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Check the GameFAQs FAQ list for the game and go down to "Bug/Glitch FAQ" (GameFAQs doesn't allow direct linking to the FAQs). It explains the Stealth Glitch, which is the one that people started frantically spreading the day after KOTOR came out, but there are several smaller bugs in addition to that one. The bugs generally only occur if you're doing something weird, but that's still a far lower standard of quality control than most console games have had until this year.

RE:Animal Crossing - Yeah, but those months of gameplay are spent doing extremely simple tasks, like delivering packages, mailing letters, digging up fossils, fishing, collecting fruit, and catching bugs, and they all use a single button to execute (well, plus movement). In fact, that's just about everything you can do with the game. It lasts only as long as you get tired of collecting virtual items in a virtual house and rearranging them, really. It has some neat touches, but there's just not a whole lot you can do. I have several gripes with Wind Waker too. If you're interested, I've listed them all here for anyone who's interested. I won't waste the space otherwise. Otherwise, your list is good. Those are some really great titles. Super Monkey Ball 2 and Sunshine are really stand out titles for the system, and coupled with the GBA Player they really make the console a worthwhile purchase (for me, at least).

Look at the reviews. It's consistant that all major publisher games NEVER score below 70%, all others can get as low as 50%.

One of the important things you must do when reading a review is calibrate the scale they are using. As you observe, you can even get different scales for different things.

Gamespy claims to rate on a 100 point scale (using percentage points), but clearly, they rate on either a 50 or 30 point range, depending.

Now, when I rate things on a 1 to 10 scale, "10's" make up roughly 1% of my ratings, and a 1 about 13%, with the difference smearing up to about 6. This is important to know when I'm rating things, that I'm relatively brutal. (Though I don't rate often.)

Gamefaqs allows users to rate games on a ten-point scale but the users only really use "8", "9", "10", and "bad". (With an excessive bias towards 10.) In fact the numbers are crappy and I'll frequently see things like "This game was OK at best, there's a lot of things I didn't like, only rent this if you like this genre" attached to a "9/10". The reviews themselves aren't too bad, if you know how to read reviews.

My point? I wouldn't necessarily read conspiracy into the review numbers; as long as there is a positive and consistent correlation between review value and quality, it's OK. At least, it seems to be accepted practice; as I noted above when I'm on a ten-point scale I'm not afraid to rate things as a 1 or a 4 at all, but most people seem to feel obliged to never rate things less then a 5 or 6, unless it's abject, unmitigated, total crap.

Some early results from the picking apart of the source are here and here.

I tried compiling the code, it won't work in Microsoft Visual Studio.NET 2003 (apparently it was developed in Visual Studio 6.0 and the version inconsistencies break the code. It's not exactly standard C++ :). According to unverified rumours, Visual Studio 6.0 with SP5 will compile the source.

This is relatively safe, since this was exactly how everything worked until PlayStation 2 introduced backwards compatibility in consoles. No other console has ever been backwards compatible*.


*cough* Atari 7800 *cough*

Yes, backwards compatibility in consoles is, what, 15 years old or so? Of course, there were a few scattered 2600 games that would not run on a 7800, but by and far, most would, and pretty much identically as they did on a 2600 itself.

I think you mean "older and wealthier"

"Quick, rich, and angry. Like a Republican!"

--B.J. Smith, GTA:VC

Yep, Card is doing work for a Brute Force-like game called Advent Rising. GameFAQs lists it as supposeldy being released early next year. I'd read that Card isn't doing plot scripting so much as dialogue writing or something along those lines, but I'm not sure now. In any event, the game sounds good on paper-- I hope it plays well.

