I know I'm coming in a bit late, but I just have one quick point to make.
There are only three real sorts of power, and one of them is more real than the others.
The first is physical strength. All other sorts of power come from this. Security, police, etc... all come from the physical strength of one invidual over another. That's why you have to lock people up when they go to jail, because of physical power. But this is only a restrictive power. You keep people from doing things they want to. You cannot physically force someone to do something they don't want to.
The second, and less real, is psychological power. And even that holds some of its roots in physical power. This is an active power. You can convince someone, or threaten someone into doing something they don't want to.
The third, and least real, is social power. The ability to turn people against each other is one of the strongest powers, but holds absolutely no grounds without other people. It is set entirely in the mind of the inidividuals.
So rely entirely on the "A wizard did it" mentality, and don't even try to explain anything? That's pure laziness. It would be entirely possible to fabricate decent explanations for a sci-fi MMO, but they're either too lazy to do it, or fear the repercussions of doing it wrong. I've read some damn good sci-fi that properly explained why the engine works the way it does. Of course it requires suspension of disbelief, but you're playing a video game. You're already suspending your disbelief just by pretending that you're someone that you aren't.
While true, there are a few semi-original fantasy stores that have cropped up lately. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin was particularly well-written, and while there are some of the "same-old, same-old" fantasy elements, Martin creates his own world and does his own thing with it. No generic orcs & elves & trolls. In fact, the actual fantastic elements of the book boil down to one not-so original animal (I won't spoil it for any who intend to read it, but haven't), and some magic. But even the magic is highly doubted by the characters of the book. So not all fantasy series are cliched and overdone.
Finally, we Canadians win some recognition where it is due. >.>
Frankly, I'm too lazy to download music. If I really want a CD, I'll buy it, or bug my friend's to see if they have it, and maybe do a music swap. Which of course includes ripping it to my computer.
You still use the end task button? That thing does about as much good for closing a failing program as a banana does for solving world peace. I always use end process. Always.
Interactiviy = good ads? Where did they get this from? When's the last time you punched that monkey? Or zapped the target? With those kind of ads, it just means they'll be more pervasive and invasive. There's a reason I have adblock. It's so I don't have to watch your crappy ads. Bah.
Let me rephrase. I don't mind a story, and I have often enjoyed it (Skies of Arcadia, Tales of Symphonia, etc..) But when that story (and to a greater extent, graphics) gets in the way of developping decent gameplay, then I have a problem.
No. I only own FF I&2:DoS, which contains FFI (no story), FFII (odd story). I also own FFIV (haven't finished it). Oh, and FFTA. I've played parts of VII and X, and frankly, those two games were severely lacking in decent gameplay.
Like what mash said, you need good gameplay. Without it, you have nothing. I would much rather play a 2 hour game with great gameplay and no story, than a 5 hour game with piss-poor gameplay and an amazing story. Half the time I end up skipping the story anyways. I want to play, not watch a damn movie or read a book.
Not in Canada. There is no legal right to property. In our oh so wonderful (read: unnecessary) Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, nowhere does it guarnetee the right to own anything. Go figure.
Am I the only person here who uses pre-paid phone cards? It cuts out the hassle of dealing with the phone company (aside from that pain in the butt voice-activated service that I need to use to punch in the code of my phone card) and frankly, I just don't use my phone that often. I paid full price for my cell phone (80 bucks maybe, as it does only acts as a telephone, not a web browser or a camera or an mp3 player, etc...), and I spend maybe 10 bucks a month on phone cards.
Am I getting gypped on my 30 c / minute rate? Of course I am. But if I ever get sick of my phone, or the company, or whatever, I know that at most, I'll be losing the 10-20 bucks left on my card. Take out the middle man, and save yourself a whole load of crap.
Not to mention that there are actual games out for it. You could go buy yourself a PSP, and play the limited selection of PSP only games, as well as the PSP port games, or you could go buy yourself a DS, and choose from a much wider selection. And then there's the curiosity factor, the "oooh, pretty" factor, and the cost factor. It's moments like this that makes me glad that Nintendo lost the huge market share. Now they have to actually do something to make money.
So? Just because Nintendo has had a number of games directed towards the young gamer demographic doesn't mean that they're a kiddie console. That's like saying a Windows computer is kiddie (compared to a Linux box) because it has some childish games. Or saying that the Mac is a kiddie system because of all the pretty graphics. The fact is, some childish games (Spongebob) or games with "kiddie graphics" (Wind Waker) happen to sell well. Nintendo is merely targeting a different section of the market. You have the option to buy them or not.
I think they are trying to define a space for themselves.
It's true. All Nintendo wants to do is ensure that they don't go out of business. They realize that they don't have the resources that MS and Sony have to throw around in research and development. Since both of those will probably out power (statistically) anything Nintendo can through, they're taking the third road, not compete. By flat out removing themselves from the competition, they stay alive. They're attempting to cater to a different brand of gamers, the "casual", and the "classic". With the innovations, they're going to get people who are otherwise afraid of the scary controllers of the Cube, Box, and PS2. And by bringing in the backwards compatibility, they're keeping the die-hard gamers who want their Super Mario Bros. 3. And of course there's the sales they'll get just by being Nintendo. They're not trying to be different, they have to be different.
Slashdot Mirror
I know I'm coming in a bit late, but I just have one quick point to make.
There are only three real sorts of power, and one of them is more real than the others.
