Messages

126

NWR Forums Discord / Re: Official Evan starts a thread about politics and then backs out, leaving RAB

« on: May 14, 2008, 07:22:15 PM »

I only start the topics, I don't ENGAGE them. People give me enough **** for starting them that actually engaging inside them would probably = me ousted.

127

NWR Forums Discord / I'm already bored

« on: May 14, 2008, 12:03:39 AM »

this is war Crimm

128

NWR Feedback / Re: Lift the pan on political discussion

« on: May 13, 2008, 10:32:29 PM »

everyone knows my opinion. more political threads!

129

NWR Forums Discord / Re: All 60 US States... how many have you been to?

« on: May 13, 2008, 07:21:35 PM »

or he could have meant 57 states and provinces/territories, but I don't know what the total number is on that. Probably 54 or something. Anyway, he was in the big OR when he made that goof (specifically in Beaverton). Go Ducks!

130

General Gaming / Re: Banjo-Kazooie is back & now on XBox 360

« on: May 13, 2008, 07:18:15 PM »

lol "long eh vity" instead of "lonjevity"

yeah okay, I see where Bill is coming from; this is not the B-K sequel I REALLY want, but it does seem pretty rad on its own. Just seeing those B-K graphics and hearing the B-K music got my heart a pitter pattering. Bill is entirely right: the removal of Kazooie's moves is bullshit. Now she can pick up blocks SWEET LAME.

Makes me want to pull out Banjo Tooie and finish it. I know B-K up and down and have beaten it numerous times. I have to give myself a solid two years in between playthroughs cause I know it too well. B-T is not as focused, but is still amazing. This game, uh, looks like a good Jet Force Gemini sequel, not a B-K sequel.

131

General Gaming / Re: Banjo-Kazooie is back & now on XBox 360

« on: May 13, 2008, 07:11:04 PM »

Well, here's the first footage of the game

And again...*groan*...

I can't watch this video, it's in another language

132

NWR Forums Discord / Official Evan moves **** thread

« on: May 13, 2008, 03:46:30 PM »

Did not want to clutter the NCFOM thread with complaints about my opinions. Did not want to delete offensive post for fear of claims of "abuse." Tone down the rhetoric please! Funnel all hatred into the funhouse.

133

General Gaming / Re: Banjo-Kazooie is back & now on XBox 360

« on: May 13, 2008, 04:21:27 AM »

looks awesome - how much is a 360?

134

General Chat / Re: No Country for Old Men

« on: May 13, 2008, 04:00:45 AM »

They more or less promised a Moss/Chigurh showdown and didn't deliver.

Ian, this is your vital misreading of the film, and the reason the ending will never work for you.

135

General Chat / Re: What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 13, 2008, 03:47:58 AM »

So this happened. Whoops!

or morality censorship.

What was the point of the thread then? To see how close Evan got to Clinton? To know that the "Political Undead" is just a label (phew, I suspected Umbrella were back for a minute there)?

Admit it, the thread crossed that fictional line between "acceptable use of politics" and "unacceptable use of politics".

You may claim that we are talking about video game legislation which can be independent of any political discussion but I believe that the politics behind recent legislation attempts in the USA are relevant to any discussion of the problem.

I could go on a big old tangent here about how game ratings in Australia is done by the government, and it is being used to censor games, but since we're not allowed to talk about politics it doesn't matter. I could go on about how the GTA4 release here a fortnight ago triggered a spate of "violent games trigger violent behaviour in the real world" and "think of the children" news stories. But no, we're not allowed to talk about this.

We couldn't even talk about the fact a recent investigation into the sale of M-rated games to underage buyers showed the trend is declining.

Be clear about this or lock the thread.

I BLAME EVAN

Shift Key said it, and I agree. I know my posts have toed the line, but that's the inherent problem with a site that reports on certain political issues but does not allow politics in its forums. Everyone here knows I hate the "no politics" rule, but Ty created it and he outranks me.

On the other hand, I want it to be said that if anyone else around here met a major political figure, no matter how controversial, I would expect you to report on it in the forums. Reason? Well, I didn't post this to start a debate (we're all on the same side on this issue, AFAIK). Rather I was relaying to friends a cool thing that happened to me, as in, I got to meet a major political figure. I do not "get away" with this because I am staff; Pale locks my threads all the time.

