XZero
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Posts posted by XZero
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Am I the only one that always starts with all three starters (via starting multiple games on a 2nd DS and trading something over)?
I just hate having to choose
I did that with Diamond & Pearl. I didn't this time because I only bought Black. Though if I bothered to look at the Toys r Us flyer, I would have bought both since it was buy 1, get 1 half off ... >(
Funny thing is, I never did finish D&P. I finished Platinum last year after about 2 months, but I gave up after getting the 7th badge in Diamond.
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Can you change the battle system to the way it was in the first game? I really didn't care for the new one in II's demo.
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My GameStop opened 2 hours before the rest of the mall opened. Another guy who was about 17 walked into the mall at the same time I did and asked what I was there for. He was very happy to learn that I was picking up Pokemon and that I'm 25.
This encounter reaffirmed my belief in the Pokemon life cycle:
6-12 years old: Yay Pokemon!!!
13-17 years old: Pokemon is teh gay! Play Call of Duty or Halo! (but secretly I still love it...)
18-23 years old: Now that I'm in college, I'm mature enough to admit that I like Pokemon, and most of my friends are the same way
24+ years old: (a) I like RPGs, and Pokemon games are always good RPGs, so yeah, I'll play a new one, (
life gets in my way, so I can't play long RPGs like that anymore, or © I can't play it, but my kids will love it.Under ©, the cycle begins anew.
Also, Snivy is a kickass starter, and (*spoiler?*) I like the idea of effectively giving you a second "starter" within the first two hours of playing.(/*spoiler*)
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Back in 1997, the only N64 game I got for Christmas was Bomberman 64 (the other big holiday release was Diddy Kong Racing, which I bought for myself). I played the shit out of that game, getting 110 gold cards in the process. I never managed to get all 120 on Normal.
To put this into perspective, I was in 6th grade at the time, and because of my reclusive nature as a little smart-ass punk, I spent most of my weekends playing N64 by myself or with one friend. Unlike today where I'm lucky to play games for 10 hours in a week, I could do 50-75 hours per week back in the day. Imagine all of that time spent on this game and STILL not getting all of the gold cards. Damn it!
The worst thing is I remember going to Waldenbooks at the one mall near my parents' house and seeing an unofficial Prima strategy guide for Bomberman 64. I had the Nintendo Power walkthroughs, but I thought the guide was going to be even more helpful. So I shelled out the $12 for the guide, took it home, and still didn't get those last 10 cards. I think the only way to get all of them in 3 hours on Hard mode is to use save states or something, and even then, you have to get EXTREMELY lucky to do it.
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Most people don't seem to realize that Nintendo isn't trying to widen the chasm between the "casual" and the "hardcore", it's trying to shorten it. Hence, a Zelda game that's easier to control. It's not a bad thing.
You're right conceptually. I'm more concerned about execution. If the motion controls don't work perfectly for whatever reason, it defeats the purpose.
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^ I pretty much said the same thing. I don't get why Nintendo is so intent on shoving motion controls down gamers' throats. Hardcore gamers grew up on controllers with D-pads (or a joystick) and button(s). If the motion controls aren't perfect, which they well could be, there's basically no reason to force gamers to use them. I'll withhold my final call until I play the game for myself, but I'm skeptical at this point.
In all fairness, I was skeptical of Wind Waker, and while it's far from my favorite, it was still a great game.
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Everyone's got the right idea about getting the video more views. I clicked it because you posted it here. Post it in video game forums and you'll get more.
Incidentally, I've got to echo Gario--nice job on the track. It's one of my personal favorites from the Castlevania series as a whole, and I love your version of it!
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I'm pretty excited about the new Mario game. The few things they showed look cool, and if the Galaxy team is working on it, I'm sure it'll rock. Plus, the tail on the logo... =)
The one thing about the conference is that the new Zelda trailer really doesn't have me particularly excited. Zelda's my favorite Nintendo series, and I'm sure it'll be good, but it looks like more of the same with a control scheme that may or may not work. We'll have to wait till E3 I suppose.
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Holy shit! That's awesome! I really didn't think they'd actually localize it. As long as it has decent acting (or hell, even a well translated script with a Japanese language option), I'm all over this. I take the bar exam this July, so Catherine and I will have to get to know one another in August. It's going to be a great August.
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I'm on somewhat of a mission to figure out the name of this track:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqYRWSaO0Dg
It sounds familiar, but I just can't place it. Anyone have any clue?
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I've seen loose hinges on DS and GBA units, though I've never experienced this personally. If you're relatively careful, it won't come loose unless it's defective, in which case it's probably under warranty.
Case in point, all of the loose hinges I've ever seen were child-owned DS and GBA systems that were traded in at GameStop. Teen- or adult-owned systems generally don't suffer from the same problem. If yours does or did, there was probably a problem with it from the start.
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Actually, the DS had 2 major shortages. The first was right when it launched in November of 2005. It was pretty much preorder only, but with a holiday launch like that, it's not unexpected.
