JonCole

There's also a Gamecube version, for what it's worth. Great way to go back and play those games.

Oh man, I didn't need super wanted a service like this. I was contemplating the wisdom of transferring all my Diamond, Platinum, and SoulSilver Pokemon to my copy of Black, considering it always seemed a tedious, arduous process with little gain at the end. If I can transfer them all to Black and then move them to this cloud service, I could easily see value there. That said, paying money to store my Pokemon seems super dumb but I'll super do it. I'm just hoping there's some Wii U Colosseum/stadium tie-in that can also access this library, which would really seal the deal.

Hired men are good for sacrificing to Kali, as it turns out.

This American Life has already been mentioned, but I just thought I'd recommend two recent episodes that were personally affecting for me. My day job is working with refugees who come to the United States, helping them initially resettle here, find medical care and jobs, and overall become self-sufficient. One of the groups we deal with are from Eritrea, a country plagued with issues ever since they gained independence and went to war with Ethiopia. Their people are forced to worship a specific subset of Christian and Islamic religions, else face execution or torture. All people there are subjected to mandatory military service upholding the oppressive regime that has suspended elections for years. This episode of This American Life talks about some Eritreans who were kidnapped and held for ransom from their impoverished families. The story doesn't deal with the refugee experience specifically, but it says a lot about the daily life of Eritreans and the hopelessness that plagues them - http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/502/this-call-may-be-recorded-to-save-your-life This other episode is about one of the biggest populations we serve, Iraqis. In this story, TAL uncovers the life of an American who came back from Iraq and fought for the resettlement of Iraqis who helped the US Government in their operations (military, peacekeeping, construction, or anything else). It highlights the refugee process specifically unlike the other story, though the exact immigration laws for Iraqis are slightly different from other countries because there are multiple methods of application and processing to get here to the US - http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/499/taking-names Anyways, I found both stories incredibly affecting and they build a small, but meaningful picture of some of the atrocities that are being committed worldwide. I don't really think refugees are given much attention, so it's nice to hear a story that makes you think about how some or even many of the Iraqis you see walking around are not only not the enemy, but in fact people who actively risked their lives to help US soldiers and civilians.

Ugh Vita version yessssss gahhhh.

I'm sure that in a way, this was designed to slip through that very specific comb. I can't wait to see it in action, as I'm sure the differences between it and Mega Man will only grow as you see more of the art and animation. As it is, we don't have a lot to go on outside of a blue guy with a gun on his arm.

The (one word) + Stalking (one word) + Head (one word) = 3 words, HL3 confirmed.

I don't want to yank a true Nintendo fan out of a thread dedicated to a Nintendo console, so I'll let it rest with this post. I just want to make it clear that my opinion on this matter isn't one rooted in contempt or pessimism regarding Nintendo. I own a 3DS and I'm happy with my purchase. I'd probably own a Wii U if my budget supported it. I love Nintendo games. I honestly just want them to succeed going forward and I feel relatively optimistic about the potential for Nintendo to move on as a third-party. I don't think they have to do it to succeed, I just imagine that if they tried it they would indeed succeed and I would continue to give them my business happily. I also selfishly just want the mobile gaming experience to be better. I don't think games are compelling on mobile platforms because developers who have my interests as a "core gamer" in mind are few and far between. It's the other reason why I would love Nintendo to do it - it'd potentially give me games that I'd actually want to play on mobile instead of microtransaction garbage and games with poor touchscreen UI. I have these stupidly complex dreams of a Pokemon iOS/Android game getting as ridiculously popular and huge as Puzzle & Dragons or a Dr. Mario game being as accessible Candy Crush. The truth is, I always have my phone with me and I don't always have my 3DS with me so I'm "forced" (yeah, not forced but it'd largely inconvenience me to do otherwise) to sift through mediocrity to find the rare diamond in the mobile rough. Finally, not to mock you in any way at all, but "It is, to be frank, a pipe dream" almost made me fall out of my chair.

