Are you one of those people that factors in paying for the wife/gf and buying crap at concessions?

I buy my own ticket, my gf buys hers (or we take turns buying both) and never get anything from concession. I go matinees or get a student discount, so it's $6.xx for me, rather than $25.


See, that's where I differ from you and most gamers. This shit is getting old for me. The DS, revolution, eye toy, donkey konga etc. give me some hope that my interest will be rekindled by new ways to interact with games- assuming these new ways get put to better use in the future. Time will tell for me I guess.

You are leaning on a great point about companies needing to be innovative. One of the things Companies in the videogame industry can do to make our gaming experience better is to be Revolutionary (if I might still that from nintendo's book) with their hardware and in particular their controllers.

Sony - has used the same configuration to their controller since the PS1. Has it been ground-breaking technology? No. They have used many of the same characteristics from the (S)NES controllers. Pretty much the same 4 button layout with the two (or in sony's case 4) sholder buttons. After Nintendo came out with the rumble pack for the 64 controllers, sony intergrated that into theirs. About the only thing that sony added to the controlers was having dual analog joysticks. Still not very ground breaking but it does make it easier for Videogame writers since they know how the controller can be intergrated with the game.

Microsoft - really all I have to say is remember the Dreamcast controller? Really that is enough said.

Nintendo - not every gamer likes the design (refering to the GameCube controller sorry for the confusion) but that's were we can say that the average gamer isn't going to like it. Nintendo took a big chance with the design of their controller.

The A button was big and green in the middle of the controller. Nintendo made sure that the B, X and Y buttons can easilly be used with just the roll of a thumb. The left and right triggers were analog and did have more than one function. Nintendo added an extra function to the triggers and that is the fuction of a sholder button. For example, to go in a racing game use the right trigger as the gas and press it down until it stops. Then if you want to use a boast, press it harder and you will feel it click. We all remember the Z button that was on the 64 controller. That button was placed just above the right trigger. Use your middle finger to push in the right trigger and use your index finger to push the z button.

The controllers lay out was easy to get and figure out but yet not many people liked it. Why? because it was new and not something that gamers were use to. It also seemed like 3rd party companies weren't ready to use the features that nintendo put on their controllers.

While some might argue that Nintendo's controller was not Revolutionary one must wonder what gaming would be like if nintendo didn't add the rumble pack, didn't introduce the sholder buttons, didn't make their controllers have four button layout?

In this next generation of consoles, the controller must play a big part in innovating the way we play games. Yes the games can have better AI, graphics, harder puzzles, be HD or 3D but we need to come up with a better way of playing or atleast controlling the games. Hopefull Nintendo has shown what might be some features of the nextgen controllers with the DS. The DS has intergrated some cool ways of playing games that have been talked about or poorly implemented until now.

It may have been long and not too informative but hopefully we can agree that just having good graphics, AI, etc. doesn't exactly make a game great its how you can control it and iteract with the games.

Didn't nintendo also pioneer the d-pad? If not with the NES, with the older Game and Watch games?

I don't think the GC controller was innovative at all.

It's my favorite controller this gen, but it doesnt' change the way we play games like say the DS touch pad or the rumored gyroscopic function in the upcoming Revolution controllers.

03euroSVT is on a to strong point, Nintendo has consitantly lead the pack in controller innovation/evolution. I wait to see what the Revolution's control looks like with anxious skeptism. Perhaps Nintendo will be responable for saving gaming, at least in Dvorak's world.

If you were referring to the N64 controller I might be willing to agree with you. The GCN controller is a basic redesign of the Dual Shock, slightly modified. It's not bad, but nothing original.

The only thing I'd say the GC controller even improved from the Dual shock was:

1. Putting the right analog stick in a better spot.
2. Making the triggers form fitting to your finger, analog and having the click function.

But that's off set by:

1. Useless D-pad
2. Stupidly placed Z button. I hate shoulder buttons in general, and this on is the worst ever. Not by a huge margin, but it is more uncomfortable than R1 on the dual shock.
3. Crappy second analog stick.

I would put the GC under a significant level of evolution. Where as Sony decided to stick with "what works" (A modified SNES controller) Nintendo tryed yet again, for better and for worse, to push controller design. It's evident in all of Nintendo's products that they are trying to innovate.

My father will only play my Gamecube, he refuses to play the xbox despite being a car guy. (I have several good racers on the xbox, GC has none.) Why is this? He likes the controller better. I ask him what he likes about it and he says "It's intuitive. It feels natural"

Many people complain about the GC controller saying it sucks for sports games. This is evidence that the GC controller does not necessarily work in all cases, but its fundemental design works extremely well for many other types of games. So whats the greater good?

