Slashdot Mirror

The gaming community has been drooling over this title for weeks, or months. Many think it'll be the Xbox's killer app. It's visually stunning, and apparently the graphics and, more importantly, gameplay -- both single player and the innovative multiplayer modes -- are a step beyond any FPS currently out there.

MS has spent a ton sending playable demos of the XBox -- usually showcasing this, the new Oddworld, and a few other first-party titles -- to many game retailers around the country. Stop by an Electronics Boutique, Babbage's, etc and if they have a demo console, try this game out. It's for real, and I for one am planning on buying an XBox, in large part for this game.

There are other reviews on the web; check out GameSpot (who also has many movies), TeamXBox, etc.

The gaming community has been drooling over this title for weeks, or months. Many think it'll be the Xbox's killer app. It's visually stunning, and apparently the graphics and, more importantly, gameplay -- both single player and the innovative multiplayer modes -- are a step beyond any FPS currently out there.

MS has spent a ton sending playable demos of the XBox -- usually showcasing this, the new Oddworld, and a few other first-party titles -- to many game retailers around the country. Stop by an Electronics Boutique, Babbage's, etc and if they have a demo console, try this game out. It's for real, and I for one am planning on buying an XBox, in large part for this game.

There are other reviews on the web; check out GameSpot (who also has many movies), TeamXBox, etc.

Problem? No air holes.

(OK - they are working on it, but they don't like the idea of drilling holes in the walls. For now, they just leave the door ajar)

Info about the new 6-Walled CUBE:

http://www.isl.uiuc.edu/Virtual%20Tour/TourPages/I SLtour.htm

Article about CAVEQuake:

www.gamespot.com/features/cave_quake2

Elazro

Try this:
Link

If you've ever seen the GameCube in person the first thing you probably thought was "Wow it's small!" Well I noticed a few things that contributed to how they made it that size. One was the power source. It's external so it resides in the AC adapter. This thing is fairly large for a console adapter. Here is a picture:Cube IGN.

The second is the processor. IBM has developed a VERY tiny 485Mhz processor for the Cube. It's called the Gekko and is based on PowerPC technology (uses copper wire tech as well). Have a look at it: GameSpot Dossier.

The GameCube hardware is unique. The chip is produced by ATI although it was designed by another company (hence, it is not a Radeon). It also features 1T-SRAM developed by MoSys. It's more efficient although not necessarily all that much better than the RAM used in the Xbox. Unfortunately only 24mb out of 40mb of the RAM in the Cube is 1T-SRAM.

Looking Glass Studios made some pretty damn scary and atmospheric games.

Thief had me seriously freaked out when I'd play it late at night - and you had to play with the lights out to avoid any glare so you could see in the game.

I finished it aged ago - I should go and get Thief II for Halloween!

Long ago, in the eighties, there was a game called "Modem Wars" from EA. You negotiated with someone on the end of a modem over how many and what type of troops you would both get.

No building. Fixed and optionally equal troop counts. You'd command 8-10 different unit types that performed differently on different types of terrain. You got damage bonuses for being on higher terrain. Defense bonuses for digging in. All real in real time. Heterogeneous troops could hold formations which was critical for tactics. Real strategy was needed for holding reserves and flanking maneuvers.

The graphics were horrible but the interface was easy and I've yet to to see its equal in strategey or tactical thinking required for a video game.

I could give a shit weather or not you can see the orc's pimples. Give me a game that plays well with clean interface where thinking matters.

Considering that Real war sucks I wonder where my tax dollars are going.

As long as it's not by the company that just released Real War, which loudly proclaims on both its box art and in every other form of media that it is a "commercial version of the official military Joint Forces game being used to train the US armed forces."

In reality,as this Gamespot review notes, it's a "throwback to the days of those horrible real-time strategy clones that followed the success of Westwood's Command & Conquer series.".

A definite waste of my $39.99 USD and a solid contender for 'Meh' game of the year.

