The GameCube pumped out some remarkably good graphics on some games, like Rogue Leader, Rebel Strike, the Metroid Primes, RE4, etc.
Just goes to show how little these tech specs matter. MS and Sony are just touting their teraflops and gigahertz because they can. I doubt more than 1% of the gaming world even knows what a flop is--I sure don't. It's all just hype.
Padme is in her 20s during Episodes II and III, but that's just a technicality.:P
I understand what you mean with the perception problem surrounding the characters. Unfortunately, I suspect actors did not understand the point about their characters that you just raised. Why? Because Lucas isn't an acting director. These people aren't paid to think--they're paid to act. Sad truth, I suppose.
I maintain my positon that the writing is mediocre. Not shitty, not offensive, just mediocre and a bit unpolished. Example: I think Padme, in her 20s, would be capable of better self-expression than shrieking "YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART!!!1!!1" like a middle schooler.
If you want awkward and embarrassing teenage romance that's more authentic than anything you'll find in Star Wars, you need to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Re:Visualisation is the only thing he's good at no
on
The New Force at Lucasfilm
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Actually, the charaterization and plot were far beyond what Lucas did in the Original Trilogy.
That's only because Lucas didn't direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. The reason he did more for the prequels was because he wrote and directed all three of them--the quality of this increased contribution is debatable.
I love Star Wars, and even if the prequels were complete insults to cinema (which I don't think they are) that's not going to change. However, I do think that JarJar added nothing to the story and that the relationship between Anakin and Padme was portrayed and written poorly. I've heard better romantic dialog out of my high school classmates than the sappy, uninspired dialog in episodes II and III.
Fortunately, Lucas is amazing with the his visuals, and always has been--any movie he's involved in is worth seeing once for all of the eye candy. Sadly, that's where Lucas' creativity ends, leaving plot and character to suffer as a lower priority than the little creatures that are crawling around in the background.
Bottom line: The prequel trilogy is basically a fireworks display. You watch the movies for brilliant colors and explosions--if you're looking for philosophical statements, characters you can relate to, or a convoluted plot, you're going to walk away displeased or quite possibly enraged.
The linearity of the Final Fantasy series is what caused me to lose interest in it, aside from my dislike of the gameplay. I felt like I was watching an interactive movie rather than playing a game.
Personally, I hope once the technology that you've mentioned is conceived and matures that cutscenes won't be necessary at any point in a game. This is happening already--Half-Life 2 takes place entirely in first person, and it has some of the best storytelling I've ever seen in a video game, and it's a shooter. You really feel like you're a part of what's going on rather than watching the events go on from the omnipotent perspective commonly found in books and movies. I hope the entirely in-game method of storytelling is one that will spread throughout all story-based games--it's something that's unique to the medium, and should be embraced.
You should check out the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Elder Scrolls series if you're interested in emotion and open-endedness in your story-based RPGs.
Before you start accusing me of having a huge wallet and being bitter, the FX-57 and 59 were on the market when I bought and built my computer.
If you must know, I'm currently using on-board audio and a single 6800 GT, which combined with the FX-55 are more than sufficient for running FEAR, Guild Wars, and Oblivion at a solid framerate with the specs turned up. My plan is to upgrade as needed--I'll get an X-Fi and a second 6800GT when they bottom out in price later this year. Because I invested in a decent PCIE motherboard and a gigantic case, this computer will last me all the way through whne I graduate from college and then some. Keep in mind I haven't overclocked anything yet.
Physics processing is overkill because, if it catches on, it's another component that I have to spend money on and periodically upgrade in order to attempt to stay current with PC games. As for integrating physics into the GPU--don't GPUs cost enough in the first place?
I wanted the extra processing power not just for gaming (read: I reformat/reinstall Windows often to keep my system clean,) so I sprung for the A64, but that doesn't mean that I'm not on a budget. If you're going to judge me, please do it on a more solid basis than what CPU I'm running.
