But hey, Laura Croft she has breasts the size of watermelons so of course she's going to be the one that everybody talks about.
Well, in that case, we have Tifa (FF7), Kasumi (DOA series), Jill Valentine (Resident Evil), Ivy & Taki (Soul Calibur II)...etc...etc..
Oh and hey! Their games aren't buggy as heck, and do not play like train wrecks.
In any case, Eidos can say what they like because I see them as a game company that only cares about $$$ and not its customers.
You guys should lighten up. We live in a democracy, which means that any special interest group may impose its believes on the populace as a whole.
this isn't the first time somebody has gone to court over something inane, and it won't be the last. Besides, somebody has to pay all the starving lawyers out there.
I don't know about stopping the car, but I know that onstar can lock your doors. They've done this before. People who were delinquent on there car payments quickly found that they could not get in there car because onstar locked them out. its an effective way to ensure that you make timely payments.
You forgot the third option. Where onStar can lock you out of your car because your late on your payment. How about insurance companies viewing the information to see how you drive to determine whether they should jack up your insurance rates. In either case, I think the government in itself is the least of our worries in this case. For some reason, there are always people who believe that the government is out to get us. The problem is that while they are right, they don't realize that they already have us. I mean, we pay taxes. I'd say the government has us right where they want us.
I can see our soldiers working with/killing different iraqi factions, having sex with prostitutes in humvees, and raqueteering for personal gain already.
actually newegg sells a good video card for around $50.00 by Leadtek (Tv2000XP). I personally use a personal cinema capture card, which is a little out of date, but does the job. Now in reality a full PC will run you more than a DVR, but if you have a PC already, than why not go this route? Obviously, for people without a PC, they are better off with Tivo. The nice thing about video capture cards is that they usually come with free software to edit and capture. XP comes with decent video capturing software. Plus if you don't like any of that stuff, then you can get alot of free software and capturing tutorials @ http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ So if you want to capture to SVCD, whatever....if this place doesn't have the software, it probably can't be done.;) They also have alot of good advice on what video cards/dvd recorders/players you should get based on what you want to do.
Good encoding software is Gordian Knots, TMPGEnc (good for mpeg-1,mpeg-2, and for making (S)Vcds). so really, if you have a comp. make your computer into a DVR. Don't go out and buy one.
I know the policy sucks. Personally I think that they should be sued ( and they probably will). However, I would expect that at least the/. crowd to be using video capture cards on their computers. That's what I use. Who needs to pay for service when you have software that does the same thing for free. I know I don't have to pay for a subscription. Upgrades to storage benefit my whole machine. I also get to choose what codec is used to encode my captures. So why limit yourself to stuff tivo and replaytv give you when you can hand select the parts that go into your comp?
I have to say that's a pretty good story. My parent's did something similar to that when they gave me my Nintendo. Course, I must commend you on buying your own games and what not. KUDOS!
Is it just me or has TV been a major dissapointment these last few years. Family Guy has been one of those gems that has actually brought me back to the tv (or PC in the case of the DVDS). I think it would be a huge mistake for Fox not to give the green light for more eps. In either case here are my favorite episodes:
1) And the weiner is 2) The thin white line 3) Brian does hollywood 4) Peter Griffin: Husband, father....brother? 5) He's too sexy for his fat 6) E Peterbus unum 7) Family Guy viewer mail #1 8) If I'm dyin, I'm lyin 9) I am peter hear me roar 10) Da Boom
but anyway, let's face it there are lots more funny eps. of family guy (and some lame one's too). All I know is that the brand of humor that Chris McFarlan brings is a welcomed change to humdrum tv.
crazy, I have a friend that's exactly like you. He hasn't watched tv in years. When I mention a current show, he has no clue. All he does is game, and watch his programs via divx (IE: anime).
Anyway, I guess this is as deep as I get into the whole subject considering that everybody here has pretty much said what I was thinking as well. Tv has degraded. Its lame, etc.. and I'm sick of commercials.