Buy stock

Anyone find it interesting that MS has chosen Flextronic's biggest rival to do repair servicing for the Xbox? (Solectron). Methinks Flextronics must have really #$*&ked up somewhere in the Xbox manufacturing for this to happen.

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870, 2818014,00.html

This is the first time a console has been launched in America first for quite some time. Usually the majority of the kinks are worked out when systems ship in Japan first and later in the US. We're experiencing virtual "beta hardware" testing firsthand with Xbox.

Second, there have been tons of reports of Xbox kiosks failing. Not just on GA. I've been reading a lot in the news and on many forums that Xbox kiosk failures are happening very frequently, far more than any PS2 failures. I have yet to hear about a single GameCube failure since it launched in Japan, too.

DOA3 has been reported to be heading to PS2 in the Official Playstation Magazine, along with a lot of Sega games that will merely premier on the Xbox.

Also, to clear something up, DOA3 does not look as good as Tecmo would want everyone to believe. Tecmo has a bad habit of releasing ultra high-res screens captured from developer kits (we're talking near 2000x pixel resolutions). They released beautiful but fake screenshots of DOA2: Hardcore on PS2 with tons of antialiasing. Then when you actually play DOA2 you'll find it's a jagged, shimmering mess. Sad to see that people are falling for the same trick again with DOA3.

Example:
Tecmo provided screenshot of DOA2:HC:

Touched up screen of DOA2

What DOA2 really looks like:

Real screenshot of DOA2

As you can see from these screenshots and movies not supplied by the overseers at Tecmo, the game doesn't really look that much different from DOA2.

Movie of DOA3

Screenshots of DOA3

Not to mention the DOA series' gameplay is very shallow and caters to button mashing, not nearly as deep as Tekken and Virtua Fighter. From the reports it sounds like DOA3 is a carbon copy of DOA2 with prettier graphics. Odd that the DOA series has suddenly become big-game despite lackluster sales on PS2/DC... Maybe because it's on Xbox, because if DOA3 were on PS2 it would be overshadowed by Tekken 4, Virtua Fighter 4 and Soul Calibur 2?

I'd say hold off on an Xbox until they work the kinks out and better games come out for it. The Dreamcast is dead but you can grab one for a very low price. The PS2 is the best platform for gaming now, there are so many good games out and coming out next month that my wallet is going to be screaming for mercy. GameCube looks solid but not quite as solid as the PS2. Wait and see if you are still uncertain.

GameSpot has some video previews of the game, if you can stand programmers with no PR training whatsoever blathering on for 7 minutes. But that hasn't kept me from adding it to my Christmas list, for sure. :)

GameSpot has some video previews of the game, if you can stand programmers with no PR training whatsoever blathering on for 7 minutes. But that hasn't kept me from adding it to my Christmas list, for sure. :)

For actual game information gamespot has a decent information on a preview release.

And it hasn't quite made it to $9.99 yet (at least not via mail order) -- EBWorld.com seems to sell it for $19.99. Not sure how much it is over at the mall ...

Gamespot has a very interesting article detailing a string of bad decisions that spawned Daikatana. I recommend it to all interested in the process of game design as a "What NOT to do" guide..

Extract from the first page:

After Romero's eyes zero in on the words "sheets of pity," he swivels his chair away from the screen. While not articulating it, it's clear the e-mail vitriol fazed him. "I get that kind of mail on a daily basis," he attests, trying to brush it off. But you can tell no matter how dispassionate he tries to be, each e-mail acts as salt to his wounds, wounds that have grown deeper and wider throughout the development of Daikatana, a first-person shooter that is the first full-scale production from infamous Dallas-based developer Ion Storm.

Yet before you pull out your violin to help paint the somber portrait of Romero being a game designer misunderstood by his fans, you remember the ads that ran three years ago, the ones that screamed, "John Romero Wants To Make You His Bitch!" Back then Daikatana was billed as the glorious follow-up to Quake that was going to be done in seven months. Now, it's a game that is more than two years late, has gone through five lead programmers, and is produced by a company that has reportedly burned through $30 million in a few short years. For a second you think that maybe the e-mail author was right - who is Romero, the legendary designer of games like Doom and Quake, trying to fool?


