That is the theory, and I wouldn't say that it doesn't generally work in Japan. Overall, Japanese schools have higher graduation rates, higher test scores and less violence than American schools, at least. So clearly their educational system is working fairly well.

Having "options" doesn't really equate to the word "uniform" in my view. The word "uniform" means "one form", by definition. And that's why they have uniforms, so everybody's wearing the same thing. It takes the focus off the clothes while you're in school, in contrast to a place where people can wear different…

My wife's schools in Japan have always required ankle-length skirts. I was, needless to say, originally kind of curious to see her pictures in her sailor uniform... but I admit to being a little disappointed when I saw the length of the skirt. This was in the 1980's. And she told me it was for just this reason.

The industry has already stagnated. A lot of people in Japan have been complaining about it for years. There's currently a vicious downward cycle going on, where audiences are dwindling, leaving less money for investing in new titles, meaning corners are cut on those new titles, meaning they appeal to fewer people,…

Most of the changes are just down to different artists and the use of digital tools. The look of anime has changed a lot due to digital drawing tools and CGI. (A lot of anime isn't really drawn at all anymore - keyframes are created and then tweened, like a glorified Flash animation, the end result being that a…

On April 22, G4 will be no more.

I'm about to go to Japan next month, staying in hotels that often have dodgy connections (because for some reason, this is the norm even at high-end Japanese hotels). Why should I need to worry about whether I can play an hour or two of the game I *purchased* after coming back to my room at night?

Not as long as the game keeps selling.

Sounds like Lucy Bradshaw just recently learned that too.

Offline saving has already been done.

The only thing that would cause EA to rethink anything would be if the game wasn't selling. And clearly it is, or there wouldn't have been server problems to begin with. (And continuing cockups like leaderboards and such being turned off.)

Most of that has already happened. Actually your first prediction is built into the game - you can create your own private region where it's just you and build your own cities in peace and quiet. There is one default region type where there are only two cities, so they have most of the resources needed even if you…

That's really the heart of the matter. Maxis' "vision" for this game just doesn't square with the general public's (and I firmly believe it's a majority) vision for what a city simulator should be like. I said it on another site - nobody wants to buy SimCity so they can build the next Fresno. They buy it so they…

The sales data will be fine. The servers wouldn't have broken if they'd had fewer players than expected...

You're pretty much right about everything except #6. You can play this SimCity exactly like SC4 - that's what's so infuriating about not having an offline mode. There's just no reason it seems like it's needed, even with all the region stuff. The region stuff is just an extension of what was in SC4, with some more…

Oh please - you have to give games you're *reviewing* more of a chance, but you also have access to a bunch of other games you're *not* reviewing. I know, I've been there myself. I know what it's like to have 10 or 15 games come in per week, and they all just get passed around.

Lack of explanation is a big one for me too - and I'm not usually someone who needs big tutorials. I had to buy a replacement PS3 because my launch system died and the new one came with various bonuses for DUST 514 (which was not presented as a beta when I bought the system, but whatever), so I tried it, and I had no…

They don't see themselves as all one thing, like we see them or like they see us. This is one problem with stereotypes.

The politeness thing is a lot different outside of Tokyo or even other major cities (but mostly Tokyo). Tokyo is like New York; people mostly keep to themselves and are considered pretty gruff by those in most of the rest of the country, although they adhere to the societal forms of formal politeness if you do manage…

Don't assume that just because every country has problems, that means they're all equivalent.