Sundown

It's extremely elitist, and childish to boot. "MY TOY IS BETTER THAN YOURS," whined the child. PC players prefer the mouse or trackball and a keyboard. Console players do just fine with a gamepad. This is really a stupid argument.

It's not a stupid argument. It's not even really an argument at all. While pads might be *sufficient* for a console player, who isn't spoiled by the natural, intuitive, and responsive nature of a mouse... and while it might be sufficent with games that add a bit of auto-aim nudging to assist the inherently innaccurate nature of the gamepad... there's really no argument that mice make much better targetting devices than pads do at their best.

A pad might be usable... its akwardness might even fade away with some practice... but nearly anyone who's used both at length and who doesn't have emotional biases towards one way or another will likely conclude that a mouse would serve an FPS much better, especially in games that allow for or require quick and precise targetting of very small targets.

Yeah, I enjoy using the mouse and keyboard myself. But all you need to do is look at sales figures to discern that more people prefer the gamepad. I've never heard complaints of GTA being unenjoyable on the PS2 because of the controller.

That's a pretty dubious use of statistics to determine whether people prefer the gamepad over a mouse for use in any given FPS. The fact of the matter is, consoles are more accessible for most people, at a much lower pricepoint and for a whole lot less hassle. And they likely own a console to player other types of games consoles excel at... and which gamepads excel at. Just because they already own such a system, and even if they go out and buy an FPS for that system... does not mean they would prefer a gamepad to a mouse on an FPS. They buy and use consoles for a host of other reasons, outside of game controller preference.

Just because something is usable doesn't mean something else can't be inherently better for the job. Just because one (or many) refuses to adapt to the better option doesn't mean that option ceases to be superior. Just because one deems his tool "good enough" doesn't mean the other tool doesn't have much more to offer.

I have never heard of a hardcore FPS gamer purchase a console for the express purpose of playing FPS's with a gamepad. In fact, if gamepads were as servicable at mice in FPS's, you'd see more of them used in PC FPS's. I've seen all of none.

-Al

When the NT came about no one wanted to touch writing it for Lucas even though at first he asked a few writers to help him. Everyone wanted it to be purely Lucas' vision, and we all saw the result, so now he has taken a bit of a step back and while still having great creative control he is not the one at the typewriter anymore, he's just standing over the writers shoulder.

This alone gives me actual hope for Episode 3. As fleeting as hope is.

-Al

You may say he's raped your childhood yet these films are his vision. His creation. The biggest problem with the PT is that we all grew up. How was the OT so superior? Was the acting great NO, was the dialog cheesey YES, but we were young and were easily moved and awed. Now we are older and see things totally differnt.

While the original OT wasn't a hallmark of wonderful acting... there was still something about the story and presentation that left a mark not only in youth, but in certain older audiences as well. And going back and watching them now leaves an entirely different flavor than watching the PT does.

Some of it can be attributed to nostalgia, sure... but even nostalgia doesn't prevent me from wincing at Robotech when watching it now. Some of it simply is due to better filmmaking, better writing, and yes... better acting due to better directing. I have to say, with whatever biases I might have, that the Original Trilogy were simply better films.

-Al

The reason console gamers keep bring up Halo (opr Goldeneye) is because PC elitists seem to have this notion that the only way to enjoy a FPS is on a PC, preferably one that costs a ridiculous ammount of money, even though they're only going to turn around and spend another fortune to upgrade it when the next big PC FPS comes out.

The reason PC owners scoff at console Halo being held up and offered as the epitome of FPS gaming goodness is because the only real way to enjoy an FPS fully is with use of a mouse. It's just night and day... and PC players simply can't imagine putting up with the cumbersome joypads for smooth, precise, and immersive targetting. They've just been spoiled. And if multiplayer is one's thing, there's nothing that comes remotely close to what the PC offers in terms of connectivity and competition.

Frankly, Halo without a mouse IMO *pales* in comparison to what a good FPS experience on the PC can and should be like. Of course, if your X-Box is moused-equipped, power to you. But I'm betting a large percentage of console owners don't even own a mouse and keyboard to go with their box.

D) The natrual aliasing effect done by NTSC/PAL TV's will ensure that what you see doesn't look as harsh as that screenshot from an unfinished version since PC resolutions are so sharp that they bring out every little imperfection

True, non-HD TV's tend to naturally anti-alias the display, but it remains that the display itself is still usually at crummy resolutions, even in progressive mode. With anti-aliasing being widely available on PC graphics cards now, the final image quality of a game will still look far better than the same game would on a console. If you want to simulate the TV's natural aliasing with a PC, you can do one of three things.

