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TalkBack / Re: Virtual Console Preview Reveals Smash Bros. for Japan
« on: January 08, 2009, 02:36:29 PM »
The seriousness is what makes them wacky. It's practically mock epic.
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1102
TalkBack / Re: Virtual Console Preview Reveals Smash Bros. for Japan
« on: January 08, 2009, 12:45:00 PM »
On the positive side, no Ice Climbers!
1103
NWR Forums Discord / Re: We need to make a thread for hilarious YouTube videos.
« on: January 06, 2009, 07:35:54 PM »1104
TalkBack / Re: ESRB Gives Rating to Guitar Hero: Modern Hits
« on: January 06, 2009, 05:44:38 PM »
We're posting music videos from youtube and discussing 2000s rock in this thread? And to think I thought it would be hard to work this into conversation when I got back from vacation.
The Darkness. I Believe in a Thing Called Love. 2003. Really. And yes, that's a giant enemy crab.
The Darkness. I Believe in a Thing Called Love. 2003. Really. And yes, that's a giant enemy crab.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii Zapper or Gun Shell Clone List aka THE HALL OF SHAME
« on: December 23, 2008, 03:24:24 PM »
I'd be willing to pay cash money for that if it didn't have the ugly fake pistol bit and was simply an ergonomic Wii remote grip.
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General Gaming / Re: Rumor: Factor 5's new game is in limbo
« on: December 23, 2008, 03:05:19 PM »[Factor 5 was] like the prodigal son, lured away by false promises, and we were going to welcome them back with open arms.
Anyone else getting Episode III flashbacks?
You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness.
/boo hoo
Don't cry, vudu. I'm sure you're not the only one who has flashbacks to that movie. It's called PTSD, and I urge you to call a counselor before you or your family suffer through any more attempts at quoting George Lucas dialog. You don't have to face this alone.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Wii in 2008 or... "THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!!"
« on: December 22, 2008, 11:31:06 PM »Nothing beats 90 degree turns, no arena terrain depth, or headache inducing visuals.
How can you go from writing that gameplay comes before graphics to trollish crap like this in the course of a single evening?
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Wii in 2008 or... "THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!!"
« on: December 22, 2008, 06:34:33 PM »
Other than the imbalanced super items of Double Dash, the items aren't the problem with later Mario Kart games. They still reward good racing above all else, though it is definitely true that items are more common in the later games (in SMK, there is a single cluster of item boxes on each track, and they are not refreshed during the race). Even so, there is something about the first one that none of the sequels have retained, but I haven't figured out exactly what it is yet. I have a theory, though.
When you used an item in SMK, you knew exactly where it was going to go. That certainty disappeared in later games. I could feel the difference. Maybe it has something to do with analog controls. Maybe it's because the camera got floatier. Maybe it's because the item launched from its location behind or orbiting your kart, which was highly variable (I suspect this one, personally, but I can't prove anything). Whatever the reason, starting with MK64, aiming with the items became much less precise, especially green shells, which are the ultimate skill item in SMK.
I think the imprecision of the items is the source of the randomness, not the items themselves.
When you used an item in SMK, you knew exactly where it was going to go. That certainty disappeared in later games. I could feel the difference. Maybe it has something to do with analog controls. Maybe it's because the camera got floatier. Maybe it's because the item launched from its location behind or orbiting your kart, which was highly variable (I suspect this one, personally, but I can't prove anything). Whatever the reason, starting with MK64, aiming with the items became much less precise, especially green shells, which are the ultimate skill item in SMK.
I think the imprecision of the items is the source of the randomness, not the items themselves.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Time Splitters 4?
« on: December 22, 2008, 04:34:48 PM »Negative reinforcement is not a synonym for punishment. It's still reinforcement. Yes, it's the opposite of positive reinforcement, but on a different axis.
I knew someone would call me on that. &P But I think in this case, Negative reinforcement and punishment describe the same thing yes?
Everyone gets confused by the positive/negative thing. Negative reinforcement would mean taking something away (negative) in order to encourage the behavior (reinforcement), which in this case appears to be making overambitious games at great cost. I'm not sure what exactly you could take away to encourage that, but I am pretty sure that we don't want to do it.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Wii in 2008 or... "THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!!"
« on: December 22, 2008, 04:11:29 PM »
Mario Kart DS had a good battle mode. It had its flaws, such as nerfed red shells and too-open levels, but it was a triumphant return after DD. The Wii game snubs battle mode so hard I haven't been able to forgive Nintendo for it, and I have yet to put serious time into the game. I've played maybe an hour and a half total, all multiplayer, all hated. 
