maybe consumers should start lobbying or just stop buying..
I already did. I rent through Blockbuster online and/or Netflix. I'm catching up on all my TV shows I missed on Cable (which is also too expensive due to no competition) and the occasion film. DRM be dammed. I would buy DVD's if...
If they cost about $1-5 to buy (Wal-Mart has some double/triple feature DVD's for $10).
They didn't include the hard boxes. It's a waist for me. I'm moving towards just storing all my DVD's into a DVD book and getting ride of all the DVD towers taking up space in my apartment.
Let me do what I want with it, without hassle. It's crazy enough to have to download software to backup my discs to bypass the encryption.
If they could do that, I would probably buy every DVD I watched. It would probably also kill rental companies. hehe It would be nice if I could walk into my favorite (see most convenient) store, go to the movie desk and ask for a film. They could just push a button, and a few minutes later, a hot-off-the-press DVD is burned (with cover art), tossed into a nice recycle friendly paper protector slip and for a Lincoln($5) or less, I can be out the door. At home, I can rip it to my iPod, computer, or PSP, depending on my needs and home theater setup(no sharing).
I can file the disc into my DVD binder, tear off the corners of the slip it came in, which doubles as a background art in the DVD binder holder, and I'm set.
The benefits? Well, the stores would get a digital copy downloaded into their machines. No longer do they need large store displays or floor space. They can burn their disc at the customers desire. The movie companies don't have to mass produce a ton of products, ship them, and go through all the safety tests to make sure their packing meets standards and regulations. They just download their copy to the store on release day (or before and restrict it's sale until release day to avoid blasting their pipeline). They could save loads on production costs. If you happen to have a coaster, just bring it back to the store and trade it in for a new one.
It's all about the price being right. Of course, some people like the plastic case and jacket, no problem, the machine can print that off too, on high quality glossy paper, toss it in a plastic case, and pay an extra $1-2. It's more a-la-cart. And you toss out the "we don't stock that title" occurrence, where you want that older DVD (like say, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1-5), but it's not available at the local retailer, who only has Season 6 and 7.
Of course, one day, they just might do that... only they'll still charge $15 for the DVD and $5 for the plastic case. People will still rent it, copy it, for $2 ($1 for the rental and $1 for the DVD) and the movie companies will still cry that no one is buying their DVD's even when they give them what they ask for! Of course, it's the fact that they need to get DVD's to people for the price that makes the effort of pirating the movie more hassle than it's worth. That price? $1-$5.
Of course, I'm not familiar enough with the costs associated with such a setup, but I think it seems in the ballpark of reasonable.
Well, that's my dream. It's reasonable... to consumers. =P
attractive yet potentially dangerous environments (like MySpace, or an unfenced pool)
Perhaps you should add "computer" to that list.
If your kids get hurt in your pool, who's to blame? If your kids get hurt using your computer, why is it now someone else's fault?
If you have a pool, you have to put a fence around it. Perhaps if you have a computer, you need to put a "fence" around it. It's time for parents to accept responsibility for how their computer is used by their kids.
Well, said. A nice rebuttal to a misdirected argument/analogy. I also agree that society (especially parents, but others as well) seems to be more concerned about pointed their finger at someone else than taking self responsibility for actions they're responsible for, particularly when money is involved.
All standard heating and cooling requirements need maintenance and upgrade. You really think your hot water heater is going to last 50 years either?
That's true, but how much would it be to replace a hot water heater compared to solar panels? I imagine the cost is significantly lower for the hot water heater, just because there's plenty of competitive markets for it and no need for 'specialist' hour rates.
As someone else pointed out, computers used to cost upwards of 10K for a "Personal Computer" but now they can be had for just a couple hundred dollars.
True, but only those with the money (wealthy upper-class and big businesses) bought one. PC's didn't become mainstream and in every middle-class home until the price dropped to a couple thousand. I believe my parents first computer, a 486 with 8MB of memory and a 150MB hard drive cost around $1k. That was a 'big' purchase for them and they where still one of the first people on the block to have one.
