Messages

8326

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo pre-empts April Fools Day - Official Nintendo 3DS announcement megaton

« on: May 19, 2010, 07:55:04 PM »

Well, couldn't you do that with one large touchscreen? Just saying...

And Nintendo has slowly been stripping away backwards compatibility. Gameboy Micro and DS couldn't play Gameboy/Gameboy Color games. DSi shed the GBA slot. I guess one could argue age as a factor and Nintendo didn't rid new hardware of backwards compatibility until those older platforms have been long abandoned. DS is still kicking. At the same time, it's not like Nintendo never promised/announced something that they never delivered. Wii DVD dongle comes to mind. Not the same thing, but still...

I always viewed backwards compatibility as a luxury rather than a necessity. See, I've always held onto my legacy systems so backwards compatibility was never an issue for me. It's convenient, but I like keeping my old systems. Yes, I realize that not everyone does. However, I think Nintendo would be just fine without it.

I don't see any positives for Nintendo to remove BC from the 3DS.

Here's a positive: cuts costs which, hopefully, gets passed to the consumer. The 3DS chipset either needs to be compatible or must emulate legacy DS games. It'd just be much easier and cost efficient for Nintendo to just put a Tegra 2 in there and call it a day. I'm just playing devil's advocate. DS has reached a saturation point where people's DS's have their own DS's. Ditching backwards compatibility won't hurt anyone in the long run. Nintendo could easily get away with it. People would pissed off for like a month before they forget it's gone.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo pre-empts April Fools Day - Official Nintendo 3DS announcement megaton

« on: May 19, 2010, 07:13:08 PM »

Also, what if 3DS only has one screen?

I think full backwards compatibility with DS kinda rules that out.

I don't think Nintendo ever said there would be 2 screens. I think we all just assume it will. I mean, it probably will. I was just postulating a fun theory. What would Nintendo really lose if they ditched backwards compatibility? That's a serious question. I'm curious what people think.

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General Gaming / Re: Sony Says: Apple is the Arrogant one.... Not Us (anymore)!!

« on: May 19, 2010, 07:04:19 PM »

Both companies are senselessly arrogant. Apple cultists simply drink more of their brand's Kool-Aid.

I'm going to be honest with you, dude. Apple's profit margins are ridiculous, but this Macbook Pro (my first Apple product ever) is still the best computer I've ever owned. I don't regret the money I spent at all. OSX is the best operating system I've ever used and I'm bootcamping Windows 7 (also awesome, just not as awesome).

It's funny how arrogant he is by claiming not to be arrogant. It's like someone bragging that they are modest.

Yeah... that's about right. Still, I'll give them this: Sony managed to hold their own despite f*cking up worse than Nintendo ever did. I don't even know how they managed that.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 19, 2010, 06:54:03 PM »

Yeah, Ben doesn't want The Island. He wants Alex back, which he can't have, and he was reminded again here that he should have chosen her over The Island 3 years ago. I thought the writers did a good job of that without flat out saying it. I mean, he also kills Widmore saying, "He doesn't get to save his daughter." Subtext. It worked here really well. And I thought the Man in Black offered Ben The Island because he doesn't need it once he escapes. He needs Ben to kill the next guardian like he needed Ben to kill Jacob, but using Desmond to destroy The Island probably still allows him to escape. I didn't mind the ambiguity here because the writers are clearly going to explain this in the final episode... right?

Anyway, I get the impression that Jack being The Island's new guardian is a red herring. He's either going to give up the position to someone else (Ben) or find a way for The Island to no longer need a guardian (destroy the Smoke Monster/trap him on the island forever). If there's a little bit of the Source in each person, maybe the point is for people to regain whatever it is, thus negating the purpose of The Island and its need for a guardian. What if Lost was never about a bunch of people lost and stranded on an island, but about something that humanity lost? Weird.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo pre-empts April Fools Day - Official Nintendo 3DS announcement megaton

« on: May 18, 2010, 10:49:29 PM »

From what I've read, Nvidia is really banking on the Tegra line which is probably especially true considering their rift with Intel. I'm sure Nvidia would LOVE for Nintendo use the Tegra 2 and almost single-handedly save them. I mean, really, how many people besides me bought a Zune HD? I would love for Nintendo to use Tegra 2. The first generation Tegra is pretty impressive tech and Tegra 2 probably blows it out of the water.

