mikeszekely

As far as I know, it's all Wal-Marts, and I don't know anything about Best Buy being involved. It was supposed to be be Wal-Mart's pre-Black Friday Friday, so it might not even apply tomorrow even if you did have some in stock. I do know that a friend of mine and I went around 2:00 to a pretty well-shopped Wal-Mart, and they still had some. The trick was they didn't have them out anywhere obvious, you had to ask specifically for them. EDIT: Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, I was at a CD Warehouse the other day (it's this place that sells used games, movies, and CDs, I think we only have them in PA) and I snagged Transformers for $15, even though I didn't have an HD-DVD player. Then I lucked out and found a used 360 HD-DVD player at my local Gamestop. Traded in some games I'd finished, and I wound up paying just $26 out of pocket. Good times.

Not too shabby, but I've been so happy with my G1 Decepticon theme and Megatron gamer pic that I haven't bothered to change them, even though I bought the Autobot one too. I love Bioware's games, but I honestly couldn't see myself digging a Mass Effect theme or pics better than Transformers, or one of the Penny Arcade pics. I don't watch "making of" DVDs ever, and as great as their games have been, I've never really been impressed with the soundtracks to their games. Artbooks are always cool, but I have a tendency to look at them a few times then shelve them. In fact, I imported the Rockman Perfect Memory book, but I can't remember the last time I looked at it. So, I guess the biggest draw is the guide. I already read the prequel novel, though, so I guess I'm okay enough with the setting that I can pick the rest up with the game. It sounds like a pretty solid package, especially if you like the soundtrack and "making of" DVD more than I would, but I think I'm definitely set on the regular edition. Gotta save some money for Rock Band, after all.

I believe that there's an option in the settings mode that will reformat the system's memory, back to a factory default. AFAIK, the Virtual Console stuff is hardware-specific. If you save the data to an SD card, I know for a fact that it's no no go on another Wii console. If the hardware ID is static, then you can format the Wii, then copy the VC data back from the SD card (you can't actually play games directly from the SD card, something about Nintendo not wanting you to fill the Wii with every game you ever bought), then it might work. Then again, the Wii might randomly generate hardware ID like Friend Codes (or the Friend Code is the hardware ID). I know that Nintendo says that if you download something and delete it, you can re-download it. It wouldn't make much sense to format the Wii back to a factory state, only to have people downloading all the stuff you paid for before you sold it for free. If that's the case, format the Wii, and the games would be gone for good, even if you saved them to an SD card.

I think a lot of us are finding our infatuations with the Wii waning. It's shaping up to be a lot like the Gamecube... top tier first party software, crap third party software.

What's all in it? I was trying to read about the different versions they're releasing in different territories on Kotaku, and it gave me a headache. I think I'm just going to get the regular one (even though the collector's version of Jade Empire turned out to be really worth it), because I think $60 is the most I'll pay for a game unless I'm getting a guitar with it.

1.) I had a black Hot Wheels Countach. I thought it looked so cool that when I played with my Hot Wheels, I insisted on using the Countach for KITT rather than a Trans Am. 2.) I think you'll like it, if you liked the first one, although the story is getting incomprehensible even by Megaman standards. I kinda think that all the different forms are making me long for a return to the Zero series. 3.) I'm not sure they advertise the HDMI on the front, but the back.

I don't remember what plane I used, maybe the F-15, but whatever I used, I didn't think that mission was too bad. The tunnels were fairly short and straight. I wasn't nearly as bad as the second to last mission in Ace Combat 5.

Ace Combat, fighter jets, Mega Man, DoA, and now the Countach... we weren't separated at birth, were we? You're more like me than my actual brother. And yeah, I know, it's always the truly expensive cars that have the really unique looks... in addition to Lamborghinis I also kind of like the Aston Martin Vanquish, and last I looked, that's in the same price range as the Murcielago. On the other hand, I'd love to own a '99 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4. They were under $40k to begin with; I could probably get one under $10k now. I'd probably still clean it up and only drive it on sunny Sunday afternoons like it was a Lamborghini, though. Is it that obvious?