The game uses a randomly generated battle zone, with the random seed based on the name of the zone. The player selects the name of the zone by picking three keywords from three separate lists. This can be seen in more detail on gamefaqs .Hack keywords effects

While the zone weather, day/night, and element type are determined from the keywords, while the locations of enemies, scenery, and the dungeon entrance on the map appear to be random. They are consistent for each visit to the zone, so the RNG must be seeded from the combination of keywords. The dungeon maze within the zone is also randomly generated, by connecting various prerendered rooms by matching up doors. The level generator only needs to connect rooms so that the doors match up and rooms don't overlap. Rooms may have multiple doors, allowing for loops and dead-ends. Dungeons are multiple levels deep, controlled by the difficultly level of the zone.

Some keyword combinations are "special" and contain plot elements and bosses and/or cutscenes. These keywords combinations are revealed within the game, or by watching the related anime series.

The old X-Band modem gaming system (XBand Review) used to let you make any two- or multi-player game into an internet game by synching and accepting player input thru its modem port. That means that communications-wise, it's actually something the hardware manufacturers could have done out of the gate instead of making every single game program it's own multi-player handling. Therefore, where are all the games? is even more of a question than most players realize.

Unfortunately, X-Band didn't get enough customers to continue on, so it is a question of how many people really want to pay for multiplayer online. Perhaps this is an indication of how multiplayer games are not "fun" for the average player? Pure speculation.

The worst game I've played in years is Square's infamous Unlimited SaGa. Generally, I have the good sense to avoid things like this, but I've always had a weakness for Square games, and I thoroughly enjoyed its predecessor, SaGa Frontier 2.

Sure, every publication in the world slammed this game. But none of them managed to adequately portray how miserable it is. The game looks gorgeous, but beauty can be severely misleading. I've never had a worse gameplay experience. It's so bad that it defies description.

If anyone is considering buying this steaming pile of refuse, take the advice of an admitted Square fanboy who usually likes the RPG's that the reviewers pan:

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. PLAYING IT IS AKIN TO HAVING YOUR BRAIN RIPPED OUT OF YOUR HEAD WHILE MIKE TYSON DOES UNSPEAKABLE THINGS TO YOUR BEHIND.

You have been warned.

When the game designers absolutely can't keep pace with your imagination, accept no substitutes. Though now that you mention it, Slime: The RPG sounds kinda fun. Born under a rock, eat defenseless peasents but nab too many in one area and adventurers start hunting you. Find a weak adventurer or two and start leveling. Until then, I suppose we must accept the Dungeon Keeper series....

FAQS are made by people who love the game they are writing about and are doing it for free. I think that is reason enough not to ever buy another game guide again. Besides that: they suck. What i like best about FAQS is the fact the you are sometimes able to find reference for little tidbits that you would never have noticed if you did'nt read about it.

I also think that gamefaqs has created a wonderful community of game lovers who love to discuss games. Take a look at the board for FFVII and you will be amazed to see that this game is still popular (very popular) 6 years after it had been released.

The only reason for buying a game guide could be the art, the problem is not too many guides have a good enough selction. One thing that guides can evolve too is a medium for publishing background information on the game your playing. They are already doing it in japan (surprise !). The best example could be the xenogears perfect works book which is highly sought after around the xenogears fan community. BTW their is now a faq writer on gamefaqs trying to translate this thing.

Another great advantage of Gamefaqs is that there are typically many different faqs/walkthroughs for the same game. I often find it useful to read a couple of different authors' explanations of a difficult part of a game. If one author offers a confusing or difficult solution, I can simply jump to another faq to look for a better explanation or a more elegant tip. With a print guide, if you don't get what the author is trying to have you accomplish (or if the proposed solution is difficult or klugy), you're screwed.

They may be almost completely pointless for somebody who knows about gamefaqs.com, but some are great as art books / reference for game programmers (especially RPGs). And they have nice maps and stuff.

What I want to know is who's watching those 'cheat code' segments of video game shows and G4's 'cheat' full half-hour. I mean, watching it hoping one of the games you own ends up there and then going to the web site and printing the codes? Why watch in the first place?

On another note: are "are X dying" articles dying? I haven't seen one in a few days.

