EC2151

Since the refresh rates of the TVs across the two regions are different, the way color is actually programmed to display is dependent on a specific refresh-rate (50hz vs 60hz) - if you mess with that you won't get a normal picture. A small, small number of PAL games contain both a 60hz and a 50 hz option, but those are really only a handful. Some TVs being manufactured today are being built to display both types, but they're not in the mainstream by far.

If you tried to play a PAL game on your NTSC-U TV, there would be serious frame-skipping (every tenth frame), and the music would be glitched or played slower. Or, there wouldn't be any color. 50hz has traditionally been the power output of European TVs, whereas 60hz was USA and Japan. Europe got a bum deal because compatibility issues are always out the ass. You would -know- if you were playing a 50hz game, because it would piss you off.

Too bad Aonuma doesn't like the early Zelda games, so bringing things 'back to the basics' will probably mean something like making it more 'basic' (more hand-holding). TP and SS, to me, show that Aonuma needs to let someone else take charge of a Zelda game.

I don't know why everyone is excited for this. Has Aounuma ever lived up to the promise of "changing the Zelda formula in a meaningful way"? I wish they'd make a more traditional Zelda instead. One without a 3 hour tutorial at the beginning like EVERY ZELDA GAME FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS.

The song is not in the usual Koshiro style - for a long time after the Genesis his output was very shaky (does anyone really remember the music to Vatlva? Legend of Oasis?) but the Etrian music represents some of the best work he's done in quite some time.

Unfortunately, the only game with an added case was the first one. Though the third game in the trilogy has 5 cases. JFA's 3rd case can be a little, uh, wacky, but in general it leads up to one of the best episodes in the entire series. Case 4 is one hell of a ride.

Justice for All gets very good by its last case. I think you'll like it. BTW, this topic title sounds like the episode title of some anime. AKAGO'S 100 GAME OATH: PLAYER? OR PLAYED?

*Find a better job *Finish my damn mix and get it posted on this site

@Clefairy: We'll have to agree to disagree on that. Valve is ridiculously, absurdly profitable. They make more money per employee than Google. And being privately owned, essentially all of it stays in the company. The notion that they would do something 'because it makes more money' is ludicrous. That's a great fringe benefit, sure. But it is not the primary motivator. If money is not the primary motivator for business then you and I have to 'agree to disagree' on why corporations are formed in the first place. Yeah, because nobody owns multiple consoles, right? We're still picking our tribe and sticking with it, throwing rocks at the other guys wherever they might appear? While I don't recall saying "people don't own multiple consoles," don't you think if there is something like a "Steam box" then the "Xbox" becomes completely redundant? Or the other way around? And Valve will actually say "A PC is big, clunky, and not really portable. Plus you have to finangle drivers and antivirus and so on and so forth. This is just Steam on a console, optimized for controllers, and small enough to take to your friend's house." Again, who does that appeal to? I mean, really appeal to? Not the majority of people. A very specific niche of people. Most people don't care about playing PC on the TV. But some people buy an Xbox to play PC games, like shooters, on the TV. I see this box, again, as both a response to Windows 8 (which Newell was unhappy with - why then go to Linux?), and as Valve seeing the opportunity to divide and fracture Microsoft's userbase (the crowd that cares about PC games on a console, which is smaller than you'd think but still significant enough to hurt the potential future xbox userbase). Why does any of this matter? It's because since the device (as I see it) is designed primarily to eat away at another product's success, in order for it to have any lasting success it needs to both: A) be significantly cheaper than the alternative, and outperform the alternative in every way when it comes to value. Since it's a product made to directly compete, it has this uphill battle, and it doesn't matter how rich Valve is - that's a very costly uphill battle. @Kyle: Obviously the console market is still quite popular among consumers despite consoles being dumbed-down home theater computers at this point, and the fact that most console games out there have been getting PC ports. I don't expect anyone except the hardcore PC gamer to even know there isn't really a difference between a PC and the "Steam Box", and even if they did, many consumers don't even own gaming PCs, prefer to play games on their TVs rather than their PCs, or don't have their PC and their TV close enough to each other physically to feasibly connect them. Not everyone is rockin' triple-screen 6-core 4-GPU 32GB-RAM 5-terabyte gaming rigs right next to their big screen TVs. To be sure - the console market will never really go away, despite what moron speculators might have you believe. Because it turns out playing games in a living room is an enjoyable experience. But PC games/ports only attract a limited audience, and the diminishing returns ultimately lead to stagnation (as we've seen with all the closings and restructurings of major game companies). Most consumers don't care about PC ports - so the huge budgets used on some of these games (which lead to higher prices, DLC, etc.) is wasted in many regards. Steam factors hugely into this climate as well - most consumers of PC games refuse to buy until there's a "Steam sale," meaning less money back per investment. How can you expect to turn a profit in such an environment? In the current industry models, you can't, and that's why huge companies like THQ are starting to push up daisies - perhaps deservedly! That's why while I feel this device is worth discussing as far as possible future developments in the game industry (and perhaps a hopeful weakening of Microsoft's presence in the console market!), it's not really interesting in and of itself - it's just like the xbox: boring!

