mikeszekely

Norton... Norton is a system hog that acts as if it were your computer's administrator instead of you. And yet people are still convinced that it's better. Reguardless of your antivirus, always keep it updated. And antivirus isn't always enough. I reccomend some kind of spyware/malware/adware remover as well (which you should also keep updated), and if you're broadband, a firewall. That said, sometimes you get junk on your computer, like VX2, that's really damn hard to get rid of. You can check with companies like Symantec to see if they have tools you can use to get rid of certain nuisances (often reguardless of whether or not you use their software). But, sometimes you just have to reformat (or System Recover, for XP users). It pays to back things up.

January... sweet. I think the deluge dries up by then.

What's the problem with using runways in the show? The Macross itself was only supposed to have a limited number of fighters, if any, and it was intended that two smaller carriers remained permanently docked to the Macross. The fighters would be stored and launched from those carriers. Iin DYRL, the Macross was fitted with the ARMD carriers for space, but in the show, the Macross wound up getting two sea-going carriers as a substitute. Seems reasonable that they'd just use the facilites as they are. I mean, just because a Valkyrie doesn't need a runway in space doesn't mean it couldn't use them, either.

Definately not a bad thing. The graphics are disapointing though, they look very bland and colorless. I don't know, yeah, the sky on the atmosphere levels looks kind of gray, and space is... well, space... but the mecha themselves are looking suprisingly detailed and very smooth, with little to no aliasing... pretty impressive for the PS2. When's this game coming out? I think I just might import the thing... well, if I have any extra money with horde of games to be released domestically...

What, you mean the same effort that includes Duke Nukem 3D? (Check out rumor #3.)

No, that looks about right. Xbox-es are huge, and apparently bulletproof. Still, I'd like to see that big diggy buzzsaw thing and that Xbox go at it, like a Godzilla movie.

Holy cow, man! Screw Gamestop clerk, I want a job driving that thing!

I hate to get involved... but here's some points you might what to make to that uppity Mikael Yrin fellow... First, I'm pretty sure that a Valkyrie CAN fire missiles in Battroid mode. The VF-19's in Macross 7 do it on a regular basis. They only don't let you do it in the videogames for purposes of balance between the modes. Second, while I'm inclined to agree that beam weapons like the Gundam or Gelgoog's beam rifle are likely to be more effective than a VF-1's gunpod, the gunpod shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, either, as it's likely to be on par with the the rifles used by the Zaku or the RX-78[G]. And in any case, a VF-1 with a strike pack does indeed have a rather large beam cannon. Third, just because a Saberfish uses pansy missles is no reason to believe that a VF-1 does. In fact, VF-1s can be fitted with ridiculously powerful reaction missles. Fourth, a VF-1 is in no way fragile, nor merely a "suped-up F-14." VFs are not made of steel, but a super-strong material called hypercarbons. Macross Zero also implies that all VFs are fitted with SWAG energy converting armor... that is, armor that uses extra power from the engines to increase the strenght of the armor. For all we know, hypercarbons are just as strong as luna titanium... and another poster in the thread already pointed out that a single VF-1 engine (and they have two) crank out a lot more power than any mobile suits'. Fifth, there is no evidence to support the notion that a standard MS, or even the RX-78, is more maneuverable than a VF-1 in any mode, figher, gerwalk, or battroid. Sixth, just because Minovskies block the standard radar that the EFSF and Zeons were using does not guarantee that it would affect the overtechnology developed CYCLOPS radar systems used by the UN Spacy forces. Valkyries may indeed be able to pick off mobile suits from distances. But I think the most telling thing is the fact that the SDF-1 has proven to be very damage resistant, not to mention armed with a pin-point barrier and a ridiculously large heavy particle gun, while both the Zeon and EFSF ships are constantly bursting like balloons. Several Salamis have even been shown to explode from a little fire from a Zaku machine gun, while the SDF-1 crashed into the earth and remained mostly intact, survived a number or skirmishes with the Zentraedi for several months in space, plowed through a Zentraedi mother ship, and still surived a kamikaze attack from Kamujin. Whatever cases might be made for mobile suits over variable fighters, the SDF-1 vs. any capital ship from Gundam is a no-contest.

