IGN has listed their top 10 list of video game designers and 4 of my favorite designers made it on the list. Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil, Yu Suzuki of Shenmue, Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid, and of course my top choice, Shigeru Miyamoto.
Presenting another feature from GameOPS: GameOPS Food FIGHT!!! This portion highlights videogame related resto's around the metro.. ummm... maybe not so related :D
I was window shopping around Ayala Trinoma looking for a scoop when I found this quaint restaurant that would make Captain Jack proud.
Any video game pirate would feel at home with the ambiance of GILLIGAN'S ranging from their "piraty" environment consisting of net ceilings, boat pictures, and gruff accent laden waiters. Food ranges from 150-300 pesos, Serving is more than adequate, and the food is GREAT!!!
Anyway, shopping malls in Metro Manila usually don't have these because of the strict policies of the mall owners. But behold! Just 1 hour of strolling in one of the biggest shopping malls in Quezon City yielded lots and lots of pirated games for different video game systems. For this post, let me show you the sheer number of available pirated Nintendo DS games being sold openly inside S* C*TY N**** ED** Click image to enlarge
The salesladies refer to these bootleg / pirated Nintendo DS games as Class A. This pirated Nintendogs game costs P1999.75 (approx. $42.0557 USD). This Nintendogs game is being sold openly the center of the main mall. Check out the Nintendo logo!
Click image to enlarge
The pirated version of The New Super Bros. Game costs P1699.75 (approx $35.7466 USD). This game is being sold in front of the supermarket area.
Click image to enlarge
A 4 in 1 Nintendo DS cartridge costs P2999.75(approx. $63.0862 USD) and is also being sold in the middle of the main mall.
Click image to enlarge
Another video game store inside the mall selling lots of pirated Nintendo DS games. Most of them are 4 in 1 games.
All of these games are being sold just side by side with original game cartridges. Buyers without any knowledge may fall victim again with these scammers. Prices are almost the same and even the packages look like original. The only way to know is to ask the sales person and if they say it's a class A, then expect it to be pirated.
We'll post more pictures next time. We're still verifying the PSP games we saw if it's legit or not.
Business 2.0 Magazine tells the inside story of how Nintendo outfoxed Sony and Microsoft and got itself back in the game.
(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- A year ago it looked like game over for Nintendo's storied console business. The Kyoto-based gamemaker--whose Nintendo Entertainment System ushered in the modern age of videogames--was bleeding market share to newer, more powerful systems from Sony and Microsoft.
Even as the videogame business grew into a $30 billion global industry, Nintendo saw its U.S. hardware sales shrink to almost half of what they had been nearly 20 years earlier.
Today, as anybody within shouting distance of a teenager knows, Nintendo is the comeback kid of the gaming world. Instead of joining Sony (Charts) and Microsoft (Charts, Fortune 500) in the arms race to pack their consoles with ever-higher-performance graphics chips (to better attract sophisticated gamers), Nintendo built the Wii--a cuddly, low-priced, motion-controlled machine that broke the market wide open by appealing to everyone from grade-schoolers to grandmas. Unorthodox? Maybe. Effective? You bet.
The Wii is a pop culture smash of such dimensions that Nintendo still can't make consoles fast enough. Even so, it's outselling Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360--at least since January. (The Xbox had blowout pre-Christmas sales.) And while its competitors lose money on every console they build, expecting to make it back selling high-margin games, the Wii was designed to sell for a profit from the get-go.
When I was young, video games, TVs, and any other forms of entertainment were prohibited during Good Fridays. Elders said that Good Friday is the day Christ died so everyone should do their own little sacrifice. That was before. Now, internet shops and some malls are open. Beaches and resorts are being flooded by people. So what could stop someone to play video games?
It seems that people are now starting to realize that sacrifices suck. Ok, before I get flamed by "teh believers", let me introduce you to the world of Christian video games. That's right, these are games made for Christians that supposedly would teach Christian values or whatever by a company called Wisdom Tree. These games were made years ago to be played on the Nintendo Entertainment System without Nintendo's approval. Talk about values. Pweh! Let's start with Bible Adventures for the NES
First thing you'll notice is the color of the cartridge. Instead of following the standard grayish color, Wisdom Tree made the cartridge color blue. Bible Adventures contains three games: Noah's Ark, Baby Moses, and David & Goliath. All three games require gamers to carry something to somewhere in the game. In Noah's Ark, you need to carry a pair of animals in your checklist to the ark. In Baby Moses, you control moses' mom and you have to carry baby Moses to the end of the level. Last game in the cartridge is David & Goliath. Well... you have to carry the sheep and dodge lions and falling rocks.
