Considering the amount of money both sides have been pumping into studios to get them to exclusively release on one format or the other (it cost LOTS of money to switch studios...), BOTH sides are losing to the indifference of the general public. Warner's still backing both.. IIRC. And I don't think anyone who wasn't affiliated with the HD/Blu Ray backing companies would go exclusive at this point without a pile of cash to go along with it... (and a time limit... so they're not selling themselves short...)
Disney's Blu-Ray (because they love the DRM, I guess)... so who knows where it will go?
Funny how my launch PS2 still works... Guess it's not as ubiquitous as the RRoD...
YMMV... but I have only had Microsoft consoles fail on me... *shrug* meaningless, but mindshare is part of all of this, and if MS doesn't ramp up QC so everyone doesn't need to use their warranty, the next generation will have Microsoft going the way of Sega, in spite of having Halo 3.
I think there's enough room for more than one standard these days... particularly for a while (until HDTV gets more prevalent)... and while that happens, it'll be up to the bigger players to leverage studio support with bundles... because if Disney stays Blu-Ray... little Joey Spankomeister will want his Cars Blu-Ray long before mom considers the implications of blu-ray/HD.:)
Of course Disney was a prime backer of Divx (because they're greedy bastards)... but that was half-hearted, since in Europe (where Divx wasn't a grand experiment), they were all about the DVD.;)
I'm hedging my bets (I've got both right now, because some movies are HD-DVD only...) and just buying the "must-haves" for now.:)
Redmond's "championing" of the HD-DVD standard will most likely result in a 2.0 version of HD-DVD with even more DRM once the leverage against blu-ray does its damage. Generosity, thinking of the customer, and comfortable DRM isn't in Microsoft's SOP... and their mindset with phoning-home their OS shows us that if they have any leverage at all in making HD-DVD win... they'll get their concessions (since the firmware's not set in stone anymore) and HD-DVD will make Blu-Ray DRM look like a picnic. Call me skeptical.;)
Yeah, let them milk the franchise until it bleeds... that means I won't be buying it. It'll still make it on the console, I imagine... Disney hasn't had an original idea, in, well... forever.
Nintendo's "bait and switch" region-coding scheme should be enough to piss off even the staunchest nintendo supporter...
"We're going region-free!" (and the crowd rejoiced)
"Wait, scratch that... we're not..." (and the crowd missed the announcement)
I'd have felt better if they'd have kept it to themselves... but it was most likely just an "also-ran" press release to keep in the news... (all too quickly retracted.)
Meh... that really annoys me to no end.. Their motive? Regional pricing is all I can think of. I mean, the Wii doesn't play movies... so it's not at the behest of the MPAA... It's solely so the big "N" can force price A for Japan (and game library)... and price B for NA... and so forth. Even the PS3 is region-free for games (but blu-ray's not.. I suspect that's part of Sony picture's interest in the thing...)
Let's not give the customer choice even though the little bastards in the clown car "would like to play". Just don't do it outside your region, or they'll thump you with a wiimote. (Yes yes.. I know most people who are the Wii's target market are not interested in playing Japanese games... but the principle still stands...)
Precisely. Where's the incentive to squeak out more features in console X if they're just going to show up in console Y in six months (or less)?
EA wants to eliminate competition and the huge black eye that they got programming for the PS3 (others don't have this problem, EA... complacency perhaps?) Bah... EA's not the same as it was back in the old days... it's an IP hoarding monster that spews out crappy games, or buys good ones and screws them up to the point they are exactly like the original crappy IP they put out themselves.:)
Since EA wants to be the monopoly game maker, they want a platform that they can monopolize as well with fewer talented people and more drones. They want to eliminate competition... brazen of them to veil it in the cloak of "open standards". Horseshit... that's marketroid speak for "screw the little guys"
Agreed. With the exception of Halo 3 and Bioshock, (and the EA debacle w/r/t sports that I don't play anyway)... there's nothing on the 360 that I can't get on a PS3. Yes, indeed there are future exclusives that might be forthcoming, but from what I've read and seen... nothing earth-shattering (and certainly nothing that would make me hock my PS3 so I can get even more 360 games...eheh)
I frequently choose the PS3 version when multiplatform games are released.. unless there's a compelling reason that it's better on the 360 (Live is not a feature to me.)