1. Hook the display up to a TV using the video-out port found on most video-cards.

2. Run the game at 640x480 (progressive NTSC resolution).

3. Smear Vaseline on your screen.

-Al

Oh there they go. There they go, every time I start talkin 'bout gaming, a console man got to pull Halo out their ass. That's their one, that's their one. Halo. Halo. Let me tell you something once and for all. Halo was good, but compared to Half Life, Halo ain't poo.

You mean the one FPS that we also happen to now have on the PC... and as decent as it was (repetitive levels milking gamelength aside), wasn't that mindboggling? I almost think console gamers make such a big deal out of Halo mainly because they haven't played decent FPSs before.

Nah, I'm a gamer... I'll play games on both console and pc. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but its an undeniable truth that pcs are better for intense processing/graphics. And while you can say graphics aren't everything, they're a part.

Well, they're better... until the next console comes out, which makes us PC gamers all collectively pee green in our pants with envy. Then it's a year of catchup for graphics cards makers, when we can say "hey, this is almost as good as it was on PS 3/4/5", and another 6 months before we can smile smugly at console owners for the next three years, when the cycle repeats again. But that first year hurts. Oh yes it does. Hurts enough to make me go out and buy one of them damned things in order to play the newest Metal Gear Solid that also doesn't feature Snake.

-Al

My goodness. Does no one understand that Hung's CD isn't about musicality, nor is actually meant to be listened to for something other than a snicker? Of course the guy doesn't belong in the music industry. Of course he can't carry a tune. That's precisely why his CD exists... mere exploitation of his goofyness, novelty, for comedic value alone, wrapped up with a tiny bit of wish-fullfilment meant to "inspire" the rest of us who also have no talent.

You're meant to think, "if a fella like him can get a record contract, by pure determination and total lack of shame, why can't *I*, with my modicum of talent, do the same?"

Of course the reality is that you can't, not because you have even less talent than Hung, nor because you don't have as much drive... but because you're probably just not as fun to laugh it.

-Al

That drawing of the VF-1S is actually a Kevin Long piece. Yes... of Palladium's Robotech RPG fame. Still remember it from one of the RT RPG books I've got.

-Al

Your favorite celebrity also tips your results one way or another-- picking Mila Jovanovich, I got Jill Valentine... picking Ahnuld got me Solid Snake. Guess I was straddling the line between the two of them with all my other answers: Can use a gun, prefer assault rifles, wanted to be a cop, etc.

-Al

I think the reason why you think the IMAI is chunky is from the angle shot of the camera top down. Whereas the toynami version has had pictures full frontal.

In terms of Line art Toynami's version does not line up the left and right chest with the central section that has the triangle on it. Both the left and the right chest section are not supposed to be fully horizontal. I doubt if it's a transformation error since all the photos I've seen of the battloid has the same thing. The Imai has this done correctly as does the Gakken.

It isn't simply because of the camera angle. I've seen the IMAI at various angles and all of the shots have screamed chunky to me (the same goes for the Gakken, whos proportions have annoyed me even when I'd played with one some 20 years back). While some of Toynami's parts may not line up properly according to the line art, it still "feels" more like the anime overall. I think the main reason the IMAI's appears chunky is because the legs seem too short, and the chest and shoulders too wide.

-Al

I disagree. Even without the fancy paint, the scuplt of the IMAI is better. There is a reason for this... The IMAI fighter mode sucks so bad I won't keep it in that mode. They went for a more accurate soldier mode and it shows. Toynami went for a more even compromise. As such, soldier mode suffers slightly while fighter mode is better as compared to the IMAI model. I like the compromises that were made, though I do think Toynami really ought to have realized at the prototype stage that those leg and feet as to big... I think it would have made fighter mode look even better...

I dunno... the IMAI soldier mode looks much too stocky and ungainly here, and doesn't quite pull off that mode proportionally, at least when compared to the line art or anime. I dare say the Toynami's soldier mode resembles the anime more-- and was one of the first things I'd noticed about the sculpt. It's also telling that when seeing that picture up above, I'd wondered how the Toynami got so chunky and disporportionate all of a sudden, then realized it was the IMAI kit I was seeing.

Now Capt. America/Moscato's Legios kit was a compromise that did actually feature extremely accurate soldier mode-- gorgeous-- but unfortunately, fighter mode suffered with its stubby nose and overall chunkiness, and it no longer really resembled the line art. I know that's exactly what he was going for-- that fighter mode would be secondary and sleekness and proportion be damned... but it was a compromise that I personally had a hard time getting over, especially since it was lauded as being overall "more accurate" than Toynami's MPC. I guess I'd rather have a nose that hangs too long in soldier, not being that prominent from a front view anyway-- than a much more innaccurate nose that calls attention to itself in fighter mode, especially when the rest of the kit was so finely crafted.

