This hardware generation sucks. Nintendo's still intent on fagging their consoles up as much as possible, Microsoft is still utterly disinteresting and soulless, and Sony is just unfathomably disappointing.

Is everything one continual disappointment to you or is it all an act?

What does that say about the prospects of selling these to the 'general public'?

You mean the same general public who made Bulletproof a million seller?

We are the hardest of the hardcore and about 80% of the posts are claiming to be OUT! to various degrees.

And like what i've said before, GT regulars are a super fickle lot.  95% of immediate reaction is BS.  Let's check back in 6 months.

What's going on in here is very telling.

I'd say it's the opposite of telling. It's fluff. Pure fluff.

In short, a sub-$2000 gaming PC is the computing equivalent of a tardpack. moan all you like, but you're just wasting money in the long run if you don't buy the best hardware you can afford on the market at the time.

You just might be completely out of your mind.

They are insane. Alot of you are saying you are out, but I'm sure we will all be talking PS3 games come December.

Ding ding ding!

I don't have a 360 cause of price and I never planned on getting a PS3 at launch other than to ebay it, but I guarantee many of you will be buying a PS3 at launch.

The initial backlash on everything seems to be so overblown bad around here, but we are all SO fickle:

OMG WII?!?!? NO WAY!!!!!

PS3 = 600.00!?!?!?! NO WAY!!!! I'm getting a WII!!!!!!!!!!!

5 months from now: OMG DID YOU SEE XXXXX GAME?! I'm GETTING A PS3.


If PS3 launched for 10.00 with a free Russian Mail Order Bride perfect in features, etiquette,English dialogue and guanteed to show you the true meaning of love, people would be like: OMG 10.00 is TOO TEH CHEAPZOR! THEY'LL LOSE MONAY!! OH AND A  RUSSIAN?! THEY WERE TEH COMMIES! WHY NOT ITALIANOS! I'M GETTING A GIZMONDOR!

With the announcement of a DQ game, I bet a lot of people who wouldn't touch the Wii are now pretty excited about it.

Preposterous!

How do we define success? I'll bet you a can of Coke that Wii is huge.  Now let's define huge vs failure.

It has to gain a.) ground over the Gamecube, and b.) respect.

I don't consider 'Nintendo is making money' to be a success state, especially when the Wii is going to be a couple hardware generations behind the curve, and thus cheap to make.

A. Nintendo has said as much.  To this criterion I will agree.  B. Ridiculous.  Your respect or mine? The 'industry's'? Casual Gamers? Jack Thompsons? Deitrich's?

I don't consider 'Nintendo is making money' to be a success state,

HUH?

especially when the Wii is going to be a couple hardware generations behind the curve, and thus cheap to make.

 One has nothing to do with the other.

As their market share dwindles, so will any 3rd party support who will be lining up to side with MS or Sony, and no, they won't say 'but we'll develop for Wii too!' I want one person to tell me you can forsee a title coming out for X360/Wii or PS3/Wii. Not.Going.To.Happen

How many AAA games come out for both DS and PSP?

Games every bit as innovative as Guitar Hero could be on the horizon for the Wii. If Wii has a game (or games) of the same quality or innovation.  Done. Deal. Success.

Innovation draws attention...and sales if the timing is right...and I think th etiming is right.

Overall, I don't really care that much about the upcoming console war, but I tire of everyone dismissing Nintendo's efforts because 'OMG! Teh Name is teh L@me!'

PROJECTED RESULTS
-Complete and utter failure in the Western market.

Preposterous!

How do we define success? I'll bet you a can of Coke that Wii is huge.  Now let's define huge vs failure.

Wii will be dead last and will remain there for the entire generation.

As I said before, this doesn't matter.

It will probabily do ok, because of it's (hopefully) low price.....but the name and the "Look at me! I'm a dork!" factor of this system is what will really hurt it.

Put it in the book, Vito, but I'm calling nonsense on that. Wii is going to be huge.

As for the continued argumentation that it will be 3rd, so what?  MS and Sony are reshovelling the same stuff over and over and as anyone can tell you the biggest game sellers are sequels to established franchises.