I am looking forward to Mass Effect and possibly Fable 2 (if they don't overpromise like they have been known to do in the past)... but the majority of games are just as good on the PS3... and I like the Sixais better... (so sue me. heh) And with games like Fight night R3 (which is ironically EA's crap) actually suffers from less (if any) of the slowdown that plagued the 360 launch title... (can't get more than 30fps my ass...)
I don't slag the 360 to make the PS3 look great... or vice versa. Those who do are either jealous because they don't have one, or they need to get outside more and stop fretting over things that really don't matter... like which console is "best".
I'll probably wait until next year to get one... if at all... but it's good to know there's actual production coming from Nintendo.;) This much of a distribution problem for this long points to insane popularity (on one hand), or if you're a conspiracy nut, artificially restricting supply....
I've already given up. I don't do the insane "wait in line" thing, so I missed out on the first of them... and now they're nowhere to be found in the Dallas area (not that I'm looking terribly hard.) Every day that passes is a day I desire one less and less.
I'm perfectly happy with my PS3/360... Nintendo's lack of production/distribution made the Wii a non-impulse purchase... *shrug*
EA's RPG "Big" line is going to revolutionize the genre. Their first title will be "Kazaam v. the Bald Gate: Super 1 on 1", featuring Shaq and his holiness the Pope... digitized for the first time using "inquisi-vision" Fight along side the Pope and Shaq as they do basketball battle with the forces of the Bald Gate and their legion of undead Laker fans.
We have SO much to look forward to.:)
God, I hate EA. They used to be fine... then they started eating companies and killing innovation.
Nah, it shouldn't feel terribly silly.... I've bought a few PS3 titles, but I still love the games like Super Stardust and Flow. Usually if there's a non-EA port, I generally try the PS3 first, and if it handles well (I love the Sixaxis, so sue me), I generally don't bother with the 360 version (even with DLC potential for it... because besides Oblivion, most DLC is not all that special to me...)
I like the 360, and frequently play games on it as well (I am addicted to Burnout, because it makes me feel better about my piss-poor driving in motorstorm...heh) but as for a console I can see myself playing for the long-term, in spite of how it plays out in sales or mindshare is my PS3. It's built better, it has more potential, because it's not locked into overpriced accessories like the 360 (I'm thinking of HDD's specifically), and it can run YDL. That's geektastic.;)
I don't hate either console, I despise most, hell..all, corporations, so there's no brand loyalty, but I simply like my PS3... it "fits" better for me. (and my ever-so-slick HDTV).
Very true... you make some excellent points. As a PS3 owner and a 360 owner, I have to agree. I think if I hadn't bought Oblivion (and finished it) for my 360, I would've spent some time playing it on the PS3, but for the rest of it, it's still got some titles in the pipe I'm looking forward to... but none at this very moment (except maybe Folklore...)
The Blu-Ray stuff is indeed a gamble. I am not convinced it worked yet... I assume a game can still be released on DVD, right?
I totally agree that it's the games (I am not concerned with data, benchmarks and # of shaders, because games are what these things are for... anything else is smoke and mirrors (including the Blu Ray addition... which delayed the PS3 in the first place... IIRC, at least one of the reasons.)
I think they can think of another way to get the cost down w/o totally abandoning features.. but I think this conversation would've went a different direction had sony come out with a $399 DVD version of the PS3 at launch and added the blu-ray device as an add-on like MS did... now THAT would've been a nice titanic struggle...
I bet we'd have seen better games all around earlier if that were the scenario.:)
You're quite right... no games == expensive paperweight.:) Both console makers need to get back to the "one job" per console.. because they're starting to become a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none.
Which launch titles that were considered "good" games for the 360? I don't know the state of BC at launch, but it was limited, I'm sure.
I'm just curious... (I'm not talking about _now_... I'm talking about the launch and first year titles...) Maybe being first (hardware issues and all) was worth it... at least in North America. How very un-Dreamcast of it.;) Or how very un-Saturn of it, to be more silly about it. heheheh.
I'm not being pedantic... I'm just curious if price really is the deciding factor these days... it certainly didn't seem like it at first... (particularly the wonderfully inflated cost of a new game on the 'next gen' systems... excluding Wii of course.)
