AndrewTS

If you're buying the games anyway, it's a good deal. However, you don't need to buy a Nintendo memory card. It has 512 MB on board to go, and apparently can save to standard SD Compact Flash.

Rental stores around me kind of suck. I usually get "new releases" like a month later at best. Plus, they seem to have problems keeping inventory up to date. Tomb Raider Legend is not a new release!! No one is going to pay $29.99 for a pre-played Snake Eater! Well, I intended to rent Legend of Spyro, or God Hand, or Valkyrie Profile 2. Well, none of the above were present and I didn't want to bother with MK Armageddon--so I rented Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's based on that Nick show that is pretty much the only original one that doesn't suck. No, not the one with the sponge guy potheads giggle at. The one you see with all the action figures these days that has the little bald dude with a blue arrow on his head. I already beat it. It's pretty much an action RPG, but with a somewhat confusing inventory system and somewhat spotty hit detection. It's kind of funny how the bird's eye perspective doesn't do a good job of hiding the graphical shortcuts (stairs are flat textures!). However, it had some decent presentation and you got to beat the hell out of lots of things. Average game at best, but the kiddies probably will really like it.

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD have at least one more thing in common: their movie cases suck-- http://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/ces2006..._ces2006_24.jpg http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=28907 Uggggggggggggh. Will this spill over into the PS3 games? It doesn't seem so. I picked up a flyer for the PS3 from Gamestop, and it seems most of the launch titles are listed, with mock-up cover art. None of them seem to use standard sized DVD cases like the Wii and XB360. However, they seem to differ in size. They seem slightly tallker than they are wide, so apparently they will come in their own unique cases.

No, Wii Sports is listed separately. I suspect it's either a) software for your computer, b) the free Opera browser early adopters get, which will be pulled after the deal is up, or c) some sort of utility for the Wii itself, like a restore disk or software updater.

What took you so long? I could have told you it was awesome years ago! *is kind of glad Japan didn't care for SoT* A few times she'll accidentally shoot you with the bow. That really sucks. However, you'll miss her if you play WW.

Yeah, I doubt Ed Boon knows about the Amiga one, aside from a royalty check years ago.

Most SNK fans are crap at them as well, actually.

Mayhaps I posted a bit soon. Seriously? I doubt that.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/contests/ind...ontest=mkscream MK1 GG? That's nothing.... How about the Turkish GG MK3 Anya has? With no Valkyrie Profile 2, God Hand or Legend of Spyro to rent, it was either MKA or Avatar. I went with the 2nd choice. Overall I'm glad I did. What the hell have they been spending all this time on? *2* fighting styles so they can recycle the old styles across all the characters? Ridiculous. Text endings. No original art. No real bios. No real ending. wtf.

God forbid I dislike companies bribing magazines to get 9+'s for their games. And over a year later, it seems that R* didn't fill the moneyhats afterall, because the game was able to get by on its own merits, and we didn't get 9+ scores. Plus, just like we knew last year, the content is extremely tame, and JT knew jack about the game.

I thought it was lame, not the least damn bit scary, and occasionally interesting. However, pretty much as a rule I hate PG-13 horror. Not because I have to have gore, but you pretty much never get anything honestly disturbing and freaky. Crap horror I can let slide with some good gore, intentionally funny scenes, and nudity--but, as you can imagine that ain't happening here. The really overdo the appearances of the catboy/ghost. By the time you get to the bus ride, it's damn downright comical. With a slight rewrite, this could have been Not Another Localized Japanese Horror Movie.

The minions discovering the wings actually work was great. "Why does nobody tell me these things!" I have to wonder if they're going to go for the extremely obvious for Dr. GF's big secret, or something a bit weirder.

Just for anyone considering a mac--the mac mini is the most stable computer (hardware-wise) they have. iMacs look nice but it seems as soon as they started stuffing everything behind the display, they started getting into trouble. This is the last good iMac: http://www.granneman.com/images/imac_flat_panel.jpg. Get a Mac Mini, max it out, spending the rest on a nice display and you're gold.

Ever since two calls to Nintendo wi-fi tech support were only temporary fixes at best, I'll probably just wait until I get the Wii + ethernet kit and use that as my hotspot.

In the US, they did a test run in Hawaii, but opted against doing it in the rest of the US. $50 of trade ins. Ha! That's well over $100 in real value.

