I started up my box today, which has never given me any major trouble, only to find that it froze up for about five minutes or more after XP had started. I figured that maybe it was related to some system settings I altered last night after my usual weekly maintenance routine, so I changed the settings back, and rebooted. Again, I had the same problem - the system was just hanging for absolutely no reason.
I then tried to get online to see if there were any patches I needed for any software or whatever (it didn't seem beyond the realms of possibility), only to find that ZoneAlarm had been messed up completely, and had forgotten all my stored settings, etcetera (it completely freaked out when I tried to connect, and upon closer inspection, the allowed program list, and everything else, was empty and/or back to it's default settings). I cancelled my attempt to connect, and ended up having to uninstall and re-install ZoneAlarm. The hanging-at-startup remained after a reboot, and during the long, not-usually-there pause, the thought occurred to me that perhaps it was the other constantly-running app I use, Norton AV, that was the problem, though after investigating, I couldn't seem to fix it. Eventually I was able to get online again, and ran LiveUpdate. Of course, after downloading and installing the updates available, this required a reboot, but everything was fine after that (although admittedly, my system does seem to hang for a few moments after right-clicking folders and such at the moment, even whilst offline).
So, yeah, ZoneAlarm and Norton AV were both affected by this badly. Oh, and for some bizarre reason, WinAmp popped up that window that asks for your e-mail address just after installation, having apparently forgotten that it's been installed since September. O_o;;
It's good to know that it's not a problem on my end, though, and that it's just a VeriSign messup.:D
"when we have high-schoolers shooting each other on school grounds, something needs to be done about the violence that kids get exposed to."
Or something needs to be done about however it is that high-school kids are getting those guns, and perhaps about whatever it is that's making them troubled enough to go and shoot people at their schools.
"I'm don't think that banning GTA is the right course of action, but perhaps making it an "18+ ID required at checkout" type of item may help."
I agree, there, but then, it isn't a game for kids, and the ratings do indicate that...
" What, besides the camera, on the specs doesn't sound like a video game system?? It has all of the latest overpriced stuff in it that you'd expect in a gaming system."
We don't usually have to suffer advertisements on our games systems.;)
That 'Game Over' show looks like it has potential. Who knows? It could turn out to be reasonably entertaining.
The things that will destroy that potential, however, are the same things which often befall TV shows that are supposedly game-related - bad writing, crappy acting, cheesy dialogue, and extreme lack of knowledge of video gaming/gamer culture on the part of the writers.
... Then surely the glass manufacturers of the world can stop Microsoft from using the exact name of one of their products? I wonder how many disappointed customers have gotten confused and purchased CD-ROMs instead of large sheets of glass?;P
Keep in mind that this poll was conducted in association with ComputerAndVideoGames.com. The article describes ComputerAndVideoGames.com as "the UK's leading multi-format video games website", but it's really quite a biased magazine/site combo. I know plenty of people in the UK who prefer better games/characters than Sonic (such as Mario, Mega Man, Dizzy, Klonoa, and more), so the poll is only really representative of the readership of ComputerAndVideoGames.com...
But then, what do I expect? It's an opinion poll just as meaningless as those 'Best Character' polls GameFAQs does every summer.;P
I haven't seen a lawsuit as purposeless as this in a while. I mean, it's hardly like Sega are the kings of originality. Maybe Nintendo should sue them for ripping off Mario with the Sonic games. I mean, all Sega did was take the exact same game concept and change the characters and graphics. Take a look;
Run along in multiple levels that increase in challenge/complexity
Jump over/on enemies
Avoid obstacles
Defeat bosses at the end of each world/zone/stage/whatever
Rescue someone (Mario rescues the Princess, Sonic rescues small animals)
However, a lawsuit such as mentioned above wouldn't happen and hasn't happened, because most sensible people can see that it would stifle competition and customer choice, which is exactly what Sega's lawsuit against EA and Fox would do. IOW, maybe some folks WANT to play a game that's like Crazy Taxi, but based around The Simpsons - it's an alternative to an existing product, and this is a Very Good Thing. It's the same as having the choice to use Linux instead of Windows.