I truly didn't see a decent (by my standards) game for the 360 until well into 2006... (I bought one in late October 06.) Even then, the promise of great looking games was the real draw, I'd say. At $400, I think that's a big expense for potential... I guess my $500 "potential" 20GB PS3 was even more-so. *shrug* I enjoyed Dark Kingdom and Resistance... but I really wanted Motorstorm.:)
I'm still getting a kick out of both ends of the fanboy spectrum holding the flags and waving them like an epileptic on a Tilt-a-whirl as if that made someone choose console X over console Y.:) As I'm sure you'll agree, the potential for a really exciting fireworks show exists no matter which side is getting the skewer.:P
I remember back in the early days of DVD (when Divx was still being shoved out the door at Circuit City) that certain movies would have issues with certain players (mostly Sony players that I was familiar with), and I thought it would sink DVD in favor of that rent-a-crap Divx. The biggest one I remember is the Matrix DVD release having issues with most Sony early sony DVD players.. (mine being one of them... heh) The menu would lock up the player... or certain parts of the menu... I don't remember what the "fix" was, other than to watch it on a Toshiba or something else.;)
Of course it was a little harder to make the DVD players region-free back then... requiring some soldering skill on the Sony player I had... I only did it because Sony's implementation of the "all region" code came up as an invalid region for my player... which was a crock....
Now I have an upscaling region-free player and I don't really care.;)
Already done. I haven't bought a CD or an iTunes song in almost 2 years. Granted, I have bought a few independent European metal albums... but for the most part, anything sanctioned, associated, near, smelling like, use the same barber as the RIAA... it's not getting my $.
I've got the list (and I check it in the rare occasion I decide to purchase an album...)
I stick with Ambient.us, Magnatune, and sometimes eMusic.:) Everything else is too close to the RIAA to even warrant a second look. And you know? I've not missed anything. These folks who believe there's going to be a huge void if they don't buy a CD really hasn't thought it through... I couldn't tell you what's on the radio (because I never listen), but I am not missing a bit of it... it's like it never existed. Going 100% and stopping all music purchases is probably more hardcore than even I'm willing to be, but it isn't impossible.. much like the RIAA believes... that we _need_ what they're selling. Nope. We don't.
They (the RIAA) have done this to themselves. I hope they all go bankrupt. I hope they all lose their shirts... but when they do (not if), it'll be the intertube's fault, and we'll all be guilty simply by having an IP address.
The last writhing of a dying entity is to lash out before taking the last breath.:)
So, when you see me bitching about the RIAA/MPAA... you can safely put me on the list of "doesn't bother funding the monster...";)
Have you ever seen a microsoft developer conference? Or a shareholders meeting? The Ballmer screaming match? The "Bill gates signed my 360!" crapola?
Cults are everywhere. Just because anecdotally you have had run-ins with "fanboys"... doesn't mean that the knee-jerk reaction about fanboyism applies to every little thing that becomes critical w/r/t apple. That's all I was saying. If Fanboys/girls go ape about this (if you read the forums, there are level-headed responses and inquiries... with little or no 'it's your own fault' hyperbole...) that doesn't change the nature of the issue and if someone might say "but wait..." that doesn't automagically make them a cultist.
I don't apologize for the fanboys... I'm not one.
And the Windows apologists are annoying with the "apple fanboys suck" posts all the time too... the B.S. flows both directions... I'm agnostic when it comes to computers... I don't care what other people use... I'm fine with my own choices and don't need others to validate them for me. (Some people aren't that good... so we have fanboys.) I personally loathe Windows... but I don't fault anyone for using it. YMMV. To each his own... but just because I own a Mac doesn't mean I'm chomping at the bit to ridicule a windows user.;)
But with this particular issue, I am guessing bluetooth is fairly green around the horns because I hear lots of issues with bluetooth, particularly since it's occupying a tiny sliver of an already crowded consumer 2.4 GHz spectrum.
