No, he's polite. You don't have to be rooted in reality or non-inflammatory to be polite.
"Nice weather out, isn't it? I guess those arch-capitalist Jews have decided to give us some reprieve from their anti-poor hurricane creator, thank goodness."
The reason he is doing it is to provide a service to other people (in his mind).
Did you miss the fact that everything that Jack Thompson does is for the purpose of making money, mostly through driving a stock's price down so he can buy it at a low price and sell it once whatever company he smeared recovers?
It was over the phone according to Rick Healey himself, who I Internet-know. The only thing he mentioned to me specifically about the unedited phone call was that it took Thompson forever to say the word "masturbatory."
It encapsulates exactly what people have been complaining about in regards to gaming journalism lately.
#9 is typical pandering to adolescent fanboys. I have to admit that the PSP licking picture is kind of hot, but that doesn't make the girl an interesting person in the least.
#6 and #5 are masturbation over things that haven't happened yet. Chances are both Spore and whatever MMORPG SOE is thinking of doing will be ridiculously overhyped and then mostly ignored when they come out, just like nearly every other big-name game lately. The only way my point could be more obvious is if #6 had been Peter Molyneux.
#2 is Leeroy Jenkins. Do I have to explain this one?
At least they managed to get #1 right, though Jack Thompson is interesting in much the same way as genital warts are.
While it's true that the XBox 360 launch has been dismal in Japan, the idea that Microsoft has not been trying to cater to Japanese tastes is totally false. In fact, MS has been trying to do just that ever since the original XBox came out, and they're finally beginning to succeed. There are finally going to be exclusive Eastern RPGs from a noted developer. There's a port of Final Fantasy XI coming out. There is significantly greater Japanese third-party support in general than there was before.
Now will the XBox 360 be a huge success in Japan when these games come out? Probably not. But what's going on right now has nothing to do with not following Japanese trends and everything to do with these games not being published in time for launch.
While it's true that the XBox 360 launch in Japan has been dismal, the idea that Microsoft isn't trying to cater to Japanese tastes is totally false. In fact, MS has been trying to do just that ever since the original XBox came out, and they're finally beginning to succeed. The 360 is going to finally get some exclusive Eastern RPGs from a noted developer. There's going to be a port of Final Fantasy XI. They have significantly better Japanese third-party support in general than they did before.
Now, is the XBox 360 going to be a huge success in Japan once these games come out? Probably not. But the weakness of the launch lineup has nothing to do with ignoring Japanese trends and everything to do with simply not getting the slated Japanese games published in time.
That's because they are RPGs. They might not be the kind of RPGs that you like, but they're still RPGs. I think Diablo is one of the most overrated games ever, but I still have to admit that it's an RPG.
So the naysayers are full of it. Can't say as I'm surprised.
I wonder what would have happened if the story was about someone hacking into Microsoft's servers and inconsequentially fiddling around as a proof-of-concept, and being prosecuted as a result? Something tells me that the reactions of certain people would've been very different.
The important thing to note here, actually, is that the main character in Shadow of the Colossus is considered to be a fairly moral figure. The main characters of all of the GTA games are not. It's the irony of a good person doing bad things that makes the ethics of the situation come to light.
Am I the only one who thought that this guy's attempt to get out of the cornfield by crashing the server it was on was clever and amusing? And that if he doesn't solemnly take the punishment in the way it's intended but instead treats it as a joke, that it might not be his fault, but a problem with the punishment itself?
Sheesh, some of you need to pull the stick out.
BTW, if it's true that he was responsible for crashing the "Main Grid" servers, then why wasn't he banned outright? Anyone care to explain that?
Since it's for this year's games, I'd say Shadow of the Colossus would be the easy guess. (I believe Hugo Awards also apply to fantasy works, which is a good thing because there are very few recent video games could be considered "science fiction.")
They also put a banner or something on every page that said "Mourning sucks" or something of that nature. Basically, the people behind the game obviously had no skill at dealing with trolls, turning a snarky capsule preview into a big legal battle to decide the fate of the universe. Since I'm sure MMORPG developers have to deal with trolls on a regular basis, this couldn't have made them look good to anyone.
You might play games for social interaction instead of to escape, but your anecdotal evidence doesn't do anything to disprove Pachter's thesis for the vast majority of gamers. For most people, escapism is definitely the largest part of what makes a game fun. People play GTA because they disallow themselves from committing crimes and behaving amorally in real life. People play Knights of the Old Republic because they can't be Jedi and hang around with Wookiees in real life. And so on. Do you guys seriously think that most people would want to screw this up by going online and dealing with the same teamkilling fucktards that they have to deal with at work? Sorry, guys, you're in the minority.