Making movies from licenses from good movies isn't necessarily hard. I think the main factor in explaining why almost all movie licenses suck is that most movie-licensed games must be released, ready or not, at the same time as their respective movies. Add to that the fact that the production cycle of a typical movie is shorter than that of the average game, and you have a recipe for disaster that smells vaguely like most of what Acclaim releases.

There's no reason that licensed games have to suck. Some don't. (Goldeneye was released years after its movie counterpart, and didn't really have a strict deadline to meet.) It's just that rushed games tend to suck.

Producing a good game nowadays requires more time and money than most licensors realize. When licensed games are treated less as a marketing tie-in and more as separate entities, their quality will improve dramatically.

Making movies from licenses from good movies isn't necessarily hard. I think the main factor in explaining why almost all movie licenses suck is that most movie-licensed games must be released, ready or not, at the same time as their respective movies. Add to that the fact that the production cycle of a typical movie is shorter than that of the average game, and you have a recipe for disaster that smells vaguely like most of what Acclaim releases.

There's no reason that licensed games have to suck. Some don't. (Goldeneye was released years after its movie counterpart, and didn't really have a strict deadline to meet.) It's just that rushed games tend to suck.

Producing a good game nowadays requires more time and money than most licensors realize. When licensed games are treated less as a marketing tie-in and more as separate entities, their quality will improve dramatically.

And I seem to have found a web version here.

Here is more on the original version (the c64 version, but whatever works.)

And more.

From the Liberty City Survivor commercial in Grand Theft Auto III:

Male Voice: "Tonight...the TV event that will make history...Liberty City Survivor! This takes reality TV to a whole new level! We'll take 20 recently paroled guys, equip them with grenade launchers and flamethrowers...and let them hunt each other down!! It's the reality show where you...just might be...part of the action!!"

Man: "I was grabbing a sandwich in the Happy Blimp, and all-of-a-sudden these guys crashed through the window and started shooting at each other! I was so excited, I didn't even notice I'd been hit! After that, I was hooked on Liberty City Survivor! I watch it every day in the hospital!"

Male Voice: "The game doesn't end until there's only one man left standing!! Tune in nightly, or watch the 24hour live webcast!......Liberty City Survivor!!......Natural selection...has come home!!......."

(courtesy of John Mazzocchi's Commercial Scripts FAQ on gamefaqs.com

From the Liberty City Survivor commercial in Grand Theft Auto III:

Male Voice: "Tonight...the TV event that will make history...Liberty City Survivor! This takes reality TV to a whole new level! We'll take 20 recently paroled guys, equip them with grenade launchers and flamethrowers...and let them hunt each other down!! It's the reality show where you...just might be...part of the action!!"

Man: "I was grabbing a sandwich in the Happy Blimp, and all-of-a-sudden these guys crashed through the window and started shooting at each other! I was so excited, I didn't even notice I'd been hit! After that, I was hooked on Liberty City Survivor! I watch it every day in the hospital!"

Male Voice: "The game doesn't end until there's only one man left standing!! Tune in nightly, or watch the 24hour live webcast!......Liberty City Survivor!!......Natural selection...has come home!!......."

(courtesy of John Mazzocchi's Commercial Scripts FAQ on gamefaqs.com

E-mail the save file to yourself, and hack it

Before that classics were released in "sets" of maybe four or five. Now we're seeing collections of 20 to 40. Mind you, most of the titles listed have been made available in recent compilations

Before that classics were released in "sets" of maybe four or five. Now we're seeing collections of 20 to 40. Mind you, most of the titles listed have been made available in recent compilations

Before that classics were released in "sets" of maybe four or five. Now we're seeing collections of 20 to 40. Mind you, most of the titles listed have been made available in recent compilations

Before that classics were released in "sets" of maybe four or five. Now we're seeing collections of 20 to 40. Mind you, most of the titles listed have been made available in recent compilations

You mean like this, this, this, this, or this?

You mean like this, this, this, this, or this?

You mean like this, this, this, this, or this?

You mean like this, this, this, this, or this?

You mean like this, this, this, this, or this?