I agree in the sense that I'd rather have a better game than a quicker one. I just wish someone else could step up and deliver a real system seller. I mean, Ratchet & Clank is a great game that I'm glad I can enjoy as a PS3 owner, but I'm not sure it justified my purchase, and I don't think it's going to move systems.

Ditto. I've preferred Lamborghini to Ferrari ever since I had my first Countach Hot Wheels when I was three or four. And, although I get the feeling I'm a minority, the Countach is still my favorite Lamborghini. Sure, just about every Lamborghini since outperformed it, but very few cars are so visually striking.

Well, I called it (on page 19 of this very thread). MGS4 delayed to Q2 2008. Yeah, that might only mean a month, but somehow I imagine them finishing around June, then deciding to sit on it until October to save it for the holiday rush.

I wasn't real wowed with the track list. Slightly better than II, but nowhere near as awesome as the original.

SDK summed it up nicely. The worst Ace Combat (well, maybe not the original) is better than the best any other console flight game has to offer. We were just hoping that the first next-gen Ace Combat would be one of the best Ace Combat games, and what we got a great game that was just mediocre as far as Ace Combats go.

I remember on my friend's laptop, we determined that it was a pain in the ass to even do something as simple as change the CMOS. (Lucky for me, it looks like it's probably under the batter in my MacBook.) Laptops really are a pain. Even a "simple" laptop procedure can be a pain. Like with my MacBook, the hard drive is supposed to be easy to replace... but once I removed the battery and the RAM cover and slid the hard drive out, there was a ESD shield that helped protect the drive and make sure it slides in right... and Apple neglected to mention you need a Torx screwdriver to get it off and put it on the new drive.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about Forza/Gran Turismo. Both games have an amazing attention to realism, but Forza is just more fun. Maybe because when you do an event, you actually win a decent car instead of a mid 80's Corolla. And I agree on PRG, too. I played the first PGR on the Xbox, and I couldn't stand it, but I borrowed PRG3 from a friend when the 360 launched and thought it was kind of fun. You even got an Achievement for collecting all the Lamborghinis.

Nice!

I think the fact that you grew up playing them does have a lot to do with it. I grew up playing Megaman, so I can pick up and breeze through just about any of them, but a lot of my friends think they're lucky if they can even make it to a Robot Master. In fact, I remember when the Megaman X Collection came out when I was working at Gamestop, I was playing it at work with an employee who was actually a Megaman fan, and even he was impressed with how I collected some of the heart tanks. I never owned any of the old-school Castlevanias myself, but I rented I and III a couple of times. I liked them OK, but I definitely prefer the new "Metroidvanias." Speaking of which, Iga's supposed to announce a new one for the DS soon...

You can try taking it to a local mom & pop style computer store. I know all the ones around me do repairs, even on notebooks. Or, you could see if Toshiba can repair it. Unfortunately, both of those options are usually very expensive. A friend of mine had a problem with an $3000 HP desktop replacement-style notebook he had been given as a gift just over the warranty period, and it was so expensive to repair that he seriously considered removing the processor and building a new desktop around it. Then again, my MacBook was one of the first batch that had that random shutdown issue as well, and according to the work order, it would have been around $300 to fix, which I guess isn't too bad (luckily, my MacBook was in its warranty period). The other option, if you're sure it's the fan (although I wouldn't be, as it sounds a lot like the problem my MacBook had, and if I remember correctly they replaced the heatsink and a wire, then issues a firmware update to allow the fans to spin faster), would be to buy the part(s) you need and try to repair it yourself. Lots of places sell parts for laptops; I found this site relatively quickly. The problem with this option, though, is that working on laptops is a lot more complicated than opening up a desktop tower and poking around inside. As konimon mentioned earlier, sometimes even replacing a laptop's hard drive is a chore. While laptops often have little hatches or doors that let you get to the RAM, getting actually inside to the mother board often involves removing the screen and keyboard first. If you're comfortable taking electronics apart, you'll save a lot of money, but if you're at all unsure of what you're doing, get a pro to do it or pick up that sledgehammer. Incidentally, the differences between laptops and desktops are why I go with Mac laptops and Windows desktops. I like to poke around inside a desktop, replacing parts and servicing them myself as needed, and I like the uniqueness that comes with building your own, but (unless you count Hackintoshes) you're stuck with Windows, Linux, or one of the other Unix derivatives (and while I have a healthy respect for Linux, lack of unified standards make adding new software a chore). But aside from upping the RAM or replacing the hard drive, you're usually stuck with a laptop the way you bought it, and since it's better to have pros work on them, I buy Macs and take them to the Genius Bar if they have problems.

