mikeszekely

Green tunics ROCK There's something to be said for the extra protection afforded by red ones, though.

Kinda OT, but does anyone know why the TNG seasons cost so damn much? Is there a legitamate reason, or are they just fleecing Trekkies?

Yeah, I'm with you there... I hate Kingdom Hearts. But, I also haven't cared for the newer Zelda games. In both cases, I'm the minority. Fact is, both the new Zelda and the new Kindgom Hearts will sell very well this fall. I still think PC gamers are pretty hardcore. Despite the fact that PC gaming is on the decline, PC gamers are really passionate about their games and their belief that PC gaming is actually superior to console gaming, majority be damned. Not to mention that console gamers buy a new $300 console every five years, while PC gamers seem to drop that into upgrades every year. The only aspect of PC gaming that really seems to be on the rise is MMORPGs. My anti-social brain can't fathom that one. As for Viewtiful Joe, yeah, it was announced for the DS (and the PSP), but that was about it. What I was referring to when I brought it up though was how the PS2 version had Dante as a bonus character. It's likely that RE4 will also have some kind of exclusive over the GC version.

A lot of online retailers are coming up with special bundle deals, but if you go into any Gamestop or EB, you should be able to put just $50 down for the console, which comes with a 32MB Memory Stick. You can also preorder any and all games you might want, or just pick whatever you want up whenever you go in to get the system. Myself, I already paid off the PSP and six games. I love new toys...

I'm not denying that most of the Xbox exclusives are also available for PC. But the fact is, while PC gamers are a hardcore group, they're a minority. The average Joe Schmoe would rather play with the Xbox (and while Live doesn't offer fan-mods [yet], patches, updates, and new content are usually available). We'll see about that. The Cube isn't the leaps and bounds better in performance over the PS2 that the Xbox is. And if Viewtiful Joe is any indication, the PS2 version will have slick exclusives that will make up for the undoubtedly longer load times. Look, I'm not really trying to argue that the Xbox is best or the PS2 is best... I'm arguing that anything (PS2, Xbox, PC, hell, even Dreamcast) is better than a Gamecube, which has almost zero third party support, a handful of overrated 1st and 2nd party titles, and only a few real gems that still don't justify blowing the money on the system. Not really. Reguardless of the next-gen consoles' release dates, specs, features, etc, Sony is still likely to stay on top, because they've shown third parties that PlayStation = $$$. Microsoft will continue to gain ground, again mostly because it'll be easy to port PC games. And Nintendo will most likely continue to alienate themselves from third parties and consumers alike, save for the hardcore Nintendophiles. Finally, PC gamers will continue to spend thousands of dollars buying and upgrading PC's for gaming, just so they can continue to argue that the PC is the supreme choice for hardcore gamers.

by looking at the future release list they both have equal of killer games coming out this year with tons of rentals. but I may get a gamecube. this game plus metroid prime2 and starcraft ghost looks about enough for me. Starcraft Ghost, if it ever actually does come out, will also be released on PS2 and Xbox. Future release list? Well yeah, all three consoles have a lot of good games coming out like Splinter Cell, Medal of Honor: European Assault, and the new Rainbow Six, but since they're coming out for all systems, they really don't count. As far as exclusives go, let's see... the Gamecube's got... well... there's that Zelda game that everyone's talking about (which some of us think will actually be delayed and used as a launch game for the Revolution). And... well, I supposedly there's going to be announcement about Mario 128 at E3, but we'll have to wait until May to find out anything it. Meanwhile... the Xbox has Doom 3 (looking forward to co-op on Live), Jade Empire, Conker, and Sid Meier's Pirates. The PS2 is getting Kingdom Hearts II, Final Fantasy XII, God of War (check out the demo, if you can get one), Digital Devil Saga (and the DDS 2), Dragon Quest VIII, and Resident Evil Outbreak File 2. And Far Cry, Area 51, Battlefield: Modern Combat, Destroy All Humans, Star Wars Episode III, Red Ninja, Midnight Club 3, Spy Vs. Spy, and Lego Star Wars are coming out for everything except the Cube. That's hardly what I'd call equal.

