mikeszekely

...provided you have a free HDMI spot. Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, I just don't give two turds anymore. I have a 52" widescreen TV that goes up to 1080i, and I have absolutely no intention of buying any HD disc player until the powers that be stop trying to screw consumers and understand that they're not bringing in the profits they want because they're shoveling out garbage like Bloodrayne or yet another remake of an Asian horror flick that people just aren't willing to pay for, not because people are making crappy analog transfers via component video.

E-cap (S) are just to buy upgrades. Not a huge deal. E-cap (L) are needed to make new Mobile Suits. It'll be awhile yet before you get a chance to make a new Mobile Suit. Me, personally, I just made a Gelgoog, and eventually broke down and sold my original Zaku I, Zaku II, and GM. The Gelgoog is only about halfway upgraded, and it's already nearly double the power of my second best Mobile Suit (a fully upgraded GM Command, with Dom legs). *EDIT* Oh, yeah, almost forgot to mention. It does get a LOT harder. Some levels they'll try to wear you down through attrition. But wait until you fight the Xamel. That was a hell of a fight.

Okay, you guys are missing out. I'm about 4 hours into it already. The story is... functional, I suppose. It's no Shin Megami Tensei or Final Fantasy, but it serves the purpose of telling you why you're doing what you're doing and where to go next. And yes, I was as put off by the SD look as the next fan, but once you get used to it, it fits the game. The combat is a simple turn-based affair that works well for a game about driving giant robots. What really has me hooked though is the way you change parts and equip your mobile suits. I'd give you more details, but frankly, I'd rather be playing the game than talking about it. Ciao for now, I'm off to try and jam Dom leg parts onto my GM.

Okay, MS Saga is out now. Anyone pick it up? The reviews have run the gamut from less than good to not quite great. But as a Gundam fan, I figure there's gotta be something in there for me (and hopefully that something will be a Nu Gundam, the one mobile suit I always regretted never found it's way into a Vs. game).

I think, initially, more people used the PS2 for a DVD player than today. Back then, DVDs were new and players expensive. I know I bought my first DVD because my PS2 could play it. I bought a stand-alone player shortly thereafter, though. And today, you can buy an el-generico player at Wal-Mart for, what, $25?

Oh, I know! I watch Kannazuki no Miko a few months ago. Craptastic! And Girls Bravo, while not totally sucking, was underwhelming.

20 million is a lot closer to 50 million than 100 million. I doubt that I am. Again, sure, some people might still be on their first. They are not the norm, and counter the people who have bought more than two. And I'll tell you right now, I don't personally know anyone on their first. Most of the people I know are on their second. But one of my friends is unlucky enough to be on his fourth. A store doesn't actually have to deal with a defective return. The majority of the problematic PS2s go bad well after the warranty and any return policies have expired. This is why I said it would be hard to get accurate data. How many people who, upon the death of their PS2 say, two years after they bought it, simply throw it in the trash and buy a new one? It's about what goes out, not what comes back. We already know that, worldwide, 100 million units have gone out. When the second -most common call (after "Do you have any Xbox 360s?") is "Do you fix PS2s?", it's not hard to imagine that half of them were bought by people replacing failed units. For the record, we do get the occasional "Do you fix Xboxes?", but I've never head anyone ask if we fix Gamecubes. It's irrelevant. We're all working from personal experience. You're on what, your first? Second? You've heard enough about it to know it happens, but to your experience, what I'm saying strikes you as outlandish. I can't convince you that the problem is more epidemic than you think. But I deal with what I deal with. Maybe I just see the worst of it, but I do believe that the problem was less shoddy manufacturing and more a design defect. But bear in mind that that's what I currently have. If I get to count all the stuff I used to have, I don't think my PS2, Xbox, or 360 collections would change much, as I haven't really gotten rid of any of those, but I sold off all but one Cube game, half my PSP and DS collections, almost my entire Dreamcast collection, then my entire N64, SNES, NES, and pre-Advance Gameboy collections. And I could go back further... I had a Magnavox Odyssey, a Commodore 64, and an Atari 800XL. I just have no idea whatever became of those.