In conclusion: Choice = Good. Patenting Ideas/Concepts = Bad.
"Others are just funny, like an orgasm via e-mail in 2010, or a security Barbie which searches for lost offspring."
Though the thought of a Barbie as a tracking device is amusing, it isn't really all that far-fetched - Tiger Electronics is introducing a device in the next year or so called 'GameTrac', which (amongst other things) will let parents keep track of their offspring. Ok, so it's not a Barbie, it's closer to a GBA, but still... Maybe there'll yet be a Barbie-type equivalent for girls someday?;)
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you should have clicked the link at the bottom of the page you linked to - the one that says "More information about this page". To cut it short, you fell for a page that is a spoof.;)
"I like to think that pieces of hardware won't get offended if I call it a "slave". Unless you think that harddrives now have AI?"
They won't get offended yet, but you should be very careful what you call our Artificially Intelligent Hard Drive Overlords in a few years' time.;)
What I gather from the current crop of photographs I'm seeing is thus;
George is a chicken
Robocop has arrived to protect and serve
Some dude's hair is bright enough to be a beacon for incoming aircraft
Someone put a random picture of a bunch of kangaroos in here
This guy's glasses don't really suit him very well
And apparently, Bill & Ted are making a comeback...
This information will be very useful indeed, I'm sure.;P
Wow, it sure took 'em long enough to notice that gamers have more interesting things to do than watch their trashy, non-entertaining shows. I don't even remember the last time I sat down and watched TV (unless a polygonal TV in Mega Man Legends 2 counts {credit goes to The Mega Man Home Page for the image - I didn't want to/. their server}) - it's been THAT long. The only reason I even have a TV is for playing games on consoles, and watching the occasional movie on DVD (and even then, I sometimes watch the DVDs on my PC).
"So if this breed of 'l337' gamers refuse to look at today's games, where do they go? What do they do? The answer - they look into the past."
That sounds to me more like a bunch of OMG-1337-g@merz (a minority group amongst actual gamers, I hasten to add) from some random forum or another who desperately wish they could have been old-skool gamers, but weren't around at the right time, or are too young to remember those days.
"In ten years time, what will today's gamers be playing? Why, the software they failed to appreciate today."
I don't think so, somehow. If people find a game to be non-entertaining now, I doubt they will find it entertaining in a decade's time.
"There's nothing wrong with following the mainstream, and liking the same things as everybody else. Nothing wrong with that at all."
There's nothing wrong with people having their own taste in games, and playing older software if they don't find modern titles particularly entertaining, either. There is, however, something wrong with making generalisations that all people who like to play older games are some sort of elitist prats.
The Costik list is definitely the better of the two, IMVHO. And while it's nice to see favourites like Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog listed on there, this whole idea seems a bit redundant to me - there cannot be a gaming canon like there are literary ones, because gaming isn't like reading: It's a whole different ball game (pardon the pun:P). Not to mention, there are some games in both lists that I found to be absolutely awful, and it's 100% likely that others will also see games listed that they don't feel are 'canon-worthy'.
What's Thompson going to go after when this case is over and done with?
Cute blue hedgehogs and two-tailed foxes that eliminate robots by jumping on their heads?
Chubby, Princess-rescuing Italian plumbers who stomp on walking mushrooms?
Peace-loving robots who fight for everlasting peace, maybe?
"You can take a potentially successful character (say Sonic) and if you stick it in a sub par game, it's going to suck."
Too true. I mean, there haven't been any good Sonic games since Sonic Adventure in 1998 - that's living proof that sub-par games (Sonic Shuffle and onward) can't be helped by a great character.
"It is my understanding that Mega Man and Mega Man X are in fact the same person; he was awakened from a time capsule at the start of Mega Man X for SNES."
I'm afraid Mega Man and Mega Man X aren't the same robot. According to the first X game's intro, X was the first of a new generation of robots, who could think, feel, and make their own decisions.