Here are some other names that Claria/Gator plan on using in the future.
Communist party/KGB, U-2, Voyeurists, RIAA, MPAA, Telepaths inc., el-diablo, mephisto, Carnivore, Devourer, Soul Eater....any other names?
Claria/Gator's Product offerings: Spyware which reports info. about users Sinks your clock (whoo!) lots and lots of pop-ups Crash your computer Use up bandwidth.
hrm....changing their name though. Like a con-artist with many aliases.
Anyway, I figured I'd get on the Gator bashing too because I'm sick of their interpretation of a so called useful product.
Off topic easy: Actually, yeah. Look it up, any tire that is under or over inflated will have major problems. Most tire manufacturers recommend 30-40psi for tires. Mine have a spec of 35 psi, and not only do you notice it in your fuel economy if they go down to oh say, 20-25psi but you are also putting added pressure on the tires in the form of friction and weight. Which is why the real bad guy is Ford and not Firestone. But most people assume that because the tires went bad, that firestone was making bad tires. But you'll find that in many cooler states like Oregon, the problems didn't persist. In the case of states where its warmer, you had problems. This has to do with friction, and increased heat within the tire. As I was unaware at the time, as your tire moves, it creates friction which actually heats up the tire as it moves. Heat(from friction) + Heat from road & environment + lower psi = lots of trouble for stupid gas guzzling SUVs.
but in either case, its all about common sense. I mean how many 18 wheelers do you see carrying a hundred tons of payload with tires that are under inflated? Most of the time, you have 18 wheels at a high tire pressure to ensure that the weight is evenlly distributed across all the tires to prevent premature wear on the tires, less fuel consumption....etc.
The rating system is bad because it is not being enforced. Parents asked for a rating system, but do not take advantage of it. If I (the parent) buy my kid T&A raider for my 7 year old, knowing full well that it is M, and I listen to my kid over the store clerk, then what is the point of having a rating sytem? Also, in some cases, a game's rating is much higher than it should be.
At the same time, parents still complain about kids getting violent games, and video games being too violent. Well, the times have changed, it is no longer 1980, and video games are no longer just for kids. We have a broad spectrum of video games for a broad spectrum of people. Just like some people like Barney, and others like Jenna Jameson.
So, what's the point of a rating system, if people still complain about kids getting the wrong games, and talking about the negative effects of video game violence. It is the parents responsibility first and foremost to guide their children, not the store clerks. While they should obviously stop younger kids from getting the more violent games, I know that a 15 year old is intelligent enough to dissern between mortal kombat violence and real violence. Finally, for those of you who think that parents can't watch their kids 24/7...just remember, they have to sleep sometime.
cause that's hard to do. Actually spending time with your kids is hard work. And after working all day, who wants to spend time with them. Let alone tell them not to do bad things. Its so much easier to program your tv, vcr, dvd player, PS2, etc... to block explicit material from your kids. Which btw, assumes you know how to program the v-chip stuff, and that your kids don't know the override code (EG: PS2 has a general code to unlock the censoring).
I agree with you that the rating system is lame, but not for the same reasons. First, I think its anemic, because few people take it seriously. Parents still buy blood bath 4, T&A raider, or jiggly fighter X for their ten year old. Parents, got their way, and got a rating system, but has it really worked? I think not.
Second, people still complain about video game violence. Well, if we have a rating system, then in theory, violent/sexually explicit games should be taken out of the hands of the kids. This leaves, only adults to view the more explicit games, but that's not the case. Video games are still being censored for the kids. Well, I'm an adult now, and I want more gore fest.
Let the kids play Mario Party, and I'll play Doom 3.
Your probably right about that. After all, I was raised during the nintendo era. My hero is Mario, and when I was young I always dreamed of being a plumber who shot fire from his hand, and ate "magic mushrooms" to grow bigger.
No, I agree video games do influence. But I don't see alot of teens car jacking, and cop killing because they were playing GTA3/vice city.
