I agree, I tried it today, and it is a major improvement. Unfortunately I had to uninstall it as it doesn't seem to have some of the IE specific bugs (non-compliance wih CSS) that 6 did. I use IE to test my designs at work so that I can see what most of the world has to deal with. Of course at home I use FireFox. If MS does manage to force everyone to update web design might get a little easier, but for now I need 6.
I agree that there is a distinction between startling/creepy elements in video games and disturbing moments in film.
I would say the drug-induced nightmare sequence in Max Payne, in which you travel through a distorted version of your home, reliving the murder of your wife and child is pretty disturbing in the intended sense. Furthermore it isn't an extended cutscene but an interactive part of the game where you have to figure out the rules of a surreal environment.
I thought this was an awesome ending as you had to use all of your skills and gear to the maximum, after getting thrashed mercilessly several times I went back through several different areas selling evey non-essential item and maxing all my characters out on scrolls, potions and gear. With everything set I beat it on my first try, challenging but satisfyng.
To me BG2 was the ultimate RPG and ToB was an indulgent present for those who toughed it through. That final battle, insane!
My thoughts exactly, I've seen a few episodes and it seems like the standard plot device is to take some offbeat and supposedly under-represented subculture and make fun of them throughout an episode, Goths, Furries, UFO um, whatever you call UFO people. They've all been used for a cheap laugh, or portrayed as villianous freaks.
It smacks of a lack of creativity, sort of like a bully picking out a new target each week for derision. The only really interesting episode I saw was the one that Tarentino did, which ignored this contrivance, otherwise they are cookie cutter crapfests.
This has already been pointed out, but You are way off on the numbers, hdtv has a much higher audience than you mention, hard numbers seem nebulous but one article listed 26% US HDTV penetration in 2005.
Personally I see the logic for MS jumping into the next phase of the console wars at this time, however this will delay my purchase of a 360 until the HD-DVD version comes out.
I don't think this will be a huge factor for gamers, I've had a DVD-rom on my PC for years and so far only one game I've bought (and I buy a lot) has taken advantage of it. I don't expect game companies to limit their market by catering to HD-DVD for a long time. The draw for me is to have one box for games and HD-DVD movies.
Actually in the making of videos for Episode one Lucas pretty much spells this out, he say in the "Prime of the Jedi" behind-the-scenes video regarding the ferocity of Lightsaber combat - "up to now we've only seen old men and crippled half-droid men and boys who have learned from these people"
I was pretty shocked when I did a search for Doom 3 on Google and saw an AdWords ad for downloading Doom 3 on suprnova bittorrent. This is pretty much advertising pirating someone else's property to sell your service. I use AdWords for marketing and am pretty sure this is a violation of their TOS, as well as pretty damn slimey.
Text of Ad:
Doom 3 on BitTorrent
Download Doom 3 using
BitTorrent at Suprnova (aff)
maybe someone can post an ad on how to rip off suprnova.
I would assume that many gamers have been "trained" by linear games that the path requiring them to defeat various obstacles is the correct one, Otherwise why would the developers have spent the time populating that path with turrets and tripwires?
I think a similar test with non-gamers might have very different results, many gamers have a subconscious feel for how the designers want levels to flow, and most games reward that type of thinking.
Until games that encourage multiple solutions and alternate styles of play (stealth vs. shooting, etc.) are the norm I think the gamers can't be held responsible for dealing with problems in predictable ways.
I disagree that Battlefield 1942 is a disappointment, unless you count the dismal AI, but of course your supposed to be fighting people! Not silly bots!
Also it came out in 2002 so it doesn't qualify for your list...
BTW my biggest highlight for 2003 is Desert Combat, a free BF1942 mod that is about the best mod since Counter Strike.
Expect to see more BF1942-like games in the next year, including Star Wars Battlefront and UT2004. That, to me, qualifies '42 as at least a trend setter, if not a true innovation.
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I agree, I tried it today, and it is a major improvement. Unfortunately I had to uninstall it as it doesn't seem to have some of the IE specific bugs (non-compliance wih CSS) that 6 did. I use IE to test my designs at work so that I can see what most of the world has to deal with. Of course at home I use FireFox. If MS does manage to force everyone to update web design might get a little easier, but for now I need 6.
I agree that there is a distinction between startling/creepy elements in video games and disturbing moments in film. I would say the drug-induced nightmare sequence in Max Payne, in which you travel through a distorted version of your home, reliving the murder of your wife and child is pretty disturbing in the intended sense. Furthermore it isn't an extended cutscene but an interactive part of the game where you have to figure out the rules of a surreal environment.
I thought this was an awesome ending as you had to use all of your skills and gear to the maximum, after getting thrashed mercilessly several times I went back through several different areas selling evey non-essential item and maxing all my characters out on scrolls, potions and gear. With everything set I beat it on my first try, challenging but satisfyng. To me BG2 was the ultimate RPG and ToB was an indulgent present for those who toughed it through. That final battle, insane!
My thoughts exactly, I've seen a few episodes and it seems like the standard plot device is to take some offbeat and supposedly under-represented subculture and make fun of them throughout an episode, Goths, Furries, UFO um, whatever you call UFO people. They've all been used for a cheap laugh, or portrayed as villianous freaks. It smacks of a lack of creativity, sort of like a bully picking out a new target each week for derision. The only really interesting episode I saw was the one that Tarentino did, which ignored this contrivance, otherwise they are cookie cutter crapfests.
This has already been pointed out, but You are way off on the numbers, hdtv has a much higher audience than you mention, hard numbers seem nebulous but one article listed 26% US HDTV penetration in 2005. Personally I see the logic for MS jumping into the next phase of the console wars at this time, however this will delay my purchase of a 360 until the HD-DVD version comes out. I don't think this will be a huge factor for gamers, I've had a DVD-rom on my PC for years and so far only one game I've bought (and I buy a lot) has taken advantage of it. I don't expect game companies to limit their market by catering to HD-DVD for a long time. The draw for me is to have one box for games and HD-DVD movies.
Actually in the making of videos for Episode one Lucas pretty much spells this out, he say in the "Prime of the Jedi" behind-the-scenes video regarding the ferocity of Lightsaber combat - "up to now we've only seen old men and crippled half-droid men and boys who have learned from these people"
I was pretty shocked when I did a search for Doom 3 on Google and saw an AdWords ad for downloading Doom 3 on suprnova bittorrent. This is pretty much advertising pirating someone else's property to sell your service. I use AdWords for marketing and am pretty sure this is a violation of their TOS, as well as pretty damn slimey. Text of Ad: Doom 3 on BitTorrent Download Doom 3 using BitTorrent at Suprnova (aff) maybe someone can post an ad on how to rip off suprnova.
I would assume that many gamers have been "trained" by linear games that the path requiring them to defeat various obstacles is the correct one, Otherwise why would the developers have spent the time populating that path with turrets and tripwires?
I think a similar test with non-gamers might have very different results, many gamers have a subconscious feel for how the designers want levels to flow, and most games reward that type of thinking.
Until games that encourage multiple solutions and alternate styles of play (stealth vs. shooting, etc.) are the norm I think the gamers can't be held responsible for dealing with problems in predictable ways.
I disagree that Battlefield 1942 is a disappointment, unless you count the dismal AI, but of course your supposed to be fighting people! Not silly bots!
Also it came out in 2002 so it doesn't qualify for your list...
BTW my biggest highlight for 2003 is Desert Combat, a free BF1942 mod that is about the best mod since Counter Strike. Expect to see more BF1942-like games in the next year, including Star Wars Battlefront and UT2004. That, to me, qualifies '42 as at least a trend setter, if not a true innovation.