...that Microsoft's next-gen wonder is having to play catch-up with all the last-gen machines?
It really doesn't matter what they do at this point, because unless they can magically convert half the country in another seven or eight months, the Revolution and PS3 are going to absolutely blow the 360 out of the country for good.
Honestly, if the 360 can't beat the GAMECUBE, what hope does it stand against the PS3 and Revolution? Answer: None.
...er, one word and two letters if ya wanna be picky.
Lumines is great, but nothing, and I mean nothing, can beat Tetris. Especially Tetris DS, which has done some really awesome things with the classic game, including that online play...
Also, I think any puzzle fan should have a strong interest in the "Brain Age" games...
If your a puzzle guy, the DS is really the only way to go. Anyone who says the PSP has better puzzle games is so Sony-brainwashed it hurts just to think about. I mean, Lumines is really great, but it just can't stand up to the DS lineup:
Brain Age
Bust-a-Move DS
Meteos
Mr. DRILLER: Drill Spirits
Pokémon Trozei
Polarium
Puyo Pop Fever
Tetris DS
Zoo Keeper
So, is every post from now 'til forever going to be tagged gay? Trying to expand your demographic is one thing, but giving a certain sexual orientation credit for every tech story that's posted? That's going a bit far...
I guess I should just be grateful it's not " WTFOMG!! Gay Ponies!!1! "
I really wish you'd make it more clear this is a 100% rumor. Developers are working with non-final dev kits right now, so nobody's sure of the true final specs. I don't expect them to be amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but I think this "leak" is bull.
I know, but it's still bull, because who said they needed to render that many triangles? There are other shapes too ya know...circles...squares...balls...:p
In all seriousness however, I really don't think it'd be an issue. The graphics would be dumbed down a bit, but the gameplay is what's important. I think the reviews for the PSP game that are now coming down the wire prove that the DS may have been a better fit for Katamari. The graphics may be intact, but that's definitly not what made this series so enjoyable...
Do you think the DS's 3D hardware, with its limit of 2,000 triangles per scene, could have held up?
Honestly, yes, I do. And I think that figure you pulled out of the air is bull too. I don't think the developer's would have had any trouble fitting it. Of course it wouldn't have looked as good as the PS2 or PSP version, but gameplay is the only thing that truly matters in a video game, graphics take a back seat. And if there was ever a game that's all about the gameplay, it's definitly Katamari...
Personally, I thought that was a series that just shouldn't be sequel'd too much, but there's one thing I'm disappointed about...where's the Nintendo DS version!? It was sort of psuedo-announced, even Nintendo Power reported on it, but then it just faded off. The game was so perfect for the DS, with it's touch control, and so not perfect for the PSP, with it's one analog nub. It's really a shame, because the DS was the only system that really had the perfect control scheme for it...and that would have been the perfect sequel for the series to go out on. The two sequels really don't live up to the original game in my opinion, but I think with the innovation of the DS, it really would have felt like a new game rather than just a quickly put together expansion on the original.
Naruto: Clash of Ninja comes to mind first. A seasoned gamer's gonna win most of the time, but newbie button mashers get lucky and can do pretty well. Plus, the learning curve for that series is really small, so it won't take long before just about anybody's pretty good at the game. (Clash of Ninja is the new English version, but the Japanese series is up to the 4th sequel, and that right there is the best game of this generation. So, if your not afraid of imports, get that.)
Super Smash Brothers Melee is another great multiplayer game. Handicaps should help equal out your levels. Always a fun choice.
Any of the Mario Party games too are great, and gaming skill only helps in some of the mini-games. It generally seems to be a series females enjoy.
Finally, I'd have to highly recommend Guild Wars, which is cheap and fun with anybody, but I've found it especially great for couples, as are most MMOs.
There really is a good reason Japan has such a thing for smaller products, and it's a relatively simple one: they don't have much room to put things...
The average-size American apartment is the average-size family residence in Japan. Japan is a small country with a LOT of people, and there isn't room for everyone to have houses, so most people live in skyscraper-tall apartment buildings. A family of three or four living in a relatively small apartment? You can see why the size of the things they buy might matter.
So the size of the Xbox's to them is ridculous, and it really doesn't surprise me a whole lot how much they reject that (of course it has just as much to do with the fact it's American). On the other hand, look at something like the Revolution. OMG, talk about Japan's dream console. That design alone I think is going to make the Revolution sell millions.