I just love how, everytime I say anything even remotely against Sony, I'm labeled a fanboy. A quick rundown of my collection? As of Tuesday, 2-21-06 Console - # of games owned PlayStation 2 - 161 Dreamcast - 12 PC - 25 PSone - 35 Gamecube - 1 GBA - 25 Xbox - 21 Xbox 360 - 11 PSP - 4 Nintendo DS - 5 (I sold off all my old NES, SNES, and N64 stuff. Actually, I'd sold off my Dreamcast, and I've only recently been re-collecting it). By the numbers, a lot of people might think I am a fanboy... FOR Sony. Simple fact is, I'm just a gamer, with no particular brand alleigance (well, maybe Capcom). I tend to collect systems, and buy the games that interest me reguardless of platform. And the fact that I own so many more PS2 games than anything else speaks the simple truth that no one can really deny... the PS2 has the most games. And it is the sheer volume of games that I want or have wanted to play that prompted me to buy a second PlayStation 2 why my launch-day unit stopped reading CD-ROMs. You're right, I don't have any numbers. I suspect that accurate numbers on just how many PS2s have gone bad would be difficult to obtain. But frankly, I don't see any real need to convice either you or Gaijin. I know what I see, and as I said before, I find it hard to believe that the problem is confined to my district. And because of what I see, I am of the opinion that the PS2 either suffered from a design defect, or was simply a shoddy product, and that customers buying replacements has greatly contributed to the PS2's incredible sales lead over its competitors. (I'm not the only one, either... Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame had some infamous things to say about the matter a few years back). That's not going to stop me from picking up MS Saga for it tomorrow, of course.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Sorry, it was late when I typed that, and I left out a few zeroes. The point I was trying to make is that if you halve the number of PS2 consoles sold, it's still number one, but realistically closer to the 20,000,000 or so units of Xboxes and Gamecubes out there. I don't deny that. But stories of people on their first are also not the norm. That's why I'm estimating two per person. Myth? How about some facts from this video game store employee. Everyday I will get at least one phone call asking me if we repair PS2s. 90% of the PS2s I sell are replacements for ones that have died. I find it hard to believe that only the Gamestops in my district have issues with bad PS2s. No. I'm saying that the failure rate of the pre-slimline PS2s is much, much higher than that. I'm saying that Sony suffered a class-action lawsuit because something like three out of four, maybe even four out of five of the older style PS2s fail. As far as the slimlines go, the entire V12 run suffered from inadequate ventilation when laying horizontally. The V13 and V14 may turn out to be more reliable. Time will tell.

How do you know he's a witch? 372302[/snapback] Mob mentality? Um... bsu is a witch! Burn him!

Graham's a witch! Burn him! ... ...we are still rioting, right? No? Awww.... *puts Graham out*

Positive reception or not, I'm not a big fan of SEED in general. It picks up a bit near the end, but the first half to two thirds of the series is almost a straight copy of the original Gundam, only with bland characters and flashier mecha. But Destiny just sucked. They started off by introducing new main characters, which were slightly less irritating, and moving the original characters into tertiary roles, ala Zeta. (Speaking of ripping off Zeta, Shinn's relationship with Stellar is Camille's relationship with Four, right down to the Destroy/Psyco Gundam.) The plot advances by way of ALL the characters making stupid decisions and being stubborn a-holes to each other for awhile. Then, for no apparent reason, the original cast becomes the main characters again, and the new main characters development becomes largely wasted as none of them will ever again show the potential the story had been building up to as they are forced into the background. This leads to a climax that pretty much the same one as the first Gundam SEED, except that it seems like an even bigger waste the second time.

Because it's more like 50,000 users. From the customers I deal with, I would definately say that Sony has sold an average of two PS2s per customer (yes, I know that some of you are lucky enough to be on your first... but for every person who's on their first, there's someone on their third or even fourth). Mind you, 50,000 is still more than the Xbox or the Gamecube. And, as it's been said, it really comes down to games... there are more games on the PS2 than the Xbox or the Gamecube. And when the dust settles, I'm sure that Sony will come out on top again, but if they keep biting consumers in the ass with shoddy products and empty promises, while Microsoft builds Japanese support and Nintendo continues to innovate, Sony will find themselves winning by smaller margins. Sony must change their attitude and improve QC, or they will be unseated as top dog in the console industry. Maybe not today, maybe not by the 360 or Revolution. But it's going to happen.

And yet Wing still manages to be better than SEED Destiny. Ponder that one for awhile.

HG's a witch! Burn it!

Yeah, that's pretty much what we've been given to understand. It's not about how many Cell chips they can produce, it's about how fast Sony can connect it to an RSX and BD-ROM, shove it in a box, and ship them out. That's kinda why I don't really see the PS3 making it by September. Remember, the PS2 launched in Japan on 3-4, and then the States on 10-26. Even with that kind of gap, the launch games were some of the worst, and there were still shortages. Most of the "software" doesn't look close to completion yet, and Sony hasn't really given any indication that the PS3 will even launch in Japan anytime in the next few months. Unless they're shooting for a simultaneous launch, which I doubt, I'll predict that the final launch date and price won't be announced until E3, it'll launch in Summer of 2006 in Japan, have a projected November release date for the States, which will be delayed to March of 2007 ala PSP for the dual purpose of giving more time to American and European developers to get quality launch games out and to build up more supply for the American launch. But I'm just guessing.

