Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: E3 edition

by Ross Miller { May 13th 2006 at 8:30AM }

After the marathon week of posting, it feels like a millenium or two since we've checked on web comics. Most of the selection this week is about E3 -- and why not? It's the biggest convention for gamers this side of the Pacific. Take a breather while we take a break from 15-minutes post intervals, check out our picks for best game-related webcomic this week and be sure to vote for your favorite:

Tags: comic, e32006, webcomic

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

GUIGUI @ May 13th 2006 8:49AM

Strange, you never propose http://www.godmodeonline.com/ comics. Some of them are realyfunny, aren't they?

Exo @ May 13th 2006 9:29AM

god mode sucks, not funny, and the person making it has now drawing skill at all.

Spiffae @ May 13th 2006 9:33AM

What about penny-arcade?

They are there and have posted an excellent comic:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic

Terry @ May 13th 2006 10:11AM

Is there a "none of the above"? I didn't chuckle once on any of those. I guess I should cut them all some slack, as I'm suprised anyone was able to pull themselves away from E3 long enough to make ANY sort of comic, let alone a funny one.

minus_273 @ May 13th 2006 10:12AM

ha,. i dont find CAD funny most of the time but this one nailed it.

Brian rettie @ May 13th 2006 10:12AM

gucomics got my vote haha

Bob @ May 13th 2006 11:07AM

There needs to be a away to vote for everyone except press start to play, because as usual that one was terrible, but the rest were alright.

Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ May 13th 2006 11:17AM

I thought CAD was pretty good. Guess all of the Sony fanboys will hop on here and start screaming about how joystiq is "bias".

Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ May 13th 2006 11:18AM

By the way, what the hell was press start to play all about? I didn't get that at all.

SLy @ May 13th 2006 11:43AM

Yes, Sony! pii on us.

in5ane @ May 13th 2006 11:57AM

Does Joystiq not include Penny Arcade to give other comics a chance? ;)

Maxx @ May 13th 2006 12:14PM

Well I cant figure out how to send in a story but I wish that someone would talk about another Verizon fiasko of a point giveaway...... It is all over the LIVE boards and people are pissed.

Marc @ May 13th 2006 12:17PM

SONY OWNS YOU!!!

Ha, good one.

Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ May 13th 2006 12:21PM

Wtf. The sony owns you one was lame. Sony is Sega. Time of Death: 11/17/06

Platinum_Skeet @ May 13th 2006 12:22PM

Not Impressed

Press start and play is about capture the flag matches in Halo/Halo 2. It'll seem like no ones in the base because everyones crouching and then right when you touch it bullets and grenades fly in from all directions...

Kris Aubuchon @ May 13th 2006 12:35PM

Yeaaaah... Dueling analogs is never really funny. I say that gets striked from the list.

Marc @ May 13th 2006 12:37PM

Not Impressed (Dmitri),

I HATE sony, but to me it was still funny.

Kris Aubuchon @ May 13th 2006 12:38PM

Thanks for making an apperance here Captain obvious, but don't try to hide under the name Platinum_Skeet, we know it's you.

Not Impressed (Dmitri) @ May 13th 2006 12:54PM

Ye I know all about CTF Skeet... Or obvious... Whoever you are. I just didn't see the humor in the comic. CTF has been around for so long, why didn't they just do an E3 comic or something?

Fan @ May 13th 2006 1:23PM

OMG yse I HAET Sony too! WTFLOL Sony Pee OMG so funney SOny sux OMg! 600$ for a console WTF rip off omg.

LOL

I hope you all have fun ripping on a company. I WISH the Ps3 would cost 600$ here at launch. Thats about 60$ less than the Ps2 cost at launch. Americans must really be poor to be whining this much.

Anyway. Just watch as the Ps3 wins the console wars again please. Wii is underpowered the xbox is gimped. The Ps3 has the best hardware and that will justify the price in my and the general consumers eyes. People buy SUNGLASSES that cost about half of the price of the Ps3.

Also to get the 360 up to the specs of the Ps3 it will cost more. Buy the 360s hd-dvd, HDD, Wi-Fi, Live subscription and it will be more expensive than the premium Ps3. Not only more expensive but not as powerfull, external hd-dvd thats placed ONTOP of the console(fugly), smaller HDD, no motion sensoring, basically less for your money.

I know all you people here that are bashing Sony because its so much fun are out of touch with the market. Just come back here in 4 years and Sony will have shipped another 100 million while the 360 is stuck in a rut and the Wii has its nitche market.

Sony does own the console market and will continue to do so until someone delivers something that will rival the Playstation.

Kwipper @ May 13th 2006 1:40PM

This message is to #20

First of all.