Also, what if 3DS only has one screen?

8331

General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 18, 2010, 01:58:05 AM »

I actually liked that Adam and Eve scene with the flashbacks. I thought it was done well artistically and thematically. I've read that a lot of fans felt like the flashback to season one was cheap, but I got the impression that people were missing the point. I thought it was an interesting way to bring things full circle. It highlighted the opposition between Locke and Jack, faith vs. science.

Anyway, I think the writers wrote themselves into a position where information is spoon fed to the audience in order to advance the plot when, with better planning, could have been revealed in a better, more clever way. There's a lot of stalling, a lot of false starts and, thus far, abandoned subplots. Again, I ask what exactly did Ilana add to the show. An interesting character with a loaded backstory, but nothing else. Ab Aeterno was one of the best episodes of the series, but for the 9th episode of the final season, it spent a lot of time telling the audience like 3 things. 1. Richard came to The Island on The Black Rock. 2. Jacob made it so Richard doesn't age. 3. A metaphor attempting to explain what the island. I don't need to be spoon fed information. However, I would like enough information in order to draw a logical conclusion, not 5 logical conclusions. And this has been said before, but not everything needs an explanation but I am a little confused over the priority the writers are giving certain mysteries. It was nice to know who Adam and Eve were, but ultimately, there are more pressing matters.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of the show and for the most part, they've done well in almost every aspect of the show. However, I feel like some things are being handled poorly which is normal. The writing is spotty in places. Big deal. It's still better written than most shows on currently on TV. RIP Wonderfalls.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 17, 2010, 06:53:54 PM »

Again, the necessity to come to conclusions by making logical connections between pieces of information doesn't mean the show isn't answering the questions - it means the show assumes its viewers are smart enough to figure things out without their hands being held! That, to me, is extremely refreshing. I'm very satisfied with the extent to which they are answering most of these questions.

Ehh, I disagree. This goes back to our discussion of subtext. Several logical conclusions can be made based on the information provided by the show. Those aren't answers; they're assumptions. For example, Tom Friendly never explicitly says he's gay, but there was enough evidence to come to that conclusion. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of the show or a anything because it doesn't. I'm just using it as an example where subtext is used correctly in helping the viewer come to a single conclusion.

I think it's clear that Jacob meant for 815 to crash, given that he visited a bunch of the passengers before the flight and that he had their names on a big list. Jacob has magical powers so it's extremely feasible that he could have influenced the events that caused Desmond to miss pushing the button. This is an ASSUMPTION I'm making, yes, but I think it's completely reasonable, and having enough information to make reasonable assumptions like that really should be enough!

But, see, I can make a completely different and still reasonable assumption with the same information. What exactly got answered? Nothing. Seems to me like the writers were trying to cover their tracks and did a bad job of it. The show explicitly states that Desmond caused the crash. Kelvin Inman was secretly fixing Libby's boat, The Elizabeth, and was planning on leaving Desmond on The Island to press the button. Desmond missed pressing the button because he was following Inman, eventually killing him accidentally. Nothing about that suggests Jacob had anything to do with it, especially since we know he's not responsible for the excessive amounts of electromagnetism on The Island. Saying "Uhh, Jacob has magical powers and somehow had something to do with the crash" is cheap and, frankly, just not good enough. That's like how Metal Gear Solid 4 explained almost EVERYTHING with nanomachines. If we can just chalk every mystery up to being magic, why even bother watching the show? Some things are okay to be left up to interpretation simply. Some things are not.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo pre-empts April Fools Day - Official Nintendo 3DS announcement megaton

« on: May 17, 2010, 06:03:21 PM »

Regarding the screens, I have a feeling the one is a placeholder since only one of the screens will be 3D which is lame. It doesn't make much sense for there to be 2 different sized screens considering quite of few DS games switch screens depending on the situation which I suppose would still be possible, just inconvenient and disorienting. I was hoping that both screens would be 3D, touch enabled, and would form one larger screen when opened completely. Silly me.

It's not even confirmed to be part of the 3DS, it's just speculatio.

Holy sh*t, you just legitimately responded to a NinGurl69 *huggles post. How did this happen? Don't you know how this works by now?

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 17, 2010, 05:53:28 PM »

They took Walt for the same reason they take children in general, which is the same reason Mother took the two babies in the last episode - to mold them into being a potential "protector" of the island. That's the whole reason the Others are there at all - Jacob brings them there because he is looking for someone to take over as the island's protector. I think that is exceedingly clear at this point.

