I really shouldn't feed the trolls, but this is silly.
First of all...the Xbox (as has been stated ad nauseam) is nothing more than a Pentium computer with an nForce motherboard. It runs a mini version of Windows 2000 for crying out loud. But that's not the point. Microsoft gives no WARRANTY for using the XBox as something other than they intended, but by George, they can't tell me not to. If I want to make a planter out of it, that's my prerogative. That would be silly, but you get the point. Breaking apart the Xbox and making clones to sell for $50 on EBay is about the only instance I can think of that is specifically illegal with respect to what I can and cannot do with my property.
The DMCA only kicks in when you TELL someone how to do it. Figure it out yourself and the DMCA is unenforceable. I mean, who's gonna know? Jesus?:) IANAL...but that's the gist of how it's been played in the public forums.
So, quit whining that you can't figure out how to put Linux on your XBox and go play DOA-X Volleyball and try your hardest to get the buttfloss bikini for whatshername....:D
One thing you folks are missing is that games are ENTERTAINMENT. This isn't a Calculus course. It's a GAME. Making a game ultra-difficult with no easy or tutorial mode is a guarantee the frustrated gamer isn't going to buy any of your other games, even if you add a "tutorial" mode.
Most people game in their spare time and don't make a career out of it, so an extremely difficult game is just going to be unfinished. I'm sure that is not what designers had in mind, guaranteeing a large segment of the audience won't see their design and work put into the game.
If a game designer wants to make a "Nintendo Hard" game, that's fine. There's room for "easy" games as well.
There's a difference between "hard" and "easy to learn: difficult to master" (Try Go.)
Oh come on....women can't resist a man in uniform....:)
A woman can resist a man dressed as a level 5 wizard, though.....
Here's to the last bastion of gameplay over flash. I remember my first experience with computer wargames (if you can call this game a "wargame") was Legionnaire on my Atari 800.:) It's been fun ever since.
Anyone remember the Avalon Hill "computer assisted" wargames like Dnepr (sp?) River line and the like? Where you had a map/counters, but the computer handled its own turns and told you where to move its pieces, and of course you informed it where you were moving yours. That's the zenith of anti-social board gaming, but fun....
My favorite old Avalon Hill game on my Atari had to be "Tanktics". Nothing like trying to use smoke to avoid the Josef Stalin II's moving south...heh.
Simple. Don't use the quicksave. Let those of us who enjoy the convenience of not sitting down for a 5 hour marathon gaming session the ability to save when we want. It's not like you're forced to quicksave.:)
Give me a BREAK. Netscape charged for its browser. No matter HOW much better it was than IE, IE was free, and people like free. Sure Netscape could just dump the thing and try to sell server space or mail accounts, but they were making a BROWSER, and MS came in (like ALL monopolies do), undercut at a huge loss (initially) making a free browser, bundling it with their OS, effectively locking out Netscape from competition.
Granted some versions of Netscape are trash, but the fact STILL remains that MS abused its power to squash competition.
Read any history book about Standard Oil or other Robber Baron era company, and you'll see how textbook Microsoft is about squashing its competition.
Microsoft put Netscape in a position where it COULDN'T compete. Remember, Microsoft is whining about Linux, saying "how can you compete with free?" Something's beating them at their own game, and they are fuming.
As for their IM licensing. Just ANOTHER example of "the first one's free kiddies." Get them hooked. Then close the door behind them, locking them into your version of the Internet. Way to go, Bill!
All the XBox has shown us is that Microsoft doesn't understand the console business. Sony's already a huge player, and Nintendo is as well. Entrenched businesses are harder to uproot with typical Microsoft tactics. They are Netscape in the console equation after IE is the de-facto browser for Windows. The only way MS can compete with that entrenched marketshare is to give away the Xbox. But I don't think the Japanese would take that console even for free.
It seemed a bit steep when I first read it, but if they got the whole shooting match with Might and Magic and HOMM, it looks a little better.:) Of course, I'm biased. I love the HOMM series, and have found even a few things to love in HOMM IV, despite its problems.
I'm just glad they got the franchise out of limbo. It's always frustrating when game series go extinct (for whatever reason....bad sequels, bad management...both) and no one is able to pick them up and try to solve the problems and repair the fanbase's love for the series. (Ultima comes to mind...heh.)
I tend to agree when it comes to most classic games (milking a franchise is getting pretty tiresome.... I couldn't care less for most of the classic revivals (I do wish the Activision Anthology had done better. I'd like to have seen the update they had planned for the Xbox.)
I mean, I'm sure they'd like to make some less derivative stuff...but I guess what sells is what is made into tomorrow's games.)
But I have to say the DC version of Golden Axe was horrid. That whole disc needed a makeover badly. It's pretty sad when the best classic on there is Sega Swirl (which was surprisingly fun.) I was really disappointed in the DC smashpack. The smashpack for the PC had its problems too. I'd love to see a decent Golden Axe made for the big three. That and Altered Beast....heh.