My gaming rig has an FX-55 to do all of that physics number crunching--and it does quite a good job of it, too.
Maybe the most hardcore PC gamers or professionals out there could use a PPU so they can get the absolute most out of their hardware. For everybody else, it's just the latest "cool thing," and I really hope it doens't catch on.
I know I've been going to the theater less lately because I'm not really interested in seeing remakes of old classics--even if one of said remakes is directed by Peter Jackson. I'm also not fond of being kicked in the wallet at the snack stand when I can stock up my fridge at home and watch a movie on demand or on DVD.
I did see a few movies (Sin City, Batman Begins, Syriana, and a couple others) and enjoyed them. Most of my movie-watching has been at movie marathons at a home theater--movies that came out nearly a decade (or more) ago.
I won't go so far as to say that movie theaters are obsolete, because watching a THX-certified movie in a theater is an experience in itself, but the theaters are screwing themselves by overcharging for admission/snacks and turning what used to be a "cheap date" into an expensive venture.
As an avid Guild Wars player and fan of ArenaNet and its roots, I know what Strain is getting at.
Implementing an MMO on Xbox Live requires a break in continuity from the generic and limited "live-enabled" template, which has only been updated to add "no duh" features they had left out like voice chat from the Dashboard and voice messages. At its core, the current iteration of Live is basically indistinguishable than what you got in terms of online play from MechAssault or Crimson Skies.
Three companies have been able to break away from the template: 1. Electronic Arts: This was mainly so MS could attract more software sales to its console, but EA's developers could do some interesting things with it. For example, in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect you were able to upload and trade your maps from the mapmaker over EA's central server. Sometimes you could actually find servers that played the most popular mapmaker maps. 2. Square-Enix: I don't know a lot about PlayOnline, but Square-Enix wouldn't have pushed for it if they didn't need it, or at least make things easier for them. 3. Microsoft itself (see Bungie): Halo 2 completely disregards the Xbox Live template in favor of matchmaking. Also, stuff like Conquest mode in MechAssault 2 broke the mold, although Conquest was very poorly integrated into XBL and it was impossible to find any matches.
Follow the money trail. Microsoft let EA use its network because the Xbox needs the sales of EA's online games, let Square-Enix use PlayOnline just to get FFXI on their console (and maybe develop a relationship for future FF releases?) Of course, Microsoft has broken its own template because as the developer and publisher they're the only ones who profit if the break is successful (see Halo 2.) Even with what Microsoft stood to gain from the deal with EA, the two still fought tooth and nail for years before Microsoft finally gave in.
This leaves smaller developers and publishers who actually need freedom from a template best-suited to action games between a rock and a hard place. The download-as-you-play updating technology in Guild Wars allows ArenaNet to add to or change anything in the world with a snap of their fingers without the need for a patch. For the record, they've used this ability heavily--they've added a whole new area with dozens of unique items to farm, changed the theme of many the major cities to celebrate the Halloween and Christmas seasons including special items and quests, and added the ability to view replays of the top guilds' PvP matches. Also noteworthy is that they've given players all of this content with the irresistable subscription plan of $0 per month. Also, as far as I know, matchmade ladder competition isn't possible on Xbox Live unless you're playing Halo 2, which would make events like the Guild Wars World Championship impossible to seed over Live. Thus, over Xbox Live, Strain's "close relationship with the customer" goes out the window from creative, technical, and commercial standpoints.
Overall, I'd say the Xbox Live is a good service for what it is, but the fact that some developers and publishers need to fight to supplement/circumvent Xbox Live indicates that Live does have limitations. Microsoft's absolutist attitide towards running their online service stifles creativity, and it's keeping many developers away.
Seriously, these new HD DRMed formats are setting themselves up for failure. I feel that Sony, Toshiba et al must must think that their prospective buyers are really stupid. It's almost offensive just how low these companies are willing to go to protect their profit margins, especially when there are so many better ways to do it.
While I'm busy boycotting these new formats, I'll be waiting for stuff like this to hit the mainstream and become as simple and widely-used as this or this.
