Jump to content

MkVaff

Members
  • Posts

    219
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Posts posted by MkVaff

  1. Phelps deserve every moment of media coverage he has gotten. He won more gold medals in a single Olympics than anyone in history, winning every single event he was in and setting seven new world records. That's frickin' unbelievable.

    As much as it's easy to hate on repetition and being somewhat "bombarded" by the media, it definitely is a significant achievement, and one that will not likely be matched or surpassed by anyone anytime in the near future. Besides that, if you live in the states you have to remember he's one of the few star olympic icons the USA seems to have this year, while the USA as well as most countries are losing most golds to the admittedly amazing Chinese team.

    It's a mixture of both, and as with most things it ends up being some weird version of patriotism mixed with respect for olympic sport. I know if Phelps did win 8 golds and they DIDN'T make a big deal about it... it'd be like "what the hell?"

  2. I hate to rub it in, but I never took a music class in my life, nor set foot in any audio / recording class, and I'm currently working freelance for a small company. Why? Well, for me, while everyone else was going to music school, I went to art school. I had no intention of becoming a musician at the time, but I made a lot of contacts in graphics, and those contacts ended up getting jobs in game companies. One of which (I was lucky enough) needed a sound guy.

    I hate to say how much luck plays a role in the business scheme of things. It's not even so much a matter of having a degree as much as it is a matter of being friends with the producer or knowing the project manager or something. Music is an insanely oversaturated field, while the demand these days is compartively small.

    Also think of the numbers... In any game project - even large scale ones - there might be 30-50 or more artists, 20-30 programmers and often no more than 2 or 3 audio / music specialists.

    I'm not saying at all to give up, I'm just agreeing with Zircon in that the reality sucks...

  3. You do know you are allowed to not like games right?

    And you don't need to justify yourself.

    RPGs are a genre that appeales to specific people, it's perfectly natural for people to not enjoy them.

    Lol nah I know, I just sometimes feel like I'm missing something here. It's like I wish I was as pumped about CT as everyone else is. There's so many fans of the damn thing I'm wondering what the hell I missed in it.

    I also think that RPGS require a level of patience and time dedication that I can't possibly invest these days. In the time it takes you to finish one RPG, you could watch some 25-30 full length movies! I find it hard enough to watch 1 or 2 movies these days, so unfortunately playing one game for 50-60 hours just doesn't make sense anymore.

    I wish they had short versions of RPGs. Just accelerate the gameplay and show me the story elements quickly. Shit - if you could fast forward long battles and grinding, most RPGs could be half as long.

  4. Man, I love how The Coop can keep his cool no matter who says what. I gotta learn to be like that.

    So, who here played Chrono Trigger for the first time in a gaming generation that was later than the one it was released in, and what did you think of it? I played it shortly after it came out and loved it and can still enjoy playing it today. But part of the enjoyment could be coming from the nostalgia of it. But if someone played it for the first time during the PS1 era, (or even better, the PS2 or 3 era) and loved it, wouldn't that be a good measure of whether it's being overrated or not?

    So did anyone here play Chrono Trigger for the first time during the PS2 generation?

    I hate to say it because I feel like I'm going against the grain, but I picked it up as soon as it came out years ago (on SNES dammit - screw this PS1 bullshit!!) and played through the whole thing. And I triiiied to like it, but for some reason, never really got into it. I think I played through the entire thing asking myself when it was going to get good, and I don't know why. It certainly wasn't terrible - but the story, the characters, they didn't really grab me at all. It looked / sounded great and it was fun to play, but I can't say I've ever really understood what all the hype was about.

    Maybe I'm just not an RPG guy. Didn't care too much for FF7 or 8, despite all the excitement around those. Probably the only RPGs I only really liked were FF6, Xenogears, Super Mario RPG, and on the tactics side Vandal Hearts.

    All the others I've tried required me to keep trying to convince myself I wasn't getting bored playing them...

