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Good Games For Christmas?
Since nothing really interesting seems to be happening today (unless you count some lame overpriced scooter) I figured I'd throw this out. We've discussed christmas presents in general, but what about refining the subject to just video games? With Final Fantasy 10 not due out until the day after christmas, what new games are coming out? Please mention systems in your subject line. Personally I just finished Klonoa 2 and enjoyed it, I'm maybe half way through Grand Theft Auto 3 and am absolutely in love, and just picked up Metal Gear Solid 2 but have yet to break the celophane, but can't wait. On the PC side, The Sims Hot Date expansion pack is pretty smooth if your idea of fun is micromanaging an armada of virtual people. I hope a psychiatrist never analyzes my Sims style.
Oh how I loved this game in the earlt 1990's, and oh how I love it with a modern graphics engine. This one is one not to miss. I literally sweat while playing this game!
5 fps stars!
All i want is Civilization 3. I just had my birthday yesterday, and I was given money to but it from a family member with the sincire promise that I won't buy it untill the christmas holidays (2 weeks!!!)
DAMN!!!
Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Hands down the best game for the holiday season.
Killing Nazis is fun for for the whole family.
Gotta be Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
What's with it costing 60 bucks, though? Sheesh.
http://www.WinWithRealEstate.com/
civilization III is really good game. extremely addiciting. that would be my suggestion.
Doesn't get more appropriate . . .
Note, only buy this for your favorite geek if you wish absolutely no f2f contact with him/her until Groundhog's Day.
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova
"Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life." -- Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_, Book 9, 37
As much as I hate the X-Box Halo is going to ROCK
This is one of the best traditional console RPGS I've played in a LONG time. My current fave it Final Fantasy 5, but this one is catching up. AWESOME graphics, and a huge storyline!
Check out this review:
http://pocket.ign.com/reviews/15255.html
You crazy man? You piss off supahfly!
Super Mario Kart 2!!!!!
please.... somebody, anybody...
no, neither MarioKart64 or MarioKartAdvance count... trust me, sometimes you just have to be a purist.
On a slightly more reasonable note, Tony Hawk 3(for PS2) is a pretty fresh pick, and I mean who could get tired of more Tony Hawk(and the character customization is ridiculously cool... nothing is quite as much fun as watching a 3d-modelled person who looks JUST LIKE YOU do a 900 off of an 18-foot ramp and then fall flat on his face, smearing blood everywhere).
lysergically yours
I know it's mentioned in the story, but Grand Theft Auto 3 is just awesome. You get complete freedom to do whatever your sick twisted mind can think of. Plus the story is pretty non-linear, and the side missions are plentiful.
Although, i bet a Sim of several multi-processing systems working together to mimic human balance would require. . . Wait for it. . . A Beowulf cluster of Segways. Speaking of transportation. . .
You are not the customer.
Descent 3 is an example of a great game gone forgotten because of bad marketing. The good thing is that you can find it for $9.99.
And exactly how smutty is the Sims Hot Date expansion? Personally, I'm hoping for Leisure Suit Larry-ultra.
Maybe we can get the Linux community to create a Leather Goddesses of Phobos 3-d game.
. We've got computers, we're tapping phone lines, you know that ain't allowed - Talking Heads, "Life During Wartime"
Where is something like StarCraft II, or WarCraft III? How about Interplay gets over itself, so we can get Never Winter Nights? I own all The Sims expansions, but Hot Date really doesn't appeal to me - it's not all that new, I'd rather see a new game from Maxis than a 3rd expansion to this particular title. Sigh. I'd REALLY like to see either another expansion to SC, or SC II. StarCraft Broodwar STILL lives in my CD Rom drive (Well, it's a DVD but you get the idea) and isn't coming out of it until there is something better.
DISCLAIMER: I can't play FPS's because I get very very ill when I do. YMMV.
But this is slashdot. A slashdoter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber!
Frankly there is so much going on in the mod scene for Half-Life, UT, and Q3 to get me to go out and pay 40$ for something new that I'll play for a few hours before going back to some of the better mods. (This does not include Counter-Strike in my opinion.) If you want the really cool ideas, check out the Half-Life mod scene. Its amaizing what is being done with a 3(?) year old engine. Aside from that, there is some decent games on the PS2, including Gran Turismo 3 and MGS2. Nothing on X-Box nor the Gamecube is going to get me to buy those, at the moment at least.
forma3
Get me a gift certificate for final fantasy then, I can wait a day, then bombard the stores and fight my way to aisle containing it. Well have plenty of crowd dodging practice by that time.
Must admit, my xmas shopping skills are weak this year.
I always prefered gift cerificates anyways, else my mom will be me a copy of "Who wants to be a billionare (but not really), the video game. Whee, I just looove those gifts.
--Nuintari
slashdot : where an opinion can be wrong.
RTCW is definitely worth a look. I'm not saying that the any or all of it is original but it's a nice and tight package. A great throwback to Wolf 3D, with topnotch graphics (Q3A engine), and a killer multiplayer mode reminicent of Half-Life: Counter Strike.