My first purchase was the first X-Wing series of games.
Cereal, a nice cup of Tea (yes, i'm British) and some fruit gets me going.
Ah, when I was living in Twickenham, for school, I loved breakfast tea with some sugar and cream. Plus, the Brits. had an easy water boiler to make the hot water. That and all the toast and jam on the table. I enjoyed that.
I've now cut myself down from my bowl of cereal (back in the states) to fat-free yogurt, to try and control portion sizes better. Though, when people talk about cereal, I always think about Mr.T.
Odd, I suppose, because I have killed thousands of video game characters over the years. And though the game's chunky graphics are primitive...no game has ever made me feel nearly as queasy. I didn't want to be responsible for the real-world violence that happened that day, even in a game.'
I assume he's saying he has played WWII games 'and the like', in this part of his story, but the point he was making is he's too connected to the Columbine murders to be able to enjoy the game experience. Someone else on/. has mentioned that, over time, other generations will not have this attachment, but see it as more of a historical background.
Then again, I've not played a WWII game who's plot was to push Jews through a gas chamber, but to stop them as a GI. I'm not sure how I would feel about playing such a game. I might be disconnected enough to do it, but I think I would probably just find no enjoyment in it.
In the same game, when you play as a Nazi against the Allies, it's usually staged in a sense that it's a competitive objective, win or loose, only your items or clothes are different. There is no real story or plot elements. It's first to 20 frags wins, kind of thing.
Most of those who play the Nazi or Terrorist (as in Counter-Strike) don't actually 'feel' they support the cause of game characters, but just playing a competitive game. Or, in other words, most people aren't playing a game to feel the 'enjoyment' of killing people, but to beat another team on a challenging game. Yet, when I first played Counter-Strike, my natrual feeling was to pick the Counter-Terrorists because I didn't like the idea of being 'the bad guy'.
This columbine game does not appear to be a team on team game, where the mentality is to 'win a game', but to retell a story and to make you feel how the character you're playing felt (the point of most RPG games) and to give you a perspective of what happened that day. Because of this, it makes most people uncomfortable.
Think of it like this. What if you played a normal student in columbine and not one of the killers? You only had some limited punch/kick/run/hide skills. Your choices are open, but you basically can try to escape the school or attack the killers. Would that be as objectionable? probably less commotion, but still plenty of people saying you're trying to capitalize on a tragedy.
How about if, there was a multiplayer option of two teams, like counter-strike, killers vs students. Students have to escape and killers have to prevent the escape. I would wager you see more objection than the previous idea, but still a fair number of people who do not mind playing on the 'killer' team, because it becomes a competition and not a idealogical support position.
Finally, you have the current game. You play the killers only, but get a good amount of detail of the event of that day. The gamer is interested in the historical context, but when it comes to the shootings of the students, the gamer has been setup to feel like they're the killer but most people don't like the idea of murdering people. Particularly people with names and faces you might associate with, opposed to faceless scientist hostages or security officers.
As it sounds, the game does a good job making you feel 'in the moment', but it shouldn't be a surprise to see people not feel comfortable 'pulling the trigger' because, unlike the movie Elephant, a game is to make you feel like you're pulling the trigger, and not the character on the screen, even if you emphasis with them.
Ray... When someone asks if you're a God... YOU SAY "YES"!
Yes, have some.
My childhood started at the end of the He-Man/Transformers/GI Joe time and moved into the Ghostbusters era. My best record, when I was a kid, was probably watching the first movie 3 times in a row. It's still one of the first movies I buy on any new format I own (VHS, DVD, PSP)
I'd have to agree. There's plenty people could do, just using Notepad or Wordpad and some proper tab spacing (heck, sometimes, it would make it easier than dealing with Words formating bugs).
That being said, I hear the new 2007 interface is much better designed for professional layout and design. I'd be interested in trying it, but I've believed for a long time that MS products are superiorly over priced, particularly for what you get. I don't deal with publishing (at least not outside of a website), so there's no reason for me to upgrade.
If you decide to buy your music somewhere else (like - gasp - CDs) you are not locked in at all.
