Okay, I'll be honest. I bought a PSP the day it came out. Since then, it's mainly done nothing but collect dust while my DS gets more play time beyond belief.
However, I took my PSP for a day trip yesterday with Ac!d 2, and it was a complete blast. I didn't realize that the system had so much fun potential. Granted, it was only one game, but still, for the first time in awhile, I actually had a good time playing it, and all I had to do was pick it up.
To be honest, I really don't think there's enough room for a legitimate competition in portable systems. Sony tried to do a good job to differentiate itself, but in reality, it was still just another unproven contender against Nintendo. It all comes down to games, and the DS beats Sony hands down. However, that doesn't mean the PSP is bad. It's just not good enough.
Developers would start shying away from the HD? Since when have they even considered doing games with HD capabilities? I know that there a few that use it, but seriously, which US games out there seriously use it?
I think this feature, while cool and had lots of potential, is already dead in the water.
Look around you: academic reputation is still important, but it is most definitely NOT the end all of all decisions in regards to what college a student should go to. The fact that Duke and other univerisites are actually succeeding in generating *some* kind of positive response shows that there are quite a few students out there that aren't 'perfect college students' and pouring all their efforts into school.
I know this isn't how it should work, especially in the academic environment, but if this generates response, and ultimately, a rise in applicants, then it will continue to be done. Just because it isn't right doesn't mean that it won't be attractive.
I think you're right. The only companies that are 'well off' in the current video game world are the big boys such as EA and SquareEnix. The smaller companies are either getting assimilated by the big companies or are being forced to close up shop because they can't afford risks.
On the other hand this seems to foreshadow a time when developers will HAVE to make a decent game or else they will be dead in the water. If you succeed, you are rewarded with some money to back up your crew in the form of a buyout by a big one. Unfortunately, this other means that, like you said, most folks are just going to be trying to make rehash sequels/prequels of current games out there simply because there is too much risk involved in innovative titles any more. I hope that doesn't happen for good in the long run.
I was under the impression that the beta servers that are used for currently testing the game are no where near the capacity of the actual servers that will run the game when it goes live. I also remember reading somewhere that beta testers and stress testers will be on different servers, so this confirms my suspicions.
I can sort of relate to the article author in regards to having a lot of games that I haven't finished yet. For me, I really blame the fact that the video game industry seems to have a "good game season" in which a crapload of good games will come out weeks within each other, which then forces the gamer (that has enough dough to buy all the good games) to pick and choose the ones to work on. Eventually, games are bound to be lost in the cracks.
This is just, and its kind of weird, but sometimes I don't like to keep playing RPGs because I don't want them to end. There are a few games I've played that had great stories and the battle system and graphics were decent, but I just didn't want to continue playing. Just like how some readers fear finishing a book because when the ending is made clear the suspense and fun is gone, that's how I treat a good RPG sometimes.
I seriously can't wait for this DVD collection to come out, special version or not, all I can say is I do NOT lug a damn VCR to college (hell, I don't think I even have one in my house any more), so I haven't been able to see this trilogy in a long time. It'll be very sweet to have some viewings at school with tons of other nerds.
Good times will be had very soon at many a college dorm. . .
This has been said time and time again, but once you take any iTMS download and burn it to CD, you can do whatever the hell you want with it. You can put it on your web site by re-ripping it into plain MP3, you can play it wherever, whenever, and show it to whomever you want. Also, you aren't going to be working with these music files to begin with if you don't have a Windows or Mac OS computer, so stop complaining that it doesn't work with another system (you couldn't even *buy* these files if you wanted to if that was your only computer for getting music.
Is it a pain to do? Not really, but it is tedious, that much I'll admit. But you, as well as a bunch of other people here, act as if there is NO way to create the freedom you want/need. The Fairplay DRM at Apple's store isn't going to kill you, and it doesn't require your lifeforce to circumvent. Stop acting like it is.
I agree with you dude; I took a typing class my first semester of my freshmen year of high school. The only problem with my class, however, was that the faculty members that taught it failed to take into account a good keyboard environment -- I ended up developing a mild case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome just because there wasn't any wrist protection while I was going crazy typing fast.
Oh well, at least its useful in the long run, at least for me.
