Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - mac<censored>

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 18
1
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: July 17, 2011, 11:28:55 AM »
I've only read the first three, but they were all basically "meh" -- a fun setting but despite some nice bits of humor in the first book, and some appealing supporting characters, seemed very mechanically written.

They are children's books. You can't expect too much out of them or the films. I've always been surprised by the number of adults that are truly engaged by the series. Though I suppose Twilight also achieved a similar status.

They're childrens' books the same way books like The Hobbit are.  They're well-written, enjoyable adventure stories people of all ages can enjoy.

Er, I can only speak for the first three, obviously, but they are certainly a grade or two below The Hobbit on the "well written" scale...

The HP books seem to go out of their way to throw in themes that are clearly intended to appeal to typical childrens' insecurities -- "even if you feel unloved by your family, and are not successful at school or very popular, you might be a legendary wizard...!"  That likely explains some of the popularity amongst kids, but it also makes them a bit painful to slog through sometimes (though JKR tries to use humor to make it go down more smoothly).

2
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: July 16, 2011, 02:24:34 PM »
The books are still leagues better than these movies IMO, but the movies have become a decent substitute if you're not inclined to read them.  Highly recommended, though only if you've seen Part 1 or have read the books.

So... do the books improve after #3?  I've only read the first three, but they were all basically "meh" -- a fun setting but despite some nice bits of humor in the first book, and some appealing supporting characters, seemed very mechanically written.

Harry as a lead character was even worse; he seemed to have utterly no personality at all, nor even really ever do anything .. the basic plotline was "Harry gets caught up in some awful supernatural mess, does nothing ... whoops, saved by deus ex machina!   The end."

3
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 10, 2011, 09:21:21 PM »
:P speaking of which, im glad im not an early 3DS adopter, ill wait for the next revision and the color red

Hmm, why, does the 1st rev have issues?

[Probably not gonna pick one up; I don't have stereo vision, and even used in 2d-mode, the display on the 3DS seems vaguely weird...]

4
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: July 08, 2011, 07:49:39 PM »
I couldn't find a single word that meant "Method of Control" to put an -ist on.  I guess he could be a Controllist...

I thought Ian just hated everything...

Ok, not true -- he clearly doesn't hate multi-page rants.

5
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: July 08, 2011, 10:32:21 AM »
What is "key turn piloting"?

6
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 07, 2011, 09:17:12 AM »
Iwata's Answers are brilliant.

Unlike so many other business leaders, Iwata seems to keep his eyes -- and his mind -- open...

7
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 05, 2011, 07:55:50 PM »
The second game pretty much disregards all of the RPG aspects and strips the story down to just a bunch of missions to recruit your team and earn their loyalty.

Thanks!  Sounds like ME2 repeats all the mistakes of DA:O, and then some. I suppose it basically depends on whether the shooting is fun enough or not... :[

8
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 05, 2011, 07:10:31 PM »
BTW, anyone wanna give a mini-review of Mass Effect 2?

It just went on sale here, and although I'm kinda interested in the idea of a SF RPG, I'm wary of Bioware since DA:O turned out to be such a disappointment (great engine and graphics, nice menus, nice combat -- but super-lazy-ass totally-on-rails-even-though-we're-pretending-it's-not gameplay).

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I much preferred ESIV:O, despite it's myriad flaws (and they are myriad), simply because it does a much better job of letting you bum around and do what you want.  So is ME2 a DA:O-style bullshit RPG, or does it give you a measure of freedom?

[Argh, wikipedia mentions that ME2 has the issue of unreadable-on-SDTV text... and I have a SDTV... (bioware bullshit excuse: "it was a design decision" (read: "we didn't think about it, and our testing on high-resolution monitors didn't reveal any problems...").]

9
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 05, 2011, 09:29:55 AM »
one point is Nintendo has announced what is possibly the best designed console ever, it has all the works except it MIGHT not have one thing people are complaining about, and this thing that it MIGHT not have immediately might show up later, or if it doesn't it most likely will show up in a slightly different form. You have more options and capability than ever before, but that's not good enough?

Hmm, isn't that what people always do though -- focus relentlessly on the negatives (even if they're small compared to the positives) and jibber-jabber endlessly about them, ignoring all else?

My universal theory of human behavior: "People love to whine."