Yan

A 3D remake of Spy Hunter has just been released for the PS2.

--Ty

A 3D remake of Spy Hunter has just been released for the PS2.

--Ty

Interesting that they're choosing to delay it. In previous interviews I'd read, the Microsofties sounded pretty hyped about how they're not going to have the supply problems the PS2 had. This was then followed by the rumormill working overtime on a reduced launch.

Check these out, courtesy of Gamespot:

Some Microsoft comments on the delay.

Ed Fries discusses XBox launch

Interesting that they're choosing to delay it. In previous interviews I'd read, the Microsofties sounded pretty hyped about how they're not going to have the supply problems the PS2 had. This was then followed by the rumormill working overtime on a reduced launch.

Check these out, courtesy of Gamespot:

Some Microsoft comments on the delay.

Ed Fries discusses XBox launch

Interesting that they're choosing to delay it. In previous interviews I'd read, the Microsofties sounded pretty hyped about how they're not going to have the supply problems the PS2 had. This was then followed by the rumormill working overtime on a reduced launch.

Check these out, courtesy of Gamespot:

Some Microsoft comments on the delay.

Ed Fries discusses XBox launch

I think you're wrong... but right, and right again.

If the framerate were 40-100, you're wrong... high-action dips in performance cause your fps to drop significantly, taking your 40fps to 10fps where your 100fps would've gone to 50fps. But... gaming machines aren't running at 40fps anymore. Last year's models are running Quake3 at 120fps, and this year's models are topping 200fps. So you're right, we've got power galore.

You're right again when you mention a new killer app, and maybe more than you realise when you mention Doom. John Carmack has stated that id software's new Doom will run at 30fps on GeForce3, likely coupled with a 1Ghz+ CPU. These are *serious* hardware requirements, well beyond your AMD K6-2 450.

The new Doom also sounds like it's designed for an immersive, realistic experience, so it's not the kind of game you can strip down to get extra frames. Avoiding Doom also won't work, since about a zillion game companies will license the engine, so the bar will be raised across the board.

Chip makers really should be stepping up and funding game development in an effort to create a requirement for crunch, and which will create demand for their products. Game companies are dropping like flies right now (Dynamix, Interplay, even Loki is looking sick), that can't help push technology along.

shut up man

There doesn't seem to be much success in copying the Mario Kart kind of game anyway... the original SNES version was just too good.

It's a fundamentally different game from Mario Cart. Instead of participating in races from a predefined point A -> B, you can travel anyplace on a map and grab passengers to shuttle around.

According to IGN Cube and GameSpot the Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan) series from Capcom will be EXCLUSIVE to the Nintendo GameCube. I doubt that ANYONE can call Resident Evil a "kiddie" game.

Kohan is apparently a rather traditional fantasy RTS, but also a pretty darn good (as in "Done Right"). At least that's what I get from reading the reviews.

Gameraider

Gamespot

Gamerankings

I am going to give it a try.

--Flam,
who has never played games as little as the time when he was paid for it.

here

Talks about who ncsoft are and what Garriot is doing with them. No mention of property deals for all you office space geeks though.

If you prefer to cut and paste then go here: http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870, 2808054,00.html

I noticed over on Gamespot that Shigeru Miyamoto asked the press not to release screenshots or movies of the game. It seems that IGN doesn't give a damn about his wishes and just wants the scoop.

Yes Sir

I haven't heard any rumors about a Gamecube Megaman release...Capcom shipped Megaman for the Nintendo 64 back in January, however.

For coverage, check out:

Gamespot's SpaceWorld Coverage

IGN's GameCube site

Most impressive to me is the footage of the new Mario and Zelda games. While lots of other developers worry about targetting the "cool" gamers, the "hardcore" gamers, Nintendo seems to be the one of the only ones focusing on the FUN in their games, and targetting the kid in all of us (as well as the real kids among us.) ;-) That's going to be the factor that wins them the #1 position in the upcomming console wars, in my opinion. This focus on pure fun is evident in their entire GameCube and Game Boy Advance lineup.

paulb

Although this may cause Nintendo to lose some customers, I think most people will be buying consoles based on which games they want to play. So this probably won't be too big of a deal for Nintendo.