Does this mean that Wii will be the BG&E of consoles? I don't think it does.  People are ready for something different. I know I am.

[The Three Muskateers]

I'm not through it, but am almost half way: The Three Muskateers.  Written in 1840, I somehow, in my travels, landed a complete and unabridged version at Walmart for 50 cents.

It's simply brilliant.

Naturally, i saw the couple first. But had no trouble finding the dolphins after reading the spoiler.

So does that make me corrupt, but repentant?

Mercs was a fine game, but not superlative.

It got so repetitive and I didn't think there was enough mission variety.  Also, there weren't enough cutscenes nor was there enough use of the marvelous voice talent.

Perhaps they'll improve it.  Seeing it with next gen graphics should make it cool.

Cross Posted from Bovine Conspiracy and Octopus Overlords

On May 17, registration for the Marine Corps Marathon opens.  It's no longer lottery based entry, it's first come first served.

Let us all, BC, GT and OO come together with a common goal: 26.2 miles.

For those who've been around, I trained for and completed the MCM in 2003.  3 years later, I'm 30 lbs over my marathon weight (10 over my pre marathon weight) and am anxious to conquer it again- only this time as a foundation for lifestyle change.

It's May.  The training plan is 18 weeks.  I used it from couch to marathon in 2003 and plan to do it again.  As of this writing, we have 25 weeks to get ready for the October 29 event.

If the concept of running 26.2 miles is beyond you right now, it won't be after a few weeks of training. Trust me.

My bad knees be damned.  I plan to overcome and do it again.  

Whose with me?

NOpe. It's not coming through as 5.1 for the cut scenes either.

Well that's kinda lame.

I'll have to check if, indeed, it kicks to 5.1 on the cuts.

Thanks!

So I'm playing Shadow Hearts: Covenant and in the audio options is the choice of stero, mono, and 5.1 digital.

I selected 5.1 and have made sure that in the sys config, optical sound is turned on.  I have an optical cable running from the back of the PS2 to my receiver.

However, as the sound from the PS2 plays through my converter, it is not being picked up as 5.1, rather, the receiver is is staying in the default '6 channel stereo' mode.

Any thoughts on how to fix this?

If they don't put in a better practice mode, I'm gonna be bitter and may end up skipping the sequel.

Hard is still too hard for me and as there's no way for me to practice Hammer ons and Pull offs except in the middle of the song, I don't see myself getting better.

Please please please.

Edit: As for the songs, I think they could have done a better Black Sabbath song.  Maybe they're only sticking with Ozzy BS, but try to tell me that Mob Rules wouldn't be a much more killer BS song than War Pigs.

I like 'You really Got me' but don't recognize any of the others.  What?! No AC/DC?

Bah. If you're concious, your brain is so overwhelmed with pain that it's probably not 'true conciousness' rather than an involuntary reaction to the overwhelming nerve chatter.

Next time I happen across a beheading, I shall ask the unfortunate party, immediately after the event, "Quickly! What is 2+2?"  Anyone should, if they are truly concious, be able to answer that one.

I'll report my findings back here.

Every time you post, I think you're someone else...someone disturbed.

Thanks for the heads up.

Any news on when other colors are arriving?

I am MAAAAAN, baby!

Any reason to wait for another color to come along?

There was a guy back on GG who, for whatever reason, had been tracking every minute of every game he had ever played.

I'd like to find him and see what some of his biggest/best numbers were are.

Hmm. I wonder who that was...

Can someone tell me why upload speed is so much slower?

Seattle:

Download Speed: 4807 kbps (600.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 356 kbps (44.5 KB/sec transfer rate)

Washington:

Download Speed: 4805 kbps (600.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 360 kbps (45 KB/sec transfer rate)

Texas:

Download Speed: 4813 kbps (601.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 359 kbps (44.9 KB/sec transfer rate)

Pretty consistent.

How is it that this thread isn't 600 pages long?  This is all we should be talking about.

Oh and if  this  doesn't make you giddy with gaming delight then you may really be in trouble Wink.

I've never understood how jumping around on flowers with a short italian plumber is fun for anyone!

 

Ban him!

I wash maself with a rag on a stick.