P.S.: For what it's worth, Apple is a member of the Blu-Ray Disc Association. Are they thinking of an application of the technology that could be tied to iTunes (download movie, burn, watch on your TV,) or just going with the flow of capitalist greed and not counting on the success of the format?
For the record: Xbox/GameCube owner, ex-PS2 owner, currently an avid PC gamer.
Let's face it, regardless of what Microsoft does, Sony is going to make piles of money off of the PS3, simply because they've got the brand. Most likely, Microsoft will be raking in similar piles of money this generation because they got their product out first. As long as there are console-exclusive Halos and GTAs out there to keep the casual gamers playing, neither console is going anywhere.
But that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is the fact that the Core System excludes the most ballsy feature that the Xbox introduced to console gaming--the hard drive. In order to make a good investment, you need to spend $400 on the Premium Package, which IMO is too much money to spend on a console that doesn't even have a single exclusive AAA title (on the same level as Halo back in '01) in its launch lineup.
A $450-460 minimum buy-in without a launch game that won't make you think twice about the money you just laid down? Gimmie a break.
Microsoft is doing what they do best--taking consumers for a ride. I can only fear what Sony thinks it'll be able to get away with for the PS3 launch. They've been hyping that the PS3 is not a console, but a "supercomputer for computer entertainment"--I see this as an excuse to stray outside the (IMO) reasonable launch price of $300. Combine this with the Cell chip and $100 blu-ray drives and you've got a console that could easily cost more than the Xbox 360 Premium Package without any accessories.
I know some of you must be thinking "stop whining and wait for price drops," which is exactly what I'm doing--assuming an exclusive must-have technology *cough* or game comes out on either console.
My console gaming sights are currently set on the Revolution. Since Nintendo is touting innovation over specs, I suspect the console will probably launch for $200 just like the GameCube did. Also, I can trust Nintendo to deliver outstanding games that are worth my attention, even if they don't come out very often. I'm hoping that E3 2006 will confirm these beliefs.
For now, I'm still having fun with FEAR (October 2005,) Guild Wars (April 2005,) and Resident Evil 4 (January 2005.) FEAR and Guild Wars are about as next-gen as it gets from both artistic and technology standpoints.
Until the new generation of consoles offers me something that gamers have never seen before, my incentive to upgrade is basically zero.
That's an interesting point, but nobody is going to bother to hack into a computer connected via dial-up in an attempt to steal personal information. Malware programs can't send information back to its source while the computer is disconnected, just as worms couldn't spread themselves via email.
There are plenty of broadband-connected computers out there with the same unpatched vulnerabilities that are much better targets for hackers and malware/virii.
That phrase you here in all the alcohol commercials could probably be applied to energy drinks, too.
Red Bull has actually been banned in several European countries because of stories such as the one where a man with a heart condition drank four cans of Red Bull, then went to play basketball and died (sorry, no link, this was a couple of years ago.) This wasn't the smartest thing the man could have done, but clearly, energy drinks aren't the sort of thing you want to depend on, because their effects on the body are not always beneficial.
Personally, I tend to rely on getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating 3 square meals a day to try to stay energized. Of course, swimming 6000 yards a day doesn't hurt my metabolism either. However, if I'm up late writing a paper for English or History, I'll take a Monster with me to school the next day. Monster is my favorite out of all of the energy drinks out there--it tastes more like a soda and lacks the bitter/medicine taste of some of the other energy drinks out there and it's got a lot of stuff in it that's actually good for you, like B anc C vitamins. Most importantly, you really get a kick out of it, and you can feel it.
I must say that Monster's 16oz serving size is a bit much though. Whenever I've chugged one in 5-10 minutes I've felt almost feverish from all of those nutrients going into my system all at once. I try to drink it over the course of an hour, preferably with a meal, so it doesn't hit my body all at once and kick me into overdrive and eventually into a complete energy crash later in the day. When I can, I split half of the can with somebody.
