Podcast for 09.29.08 | Poetry Slam

Thank you, thank you, Lior is doing fine.

I'll be expecting that Christmas invitation from you Christopher.

And if it doesnt come...

*Shakes fist in the air*

!

I don't have an HD TV and I have only the tiny speakers on it. I tend to get very annoyed with games, for example Lost Odyssey, that seem to require you to have a widescreen HD tv to play properly. I'm constantly squinting to read text which is not only small but already black bar-ed to the point of madness.

My problem with this drive to high defenition frenzy is not only the huge waste that would be created by people throwing away (and lets face it the majority of people don't care enough to recycle consumer electronics) old working screens, but also the fact that it can't be very hard to deal with two ratios. Infact lots of games do let you play either in 4:3 or 16:9, it doesnt seem so much of a hardship to continue with this especially when PC game makers have to account for a huge number of possible resolutions.

HD or not, LCD TVs are much easier on the eyes and therefor make extended gaming more comforable. It's not going to make or break a game, but it will improve the experience overall.

Also, that dude had a pretty high-end TV to begin with, so I don't think it's a fair assessment of HD vs SD gaming. Most people have crappy $100 TVs from the early 1990s.

Love the automobile/pedal comment.

Also, "You can't kick Warcraft" could totally be interpreted another way.

Since you were talking MMO I figured I'd share my experience. Currently, I'm still playing FFXI. I have since the PS2 beta. The game requires a lot of time and dedication. Over the years I've seen so many transitions in this community that it's a really interesting thing to observe. It's hard to thin about quitting at some point. I'd say the hardest part of the game is finding a tightly knit group to be part of, naturally when these members leave or quit it can take its toll. Right now I've eased off my playtime a bit. I actually have been investing a bit of time playing Warhammer online, discovering this new world with some people I've met in FFXI. It's pretty fun. Don't know if I'll continue after this one free month.

Wow, you guys need some more Halo fanatics here... Halo is the best game ever made.

Although I do agree with Ross, I like Halo but I wouldn't play a Halo MMO. It's just...

wierd.

I don't even play MMO's.

Halo is the only game I ever fell asleep playing.

Sitnalta's comment is the only comment I've ever fell asleep while reading.

No secret ending? Shame.

You know what had a secret ending?

That's right.... Halo. /nod
Have any of you ever visited halolz.com?

Sorry Lior, but Halo has got to be one of my least favorite games. I used to play shooters like Counter Strike (well, it was a mod but still!) and Rainbow Six. I even played Tribes for a bit and still can't get down with Halo. Halo basically is Tribes in some ways. Maybe it has more to do with the amount of fucktards (besides you and Ross, of course :P) that are playing the game. A shooter is a shooter though, what makes Halo so different for you?

I can't really explain it, but I've been playing Halo 3 non-stop everyday since September 25th, 2007.

It's wierd, I purchased Assassins Creed, Spider-Man 3, Call of Duty 4, but I keep coming back to Halo 3 every time.

I guess I could just be a huge fan-boy, but I think Halo is one of the best shooters ever made and I have so much fun playing it.

I love the fact that if I completely destroy a person in a match, I can watch the film, save it and send it to him. As well as take pictures. It's surprisingly hard to explain, but I enjoy seeing myself improving my game. It also could be that 3/4ths of my friends list play Halo 3.

re: MMOs

I still have screenshots from the Ultima Online shard I played 10 years ago and even met some related people from THE INTERNET back in 2000 when it was still creepy.

But being part of an online community, in this case an MMO, did directly lead to some meatspace friendships. Which is a weird way to classify whether or not a game was a positive experience. Huh.

For the larger mediums like FFXI or WoW I'd have to say it is all about moderation as it's far too easy for it to turn in to something that is more of a time sink than source of enjoyment. Games should be fun, not work.

re HD:

My first experience with a console since the gamecube was Braid on a 58" 1080p plasma via HDMI with surround sound.

Braid is tremendous but I think it's safe to say the experience as a whole was sweetened by the presentation.

Harriet.
*Snaps Fingers*
Sweet Harriet.

"It's wierd, I purchased Assassins Creed, Spider-Man 3, Call of Duty 4, but I keep coming back to Halo 3 every time."

Well, sheeze, Halo is a fucking magnum opus compared to those games.

I kinda see what you're getting at. Though I should say that 100% of the Halo fanboys I've ever met meet one of the following conditions:

@Bender

YES! Hahahahaha. Everytime I think of that poem, or reference it, it's pretty much THAT line alone.

AROOO!

@Sitnalta

I just feel badly for those poor, sorry fools.