release, stretch, release...
Tower is seen as 'The Giant' to many small mom and pop retailers. When they put in a store near where I live- two other long-time local record stores went out of business.
Why?
They couldn't compete with Tower's 'predatory' business tactics. (Stocking more music, staying open later, having bigger stores, etc)
Tower isn't the poor damsel in distress here, hurled around by Wal-Mart. Tower is just another fish in the pond- with its belly full of smaller fish.
I'm a proud user of the Wal-Mart DVD rental service (Net-Flix basically)
I don't have any problem with it at all. The movies get delivered fast, and the one time that I had a problem, I went on-line and clicked the "I did not receive this movie" button, and two days later it was at my door.
So, not everything Walmart touches turns to crap.
Oh- I've also gotten a lot of digital pictures printed by them- they did a great job, and it was cheap and easy...just the way I like it.
Whichever one can't be outsourced to India tomorrow...that is the one I want to be.
That is why I love all those meetings, and user interviews, and focus groups...our target audience is HERE- not on a different continent.
Having people skills- and using them- is probably a good way to avoid getting outsourced. If I did sit and code all day, my only value would be my ability to take instructions from a supervisor, and churn out the code they requested. Instead, I try to figure out what we want to do, by interviewing the people involved.
I think this makes me far more valuable to the place I work, and less likely to get replaced by someone who is a great coder- but not familiar with what we are really trying to achieve.
I once followed the paper trail on a 7 part form that we were trying to 'computerize'. I followed each of the 7 parts to its final destination. I found they all ended up with the same person, who told me:
"Well, on the invoice form, they'll have the white copy attached- they just use that when the job is started, so now I throw it away.
On the packing slip, they'll attach the green copy, we don't need that anymore, so I throw it away.
On the shipping receipt, are the yellow and pink copies. I just get rid of both of them."
You can see where this is going- a huge mountain of paperwork, that everyone thought that someone else needed. Yet every copy was thrown away. Obviously I didn't spend too much time streamlining that process.
Sometimes the best answer isn't just great code- sometimes you have to figure out they why's and how's of the process before you can deliver a good product. Personally, I really like doing that part...even if it does mean that I sit through some meetings...hell, we usually have bagels and juice or something like that. (Back in the good ole days, we would get lunch...but budget cuts, etc. etc...)
For the last 4 years, my job title has been 'programmer'.
During this time, if you lump it all together, I have probably spent about 1 of those years programming.
The rest is:
Sitting in meetings to find out what the users want.
Sitting in meetings to find out how much of what they want, we will give them.
Demonstrating what I have come up with.
Training testers to use the software.
Collaborting with someone else on documentation.
Conducting trainings for users
Answering the phone and telling people that no- I don't know much about Excel...yes, I am a programmer, but I have no idea how to rotate a spreadsheet.
Reading Slashdot
I generally enjoy all of this. If all I did was write code all day- I think I would be bored out of my mind. Occasionally sitting in a meeting mindlessly staring out the window while they talk about our 'under-served clientele' (I work for the government, and EVERYONE is underserved...except for me) can be relaxing. If nothing else I get to learn a lot of new politically correct buzzwords.
Like a lot of people, I don't see myself writing code for the next 20 years. I would like to be in a position like my boss has. She was a good techie, who (rightfully) got promoted up. As long as she hires other good techies, she is set. And, when she wants to, she can get her hands dirty in some interesting project.
At EB Games they had/have some deal where when you become a 'member' you get GMR magazine for free. Well, sometimes if you are selling a lot of games back, you'll make more money by 'becoming a member' (giving $10 bucks- Homestarmy *2). And 'members' get a free magazine.
So- basically you get a subscription to GMR for free.
I think this is one of the best games magazines out there. There are TONS of funny little tidbits throughout the magazine, on the bottom of the page, at the end of the reviews, etc. that you need to go looking for- kind of like Mad magazine.
Even the stupid listing of their staff is usually pretty funny- and the 'letters from subscribers' section is one of the most entertaining reads I get all month. It is as if someone combed through Slashdot Games and found the best 10 posts and put some 'snappy answers to stupid questions' reply.
At first I thought I woulnd't like the magazine, because it is multi-platform. I really don't have any reason to read about a Gamecube exclusive- I don't have a GC. But I read every article in the magazine, because it is written in an entertaining way. And now I am much better informed about what is happening out there in the gaming world.
