I rarely listen to any FM radio because it's primarily uninspired drivel hosted by obnoxious idiots. Having said that, I find the AM stations to be nearly as bad since they repeat they exact same commercials EVERY SINGLE BREAK. Why is it so difficult to give a relevant news feed, weather and traffic? There is one station in particular that still uses the old, "sponsored by" method and it's done so poorly that I rarely switch over to it anymore. Bah! Get off my lawn!
I must be one of the only people to truly enjoy Thief3. I knew going in that it was going to have consolitis and had low expectations. However, the cradle and a few other environments more than made up for the many loading screens. The mechanics felt smoother and loot 'shine' didn't detract nearly as much as I expected. If you're a thief fan, the game deserves a chance.
I've recommended that more times than I can count and no one seems to see the simple truth in it. I believe it's still legal for politicians to raid the campaign fund as long as they declare it as income. I'm sure they're anxious to get rid of a large source of income.
I certainly do not endorse corporate handouts when it is unwarranted which is probably the majority. Having said that, I also do not endorse the government teat in general. I think it promotes dependence in individuals and corporations. Why bother trying when you know that check is in the mail? I'd rather have the fed deal with international issues and leave anything domestic to the individual states.
As to your closing comment; why do we need democratic vs republican states? You act like this is a healthy thing. Personally, I'd rather see the political parties disband and allow people to vote on a person by person basis. Instead, we need to consider how many times they've towed the party line. I'm really just disgusted with politics in general. I'm not sure what we can do to fix the system, but I think limiting all politicians to a specific number of terms or years would help quite a bit.
I understand your point but disagree that people are purchasing the PS3 as a cheap BluRay player. There may be some, but they are probably in the extreme minority. Having said that, I have no interest in the PS3 or BluRay until they drop in price. I really can't see spending more than $200-250 for a gaming platform and anything more than $150 for a movie player is ridiculous.
Why does the little guy need hand outs? Assuming you can get a decent job, there's no reason for anyone to give you a single cent. There are plenty of people with crappy jobs that have learned to live within there means so that they do not have to depend on the government teet.
I know you were going for funny, but the sad fact is that I see people dumping entire fast food bags out of the windows on a daily basis. I would love to have these people smacked with a $100 fine and a dozen hours of community service.
The one thing that I despise about EB/Gamestop is there is no way to ensure that you're getting a new game. I recently purchased a new copy of Naruto:CoN2 and they pulled it out of a paper sleeve. When I questioned them on it, the response was "Oh, we do have some sealed copies if that's what you're looking for." Is this standard procedure? I personally think they were trying to pass a used copy as new.
I'm guessing they give you that option, but you most likely have to give a credit card number that they will charge the full price to in the event that they do not receive the returned unit. I'll let them pay the extra shipping and wait a bit longer.
I have a P4 2.66GHz, 1gig ram, and a Radeon 9800Pro. I purchased a Radeon X1950Pro yesterday because I'm unable to effectively run Supreme Commander. I'm still able to run things like Half-Life 2, Doom 3(ick) and Farcry on low to medium settings, but I wanted more. Your point is certainly valid though.
Feel better about themselves? I suspect that you're actually sincere here, but that is utterly ridiculous. They beat, humiliated and killed another human being. That kind of person does need a hug, they need to be locked up or put down.
So realistic graphics make a game 'mature'? I agree that the Wii lacks the raw power to put out something like Gears of War, but I simply don't care. I have a PC that will play just about anything out there and I'm still enjoying Quake 3 arena. Why? GAMEPLAY. Make a game fun and you stop analyzing every little speck of dirt.
Manhattan has a higher income per capita than most of the central states. The difference is, Manhattan only has about 1.5 million residents. Even if every single person purchased a PS3, there are far more people across the rest of the country that will purchase a Wii solely based on cost. BTW, I live just outside of Chicago(not exactly middle of nowhere) and I've seen piles of PS3s. Just about every EB and Best Buy that I've walked into lately has had them in stock. Anecdotal, but still relevant.
People always fall back on the 'adjust for inflation' argument when discussing the PS3's price. The truth is, $600 in a TON of money for most people. It doesn't help that the majority of adults do not play games and view gaming as a waste of time. Why would they drop that kind of money on Johnny when they could buy a new dishwasher or refrigerator? Inflation or not, it's still too costly.
I realize that this is a late response, but I'm only getting around to this thread now. I sincerely appreciate your honest and well thought out post. I agree with you on many points, but I'm a little uncertain about a few.
"it is a psychological barrier that I feel most African-Americans cannot get over. Lashing out in anger..."
