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Comments · 863

  1. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  2. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  3. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  4. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  5. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  6. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  7. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  8. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  9. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  10. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  11. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  12. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  13. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  14. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  15. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  16. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  17. What else he Alexey Pajitnov done by GerritHoll · · Score: 5, Informative · on Tetris - From Russia With Love
    What else has Alexey Pajitnov done, you ask? Here is the complete list Conclusion: He hasn't done much beyond Tetris indeed. Apart from El-Fish, Knight Moves, Pandora's Box, Puzzle Collection, Rampage Puzzle and Gotham Racing, they're all Tetris variants.

    But isn't Tetris more than enough to contribute to Humanity?

  18. Re:Why only Tetris by simoniker · · Score: 4, Insightful · on Tetris - From Russia With Love

    I think Pajitnov definitely didn't help his cause of only being known for a certain product by producing a lot of other '...tris' games - I particularly remember Hatris, which is a pretty wacky idea conceptually.

    However, he did design Pandora's Box for Microsoft, which is a wonderful example of a classical puzzle game (not Tetris-like, more jigsaw-like, but with much more complexity and 3D puzzles of many kinds), which is, imho, very under-rated.

  19. UT + Interstate 76 = Car Wars by SlipJig · · Score: 1 · on Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo Released

    I'm looking forward to trying out the new demo, and I'm interested in trying the vehicles out. Hopefully my 1.2 GHz Athlon w/GeForce 2 GTS can run the game at more than 5 fps :)

    Personally, I'd like to see a PC version of Car Wars (old Steve Jackson game). Like Interstate 76 (rock on Daddy-O! :) but with the ability to hop out of the car and whoop some ass UT-style. There may be a game out there like that already, I dunno (haven't had a chance to play many games lately)... if so point me to it!

  20. Re:Starfox was not done by NOJ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Nintendo, Miyamoto Preview 2004 Releases

    Are you sure about that, DeadScreenSky?

    http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/gameId,6629/

    Check the right column.

    Miyamoto and EAD had quite a lot to do with the production of that game, even though it was mainly programmed by Argonaut (presumably because it was a Super FX game).

  21. Re:Real reason for delay? by ksiddique · · Score: 1 · on Half-Life 2 Targeted for Summer Release

    Just for completeness sake, the game was released October 31, 1998. Check here for details.

  22. Re:Sing Sing Revolution? by k_187 · · Score: 1 · on On Integrating Voice Commands Into Videogames

    You mean like this: http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,7/gameId,109 08/

  23. What is WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!?! by jmlyle · · Score: 1 · on Can Illogical Videogames Still Be Enjoyable?


    This is about internal consistency. I'm sure someone can prove me wrong, but I can't imagine a game having any success (read: providing enjoyment to more than a few people) without a strong, predictive, internal consistency.

    Every game spends some time teaching you it's rules, and then you play the game based on those rules. The better games will continue to refine the rules as you progress, giving you more opportunities for solutions. Things like combining tactics or maneuvers to do things you couldn't do before.

    Games like Civilization have tutorial levels to teach you about the interactions that you have to manage and understand. If the world reacted randomly, it wouldn't be much fun to play.

    Games like Shinobi give you situations where you can jump or kick or throw, and as you progress, you had better learn well how the bad guys move, and how your actions work, because you have to use that knowledge to jump over the wall, and throw the star to hit the guy while kicking the thing so you can land on the TINY FUCKING LEDGE (it's been 15 years and I still have a little resentment about some of those jumps).

  24. Nothing New Under the Sun by superultra · · Score: 5, Interesting · on On Bringing Emotions To Videogames

    ICO is, of course, an excellent example and is probably one of the best modern exhibits of emotion in games MSNBC could have used (too bad they robbed it of that by spoiling the rather poignant ending). I like that someone mentioned KOTOR, as that probably consisted of the most cinematic emotional attachment I've ever experienced in a game (and most certainly Episode I & II).

    Still, I love how these articles act as if this is something new. Likewise, the creater of Facade and Warren Spector, both of whom should have known better. In fact, as good as Deus Ex and System Shock were, all of Spector's work pales in comparison to what I experienced in Grim Fandango (and I'll save you the MSNBC treatment and not give away the ending). Facade sounds remarkably like Space Bar to me, only not in space or talking to three headed aliens, but the one-act emotional play is definitely borrowed, even if unknowingly. Of course, as always Planescape: Torment gets no love, even though it do created emotional attachments but within the context of a deceptively standard fare RPG.