So really, size DOES matter in Japan, a lot more than many people think...
Re:All those new and better controllers are nice..
on
Nintendo's Busy Week
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Try turning the Revolution controller on it's side...
Seriously, $500 is RIDICULOUS for a PC of that calibur (unless your talking laptops). I can build a moderate gaming computer for that. A no-frills-just-types-prints-and-surfs PC should be possible at around $300.
Why do you need 80GB for internet and word processing again? These people are idiots, and I feel sorry for people that really do just want the basics and go out and build this thing...waste of money...
Best two games of this entire generation, that keep me going back at least once a week, at times daily, despite having beat them 5 thousand and 6 times:
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 (import) -and- Super Smash Brothers Melee
Can't wait for the sequels, those games never die, even more than the old school stuff.
My point? Well, ever been to a bands website where they let you stream their songs? That is a form of sharing, which the RIAA says is illegal. That means that well over half of the companies the RIAA represents are breaking their own rules, sharing copyrighted music to millions, unlike your average P2P'er who might share the file with a grand total of between ten and a few hundred people.
And, as many people here have pointed out, the internet itself is a giant sharing of information. So, according to the RIAA, we better hurry up and abolish the internet...
Don't you wish sometimes you could just shoot the RIAA's in their big, dumb, ass?
Fargo spoke on this in his "Thought of the Day" in GameSpy Daily today, and I have to agree with him 100% on this:
According to this news report, the Susquehanna International Group (an industry analyst firm) released a study today comparing the market growth of the Sony PSP to the Nintendo DS over the next five years. The firm states that "As the class of gamers seeking console-like gaming grows, the PSP will be the only serious alternative to Nintendo portables," and predicts that the PSP will sell 20 million more units than the DS over the next five years.
Whenever I hear reports like this, I always turn on my crap detector and compare them to my experience "out in the field." Over the holidays the combined DS/GBA aisle in stores was always packed. I gave my wife a DS for Christmas and happily pointed to those two shelves, sprawling with titles, and told her "you can play anything here." She wasn't the only one bouncing with newfound euphoria over Nintendo's handheld -- we were jostled shoulder to shoulder with other new Nintendo handheld owners. As for the quality of the games, Mario Kart DS was nearly GameSpy's Game of the Year, and it won our best mutliplayer game award. The PSP didn't even get a game into our top ten.
So, when I see analysts banking on big growth for the PSP, I have to think: it can only happen with a big shift in the PSP product line. I don't buy into the assumption that everyone wants 'console-like gaming' on a handheld -- frequently gamers are looking for a quicker, simpler, more casual experience in a handheld, something that they can pick up and play for short periods. Nintendo may not have the sexy hardware or the proprietary movie playback, but when it comes to handhelds, they've got a lock on the fun. We'll see if the next couple of years changes that.
$50 to own a game forever is a thousand times better than $15/month. I don't know how people afford to play MMO's, I know I don't have 1 to 2 hundred dollars a year to spend on one game. You should buy it once, and it's yours (I love you Guild Wars).
With that out of the way, I do think $50-$60 is too much for a game. This however stems more from an industry-wide issue of development costs more than just greedy retailers. It's a big problem with few solutions. Nintendo is the only hardware company that apparently is taking steps to bring those costs down, and middleware companies like Epic are a big help too. However, it seems that's not enough...
I myself don't quite know the solution to this, although I think Nintendo's strategy of promoting smaller games based more on fun and replayability than cinematics and graphics is the most effective step, as gameplay in the end is truly all that matters. However, this solves the problem only on a limited margin. There should be some way to get those great, epic games made without multi-billion dollar budgets. I hope we find it.
I dream for the day games retail new for $30 across the board, and monthly subscriptions are as dead as dead can be. (Curse you WoW, for taunting me so...)
Seriously, Wizards biggest obsticle is itself. Them and all their damn lawsuits against websites and whatnot that only help the game. They effectively do nothing more than piss off customers.
When it comes to spoiler leaks, nothing is as hype-generating as those. A spoiler a week or two ahead of release is what makes you wanna buy the cards or attend the prerelease. Maybe if Wizards dished out more than 5 cards per set per week during their previews, this wouldn't be an issue. If they'd go ahead and spoil like 1/5 of the set every week 6 weeks before release, they'd achieve the same thing as the rumor sites but they would be able to maintain a control on it.