That and the leather clad Elite Guard women in single player.
Also that scooter has two wheels, side-by-side, I've been wondering why it hasn't been posted on the front page yet.
Rez is coming out for PS2 sometime in january. It's a rail shooter (like panzer dragoon) with graphics similar to ones you'ld find in an MP3 visualization, and electronic music that responds to your play style. The gameplay is amazing, and the music kicks ass, and unlike most shooters, It doesn't get booring the 10th time through. Here's some more info: http://www.thegia.com/psx2/rez/rez.html
If you really want something before christmas, a Dreamcast + 4 games will set you back under $100. Most games on it look as good as other consoles and cost 1/4 what they do...
BBK
X-box w/ Halo, Oddworld, and Project Gotham Racing
PC Games (listed in order of desire):
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Aliens vs Predator 2
Civ3
Sims - Hot Date
Mechwarrior4 -Black Knight
Empire Earth
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
- Grand Theft Auto 3 - Amazing
- Metal Gear Solid 2 - Has its ups and downs, but pretty cool
Reviews have been good on the following:PC Wise the only thing that I have played civilization 3, and its good, but might not be for everyone.
I'm also probably going to pick up the often discussed Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
In a related note, does anyone know of any good party style games for the PS2? I really enjoyed Smash Brothers on the N64, but don't want to pick up a new system just for the 1 game, so I was hoping that there was a similar, multiplayer, simple PS2 game out there my girlfriend might be able to play.
Thanks,
Captain_Frisk
MGS2 had a rediculous story.
www.penny-arcade.com had a good take on it.
PC:
Startopia (Sims-like theme game but Sci Fi)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (1st-person shooter)
Star Monkey & Space Tripper (shareware old-school shooters)
Independence War 2 ("elite"-style space combat)
PS2:
Grand Theft Auto 3 (driving, shooting, mugging)
Jak & Daxter (cute platform/adventure)
MGS2 (if you like watching movies)
Dump any of the titles into Google to get a URL...
ICO is a pretty sweet game. It's short, it's minimalist, and it's beautiful. A bit hard to describe, but not unlike the Price of Persia games. If you want more info there's a review over at http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,108 67,2815038,00.html.
-Adam
...on a Gottlieb machine :)
Or some 8 Ball Deluxe, or some GnR Pinball...
Forget consol games, go for some old fashioned pinball this Xmas. Yer index fingers will love you for it.
This just got me thinking about some of my most memorable Christmas gifts. In 1978 we got Pong and played that thing to death. And then in 1982 we got my favorite computer of all time - the TI/99 4A. That's when I really got interested in programming. Thanks again Dad!
They call me the working man. I guess that's what I am.
Even though it's done by Microsoft, I'm a big fan of the Age of Empires series. I thought Star Wars, Galactic Battlegrounds looked good enough to play.
Basically, it's AOE2 with Star Wars themed races, units, etc. with all the graphics, Y-wing fighters, and sounds.
I'll probably pick it up once i'm done with my second round through MGS2!
Oh, and a review of the game can be found at http://pc.ign.com/reviews/15959.html
I work for a university and we have the week between Christmas and New Year's off. I just ordered a European Shenmue II for my Dreamcast and figure most of that week will be taken up wandering around Hong Kong with Ryo.
www.introversion.co.uk
But /. folks should love it- it's a hacking simulator. Break into computers, copy or trash data, delete logs, break bank computers to get funds, create fake credentials... Who, me amoral?
Highly idealized, of course, but the basic ideas are sound. There's a short demo available-sold me on the idea.
Eric
"Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
Get them Ultima Online or Everquest along with prepaid access. Or if you are cheap, get them the Diablo Battle Chest or Diablo 2 + expansion.
Metal Gear Stupid
-- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
See the LucasArts page on it
I'm picking up playstation games now that are only 1 year or less out of date and having a wicked time. Everyone knows what the best games are, so you're guaranteed to get something good, and they don't cost more than $20 usually. Here are my picks:
NHL 2001
Driver (obviously)
Ape Escape (a crazy 3D platform game, amazing design)
Grand Turismo
If you're looking at getting laid off like me, you can pick up a playstation super cheap and get games galore for nothing. Look into it.
for eval only*
Personally, I'm not too fond of consoles, but I've heard good things about GTA3. On the PC, the most obvious thing to mention would be Castle Wolfenstein, which I spotted in the stores the other day. Judging from the popularity of the multiplayer test, it's going to be ripped off the shelves. I've heard some people complain about the AI, but personally, I'd much rather play multiplayer anyway.
For strategy-lovers, there's always Stronghold.A realtively new game from firefly studios, stronghold mixes bits of the fighting from age of Empire with the resource management from the settlers and adds some spicy caste-building extras on top. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but I find it very enjoyable.
-----------------------
I pushed the red button
I'm not sure about other people but I am all over this. And I like the idea of the realtime rendered version of Myst but I am bit more timmid about that than Exile.
