I think the gaming world was acceptable prior to the microtransaction phenomenon. If anything the addicted people have created a glut of mediocre games and have lured a fair few quality development houses towards mediocrity.
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I'd much rather have a great game that I pay a set amount for that comes with all it's features and elements enabled, or at least enablable by playing the game.
Happy to buy expansion packs that actually contain more gameplay but this microtrasaction rubbish has got to slow down, it's becoming the core of so many games it's not funny anymore.
Oh I agree, but it seems to be the price of being able to download a game for free on your phone or ipad - that somewhere along the line they are going to figure out a way to get people to shell out some moula
That's why I like console games, and I've never been one for DLC purchases.
The exception and annoying thing for me is you can purchase DLC for DOAX3 on the PS4 in other countries but it doesn't work here - I'd buy some of the extras for that just to skip the grinding :rolleyes:
The Sims 2 & 3 on PC had a lot of good expansion packs, but most didn't rate purchase until they dropped in price after a year
I have a set rule for myself when buying microtransactions.
If I know what I'm going to get for my money (ie: buying a new car in Forza with real world money) then it's ok as long as it's reasonably priced and within budget. But if it's got randomised items inside (like loot boxes) then don't buy it cause you likely will not get what you want.
The people that spend thousands on a game and account for most of the profits are called "whales". These people spend so much money in the game that often have special contact with the developer of the game and buy their in game items direct from the developer not the console/devices store. They basically call up the developer and say "hey I want to buy another $1000 of gems" and the developer charges their card themselves.
If you're Warren Buffett and can blow $1000 on a game then hey that's no big deal. The issue are people that can't afford it getting sucked in. Loot boxes are basically pokies that you never get any cash back.
Also be aware that if you ever buy a loot box or currency in a game many games especially the free to play ones will then modify the difficulty to make it harder for you to progress without giving them more money. It really is predatory.
On phones people are not willing to spend even a dollar up front on a game to own it and never deal with microtransactions. Yet for whatever stupid reason they will instead download it for free and then give the developer huge amounts of money over time.
It's unfortunate Hasbro has allowed their partners to use loot boxes and microtransactions with Transformers IP but there's not much they can do other than decide not to make a game.
(Drawing a very, very longbow) There's a Volkswagen tv ad with a kid in cosplay of a transforming yellow VW car.
Any of these? (or similar as they're not in English):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlzQhm6Zlx4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReiSFeK7f_s
That's them... sort of.
The first one is an extended version (with a flipped image when they are in the car, so that the steering wheel is on the correct side for that market)... while the second one is a completely different edit, promoting the auto-breaking feature (the first video, and our Australian version, features the auto-parking feature).
It's interesting to see that those two versions, have the boy trying to impress the girl at the party, but it is totally absent or unnoticed in the Australian version. (and I also don't think he transforms from car mode in the Australian commercial)
I only just saw this ad, I thought it was great (especially when the kid "transforms") and it immediately made me think of Bumblebee. Very cool and shows how far VW have come from the "no war toys" stuff regarding Transformers.
Sorry if slightly OT but If only Porsche would also come on board like VW have. Seeing the post on TFW2005 makes me think we won't see an MP Jazz which would make my collection feel incomplete.
From poster oku:
Someone above asked for a direct source about Jazz's licensing was an issue. Hope this is direct enough. Here's a report from 2016 convention where Yuki and Hasui mentioned about Jazz during Q&A session:
31号是老幸和莲井访谈,谈到了比如偷胶和第三方的一些问题,另外关于莲井在社内“Mr.红蜘蛛”的外号, 其实好像没有很多人这么叫他,倒是老幸打趣的称莲井为“Mr.MP”关于红蜘蛛先生这个外号的说法,主要是 莲井负责了众多的红蜘蛛玩具,有新的红蜘蛛玩具要出如果不让莲井来做社内也感觉做不好。
然后谈了关于MP的一些问题,比如爵士,在TT社内出爵士的的想法早就有,无奈车商并不给版权,双方协商了 多次也没有谈下来,老幸打趣说要是在座的各位能帮忙谈下车商版权就好了,另外台下有人喊探长,老幸说探长的 版权应该可以谈下来没有问题;另外关于史达和狮王的问题,老幸说只要公司一点头,随时开始准备MP狮王的工 作;
主持人提问说如果没有预算的限制,2位最想做什么样的作品,老幸是说希望做应该全新的角色,而莲井倒是希望 出所有角色的MP
二人分别推荐自己最满意的作品,老幸选择的是BWN的猛犸(提到了是首次能够拿出能源宝的司令官),莲井则 是推荐了真人世的L级红蜘蛛(类似于睁眼的联动机构)
There was discussion about challenges of the MP line like Jazz . The team always wanted to do Jazz in the very beginning. Sadly the car company would not grant their wish. The two parties had gone back-and-forth many times over the past and still no deal.
Volkswagen own Porsche... and now that Hasbro/TakaraTomy were allowed to do MP Bumblebee as a VW Beetle, it should be possible now to do Jazz.