I also read the 'Official Xbox Magazine' - because it has demo disks each month. Unfortunately this magazine suffers from some serious fan-boyism- which is to be expected from the 'Official' magazine. So trusting the previews or reviews of games is difficult, because they buy/sell ALL of the hype.
If EB ever offers you some stupid membership, with a magazine- give it a shot. Because you gotta read something while sitting on the toilet.
The Xbox has a drive that can read DVDs. But not a license. The DVD consortium charges for the license. So, when you buy the remote, (and the receiver) you are also buying the license.
So, if Microsoft threw in the DVD playback capability in every Xbox, they would be paying out to the DVD consortium for a lot of licenses that are never used.
Your comments might carry a little more weight, if they were accurate.
That '$40 remote' the Xbox uses to play DVD's is actually only $30. And yes, an Xbox arguably does have more functionality than your DVD player- because it DOES play games too.
On one hand, you want to bust on the Xbox for charging for the ability to play DVD's. Then you say that a device that plays games AND movies isn't a great idea. Well- then don't buy the DVD adapter! It's an option. It costs money because it gives people the choice- if you want the functionality, you pay the money. If you don't want the functionality, don't pay the money.
So...are you against the fact that you have a choice?
Has anyone found any decent software for a mini-disc player?
I've got two of them, and I love them dearly- once the music is finally on the disc. But getting the music there is a royal pain. The software is horrible.
Anyone know of any better software? (I've got two NetMD's...)
Slashdot Mirror
I agree with this comment- because I too suck at most games I play on-line.
The only exception that I have found is Links 2004. Only because you don't play head-to-head with anyone. The simple fact that the other guy is better, does not make you any worse.
In basketball for instance, if my opponent is good, he can completely shut me down. In golf though, if my opponent is good, he beats me by 10 strokes. I still get to play my game, but I just get beat worse.
That is where XSN is great though. You can enter tournaments that have 64 people. I will probably never be #1, or even #10. But I'm usually somewhere in the middle. That's a good feeling for us crappy older gamers.
In the game genres that you like, possibly this is true.
Personally, I am a huge fan of these exclusives:
Top Spin
Links 2004 (better than PC version)
Crimson Skies
Mechassault
I've looked into the number of games that I've purchased, vs. the number of games I've returned (crap)
I've purchased 40 games for my Xbox, and sold back 7.
That's a pretty good ratio.
Sold back:
Pac Man world 2
Rayman 3
KOTOR (I know that others don't agree)
Simpsons Road Rage
Phantasy Star Online
And two other crappy games that I can't remember now. While most of these are not exclusives, I just was pointing out that there generally is a good excellent/crap ratio.
Links was also a good game. After playing Links for a while, Tiger Woods (EA) seems like a big piece of crap. I hope they still come out with some more new courses that are downloadable.
Maybe I'm not a real person.
There is a huge difference in price between console and PC games.
Nearly all console games debut at $49.99. And many will stay at that price point for a long time.
On the other hand, PC games usually start out a little cheaper, and are discounted much more quickly.
Today you can buy Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow from Ubisoft for $49.99 on the Xbox. The same game (which just came out) is only $39.99 for the PC. And they were throwing in a free T-shirt if you bought the PC version. The T-Shirt sells for $14.99 separately.
I'm not saying you are wrong, but I am going to disagree with you on this.
I don't think that hardcore games are the ones out there buying the 'newly creative' games.
I buy a LOT of games each year, along the lines of 40 or so.
I spend a LOT of time reading about games, researching what is coming out, reading reviews, etc. I do not go to the store and blindly purchase anything- I know what I want, usually months before it becomes available. My wife and daughter are SOOO happy that Pandora Tomorrow has finally been released- that is about all they've heard about for the last month or so.
On the other hand, I see people at the games store, just randomly picking up boxes, reading the backs, and buying whatever sounds good. Occasionally I will say things like "dude...the camera is supposed to really suck in that game" and they stare at me funny. Either because they are wondering why in the hell a stranger is talking to them, or the don't know what the hell a 'camera' has to do with a video game, or, I'm just a freak. I try to restrain myself now because having people rushing over to protect their children isn't good for my image as an upstanding citizen.
I think I am far more likely to purchase Half-Life 2 than my neighbor is. He is probably much more likely to pick up 'Big Mutha Truckers' due to its...unique...gameplay. Sure, I buy a lot of games that are different- but after reading about them for so long, I'm not really 'taking a chance' on anything.