The bigger shortage was in the Fall of 2006. This was, of course, the same time the Wii was released, but the DS Lite also saw its first holiday season at this point. Someone didn't expect it to be as big as it was because I remember having quite a few of them around the end of November at my GameStop location, then being sold out the following week. People were constantly asking for them. It wasn't a two-year-long "OMG I can't find one" event like the Wii, but for a couple of months, we had difficulty keeping them in stock, and around Christmas, they would sell out within minutes of getting a shipment.
Generally, Nintendo's pretty good with its handhelds as far as keeping them in stock. The GBA SP was the former portable market champion, and while we'd sell out of certain colors, we nearly always had the system in stock during its heyday. The only reason I'm not completely sold on the 3DS being readily available is that the 3D screens might reduce the number of systems available in the short term. This Christmas, if Nintendo can get some big titles out (Zelda, Kid Icarus, and they need a Mario game of some sort), the system's going to sell like crazy in all likelihood.
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The only launch game I'm getting is SSF4, even though I already have it on PS3. I'll probably get Okamiden that day as well. As others have noted, early adopters have a double-edged sword to deal with. On the one hand, no one knows enough about the 3DS to make a good call on it either way. The original DS paid off as a good "risk," and I suspect support for this system will be similar, though it's hard to say. Also, the games are a heaping pile of "meh" for launch day.
That said, I have this feeling that 3DS systems are going to be the third Nintendo product to print money (along with the Wii and DS Lite) in a short period of time. I remember working at GameStop during the height of the Wii's popularity. Even during the summer months, people would be lining up in the store on days we might get Wii shipments just to score one for themselves or their kids. Barring any unforeseen problems, I really think the same thing's going to happen for the next two years with the 3DS.
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But Nintendo doesn't really need them anymore. Rare was a huge asset back during the SNES and N64 period. The company made some of the best platformers on both consoles (Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie & -Tooie, DK64). It also made GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. As Nintendo's premiere second party company, it was in a great position. Then Micro$oft offered them a lot of money, and suddenly the creative vision went down the tubes.
Meanwhile, Nintendo and a little company called Retro Studios struck up a relationship. Metroid Prime 1-3 were gold, and Donkey Kong Country Returns out-Rare'd Rare to some extent. So I return to my original statement that Nintendo doesn't need Rare. It'd be great if they came back, but they'd have to truly return to top form like they were from 1994-2000.
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I'm noticing X-23 is a bit overpowered. Not game-breakingly overpowered, but she's able to pull off attacks that are wreaking havoc on the computer AI. I've only played a couple of online battles though, so we'll see tonight how things go in that department.
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The early leak might hurt sales somewhat, but I doubt it would be anything substantial.
For instance, I'm planning on getting Marvel vs. Capcom 3 this week. Let's say that a version of that was pirated and released online last month. If I downloaded it and it was good, I'd still buy the game. Some people probably wouldn't, but I'd think the majority of the game's fanbase would want to buy that physical copy.
However, if upon downloading it, I discovered the game sucked (and not just because it's a beta/prerelease buggy version), that might change my mind. But reviews could have the same impact.
In the end, while they may lose out on some sales, I think a lot of people would agree that it won't be particularly devastating to the company.
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We've seen this weak and pointless argument play out a thousand times by now. Video games cause X, and therefore are bad.
I play GTA. I don't go out and carjack people, get involved in shootouts, use drugs, drink to excess, pick up hookers, etc. But I do all of those things in the game.
I also can't remember the last time I raped someone in real life, but I know I've engaged in sexual situations in some games. Actually, the reason I can't remember raping anyone in real life is because I never have.
If you can't separate fantasy from reality, that is a problem that is unrelated to video games, movies, or any other outside influence. It doesn't matter what the medium is. The only thing that's relevant is the fact that people don't take responsibility for their own actions, and foolish politicians point the finger of blame at something else so as not to blame the electorate.
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After listening to some of the tracks on YouTube, I can say it's ... alright. It's no Cried, but that's one of my favorite arranged albums of all time, so not a fair comparison I suppose.
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There was a similar story on the opposite end of the spectrum back in 2009. (http://www2.ocregister.com/articles/pixar-up-movie-2468059-home-show)
A little girl dying of cancer had one last wish: she wanted to see Up!. So after someone called Pixar and managed to get through to somebody, they actually flew a staff member out to her house with a DVD of the movie (then only in theaters), and the girl got to enjoy the movie in her home. She died a few hours later.
It would have been cool if someone in this grandmother's family contacted Square-Enix and got a review copy of the game for her to play. Of course, it's kind of a long game so she might not have finished it, but after all those years of waiting, it'd have been nice for her to be able to play it just once.
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As much as I enjoyed Epic Yarn, it had a lot of the same problems Yoshi's Story suffered from back in early 1998, mainly being too short and too easy.
This reminds me a lot more of Kirby's Adventure, which is definitely a good thing.
