RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Amentep]

 

 

The sad fact is that EA is the only major publisher that has any kind of RPG arm at the moment, and them going away wouldn't be an improvement in any way. It'd be the mid-90s again...

 

Oh, right Bethesda. I actually did forget about them. Not my cup of tea.

Squeenix, Capcom, Konami, etc.

I wish Konami would get off their asses and do another Suikoden.

 

 

While my interest in the series died after playing 3, I'm guessing 2012's Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki probably won't be translated, given the PSP's position here in NA?

[Hurlshort]

 

The new Lord of the Rings Expansion will allow players to go to Helm's Deep.  I'm pretty happy how quickly this is coming, Turbine is really hitting their stride on content releases.  It also ups the level cap to 95.  I just hit 75, so that is great news for me.  I hate sitting at the cap, that will give me a lot more levels to gain.

 

I'm guessing we wil be in Mordor in just two years.  Pretty epic journey so far.

 

Your updates about this MMO are interesting. I am considering trying this MMO out?

 

 

I highly recommend doing so.  It can be a bit overwhelming to get into, but it has a lot to love.  We have a few people here who play pretty regularly, or used to at least.  It's free to play makes it easy to try out, although subscribing opens up a lot of options too.

[Keyrock]

 

 

The sad fact is that EA is the only major publisher that has any kind of RPG arm at the moment, and them going away wouldn't be an improvement in any way. It'd be the mid-90s again...

 

Oh, right Bethesda. I actually did forget about them. Not my cup of tea.

Squeenix, Capcom, Konami, etc.

I wish Konami would get off their asses and do another Suikoden.

 

Let's not forget about Atlus also.  They're pretty much my main source for jRPGs these days, on account of my love affair with MegaTen.

[Amentep]

 

 

 

The sad fact is that EA is the only major publisher that has any kind of RPG arm at the moment, and them going away wouldn't be an improvement in any way. It'd be the mid-90s again...

 

Oh, right Bethesda. I actually did forget about them. Not my cup of tea.

Squeenix, Capcom, Konami, etc.

I wish Konami would get off their asses and do another Suikoden.

 

Let's not forget about Atlus also.  They're pretty much my main source for jRPGs these days, on account of my love affair with MegaTen.

 

 

I'm looking forward to Dragon's Crown this August.

 

3DS is getting Soul Hackers and MegaTen IV so I'll probably be getting a 3DS haha.  Oh wait, Soul Hackers is supposed to be out now, innit?

[Keyrock]

 

I'm looking forward to Dragon's Crown this August.

 

3DS is getting Soul Hackers and MegaTen IV so I'll probably be getting a 3DS haha.  Oh wait, Soul Hackers is supposed to be out now, innit?

 

Yeah, Soul Hackers is out.  I haven't gotten it yet. 

 

Yet.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Keyrock

[alanschu]

I don't owe EA nothing... They owe me Origin, Bullfrog, Westwood just to name a few... neither I do owe any other company...

 

I definitely agree you don't owe EA anything.  Though I also feel EA doesn't owe you anything either.

 

 

Companies typically sell because they need the money.  Without Richard Garriott selling to Electronic Arts, Origin probably disappears altogether.  So even if you absolutely hate every Origin game ever released after Richard Garriott sold Origin, you likely wouldn't have been in any different sort of a spot.  You can read up about it here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_14/87-The-Conquest-of-Origin

 

Things to note: Spector and Garriott both talk about how they had minimal "EA interference," until games started running over budget and behind schedule repeatedly.  Want to know how Origin dealt with it in the past?  Garriott would privately invest his own money.  Unfortunately part of the woes of a publicly traded company such as EA means that stuff like that is very difficult to do.  Someone like Bethesda would have a bit more leeway, although I'm sure Zenimax still draws the line somewhere.

 

Origin also seemed to struggle with the fact that they had SO MUCH more resources.  They doubled their staff in the first year, and doubled their projects.  Exactly like Greg Zeschuk said recently, Spector stated that EA gave Origin enough rope to hang themselves with.  Once security was established, however, infighting among Origin started to crop up.  Some of it due to BS politicking at EA, but it's interesting how once you're no longer fighting for survival, things can suddenly become more competitive.

 

 

So yeah, EA bought all those companies.  Thing is, Origin prior to them was a place of extreme working hours with questionable structure.  But fans never care if developers are burning out at unsustainable rates of work, as long as they get good games.  Right?

Edited April 26, 2013 by alanschu

[mkreku]

edit:  Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.  