    More recently, interactive fiction (a fancy phrase for text adventure) has evolved to produce some amazingly emotional games as of late. After finishing the 30 minute Photopia, I sat in a daze for several minutes and then started to (I feel vulnerable here) cry. Easily the most intense emotional experience I've had playing a game, and certainly on the same level, in my opinion, as great literature.

    Secondly, I think ICO represents Japan's open acceptance of emotions in games. While I rarely connect with the Japanese emotional experience as I did with ICO, this is most likely due to cultural nuances than my own fault, and there are exceptions. I hesitate to say it as it's a strong statement to use, but playing the fifth level of REZ was about as emotionally religious of an experience I think a video game could ever create. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, even Metal Gear Solid; all these are representative that while I may not necessarily "get it," the Japanese obviously do not shy away from emotion in games like Americans do. Likewise, Europeans don't seem to have a problem with emotion. The potent Beyond Good & Evil, while I have yet to finish it, is shaping up that way as well, and Prince of Persia (which might as well have been European) attempts something similar, albeit a little less concentrated. I would assert that American gameplay, in either its intentional or non-intentional attempt at open-ended gameplay (from GTA to Battlefield 1942), is generally on a steady course of avoiding emotions, or relying on violence to propogate them. Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda) has made note in multiple interviews of Americans' over-reliance on violence to create emotion. He's right. Of course, this ought not be surprising when American industry leaders like Carmack decry story in video gaming every chance they get.

    Finally, as a postscript I'm not entirely sure MSNBC ought to be asking Spector anyway. Oh, yeah, I think he's a gaming god like anyone else, and that moment in System Shock 2 when you walk into the room . . . (oh wait, I'm not MSNBC). But the latest incarnation of Deus Ex was about as emotionally involving as the default Windows XP screensaver. Perhaps he'll redeem himself with Thief III?

  25. Nothing New Under the Sun by superultra · · Score: 5, Interesting · on On Bringing Emotions To Videogames

    ICO is, of course, an excellent example and is probably one of the best modern exhibits of emotion in games MSNBC could have used (too bad they robbed it of that by spoiling the rather poignant ending). I like that someone mentioned KOTOR, as that probably consisted of the most cinematic emotional attachment I've ever experienced in a game (and most certainly Episode I & II).

    Still, I love how these articles act as if this is something new. Likewise, the creater of Facade and Warren Spector, both of whom should have known better. In fact, as good as Deus Ex and System Shock were, all of Spector's work pales in comparison to what I experienced in Grim Fandango (and I'll save you the MSNBC treatment and not give away the ending). Facade sounds remarkably like Space Bar to me, only not in space or talking to three headed aliens, but the one-act emotional play is definitely borrowed, even if unknowingly. Of course, as always Planescape: Torment gets no love, even though it do created emotional attachments but within the context of a deceptively standard fare RPG.

    More recently, interactive fiction (a fancy phrase for text adventure) has evolved to produce some amazingly emotional games as of late. After finishing the 30 minute Photopia, I sat in a daze for several minutes and then started to (I feel vulnerable here) cry. Easily the most intense emotional experience I've had playing a game, and certainly on the same level, in my opinion, as great literature.

    Secondly, I think ICO represents Japan's open acceptance of emotions in games. While I rarely connect with the Japanese emotional experience as I did with ICO, this is most likely due to cultural nuances than my own fault, and there are exceptions. I hesitate to say it as it's a strong statement to use, but playing the fifth level of REZ was about as emotionally religious of an experience I think a video game could ever create. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, even Metal Gear Solid; all these are representative that while I may not necessarily "get it," the Japanese obviously do not shy away from emotion in games like Americans do. Likewise, Europeans don't seem to have a problem with emotion. The potent Beyond Good & Evil, while I have yet to finish it, is shaping up that way as well, and Prince of Persia (which might as well have been European) attempts something similar, albeit a little less concentrated. I would assert that American gameplay, in either its intentional or non-intentional attempt at open-ended gameplay (from GTA to Battlefield 1942), is generally on a steady course of avoiding emotions, or relying on violence to propogate them. Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda) has made note in multiple interviews of Americans' over-reliance on violence to create emotion. He's right. Of course, this ought not be surprising when American industry leaders like Carmack decry story in video gaming every chance they get.