  5. oh damn you don't have to schedule a meet around my dumbass... It's just the last few have been right before new years (if I remember correctly), that's why it's always hell for me. But it seems more NYers are available around that time. Besides, it's already July, some of these things are planned months in advance. Planning one for this month might be a bit difficult with the short notice and vacations and all.

    Whatever the case, next time the NY one happens I'll try my best to be there. And Dan better not fall out of a damn tree this time!

  6. So I'm back in NY after one of my top 5 worst bus rides ever to get back home. Twas a fun time and am definitely looking forward to seeing some of you guys again.

    If people want, I'm willing to go to one sometime in July and I'll post a thread suggesting one tomorrow. The December ones are no good for you?

    usually stuck at work 99% of the time between mid nov and mid jan. Very sad =(

  7. Just so my quote wasn't taken out of context, I was commenting on the drama, and not against anyone in particular.

    I think that the problem is that OCR and OurStage are so different in premise, and that the fact that people put their stuff up for free on OCR when OurStage has some decent cash prizes available makes it definitely a target for cynicism. I think that if this was a contest with no cash prizes attached to it (and was more for the popularity of OCR members for OCR's sake per se) it would be much better received and universally supported.

    The second you start introducing popularity and $$ into a site community which is based on free sharing of everything, there's bound to be some issues.

    I think Ourstage is a great idea and that the talented people from here definitely should enter. It's just that the premises between that site and this are so different that it's causing a lot of drama. And drama = poopie.

  8. I've got my videos put together and uploaded. Photos tomorrow (since I took ~50 and probably only got a few good ones).

    I remember that story DJP is talking about. It was Dan's fall that diverted the group to the hospital instead of my house out here. U guys should do a summer NYC meetup so I can actually make it sometime...

  9. I think it's been said, but I and other people enjoy having the physical videos, too. It's kinda cool to look at your rows of videos as you decide which one to watch, or flip through those pearly white Wii games.

    The Virtual console games, while cool, are disappointing in this area: there is no physical reassurance that I bought the game, instead only a little picture on the screen. I think the same applies for videos: in most people's minds, a "hard copy" is never a bad thing to own. I can think of several times I've lost tons of stuff on my computer (Like movies in iTunes), but owning the physical copies made it easy to copy again.

    While having a nice, large collection of any type of media is arguably something most people would like, when considering other technologies in terms of cost effectiveness and convenience, streaming / downloading would be the way to go. Despite the argument that nearly anything you collect could eventually be an obsolete format, I think the other arguments for this technology are more compelling.

    Granted, there are CDs, DVDs, and games which you're such a fan of that just want to have an actual physical copy of. I haven't stopped collecting anything, though admittedly these days I'm much more selective about what I actually do spend money on.

    But there's a lot of stuff I would like to play / watch / listen to and perhaps not particularly own. On Rhapsody, I pay a monthly fee of $12, and I can stream millions of songs, full albums, singles, etc for as long as I like. I can't count the number of CD's I've actually purchased after being able to hear them for weeks on this service, it's great.

    The same could apply to streaming video and downloadable games. I don't think these services are meant to completely replace physical copies, but instead act as a much more convenient rental / preview system. I've had netflix for about 6 years and have watched a ton of movies from it. The only thing better than getting the discs mailed to my house would be to stream them. As well, I would absolutely pay upwards of $80/month with the option to download and play, at any time I wanted, any PS3 or 360 game that's available, and just delete it from my hard drive when I'm done.

    These are the kinds of technologies that excite me much more than a new media format because they have the power to expose you to vast amounts of material in a conveniet way. That's why I'm 'meh' on Blu-Ray by itself. It's great for giving me gorgeous versions of stuff I know I like, but outside that it does little else.

    When the movie and technology industries stops being a bunch of cunts and decided to make a decent streaming / downloading service for a viable price, you can bet I'll be one of the first to pick it up. And I will watch movies, and movies and movies. And all will be well in McVaffeland.

  10. At the end of the day, whatever his opinion on games, Cliffy B stands more to gain by statements like these than internet fanboy discussions. I wouldn't imagine he really gives two shits about the shortcomings of MGS4, other than by disparaging the game he'll end up hyping up his upcoming GOW2 even more.