A bigger *gasp* would be buying a CD and getting a rootkit on your computer. I'll stick to iTunes. =) If I want to put them somewhere else besides my iPod, I'll burn them to a CD and rip them again (sure, it'll be a waste of a few inexpensive CD's and some time). But, if I get a different MP3 player than my iPod, I'll switch music stores as well.
I was going to mention this as well, but I read it in (I think) a Men's Health magazine, though, it was a long time ago (and I've not had a subscription in equally long). Though, I'm sure you'll find it crop up every year or so, since most stuff in such magazines are often repeated (there's only so many ways one can exercise a muscle).
These games where well received by critics and sold very well, besides all the fond memories they bring back. =) There was also a Gargoyles video game some time ago, and I only vaguely recall enjoying it, and it had some interesting game play, but I cannot recall if it sold well.
Of course, people just hear 'Disney' and think 'kids' and probably expect lame, cheesy, and easy games, however, once upon a time, they had some pretty good fanfare and even set the bar for some game play. Though, having to keep it 'kid friendly', I would expect an MMO to be like Disney's other MMO ToonTown Online, where the only chatting you can do is with pre-selected text, which would probably keep out plenty of people. However, I suspect that they might go for the 14-18 crowd, so chatting will be a normal thing, but game play will be a little bit easier or less 'grinding' and more social interaction.
Ok, Personally, I'm hoping for $1 per song or $5 for 6 or 7 in a 'pack'. I would however pay $40 for the Whole First GH game available as downloadable content. GH simply had a better soundtrack IMHO, but GHII VASTLY improved multiplayer. If you can sell me both for my 360 then I no longer need a PS2.
Ditto... if I owned a 360. =( When's the Wii version launch?. =)
Sony's hardware isn't all that bad. I just got a class action letter in the mail stating I can get my Sony DVD player fixed at their cost for the infamous C:13:00 error... or a $40 coupon for another Sony player.
I'm debating on getting that DVD player fixed. It was a nice unit, of course, until it broke a year later (just after the warranty coincidently).
I bought Dungeon Explorer (it's already out in Europe). It's basically Gauntlet.
Yup, I downloaded it last night. I can see it being more fun with others, but it's pretty crappy even by most action RPG standards. It reminds me a lot of Gauntlet, right down to monster generators.
Plus, I would bet that most people are getting their Wii points through a store rather than direct from Nintendo, and I have to imagine that the store gets a cut of that.....(searches).... according to this website retailers pay nintendo $17 for a 2000 point card.
I've seen a Wal-Mart selling a 2000 point card for $21.99. I scawfed at thinking they're that stupid. At least other stores sell them for $19.99.
Dungeon Explorer, as well as the shmup Gradius and the sidescrolling shooter Soldier Blade
Well, i've never heard of Dungeon Explorer or Soldier Blade, but DE seems like an interesting game, I might download that one. However, I'm still waiting for my Baseball Stars and Tecmo Super Bowl. =) I already got my Toe Jam and Earl, but I'm still crossing my fingers for Metal Warriors and waiting for Super Mario World (SNES).
Boy, Nintendo is surely making a killing on these (expensive) download games ($5-10 for what? Converting a ROM?)
They should also consider releasing a non-BR version with wifi for $299 and I bet it'd sell the shit out of the present choices they are offering up.
A pretty straight forward idea, but even before the PS3 was shipped it was already mentioned it would be next to impossible to 'remove' the Blu-Ray once it's there. Why? Size and HD support. Games are already made. You cannot go back and 'downgrade' the system and think these games will still play the same or that the developer will go back and modify the game to work on a normal DVD media. They'd just shoot themselves in the foot to do that. Of course, they could just put games on 5-6 DVD's and have you install them (ala PC gaming), but still you'll be loosing that HD support and that's half of the marketing reason to buy the system.