"They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, they're not my problem." --Deckard
For those unfamiliar with the mad-wife-qoutient, its fairly intuitive. The better the game, the more time you play, the less time you spend with your wife and the MADDER she gets! =)
While some have complained about Wolfenstein being a bit too linear, the wide open areas are quite nice and breathtaking with the fogging effects.
I Just purchased my copy of Civ III last night at Sam's Club. I played from 6:30 to 2:30 this morning. Only on chieftan but having a blast as the greecians wiping the tech chart up. I'm a tech kind of guy. The barter system is absolutely cool, although I wished there was an easier way to get +nutrient resources on tundra (dream on i suppose.) then elk.
PC: Civilization 3, Return To Castle Wolfenstein, Commandos2, Tribes 2
PS2: Metal Gear Solid 2, Devil May Cry, Grand Theft Auto3
GameCube: Super Smash Brother Melee, Rogue Squadron 2, Super Monkey Ball, Waverace
XBox: A severe beating and maybe Halo
Nosce te Ipsum
I'm looking to get a copy of the hot new Sim "Virtual Sociologist". In it you post messages on a simulated message board, and attempt to garner "karma" in attempt to rule the world.
The best thing about the super-customizable characters is the ability to put your favorite PHB on a skateboard and drive him into the bucket of molten steel on the Foundry level...
lysergically yours
'Nuff said.
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
Gettysburg, Antietam. Fun games for the civil war buff/strategist. Pretty cheap and runs on older computers. Multiplay is exceptionally fun.
Fuck Ajit Pai
My wife plays the SIMS because she is a control freak and she can push them SIMmy types all around (you know for when I'm not home.) ;)
I for one can't get into a game where I have to get up, take a shower, eat breakfast, clean up, go to work, come home, watch TV, read a book, go to bed... I already do that. I prefer SIMS that let me do stuff I don't do everyday like racing SIMS or flying SIMS... (MicroSoft Train Simulator? Simulate your commute? WHAT?!)
Anylou...
I played this dating game in the hopes that I could make a really slutty girl. But it sucks. I played for about 8 total hours. My girl just cries all the time about her neighbor and won't have sex with any of the prospects I try to pick up with her at the bar I built. I wish there was a shallow grave option in BUILD MODE.
Ugh! Talk --> About Interests, Talk --> Gossip, Kiss --> Peck
I'm waiting for The SIMS Fetish Pack to come out so I can tie this girl to a water pipe in a basement somewhere and walk away from the computer for a week.
This
If you want a very high-quality game, go for Wizardry 8. Not only will it take a long time to fonish, but it is feature-rich, entertaining (sometimes downright funny!), and completely enjoyable.
As a bonus you could first purchase Wizardry Gold for cheap, play it for a good hundred hours, then import your party to Wiz 8 and start from there.
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
* BLAM! *
Yeah, you got it...
Oh, and I think its only avalible from Electronics Boutique. I tried to get it at Best Buy and they told me that they had never heard of it.
I was very psyched about getting MGS2 on the PS2, after having played and loved MGS on the PS. I bought it, played it for a few hours and decided that is was very, very boring in comparison to MGS. Penny Arcade corrorborates my story that MGS2 sucks.
I just noticed that they used the same title for their comic as I did for this post -- weird.
I have a website. It's about Macs.
Round up some friends and play till your fingers bleed..
What ever you can get.
X-Box rules!
Way to go MS.
Absolutely. NEVER overlook cheap shit. THe vast majority of my non-opensource software was purchased out of a discount bin for between $.50 and $10, all top-quality. It was also the only stuff I could run for awhile, till my main box got a serious upgrade. I mean, ten bucks for Carmageddon 2, with Carmageddon 1 included free.
You are not the customer.
Gamespot gave it a 9.1, even tho it was developed 2 years ago (or just finished in May or something). 60 hours of gameplay, and its already being talked about as RPG of the year by many sites. Go to ebworld.com .. they have exclusive distribution rights for the first 30 days of sale?
"Old man yells at systemd"
I read on IGN not too long ago that someone was able to hook up a USB ethernet NIC to their PS2, configure it, and then was able to connect to multiplayer servers for Tony Hawk 3 -- I assume there is some menu option in TH3 to play multiplayer games? If so, PS2 has an edge (for the timebeing), since multiplayer games via the net add an extra serving of playability.
Conspicuously absent is Wizardry 8...Why is that? The series has claimed weeks of my free time.
*Honestly, if you force yourself to smile, your mood does improve - worth trying once, no?*
Myst III: Exile. A sequel to Myst I, with a Riven (Myst II) feel, and an actual plot! Graphics are cool (realistic panoramic view). Brad Dourif is your thoroughly wicked and entertaining antagonist.
Civilization III: Addicting. Addicting. Addicting. Just two more turns and I'll go to bed. Okay, just two more turns and I'll turn off the alarm clock telling me to get up. A major evolutionary (not revolutionary) update to Civ II. Diplomacy actually works. Conquering the world is damn near impossible.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
I'm an addict so I gotta say it. Everquest! Luclin comes out tomorrow and has some steep min req for playing. Like 512Meg memory and a GeForce 2... The screenshots are amazing. And the playability of the game will go on and on and on. But if you got a gaming machine get the Everquest Trilogy + Luclin + 3 months of prepaid online card...