If kids become pyscho, its not because of the video games, its because they had something wrong with them in the first place.
Also, the point is not for the parents to weakly say, "Please....stop....don't play those games." their job is to enforce rules, and prevent their children from getting the wrong material. So OMG (cause you know how clever that is...), parents do have a say in a childs life. If they are getting media that they shouldn't be, its probably from a friend, who's parents don't care what he gets into. But in the end, its still the friend's parent's fault for not filtering inappropriate media. The burden should not be held by the industry, or the stores selling the games, as one person put it, "The stores are not babysitters".
yeah, "another way" being the kid's "rich kid friend" who's parents could care less if "johnny" watches skin flicks, while playing Demonic Blood Carnage v.2.0 and chatting with pedophiles about deviant acts.
I think your preaching to the choir man. I've always been opposed to ESRB ratings, because I knew the problem isn't the games, it's how parents raise their children (or lack thereof). Americans are good at scape goating. Society blames video game violence, for the troubles of youth only because parents don't want to discipline their children. Their too busy acting like children themselves.
well, I partially agree with you on that one. However, the resident evil remake was vastly superior to the original, much like MGS was vastly superior to the NES metal gear games.
IMO Resident evil has not slid down the toilet. I however agree with you on Tomb Raider and Army Men (if you can't guess, I really hate EIDOS).
But again, the main point being that Milking occurs, I just wish they'd do it in a "soil my pants" sorta way. Kinda like how I felt when I played MGS, or Castlevania: SOTN, RE: Remake, etc...
Oh, also as i stated, Capcom fluctuates between creativity and crapulence, much like all the other affor mentioned companies. I mean, Konami has had its bad days too. Look at Silent Hill 2, which while good, was way over hyped, and could have been much better. Not to mention MGS2, which could have done withoute Raiden. I also disliked FF8 to some degree, I disliked the battle system....anyway, I could go on forever.
The truth is that any true innovation is fairly rare. Usually, its simply a matter of improving an idea. Problem, is that "improving" usually means improving the graphics, and beating the best parts of the original game to death. And the gamer realizes that the game is lame and relying too heavily on fan service (IE: sex appeal).
so, I hope that helps my arguement, but I also feel like I'm rambling like mojo jo jo.:P
Capcom seems to have bouts of creativity and crapulence. It seems like they come out with a creative idea, and then milk it way past its dead (EIDOS's Tomb Raider anyone?). I enjoyed RE2 and RE3 despite their obvious and innane short comings (I joke alot with my friends about the architects who construct buildings that require orbs, chess pieces or whatever to open a simple lock, while at the sametime the building is rigged to explode with a 1000 megaton nuke). Anyway, IMHO RE2 and RE3 should have been remade. They really deserved it. Also, DMC 2 was a major dissapointment. Capcom seriously needs to look at itself, realize that "milking" a series will only kill it that much quicker. I already have Eidos on a ban from buying list, I don't know how they got away with releasing Tomb Raider AOD
Anyway, lets face it, lots of companies milk their games. I mean we are upto 11 final fantasies now (not counting all the GB FFs). And, how many times has the Belmont clan killed Dracula in Castlevania (AKA Dracula in japan)? Let us not forget Marios endless adventures against bowser. Link's battle for the triforce against Ganon, or Samus's continued exploits against the evil metroids and all the motherbrain like main bosses. Oh! and Snake's constant fights against Big Boss, and all the psychologically disturbed counter terrorist foes gone wrong he must face. Am I leaving any other company out, or do you get the idea. The truth is that once you get an idea you might as well try to extend it for as long as possible. Otherwise, odds are your copying somebody elses idea (BTW: the latest LOTR RTS looks strikingly like WCIII: ROC).