One of the coolest thing IE7 is unable to do is actually processing form data when clicked on an INPUT field of TYPE IMG
That's odd. I find IE7 a much better pleasure to develop for than IE6. IE7 is much closer to being constant with Firefox (my standard for web browsers). Also, I just tested IE7 using the input:img form field and it seems to work just fine. It is sending the X and Y mouse position where the button was clicked and the form fields. Also, as a prof. web programmer and designer, I've not yet hear of IE7 having such a major flaw, let alone IE7 was supported(consulted) by some of the biggest names in the web standards world like Eric Meyer.
I did find a strange CSS occurrence, but was easily fixed. I would mark this article as FUD all the way.
Welcome to the downside of free speech. Deal with it. Seriously, if you don't like it - don't view it - but the opinion that you should be able to categorize and then subdue some content based on your fragile sensibilities is not only fascist, but downright ignorant. Free speech comes with the requirement that people can self regulate what they choose to consume.
Hmm... interesting thing about 'Free Speech' is that it's name is often misconstrued. Free speech often implies that you can say anything or do (in a creative context) anything you want, which is not true. You are not allowed to lie or make false statements verbally or on paper. That's slander and libel.
Wikipedia's Free Speech has an intersting introduction paragraph where they talk about where freedom of speech comes from and how it's implemented. To summarize, 'free speech' was a 'ideal' that was created long ago and adopted and modified by a variety of governments. Each governments laws are different on Free Speech but they're all based on the original ideal. Specifically, each society has different beliefs on what one can say when dealing with propaganda, hate speech, obscenity, and defamation laws.
The best metaphore I can think of is this... Free Speech is a lot like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You have the 'ideal' standard of what CSS should be, but none of the major web browsers support this idea, and instead only implement some or most of the standards. Each browser chooses to implement the standard independently of other browsers and therefor have inconsistent implementations of the standard. Some things work on some browsers, while others don't. So, even if you design a website following the CSS standard exactly, you might be disappointed to find that it might not work on everyone's browsers, and in some cases, even the smallest lack of support can cause huge problems in the rendering of your design.
While 'Free Speech' is an ideal, much like the CSS standard, it is not implemented the same in every country and some countries sorely lack support. (it would be fun to hear what people think what country is which browser, hehe) While it would be nice to just claim that you can say anything you want under free speech, that is just not true. You have to abide by the laws or your land or work to change them. When you go from your land to another land, you have to abide by their laws. You also have to make sure you freedom of speech does not violate someone else's freedom.
Now, regarding a Columbine game. I just read over a review from one of the Columbine students about the game. All I can say is simple, it appears freedom of speech is working just fine. After all, it's like you said...
Seriously, if you don't like it - don't view it
Which is exactly what the game festival did. The game festival (as an entity) decided they didn't want to view it any longer and stopped. It's not preventing anyone else from getting their hands on it and it's still available off their website, they just made a decision that it's not in their own best interest. It's not being censored because it's still available in the public domain. It's just no longer available through that private organization, which is the right of that organization.
Free speech comes with the requirement that people can self regulate what they choose to consume.
(I cite the ending of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which IMO was reminiscent of Halo 2's ending in terms of closure and satisfaction)
As long as it's nothing like Drag-on Ball Z in terms of 'content', then I'd be happy. It's like my mothers soap operas... Watch once every couple of weeks and you'll know all you need to know.
up here in Québec, the law requires convenience stores to ask the ID of anyone under the age of 25... adults don't really care about being IDed.
First, I can say, I don't think there's a specific 'law', so to speak, but there is a common policy and campaign for the exact thing. Most stores will show employees a video and have signs that say "under 2x, we card", kind of thing.
Second, adults care a lot about being carded when they're obviously old. Speaking from experience as both a cashier, manager, and customer, I've seen some adults get very verbally abusive on some poor high school girl who asked for id, some to the point where you fear a physical confrontation. While there's a lot of others (probably a minority though) will often complain and even complain to management about being carded.
It's simply not true that 'adults' don't care. There are plenty of people out there who feel they've somehow earned their due to quickly purchase restricted items without hassle. Kind of like getting asked to show your receipt when leaving a Best Buy or something. It just annoys a lot of people. Ironically enough, when someone does turn 21 (in the US for alcohol), they want to be carded as some sort of right-of-passage... but the novelty soon wears off.
