... if the idea that IGN ... has problems ... is new to you... well... welcome to the internet, it's probably your first time here (and I don't mean TC. :D)? :)
You have to be a member to see it, someone else provided the list...
DS
Viewiiful Joe Double Trouble 29.95
9.98
Madden 05
Mr Driller
World Champ Poker
GBA
SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom/Nicktoons Dual Pack-19.95
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi 19.95
9.98
Ace Combat Advance
Advance Wars 2
Barbie as Princess & the Pauper
Barbie Horse Adv
Battlebots
BeyBlade Grevolution
Boktai 2
Cartoon Network Bundle-includes Block Party (GBA), Cartoon Network Platinum Edition (GBAV), and GBA SP Headphones
DBZ Buu's Fury
Disney's Magical Quest 3
Donkey Kong Classic NES
Donkey Kong Country 2
Elf
FIFA Soccer 05
Final Fantasy 1&2
FZero GP Legend
GBAV For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll
GBAV Pokemon Beach Blank Out
GBAV Pokemon I Choose You
Golden Sun Lost Age
Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak
Hobbit
Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland
Klonoa 2 Dream Champ Tournament
Mario Pinball
MegaMan Battle Network 4 Blue Moon
MegaMan Battle Network 4 Red Sun
MegaMan Blue
MegaMan White
Metal Slug Adv
Ms Pacman Maze Madness
Pacman Pinball
Racing Gears Advance
Rave Master Special Attack Force
Robots
Rugrats All Grown Up
Shaman King Legacy of Spirits: Soaring Hawk
Shaman King Master of Spirits 2
Shaman King: Master of Spirits
THUG
Tokyo Extreme Racer
Tron 2.0
Wario Ware, Inc.:Mega Microgame$
World Champ Poker
WWE Survivor Series
Yu-Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective
YuGiOh 7 Trials of Glory
PSP
Darkstalkers
Dead 2 Rights
Rengoku
World Soccer Tour
PS1
Crash Bash
Crash Team Racing
NFL Gameday 05
Twisted Metal 4
XBox
NFS Underground 2-19.95
9.98
Amped
Amped 2
Area 51
Bad Boys
Bard's Tale
Blood Rayne 2
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory w/ticket
Close Combat First to Fight
Conflict Vietnam
Conflict: Desert Storm II
Conker
Counter Strike
DOA Ultimate
Doom 3(reg ed)
DragonBall Z Sagas
ESPN MLB
ESPN NBA 2K5
ESPN NFL 2K5
ESPN NHL 2K5
Euro 2004
Fable w/bonus DVD
Fatal Frame 2
FIFA 05
FIFA Street
Fight Night 04
Godzilla Save the Earth
GTA Double Pack(GTA3 and VC)
Gungriffon
Halo 2 LE
Karaoke Revolution(game only)
King of Fighters Maximum Impact Maniax
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
LOTR Return of the King
LOTR Third Age
LOTR Two Towers
Major League BB 2K5
Mech Assault 2 LE
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Mortal Kombat Deception
Mortal Kombat Deception KE
MTV Music Generator 3
NARC
Nascar 05
NBA Live 05
NBA Street vol2
NCAA Football 05
NCAA March Madness 05
NFS 2 HP
NHL 05
Ninja Gaiden
Pariah
Prince of Persia 2
Project Gotham Racing
Project Snowblind
Rainbow Six 3 Black Arrow
Razes Hell
Riddick
Robocop
Rocky Legends
Sid Meir's Pirates
SNK vs Capcom Chaos
Splinter Cell
Strike Force Bowling
SW Clone Wars
Tiger Woods 05
TOCA 2
Top Spin
Trigger Man(up from 4.98)
Trivial Pursuit
Ultra BustAMove X
Unreal Championship 2
World Champ Poker
WWE Wrestlemania XXI
GameCube
9.98
Agent Under Fire
Charlie and Choc Factory w/ticket
DBZ Sagas
Def Jam 2
F-Zero
FIFA Street
Fight Night 2
HP Chamber of Secrets
LOTR Two Towers
Madden 05
Mario Party 4
Mario Party 5
Metroid Prime
MoH Rising Sun
NBA Live 05
NHL 05
Pikmin 2
Pokemon Channel
Resident Evil 4
Sims Bustin Out
Sonic Adventure/DX Combo
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow
SRS Street Racing Syndicate
Starfox Adventures
Super Monkey Ball 1&2 combo
Tiger Woods 05
Viewtiful Joe 2
Virtua Quest
Wario Ware
Zelda Four Swords
PS2
NFS Underground 2 19.95
9.98
Agent Under Fire
Alien Hominid
Ape Escape Pumped and Primed
ATV Offroad Fury 1
Bad Boys
Bard's Tale
Batman Begins w/ticket
Beatdown
Blood Rayne 2