VW/Porsche weren't interested before the Movies started (for the Alternators & early MP lines), but dollars will always speak loudest, and the billions in global marketing that GM got with their partnership with Transformers Movies, would have any car company begging to cash in, and do anything in return, like allow for their cars to be done as toys.
Something that was probably the case for the Bumblebee Movie. Hasbro and Paramount wouldn't have done anything or paid anything to have access to the VW Beetle design (for the movie and for the toys). If VW had said no, it would have been another car model used, and the nod to the 80s fans just would have been absent (without too much complaint).
If you want to licence a Porsche you deal with Porsche not VW. Most car brands deal with licensing in house not handling it through a parent, hence why we had licenced Lamborghinis a long time before VW.
Porsche is loosening up a bit as of late with their licensing, but they have been notoriously hard to deal with or charging extraordinarily high prices. There are only two toy companies I know of in the Australian market with Porsche licenses, Lego and Hot Wheels.
The way they worked the videogame licenses for ages was Porsche licensed only the Need For Speed games and then EA had option in their license to sub license to Microsoft so only two companies had licensed Porches for the better part of a decade.
I saw a seacon on the dashboard of Tommy’s car in The Disaster Artist
Cake Masters episode with Optimus Prime & Megatron cake is currently screening (again) on free-to-air channel 33 Food Network.
There's a new game called Radical Heights in extremely early access that has an 80's motief. There are yellow VW Beetles spread around the map, 'caues yeah, nothing says 80's like a Bumblebee reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doKzLVKhgQs
Death's Head (well a LMD based on him) has shown up in Spiderman/Deadpool #31
http://i66.tinypic.com/2me926c.jpg
http://i64.tinypic.com/14l7m88.jpg
Found an Adult Swim Robot Chicken parody with Beast Wars Megatron. I wonder if David Kaye did the voice. It sounds so much like him!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJBqLy45mMo
On Teen Titans this morning:
Cyborg: music can transform you
Raven: it can transform you? So I can be Optimus Prime?!
Cyborg: You can’t be Optime Prime! I’m Optimus Prime! But you can be Bumbebee
Raven: grumble
I'm hearing and seeing the phrase "Beast Mode" a fair bit in recent years, mostly as a teen tag, pertaining to them being active or hyper-active... and a bit like saying that they are awesome.
It might have taken 10 or so years, but is this just the young kids of the late 90s Beast Wars era using a phrase in their teens from their childhood, like us old farts might say "roll out" instead of "let's go". (okay, maybe just in my head then :p )
I say "roll out" after I've had a big meal. Better still if there's a downward slope from the pub to the next destination.
On Bell Street, Preston(?) there's an apartment advertising billboard for selling apartments with the phrase in super large fonts: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.
Metroplex perhaps?
:p
On the show ‘Gabriel Inglesies Presents Stand Up Revolution’:
G: So you’re the quite the aficionado here, what can people do to spice up their life?
BL: Toys. Eh, you can only go so far with what you’ve got
G: (to audience) You know when he says toys he doesn’t mean Transformers. He means...
I would guess it is more likely in reference to NFL player Marshawn Lynch who was nicknamed 'beast mode', rather than the BW series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyVfrwwEwgA
The 'Beast Quake'...the stadium shook so much after this touchdown that it registered as an earthquake with the USGS....
Heard “Dare” while the missus was watching Glow on netflix
Deception Bay (QLD) made the news a few days ago for all the wrong reasons. Pretty sure that's a typo for Decepticon Bay. :D
G1 Optimus Prime fights Gundam on ScrewAttack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyh2iO0rCh4
Mike Larkan, the weatherman on channel 10's News at Five (Melbourne) told a joke during his weather segment today. It went something along these lines.
The girlfriend tells her boyfriend she wants to break up cos of his Transformers. The boyfriend replies: I can change.
*facepalm*
Not sure if this has been mentioned before but thought it would be nice to revisit anyway.
A picture of ALF reading a Transformers Comic came up in my Instagram Feed the other day so I did some digging and found an article about it. :cool:
http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3va51euz.jpg
Credits to the Retroist
Gah, can't work out which issue that is!
He stole that from the Arrgh!! It’s the Mr Hell show!
Scene - a couples apartment and the walls are covered in action figures.
Guy: Sandra, don’t leave!
Girl: it’s over Greg, I can’t take these nerdy obsessions of your any more.
Guy: But Sandra, I can change!
Guy grits his teeth and armour starts to envelop him until you can only see his face but otherwise he looks like a giant robot with rockets on his shoulders
Guy: Look! I’m Optitron, leader of the Transformibles!
Girl: That’s it, I’m out.
She leaves. His shoulders sag.
Guy: (sadly) I can turn into a tank as well.
Ah... I didn't see your link there. :o
(It didn't take long to figure out though, from the Font used for the comic title which changed after issue 50, and it being in yellow... plus Fort Max ripping off his head in the top corner which was started from issue 38.)
Robot Chicken: Optimus Prime Jury Duty :D
This week’s episode of The Good Place had a very brief reference where Jason suggested some Transformer names as nicknames.
Apparently the new Anime TV Show SSSS Gridman has a plethora of Shattered Glass references in it.
Comedian Russell Howard did the following joke in his stand-up 'Do Transformers get car or life insurance?' :D