Dec 20, 2006 - Forced bundles and high retail price put consumers off, claims tracking firm.
Dec 27, 2006 - PS3 Greymarket Watch: Scalpers Returning PS3s Back To Stores.
I find that interesting, as this is exactly what both my friend (who got his hands on 4 PS3's, 2 of each kind) told me. He sold one for $1,500 (60gb) and one for $800 (20gb) and he couldn't sell the other two, which he returned to the store. He said there was just too many scams and shams going on with try to sell them and they just got sick of it.
Also, my local Gamestop manager chatted with me saying they where selling PS3's relatively slowly. It could take up to 2 days to sell the stock of PS3's. Three weeks later, after the holiday's, I was in the store again and they're telling a customer they have no DS or Wii's and they cannot save Wii's over the phone. Also, that once someone calls on the phone for a Wii, the people in the store usually over hear them saying they have Wii's in stock and proceed to purchase them, before the guy one the phone can make it to the store.
It was certainly an interesting year. I look forward to 2007. But saying that, I've not taken my Wii out of the box for the last week. (hauling it all over for the holidays) I'm playing Baulders Gate on the PS2 and Guild Wars on my gaming PC. Too much to do and too little time. I guess once the Wii gets online RPG games, I'll be playing that. Until then, it basically waits for a party to play some sports and Raymond.
Slashdot Mirror
I already did. I rent through Blockbuster online and/or Netflix. I'm catching up on all my TV shows I missed on Cable (which is also too expensive due to no competition) and the occasion film. DRM be dammed. I would buy DVD's if...
If they could do that, I would probably buy every DVD I watched. It would probably also kill rental companies. hehe It would be nice if I could walk into my favorite (see most convenient) store, go to the movie desk and ask for a film. They could just push a button, and a few minutes later, a hot-off-the-press DVD is burned (with cover art), tossed into a nice recycle friendly paper protector slip and for a Lincoln($5) or less, I can be out the door. At home, I can rip it to my iPod, computer, or PSP, depending on my needs and home theater setup(no sharing).
I can file the disc into my DVD binder, tear off the corners of the slip it came in, which doubles as a background art in the DVD binder holder, and I'm set.
The benefits? Well, the stores would get a digital copy downloaded into their machines. No longer do they need large store displays or floor space. They can burn their disc at the customers desire. The movie companies don't have to mass produce a ton of products, ship them, and go through all the safety tests to make sure their packing meets standards and regulations. They just download their copy to the store on release day (or before and restrict it's sale until release day to avoid blasting their pipeline). They could save loads on production costs. If you happen to have a coaster, just bring it back to the store and trade it in for a new one.
It's all about the price being right. Of course, some people like the plastic case and jacket, no problem, the machine can print that off too, on high quality glossy paper, toss it in a plastic case, and pay an extra $1-2. It's more a-la-cart. And you toss out the "we don't stock that title" occurrence, where you want that older DVD (like say, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 1-5), but it's not available at the local retailer, who only has Season 6 and 7.
Of course, one day, they just might do that... only they'll still charge $15 for the DVD and $5 for the plastic case. People will still rent it, copy it, for $2 ($1 for the rental and $1 for the DVD) and the movie companies will still cry that no one is buying their DVD's even when they give them what they ask for! Of course, it's the fact that they need to get DVD's to people for the price that makes the effort of pirating the movie more hassle than it's worth. That price? $1-$5.
Of course, I'm not familiar enough with the costs associated with such a setup, but I think it seems in the ballpark of reasonable.
Well, that's my dream. It's reasonable... to consumers. =P
Cheers,
Fozzy
Well, said. A nice rebuttal to a misdirected argument/analogy. I also agree that society (especially parents, but others as well) seems to be more concerned about pointed their finger at someone else than taking self responsibility for actions they're responsible for, particularly when money is involved.
Cheers,
Fozzy
+1 for being intelligently said in so little words. This is what I pull from your statement...
