Marlor

@jabbertrack:

"Times Table" is pretty much the standard terminology here in Australia, and probably in Britain too. But then we call it "maths", rather than "math", so we're a bit strange.

"Are you guys serious? Microsoft has integrated X-box live with Windows Vista. This is something that only they can do and that will change the industry FAR MORE than any remote controller will."

Meh. This doesn't interest me one bit. I have been Windows-free for years now, and the thought of integration does nothing to make the 360 more attractive.

I might get a 360, but it will be about the games and the price-point, and not about being able to plug it into a PC. The idea that one day you might need Vista to get the most out of your 360 is a real turn-off.

I will be getting a Nintendo as a "second console", and was considering getting a PS3 as my main console. But while the 360's failure in Japan and Vista integration is a real worry, the PS3 just doesn't look like a viable option right now.

Mario is a mascot. There are very few "true" Mario games. The last one was Sunshine, and the last sidescroller was Yoshi's Island.

The rest of the Mario games are totally independent games that just happen to have the Mario characters in them, and why shouldn't they? I enjoy Mario Kart more because it has familiar characters. I would enjoy it less if it was "unrecognizable new character kart". The same applies to Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, etc. It is *fun* to play these games with familiar characters, and they are hardly just "another Mario game".

I can play Mario Golf with my cousins and they say "cool, I want to be Peach" or "I've got Luigi". The characters are icebreakers, and help to get people into the games, which share no similarities with the platformers.

Titanfan694: Nintendo have been doing interesting, exciting things lately, so they deserve the attention. But if their big announcement at E3 turns out to be lame, or if the Rev ends up a disappointment, then you can be sure that the gaming community will absolutely hammer them.

benjamin: The 360 has been outselling the Cube for the past two or three weeks. I can't say whether Cube sales are dropping off or 360 sales are picking up, but either way, neither console is doing too well, although you would have to expect that with the Cube since it hasn't really had any major releases since Paper Mario.

I'd just like to reiterate what a lot of other Aussie posters have said. Australian gamers are pretty much like those in the rest of the western world, there is no real difference. The only reason these numbers look small is because our population is smaller than that of most US states, and because the numbers are only for 4 days.

I'm living in Europe at the moment, and I can say that games are more expensive here than in Australia, and arrive later. I've been wanting to buy a few Nintendo DS games for a while, and thought "I'll wait until I get to Europe, since things will be cheaper there" (believing the "everything costs more in Australia" myth). Most DS games are around AU$60 at my local store in Australia, but here they are 40-45 Euros (about AU$68-$76). I picked up a lot of Gamecube games on sale for AU$30 before I left Australia, but here in the Netherlands, you are lucky to find the same games for under AU$80. Also, there are a lot more gaming stores in Australia than here in the Netherlands, so I guess that busts any myth about Australians being non-gamers.

In Australia, the average gamer loves their Rugby League games, over here in Europe they love their FIFA games, in the US they love their Madden games. It is all much of a muchness. I've had no problems picking up non-mainstream games in Australia, and I live in a small town.

All in all, I don't think there is any difference between Aussie gamers and any other gamers, and I can tell you that games aren't super-expensive in Australia, they are just cheaper in the US than anywhere else. Also, I don't think that censorship has affected Australia's games industry at all. Few games are refused classification, and bans are generally overturned a few weeks after they are instated. You can go down to your local EB's and buy GTA:SA if you want, just like anywhere else in the world.

"The movie industry uses self-regulation, not law, to prevent kids from getting into R-rated movies. They're not ILLEGAL."

The movie industry actually does a fairly good job on the whole of self-regulation. They do a pretty good job of keeping kids out of movies they shouldn't be seeing.

On the other hand, the games retail industry has done an absolutely terrible job of enforcing ratings. Kids are sold M-rated games all the time.

This debate wouldn't be happening if the games retail industry could actually be trusted to regulate itself.

Kenofthedead: Wasn't it called Number Place, not Number Palace?

Patel wrote:
> All 4 are kids games.
> Face it Rev is a console for the kids.

Well, I don't see how you can classify these as kids' games. Metroid Prime is sure as hell not a kids game, it is quite challenging and has an amazingly evocative atmosphere. Zelda is not a kids game, it is one of the best CRPGs around, and CRPGs are a decidedly adult-targeted genre. Mario and Smash Brothers are fun for everyone, kids and adults alike.

I don't see how any of these games are "kids" games. Perhaps you are claiming this because they are suitable for children (unlike GTA and its clones). By this token, you would have to say that "Citizen Kane" and "Dr. Strangelove" are kids' movies, since they are rated PG.

To be honest, most people I know that play GTA clones are teenagers who think that they are cool because they are playing a game that is somehow "edgy". Meanwhile adults are playing Metroid, Zelda and Mario, and are having fun with some of the most finely crafted games ever devised.

As far as PC games go, the 7th Guest came with a fantastic manual, with an engrossing back-story (and even a soundtrack CD). Starcraft was another stand-out, with its detailed history and comprehensive unit guide.

More recently, Neverwinter Nights was great, with a spiral bound book and a cloth map, and as Doc mentioned, Firaxis did a pretty good job with Pirates!.