Just imagine how much more money they would have had if they hadn't sued HardOCP for telling the truth about them! Then I'm sure they could have done much more than just make a keyboard, like, oh say, release a console.
I wonder if this guy realizes just how many game development houses are currently based in Texas. Taxing violent games into oblivion would most likely force a lot of these developers to relocate, thus losing directly and indirectly associated jobs, future investment, and well, it's just a dick thing to do.
I bet this'll go over really, really well. Lmaonade.
Yes, put down the controller and get a life. Video gaming is an escapist activity and you're being exploited by these companies. It's not healthy; I worry about someone who would play Grand Theft Auto for ten hours a day. It's a masturbatory activity, and it would be better if people put down the controller and went outside.
That statement RIGHT THERE tells me that he's not on some moral quest, he doesn't give a fuck about our well-being, and he thinks we're all losers. He hates games and gamers. Period. Is it impossible to enjoy games and not have a life? Of course not. Gaming, like any hobby, can be done in moderation or taken to extremes. You can take his response, replace "controller" and "play Grand Theft Auto" with other items from various hobbies, and viola -- there's your attack. "I don't understand your entertainment choices and their associated culture, so I'll insult them and you!"
You know, some folks who play games have steady jobs, own houses, pay bills... Hell, they can even get married and be great parents, include games in their children's lives, and sometimes they even *gasp* PLAY THOSE GAMES WITH THEM!
I wonder if he holds kids going hunting with their dads in the same light.
So let me get this straight: you want to stick ads in something I pay a hefty amount of money for already just so you can "offset development costs"? Here's a hint: focus on the gameplay itself and then worry about the other crap. Your latest whizbang game can have HDR and astronomical polycounts and a score written by Hans Zimmer himself, but if it's as much fun as slamming your junk in the fridge door then it was a waste of both our time and money..
I'm sorry, but there is absolutely nothing saying that in order for a game to be successful it has to include famous voice talent, hyper-realistic cutscenes, and licensed music from [insert Flavor of the Month band]'s newest album.
The problem is that games are just, well, sort of straying from what they're all about. I'm not trying to be a gaming tech Luddite and I realize that games typically don't come from 2-3 guys in an apartment anymore, but damnit, it seems that the focus is more on displacement maps than fresh ideas.
If I learn of any real-world ads in any game I want to play, I won't play it. Period.
I don't like ads on TV, I don't like them on the sites I visit (though for some sites I have a paid subscription to get rid of them), and I sure as hell don't want them in the games I play. I find nothing fun or entertaining about ads.
These people should do a backflip into the lava.
Though I guess if you HAD to play a particular game that had the ads in it you could always just use yer firewall to block whatever site the ads are being hosted from so they always appear blank or with some other placeholder.
You're right. I don't like him at all, but did you notice I said "neo-con"? Surely you've noticed the theocratic tilt the Republican party has taken. Jack just fits in with this Bible-thumping, alarmist majority, and yes, that angers me. And no, I'm not a Democrat, either, though now even they are starting to pander to religious groups.
In a sick way, I'll miss Jack when he's gone. I mean, reading all those E-mails of him just flying off the deep end, his verbal diarrhea on TV, and getting one-up'd by 14-year-olds filled my days with a great deal of amusement.
If Jack Thompson has done one thing for gamers it's made them laugh. He truly is the Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf of the videogame world.
Wait, he thinks the Republican Party is out to get him? I thought he pandered to the neo-con Republicans with his Marguerite Perrin-style nonsensical raving.
First of all, let's get our language straight. "There's racism in the industry" does not mean the same thing as "the industry is racist." It's the difference between 'some' and 'all.'
You're right. I mistook your statement. My apologies.
"But if you start looking at cheap knock-off games that are trying to capitalize on the success of GTA and/or 'street culture,' you'll probably notice that a disproportionate number of the gang-bangers in those games are black."
Maybe that's because San Andreas featured a lot of black gang members and the knock-offs are simply applying the age-old "me too" aspect to their game design? Of course they're gonna have predominantly black characters because they're copying everything to make it appealing to people who enjoyed San Andreas.
I'm not trying to be an ass, honest, but here we go.