Bawls is a decent choice too. You get a small kick out of it because of the small serving size. As for the others--Red Bull, Sobe Adrenaline, Rockstar, Full Throttle, etc.--they all make me crash after two hours.
Energy drinks are great, but not as a primary means for survival. I don't drink them for the sake of drinking them, I only use them as pick-me-ups, which is usually once a week or less. Put your personal health and fitness first, and use energy drinks as a backup.
To be perfectly honest, I'm still running XP SP1 on my Windows machines. I'm aware the annoying new features and prompts in SP2 can be disabled, but whatever new security features it implemented have most likely already been cracked. I feel like less of a target by running a legacy version of the OS, rather than the newest and most-targeted version.
Then again, I don't want to become completely obsolete just because I don't want more of Microsoft's crap on my sytem. In my opinion, if SP3 gets pushed back from 2007, then all the better. I can stay in my little obscurity bubble for longer.
Does anybody have any compelling reasons for me to upgrade to SP2 other than "...but it's the most recent version!"?
To name a few briefly, the SNES had Super Mario World, the N64 had Mario 64, the Xbox had Halo. The Xbox 360 has...a bunch of ports, sequels, and other stuff I've seen already?
This is nothing but marketing hype to keep the Xbox fanboys who couldn't get their hands on a 360 in November hyped until Christmas or next year when they can finally get one of their own. This may have been contended already, but Microsoft doesn't have a Halo for the Xbox 360. Their definition of "next-generation" is merely a largely overpriced and uninspired sequel to the current generation.
As a huge Rare fan back in the SNES/N64 days, I must say that I'm extremely dissappointed that PDZ and Kameo have gotten lukewarm receptions from people I've spoken to, and even the hype-prone gaming press isn't thrilled with them. Maybe Microsoft was counting on these games to be the 360's killer apps, but it's too late for that now.
Allard can talk about "vision" all he wants, but only a new and exciting game the console market hasn't seen before is going to get the 360 off of the ground. He and Microsoft had better get their acts together before Sony and Nintendo redefine console gaming and leave the 360 stuck in 2005.
People are entitled to opinions as human beings...there's no merit behind it. The guy can listen, or he can not listen, but the fact of the matter is that this is Slashdot, and people are going to disagree with this particular style of parenting.
Don't tell him how to parent his children? I didn't, it's just my opinion, and don't think that you can silence me by saying that "nobody" wants to hear what I have to say. You're only speaking for yourself.
...I would personally reserve it for punishment situations. A long time ago when my time spent playing games and IMing was seriously out of line, my parents used this to slap me and my grades back into shape. After about a month I got the picture and was back on track (I had the grades to prove it,) buy my parents decided to keep the policy going for another six months. I obviously wasn't happy with it at the time, but in retrospect, it was a really unneccessary move on their part that only made me feel spiteful rather than teach me to manage my time.
Arbitrary time limitations should be a short-term thing rather than a permanent policy, because you're doing your kids a disservice by managing their time for them, which is a life skill they need to acquire on their own. Making sure your kids' work is done and that they're being social with you on a day-by-day basis is much more effective, and they won't hate you for it.
I'm a tri-platform user (XP SP1, OS X Panther, Gentoo) and this is something I come across very often when I'm working in Gentoo: stuff I take for granted in Windows and Mac OS either isn't supported or is difficult to set up in Gentoo. I know that proprietary bullshit often stands in the way of open source developers, but aren't things like mouse wheels--and quite frankly, mice in general--fairly generic and easy to support by now?
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't use Linux if it was a useless platform. However, I don't think that, in 2005, mouse wheel support being a new feature speaks very well for the developer nor very well for the open source development model as a whole.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, I know what it stands for, but I'll be damned if I know what it means.
The GameCube pumped out some remarkably good graphics on some games, like Rogue Leader, Rebel Strike, the Metroid Primes, RE4, etc.