Cheers,
Fozzy
That's true, but how much would it be to replace a hot water heater compared to solar panels? I imagine the cost is significantly lower for the hot water heater, just because there's plenty of competitive markets for it and no need for 'specialist' hour rates.
True, but only those with the money (wealthy upper-class and big businesses) bought one. PC's didn't become mainstream and in every middle-class home until the price dropped to a couple thousand. I believe my parents first computer, a 486 with 8MB of memory and a 150MB hard drive cost around $1k. That was a 'big' purchase for them and they where still one of the first people on the block to have one.
My first purchase was the first X-Wing series of games.
Cheers,
Fozzy
I only wish life where so simple as some numbers on a piece of paper. =)
Cheers,
Fozzy
Ah, when I was living in Twickenham, for school, I loved breakfast tea with some sugar and cream. Plus, the Brits. had an easy water boiler to make the hot water. That and all the toast and jam on the table. I enjoyed that.
I've now cut myself down from my bowl of cereal (back in the states) to fat-free yogurt, to try and control portion sizes better. Though, when people talk about cereal, I always think about Mr.T.
Pitty Da Fool Eat My Cereal!
I assume he's saying he has played WWII games 'and the like', in this part of his story, but the point he was making is he's too connected to the Columbine murders to be able to enjoy the game experience. Someone else on /. has mentioned that, over time, other generations will not have this attachment, but see it as more of a historical background.
Then again, I've not played a WWII game who's plot was to push Jews through a gas chamber, but to stop them as a GI. I'm not sure how I would feel about playing such a game. I might be disconnected enough to do it, but I think I would probably just find no enjoyment in it.
In the same game, when you play as a Nazi against the Allies, it's usually staged in a sense that it's a competitive objective, win or loose, only your items or clothes are different. There is no real story or plot elements. It's first to 20 frags wins, kind of thing.
Most of those who play the Nazi or Terrorist (as in Counter-Strike) don't actually 'feel' they support the cause of game characters, but just playing a competitive game. Or, in other words, most people aren't playing a game to feel the 'enjoyment' of killing people, but to beat another team on a challenging game. Yet, when I first played Counter-Strike, my natrual feeling was to pick the Counter-Terrorists because I didn't like the idea of being 'the bad guy'.
This columbine game does not appear to be a team on team game, where the mentality is to 'win a game', but to retell a story and to make you feel how the character you're playing felt (the point of most RPG games) and to give you a perspective of what happened that day. Because of this, it makes most people uncomfortable.
Think of it like this. What if you played a normal student in columbine and not one of the killers? You only had some limited punch/kick/run/hide skills. Your choices are open, but you basically can try to escape the school or attack the killers. Would that be as objectionable? probably less commotion, but still plenty of people saying you're trying to capitalize on a tragedy.
How about if, there was a multiplayer option of two teams, like counter-strike, killers vs students. Students have to escape and killers have to prevent the escape. I would wager you see more objection than the previous idea, but still a fair number of people who do not mind playing on the 'killer' team, because it becomes a competition and not a idealogical support position.
Finally, you have the current game. You play the killers only, but get a good amount of detail of the event of that day. The gamer is interested in the historical context, but when it comes to the shootings of the students, the gamer has been setup to feel like they're the killer but most people don't like the idea of murdering people. Particularly people with names and faces you might associate with, opposed to faceless scientist hostages or security officers.
As it sounds, the game does a good job making you feel 'in the moment', but it shouldn't be a surprise to see people not feel comfortable 'pulling the trigger' because, unlike the movie Elephant, a game is to make you feel like you're pulling the trigger, and not the character on the screen, even if you emphasis with them.
Cheers,
Fozzy
My childhood started at the end of the He-Man/Transformers/GI Joe time and moved into the Ghostbusters era. My best record, when I was a kid, was probably watching the first movie 3 times in a row. It's still one of the first movies I buy on any new format I own (VHS, DVD, PSP)
Cheers,
Fozzy
Fixed the link.
I'd have to agree. There's plenty people could do, just using Notepad or Wordpad and some proper tab spacing (heck, sometimes, it would make it easier than dealing with Words formating bugs).