Also, when asked if Mega Man and X are one and the same, series creator Keiji Inafune stated that they aren't. The interview where he said so can be found here, on Planet Mega Man, in both video and transcripted forms. According to the written transcript;
"Sean: Many changes occur between Rockman and Rockman X in the game
series. Though X7 is about to release, we're hoping that you might
be able to give us some insight. Is Rockman X a new robot or is he
a rebuilt form of the original Rockman? And if so, will we find out
what happens to all of Rockman's most prominent allies and enemies?
Keiji: Yes, actually, the original Mega Man and the Mega Man that
appears in the Mega Man X series of course very different, and when
I created these, this Mega Man X series, I kept that in mind."
"the megaman collection has really gone freakin far, but with all the holes and gaps in the storylines and the question if many of the games even take place in the same universe it's starting to seem like the final fantasys"
Aside from plot holes in some of the individual games, the series itself is fairly consistent, and all but one of it's five sub-series do take place in the same universe, albeit not in the same time.
To break it down;
The original series games (the ones starring Mega Man, Forte, Dr. Wily, with 8 Robot Masters per game) take place in 20XX.
The X series titles (which star Mega Man's ancestor, Mega Man X, along with Zero, and a plethora of animalistic robot bosses) take place in 21XX.
The Zero series (where Zero from the X series has been awakened in the future to protect the rights of innocent Repliroids) takes place in 22XX.
As you can see, that's 3 centuries right there.
Then, after that, there's the Legends series (3D adventure games, where another Mega Man iteration has to search for treasure underground, and fight Sky Pirates), which are set several thousand years after those first three.
Last of all, there is the Battle Network/EXE series, which is the only one not in continuity with the others - it's an alternate setting that takes names and elements from the other sub-series, and remixes them into an internet-themed action-RPG with plenty of geekish jokes (as well as nods to the other series) to boot.
Also, a mistake too many people make (and it messes with their view of how good the continuity of the Mega Man franchise is) is to think that all of the heroes bearing the name "Mega Man" or "Rockman" are the same person - they aren't. For example, Mega Man X is related to the original Mega Man, but he isn't the same robot. MegaMan.EXE (from Battle Network), and MegaMan Voulnutt (from Legends) aren't related to Mega Man or Mega Man X at all. Lastly, Zero (co-star of the X series, and star of the Zero series) is Mega Man X's best friend.
Anyhows, yeah, the continuity isn't like some people think it is - it's really pretty solid. I hope that the above clears up any confusion:)
Their marketing in Europe certainly hasn't been too fantastic or informative - I've already seen a few N-Gage games on eBay that people mistakenly purchased believing they were compatible with other Nokia phones, and then couldn't get refunded on.
"It's a cheap knockoff made by Ultra Games called "Snake's Revenge"."
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Ultra Games was an alternate name used by Konami themselves in order to get around Nintendo's limit on the number of games per year one company could release. Although, you're right in the fact that the game wasn't made by the team responsible for others in the series.;)
"This is the second reported incident of Nokia phones exploding, the first one being back in August when a Dutch woman's phone exploded in her hand."
Actually, there have been two cases reported *this week* by The Register, as well as the one back in August, so it's not the second reported incident at all.;)
What I want to know is, when will we see the first exploding N-Gage?
"Could it suck worse than Super Mario Brothers or Mortal Kombat?"
I don't think it's possible for game-to-movie adaptations to suck worse than those two. ^_^;;
"(they dont make gamecubes anymore!)"
That's very bad misinformation, good sir. The production of the GameCube console was temporarily halted, in anticipation of sales picking up, which they now have. It'll likely be back in production in a couple of weeks.
"and PSP is around the corner (which means big trouble for their GBA?)"
Again, horrendous misinformation, I'm afraid. The PSP, with all of it's three-to-six hour battery life and ludicrous specifications too overblown for a portable machine, simply won't be able to compete with the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo's strategy for the GBA focusses on gameplay over graphics, whereas it appears Sony's strategy for the PSP is exactly the opposite - graphics over gameplay (as usual).