You wouldn't believe it, but I actually once owned this piece of crap. Good thing I gave it away.
There's another game I've played before, it's Super Noah's Ark 3D for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I actually remembered playing it for less than 10 mins before I threw the cartridge away, literally.
As usual, the game is unlicensed and it sucks. Here's a more in-depth review of these Christian games from the Angry Video Game Nerd.
Rip-offs galore aren't they? What happen to the "thou shall not steal" commandment? And what's with Nintendo? Why didn't they sue Wisdom Tree for the unlicensed games? Hmmm...
Piracy is not new here in the Philippines, so when GoNintendo reader Micael sent a photo of fake Nintendo DS games to the GoNintendo staff, I wasn't surprised at first look. Pirated DVD movies, Audio CDs, PlayStation 2, XBOX, GameBoy games, etc. are normally found in Quiapo. You don't need a sixth sense to find them, just open your eyes and look around. They're everywhere in Quiapo! You can also find them on some stairways of the Metro Rail Transit in EDSA, wet markets, footbridges, and other places that people frequently visit.
Gameshops located within shopping malls like SM and Robinson's sells them underground. You'll see nothing displayed, until you ask one of their salesperson. The salesperson will then get folder or bundle of fake PS2 and XBOX games they're selling. Picture below is one shop located at SM North EDSA:
It was only when I enlarged the picture (fig.1) Micael sent that made may jaw drop. The fake Nintendo DS games are on display freely at the newly opened Toys 'R Us store here in the Philippines. Does the management know about this? Maybe, maybe not. As I've said, video game piracy is not new here so allow me to take you down in history with my personal experience. When my uncle gave me a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as a present when I was 4 yrs old, the only game I have is the bundled Super Mario Bros. / Duckhunt game. Since the Philippines is closer to Japan than the United States, NES game cartridges were rare and expensive compared to its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom or Family Computer.
fig. 2
Since Famicom games cartridges are incompatible, I purchased a cartridge converter that allowed me to play Japanese carts on my US 8-bit game system. Normally, Famicom cartridges retailed around P75 - P300 (approx. US$3 - US$12 during that time) per game and rare NES cartridges are at P2500 - P3500 (approx. US$100 - US$140 during that time) each! So the most logical thing to do back then was to buy a converter (maybe considered the father of current modchips eh?). The photo above (fig.2) is a converter for my Japanese Super Famicom, similar on how the NES-Famcom converter works.
fig. 3
Above (fig.3) is a Famicom game my father bought at one of the game shops in Quiapo. Since there's no internet yet during those days, gamers rely on video game magazine for news. And video game piracy was not yet an issue during that time. We really don't know if the cartridges we're buying are legit or not. Apparently, the above cartridge is fake and I just learned about that a few years ago. I've also bought several (25/50/100)-in-1 Famicom carts and later learned that they're also fake.
fig. 4
Fast forward to my Super Famicom days (Japanese version of Super Nintendo Entertainment System). When I got my Super Famicom, I immediately went to the local Astrovision shop and bought a copy of then popular arcade game, Street Fighter II (fig.4). I'm still clueless on identifying a legit cartidge from not when the day I bought it. There was a manual included and the box seemed authentic. And surprisingly, the cartridge fits into Candice's Super NES.
During the NES-Super NES /Famicom-Super Famicom era here, the shop to go to was Hot Shots GameCenter in Raon, Astrovision in SM City North EDSA - Annex, and Video City in SM City North EDSA. Normally, Super Famicom cartridges retails at P1000 - P1500 (approx. US$40 - US$60 during that time). I don't know if they knew that the cartridges they're selling are original or pirated, neither do I.
fig. 5
When I bought my Street Fighter II Turbo (fig.5) in Japan, that's when I learned on how to detect an original copy from not. As you can see on the photo, the package contains a manual, 3 leaflets from Capcom, and the game cartridge is wrapped in plastic. Original Super Famicom cartridges would not fit into any Super NES console without using the converter. So by that time, 100% of the cartridges I bought before my Street Fighter II Turbo are all fake since all of them fit in Candice's Super NES!
fig. 6
When the era of PlayStation arrived, modchips started to pop and replace the old physical converter for the Super Famicom and Famicom game systems. The initial function of a modchip is to allow US gamers to play Japanese games and vice versa. But there was another feature that would live on upto this day. It is to allow everyone to play backup and pirated copies of PS1, PS2, XBOX, and XBOX360 games.