After overcoming my initial inability to master
the games movement style (which consisted of me
coming to the understanding that it realisticly
expects you to apply thrust when you're airbourne
if you want to move horizontally), I've come to truly enjoy this game. It includes much variety as to the style of the players' weaponry and armor, and the vehicle operation gives it something above Quake 3:TA and UT (both of which I also think of highly). It's slow-paced comparitively, but it's a lot of fun, and it has tremendous replay value.
"A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself."
unless you count some lame overpriced scooter...
I tell you, I just don't understand the animosity toward this amazing technology. I was hoping the subject would come up again today after people had actually SEEN it, but no such luck. For those of you who haven't seen it in action: this machine actually keeps balance. It reproduces an extremely intricate function of our brain and nervous system. Here's what the story on Time.com says:
Pulling off this trick requires an unholy amount of computer power. In every Segway there are 10 microprocessors cranking out three PCs' worth of juice. Also a cluster of aviation-grade gyros, an accelerometer, a bevy of sensors, two batteries and software so sophisticated it puts Microsoft to shame.
If that's not news for nerds, I don't know what is. Non-closed-minded people should check out the story at the link above. The rest of you can carry on with the discussion about which amazing new game you can play while your fat ass is plastered to the couch.
Evil is the money of root.
Penny Arcade pretty much sums up the plot here. Best to not think about it.
"Understand you're having a little Jimmy Page trouble."
I just pre-ordered Aspyr Otto Matic for my sister and her MacOS X iMac for Christmas. Any thoughts on the game? I know nothing about it. I wanted a MacOS X game that wasn't a 1st-person shooter or a war/strategy game. This looked fun (and cheap :-)!
[figz@figz figz]$ kill -9 `ps -ef | awk '$1=="figz" { print $2 }'`
3D rendered MYST was the best thing ever to happen to that game, and my only regret is that i havnt found a way to turn it into a Half-life deathmatch level. I've not played Exile yet, but then poverty is usually restrictive if your wife INSISTS on eating EVERY day. . .
You are not the customer.
For those of us who aren't into anime (FF 10) or first-person shooters... ;)
Kohan: Ahriman's Gift , the most original and entertaining RTS this year.
Wizardry 8 , if you like party-based, heavy-combat, first-person RPGs.
Stronghold , a terrific "castle simulator" built by some of the folks who created the Caesar/Pharoah series.
All about me
As valuable as a list of good games is, let me tack on a note about a game not to buy your child this Christmas season.
Don't buy your kids "WinBack: Covert Operation". A young child recently shot his brother to death after playing this game on his computer and attempting to re-enact the game.
Personally, I'm rather fond of Half-Life, but my daughter doesn't seem to enjoy it.
If guns kill people, then CmdrTaco's keyboard misspells words.
Xbox is pretty great. I picked one up a few days ago and have gotten four games. I did a lot of research before buying. Here's what I've found.
-Halo - Wow. This is seriously one of the best games I've ever played. For a FPS, the play and control is actually pretty good for a console. The graphics are good, and I find myself really getting into it. It's a great game, and anyone that enjoys immersive action games would appreciate it. You can check out an IGN review at http://xbox.ign.com/reviews/15922.html.
-Dead or Alive 3 - WOW! I find it exceptionally hard to stop playing this game. The graphics are *stunning* and the fighting is great. This is really a game you get to play with someone else. It's fun the first 20 or so times by yourself, but after that, there's not much to go for. It also did very well with an IGN review, which you can get at http://xbox.ign.com/reviews/16249.html.
-Project Gotham Racing - This is a very cool game indeed. Great for those that like racing and want something new. The tracks are pretty good and the cars are awesome. I personally don't have the racing wheel yet, but I find controls with the standard Xbox pad to be pretty good. Definitely enjoyable. IGN review at http://xbox.ign.com/reviews/16195.html.
-Amped - This is probably my favorite of the bunch. I cannot take this game out of the console. Besides looking absolutely stunning, it's really addictive to play. There are tons of ways to go down the mountains, and I find myself making 15 or 20 runs in a row just trying to get the trick off just right. Very satisfying game experience. Highly recommended. IGN review at http://xbox.ign.com/reviews/16174.html.
I'd strongly recommend buying a second controller. They're $40 each but you really wanna play this thing with someone else. Especially Dead or Alive 3 - it's great fun having the guys over and playing DOA3 for a few hours. If you're only going to be playing Halo or Amped and you'll be by yourself, don't bother with the extra controller. Also, if you're getting it for someone that's likely to just play games by themself. But personally, I need the second controller - I'm all about gaming with friends.