Champions of Norrath
Cold Winter
Crazy Taxi
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme with Free CD(game only)
Dark Cloud 2
DBZ Budokai 3
DBZ Budokai 3 LE
Death by Degrees
Def Jam Vendetta
Delta Force Blackhawk Down
Digital Devil Saga 1
Dynasty Warriors 5
ESPN College Hoops 2K5
ESPN NBA 2K5
Euro 2004
FIFA 05
Fight Club
Ford Racing
Ghost in the Shell
Haunted Mansion
Haunting Ground
Hitman Contracts
Hot Shots Golf 3
HP Chamber of Secrets
Inellivision Lives(up from 4.98)
Jeopardy
Killer 7
Killzone
King of Fighters Maximum Impact Collector's Edition
Life Line
LOTR ROTK
Max Payne
Metal Slug 4&5
Midway Arcade Treasures 2
Mortal Kombat Deception
MX vs ATV Unleashed
MX World Tour
NBA Live 05
NBA Live 05
NCAA Football 05
NCAA March Madness 05
Neo Contra
NHL 05
Outlaw Golf 2
Pinball HOF(up from 4.98)
Predator
Project Snowblind
Psychonauts
Ratchet and Clank
Rise to Honor
Rocky Legends
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX
Romance of the Three Kingdoms X
Rumble Roses
Samurai Western
Shaman King: Power of Spirit
Silent Hill 4
Sims
Socom 1(game only)
SRS Street Racing Syndicate
SSX 3
Star Ocean
Tak and Power of JuJu
Tekken 5
Tenchu FS
The Getaway
THUG 2
Tiger Woods 05
TimeSplitters 2
Transformers
True Crime Streets of LA
Viewtiful Joe 2
Winning Eleven 8
World Champ Poker
World Tour Soccer 06
OMG! There are quite a few really good games in there. I'm going to go look for: Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland, Fable w/ bonus DVD, Mortal Kombat Deception KE, Prince of Persia Warrior Within, Resident Evil 4, and Tekken 5. I doubt all of them will be in stock at the only Toys R Us I know of around me, but I'm hoping there at least a couple.
Quote:But so far, so good. The story makes sense. The lion exchanging his life for Edmund's is the sort of thing Arthurian legends are made of. Parfait knights and heroes in prisoner-of-war camps do it all the time. But what's this? After a long, dark night of the soul and women's weeping, the lion is suddenly alive again. Why? How?, my children used to ask. Well, it is hard to say why. It does not make any more sense in CS Lewis's tale than in the gospels. Ah, Aslan explains, it is the "deep magic", where pure sacrifice alone vanquishes death.
Ignoring the Christian allegory why is Aslan's resurrection any more nonsensical than say Gandalf's in LoTR?
Quote:Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to? Poor child Edmund, to blame for everything, must bear the full weight of a guilt only Christians know how to inflict, with a twisted knife to the heart. Every one of those thorns, the nuns used to tell my mother, is hammered into Jesus's holy head every day that you don't eat your greens or say your prayers when you are told. So the resurrected Aslan gives Edmund a long, life-changing talking-to high up on the rocks out of our earshot. When the poor boy comes back down with the sacred lion's breath upon him he is transformed unrecognisably into a Stepford brother, well and truly purged.
Christ's sacrifice is the foundation of Christianity.
Quote:Why? Because here in Narnia is the perfect Republican, muscular Christianity for America - that warped, distorted neo-fascist strain that thinks might is proof of right. I once heard the famous preacher Norman Vincent Peale in New York expound a sermon that reassured his wealthy congregation that they were made rich by God because they deserved it. The godly will reap earthly reward because God is on the side of the strong. This appears to be CS Lewis's view, too. In the battle at the end of the film, visually a great epic treat, the child crusaders are crowned kings and queens for no particular reason. Intellectually, the poor do not inherit Lewis's earth.
Newsflash lady that part is allegory too! It's supposed to represent the crown one gets in heaven.