Speaking of the games, Space World is starting, and there are some new clips from the movies coming out. There are some at GameSpot and IGN (QuickTime only at IGN).

Because I'm bored, I went and found you a correction. Dune II is what most people tend to think of as the first RTS (it was the first to be called such), though apparently there was something RTS-like for the Sega Genesis before that.

Oh, and as for an open RTS, there's FreeCraft.

There was this game a long time ago by Bethesda called Daggerfall, that had a very large universe that had no real goals what-so-ever. The world was incredibly large (we're talking about wandering outdoors for hours between towns, and none was randomly generated!) The NPCs and town members were all created in such a detailed manner (with agendas and what not) and it still had the best "real-world" type experience I have ever seen. It was online, without being online.

I still remember being branded a criminal, riding on my horse to a town which ports it's fort gates up at night. I remember getting off my horse, looking around, scaling the wall... listening for guards, sneaking up behind them, knocking them out, and then climbing down into the town from the fort walls, and breaking into a house to find a bed to sleep at night. Now that was incredible.

It's a shame the 3D engine sucked... but they are making a new one with a new engine, that is going to be incredible. Daggerfall took over three years to make, and this one seems to be taking longer! I can't wait!

Look: Civilization is considered 15 most influential games says GameSpot. So, whether it's ported 2100 or 2500, it is still a precious timeless treasure for all of us gamers.

Look: Civilization is considered 15 most influential games says GameSpot. So, whether it's ported 2100 or 2500, it is still a precious timeless treasure for all of us gamers.

Another company that Nintendo has worked closely with during the development of the GameCube hardware is Matsushita. Matsushita will design and produce a proprietary DVD drive for the GameCube, one that will use 8cm optical discs (which will hold 1.5GB of data--twice the capacity of CD-ROMs). This will give the GameCube the ability to stream FMV cinema sequences without the inhibitive cost of using large cartridges. While the discs and disc drive used for the GameCube are a derivative of the DVD format, the GameCube will not have the ability to play DVD movies. Nintendo announced at E3 1999 that Matsushita (Panasonic) would eventually release a DVD player with the GameCube hardware included, and the unit was finally shown at E3 2001. While Panasonic will release the unit in the US for a rumored $299, Nintendo is positioning the GameCube as a video game console and not an all-encompassing entertainment device. Therefore, it was no surprise when Nintendo announced that the GameCube will be sold for $199 when it's launched on November 5. No definitive pricing has been announced for the GameCube-DVD player hybrid from Panasonic, but Matsushita has hinted that it could sell for under $300 and will likely be sold in both Japan and North America.

Another company that Nintendo has worked closely with during the development of the GameCube hardware is Matsushita. Matsushita will design and produce a proprietary DVD drive for the GameCube, one that will use 8cm optical discs (which will hold 1.5GB of data--twice the capacity of CD-ROMs). This will give the GameCube the ability to stream FMV cinema sequences without the inhibitive cost of using large cartridges. While the discs and disc drive used for the GameCube are a derivative of the DVD format, the GameCube will not have the ability to play DVD movies. Nintendo announced at E3 1999 that Matsushita (Panasonic) would eventually release a DVD player with the GameCube hardware included, and the unit was finally shown at E3 2001. While Panasonic will release the unit in the US for a rumored $299, Nintendo is positioning the GameCube as a video game console and not an all-encompassing entertainment device. Therefore, it was no surprise when Nintendo announced that the GameCube will be sold for $199 when it's launched on November 5. No definitive pricing has been announced for the GameCube-DVD player hybrid from Panasonic, but Matsushita has hinted that it could sell for under $300 and will likely be sold in both Japan and North America.