Anyway. That's what I'd want for Christmas if I didn't already have it. The games that I listed above are great and they'll undoubtedly be appreciated by any gamer.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
Big games for the holidays for me will be Final Fantasy X, with GTA3, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, and Ghost Recon. The new Wolfenstein was a major letdown, with single player action that in no way even compares to Half-Life or Red Faction. For good new FPS action, get an X-Box and Halo.
The Crazy Finn
"You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
Back when VA was trading in the hundreds...
CmdrTaco: Oh man, check out this little gadget (Aibo, flatscreen TVs, etc.). It's so cool, and sure it costs a few grand, but I'm sure getting one!
Now...
CmdrTaco: This might be a great, innovative, increduble invention that could change the way civil space in constructed and traversed, but it costs so much! (Or, for the Mac people: It only holds 1000 songs! It takes entire seconds to transfer them! The thing's as huge as a pack of cigarettes! They aren't even going to include any of the new copy-protection!) It's overpriced crap!
Feminism is the wild notion that women are human beings.
If you're into the whole MMORPG genre this is a great game to give as a gift. They give the first month of game-play for free (first hit is always free, eh?) and then it's around $12/month after that if you go on a month-by-month plan.
x .html
Gameplay itself is quite similar to Everquest, only many things are a lot more refined (combat, trade skills, guilds, personalization of avatars/characters, etc).
http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/ is the companies main URL. It's made by Mythic, who is VERY well known for making MUDs and other online RPGs, but this is their very first true hit in the market IMO.
If nothing else, check out some of the screen shots... They've got great scenery and character models. http://www.darkageofcamelot.com/screen_shots/inde
Most of all, good luck this christmas. I sure as hell have no idea what I'm getting anyone, lol.
download it here.
Um, while I know its been crucified since its release. Try Anarchy Online - either for the first time or again. I beleive FunCom is offering december free for those who canceled their accounts.
All I can say is - its getting better. No, its not 100% there, but it is getting better.
You say you want a revolution?
I need a new killer app from IdSoftware. This time it will be Wolfenstein.
Next year it will be Doom3.
No, I'm not too old. 38 is not old. It's not! It's not! It's not!
As opposed to the entirely plausible story lines of almost every video game throughout the history of gaming... ;)
ie:
Castle Wolfenstein
One bloke fights the good fight against a bunch of Nazi's holed up in their own holiday castle (so far only mildly implausible) only to discover that they've started experimenting with the undead. Ummmm.... yeah that sounds reasonable.
I wish there was a shallow grave option in BUILD MODE.
Build a tiny pool with a ladder. Boot her ass into the pool. Remove the ladder and watch her drown. It may take a bit...
CmdrTaco already mentioned this game, but he didn't give enough detail on it to convince people why it is such a great game.
Unfortunately it is only out for the PS2, but for those of you with a PS2 should seriously think about getting this game. The complexity and depth of this game is pretty amazing. And the graphics are a huge improvement from GTA1 and 2. That silly low-detail overhead view made playing the game too cumbersome. GTA3 got the graphics/interface right.
I have been playing it every spare second I have for the last month, and I am still only 36% through it according to the stats. And I believe that only relates to the missions. If you are bored with the missions you can always:
1) Try to get "stunt" bonuses by stealing fast cars, boats, or airplanes and driving them off ramps, bridges, buildings, etc.
2) Steal a taxi cab and play a little Crazy Taxi-esque game to earn a little side money
3) Steal a fire engine and go around the citty putting out fires for $$. I hear if you put out 10 in a row you get the flame thrower. (How does that work?)
4) Steal an ambulance and drive people to the hospital.
5) Steal a police car and go on "Vigilante Missions" where you track down criminals around the city and get cash for killing them.
Oh did I mention that this game is very non-PC and not recommended for people under 17? But man is it a lot of fun for those of us who are over 17.
If you need a break from FPS games.
I just picked up Combat Simulator I, $17 i think, If I like it I'll get CS II. I aksed for Flight Sim 2002 Pro for Christmas.
With those 3 and now that I can play Allegiance again, I think I will be happy for a little while.
http://www.total-games.com/MyAllegiance/
and SNES, and Genesis, and TurboGrafx...
Sure, it's something you make yourself rather than buy, but it's the thought that counts.
New race to play, new classes, many more zones and vastly improved graphics.
How can you beat that?
Sig is taking a break!
The Dreamcast price has been dropped to $50, and most great games (Crazy Taxi, Soul Calibur, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2, etc) can be found for $20 or less (I saw Crazy Taxi for $10 at Best Buy Saturday night). One must not overlook the Dreamcast - it's cheap, it's got great graphics, there are a lot of *really* great games for it - it's the perfect gift for anyone that's into console gaming. Cheap for you, fun for them. Nothing to lose buying it.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
After you snag Return to Castle Wolfenstein for
$50, go ahead and pick up Quake 3 and Team Arena
if your recipient doesn't have them. Although the
Q3 is getting dated now, the mod community keeps
providing new ways to add variety to what has
become old hat (check out the Urban Terror mod
in particular for a truly amazing Q3 makeover).
Tribes 2 and Q3->Urban Terror game take up 90%
of my game playing time these days.