    Finally, as a postscript I'm not entirely sure MSNBC ought to be asking Spector anyway. Oh, yeah, I think he's a gaming god like anyone else, and that moment in System Shock 2 when you walk into the room . . . (oh wait, I'm not MSNBC). But the latest incarnation of Deus Ex was about as emotionally involving as the default Windows XP screensaver. Perhaps he'll redeem himself with Thief III?

  26. Nothing New Under the Sun by superultra · · Score: 5, Interesting · on On Bringing Emotions To Videogames

    ICO is, of course, an excellent example and is probably one of the best modern exhibits of emotion in games MSNBC could have used (too bad they robbed it of that by spoiling the rather poignant ending). I like that someone mentioned KOTOR, as that probably consisted of the most cinematic emotional attachment I've ever experienced in a game (and most certainly Episode I & II).

    Still, I love how these articles act as if this is something new. Likewise, the creater of Facade and Warren Spector, both of whom should have known better. In fact, as good as Deus Ex and System Shock were, all of Spector's work pales in comparison to what I experienced in Grim Fandango (and I'll save you the MSNBC treatment and not give away the ending). Facade sounds remarkably like Space Bar to me, only not in space or talking to three headed aliens, but the one-act emotional play is definitely borrowed, even if unknowingly. Of course, as always Planescape: Torment gets no love, even though it do created emotional attachments but within the context of a deceptively standard fare RPG.

    More recently, interactive fiction (a fancy phrase for text adventure) has evolved to produce some amazingly emotional games as of late. After finishing the 30 minute Photopia, I sat in a daze for several minutes and then started to (I feel vulnerable here) cry. Easily the most intense emotional experience I've had playing a game, and certainly on the same level, in my opinion, as great literature.

    Secondly, I think ICO represents Japan's open acceptance of emotions in games. While I rarely connect with the Japanese emotional experience as I did with ICO, this is most likely due to cultural nuances than my own fault, and there are exceptions. I hesitate to say it as it's a strong statement to use, but playing the fifth level of REZ was about as emotionally religious of an experience I think a video game could ever create. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, even Metal Gear Solid; all these are representative that while I may not necessarily "get it," the Japanese obviously do not shy away from emotion in games like Americans do. Likewise, Europeans don't seem to have a problem with emotion. The potent Beyond Good & Evil, while I have yet to finish it, is shaping up that way as well, and Prince of Persia (which might as well have been European) attempts something similar, albeit a little less concentrated. I would assert that American gameplay, in either its intentional or non-intentional attempt at open-ended gameplay (from GTA to Battlefield 1942), is generally on a steady course of avoiding emotions, or relying on violence to propogate them. Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda) has made note in multiple interviews of Americans' over-reliance on violence to create emotion. He's right. Of course, this ought not be surprising when American industry leaders like Carmack decry story in video gaming every chance they get.

    Finally, as a postscript I'm not entirely sure MSNBC ought to be asking Spector anyway. Oh, yeah, I think he's a gaming god like anyone else, and that moment in System Shock 2 when you walk into the room . . . (oh wait, I'm not MSNBC). But the latest incarnation of Deus Ex was about as emotionally involving as the default Windows XP screensaver. Perhaps he'll redeem himself with Thief III?

  27. X-Wing and Tie Fighter by Rayonic · · Score: 1 · on FreeSpace 2 Gets Reissue As Limited Edition

    You know, they did release updated versions of these games, using the X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter engine. You just have to buy either this or this.

    May require some mild tweaking to run under Win2000/XP. (Compatibility mode, software mode rendering, etc.)

  28. X-Wing and Tie Fighter by Rayonic · · Score: 1 · on FreeSpace 2 Gets Reissue As Limited Edition

    You know, they did release updated versions of these games, using the X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter engine. You just have to buy either this or this.

    May require some mild tweaking to run under Win2000/XP. (Compatibility mode, software mode rendering, etc.)

  29. Re:Robotwars by Jim+Hall · · Score: 1 · on Neglected Classic Games That Deserve Remakes?

    Did some googling ... the game was actually called "Robosport", from Maxis.

    Robosport - DOS and Win3x. There was also a port to Macintosh.

  30. Some ideas.. by rhetoric · · Score: 2, Interesting · on Neglected Classic Games That Deserve Remakes?
    1) Pirates!

    from

    this review of the CD-32 version: "You are a pirate (of course). The object of this game is to retire with high social standing, having amassed a large fortune. How do you do this? To acquire wealth, you sack towns and other ships, and search for buried treasure. To acquire social standing, you play the game of politics with the governments in the game (England, France, Holland, and Spain). This might involve getting married to a governor's daughter, doing missions for the government, and attacking that government's enemies."