1.) The system is too expensive except for those who are in the upper-middle (or higher) class of society, who can both afford to live and shell out the cash on this thing. That pretty much cuts out about 50% or more of your fanbase right there.

2.) The controller (while thankfully remaining mostly unchanged) is hardly going to benefit from the GIMMICKY tilt sensitivity thing inside it. We also know that the devs at Sony only put it in there out of fear from the Wii's competition. We also know you removed the rumble feature because of that lawsuit Sony had with Immersion. Don't even try telling me that the rumble feature interfered with the controller, cause that's bullshit.

3.) At 500 and 600 price tags for the PS3, one would think that the launch games would be worth the price tag. Well from what I have observed from what Sony was showing at E3, the launch titles did not even come CLOSE to justifying the price point.

4.) The Sony PS3 could have been made more affordable of they didn't try to turn the damn console into an all-in-one machine. Sony should make a PS3 that has only has USB ports and built in ethernet connector (like on the slim PS2 models) and just allow people to buy addons if they want to trick out their PS3.

Fan @ May 13th 2006 1:58PM

@ 21

I disagree. The Ps3 is not too expensive. Maybe the economic state of the US is FUBAR but 600$ for a console with a HDD, Wi-Fi, cell, RSX, bluetooth, browser, voip, video voip, free online, Blu-ray, all sorts of slots for memory cards, hdmi, music-movie-games store is NOT expensive! FFS do some research into hardware and figure out the numbers for yourself.

And WTF cares if the controller is gimmicky? As long as it WORKS. And from the comments ive read from the people who have TESTED it on warhawk it feels good!

I know your just bashing Sony because you so desperatly want to! Its stupid so stop it!

Anyway. I saw 3 titles that are must have on the Ps3. GTA4, MGS4 and ASSASINS CREED. The latter will own you all.

Kwipper @ May 13th 2006 2:26PM

Whoopsie! I made a mistake. My post at #22 is directed at #21

Fan @ May 13th 2006 2:34PM

@ kwipper

No it was not a mistake, same thing happened to me. Its weblogs.inc's way of telling us they wish they had propper forum software ;)

It happens when people delay clicking the link in the mail they got.

ladySeven @ May 13th 2006 3:07PM

@ 12:
Penny Arcade was the victor of last week's webcomic roundup on Joystiq...

@ Everyone bickering about the PS3:
$600 is in fact a good chunk of change, buuuuuut considering the amount they packed into that (very oversized) case it's almost worth it. Besides, just like every other system, it'll get cheaper by the following gift-giving holiday. So make sure you have a rich friend and a savings account. he puts six hundred in sony, you put six hundred in the bank; come christmas 2k7 eeeeveryone's happy. The Wii isn't underpowered btw, we're just used to the abuse the PS2 takes to play such awesome games.

Kwipper @ May 13th 2006 3:14PM

In response to #23

"disagree. The Ps3 is not too expensive. Maybe the economic state of the US is FUBAR but 600$ for a console with a HDD, Wi-Fi, cell, RSX, bluetooth, browser, voip, video voip, free online, Blu-ray, all sorts of slots for memory cards, hdmi, music-movie-games store is NOT expensive! FFS do some research into hardware and figure out the numbers for yourself." - Fan

Yes, but how many of these features are necessary for playing games on the console, which is all we gamers want to do. Play games! Everything outside of gaming should be an optional feature to the customer. Here is my list of things that is needed for gaming, or optional

RSX & Cell: Well these things are necessary for gaming because without them, we wouldn't have the nice shiny graphics we are seeing on the PS3. However, I am hearing lots of rumors that developers are having a hard time programming for it. However again, they said the same thing about the PS2 and look where it's at now.

VOIP & Video VOIP: I can see the use of these things for online gaming and mabye even some gameplay gimmicks as well such as the PS3 version if EyeToy and the PS3 headset.

Free Online Service: I like the idea of having a free online service that is like XBOX Live. However if it's free, then why is it being included with the price of the PS3. That's NOT free.

BLU-RAY: I think the only reason why Sony chose this as opposed to the regular DVD format (like the XBOX 360) for their games is because they can store 25 GB (single layer) and 50 GB (double layer) of data on one disc and so that the games won't be pirated as easily. However we pretty much knows what happens when it comes to software piracy.

However if this technology is only going to be used for movies and not for gaming, then I am going to say that this should be an optional feature because with HD-DVD as competition, we don't know which format will come out on top as of yet.

