Hurlshort

You look at PC games as well and they were never super long. Adventure games were king for many years, and they never took that long if you knew the way through. Doom wasn't long. I think it's actually a problem that games have been too long in recent years. I rarely finish a game, because it loses me after 10 to 15 hours. Too much of those 40-50 hour games are just repetitive gameplay. Give me tight stories that progress quickly any day.

Anyone who disputes monthly fees in a MMORPG has no understanding of how businesses are run. If you want access to high powered servers that are stable and tested for bugs, and also given new content on a regular basis, you have to pay for it. All MMORPG's have employees to pay every month they are in business. When other games are released, there might be a skeleton crew manning patches and tech support, but it's nowhere near the infrastructure of a MMORPG. I actually ran a NWN server. It was neat, but it had its share of downtime and was far from stable. It was a hobby, not a business. When I play WoW I have much higher expectations. I couldn't get on DDO last night. Super high traffic, but it is a stress test. At least they've extended the test so I can play until Friday.

Tripping and hooking are all about slowing down a fast player. I get tripped every single game I play. Usually I get at least one call out of it, but I expect to get tripped because I'm fast. If you get hurt on a trip, you aren't playing smart. If you are blowing by a defensemen, he's gotta do what he can to stop you. It's all part of the game.

Definitely agree on that, the best racing game on the 360 is a pretty useless award right now. I do kinda agree with the spokesperson though...will gamers really care about numbers if the performance is great?

I enjoy the WoW scenery so much that the long travel times never really bother me. Also, I've played games that have more of an instant travel option, and it isn't as rewarding to me. But we all have our preferences. Personally, exploration is the number one reason I play MMORPG's. I think CoH and CoV are awesome projects, but I'm just not a big fan of super hero stuff. Even when I read comics as a child, I preferred Punisher because he had no actual super powers. I am much more into the fantasy setting, but I think there is definitely room for different settings in the MMORPG genre.

It's hard to say what the "Blizzard" community is now. If your looking to avoid Bnet kiddies, I recommend jumping on an RP server. That doesn't mean you need to Role Play all the time, typically that's only expected in the local chat. 95% of my conversations are in guild chat with my buddies anyways, and we choose not to RP there. RP servers just tend to have a more mature player base.

WoW is a deeper game, but it should be, because you get what you pay for. GW has done a great job considering the fact they are not bringing in a huge amount of cash in monthly fees. They've done some updates and from what I hear, it's running smoothly. I would say GW is similiar to Diablo II in quite a few aspects. It's less of a hack n' slash, but it's got limited character types. GW is definitely not a true MMORPG. Some love that, some don't. If you are looking for a free version of WoW, this won't do it. If you really want WoW and are worried about the $15 a month, I'd try to buy in 3 or 6 month subscriptions. You save money on the overall cost that way, and it's about the same cost as a regular priced game. Plus, I remember in College it was much easier making one big payment then coming up with money every month. Student loan time at Fry's Seriously though, try the WoW trial subscription. If you can live without it after a week, then go buy GW.

I'm willing to agree that golf is a sport, and I've played golf. I'll play more when I'm an old man I like Walsingham's definition of what a sport is, but I must also point out that the dictionary does not have that as the actual definition. I do agree that competition is an important part of any sport. Competition is what usually drives people to do better. But there are different types of competition. Actual physical competition is what we typically see in the major sports. People run side by side, or face off over an object. But what about figure skating, competitive cheerleading, golf, or bowling? You are trying to get a certain score. No one is influencing your score. Pro Wrestling is unique, but I would still say it's competitive. They compete in order to even get on TV. They have to show that they can do outrageous physical stunts. I guess I'm willing to say it's not a sport, but I still think the athleticism shouldn't be questioned.

Does a sport need to be competitive? The dictionary defines a sport as physical activity done for pleasure. This is pretty open, as it can then include all sorts of odd activities. But here are some of the odd things I consider sports: Cheerleading Running Skateboarding Skiing Motocross Wrestling Dance Here are some things I don't consider sports: Golf Bowling Designated hitting in Baseball Why cheerleading? Because actual cheerleading, not just waving pom poms, is a very difficult physical activity. Wrestling, even if it is staged who wins, is also very difficult physically. Marathons sex sessions are also a sport...and if ESPN agreed I bet they'd raise their ratings. Golf and bowling takes skill, but it's a very minor physical activity. It takes some skill to play a musical instrument as well, but playing drums isn't a sport. The big debate here will probably be Pro Wrestling, since it's not really competitive in the same way as all the other activities I listed. There is a routine already mapped out, much like a dance. Personally I think it's definitely a sport, because they still run the risk of serious injury to entertain. I haven't seen many bowlers do the same.