This era marked the start of rampant pirated Dreamcast, PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and XBOX games being sold in the Philippines. For just P70 - P120 each (approx. US$1.43 - US$2.45 today), you can buy yourself a bootleg copy of a game. Above photo (fig.6) is a stall in one of the malls located at Caloocan City selling pirated PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameBoy and XBOX games.
Above photo is taken last December 26, 2005 at Star City theme park. Fake DVD movies and games are openly sold.
Fake PC softwares are also openly sold at around P75 - P100 (approx. US$1.53 - US$2.04) per disc.
Games are not the biggest problem of the Optical Media Board but the rampant piracy of DVD movies.
Local movies get pirated even before they get an official DVD release. They come bundled too.
An entire floor of a building in Manila has stalls of pirated DVDs.
Karaoke DVDs are being sold for only P50 each (approx. US$1.02).
Lots of pirated DVD movies.
As you can see on the photo above, building owners tolerate DVD piracy. The encircled part reads:
1st Offense - fine of P2,000.00 and cut-off electricity for 1 day. 2nd Offense - fine of P5,000.00 and stall closed for 1 week. 3rd Offense - eviction from Good Earth Plaza and forfeiture of deposits.
DVD Prices on the Photo:
8 in 1 DVD movie - P60 (approx. US$1.22) Mini-DVD movie - P50 (approx. US$1.02) Single DVD movie with Case - P40 (approx. US$0.82) Concerts 8 in 1 DVD - P70 (approx. US$1.43) Single Concert DVD - P50 (approx. US$1.02)
and more pirated DVD movies...
...and still more.
Piracy is not limited to optical media. As you can see on the photo above, it's a PS2 controller that I bought at eBay. The seller said that it was an authentic and brand new controller. Guess what, it's fake.
There are also fake iPods, wallets, bags, shoes, medicines, food, cellphones, etc. Remember the Robo Watch in the 1980's? Well it also got pirated and was sold here. Even TV shows are pirated here. You may get the impression that the Philippines is the center and source of piracy... you're wrong. According to the merchants at Quiapo, they usually get their supplies from China or Malaysia. So why is piracy so rampant here? Number 1, they're too expensive for the average Juan to buy.
When I bought Glen's GameCube last year, I tried to look for The Legend Zelda: Twilight Princess on video gameshops. But the game is either out of stock or simply damn expensive. On one store I've asked, they were selling their only copy for P5500 (approx. US$112.24)! Other games were also priced a lot higher than their original price. Old GameCube games are priced from P2500 - P4000 (approx. US$51.02 - US$81.63) and their game collection is very limited and the games are old.
Piracy is everywhere. If you have a computer with a broadband connection, you don't need to shop for fake DVD movies and video games. All you need is to download them from torrent sites.
The only difference of piracy in the Philippines and other parts of Asia is that it is being openly tolerated, unlike in USA and other countries.
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED AT MY BLOG (CAPTAIN'S LOG) ON MARCH 11th 2007 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ELGIN CANDOLETA ON MAY 8th 2001 ]
Does having a superior 3d accelerator card makes your gaming experience better?
It was less than a year ago and yet another 'vital' 3D card upgrade shoved down our way via the magic of Geforce 3. It's as if we're being asked to buy a new console twice a year. Updated demos of Doom and Max running on Nvidia's new Direct X 8.0 - friendly hardware were aired at the Game Developer's Conference in San Jose last month and they are staggering to look at. Flaming bullets shatter clumps of cement off tubeway walls, bodies twist and reflections reflect off other reflections; the shadowy showreel of Doom3 is equally impressive to the eye with detailed images of new game characters. But will these graphically splendid Geforce 3 demos truly offer up better gameplay when they become games or just more dimples on the chins of the games' main protagonist? Are we really going to have more fun just because the gun barrels have scratches on them and the characters' eyebrows twitch? And can we trust developers to spend as much time on gameplay mechanics once the cheques have been cashed for providing these early tech demos?
