Mr March

I don't typically like to bash a film based off the trailer, but I'm not getting a good vibe from this film at all. I'm doubtful that this film will actually do that well. Last time Speilberg and Cruise teamed up was Minority Report. While I enjoyed the film, it was a box office dissappointment. As usual, only time will tell.

I like the Matrix movies, but I doubt I'll get the big ultimate set. I was hoping for commentary tracks by the directors or at least something from the ever-entertaining producer Joel Silver. But the tracks consist of nothing but critics and I've heard enough "bitch tracks" on DVDs before to know they are worthless. Still, the added features may be worht the expense, as they are more extensive than the features on my current set of DVDs. If it's not too much, I may pick this up along with the third season of 24. Oh yeah, the Matrix movies were awesome

That is of course your choice. As I stated before, I am a PC gamer first and a console gamer second. But regardless, I know a great game when I see one. The point I was trying to make is that many PC gamers lack the understanding that their gaming experiences are not shared by the majority of gamers. Thus, pc gamers should not be surprised when the popularity of a game genre they've enjoyed for years suddenly explodes on the console market. As a pc gamer, you're on the fringe of software development, the leading edge. It sometimes takes a while for the rest of the world to catch on. Sorry, but I don't know of any x-box emulators for the PC.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to the special edition so I can get the soundtrack to Half-Life, which is fantastic. So spooky

I think that will be a long time (if ever) in happening. Call me old fashioned, a dinosaur or whatever, but I still prefer the experience of browsing and buying in an actual physical shop rather than buying something online. A great many people I know feel the same as wall. Shopping and searching for stuff in real shops is fun ya know . Although I of course buy stuff online, I only do when it's things that I can't easily buy here in HK, like some English language books, US or UK version console games etc. And getting back on topic, Half Life.....nah, never played it. Took one look at the nerdy looking main character and decided I didn't want to play as some dorky looking, glasses wearing, bearded scientist geek (apologies to all MWers who have beards and wear glasses or are scientist geeks ). Graham Ah, but I never said traditional purchasing or shopping would be eliminated altogether. However, traditional distribution will see a marked drop over the next few decades as online shopping and download purchasing become more and more popular. Many of the major software sellers are already offering the service and its only going to become more popular. The cost savings for most companies are just too significant to ignore. It’s quite ironic that you should mention the dorky appearance of the Gordon Freeman character in Half Life. Up until Half Life, the PC First Person Shooter market was flooded with the same old tired characters. The badass marine with an attitude, the sexy, big breasted bimbo, or the wronged cop back with a vengeance had plagued most FPS games on the PC for years. Id Software itself produced four titles using the space marine template no doubt taken from Carmack’s love of James Cameron’s film Aliens. Anyone who was a PC gamer can attest to it. When Half Life came along it finally introduced a different type of character and was (and still is) a very welcome change to the FPS genre. Not only is the character more credible than the clichés, but your own skill (or lack thereof) as the player controlling Freeman decides whether he lives or dies (rather than trying to reconcile why you're always getting beat, but you're supposed to be badass of the universe). This method of gameplay suspends disbelief more than other shooters and also pulls you into the game via a more believable character.

Well, you can play Half Life 2 offline. In fact, Steam tells you how and it’s easy. Regardless, I agree that not owning the hard copy of a piece of software is silly. Most of us who have been using computers for years know that we have been encouraged to make backup copies of even the software we already own on some permanent format. This new system seems like a step in the opposite direction. While it’s useful for cost cutting and efficient distribution, you’re left to secure the permanency of the purchase yourself. As for the ideological/social ramifications associated with the requirement of online access, there are far more serious concerns to worry about than paranoia towards a gaming company like Valve. Just using Microsoft’s Windows XP represents a far greater confiscation of your privacy. Or worse, those who live in the US will suffer from a recently passed “act” that has taken away your right to privacy all in the name of patriotism. Of course, living in Canada, I enjoy the protection of the newly passed privacy laws and eventually Microsoft will have to adapt to our laws to sell to Canadian customers when legislation applies to software and the internet. But I digress, I’ll avoid going into further explanation as per the board rules. I do understand your concerns.