My only real point is that once you have a hit, it makes sense to plan out the sequels in such a way as to complement the series, not milk it. Unfortunatly, lots of companies choose to milk.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, in that case, we have Tifa (FF7), Kasumi (DOA series), Jill Valentine (Resident Evil), Ivy & Taki (Soul Calibur II)...etc...etc.. Oh and hey! Their games aren't buggy as heck, and do not play like train wrecks. In any case, Eidos can say what they like because I see them as a game company that only cares about $$$ and not its customers.
You guys should lighten up. We live in a democracy, which means that any special interest group may impose its believes on the populace as a whole. this isn't the first time somebody has gone to court over something inane, and it won't be the last. Besides, somebody has to pay all the starving lawyers out there.
Can't I just pay somebody to do that?
I don't know about stopping the car, but I know that onstar can lock your doors. They've done this before. People who were delinquent on there car payments quickly found that they could not get in there car because onstar locked them out. its an effective way to ensure that you make timely payments.
You forgot the third option. Where onStar can lock you out of your car because your late on your payment. How about insurance companies viewing the information to see how you drive to determine whether they should jack up your insurance rates. In either case, I think the government in itself is the least of our worries in this case. For some reason, there are always people who believe that the government is out to get us. The problem is that while they are right, they don't realize that they already have us. I mean, we pay taxes. I'd say the government has us right where they want us.
I can see our soldiers working with/killing different iraqi factions, having sex with prostitutes in humvees, and raqueteering for personal gain already.
Operation Grandtheft Auto:Agrobhad City
actually newegg sells a good video card for around $50.00 by Leadtek (Tv2000XP). I personally use a personal cinema capture card, which is a little out of date, but does the job. Now in reality a full PC will run you more than a DVR, but if you have a PC already, than why not go this route? Obviously, for people without a PC, they are better off with Tivo. The nice thing about video capture cards is that they usually come with free software to edit and capture. XP comes with decent video capturing software. Plus if you don't like any of that stuff, then you can get alot of free software and capturing tutorials @ http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ ;) They also have alot of good advice on what video cards/dvd recorders/players you should get based on what you want to do.
So if you want to capture to SVCD, whatever....if this place doesn't have the software, it probably can't be done.
Good encoding software is Gordian Knots, TMPGEnc (good for mpeg-1,mpeg-2, and for making (S)Vcds). so really, if you have a comp. make your computer into a DVR. Don't go out and buy one.
I know the policy sucks. Personally I think that they should be sued ( and they probably will). However, I would expect that at least the /. crowd to be using video capture cards on their computers. That's what I use. Who needs to pay for service when you have software that does the same thing for free. I know I don't have to pay for a subscription. Upgrades to storage benefit my whole machine. I also get to choose what codec is used to encode my captures. So why limit yourself to stuff tivo and replaytv give you when you can hand select the parts that go into your comp?
I have to say that's a pretty good story. My parent's did something similar to that when they gave me my Nintendo. Course, I must commend you on buying your own games and what not. KUDOS!
Is it just me or has TV been a major dissapointment these last few years. Family Guy has been one of those gems that has actually brought me back to the tv (or PC in the case of the DVDS). I think it would be a huge mistake for Fox not to give the green light for more eps. In either case here are my favorite episodes:
1) And the weiner is
2) The thin white line
3) Brian does hollywood
4) Peter Griffin: Husband, father....brother?
5) He's too sexy for his fat
6) E Peterbus unum
7) Family Guy viewer mail #1
8) If I'm dyin, I'm lyin
9) I am peter hear me roar
10) Da Boom
but anyway, let's face it there are lots more
funny eps. of family guy (and some lame one's too). All I know is that the brand of humor that Chris McFarlan brings is a welcomed change to humdrum tv.
crazy, I have a friend that's exactly like you. He hasn't watched tv in years. When I mention a current show, he has no clue. All he does is game, and watch his programs via divx (IE: anime).
Anyway, I guess this is as deep as I get into the whole subject considering that everybody here has pretty much said what I was thinking as well. Tv has degraded. Its lame, etc.. and I'm sick of commercials.