Why? I'm not being glib here; I genuinely do not understand what the problem is. I can understand and empathize with someone that lived through your mother's generation and I certainly do not condone the abuse of power that the corrupt officials (police) have demonstrated in the past. Is there a unspoken need to 'be black' above all else? I certainly do not think of myself as a particular color. If you asked me what I am, I'd most likely respond "American."
"Affirmative action can only enhance a few African-Americans' lives in the end, and that will be its failure. It might prove more of a problem than a solution..."
I agree with your statement, but I do not think we would agree on the reasons why. I firmly believe that Affirmative action is doing far more harm than the potential good that could come of it. The failure rate of your typical university in the first semester is ridiculous. A major contributor is that many students brought in on affirmative action are ill prepared. How could someone that has never studied basic algebra be expected to do well in college? Please do not consider this statement a troll, because I did go through classes with several people that would not have gotten into the university had they not been a minority. Again, not trolling, this was personal experience.
"Do I feel slighted when there is an ENTIRE CAST of characters and not one of them is of another color? Yes..."
Again, why? Is this a personal insult that they developer has chosen one race to represent a game? The only insult that I feel is the inequality I see every day. People should not discriminate based on color, race, religion, etc; but it is equally terrible to say that only one group of people has the right to do or say something. I personally do not care if someone is black, white, or purple. People are people and their actions, attitudes and words show their true character.
Again, thank you for your cohesive post (even if mine isn't). I do hope that I have not offended you with my questions as I am genuinely interested in your opinion. It's rare that you find a rational discussion on something like race.
We had a New Years party and three (non gaming) couples have tracked down Wiis. I knew that I was going to enjoy the system, but I'm utterly astounded at my non-gaming friends. One in particular really stood out though. His wife purchased the Wii for birthday last weekend. He already went out and purchased Cars, Need for speed, and elebits. He mentioned that he will be purchasing Excite truck this week and renting Blazing Angels as soon as it's out. Keep in mind this guy has NEVER owned a console and refuses to play standard PC games.
Slashdot Mirror
That's actually part of the reason I bought a Wii. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a GOOD single player game on the PC.
Fallout3
http://pc.ign.com/objects/568/568806.html
I left just before 7am this morning and it was still dark.
You can actually break open containers (lockers, chests, etc) in the fallout series, but you risk damaging the contents. Fun stuff. :)
I rarely listen to any FM radio because it's primarily uninspired drivel hosted by obnoxious idiots. Having said that, I find the AM stations to be nearly as bad since they repeat they exact same commercials EVERY SINGLE BREAK. Why is it so difficult to give a relevant news feed, weather and traffic? There is one station in particular that still uses the old, "sponsored by" method and it's done so poorly that I rarely switch over to it anymore. Bah! Get off my lawn!
I love the funny mod, but it really should be insightful... Course, my spending is on its way back up since I have my wife hooked on the DS.
I must be one of the only people to truly enjoy Thief3. I knew going in that it was going to have consolitis and had low expectations. However, the cradle and a few other environments more than made up for the many loading screens. The mechanics felt smoother and loot 'shine' didn't detract nearly as much as I expected. If you're a thief fan, the game deserves a chance.
I've recommended that more times than I can count and no one seems to see the simple truth in it. I believe it's still legal for politicians to raid the campaign fund as long as they declare it as income. I'm sure they're anxious to get rid of a large source of income.
I certainly do not endorse corporate handouts when it is unwarranted which is probably the majority. Having said that, I also do not endorse the government teat in general. I think it promotes dependence in individuals and corporations. Why bother trying when you know that check is in the mail? I'd rather have the fed deal with international issues and leave anything domestic to the individual states.
As to your closing comment; why do we need democratic vs republican states? You act like this is a healthy thing. Personally, I'd rather see the political parties disband and allow people to vote on a person by person basis. Instead, we need to consider how many times they've towed the party line. I'm really just disgusted with politics in general. I'm not sure what we can do to fix the system, but I think limiting all politicians to a specific number of terms or years would help quite a bit.
I understand your point but disagree that people are purchasing the PS3 as a cheap BluRay player. There may be some, but they are probably in the extreme minority. Having said that, I have no interest in the PS3 or BluRay until they drop in price. I really can't see spending more than $200-250 for a gaming platform and anything more than $150 for a movie player is ridiculous.
Why does the little guy need hand outs? Assuming you can get a decent job, there's no reason for anyone to give you a single cent. There are plenty of people with crappy jobs that have learned to live within there means so that they do not have to depend on the government teet.
If that is the case, then that copy should be sold as used. I still stop in EB occasionally, but I will not purchase any new game that isn't sealed.
I know you were going for funny, but the sad fact is that I see people dumping entire fast food bags out of the windows on a daily basis. I would love to have these people smacked with a $100 fine and a dozen hours of community service.