As for those of you who cite playing games like Halo and Super Smash Bros. with friends, I would say that that has very little to do with social interaction in and of itself. You're still escaping from real life; it's just that you're doing it with your friends, who are probably not teamkilling fucktards. Most people who really want to interact socially with their friends do it in reality, at a bar or some other place designed for that sort of thing. Or they play poker or some other game where they actually interact directly with each other, instead of doing it through the medium of a game console.
Lastly, to those who note the fact that online games don't necessarily involve social interaction... well, you're absolutely right. That's the fundamental point that Pachter is missing. Most people don't play online games to interact with strangers, but to beat the living hell out of another human being. Metaphorically, of course. I still think most people only want online gaming as a bonus, and won't pay for it exclusively, but there is definitely a market there, especially if you can dupe people into paying monthly for it.
No, you didn't. The only thing that's even remotely similar is the Create-a-Player option, which has been in both franchises for quite some time now. These new features ("Race for the Heisman" in NCAA 2006 and "Superstar Mode" in Madden 2006) are very different animals; you actually play the "extracurricular" aspects of the game from the perspective of the player, not the coach. In Superstar Mode, you have regular practices, movie offers, a fan website, agents, and so forth. I haven't played Race for the Heisman but it's a similar concept.
It's not that good, really, and quite disappointing. Could've been a lot better if the focus on your player was tighter (like the shareware PC game New Star Soccer, to give an example); as it is, it's just a veneer over top of the standard Dynasty/Franchise Mode. I think I would've much rather played that Heart of a Champion game.
The part where you take your athlete through college is simulated in Madden's sister game, NCAA Football 06. You export your college character to Madden 06 if you decide to enter the draft (usually at the end of your senior year, but you can cut a year off if you win a Heisman). Not that anyone here cares, but I thought I'd point it out.
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No, he's polite. You don't have to be rooted in reality or non-inflammatory to be polite.
"Nice weather out, isn't it? I guess those arch-capitalist Jews have decided to give us some reprieve from their anti-poor hurricane creator, thank goodness."
Rob
Man, I wish! If I were one of Zonk's favorites, maybe some of my other submissions would get posted instead of crudely-written, poorly-defended rants by GamePro editors.
Rob (Of course, I would assume that Zonk likes himself better than he likes me, so maybe that's a bad example)
I also submitted it two days ago.
Zonk ain't exactly quick, I guess.
Rob
The reason he is doing it is to provide a service to other people (in his mind).
Did you miss the fact that everything that Jack Thompson does is for the purpose of making money, mostly through driving a stock's price down so he can buy it at a low price and sell it once whatever company he smeared recovers?
Rob
It was over the phone according to Rick Healey himself, who I Internet-know. The only thing he mentioned to me specifically about the unedited phone call was that it took Thompson forever to say the word "masturbatory."
Rob
And I thank you for your kind thoughts four days after the fact.
Rob
It encapsulates exactly what people have been complaining about in regards to gaming journalism lately.
#9 is typical pandering to adolescent fanboys. I have to admit that the PSP licking picture is kind of hot, but that doesn't make the girl an interesting person in the least.
#6 and #5 are masturbation over things that haven't happened yet. Chances are both Spore and whatever MMORPG SOE is thinking of doing will be ridiculously overhyped and then mostly ignored when they come out, just like nearly every other big-name game lately. The only way my point could be more obvious is if #6 had been Peter Molyneux.
#2 is Leeroy Jenkins. Do I have to explain this one?
At least they managed to get #1 right, though Jack Thompson is interesting in much the same way as genital warts are.
Rob
/. is responsible for this double post, in case anyone cares.
Rob
While it's true that the XBox 360 launch has been dismal in Japan, the idea that Microsoft has not been trying to cater to Japanese tastes is totally false. In fact, MS has been trying to do just that ever since the original XBox came out, and they're finally beginning to succeed. There are finally going to be exclusive Eastern RPGs from a noted developer. There's a port of Final Fantasy XI coming out. There is significantly greater Japanese third-party support in general than there was before.
Now will the XBox 360 be a huge success in Japan when these games come out? Probably not. But what's going on right now has nothing to do with not following Japanese trends and everything to do with these games not being published in time for launch.
Rob
While it's true that the XBox 360 launch in Japan has been dismal, the idea that Microsoft isn't trying to cater to Japanese tastes is totally false. In fact, MS has been trying to do just that ever since the original XBox came out, and they're finally beginning to succeed. The 360 is going to finally get some exclusive Eastern RPGs from a noted developer. There's going to be a port of Final Fantasy XI. They have significantly better Japanese third-party support in general than they did before.
Now, is the XBox 360 going to be a huge success in Japan once these games come out? Probably not. But the weakness of the launch lineup has nothing to do with ignoring Japanese trends and everything to do with simply not getting the slated Japanese games published in time.
Rob
That's because they are RPGs. They might not be the kind of RPGs that you like, but they're still RPGs. I think Diablo is one of the most overrated games ever, but I still have to admit that it's an RPG.