 

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

[Gfted1]

But fans never care if developers are burning out at unsustainable rates of work, as long as they get good games.  Right?

 

I think very few people care about who or where their products come from. Do people care that the Nike's on their feet were made in a Malasian sweat shop or that their iPhone was manufactured in a suicide factory? IMO, most people only care about the end product and if the end product sucks...

[Gfted1]

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

 

Im curious, for you, what is the deciding factor that will make you buy certain games multiple times but others you will download without remorse?

[mkreku]

No difference. I will download all games I own without remorse.

[Gfted1]

So when you purchase games multiple times (Gothic 3 x 3) its usually just to support the developer?

[Hurlshort]

 

edit:  Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.  

 

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

 

 

You paid for a product (or a product key) and then you chose not to use it.  That doesn't give you the right to then download it illegally.  You don't see how silly that sounds?

 

If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear.

 

edit:  This is also a very slippery slope.  If I buy a movie without a digital copy, does that give me the right to download it off a torrent?  

Edited April 26, 2013 by Hurlshot

[Malcador]

Content 'supplier' still got paid though, so not really that heinous.

[Hurlshort]

Content 'supplier' still got paid though, so not really that heinous.

 

Is heinous a legal term?

 

The content supplier is offering the content under certain conditions.  If you don't like those conditions, then don't buy the product.  Changing the conditions is not justifiable.

[Malcador]

Well for you, he does otherwise. Is a bit odd to purchase three copies to me, or to download it after buying it (why not crack an image of it ?), but eh that's people.

 

Heh, why he wasted his time asking that question, I don't know.

[Amentep]

 

 

I'm looking forward to Dragon's Crown this August.

 

3DS is getting Soul Hackers and MegaTen IV so I'll probably be getting a 3DS haha.  Oh wait, Soul Hackers is supposed to be out now, innit?

 

Yeah, Soul Hackers is out.  I haven't gotten it yet. 

 

Yet.

 

Cool, may have to get a 3DS before too long, Code of Princess and Fire Emblem: Awakenings looked good too.

[mkreku]

 

 

edit:  Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.  

 

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

 

 

You paid for a product (or a product key) and then you chose not to use it.  That doesn't give you the right to then download it illegally.  You don't see how silly that sounds?

 

If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear.

 

edit:  This is also a very slippery slope.  If I buy a movie without a digital copy, does that give me the right to download it off a torrent?  

 

 

No. I chose not to use the media it was delivered on. I bought the game, thus I bought the right to play this game. How I procure the actual code does not matter to me.

 

And why do you keep making ****ty, pointless analogies that don't make sense instead of answering the question? OF COURSE you don't have the right to go and download a movie after you've bought the right to watch the movie once. But if you delete said movie after watching it once.. who cares? You got what you wanted, and the movie theatre probably made more money since you weren't there and they could sell the same seat twice.

 

Now, I ask again. Simple question: I bought the game. What did I steal?

[Hurlshort]

You stole the game.

 

For those that are hung up on specifics, you copyright infringed on the the game.  

 

It may not matter to you how you procure the code, but it does matter to the distributer of the code, and they have not authorized you to do what you are doing.  Do you understand that what you are doing is considered illegal in most countries?

 

It's not like we haven't had enough piracy discussions on these forums.    

[Malcador]

Was expecting more righteous indignation about this.

 

Also reading chatter about Banished, odd how people are disappointed at the lack of combat. Some one said that an external aggressor is 'essential'. It being an option like Caesar isn't all that bad to me. Hm, not sure many of you play city builder games, but any of you think the games needs to have combat at some level to be fun (or the option to anyway) ?

Edited April 26, 2013 by Malcador

[ShadySands]

 

 

The new Lord of the Rings Expansion will allow players to go to Helm's Deep.  I'm pretty happy how quickly this is coming, Turbine is really hitting their stride on content releases.  It also ups the level cap to 95.  I just hit 75, so that is great news for me.  I hate sitting at the cap, that will give me a lot more levels to gain.

 

I'm guessing we wil be in Mordor in just two years.  Pretty epic journey so far.

 

Your updates about this MMO are interesting. I am considering trying this MMO out?

 

 

I highly recommend doing so.  It can be a bit overwhelming to get into, but it has a lot to love.  We have a few people here who play pretty regularly, or used to at least.  It's free to play makes it easy to try out, although subscribing opens up a lot of options too.

 

 

I would also recommend trying it out ... as long as you aren't an OCD completionist it's pretty easy to get into if a bit grindy at times.