Nintendo is on a crusade of sorts to improve gaming through how people interact with the games. Some people are content with what they have, other arn't. Moral of the story, while you can't make everyone happy, I'm glad there is a company out their trying to do more then just stick to the same formula.

Dvorak is a blowhard and doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. (Or, if you prefer, doesn't know shit from shinola.) I wouldn't put too much weight in any of his asinine articles.

That being said, the only games I ever really liked were on the Nintendo platform.

I disagree, it's quite different than the dualshock, from the way the shoulder buttons click, button placement and shape, analog stick placement (and the little grooves in it that make it feel so good). still, i like both controllers.

Anyway does anyone remember Silicon Spin on TechTV? This is the guy that used to run that show It was basically a "crossfire" like show about tech, it was canceled pretty soon after my cable company picked up TTV, i only saw it a few times, one time i remember they were arguing which was better, PC games or Console games lol.

the market is already spiraling up pretty fast, the market can't support 3 consoles for long, and game prices are dropping faster than ever before. Will a meltdown occur? I suspect there will be decline much like there's already been a decline in gaming interest in japan, but i think predicting a meltdown is a little too severe.

All I meant was that asserting that "NOTHING can compare to a well-designed game" is a bit much. I like videogames as well - have liked them my entire life - but they pale in comparison to a great number of real-world experiences. Videogames are limited by artificiality, limited social context, and nonexistent physical activity.

- David Stein

I was talking about the DVD. I thought that was obvious.

- David Stein

Still who pays $25 for a DVD.

Anyway, this thread (along with getting some surprise money as Master's graduation present for finishing my thesis) inspired me to pick up some games and try again to increase my interest.

On the innovative front, I picked up Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. I'm really digging Donkey Konga. Will be putting a lot of time into that to unlock everything. I only played Jungle Beat for 15 mins or so just to check it out, and it seems like a lot of fun as well.

On the non-innovative front, I picked up a couple games I hadn't got around to grabbing.

Final Fantasy X2 (was 9.99 new at EB games) and Metal Gear Solid 2 used.

So hopefully I can get a little more into games over the summer now that my thesis is done and I have some more free time for a few months before starting the Ph D program.

Whoa, you're gonna be Dr. Hinkle? I hadn't heard. What program?

I am extremely tempted to use my masters in computer science as a head start to a CS Ph.D. If this whole patent law thing doesn't work out, I might be applying to schools in the winter... we'll see...

- David Stein

Dvorak is an idiot. The fact that he refers to Starship Troopers as "brain-dead" only goes to show that knows as little about film as he does about computers.

I'd address some of his points, but I'm too busy playing World of Warcraft.

Well not until the holodeck comes out anyway.

I resisted bringing up the Starship Troopers discussion earlier for fear it would drag this thread off topic, but since the object of discussion mentioned it, I guess it's fair.

I never got around to the original novel, (still haven't ) but when I watched the movie, I immediately saw it for the anti-war satire it was. Almost every scene and line hammered home the point of how dangerous a war obssessed culture can be, and how easily it could be slipped into our society, and before we know it, voting is restricted, men and women shower together, ferrets become telepaths... well, anyways.


It's one thing when someone is asked their opinion of ST, and they admit they don't get it, but when they bring it up themselves and admit it, then you realize what type of person you're dealing with. Someone who can't be content with not liking something, and they have to make sure everyone else is "educated" about the latest threat to civilization.

Aside from that, his whole attitude reeks of bitterness, almost like he was offered a ground level entry (stock or otherwise) in something console related, but turned it down, and now he's mad about all the $$$ he's missing out on.

And then, there are the people that see a movie that look to deep and see things that the writer never intended to be part of the movie...

Back on topic:

I don't think there's anything wrong with rehashing the same type/genre of game over and over as long as the game is still "fun" to play. Whatever happen to that 'wild' concept?!

Anyway, all of you should know by now...the name 'Dvorak' is just an alias. This is none other than Trip Hawkins in disguise.

Fair enough, so let me clarify. As this is a DVDtalk forum and we're talking about games, I figured you would understand that I meant "nothing" as far as entertainment mediums go. I was in no way saying that videogames eclipse all the great things one can experience in real life.

Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Just finished the Masters, and given I'm on full ride plus salary I figure I should do the Ph D. Especially since my program (Univ. of Maryland College Park) was just ranked the number 1 doctoral criminology program in US News and World Reports grad school guide.

this is OT but hey josh congrats on finishing your thesis and getting into a Ph.D program. I'm about to attempt the same hurdle in about a year (totally different field though). I recently moved and don't live too far from UMD

back on topic, dvorak dvorak dvorak! is such a pain to type 3 times fast. I dare you

Josh, congrats!
It's good to see more people pursue higher education.

By the way, Trip is pretty stupid. Did he really think he can disguise himself as a musical composer?

Thanks guys!