Mario Bros. 3 will be re-released as Super Mario Advance 4

Oh for the love of Pete, would it hurt Nintendo too much to release an original game for a change?

I thought after they released Yoshi's Island they'd be out of games. Well, I guess after 3 they really are out... what then?

Probably figure out how to jam Mario 64 onto the gameboy, although it might actually be easier to bother to write a new game at that point...

Mario Bros. 3 will be re-released as Super Mario Advance 4

Oh for the love of Pete, would it hurt Nintendo too much to release an original game for a change?

I thought after they released Yoshi's Island they'd be out of games. Well, I guess after 3 they really are out... what then?

Probably figure out how to jam Mario 64 onto the gameboy, although it might actually be easier to bother to write a new game at that point...

Personally, I think the changes in terms of making the ratings more prominent are a good thing in that they don't have any negative impact on me, or the games I play, but at the very least can have a positive impact in terms of keeping some of the more shrill reactionaries (like Lieberman) quiet.

They have made a remake of Blaster Master, Blaster Master: Blasting Again, and there was a Blaster Master 2 for the Sega Genesis

They have made a remake of Blaster Master, Blaster Master: Blasting Again, and there was a Blaster Master 2 for the Sega Genesis

The actual name given to the third game in the Street Fighter 2 series is still up for debate. This screenshot shows some of the reason for the confusion, as well as this clear and understandable marquee. On the street in the Silicon Valley we refered to it as "Turbo," and GameFAQS has "Street Fighter II Hyper Edition" listed as "Street Fighter II Turbo" under the release data. People also refered to it as "Turbo Championship Edition."

There is one thing that isn't debated, the SNES home conversion was titled SF2:T. Thankfully, it said so clearly on the box. Likewise, Capcom USA had sorted out this mess by the time that Super Street Fighter 2 came out, calling it quite clearly "Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo" while Japan refered to it as "Super Street Fighter 2 X - Grandmaster Challenge"

While I won't get too much into Capcom Japan's weird naming practices, I will mention that Street Fighter II Championship Edition was, in the land of the rising sun, titled " Street Fighter II ' Championship Edition", with the ' pronounced "dash." Turbo was therefore refered to as "Street Fighter II Dash Turbo. If you look back at the first image linked above, you will see the dash.

So yes, the CPSI powered SFII (or SFII:TWW), SFII':CE, and SFII':T (or SFII:TCE or SFII:THF or TSFII:HF or SFII'T:HF). The CPSII was behind SSFII (or SSFII:TNC), SSFII:T, as well as SF:TM, SFA (or SFA:WD, SFZ, SFL), SFA2 (SFZ2), SFZ2:A, SFA3 (SFZ3). And MSHvsSF, XvsSF, and MvsC. That's a lot of Street Fighters thanks to the CPSII. (the CPSI did such legends as Final Fight and Strider, so it has its share of victories too)

I hope this clears that up.

Overall, as a graphic aficionado who NEVER plays games with poor graphics (this is why I NEVER play american games), i have to say graphically, FFXI matched my expectations and even surpassed it in some areas. --A report from Vana Diel

Maybe they're good for a 'man on the street' perspective, but I'd hardly let these sway me about any game.

Faq on the Game

The links in the FAQ however now point to p0rn.

Here's the famous shockwave and song.

Davak

You say that:

"selling a remake of an old game that makes it essentially just an SNES game playable on the PSX won't fly here in North America."

..but wasn't that the type of thing done (to NES games) for the Final Fantasy Origins Playstation release? However, I do agree that it might be weird to release Final Fantasy III on its own, and that _some_ enhancement is very likely. Time for blatant speculation about other titles to go with FF3!

We may find out that the mystery title is Chocobo Stallion after all this, of course :)

1k. Sue Your Boss:

"See, the great thing about this country is you can sue anyone for pretty much anything! And you'll probably win!"

GTA3 Commercial Lyrics

I thought the same thing when I read it...

Having a quick look around, the 'PSX' monikor hit the major US game sites, including (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/).