It's like Joe Consumer playing the stockmarket. He usually won't do nearly as well as someone who does the research, understands the system, and has the patience to wait for something really big to happen. I'm like the friggen Warren Buffet of video games.
It looks like 'The Passions of the Christ' will probably be the number one movie of 2004.
Isn't that just a remake of a 2000 year old story?
And you thought that videogames were re-hashing the same old ideas...
Remake from hell? Your link went to the website from hell. Who the hell made that thing?
Well, the next Starcraft will be a console game.
Here is a good list of Mario Games.
Mario Golf
Mario Golf 64
Mario Party
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3
Mario Party 4
Mario Party 5
Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart Double Dash
(Diddy Kong Racing could be thrown in here too)
A lot of their other games fall into the same trap- just re-making the same game for each generation of console.
I'm not going to say that it is junk. I owned the first 3 Nintendo consoles and I played the crap out of them (okay..not so much the 64, it was the beginning of the end for me). But after a while, you get sick of the same things, over and over. I used to love the Donkey Kong character- then I got a little burnt out on it.
Cube owners won't buy 'stupid generic movie based game number 3'.
But damn sure they'll buy stupid generic Mario based game number 10...and 11...and 12...
When Nintendo makes a game for the Gamecube, of course it sells zillions. A lot of Gamecube owners are true fanboys. And that is the problem for the 3rd party publishers. Maybe when they get older they will find out that just because Mario/Wario/Princess Toadstool are in a game, doesn't mean that it is fun.
If BMX-XXX could somehow be re-named "Kirby's Stunt Bike" it would probably sell millions too.
But your Penny Arcade comic had a little bit of truism to it. The cat in the background.
Right now publishers are leaving the Gamecube- and the only reason they would be leaving is lack of return on their investment (bringing in less money than they want). So, that will stretch the rubber band in one direction. Soon though, when there are very few 3rd party games, some third party will come out with something good and it will sell a zillion copies. This will be because people are hungering for anything a little different. Then more publishers will jump back to the cube (rubber band contracts) and the next 15 titles won't sell a damn thing. Stretch, release, stretch, release...
That's my take on it...
Why did I go with WalMart over NetFlix?
Well- I was on the Wal Mart site one day uploading pictures to be printed out. They had a little ad for the DVD service.
It took me about 20 seconds to sign up, due to the fact that they already had my information from their photo-printing service.
Convienence. It is worth a lot.
And since I signed up for the service, I've found that it is actually GOOD.
On the other hand...
Tower is seen as 'The Giant' to many small mom and pop retailers. When they put in a store near where I live- two other long-time local record stores went out of business.
Why?
They couldn't compete with Tower's 'predatory' business tactics. (Stocking more music, staying open later, having bigger stores, etc)
Tower isn't the poor damsel in distress here, hurled around by Wal-Mart. Tower is just another fish in the pond- with its belly full of smaller fish.
Since Wal-Mart started putting the boxes in the middle of the aisle for only $499.
(Actually, that was a really good deal- I got one for my daughter...)
Yeah...because the number of people who have an iPod and run Linux, is a lot greater than the number of people who run XP and use WMA regularly.
Yes, a lot of people do use, and like WMA files. Please don't tell us that the supposed low quality of WMA.
I'm a proud user of the Wal-Mart DVD rental service (Net-Flix basically)
I don't have any problem with it at all. The movies get delivered fast, and the one time that I had a problem, I went on-line and clicked the "I did not receive this movie" button, and two days later it was at my door.
So, not everything Walmart touches turns to crap.
Oh- I've also gotten a lot of digital pictures printed by them- they did a great job, and it was cheap and easy...just the way I like it.
Whichever one can't be outsourced to India tomorrow...that is the one I want to be.
That is why I love all those meetings, and user interviews, and focus groups...our target audience is HERE- not on a different continent.
Having people skills- and using them- is probably a good way to avoid getting outsourced. If I did sit and code all day, my only value would be my ability to take instructions from a supervisor, and churn out the code they requested. Instead, I try to figure out what we want to do, by interviewing the people involved.
I think this makes me far more valuable to the place I work, and less likely to get replaced by someone who is a great coder- but not familiar with what we are really trying to achieve.