    A lot of times, these developers know better, and know what the other companies are up to and their strangths and weaknesses - Like when Perrin Kaplan was first shown a PSP after the DS was announced and shown and all she could say about the PSP system - which was stylistically and graphically gorgeous compared to the 1stGen NDS - was "How long do the batteries last on that thing...2 hours?

    It's a game they all play, but now big time game designers are either saying more or simply being heard more (through the internet, etc). Whatever the case though, MGS4's lengthy cinematics are now pretty much universally known to fans whether or not they've played the game or not. Most likely if you're a fan of the series, you'll have no problem with them.

    It's kind of like the ridiculous cinemas in SSBB - on the unnecessary side, but the fans love that shit...

  11. Can't blu-ray players play standard dvds?

    As for streaming HD content straight to your pc, thats a long way off. Mainly due to the fact that most people do not have access to internet connections anywhere near fast enough to stream HD content. ALot of internet connections can be slow just downling compressed flash videos.

    Plus a lot of people like collecting Dvds. I can't imagine hard-copies going away for a very long time, if ever.

    Well, out here we have FiOS, which, while it may not be fast enough to stream HD, is plenty fast to hypothetically get an entire HD movie downloaded in less than a half hour. I don't think it's that far off really, but 2012 might be a bit early for that, but fast internet service is slowly becoming as prevalent as internet service itself.

    A lot of people DO like collecting DVDs. I never quite understood exactly WHY, but it's definitely true. What's the point of a huge collection of movies when whatever format you buy them in will eventually be outdated? All those collectors with shelves full of VHS tapes now probably have new shelves full of DVDs, which will be replaced with Blu Ray, then the next format,...etc.

    For the most part, a large waste of money I'd say. then again, what the typical consumer does and what actually makes sense are usually not exactly the same thing. Look at the current economy... It's taken upwards of $4/gal gas prices for people with hardly any use for them to finally say "Wow... maybe buying that Hummer to drive from my suburb home my office job 15 miles away wasn't the smartest idea."

    Then again, the electronics industry in general is based on selling people on things that they really don't need. Sony will succeed after all!

  12. Right about now, Blueray does mean nothing.

    Around 2012, it will become a more important medium. That's what this format war was about.

    I hope by 2012 there is an infrastructure in place to do away with physical copies of movies altogether and simply stream or download HD content straight to a set top box and watch it whenever... i.e. a tivo on demand.

    I know the technology is in its infancy, but I learned my lesson after buying nearly 1500CDs, and then about 4 years ago I discovered Rhapsody. Now, I just pay the (very reasonable) monthly fee, and I listen to tons of stuff - new and old - whenever I want from any PC with an internet connection.

    I would much rather pay a monthly fee for a similar video service than invest heavily in another media format which, eventually, will also go the way of the DVD and VHS. Besides, most people I know watch movies only once or twice...the idea of spending $20-$30 to keep a movie forever doesn't make sense so long as either VOD or Netflix exist. I'm saving my Blu Ray purchases to the few movies that come out each year that I absolutely love, and besides that the format serves me better for extremely pretty rentals.

  13. I saw it recently after catching a preview of it on the Escapist and it was OK, but (to me) didn't really go anywhere in all the time they spent on it.

    It's hard enough to watch the episodes by themselves, I can't imagine watching the whole thing put together... About 50-60% of the time you're watching the camera tilt in awkward angles while watching random flashbacks and hearing weird sounds / voices. Maybe that's good for a small part or two, but when it's nearly half the show, it gets ridiculously repetitive.

    I feel bad bashing it because it's apparent so much time and effort went into it, but unfortunately I just didn't get into it, as much as I wanted to.

    But I did like that scene in episode 2 or 3 where the anime chick whipped the already abused girl in the face. That was pretty damn funny...

  14. I think that the whole "no credits" issue is one of those things that's more of a "cause" than an actual problem with the game. I mean, if they took out an extra scene or feature along with the credits, then I can somewhat see the point.