I don't mean to sound troll or anything, but I just think this is getting really ridiculous. I mean, it's an email account to a beta service that hasn't even entered into official use yet. Also, another thing that peeves me are these damn squatters that (apparently) seem to just take accounts with (cool?) names that other folks might want and then sell them off. It's the same damn thing as domain squatting. Its nice that folks are trying to earn a living on the internet, but at least do it with something legit, not just shit like this.
But then again, if people really do pay that much money for a damn name, then there's not much one can do about it. It just sounds kind of stupid to me.
Now hold up here, are you saying that the taxes that are taken out of my summer job are gonna go towards prosecuting my friends that are stealing music during the school year??
Well... can I at least choose who gets axe then?
I agree with ya dude, but one thing that must be taken into consideration is that developers can't be carried away with a game focusing on narrative too much. I really don't think that gamers would like to play "interactive movies" like Xenosaga (I enjoyed the game, but geeze, the cutscenes were way too long and plentiful).
The trick is going to be balancing the amount of graphical detail with story lines and such. We know that a game that combines the two in just the right amount is pretty damn rare, but I look forward to the days developers get it right.
Personally, tho, I feel that one of the more important aspects is game play. You can have a beautiful game with an interesting story, but if you can't even stand to work inside of the world in terms of control and rules, then what's the point?
I remember the good ol' days when I used to play with my Atari Lynx. Sure, the design wasn't too great, and there weren't many good games on it due to poor support, but man, the few that were there were just plain cool. Chip's Challenge certainly being one of the cooler titles to make it there.
Of course, it failed because it went up against the Game Boy, and suffered from Game Gear syndrome (too big, too many batteries, too short a time length just for color and light). One thing I did like tho was its support for lefties....
I'm gonna have to check this out soon to replay some games.
...to these folks. Better that they do something cool and crazy like this outside, getting some fresh air, than being cooped up in a stuffy arcade or game room or whatever.
Now if only I can play legit version Galaxia outside...
I don't even want to bother discussing any ethics involved with piracy right now. I know tons of people have their own opinions about that kind of thing. The one thing I do want to say, however, is that with an easy (and free) way to obtain video games, a lot of developers are realizing that if the game is crap, people aren't going to buy it. To a certain extent that pisses them off because they can't make any money churning out horrible titles (of course this doesn't always work in real life because of the idiots that countless sequel regardless of quality).
If I ever pirate a game, I use it almost like a demo, I play it for a while, and should I really consider a quality game that I enjoy, I'll go out and buy the whole thing just to support the folks that made it. I believe that if every one else treated piracy like this, then it wouldn't be too much of a problem. But there are folks out there that only pirate and don't give any returns by buying 'em...
-E
Slashdot Mirror
Okay, I'll be honest. I bought a PSP the day it came out. Since then, it's mainly done nothing but collect dust while my DS gets more play time beyond belief. However, I took my PSP for a day trip yesterday with Ac!d 2, and it was a complete blast. I didn't realize that the system had so much fun potential. Granted, it was only one game, but still, for the first time in awhile, I actually had a good time playing it, and all I had to do was pick it up. To be honest, I really don't think there's enough room for a legitimate competition in portable systems. Sony tried to do a good job to differentiate itself, but in reality, it was still just another unproven contender against Nintendo. It all comes down to games, and the DS beats Sony hands down. However, that doesn't mean the PSP is bad. It's just not good enough.
Vista's a whore!
I'm waiting for the USB Deep Fryer, thank you very much.
How about Apes with iPods pirate songs!
Developers would start shying away from the HD? Since when have they even considered doing games with HD capabilities? I know that there a few that use it, but seriously, which US games out there seriously use it? I think this feature, while cool and had lots of potential, is already dead in the water.
Look around you: academic reputation is still important, but it is most definitely NOT the end all of all decisions in regards to what college a student should go to. The fact that Duke and other univerisites are actually succeeding in generating *some* kind of positive response shows that there are quite a few students out there that aren't 'perfect college students' and pouring all their efforts into school.
I know this isn't how it should work, especially in the academic environment, but if this generates response, and ultimately, a rise in applicants, then it will continue to be done. Just because it isn't right doesn't mean that it won't be attractive.