The advantage of co-opting another piece of hardware and implementing your own accessory is that you don't have to supply any of the most expensive pieces of hardware - the screen and processors. Nintendo has historically made a profit on hardware, but this generation is the first where they are losing money on every Wii U. Also, I frankly think you have no idea what you're talking about when you cite those examples. I'm not saying that Apple and Google have revolutionized mobile gaming accessories, but they both have developed hardware standards and APIs for game controllers that still have yet to be fully exploited (considering in the case of iOS, it's not coming until iOS7 releases). So, unlike those shitty iOS controllers that you linked to, new controllers that are developed by those hardware standards will work with every game with controller support going forward. It's not going to be the scenario where this controller works for these games, and this other controller works for some of those and exclusively for a couple others. In essence, both Apple and Google are trying to replicate the 360 Controller on PC experience that you specifically cite, which could absolutely disrupt the mobile controller market and make it viable. I don't really understand your reference to Wii Fit, as it doesn't seem to support your argument. If something sells 22 million copies and effectively is only useful for one thing that's not even a game, isn't that thing a gimmick? Edit: Source on iOS controller support. Also the article brought up another thought in my mind - iOS airplaying to an Apple TV isn't a far cry from the Wii U, and the difference in the Wii U's graphical capabilities as compared to a iPhone 5 is not ridiculously large. This could potentially be the way that Nintendo is able to bridge their success in handheld to a greater success in consoles.

You wouldn't even try it? I am a little incredulous that people have so much love for Nintendo hardware/software in its current state, yet seem to be able to give them no benefit of the doubt that they could potentially pull off a good mobile game. Also, there are now physical game control standards for both iOS and Android that match the number of control mechanisms as a standard 360/PS3 controller. Is my scenario of a combination battery pack and control device such a ridiculous idea? Also on that Ganon statue is epic. I really would not be embarrassed to put that on my nerdy game figurine shelf.

Yeah, Nintendo beat both of them. Two examples hardly establishes a pattern, especially when both companies history is completely different. Atari failed as a third-party because they failed miserably as a first-party and got sold/passed around to exploit their name. Sega bowed out and largely became a publishing house, with only three internal development studios. Nintendo has far more studios than that and a much more solid first-party internal stable than either of those companies at their respective peaks. Considering Nintendo has largely stayed the same exact company since the Nintendo 64/Gamecube, the company in its current form seems to be on its last legs. But that's just my perception. And seemingly the perception of every one of these pundits who thinks Nintendo is wildly out of touch, not to lend them any particular legitimacy but only to note their number. I'd agree that games like Fire Emblem, WarioWare and the like are second-stringers in that they don't sell 10 million copies like Mario Kart does. They're also obviously not mass-market focused like Mario Kart is. I personally feel those games will find their respective audiences on whatever platform they land on, granted the fans that have kept those franchises afloat don't suddenly decide to not like Nintendo games anymore. I don't see why they couldn't still be a premium price on a different platform, it seemingly works for Final Fantasy games on iOS that hold their high prices despite being crappy ports because their audience finds them.

XCOM for iOS sold for $20 and reportedly did quite well. If a turn-based strategy game with a big following on PC of all things can sell for $20 on the app store, Nintendo doesn't need an ecosystem to sell games for a reasonable price and get hype. I don't think press for Nintendo's wares depends on hardware, because Nintendo literally creates its own press conferences online via Nintendo Direct and journalists report on it no matter how insignificant the update. Let me tell you, if Nintendo made iOS games Apple would market the hell out of their products. And strong sales are all you need in iTunes to grab the attention of literally tens (maybe hundreds) of millions of people. The eShop is nothing compared to that.