The first is physical strength. All other sorts of power come from this. Security, police, etc... all come from the physical strength of one invidual over another. That's why you have to lock people up when they go to jail, because of physical power. But this is only a restrictive power. You keep people from doing things they want to. You cannot physically force someone to do something they don't want to. The second, and less real, is psychological power. And even that holds some of its roots in physical power. This is an active power. You can convince someone, or threaten someone into doing something they don't want to. The third, and least real, is social power. The ability to turn people against each other is one of the strongest powers, but holds absolutely no grounds without other people. It is set entirely in the mind of the inidividuals.
Goldeneye. Kthx.
So rely entirely on the "A wizard did it" mentality, and don't even try to explain anything? That's pure laziness. It would be entirely possible to fabricate decent explanations for a sci-fi MMO, but they're either too lazy to do it, or fear the repercussions of doing it wrong. I've read some damn good sci-fi that properly explained why the engine works the way it does. Of course it requires suspension of disbelief, but you're playing a video game. You're already suspending your disbelief just by pretending that you're someone that you aren't.
While true, there are a few semi-original fantasy stores that have cropped up lately. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin was particularly well-written, and while there are some of the "same-old, same-old" fantasy elements, Martin creates his own world and does his own thing with it. No generic orcs & elves & trolls. In fact, the actual fantastic elements of the book boil down to one not-so original animal (I won't spoil it for any who intend to read it, but haven't), and some magic. But even the magic is highly doubted by the characters of the book. So not all fantasy series are cliched and overdone.
Well, if we must be picky, it's goatse.cx
Finally, we Canadians win some recognition where it is due. >.>
Frankly, I'm too lazy to download music. If I really want a CD, I'll buy it, or bug my friend's to see if they have it, and maybe do a music swap. Which of course includes ripping it to my computer.
You still use the end task button? That thing does about as much good for closing a failing program as a banana does for solving world peace. I always use end process. Always.
What about budget? If they spend all their cash on the graphics, then gameplay is going to suffer.
Interactiviy = good ads? Where did they get this from? When's the last time you punched that monkey? Or zapped the target? With those kind of ads, it just means they'll be more pervasive and invasive. There's a reason I have adblock. It's so I don't have to watch your crappy ads. Bah.
Let me rephrase. I don't mind a story, and I have often enjoyed it (Skies of Arcadia, Tales of Symphonia, etc..) But when that story (and to a greater extent, graphics) gets in the way of developping decent gameplay, then I have a problem.
Then you should listen to (Nothing But) Flowers by Talking Heads.
No. I only own FF I&2:DoS, which contains FFI (no story), FFII (odd story). I also own FFIV (haven't finished it). Oh, and FFTA. I've played parts of VII and X, and frankly, those two games were severely lacking in decent gameplay.
Well maybe if they spent less time working on the story, they could've actually done something with the gameplay.
Like what mash said, you need good gameplay. Without it, you have nothing. I would much rather play a 2 hour game with great gameplay and no story, than a 5 hour game with piss-poor gameplay and an amazing story. Half the time I end up skipping the story anyways. I want to play, not watch a damn movie or read a book.
Am I the only person here who uses pre-paid phone cards? It cuts out the hassle of dealing with the phone company (aside from that pain in the butt voice-activated service that I need to use to punch in the code of my phone card) and frankly, I just don't use my phone that often. I paid full price for my cell phone (80 bucks maybe, as it does only acts as a telephone, not a web browser or a camera or an mp3 player, etc...), and I spend maybe 10 bucks a month on phone cards.
Am I getting gypped on my 30 c / minute rate? Of course I am. But if I ever get sick of my phone, or the company, or whatever, I know that at most, I'll be losing the 10-20 bucks left on my card. Take out the middle man, and save yourself a whole load of crap.
Not to mention that there are actual games out for it. You could go buy yourself a PSP, and play the limited selection of PSP only games, as well as the PSP port games, or you could go buy yourself a DS, and choose from a much wider selection. And then there's the curiosity factor, the "oooh, pretty" factor, and the cost factor. It's moments like this that makes me glad that Nintendo lost the huge market share. Now they have to actually do something to make money.
It's true. And any child who's smart enough to unlock it on his own is probably smart enough to get access other porn.
So? Just because Nintendo has had a number of games directed towards the young gamer demographic doesn't mean that they're a kiddie console. That's like saying a Windows computer is kiddie (compared to a Linux box) because it has some childish games. Or saying that the Mac is a kiddie system because of all the pretty graphics. The fact is, some childish games (Spongebob) or games with "kiddie graphics" (Wind Waker) happen to sell well. Nintendo is merely targeting a different section of the market. You have the option to buy them or not.
It would be a DS cart, with a GBA RAM cart.
But when would this actually be useful?
It's true. All Nintendo wants to do is ensure that they don't go out of business. They realize that they don't have the resources that MS and Sony have to throw around in research and development. Since both of those will probably out power (statistically) anything Nintendo can through, they're taking the third road, not compete. By flat out removing themselves from the competition, they stay alive. They're attempting to cater to a different brand of gamers, the "casual", and the "classic". With the innovations, they're going to get people who are otherwise afraid of the scary controllers of the Cube, Box, and PS2. And by bringing in the backwards compatibility, they're keeping the die-hard gamers who want their Super Mario Bros. 3. And of course there's the sales they'll get just by being Nintendo. They're not trying to be different, they have to be different.
Excuse my ignorance, but the hell is so special about 1080i?
Ah. Merci beaucoup, mon ami. (ma amie, si tu es une femme) Let no one say that my french is sexist.
Where'd you get that from?