mikeszekely

The DS might seem like the no-brainer choice, but a sequel has been announced for PS2.

Well, they're not doing it for us. They're doing it for those obsessive Final Fantasy "fans" whose first entry into the series was VII.

Gameboy Advance SPecial. Look all the way at the bottom here.

Well, I didn't mean to imply non-traditional control schemes are an inherent flaw with the system. But when developers aren't sure what to make of it (and face it, it brought nothing to Super Mario 64 DS, Yoshi's Touch and Go and Pokemon Dash flat out sucked, and Wario Ware Inc, while fun, is really a collection of very mini mini-games, so you can even make the case that Nintendo themselves aren't always sure what to do with it), you wind up with a ton of gimmicky software and it becomes a problem for the system. Developers who feel bound to use the Revolution controller's unique features will wind up creating boring, gimmicky games for the Revolution, too. But just as Konami realized that you didn't have to go all out with the DS's features, someone will realize that you can make a great game for the Revolution without all the gimmicks. I'm not saying that the DS wouldn't be a fine platform for an RTS... but more and more, it seems that RTS will be the one genre that PC gamers get to call their own. Ah, right. I spend so much time with my computer literate friends (of which most still know less than me) and you guys (who often know more than me), that I forget that there are many people who are lucky enough to have figured out how to turn their's on.

*shrugs* I just got sick of bickering the Rev maybe a week after the controller was unveiled. 338391[/snapback] ahh. I wasn't so much trying to rag on it, rather to announce my "wait and see" stance on it... sorry if it came across as harsh 338399[/snapback] It didn't really... I just sorta snapped. 338403[/snapback] You know, I think it's kinda telling that, with the DS, for nearly a year the best games we had for it were gimmicky collections of touch-screen minigames. Then finally, a truly great game comes out for the DS that makes almost no use of the touch screen features (I'm talking about Castlevania, BTW). I do expect to see a TON of gimmicky crap for the Revolution. But I also expect either a more traditional controller attachment or full support for Gamecube controllers in Revolution titles. And when the dust settles, the Revolution will have software that plays with the "remote" that sucks, and some that kicks ass. It'll have some that plays with a more standard style controller that sucks, and some that kicks ass. Simple fact is, "revolutionary" controller or not, the Revolution has two important things going for it that might not catipult it to the forefront of the next-gen console wars, but at least all but insures it a place in my entertainment center (which is more than I can say for the PS3 at the moment). Price: Nintendo has been saying that they're shooting less for raw power and more for affordability. The rumored $200 price tag is a huge plus after shelling out $400 for an Xbox 360 and listening to Kutaragi tell me he wants me to work extra hours so I can afford to buy a console he doesn't intend for home use (or the $500-$700 price tag that's been floating around industry circles for the PS3). Software: Microsoft and Nintendo get a lot of third party games that don't show up on Nintendo's hardware, but let's face it: only Nintendo has Nintendo software, which almost everyone can agree is some of the best software around. And while I know I'll probably buy most of my games for the Xbox 360 in the coming year, I'm sure I'll be finding the time for the new Super Smash Bros. Some people may argue that the ability to download games from Nintendo's first three consoles is a huge seller too, but frankly, I don't see it. When all is said and done, I don't see myself using it. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, and while there are certainly retro games I enjoy (it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the Megaman games, especially the classic NES ones), a lot of them haven't really aged well. What's more, the ability to emulate, at the very least, the NES and SNES is everywhere. You can even run emulators on the PSP now. Nintendo hasn't announced any price plan for emulation on the Revolution, but they have said that it won't be free. Legal or not, I don't see myself paying to download and play games on the Revolution that I can play on my PC (naturally), PS2 (chipped), Dreamcast (unmodified), PSP (1.50 firmware, baby), or Xbox (I just have to settle on which chip to buy) for free.

Anaheim = other side of the country. Wal-Mart = across the street. Guess where I'm going to look for 360 stuff?

According to an internal e-mail, Gamestop stores will start to recieve them this week as well.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not sure that either would work. I'm not sure how the older version were, but the v10's disk drive is a completely closed apparatus (save for a very small, circular hole in the top of the drive unit), even with the case off. I don't think a simple case mod would help. Likewise, I can't get a good view to see what's going on in there. And even though the symptoms I'm having are pretty much exactly as you describe them, I should point out that a chunk of plastic actually fell out of the open drive. It sucks to have to buy another PS2, but I can buy one pre-modded for around $250 (price includes labor, a brand new slimline PS2 complete with box, manuals, cables, and dual shock, and the actual modchip) from the same place I bought the mortally wounded one. That doesn't seem too unreasonable, and my wife is supposed to be getting a bonus at work. I know it was an accident, but she did break it, so she can buy the new one. Like I said, now the question is DMS4 (is there a huge advantage on the Pro over the Lite?) or the Matrix Infinity modchip.