"A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself."
And here's a review from somebody who didn't write it.
GollyGee Blocks -- 3D creativity software for kids.
http://www.timegatestudios.com or http://www.lokigames.com/products/kohan/
A fresh new game from my friend Urchlay on undernet. His exciting use of color card suits and software character generation pushes the limits of the 2600's abilities. I'm still waiting for him to port DoomII though.
Yes, seriously, he writes games for the 2600 and NES. I'm more of an AppleII man myself though.
After many long months of waiting, My friends and I trekked out early this morning to procure the new version of Smash, on its release date of Dec 3, 2001, as stated by both nintendo.com and by ign.com. Alas, no. The release date has apparently been changed without notifying the public. The game is now supposedly being released on Dec 4 or Dec 5, 2001. Nintendo and ign both still list the date as Dec. 3, 2001, but all of the retailers in my area (West Lafayette, IN) claim that the game has not yet arrived. If anybody can shed some light on my plight, please let me know. This game was suposed to be an early Christmas present for my friends and I to give ourselves to get through finals week here at Purdue, but we are being mocked by the retalers and are being forced to wait until a vague time in the future. Thank you for any information you may have.
~Mike
A big enough hammer fixes *anything*
While it may seem like a lame cop-out on the surface, I think that putting together a CD of old arcade games may make a great gift for some people. The target for such a gift would be someone who isn't likely to download and install it themselves, but would enjoy the games. So do the work for them (granted, it's not that much work) and get them a CD that they just pop in their system and play.
Think of it as the geek equivalent of hand-drawing your own greeting cards. Martha Stewart of Borg would be proud.
Do yourself a favour and get a Dreamcast! At $50 US, there are 5 great games at the very least. Resident Evil Code veronica, Ready to Rumble 2, Shenmue, Skies of arcadia, and Gunbird 2. Not to mention all the sports title if you're into that.
I've seen such good reviews of this in mainstream pubs - any geek comments? Looking to get a gift for someone who loved the old Quake.
First of all, a message to m0d 74m3rz, you will find this hard! is it flamebait, offtopic, or troll?
/. Shit first!
./! and cmdrTaco is the n3rdiezt name 3v3r!
The website url is wrong, you could think its slashdotdot! next, on most keyboards its
More shit to come! part of a series of shitty articlez!
The shiting coward!
Plant forest in the tundra areas.
It is a wartime game, not like RS which was anti-terrorist. I kind of prefer that format, even though the massive outdoor scenarios in GR are awesome. I also miss the ability to have a wide variety of weapons to choose from. GR gives you classes, where you have 1 or two combinations. In RS, you could select from 10 assault rifles, 5 or 6 pistols, 6 or so sniper rifles, etc.
Ghost Recon is just a slightly different type of game, but you do have the ability to command the other squads during the game, instead of like in RS where you had to define it all before starting.
My personal preference would be to have more silenced weapons in GR, because I am more of a stealthy guy. But the gameplay and AI is pretty cool, the scenery is awesome, and the action is top notch.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
A little background here: I hate console gaming! I really really hate console games and so this is why i'm only suggesting PC 'native' games.
;)
;)
;)
For those of you guys who just don't care at all about console gaming, i strongly suggest you ask Santa a copy of Tribes 2. ( More targets for me to
shoot at
Arguments?
1. Best darn game I'VE EVER PLAYED ( Yes its bold! And yes i'm prepare to defend that until death
2. There is currently no new games on the market that will give you a Team Based 45 minutes of mayhem like this game. Although Return To Castle Wolfenstein seems good enough, it still isn't Tribes 2. ( Picture a front of 4 tanks, covered from above by 1 squadron of fighters and bombers. It's all about vehicles. )
3. Will a deathmatch at more than 60 players convince you, cause i'm ready to fight this argument to death!
Other Suggestions for PC platform:
1. Return to Castle Wolfenstein ( Like i said: "looks good." )
2. Cossacks: Europeen Wars ( A favorite here, this is a great startegy game )
3. Anything except Dark Age of Camelot. ( The game isn't worth a christmas gift. It looks great, it sounds great, but the game content is poor. It is better to wait until next year for this one, believe me! )
There is a thin fine line between a sociologist and a sociopath...
This isn't my usual style of game, but man, is it addictive. A definite must-buy... especially if you have a GameCube.
Become as rich as BillG!!
Take over the world!
The classics rock, and deserve a second look.
Sometimes I just have to shake my head at the density of a lot of people who can't see when something is truly remarkable. I don't know if this thing is really going to remake the world, but can anyone really look at a self-balancing two wheel platform and not see a hell of a lot of uses for it?
Overpriced is debatable, but there is apparently a lot of safety and quality built into the thing, from all the reports. $3K for the first unit seems pretty damn good.
I know if I lived in NYC or some other big city, I'd get one for doing a 20 block commute trip rather that having to take the subway, particularly if it was legal on the sidewalks (which is what they're pushing for).