You mean like "human", "dwarf", "elf", etc? Yeah, that's really racist all right. God forbid each of those races have different physiologies that enhance certain traits. Everyone should be human, I guess.
Can you name one game (outside an obvious white supremacist propaganda game) that bases stats on skin color?
Gender is an entirely different issue altogether. That's not what this was originally about. Some games choose not to place stat restrictions/limitations based on gender, and that's their choice. In actuality, both genders each have their limitations because they are both different. This isn't sexist, it's reality. So, is it considered sexist when a male character has +25 strength and a female has +20 strength? It shouldn't be, because each gender's natural build is different. The male form's possibility for maximum physical strength is always going to be greater than that of the female form unless evolution changes something very fundamental.
Yeah, I've heard this logic used before. Some people I know use this same argument. They download a game, find that they enjoy it for several hours past the one you suggest, and then don't buy it, even though they said they would if they enjoyed it. Instead, they just sit there with this "I'll buy it later" or "I have other things to spend my money on" mentality while the game never actually gets purchased but continues to get played.
This is obviously not a problem with people who honestly purchase games they like after they try them (as you seem to do), but figured I'd mention this side.
What on earth are you talking about? Just because there are some games with black men and guns you assume the industry is racist? These games just typically try and glorify the gang "culture", which is another issue altogether.
black man + gun != racist
Now, if the game was something like "Underground Railroad Tycoon", then yeah, I'd have to agree with you. But I don't even sense the most subtle hint of racism in games. At all.
I was gonna make a comment relating this to the book burnings over 70 years ago, but I thought it was a bit much.
So, instead of making parents take responsibility for what their children see and do they're just gonna flat out ban violent games? As if the current censorship of games over there wasn't enough, I guess that sane, mature adults who enjoy playing violent games would be just totally screwed.
"Scheuer added that parents must be responsible for what their children play..." 'Nuff said.
This just might get me off my addiction to WoW so I can feed another addiction.
I quit SWG several months ago because I just got bored. A couple friends hounded me to try WoW, and I since I had just gotten burned out on SWG I was reluctant to play it. Once I did, though, it snared me. I don't know what it is, but WoW just made MMORPGs fun for me again. Maybe it's because when you level up you actually FEEL more powerful and can visibly confirm it. There are no encumbrance stats to worry about, just level/class requirements. I like that. Simple where it counts, complex when needed.
Though I do miss the player structures (houses, guild halls, cantinas), huge amounts of customization, and depth of crafting/trade in SWG. Maybe Blizzard will add some of those things in the future.
"To be the devil's advocate, Nintendo also came up with things like Robby the Robot, Virtual Boy, and the Power Glove. I just mean that even though Nintendo is the biggest innovator, it does not automatically translate to each of their innovations being successful and industry-transforming."
I will give you that. My eyes STILL hurt from the Virtual Boy.
However, this is a complete reinvention of the way human beings interact with a gaming console. For Nintendo to fuck this up would be DEVASTATING. From the reports of use of the controller, it would seem that Nintendo has learned from the Power Glove's mistakes (and let's be honest, here: the Power Gloves was WAY ahead of its time, and the tech just wasn't quite there yet -- but at least they tried something different). The only way to know for sure is to get the controller in my hands and start playing games with it.
I personally find the prospect of FPS with this controller rather exciting.
So, the company that basically MADE the controller what it is today is getting flak about its new controller? Don't you think you should give Nintendo just a LITTLE credit?
You know that D-pad on the 360 controller you're holding? Nintendo did that. Vibration? Nintendo. Shouder buttons? Nintendo.
Could it be that maybe certain people liked the idea of a grown-up Link and really liked the style of the older Link in Ocarina of Time? Could it be that people want to see their favorite characters grow up like they have?
Could it be that someone can like the child Link as well as the adult Link at the same time? Ocarina of Time did the job of making fans of young and old Link enjoy the same game incredibly well.
Personally, I'm a fan of the adult Link (and have been since Zelda 2), but I still really enjoyed Wind Waker and Minish Cap.
This whole thing is a non-issue meant to stir up crap about kiddy versus adult....