Slashdot Mirror
I started up my box today, which has never given me any major trouble, only to find that it froze up for about five minutes or more after XP had started. I figured that maybe it was related to some system settings I altered last night after my usual weekly maintenance routine, so I changed the settings back, and rebooted. Again, I had the same problem - the system was just hanging for absolutely no reason.
:D
I then tried to get online to see if there were any patches I needed for any software or whatever (it didn't seem beyond the realms of possibility), only to find that ZoneAlarm had been messed up completely, and had forgotten all my stored settings, etcetera (it completely freaked out when I tried to connect, and upon closer inspection, the allowed program list, and everything else, was empty and/or back to it's default settings). I cancelled my attempt to connect, and ended up having to uninstall and re-install ZoneAlarm. The hanging-at-startup remained after a reboot, and during the long, not-usually-there pause, the thought occurred to me that perhaps it was the other constantly-running app I use, Norton AV, that was the problem, though after investigating, I couldn't seem to fix it. Eventually I was able to get online again, and ran LiveUpdate. Of course, after downloading and installing the updates available, this required a reboot, but everything was fine after that (although admittedly, my system does seem to hang for a few moments after right-clicking folders and such at the moment, even whilst offline).
So, yeah, ZoneAlarm and Norton AV were both affected by this badly. Oh, and for some bizarre reason, WinAmp popped up that window that asks for your e-mail address just after installation, having apparently forgotten that it's been installed since September. O_o;;
It's good to know that it's not a problem on my end, though, and that it's just a VeriSign messup.
"when we have high-schoolers shooting each other on school grounds, something needs to be done about the violence that kids get exposed to."
Or something needs to be done about however it is that high-school kids are getting those guns, and perhaps about whatever it is that's making them troubled enough to go and shoot people at their schools. "I'm don't think that banning GTA is the right course of action, but perhaps making it an "18+ ID required at checkout" type of item may help."
I agree, there, but then, it isn't a game for kids, and the ratings do indicate that...
" What, besides the camera, on the specs doesn't sound like a video game system?? It has all of the latest overpriced stuff in it that you'd expect in a gaming system." ;)
We don't usually have to suffer advertisements on our games systems.
That 'Game Over' show looks like it has potential. Who knows? It could turn out to be reasonably entertaining.
The things that will destroy that potential, however, are the same things which often befall TV shows that are supposedly game-related - bad writing, crappy acting, cheesy dialogue, and extreme lack of knowledge of video gaming/gamer culture on the part of the writers.
... Then surely the glass manufacturers of the world can stop Microsoft from using the exact name of one of their products? I wonder how many disappointed customers have gotten confused and purchased CD-ROMs instead of large sheets of glass? ;P
Keep in mind that this poll was conducted in association with ComputerAndVideoGames.com. The article describes ComputerAndVideoGames.com as "the UK's leading multi-format video games website", but it's really quite a biased magazine/site combo. I know plenty of people in the UK who prefer better games/characters than Sonic (such as Mario, Mega Man, Dizzy, Klonoa, and more), so the poll is only really representative of the readership of ComputerAndVideoGames.com...
;P
But then, what do I expect? It's an opinion poll just as meaningless as those 'Best Character' polls GameFAQs does every summer.
I haven't seen a lawsuit as purposeless as this in a while. I mean, it's hardly like Sega are the kings of originality. Maybe Nintendo should sue them for ripping off Mario with the Sonic games. I mean, all Sega did was take the exact same game concept and change the characters and graphics. Take a look;
Run along in multiple levels that increase in challenge/complexity
Jump over/on enemies
Avoid obstacles
Defeat bosses at the end of each world/zone/stage/whatever
Rescue someone (Mario rescues the Princess, Sonic rescues small animals)
However, a lawsuit such as mentioned above wouldn't happen and hasn't happened, because most sensible people can see that it would stifle competition and customer choice, which is exactly what Sega's lawsuit against EA and Fox would do. IOW, maybe some folks WANT to play a game that's like Crazy Taxi, but based around The Simpsons - it's an alternative to an existing product, and this is a Very Good Thing. It's the same as having the choice to use Linux instead of Windows.
In conclusion: Choice = Good. Patenting Ideas/Concepts = Bad.