Looks like some databases, and probably some (unofficial) artwork floating around, will have to be updated...

First Pokemon anime 1997
First Digimon anime 1999

Digimon always was a total ripoff.

First Pokemon anime 1997
First Digimon anime 1999

Digimon always was a total ripoff.

Indeed.

I stand corrected. The game was indeed called "The Sentinel". There's a brief mention of it at http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/amiga/data/25081. html, including a couple screen shots.

For game reviews, gamefaqs. The FAQs are great, but it is also a great place for reading user reviews. If I need more reviews, I head to Amazon.

For screenshots/video, I refer to the "biggies": gamespot and ign.

For Game Boy Advance, I go to: gbacentral.

For Dance Dance Revolution: DDRFreak

However, my favorite site at the moment is for the ol' Atari 2600: Atari Age

AtariAge is amazing: screenshots of almost every Atari 2600 game, very active forums, store that sells cartridges for new "homebrews", etc.

--
jason

Slashdot discussions hold various examples of folks who refer to p2p copyrighted file sharing as "stealing". Some people (with whom I agree) then respond that this is not an example of stealing, it is an example of copyright infringement. This clarification is not intended to condone (or condemn) the sharing of copyrighted material; the point is to not sink to the same level of newspeak as the RIAA/MPAA which claims (for example) that not watching commercials is "stealing". The reason this is important is that it has everything to do with what legal analysis and remedies can and should be brought to bear on the matter.

That reminds me of the satire of NPR in GTA:VC :)

Gratuitously stolen from this site!

MICHELLE: That's Pressing Issues here on VCPR, Vice City Public Radio.
If you haven't given money to VCPR, and you're listening to this
station, you are a thief.

JONATHAN: That's right, Michelle. You might as well as throw a brick
through the window and loot the place. How selfish you people are? This
is public radio, serving the public, with everything that is important.
Like me. So come on. Keep us on air. It's really important.

MICHELLE: Send us your money. I'm going to say this over and over until
you do.

JONATHAN: Yes. Michelle is known for her beg-a-thon tantrums. She cares
about this station, unlike you. Think of how much money you spend on
drive-thru fast food and comemorative plates. Take that money right now,
and send it, direct to me, Johnathain Freeloader, Starfish Island, Vice
City. Now back to the show, with Maurice Chavez, the asshole.

MICHELLE: You're correct. He IS an asshole.

His comment is talking about online bomb-making instructions, after all, and I know for a fact that he also posted it on the gamefaqs as the user 'Suicide Bomberman', so in that way, it is also talking about terrorism.

I start with gamefaqs, which usually has pretty good user reviews. NOTHING. Just posting to the message boards, but no reviews to speak of.

Then I check out Amazon. Only a few reviews, but by people that OBVIOUSLY haven't played the game, since they pretty much just copy and paste the Amazon information.

It's REALLY freaky. I've never seen a game where it's been out for days, but no reviews at all. Hell, when MGS2 came out, there were actual reviews on gamefaqs the same day!

The pros I can understand, since they have to be far more professional and throrough, and of course, E3, but the lack of actual user reviews is plain damn spooky?

Hmm, maybe the Agents came for the potential reviewers. ;-)

Ground-based combat isn't exactly new to the Starfox series.

After completing the difficult task of earning a medal on Venom while playing the game in expert mode, Starfox 64 (or Lylat Wars, as it is know in the PAL market) gave you the option to choose to fight on foot in multiplayer. You could also choose to be a tank after earning a medal on Venom in standard mode. See here for more information.

However, Starfox 64's multiplayer could hardly be considered all that great, so I hope that Namco have done a much better job. This is one game I'm really looking forward to...

I rented Ratchet and Clank recently, and it was a blast. Nothing has come as close to the classic platformers as this has for me. I was playing as often as I could, looking for secret crap (everyone remember Minus World in Super Mario Bros.?), collecting bolts because I wanted to not because I needed them to advance (though you need them--to advance). I hear there's a sequel in the works too.