Hurlshort

Well, as almost all the regulars know - I ballroom dance. That and gaming are my main hobbies, although I dapple in several other things. hey i used to dance too until i fractured both my kneecaps that is.... Wow...what kind of dancing were you doing? Sounds hardcore.

I'm quoting myself because Krezack and company seemed to ignore my argument here. Again, why have the ten available at all?

I don't know where I ever implied that. The problem here is you are creating an unrealistic expectation, whether it's for students or games. No matter what the total is, 10, 20, 100, or 1,000, there should be a way to achieve that score. It should be possible for someone in the class to get that grade, otherwise there is no reason for that grade to exist. You're just dangling a carrot in front of students. Eventually they will realize it's unachievable, and that typically has an adverse affect. They start aiming for the 8 or 9 because there is no chance of getting that ten. I'm not saying you hand out 10's like crazy. You hand them out when you get a great paper. It doesn't need to be completely perfect because there will always be errors in essays. This isn't multiple choice. I completely oppose any teacher that makes a grade virtually unachievable for students. I have a hard time believing that you really know a lot of teachers with this policy. Maybe at the college level, where professors really don't have much training in actual education, but I hope that's not happening at the primary and secondary levels.

Eh, programmers and artists are skilled workers, and most of them work insane hours. It's not a job I could do, nor is it a job that I would want to do. I have no issue with them making six figures.

Ok, as a teacher, that's absolutely ridiculous. Students and parents would lynch me if I had that mentality, and rightly so. If a student turns in a great essay with minimal errors, they get a perfect score. Again, why have the number 10 if it's never used?

Why even have the number 10 then? If one of the top three games in a year can't get a 10, why don't we just say the scale is really out of 9.

I don't see the big deal. The last 3 GTA's have been top-notch games. I have no problem with a reviewer giving them perfect scores, and I'm not surprised that GTA4 got it. People act like a 10 is somehow sacred and should only be given to a game that creates everlasting world peace or cures cancer. It's a game, and it's one that this reviewer found no flaws in. All a ten means is that a game is top notch within its genre. Folks read too much into that.

I'd say the biggest issue is the technical dropoff between a blockbuster, major studio designed game and an indie project. A movie can still look good on a small budget. Sure, it won't be special effects laden, but you can grab a camera at Circuit City and make a watchable flick. Eventually I think game design tools will evolve enough to allow indie studios to make games that look close to the big studio ones, but it isn't there yet. I'm sure some people will argue that graphics aren't everything, but unfortunately they are a huge deal for the majority of consumers. Indie games need to meet a certain minimal level in order to garner real sales. Of course, the casual game market has been taken off lately. That's a promising development for smaller designers.

I'll be 30 in August. I think over the hill hits as soon as you have children and start sleeping in two hour increments at night. I was young until then.

I liked the story in ME much better than PS:T. I didn't know anything about Sigil or even much about D&D when I played PS:T, and I think it really crippled my understanding of the entire plot. But I shouldn't need to have a ton of geeky background knowledge to enjoy a game. ME was an entirely new game world, but it didn't make me feel like I needed a PhD in order to fully understand the universe. I'm getting the impression that unless something is cryptic and misunderstood by the masses, it can't be considered art.

Lars and the Real Girl - Charming. It's also amazing how well they handled the subject. Many movies would just turn this into a big gag, but this was a pretty serious film about delusions.

I was 4/8 as well. East: Montreal over Philly in 6 - Both teams went to game 7 in the last round, so it will be entertaining at least. I think Philly is worse than Boston though, so I doubt they can win. New York over Pittsburgh in 7 - I bet against the Rangers before because I though Brodeurs experience would make the difference. I'm betting for the Rangers this round for almost the same reason. They have the experience, they've got a great shut down defense, and I don't trust Fluery. It will be entertaining though, Malkin and Crosby will always be a threat to take over. West: Colorado over Detroit in 6 - I don't think I actually saw Colorado play in the first round. Detroit might be in trouble if they can't pick a goalie. I was shocked they dropped two to Nashville. This is my risky pick, I guess. San Jose over Dallas in 6 - As long as the Sharks don't let Ott bother them, they should be in good shape here. It will be another very physical series. With the way Roenick responded to being benched, I think Wilson should sit him every other game

I'm a mudkip, which I guess means I'm kind and gullible. yay.