I bought it when it came out, but it never really captured my attention. I had a few friends playing it who loved it. It's got a pretty solid focus on PvP, so if that's your focus, you probably won't regret the purchase. Personally I thought as a MMORPG it was way inferior to WoW, and as a RPG it was way below quality NWN mods.

I agree about Ninja Gaiden and that first boss. I basically took a ton of attempts to beat him. When I finally did, I was so frustrated with my failures that I decided to cut my losses and quit playing.

I got on for a few minutes this morning. The character generation is just like NWN, so quite a bit of customization off the bat (and more character model choices, but I mean traits and all are the same.) I didn't get to play much, but the graphics are impressive. I am a bit worried about the combat pace. It's very real-timish, and I'm worried that will make it more of a clickfest then strategic use of skills. I'll play more tonight and update.

Federov is gone from the Ducks? What an odd trade. I think he can still be a dangerous player...they only had him 5 games this season. I guess that's a boost for the Blue Jackets, but I don't think it will save either team. Wrestling is a sport first and acting second. Most of those guys are extremely athletic, and they use it out in the ring to entertain. It's not like they get jobs based on thier acting skills. And how many actors retire due to injuries? Most wrestlers do. Hulk Hogan has doesn't have fake hips and knees because he was pretending to wrestle. I hate fighting and I love the new NHL. We get to see actual skill now.

I am a working citizen. If I wasn't, I wouldn't splurge on Fileplanet, but I also wouldn't have hostility towards the service. The speed is nice, but it's also about the ease of use, the fact it's pretty much never down, and having one place to go for this junk I download. I was a free downloader for many years before I subscribed to Fileplanet, but I've never regretted the change. Although Fileplanet doesn't have everything. They need to be better about grabbing new game movies and making them available.

When I watch MTV, I don't get the feeling that fundamentalist Christians are in control of anything. I just see a lot of T & A. I also disagree that calling someone a Godless commie is still an insult. Times have changed since the 50's, and in many ways for the good. There's an atheist guy running around right now trying to get God off currency and public buildings, and no one has shot him yet.

I like it because I get to buy gifts for everyone, and wake up really early with a great sense of anticipation. I'm sorry to hear some of you don't have that magical feeling, but hopefully we all have some special holiday.

I'm downloading it at home, but I don't have a key yet. I guess they are doing the Stress Test in waves. I'm semi-excited about this game. I loved what Turbine did for Asheron's Call, and I liked parts of AC2, but that game let me down. My expectations are tempered by the fact WoW is still really the best MMORPG by a long shot. Also, I love Fileplanet. I pay like $15 every three months for super fast downloads of all sorts of media. I don't know how that isn't worth it. It's also improved vastly over the years.

Forsberg is just utterly insane. Still, it's a long season, and I'm sure some odd injury will afflict him eventually. Alfredsson is also the catalyst for all those great players in Ottawa. I honestly think the Senators would play pretty average without him.

ShadowPaladin wrote: I think that was Martin Luther's argument as well. Please don't make me explain who he is.

I mispoke earlier. I definitely think Philosophy should be in the classroom, and it is. It's in Social Science. It's covered quite well if the teacher knows what they are doing.

I saw the same thing on G4. I'd say hanging out on these forums is much geekier than watching G4, so I'm not quite sure where Nartwak was going with that comment.

Funny, looking around and seeing all the critters is actually why I believe in a higher power. The big problem with science classes is that many teachers take the stance that the big bang theory and evolution disproves the possibility of a higher power. It doesn't. The Big Bang is a very low probability event. It may have had a helping hand. This should be made clear when it's taught. That doesn't mean you need to bring philosophy into the classroom.

Belfour is not the only goalie lugging around high GA's and low save percentages. There is more shooting this year, more traffic, and more room to skate for forwards. Defensemen are crippled and goaltenders are paying the price. I'm not a Belfour fan, but it sounds like he's playing pretty well. It's more important that he win games.

I tend to buy a console, hold on to it for a year or two, then trade it in and buy another one. EB and Gamestop give you like $50 for them, plus all the games and controllers, which really takes a bite out of the initial cost. Doing this, I've owned every major console in recent years. Of course, some things stink, like the fact I owned the PS2 when no RPG's were coming out, and now that I have an Xbox, a new PS2 exclusive RPG comes out every month.

Not to play the devil's advocate here, but let's remember that most consoles drop under $200 very quickly. I think it's about a year before the price dips, but I could be wrong. But yeah, they just don't compare to PC's. Although being a PC gamer does take more knowledge about hardware and sotware. On a console you are pretty much guaranteed the game will run as soon as you pop it in, but PC's can often require tinkering to run properly. Honestly though, you can't really compare a console to a PC. The PC just brings too much else to the table. The Xbox and PS2 are glorified DVD players and the Gamecube is a toy. PC's aren't just toys.