As I understood it, the power struggle was largely how much credit (and what share of the profits) Sony would recieve. An interesting analysis, considering that most people just figure that if the then-market leader would have just stuck with Sony, the now-market leader, that Nintendo would have be the defacto leader today. I suppose I'd have to consider the facts more carefully before I made any judgements either way myself, but one thing everyone can agree on is that had Nintendo and Sony's partnership remained, we'd be looking at a much different landscape going into the new generation. It's a shame that no one bothered to make a Guncon-compatible NES emulator for the PSX/PS2, since I have a Guncon, a working PS2 NES emulator, and until this evening, a very nice v10 PS2 with a DMS3 chip installed. (Sadly, my wife accidentally knocked her pilates ball into it just after I'd opened it to drop Burnout Revenge into it, snapping something plastic in the door, preventing the tray from sliding back in. *sigh* Looks like I'll be buying a v13 slimline. Anyone know if the DMS4 or the Matrix Infinity is the better buy?) I haven't tried modding my Xbox, but I may do so after I pick up my 360. Anyone know if the NES emulators for Xbox work with the Mad Catz blaster?

My DVD player, a Samsung, is hooked up to my DLP TV via component video. (Frankly, DVI and HDMI are wasted on a 480p signal from a DVD player. Most video experts say that the difference between DVI and HDMI over component is imperceptible even at 1080i, and doesn't start to make a difference until you hit 1080p.) My TV is also locked into a certain aspect ratio for the HDMI input, but it still chooses what it believes to be the correct aspect ratio even for S-Video and component video inputs. The problem isn't that it chooses wrong... the problem is that some movies, especially lower budget regionless foreign DVDs like the copy of Uzumaki that I rented, have a fixed position for the subtitles, and they wind up getting cut off. In those situations, it might be necessary to chance the TV settings to leave enough of the letterboxes on screen without stretching the picture too badly so that you can read the subs.

Let's not forget one other very important point... the third party market. Nintendo made their controller to do what it does. And a Duck Hunt game, frankly, isn't all that violent (unless you're a member of PETA). Nintendo could very well go ahead and make a Duck Hunt 2, figuring that shooting ducks isn't all the violent, especially with an apparatus that looks more like a VCR remote than a gun. Then out of the blue comes Nyko, Madcatz, Naki, Pelican, some lesser-known 3rd party peripheral manufacturer, or (dare I dream) Logitech. They figure that it'd be more fun to shoot ducks with a gun than a VCR remote, so they, not Nintendo, make the attachment that turns the Revolution controller into a gun.

I don't know. I mean, yeah, they probably won't make a gun attachment. But, I think they mentioned that the controller could work like a light gun regardless. So, I'm still holding out the hope that I'll see a Duck Hunt sequel in my lifetime. (Or, maybe at least the controller would work with the original Duck Hunt, since the Rev will play NES Roms? I've never got a light gun to work with an NES emulator, not even on console.)

I've run into this problem aplenty already. It happens a lot with regionless foriegn films, most recently for me was Uzumaki. But I should point out that many widescreen TVs have multiple settings. For example, my TV has one setting that displays in 4:3 with gray vertical bars running down the sides. One setting displays the image in 16:9 by cutting the top and bottom (where the letter boxes should be if you're watching a widescreen DVD). One setting stretches the entire picture evenly. This is mostly good for videogames that support 16:9. And one setting that leaves the middle area of the screen unstretched, but then stretches the picture subtly as you move toward the edge. I've found that this setting is great for giving the illusion of widescreen to regular 4:3 TV and videogames. I can't remember how it works, but my TV has one other setting as well. The TV automatically adjusts based on the DVD, but if I find that it's cropping subtitles off, I just scroll through the other settings until I find one that looks close to the correct aspect but leaves enough of the letterboxes that I can read the subs.

And a damn fine one at that! A gun attatchment and a next-gen Duck Hunt? That'd sell me the system for sure. I've always wanted a Duck Hunt sequel.

There's nothing on TV worth watching anyway. 1.5 and homebrew it is.