I understand why we have the no politics rule: our board has posters with diverse political beliefs, and posters who whine, bitch, and troll. Maturity, in any discussion, does not necessarily go hand in hand with Nintendo gamers. Solution? Overthrow the dictator and create your own forum government. Yes, I am actively encouraging a riot.

edit: and kudos to those discussing politics in here with maturity and respect

136

General Chat / Re: What if...Spielberg directed Return of the Jedi? (you can play too!)

« on: May 12, 2008, 02:18:21 AM »

Well, Kubrick wanted Spielberg to direct and himself to produce; Kubrick's plot, themes, and designs were all used. The movie is pretty much exactly what Kubrick wanted. The fact that Kubrick wanted a sentimental Spielberg film is, I think, what pisses everyone off.

137

General Chat / Re: What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 12, 2008, 02:13:18 AM »

uh, discussion of videogame legislation is one thing; discussion of the politics BEHIND the legislation is another. We don't need a debate about big-government small-government, federal control vs. corporate control, or morality censorship.

138

General Chat / Re: No Country for Old Men

« on: May 11, 2008, 06:03:42 PM »

I hate you.

139

General Chat / Re: What if...Spielberg directed Return of the Jedi? (you can play too!)

« on: May 11, 2008, 05:55:02 PM »

A.I. directed by Stanley Kubrick.

This already happened.

RotJ directed by George Lucas: would have been exactly the same as the current RotJ. BTW, RotJ is terrible and Spielberg at his worst wouldn't have helped, but Spielberg at his best might've made it pretty cool.

140

General Chat / Re: What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 11, 2008, 05:51:37 PM »

I go to all this effort to make a completely a-political thread (sarcasm), and you guys have to go and drag POLITICS into it (also sarcasm). How dare you!

But seriously: watch it.

141

NWR Forums Discord / Re: I BLAME EVAN

« on: May 11, 2008, 02:32:51 AM »

I blame vudu

142

General Chat / Re: What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 10, 2008, 05:55:15 AM »

I have a question about the original post.

She was VERY nice to me and seemed (unbelievably) frustrated with the concept of fining store managers for selling games to minors.

When you say unbelievably, do you mean oh my, I was really surprised she wasn't batshit crazy or do you mean I think she was being insincere?

Uh, the former I guess. I thought it was weird how much her own idea pained her, and she seemed very sincere about it. She wasn't taking her cues from me as far as I could tell.

143

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Lego Indiana Jones: The Video Game

« on: May 09, 2008, 02:39:48 PM »

Problem is these new LEGO games look as repetitive as the first two. LEGO Star Wars was great, but LEGO Star Wars II improved on absolutely nothing in the first game, while elongating the experience. These games need a gameplay overhaul to match the cool graphical concept.

144

General Chat / Re: What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 09, 2008, 02:31:15 PM »

Let me add a bit of info: in the context of the location, situation, and audience, Hillary's response to me was gracious and informative. She was signing scraps and posters as hundreds of her fans were crushing towards the fence protecting her. Instead of disregarding my question (would've been EASY to do) or just giving a pat and pre-determined answer, she responded to the exact questions I asked. When I said something stupid, she called me out, and when I said something smart and informed, she said that I was right. The exchange above seems hostile when in reality it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen a politician do.

That said, her response is not adequate from a political standpoint. She made an effort to see both sides, and has fallen on the wrong side of the fence. Yet, I was on a very weird Hillary high for hours after I met her, because she seriously stopped in her tracks to talk with me. I wouldn't be surprised if an hour after I left she was still talking to people in the arena.

edit: also, Hillary's opinion matters way more than Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee's right now, in terms of power. Ron Paul is in the House of Representatives, whose actions are not as publicized and whose members are not as celebrated. Mike Huckabee is unemployed. Hillary is a United States Senator, and though she was elected from and represents New York, her decisions impact the whole nation; Senators are Nationally-minded politicians elected locally. Her videogame laws would not just impact New York. Also, she may (in the future) be our Vice-President or serve in a cabinet position or maybe, by some weird miracle, running in the general election for President this November. All I can say is, after this historic election, do not expect Hillary to go the way of the dodo.