Just goes to show how little these tech specs matter. MS and Sony are just touting their teraflops and gigahertz because they can. I doubt more than 1% of the gaming world even knows what a flop is--I sure don't. It's all just hype.
Padme is in her 20s during Episodes II and III, but that's just a technicality. :P
I understand what you mean with the perception problem surrounding the characters. Unfortunately, I suspect actors did not understand the point about their characters that you just raised. Why? Because Lucas isn't an acting director. These people aren't paid to think--they're paid to act. Sad truth, I suppose.
I maintain my positon that the writing is mediocre. Not shitty, not offensive, just mediocre and a bit unpolished. Example: I think Padme, in her 20s, would be capable of better self-expression than shrieking "YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART!!!1!!1" like a middle schooler.
If you want awkward and embarrassing teenage romance that's more authentic than anything you'll find in Star Wars, you need to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Actually, the charaterization and plot were far beyond what Lucas did in the Original Trilogy.
That's only because Lucas didn't direct Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. The reason he did more for the prequels was because he wrote and directed all three of them--the quality of this increased contribution is debatable.
I love Star Wars, and even if the prequels were complete insults to cinema (which I don't think they are) that's not going to change. However, I do think that JarJar added nothing to the story and that the relationship between Anakin and Padme was portrayed and written poorly. I've heard better romantic dialog out of my high school classmates than the sappy, uninspired dialog in episodes II and III.
Fortunately, Lucas is amazing with the his visuals, and always has been--any movie he's involved in is worth seeing once for all of the eye candy. Sadly, that's where Lucas' creativity ends, leaving plot and character to suffer as a lower priority than the little creatures that are crawling around in the background.
Bottom line: The prequel trilogy is basically a fireworks display. You watch the movies for brilliant colors and explosions--if you're looking for philosophical statements, characters you can relate to, or a convoluted plot, you're going to walk away displeased or quite possibly enraged.
The game doesn't take place in a vacuum.
Air resistance, anyone?
The linearity of the Final Fantasy series is what caused me to lose interest in it, aside from my dislike of the gameplay. I felt like I was watching an interactive movie rather than playing a game.
Personally, I hope once the technology that you've mentioned is conceived and matures that cutscenes won't be necessary at any point in a game. This is happening already--Half-Life 2 takes place entirely in first person, and it has some of the best storytelling I've ever seen in a video game, and it's a shooter. You really feel like you're a part of what's going on rather than watching the events go on from the omnipotent perspective commonly found in books and movies. I hope the entirely in-game method of storytelling is one that will spread throughout all story-based games--it's something that's unique to the medium, and should be embraced.
You should check out the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Elder Scrolls series if you're interested in emotion and open-endedness in your story-based RPGs.
That was really informative. Thanks.
Before you start accusing me of having a huge wallet and being bitter, the FX-57 and 59 were on the market when I bought and built my computer.
If you must know, I'm currently using on-board audio and a single 6800 GT, which combined with the FX-55 are more than sufficient for running FEAR, Guild Wars, and Oblivion at a solid framerate with the specs turned up. My plan is to upgrade as needed--I'll get an X-Fi and a second 6800GT when they bottom out in price later this year. Because I invested in a decent PCIE motherboard and a gigantic case, this computer will last me all the way through whne I graduate from college and then some. Keep in mind I haven't overclocked anything yet.
Physics processing is overkill because, if it catches on, it's another component that I have to spend money on and periodically upgrade in order to attempt to stay current with PC games. As for integrating physics into the GPU--don't GPUs cost enough in the first place?
I wanted the extra processing power not just for gaming (read: I reformat/reinstall Windows often to keep my system clean,) so I sprung for the A64, but that doesn't mean that I'm not on a budget. If you're going to judge me, please do it on a more solid basis than what CPU I'm running.
My gaming rig has an FX-55 to do all of that physics number crunching--and it does quite a good job of it, too.
Maybe the most hardcore PC gamers or professionals out there could use a PPU so they can get the absolute most out of their hardware. For everybody else, it's just the latest "cool thing," and I really hope it doens't catch on.