I feel like a child myself because I honestly don't think it looks that horrendous. I'd buy one if I didn't already have a 3DS. I think the hinge is the most cheap-feeling part of the hardware and I really don't get anything out of the clamshell design because the thing is so hideously large that I would never think of putting it in my pocket. I never use 3D (only made an effort to use it in 3D Land because that's the only good use I've seen of it) and I'm not bothered by the screen sizes because they're virtually the same as the original 3DS. To tell you the truth, I don't care how any consoles look. Nobody comes in my house and inspects my home theater setup for sleekness of big black and/or white boxes. If anybody judges me for the handheld system I'm playing, I really don't give a crap what they think. And when I want a sleekly designed piece of hardware, I look past gaming hardware and drool over laptops and smartphones.

I feel like there are a lot of instances in Candy Crush where I feel "I cannot possibly beat the level without being very lucky or spending money on boosts". Then I play that level again and again for days and luck eventually comes by and pushes me forward. And it's really, really sapping the fun out of the game. I agree with pretty much everyone. It sounds like PVZ2 offends most heinously in the way of beat all these levels, and then oops you have to beat them all again in very specific ways until you're super bored of them. ORRRRRRR maybe just throw in 2 bucks. And then do that in the next world. I guess the upside is that they're not voraciously selling plants. Essentially selling game elements is so shitty because it introduces an element of "is this actually hard or is it just dicking me over so I pay for shit" that is so unpalateable. Either money-grubbing way, though, makes me not want to play your stuff at all. Also, poo on iOS timed exclusives for no reason.

It's a bad red herring because I've still yet to use Streetpass once and I don't feel any worse off for not trying it. I understand the point you're trying to make with phones being poorly suited to extended game sessions, but I simply think that's not true. Nintendo hasn't made games suited to short play sessions because they haven't been forced to. The general crux of my argument is that phones are underutilized because they're underutilized. There will be no good case for a Mario game with 2 minute, touch-friendly precision controls until Nintendo decides they want to do that. I wasn't convinced that 3D wasn't only a gimmick until I played Super Mario 3D Land. Sure, they haven't gone past too far beyond that as far as gameplay being affected by 3D, but I still never would have bet that stereoscopic 3D would have any impact on a game until I was proven wrong. I think that's what's so attractive about the idea of Nintendo making phone games. There's something about Nintendo that they can take a console that admittedly not a lot of people are very interested in like the 3DS (at the beginning of its life) and the Wii U (still) and make games like Pikmin 3 or Animal Crossing that get people to say, "Shit, maybe I made a wrong move not buying that console" even when there are really quite few games of quality to be played otherwise. I wouldn't trust EA or Activision to make a compelling series of games on a phone - I mean, they've been doing it and have failed, as far as I'm concerned. But if Nintendo took Mario, Link, and Samus to phones, I honestly think they could make it work. And while the battery life thing is a concern, in my dream world where Nintendo makes phone games they could easily snatch up a phone case manufacturer and make combination battery case/physical control pads. Or, in my revolutionary theory that things don't change unless people demand it, if people started wanting to play a shitload of games on their phone (30% of revenue which went to the phone manufacturer), phone manufacturers would take notice and make battery life a priority. Or chip-makers would produce more power-efficient GPUs. Or something.

I'm not particularly convinced that game consoles have anything intrinsically better about them than phones other than physical controls. The UI is generally terrible, online stores inferior to iTunes/Google Play, etc. The only advantage that I can see is that "serious" game developers make games for them. If Nintendo made $30 games for iOS and Android and didn't have a dedicated handheld, people would follow the games and pay what was demanded of them. Those kinds of games don't prosper on mobile as it is because the same developers who make games for consoles/handhelds simply don't exist on mobile.

I feel like I'd need to really do research despite cost not being an issue, as my experience is limited. If I had a gun to my head and had to pick right now, I'd make a split second choice between either Terminator 2 or The Sopranos. I'm also ridiculously interested in the Tron Legacy machine because it's just so cool, I love that movie, and all of the YouTube videos I've watched of it make it look awesome. But yeah, I'd really love to go to something like California Extreme or something to really fill out experience and have a better insight on what I'd like to actually own.

If you watch Polygon's video review, the technical faults are by no means oblique. The screen tearing looks like total garbage throughout. The pathfinding and camera look like a goddamn nightmare. Pile some casual misogyny on top of that and you might as well go straight into the bargain bin, as far as I'm concerned.