I was one of the first people to get one when they came out (yeah, I'm one of those guys) and bought Lumines with it. I played the ever-loving CRAP out of that game before I thought, "Okay, what's next?" The problem is the same with the DS: they just launched without a good selection of titles. Lumines was great and Wipeout was cool, too, but then I started wanting more games to play. I got a copy of Hot Shots Golf and played the crap out of that. There's just nothing going on with the console right now.
They would make a killing if they released a Best Of collection of well-loved PS1 games, like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (I'd buy that in a heartbeat), the original Tomb Raider, and even a few Resident Evils.
They should also work on porting PS2 games to the PSP, as that was what I thought it was originally going to be used for primarily. If they offered ports for a bargain price (or even a discount if you already bought the original PS2 title) then they'd sell like crazy. I loved the GBA's Classic series, and I think they could do the same thing on the PSP.
You know what games are particularly suited for handhelds? Shmups. Your Contra and Gradius type games would do well on the PSP, especially with the built-in WiFi to play with a buddy. I'm not so much a fan of multiplayer fullsize console games, but I do think that handhelds, especially this one, lend themselves to a multiplayer style of play.
Am I glad I bought a PSP? Sure. I've gotten a ton of enjoyment out of it, but the console is still in its infancy. The PS2 didn't really start seeing great stuff until 1-2 years after it was released, so this should be no different. We'll see!
If it weren't for that loophole, I wouldn't have been able to play games like Resident Evil when it came out back in '96 (I was 16 at the time). My dad bought it for me, but he knew that if I knew how to properly handle a firearm that this was nothing.
I was able to play games like Wolf3D, DOOM, Quake, and Mortal Kombat all before I was allowed to vote. I didn't turn into some psycho killer because of the games, and the whole "games are more realistic now" thing doesn't fly, either. People were raising just as big a stink about Mortal Kombat and Scorpion's spine-tearing fatality as they are about GTA now. New game, old blame.
I think that if parents WANT to purchase an M-rated game for their children that they should be allowed to. However, if the child isn't ready for it and starts doing stupid stuff like killing their siblings mimicking a move then the parents are held responsible, just like anything else.
This pretty much fixes, oh, I dunno, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
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Just imagine how much more money they would have had if they hadn't sued HardOCP for telling the truth about them! Then I'm sure they could have done much more than just make a keyboard, like, oh say, release a console.
I wonder if this guy realizes just how many game development houses are currently based in Texas. Taxing violent games into oblivion would most likely force a lot of these developers to relocate, thus losing directly and indirectly associated jobs, future investment, and well, it's just a dick thing to do.
I bet this'll go over really, really well. Lmaonade.
That statement RIGHT THERE tells me that he's not on some moral quest, he doesn't give a fuck about our well-being, and he thinks we're all losers. He hates games and gamers. Period. Is it impossible to enjoy games and not have a life? Of course not. Gaming, like any hobby, can be done in moderation or taken to extremes. You can take his response, replace "controller" and "play Grand Theft Auto" with other items from various hobbies, and viola -- there's your attack. "I don't understand your entertainment choices and their associated culture, so I'll insult them and you!"
You know, some folks who play games have steady jobs, own houses, pay bills... Hell, they can even get married and be great parents, include games in their children's lives, and sometimes they even *gasp* PLAY THOSE GAMES WITH THEM!
I wonder if he holds kids going hunting with their dads in the same light.
I'm not giving those bastards a dime of my money. That whole lawsuit thing showed what kind of tools those people really are.
So let me get this straight: you want to stick ads in something I pay a hefty amount of money for already just so you can "offset development costs"? Here's a hint: focus on the gameplay itself and then worry about the other crap. Your latest whizbang game can have HDR and astronomical polycounts and a score written by Hans Zimmer himself, but if it's as much fun as slamming your junk in the fridge door then it was a waste of both our time and money..
I'm sorry, but there is absolutely nothing saying that in order for a game to be successful it has to include famous voice talent, hyper-realistic cutscenes, and licensed music from [insert Flavor of the Month band]'s newest album.
The problem is that games are just, well, sort of straying from what they're all about. I'm not trying to be a gaming tech Luddite and I realize that games typically don't come from 2-3 guys in an apartment anymore, but damnit, it seems that the focus is more on displacement maps than fresh ideas.
