"I am deeply disturbed that money ruled the day here in Sacramento... Rather than protecting our children and giving our parents a tool to help raise healthy kids, the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry was allowed to shoot down necessary legislation."
How is this any different from other special interest groups? We see laws shot down by the movie industry, by the NRA, by Grandmothers Against Rubber Sheets, and no one says anything at all.
When the law concerns video games, however, it's "a tool to raise healthy kids" and "necessary legislation," and the media makes a big deal about the bill's failure to pass?
Heck, as far as I know, the video game industry wasn't even fighting the law. I haven't heard any stories about Nintendo and Microsoft sending lobbyists to the California legislature to tell people about the joys of gaming.
Unless I'm mistaken, using a web based e-mail system as your primary service is, more often than not, a bad idea. You won't be able to access your mail if the site goes down, and if their servers crash, your mail is quite possibly gone forever.
I may be an exception, but I use my web e-mail addresses as backups for my more secure accounts. Google, then, will just be another backup...one with a lot of storage.:)
I know I can't be the only one that thinks this way...can I?
I haven't payed for downloads yet, and I'll be damned if I start once they increase the prices.
There are other, better ways to get music. We can still download illegally (Kazaa, Overnet, Bittorrent, FTP sites, Usenet groups, etc.). There's still no copy protection on music; we can burn all of the CDs we want. We can physically steal the music from stores. Or, my personal favorite...
Support smaller, independent labels and unsigned groups. There are a lot of labels and musicians that offer their music for a very low cost...or occasionally free.
If the RIAA wants to screw themselves, let them. I'll still have my music, and I won't be the one that suffers.:)
The N-Gage has been saddled with such a negative reputation that, at this point, I don't think Nokia can do anything to save themselves.
The N-Gage is, for the most part, a joke. People who have them or have used them have a laundry list of complaints about the system. News articles have been anything but positive. Even those gamers who've yet to see or touch an N-Gage still mock it, simply because everyone else does.
Even though it looks like most of the design issues have been fixed, people aren't going to buy it simply because it's an N-Gage.
I'd love to be proven wrong - I'd like to see a competitor for my GBA - but I think that this is doomed to failure because of its predecessor.
Once a file's made it to the internet, it's always going to be available. Undergroud websites, file sharing, Usenet groups...it's still available. It's just become a bit harder to find.
In this case, though, that's a moot point, seeing as it's been rehosted. Oh well.
Now I feel very bad for Matt, the site's owner. The site is already popular enough...but now the link for this article has made its way to Fark (as much of his work does) and to Slashdot.
Poor Matt...say goodbye to your house. You'll be living in a cardboard box from now on...:)
There was an arcade game by the name of Mario Brothers that's completely different than the Super Mario Brothers that was released for the NES.
Odds are you've played the arcade game...it's been on the cart with every one of the Mario GBA games, including Mario and Luigi. It was also included in Super Mario Brothers 3 for the NES - remember that spiffy little game you get when you select a spot that the second player is on?
Nintendo of America may have removed one of the biggest selling points of the series by using standard GBA packaging and carts. Americans won't pay $20 for these games, and the retro appeal that made the Japanese versions collectors items is gone.
I was actually referring to the delays...the launch window has been moved back ten weeks, and the new ETA to Mercury is two years later than the original one.
And since I'm in a good mood...no, you're not a moron.:)
Seriously...I don't lose my games, and they're (somewhat) protected. Having to dig a bit to find a certain game can be slightly irritating, but it's such an easy fix that it's worth it.
After 17 years...the audience of gamers has completely changed. While there are still gamers that remember the original, there are also many more youger gamers who haven't played - or perhaps worse, haven't heard of - the original.
Heck, I'm 17 right now - I wasn't alive when the first game was released. I'd love to get this version of the game, namely because I've never played the original.
It's just like the Disney movies - if you rerelease the same content to a new generation, it'll still have the same effect it once did on the generation before...and bring in more money, to boot.
Shooters are meant to be simple games: run around, blow stuff up. Right?
If so, then "Serious Sam" is undeniably the best shooter of all time. That's all you do in the game - run around and blow stuff up. Simplistic, but hellishly fun.
If Nokia had provided a service like this for N-Gage, the system might not have been such a miserable failure...
The N-Gage might have Bluetooth capability, but how often do you find someone else with another N-Gage, let alone the same game, let alone that they're willing to play the game with you?
I could be wrong, but a majority of Slashdot users seem like the kind of people who like upgrading and/or building their own computers. The iMac wasn't exactly easy to upgrade, which is part of the reason why it bombed.