I've noticed that everyone seems to have a preconceived notion of "the cult of apple" and "if it were Windows, you'd be asking for a head on a platter" no matter what the issue is. (it's almost as ubiquitous as the "BSD is dying" comments). It's not that there aren't cultists with everything.. I mean c'mon... there's even a loyal following for bathroom cleaners for crying out loud.. but mistaking a lack of mob mentality (pitchforks and torches) when something goes wrong with Apple's stuff as a blind obedience to the Steve is sometimes off the mark... (but sometimes people are right to call 'em fanatics.) Blanket assertions such as yours simply agitate the cultists.;)
Truth is, like it's been said in the thread above... bluetooth's pretty lame. The PS3 has random controller disconnects that affect some people, but not others... now we see Macbook issues with bluetooth (that now anecdotally seem to be in all Apple products with Bluetooth adapters installed... desktop and laptop...) I have no doubt that there's a bit of blame to go around on both sides of the fence, but from the looks of it, I'm betting bluetooth's still a little green.
(Not to mention I've only experienced the PS3 controller disconnect once... whereas others have many frustrating problems...)
*shrug* we'll see how it pans out.
Re:Get Heavenly Sword - Its Brilliant.
on
Lair Review
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· Score: 1
Yes, but within the average of 6h gameplay, HS apparently delivers great fun and atmosphere... focusing solely on its length compared to GoW (which had some tedious things to do in it, but thankfully not very many) is the point I'm trying to make... the bar moves this way or that depending upon what game we compare game X to.
It's a disservice to do so, by the reviewing community, and I think some games aren't getting their fair shake as a result... whereas some games that should've scored lower are getting bumps based on time spent playing (or watching tedious cutscenes...heh)
And in the case of Ikaruga... the repetitive nature of the shooter is indeed its length... and with some people, it's rather like fed-ex quests or overly drawn out cutscenes... which would detract from the stellar gameplay if someone wasn't into that genre of gaming.. (I happen to enjoy Ikaruga, and have never been able to finish it... just don't have the stones, I guess.)
Now, if this were God of War II, or Heavenly Sword 3 or something like that... previous comparisons are spot on... but I think we need to decrease the criteria that makes a game "similar" to another, so we don't get the disparity we have now w/r/t length and fun...
Not all short games are good, but not all long games are either... but a good game can be short and still be good. That's about the crux of it, I think.
Precisely... Amazingly, you're the only one who has it right. Further, censorship is denying access to something to which there is no alternative to get it. (i.e. the Government pressuring the censoring comics in the 1950's.)
A retailer is free to stock or not to stock games that the retailer feels is not their priority to stock. It's their store. If you want to stock it, start your own store...
It's a shame you haven't been modded insightful yet, because of all the censorship related chatter... you're the only one who gets it. Every time the word censorship is misused, it loses its potency and effectiveness to shine the light on the REAL censorship in the world.
Re:Get Heavenly Sword - Its Brilliant.
on
Lair Review
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· Score: 1
I'm beginning to wonder if _no_ length is long enough or short enough for some folks (I'm speaking generally here, so keep those cards and letters) we hear "this game is TOO long" for game X, and game Y is "too short"... really, I would like to know what the proper length is? It seems the bar moves depending on the game...
I like long games (Oblivion), but I also like rather short games as well... if they're well executed. (And HS sounds very well executed..and I loved the demo).
Making a game too long with Fed-Ex quests, rescue minor characters, and travel 100's of miles for one potion is inexcusable. I finish some games in two or three sittings, but if it kept my interest and didn't feel like a chore, that game is (was) worth its price. I never finished Morrowind, because the game felt less intriguing... (though, ironically enough, I loved Oblivion...) yet there was content out the wazoo in both games (even without the add-ons.) So length only matters if I'm knee-deep in the game and it suddenly ends.... that would peeve me... like those lame cliffhanger endings on TV.;)
I'm getting Heavenly Sword in spite of the length talk... and I'm going to rent Lair, since the last game everyone panned (Dark Kingdom) turned out to be great fun.:) High art? Hardly... glitchy in some places? Yes... but still fun and challenging.:) It provided my next-gen Diablo fix... (at least until Conan comes out... and then Viking: Battle for Asgard... w00t!)
Slashdot Mirror
Considering the amount of money both sides have been pumping into studios to get them to exclusively release on one format or the other (it cost LOTS of money to switch studios...), BOTH sides are losing to the indifference of the general public. Warner's still backing both.. IIRC. And I don't think anyone who wasn't affiliated with the HD/Blu Ray backing companies would go exclusive at this point without a pile of cash to go along with it... (and a time limit... so they're not selling themselves short...)