The one thing that I despise about EB/Gamestop is there is no way to ensure that you're getting a new game. I recently purchased a new copy of Naruto:CoN2 and they pulled it out of a paper sleeve. When I questioned them on it, the response was "Oh, we do have some sealed copies if that's what you're looking for." Is this standard procedure? I personally think they were trying to pass a used copy as new.
I actually just read an article on this a couple of weeks ago. My wife bought me a Mr Beer for Christmas. :)
I'm guessing they give you that option, but you most likely have to give a credit card number that they will charge the full price to in the event that they do not receive the returned unit. I'll let them pay the extra shipping and wait a bit longer.
I have a P4 2.66GHz, 1gig ram, and a Radeon 9800Pro. I purchased a Radeon X1950Pro yesterday because I'm unable to effectively run Supreme Commander. I'm still able to run things like Half-Life 2, Doom 3(ick) and Farcry on low to medium settings, but I wanted more. Your point is certainly valid though.
Feel better about themselves? I suspect that you're actually sincere here, but that is utterly ridiculous. They beat, humiliated and killed another human being. That kind of person does need a hug, they need to be locked up or put down.
Sad to say they already made at least one giant squid movie. The real problem is they're going to feel validated and make another one...
I needed a fourth remote, so it was worth the $10.
So realistic graphics make a game 'mature'? I agree that the Wii lacks the raw power to put out something like Gears of War, but I simply don't care. I have a PC that will play just about anything out there and I'm still enjoying Quake 3 arena. Why? GAMEPLAY. Make a game fun and you stop analyzing every little speck of dirt.
Manhattan has a higher income per capita than most of the central states. The difference is, Manhattan only has about 1.5 million residents. Even if every single person purchased a PS3, there are far more people across the rest of the country that will purchase a Wii solely based on cost. BTW, I live just outside of Chicago(not exactly middle of nowhere) and I've seen piles of PS3s. Just about every EB and Best Buy that I've walked into lately has had them in stock. Anecdotal, but still relevant.
People always fall back on the 'adjust for inflation' argument when discussing the PS3's price. The truth is, $600 in a TON of money for most people. It doesn't help that the majority of adults do not play games and view gaming as a waste of time. Why would they drop that kind of money on Johnny when they could buy a new dishwasher or refrigerator? Inflation or not, it's still too costly.
I realize that this is a late response, but I'm only getting around to this thread now. I sincerely appreciate your honest and well thought out post. I agree with you on many points, but I'm a little uncertain about a few.
"it is a psychological barrier that I feel most African-Americans cannot get over. Lashing out in anger..."
Why? I'm not being glib here; I genuinely do not understand what the problem is. I can understand and empathize with someone that lived through your mother's generation and I certainly do not condone the abuse of power that the corrupt officials (police) have demonstrated in the past. Is there a unspoken need to 'be black' above all else? I certainly do not think of myself as a particular color. If you asked me what I am, I'd most likely respond "American."
"Affirmative action can only enhance a few African-Americans' lives in the end, and that will be its failure. It might prove more of a problem than a solution..."
I agree with your statement, but I do not think we would agree on the reasons why. I firmly believe that Affirmative action is doing far more harm than the potential good that could come of it. The failure rate of your typical university in the first semester is ridiculous. A major contributor is that many students brought in on affirmative action are ill prepared. How could someone that has never studied basic algebra be expected to do well in college? Please do not consider this statement a troll, because I did go through classes with several people that would not have gotten into the university had they not been a minority. Again, not trolling, this was personal experience.
"Do I feel slighted when there is an ENTIRE CAST of characters and not one of them is of another color? Yes..."
Again, why? Is this a personal insult that they developer has chosen one race to represent a game? The only insult that I feel is the inequality I see every day. People should not discriminate based on color, race, religion, etc; but it is equally terrible to say that only one group of people has the right to do or say something. I personally do not care if someone is black, white, or purple. People are people and their actions, attitudes and words show their true character.
Again, thank you for your cohesive post (even if mine isn't). I do hope that I have not offended you with my questions as I am genuinely interested in your opinion. It's rare that you find a rational discussion on something like race.
We had a New Years party and three (non gaming) couples have tracked down Wiis. I knew that I was going to enjoy the system, but I'm utterly astounded at my non-gaming friends. One in particular really stood out though. His wife purchased the Wii for birthday last weekend. He already went out and purchased Cars, Need for speed, and elebits. He mentioned that he will be purchasing Excite truck this week and renting Blazing Angels as soon as it's out. Keep in mind this guy has NEVER owned a console and refuses to play standard PC games.