10
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: July 03, 2011, 01:38:08 AM »
Transformers is a stupid series, with cringe-inducing acting, and ludicrous plots apparently written by an 8-year-old suffering from terminal ritalin withdrawal, directed by one of the biggest douchebags in the industry.

... but I see 'em all, in the biggest theater I can, because the damn robot SFX are so insanely jaw-dropping.

I stand by my belief that Transformers is basically Twilight for boys.

Hmm, I suppose the acting in Twilight could be pretty accurately described as "jaw-dropping robot effects"...

11
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 02, 2011, 09:21:31 AM »
The problem is when you "come to your own conclusion" even when you have almost no information -- and then stubbornly defend that position as if it were rock-solid...

I have as much information as anyone else at this point.

You certainly have less than the people who have used the controller...

12
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: July 01, 2011, 03:13:25 PM »
Maybe it's just a fallacy I have. I come to my own conclusion on all things, based on the information presented, and taken into context with my own personal experience. If I relied solely on the word and opinions of others, I'd be a very different person when it came to politics and religion.

The problem is when you "come to your own conclusion" even when you have almost no information -- and then stubbornly defend that position as if it were rock-solid...

13
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: June 28, 2011, 06:56:35 PM »
Hmm, isn't the reported lack of explicit dungeons in TSS a good sign that maybe it's going to reduce the use of hoary old Zelda traditions a bit?  [not that I mind them so much, but it'd be cool to see some new directions...]

14
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: June 28, 2011, 04:23:25 PM »
Like TF1, only at least Transformers has big robots fighting to bring in the money.

Transformers is a stupid series, with cringe-inducing acting, and ludicrous plots apparently written by an 8-year-old suffering from terminal ritalin withdrawal, directed by one of the biggest douchebags in the industry.

... but I see 'em all, in the biggest theater I can, because the damn robot SFX are so insanely jaw-dropping.

15
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: June 28, 2011, 12:11:08 AM »
And despite all the whining from the usual suspects, Twighlight Princess is an amazing and cool game, and the accusations of "same old same old" ring really hollow.  Yeah it contained a lot of Zelda tropes, but the game felt hugely different than other Zelda games.

How?  It followed the Zelda formula practically to the letter, and in the rare occasions it deviated it just became more tedious IMO (such as when hunting for the spirit drops in the Twilight Realm).  Aside from probably the Water and Desert Temples (ironically), I found the dungeon design to be oddly lacking as well.  Adding waggle with the Wii version didn't help matters, either.  Twilight Princess wasn't a bad game, but it just felt like Zelda Going Through the Motions to me.  At least Midna was cool, though.

It was vastly more immersive than previous zeldas, and had a sense of style and drama that the series never really had before.  The vibe was very different, melancholy and world-weary, and even scary, and the twilight is wonderfully realized (running along the rooftops in wolf form in the very beginning is magic).  [Other games have used the "dark realm" shtick, but rarely as effectively as this.]

Midna is indeed a great character, unlike the silly/inconsequential/annoying sidekicks and NPRs in previous games; unlike them, she's not only charismatic/mysterious/interesting, but amazingly real.

Despite all the familiar tropes, it felt like a completely different game to me. 

[The closest thing was OOT, but although the time-travel thing was interesting, OOT's general aesthetic was much more mundane, and the platform simply lacked the technical oomph to pull off the 3d environment very well.]

16
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: June 27, 2011, 10:45:57 PM »
What I want is for Zelda to be cutting edge in that it is constantly the top standard for its genre.  That means it has to be less formulaic.  When people are suggesting with a straight face that Darksiders or Okami do Zelda better than Zelda, then Nintendo isn't doing it right.

I never understood all the Okami love.  It's okay and has great style but beyond that I don't see it.  The beginning is absolutley horrible.  People who say that Twilight Princess had a slow beginning obviously never waded through this army of movies, tutorials and stupid bug guys.  Worst of all all combat is locked into some kind of magical room.  Worst decision ever.

And despite all the whining from the usual suspects, Twighlight Princess is an amazing and cool game, and the accusations of "same old same old" ring really hollow.  Yeah it contained a lot of Zelda tropes, but the game felt hugely different than other Zelda games.

17
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 27, 2011, 08:01:24 PM »
Ummm Montreal is in Quebec.