The XBoyStationPod^2 will literally crush its competition with its incalculable bulk.
I know I've been going to the theater less lately because I'm not really interested in seeing remakes of old classics--even if one of said remakes is directed by Peter Jackson. I'm also not fond of being kicked in the wallet at the snack stand when I can stock up my fridge at home and watch a movie on demand or on DVD.
I did see a few movies (Sin City, Batman Begins, Syriana, and a couple others) and enjoyed them. Most of my movie-watching has been at movie marathons at a home theater--movies that came out nearly a decade (or more) ago.
I won't go so far as to say that movie theaters are obsolete, because watching a THX-certified movie in a theater is an experience in itself, but the theaters are screwing themselves by overcharging for admission/snacks and turning what used to be a "cheap date" into an expensive venture.
Maybe this is a first for public colleges, but I know Rensselaer has been requiring laptops for years. Probably others too.
As an avid Guild Wars player and fan of ArenaNet and its roots, I know what Strain is getting at.
Implementing an MMO on Xbox Live requires a break in continuity from the generic and limited "live-enabled" template, which has only been updated to add "no duh" features they had left out like voice chat from the Dashboard and voice messages. At its core, the current iteration of Live is basically indistinguishable than what you got in terms of online play from MechAssault or Crimson Skies.
Three companies have been able to break away from the template:
1. Electronic Arts: This was mainly so MS could attract more software sales to its console, but EA's developers could do some interesting things with it. For example, in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect you were able to upload and trade your maps from the mapmaker over EA's central server. Sometimes you could actually find servers that played the most popular mapmaker maps.
2. Square-Enix: I don't know a lot about PlayOnline, but Square-Enix wouldn't have pushed for it if they didn't need it, or at least make things easier for them.
3. Microsoft itself (see Bungie): Halo 2 completely disregards the Xbox Live template in favor of matchmaking. Also, stuff like Conquest mode in MechAssault 2 broke the mold, although Conquest was very poorly integrated into XBL and it was impossible to find any matches.
Follow the money trail. Microsoft let EA use its network because the Xbox needs the sales of EA's online games, let Square-Enix use PlayOnline just to get FFXI on their console (and maybe develop a relationship for future FF releases?) Of course, Microsoft has broken its own template because as the developer and publisher they're the only ones who profit if the break is successful (see Halo 2.) Even with what Microsoft stood to gain from the deal with EA, the two still fought tooth and nail for years before Microsoft finally gave in.
This leaves smaller developers and publishers who actually need freedom from a template best-suited to action games between a rock and a hard place. The download-as-you-play updating technology in Guild Wars allows ArenaNet to add to or change anything in the world with a snap of their fingers without the need for a patch. For the record, they've used this ability heavily--they've added a whole new area with dozens of unique items to farm, changed the theme of many the major cities to celebrate the Halloween and Christmas seasons including special items and quests, and added the ability to view replays of the top guilds' PvP matches. Also noteworthy is that they've given players all of this content with the irresistable subscription plan of $0 per month. Also, as far as I know, matchmade ladder competition isn't possible on Xbox Live unless you're playing Halo 2, which would make events like the Guild Wars World Championship impossible to seed over Live. Thus, over Xbox Live, Strain's "close relationship with the customer" goes out the window from creative, technical, and commercial standpoints.
Overall, I'd say the Xbox Live is a good service for what it is, but the fact that some developers and publishers need to fight to supplement/circumvent Xbox Live indicates that Live does have limitations. Microsoft's absolutist attitide towards running their online service stifles creativity, and it's keeping many developers away.
Seriously, these new HD DRMed formats are setting themselves up for failure. I feel that Sony, Toshiba et al must must think that their prospective buyers are really stupid. It's almost offensive just how low these companies are willing to go to protect their profit margins, especially when there are so many better ways to do it.
While I'm busy boycotting these new formats, I'll be waiting for stuff like this to hit the mainstream and become as simple and widely-used as this or this.