Not to mention that it sounds pretty damn fun. Imagine doing power turns when the device does its own balancing. Hell, imagine off-road all-terrain versions that you can take pretty much anywhere a body will fit.
I think people need to use a little imagination.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
Where are all the good dirty games now? We have high end computers with massively powerfull 3-D graphics. When will some good sex games come out? The dirtier the better.
I'm not talking about hiring hookers in GTA3, I want high-end, smut games!
Yes, in the interest of pulling the economy outa recession, since gamers contribute a lot to the economy, may suggest that christmas be postponed until FF10 isnt ready to ship.
I got my gamecube early in the morning on the day it came out (amidst a large group of parents buying them for their children). I snagged a copy of Luigi's Mansion (Rogue Leader was sold out by the time I got to the front of the line). Within a week I'd beaten it twice. It's an awesome game, but after some practice it's really easy. My first try got my a C ranking. Second try I got all the Boos, both secret rooms, a buttload of cash and an A. And that was in the "Hidden Mansion", which didn't seem to be any different from the normal mansion.
Anyways, I've rented Rogue Leader and I love it. It's one of those great games where you can just putz around in the 3d world if you want to. Great graphics, great gameplay. I will definately be purchasing this for myself for xmas... but my next purchase is Super Smash Bros. Melee. I completely rocked all of my friends at Super Smash Bros. for N64. Got all of the secret characters except for luigi... I could never finish that one level with Yoshi where you have to drop off a cliff, shoot an egg, hover in the air and shoot another egg. I will be getting the sequel tomorrow morning and an extra control stick so I can train my girlfriend to kick our friends' butts with me.
I just returned Grand Theft Auto 3 to blockbuster. I had to wait quite some time before they actually had a copy in. Thankfully there was one in when I went to return Crazy Taxi for PS2. That game sucked hard. It was great in the arcade, but it's just not any fun for the console. If they added a new mode or maybe had different cities or something it'd be ok. The copy I rented locked up a few times also. I hope that was due to scratches and not the game itself.
So back to Grand Theft Auto 3. There is no better game in my opinion. I love it. I've been playing GTA since 1996/1997. I was first introduced to it by some coworkers at my first job - tech support at a local isp. That game, along with Quake (and a T1) and Carmageddon made for wonderful stress relief. I've got the GTA 1 + London 1968 discs for PSX, and I just got GTA2 for PSX for $10 at Best Buy. GTA 3 is the s#%t, plain and simple. You can just roam around the city, steal taxis, and other misc. cars, get into trouble, mess with the cops, do jobs for the mafia, etc. The interface is an incredible improvement over the old top-down view, which actually remains in this version also. GTA3 is definately going to be my favorite xmas present this year.
Gabriel Ricard
I don't know why this hasn't been mentioned yet. This is a GREAT game. The system requirements are a bit steep, but the single player campaign is as tight and suspenseful as any I've seen lately, and the Multiplayer in Coop mode is a blast.
I've played Europa Universalis for the last days, and it's great. It's one of the best strategy games I've ever played. It's an alternative hostory game. You start in 1492 and play one of 13 countries(more if you use an expansion like IGC). Sweden have never been so great as under me.
Buy the 'greatest hits' online - from Sony
OTOH... that PS2-Madden football commercial shows some sweet graphics.
This is America - we have FREE Speech as well as FREE Software.
Just as there is a lot of bad FREE Software (Star Office, Netscape 6, Tux Racer 0.6, etc.), there is a lot of bad FREE Speech (crapflooding, Natalie Portman grits stories - oh wait, I like those, penis brids, etc.).
By effectively censoring this bad speech, the editors are taking away his freedom.
Just imagine how much you zealots would bitch if Slashcode went closed source and they started charging you to read the articles...
it's not "chomping" at the bit, it's "champing".
Just as a quick note, Grand Theft Auto 3 will be coming out for the PC sometime in the Spring of 2002.
You can check out the website here.
Motor City Online !
Ride, wreck, crash and burn, make other people mad at you !!!
Operation Flash Point
Same reasons + Sniper Rifles and Grenades...
ABC Warriors For Ever
Personally, I'm a big fan of racing games, such as the Need For Speed series (I like the varied environment there, as opposed to a set track from, for instance, Formula 1 games). High Stakes was good, but that's a bit old now. And, Porsche Unleashed only has Porsches, of course.
;).
Are there any new racing games that I should check out? And, before you suggest it, I'm not particularly interested in Motor City Online, as I prefer non-Internet play
Alex Bischoff
HTML/CSS coder for hire
I know this sounds odd if you haven't played it, but the Virtua Tennis series for the Dreamcast is really, really fun. It's fast-paced, has an easy learning curve, and has very good, realistic graphics.
:-)
The latest version has female players for the first time, and although there's no Anna Kournikova (presumably because they couldn't strike a royalty deal with her), the Williams sisters definitely satisfy my babe requirements.
There's also a lot of fun training modes, so you can improve your self-designed players' stats.
You just made me pee my pants!
