Missy

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  2. Original X-Men

    in Versus Archives

    Posted

    Um...how is Cyc's beam going to cut through adamantium vertebrae? :huh:

    He destroyed Logan's hand in AOA, leaving only the claws sheathed in his forearm, so at full blast he should be able to take the man's head off. And if the beam strikes between two adjoining vertebrae (between the metal) it would hit fibrocartilage, which is a tissue and therefore not coated in Adamantium.

  3. Hellboy

    in Comic Book Adaptations

    Posted

    I read the comic the movie is based on. Another reason not to be excited.

    Quite, you! Comic book adaptations always blow. A better read would have been the TPBs.

    Wasn't X2 based on a particular issue? or can I not understand the subtleties of internet sarcasm?

    You misunderstood me. I meant that when movies are translated into comics (not the other way around) they suck.

    And yes, X2 was a loose adaptation of God Loves, Man Kills.

  6. Thinking of getting a tattoo

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    'Til now I've abhorred the idea of marking myself with any kind of tattoo, but then I saw the red brick (Storm Shadow/Snake Eyes) tattoo on CM Punk and thought, How fuckin cool! Since then I've been thinking of getting the same one. What do y'all think? Anyone on here got any comic or video game related ink?

  9. Microsoft announces price cut

    in Microsoft

    Posted

    I just received this press release concerning the price drop.

    Microsoft Announces New Robust North American Xbox Price Move

    Reduced Prices for Console, "Xbox Music Mixer" and Several Software Hits Will Expand Community of Xbox Gamers

    REDMOND, Wash. - March 29, 2004 - The console dubbed the sexiest video game system is becoming even more attractive. Effective March 30, the Microsoft® Xbox® video game system will be available for a handsome $149.99* in the United States and $199.99** in Canada, representing a significant savings of $30 for consumers in both regions. In addition, Microsoft will reduce the price of the Xbox console in Mexico to $1,999*** pesos, which translates to a consumer savings of $500 pesos or roughly $45 (U.S.).

    With a fantastic new price, more than 400 games, an active online community of nearly 750,000 Xbox Live™ subscribers, and DVD and CD playback capabilities, Xbox validates its competitive advantage while adding a whole new breed of Xbox players to its ever-increasing community of gamers from broad and diverse backgrounds, including many of the world's most well-known celebrities. 

    "I love playing Xbox games and believe that the system's cultural influence as a social entertainment brand has only just begun," said P. Diddy, musician and Xbox fan.

    New Prices on Great Games for Everyone

    Microsoft goes one step further in broadening the appeal of Xbox today by lowering the price of several popular software hits. "Xbox Music Mixer," a pioneering product that broadens the system's audience with stellar karaoke features, an interactive media player and PC-to-Xbox connectivity functionality, taking the console video game experience beyond gaming, will be available for $19.99* effective March 30. In addition, "Project Gotham Racing® 2," "Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™" and "Counter Strike" will be available starting tomorrow for $29.99,* while "Voodoo Vince™" and "Grabbed by the Ghoulies" are available today for $19.99.*

    "We have always been committed to providing gamers with the best entertainment experience available," said Mitch Koch, corporate vice president of Microsoft worldwide retail sales. "At this lower mass market price point, we're opening up this great system to an even broader audience of people who can experience Xbox for the first time."

    Not to be outdone, Microsoft's Platinum Hits program has added branches to its family tree with the launch of Platinum Family Hits earlier this month. The Platinum Family Hits program, the first of its kind in the video game industry, offers the most proven and critically acclaimed Xbox titles that are targeted toward a more family-oriented audience. The inaugural titles, available for $19.99,* include "Finding Nemo" (THQ Inc.), based on the Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (Electronic Arts Inc.). Several qualifying E-rated titles will be added to the Platinum Family Hits product line each calendar year.

    Now at its new price, Xbox is setting the stage to continue its trend of being the only video game system to experience console unit growth in 2004 in the United States. In February, according to recently released data from NPD Funworld,**** Xbox console sales grew 2 percent year over year, while Playstation 2 declined 29 percent and GameCube declined 18 percent.

    [Microsoft company info edited out]

    #########

    * Estimated retail prices; actual retail prices may vary.

    ** Canadian estimated retail price. Actual retail prices may vary.

    ***Mexican estimated retail price. Actual retail prices may vary.

    **** The NPD Group/NPD Funworld (February 2004)

  10. Original X-Men

    in Versus Archives

    Posted

    Cyclops, my friends.

    Just too bad Wolverine wasn't around this early... He'd have kicked Cyclops' ass.

    Don't be so sure. Remember that the AOA Wolverine only had one hand because Cyclops blew it off. One powerful shot at Logan's neck, and off comes his head -- and good ol' Logan ain't growin that back.

  14. Video Game Industry Faces 'Crisis of Creativity'

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Video Game Industry Faces 'Crisis of Creativity'

    By Reed Stevenson and Ben Berkowitz

    SAN JOSE, Calif. - The video game industry is facing a hardening of the creative arteries as aging gamers' tastes increasingly shift toward sequels and games based on movies, industry participants said this week.