If they're anything like the iMac was, they won't sell well because the hardcore geek crowd will reject them.
It's also worth mentioning that the game will have a sequel coming out later this year. The storyline is still under wraps, but I've heard that the plot's going to involve traveling back in time to World War II. Could be a great game...
I've got a feeling that they compared the speed of the timer in the video side-by-side with a copy of the game running in an NES. Any difference in the timer speed would have been noticeable.
After all...this is the world Super Mario Brothers record. They can't screw up something as important as this.:)
Slashdot Mirror
How is this any different from other special interest groups? We see laws shot down by the movie industry, by the NRA, by Grandmothers Against Rubber Sheets, and no one says anything at all.
When the law concerns video games, however, it's "a tool to raise healthy kids" and "necessary legislation," and the media makes a big deal about the bill's failure to pass?
Heck, as far as I know, the video game industry wasn't even fighting the law. I haven't heard any stories about Nintendo and Microsoft sending lobbyists to the California legislature to tell people about the joys of gaming.
Seems a bit unfair to me...
I may be an exception, but I use my web e-mail addresses as backups for my more secure accounts. Google, then, will just be another backup...one with a lot of storage. :)
I know I can't be the only one that thinks this way...can I?
There are other, better ways to get music. We can still download illegally (Kazaa, Overnet, Bittorrent, FTP sites, Usenet groups, etc.). There's still no copy protection on music; we can burn all of the CDs we want. We can physically steal the music from stores. Or, my personal favorite...
Support smaller, independent labels and unsigned groups. There are a lot of labels and musicians that offer their music for a very low cost...or occasionally free.
If the RIAA wants to screw themselves, let them. I'll still have my music, and I won't be the one that suffers. :)
The N-Gage is, for the most part, a joke. People who have them or have used them have a laundry list of complaints about the system. News articles have been anything but positive. Even those gamers who've yet to see or touch an N-Gage still mock it, simply because everyone else does.
Even though it looks like most of the design issues have been fixed, people aren't going to buy it simply because it's an N-Gage.
I'd love to be proven wrong - I'd like to see a competitor for my GBA - but I think that this is doomed to failure because of its predecessor.
In this case, though, that's a moot point, seeing as it's been rehosted. Oh well.
Now I feel very bad for Matt, the site's owner. The site is already popular enough...but now the link for this article has made its way to Fark (as much of his work does) and to Slashdot.
Poor Matt...say goodbye to your house. You'll be living in a cardboard box from now on... :)
:)
See? Video game music is an art form!
Odds are you've played the arcade game...it's been on the cart with every one of the Mario GBA games, including Mario and Luigi. It was also included in Super Mario Brothers 3 for the NES - remember that spiffy little game you get when you select a spot that the second player is on?
GBA carts are actually black.
Nintendo of America may have removed one of the biggest selling points of the series by using standard GBA packaging and carts. Americans won't pay $20 for these games, and the retro appeal that made the Japanese versions collectors items is gone.
Way to go, Nintendo.
And since I'm in a good mood...no, you're not a moron. :)
Remember, kiddies: Earth isn't the only planet that orbits the Sun!
Seriously...I don't lose my games, and they're (somewhat) protected. Having to dig a bit to find a certain game can be slightly irritating, but it's such an easy fix that it's worth it.
Heck, I'm 17 right now - I wasn't alive when the first game was released. I'd love to get this version of the game, namely because I've never played the original.
It's just like the Disney movies - if you rerelease the same content to a new generation, it'll still have the same effect it once did on the generation before...and bring in more money, to boot.
If so, then "Serious Sam" is undeniably the best shooter of all time. That's all you do in the game - run around and blow stuff up. Simplistic, but hellishly fun.
The N-Gage might have Bluetooth capability, but how often do you find someone else with another N-Gage, let alone the same game, let alone that they're willing to play the game with you?
In that case, there go your legal defense funds...
Seriously: how the bloody hell will these guys be able to defend themselves against Nintendo without any money?
We can't. It's as simple as that.
If they're anything like the iMac was, they won't sell well because the hardcore geek crowd will reject them.
Remember, kiddies: Upgrading is FUN!
There goes all of AOL's profits from Instant Messenger...
Disclaimer: That was a joke. I'm not really that stupid...
The first known species of dinosaurs that could have survived the Ice Age!
It's also worth mentioning that the game will have a sequel coming out later this year. The storyline is still under wraps, but I've heard that the plot's going to involve traveling back in time to World War II. Could be a great game...
After all...this is the world Super Mario Brothers record. They can't screw up something as important as this. :)