I'm in, although I heard that it plays a little like the Gundam Vs. series. If it doesn't get a US release, I'll import.

Chou Jikyuu Yousai Macross: Sousei no Aquarion...

Oh why does it have to come out when all the good videogames are coming? Damn publishers for holding everything until the holidays, leaving me with a long and boring year and poverty for Q4?! I really want that MKII pencil sharpener...

Feel free to take a look here for Mac II mecha info.

You don't like Jet Li because you haven't seen two of his better ones... check out High Risk (I think it was released in the US in that red and black series as Meltdown), and Fist of Legend (which was an excellent remake of Bruce's The Chinese Connection).

I guess the movie pack isn't too bad of a deal, but c'mon... $30 for a DVD? Why is anime so behind the times?

If that's the case, they should have taken the time to come up with a decent ending. I mean, you hear talk about the "American" need for happy endings in films... let's talk about the Chinese need for tragic endings. Because, let's be honest... if something like Crouching Tiger or Hero happened to real, rational people, things would have been handled much differently. But in the movies, we have characters who could resolve things quite simply, yet make ridiculously irrational choices that take away from the story or ignore the wishes of the characters who were their friends or comrades in the story, just to pin some tragedy on the end. And while it made me scratch my head and say "that was kind of dumb" in Tiger, it actually ruined Hero for me.

Hey, I saw it last night... I thought it was pretty good.

Red Vs. Blue kicks much ass. You guys know that you can buy both seasons on DVD? Gamestop carries them, other stores might.

Well, the fight scenes are very reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and it has Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi, two of my favorite Chinese actors. So, you'd think I'd love it, right? But much like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, let's just say the ending ruins the whole movie.

Woo-hoo!

I'm telling you, MW is the most pessimistic board around. I mean, the movie is just into production. None of us have seen it, as it isn't even done yet. And we already have a thread to bash it? Come on!

*shivers* Do I but the first season... or will the taint of the movie leak into the goodness that was the TV series...?

season 1 box set is already out. Sah-weet! KITT rules, man! I just hope that the uber crappy made for TV movie never sees the light of day again...

*waits patiently for Knight Rider*

... How is the second screen a gimmick? True, not every game will make the second screen worthwhile--Super Mario 64 DS, for example, has a dinky 2D map on the second screen--but I can imagine plenty of games that could make proper use of that second screen. Imagine a remake of the original NES Zelda with the status screen on the second screen. Or a new Metroid with an area map on the second screen, complete with weapon/item icon placements. The second screen can be quite helpful, and it's far more than just a gimmick... but, like with consoles, wait a couple of years before you buy a portable. Prices will lower, hardware quality will go up, and you'll know which one has the better games. The second screen is a gimmick, because while you and I might be able to think of a use for it, so far the only use developers seem to use for the second screen is as a map screen. And yeah, that can be handy (especially with a new Castlevania), but it's still gimmicky. Gimmicks aside, though, the DS seems to have a better design, better price, and better software.

The PSP's tecnological strengths are overshadowed by its weaknesses... Ridiculously short battery life. High price tag for a "portable," (estimated $250-$300) due to features we don't need, like the ability to play movies. The fact that we'll have to re-buy said movies on Sony's UMD format, if we want to take advantage of said feature. Lack of content (the best game announced so far, GT4, will be a straight port of the PS2 version). Sony's reputation for fragile systems. That's an extra sting, given the PSP's ridiculous price. Granted, most of those complaints can be easily addressed by releasing the PSP at a much more reasonable price... but I don't see it happening. On this particular afternoon in August, the Nintendo DS is just looking better. Forget the dual screen gimmick, the games are there (New Super Mario Bros. looks awesome, and a new Castlevania was announced for it). Not to mention Nintendo's reputation for quality hardware, the clamshell design to protect the screens, and the fact that it plays my already large library of GBA games. And the price looks better... forget EB's presale info, the DS is atually looking to retail at just $150, and Nintendo has talked about how cheap the DS carts will be to produce, so I'd say the games are going to retail at the same $29.99 that GBA games have been retailing at.