Even with Steam's huge backlog though, it would be a tall order to market buying a $300 (and I think that would be "competitively" priced) box to play PC games on the TV... when the normal consumer can just buy a PC and have far more functionality. Consumers will look at this and ask "Why not just buy a PC?" Valve will then say "So you can buy Half-Life 3, L4D3, Portal 3, TF3!" Which is more or less formalizing what Valve's games are at this point - generational benchmarks. So valve either gives up the PC to put its eggs into this box, or else it just won't sell.

Well, what's "going forward" in this scenario? A consolized PC? Microsoft already did that, and has been doing that for a decade. It produces that PC at a loss, and only retains profitability by paying people to have that PC connect to the internet. This is not some "innovative experiment" by the "wunderkids" at Valve. It's a calculated business move. The PS3 having cross-platform support was testing the waters, and this thing is Valve assuming that they have a shot at siphoning off a portion of Microsoft's users, who only really care about consolized PC shooters.

Valve for a long time now has wanted a piece of the console pie, but I don't think this will make as big a splash as they'd like. You have to wonder at the motivation for Valve to go this route. If every single console developer loses money on each console they sell, then what does this have? Steam sales? Those won't recoup the loss of actual manufacturing. Because the funny thing about Steam's business model is that it more or less redirects any spending sprees during their sale period, because practically no one will want to buy a game full-price when they know a "steam sale" is around the corner. So it really isn't about games (Valve is a game-developer in name-only), it's about taking market share away from Microsoft - Gabe Newell was pissed about Windows 8 and this is his answer to it: a box to play PC games, by-passing Windows framework. So a device meant solely to spite Microsoft might do well in stealing some capital, but don't expect long-term explosive success.

Very nice - I didn't know there was anyone else out here on OCR that even knew who .YACK was, let alone G.REV or Senko no Ronde. I really liked the mix and the little accents and effects scattered throughout. And the stabbing pad synths sound great.

Most of the time, though, this is just lame. See: most of the QTEs in Resident Evil 4, or Resident Evil 6 (PRESS X RAPIDLY TO START CAR OH BOY). Rapidly-pressing a button, as you describe it, isn't as much a QTE, if you use the "Shenmue model" of QTEs. It's more akin to something like in Samurai Shodown or G-Darius, "tap A really fast to win." I'm nitpicking.

Well I was specifically talking about the maschine drum sample pack, which would be far more convenient and conducive to my production. My drum libraries are a bit lacking.

You forgot the horrifically bad CGI backgrounds the show uses waaaaaaaaay too much. Still, it's a decent story - too bad the ending really sucks.

Native Instruments gave out a $30 coupon to my email, so I assume that others received it as well. I believe this will be the perfect opportunity to pick up a copy of Maschine and get myself some real nice drum packs!

Beating Phantasy Star separates the men from the boys. And I am yet a boy.

Hell yeah we need more Phantasy Star mixes from all the main games in the series (and hell PSO too). I think originally, PSO was going to be called "Phantasy Star V" but I think they wisely reconsidered. PSIV ended on one hell of a good note, so I'm pretty ok with there no direct continuation of that story.

Friday can't come any sooner!

My friend and coworker is a pilot with a fair knowledge of aerodynamics and he loves this game to death. From what he's told me, the physics in the game are fairly accurate and that makes the game even more fun when things start to go wrong.

What's hilarious is that SE fans build themselves up again and again, and have done so for the last 8 or so years, only to be beaten down, time and time again.

Then you would love this show called Fist of the North Star.

On German censorship: you have to remember that Germany is the country that took out the Germany stage in Castlevania: Bloodlines, and then thought the name "Bloodlines" was too violent, and changed it to "New Descendants" or something equally laughable.