Josh

*constanuously should be "continuously"

Hey! I invented a word!

In practice, I think this particular solution works against the very thing it is trying to preserve.

I definitely believe in the integration of all game elements such that they make sense in the primary experience, preserving the suspension of disbelief. And so, with the goal of "flow" and immersion in mind:

1. It harms the immersion into your character. How are you ever supposed to feel heroic, self sufficient, needed, or worthy of the task if you are constantly being saved by an immortal baby sitter? What does the world need you for if such a being exists? I understand that the game attempts to answer that last question with its narrative, but as a player, I find it hard to swallow such a glaring story bandaid, which feels like it was added soley to explain away this new death bandaid. The intrinsic qualities of the prince - the look, the acrobatics - advertise him as heroic, self-sufficient, capable, and way above average in physical ability. Yet elika's existence and her role immediately upstages all of that and hamstings these characteristics. Elika may aid the flow of the game a little, but is it worth the damage she causes to the quality of the flow itself?

2. It harms the immersion into the world. If she can lift you back up to a platform, why can't it be the next platform? Or the end of the level? In light of her abilities, this rule feels so arbitrary, that it constantly reminds you that you are playing a game with artificial rules - which also works against the immersion in a way similar to the "invisible wall" solution.

This solution doesn't eliminate the flow or immersion problems of a game over screen - it just moves them around into the gameplay. Which is better? A game over screen that periodically reminds you you're playing a game, or an in-game metaphor/game mechanics that cheapens the depth of experience AND constanuously reminds you that its just a game?

I agree with the goal of immersion, and not rubbing the player's face in their mistakes. I applaud any attempts made by developers to fix those problems - including this one. I just think that in this case, this solution ultimately works _against_ the immersion into the identity of the main character, and limits the player's sense of growth, accomplishment, satisfaction, and respect for the character which represents them. While this does not spell disaster for all types of game players, it does seem out of place here. I wonder if it would have worked better as an experiment with a new IP?


@ LaughingTarget
"This is a dumb argument. Sands of Time (the supposed better death version) only costs 10 seconds more per death than the new PoP. It's all a time difference and I don't want to waste time when I'd rather have fun."

As others have already pointed out, the important differences between those two solutions have nothing to do with how long they take, and everything to do with the deeper gameplay differences - the balance of cost and reward, to be specific. I'd rather be having fun worth having.

I'm glad to see some more serious/"meatier" games on the wii. Metroid Prime and Resident Evil 4 only have so many levels in them. :)

I'm glad to see the artists want to show off their gun models, and the animators are so proud of their reload animations, but honestly, I'd much rather they stop blocking my view with them all the time. Gun's usually don't protrude from one's neck, unless you are sighting them - and in that case you are looking more directly down the barrel. That, and can we please do away with the disembodied bouncy gun animation in the FPS genre? It's 2008. We've had real time inverse kinematics for years now.

(Sorry - these are gripes I've had with FPS games for a while now. I think the "innovations" in mirrors edge are long overdue in the genre. I am indeed grateful for the controls that the wii has brought to console FPS-style games.)

What if she was hoping the iPhone would become her all in one device but was disappointed when she got it? Now she wants to let other people (who may be considering the same purchase - like me) know.

Is that not OK?

"A phone call interrupts a game you are playing? You are kidding, right? Or does your kyocera allow you to answer a call without interrupting a game you are playing?"

Yeah - pause the game when you're ready, then answer the phone. It seems minor, but it matters. Even the ancient Treo API let a programmer provide the option to not be interrupted by incoming calls when playing a game. I'm sure Apple will address this. iPhone is a 1.0 product, and its already great. But there is room for improvement, and people are allowed to talk about it.

What if she was hoping the iPhone would become her all in one device but was disappointed when she got it? Now she wants to let other people (who may be considering the same purchase - like me) know.

Is that not OK?

Thanks for the information Erica! I used to use a slider and loved it. It had the loudest, clearest speakerphone I've heard in a cell phone, and the microphone always picked me up even in a car - no accessories needed. I replaced it with a Treo and my wife inherited the slider. Now that the iPhone is here, I have been eyeing it hungrily. Your review has given me some great information and a basis for comparison.

I am a software developer and have made the switch to Apple, convincing many of friends and family to switch too. I love my PowerBook and Apple's design philosophy; primarily that their products be an "order of magnitude" beyond the competition in how well they work, and feel like devices from the future both in how they work and look. This is why your review is important - in that I would have expected the iPhone to be better in all respects than the phones found in the Kyocera slider's category - especially when it comes to the basics such as the usability of the speaker phone "mode" in almost any environment. This is, in fact, the supposed reason why Apple made the iPhone - Steve was consistently disappointed with the current phone options - which would have included the slider at the time.

As to those who are retorting with solutions that require additional purchases, fiddling with configurations, or "hacks" - to get the normal and expected features from a product to behave as expected, realize that these are the same types of defenses that we hear from the "other camps" regarding their products. The primary reason Apple products are different is that, first and foremost, they do what they are supposed to do well right out of the box; No additional purchases, configuring, or fiddling needed.

Erica, don't get too concerned about the people here who have their own identity wrapped up a little too tightly with their Apple product, and keep up the good, informative work.

Sorry to be so harsh. There really is no need for me to be like that.

"Bleh, brilliance is never understood in it's own time."

Another false observation. Nice and knee jerky tho - just like the first one.

I'll try not to spoil the moment next time.

Re: Einstein
No, no it's not.

I will not proof read after I post.
I will not proof read after I post.
I will not proof read after I post.



This paragraph was supposed to read:

"Problem is, I'm still waiting. And while I personally believe that the franchises attempts at "3D" are quite a fall from grace, it is not worth debating if the games are "decent" or how many people may have actually "liked" the game, because those types of debates aren't where Sonic used to live. Sonic was awesome. Even those who didn't like sonic couldn't argue with the sheer sales numbers, or units of hardware it moved."