Black and White, one of the most promising new releases for the PC since Colin McRae 2.0 will run just as smoothly on a machine equipped with a TNT2 card as it does on a Geforce, if at a slightly lower resolution. Doesn't this put paid theories that graphics can win over gameplay? We should ignore the overpriced and over-hyped Geforce 3 until its finished games are reviewed.
They say the best way to predict the future is to look back. It's interesting to reminisce about how the pc industry has teased gamers with untouchable imagery such as recent Doom 3 and Max Payne to get us to buy into new 3D hardware. This has happened ever since the launch of the PC's first 3D card - the Diamond Edge 3D in 1995 when Sega converted a handful of impressive Saturn games such as Virtua Fighter and Panzer Dragoon specifically to run on the card. Similarly, when 3dfx and Videologic tussled for the 3D crown with their respective Voodoo and PowerVR cards, high-resolution demos of Tomb Raider and 'Ultimate Race' were used to get tons of cash and make us place our trust in the future of either technology. Those who plumped for PowerVR were soon left out in the cold as 3dfx went on to dominate the market.
The truth is that Geforce 3 will succeed because its clever design makes the most out of Windows and its new Direct X 8.0 games graphics engine. But those of you who bought Geforce GTS2s, Ultras and their ATI Radeon equivalents should sit tight, enjoy Giants, Sacrifice, Colin McRae 2.0 and Black and white for now, and completely ignore the technobable hype around G3's pixel and vertex shader's for thetime being.
Yes, we will swirling clouds and new lighting effects in new games in the next 18 months, but until Microsoft gives us a clear indication of how many Xbox games will make it through those conversion gates, you're paying a premium to prove to yourself that game graphics can win over that ever elusive gameplay.
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ELGIN CANDOLETA ON MAY 8th 2001 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JAY ENCARNACION ON DECEMBER 28th 2000 ]
Imagine Asyong Salonga, The Video Game!!! Actually, there's no need for that since it would prove to be major sh*+. I have been thinking for a few nights already a few what ifs, like, what would this movie turn out to be if it was converted into a video game or pc game. Take a peek inside my head (a VERY lonely head) and have a few laughs or tears… By the way, these are all based on ASIAN (specifically Filipino) movies. The Adventures of Bernardo Carpio
The Filipino counterpart of Hercules, this man could part mountains (and get crushed in the end) part the sea (and drown in the end) and beat up people and get away with it.
Platform:
Nintendo Entertainment System (or any other pirated counterpart that plays 8-bit cartridges).
Why:
Because this game is so crappy that only the sick hobbyists will do it.
How it will play:
You start out of course as Bernardo Carpio in one of the little villages. At first, everything seems normal, everyone in their G-string attire (including you), kids playing around, women washing…themselves and stuff. After a while of exploring, you will encounter a woman about to get raped by a bunch of un-hygenic. Your attacks will range from overhead punches, a few barbarian kicks, grappling moves, and of course, a few hardcore style weapon weilding attacks. The damage system will be so simple. One hit from you and your enemies are dead. A few hundred hits from your enemies, you still don't feel pain. You're Bernardo Carpio. You're Invincible.
Barbie For President
This movie features the man turned woman trying to run for presidency. Along the way, he encounters hilarious situations in which the solution always seems to be funny also.
Platform:
PlayStation 2
Why:
This machine will support all the chaotic action at once…
How It Will Play:
The intro will show you how you became Barbie, the woman outside, man inside hero/heroine of the game. It will be an adventure game, and will take full usage of the analog sticks on the PS2 controller. In some scenes, you will need to flirt with a guard who does not want to let you in. If you flirt with him good enough, the guard will stand up, and you will then be able to sneak inside. You will meet familiar faces in the game. Former President Ferdinand Marcos will make a cameo appearance in one of the Malacanang backgrounds as a ghost. While playing, you can earn money by getting hired. You can be a nanny, a cook, or whatever. Upon finishing the game, you can then use your hard earned money to find a surgeon and have a sex change, or use your money to campaign for presidency.
Muro Ami
This film tells us the story of underaged kids being forced to dive the deep seas to find pearls and treasure.
Platform:
Dreamcast
Why:
This machine easily supports 4 player action.