145

General Chat / What I said to Hillary (pertinent to videogames)

« on: May 09, 2008, 05:26:29 AM »

Hillary came to town and I went.

She arrived late, spoke, then said that if we had questions we could ask her as she was signing ****.

After waiting for 10 minutes as she signed the ****, she hobbled down the line towards me. I said to her, "Do you still support videogame legislation?" She said "For M-Rated titles, yes. No one under 18 should be playing an M-Rated Title."

I replied: "I agree, but didn't you try to pass legislation that would fine on-site managers $5000 if they sold a game to a minor?"

"I know it's not a great system, but it's the retailers who are selling the games to minors. The evidence shows that violent games are very damaging to children."

"I believe the ESRB should be responsible for self-enforcing within the industry," I replied.

"But who sets those standards and keeps them in check? How can we trust the industry?" she responded.

"There are no rules like this in place for movies or music being sold to minors."

"I know, and that's why we may have to come up with something better in the future. Years of studies have shown that violent videogames have a drastic effect on children, and we need to protect them."

With that I thanked her for her time. I cannot, of course, remember exactly word for word what she or I said, but this is a good approximation that makes both of us sound more eloquent. She was VERY nice to me and seemed (unbelievably) frustrated with the concept of fining store managers for selling games to minors. She had many opportunities to walk past me during this one to two minute conversation (constant interruptions from people shoving posters in her face made this very short exchange much longer than it appears), but she seemed to want to address the issue with me (a potential voter) and stayed until I was satisfied. I was getting tongue-tied and blanking out, otherwise I would have kept her there for a few more minutes.

pics or it didn't happen:

146

General Chat / Re: Twitter

« on: April 26, 2008, 04:36:01 AM »

that egypt story got me so scared, I got twitter too: twitter.com/svevan

srsly I'm going to Eugene tomorrow, I don't want to die

[We got our hands on a preview build of the upcoming DS release of the classic game.]

147

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Myst

« on: April 23, 2008, 01:13:34 AM »

We got our hands on a preview build of the upcoming DS release of the classic game.
 http://nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=15833

 Myst for the DS is a port of the groundbreaking PC game with touchscreen controls replacing the mouse control from the original. The game is famous for having a story that develops as you play, giving you little context or clues as you progress. The demo we got to play showcases how accurate the developer has been to the original game, and how this fidelity retains the game's shortcomings as well.    

Firstly, it must be said that the handheld game properly reproduces the setting of the original Myst. Those nostalgic for the old game will find this version 100% faithful. Unfortunately, on the DS's small screen these environments can be hard to see, as the details of this world were intended to be seen on a much larger screen. Even worse, the map is almost impossible to read because of its small size.    

In the original Myst, you were able to float your mouse cursor over the environment to find out whether you could move in the direction you pointed. In Myst DS, there is no cursor so you must merely tap with your stylus; this makes movement very confusing, as you'll go flying around the environment without knowing exactly where you moved.    

The puzzles are just as obtuse as the original Myst, which is a plus for those who want a second (or third or fourth) go through of this classic game. If the demo is an indicator of the final product, those unfamiliar with the game may want to find a better version on the PC. We'll have a full review when the game is released in May.

148

NWR Forums Discord / Re: Barack and Evan - TWINSIES

« on: April 20, 2008, 01:19:54 AM »

yeah it was funny; so was Wednesday night's debate OH SNAP (srsly I'd say the onion wrote the questions AND the answers in that debate if not for the fact that they didn't)

149

NWR Forums Discord / Re: Amazon is dumb

« on: April 18, 2008, 03:08:47 PM »

Weird, I got an e-mail that said this:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As an Amazon.com customer in Texas, you might like to know that you can now subscribe to Oregon Monthly magazine for just $20.00--that's 65% off the cover price. Plus you'll get a free subscription to Beer and Wine, free!

p.s. if there's anything wrong with Oregon it's that it's not elitist enough. We're really ignorant here, and no one takes pride in the great things we have.

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NWR Forums Discord / Re: Who do you want to be the next President?

« on: April 18, 2008, 02:52:44 PM »

What? You're on the ballot.