* Posts by Nic Hoy

7 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Jan 2008

Activision denies Modern Warfare 2 Russian ban

Nic Hoy
WTF?

pointless discussion

**Possible Spoilers warning**

I've got the game (second ever pre-order based on the quality of the last two offerings - never again!).

The level in question is not even remotely disturbing as there's absolutely no context or emotional involvement with either the character or the civilians.

At best it's a zombie shoot-em-up derivative - the only difference being none of the 'enemy' are actively after your brainzzz - and the whole choice thing is redundant when the outcome is the same however you play it.

This is probably the closest I've seen a game come to being a true cinematic experience in the sense that it is one big set piece after another with little room for player interaction/scheming.

Someone on Newsnight Review likened it to the last Bond film and I actually think he's not far wrong. As a game it comes under Epic Fail. As a visual treat it is up there with the very best cut-scenes (Assassin's Creed springs to mind (incidentally my only other gaming pre-order)).

The biggest problem (as with most calls for bannings) is that the people wanting to censor the thing haven't actually seen/played it.

Fans decry tennis gal's breast-slash plan

Nic Hoy
Stop

Do the olympics have tennis?

And would the olympic rule-makers put her in the same boat as Oscar Pistorius?

Or can we start grafting oversized hands on English goalkeepers?

Hollywood to totally recall Total Recall

Nic Hoy

@David Hicks

The I, Robot film is a bit of a mash-up but the main plot is based on the Asimov book Caves of Steel.

As others have said Total Recall (much like Minority Report) is far enough removed from the source material for a 'Re-imagining' rather than a remake; like Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes.

Aussie convicted over Simpsons sex pics

Nic Hoy
Black Helicopters

can we swap Gary McKinnon...

for Matt Groening once the extreme porn laws come into force?

A still from a film can be considered extreme porn.

A cartoon is a series of stills.

Bart's penis in the Simpson's movie must therefore be considered CP in the context of the EP laws. Assuming the Simpson's creators keep their original work (they are presumably able to go to it and amend it if necessary) shouldn't we be seeking their extradition on dissemination of CP globally?

Easter Island had it's last few trees - someone cut them down.*

The Sumerians had their land clearances with subsequent desertification.

Can we be at that point in civilisation where it all comes tumbling down through gross stupidity?

*from the book "A Short History Of Progress" by Ronald Wright

BBC defends iPlayer against Murdoch Jr's 'anti-competitive' claims

Nic Hoy
Black Helicopters

el reg subscription cancelled

i feel extremely let down by the non-innovative use of the phrase 'Howling Mad' anywhere in this article

Assyrian clay tablet points to 'Sodom and Gomorrah' asteroid

Nic Hoy
Paris Hilton

@Anonymous Coward (one of them at least)

"...how were the Sumerians able to date (and verifiy as genuine) the original?"

the article doesn't say they did - the computer program used the relative positions of the stellar objects depicted to work out the date (presumably using some form of precession based calculation)

just because the civilisations were ancient doesn't mean they were populated by idiots (or paris, bless her cotton socks!)

Pope tells astronomers to pack up their telescopes

Nic Hoy
Heart

@Toni re Catholic purges

approx. 6000 deaths (of people deemed extremely dangerous) in 500 years must make the Inquisition one of the poorest purge attempts ever; no matter how regrettable each death was

much like the article itself missing the point of moving the astronomers to better facilities rather than kicking them out onto the streets - never let the facts get in the way of a good Catholic bashing...