Here are some other names that Claria/Gator plan on using in the future.
Communist party/KGB, U-2, Voyeurists, RIAA, MPAA, Telepaths inc., el-diablo, mephisto, Carnivore, Devourer, Soul Eater....any other names?
Claria/Gator's Product offerings:
Spyware which reports info. about users
Sinks your clock (whoo!)
lots and lots of pop-ups
Crash your computer
Use up bandwidth.
hrm....changing their name though. Like a con-artist with many aliases.
Anyway, I figured I'd get on the Gator bashing too because I'm sick of their interpretation of a so called useful product.
Off topic easy:
Actually, yeah. Look it up, any tire that is under or over inflated will have major problems. Most tire manufacturers recommend 30-40psi for tires. Mine have a spec of 35 psi, and not only do you notice it in your fuel economy if they go down to oh say, 20-25psi but you are also putting added pressure on the tires in the form of friction and weight. Which is why the real bad guy is Ford and not Firestone. But most people assume that because the tires went bad, that firestone was making bad tires. But you'll find that in many cooler states like Oregon, the problems didn't persist. In the case of states where its warmer, you had problems. This has to do with friction, and increased heat within the tire. As I was unaware at the time, as your tire moves, it creates friction which actually heats up the tire as it moves. Heat(from friction) + Heat from road & environment + lower psi = lots of trouble for stupid gas guzzling SUVs.
but in either case, its all about common sense. I mean how many 18 wheelers do you see carrying a hundred tons of payload with tires that are under inflated? Most of the time, you have 18 wheels at a high tire pressure to ensure that the weight is evenlly distributed across all the tires to prevent premature wear on the tires, less fuel consumption....etc.
The rating system is bad because it is not being enforced. Parents asked for a rating system, but do not take advantage of it. If I (the parent) buy my kid T&A raider for my 7 year old, knowing full well that it is M, and I listen to my kid over the store clerk, then what is the point of having a rating sytem? Also, in some cases, a game's rating is much higher than it should be.
At the same time, parents still complain about kids getting violent games, and video games being too violent. Well, the times have changed, it is no longer 1980, and video games are no longer just for kids. We have a broad spectrum of video games for a broad spectrum of people. Just like some people like Barney, and others like Jenna Jameson.
So, what's the point of a rating system, if people still complain about kids getting the wrong games, and talking about the negative effects of video game violence. It is the parents responsibility first and foremost to guide their children, not the store clerks. While they should obviously stop younger kids from getting the more violent games, I know that a 15 year old is intelligent enough to dissern between mortal kombat violence and real violence. Finally, for those of you who think that parents can't watch their kids 24/7...just remember, they have to sleep sometime.
cause that's hard to do. Actually spending time with your kids is hard work. And after working all day, who wants to spend time with them. Let alone tell them not to do bad things. Its so much easier to program your tv, vcr, dvd player, PS2, etc... to block explicit material from your kids. Which btw, assumes you know how to program the v-chip stuff, and that your kids don't know the override code (EG: PS2 has a general code to unlock the censoring).
probably not, but its the PC thing to do. politicians and the like have to appear to care.
I agree with you that the rating system is lame, but not for the same reasons. First, I think its anemic, because few people take it seriously. Parents still buy blood bath 4, T&A raider, or jiggly fighter X for their ten year old. Parents, got their way, and got a rating system, but has it really worked? I think not. Second, people still complain about video game violence. Well, if we have a rating system, then in theory, violent/sexually explicit games should be taken out of the hands of the kids. This leaves, only adults to view the more explicit games, but that's not the case. Video games are still being censored for the kids. Well, I'm an adult now, and I want more gore fest. Let the kids play Mario Party, and I'll play Doom 3.