Disney's Blu-Ray (because they love the DRM, I guess)... so who knows where it will go?
Funny how my launch PS2 still works... Guess it's not as ubiquitous as the RRoD...
YMMV... but I have only had Microsoft consoles fail on me... *shrug* meaningless, but mindshare is part of all of this, and if MS doesn't ramp up QC so everyone doesn't need to use their warranty, the next generation will have Microsoft going the way of Sega, in spite of having Halo 3.
Rather than get up to go to the bathroom "too much", I'll just piss in your popcorn...
It's funny.. laugh.
I think there's enough room for more than one standard these days... particularly for a while (until HDTV gets more prevalent)... and while that happens, it'll be up to the bigger players to leverage studio support with bundles... because if Disney stays Blu-Ray... little Joey Spankomeister will want his Cars Blu-Ray long before mom considers the implications of blu-ray/HD. :)
;)
:)
;)
Of course Disney was a prime backer of Divx (because they're greedy bastards)... but that was half-hearted, since in Europe (where Divx wasn't a grand experiment), they were all about the DVD.
I'm hedging my bets (I've got both right now, because some movies are HD-DVD only...) and just buying the "must-haves" for now.
Redmond's "championing" of the HD-DVD standard will most likely result in a 2.0 version of HD-DVD with even more DRM once the leverage against blu-ray does its damage. Generosity, thinking of the customer, and comfortable DRM isn't in Microsoft's SOP... and their mindset with phoning-home their OS shows us that if they have any leverage at all in making HD-DVD win... they'll get their concessions (since the firmware's not set in stone anymore) and HD-DVD will make Blu-Ray DRM look like a picnic. Call me skeptical.
Yeah, let them milk the franchise until it bleeds... that means I won't be buying it. It'll still make it on the console, I imagine... Disney hasn't had an original idea, in, well... forever.
That should be prime motivation _not_ to use Peter Pan as a character. :) heh.
But that's just me...
Nintendo's "bait and switch" region-coding scheme should be enough to piss off even the staunchest nintendo supporter...
"We're going region-free!" (and the crowd rejoiced)
"Wait, scratch that... we're not..." (and the crowd missed the announcement)
I'd have felt better if they'd have kept it to themselves... but it was most likely just an "also-ran" press release to keep in the news... (all too quickly retracted.)
Meh... that really annoys me to no end.. Their motive? Regional pricing is all I can think of. I mean, the Wii doesn't play movies... so it's not at the behest of the MPAA... It's solely so the big "N" can force price A for Japan (and game library)... and price B for NA... and so forth. Even the PS3 is region-free for games (but blu-ray's not.. I suspect that's part of Sony picture's interest in the thing...)
Let's not give the customer choice even though the little bastards in the clown car "would like to play". Just don't do it outside your region, or they'll thump you with a wiimote. (Yes yes.. I know most people who are the Wii's target market are not interested in playing Japanese games... but the principle still stands...)
Precisely. Where's the incentive to squeak out more features in console X if they're just going to show up in console Y in six months (or less)?
:)
EA wants to eliminate competition and the huge black eye that they got programming for the PS3 (others don't have this problem, EA... complacency perhaps?) Bah... EA's not the same as it was back in the old days... it's an IP hoarding monster that spews out crappy games, or buys good ones and screws them up to the point they are exactly like the original crappy IP they put out themselves.
Since EA wants to be the monopoly game maker, they want a platform that they can monopolize as well with fewer talented people and more drones. They want to eliminate competition... brazen of them to veil it in the cloak of "open standards". Horseshit... that's marketroid speak for "screw the little guys"
Agreed. With the exception of Halo 3 and Bioshock, (and the EA debacle w/r/t sports that I don't play anyway)... there's nothing on the 360 that I can't get on a PS3. Yes, indeed there are future exclusives that might be forthcoming, but from what I've read and seen... nothing earth-shattering (and certainly nothing that would make me hock my PS3 so I can get even more 360 games...eheh)
:)
I frequently choose the PS3 version when multiplatform games are released.. unless there's a compelling reason that it's better on the 360 (Live is not a feature to me.)
