Messages

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TalkBack / RE: What are those green links on PGC?

« on: October 28, 2005, 04:12:43 AM »

What the... Playboy Channel?  On XM RADIO?  WTF do they do, DESCRIBE naked chicks to you?  "She has like... these boobs... and stuff.  And then... like... you know.  Dude... this is hot."

Back on topic... Intellitxt is hardly the same as TV commericals.  Anyway, if you really don't want them, turn off CSS page stylings.  Bye bye links.  Unless you're some tool that just has to click on those emails that say "Sarah wants you to watch her!  Click here to view her and her hot friends now!" and then ACTUALLY expect the girl to really want to get to know you... I don't think it will mess with your ability to view PGC.

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TalkBack / RE: What are those green links on PGC?

« on: October 26, 2005, 05:38:11 PM »

I don't get the complaints.  I'm all for IntelliTXT as an alternative to pop up ads.  It's not intrusive in the slightest.  Wow, green links.  Hover over it, and you immediately see it's an ad.  What's the problem?  If it's a link to a normal page, you wouldn't get the hover thing.  You have to look at this from their perspective.  Sure, everyone wants everything for free... but there has to be compromises.

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TalkBack / RE: INTERVIEWS: Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector Interview

« on: October 12, 2005, 08:25:56 AM »

seriously... I think I know even LESS after that interview.  I loved the answer to the question of if the drivers must be installed from CD.  Instead of saying yes or no, he says you have to carry your computer with you. =p  Brilliant response.

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TalkBack / RE: True Crime: New York City Voice Cast Announced

« on: September 19, 2005, 09:13:33 AM »

^^^ don't knock them for putting out the effort.  People rip on games for their cheesy dialogue and horrible voice casts.  It's good to start seeing companies use real actors (or at least, better ones) for the voiceovers.  The heirarchy of importance for gaming goes 1) gameplay, 2) graphics, 3) sound.  If any of the 3 suffer, then the game suffers... but only to the degree of their rank.

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TalkBack / RE: Revolution Controller Revealed

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:13:46 PM »

I think Ian is generalizing FAR too much and is being EXTREMELY closed minded.  I've been around since the launch of the NES, played the Famicom BEFORE the NES even came out, own several Game and Watches, including my Zelda fliptop one.  Frankly, if you were a fan of the SNES way back when, then you're still slightly peeved at Nintendo for letting the Playstation come into fruition (I remember drooling over the SNES CD adaptor when I first saw it in Nintendo Power, featuring 7th Guest as a game).  Or how about ROB?  Or the Power Glove?  Or that damn, over-sized Super Scope (compared to the cool, compact, Sega Menacer).  You're telling me the generation that grew up listening to Sega's so called "blast-processer" bull crap won't be willing to at LEAST give Nintendo the benefit of a doubt.  

It appears the 3rd Party Support has already improved.  A lot of developers are mentioning that Nintendo is starting to change their "stick up the ass" approach.  And did you notice how Merrick kept harping "FPS"?  Last I checked, there aren't too many tiku tiku tiku!  FPSes, which had been a major complaint.  Nintendo has gone away from a tiku tiku tiku!  look and gone with a sleek, more futuristic look.  Seriously, take the Revolution and drop it into i.Robot and it'd fit right in.

The TRUE Nintendo fans are willing to take a wait and see approach, as they've done for the past few years.  The ignorant are the ones who write someone off just because they dont' share their ideas or opinions.

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TalkBack / RE: Revolution Controller Revealed

« on: September 16, 2005, 07:10:38 PM »

This is a VERY controversial statement... soo... <puts flame hat on>

The majority of the AAA titles come from Japan.