Hahaha! That is just so wrong. Gawd, the things people come up with

I'd advise anyone who doesn't like download purchase without hard copies to get used to the idea sooner rather than later. All indications are that music, video games, and soon movies will be sold via download and will reduce the numbers of sold hard copies as time goes on. Albums sold by offering individual mp3s are extremely popular and growing strongly. Many big selling artists and bands are now embracing online distribution rather than fighting it. Rock band U2 just recently joined with Apple for the new iPod promotion. Naturally, I'm also concerned about the lack of a proper backup as well. Even Valve's servers are not invulnerable and system crashes and/or loss of data happens to other industries all the time. I'd simply be more interested in burning everything I purchase online from now on. A simple solution and more cost effective too. Speaking of Half Life 2, I just finished it this evening at it was fantastic. Anyone else play the game all the way through as yet?

First I'd like to apologize for the lengthy delay in responding. I've been without my computer for several weeks and have only just got back online to post in the last 3-4 days. I'd also forgotten about this thread, since it fell off the front page. Regardless, I'll respond to several questions regarding my original post on page 2. First off, PC gamers are most certainly the minority. NPD Group reported annual video game sales figures in North America are around 6.9 billion in 2003. Of that, pc game sales account for only 1.2 billion or roughly 17% of all video games sold in North America. News Link: http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/game...nclusions.shtml To spotlight Halo 2, the game has sold more than 5 million units world wide. I'm sure most of us are also aware that Halo 2 sold 1.5 million units through preorder on the day of release and a total of 2.38 million units sold that same day. It is also important to keep in mind that Halo 2 is for the X-Box, a console system that holds only 27 percent of the North American console market share. News Link: http://www.pcvsconsole.com/news.php?nid=2850 News Link http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/4885/Xbox-Market-Share-Grows By comparison, software company Blizzard just released the pc game "World of Warcraft" (release date December 1, 2004) which broke the PC game record for One-Day sales at 240,000 units in North America. Blizzard software is also a record holder in the pc gaming industry for most units sold on three of its titles. The pc games Warcraft II, Diablo, and Starcraft all sold over a million units each worldwide (Starcraft also enjoyed a surprise boost beyond 1 million when it became hugely popular in Korea many years after it's release in North America). This should give you some idea how PC game sales rank against their console competitors. News Link: http://www.pcvsconsole.com/news.php?nid=2848 Long story short, pc gamers are the minority. Now onto Goldeneye. I unfortunately only played Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64 breifly, but I never said it wasn't a good FPS for a console. Indeed, Goldeneye was one of the first successful FPS on a console system. However, it lacked significant innovations to the genre and had only a passable game control. By comparison, Halo offered far more innovative ideas, many exclusive to the console platform and also had superior game control for the inherent limitations of a gamepad. And obviously Goldeneye wasn't nearly as influential or popular as Halo, no doubt due to Nintendo's dwindling market share all through the latter half of the 1990s. As for what makes Halo and Halo 2 great games, this is of course a matter of perspective and has already been described in the pages following my last post. Obviously if you don't like the games, I can waste decades describing why they are quality titles and the words will be wasted. If you don't like the games, I can only persuade you to give them an honest effort. If you can't manage that, then just take my word for it

Progress is looking great. This is gonna be a fantastic model when it's finished.

I'll definitely be buying the third season of 24 on DVD next Tuesday. Although, I think season three may be my last season. As with most television shows, even the best of them, the formula gets too repetitive too fast. Only dramatic television show that maintained my interest more than three years was Babylon 5, only due to the length of time it took to tell the whole story (and season 5 was very weak).