-Al

i have to admit i'm intrested to see M7 just because of all the valks and weirdness.

ever since i saw those pics of the vf-1's with the wacky circus paintjobs, i've been intrested in seeing what else weird happens in this show.

The irony is, that episode with the farked paint jobs is actually the one that pays most homage and stays most true to the original Macross series.

Milia back in her 1J... SDF-era old timers taking a Monster out for a spin... actually made me wish the rest of Mac 7 was more like that episode.

-Al

Beats Vega, or Dan I guess. No wait, it doesn't.

Did like playing as her though.

This "new" Yamato, on the other hand, looks like a convolution, a collection of different design elements cobbled together by a team of CGI geeks who thought that putting everything, including the kitchen sink, into the design would make it look cool.

*Shudder* The new Yamato looks like an amateurish CGI kitbash. Eek.

-Al

And according to that page, Minovsky particles themselves aren't detectable... only it's effects are (which at beyond-visual-range, would be the precise effect of nothing being there, like everywhere else you look). Convenient.

-Al

It also should involved a heavy metal band seeking to grow Protoculture flowers using their wicked axes to generate Shadow power, which gets the ninjas all revved up to go kill and stuff again.

Well, it's one ninja-step better than a certain other series that this description bears vague resemblance to.

-Al

Honestly, I don't see why they even bother with trying to do a robotech sequel. 3 DVD releases of the exact same material, and they expect a loyal fanbase? Sheesh!

Yeah, and heavens forbid they actually try to release some new material, and do what fans had been pining for, right? Silly them, attempting something vaguely different from what we like to accuse them of doing.

-Al

hmmm... you're right... sounds much cooler now to know that HG is now ripping off gundam along with macross!

We need shadow force power now!

I'm not exactly sure why everyone's so hung up with the "Shadow Technology" thing all of a sudden, even as corny a title as it makes.

Had folks bothered to be even vaguely informed, they could have taken issue with the Shadow technology thing some 20 years ago, when Robotech aired-- instead of acting as if it's a surprise and some big goofy corny thing now. It's always been a part in the Robotech continuity, not to mention being the stuff already present in Mospeada, taken and twisted a step further.

That's almost like making fun of Macross 7 now for having Music-Wins-All-Wars as a theme, and being shocked when it presents a goofy sounding idea, when that something's always been key to the series. Music in Macross? *gasp* No way!

hmmm, maybe you're onto something here... shadow force could actually be not the name of a new technology but of a new pop group that uses "spirit energy" released from their songs!

This "spirit energy" attacks the enemies ability to attack by destroying their ability to form and "chakra" a type of power that comes from extended use of protoculture.

And that sounds as goofy and stupid as it did the first time around.

Why are we snickering at the idea of Robotech going kiddie fare, again? We had no problem with that sort of thing in Macross.

-Al

Funny. Sort of puts all the Reba West Suxorz jabs into perspective. While we fanboys are pitting them against another, one's comfortably appreciating and enjoying the other. You like, like grown adults.

-Al

please, this topic always comes up every so often, and it always seems like it's non-asians that bring it up. Frankly, this just smacks of stereotypes... there are many different asian phenotypes... even among the japanese ethnic groups, there are people with varied ancestry there are japanese with large eyes with smaller eyes, short asians, tall asians etc. Why should animators be forced to draw asians the way YOU prefer, short with slanty eyes? Maybe with opium pipes? doing laundry? Perhaps there weren't enough bonsai trees for you?

Sigh. Chill buddy.

Asian here and I gotta agree with Stamen0083. Anime characters generally look more Caucasian and "white" to me than they do Asian... even when the character is supposedly undeniably Japanese. There's been more anime in recent years with Asian characters that do bear remarkable Asian resemblance, beyond "slanted" eyes or other characturistic Asian features-- the character designs actually capture what makes an Asian person look so, without needing to over exaggerate (ie. some of the cast in Patlabor)-- but anime staple in the 80's were full of Asian characters that looked... well, purty farking white.

It's no secret that Japanese society holds Western features up as one particular ideal of beauty... and most anime characters simply do not look at all like any Asian folks I know.

And dag. Enough with the vehement Asian angst. It's not a witchhunt here. For one of the most successful and best assimilated minority groups in the States, we sure can be whiney and angry folk. Abercrobe and Fitch anyone? Ie: up in arms about vastly over-priced T-Shirts that we're lucky enough to be able to afford and acquire a taste for in the first place...while other ethnicities have um... real issues. Not that we don't, but we sure as hell seem to feel the need to speak out at all the lame times about some of the dumbest things.