That being said, I hear the new 2007 interface is much better designed for professional layout and design. I'd be interested in trying it, but I've believed for a long time that MS products are superiorly over priced, particularly for what you get. I don't deal with publishing (at least not outside of a website), so there's no reason for me to upgrade.
Cheers,
Fozzy
A bigger *gasp* would be buying a CD and getting a rootkit on your computer. I'll stick to iTunes. =) If I want to put them somewhere else besides my iPod, I'll burn them to a CD and rip them again (sure, it'll be a waste of a few inexpensive CD's and some time). But, if I get a different MP3 player than my iPod, I'll switch music stores as well.
Cheers,
Fozzy
Thanks,
I was going to mention this as well, but I read it in (I think) a Men's Health magazine, though, it was a long time ago (and I've not had a subscription in equally long). Though, I'm sure you'll find it crop up every year or so, since most stuff in such magazines are often repeated (there's only so many ways one can exercise a muscle).
Cheers,
Fozzy
I guess you must be too young to remember all the 'classic' games published by Disney, such as...
These games where well received by critics and sold very well, besides all the fond memories they bring back. =) There was also a Gargoyles video game some time ago, and I only vaguely recall enjoying it, and it had some interesting game play, but I cannot recall if it sold well.
Of course, people just hear 'Disney' and think 'kids' and probably expect lame, cheesy, and easy games, however, once upon a time, they had some pretty good fanfare and even set the bar for some game play. Though, having to keep it 'kid friendly', I would expect an MMO to be like Disney's other MMO ToonTown Online, where the only chatting you can do is with pre-selected text, which would probably keep out plenty of people. However, I suspect that they might go for the 14-18 crowd, so chatting will be a normal thing, but game play will be a little bit easier or less 'grinding' and more social interaction.
Cheers,
Fozzy
Ditto... if I owned a 360. =( When's the Wii version launch?. =)
Sony's hardware isn't all that bad. I just got a class action letter in the mail stating I can get my Sony DVD player fixed at their cost for the infamous C:13:00 error... or a $40 coupon for another Sony player.
I'm debating on getting that DVD player fixed. It was a nice unit, of course, until it broke a year later (just after the warranty coincidently).
Cheers,
Fozzy
Yup, I downloaded it last night. I can see it being more fun with others, but it's pretty crappy even by most action RPG standards. It reminds me a lot of Gauntlet, right down to monster generators.
Cheers,
Fozzy
I've seen a Wal-Mart selling a 2000 point card for $21.99. I scawfed at thinking they're that stupid. At least other stores sell them for $19.99.
Cheers,
Fozzy
Well, i've never heard of Dungeon Explorer or Soldier Blade, but DE seems like an interesting game, I might download that one. However, I'm still waiting for my Baseball Stars and Tecmo Super Bowl. =) I already got my Toe Jam and Earl, but I'm still crossing my fingers for Metal Warriors and waiting for Super Mario World (SNES).
Boy, Nintendo is surely making a killing on these (expensive) download games ($5-10 for what? Converting a ROM?)
Cheers,
Fozzy
A pretty straight forward idea, but even before the PS3 was shipped it was already mentioned it would be next to impossible to 'remove' the Blu-Ray once it's there. Why? Size and HD support. Games are already made. You cannot go back and 'downgrade' the system and think these games will still play the same or that the developer will go back and modify the game to work on a normal DVD media. They'd just shoot themselves in the foot to do that. Of course, they could just put games on 5-6 DVD's and have you install them (ala PC gaming), but still you'll be loosing that HD support and that's half of the marketing reason to buy the system.
Cheers,
Fozzy
Hmm... interesting thing about 'Free Speech' is that it's name is often misconstrued. Free speech often implies that you can say anything or do (in a creative context) anything you want, which is not true. You are not allowed to lie or make false statements verbally or on paper. That's slander and libel.