I preordered my copy of Halo 2 and hopefully it should come in soon. I've also read the reviews on Gamespot and TeamX-box. I doubt I'll be disappointed with the game. It sounds like everything I'd hope for in a sequel to a beloved console game like Halo and then some. Sadly, this will probably be the last good title for the X-Box. But I'm sure Halo 3 on the second generation X-Box will be great. I don't want to derail the thread by going into the arguement over consoles vs. PCs, but I would like to add a few opinions and explanations for some of the other members here who politely asked for some enlightenment. Personally, I've always been a PC gamer first, console gamer second. For me the lineage was C-64, Amiga, PC386, 486, Pentium, and so forth up to my current Athlon XP 2800. While it's true that many games on the PC are superior to console games (mostly due to the broader freedom of concept, wider variety of game types, more opportunity for indepth design and detail, the constant advancement of new hardware which breeds software to match), I've found that there are some areas of gaming that PC's rarely seem to get right. Being a huge fan of Street Fighter II and many fighting games that followed (especially Soul Blade/Edge, Soul Calibur, and Soul Calibur II), PCs have rarely ported fighters and rarely do them justice if they do. When I want a good fighter, I've always turned to the arcades or a console. No doubt many PC gamers exclaim "I don't like fighting games", which may be fine for you, but some of us do...and some of us are PC gamers Sure consoles have sucked for First Person Shooters (with a few exceptions). Yes, many of us PC gamers have been enjoying First Person Shooters since Wolfenstein on our 386 and yes, we've been playing online ever since Doom. We've played the Quakes, battled with Jedi Knights, and competed in the Unreal Tournament and we've done it online for years. But one fact always seems to escape most PC gamers...we're the minority, not the majority. Even best selling PC games (exclude that terrible Deer Hunter for a moment) account for a small portion of the electronic gaming market. The market as a whole is run by console sales. This means that MOST gamers have never experienced the thrill of the best FPS available...until Halo came out. Halo not only finally created a FPS on a console with superior game play control, but it actually produced some real innovations for the genre. Hand-to-hand combat was a welcome sight that few FPS attempted and only Jedi Knight got right (though many argue JK was not a true FPS). The rechargeable shield adds a definite strategic element that even my favorite FPS like Half-Life lack. A maximum of two carried weapons added realism and the ability to throw grenades without switching weapons was great. I also think many PC gamers fail to give Halo credit for its music and story, which easily equals such PC greats as Starcraft, Star Control 2, Half-Life, and MechWarrior 2 in both catagories. As a PC gamer, I can honestly say Halo is one of my favorite games, regardless of platform. I would encourage anyone to try it. I've never understood why many console and PC gamers consider the two formats mutually exclusive. It's not like politics or ideology; one can very much enjoy both worlds. To this day, I still own and play my Super Nintendo, my Dreamcast, and my X-Box. The day they release superior quality versions of Super Castlevania, Street Fighter II, and Soul Calibur for the PC, I'll stop buying consoles. But until they do, I'm sticking with both PC and consoles. Lastly, some advice to anyone who loves FPS: try not to overdose on those FPS that don't deserve your time. I have friends who do nothing but play dozens of FPS on the PC and are always waiting in line when Cliff Blesinski or John Carmack releases another uninspired graphics trophy. Those same friends are always quick to harp "What's so great about Halo? I've seen it before in other PC games". Stop wasting your money on those incremental-shooters on the PC every 3 months. They feature maybe one truely good innovation but the sole attraction is typically some silly sub-niche for fans of hooker-killing or most red pixels on screen. Spend that money on a console and one really fun FPS like Halo that combines story, music, gameplay, several innovative features, and a lot of fun. You'll be better off and you'll have a better time.

WOW! That's a great picture. Now just a little larger...

I'm sorry, but what is this? Yes it looks like the YF-19, but what is this show? Is it something playing on the Cartoon network?

Watched the film last night. Easily the best computer animated film from North America. Finally, a CG film that appeals to me has been created and it's been a long time in coming. Unlike most of my friends, Toy Story never appealed to me and while Finding Nemo was an enjoyable comedy that I laugh at time and again, The Incredibles is a complete package of fun and fiction. The humor was certainly aimed more for adults than kids. I was laughing so hard that I awoke most of the kids who were sleeping nearby. The film has a certain credibility to the absurdity of super heroes and I found myself enthralled by the hilarious lawsuits of the public against the super heroes. The characters were full of life, a tribute to the fine range of body/facial animation and the top nothc voice acting. Not a single musical sidekick or tune is anywhere to be found in The Incredibles and as such the film definitely has a more grounded story. The action in the film is both fun and funny and even has the occasional moment of genuine tension (elastigirl's multiple door predicament in Syndrome's island complex was nerve wracking). All in all, this was a great film and thoroughly entertaining. I can't recommend it enough.

