Scrivener

Well, I was in the market for a DVD player anyway. I have one on my main PC (Creative DVD Encore 12X) but it's really just a gimmick. While I have a nice collection of DVDs, I'd much rather lie back on my sofa than sit hunched over in my desk chair. Of course, I once tried connecting it to my TV, but I had no remote and so had to walk over to my computer and funble around with the software controls every so often. Eck. The Xbox was only a wink more $$... and I really, really, really wanted Halo (As a MS Xbox flagship product, I doubt that it will ever see a single PC... thereby ruining it's exclusive status). And I just like games. I can't give anything away, but you have no idea what MS has up their sleeves for the next year. I think when you start seeing some more exclusive games crop up, you'll think "Damn. That game would be so cool on the PC." Just the kind of response you'll get from Halo. MS pretty much just put out a standard computer that everyone can take full advantage of. It's ingenious. The more I think about it, the smarter it seems.

Hehehe, I've made it through the Marine, Predator, and half the Alien campaigns. It's GREAT. Not to mention that the graphics are simply phenominal (Especially the huge outdoor areas during the early Predator levels)... I was getting flashbacks from the Shadar Logoth levels in Wheel of Time. BTW, heading out to the XBOX Odyssey tour at the Santa Monica Pier. I'll be back later if you guys all want to play a game. Be warned, though, I kick ass as a Praetorian. Oh! And don't forget that The Tick premiers tonight at 8pm!

Price comparisons (After launch): Xbox: $299.99 PS2: $299.99 GC: $199.99 Each comes with 1 system and 1 controller. The Xbox comes with a built-in DVD player, harddrive, broadband, and progressive scan (HDTV support). The GC dosn't have any of those. The PS2 supports DVD through an add-on that dosn't really work all that great (The PS2 was NOT designed to play DVD movies). It will have a modem and HD as expensive add-ons. Since they are add-ons AND expensive, don't expect a lot of game support, since a tiny percentage of PS2 owners are likely to buy them. Since it's standard on the Xbox, everyone will be taking advantage of them (Except for EA, who just ports their stuff around like a whore named Susan). Dolby 5.1 digital. The PS2 flaunts 5.1 support, but they don't tell you it's only during movies/films. The PS2 does NOT support in-game 5.1 audio. The Xbox does. The GameCube has a VERY weak launch lineup (Rogue Leader exempted) and very little third party support. Nintendo's GameCube is setting itself up for a repeat of the Dreamcast launch. GC is now, officially, the ultimate kiddie system. But since the Xbox has built-in parental controls, the folks can completely control what shows up on their screen. So that's a complete solution. The controller: I've seen lot's a people who have never touched the Xbox complain consistently about the controller, hailing their PS2 as the god-system of gaming. Those same people have turned their opinions 180 degrees after a few minutes with a display system and NFL Fever 2002 (Which simply kicks Madden's directly PS2-ported ass). [ 11-07-2001: Message edited by: Scrivener ]

I've been a PC gamer since I gave up my Nintendo for games like Arena & The Journeyman Project... and I've never looked back. Until now. Of course, I bought an N64 just for Conker's Bad Fur Day (That game was GREAT), but that cost less than $100 and I could care less about anything else released on that system. Enter the Xbox. Despite all the negative energy that people seem to direct at Microsoft, I have come to trust MS to create some high-quality products, which they also support rather well. I've seen the PS, PS2, N64, and even the LameCube, and none of them live up to my cutting-edge PC standards. Consoles are just too weak to handle the games I'd consider playing. Xbox dosn't just meet that qualm, but from what I've seen, it surpasses with with jaw-dropping intensity. PS2 does have some good games on it (Devil May Cry, GTA3, etc), but nothing that I, as a PC gamer, would ever call great. With Morrowind going cross platform, it's a sign that great games CAN reach the console market. And if one great game can be made cross-platform onto the Xbox, then others may be made that are Xbox exclusive. That's my personal opinion, though. What is everyone else's stance on the battle of the game platforms?

SC, I had no idea. *weeps* I love you, man. Give ol' Scriv a hug!

Actually, I agree with SpotSD and Epsilon 5. What Adolf Hitler did was brilliantly evil. He took a minority (Knowing that a majority usually has more power) and made them scapegoats. He gave the people a common enemy to unite them. If you take a classroom of third graders, and tell them that the children with blue eyes are better than the children with brown eyes (assuming there are more blue-eyed children), you will see the blue eyed children opress the brown eyed children. Hitler got the majority to stand with him. Nevertheless, what he did was WRONG. Even that experiment with school children would not be performed these days. Had Hitler been soft in acomplishing his goals, he would have had such minds as Einstein on his side (Who was Jewish). He was caught up in his ambition and carried it too far.

Yeah, yeah. Now, did the Episode 2 trailer suck?

Well, I've got lots to keep me busy until BCM arrives (AvP2, Civ3, U9, Arcanum, Aquanox) but... hell, release it anyway! If it's really that risky, release it privately as, say, a "test demo"... or somesuch thing. Any random idiot who decides to DL it will understand THAT, I think. But since you went off and let us all know that it exists: RELEASE SOMETHING!!!! AHHhHhhHhhhHHHhh!!!!