I once followed the paper trail on a 7 part form that we were trying to 'computerize'. I followed each of the 7 parts to its final destination. I found they all ended up with the same person, who told me:
"Well, on the invoice form, they'll have the white copy attached- they just use that when the job is started, so now I throw it away.
On the packing slip, they'll attach the green copy, we don't need that anymore, so I throw it away.
On the shipping receipt, are the yellow and pink copies. I just get rid of both of them."
You can see where this is going- a huge mountain of paperwork, that everyone thought that someone else needed. Yet every copy was thrown away. Obviously I didn't spend too much time streamlining that process.
Sometimes the best answer isn't just great code- sometimes you have to figure out they why's and how's of the process before you can deliver a good product. Personally, I really like doing that part...even if it does mean that I sit through some meetings...hell, we usually have bagels and juice or something like that. (Back in the good ole days, we would get lunch...but budget cuts, etc. etc...)
Wow...I had one of those cards too- but I guess I got the amber version...I just couldn't get mine to switch to green no matter what I did.
For the last 4 years, my job title has been 'programmer'.
During this time, if you lump it all together, I have probably spent about 1 of those years programming.
The rest is:
I generally enjoy all of this. If all I did was write code all day- I think I would be bored out of my mind. Occasionally sitting in a meeting mindlessly staring out the window while they talk about our 'under-served clientele' (I work for the government, and EVERYONE is underserved...except for me) can be relaxing. If nothing else I get to learn a lot of new politically correct buzzwords.
Like a lot of people, I don't see myself writing code for the next 20 years. I would like to be in a position like my boss has. She was a good techie, who (rightfully) got promoted up. As long as she hires other good techies, she is set. And, when she wants to, she can get her hands dirty in some interesting project.
At EB Games they had/have some deal where when you become a 'member' you get GMR magazine for free. Well, sometimes if you are selling a lot of games back, you'll make more money by 'becoming a member' (giving $10 bucks- Homestarmy *2). And 'members' get a free magazine.
So- basically you get a subscription to GMR for free.
I think this is one of the best games magazines out there. There are TONS of funny little tidbits throughout the magazine, on the bottom of the page, at the end of the reviews, etc. that you need to go looking for- kind of like Mad magazine.
Even the stupid listing of their staff is usually pretty funny- and the 'letters from subscribers' section is one of the most entertaining reads I get all month. It is as if someone combed through Slashdot Games and found the best 10 posts and put some 'snappy answers to stupid questions' reply.
At first I thought I woulnd't like the magazine, because it is multi-platform. I really don't have any reason to read about a Gamecube exclusive- I don't have a GC. But I read every article in the magazine, because it is written in an entertaining way. And now I am much better informed about what is happening out there in the gaming world.
I also read the 'Official Xbox Magazine' - because it has demo disks each month. Unfortunately this magazine suffers from some serious fan-boyism- which is to be expected from the 'Official' magazine. So trusting the previews or reviews of games is difficult, because they buy/sell ALL of the hype.
If EB ever offers you some stupid membership, with a magazine- give it a shot. Because you gotta read something while sitting on the toilet.
The Xbox has a drive that can read DVDs. But not a license. The DVD consortium charges for the license. So, when you buy the remote, (and the receiver) you are also buying the license.
So, if Microsoft threw in the DVD playback capability in every Xbox, they would be paying out to the DVD consortium for a lot of licenses that are never used.
Your comments might carry a little more weight, if they were accurate.
That '$40 remote' the Xbox uses to play DVD's is actually only $30. And yes, an Xbox arguably does have more functionality than your DVD player- because it DOES play games too.
On one hand, you want to bust on the Xbox for charging for the ability to play DVD's. Then you say that a device that plays games AND movies isn't a great idea. Well- then don't buy the DVD adapter! It's an option. It costs money because it gives people the choice- if you want the functionality, you pay the money. If you don't want the functionality, don't pay the money.
So...are you against the fact that you have a choice?
With a PC, you'll be upgrading all the time too. I finally got off that track...read my link for a much longer explanation.
Playing on the net with friends might be half the fun...
But having your friends sitting in your living room while playing, is like the other three quarters.
I'm a convert- click my link to find out why.
Off-topic...but a pressing question anyway.
Has anyone found any decent software for a mini-disc player?
I've got two of them, and I love them dearly- once the music is finally on the disc. But getting the music there is a royal pain. The software is horrible.
Anyone know of any better software? (I've got two NetMD's...)
Thanks..