Assumed, not understood. In fact, most of the things you've said are assumptions based on partial facts the shows provides. No offense intended. I mean, you may be right, but since there's there are so few concrete answers given on the show, they don't really count as answers.

Why was everyone brought to the island? Jacob brought them there in his search for a replacement. IT'S BEEN ANSWERED.

Might be part of it. On a few occasions, it's been said or suggested that Jacob brings people to the island to prove the Man in Black wrong about the nature of man who Jacob believes are inherently good. And one could argue who's really responsible for bringing the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 to the island. It's assumed (there's the word again) that Jacob caused the storm that brought the Black Rock and Richard Alpert to The Island. However, Desmond caused Flight 815 to crash by failing to press the button on time in The Swan station. As of yet, it hasn't be revealed if Jacob and Desmond ever met so Jacob has no influence over Desmond.

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General Gaming / Re: PSP2 - It's coming and we know it

« on: May 15, 2010, 07:30:57 PM »

Point being?

Nintendo handhelds didn't offer anything new besides portability until DS. I don't think it's fair to jump on Sony for offering a portable console experience when Nintendo did the same thing for like 15 years, unless, of course, you're willing to chastise Nintendo as well. Sure, Nintendo did it better/smarter, but that's not really the point here. Kytim89 questioned the notion of paying for a portable PS2 when he already owns an actual PS2, not the merits of PSP as a handheld system. I'm not defending PSP's shortcomings. Like I said earlier, I consider it a home console as I'm never too far away from an outlet when I use it. Rather, I'm defending PSP as a system with worthwhile games. I didn't buy one until last year when I deemed there to be enough games worthy of purchasing new hardware that wasn't available elsewhere.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 15, 2010, 07:02:21 PM »

Well, you can apply that logic to anything, but that doesn't stop people from wanting answers. You might not mind, but clearly, millions of other people do...

And most of those questions haven't been answered. Kind of, but not really.

Honestly, the only thing I really want from the last 2 episodes is for the series to end with a logical conclusion, even if it's not ideal for the characters. Not every story needs a happy ending, but every story needs an appropriate ending, else the audience feels cheated. That said, I'm sure most people will not be satisfied with the ending of Lost because the writers didn't explain every last detail or mystery (and they won't). I think that's the wrong approach and those people are setting themselves up for disappointment. Every great story leaves something unexplained, but still tells you what you need to know.

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General Gaming / Re: PSP2 - It's coming and we know it

« on: May 15, 2010, 04:14:24 PM »

N64 didn't have a touchscreen, wifi, or a built-in microphone (Hey You! Pikachu doesn't count) or cameras if you count DSi.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 15, 2010, 03:04:13 PM »

I agree, but that's like asking water not to be wet. Lost is full of unanswered questions, many of which don't matter. However, I think fans have grown tired with the writers' whack-a-mole approach, where they answer one question by posing 3 more. That was fine in the middle of the show's run because a show like Lost revolves around the mysteries it presents, but with 2 episodes left, it seems pointless. I kind of got the impression that the writers were unsure of the show's direction in middle of Season 3. It seemed like they finally realized that they had to start organizing all the questions and mysteries they presented in preparation of the eventual conclusion of the show while also continuing the narrative. That's a tough order, but they did write themselves into a whole on a number of occasions. Not every question needs an answer, but it's also not the viewer's fault that the writers posed so many. That said, I felt like the writers spent a lot of time dicking around. Rose and Bernard did nothing for their entire time on the show except be annoying. While I liked Charlotte and Lapidus, they did nothing. Ilana did nothing except have big boobs and run around. Seriously, what was the point of introducing a character so late in the series' run who poses more questions than she answers? I, personally, don't really mind because I literally started watching Lost in February of this year and Hulu'd the entire series so I didn't invest as much of my life as others have but I can imagine how frustrating it must be for longtime fans who feel they're getting jerked around by the writers' lack of focus.

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General Gaming / Re: PSP2 - It's coming and we know it

« on: May 15, 2010, 05:57:05 AM »

Why fork over the cash for the device when I already have it in my roo and it is called the PS2.