Rob
So the naysayers are full of it. Can't say as I'm surprised.
I wonder what would have happened if the story was about someone hacking into Microsoft's servers and inconsequentially fiddling around as a proof-of-concept, and being prosecuted as a result? Something tells me that the reactions of certain people would've been very different.
Rob
The important thing to note here, actually, is that the main character in Shadow of the Colossus is considered to be a fairly moral figure. The main characters of all of the GTA games are not. It's the irony of a good person doing bad things that makes the ethics of the situation come to light.
Rob
Am I the only one who thought that this guy's attempt to get out of the cornfield by crashing the server it was on was clever and amusing? And that if he doesn't solemnly take the punishment in the way it's intended but instead treats it as a joke, that it might not be his fault, but a problem with the punishment itself?
Sheesh, some of you need to pull the stick out.
BTW, if it's true that he was responsible for crashing the "Main Grid" servers, then why wasn't he banned outright? Anyone care to explain that?
Rob
Wow, Second Life sounds like a really well-designed game.
I wonder why paying customers don't focus their complaints on the fact that this exploit exists instead of on the people who use it?
Rob
"See your favorite gamers whine about spawn campers and call each other n00bs weeknights at 2 AM, only on ESPN 8, The Ocho!"
Rob
Since it's for this year's games, I'd say Shadow of the Colossus would be the easy guess. (I believe Hugo Awards also apply to fantasy works, which is a good thing because there are very few recent video games could be considered "science fiction.")
Rob
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2625
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2706
They also put a banner or something on every page that said "Mourning sucks" or something of that nature. Basically, the people behind the game obviously had no skill at dealing with trolls, turning a snarky capsule preview into a big legal battle to decide the fate of the universe. Since I'm sure MMORPG developers have to deal with trolls on a regular basis, this couldn't have made them look good to anyone.
Rob
You might play games for social interaction instead of to escape, but your anecdotal evidence doesn't do anything to disprove Pachter's thesis for the vast majority of gamers. For most people, escapism is definitely the largest part of what makes a game fun. People play GTA because they disallow themselves from committing crimes and behaving amorally in real life. People play Knights of the Old Republic because they can't be Jedi and hang around with Wookiees in real life. And so on. Do you guys seriously think that most people would want to screw this up by going online and dealing with the same teamkilling fucktards that they have to deal with at work? Sorry, guys, you're in the minority.
As for those of you who cite playing games like Halo and Super Smash Bros. with friends, I would say that that has very little to do with social interaction in and of itself. You're still escaping from real life; it's just that you're doing it with your friends, who are probably not teamkilling fucktards. Most people who really want to interact socially with their friends do it in reality, at a bar or some other place designed for that sort of thing. Or they play poker or some other game where they actually interact directly with each other, instead of doing it through the medium of a game console.
Lastly, to those who note the fact that online games don't necessarily involve social interaction... well, you're absolutely right. That's the fundamental point that Pachter is missing. Most people don't play online games to interact with strangers, but to beat the living hell out of another human being. Metaphorically, of course. I still think most people only want online gaming as a bonus, and won't pay for it exclusively, but there is definitely a market there, especially if you can dupe people into paying monthly for it.
Rob
Apparently the designers thought people wouldn't want to play if they already knew the ending.
Well, uh, thanks for letting us know what's in the other ending, in that case.
Rob
Uh... the sonic hedgehog gene is also believed to cause certain types of cancer, and congenital mutations of it lead to holoprosencephaly. Look it up.
Rob
Though that Capcom one made me laugh.
Rob
The XBox 360 sold less than the PSP did in its launch week (600K + for PSP, 400K for XBox 360)
Yes, let's conveniently forget to mention that the XBox 360 had severe hardware shortages and that demand for it is still ridiculously high.
Rob
You had this ability in Madden/NCAA 2005 as well.
No, you didn't. The only thing that's even remotely similar is the Create-a-Player option, which has been in both franchises for quite some time now. These new features ("Race for the Heisman" in NCAA 2006 and "Superstar Mode" in Madden 2006) are very different animals; you actually play the "extracurricular" aspects of the game from the perspective of the player, not the coach. In Superstar Mode, you have regular practices, movie offers, a fan website, agents, and so forth. I haven't played Race for the Heisman but it's a similar concept.
It's not that good, really, and quite disappointing. Could've been a lot better if the focus on your player was tighter (like the shareware PC game New Star Soccer, to give an example); as it is, it's just a veneer over top of the standard Dynasty/Franchise Mode. I think I would've much rather played that Heart of a Champion game.
Rob
The part where you take your athlete through college is simulated in Madden's sister game, NCAA Football 06. You export your college character to Madden 06 if you decide to enter the draft (usually at the end of your senior year, but you can cut a year off if you win a Heisman). Not that anyone here cares, but I thought I'd point it out.
Rob