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General Gaming / Re: Rumor: Factor 5's new game is in limbo
« on: December 22, 2008, 03:43:40 PM »
This sucks. Factor 5 was supposed to come back and show everyone what the Wii could really do. They were like the prodigal son, lured away by false promises, and we were going to welcome them back with open arms.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Top Snes Games- Snipper64 Poll #3
« on: December 22, 2008, 03:23:35 PM »
I had some trouble with this since it asks what games I enjoyed most instead of what my favorites were. That phrasing meant that certain games that I played multiplayer a lot were in the running. Ultimately, only one of those made my top six (and it would have anyway).
Chrono Trigger - needs no explanation. I once had the goal of playing New Game + until every character had maxed out stats, but I didn't quite make it.
Zelda: A Link to the Past - likewise needs no explanation.
Mega Man X - I know some people look down on this series as Xtreme-style pandering, but I loved it. Maybe I was just in the demographic being pandered to, but since I like traditional Mega Man, too, I doubt that's it. X gave the series a shot in the arm that wouldn't have worked in the main series, including a story that I cared about instead of merely being a frame story for the action.
SimCity - I never did well at this game without cheating, and even then I never reached the final stage of Megalopolis with its Mario statue reward. I did manage to reach Metropolis in just seven game years, though. This game was just addictive and relaxing in spite of my terribleness. I remember wasting countless time and money writing stuff with trees in the parkland while waiting for the city to develop. There was maybe a one in ten chance of a bit of parkland having a tree on it, too. Of course, the real reward for building a bustling city was being able to burn it to the ground with disasters.
Super Mario Kart - I have never been as good at any game as I was at Super Mario Kart. My best friend and I mastered the game, especially battle mode. I judge every Mario Kart game since against it, especially battle mode. Most of them don't fare very well.
Yoshi's Island - needs no explanation, either. One of the only flawless games in existence.
Chrono Trigger - needs no explanation. I once had the goal of playing New Game + until every character had maxed out stats, but I didn't quite make it.
Zelda: A Link to the Past - likewise needs no explanation.
Mega Man X - I know some people look down on this series as Xtreme-style pandering, but I loved it. Maybe I was just in the demographic being pandered to, but since I like traditional Mega Man, too, I doubt that's it. X gave the series a shot in the arm that wouldn't have worked in the main series, including a story that I cared about instead of merely being a frame story for the action.
SimCity - I never did well at this game without cheating, and even then I never reached the final stage of Megalopolis with its Mario statue reward. I did manage to reach Metropolis in just seven game years, though. This game was just addictive and relaxing in spite of my terribleness. I remember wasting countless time and money writing stuff with trees in the parkland while waiting for the city to develop. There was maybe a one in ten chance of a bit of parkland having a tree on it, too. Of course, the real reward for building a bustling city was being able to burn it to the ground with disasters.
Super Mario Kart - I have never been as good at any game as I was at Super Mario Kart. My best friend and I mastered the game, especially battle mode. I judge every Mario Kart game since against it, especially battle mode. Most of them don't fare very well.
Yoshi's Island - needs no explanation, either. One of the only flawless games in existence.
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TalkBack / Re: Advice to PS3 Fans from a Nintendo Fanboy Part III
« on: December 22, 2008, 12:31:10 PM »I just don't understand why Sony didn't learn from Nintendo's mistake? Dominate system -> cocky attitude towards consumers and business practices -> lost market lead next time around. Wouldn't you, as the leading company, think to yourself, "okay, the company we took the lead from was in a similar situation, lets do what we can to make sure what happened to them doesn't happen to us!" Isn't that part of being a business? Learning from others mistakes and staying ahead of the pack? Don't they understand that the market changes and that they have to be ready for it? Obviously going with the exact same strategy they did for the PS1 and PS2 might not be the most sound idea...
The more of theses editorials that Kairon puts up examining Sony and the PS3, the more I come to realize just how big of a blunder Sony has made of this whole situation. Who allowed for this all to take place? Wasn't there anyone that was kind of like... "hmm, maybe we should look at where the market might be heading instead of jumping on PS2-ALL-OVER-AGAIN train?" Wasn't one of the reasons Nintendo took such a radical direction with the Wii because the Japanese game market had begun taking such a downward turn?
It just seems like no one at Sony was paying any attention to what was happening around them.