 

And it's better than arguing piracy on the internet

[Oerwinde]

Another semantics issue here, I don't know if it is different in the US, but in canada there is no such thing as illegal downloading. Its not illegal to make use of or obtain a copy, its illegal to provide a copy. So the ones downloading are entirely in the clear, its the ones uploading who are committing a crime. Though I think many who use bittorrent don't realize that just because they don't seed, doesn't mean they aren't uploading.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Oerwinde

[mkreku]

No. I bought the game. I have the box to prove it. I did not steal it.

 

Do you see how silly you sound?

 

I did not copyright infringe either. In Sweden it is legal to make a safety copy of the software you own. But, it has never been tested if it is illegal to buy a game and then go to your friend's house and make a safety copy of his legal copy of the game. The copy is legal, the source may not be. Grey area.

 

For me it is a matter of my own moral code: I do not download things I do not own. That is stealing for me. Downloading a game I paid for is no worse than downloading a game from Steam, for me.

[Hurlshort]

You have an unopened box, so I don't see how that proves anything.

 

The thing that really bothers me about your whole stance is how it can be abused.  When you open up that game, you devalue it.  But that is the price you pay in order to play the game.  You are skirting around that.  If someday your unopened collector's edition becomes valuable, you can sell it for a heck of a lot more than you could if it was opened.  That might not be your intention, but I doubt everyone is so pure.

 

I have one unopened game on my shelf, and that is because I received the key via email before the box.  That means the key in there is registered to me.  That is the agreement I made with the distributor.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Hurlshot

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

 

edit:  Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.  

 

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

 

 

You paid for a product (or a product key) and then you chose not to use it.  That doesn't give you the right to then download it illegally.  You don't see how silly that sounds?

 

If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear.

 

edit:  This is also a very slippery slope.  If I buy a movie without a digital copy, does that give me the right to download it off a torrent?  

 

 

That's not a fair assessment. He has paid for the product and therefore gains the right to use it. The way he chooses to do it may be unlawful but no real injustice has been done, as the developers still get awarded for their labor at. the price they set. 

 

Laws exist in the interest of upholding the ideal of justice, not blindly following the actual written word as though its the gospel.

[Blarghagh]

If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear.

 

I'm late to this part of the arguement, but I'm concerned that this makes sense to you because it makes no sense to me. Hypothetical breakdowns:

 

Situation A - Purchased Game: Buying a product, an application, that I can use whenever I want, over and over - I get the same application from somewhere else and I don't do anything with it I did not have the right to do anyway. Therefore, the only problem here is that I used an illegal source for my legal product.

 

Situation B - Movie Ticket: Buying a service, the option to rent a place in a movie theater for the duration of one single showing of the film. I have not purchased a right to see this film whenever I want, over and over. I download the film itself, a reusable product, so I can watch it over and over though I have no right to and have not paid for this product. In this case I have paid only for a service and am therefore in possession of an illegal product from an illegal source.

 

In situation B I possess an illegal product and therefore have committed a crime. In situation A I do not possess an illegal product even if the source offered it illegally. Only the source has committed a crime, I have not.

 

 

 

edit:  Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.  

 

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3).

 

Now tell me: what did I steal?

 

 

You paid for a product (or a product key) and then you chose not to use it.  That doesn't give you the right to then download it illegally.  You don't see how silly that sounds?

 

If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear.

 

edit:  This is also a very slippery slope.  If I buy a movie without a digital copy, does that give me the right to download it off a torrent?  

 

The product key is a different matter, because the product key is a unique product whereas the application is not, meaning an illegally procured product key is an illegal product.

 

As for the movie example, there is no slippery slope. It is legal to procure a copy of a film for personal use, say as a spare copy, in any case the argument holds no water since a DVD is just a container for a digital copy and once again you would not be getting something you don't already own. The source is of no consequence. You would not have the right to download a different version of it, however. For example, say you have a DVD but you download an HD version - that would be a crime. It's more of a steep cliff than a slippery slope. Thus far you have not managed to give an example that is not either completely legal or completely illegal on the part of the downloader.

 

The only variable here that makes for murky legal situations is cracks, but that is again not by default a part of downloading an illegal version of a game. In fact, I've cracked games I legally own for no other reason than they would not work otherwise (I'm looking at you, NWN 2). The slippery slope there is the other way around - if cracks become illegal, being modifications of software, all mods immediately become illegal as well.

 

EDIT: Keep in mind that I am not American and what I understand as my basic consumer rights may differ from yours, as I see some people have already pointed out that in some regions personal copies are legal.

Edited April 26, 2013 by TrueNeutral