I am looking forward to Mass Effect and possibly Fable 2 (if they don't overpromise like they have been known to do in the past)... but the majority of games are just as good on the PS3... and I like the Sixais better... (so sue me. heh) And with games like Fight night R3 (which is ironically EA's crap) actually suffers from less (if any) of the slowdown that plagued the 360 launch title... (can't get more than 30fps my ass...)
I don't slag the 360 to make the PS3 look great... or vice versa. Those who do are either jealous because they don't have one, or they need to get outside more and stop fretting over things that really don't matter... like which console is "best".
We all know the 2600 was "the best"
I think you need to dial your penfield mood organ to "calm" or perhaps "mildly irritated." :-)
I'll probably wait until next year to get one... if at all... but it's good to know there's actual production coming from Nintendo. ;) This much of a distribution problem for this long points to insane popularity (on one hand), or if you're a conspiracy nut, artificially restricting supply....
I've already given up. I don't do the insane "wait in line" thing, so I missed out on the first of them... and now they're nowhere to be found in the Dallas area (not that I'm looking terribly hard.) Every day that passes is a day I desire one less and less.
I'm perfectly happy with my PS3/360... Nintendo's lack of production/distribution made the Wii a non-impulse purchase... *shrug*
EA's RPG "Big" line is going to revolutionize the genre. Their first title will be "Kazaam v. the Bald Gate: Super 1 on 1", featuring Shaq and his holiness the Pope... digitized for the first time using "inquisi-vision" Fight along side the Pope and Shaq as they do basketball battle with the forces of the Bald Gate and their legion of undead Laker fans.
:)
We have SO much to look forward to.
God, I hate EA. They used to be fine... then they started eating companies and killing innovation.
Nah, it shouldn't feel terribly silly.... I've bought a few PS3 titles, but I still love the games like Super Stardust and Flow. Usually if there's a non-EA port, I generally try the PS3 first, and if it handles well (I love the Sixaxis, so sue me), I generally don't bother with the 360 version (even with DLC potential for it... because besides Oblivion, most DLC is not all that special to me...)
;)
I like the 360, and frequently play games on it as well (I am addicted to Burnout, because it makes me feel better about my piss-poor driving in motorstorm...heh) but as for a console I can see myself playing for the long-term, in spite of how it plays out in sales or mindshare is my PS3. It's built better, it has more potential, because it's not locked into overpriced accessories like the 360 (I'm thinking of HDD's specifically), and it can run YDL. That's geektastic.
I don't hate either console, I despise most, hell..all, corporations, so there's no brand loyalty, but I simply like my PS3... it "fits" better for me. (and my ever-so-slick HDTV).
Very true... you make some excellent points. As a PS3 owner and a 360 owner, I have to agree. I think if I hadn't bought Oblivion (and finished it) for my 360, I would've spent some time playing it on the PS3, but for the rest of it, it's still got some titles in the pipe I'm looking forward to... but none at this very moment (except maybe Folklore...)
:)
:) Both console makers need to get back to the "one job" per console.. because they're starting to become a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none.
The Blu-Ray stuff is indeed a gamble. I am not convinced it worked yet... I assume a game can still be released on DVD, right?
I totally agree that it's the games (I am not concerned with data, benchmarks and # of shaders, because games are what these things are for... anything else is smoke and mirrors (including the Blu Ray addition... which delayed the PS3 in the first place... IIRC, at least one of the reasons.)
I think they can think of another way to get the cost down w/o totally abandoning features.. but I think this conversation would've went a different direction had sony come out with a $399 DVD version of the PS3 at launch and added the blu-ray device as an add-on like MS did... now THAT would've been a nice titanic struggle...
I bet we'd have seen better games all around earlier if that were the scenario.
You're quite right... no games == expensive paperweight.
Which launch titles that were considered "good" games for the 360? I don't know the state of BC at launch, but it was limited, I'm sure.
;) Or how very un-Saturn of it, to be more silly about it. heheheh.
:)
:) As I'm sure you'll agree, the potential for a really exciting fireworks show exists no matter which side is getting the skewer. :P
I'm just curious... (I'm not talking about _now_... I'm talking about the launch and first year titles...) Maybe being first (hardware issues and all) was worth it... at least in North America. How very un-Dreamcast of it.