In the begining, everyone wants to work with Nintendo. Nintendo is synonomous with the videogame industry. It's only after lack of sales fails to justify the costs in developing for their systems that people stop making games for their systems. That said, almost every major game publisher/developer in Japan has signed on to develop for the Xbox 360. While Final Fantasy XI is unlikely to move systems, it does go to show that even Square Enix is onboard with the Xbox 360. As long as a few of them release games that will sell systems in Japan, Japanese developers will continue to support the Xbox 360. It's all about money in the end. Japanese gamers don't make many regular Xbox games because almost no one bought and Xbox in Japan. They make Gamecube games, because Japanese gamers bought Gamecubes. American and European developers like making games for Xbox, because Xbox has been relatively successful in those markets. They make fewer Gamecube games, because Gamecube is solidly in third place outside of Japan. And despite the fact that the PS2 is a pain-in-the-ass to program for, and despite the fact that it has by far the most inferior hardware of current-gen consoles, everyone develops for PS2, because more people the world over own a PS2 than anything else.

Forgive me if this has been brought up before, but I didn't really want to wade my way through 200+ pages of spoiler-laden info looking when I'm only up to Phase 08 myself (I'm one of those people who has to have every episode on hand before I watch a series, sorry). Anyway, when the Minerva arrives at the Orb port, we find Murrue Ramius working there as a mechanic. No big deal, makes sense, right? I mean, she's technically a traitor and can't go back to the Alliance anyway. But, we also see her talking to Andy Waltfeld which is a little more suprising. I mean, it's been awhile since I watched the original SEED, but I do definately remember Kira killing him. Can someone please tell me how someone who was very much dead at the end of Phase 21 of the first SEED be very much alive in Phase 08 of Destiny?

It'd still be a Dreamcast, though. 336452[/snapback] A new Dreamcast? ...I could live with that. Just once in your life, could you accept reality for what it is? Once again, citing articles that do nothing to back your "predictions" (desperate, false hopes) of gloom and doom for the Xbox 360. All the article says is, while the launch games for the 360 are impressive, they're not knocking anyone's socks off, and that later software will do more to take advantage of the hardware. Not only is that NOT the end of the world for the Xbox 360, it's not a scenario that's unique to the Xbox 360. Doom 3 looks better than Halo for the original Xbox. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess looks better than Luigi's Mansion (Cube). Soul Calibur III looks better than Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2). Shenmue looked better than Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast). Dare I say, Perfect Dark looked better than Goldeneye (N64). Dead or Alive looked better than Battle Arena Toshinden (PSX). Hell, Donkey Kong Country looked better than Super Mario World (SNES), Super Mario Bros. 3 looked better than the original Super Mario Bros (NES), and Metroid II looked way better than Super Mario Land (original Gameboy). What's more, the quality of the initial launch lineup has little bearing on the long-term success of the console. In recent years, the Dreamcast probably had one of the best launch lineups, with Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive 2, Sonic Adventure, and more. Yet the Dreamcast was dead in the water two years later. And the worst probably belongs to the PlayStation two, with craptacular ports like Tekken Tag and Dead or Alive 2, the ultra-lame Fantavision (game, or tech demo? You decide). Hell, even Ridge Racer V was a letdown after the spectacular R4. And yet today, the PS2 has outsold the Xbox and Gamecube combined 3:2.

Just FYI....the MGS4 trailer was realtime with the in game engine...they even showed a real time demo with Kojima controlling the camera angles and zooming around at TGS. Unless you're thinking pre rendered as being not something you control...in which case all games that use in game engines for cut scenes to you would be defined as pre rendered. To most of the industry pre-rendered stuff is done off the normal hardware...FFX cinemas, original Resident Evil backgrounds, etc. E3 trailers of PS3 games might be suspect, but after seeing MGS4 for PS3, NBA Live 06 for 360, Gears of War 360, Fight Night 3 both, Resident Evil 5 Both, Devil May Cry 4 models with PS3 hardware....how are people on both "sides" still doubting this stuff? 360 is ready to go in a few weeks...and PS3 is around the corner...do people want these to be pre rendered bull or something? It just screams to me of what people are accusing each other of...Console superiority bragging rights or whatever you kids call it. The MS faithful point to PS2 Sony's Emotion Engine and "Toy Story" graphics promise...while they forget Gates made the promise of "Toy Story 2" level of graphics from the Xbox etc. All companies make huge promises. The difference this time around...at least in the terms of graphics...both seem to be pretty right on the money. Any of those titles I mentioned earlier is a step beyond today's consoles and most PC's (remember, most people's PC's don't have the latest video cards and they're stoked playing Free Cell on their $2500 PC ). 335285[/snapback] Pre-rendered, AFAIK, means that it was rendered out of engine, and inserted as a cutscene. Hence, it cuts from the game to the cutscene. An in-engine cutscene is simply a point where the game takes control from the players, and uses a fixed "camera." No cut is necessary. Using a controller to change the viewing angle doesn't make it any less prerendered. They are, afterall, rendered in 3D. Until Sony shows actual gameplay running off at least the beta dev kits, then it's all hype to be taken with a grain of salt. That doesn't mean that I want it to be bullshit. I'm just not setting myself up for a letdown like the PS2 was. The Xbox 360 is a different and almost opposite matter. Sony was showing amazing movies that weren't running on the PS3, and everyone starts talking about how amazing the PS3 will be. Microsoft was showing actual games that weren't running on the 360, and they looked rather unimpressive. A lot of people were quick to write off the the 360 for that. But now that the beta dev kits are out, the games are looking a lot better. And since we are seeing actual gameplay, we have a reasonable idea of what to expect.

