Zelda Universe Forums - General Gaming

drawn to life: the next chapter ending.

electricut — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:34:14 GMT

Don't worry, I'm not going to say what it is, but when I saw it, first I said WTF noobs? Then when the credits were over, I only had this to say.

WORST. ENDING. EVER!!!!!

Can someone please explain what the !@#$ just happened, because it's beyond me.

EDIT: Okay, I don't know why the pic isn't working, I've tried three. It's supposed to be the comic book guy from the simpsons.

IBM Kills of CELL Processor Line, Not All Elements of Architecture

Mr. Wonderful — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:01:43 GMT

Source.

Note that despite the disclaimers, this author seems somewhat biased. Nevertheless, the main point of the article still stands.

Quote:

IBM is discontinuing the Cell chip line of products. A successor to the current PowerXCell-8i chip will not be brought to market, the company's Vice President of Deep Computing, David Turek, told the German IT news site Heise.

Turek did note that the Cell design was not dead and would in parts be implemented across IBM's various other chip designs. The future, though, belongs to hybrid designs and heterogenous multiprocessing, Turek said.

The ramifications for a possible successor to the PlayStation3, which contains the Cell chip, could be significant. Its architecture can no longer be Cell-based, which would entail the following: Firstly, backwards compatibility to the PS3 would no longer be possible on a hardware basis. It would have to be emulated, which is always the worse option. And, secondly, Sony could no longer look forward to a relatively cheap research and development budget for the PS4.

Over the past two years, various reports have sprung up that Sony was very much considering a Cell-based chip for the PS4.

The plan to use variants of Cell in future PlayStation iterations was always in place, explains [Impress Watch technology writer Hiroshige Goto], which is why Sony invested so heavily in the chipset. However, while the use of the Cell in the PS4 may seem like Sony just sticking with its original plan, the real reason could be that the company in its current form doesn't have the reserves to create another chipset and build all the requisite development tools above it.

Going with Cell has the benefits of keeping production costs down for the PS4 and also allowing cutting game development costs due to a consistent architecture. Sony would also be able to include a smaller chip size from the start, potentially reducing the system's retail price.

Of course, IBM would not discontinue a chip line if Sony was still interested in it. So we can safely assume that Sony changed its mind. But why? A Cell-based solution would have had many advantages for the company, as noted above. One possible explanation would be that Sony has cancelled its plans for another PlayStation and will be leaving the home console market. Analysts discussed this option years ago.

And while the slimmer version and price cut have helped the console gain some market share, the price cut is costing Sony dearly. The Washington Post reported that Sony is further away from profitability than previously thought.

Sony (...) pushed back its target for an operating profit margin of 5 percent to March 2013. Chief Executive Howard Stringer had originally set the target in 2005 for the financial year to March 2008, but plans for recovery were waylaid by the economic slowdown.

In my mind, withdrawing from the home console market altogether is a real possibility. And IBM discontinuing the Cell chip line may be the first indicator of such a move.

EDIT I welcome all people from NeoGAF to read up on the exclusive stories I broke. I understand that some of you people may be suspicious of this blog's title but I can assure you that I am an impartial games journalist (have been for ten years) and work for a German television show focussing on games and technology.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gofreak

:lol

What a whole lot of reaching.

It's quite possible indeed that PS4 won't be Cell-based but saying it CAN'T be cell based is quite another matter. IBM not producing a 32-spe cell chip as per their previous roadmap says nothing about Sony doing or not doing so.

Continuing from this that Sony could pull out of home hardware altogether, coupled with your blog's url...and...well...

So wow. This is interesting. There goes the cheap PS4, but at the same time, Sony will finally be able to a more Intel-like processor. Honestly, I don't even know what IBM is doing in the processor business anymore these days with PPC devices seemingly dead (so servers? Super computers?).

We'll see how this goes.

ALL YOUR WII GAMES + DS GAMES

Exziron — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:04:27 GMT

NAME all ur wii games + DS games :)

Bad Company 2 Beta Key Giveaway (United States)

Joe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:25:59 GMT

Sorry if there's really no discussion here. I don't mind if this gets locked either; I just want people to have a chance to see this.

If you live in the United States, have a PS3, and want a Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta code instantly, go here:

http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions...bad-company-2/

All you need to have is a free fileplanet account. If you don't have one already, you can still register and get a code.