    2) Kid Icarus

    "Immediately after Kid Icarus' debut alongside Metroid, the two games were about equally popular, but gradually Metroid began to pull ahead. NES players clamored for sequels to both games, but Nintendo strangely left both series stagnant for years, finally resurrecting them on the original Game Boy of all places. Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters on the Game Boy was a respectable outing for Pit, but sadly it was to be his last. Metroid, of course, went on for further sequels on the SNES, GBA, and GameCube. Additional Kid Icarus installments have never appeared despite persistent rumors to the contrary. One wonders why Nintendo doesn't make another KI sequel in this age of remakes and rehashes. Certainly there are plenty of people who'd welcome a return to Angel Land. But until a new sequel emerges, we'll have to content ourselves with halcyon memories of this wacky place, forever filled with plucky angels and evil eggplants."

    3) Blaster Master

    "Jason had a pet frog named Fred. One morning Fred started to jump around in his fish bowl and was making a lot of noise. Jason woke up and took Fred out to see if he was ok, but when he did, Fred made a dash for the door. Jason chased after his pet. Fred was on the move, he was heading for the swamps, once out there he saw a huge radioactive chest. As Fred got closer and eventually jumped on it, he started to change, he was getting bigger. It didn't take long before Fred and the chest both fell through the earth. Jason, wanting to get his pet, jumped in after him. When Jason landed he found himself. alone, next to a huge armoured vehicle.

    As Jason looked over the car-like-tank a girl stepped out with long red hair and a freckled face. She said her name was Yvtrkizj, her Earth name was Eve and that she was from a planet called Signar-el. Eve gave him a radioactive protection suit and invited him into the tank. She told him the name of the vehicle was SOPHIA The 3rd: NORA MA-01. She told him about the Plutonium Boss, and what he had done to her home planet.

    He lived underground, growing more powerful with the peoples wastes. Once he had grown powerful enough, he attacked the people, and destroyed them, but with them gone, his source of food was decreasing. He set out from the planet in search of another, and found Earth. Eve had taken the last of her planets weapons, SOPHIA The 3rd, and came to try and destroy the Plutonium Boss before he could destroy Earth.

    This wasn't just about getting his pet frog, Fred, back anymore, this was about saving the Earth. Jason set out on a journey to save Earth from certain doom."

    4) Strider

    "The Striders are a global organization of infiltration specialists who work to combat villainy and keep the world safe. From their orbital space station, the Blue Dragon, they are able to quickly reach anywhere in the world.

    Hiryu is one of the top striders. He is given the task by Vice-Director Matic, of finding another captured strider, Kain. But rather than mount a rescue, Hiryu is told his assignment is to kill

  31. Re:Test Drive by Phil+Wilkins · · Score: 1 · on Classic Arcade To Atari 2600 Conversions Rated

    Definately. Hard Drivin', and it's sequel Race Drivin' had one of the best force feedback wheels ever, pedals too. Was quite a shock to me, and felt quite unnatural, until I finally got behind the controls of a real car, later that year.

    None of the home conversions could ever come close (no, not even the gameboy one, chew on that thought for a while), because they didn't have the hardware.

  32. Re:ColecoVision by molafson · · Score: 3, Interesting · on Classic Arcade To Atari 2600 Conversions Rated

    Further to my last post, check out these screenshots.

    Arcade Zaxxon
    ColecoVision Zaxxon
    Atari 2600 Zaxxon

  33. Re:We interupt this First Person Shooter..... by ronfar · · Score: 1 · on TV's Missing Men Still Flocking To Games?
    Well, games are going to be like movies. Some will be chock full of ads like any recent James Bond movie, and some will not, like LOTR. ("Imagine Gollum plugging Pepsi half way through the Two Towers. It'll be like printing money. Hey, why is this pit opening up beneath my feet, aieeee...")

    So, you just have to hope that the game series you love aren't among the ones on the James Bond side of the equation.

    I was kind of stunned to find that there is a game for Gamecube that is a fantasy game based on Skittles...

  34. The game was Cool Spot. by Slashdot+Insider · · Score: 2, Informative · on A Place For Product Placement In Games?

    It was available for the SNES, Genesis and GB. A couple of screens available here. It even had sequels.