<takes off hat>

Coincidentally, they are also the most quirky.  Look at games like Katamari Damacy, Mr. Driller, Warioware, the bulk of the RPGs (I'll give you KOTOR, even though I never enjoyed it)... nevermind all the games coming from Nintendo, Sega, and Sony, and Square's Japanese divisions.  One thing that I haven't heard is a confirmation that the Nintendo DS will connected with the Revolution.  Now THAT would be a boon.  You pretty much have any interface you want now with the Revolution:  touchpad, spatial gyroscopes, standard controller, personal screens (ala Dreamcast's failed VMU or using the GBA SP on GC), dancepad, bongos, microphone, lightgun (the remote looks like it can act as such already, so I wouldn't be surprised.  The ABILITY to redifine gaming is there.. it remains to be seen if anyone but Nintendo will be excited to utilize all that's there.

The thing I didn't get about people complaining about "needing" a GBA to play games like Final Fantasy: CC is that the GBA is so damn widespread that I'd be immensely shocked if most console owners didn't have at LEAST one Gameboy handheld varient.

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TalkBack / RE: Revolution Controller Revealed

« on: September 16, 2005, 11:45:37 AM »

I think there is a distinct difference between this controller and the GameCube controller.  The Revolution looks undeniably sleek.  As unorthodox a controller as that is, it still looks sleek.  If you put the Revolution on a table, people are going to be curious about it... and are sure to be surprised when you reveal it's a game console.  I like the analog attachment (I dont' want to call it a nunchuku or i might try whipping people with it), and I think it's ideal the way it is.  What I don't like is that it has to be connected to the "remote control" for it to function.  I'd want to use it to play some games one handed, and I'd rather not have the remote control dangling below.

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TalkBack / RE: Revolution Controller Revealed

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:54:59 AM »

"You can't force someone to take the time and put in serious effort when someone else is providing a lazier solution that ultimately gets the same job done."

Well, what of the development requirements on PS3 and Xbox 360's multicore processor?  Multicore applications are not very easy to program.  In fact, I can't think of any multiprocessor games for PC currently.  The only things that use it are applications, such as Windows itself.  From the rants and complaints of developers right now, it seems coding for the PS3 and XBox 360 are no walks in the park.  The PS2 was and is a powerful machine, as some of the games display.  However, it was extremely difficult to fully utilize the Emotion Engine, so developers simply didn't.  I've saw this first hand, much to my dismay, when I worked at Visual Concept.  

A great example of this is EA's Madden 06 for XBox 360.  EA themselves thought they could get the 360 to bring movie-like images to life in a game... hence that ill-fated teaser video.  Check out the ACTUAL gameplay videos, and it's BARELY an improvement over the Xbox.  The animation is just as stiff, the player models and texture mapping are a hundred-fold poorer than in the teaser video.  Yes, Gears of War look spectacular, but I haven't seen that game running on XBox 360 hardware yet, so it's hard to pass judgement.

Nonetheless, if it truly is difficult to squeeze marginally improved graphics on the more powerful XBox360 and PS3, I'm sure developers will be openminded to see what Nintendo can offer.  If the SDKs are easy to handle, then you might even see better graphics on the Revolution initially while developers try to get a grasp on the intricacies of the PS3 and XBox 360.  That alone might give Nintendo the chance to build a larger user base and cull more developers.

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TalkBack / RE: Jim Merrick Revolution Controller Interview

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:32:53 AM »

Well... some could argue the Playstation was the ultimate accessory =p

Seriously though, how about the six-button Genesis controller or the Dual Shock (as Paladin mentions).  Or how about the network adaptor for the PS2?  What about XBox Live?  The majority of games support both the network adaptor and XBox Live.  In many cases, the bulk of the game requires the ability to go online.  However, not everyone is online... let alone on broadband (which is required for XBox Live and might as well be required for the PS2, since modem is generally unplayable).  This is similar to the Chicken or the Egg problem, except it's more clearcut.  The Chicken is the controller.  The developers are the egg.  The controller is there (according to Merrick).  Whether it is an included accessory remains to be seen.  However, assuming it's not, people will buy it if developers utilize it.  Developers will utilize it if people buy it.  So far, it seems like the developers are coming first, as many have developed for XBox Live and the PS2, which got people to buy adaptors or buy XBox Live.  The cost for multiplatforming in this coming generation remains to be seen, but if it's on par with the current generation, it would not be a huge risk to develop "standard" games on the Revolution.  If Nintendo sells 5 Million consoles (which isn't absurd), and a very miniscule 1% of people buy the adaptor (which isn't very likely to be so low), that's still 50,000 potential gamers... which I'd venture to say is a larger user base than the N-Gage.  Ouch.  