Now, where'd my copy of Below the Root go?
How about this? Or this? Or this? Or this?
If I learn of any real-world ads in any game I want to play, I won't play it. Period.
I don't like ads on TV, I don't like them on the sites I visit (though for some sites I have a paid subscription to get rid of them), and I sure as hell don't want them in the games I play. I find nothing fun or entertaining about ads.
These people should do a backflip into the lava.
Though I guess if you HAD to play a particular game that had the ads in it you could always just use yer firewall to block whatever site the ads are being hosted from so they always appear blank or with some other placeholder.
Reptilian, perhaps, but not an asshat.
Normally I don't reply to AC's, but I'll bite.
You're right. I don't like him at all, but did you notice I said "neo-con"? Surely you've noticed the theocratic tilt the Republican party has taken. Jack just fits in with this Bible-thumping, alarmist majority, and yes, that angers me. And no, I'm not a Democrat, either, though now even they are starting to pander to religious groups.
Lesson my ass.
In a sick way, I'll miss Jack when he's gone. I mean, reading all those E-mails of him just flying off the deep end, his verbal diarrhea on TV, and getting one-up'd by 14-year-olds filled my days with a great deal of amusement.
If Jack Thompson has done one thing for gamers it's made them laugh. He truly is the Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf of the videogame world.
Wait, he thinks the Republican Party is out to get him? I thought he pandered to the neo-con Republicans with his Marguerite Perrin-style nonsensical raving.
I dunno. I hear some places will toss your license for being a bona fide asshat.
This isn't the same as him being barred from practicing law PERIOD, but I just couldn't help myself...
*plays Final Fantasy IV victory fanfare and dances*
You're right. I mistook your statement. My apologies.
"But if you start looking at cheap knock-off games that are trying to capitalize on the success of GTA and/or 'street culture,' you'll probably notice that a disproportionate number of the gang-bangers in those games are black."
Maybe that's because San Andreas featured a lot of black gang members and the knock-offs are simply applying the age-old "me too" aspect to their game design? Of course they're gonna have predominantly black characters because they're copying everything to make it appealing to people who enjoyed San Andreas.
I'm not trying to be an ass, honest, but here we go.
You mean like "human", "dwarf", "elf", etc? Yeah, that's really racist all right. God forbid each of those races have different physiologies that enhance certain traits. Everyone should be human, I guess.
Can you name one game (outside an obvious white supremacist propaganda game) that bases stats on skin color?
Gender is an entirely different issue altogether. That's not what this was originally about. Some games choose not to place stat restrictions/limitations based on gender, and that's their choice. In actuality, both genders each have their limitations because they are both different. This isn't sexist, it's reality. So, is it considered sexist when a male character has +25 strength and a female has +20 strength? It shouldn't be, because each gender's natural build is different. The male form's possibility for maximum physical strength is always going to be greater than that of the female form unless evolution changes something very fundamental.
Yeah, I've heard this logic used before. Some people I know use this same argument. They download a game, find that they enjoy it for several hours past the one you suggest, and then don't buy it, even though they said they would if they enjoyed it. Instead, they just sit there with this "I'll buy it later" or "I have other things to spend my money on" mentality while the game never actually gets purchased but continues to get played.
This is obviously not a problem with people who honestly purchase games they like after they try them (as you seem to do), but figured I'd mention this side.
What on earth are you talking about? Just because there are some games with black men and guns you assume the industry is racist? These games just typically try and glorify the gang "culture", which is another issue altogether.
black man + gun != racist
Now, if the game was something like "Underground Railroad Tycoon", then yeah, I'd have to agree with you. But I don't even sense the most subtle hint of racism in games. At all.
Care to point some examples out to me?
I was gonna make a comment relating this to the book burnings over 70 years ago, but I thought it was a bit much.
So, instead of making parents take responsibility for what their children see and do they're just gonna flat out ban violent games? As if the current censorship of games over there wasn't enough, I guess that sane, mature adults who enjoy playing violent games would be just totally screwed.
"Scheuer added that parents must be responsible for what their children play..." 'Nuff said.