Ahhh yes KH2. Forgot about that one. At this point I'll probably just wait until it hits best-selling status then get it for 20 bucks. I don't know if that will happen any time soon. The game is really popular, enough for them to justify selling it for pretty much full price still even though it's been out for like seven months. It isn't Greatest Hits because GH status in the US requires: a) selling 400,000+ b) being out 9 months. KH2 hit the first requirement a hell of a long time ago (within the first week, IIRC), but it only came out late March. So it *can't* go GH until December. I may buy Bully at least partly as a big finger to Jacky boy.

There were a few games that had drastic differences--like the Splinter Cells. Also some games really took advantage of the xbox to make a much improved game (the souped up GTA3/VC). However, for the most part, the MO was "let's make a PS2 game...and oh yeah, smooth a few textures and throw it on Xbox, too." Of course Sony's overwhelming market leader position lead to that, it seemed. Why put in the extra work when most people are going to buy the PS2 version anyway?

You'll never see a difference in gameplay? Between 360 and PS3 maybe, but one of those and Wii? Hello Assassin's Creed, which ain't happening on Wii at all, and not because of exclusivity agreements. It's not just a difference in power, its 360/PS3 doing stuff that Wii flat out can't do, like all the AI for the dozens and dozens of NPCs.

The 50's b-movie cliche aspect of it makes it gold. Oh well, I thought we were on a roll of *actual discussion*, but this is ok too.

Some people were fooled, yeah, but not as much. When you read previews on early PS3/360 stuff, it seemed the reporter was always looking for reason to believe the game "footage" was a fraud. Remember all that "it's real time, really!" baloney that Sony was yelling last year? Of course, yeah--not all gamers are skeptical geeks. I'm surprised how many people seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that the Wii is *not even close* to the capabilities of Wii/PS3, even though Nintendo itself admits it.

Agreed, and even if it were, it's not like back in 2000 when everyone wanted a DVD player and the PS2 was an easy way to get one. The demand for Blu-ray isn't even there. Ok, the availability may be one thing, but this is absurd. The essence of the Playstation 3 DNA is real change, and the consumers are ready. Didn't you listen to Kaz? I think Blu-Ray is a part of it, but that's not where Sony intends to stop. They really, really want to make the PS3 the media set-top box that PS2 never came close to being yet was supposed to be. Not that anyone cared about that--it was all the really pretty graphics they showed in their smoke n' mirrors show that sealed the deal. However, bullshots are no longer so easy to trick people with, actual PS3 graphics are on par with 360, and Sony has done a really crappy job of communicating to gamers what they really can offer with PS3--with or without HDTVs. Of course, Lee Iakoka could shit better PR mouthpieces than Sony. It seems like the marketing heads of each and every region has had at least one attack of The Stupids. Nintendo's PR guys either come off as goofy, humble and optimistic (Miyamoto, Iwata), or with just enough swagger to be likable but not unlikeable (Reggie). On MS' side, there's Peter Moore, who is funny even when he's really, really off-base (and even though he looks like Beelzebub in the right light). Plus, they have Bill himself who can work a crowd, and that XTREEEEEEEEEEEME marketing dude you don't see much of anymore. Sony has: Kaz, Man of a 1000 YTMNDs; Phil Harrison, who hasn't really contributed much to this whole fiasco other than look like an ass at E3. Then there's the horribly dull, metaphor-spewing, walking cloud of smug Krazy Ken, who thinks that engineering blather and reassurance that you're getting a total steal! is enough to get through to people who were won over by Sony just delivering good games in the past.

The way it is looking with the hybrid chips, it seems like neither Blu-Ray or HD-DVD will be the "winner." They'll be the next DVD+ and DVD-. PS3 isn't a real option as a "cheap Blu-Ray player" until mid-2007 when you can actually buy one without bribes/Ebay/clotheslining a dozen fierce soccer moms outside Wal-Mart.

From the rather dubious GameFAQs, here are some games early adopters have to look forward to: Yeah--a full year from now for GTA4. For those wondering, Metal Gear Solid 4 is released God Only Knows When, Final Fantasy XIII and Assassin's Creed in "2007," and Too Human on Who Honestly Gives a Rat's Ass? Eve.

Welcome back, Marvin! Early adopters can look forward to ClassActionStation3--then Sony will fix 'em.

I had a friend go up to my EB at 8 AM (my EB opens at 10...), and when he arrived there was a line of 40+ people. There were only 30 Wii reserves available. Do the math. I'm going to have to freakin' camp out for the Wii now. Damnit!!! This is not a big town either--unfreakin'believable. I have no Gamecrazies or other close Gamestops, so I best go shopping for some new gloves soon.