And would make NO money whatsoever. It wouldn't surprise me if they actually lost money on it. If they made a strictly DS9 movie, yeah, it wouldn't do so hot. If they made a crossover though, as promethuem5 suggested, and marketed it as a TNG movie with some stuff from DS9 (even if it wound up being a DS9 movie with some stuff from TNG), it shouldn't do any worse than the last four Trek movies. Granted, $43 million (Nemesis) at the box office isn't all that hot...

What about Generations? Next Gen blew up the Enterprise AND killed Kirk. Killed him twice, no less. I think the more theatrical flair of the original generation movies has more to do with the cast. Kirk is just a much better movie captain than Picard is. Jean-Luc is just too reserved to be a particularly strong movie character. Not a real flaw with the character, he just doesn't lend himself well to the theatrical expectations. I'll give you that... Generations was a lot more like a real movie than an episode of TNG. But, because the plot tied in heavily with the original Trek characters, I wasn't really counting it. Besides, a lot of the TNG stuff in Generations, like the sailing in the holodeck, still could have been ripped from the TV show. And in any case, I think you're absolutely right. Picard was a much deeper and often more subtle character than Kirk, which made him the absolute best TV captain in the history of Trek. But Kirk has a certain "action-hero"-ness to his character that lends itself well to the movies. Picard leads his crew with dignity and wisdom that plays out over the entire series; Kirk wails on the villain and gets the girl at the end of the movie. Even the older fatter Kirk is more believable in a fist fight with a Klingon than Picard.

I can agree with that. I also prefer my racing games on the PS2. Like what? Seriously, suggest to me a good platformer/adventure game exclusive to the Cube that's NOT a Mario or Zelda game (of which, as of writing, there's only 3, counting Luigi's Mansion). The PS2 has Jak and Ratchet & Clank (each of which has two), plus pretty much all the systems seem to be getting the Rayman games, plus they all got Sonic Heroes (and hopefully Shadow the Hedgehog). Since January 1st, how many killer titles have come out for the Cube? Resident Evil 4 (which is also PS2 bound) and Starfox Armada. For Xbox and PS2? Mercenaries, Devil May Cry 3, Star Wars Republic Commando, Gran Turismo 4, Xenosaga Episode II... (and that's overlooking quality games like Brothers In Arms, Tekken 5, or Project Snowblind). I'd hardly call those vaporware, and I'd hardly say that the Cube gets a similar number of quality games as the other consoles. In fact, even games that aren't exclusives, like Mercenaries, still don't show up on the Cube. PC gamers are often stunned to hear it, but there are a lot of people (a majority, actually) who aren't really into PC gaming, for whatever reason, myself included. Personally, as someone who grew up playing console games (I was in high school before my parents bought their first real PC), a keyboard and mouse just don't feel as natural as a controller, I don't feel like spending money to upgrade to play high-end titles like Doom 3, and I really don't feel like sitting at my desk and playing on a 17" screen with tinny speakers when I can sit on the couch with the 32" TV and surround sound. For people like me, the Xbox is actually the best of both worlds. A lot of games overlap PC and Xbox, like KOTOR or Republic Commando, with a lot more on the way (Doom 3, Farcry, Sid Meier's Pirates, etc). The Xbox is easily the best non-PC for FPS... which reminds me, yeah, Halo isn't exactly anything special. It's a solid FPS, and while there are other great FPS, it doesn't change the fact that Halo is also a great FPS.