Nonetheless, "Ubisoft Quebec" and "Ubisoft Montreal" seem to be two different entities...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft_Quebec

18
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 27, 2011, 10:50:18 AM »
I LOVE the N64 controller. Going back to it, the analog is not as precise as today's controllers, but after a couple of hours with it I'd get back in the swing of things. I'd argue that you're a crusty old stick in the mud if you lack the imagination to properly use the N64 controller.

Yeah, the N64 controller was totally fine, as was the GC controller (basically the best controller on any system thus far).  The WiiU controller looks great too, and interesting (more interesting than the Wii, I think), assuming they can keep the weight low enough for extended play comfort.

I never liked the Wii controller though ... I could never to get the precise response that others seemed to.  Maybe some of that has to do with my playing space though, which isn't very well-suited to free motion... (about 1m x 1m, sitting down, fairly close to the television).

19
Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
« on: June 26, 2011, 10:28:59 PM »
Nintendo doesnt always care about the plotline, and keep re-inventing it.

Wait, Zelda has a plot?!

20
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 25, 2011, 02:30:39 AM »
If they're going to rely entirely on third-parties for that, then I don't see much of a lure to choose their console over any of the other ones.

3rd parties don't want to "choose," they want to make portable games that run on all the consoles.  To make them "choose," either a big bundle of cash or a huge user-base advantage is required.

Still, as a player, I don't care at all about exclusivity, I just want cool games.  If I buy a wiiu, and it has lots of cool games, I'm happy as a clam; that xbox users may also enjoy those games doesn't hurt me...

21
rockstar really seems to have a talent for making fun games, so it'll probably be great, but ... I do admit I find the whole vice-city shtick kind of stupid.  I'd much rather have one of their trademark sandbox games in some less stupid setting, e.g. red-dead-redemption, etc.

[I suppose I'm just too sick of the LA-centric attitude one gets from a lot of U.S. movies/media...
I was watching a trailer for the upcoming military-fights-against-invading-aliens movie, and somebody in the trailer cried out "New York - Berlin - London - Tokyo have all fallen to the invaders ... WE MUST NOT LOSE LA!!!" ... and I'm thinking "ehhhh, now let's not be too hasty about this ... maybe let 'em have LA, and ..."]

22
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 20, 2011, 07:46:16 PM »
Original Zelda.  All others are imitators, that are just play'n.

Now that you mention it, all the pics I've seen of the original Zelda cartridge do look more real-metallic-gold than the other gold-zelda-branded items.

Hmm, that was released in the mid-'80s ... smack-dab in the middle of The Bubble ... Japan was absolutely rolling in money ... maybe they just said "f*ck it, we're gonna use real gold for this!"

23
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 19, 2011, 07:29:50 PM »
Ugh, I made the mistake of reading the user comments on WiiU stories at other sites...

washes eyes with soap and steel wool

Care to summarize?

"Wut a stupid name [ok, point], lol when will nintendo make anything but gimmicks really they should just concentrate on awesome graphical power ps3+++, the wiiu controller looks horrible and unergonomic ... it has no advantage over traditional controllers, all nintendo's controllers have been horrible, the xbox has the best controller ever <long, loving, description of every detail of the xbox controller's insane awesomeness ... you can practically see the guy caressing his controller as he types>"

24
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 19, 2011, 06:26:01 PM »
Ugh, I made the mistake of reading the user comments on WiiU stories at other sites...

washes eyes with soap and steel wool

25
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U
« on: June 19, 2011, 02:08:27 AM »
There's a difference about Ability and Support. Nintendo has said it has the ability, but said they aren't sure they'll support it due to cost. Also, keep in mind Nintendo does not want to make promises to consumers it can't keep.
If WiiU can support it, then it should. No exceptions.
There is no  I don't believe for a second that Nintendo is so concerned over the cost to consumers.

Of course they're concerned with cost to consumers, because that directly impacts sales.

What you seem to be forgetting is that because of the architecture of display system, the cost impact is not the cost of additional controllers, it's the cost of the main unit.

Beefing up the main unit to handle potential additional controllers makes it more expensive, and that will impact sales of the base system.  Maybe they can get it down to the point where it's viable, and the additional cost will be justified by increased customer interest due to multiple controller support -- but it's not the trivial question you seem to think it is.

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 18