Wizards, have fun sending yourself to the graveyard, because nobody's gonna bring you back into play. In fact, you might as well just remove yourself from the game...
...what irks me is that the same rules should apply to all forms of entertainment media, not just games.
Hell yeah! Your certainly right there...all this legislation is targeting specifically video games, and completely ignoring the fact a kid can rent a R-movie or check out an erotic novel without any penalties on the distributor. It's completely ludacris to say video games are so much more harmful than other forms of media.
Going through my girlfriends book collection, I'd much rather have my little brother play GTA than read one of those things...my god...*shivers*
Oh, look, found my BFG. So who should I go after first, Lieberman or Thompson? Oh hell, I'll just aim in Washington's general direction...I'm sure I'll take someone I don't like out...
Tomorrow's headlines:
"Gamer blows up Washington, proves video games cause violence. Politician's now to scared to do anything about it..."
Slashdot Mirror
...that Microsoft's next-gen wonder is having to play catch-up with all the last-gen machines?
It really doesn't matter what they do at this point, because unless they can magically convert half the country in another seven or eight months, the Revolution and PS3 are going to absolutely blow the 360 out of the country for good.
Honestly, if the 360 can't beat the GAMECUBE, what hope does it stand against the PS3 and Revolution? Answer: None.
...nobody uses Linux these days...
Wow...your way to serious for a hot pink website...
...that's the most believable story I've read today...and there's something really sad about that fact...
Tetris DS
Lumines is great, but nothing, and I mean nothing, can beat Tetris. Especially Tetris DS, which has done some really awesome things with the classic game, including that online play...
Also, I think any puzzle fan should have a strong interest in the "Brain Age" games...
If your a puzzle guy, the DS is really the only way to go. Anyone who says the PSP has better puzzle games is so Sony-brainwashed it hurts just to think about. I mean, Lumines is really great, but it just can't stand up to the DS lineup:
Brain Age
Bust-a-Move DS
Meteos
Mr. DRILLER: Drill Spirits
Pokémon Trozei
Polarium
Puyo Pop Fever
Tetris DS
Zoo Keeper
So, is every post from now 'til forever going to be tagged gay? Trying to expand your demographic is one thing, but giving a certain sexual orientation credit for every tech story that's posted? That's going a bit far...
I guess I should just be grateful it's not " WTFOMG!! Gay Ponies!!1! "
I really wish you'd make it more clear this is a 100% rumor. Developers are working with non-final dev kits right now, so nobody's sure of the true final specs. I don't expect them to be amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but I think this "leak" is bull.
I know, but it's still bull, because who said they needed to render that many triangles? There are other shapes too ya know...circles...squares...balls... :p
In all seriousness however, I really don't think it'd be an issue. The graphics would be dumbed down a bit, but the gameplay is what's important. I think the reviews for the PSP game that are now coming down the wire prove that the DS may have been a better fit for Katamari. The graphics may be intact, but that's definitly not what made this series so enjoyable...
Honestly, yes, I do. And I think that figure you pulled out of the air is bull too. I don't think the developer's would have had any trouble fitting it. Of course it wouldn't have looked as good as the PS2 or PSP version, but gameplay is the only thing that truly matters in a video game, graphics take a back seat. And if there was ever a game that's all about the gameplay, it's definitly Katamari...
Personally, I thought that was a series that just shouldn't be sequel'd too much, but there's one thing I'm disappointed about...where's the Nintendo DS version!? It was sort of psuedo-announced, even Nintendo Power reported on it, but then it just faded off. The game was so perfect for the DS, with it's touch control, and so not perfect for the PSP, with it's one analog nub. It's really a shame, because the DS was the only system that really had the perfect control scheme for it...and that would have been the perfect sequel for the series to go out on. The two sequels really don't live up to the original game in my opinion, but I think with the innovation of the DS, it really would have felt like a new game rather than just a quickly put together expansion on the original.
Naruto: Clash of Ninja comes to mind first. A seasoned gamer's gonna win most of the time, but newbie button mashers get lucky and can do pretty well. Plus, the learning curve for that series is really small, so it won't take long before just about anybody's pretty good at the game. (Clash of Ninja is the new English version, but the Japanese series is up to the 4th sequel, and that right there is the best game of this generation. So, if your not afraid of imports, get that.)
Super Smash Brothers Melee is another great multiplayer game. Handicaps should help equal out your levels. Always a fun choice.