"Others are just funny, like an orgasm via e-mail in 2010, or a security Barbie which searches for lost offspring." ;)
Though the thought of a Barbie as a tracking device is amusing, it isn't really all that far-fetched - Tiger Electronics is introducing a device in the next year or so called 'GameTrac', which (amongst other things) will let parents keep track of their offspring. Ok, so it's not a Barbie, it's closer to a GBA, but still... Maybe there'll yet be a Barbie-type equivalent for girls someday?
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you should have clicked the link at the bottom of the page you linked to - the one that says "More information about this page". To cut it short, you fell for a page that is a spoof. ;)
"I like to think that pieces of hardware won't get offended if I call it a "slave". Unless you think that harddrives now have AI?" ;)
They won't get offended yet, but you should be very careful what you call our Artificially Intelligent Hard Drive Overlords in a few years' time.
What I gather from the current crop of photographs I'm seeing is thus;
;P
George is a chicken
Robocop has arrived to protect and serve
Some dude's hair is bright enough to be a beacon for incoming aircraft
Someone put a random picture of a bunch of kangaroos in here
This guy's glasses don't really suit him very well
And apparently, Bill & Ted are making a comeback...
This information will be very useful indeed, I'm sure.
Shipping a substandard OS to European customers? ;)
How is this news? They've been doing that for years.
Wow, now I can finally look like my hero, Inspector Gadget!!
"Go Go, Gadget Phone!"
Wow, it sure took 'em long enough to notice that gamers have more interesting things to do than watch their trashy, non-entertaining shows. I don't even remember the last time I sat down and watched TV (unless a polygonal TV in Mega Man Legends 2 counts {credit goes to The Mega Man Home Page for the image - I didn't want to /. their server}) - it's been THAT long. The only reason I even have a TV is for playing games on consoles, and watching the occasional movie on DVD (and even then, I sometimes watch the DVDs on my PC).
"So if this breed of 'l337' gamers refuse to look at today's games, where do they go? What do they do? The answer - they look into the past."
That sounds to me more like a bunch of OMG-1337-g@merz (a minority group amongst actual gamers, I hasten to add) from some random forum or another who desperately wish they could have been old-skool gamers, but weren't around at the right time, or are too young to remember those days.
"In ten years time, what will today's gamers be playing? Why, the software they failed to appreciate today."
I don't think so, somehow. If people find a game to be non-entertaining now, I doubt they will find it entertaining in a decade's time.
"There's nothing wrong with following the mainstream, and liking the same things as everybody else. Nothing wrong with that at all."
There's nothing wrong with people having their own taste in games, and playing older software if they don't find modern titles particularly entertaining, either. There is, however, something wrong with making generalisations that all people who like to play older games are some sort of elitist prats.
The Costik list is definitely the better of the two, IMVHO. And while it's nice to see favourites like Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog listed on there, this whole idea seems a bit redundant to me - there cannot be a gaming canon like there are literary ones, because gaming isn't like reading: It's a whole different ball game (pardon the pun :P). Not to mention, there are some games in both lists that I found to be absolutely awful, and it's 100% likely that others will also see games listed that they don't feel are 'canon-worthy'.
What's Thompson going to go after when this case is over and done with?
Cute blue hedgehogs and two-tailed foxes that eliminate robots by jumping on their heads?
Chubby, Princess-rescuing Italian plumbers who stomp on walking mushrooms?
Peace-loving robots who fight for everlasting peace, maybe?
--Fortissimo
"You can take a potentially successful character (say Sonic) and if you stick it in a sub par game, it's going to suck."
Too true. I mean, there haven't been any good Sonic games since Sonic Adventure in 1998 - that's living proof that sub-par games (Sonic Shuffle and onward) can't be helped by a great character.
"It is my understanding that Mega Man and Mega Man X are in fact the same person; he was awakened from a time capsule at the start of Mega Man X for SNES."
I'm afraid Mega Man and Mega Man X aren't the same robot. According to the first X game's intro, X was the first of a new generation of robots, who could think, feel, and make their own decisions.