I'm not being pedantic... I'm just curious if price really is the deciding factor these days... it certainly didn't seem like it at first... (particularly the wonderfully inflated cost of a new game on the 'next gen' systems... excluding Wii of course.)
I truly didn't see a decent (by my standards) game for the 360 until well into 2006... (I bought one in late October 06.) Even then, the promise of great looking games was the real draw, I'd say. At $400, I think that's a big expense for potential... I guess my $500 "potential" 20GB PS3 was even more-so. *shrug* I enjoyed Dark Kingdom and Resistance... but I really wanted Motorstorm.
I'm still getting a kick out of both ends of the fanboy spectrum holding the flags and waving them like an epileptic on a Tilt-a-whirl as if that made someone choose console X over console Y.
Indeed. Truth hurts. I didn't know lawyers read slashdot! :) *Waves*
No, lawsuits are subsidies for the lawyer class in this country... (that would be the United States)
Nothing gets accomplished, unless what you had in mind was to make lawyers rich... then the system works perfectly.
I remember back in the early days of DVD (when Divx was still being shoved out the door at Circuit City) that certain movies would have issues with certain players (mostly Sony players that I was familiar with), and I thought it would sink DVD in favor of that rent-a-crap Divx. The biggest one I remember is the Matrix DVD release having issues with most Sony early sony DVD players.. (mine being one of them... heh) The menu would lock up the player... or certain parts of the menu... I don't remember what the "fix" was, other than to watch it on a Toshiba or something else. ;)
;)
Of course it was a little harder to make the DVD players region-free back then... requiring some soldering skill on the Sony player I had... I only did it because Sony's implementation of the "all region" code came up as an invalid region for my player... which was a crock....
Now I have an upscaling region-free player and I don't really care.
Already done. I haven't bought a CD or an iTunes song in almost 2 years. Granted, I have bought a few independent European metal albums... but for the most part, anything sanctioned, associated, near, smelling like, use the same barber as the RIAA... it's not getting my $.
:) Everything else is too close to the RIAA to even warrant a second look. And you know? I've not missed anything. These folks who believe there's going to be a huge void if they don't buy a CD really hasn't thought it through... I couldn't tell you what's on the radio (because I never listen), but I am not missing a bit of it... it's like it never existed. Going 100% and stopping all music purchases is probably more hardcore than even I'm willing to be, but it isn't impossible.. much like the RIAA believes... that we _need_ what they're selling. Nope. We don't.
:)
;)
I've got the list (and I check it in the rare occasion I decide to purchase an album...)
I stick with Ambient.us, Magnatune, and sometimes eMusic.
They (the RIAA) have done this to themselves. I hope they all go bankrupt. I hope they all lose their shirts... but when they do (not if), it'll be the intertube's fault, and we'll all be guilty simply by having an IP address.
The last writhing of a dying entity is to lash out before taking the last breath.
So, when you see me bitching about the RIAA/MPAA... you can safely put me on the list of "doesn't bother funding the monster..."
Have you ever seen a microsoft developer conference? Or a shareholders meeting? The Ballmer screaming match? The "Bill gates signed my 360!" crapola?
;)
Cults are everywhere. Just because anecdotally you have had run-ins with "fanboys"... doesn't mean that the knee-jerk reaction about fanboyism applies to every little thing that becomes critical w/r/t apple. That's all I was saying. If Fanboys/girls go ape about this (if you read the forums, there are level-headed responses and inquiries... with little or no 'it's your own fault' hyperbole...) that doesn't change the nature of the issue and if someone might say "but wait..." that doesn't automagically make them a cultist.
I don't apologize for the fanboys... I'm not one.
And the Windows apologists are annoying with the "apple fanboys suck" posts all the time too... the B.S. flows both directions... I'm agnostic when it comes to computers... I don't care what other people use... I'm fine with my own choices and don't need others to validate them for me. (Some people aren't that good... so we have fanboys.) I personally loathe Windows... but I don't fault anyone for using it. YMMV. To each his own... but just because I own a Mac doesn't mean I'm chomping at the bit to ridicule a windows user.
