Carte blanche? ;)

Seconded. I'm not even into standup, but Russell Peters is pretty funny and very racist - but evenly so, even with his own race. I think it's important to recognize that not every group of people is perfectly identical, and it can be constructive to highlight and poke fun at some of the differences - as long as it's…

Yes, I meant on Japanese TV, sorry. I know it's less taboo, and applied to a broader base of topics in Japan - I just wondered if anyone knew if S&M was actually practiced as much in Japan as it is in America, or if it just seems to be a preoccupation because it's much more discussed.

Bizarre. Especially since Hudson didn't make it, so I guess they're off the hook for that. (Yeah, let's see a Japanese company make a game called "Atomic Bomberman!")

Yeah, it sounds like Zelda fans are really loving it. Personally I tend to find them pretty tedious - my largest Zelda experience is playing most of LttP (when it was new,) and Four Swords. I didn't really care for it before that, and didn't see anything I wanted after that. I am looking forward to Snake Eater though…

I've decided the same thing, after getting a 3DS. I disagree about Miyamoto though - he's celebrated as a gaming hero, and he surely brought much needed innovation in the 80s. For me personally though, I haven't really enjoyed his projects since the SNES era.

Actually, I think there's a kernel of truth to what they're saying there - not because it's Samsung, but because it's the electronics and entertainment industry. It would not be the first time a partner was inspired to become a competitor with what they'd learned - for instance, the Dreamcast ran Windows CE on some…

I don't think the 3DS' price affects the value of the Vita in any significant way - it's worth it or it isn't. Personally, I plan to buy a Vita for $250 when it comes out. I also bought a 3DS for $250, but in hindsight if I could do it again, I wouldn't buy one for $120.

IMO Sony always makes the mistake of not enough RAM. I love their systems, but they are held back by this and it shows. RAM is so cheap these days, it's really frustrating.

I enjoyed Lumines, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee, Wipeout Pure, and Ridge Racer at the PSP launch, and that kept me entertained until more games came out. I have DoA Dimensions, BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2, and Ridge Racer 3D on my 3DS, but even though I love these franchises, these versions are pretty bad, and there's…

Yes - they don't owe people anything for this technically. A move like this still badly undermines trust in the company though, so some kind of PR maneuver is needed to keep things smooth, even if just a token.

Yes, it is a great loss of face to come right out and admit it failed. I think the show of honourable intention there will go a long way, and is the wise thing to do though.

So Nintendo is selling hardware at a loss? Wow, that's severe.

That's interesting. I've certainly heard the terms S and M used freely, like there is no taboo at all around it, and the meanings are just common knowledge. Do you think it's that popular in Japan as we know it in the West though? Or is it more that it's looked on as more of a cultural institution and artform, so it's…

I can't, really because the 3DS was going to be my only exception if it didn't shape up quickly. Normally I don't sell systems or games. I still have my PSPs, my DS Lite, and even my GameBoy. I've only ever sold 2 games, because they were unbearably bad. The 3DS has just been astonishingly crappy so far.

It's arguably more articulate than "I'm at a loss for words" since that would be contradictory, where "wow..." demonstrates it firsthand.

Damn. I should have sold it sooner. Now it's going to be worthless, so I may as well hang onto it. Also, I want 3DS games, not games I own already...

I'm betting it's the bath scene (ads and other articles NSFW.)

I like CRKT. They seem to have a nice balance of cheapness and decent quality. I've had an M16-12Z for years and it shows no signs of needing replacement - though the AUS6M steel does rust and pit on the scales, so I have to disassemble and clean it every year or so, and it is also quite a soft metal, at least as they…

Positive locking is a good thing to have, and increasingly common now. CRKT has used LAWKS, and a simple rotating shim to hold the liner in locked position; Victorinox had a solid system in their SwissTools that requires a slider to be pulled down to disengage the blade.