If it sounded like I was dismissing video pinball, it certainly wasn't my intention. Your analogy is a bit flawed, though, as you really have very few opportunities in real life to race cars, so you just have to hope that the simulation of a video game is good enough. In the case of pinball, while machines may be rare in some areas (including mine, fwiw) they're by no means inaccessible or illegal like street racing or racing on a track may be. You can experience the real, visceral version of that activity with relative ease, which brings the contrast into sharper focus in my mind. I also feel I should say that I have no expectation that video pinball would be anywhere close to as physical and satisfying as real pinball. I can still play Pinball FX and have a lot of fun or Williams Pinball and feel close to the real thing, both experiences being quite satisfying. It's just that coming off of the high of talking with people who take pinball seriously and competitive is almost impossible - it's easy to share their passion and feel cheated when real pinball is not easily in reach. I love nudging and shifting the table in those situations that you mention, though as a relative newbie I can only make moves like that work to my advantage 1 out of 10 times. And I feel physically exhausted after a half hour of that, like the tablet beat me around a bit.

Like I said, the benefits would be more tangible on my laptop than my PC, which is why I'm thinking about trying it out there first (use Office primarily on laptop, game primarily on PC). Either way I'm not super set on it, considering that hellish manual means it'd take me hours and hours to actually complete the upgrade. I suspect 8 will eventually reach par or better on all features of Windows 7 at some point (8.1 may be it, 8.2 or whatever they call it is more likely), so it seems worthwhile to at least become familiar with it before it comes passe to feel incompetent with it.

Guys, why are you talking about this completely new console in the 3DS thread? 2DS clearly != 3DS.

My brother-in-law got my sister-in-law deep into pinball, they go to/host tournaments and play on a regular basis no matter where they go. To give just a little context, one of the 2-3 hour legs of my trip to visit them in Japan was to a local arcade where they proceeded to show me how to play pinball at one of that arcade's three machines at which they became masters in the year or so they've lived there. So, after talking extensively with both of them about their experiences and opinions, I'm slightly soured on video pinball as I've learned that so much of the culture and fun behind pinball is set behind the physicality of the game and how variance between tables can make or break the game of the most skilled players. For instance, I never knew that some tables might have more or less sensitive tilt sensors installed so they have a much lower/higher tolerance for bumping, which can seriously extend the life of one of your balls or cut it short when you could have just used the slightest shift of the table to save yourself. That risk/reward drama doesn't really seem present in video pinball, when stimulus and response seems is programmed in a specific way.

I basically want my laptop to be a test-bed for the eventual installation of Windows 8 on my PC. In other words, I don't want to jump both feet forward when my desktop is my daily driver and my laptop is a bit of a distraction thing. Plus, there are noted advantages to Windows 8 including better boot times and some performance enhancements (some people even report better laptop battery life, though I'm a little dubious about that). With DirectX 11.2 coming exclusively to Windows 8.1 and Xbox One, I might also get some enhancements on One/PC-exclusive titles if I'm lucky. Plus, I'm increasingly becoming invested in SkyDrive as I use Office Web Apps more often than Google Drive since I use Microsoft Office at my work.

A while ago, I tried to install Windows 8 on my Dell laptop. Let's say it was a horrible failure and I went back to Windows 7 because of more obvious driver compatibility. Now I'm curious to try again, if only because I don't feel like a true nerd unless I'm tinkering with something. I've stumbled upon a general guide to install new versions of Windows on various Dell products... and let's just say it's a goddamn nightmare hellride - http://philipyip.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/windows-reinstallation-guide-10-08-2013.pdf Thanks Dell, for making me need a FIVE HUNDRED PAGE MANUAL to properly install Windows 8 on your machine. Really classy move.

To those of you dubious about arena-based Infinite DLC, get the season pass for $14 on sale and try it out completely for free - http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/us/en/pc/games/shooter/bioshock-infinite-season-pass-na/