No, not quite. Lucas himself has said something to the effect that the Jedi use the Force with it's balance in mind. The Sith OTOH, are only interested in their own power and use the Force only for their own benefit. Think of the Jedi as "conservationist" and the Sith as "polluters." The imbalance in the Force that "The Chosen One" is meant to balance is that created by the Darth Sidious. It's the reason Mace Windu talks with Yoda about the Jedi losing their ability to use the Force and Dooku about the Dark Side clouding the Jedi vision... Darth Sidious is sucking up all the mojo for his own benefit, and weaking the Jedi at the same time. The Jedi are the defacto power pre-empire as it were and regardless of whatever balance each individual Jedi may seek in his own personal power/skills, the Jedi have a monopoly on the force in the SW galaxy. And that side is light. The force isn't just a power affecting those few sensitive users. The force is described as a common universality created by all living organisms ("an energy field created by all living beings"). No one can escape being affected by it and by default, an imbalance in the force is not exclusive to the Jedi and Sith fighting each other. The ramafications are much broader than that. Hence the Old Republic shares the same imbalance as the Jedi. The Republic government is a one sided mess and it's terrible weaknesses are obvious as a result. As such, Sidious is not the imbalance of the force. The Jedi prophecy has been around as long as the Jedi Order have. And why is that? The Jedi destroyed the Sith and have been ruling with the light side for thousands of years. One perspective, one point of view, one side to the quation. The force has been imbalanced all along, ever since light gained dominance over dark. As the imbalance begins to fades, the monopolistic power of the light side is diminished and brought back into a more equalized share of the force. It then swings extreme dark for a short time (reign of the empire) and then is finally equalized yet again at the end of the six episode saga. Whether it would have swung back and forth yet again in episodes 7-9, we'll never know. However, Lucas has said the complete tale of Darth Vade will go through beginning, middle, and end once the prequels and the OT are told as one story.

Think about that, and how the whole Star Wars story pans out. You've actually answered your own question. Damn, looks like Radd beat me to it. But it never hurts to explain the whole thing in detail

The light side and the dark side are the two extremes of the force. The Jedi are imbalanced because during the thousands of years of Republic rule, the Jedi dominated the Force in the galaxy. All light, no dark. As the Old Republic Aged, the bureaucracy grew to such proportions that the government of the Republic was nearly immobilized by it. The Jedi also helped rule this philosophy promoting a path that went one direction only, with no real opposition. In the end, the Old Republic destroyed itself due to its own inaction. This is true of all systems of government. Our own system of government works on checks and balances. Not just legal checks and balances, but also ideological. When our modern systems of democracy function at their peak, the two sides of our society (liberal and conservative) must compromise for each side to obtain what they want. Allow one side too obtain complete control and eliminate the voice of other, you get a paralyzed bureaucracy or an oppressive dictatorship. Anakin's role was to balance the equation, as the prophecy of the Jedi Order predicted. This was done by diminishing the thousand year rule of the light side and put an end to the stagnation of the old Republic. Anakin then pushed the galaxy into the far dark and thus an equally imbalanced regime was created. Upon Anakin's death, the emperor was killed at his hands, the empire was destoryed, and the galactic political landscape was equalized and balanced. This left nothing except the free people of the galaxy, which we hope created a new and better society.

That is just insane. My kind of insane, but insane nonetheless. Worse still, a couple of my buddies have already tossed out the idea of doing an eventual Star Wars marathon sometime next fall when the ROTS DVD is out. It's actually not so bad. I only get cravings to watch them every once in a while. I've been keeping myself busy watching all the other films I want to see (a list which never seems to end). We will also do a Star Wars marathon once all the DVDs have been released. The best part of these big sagas is doing the marathons

Hell yeah! It looks great! I've been toturing myself with Lord of The Rings lately, since I refuse to watch any of the films until the Return of the King is released. My friends and I are planning a massive Extended Edition marathon and we've all agreed not to watch any Lord of the Rings until we're ready. It's been almost a year and a half since I've watched the theatrical DVDs or the Extended editions. It's gonna be great. Thanks for the link.

Well, looks like the fan speculation about a duel amonst lava is now totally confirmed. I guess that will make most long standing fans happy. Hell, even some of the large ships engaged in that massive space battle over Coruscant look like the old Republic Dreadnoughts that were created out of concept art from the original films. I love the yellow fighter craft. Looks like a combo of the Sith Infiltrator and a TIE Fighter. I must say the large capital ship battle has me interested. It's been far too long since a massive armada battled in on the big screen (for more than a half minute anyway). It's a rare opportunity to see what a lot of sci-fi fans go to these films to see. The ship designs look positively massive and very much in scale with established Star Wars mythos. Sidious with a saber is a bit of a surprise, since the original story never presented the opportunity for us to see Palpatine with one in hand. Lastly, the inevitable duel between Ben and Anakin looked great. It'll sure be interesting to see how Ben survives and leaves Anakin for dead. I just hope the plot device isn't a disappointment, because even as good as Ben is, I think the prequels are clear in telling the audience that Anakin is gonna be the strongest Jedi. Well, I've got to go back to work. I'll post more thoughts later.

That does look pretty funny. I hope it's good.

*Eagerly awaits that link*

I never read the poem myself, but I always remembered the title from way back. A lot of literature and art came out of the aftermath of WWII and I recall this was one of those works we passed by at school.

Too much Macross 7 I guess