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TalkBack / RE: Jim Merrick Revolution Controller Interview

« on: September 16, 2005, 10:10:47 AM »

Yo Ian, as someone pointed out in another thread, there are games that REQUIRE memory cards for the PS2, but I don't see third parties b!tching about that.  There are multiple light gun games on the market that REQUIRE a light gun.  People buy additional controllers just because it's a different color, for crying out loud.  Honestly, if the standard controller is up to par w/ the PS2 and XBox controllers (that is, not yet another "innovation" with buttons all mapped on the bottom and a breathalizer used to move), I wouldn't mind shelling out $25-30 more for the controller... and I'm sure most serious gamers would concur.

The thing is, the market has changed.  People are spending $400 for cellphones!  Little kids in elementary school carry cellphones with them, have their own laptops, and own iPods.  I'm not sure what market Nintendo is trying to win over... those afraid of technology, or those hoping to embrace it.  The ones afraid of technology are the OLD people... and I don't see ANY reason of trying to get them.  I wouldn't mind the new controller paradigm if Nintendo said they wanted to advance technology more than trying to bring in the uninitiated.

Nintendo has been innovators (so far as the gaming industry is concerned).  The first with the analog stick (N64, sans Atari), the first with rumbling(N64), the first to use solar light (GBA, Boktai), the first to use a touchpad as an innovative gaming control (DS, sans PDAs), first to use a mic (Famicom, though it was dropped for the NES) and the first to use a camera (Game Boy Camera, anyone?).  Let's not forget the first 1st Multitap (NES, Four Score), pad peripheral (NES, Power Pad) and Light Gun (NES, Zapper).  If I recall correctly, they are also the first 1st party to produce a wireless RF controller (GC, Wavebird).  Hopefully, this will be another innovation in the same vein... rather than falling in line with the Virtual Boy (which I enjoyed for the most part) and 64DD (I still wish that came out here).

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TalkBack / RE: Revolution Controller Revealed

« on: September 16, 2005, 09:21:47 AM »

This looks seriously disappointing.  If anything, it looks more like a controller that the PS3 would use... what with "the PS3 is not a gaming device!" that wacko father of the PS had been spewing.  Still, I'd be extremely surprised if we don't get a standard controller.  Honestly, I do NOT see this as being a problem.  It really depends on how the coding can be acheived.  If the routines require a certain controller be plugged in to work (such as the way USB mics work with the PS2), then it'd be a problem.  If not, then people could decide to use their Gamecube controller instead (or buy one for about the price of a memory card), or maybe a different style controller.

Another possibility is controller remapping based on what is available (such as playing DDR/Racing game with a controller, instead of a dancepad/wheel).  It may take some creative programming, but games could be done such that you remap buttons if controller X is connected instead of controller Y.  This would work just fine for the majority of games out there.  Yes, going from essentially 14 (including Dpad)  buttons to 8 (including dpad) is a pain... but do you REALLY need all those buttons?  Racing games... Accelerate, Brake... (extra: hand break, horn, camera, boost).  Fighting games... Punch, Kick (extra: block, run, special, hard/medium/light).  Adventure/Platformers... Zelda showed us that 2 buttons, plus a Z lock, were enough (contextual buttons).  RPGs... come on, do we need to map spells to individual buttons?  It's not so hard to use a list instead.

It just hurts because I love Nintendo.  I'm sure most gamers over the age of 21 still harkon back to the NES/SNES days.  I'm happy to see a company try to evolve past the "tried and true."  If not for them, we'd all still be riding in horse and carraiges.  It's a HUGE risk, and it's sad to think what might happen if it doesn't pay off for Nintendo.  Who knows, if Nintendo manages to get a good install base, developers might flock to them instead... forcing MS and Sony to come up with similar controllers.  Yes, it is nice in this dream world I live in...   But hey, don't forget about Steel Battalion and it's $250 controller.  If people are willing to buy that, then I'm sure they'd spend $25 to buy a "standard" controller.