I'll gladly take the proprietary connectors now that they're putting component connectors in the box.

It's a vicious cycle. He likes saying something retarded, I like pointing out to him how retarded he is (I think, deep down, he likes it too), and I like seeing him flounder for some argument to prove that he's not totally retarded. Especially when he cites articles that have little to do with the topic at hand and do absolutely nothing to support his sick little beliefs. Ironically, for all the dirt he has me digging up on Sony, I fully intend to buy a PS3 at some point. Just, depending on price and launch titles, probably not next year.

Ubisoft is scared of the PS3, which they will almost certainly develop for? That makes a ton of sense... So Ubisoft wants more time to polish the game... you know, now that Ubisoft has the beta dev kits and can actually utilize the full power of the 360. I take issue with your "translation" here too. You're suggesting that Ubisoft is going to take the time to make Ghost Recon look more akin to the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer (trailer as in pre-rendered movie... again). But, in your warped little mind, such a thing would never actually be possible... so how can you be suggesting it? BTW, I'd suggest taking a look at some of the more recent coverage of Perfect Dark Zero. It most definately does look like a next-gen title now, and unlike all your precious pre-renders, you can see real gameply with PDZ. Of course, reading about an Xbox 360 game is probably against the Sony fanboy religion.

Sony already cranked out 2.01. The only change was to lock out the buffer overlow exploit that's been used to create a pong game for 2.0, and to allow for downgrading the firmware to 1.5. Any company would want to protect themselves against piracy, and let's be honest. Most of the "non-factory configured" Xboxes out there are configured to run pirated ISO images off the non-factory installed hard drives, not for homebrew. Genuine homebrew software could be written with a PC after indie programmers get a chance to examine the 360, and then distributed over Xbox Live, downloaded, and played on factory-configured hardware. And even still...

I just emulate it. On my PSP, at that. The PSP has a great Gameboy Color emulator. Seriously, I'm not all that bothered by the fact that my Micro doesn't play older Gameboy games, because I sold them off years ago. Just like I no longer own any NES, SNES, or N64 carts. Actually (and I have the Pearl Blue SP with the new backlit screen, too), the newer SP uses the same technology as the Micro. And being able to to a side by side comparison, it actually works better for the Micro. The new SP has a few issues with the refresh rate, and only two brightness levels, not quite bright enough and way too bright. Not to mention the fact that, if you like it brighter, you have to change it manually every time you turn the SP on. The Micro has several brightness levels (my personal preference being just one above the dimmest), and it remembers where you set it.

I think I already said why. For starters, yes, the screen is small. It's also totally viewable. The screen is much more crisp and bright than the original SP or even the backlit DS screens. I've tried it wtih Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls and Pokemon Leaf Green, and in both cases the text is perfectly readable. I switched to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and not only was the action on screen easy to follow, but the tiny numbers that show how much damage you've inflicted or taken are still readable. Finally, to crank up the action, I tried Megaman Zero, and again, no trouble following the action even with its twitch gameplay. In other words, despite it's smaller size, I like the Micro's screen 2nd only to the PSP's. And, remember that the smaller screen comes with a much smaller unit overall. This increases the portability. The SP fits in my pocket so-so. The PSP and DS are downright uncomfortable in the pocket. But the Micro, like my cell phone, isn't even noticeable in my pocket. In fact, its diminutive size encourages me to take it places where I wouldn't even consider bringing my PSP or DS. Yet, despite it's size, it's not at all uncomfortable to hold or play. This is a point of contention for me with the DS, since the A button is too close to the edge, and since it retains the B-B A-A button configuration in GBA mode instead of a more sensible Y-B B-A, playing Gameboy games on the DS is downright uncomfortable. RPGs like Final Fantasy are doable, but twitch action games like Megaman Zero are impossible. So, IMHO, the DS is for DS games, and a good Gameboy is still necessary for most GBA games, and the Micro is worth the extra $20 over the SP (even with the two new backlit SPs). Does the fact that the Micro can't play old Gameboy games hurt it? Not really. The GBA has a ton of great titles in it's library, but the old Gameboy really only has a few gems. As a matter of fact, I don't even own any older Gameboy or Gameboy Color Games anymore.