The beta starts sometime today in the US. I believe it has already started in other regions. The codes aren't redeemable until the beta begins.

Advance Wars

Tonchiki — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:09:07 GMT

You know what, everybody always talks about Fire Emblem here, but Advance Wars topics only crop up every once in a while.

So, anybody else love these games? I have the trilogy (but have yet to play the fourth game, Days of Ruin), and I love them. Dual Strike is my favorite game in the series-- it has the most/best features, characters, modes, you name it. I think the only thing keeping it from being close to perfect is that it has no online multiplayer support (which Days of Ruin DID add).

But yeah, it's cool that this and Fire Emblem are so alike and yet totally different at the same time. They're both turn-based strategy games on grids, but that's about where the similarities end. Advance Wars is a lot more expendable, since you can rebuild units and you don't spend time leveling them up. One could say that this is even "more" of a strategy game than Fire Emblem due to this.

As for what COs I like using...
I have to say, Sonja is one of my favorites.
She was damn near USELESS in the first two games, but then AWDS comes along, and HOLY ****. She can see better in fog, hides her HP from the other player, and reduces the enemy's terrain defense by one, at her normal state. Her super power lets her see a lot farther, reduces enemy terrain defense by THREE, and makes COUNTERATTACKS STRONGER. What the hell happened-- all of a sudden she's awesome!

The combo of Eagle + Sami is also pretty much unfair. Eagle gets to attack TWICE, then with the tag power you get a THIRD turn, during which you can capture bases in one move. Wow. Sami's another one that became useful in AWDS, too.

Anyway, yeah, talk about Advance Wars.

No More Heroes coming to 360/PS3

JoGoron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:19:19 GMT

http://wiieveryday.blogspot.com/2009...-20091119.html

Wow.

NMH is one of my favourite games of all time, and it's a bit weird to imagine it working on any other console.

Not sure if I'm gonna get this, since I already own the original. What do you guys think?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Edition

Exziron — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:02:01 GMT

What is the difference between Reflex edition and the orignal one?
and should I get it?

I own a wii and don't think I'll get a 360 or a PS3 anytime soon, I've seen gameplay and graphics look pretty good for wii. Whats your opinion? but no X-box or Sony fanboy-flamming!

:mastahsword:

Any WoW Mage Players Here?

ATRUEZELDAFAN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:37:28 GMT

Hello There!

I was just wondering if there were any experienced World of Warcraft Mages here at the ZU forums. I kinda need help and since everyone is so nice here i figured it wouldnt hurt to try. SO if so and you dont mind helping out a fellow mage, Let me know!

Assassin's Creed Complete videos walkthrough & wallpapers

Bookaroo — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:05:53 GMT

Yeah !!! A sequel to Assassin's Creed !!! Very great idea from Ubisoft Montreal. I very liked the first one. I will surely enjoy the second . Ubisoft i trust you !!!!

SOURCE :

THE ASSASSIN'S CREED RESOURCES CENTER

Note: Links removed by staff.

Left 4 Dead 2

Panique — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:24:57 GMT

LET'S HAVE A THREAD.

It's nearly release time! I jumped out of bed and preordered it when I woke up because I was scared of missing out on Bill's hat and 10% off. I can't play it til my laptop is fixed and I have someone give me the files, and I haven't played the demo even so I dunno what any of it's like! :O I'm looking forward to being able to play, though.

Left 4 Dead 2 or Assassins Creed 2?

Aniday — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:33:02 GMT

As some of you may know these two games are coming out tomorrow, and I was wondering which I should get (because I don�t feel like spending over $100 to get both on the same day).

Now I know these are two pretty good games and I�ll probably get the other some other time, whichever one that might be.

I�ve played the first Left 4 Dead, and it was entertaining, but a little short. The Sequel looks much better.

I�ve never played the first Assassins Creed, but I heard a lot of hype about the Sequel on how it�s going to be much better than the first, with the game fixing a lot of whatever was wrong with the first game with a ton of more missions.

So, which one would you get?

whats your #1 goal in halo 3?

goldspartanXD — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:19 GMT

my goal is to get a 50.

Geoff Keighley teasing new Mario game?