If you are looking for a great PS2 RPG to hold you over till FF X makes it here, I recommend Summoner. It has a good story with nice twists and I also enjoyed the gameplay and the graphics.

--Ty

Well, I've made my decision. After reading the Gamespot review, I'm officially hooked on getting a PS2. Both for it's DVD features, and for it's quality games being produced for it. Now if only they'll build a really good team, online multiplayer FPS like CounterStrike for it... I'll be able to ditch Winbloze entirely! I've already converted most all of my operations to my Linux Mandrake8 box, all that's left is getting a good gaming machine that doesn't rely on Winbloze exclusively, and I'll be set.

Sony Computer Entertainment has officially confirmed the release of its hard disk drive for the PlayStation 2 later this month in Japan. The add-on peripheral will serve as a data cache, for faster loading, for more than 20 games, including Final Fantasy X, Jade Cocoon 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Guitar Freaks 4th Mix and DrumMania 3rd Mix, among others. The utility disk for the hard drive will also include the latest CD drivers, with new features such as programmed and shuffled play, and DVD player driver 2.10. The unit, which also includes an Ethernet network adapter, will serve an additional purpose in the future, working in unison with the company's broadband network.

As previously reported, the pricing for the external drive is set at 19,000 yen (US$153), while the internal one will retail for 18,000 yen (US$145) in Japan. The company is currently taking preorders for the first 10,000 units (7,500 external and 2,500 internal) through its online store, PlayStation.com.

Take a look at this http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870, 2766033,00.html first.

Of all the consoles out there, or due to be out in 2001, this would surely be the one that has the capability of making the most of the Linux/BSD/etc. OSs. It is made to accept off the shelf accessories (with the exception of the HD and Ethernet attachment.
Hell it is the first console trying to live in the space between Console and PC. It accepts USB keyboards and mice for God's sake!

I agree. This should apply to all apps though, not just games. KDE and GNOME should agree on some standards so that they can interoperate. Things such as file associations and package management.
If you want a review on gameplay, you may as well read this review by gamespot.

And Myst 3 is the #1 Best Selling Game right now.

Maybe you're the only one having problems? Yes, the general public tends to be bery naive about what games they buy, but typically something doesn't typically make it to #1 in sales without either 1) being really really cheap, or 2) being a good game for most people (word of mouth IS important.)

And Myst 3 is the #1 Best Selling Game right now.

Maybe you're the only one having problems? Yes, the general public tends to be bery naive about what games they buy, but typically something doesn't typically make it to #1 in sales without either 1) being really really cheap, or 2) being a good game for most people (word of mouth IS important.)

You won't see reviews like this one in regular gaming publications

Your review is based on the (important) fact that the game often doesn't work. GameSpot is also usually good about noting bugs and compatibility problems they encounter (here, for example). I'd guess that they didn't happen to run into the problems in Myst III, and their review was written before the game was released and the problems became known.

I also wonder if they might have had a pre-release copy of the game without Safedisc.
--

You won't see reviews like this one in regular gaming publications

Your review is based on the (important) fact that the game often doesn't work. GameSpot is also usually good about noting bugs and compatibility problems they encounter (here, for example). I'd guess that they didn't happen to run into the problems in Myst III, and their review was written before the game was released and the problems became known.

I also wonder if they might have had a pre-release copy of the game without Safedisc.
--

You won't see reviews like this one in regular gaming publications

Your review is based on the (important) fact that the game often doesn't work. GameSpot is also usually good about noting bugs and compatibility problems they encounter (here, for example). I'd guess that they didn't happen to run into the problems in Myst III, and their review was written before the game was released and the problems became known.

I also wonder if they might have had a pre-release copy of the game without Safedisc.
--

You won't see reviews like this one in regular gaming publications

Your review is based on the (important) fact that the game often doesn't work. GameSpot is also usually good about noting bugs and compatibility problems they encounter (here, for example). I'd guess that they didn't happen to run into the problems in Myst III, and their review was written before the game was released and the problems became known.

I also wonder if they might have had a pre-release copy of the game without Safedisc.
--