I actually was thinking the same thing (in reference to Soul Calibur). I have all three consoles, but generally feel let down by the XBox title selection. (but that's just me.) XBox Live doesn't excite me at all.
What really changed it for me was when I recently played the SC2 demo on the GC. It works amazingly well and looks positively stunning. (SC 2 is going to be an awesome game, btw.) Maybe it was because I was used to the DC controller, but the GC controller felt really good playing SC. It worked so well in fact that I pre-ordered the GC version of SC 2 and bought a wavebird.:)
I am most pleased with my purchase of a Gamecube, despite the smaller title selection and perceived weakness in the console arena. I have been quite unimpressed with the XBox title selection, with most first party titles not being very interesting to me at all. My PS2 has the requisite group of titles, but I see it beginning to show its age compared to the other two consoles. (I play Activision Anthology far too much on it anyway....heh)
Even the 3DO article was pretty harsh, even for it. I admit I hate the Army Men series as much as the next guy, but HOMM (up until they went astray with IV) was a good series. Sure it wasn't the be-all-end-all turn-based fantasy wargame franchise, but it was still fun. Might and Magic (with the notable exception of IX) was not THAT terrible either, and it had its moments as a series.
Square is for the most part like all all the companies on this list. Get a good idea and beat it into the ground until the planet would rather jettison their brains into space than play ANOTHER of the SAME garbage. Capcom has "SNK syndrome" in which it has, consciously or unconsciously, the innate deep-seated desire to put out fighting games until their colon comes out their nose.
I do agree that Nintendo's critical flogging was a bit over-zealous, because Nintendo is the only company thus far that hasn't jumped on the "entertainment hub" bandwagon. I want my console to play games. Period. Sony and Microsoft don't get that. Why? Because they figure if they yell it loud enough and long enough, people will just buy the stuff to shut them up.
I bet we're going to have a meltdown in the future, not as bad as '83, but one in which the "all-in-one" wonderboxes come crashing down under the weight of their mediocrity. They'll fall into the "jack of all trades, master of none" category and fall by the wayside. Sony and MS are big enough to revamp and correct the mistake, but they'll leave a trail of bloody small-development houses in their wakes.
...but then again, I'm just an old fart who would rather play River Raid than Halo.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Nothing wrong with their Powermacs.
Still on my G4-733, all original equipment.
There are people who swear never to drive fords again because their cousin had a lemon (or they themselves had one)....same is true with computers.
As with everything in life. YMMV.
I really shouldn't feed the trolls, but this is silly.
:) IANAL...but that's the gist of how it's been played in the public forums.
:D
First of all...the Xbox (as has been stated ad nauseam) is nothing more than a Pentium computer with an nForce motherboard. It runs a mini version of Windows 2000 for crying out loud. But that's not the point. Microsoft gives no WARRANTY for using the XBox as something other than they intended, but by George, they can't tell me not to. If I want to make a planter out of it, that's my prerogative. That would be silly, but you get the point. Breaking apart the Xbox and making clones to sell for $50 on EBay is about the only instance I can think of that is specifically illegal with respect to what I can and cannot do with my property.
The DMCA only kicks in when you TELL someone how to do it. Figure it out yourself and the DMCA is unenforceable. I mean, who's gonna know? Jesus?
So, quit whining that you can't figure out how to put Linux on your XBox and go play DOA-X Volleyball and try your hardest to get the buttfloss bikini for whatshername....
Nice bit of sarcasm... :D
One thing you folks are missing is that games are ENTERTAINMENT. This isn't a Calculus course. It's a GAME. Making a game ultra-difficult with no easy or tutorial mode is a guarantee the frustrated gamer isn't going to buy any of your other games, even if you add a "tutorial" mode.
Most people game in their spare time and don't make a career out of it, so an extremely difficult game is just going to be unfinished. I'm sure that is not what designers had in mind, guaranteeing a large segment of the audience won't see their design and work put into the game.
If a game designer wants to make a "Nintendo Hard" game, that's fine. There's room for "easy" games as well.
There's a difference between "hard" and "easy to learn: difficult to master" (Try Go.)
Oh come on....women can't resist a man in uniform.... :)
:) It's been fun ever since.
A woman can resist a man dressed as a level 5 wizard, though.....
Here's to the last bastion of gameplay over flash. I remember my first experience with computer wargames (if you can call this game a "wargame") was Legionnaire on my Atari 800.
Anyone remember the Avalon Hill "computer assisted" wargames like Dnepr (sp?) River line and the like? Where you had a map/counters, but the computer handled its own turns and told you where to move its pieces, and of course you informed it where you were moving yours. That's the zenith of anti-social board gaming, but fun....
My favorite old Avalon Hill game on my Atari had to be "Tanktics". Nothing like trying to use smoke to avoid the Josef Stalin II's moving south...heh.