This was Nintendo pre-DS. Gameboy was just a handheld monochrome NES. GBA was a handheld SNES sans X and Y. If you take issue with PSP being a handheld PS2, I wonder if you've ever owned any Gameboy iteration in your life. If so, I'm not sure I buy that you won't own a Sony handheld because of its identity. It sounds like you don't like it because it's made by Sony which, of course, you're perfectly entitled to.

I bought a PSP once it finally had games I wanted that I couldn't get anywhere else. I could get God of War on PS2, but not Chains of Olympus so I justified buying a PSP for it. For me, games make hardware worth purchasing. While I bought my brother an Xbox 360, I wouldn't buy one for myself. Outside of Gears of War which I only enjoy playing co-op with my brother, there is nothing on it I want that I can't also get on PS3... and PS3 has God of War III and a Blu-Ray drive. The choice, for me, was simple.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 15, 2010, 05:36:54 AM »

Seriously Lost is probably the best I've seen when it comes to tying up loose ends so far. They are answering the questions that matter most, not everything has to be answered.

I agree and I'm pretty content with that. I take issue with the writers being pointlessly cryptic. Don't bring up the Donkey Wheel again after 2 seasons if you're not going to explain it. I was okay with the understanding that it's just part of the island and Ben and Locke used it to get off the island and that moving it caused time jumps so on and so forth. I don't really have to know how, but if they insist on attempting to explain how, then just explain it. The same goes for the Man in Black leaving the island. I understand he's not supposed to so while I'd like to know specifics outside of some serious sh*t will go down, I don't need to know. The writers established that the conflict is that he can't, not why he can't leave. That's great and all but stop cockteasing an explanation. I think that's a major disservice to the viewer and poor storytelling.

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General Chat / Re: Wrestling discussion

« on: May 14, 2010, 08:24:45 PM »

Terry Funk can work a better match than Scott Hall and he's like 97 and has no kneecaps.....

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General Chat / Re: NBA Playoffs 2010

« on: May 14, 2010, 05:01:17 PM »

New Jersey would make the most sense if he leaves. The have the best, most complimentary pieces for Lebron James unless the Knicks somehow pull off that ridiculous deal rumored a couple months ago and sign Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. It's not really about the money for James and Wade. They both make more money on endorsements than they do playing basketball. It's possible, just unlikely. Ultimately, I think Lebron stays in Cleveland.

I'm rooting for the Lakers. I want Kobe Bryant to have more rings than Shaq if only because Shaq wouldn't let it go after leaving LA. And I think he deserves it. He's been playing injured for quite some time now and he still puts up MVP-caliber numbers.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo pre-empts April Fools Day - Official Nintendo 3DS announcement megaton

« on: May 14, 2010, 12:10:18 AM »

I would never buy a handheld for $250. Never ever ever. I didn't buy a PSP until it was $179 and even then, I got a free 4GB memory card. I think it's bogus that some DS games are $35-$40. Only once did I pay $40 for a DS game and that was for Chrono Trigger. I already own the SNES cart, but I wanted to support the non-existent Chrono 3 cause. /facepalm

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General Gaming / Re: PSP2 - It's coming and we know it

« on: May 14, 2010, 12:01:14 AM »

OLED screen

They're still a bit on the expensive side, so I wouldn't put too much faith on the PSP2 having one.

Seriously? If anything, that's why I'd expect PSP2 having one. This is the same Sony that released a $600 because it had to have a Blu-Ray player. If you want to use the argument that Sony was trying to help the format (and, in that way, they succeeded), so be it. This is the same Sony that sacrificed battery life in a handheld system in order to get near PS2-level performance. Point being, Sony doesn't have a damn clue what the f*ck they are doing. Don't get me wrong, I love my PSP. I think it's a nice home console. Yeah, you read that right.... At the end of the day, it has some great games, even if the system itself is littered with boneheaded design choices.

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General Chat / Re: Wrestling discussion

« on: May 13, 2010, 09:02:58 PM »

I still blame Goldberg for that ridiculous kick to the head that ended Hart's wrestling career.

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General Chat / Re: Wrestling discussion

« on: May 13, 2010, 08:02:50 PM »

I stopped avidly watching wrestling some 7-8 years ago. Occasionally, I'll see what's up on Raw or if I hear through the grapevine that something cool is going to happen. The last full episode of Raw I watched was when Bret Hart came back in like January. That was awful. Then, his "match" with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania was awful because it wasn't a match and Hart is no where close to being in wrestling shape though we can all blame Goldberg for that one.