Your probably right about that. After all, I was raised during the nintendo era. My hero is Mario, and when I was young I always dreamed of being a plumber who shot fire from his hand, and ate "magic mushrooms" to grow bigger. No, I agree video games do influence. But I don't see alot of teens car jacking, and cop killing because they were playing GTA3/vice city. If kids become pyscho, its not because of the video games, its because they had something wrong with them in the first place. Also, the point is not for the parents to weakly say, "Please....stop....don't play those games." their job is to enforce rules, and prevent their children from getting the wrong material. So OMG (cause you know how clever that is...), parents do have a say in a childs life. If they are getting media that they shouldn't be, its probably from a friend, who's parents don't care what he gets into. But in the end, its still the friend's parent's fault for not filtering inappropriate media. The burden should not be held by the industry, or the stores selling the games, as one person put it, "The stores are not babysitters".
yeah, "another way" being the kid's "rich kid friend" who's parents could care less if "johnny" watches skin flicks, while playing Demonic Blood Carnage v.2.0 and chatting with pedophiles about deviant acts.
I think your preaching to the choir man. I've always been opposed to ESRB ratings, because I knew the problem isn't the games, it's how parents raise their children (or lack thereof). Americans are good at scape goating. Society blames video game violence, for the troubles of youth only because parents don't want to discipline their children. Their too busy acting like children themselves.
:P
video games don't kill people, I DO!
yes, that's could be true. But leave it to AOL to charge for things on the Internet that you can easily get for free.
IMO Resident evil has not slid down the toilet. I however agree with you on Tomb Raider and Army Men (if you can't guess, I really hate EIDOS).
But again, the main point being that Milking occurs, I just wish they'd do it in a "soil my pants" sorta way. Kinda like how I felt when I played MGS, or Castlevania: SOTN, RE: Remake, etc...
Oh, also as i stated, Capcom fluctuates between creativity and crapulence, much like all the other affor mentioned companies. I mean, Konami has had its bad days too. Look at Silent Hill 2, which while good, was way over hyped, and could have been much better. Not to mention MGS2, which could have done withoute Raiden. I also disliked FF8 to some degree, I disliked the battle system....anyway, I could go on forever.
The truth is that any true innovation is fairly rare. Usually, its simply a matter of improving an idea. Problem, is that "improving" usually means improving the graphics, and beating the best parts of the original game to death. And the gamer realizes that the game is lame and relying too heavily on fan service (IE: sex appeal).
so, I hope that helps my arguement, but I also feel like I'm rambling like mojo jo jo. :P
Capcom seems to have bouts of creativity and crapulence. It seems like they come out with a creative idea, and then milk it way past its dead (EIDOS's Tomb Raider anyone?). I enjoyed RE2 and RE3 despite their obvious and innane short comings (I joke alot with my friends about the architects who construct buildings that require orbs, chess pieces or whatever to open a simple lock, while at the sametime the building is rigged to explode with a 1000 megaton nuke). Anyway, IMHO RE2 and RE3 should have been remade. They really deserved it. Also, DMC 2 was a major dissapointment. Capcom seriously needs to look at itself, realize that "milking" a series will only kill it that much quicker. I already have Eidos on a ban from buying list, I don't know how they got away with releasing Tomb Raider AOD Anyway, lets face it, lots of companies milk their games. I mean we are upto 11 final fantasies now (not counting all the GB FFs). And, how many times has the Belmont clan killed Dracula in Castlevania (AKA Dracula in japan)? Let us not forget Marios endless adventures against bowser. Link's battle for the triforce against Ganon, or Samus's continued exploits against the evil metroids and all the motherbrain like main bosses. Oh! and Snake's constant fights against Big Boss, and all the psychologically disturbed counter terrorist foes gone wrong he must face. Am I leaving any other company out, or do you get the idea. The truth is that once you get an idea you might as well try to extend it for as long as possible. Otherwise, odds are your copying somebody elses idea (BTW: the latest LOTR RTS looks strikingly like WCIII: ROC). My only real point is that once you have a hit, it makes sense to plan out the sequels in such a way as to complement the series, not milk it. Unfortunatly, lots of companies choose to milk.