I'm going with Nyoron too. Bad subs suck, but not as much as some subbers stubborn insistence on using mkv files. Avi files play on my DVD player, so I'm stuck going with whoever releases avis. They did release a second version of episode 3 that was much better, so maybe...

I didn't buy any version, I was given the PS2 version. And why not? I had the first two, plus Rocks the 80's, on the PS2, and two guitars for the PS2. I only recently found a cheap used copy of the second one for the 360. I digress. The whammy bar does give the notes the wavy effect, but in the previous two, when you hit a star power note and hit the whammy bar, it would add extra star power to your meter. This time, it makes the note wave, but there's no change in the star power meter. Anyway, I may buy Guitar Hero III for the 360 later (I want the Les Paul), but I'll wait until the used ones show up in the spring or summer. For now, I'm saving my cash for Rock Band.

OK, I got a copy of Guitar Hero III on the PS2 (might spring for the 360 version down the line, might not). I've had a change to play a lot of it. Quick and dirty, I'll say this much: Pros: -Gameplay is the same as the first two. -You can get cash and encores on easy. Not a biggie for me, but good for people just starting out. -Animated cutscenes between venues kind of create a fun story. -Though rare, the boss battles are kind of neat and fun. -New multiplier HUD looks good, and provides info about your note streak. Cons: -New character models are fugly. -The stuff in the shop seems less interesting. -It's the game engine that Harmonix built, but the soul is gone. -A distracting message about your note streak will pop up from time to time. - New Star Power Meter sucks. -Whammy bar doesn't seem to give you Star Power on the long notes anymore. Neither pro nor con: -Set list, like Guitar Hero II, just isn't as good as the original. Now, it seems unfair to compare a game I've almost completed with a demo, but I'm going to do it anyway. I had the opportunity to play Rock Band over th weekend. I played the guitar, my wife played the drums, and we did "Wanted Dead or Alive." Can't comment on the drums, since my wife was playing, except to say that it looks a lot like playing the guitar... you hit the correct drum when the corresponding color hits the bottom of the screen. As for the guitar, well, the Fender Strat controller is bigger and looks/feels more like a real guitar than the Gibson SG for PS2 or the Xplorer for the 360. The interface was a lot cleaner, too, with a glossy black board instead of kiddie drawings like the ones in the Guitar Hero games. Notes are little rectangles instead of circles. It plays pretty much like Guitar Hero, giving the overall feeling of a more mature, grown-up Guitar Hero. If you like previous Guitar Heroes, you'll like Guitar Hero III, but you'll love Rock Band.

Back when games were made for standard definition, yeah. A lot of newer games are made for HD first, and scaled down for SD. Dead Rising was notorious for being hard to read without a big HDTV.

I bought a PSP for X. I loved it. But I don't think a lot of people have played it here.

Whether you like Forza or not depends on how much realism you like in your racing games. Personally, I like Forza better than Gran Turismo, but if you hated Gran Turismo, you probably won't like Forza. Ultimate Alliance is a blast. It's like a brawler with some RPG elements. If you've ever played X-Men Legends, you know what to expect.

If the version we got of Ace Combat 3 would have been the original, and had the Japanese version not existed, Ace Combat 3 would have been held in higher regard across the board. It was still a solid game with great missions and tight gameplay. It gets a bad rap for being the worst in the series just because the Japanese version was better. I didn't know beans about the Japanese version when I first played it, and I loved it. I was actually disappointed the first time I played 4 because 4 was shorter and had less variety in the missions. Knowing what I do now, do I wish that our version of 3 could have been as great as the Japanese version? Of course I do. But I'm not going to suddenly say that a game I loved was crap just because the Japanese version was better.