The good, the bad, and the stupid

Been reading websites today, and I came across a few things that got me thinking.

First I'll start off with something I'm looking forward to: the upcoming DLC for Fat Princess.

This game is probably the best 15 dollars I have spent on anything for any online service. The game is simple, stupid, and fun. It doesn't take itself seriously, so there is no reason for anyone to. The new DLC adds 3 new classes to the game: the ninja, the pirate, and the giant.

The ninjas and pirate aren't much different than anything else in the game. The ninjas has shurikens it can use, and the pirate gets guns. The giant I'm not sure what they can do, but I read they can do instant kills. I'm never a fan of anything that has that kind of power, but I always wait to see how something plays out before I deem it bad or good. Check out joystiq.com for more info.


Next up is the new XBOX 360 slim. 5 years later Microsoft is starting to catch on to what should be normal. This new model adds built in wifi, it has a better (supposedly more stable) processor, and its smaller, and its still just 200 bucks.

If you get it without a hard drive. The hard drive version is 300 bucks.

Now, I get why Microsoft wants to keep the 199 price point viable. they want to be able to compete with the Wii. Get off it. Have 1 version, make the price 300 dollars if you want, or just sell the bitch for 250, because there is no justification having it be 300 dollars when its still a worse buy than a PS3.

And let me dump this in now: I'm not a PS fanboi. I prefer Playstation 3 for a number of reason that anyone who is not retarded will see as valid arguing points. The Playstation 3 has built in wifi in every console version; All controllers are wireless with built-in batteries; all online content is free to use; and the system has a bluray player, which is good for a huge number of reasons. But that doesn't mean I dont find it completely fucking retarded that finding a PS3 game that runs in 1080P is a god damn miracle.

So, its good to see that Microsoft is finally taking some steps in coming into the next generation. I mean, really, still using DVD based media discs? What is this? An over priced Wii?

The system has made a lot of steps forward, I'll give it that. HDMI is finally standard, it now has built in wifi, and they finally cleared up all the stupid RRoD and E74 problems (maybe. fingers crossed). However, that 50 bucks a year for multiplayer is still a killer in my opinion. Granted, its much cheaper than a lot of the other online services for games out there, I just see it as unnecessary considering its direct contemporary.

Lastly I want to talk about net neutrality and the ever continuing debate that seems to be going on with it. For those that aren't up to speed on what net neutrality is, its basically a huge argument raging with the nation's top internet providers saying they should have the ability to control what their subscribers have access to (content and services, mainly), how much access they can have based on what they pay (in terms of gigabytes of data), and at what speeds they can access the services. The counterpoint of this is that everyone else wants to have free access to whatever they want to see.

I support the free access, as should everyone. The reason for this is because the main reason they want the control they are looking for is because they want to cut down on pirating. It makes sense, considering the major companies that are raging this debate are also the same companies that are "losing money" from pirating music and movies and whatnots. However, the whole business about pirating is, and always has been, blown vastly out of proportion. The companies aren't hurting for money, that's for damn sure, but at the same time, I completely see their cause as justified.

They need to realize though that pirating generally starts with people directly related to the production of the pirated media. Pirated movies are generally DVD rips from press screening DVDs, mailed out to various media outlets weeks before films see theatrical releases so that there can be buzz about the film already out to help boost opening weekend draws. Music is almost always a case of "someone hacking the database that the music was stored on." Wrong. The dude in the mail room making 8 dollars an hour burned that shit one night and put it on the internet. He doesn't care. The company he works for doesn't care about him, so why should he? After both of those things happen, yeah, sure, it spreads like wildfire. But it can almost never begin without the 2 prior situations being true.

So, fight for net neutrality, because if you don't, everyone is going to be paying 300 dollars a month for internet access so they can get drunk and watch youtube all night. Net neutrality is a good thing, and internet access does not need to be restricted.