Any of the Mario Party games too are great, and gaming skill only helps in some of the mini-games. It generally seems to be a series females enjoy.
Finally, I'd have to highly recommend Guild Wars, which is cheap and fun with anybody, but I've found it especially great for couples, as are most MMOs.
There really is a good reason Japan has such a thing for smaller products, and it's a relatively simple one: they don't have much room to put things...
The average-size American apartment is the average-size family residence in Japan. Japan is a small country with a LOT of people, and there isn't room for everyone to have houses, so most people live in skyscraper-tall apartment buildings. A family of three or four living in a relatively small apartment? You can see why the size of the things they buy might matter.
So the size of the Xbox's to them is ridculous, and it really doesn't surprise me a whole lot how much they reject that (of course it has just as much to do with the fact it's American). On the other hand, look at something like the Revolution. OMG, talk about Japan's dream console. That design alone I think is going to make the Revolution sell millions.
So really, size DOES matter in Japan, a lot more than many people think...
http://www.vidaextra.com/images/revones.jpg
"Absolutely Maybe!"
They...suck...
Seriously, $500 is RIDICULOUS for a PC of that calibur (unless your talking laptops). I can build a moderate gaming computer for that. A no-frills-just-types-prints-and-surfs PC should be possible at around $300.
Why do you need 80GB for internet and word processing again? These people are idiots, and I feel sorry for people that really do just want the basics and go out and build this thing...waste of money...
Best two games of this entire generation, that keep me going back at least once a week, at times daily, despite having beat them 5 thousand and 6 times:
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 (import)
-and-
Super Smash Brothers Melee
Can't wait for the sequels, those games never die, even more than the old school stuff.
This is a list of labels under the RIAA. Those labels cover pretty much every major band in the US and beyond.
My point? Well, ever been to a bands website where they let you stream their songs? That is a form of sharing, which the RIAA says is illegal. That means that well over half of the companies the RIAA represents are breaking their own rules, sharing copyrighted music to millions, unlike your average P2P'er who might share the file with a grand total of between ten and a few hundred people.
And, as many people here have pointed out, the internet itself is a giant sharing of information. So, according to the RIAA, we better hurry up and abolish the internet...
Don't you wish sometimes you could just shoot the RIAA's in their big, dumb, ass?
With that out of the way, I do think $50-$60 is too much for a game. This however stems more from an industry-wide issue of development costs more than just greedy retailers. It's a big problem with few solutions. Nintendo is the only hardware company that apparently is taking steps to bring those costs down, and middleware companies like Epic are a big help too. However, it seems that's not enough...
I myself don't quite know the solution to this, although I think Nintendo's strategy of promoting smaller games based more on fun and replayability than cinematics and graphics is the most effective step, as gameplay in the end is truly all that matters. However, this solves the problem only on a limited margin. There should be some way to get those great, epic games made without multi-billion dollar budgets. I hope we find it.
I dream for the day games retail new for $30 across the board, and monthly subscriptions are as dead as dead can be.
(Curse you WoW, for taunting me so...)
I seriously doubt someone just now realized they were getting someone elses mail for the past year...
When it comes to spoiler leaks, nothing is as hype-generating as those. A spoiler a week or two ahead of release is what makes you wanna buy the cards or attend the prerelease. Maybe if Wizards dished out more than 5 cards per set per week during their previews, this wouldn't be an issue. If they'd go ahead and spoil like 1/5 of the set every week 6 weeks before release, they'd achieve the same thing as the rumor sites but they would be able to maintain a control on it.
Wizards, have fun sending yourself to the graveyard, because nobody's gonna bring you back into play. In fact, you might as well just remove yourself from the game...
A Revolutionary Strategy
And please, Zonk gets to much flack. Just leave the man alone people and let him do his job.
Hell yeah! Your certainly right there...all this legislation is targeting specifically video games, and completely ignoring the fact a kid can rent a R-movie or check out an erotic novel without any penalties on the distributor. It's completely ludacris to say video games are so much more harmful than other forms of media.
Going through my girlfriends book collection, I'd much rather have my little brother play GTA than read one of those things...my god...*shivers*
Oh, look, found my BFG. So who should I go after first, Lieberman or Thompson? Oh hell, I'll just aim in Washington's general direction...I'm sure I'll take someone I don't like out...
Tomorrow's headlines:
"Gamer blows up Washington, proves video games cause violence. Politician's now to scared to do anything about it..."
Magic: the Gathering 4ever!