So I know a few people here watch the greatest show on TV so I thought it was time for a thread dedicated to Arrested Development. What have you guys thought of season 3 so far? I wasn't the biggest fan of the Rita storyline since it focused too much on Michael and Rita and didn't allow the rest of the family to shine. AD is at it's best when every family member is part of the show. That is why I thought the most recent episode, Making a Stand, was the best of the season. Lucille's makeover was frightening, Michael and GOB had their competition with George Michael and Steve Holt, Maeby had to find her movie monster, George Sr. had his Boy Fights videos and took part in the lesson with J. Walter Weatherman, Tobias and Lindsey had their divorce proceedings with Bob Loblaw (Bob Loblaw's law blog ), and, of course, Buster had his awesome lesson at the end of the episode. That last part with Buster really made the episode for me.
Anyway, what is everybody's favorite episode of AD? I would have to say Good Grief from season 2 would be my favorite, but Afternoon Delight and Key Decisions are pretty good too. I'd also say that GOB is my favorite character, but you can't really go wrong picking a favorite character from Arrested Development.
Well, Nintendo has proven that it's not just about graphics. The DS spanked everything else combined. Perhaps Nintendo can reclaim Japan with the Revolution and DS combined...and don't forget they still have a new Gameboy in development.:)
Quote:AQ Interactive today announced 3 new games for Xbox 360, 2 of them exclusive. The first one is named Cry On, and is developed by Cavia for Mistwalker. Sakaguchi is the game Producer, and Uematsu is doing the music. It's an Action-RPG, exclusive for Xbox 360. First artworks inside.
Quote:Bullet Witch was also announced today. This is an action game developed by Cavia, exclusive for Xbox 360.<SCRIPT>function openimagepopup(param){ lien = "pop_image.html?G=2446&N="+param; PW = window.open(lien,"Image_Popup","toolbar=0,location=0,top=0,left=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=760,height=560");}</SCRIPT>
First off I think we should note why Microsoft chose to launch this holiday season as opposed to waiting. Simply, they wanted a headstart on the competition to avoid what they believed was the reason the original Xbox did not sell as well as PS2. That is, Sony came out first.
Now I know what you're saying, the Dreamcast came out first, and Sony killed it. Well, I don't want to take up that arguement because I don't see any of the underlying problems of Sega during their Dreamcast era (or before for that matter) plaguing Microsoft at this time. Specifically, scarce funds and waning developer support aren't an issue with the Xbox 360. Microsoft has more money than Sony and Nintendo combined, and every developer is on board in one way or another, so let's not go down that road. Besides the superficial comparisons of the similar logo and console color there really is no comparison. I think the jury is still out as to how much of an effect Blu-Ray equipped PS3 will have against the non-HD-movie-ready Xbox 360. I don't care to dust off my crystal ball and I don't trust any of yours so let's just leave it alone.
What does releasing first mean for Microsoft? If Microsoft could establish a solid userbase before the competition ever launched then developers would be more inclined to work on it. Seeing as how the Playstation 3 is guaranteed to be a success, Microsoft needs to get a respectable userbase in order to reel developers in and keep them around. Every developer has said they are on board, and many of them have announced multiple game titles. As of now there are over 200 games in development for the 360, and I'm sure there is more to be announced.
Another reason would be to get off the sinking ship of their first outting, the Xbox. The Xbox was a success in a couple regards: developer support has been continually growing and much of the rivals' third party offerings are available on the Xbox as well. Two is that the Xbox brand image has been on a steadily growing wave of momentum, enough to propel it to the number two position as far as sales go. 22+ million consoles sold is nothing to scoff at, especially seeing as how Xbox was the new kid against two longtime giants. The problem lies with the hardware and that Microsoft, to this day, doesn't make a profit with it. This has mostly to do with Microsoft's hasty decision to jump into the video game arena and launch some 18 months later. There was no time for Microsoft's research and development meaning that MS did not own anything that went into the Xbox. They had to pay royalties for every part and have been paying ever since. Probably needless to say, this is no longer the issue as Microsoft owns just about everything inside the 360 and this will definitely pay off in the long run. Anyway, financial issues aside, Microsoft needed to ride that wave of momentum in to the next generation, with both developers and consumers on board.
You may or may not agree, but that is how I see things.
Now with the 360 leading up to launch...
I don't want to go back as far the first showing of the 360 (the MTV event), E3, or TGS. They're distant memories and the only thing to gather from them is that they managed to generate interest. Good or bad, many people knew the 360 was coming months and months ago. Pre-orders filled up rather quickly at most game retail stores (in the U.S. anyway). It looked like Microsoft would be off to a heady start, and the Microsoft executives seemed overly confident that the launch would be nothing short of a success with plenty of units to go around for their global launch. I suppose you could say it was a success in that there was a solid launch lineup of games and a great demand for Microsoft's new baby, but a very big problem that the supply is nothing short of pathetic compared to other launches.