How It Will Play:
There will always be four players helping each other out, trying to escape the giant ship. You and your friends will play the roles of four kids who just started to rebel against the evil Boss. Fortunately, you have with you a collection of pearls that you have "borrowed" from your Boss. You can use the pearls to bribe guards or people to have things done your way. The damage system will be based on hunger, and the air that you have available in your body, especially for the diving sequences. You die if you run out of oxygen, or just die out of hunger. You can also die if people started to hurt your more physically. In the final level, you can burn the ship. If you escape, you get to grow up and become a Boss of your own, or start out as a politician. If you don't escape, you and your friends become friend kids.
To be continued...
Some Video Games made into Movies:
1. Super Mario Bros. (1987) 2. Mortal Kombat (1995, 1998) 3. Street Fighter (1995) 4. Wing Commander (1999) 5. Pokemon (1998, 2000)
Current Movie Projects:
1. Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within (June 2001) 2. Pokemon (June 2001) 3. Tomb Raider (June 15, 2001) 4. Resident Evil (???) 5. Dungeons and Dragons (???)
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JAY ENCARNACION ON DECEMBER 28th 2000 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON NOVEMBER 10th 2000 ]
Let's face it, Philippine main stream media are utterly clueless when it comes to video games. But still, GMA-7 insisted on producing an I-Witness episode about the violence in video games.
I wasn't able to watch the episode, but given GMA-7's track record for being clueless on video games, I doubt that they really understand what they've shown. Just look at the screenies I took from their website few months back:
Here you can see the Sony PSone. GMA-7 called it a GAME CONSULE.
How about my favorite Pokemon Pikachu? They called the poor fella Picachu. GMA-7 is not alone. A few years ago, ABS-CBN's TV Patrol featured a raid of video karera machine operators. The reporter covering the raid mentioned something like this, "Inaalam pa ng pulisya kung saan nanggaling ang mga video karera machines na ito ngunit maaring gawing lead ng mga pulis ang mga nakatatak na dragon sa mga video karera machines...".
The reporter then points to the dragon sticker... a Mortal Kombat logo.
Dumba$$.
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON NOVEMBER 10th 2000 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON NOVEMBER 6th 2000 ]
Nintendo finally reveals the specs of their next-generation console. Let's see how it stacks up.
Manufacturing Process: 0.18 microns Copper Wire Technology Clock Frequency: 405 MHz CPU Capacity: 925 Dmips (Dhrystone 2.1) Internal Data Precision: 32-Bit Integer & 64-Bit Floating-point External Bus Bandwidth: 1.6GB/second(Peak) (32-Bit address, 64-Bit data bus202.5MHz) Internal Cache: L1: Instruction 32KB, Data 32KB (8 way), L2: 256KB (2 way)
System LSI "Flipper" Manufacturing Process: 0.18 microns, NEC Embedded DRAM Process Clock Frequency: 202.5MHz Embedded Frame Buffer: Approx. 2MB Sustainable Latency: 5ns (1T-SRAM) Embedded Texture Cache: Approx. 1MB Sustainable Latency: 5ns (1T-SRAM) Texture Read Bandwidth: 12.8GB/second (Peak) Main Memory Bandwidth: 3.2GB/second (Peak) Color, Z Buffer: Each is 24 Bits Image Processing Function: Fog, Subpixel Anti-aliasing, HW Light x8, Alpha Blending, Virtual Texture Design, Multi-texture Mapping/Bump/Environment Mapping, MIPMAP, Bilinear Filtering, Real-time Texture Decompression (S3TC), etc.
Other Sound Processor: Special 16-Bit DSP Instruction Memory: 8KB RAM + 8KB ROM Data Memory: 8KB RAM + 4KB ROM Clock Frequency: 101.25 MHz Maximum Number of Simultaneously Produced Sounds ADPCM: 64ch Sampling Frequency: 48KHz System Floating-point Arithmetic Capability: 13.0GFLOPS (Peak) (MPU, Geometry Engine, HW Lighting Total) Actual Display Capability: 6 million to 12 million polygons/second (Display capability assuming actual game with complexity model, texture, etc.) System Main Memory: 24MB Sustainable Latency: 10ns or lower (1T-SRAM) A-Memory: 16MB (100MHz DRAM) Disc Drive Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) System Average Access Time: 128ms Data Transfer Speed: 16Mbps to 25Mbps
Nintendo also released images and information on the different peripherals that will be available for the Nintendo GameCube
Game Boy Advance Adapter You can use the Game Boy Advance as a private color screen for the Gamecube. Just plug it into a controller slot and you're ready to go. One of the uses specifically mentioned in Nintendo's presentation was the ability to use the GBA as a separate screen for selecting plays privately in sports games such as football.