But with this particular issue, I am guessing bluetooth is fairly green around the horns because I hear lots of issues with bluetooth, particularly since it's occupying a tiny sliver of an already crowded consumer 2.4 GHz spectrum.
I've noticed that everyone seems to have a preconceived notion of "the cult of apple" and "if it were Windows, you'd be asking for a head on a platter" no matter what the issue is. (it's almost as ubiquitous as the "BSD is dying" comments). It's not that there aren't cultists with everything.. I mean c'mon... there's even a loyal following for bathroom cleaners for crying out loud.. but mistaking a lack of mob mentality (pitchforks and torches) when something goes wrong with Apple's stuff as a blind obedience to the Steve is sometimes off the mark... (but sometimes people are right to call 'em fanatics.) Blanket assertions such as yours simply agitate the cultists. ;)
Truth is, like it's been said in the thread above... bluetooth's pretty lame. The PS3 has random controller disconnects that affect some people, but not others... now we see Macbook issues with bluetooth (that now anecdotally seem to be in all Apple products with Bluetooth adapters installed... desktop and laptop...) I have no doubt that there's a bit of blame to go around on both sides of the fence, but from the looks of it, I'm betting bluetooth's still a little green.
(Not to mention I've only experienced the PS3 controller disconnect once... whereas others have many frustrating problems...)
*shrug* we'll see how it pans out.
Yes, but within the average of 6h gameplay, HS apparently delivers great fun and atmosphere... focusing solely on its length compared to GoW (which had some tedious things to do in it, but thankfully not very many) is the point I'm trying to make... the bar moves this way or that depending upon what game we compare game X to.
It's a disservice to do so, by the reviewing community, and I think some games aren't getting their fair shake as a result... whereas some games that should've scored lower are getting bumps based on time spent playing (or watching tedious cutscenes...heh)
And in the case of Ikaruga... the repetitive nature of the shooter is indeed its length... and with some people, it's rather like fed-ex quests or overly drawn out cutscenes... which would detract from the stellar gameplay if someone wasn't into that genre of gaming.. (I happen to enjoy Ikaruga, and have never been able to finish it... just don't have the stones, I guess.)
Now, if this were God of War II, or Heavenly Sword 3 or something like that... previous comparisons are spot on... but I think we need to decrease the criteria that makes a game "similar" to another, so we don't get the disparity we have now w/r/t length and fun...
Not all short games are good, but not all long games are either... but a good game can be short and still be good. That's about the crux of it, I think.
Precisely... Amazingly, you're the only one who has it right. Further, censorship is denying access to something to which there is no alternative to get it. (i.e. the Government pressuring the censoring comics in the 1950's.)
A retailer is free to stock or not to stock games that the retailer feels is not their priority to stock. It's their store. If you want to stock it, start your own store...
It's a shame you haven't been modded insightful yet, because of all the censorship related chatter... you're the only one who gets it.
Every time the word censorship is misused, it loses its potency and effectiveness to shine the light on the REAL censorship in the world.
I'm beginning to wonder if _no_ length is long enough or short enough for some folks (I'm speaking generally here, so keep those cards and letters) we hear "this game is TOO long" for game X, and game Y is "too short"... really, I would like to know what the proper length is? It seems the bar moves depending on the game...
;)
:) High art? Hardly... glitchy in some places? Yes... but still fun and challenging. :) It provided my next-gen Diablo fix... (at least until Conan comes out... and then Viking: Battle for Asgard... w00t!)
I like long games (Oblivion), but I also like rather short games as well... if they're well executed. (And HS sounds very well executed..and I loved the demo).
Making a game too long with Fed-Ex quests, rescue minor characters, and travel 100's of miles for one potion is inexcusable. I finish some games in two or three sittings, but if it kept my interest and didn't feel like a chore, that game is (was) worth its price. I never finished Morrowind, because the game felt less intriguing... (though, ironically enough, I loved Oblivion...) yet there was content out the wazoo in both games (even without the add-ons.) So length only matters if I'm knee-deep in the game and it suddenly ends.... that would peeve me... like those lame cliffhanger endings on TV.
I'm getting Heavenly Sword in spite of the length talk... and I'm going to rent Lair, since the last game everyone panned (Dark Kingdom) turned out to be great fun.