*Sources: Gamespot, IGN. Backwards compatibility with the Lamecube is hardly a selling point. Satoru Iwata has demonstrated over the last several months that Nintendo's got its head up its ass. They're seriously out of touch with what consumers actually want, and I, for one, am done. I bought the N64, and I only liked maybe four games total. I got the Gamecube, and I'm yet to find a game that justified that purchase. I got a DS, and I don't even own any DS games! I'm playing my GBA games one it, which is still a waste because I have an SP. Three strikes, and your're out. I'm not falling for this again... I have ZERO intention of getting a Revolution when it comes out. Frankly, I hope both the DS and the Revolution turn out to be collossal failures. I want Nintendo out of the hardware market. I like a lot of their games, but I'm not buying anymore crap systems to play them. I want them to do like Sega and become a third party developer. Super Smash Bros... meets Xbox Live. And before you go on about how weird that'd be, we thought it'd be just as weird to see Sega games on a Sony or Nintendo system. And we're all pretty much used to it now.

For 99 bucks, I would say yes. Am I the only one that's going to dissent? Granted, I didn't like any of the 3D Zeldas (only the 2D... 2D Zelda rocks... call me old school)... or the 3D Marios. I bought a Cube when it first came out because of Perfect Dark Zero (which eventually moved to Xbox, now to Xbox Next). In all that time, I think I've played through... um... Super Smash Bros. Melee and Megaman Network Transmission. Started Metroid Prime, but never finished it, and I have no interest in the sequel. As for Resident Evil 4, which everyone says is amazing, it's coming out for the PS2... I'll just wait for that one. The only thing that's holding me back from selling the Cube is that it's pretty much worthless. I don't know what consoles you do have, Agent, but look at it this way. God of War (PS2): $50. Doom III (Xbox): $50. Half-Life 2 Collector's Edition: $50 (It's on sale at Gamestop). Zelda + Gamecube to play it on + Memory Card to save it: $170. You could justify that you're paying $120 more to play Zelda by telling yourself you'll play other Cube games, but there's a ton of other great games coming for the other systems. And aside from Zelda, all the Cube's getting from now until the Revolution is a handful of 1st party games. Yeah, Nintendo makes good games... but I'm through wasting money to buy an extra crappy console to play them. I wish Nintendo would just pull a Sega already...

Not necessary...that's when Haro^2 fansubs appear (gee i wonder where they came from ) when Destiny becomes licensed. It happened for Seed....it will happen again. Who's Haro^2? Okay, now normally, I don't dl licensed stuff, and if I have a series dled, and I like it, I'll buy it on DVD when it comes out. In this case, though, I'm 20 episodes into Destiny (A-Kingdom & AonE). Now, even though I'm sure I'll pick up the DVDs, does anyone know if any groups out there are going to finish fansubbing Desinty? Naturally, I'd prefer to finish out with AK&A1, but something tells me they're dropping it. How about SEED Fansubs?

That you did. Apparently, with it's believable screenshot, it generated enough buzz to get a lot of people asking about it at work (I work for Gamestop). Corporate sent us an e-mail yesterday confirming that it's not true.

I got why I thought there was only nine... in my mind, "Nemesis" and "Insurrection" kinda blurred together. In any case, I don't really feel that either of the movies were bad, per se... it's just that the original series Trek movies set themselves apart from the series. Stuff like killing off Spock (and ressurrecting him), blowing up the Enterprise... stuff they'd never have considered doing on TV. Meanwhile, the TNG movies played out like episodes from the TNG show. Make them two parters... hell, do some editing, and cram them down to an hour. Aside from Jon Frakes attempts to work more action into the movies, there really wasn't anything special about them. Speaking of Frakes... I think it's a little sad that, aside from his Trek movies, all he's directed was Clockstoppers and Thunderbirds? Maybe he should just stick to acting...

Actually, it looks to me like they took out all the crap that made me hate Ocarina (Hyrule town, Lon Lon ranch, stupid dialogue, Kokiri, etc) and finally made a 3D Zelda that captures the spirit of the original NES Zelda.