P.S.: For what it's worth, Apple is a member of the Blu-Ray Disc Association. Are they thinking of an application of the technology that could be tied to iTunes (download movie, burn, watch on your TV,) or just going with the flow of capitalist greed and not counting on the success of the format?
For the record: Xbox/GameCube owner, ex-PS2 owner, currently an avid PC gamer.
Let's face it, regardless of what Microsoft does, Sony is going to make piles of money off of the PS3, simply because they've got the brand. Most likely, Microsoft will be raking in similar piles of money this generation because they got their product out first. As long as there are console-exclusive Halos and GTAs out there to keep the casual gamers playing, neither console is going anywhere.
But that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is the fact that the Core System excludes the most ballsy feature that the Xbox introduced to console gaming--the hard drive. In order to make a good investment, you need to spend $400 on the Premium Package, which IMO is too much money to spend on a console that doesn't even have a single exclusive AAA title (on the same level as Halo back in '01) in its launch lineup.
A $450-460 minimum buy-in without a launch game that won't make you think twice about the money you just laid down? Gimmie a break.
Microsoft is doing what they do best--taking consumers for a ride. I can only fear what Sony thinks it'll be able to get away with for the PS3 launch. They've been hyping that the PS3 is not a console, but a "supercomputer for computer entertainment"--I see this as an excuse to stray outside the (IMO) reasonable launch price of $300. Combine this with the Cell chip and $100 blu-ray drives and you've got a console that could easily cost more than the Xbox 360 Premium Package without any accessories.
I know some of you must be thinking "stop whining and wait for price drops," which is exactly what I'm doing--assuming an exclusive must-have technology *cough* or game comes out on either console.
My console gaming sights are currently set on the Revolution. Since Nintendo is touting innovation over specs, I suspect the console will probably launch for $200 just like the GameCube did. Also, I can trust Nintendo to deliver outstanding games that are worth my attention, even if they don't come out very often. I'm hoping that E3 2006 will confirm these beliefs.
For now, I'm still having fun with FEAR (October 2005,) Guild Wars (April 2005,) and Resident Evil 4 (January 2005.) FEAR and Guild Wars are about as next-gen as it gets from both artistic and technology standpoints.
Until the new generation of consoles offers me something that gamers have never seen before, my incentive to upgrade is basically zero.
That's an interesting point, but nobody is going to bother to hack into a computer connected via dial-up in an attempt to steal personal information. Malware programs can't send information back to its source while the computer is disconnected, just as worms couldn't spread themselves via email.
There are plenty of broadband-connected computers out there with the same unpatched vulnerabilities that are much better targets for hackers and malware/virii.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet."
That phrase you here in all the alcohol commercials could probably be applied to energy drinks, too.
Red Bull has actually been banned in several European countries because of stories such as the one where a man with a heart condition drank four cans of Red Bull, then went to play basketball and died (sorry, no link, this was a couple of years ago.) This wasn't the smartest thing the man could have done, but clearly, energy drinks aren't the sort of thing you want to depend on, because their effects on the body are not always beneficial.
Personally, I tend to rely on getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating 3 square meals a day to try to stay energized. Of course, swimming 6000 yards a day doesn't hurt my metabolism either. However, if I'm up late writing a paper for English or History, I'll take a Monster with me to school the next day. Monster is my favorite out of all of the energy drinks out there--it tastes more like a soda and lacks the bitter/medicine taste of some of the other energy drinks out there and it's got a lot of stuff in it that's actually good for you, like B anc C vitamins. Most importantly, you really get a kick out of it, and you can feel it.
I must say that Monster's 16oz serving size is a bit much though. Whenever I've chugged one in 5-10 minutes I've felt almost feverish from all of those nutrients going into my system all at once. I try to drink it over the course of an hour, preferably with a meal, so it doesn't hit my body all at once and kick me into overdrive and eventually into a complete energy crash later in the day. When I can, I split half of the can with somebody.