Hard Drive: This could be necessary for gaming if the hard drive is specifically used towards gaming. Streaming data off of the hard drive is faster than using optical media. (but I am unsure if this is still the case with BLU-RAY or not.) My only question is would this mean you would have to go through the lengthy process of copying data from the optical media drive onto the hard drive upon first playing the game? It kinda ruins the whole first initial impression of pick up and play. Of course, when the game is loaded onto the hard drive, you can have pick-up and play then.

However, if Sony pulls the same stunt like they did with the PS2 Hard Drive, then this feature should clearly be in the Optional for Gaming category. If I am going to have a 60 GB hard drive or even a 20 GB hard drive, it better be put to good use that makes it worth spending the money for... and no... using it for just saving your game saves and configuration data DOES NOT COUNT! (looks at the original XBOX)

Music-Movies-Games store: It would be nice if they had a service where you can play old classic games on the PS3 and this would completment the use of the hard drive as well. However, the whole buying music and movies feature because they don't really complement gaming as much.

These are features that should be optional to the consumer to buy as an add-on to the PS3.

WiFi & Bluetooth: This should be an optional add-on feature. Not everybody uses wireless internet or has a wireless internet router. There is also the issue of increased lag and interference when playing games over a wireless internet connection. Personally I'd rather hook my ethernet cable to the back of the PS2 and play it that way.

Memory Stick/SD/CompactFlash: This should be an optional add-on feature. Why in the hell would we need these slots built into the console? They don't contribute to gaming at all. Besides, you can transfer data just as easily through a USB 2.0 connection or even through the ethernet cable.

Internet Browser: Clearly should be an optional add-on feature! Why do you need an internet browser built into a console. That is what a computer is for! The Sony PSP or Nitnendo DS could get away with this far more than the a console because of the fact that it's portable and it's wireless.

HDMI: This should be an optional add-on feature. Not everyone can afford those expensive high definition displays and there are those who simply don't want an HD display for a variety of reasons.

Kwipper @ May 13th 2006 3:18PM

.... *get pwned by the tag posting system, thereby ruining his own post.*

lionzub @ May 13th 2006 7:06PM

Dueling Analogs has got to be the most unoriginal and horribly unfunny webcomic out there. I went through the archives one day and the only ones I laughed at were rip-off comics of VGCats and Penny-Arcade.

peptidefarmer @ May 13th 2006 9:49PM

It pains me to admit it, but I voted for CAD. In related news, forecasts predict sleet within the seven circles of hell, with a 90% chance of porcine aviation.

Fan @ May 13th 2006 10:46PM

@ kwipper

Well i guess we want different things from a console. While you think "why should the console include a browser?" I think "Why should not a console include a browser?". Its easy to implement and it has alsmost no cost.

I really like the fact that the Ps3 is pushing good technology as a standard, wich is also why i was rather bummed by the inclusion of a second SKU.

To me a console is a livingroom computer and it should have features beyond that of gaming. Of course I will mainly use it for gaming but DivX support and a browser is just more icing on the cake. Not to mention keyboad and mouse support(hello FPS gaming). All of this is a reason for me to invest in a nice HD-TV.

Personally im first and foremost a PC gamer. But im really looking forward to having the PC experice from a setup at half the price from my couch. The PC is sadly so much more anti social.

Platinum_Skeet @ May 14th 2006 2:01AM

Kwipper

You know HDMI is *required* by the Blu-Ray copyright protection. If you don't have it Blu-Ray discs show up in normal resolution bassicly making them useless.

The customers that buy the core won't be seeing Blu-Ray discs in HD. Unless studio's decide not to enforce the copyright protection (which is highly unlikely)...

Platinum_Skeet @ May 14th 2006 2:06AM

Fan

I don't think consoles should have internet. All it does is open up the same problems the PC's are currently having with the internet and creates threats to the online gaming servers.

A guys playing his PS3 and a internet worm comes out and infects his PS3. He goes online to play Socom and then infects the servers hosting the games and everything connected.

Fan @ May 14th 2006 8:43AM

Hi platimum skeet.

You obviously have no idea what youre talking about.

Hdmi is not required by blu-ray. Hdmi does hovever support something called HDCP,high definition copy protection. This is a feature of hdmi and not blu-ray.

Further, if movie studios decide to make hdcp mandatory the scenario you describe will be true. But most movie studios have decided against making hdcp mandatory, Sony was one of the first. Mostly because many hd-tvs do not include hdmi and this would upset alot of custmoers and slow the adoption of hd.

So please platinum, huge multimillion dollar companies are not stupid and they would not lock out millions of early adopters. Read up on stuff before making ignorant comments.

To make your virus/worm scenario true worms would have to be specifically written for the cell processor. This is of course doable but a console OS is still significally different from Windows and much more secure.