I don't think Sony tried to do the same thing they did with the PS2 at all. The PS2 and PS3 have two major things in common: incomprehensible hardware and doubling as a new media player (I recall reading that the title with the highest attach rate to the PS2 the week it launched in Japan was The Matrix, not a game). Everything else, including the reasoning behind those similarities, is different. Firstly, the incomprehensible hardware in the PS2 was motivated by traditional hardware design philosophy, i.e. getting the most bang for the buck/watt/processing cycle. The Cell, on the other hand, is only in the PS3 because the parent company wanted it there to help sell the Cell as a general processor. Next, the PS2's DVD playback was included as a bonus to encourage sales. The PS3's Blu-ray playback is another kind of marketing move. Yes, it's also a selling point for the PS3, but only if Blu-ray is as popular as DVD. Sony put the cart before the horse, thinking PS3 sales would drive Blu-ray sales which would drive further PS3 sales. In the PS2's case, DVD was already established as the new standard a few years before the console launched, making it a completely risk-free inclusion. Sony was probably saved there by IBM's involvement in preventing another format war, or else the PS2 would have only played MMCDs.
One factor in Sony's PS3 strategy is already clear. Sony's certainty of its own success led to the attempt to use the PS3 to push up other parts of Sony. They forgot Newton's Third Law, figuratively speaking, and the PS3 got pushed down instead.
Beyond that, there's the glaring difference in relative power. The PS2 was no slouch, but despite Sony's claims to the contrary, it was weaker than competing consoles. Why, after two generations of seeing the sales dominance of weaker hardware, did Sony set out to make the PS3 such a monster? It makes no sense. Granted, PS3 work began early in the PS2's life, and Sony may have overestimated progress when they first set development targets, but it's not like anything was set in stone by the time the PS2 had soundly beaten two more powerful competitors. It should have been clear that being the most powerful was not necessary. It should have been clear that they were wasting money.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: No More Heroes for Wii!!!!
« on: December 19, 2008, 12:16:10 PM »
Everyone has it for $20 now. Even Best Buy did when I went in there last night, and they're always the last to lower prices.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Time Splitters 4?
« on: December 19, 2008, 12:14:01 PM »Negative reinforcement is the only way the industry will learn.
But don't psychologists agree that punishment-only is a bad way to teach people new behaviors? I thought that the preferred method is punishment, coupled with rewards for good behavior. That means that not only must we punish developers who makes bad decisions, but also reward developers who make good ones!
I wish I hadn't taken Intro to Psychology in college. Then I'd have one less pet peeve, specifically the one about people getting operant conditioning terminology wrong. So horribly wrong.
Negative reinforcement is not a synonym for punishment. It's still reinforcement. Yes, it's the opposite of positive reinforcement, but on a different axis.
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Nintendo Gaming / Re: WHat are your TOP 5 Wii games of 2008 ( including WiiWare ) ?
« on: December 19, 2008, 11:47:09 AM »
Adrock's post has warmed my cold heart.
Sadly, my top 5 list for 2008 won't be accurate until at least 2012 at the rate I'm going. I have yet to play several games from other people's lists. I know SSBB and No More Heroes will make the list, though.
Sadly, my top 5 list for 2008 won't be accurate until at least 2012 at the rate I'm going. I have yet to play several games from other people's lists. I know SSBB and No More Heroes will make the list, though.
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General Gaming / Re: Amazing Deals!
« on: December 18, 2008, 06:48:02 PM »
In another unusual turn of unusualness, Amazon has put up a new DOTD since Motorstorm sold out. Now it's Fallout 3 for $49.98.
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General Chat / Re: R.i.P. Majel Barrett
« on: December 18, 2008, 06:38:49 PM »
That's a shame. Well, Star Trek's dead now. You simply can't have Star Trek without her voice calmly telling you how long until the giant space wedgie destroys the ship.
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TalkBack / Re: Advice to PS3 Fans from a Nintendo Fanboy Part III
« on: December 18, 2008, 05:59:18 PM »The ideals, direction, and motivation cultivated during the PS2 cycle would only lead to self-destruction.
Little bit over-dramatic, don't you think?
Dramatic but true
In the "Pride goeth before a fall" sense, anyway. I can't see how Sony's success with the first two Playstations could have led them to making the PS3 unless I factor in vast amounts of hubris. I guess they just didn't bother to examine the roots of their own success.
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TalkBack / Re: Advice to PS3 Fans from a Nintendo Fanboy Part III
« on: December 18, 2008, 12:14:15 PM »
But there will be a next "grilleration!"