This just might get me off my addiction to WoW so I can feed another addiction.
I quit SWG several months ago because I just got bored. A couple friends hounded me to try WoW, and I since I had just gotten burned out on SWG I was reluctant to play it. Once I did, though, it snared me. I don't know what it is, but WoW just made MMORPGs fun for me again. Maybe it's because when you level up you actually FEEL more powerful and can visibly confirm it. There are no encumbrance stats to worry about, just level/class requirements. I like that. Simple where it counts, complex when needed.
Though I do miss the player structures (houses, guild halls, cantinas), huge amounts of customization, and depth of crafting/trade in SWG. Maybe Blizzard will add some of those things in the future.
Nah, this will be added to the "Trusted Applications List", something I can seem to find to edit in my copy of NAV2005.
"To be the devil's advocate, Nintendo also came up with things like Robby the Robot, Virtual Boy, and the Power Glove. I just mean that even though Nintendo is the biggest innovator, it does not automatically translate to each of their innovations being successful and industry-transforming."
I will give you that. My eyes STILL hurt from the Virtual Boy.
However, this is a complete reinvention of the way human beings interact with a gaming console. For Nintendo to fuck this up would be DEVASTATING. From the reports of use of the controller, it would seem that Nintendo has learned from the Power Glove's mistakes (and let's be honest, here: the Power Gloves was WAY ahead of its time, and the tech just wasn't quite there yet -- but at least they tried something different). The only way to know for sure is to get the controller in my hands and start playing games with it.
I personally find the prospect of FPS with this controller rather exciting.
So, the company that basically MADE the controller what it is today is getting flak about its new controller? Don't you think you should give Nintendo just a LITTLE credit?
You know that D-pad on the 360 controller you're holding? Nintendo did that. Vibration? Nintendo. Shouder buttons? Nintendo.
Just a thought.
Could it be that maybe certain people liked the idea of a grown-up Link and really liked the style of the older Link in Ocarina of Time? Could it be that people want to see their favorite characters grow up like they have?
...
Could it be that someone can like the child Link as well as the adult Link at the same time? Ocarina of Time did the job of making fans of young and old Link enjoy the same game incredibly well.
Personally, I'm a fan of the adult Link (and have been since Zelda 2), but I still really enjoyed Wind Waker and Minish Cap.
This whole thing is a non-issue meant to stir up crap about kiddy versus adult.
And I fell for it. Crap.
They would make a killing if they released a Best Of collection of well-loved PS1 games, like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (I'd buy that in a heartbeat), the original Tomb Raider, and even a few Resident Evils.
They should also work on porting PS2 games to the PSP, as that was what I thought it was originally going to be used for primarily. If they offered ports for a bargain price (or even a discount if you already bought the original PS2 title) then they'd sell like crazy. I loved the GBA's Classic series, and I think they could do the same thing on the PSP.
You know what games are particularly suited for handhelds? Shmups. Your Contra and Gradius type games would do well on the PSP, especially with the built-in WiFi to play with a buddy. I'm not so much a fan of multiplayer fullsize console games, but I do think that handhelds, especially this one, lend themselves to a multiplayer style of play.
Am I glad I bought a PSP? Sure. I've gotten a ton of enjoyment out of it, but the console is still in its infancy. The PS2 didn't really start seeing great stuff until 1-2 years after it was released, so this should be no different. We'll see!
If it weren't for that loophole, I wouldn't have been able to play games like Resident Evil when it came out back in '96 (I was 16 at the time). My dad bought it for me, but he knew that if I knew how to properly handle a firearm that this was nothing.
I was able to play games like Wolf3D, DOOM, Quake, and Mortal Kombat all before I was allowed to vote. I didn't turn into some psycho killer because of the games, and the whole "games are more realistic now" thing doesn't fly, either. People were raising just as big a stink about Mortal Kombat and Scorpion's spine-tearing fatality as they are about GTA now. New game, old blame.
I think that if parents WANT to purchase an M-rated game for their children that they should be allowed to. However, if the child isn't ready for it and starts doing stupid stuff like killing their siblings mimicking a move then the parents are held responsible, just like anything else.
This pretty much fixes, oh, I dunno, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.