There was only one time I tuned into Raw since like 2003 where I was legitimately impressed. It was a match between Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin. Usually, a match of that caliber is reserved for PPVs. HBK got his step back and it was all around a very entertaining match.

The only wrestler I still care for is Chris Jericho and even then, he doesn't even do or rarely ever does a lot of his cooler moves. And when the Liontamer/Walls of Jericho turned into a regular Boston Crab.... ugh, fail.... I know why it changed and I can't blame the WWE, but it's still a fail....

8347

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo vs Apple: FIGHT!!!

« on: May 13, 2010, 05:54:59 PM »

Nintendo just needs to make the most competent gaming device they can make. This includes having enough RAM to handle voice chat when playing online multiplayer games on top of a useful online system, among other things.

Apple is a competitor to Nintendo only in that both devices play games, but they play such different games that to even compare the two is kind of unfair. This isn't like Nintendo saying they aren't competing with Sony or Microsoft. Most games on the App Store are more like demos or mini-games and not even mini-game collections, just like one mini-game. That works for Apple, especially since they aren't selling a gaming device. They're selling a smartphone that can play simple games. I'm not an iPhone/Apple hater or anything (I'm typing this on a Macbook Pro); I just don't see this as a fair comparison. Until Apple adds a physical keyboard to the iPhone, I'll stick to my Blackberry. Until Apple adds some physical buttons capable of playing serious games,  I'm not taking it seriously as a gaming device. It does a lot of things well; gaming just isn't one of them.

8348

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Super Mario Galaxy 2

« on: May 12, 2010, 05:56:08 PM »

Considering Nintendo has never designed a Sonic game, I have no idea why people think they could magically create a good one.

Depends on how you look at it. There was a time when Nintendo never designed X or Y, but they still made it and made it well. I think the point people are trying to make is that Nintendo, being a developer so strict on quality, would be able to develop a competent Sonic game. That's a fair assessment in my opinion. There aren't a lot of designers willing to throw away months of work because something isn't working or working as well as expected. We see so many poor games because developers will try to make the best out of a crummy situation due laziness or pressure from publishers or what have you. Hookman Version of Resident Evil 4 may have been a decent or even great game, but aren't you glad Shinji Mikami tossed it and we got the game we got?

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 12, 2010, 12:18:19 AM »

Well, I think his mother simply didn't want him to leave the island because she had given him some "power" (the power of immortality) that shouldn't be let out in the real world. Also, I think she still wanted him to be the one to protect the island.

Jacob gets to leave the island, but I guess that's because he's the guardian. More on subtext later.

I don't have a problem with her torching the villagers and burying the cave - after all, she seems to have the power to create storms to bring people to the island, just like Jacob now has. She gave Jacob her powers, remember.

I guess but she also kills Jacob and the Man in Black's mother with a rock. Just seems inconsistent.

When this show abandons subtext, the answers seem spoon-fed and forced. See "the whispers" for an example. I'm glad they're letting us figure things out. For the most part, I think they explained what they needed to in this episode - the motivations of Jacob and the Man in Black, and the fact that there's a great metaphysical source of "power" on the island that can do crazy things like grant immortality and turn people's souls into smoke monsters.

Subtext only works when what is being explained is understood, not assumed. Here, we have subtext leading to nothing, no concrete conclusions. They don't need to be cryptic anymore. There are 2 episodes left. We're told that if the Man in Black leaves the island, some serious sh*t goes down, but why? If they aren't going to answer that in this episode, don't make it the crux of the episode.

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General Chat / Re: Lost

« on: May 11, 2010, 10:34:16 PM »

Really nice of them to answer a couple of those questions (i.e. donkey wheel, "Adam and Eve" etc.) but seriously, what the hell?


Man in Black: I want to leave the island.
Mom: You can't.
Man in Black: But why?!
Mom: Because.
Man in Black: Why can't I?
Mom: Because you can't.
Man in Black: But I found a way off the island.
Mom: No, you didn't. Wait, what? How? Impossible.
Man in Black: I'll just rig a system of pulleys and levers and use this donkey wheel to move some water so that it reflects the magic light at a 45 degree angle and...
*Mom knocks Man in Black out, buries a cave singlehandedly in a matter of hours and kills everyone*

I was waiting for Allison Janney's character to explain something, anything. It's was all subtext. Tell me you're Taweret or something! /facepalm