Digicard There are two slots at the front of the machine for Digicards—Nintendo's Gamecube memory card. It stores 4 Megabits of information into a card that's smaller in size than a PlayStation memory card. While there are only two Digicard slots on the machine, Nintendo says there will be a way to swap them so four people can load data.
SD-Digicard Adapter With this adapter, you can use Panasonic/Matsushita's postage stamp-sized SD (Secure Digital) Memory Card, compatible with digital cameras and music players, to store Gamecube data. To give you an idea of the increased storage capacity, one 64 Megabyte SD card holds about 128 times the data of one standard Digicard.
Modem Adapter Gamecube has a slot on the bottom for a 56k modem, although it will not include one out of the box. Nintendo has not announced specific plans for Gamecube's online connectivity, but said they will do so when it makes sense to use as a tool in games. It's truly plug 'n' play—just snap it into the bottom and you're ready to go.
Broadband Adapter Not to be left in the 20th century, Nintendo has also announced a Broadband Adapter to connect to future "fat pipe" networks such as cable modems and DSL. This allows for high-speed data transmission. The bottom of the system has two other ports—a high-speed parallel and a second serial. Uses for these haven't been specified.
Wireless Receiver You no longer have to deal with a cumbersome cord, allowing you a more creative style of play. An RF system is being used. The transmission distance is about 10 m.
Digital Video Cable In addition to the same A/V out connection that Nintendo's been using since the Super NES days, the back of the GC sports a Digital Video Out. This will support the D Terminal standard, compatible with the advanced digital broadcasting environment for DTV and HDTV. You can also see the handle on the back of the machine for easy carrying.
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON NOVEMBER 6th 2000 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON OCTOBER 26th 2000 ]
Upon a recent visit to SM City North EDSA, Rocky and I were surprised to see video game stores selling.... *drum roll please* PLAYABLE PIRATED PS2 CD GAMES! For as low as P250 each, the games are now selling like hotcakes since the introduction of the PlayStation 2 modchips that allows pirated games to be played. I thought the Philippine government has been winning the fight against piracy? I guess not. Sony Computer Entertainment reported that their shiny new system is pirate proof. The new DVD format will give pirates a hard time to copy the games but there are still PlayStation 2 games that are being released as CDs. CDs can be easily duplicated by pirates and together with the modchip developers, PlayStation 2s can now read copied or backup games in CD format.
How long do you think until the DVD format can be copied?
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY JOHN PHILLIPS BENGERO ON OCTOBER 26th 2000 ]
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ROCKY OPINA ON OCTOBER 5th 2000 ]
Four to five years running, we look into what piracy has done in the Philippines.
Let's face it, over the span of 4 to 6 years, piracy has become rampant here in the Philippines. Starting from the more affordable 200 peso PS CD's to its present low rates of P35 per disc. In other parts of the globe, piracy has been cut to bare minimum and almost non-existent perhaps. So why is it here piracy is even endorsed and can be seen almost anywhere? We ask ourselves Filipinos what do we see in piracy? Aside from their availability (arriving earlier than original games), the price factor is indeed a big deal. May sense nga naman, why buy the real thing when there's something just like it and cheaper pa.
Being a former piracy fan myself, it really was hard letting go. But in the end, values got the better of me. I found out how much it affected game companies, in order for them to continue bringing us quality games. They need our money for funding. At our present rate, if we continue buying pirated CD's it will ultimately end in more closed companies (like SNK America) and being a true game fan, I really don't want that to happen. So it's up to you gamers, is this just a fad or is it really game over?
[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ROCKY OPINA ON OCTOBER 5th 2000 ]
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Atari era boy, PC gamer, PS1 graphics hater, PS2 convert, drools over PS3.
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Online Games, Social Networking, Anime and Cosplay are his expertise.
Pokemon, documentaries, religious materials, magazines, tennis are some of his interests. He also moderates the K-Zone Philippines forums.
