The Pezman

The good news is that 1 TB drives are not so large anymore. I intend on getting one as soon I get my Macbook Pro.

I keep pimping this out, but Easy CD-DA Extractor is good for all your disc ripping and audio conversion needs. It supports every format under the sun and adds in great new features with every iteration.

If Mega Man 8 had been an NES title I could sort of understand this move. But I think this marks the first time that a sequel for a game has been released for an earlier system (or emulated earlier system, since it's technically for the Wii) than its predecessor, and under the circumstances seems to make no sense. You can be nostalgic and still have decent looking graphics by today's standards (i.e. Bionic Commando remake). Unless they're looking to pump this out real quick like, in which case NES level graphics are probably the simplest.

I just got a look at this actual quote. Pure garbage. He doesn't seem coherent in his statement and is going all over the place. Web 2.0 has nothing to do with that he's saying. "Second characters will remind you about stuff"? WTF? I'm not saying that the universe or world itself can never be compelling, even critical, factor in storytelling. But just a world won't do.

I agree with what you've said, and it's this bullshit which has decimated my interest in the PS3. However, I don't think that is evidence enough to make the claim you did: Who knows? Maybe (just maybe) things will stay constant from now on. I doubt it, but that's still not reason enough to speak in absolutes like you did.

I haven't played either game, so I wasn't implying anything. But I am talking about a central key to storytelling, regardless of the medium. Stories need to focus on characters, at least to a degree. Even if you're describing a lush world, examples of the people or things living in it are going to be needed in order to have something happen, even if you find the world itself more interesting. A world in stasis (ie, where nothing happens) is not appealing. Characters inspire other characters as well, so it's not like the world is alone in that regard. At any rate, irrespective of what inspired what, whatever universe comes out is still subject to what I indicated above. The Star Wars world has expanded exponentially since the original film releases, but all the stories which added this background involved characters and events.

Fixed. 10char

Link to info where you got this?

I think we need to shed light on the difference between video games and interactive storytelling. The former is not the same as the latter. If a story were truly interactive (that is, you the character can literally do anything in an environment that you could if you yourself were actually there), there would be so many variables to keep track of that actual gameplay probably wouldn't be an option. Facade is the best working example of this, and even then the conversation tree isn't all that great. I myself don't mind not having control over the story flow, based on my experience with Metal Gears 1 through Solid, along with all the JRPGs I've played. The whole idea of "craft your character and transplant yourself into their shoes" never appealed to me because I never felt like I was actually that character. Instead I would always be playing with some dressed up model. Controlling characters who are not you (and make no claim to be) is more exciting to me because I can actually care about who they are. Of course, in order for these characters to be characters, they have to have personalities and make their own decisions. When I play these games, I don't feel like I'm being forced into a particular path as much as I'm helping the characters make the decisions and accomplish the objectives that they, based on who they are, will inevitably head towards. The issue here is that personal conflicts and journeys are by far more interesting and lasting. The Tolkienverse is incredibly detailed and conplex, but when you say "Lord of the Rings" people remember specific characters and their conflicts, not worlds.

Fuck off. Maybe that will help the robot get the message. Probably not though. Easy CD DA Extractor grows better with every version. It has now implemented a checksum which can be used to ensure a rip is identical when done more than once. I really think that the extractor program can provide just as faithful a rip as EAC.

It helps if you have an HDTV and can watch HD and non HD content on cable. After watching HD for a relatively short amount of time, the quality difference does become apparent, and I at least always felt a little dissatisfied having to go back down on a given channel. HD hasn't been marketed very well (even the phrase "high definition" is ambiguous and can refer to a number of resolutions), but it is a significant upgrade and one that does enhance viewing experience.

I started to listen to the review. There were still too many spoilers for me... since I haven't played MGS2. Shame on me.

Glad I'm jumping ship for Mac. At least for laptop. Time will tell how Windows 7 will work out when I scrape enough together to build my own desktop.

Agreed. I certainly hadn't. The article was only a couple weeks old. I have no idea what the hell that abbreviation stands for, but if it involves remixing I concur.

Super Mario World. It's one of my favorite platformers of all time. Even though I know every secret of the game, it still provides a nice challenge and focus to do it again. Same with Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Good info. Let us know when you make it through the whole thing.

Show us the full thing, man. I want to see the pro Snapple studio in all its glory.

Anyone do much programming with the C# XNA framework? I've been working with that this summer...

No kidding... yeesh. We are out one world-class funnyman.

Truth truth truth truth truth. I never had a cake either. But I did have three different kinds of beer off the tap... bought for me by my friends. That was wonderful.

I don't own a 360. That's my excuse. And I'd imagine it's the excuse of a good number of other people here too.

The question is, does that MIDI setup still require that box that came with the drums? I hope the answer is no.

Yes, Italy is a fantastic place. I must go back there...

The problem is that the sound device that comes with the drums themselves makes up half the price. I'd love to get the drums without the device and hook them up directly to my machine, but those particular outputs don't seem suited to the task. Has anyone done this?

How much did those drums run you? And how do you interface them into the computer?