Oh and if this doesn't make you giddy with gaming delight then you may really be in trouble .

It happens, amigo!

I went 13 solid weeks- edit: which is the longest dry spell ever for me-  with no gaming whatsoever, but I'm back now and in full effect.

I think all gamers go through phases where there's nothing appealing to spend time with.

I'd tell you to go back and play KOTOR II again, but...you know.

Got my refund check of 14.55 last week.  This week Issue 58 arrived.  

Bonus!...or not as now I'll have to read through it's limp, vapid pages in hopes that something in the content contains balance and or interesting information

.

And you sig is way too big, too. :cry:

Ok Ok. Maybe I'm being irrational here, but I'm officially pumped beyond reckoning about this.

Why oh why did I click this topic?

I never thought I'd say this about a single game, but that may be a system seller for me.

Yowza!

Gah. I just installed flash 8 and i"m still getting the this site requires flash 8 screen.

smbdy help!

No and I know.  It was an optimistic if foolhardy thing to say, was it not?

And that's what makes this one so amazing.

Watterson was always very thoughtful and very headsy. I bet, given the current climate of dope up any kid with too much energy, he'd admire the sentiment (if not the fact that its an illegal replica).

It's a really strong strip if you were a fan of C&H because it is SO appropos given today's attitudes toward 'HDD/AD' and realistically what probably would have happened to Calvin had he been a real boy.

Very moving.

THE PRICE!

What is the PRICE!?

Please. No.

Umm, why?

Because it confirms that many gamers are desperate losers who gawk longingly at women who will never have anything to do with them.

It's about the games, man. THE GAMES!

[Spoiler]

Well, I started this game a LONG time ago and since I began it I have been wholly consumed by PS2 for my gaming time.  Finishing Devil May Cry seemed like as good a spot as any to revisit it since I was about 90% of the way through anyhow.

I've Loved POP:TTT and I've hated POP:TTT, but overall my initial impressions were correct.  It's a fabulous game, with great pacing and story elements and as always some amazing platforming.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but it ended as one could have presumed.  I would like to have seen

Spoiler for Hiden:

the story somehow end back at the very beginning where the Prince is standing before the hour glass and chooses not to obey the vizier and thusly the whole series would never have happened.  this would have all happened using the original graphics engine to really contrast the times before the SoT and the times that had happened during and since. However, it was clever, but again not wholly unexpected, that it ended with him running through the forest on his way to talk to Farah for the first time.  Not quite the effect of the ending of the first one, but...good

My inclination is to give it an A, but had I not had the PS2 diversion and thus played it straight through rather than take almost 4 months with it, it would still get an A+ so that's what I will give it.

I hope that there will indeed be a new story arc, perhaps long before the SoT storyline- perhaps it could be set in the battles prior to conquering Farah's kingdom....or it could happen after TTT and be more of a re-establishing Babyon story.

Either way, it definitely gets a reccomend from me.

Wow.  That is just heartbreaking.  I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

:cry:

No kidding.  +1

I can't say that I get it.

Either Hobbes is propositioning Calvin

or

Calvin is on drugs

or

Hobbes is just sitting there being a stuffed animal and there is no communication between the two.

What am I missing?

He's been put on ritalin and is no longer able to sustain his imagination, thus hobbes has become just a stuffed tiger.

Uhh... if they are illegal they shouldn't be in our schools at all unless their parents have a permit to be here.

Of course, you're aware that children born in the United States are automatically considered citizens of this country regardless of the immigration status of their parents.

That means you're assuming that the Hispanic students rallying here in Connecticut are all illegal immigrants themselves.  I'll ask you the same question I asked Graham: what is the basis for that belief?

-Autistic Angel

And this point makes for great difficulty: send back the illegal parents and who will care for the citizen children?

That's why a gradual 'grandfathering' of citizenship needs to occur.  They still have to do the right thing- sign up blah blah and take the tests, but they aren't granted immediate citizenship or expelled.

I enjoyed the game when I first started it, but between one boss battle and constantly fighting guys "off" the screen I quit.  Are the newer ones any better in this regard?

I never really had to fight guys off screen.  Arkon, if you move the analog stick, Dante will move in that direction.