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TalkBack / RE: Reggie Interviewed on Revolution

« on: July 01, 2005, 02:40:57 AM »

Am I the only one to catch this part?

"Again, Nintendo's taking the approach of, first, a gaming-centric console system yet we will have the capability because of that speed card and other types of memory to have movies and other types of content, but that's not the overall objective."

Apparently, the system WILL play movies, which should please those who insist on that aspect.  I know know nothing about this "speed card" thing thought.

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TalkBack / RE: Nintendo Reveals

« on: May 17, 2005, 09:49:12 AM »

"there is also an expansion bay for SD memory cards"

Did I call it or what.  Told ya folks they'd do that. =D

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TalkBack / RE: More Revolution Tidbits

« on: May 13, 2005, 02:25:05 PM »

I don't think it's necessarily misleading.  The Cube didn't play DVDs, per se.  It played a smaller sized disc, a mini-DVD if you will.  Revolution will be using standard DVD9s.  Regardless, if you don't have a DVD player by this point, you probably don't want one anyway... so the Revolution having DVD playback is rather moot.

The reason I don't see the hard drive happening is because it is not really used for much.  The BEST feature is custom soundtracks, and that was rarely used on the Xbox.  Why would you need 20GB on a game system?  Are you going to install applications on it?  Are you going to download porn?  Seriously, you don't need that much space.  A flash card would definitely be preferable to me, much like it's used on the PSP.  It opens up a world of possibilities, such as easily sharing game saves, importing your own images into your games, etc.  

As for hooking up a gamecube controller... I don't think so.  More than likely, it'll be wireless much like the Xbox360.  Plus, if Nintendo really does plan on reinventing the way we interface with games, it won't be possible to control Revolution games with the GameCube controller... so it'd be pointless to allow for backwards connectivity.  I mean, you wouldn't use the NES controller to play SNES games, would you?   After seeing how conservative MS was with it's new controller, I'm all the more curious about the new Revolution controller.

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TalkBack / RE: More Revolution Tidbits

« on: May 13, 2005, 01:06:42 PM »

Don't see the portable DVD thing happening.  The cost alone is far too restrictive.  Unless this comes in at a $399 price point, it just doesn't make much sense.  Also... who said anything about DVD playback?  Just because it supports the DVD media doesn't mean it can decode MPEG4.  A vanilla Xbox didn't play movies, remember?  Just playing devil's advocate here.  Don't bet on the hard drive happening.  I see a flash memory based solution, since the whole SD adaptor thing never worked out on the GameCube.

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TalkBack / RE:More Revolution Tidbits

« on: May 13, 2005, 12:08:10 PM »

Ian...

Not true.   Sega (at least in the case of the sports games) design for the stronger system first(XBox), and then take things out for the weaker one (PS2).  Still, I don't see this being an issue for newer games.

I could see the extra room being used for uncompressed PNG textures.  While this can lead to sharper graphics, it would also consume much more bandwidth.  Plus, it wouldn't be that much of an improvement... as texture compression algorithms are so advanced already.  Plus, anyone that's seen that 9kb DX9 demo program knows its entirely possible to make a VERY good looking game with practically no space taken.

I'm very curious as to what features the Revolution will have that seperates it from the Xbox360.  Nintendo can't just meet Microsoft spec for spec, or even just try to feature a little more RAM or horsepower.  It needs a STRONG gimmick... much like Microsoft had XBOX Live.

I find it funny that all the MS fanboys who deplored the Gamecube as looking like a kid's toy are wetting themselves over the XBox360.  Frankly, that thing looks more kid-like than the GameCube... ESPECIALLY that controller.    (what the hell is tiku tiku tiku! inserted for the k word? =p)