Back on topic. Big reason why anime characters appear Western simply lies in the fact that when you simplify human features into a drawing, they tend to look somewhat Western. And when you take an amalgam of all sorts of human features and come up with a hybridized, raceless, universal face that's aesthetically pleasing, it still... ends up looking a little bit Western (or a little bit Happa I guess). It almost seems that one has to go *out* of their way to draw characters that would look recognizably Asian (or certain other ethnicities for that matter). That, and the fact that the Disney influence still remains strong after all these years... and that Japanese folks seem to think that saucer sized eyes look good.

-Al

More time for character developement does not always equate to better character developement. A common thought amongst Macross fans is that the character developement in the series MUST be better simply because the series is longer than the movie.

I challenge that notion.

Sure, but it's also arguable that more time for development gives more opportunities for better development... and the simple truth is many SDF fans are more compelled by the TV version of things. So it ain't better because it's longer... it's better in some eyes simply because of their subjective experience watching the thing.

To me, the plotline in DYRL just feels abrupt, choppy, chaotic. Same with the character development, which seems to be charactures of what are already charactures. To me, it just feels as if it's an attempt to cram the major plot points of the series into a two-hour movie-- which is exactly what it is-- rather than the telling of a story crafted intentionally for movie format. Few of the plot milestones are presented in a manner that allow them to really sink in, because by the time one's been reached, it's already time to jarringly move on to the next one. As a result, I think it comes across a little bit forced... and loses something narratively, at least it does here.

Sure, some questions get answered as the movie plays through, and others are left unanswered-- which is important or unimportant depending on your take on things. I know I consider who these Big Giant Fecking Aliens With Cauliflower Growing Out Of Their Heads are and why they're attacking us pretty farting important-- or what the Macross is exactly, and where it comes from, how special it seems, and given that it's the namesake of the SERIES... but it does remain that the pacing and development leaves a lot of initial confusion for the viewer-- in a way that doesn't appear to be a narrative device and is in vague danger of losing some viewers.

-Al

well fwiw, both DYRL and SDF-TV can also be utterly confusing to those who have only watched or only got exposed to the Robotech version of it. More so with SDF-TV since it's more easily available than DYRL.

DYRL was utterly confusing the first time I'd watched it, the only previous experience I had with Macross being Robotech. Then again, could be because the audio was garbled and it was subtitled... in Chinese. Which I can't read worth a lick. But I imagine that watching SDF wouldn't have produced the same sort of utter and total confusion.

-Al

Gotta agree, David. The non-scribed A4 looks tons better and a lot more convincing. Seems modellers too often focus on "Look at meeee! I panel lined! Look! Look!", rather than "Look at meee! I look farking real!"

It's just not that convincing when details that aren't prominent on an actual real life plane are emphasized for detail's sake.

-Al

It's kind of scary that our defense funding is determined by people silly enough to believe what the Air Force brass is trying to push with the "results" of this exercise.

-Al

It looks surprisingly good. Lots better than I imagined it would, since I'm not a big fan of how digi-camo looks on uniforms. It straddles that line between cheezy and super awesome.

-Al

I wouldn't be surprised if the 3 laws were already in there.

The entertainment industry has a tendancy to throw them in there at random.

I'v eseen them in books, movies, and video games with no ties to Asimov.

For all the fanfair put into the "Three Laws Directive" in the media hype, it's funny that the three laws in their entirety can't be found anywhere in the trailer or even the movie's (very, very slick) websites. Not even in on NS-5.com, where it's a "product feature". I don't know what they're planning... if they're trying to surprise us with what the Three Laws are by revealing them only in the movie-- or if they're trying to have their cake and eat it too by using the idea as a hook, but ignoring it completely so they're not weighed down by its real implications that might clash with the pop-corn action flick they want to make. You know... if you actually tell folks what these laws are and have them think about it for a moment... the movie might fail to make sense.

Sooo, chances are, the 3 Laws are being used as a cheap plot device ("Robots are safe... really!") without any real thought, emphasis, or weight actually given them. My worst fear is that it's just there for overshadowing and will simply be ignored when it's time to get to the action sequences-- and it looks that way from the Japanese trailer, as one character outright says, "But emotion can override logic."

Uh huh. Right. The whole premise of Asimovs' stories was that these laws couldn't be violated (except under the super secret zeroth law, and other extreme and mitigating circumstances). This lead to all sorts of logic hijinks and funny behavior by robots, trying their darndest to function-- sometimes causing them to positronically meltdown-- in situations where the Three Laws clashed and couldn't be resolved. Hence good stories.

Asimov certainly didn't come up with the Three Laws so that the first widely produced domestic robot line can up and ignore it like it didn't matter and go on a destructive spree. The Three Laws were there to just for that sort of thing.

But damn. Slick movie-related websites though. Reminds me lots of BMW and Apple advertising.

-Al