loonyboi

RTS games, sure. But we'll see how well those actually sell on a Nintendo handheld system. I'm guessing not very well. The audience just isn't there. As for attracting "the attention of creative developers who will for sure put it to use in creative ways" that's completely rediculous. See, here's the thing about video games...complete originality? It's rare. Very rare. And when it does exist, it's even rarer that it's necessitated by dramatic shifts in hardware design. Did Rez need a touch screen? Did Katamari Damacy? (Having said that, I think Katamari Damacy would be great on DS...but I also think it would be great on PSP, minus the touch screen). Take a look at upcoming DS titles, and ask yourself where the "creative developers" are. We're seeing DS functionality shoehorned into games that don't need it. Plus the system's simply not powerful enough to do next-generation handheld games. At least not when compared to the PSP. Like I said: the DS is perfectly suited to WarioWare. Everything else is a stretch.

The DS is a joke. Nintendo created a product nobody asked for, and developers have no clue what to do with the thing. Hardware sales spiked because people thought they were buying a second generation GBA. When the *real* second generation GBA ships, the DS will be left behind completely. I'm totally down on alternative input devices in general (bongos? cameras? feh) but the DS is just a stupid, stupid idea. The number of games that can honestly benefit from two screens and a touch pad is extremely low, so you wind up with pointless additions to games that shouldn't have it in the first place. Does anyone *really* think drawing symbols to cast spells is a good addition to Castlevania? Did anyone *really* ask for a racing game where you have to rub back and forth to gain speed? The only game to really benefit from the DS is WarioWare. Nintendo's digging their own grave. While they talk about how the industry is stagnating, other companies are doing better than ever.

As (I'm guessing) the only person on this board who actually works in video game PR, I'd like to say that I have a number of responses to most questions I receive. Generally, my response is determined by a roll on a d20. But this can be nullified by a 3 point roll on a 2d6. If the person asking has a charisma rating of 4 or higher, this requires a third roll from a 1d6, plus a possible saving throw from a 3d6 and a bonus 1d6, plus there's a 2d10 roll for specific responses, which can result in 2d4, 1d4 or 1d10 based on their character class and/or level. For the record, I haven't a clue what any of that means.

Here's a fun thread... What games do you hate that everyone seems to like for some reason? My two biggest ones: Beyond Good & Evil and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time BG&E was a great game that was rushed and collapsed on itself in the end. PoP was a disaster as far as I'm concerned, with the fun platforming elements completely ruined by the irritating (and never-ending) combat.

It looks like i'll either be in London or Mineapolis that week anyway, so it's not an option. Yes, well that's because your opinions are wrong.

Feh. If i'm going to wait on line for two hours, it might as well be someone I really want to meet. Don't get me wrong, I think Gene Wilder's great (I'm just not a fan of either Willy Wonka or The Producers), but I have no real interest in meeting the guy.

Possibly, assuming I'm not out of the state and/or country that day (which considering my schedule over the next few weeks is very likely). Which Barnes n' Noble on fifth avenue? (There are a couple...it's a long street). And why?

A computer is an artistic tool in the same way a paintbrush is. Yes, there's lots of cheesy digital art, but there's lots of cheesy traditional art too. I know plenty of artists who think the airbrush is the work of the devil. It's all the same thing. End of argument.

Oh right, duh. Soul Calibur 1. Yes. Yes it would have been. Although Orta looked so good on Xbox that I'm not going to complain specifically about that. They should have made a different game for Dreamcast. Like a sequel to Panzer Dragoon Saga (gameplay-wise, not story...the story was finite as is).

Best Dreamcast games: - Soul Calibur 2 - Shenmue - Shenmue II And, uh... - Rayman 2 And that's it. Rez is cool, but you might as well get the PS2 version. It's about as easy to find (by which I mean...not at all). I'm not big on my Dreamcast at all. But then, I'm still bitter there was never a Panzer Dragoon or Shining Force game made for the thing. or a fantasy zone :opa: There are lots of average games, like House of the Dead and Sonic Adventure, but that's all they are. Skies of Arcadia was okay, but I grew tired of it pretty quickly. The best game for the platform is probably (IMHO) Shenmue 2.

Yeah, I mean you'd resort to murder to get Sonic CD? It's cool, but it's not *that* cool. I'd kill for one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Panther Only one is known to exist. Now THAT'S worth murder. Sonic CD, I mean if you really want it that badly, you can just resort to piracy (Sega CD titles have no copy protection). A Panther's a hell of a lot rarer.

I have it on my desk at work, right next to my (current) console debugs. I get lots of strange, "is that an atari jaguar!?" type comments. Within two weeks of that game being canceled I sold my GameCube. It was the only reason I was hanging on to it.

System Shock 2 is almost universally regarded in the press as one of the best games of all time. ...but it sold terribly. But the reviews were spectacular.

We still make cars here? I thought that was all outsourced to India.

I'm not dismissing personal morality entirely, but if someone does something positive because their religion told them it's a good idea regardless of their own feelings, what's the problem?

See that's just it...it's not a part of your body. It's not like you're lopping off a chunk or anything. It's a bit of skin that causes problems if left on. What's the big deal?" Religion is a perfectly good reason to do something. ...provided it's a good thing, of course. Good Example: "Why did you help that old lady out?" "Because my religion teaches me to respect my elders." Bad Example: "Why did you massacre all those civilians, including women and children?" "Because my religion taught me that they were subhuman and I have this decree from my pope that said it's okay." ...but that's all beside the point. Like keeping kosher, circumcision served both a practical and a religious purpose. The practical one being clenliness, the religious purpose being a way of making one's faith a bigger part of their life. (When you have to follow 1000+ rules in order to keep kosher, you'd better believe god is part of your every day life)

Hey, if that's how you feel, don't cut off part of yours. ...or your son's. Whatever. There are health and religious reasons for doing so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision There's nothing barbaric about the practice. Now female circumcision (AKA female genital mutilation) that's a whole different problem.

I've got to know...why are you asking this?

To each their own. I loved Shenmue 2 but thought PoP sucked ass. It's all relative.

One of my favorite games of all-time is Tempest 2000 for the Jaguar. Most people have never heard or played it. I don't think those people have the right to call themselves gamers.

Oh, and Mario Sunshine was a steaming pile of poo. Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time, so I really, really wanted to like Sunshine, but it was just clunky all around IMHO.

I haven't forgotten its flaws, but I also remember the sheer beauty of the game. Plus the 45 minute sequence of just plain walking with Shen Fa. I'm not saying it was perfect...but it was an amazing experience.

It was reviewed well. It wasn't quite celebrated by most places (there are exceptions, of course).

Hell yeah. Shenmue 2 is significantly better than the original, but both are classics IMHO.

Yufster: I'm with you on Pokemon. That was actually a lot of fun. The only game I'm thinking of for this thread is Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption. I loved that game.