Also, when asked if Mega Man and X are one and the same, series creator Keiji Inafune stated that they aren't. The interview where he said so can be found here, on Planet Mega Man, in both video and transcripted forms. According to the written transcript;
"Sean: Many changes occur between Rockman and Rockman X in the game series. Though X7 is about to release, we're hoping that you might be able to give us some insight. Is Rockman X a new robot or is he a rebuilt form of the original Rockman? And if so, will we find out what happens to all of Rockman's most prominent allies and enemies?
Keiji: Yes, actually, the original Mega Man and the Mega Man that appears in the Mega Man X series of course very different, and when I created these, this Mega Man X series, I kept that in mind."
"the megaman collection has really gone freakin far, but with all the holes and gaps in the storylines and the question if many of the games even take place in the same universe it's starting to seem like the final fantasys"
:)
Aside from plot holes in some of the individual games, the series itself is fairly consistent, and all but one of it's five sub-series do take place in the same universe, albeit not in the same time.
To break it down;
The original series games (the ones starring Mega Man, Forte, Dr. Wily, with 8 Robot Masters per game) take place in 20XX.
The X series titles (which star Mega Man's ancestor, Mega Man X, along with Zero, and a plethora of animalistic robot bosses) take place in 21XX.
The Zero series (where Zero from the X series has been awakened in the future to protect the rights of innocent Repliroids) takes place in 22XX.
As you can see, that's 3 centuries right there.
Then, after that, there's the Legends series (3D adventure games, where another Mega Man iteration has to search for treasure underground, and fight Sky Pirates), which are set several thousand years after those first three.
Last of all, there is the Battle Network/EXE series, which is the only one not in continuity with the others - it's an alternate setting that takes names and elements from the other sub-series, and remixes them into an internet-themed action-RPG with plenty of geekish jokes (as well as nods to the other series) to boot.
Also, a mistake too many people make (and it messes with their view of how good the continuity of the Mega Man franchise is) is to think that all of the heroes bearing the name "Mega Man" or "Rockman" are the same person - they aren't. For example, Mega Man X is related to the original Mega Man, but he isn't the same robot. MegaMan.EXE (from Battle Network), and MegaMan Voulnutt (from Legends) aren't related to Mega Man or Mega Man X at all. Lastly, Zero (co-star of the X series, and star of the Zero series) is Mega Man X's best friend.
Anyhows, yeah, the continuity isn't like some people think it is - it's really pretty solid. I hope that the above clears up any confusion
Their marketing in Europe certainly hasn't been too fantastic or informative - I've already seen a few N-Gage games on eBay that people mistakenly purchased believing they were compatible with other Nokia phones, and then couldn't get refunded on.
"It's a cheap knockoff made by Ultra Games called "Snake's Revenge"." ;)
I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Ultra Games was an alternate name used by Konami themselves in order to get around Nintendo's limit on the number of games per year one company could release. Although, you're right in the fact that the game wasn't made by the team responsible for others in the series.
"This is the second reported incident of Nokia phones exploding, the first one being back in August when a Dutch woman's phone exploded in her hand." ;)
Actually, there have been two cases reported *this week* by The Register, as well as the one back in August, so it's not the second reported incident at all.
What I want to know is, when will we see the first exploding N-Gage?
"Could it suck worse than Super Mario Brothers or Mortal Kombat?"
I don't think it's possible for game-to-movie adaptations to suck worse than those two. ^_^;;
"(they dont make gamecubes anymore!)"
That's very bad misinformation, good sir. The production of the GameCube console was temporarily halted, in anticipation of sales picking up, which they now have. It'll likely be back in production in a couple of weeks.
"and PSP is around the corner (which means big trouble for their GBA?)" Again, horrendous misinformation, I'm afraid. The PSP, with all of it's three-to-six hour battery life and ludicrous specifications too overblown for a portable machine, simply won't be able to compete with the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo's strategy for the GBA focusses on gameplay over graphics, whereas it appears Sony's strategy for the PSP is exactly the opposite - graphics over gameplay (as usual).