  35. cues taken from 1989 game: Omega by levl289 · · Score: 1 · on DARPA Robot Contest Update

    Reminds me of a game that I'd gotten for my Apple IIc (one of the last games I'd ever found for the box) Omega granted, I was 11 at the time, and similarly could only make the tank go straight and in circles ;)

  36. Simcity 4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Best Original Games of 2003?

    It just sneaks in as a 2003 release (simcity 4 information) and it's the best release in that long standing serie. Add Rush Hour and you got a very advanced simulation environment, with seemingly endless gameplay vaule.

  37. Re:Halo sucks by jmlyle · · Score: 1 · on Discussing The Most Awaited Games Of 2004?

    >>there is no differnce between story presentation on a console and a PC, just controller scheme

    That is a total crock. What are you smoking?

    Granted, you COULD make a game for a console that played like a PC designed game, but that would be suicide for a designer to do. There is a different expectation for console style play and story then for PC. Call me a PC fanboy, fine. I'm happy to tell you that I don't like console play. Not that I think it's technically or ethically or spiritually inferior. It's just DIFFERENT, and I don't enjoy that style.

    I think a simple guideline (which probably won't stand up for even a minute of /. analysis) is that console games are expected to be experienced in the family room, with a few people sitting around and watching and talking. PC games are more typically expected to be played alone, by sad and confused deviants like myself.

    A designer targeting one of those as the primary platform will do things very differently depending on which one they are going for.

    Simple games can easily sit on either platform. No one cares where they play Tetris. I'm talking about games that are designed to take full advantage of the environment. Sure, I guess you like Halo because, as it is, it was designed well for the console and that style of play. But that style of play is CRAP on a PC. They were originally doing it for PC, in which case it would have been a game I would have loved, and you might have hated.

    >>I can't believe you're connecting "ringworld" with "good gameplay".

    I didn't. I simply said that I hate the fact that the ringworld environment is now "used up." I have dreamed of playing a game in that environemnt for 20 years. The last ones really sucked.

    >>it's just pathetically sad that people see FPS and they stop there and rate the game (Good on PC cuz of mouse/keyboard, bad on console cuz I can't twitch with controller).

    And by the way, this is stupid.

    I prefer to play PC games with a controller. It's the twitchiness of the console games that I find unlikable.

  38. Re:Star Flight (c. 1986) by JavaLord · · Score: 1 · on On The Business Of Developing Successful Games

    Space Rogue was another great Origin game from the 80's that had multiple stars, planets, races, etc. Read the review about it, it was way ahead of it's time like a lot of the stuff Origin was doing in the 80's. I would blindly by sequels to most of Origin's 80's games if EA came out with them.

  39. Re:Madness!! by cgenman · · Score: 1 · on Fight Club Game Perplexes, Amuses

    Look at those muscles on... "Jack". The form is excellent on "Jack's" slide side-kick. Well, rack up one more to clueless licensing.

    Personally, I find the most ironic thing being that the point of the fight scenes in the movie were about overcoming the vacuous isolationism felt by modern man in a society without real connections. However, the game takes those incidents and creates a vacuous, isolationist single-player experience. They don't even have a simulated crowd. Personally I feel Pit Fighter did a better job of capturing the gritty comeradery of the movie, and had the benefit of being a 3 player game in a public location generally no less primal than the basement of a bar.

    Really, if they were to do Fight Club as a videogame, they need to play to the strengths of the medium. The game should be a Massively Multiplayer Social experiment, with players fighting together online over a cheaply licensed engine. Then they start getting assignments. They might be directed to meet up with other people in their area to form a chapter, or upload files to an errant FTP server that "someone" left unlocked. They might start e-mailing someone at a company trying to get working passwords from them. Eventually, of course, a clever website defacement handled by the smoke and mirrors of an IP redirect on the effected system would "prove" that they aren't just playing a game, and that they "are" going to get into trouble. Anyone who stays past this point thereby agrees to the Project Mayhem that they will be participating in.
    That's not to say that this "game" should be done, any more than any other Fight Club game should be made. Discretion is the better part of design. Oh well, perhaps the designers aren't talking because they're hiding something far more... Interesting.

  40. Re:money island. by lee7guy · · Score: 1 · on The Best and Worst Movies of 2003?

    Doesn't sound like any Monkey Island(TM) game I ever played.

    Ah, wait, are you by any chance referring to the worthless follow ups to Ron Gilbert's classic games?

