Comment Re:Isn't it... (Score 1) 341
The God of War series does something similar. There are 4 difficulty levels and if you keep dying at any certain point, you will be offered to continue on an easier setting.
Too Much Multiplayer In Today's Games? 362
hornedrat writes "Gamepro discusses the idea that modern games put too much emphasis on multiplayer, and that players aren't as concerned about it as developers think. 'The current environment encourages developers to unnecessarily toss multiplayer into their games without caring about it — or even considering whether anyone will bother playing it. It’s like they're checking an invisible quota box that demands multiplayer's inclusion.' Personally I agree that too much emphasis is placed on competitive multiplayer. I play online, but only with my brother in games that allow co-operative modes, like Rainbow Six: Vegas and ARMA 2. 'My point isn't that developers shouldn't try and conquer Halo or Call of Duty. We'd never have any progress in this industry if developers didn't compete. Game companies, however, should think carefully about what they want their games to be, and more important, gamers should consider what they want. If a developer wants to eclipse Halo, then by all means, pour that effort into a multiplayer mode that's different.' I would be interested to know how many gamers really care about the multiplayer components of the games they buy."
Killzone 3 Announced 58
Sony has officially taken the wraps off of Killzone 3, providing a ton of information about the third installment in the popular FPS franchise. The game will pick up where Killzone 2 left off, the levels will be much larger than in the past, and it will contain support for 3-D mode. Eurogamer has a detailed hands-on report about the game. Quoting:
"Encounters have lost much of their predictability. More open design gives the AI more options, as well as freeing the player from the necessity of hide and peek. This means that it's now a much more viable option to get up close and personal with the Higs, unleashing the multi-stage and context-sensitive CQC kills with rifle butts and the trusty knife. ... For stage three of the hands-on we're introduced to perhaps the most exciting piece of new hardware — the jetpack. Initially only coming attached to a Helghan shock trooper, this insectoid assault platform is a four-winged, one-man affair, complete with a unlimited supply of ammunition for the attached large-calibre machine gun. Fighting them from the ground puts you in a precarious situation, putting you on the backfoot as you balance the necessity of looking upwards with the dangers of the sheer ice-cliffs around you. ... From the ground the pack will propel you upwards to around 15 feet, with the glide period afterward giving you the freedom to traverse sizable gaps. There's a booster, too — squirting you forward in short bursts if you're falling just short of an edge. Controls are light and agile, with the disconcerting verticality soon becoming second nature. "
Comment Re:Metal Gear Solid on PSX had good voice (Score 1) 251
I'm amazed at how well the MGS1 voice acting holds up. But if you're a fan and have a Gamecube or Wii, grab a copy of MGS: The Twin Snakes. Supposedly David Hayter(Solid Snake) wasn't happy with how his voice turned out in the first one, and asked if they could rerecord all of the dialogue. It turned out even better when they got rid of Hunter's fake Australian and Mei Ling's "Asian" accents.
Actually, Metal Gear probably has my favorite voice acting out of any game series. It got a little funky with MGS2, but they recovered nicely by the time MGS3 hit.
Actually, Metal Gear probably has my favorite voice acting out of any game series. It got a little funky with MGS2, but they recovered nicely by the time MGS3 hit.
Why the First Cowboy To Draw Always Gets Shot 398
cremeglace writes "Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel-winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to test the validity of this cinematic curiosity. Researchers have now confirmed that people indeed move faster if they are reacting, rather than acting first."
Comment Re:Different Audience (Score 5, Insightful) 629
Sure, TPM was lame when compared to the original Star Wars trilogy, but it was never meant to please the audience of the original films. Its primary target was the little kids... progeny of the original audience.
That point is addressed in one of the later clips. If this movie is made for little kids, then why make it so complicated in regards to trade disputes, political arguments in the galactic senate and the machinations of someone trying to take power.
NASA Tests Flying Airbag 118
coondoggie writes "NASA is looking to reduce the deadly impact of helicopter crashes on their pilots and passengers with what the agency calls a high-tech honeycomb airbag known as a deployable energy absorber. So in order to test out its technology NASA dropped a small helicopter from a height of 35 feet to see whether its deployable energy absorber, made up of an expandable honeycomb cushion, could handle the stress. The test crash hit the ground at about 54MPH at a 33 degree angle, what NASA called a relatively severe helicopter crash."
Comment Re:Star Fox (Score 1) 1120
Star Fox 64 is an excellent update to the original. Good mix of sea, air, land and space battles. The game play is as much fun as the original and the graphics and sound are both very good to the N64.
Comment Re:College may soon be Facebook U (Score 1) 284
I graduated from Fairfield University, you insensitive clod!!!(and I still have a hat that says FU on it. Not sure if they still make them.)
Mozilla Labs Wants To Monitor (Volunteers') Firefox Use 118
Howardd21 writes "PC World reports that Mozilla Labs wants 1% of its Firefox users to voluntarily provide information about how they use the browser, and their web browsing habits. This would be done through an add-on named "Test Pilot" that collects the information and associates it with some demographic information that the user has provided. Unlike other data collection utilities that software developers may include to provide usage information, the add-on will follow the same open source concept that Firefox adheres to, allowing the market to better understand what is being collected. Mozilla Labs stresses privacy when discussing how they will collect, store and use the data, including publishing it for other researchers to to analyze."
Fraudsters Abusing Canada's Do-Not-Call List 229
J ROC writes "Phone numbers on Canada's Do-Not-Call registry have apparently been sold to off-shore telemarketers, scam artists, and other ne'er-do-wells, according to reports in the Globe & Mail and CBC News. The CRTC, which runs the registry, sells lists of phone numbers online for a small fee; making it available to anybody who might be interested in buying it, including con artists. I guess this explains why, ever since I added my number to the registry, I've been getting phone calls from 000-000-0000 trying to interest me in some free vacation scam. Canada's Privacy Commissioner is currently investigating."
Submission + - True costs of driving drunk (blogspot.com)
haibovn writes: "True costs of driving drunk"
Submission + - Live Earth on your iPod (expodition.com)
Rod Cambridge writes: "Expodition have made a Live Earth iPod-based guide available. Visitors to the website can download the free-of-charge Pod SnapShot which can then be viewed on their iPods — it's packed to the brim with great ideas and solutions to assist anyone wanting to do their bit to help resolve the climate crisis. In addition, for anyone attending the concerts, the Pod SnapShot contains useful information such as venue details, artist lineups, mini-artist bio's, travel advice and more."
Submission + - iPhone Doesn't Work with Most Accessories (popularmechanics.com)
mattnyc99 writes: Those lucky enough to snag an iPhone this weekend might be in for a nasty surprise, says Popular Mechanics. Most of the important iPod accessories simply won't work with the iPhone, and the entire iPod peripheral market is racing for compatability. RF signals interfere with cellphones, so dockable speakers will force iPhone users to switch off the entire phone functionality. And Bluetooth stereo for wireless speakers and headphones? Not gonna work either. Throw in the fact that the iPhone's headphone jack requires special new headphones, and it all begs the question: Do you still want a $600 iPod phone?
Submission + - Cisco IOS Exploitation Techniques (net-security.org)
An anonymous reader writes: It's been almost two years since Michael Lynn demonstrated a reliable code execution exploit on Cisco IOS. Although his presentation received a lot of media coverage in the security community, very little is known about the attack and the technical details surrounding the IOS check_heaps() vulnerability. This paper is a result of research carried out by IRM to analyse and understand the check_heaps() attack and its impact on similar embedded devices. Furthermore, it also helps developers understand security-specific issues in embedded environments and developing mitigation strategies for similar vulnerabilities.