I think you're right. The only companies that are 'well off' in the current video game world are the big boys such as EA and SquareEnix. The smaller companies are either getting assimilated by the big companies or are being forced to close up shop because they can't afford risks.
On the other hand this seems to foreshadow a time when developers will HAVE to make a decent game or else they will be dead in the water. If you succeed, you are rewarded with some money to back up your crew in the form of a buyout by a big one. Unfortunately, this other means that, like you said, most folks are just going to be trying to make rehash sequels/prequels of current games out there simply because there is too much risk involved in innovative titles any more. I hope that doesn't happen for good in the long run.
I was under the impression that the beta servers that are used for currently testing the game are no where near the capacity of the actual servers that will run the game when it goes live. I also remember reading somewhere that beta testers and stress testers will be on different servers, so this confirms my suspicions.
I can sort of relate to the article author in regards to having a lot of games that I haven't finished yet. For me, I really blame the fact that the video game industry seems to have a "good game season" in which a crapload of good games will come out weeks within each other, which then forces the gamer (that has enough dough to buy all the good games) to pick and choose the ones to work on. Eventually, games are bound to be lost in the cracks.
This is just, and its kind of weird, but sometimes I don't like to keep playing RPGs because I don't want them to end. There are a few games I've played that had great stories and the battle system and graphics were decent, but I just didn't want to continue playing. Just like how some readers fear finishing a book because when the ending is made clear the suspense and fun is gone, that's how I treat a good RPG sometimes.
I seriously can't wait for this DVD collection to come out, special version or not, all I can say is I do NOT lug a damn VCR to college (hell, I don't think I even have one in my house any more), so I haven't been able to see this trilogy in a long time. It'll be very sweet to have some viewings at school with tons of other nerds.
Good times will be had very soon at many a college dorm. . .
This has been said time and time again, but once you take any iTMS download and burn it to CD, you can do whatever the hell you want with it. You can put it on your web site by re-ripping it into plain MP3, you can play it wherever, whenever, and show it to whomever you want. Also, you aren't going to be working with these music files to begin with if you don't have a Windows or Mac OS computer, so stop complaining that it doesn't work with another system (you couldn't even *buy* these files if you wanted to if that was your only computer for getting music.
Is it a pain to do? Not really, but it is tedious, that much I'll admit. But you, as well as a bunch of other people here, act as if there is NO way to create the freedom you want/need. The Fairplay DRM at Apple's store isn't going to kill you, and it doesn't require your lifeforce to circumvent. Stop acting like it is.
Oh well, at least its useful in the long run, at least for me.
But then again, if people really do pay that much money for a damn name, then there's not much one can do about it. It just sounds kind of stupid to me.
Now hold up here, are you saying that the taxes that are taken out of my summer job are gonna go towards prosecuting my friends that are stealing music during the school year?? Well... can I at least choose who gets axe then?
The trick is going to be balancing the amount of graphical detail with story lines and such. We know that a game that combines the two in just the right amount is pretty damn rare, but I look forward to the days developers get it right.
Personally, tho, I feel that one of the more important aspects is game play. You can have a beautiful game with an interesting story, but if you can't even stand to work inside of the world in terms of control and rules, then what's the point?
Of course, it failed because it went up against the Game Boy, and suffered from Game Gear syndrome (too big, too many batteries, too short a time length just for color and light). One thing I did like tho was its support for lefties....
I'm gonna have to check this out soon to replay some games.
Now if only I can play legit version Galaxia outside...
I don't even want to bother discussing any ethics involved with piracy right now. I know tons of people have their own opinions about that kind of thing. The one thing I do want to say, however, is that with an easy (and free) way to obtain video games, a lot of developers are realizing that if the game is crap, people aren't going to buy it. To a certain extent that pisses them off because they can't make any money churning out horrible titles (of course this doesn't always work in real life because of the idiots that countless sequel regardless of quality). If I ever pirate a game, I use it almost like a demo, I play it for a while, and should I really consider a quality game that I enjoy, I'll go out and buy the whole thing just to support the folks that made it. I believe that if every one else treated piracy like this, then it wouldn't be too much of a problem. But there are folks out there that only pirate and don't give any returns by buying 'em... -E