All kidding aside, Kairon's right about a lot of this. Home was a bad idea from the start. That development work should have gone to making a PS2 emulator. Taking out the hardware to save money made perfect sense, but taking away the feature did not. It made the PS3 less valuable to buy more than it made it less costly to produce. Software emulation with upscaling is the answer. The upscaling even makes removing the hardware a selling point.
Reselling PS1 and PS2 games in a digital distribution thingy would be a stupid idea, too. The PS3 userbase probably has very few people in it who didn't have an earlier Playstation except for the Blu-ray early adopters who never cared about games in the first place.
All kidding aside, Kairon's right about a lot of this. Home was a bad idea from the start. That development work should have gone to making a PS2 emulator. Taking out the hardware to save money made perfect sense, but taking away the feature did not. It made the PS3 less valuable to buy more than it made it less costly to produce. Software emulation with upscaling is the answer. The upscaling even makes removing the hardware a selling point.
Reselling PS1 and PS2 games in a digital distribution thingy would be a stupid idea, too. The PS3 userbase probably has very few people in it who didn't have an earlier Playstation except for the Blu-ray early adopters who never cared about games in the first place.
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General Chat / Re: Second Annual Secret Santa: Thread Of Joy
« on: December 18, 2008, 11:29:22 AM »
I got my present last night. It gives me another chance to play through Secret of Mana with a friend, which is awesome.
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TalkBack / Re: Advice to PS3 Fans from a Nintendo Fanboy Part III
« on: December 18, 2008, 11:04:53 AM »The PlayStation 3 may be in third place, and Sony may have to make some hard decisions to remain profitable. But that actually gives Sony a mandate: if ever there was a time to clean house and make some readjustments, do some soul-searching, it's now. The impetus to reform into a company that will launch a successful PlayStation 4 could be the kick in the pants for Sony to do what it needs to do to survive this generation and be stronger and leaner in the next.
So you're saying they need to knock out the fat?
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General Gaming / Re: Amazing Deals!
« on: December 18, 2008, 10:40:55 AM »
As a reminder, today is PS3 (and Blu-ray) day on Amazon.
Deal of the day: Motorstorm Pacific Rift for $39.98. According to lightningdeals.com, there's a coupon code for another $10 off: MSTORM10. For those bad at math, that makes it $29.98.
For some reason, the video game deal of the day is different from the deal of the day (normally they're the same when the main DOTD is a game). It's a PS3 160 GB Drake's Fortune bundle for $449.98, i.e. $50 off. You can also get a free Blu-ray remote with that, again according to lightningdeals.com, which would normally run $20 to $25 from what I've seen. I'm not convinced that's enough of a discount to appeal to very many people. Anyone willing to spend that kind of money on a PS3 wouldn't have any excuse not to have done so already.
The lightning deals are likely going to be (these are mostly guesses from that same website):
PES Soccer 09
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
some monster movies
Tomb Raider Underworld
SingStar
Resistance 2
some other movie
Spiderman: Web of Shadows (This one might just be a Spiderman movie.)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja: Storm
Deal of the day: Motorstorm Pacific Rift for $39.98. According to lightningdeals.com, there's a coupon code for another $10 off: MSTORM10. For those bad at math, that makes it $29.98.
For some reason, the video game deal of the day is different from the deal of the day (normally they're the same when the main DOTD is a game). It's a PS3 160 GB Drake's Fortune bundle for $449.98, i.e. $50 off. You can also get a free Blu-ray remote with that, again according to lightningdeals.com, which would normally run $20 to $25 from what I've seen. I'm not convinced that's enough of a discount to appeal to very many people. Anyone willing to spend that kind of money on a PS3 wouldn't have any excuse not to have done so already.
The lightning deals are likely going to be (these are mostly guesses from that same website):
PES Soccer 09
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
some monster movies
Tomb Raider Underworld
SingStar
Resistance 2
some other movie
Spiderman: Web of Shadows (This one might just be a Spiderman movie.)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja: Storm
1124
NWR Forums Discord / Unclebob posts bumps
« on: December 17, 2008, 02:31:02 PM »
It usually gets bumped in the afternoon. Whatever. You'll just have to wait to see the image macro I made (as opposed to stole from ICHC).
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NWR Forums Discord / Unclebob posts bumps
« on: December 17, 2008, 11:46:10 AM »
A: You bumped it too early.
B: You stole my idea (kinda).
B: You stole my idea (kinda).
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