    But credits? C'mon. Yes, it's crappy that the original people who developed the game don't get the recognition and it's completely for a B.S. reason but realistically... was anyone going to sit there and read 3 minutes worth of Japanese names after completing a game, even in the unlikely scenario that you might even know some of those people? Does anyone really care who the lead battle programmer or the 5th texture artist is?

    Yeah, I know, it's the principle. But jeez, making a big deal about it as if it were a missing feature is kinda ridiulous.

    I'd quicker blast the game's blur problems or questionable control than bitch about missing credits...

  15. I bought my copy a while ago...

    It's still wrapped.

    Along with Persona 3, Rogue Galaxy and a couple others.

    You know, if some unforseen natural disaster befalls you sometime very soon, you might die a tragic death, not knowing the awesomeness which lies within the packaging.

    Do yourself a favor... Open the packaging. Play the games. Live your (gamer) life. Do it for the children...

    Everything else can wait.

  16. I just got past Okami's half way point (I just got the Glaive), yet I still can't see why this game is receiving so much praise.

    Its borrows shamelessly from multiple Zelda elements.

    Its horribly blurry.

    There's a lack of weapons types (only 3).

    Make no mistake. I'm enjoying this game a lot, and I like a few of the characters (Susano, Issun, to name a few). But a 10 out of 10? I just don't see it. I know I'm not the only one who's been annoyed by those 3 problems, and others I didn't mention.

    Well, it's the kind of game that's kinda easy to tear apart in not doing anything completely new / different aside from the arguably gimmicky / brilliant paint strokes. I can't say I was blown away from anything the game did NEW, but I was impressed by how much was done well...

    To me it seems old school and fondly familiar in that respect, and that's why I love it so much. It borrowed heavily from Zelda, yes, and took some of the best aspects of Zelda and created an entirely new world around it. Is it as well defined or as ambitious as some of the Zelda games? In some respects, no.

    But on the other hand, it IS a sprawling, charming, gorgeous world which is for the most part fun to explore and be immersed in.

    I'm glad that someone else mentioned the blurry thing - I thought mine was the only copy that had that. I couldn't notice any blurring on the PS2 version at all and I don't know why the wii port has it. It sucks, but you can get the point...

  17. PS2 version > Wii version, imo. Stick-waggling attack was fail in Twilight Princess, and it's fail in Okami.

    After picking up and playing some of the Wii version for a bit I might have to agree. The widescreen is nice, but I think the play was a bit tighter in the PS2 version (especially the painting)

    In any case though, it's a game that should be experienced - regardless of the console you choose...

  18. That's a bit of an over exaggeration. A lot of those games have taken their mechanics almost directly from SF, with some making slight alterations. They're different enough, sure. But not 'eons' beyond anything.

    Looking forward to the new SF though. It's been over 10 years since SF3, so it's about time.

    I def agree with that, and to me the alterations are more of a change than an improvement in most instances. I still haven't seen any fighting games which, taken in whole, can out-do the experience of 3rd strike. I really didn't even like many of the SF3 characters, but the gameplay and animation are phenomenal...

  19. On that note, I'd like to say how smart it was of Capcom to include the entire SF2 cast into the game. Considering that it's THE Street Fighter game to alot of people, it's a great idea to help SFIV's popularity.

    Definitely, though I wish they put Cammy in instead of Fei Long... Still hoping for that last minute appearance...

  20. I think I'm looking forward to this game more than any game coming out in the forseeable future. It looks great, seems to play well. I hope it sells tons and tons and 1 on 1 fighters make a bit of a comeback. It doesn't have to be like the early '90's again, but it would be nice to have more than 1 fighting game for every 25 FPS games released...

  21. i'm not that concerned with listening to surround sound music as I am with listening to mixes that are in better than CD audio quality. No matter what you think of NIN's THE SLIP album, the variety and quality of the formats available were, IMO, definitely a step in the right direction...

×
×
  • Create New...