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As anti-DLC as I am, I'm the first to admit that the Borderlands DLC was VERY good, and totally worth it. But Gearbox did several things right (only looking at Zombie Ned, Knoxx, and Claptrap):
(1) they included tons of extra, post-game content that obviously was not part of the main game and just excised so it could be released incrementally later
(2) between the 3 main story-based ones, it was a $30 sequel in itself
(3) they used it to correct a common complaint about the main storyline, that it took itself too seriously while the characters in the world generally didn't. The stories in those 3 were silly in a good way and far more enjoyable than the main hunt for the Vault
Notice anything about this list? They didn't take something out of the game and sell it separately, they didn't just give 4 new maps and call it a day, and they actually improved upon the existing game with the DLC. This, ladies and gentlemen, is DLC done right.
I can only think of 2 other scenarios where DLC would be appropriate. First, in annual sports games, release a game once every 2 or 3 years and in the interim, release DLC updates for the new season. Cut down on all the Maddens flooding the stores. Second, in music games, sell 2 versions of the game disc. One is $60 and has 75 preloaded songs (plus the obligatory instrument sets at higher prices because that's oh-so-necessary). The other is a disc with just the basics of the game, no songs, and a points card allowing you to download 75 songs of your choice from their servers, with 1000s of options. As a person who hates rap and hip hop, I can remove all traces of it from Guitar Hero and only focus on 70s and 80s rock, and the opposite would be true of a person who hates rock and loves rap and hip hop.
What all 3 of these proposed uses for DLC have in common is that they are consumer-friendly, while simultaneously generating decent amounts of money for the companies. Both sides win out, rather than one or the other gaining the advantage. DLC is about the companies gaining the advantage and taking advantage of the consumer in the process.
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Nah, the explanation was fine the first time. And it would be fine if they did that if they dropped the price of the core down to about thirty or forty dollars for a brand new release.
I just don't have that much faith in them. I could even see them selling multiple plot endings (which in a way would be cool) but for the most part could turn into a big pile of poo.
You're playing through Chrono Trigger. Do you want to get the ending by using the bucket? That'll be $5.00. How about any of the other endings? Let's go with another $5.00 each. All of a sudden that novelty of multiple endings fades pretty quickly.
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Also, title looks like "d i c", not D L C. I thought this would be about something very different.
Yeah, that was a mistake... can someone change it to DLC?
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I've mentioned this offhandedly in a few other threads, but I was curious what people's opinions are on this topic. DLC: love it or hate it.
Personally, I hate it, but let me give the pros and cons so you can see my point:
PROS:
-Allows you to play more of a game you already enjoy
-Cheaper than full-fledged sequels that add little to nothing to the overall package
-Accessible; by its very nature, you never have to drive to a store to buy it
-Economically advantageous to the developer; DLC, by definition, cannot be sold "used" unless released on a disc
CONS:
-For DLC available within a very short time after the game launches, it often should have been included to begin with (Mega Man 9 & 10's DLC is just a money-grubbing, greed-induced pile of crap, not because it isn't good, but because there's no reason it shouldn't have been included from the outset)
-If developers spend their time working on new missions or worlds, they aren't using that time to create a new engine built on superior technology for a better sequel
-Bad for the consumer; say what you want about stores like GameStop and their horrible practices of ripping off the consumer with their trade-in system, but the truth is that for those who only buy games and don't sell them back, there's a certain value to be had in getting a new release for $10-15 less just because you waited until someone to be done with it and trade it in
-Bad for collectors; if you collect games, you know what I'm talking about. You have all of the DLC in the world, but it almost makes no difference because there's nothing physical on your shelf. For some people, it doesn't matter. For others, it matters a great deal.
-Jacks up the price of games. Here, I'm talking about microtransactions. If you pay $2, you can have this cool sword with +15 damage whereas the sword you can earn early in the game only has +10 damage. So how much does the game cost? Well, now it's $62. But only until I sell you this $4 shield!
You can probably think of other pros and cons that I missed, but the money one kills me. Back in the day, whether it was 5 years ago or 25, games were a once and done price deal. You pay for the game and it's all there. Now, you're getting a good, solid 75-85% of a game when you buy it at retail. The rest must be bought separately. Imagine if you bought FFVI, got to the part where Kefka destroys the world by opening the Esper gate thingy, and then to play on to the end, you have to download the rest of it. Whether that's the reality of the situation or not, that's exactly what it feels like and that's why I have a problem with it.
Ocarina of Time chant
in General Discussion
Posted
Here's a Gametrailers Pop Fiction special on it:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/episode-9-pop-fiction/710815
I don't know anything about where you can get it, but I have heard the chant in other stuff as well. I don't have a video link, but something very similar (possibly identical; I suspect a different part of the same chant) is used by New Age artist David Arkenstone in a song called "Sea of Time" on his album Troika II: Dream Palace. If you can find the song, it's about 55 seconds into it.