Yeah, I was pretty embarrassed that San Jose did that to Edmonton a couple years ago. Of course, those folks were pretty much called out in the newspaper (at least the section that booed was) and I haven't heard anything disrespectful since. Their was also a bit of confusion, because they had put Chris Pronger up on the jumbotron during the Canadian anthem and I think people were more booing him.

Lundqvist had a great season, and I definitely don't discount his ten shutouts. I just think it's probably going to come down to the two goalies who managed to gain 40 wins. I also think the Rangers are an extremely strong defensive team. They kept the shots down all season, but so did the Sharks and the Devils. I suppose it could be any one of them.

Yep, this year it's clearly a two horse race. Brodeur has the slightly better stats, but Nabokov has more wins. Granted, he played more games, but I'm not sure if that's a plus or minus. But I'm biased toward my hometown goalie, so I really can't say who deserves it fairly.

I'm nervous as hell about tomorrow night's game.

It also should be mentioned that there are entirely different genres here. I don't even know what Stalker is, but it doesn't sound like a comedy. I don't know why you would even try to make a comparison to Dumb and Dumber. Same with Linkin Pak and the Beatles. In fact, Linkin Park is closer to Planescape because it appeals to a smaller, cult like audience, whereas Jade Empire and Mass Effect are more akin to the Beatles because they have a broader audience. Also, who was arguing that Jade Empire is the best? I don't remember seeing that anywhere. Sure, it made some top ten lists, but it wasn't number one anywhere. Even if it was, that would just mean the game appealed to them over all others. It's not shocking, it was a solid gaming experience.

Xard, that really is the most ridiculous argument I have ever seen from someone not named Volourn. Mass Effect has a good story. Planescape: Torment and your other examples all have good stories. None of them are the Beatles. None of them are "works of art" that will be looked back on for centuries to come. They are all in the same ballpark and it's very much a matter of personal preference.

Street Kings - I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting another bad cop movie like Training Days or The Shield, and I got some of that, but Keanu Reaves isn't really a bad cop. He's just more like a warrior or a soldier, he's got major issues but in the end he's still trying to do the right thing. If you don't like Keanu Reaves, you'll probably hate it, but if you do, it was surprisingly good.

Um...they've released like two games since KotOR. And have you actually played Mass Effect? It just seems like a pretty small sample size to say that they are not as good as they used to be. It sounds like you are saying Jade Empire was not as good as KotOR, so clearly the company has gone down the drain. Personally I enjoyed JE, although I will say it's probably at the bottom of my Bioware list.

Geez...these are all just opinions. For example, I think Planescape: Torment was forgettable whereas KotOR has probably the most memorable gaming experience to date. I had no frickin' clue that I was a sith lord. Wow. My jaw dropped on that one.

Well, there aren't a lot of developers putting real stories into their games. The writing quality alone helps them keep a pretty solid audience. Gameplay actually takes a back seat in my eyes. I play Bioware titles for the story. The rest of the gaming companies treat story like the articles in a porno mag. They are also consistent as all hell.

My dad got me into games when I was young. It taught me how to use computers (Atari ST was first) and it was definitely a bonding experience. Even today, it's a big connection for us. My little future gamer is only 1, but I plan on following the same plan as taks with her. I don't get how parents can be disconnected with anything their child does. I don't love watching the Wiggles, but I love watching my daughter enjoy the Wiggles.

Isn't there some Star Wars TV show coming out? Not an animated one, either. There Will Be Blood - Great. The priest was a bigger SOB than Daniel Plainview.