    With more and more titles chasing the success of their predecessors and content owners digging deep into their libraries to tap older material for quick fail-proof conversion into games, the industry is faced with a question more serious than rhetorical: What's new?

    "The gaming industry will shrink unless we start to see new games," said Toru Iwatani, who created Pac-Man, one of the first video games to become a worldwide hit.

    One of the industry's first huge hits, published by Namco Ltd. in 1980, Pac-Man crossed gender lines and became a huge hit with women.

    At the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California, a gathering of industry insiders where the talk is more about how games are made than how they are sold, the dearth of new titles and the increasing cost of developing games was a common theme at keynotes and panel discussions.

    The high up-front costs of developing games is also pressuring developers to rely more on sure-fire hits and take less risks on new, innovative titles.

    Electronic Arts Inc., the gaming industry's largest publisher, has perfected the art of getting gamers hooked on yearly releases of sports games and turning out versions of movie hits such as "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup."

    EA's U.S. market share in 2004 is more than twice that of its closest competitor, and the company generates more revenue in the December quarter than its closest competitor does in an entire fiscal year, driven in large part by those repeat sports and film titles.

    CONSERVATIVE GAMERS?

    Out of the top 100 games sold in Japan during 2001, 10 were original titles, but that number was halved in 2002 and fell to merely two in 2003.

    "The ratio of original titles to sequels is dropping dramatically," said Ryoichi Hasegawa, an industry veteran who was at Sega Corp. before joining Sony Corp.'s gaming business.

    Things are little better in the United States, where last December, according to the NPD Group, more than half of the 20 best-selling games on all platforms were sequels or derivatives of existing properties.

    Part of the problem is the advancing average age of gamers, which is rising as the industry matures.

    Last summer, the Entertainment Software Association, an industry trade group, found that the average age of gamers had risen to 29 years old, dispelling the view that gamers consist mainly of teenagers.

    "Core gamers are advancing in age and they are becoming more conservative," Hasegawa told a panel.

    Sony , which dominates the global console market, is planning for its PlayStation 2 console to have a lifespan of at least a decade, and its executives acknowledge that with such a long cycle, its user base will naturally age and have different tastes.

    "We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," Andrew House, an executive vice president with Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said in a keynote address at the conference.

    But it is not just EA chasing after proven material. Upcoming titles such as "Halo 2," "Half-Life 2," "Doom III" and "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" are all expected to top sales charts this year, in large part because the games that preceded them were so successful.

    And licenses for films and TV shows are being snapped up left and right by publishers counting on consumers to opt for something familiar when trying to decide how to spend their $30 to $50 per game in discretionary income.

    Just this year, EA has licensed "The Godfather" and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. has set up an ongoing licensing deal with the Cartoon Network.

    Ubi Soft announced on Thursday that it had licensed the early 1980s TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard."

    Despite the proliferation of sequels and licensed games, Pac-man creator Iwatani said that he had seen this happen before during his 20 year-career, and that new and revolutionary new games appear in a two- to three-year cycle.

    "It's difficult right now but I expect to see a recovery in a couple years," Iwatani said.

    (source)

  22. Original X-Men

    in Versus Archives

    Posted

    Cyclops -- Scott may have been young, but he had a grasp on his power -- already having the ability to shorten and widen out the beam depending on the task at hand or number of enemies. He's the definition of calm, cool and collected, and though he would never want to hurt his friends, he wouldn't hold back in the pursuit of bettering himself and his teammates. Should he remove the visor completely, which he rarely does, the blast would be powerful enough to disintegrate body parts and walls.

    Marvel Girl -- Jean's telekinetic powers were still untapped at the time. She could lift smaller objects (i.e. books, knives) and push/pull others (i.e. doors, Xavier), but that's about it. If possessed, someone could force/use her to fling hundreds of metal shards or knives at her teammates -- but this isn't the case.

    Beast -- Agile and smart, but back then (still?) he abhorred violence -- even in training exercises. Hank did fight when it was for a cause (RE: Xavier's dream), but for the most part he jumps around a lot. That might make him somewhat evasive, but not so much when his teammates have optic blasts, TK, ice powers, and wings.

    Angel -- Warren's wings make him as agile as Beast, if not more so, but what can he really do when it comes to fighting? Once in a while he was able to create small wind gusts with his wings, knocking opponents off their feet -- but that's not going to win a fight. Tack on his metal wings and his chances rise, but his natural feather wings can too easily be harmed by fire or projectiles.

    Iceman -- Back then Bobby didn't do much more than turn into a snowman, throw ice/snowballs, and cover people in frost. He had a few tricks up his frozen sleeves, but not enough to win.

    Winner: Cyclops

  23. Most underrated character

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Personally, I've always had a thing for The Taskmaster.

    YES YES YES! If ever I had the opportunity to write a Taskmaster mini or ongoing, I would jump on it faster than anything else. His power is so fucking mind blowing, and his ability to narrowly escape could provide for some tense moments.

    As for my vote, I'm torn between Jason Todd and Ben Reilly. This needs more thought.