Yeah, I believe they took those classes out because of the terrorist attacks. Bastards. They also removed an ability to plant diseases in enemy cities as a spy measure. Damn them! (IMO, I think the entertainment industry is getting a little carried away with their self-censorship)

Ghost Recon? Blah. Operation Flashpoint is SO superior.

Oh no!!! I just realized that Civ 3 didn't come with any multiplayer! Ack!

Fendi, I've seen that SW "trailer" and it was a hoax. A very, very good hoax, but a hoax nonetheless. It's actually been around for quite some time. BTW, I will NOT be seeing it. Period. Ep1 was insulting. When you look at it closely, it's really little more than a "make a quick buck" movie. SW ended with Return of the Jedi.

I played about three missions out of Myth 3 and it looks promising... gave me Myth/Myth2 flashbacks. The difference is that the graphics are MUCH better. Unfortunately, running from memory, you wont realize it until you put the two side by side - and it hits you like a ton of bricks, hehehe. Anyhoo, at about 4:00pm I decided to give Civ 3 an hour of my time as well (Gotta try them both), then get on with homework. About ten minutes ago I realized that it was 11 O clock. D'oh!

And so it begins again, the annual flood of games just in time for Christmas. Today I picked up my copies of Civilization 3 and Myth 3. And I'm STILL PLAYING ULTIMA 9!!! Ahhhhh!!!! Too many choices. So much fun to be had and so little time! To make matters worse, AvP2 should be showing up any day now and BCM is still slated for this week! Ack!

EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHahahahahaa HAEHEHEHEHEHAZHAHAHAHAHAH I am SO going to be at THAT one opening day! ROFLMAO!!!!

I've heard rumors from friends... but is there any hard info available on the next ST movie?

I'll be picking up Dark Age of Camelot tomorrow... I'm really hoping that this one is worth it's weight in chicken stuff. Although, I'm not sure what a good idea that is with Myth 3, Civ 3, AvP2, Aquanox, and BCM all comming out this week (I have every last one pre-ordered and fully paid for). But, hey, if I need some more game time I can just neglect a little more schoolwork. No worries.

Now playing alongside "Attack of the 50-foot Woman", "It Came From Outer Space", and Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" at the Happygayville Googeloplex in stunning Colormax Fantasta-vision 3-D!

Witness The Horrifying Terror! Feel The Heartwrenching Drama! See... ATTACK ...OF THE CLONES! *BUM Bum buuuuummmmmm*

Next thing you know, we'll be getting EQ CD's in the mail stating: "1000 FREE HOURS!" "NOW EASIER TO USE THAN EVER!" *shudders at the thought*

And WAY too many people survived too. I was a little diassapointed by the lack of body count. It seems like Hollywood is just too afraid to kill important characters. They could take a lesson or two from George R.R. Martin. W00T!

Hmm... gory scenes... Well there's several scenes of people being bent... er... in unnatural ways... very squirm-enducing. The goriest scene (And one of the not-scary silliest) was when this lawyer guy gets cut in half from shoulder to shoulder by a glass door. His front half slides off the glass followed momentarily by his back half, which you can see through the glass. Another woman gets crushed between moving glass walls... that scene wasn't close to as gruesome as I had envisioned just seconds before it actually happened. Eh. It wasn't really over-the top. The most "squirmish" violent scenes were the ones that didn't involve any blood. If only the whole movie had been more like the opening sequence.... *shudders*

quote: Individual organisms have no choice about their genomes. They merely have to make do with what they're given. I believe I stated this earlier... you would do well to go back and read that entire post as well! I think I'll withdraw from this thread. Nothing is being mentioned that either aramike or myself has not already covered here in reasonable depth.

13 Ghosts shows up just in time for Halloween. Unfortunately, a lot of people have been turned off [at least temporarily] to "scary movies," compliments of Osama Bin Laden. That was a given as noted by the fairly thin audience last night. However, 13 Ghosts turned out to be a very enjoyable haunted house flick (Especially for another remake). While not quite Poltergeist-quality, 13 Ghosts incorporates elements from every other horror flick ever made. It's, essentially, the Platonic Form of cliche. And it could have been a perfect 10. Unfortunately, Ghosts never quite takes itself seriously. To lighten the load, we have been supplied with an absolutely worthless cast member, a black maid, who does nothing but complain and offer cheap 1-liners throughout the movie. I can remember several instances where the small semblance of an audience groaned unanymously at the terrible, terrible jokes. She needed to die. Much to my dismay, not nearly enough people died horrible, gruesome deaths as would be my wont. In fact, the body count was relatively low. The plot was predictable, the end cheap, the special effects dazzling, the ghosts squirm-enducing... and the movie was through-and-through entertaining. And, IMO, they could have shown more of the ghosts. 9 of the thirteen ghosts were only shown for half an instant (Maybe a few frames of film) and played almost no part in the movie. With the exception of the three most-played up ghosts, the others felt more-or-less nonexistant. While not classic first-grade horror like Poltergeist or the Blair Witch series, it manages to hold its own as one of those horror movies that doesn't suck. I give it 74%.

I'm really in the mood for some Whale 'N Chips. Mmmmmmmmm.