Why would they make a Trek movie that covers ground that they basically covered already in the second TNG movie? Jendresen: "Hey, wasn't First Contact a kick-ass movie?" Paramount: "Sure was." J: "Wouldn't it be cool if we made another movie that was like it, but we took out the Borg, the Enterprise, Picard and crew... everything except that drunk guy launching rockets?" P: "You mean everything that made the movie cool?" J: "Yeah." P: "Hell yeah! Let's bankrole that sumbitch!" One other thing I don't get... they're talking about Star Trek XI? What about X? Last I checked, there's only nine (six original Trek movies, and three TNG).

Agree.

Be that as it may, I still think we have a surplus of them.

IGN has a list of what's on the UMD demo that comes with the PSP. Suffice to say, I'm not impressed.

See, I didn't even like the LOTOR movies. Fantasy and the silver screen just don't mix for me.

I say give him some lawn darts and let darwinism take over See, I don't think that'll work. I was channel surfing awhile back, and I saw this video show. On the video show, some guy got his quad up onto the roof of his two story house (how is a mystery), then tried to jump the quad off the roof and into the pool, which was several feet away from the roof. Well... he didn't make the pool. But after a trip to the hospital, they had him back on his feet in a few days. Face it... health care in the US is just too good. The idiots are surving natural selection's attempts to do away with them.

Not Reign of Fire. There really was a movie called Dungeons & Dragons. And yes, it was as bad as everyone else is saying.

What's the largest capacity memory stick available? How hard is it to convert all my existing video files to mpeg4? SanDisk is supposedly working on a 2GB Memory Stick. It might be time consuming, but I don't think converting other video files to MPEG-4 should be overly difficult. And Zentrandude, there were more changes than just the CEO. Kaz Hirai was forced to step down from his position as deputy vice president, and another deputy VP was promoted to VP (or possibly president, I don't remember). Hirai will still be the head of SCEI, though. (My guess is that he didn't get promoted because he was badmouthing Sony a few months ago for not doing more to promote the PSP.) Anyway, as for the new CEO, he already stated publicly that he wants Sony to stop focusing on new technology and hardware, because while Sony was once the industry leader, many other companies are making high quality products that cost less, most noteably rival Matsushita (Panasonic's parent company) and Korean hot-shot Samsung. Instead, the new CEO wants Sony to focus more on content. I think it's also worth mentioning that the new CEO is an American, so he should hopefully bring a different mindset to the company than the previous and more traditional Japanese CEOs. On can only hope, with a new content-driven mindset, that Sony will stop playing games with proprietary technologies (like Memory Stick, Magic Gate, or Hi-MD). Of course, I could just be getting my hopes up for nothing.

Absolutely, that is why I am kind of frustrated with them. I love the MD format by the way, I would jump on the new Hi-MD if I didn't know they will make it patently difficult to utilize to it's full potential. If they would just allow people to use the damn machines they make to their full capability we would have some spectacular stuff, but Sony and their different divisions spend so much time trying to limit the functions of their stuff so as not to interfere with the sales arms of their other wings, riht now they could be selling a handheld device in the form of the PSP that is your Cell phone, Digital Camera, Walkman, PDA, Portable Game System, Portable movie player (With miniRCA jacks so you could use it for your home or travel theatre) and psuedo-laptop. blehhhhh Well, again, there's some major changes going on in Sony's brass, so perhaps such trends will begin to change as Sony focuses less on hardware (since Sony is no longer dominating that field) and more on content.

To be truthful, I don't mind a high-end portable gaming system that can do other things, but I've come to the conclusion that cell phone is not one of the things I want it to do. I have a decent cell phone, it's just the right size, so no matter what I have it on me. I don't even have a home phone. Now, my PSP is going to go places with me, but not everywhere. It's just the right size for a game deck/video player, but too large for a cell phone. Plus, if the N-Gage has taught us anything, you choices of carriers would be limited anyway. Frankly, why pay for features you know you're NEVER going to use. I mean, with the UMD movies, there's a slim chance that I'll see something cool on UMD at a bargain price that I'd pick up.