  41. Re:money island. by lee7guy · · Score: 1 · on The Best and Worst Movies of 2003?

    Doesn't sound like any Monkey Island(TM) game I ever played.

    Ah, wait, are you by any chance referring to the worthless follow ups to Ron Gilbert's classic games?

  42. Re:money island. by lee7guy · · Score: 1 · on The Best and Worst Movies of 2003?

    Doesn't sound like any Monkey Island(TM) game I ever played.

    Ah, wait, are you by any chance referring to the worthless follow ups to Ron Gilbert's classic games?

  43. Re: SimEarth by Xolotl · · Score: 1 · on Planetary Formation Sim Suggests Many Water Worlds

    SimEarth used to do this. It was just a game of course, but the models were quite detailed and realistic as far as they went, and you could learn a lot from it about the way these variables interacted. It even had classic models like Lovelock's Daisyworld .

  44. Re:President Elect by Alkaiser · · Score: 2, Interesting · on SimCandidate - Why Aren't There More Political Sims?

    Well...there was also this. As far as I know it's the only one that actually involved real candidates.

  45. Not political but geopolitical... by gklinger · · Score: 3, Interesting · on SimCandidate - Why Aren't There More Political Sims?
    There was a great game called Balance of Power (followed up by Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition) which was a simulation of geopolitics and was interesting in that the goal was power and prestige while avoiding a world war. It's quite unique and well worth checking out. You can read a fascinating article about designing Balance of Power written by Chris Crawford, the author of the game.

    I know this isn't 100% on topic but I couldn't resist. I think a lot of people find this game stimulating if they only knew about it.

  46. Not political but geopolitical... by gklinger · · Score: 3, Interesting · on SimCandidate - Why Aren't There More Political Sims?
    There was a great game called Balance of Power (followed up by Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition) which was a simulation of geopolitics and was interesting in that the goal was power and prestige while avoiding a world war. It's quite unique and well worth checking out. You can read a fascinating article about designing Balance of Power written by Chris Crawford, the author of the game.

    I know this isn't 100% on topic but I couldn't resist. I think a lot of people find this game stimulating if they only knew about it.

  47. Neverwinter Nights Gold! by Lispy · · Score: 1 · on Multiplayer Linux Games

    Do yourself a favour and spend 37US$ on Neverwinternights Gold. It runs smoothly on the named hardware, since you really seem to underestimate your boxes.

    It is a killer in multiplayermode and together with the "shadows of undrentide" extension already in the box you are well set for weeks of dungeonaction.

    Trust me, this game is worth every buck, and really sucks you inside the story. If youre done after newyearseve you can still reuse your key on the internet servers and keep playing. That game is definetly worth its money...

    Give it a try or put it on your Xmas-wishlist ;-),

    Lispy

  48. Re:Hard times call for hard decisions by smugbastard · · Score: 1 · on Fallout - BoS Welcomed By Some, Not Others

    I'm pretty sure it had a sequel, Fountain of Dreams. It didn't really fly.

  49. Re:Nasty by kalirion · · Score: 1 · on Black Isle Studios Shuts Down Development

    You were lucky if you got to Level 15 with the Nameless One by the end of the game. While it was important to level up and boost traits, it was not your driving motivation.

    Hmmm, by the time my TNO beat Planescape: Torment, he was at least level 30 in each of the 3 classes. Guess I'm a Diablo 2 player at heart after all :/.

  50. Re:Nasty by hsa · · Score: 2, Insightful · on Black Isle Studios Shuts Down Development

    The gaming industry is more and more starting to feel like just another Hollywood branch. I wonder how long it takes before they'll start redoing old games, like they're doing with all old classic movies now?

    They are redoing the old games. Just not the way you think of it (putting in them fancy new graphics and releasing them on same platform).

    In gaming industry, they rerelease the games on new platform. Like Sonic Adventure went from DreamCast to every popular console today, with little or no changes. Like Space Invaders was rereleased with the same format. Like those "Classic XYZ collection" which comes packed with the same old games..

    And very rarely they release the game with better graphics, but they have been doing that also. Like releasing SMB again on SNES or Bubble Bobble, but as you can see - these releases are old (in computer gaming sense) and nothing new here.

    The point is, that is more easy to release classic games ported to new systems, like on joysticks . Why? Because there is a fanatic group of people out there who still thinks these games are cool. And I'm one of them.