...Spoken like a true XBox Live! user. :)
Simple. Don't use the quicksave. Let those of us who enjoy the convenience of not sitting down for a 5 hour marathon gaming session the ability to save when we want. It's not like you're forced to quicksave. :)
Give me a BREAK. Netscape charged for its browser. No matter HOW much better it was than IE, IE was free, and people like free. Sure Netscape could just dump the thing and try to sell server space or mail accounts, but they were making a BROWSER, and MS came in (like ALL monopolies do), undercut at a huge loss (initially) making a free browser, bundling it with their OS, effectively locking out Netscape from competition.
Granted some versions of Netscape are trash, but the fact STILL remains that MS abused its power to squash competition.
Read any history book about Standard Oil or other Robber Baron era company, and you'll see how textbook Microsoft is about squashing its competition.
Microsoft put Netscape in a position where it COULDN'T compete. Remember, Microsoft is whining about Linux, saying "how can you compete with free?" Something's beating them at their own game, and they are fuming.
As for their IM licensing. Just ANOTHER example of "the first one's free kiddies." Get them hooked. Then close the door behind them, locking them into your version of the Internet. Way to go, Bill!
All the XBox has shown us is that Microsoft doesn't understand the console business. Sony's already a huge player, and Nintendo is as well. Entrenched businesses are harder to uproot with typical Microsoft tactics. They are Netscape in the console equation after IE is the de-facto browser for Windows. The only way MS can compete with that entrenched marketshare is to give away the Xbox. But I don't think the Japanese would take that console even for free.
If you'd have read through at least 20 comments, the FA was posted in its entirety.
I found it. You can too.
JEEZ.
RTFA.
It's a BIOS EULA.
Jeez.
"Causing trouble" is how change occurs. If everyone just sat back and accepted things like sheep, where would we be now?
Why do you read slashdot if you're one of the sheep?
It seemed a bit steep when I first read it, but if they got the whole shooting match with Might and Magic and HOMM, it looks a little better. :) Of course, I'm biased. I love the HOMM series, and have found even a few things to love in HOMM IV, despite its problems.
I'm just glad they got the franchise out of limbo. It's always frustrating when game series go extinct (for whatever reason....bad sequels, bad management...both) and no one is able to pick them up and try to solve the problems and repair the fanbase's love for the series. (Ultima comes to mind...heh.)
I tend to agree when it comes to most classic games (milking a franchise is getting pretty tiresome.... I couldn't care less for most of the classic revivals (I do wish the Activision Anthology had done better. I'd like to have seen the update they had planned for the Xbox.)
:)
I mean, I'm sure they'd like to make some less derivative stuff...but I guess what sells is what is made into tomorrow's games.)
But I have to say the DC version of Golden Axe was horrid. That whole disc needed a makeover badly. It's pretty sad when the best classic on there is Sega Swirl (which was surprisingly fun.) I was really disappointed in the DC smashpack. The smashpack for the PC had its problems too. I'd love to see a decent Golden Axe made for the big three. That and Altered Beast....heh.
Talk about quarter-suckers.
I actually was thinking the same thing (in reference to Soul Calibur). I have all three consoles, but generally feel let down by the XBox title selection. (but that's just me.) XBox Live doesn't excite me at all.
:)
What really changed it for me was when I recently played the SC2 demo on the GC. It works amazingly well and looks positively stunning. (SC 2 is going to be an awesome game, btw.) Maybe it was because I was used to the DC controller, but the GC controller felt really good playing SC. It worked so well in fact that I pre-ordered the GC version of SC 2 and bought a wavebird.
I am most pleased with my purchase of a Gamecube, despite the smaller title selection and perceived weakness in the console arena. I have been quite unimpressed with the XBox title selection, with most first party titles not being very interesting to me at all. My PS2 has the requisite group of titles, but I see it beginning to show its age compared to the other two consoles. (I play Activision Anthology far too much on it anyway....heh)
Even the 3DO article was pretty harsh, even for it. I admit I hate the Army Men series as much as the next guy, but HOMM (up until they went astray with IV) was a good series. Sure it wasn't the be-all-end-all turn-based fantasy wargame franchise, but it was still fun. Might and Magic (with the notable exception of IX) was not THAT terrible either, and it had its moments as a series.
...but then again, I'm just an old fart who would rather play River Raid than Halo. :)
Square is for the most part like all all the companies on this list. Get a good idea and beat it into the ground until the planet would rather jettison their brains into space than play ANOTHER of the SAME garbage. Capcom has "SNK syndrome" in which it has, consciously or unconsciously, the innate deep-seated desire to put out fighting games until their colon comes out their nose.
I do agree that Nintendo's critical flogging was a bit over-zealous, because Nintendo is the only company thus far that hasn't jumped on the "entertainment hub" bandwagon. I want my console to play games. Period. Sony and Microsoft don't get that. Why? Because they figure if they yell it loud enough and long enough, people will just buy the stuff to shut them up.
I bet we're going to have a meltdown in the future, not as bad as '83, but one in which the "all-in-one" wonderboxes come crashing down under the weight of their mediocrity. They'll fall into the "jack of all trades, master of none" category and fall by the wayside. Sony and MS are big enough to revamp and correct the mistake, but they'll leave a trail of bloody small-development houses in their wakes.