Kankki1 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:07:12 GMT

Source: http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory....omment-section

Quote:

Remember when Charles Martinet updated his Twitter to let everyone know that he was recording voice work for a new Mario game that wasn't New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Super Mario Galaxy 2? It looks like GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley might be talking about that very game on his Twitter.

Someone introduces himself as "It's-a-me, Mario!" in a big holiday game, and it's not New Super Mario Bros Wii.

What else could Mr. Keighley be talking about? Is this game going to be revealed on GameTrailers TV? Even more interesting...this is a big holiday title?! Thanks to 8-Bit Jay for the heads up.

More Mario? Man. PAPER MARIO BACK TO OLD TURN BASED BATTLE PLZ PLZ PLZ

Nintendo Power online issues

Exziron — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:52:24 GMT

Does anyone know where I can find them??????

:mastahsword:
:mastahsword:

:mastahsword:

Modern Warfare Reflex (Wii)

Abyss Master — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:53:52 GMT

So yeah, if anyone remembers, there is a Modern Warfare for the Wii now (called Reflex for some reason) that has been developed by Treyarch, the men behind World at War. I voiced my skepticism a while back, and though I'm still convinced that it's a little inferior to the original version(s), I have to say that I'm impressed. It stays very true to the original game, maintaining as much content as possible while giving it its own taste through the addition of motion controls, which are handled Conduit-style with customization.

All in all, it seems to be a decent port with even decent visuals.

GoldenEye 007 or Perfect Dark?

ShockT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:54:37 GMT

I am not really sure which is my favorite, but if I had to pick one, I'd choose GoldenEye 007. I remember staying up past 6:00 AM playing that game with my friends and brother's friends, and I had a blast. Drinking Mountain Dew, eating Doritos, and playing N64, and we played GoldenEye 007 a lot. Good times... :)

So, which is your favorite?

What's Your Favorite Generation of Pok�mon Handheld Games?

ShockT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:47:10 GMT

My favorite generation of the Pok�mon handhelds was the Gold/Silver/Crystal. I remember playing Gold, and I thought that was the best Pok�mon game ever. My brother and I used to trade Pok�mon with our friend Johnathan from his Silver. And I just remember it being a very good game.
So, what are your favorite Pok�mon handhelds?

PS1 vs. N64: Which of the two consoles displayed better graphics?

Joe — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:37:00 GMT

So, there's this reckless debate at another forum concerning the graphics of both the PS1 and N64. The discussion seems irrelevant since both of these consoles have aged well beyond a decade, but nonetheless, I've found myself knee-deep in the subject. The fanboy within me screams "N64!", but after observing some comparison videos, I'm left scratching my head.

First, someone claimed Chrono Cross had superior graphics to Conker's Bad Fur Day. He used these two videos to support his argument. (NOTE: Second video contains profanity)

Clearly, Conker looks far superior to Chrono Cross. The character models and animation are much more detailed and smoother in Conker. Chrono Cross has better textures, but the characters look grainy and rough. (Most PS1 games look grainy)

Then someone brought up Quake II, and provided this comparison video.

The N64 version looks like **** to the PS1 version. Muddy textures, choppy framerate, and the gun isn't even rendered in 3D. It's a damn sprite. Also, this game required the expansion pack on the N64, while the PS1 version ran far better on a regular old PS1.

There were plenty more comparisons as well. Quake II grabbed my attention the most, and now, I'm not so sure which console had better graphics. I'm confused.

I'm not tech-savvy, so I know next to nothing about the specs of each... so if there's someone out there with more knowledge on the subject, your input would be appreciated.

Funniest Thing In GTA IV

The-Rotinaj — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:18:31 GMT

So GTA IV is full of comedic moments, but what do you think are the funniest?

I love the Pisswasser radio advert. It makes me smile everytime I hear it! I want to download it!! :-D

Brutal Legend

p0wnn00b — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:11:37 GMT

Discuss Brutal Legend! I felt this was a really awesome game all-around, especially the soundtrack and scenery.

I also read an article about Tim Schaefer being open to a sequel (http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/200...ld-be-awesome/). At some point I'd really enjoy a sequel, maybe with more metal to headbang to, more breath-taking scenery to see, more references to the metal world and more appearances from famous musicians , in addition to new gameplay features (obviously).

All in all, I'd give the game an 8.75/10. How about you?