The Kiosks. I really liked being able to walk into Best Buy and Wal-Mart to play some 360 demos a few weeks before launch, and on a HD TV no less. I gawked at Project Gotham Racing 3, lit up when I saw Kameo, and was almost stunned when I played King Kong. It left a great impression on me, but I couldn't help but wonder where Perfect Dark Zero was, the supposed flagship title.
The Advertising. Color me not impressed. On one hand there were the jump rope and water balloon fight commercials which were great, I loved them, and on the other hand were some Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo, and Project Gotham Racing 3 commercials that I can't even remember as of now. The Dead or Alive 4 commercial is really nice, it's just too bad none of it's gameplay. Microsoft, take some notes from Sony about advertising. Seriously, just ask if you could sit in with them on one of their meetings and jot down whatever comes out of their mouths. This is where Sony and Nintendo walk all over you.
The launch games. I think it's a very solid lineup of games, one of the best I've seen and one of the best reviewed. The problem is that there isn't one game that stands out as the must-have, the all important system seller. I suppose it's okay considering that the PS2 launch didn't have one either, rather they had some 26 games that mostly fell into the good and great category, with SSX, a snowboarding game, getting the best reviews. The supposed flagship title, Perfect Dark Zero, was met with admirable impressions but not one claimed it as a must have.
Was the global launch a good idea? Launching globally in a three week window sounds amazing and would be a first in the video game world, and Microsoft did just that. However, they weren't very well prepared on all fronts.
I believe the U.S. sales numbers for the Xbox 360 in the month of November, between the launch day of the 22nd to the last day, the 30th, were 300,000-400,000. Sold out within in mintues at most major retail stores, leaving some who waited in line with nothing, and worse is that many of the pre-orders didn't get filled. In fact, most didn't get filled until this past week and there are still more people waiting. It's obvious that the 360 is in high demand, a very hot item for the holiday season, clearly Microsoft didn't make a bad decision about jumping into next gen too early as some people said, but was it really that good of an idea to release some units rather than none at all and simply wait? I know Microsoft couldn't just delay the the launch, that would piss off alot of consumers and publishers, plus they would miss the all important holiday season, but will this have an effect on the 360's success? They could have sold ALOT more. Will there be a lasting effect? I say no, it will be forgotten in time and only dragged up on internet forums as a major debacle when the next Xbox launch is underway. No doubt it pissed off some consumers who will just wait for Sony or Nintendo's new console, but I believe that will be a very small group of people.
I'm not sure about the sales numbers in Europe but I predict it sold out as well, and I believe they were alloted the same amount of consoles. Japan is a different story. I think they sold 62,000 360's on launch day (or launch week, I'm not sure), and I believe that Japan got some 250,000 consoles. One problem is that the Japanese just don't care for the American born Xbox and thought similarily for the successor. It's true that there is more Japanese developer support, which has surprised me, but there were no high-profile Japanese made games at launch. I'm not even sure Dead or Alive 4 is out yet, nevermind that other games like Blue Dragon (was on the Famitsu most-wanted list), Lost Odyssey, Every Party, Ninety Nine Nights, Enchant Arm, and others won't be available until sometime in 2006.
Like I said, it's a great idea and it could have been astonishing to have all the peices fall into place for Microsoft. Better luck next time, I suppose.
The faulty hardware. I don't know all the facts, and I'm not sure what the actual failure rate is but I do know that this has been one of the worst launches in the regard of faulty hardware. Overheating, crashing, scratching discs...I'm actually quite surprised that people are still buying them over ebay for multiple times what they're worth just to have it now.
It's not all bad. The Xbox 360 is out and building a fanbase as we speak while the competition is still being developed in a lab somewhere. There are some really great looking games on the not-so-distant horizon. Things can only get better, right? Unless there's some massive recall due to 360's starting fires.;)
I've probably over looked some facet of the launch but I said everything I wanted to. It was handled poorly and I can honestly say that I don't regret not buying one. I hope Microsoft pulls out of this okay and that there is much success with the 360, because I've had quite a bit of fun with my Xbox and I want to see Rare make a ginormous comeback in the coming years. Here's to a brighter tomorrow, Microsoft. Cheers.
), and, of course, Buster had his awesome lesson at the end of the episode. That last part with Buster really made the episode for me.![[Image: 944_0002.jpg]](http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/2446/944_0002.jpg)