Wikipedia's Free Speech has an intersting introduction paragraph where they talk about where freedom of speech comes from and how it's implemented. To summarize, 'free speech' was a 'ideal' that was created long ago and adopted and modified by a variety of governments. Each governments laws are different on Free Speech but they're all based on the original ideal. Specifically, each society has different beliefs on what one can say when dealing with propaganda, hate speech, obscenity, and defamation laws.
The best metaphore I can think of is this... Free Speech is a lot like Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You have the 'ideal' standard of what CSS should be, but none of the major web browsers support this idea, and instead only implement some or most of the standards. Each browser chooses to implement the standard independently of other browsers and therefor have inconsistent implementations of the standard. Some things work on some browsers, while others don't. So, even if you design a website following the CSS standard exactly, you might be disappointed to find that it might not work on everyone's browsers, and in some cases, even the smallest lack of support can cause huge problems in the rendering of your design.
While 'Free Speech' is an ideal, much like the CSS standard, it is not implemented the same in every country and some countries sorely lack support. (it would be fun to hear what people think what country is which browser, hehe) While it would be nice to just claim that you can say anything you want under free speech, that is just not true. You have to abide by the laws or your land or work to change them. When you go from your land to another land, you have to abide by their laws. You also have to make sure you freedom of speech does not violate someone else's freedom.
Now, regarding a Columbine game. I just read over a review from one of the Columbine students about the game. All I can say is simple, it appears freedom of speech is working just fine. After all, it's like you said...
Which is exactly what the game festival did. The game festival (as an entity) decided they didn't want to view it any longer and stopped. It's not preventing anyone else from getting their hands on it and it's still available off their website, they just made a decision that it's not in their own best interest. It's not being censored because it's still available in the public domain. It's just no longer available through that private organization, which is the right of that organization.
True, freedom of speech lets you say
As long as it's nothing like Drag-on Ball Z in terms of 'content', then I'd be happy. It's like my mothers soap operas... Watch once every couple of weeks and you'll know all you need to know.
Cheers,
Fozzy
First, I can say, I don't think there's a specific 'law', so to speak, but there is a common policy and campaign for the exact thing. Most stores will show employees a video and have signs that say "under 2x, we card", kind of thing.
Second, adults care a lot about being carded when they're obviously old. Speaking from experience as both a cashier, manager, and customer, I've seen some adults get very verbally abusive on some poor high school girl who asked for id, some to the point where you fear a physical confrontation. While there's a lot of others (probably a minority though) will often complain and even complain to management about being carded.
It's simply not true that 'adults' don't care. There are plenty of people out there who feel they've somehow earned their due to quickly purchase restricted items without hassle. Kind of like getting asked to show your receipt when leaving a Best Buy or something. It just annoys a lot of people. Ironically enough, when someone does turn 21 (in the US for alcohol), they want to be carded as some sort of right-of-passage... but the novelty soon wears off.
Cheers,
Fozzy
I find that interesting, as this is exactly what both my friend (who got his hands on 4 PS3's, 2 of each kind) told me. He sold one for $1,500 (60gb) and one for $800 (20gb) and he couldn't sell the other two, which he returned to the store. He said there was just too many scams and shams going on with try to sell them and they just got sick of it.
Also, my local Gamestop manager chatted with me saying they where selling PS3's relatively slowly. It could take up to 2 days to sell the stock of PS3's. Three weeks later, after the holiday's, I was in the store again and they're telling a customer they have no DS or Wii's and they cannot save Wii's over the phone. Also, that once someone calls on the phone for a Wii, the people in the store usually over hear them saying they have Wii's in stock and proceed to purchase them, before the guy one the phone can make it to the store.
It was certainly an interesting year. I look forward to 2007. But saying that, I've not taken my Wii out of the box for the last week. (hauling it all over for the holidays) I'm playing Baulders Gate on the PS2 and Guild Wars on my gaming PC. Too much to do and too little time. I guess once the Wii gets online RPG games, I'll be playing that. Until then, it basically waits for a party to play some sports and Raymond.
Cheers,
Fozzy
This post needs more mod points! It's funny... because it's true. =)
Cheers,
Fozzy