Bawls is a decent choice too. You get a small kick out of it because of the small serving size. As for the others--Red Bull, Sobe Adrenaline, Rockstar, Full Throttle, etc.--they all make me crash after two hours.
Energy drinks are great, but not as a primary means for survival. I don't drink them for the sake of drinking them, I only use them as pick-me-ups, which is usually once a week or less. Put your personal health and fitness first, and use energy drinks as a backup.
To be perfectly honest, I'm still running XP SP1 on my Windows machines. I'm aware the annoying new features and prompts in SP2 can be disabled, but whatever new security features it implemented have most likely already been cracked. I feel like less of a target by running a legacy version of the OS, rather than the newest and most-targeted version.
Then again, I don't want to become completely obsolete just because I don't want more of Microsoft's crap on my sytem. In my opinion, if SP3 gets pushed back from 2007, then all the better. I can stay in my little obscurity bubble for longer.
Does anybody have any compelling reasons for me to upgrade to SP2 other than "...but it's the most recent version!"?
To name a few briefly, the SNES had Super Mario World, the N64 had Mario 64, the Xbox had Halo. The Xbox 360 has...a bunch of ports, sequels, and other stuff I've seen already?
This is nothing but marketing hype to keep the Xbox fanboys who couldn't get their hands on a 360 in November hyped until Christmas or next year when they can finally get one of their own. This may have been contended already, but Microsoft doesn't have a Halo for the Xbox 360. Their definition of "next-generation" is merely a largely overpriced and uninspired sequel to the current generation.
As a huge Rare fan back in the SNES/N64 days, I must say that I'm extremely dissappointed that PDZ and Kameo have gotten lukewarm receptions from people I've spoken to, and even the hype-prone gaming press isn't thrilled with them. Maybe Microsoft was counting on these games to be the 360's killer apps, but it's too late for that now.
Allard can talk about "vision" all he wants, but only a new and exciting game the console market hasn't seen before is going to get the 360 off of the ground. He and Microsoft had better get their acts together before Sony and Nintendo redefine console gaming and leave the 360 stuck in 2005.
Guild Wars, Shadow of the Colossus, RE4, etc. all get ignored because they're not mainstream enough?
Wake up, gaming press!
People are entitled to opinions as human beings...there's no merit behind it. The guy can listen, or he can not listen, but the fact of the matter is that this is Slashdot, and people are going to disagree with this particular style of parenting.
Don't tell him how to parent his children? I didn't, it's just my opinion, and don't think that you can silence me by saying that "nobody" wants to hear what I have to say. You're only speaking for yourself.
...I would personally reserve it for punishment situations. A long time ago when my time spent playing games and IMing was seriously out of line, my parents used this to slap me and my grades back into shape. After about a month I got the picture and was back on track (I had the grades to prove it,) buy my parents decided to keep the policy going for another six months. I obviously wasn't happy with it at the time, but in retrospect, it was a really unneccessary move on their part that only made me feel spiteful rather than teach me to manage my time.
Arbitrary time limitations should be a short-term thing rather than a permanent policy, because you're doing your kids a disservice by managing their time for them, which is a life skill they need to acquire on their own. Making sure your kids' work is done and that they're being social with you on a day-by-day basis is much more effective, and they won't hate you for it.
"mouse wheel support"
I'm a tri-platform user (XP SP1, OS X Panther, Gentoo) and this is something I come across very often when I'm working in Gentoo: stuff I take for granted in Windows and Mac OS either isn't supported or is difficult to set up in Gentoo. I know that proprietary bullshit often stands in the way of open source developers, but aren't things like mouse wheels--and quite frankly, mice in general--fairly generic and easy to support by now?
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't use Linux if it was a useless platform. However, I don't think that, in 2005, mouse wheel support being a new feature speaks very well for the developer nor very well for the open source development model as a whole.
Comments, constructive criticisms welcome.
I know this is a serious story, but this is easily the most hilarious one that's been posted all week.
"Velociraptor Bad at Disemboweling." I mean come on.