I'm telling you what, igLoo is easily some of the best new Gundam material to come out in probably the last 10 years, hands down better than anything with the SEED name attached. The CGI looks good, and the story has been very entertaining, if lacking a little character development. I really hope igLoo gets an R1 release. In the mean time, it's just a shame that we have to wait until at least April before gg gets us any of the next story arc, Apocalypse 0079.

Sonuva... looks like I'll be buying another DS. Sneaky Nintendo bastards. Only got me to buy three GBAs, so they need to squeeze an extra DS out of me...

Well, I assumed that was a given. You have the first two? If you do, you have to get the 4th one as well. It doesn't really tie up ALL the loose ends, per se, but it does seem to be a strong end for the series. And I really do think it'll be the last MMZ, since Inticreates is doing Rockman ZX on the DS. But Obsidian is really all about using Bioware's old engines. Remember, Obsidian is a collection of previous Black Isle employees. They're the people who made Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale II with Bioware's Infinity Engine (Baldur's Gate). They're the people who made KOTOR II with the original KOTOR's engine. They're the people who are currently making Neverwinter Nights 2 with a modified Aurora engine from the original NWN. Hell, even Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II was made from someone else's premade engine. I think it's really the months early part that hurt KOTOR II. It wasn't just the scenes and scripts that were edited out. It was the bugs, glitches, and horrid load times. Still, like I said, it's kinda moot. I already have an Xbox 360. If Obsidian releases KOTOR III for it, I'm there.

Sometimes, it's uncanny how much you and I think alike, David. I mean, 1.) Agree, but I'm still approaching Legacy with something akin to cautious optimism. I've read a few articles and interviews with the developers, and they're hardcore Trekkies something fierce. They'll have their source material down, it's just a question of whether or not they can pull off the gameplay. And it's not just Excelsiors and Ambassadors... even though I wasn't big on Enterprise, the idea of starting with the NX-01 and ending with a Sovereign has me a little giddy. Hopefully, they'll include the Prometheus, too. 2.) I don't know that I'd go that far, since Obsidian left KOTOR II kind of a mixed bag, but since I have a 360, it's kind of moot, and I'd buy KOTOR 3 anyway. And here's hoping for another Jade Empire. 3.) It didn't hurt that, when I finally got a SNES, not only did it come with Super Mario World as a pack-in, but you could send away to get a free copy of Super Mario All-Stars... that way, I could play SMB3, which I enjoy almost as much as World. Later pack-ins, I understand, had All-Stars and World on one cart... 4.) ...which would be a really nice "freebie" on the virtual console, to get you started. So, agree again. Oh, and JB0, I'm going to have to agree with you too... I enjoy a good 3D platformer, like Ape Escape. I actually liked Sonic Adventure better than the old Genesis Sonics. But I couldn't get into Super Mario 64. It was a nice 3D platformer for the time, I suppose, but it didn't feel like Mario. Collecting starts to unlock new levels? Bullshit! And where's my fire flowers? Beanstalks? Hidden warps? Other franchises that I prefer to stay in 2D include Megaman, Castlevania, and dare I say it, Zelda.

The Nintendo 64? Mario 64 + Starfox 64 = win. 370283[/snapback] Was Starfox in the first year? I thought it came out later, with the expansion pack. Wait a minute! That's not on the list! It really works for you? It doesn't give you the "This game is not currently supported" message?

Well, at the risk of sounding nerdly (even in a thread about videogames on a board about a 20+ year old anime), I'm something of a Trekkie. That said, I'm really excited for Star Trek Legacy, but I can see where the rest of you might not be. I'm also going to keep my fingers crossed that Mass Effect comes out this year. I've never played a bad Bioware game... in fact, if you missed it the first time, pick up Jade Empire, and Xbox 1 game that plays well on 360, and a classic example of Bioware's awesomeness. Jade Empire was, hands down, my favorite game for the original Xbox. And supposedly Obsidian had two games in the works for the 360. I'd be willing to bet that one of them will be Knights of the Old Republic 3. If they can get that out this year, that'll be three games that are, to me at least, must haves. In the meantime, I'll definately be picking up Burnout Revenge (I avoided it for the current gen, so it'll be fresh to me), and I might check out The Outfit, which I'm hearing compared favorably with Mercenaries.

I thought that was still in contention.

Okay, I've tried several pictures of my wife (apparently she poses for the pictures, and I just take them, because I couldn't find more then three of me). Every time, Lucy Liu. Me, I couldn't get the celebrity twice, but some other intersting people I kinda look like include Ella Fitzgerald, Emma Watson, and Rudolph Guiliani.

Like I said, I think it just kinda honed in on my goatee. The Leo pic and the Orlando pic were both from their goateed days... and can you remember Eddie Murphy NOT having a goatee? A better question is how you go from Natalie Portman to Miyamoto.