- Civilization III - I only mention this because so many others have. I have it already. Yes, it sucks away all my free time and half my sleep time like a giant vaccum cleaner. However, that isn't really a *good* thing; I'm not really having all that much *fun*. If you, like me, sucked all the marrow out of Civ II, then it doesn't really bring a lot of new fun to the table. If you don't have a CIV right now though, yes you need Civ III.
- Kohan: Ahriman's Gift - I really liked the first Kohan. Its sort of a RTS version of Heroes of Might and Magic. The new version doesn't sound like much of a change, but as my main problem with the first one was that the campaign was too short, that could be a very good thing.
- Empire Earth - Sort of like Age of Empires, but in 3D. It could be great, it could be a bit dull. I couldn't really tell from the demo.
- Myth III - Squad-level RTS game. I keep hearing great things about this series, but I have get to get a Myth game, so I'm about due.
- Stronghold - RTS where you build and defend your own castle. Somewhat mixed reviews, but it looks interesting.
- Trade Empires - RTS Where the object is to build a trade network, not to take over the world militarily.
That's my current XMAS-list. Yes, its all RTS. I like strategy, game companies like real-time, wadda-ya'-gonna-do?Since I haven't played or even seen the other versions of Road Rage for X-Box or Game Cube, I'll stick with the PSX2 version. This is a great game for Simpsons fans. It's not the world's best game, but all the little details on Springfield and the characters are well worth it. Little things like Moe having his car with the rubber hippy daisy (from the episode where he asks Homer to steal it for the insurance money so he can impress his girlfriend) and Ralph Wiggum talking about the leprachaun telling him to burn things show this is a real Simpsons game, not just using them to sell a Crazy Taxi Rip-off. Some of the locations are down-right hilarious, the the She-She Lesbain Lounge strip-club. And Principal Skinner's beloved Box Factory. They really put the thought into this that they still put into the show, which, as a long time fan, I appreciate whole heartedly.
BigCat79
"The dead have risen and are voting Republican!" --Bart Simpson
Definitely the best shooter I've played in a while. It has terrific 3D graphics and unique gameplay.
The major hook of the game is a feature called "Bullet Time" which puts the game in slow motion for a bit, but allows you to aim in real time. This allows you to dodge bullets as they wiz past you and get through areas you would have no chance to otherwise.
It's the only shooting game I've ever seen come close to providing similar scenes to those found in Hard Boiled, The Killer, or the Matrix.
You can't go wrong with Max Payne.
OddManIn: A Game of guns and game theory.
It upgrades the character models and textures throughout the world and has all sort of cool new stuff added in.. along with a new world to explore. You may wanna check the system req's first though since new/better textures/models may require new/better video chips ;)
My problem with EQ expansion though is that I run 3 accounts at once so I get hit 3 times on the cost of expansionsRPGs: Wizardry 8, this game is really really fun. The graphics are pretty good at times and pretty strange at times. (for instance, really really thick doors) Overall a vibrantly colored, fun game that will take a LONG time to beat. (This game almost plays like an FPS)
Strategy: Well, its hard to pick a favorite for this category, I like Civ3, but it can be pretty boring at times, so I also like Empire Earth (It's an AOE2 clone that's graphically pretty well done and from what I've seen so far, got a great amount of diverse gameply), and Star Wars Gallactic Battlegrounds, this game IS AOE2 with a Star Wars Theme, so if you like AOE2 and Star Wars, this is a must have. Heck, if you like Strategy and Star Wars, it's a must have. The campaigns take you through the ENTIRE Star Wars saga. On a side note, the graphics could be better, but the sound/voices are superb. Monopoly Tycoon is worth a look too, if you can get it cheap.
FPS: Return to Castlewolfenstein was a pretty lackluster single player title for me, so I don't recommend this game except maybe for the netplay. The netplay is very well done and seems to be the main reason why people are getting this game. But is it more popular/better than CS? I really doubt it. Aliens Vs Predator 2 is a really really polished title and expansion on the first, I recommend it just for the sheer size/diversity of the gameplay. Heck, it's fun too. Max Payne, I know it's not a Christmas/Holiday title, but if you haven't played it yet, well, bullet time is to die for. And, it has X-Box and PS2 versions of it coming out on Dec. 11th in the US. (I do know that Max Payne is a 3rd Person game, but it's an FPS, trust me.) The last title I would recommend for the FPS genre is one called Codename: Outbreak. It was made in Russia, but the gameplay is set in Montana, which is kind of funny because the members of your crew in the game are mostly Americans, but EVERYONE speaks Russian style english (grammar and accenting). But the FPS gameplay is pretty good most of the time, but can drag at others. Worth mentioning is the excellent sound/music, and really sweet weapons in the game. The Zoom on your gun also has an audio magnifier so you can listen to where you're looking. Sweet.
RTS: Well, I have to say, Battle Realms is an AWESOME game. Beautiful graphics, fluid gameplay, excellent voiced and diverse storyline, and hours and hours of gameplay. If all that wasn't enough, you can play with lots of people on the internet too. This game is a must, but it does have rather steep system reqs (req: P3 500, 128mb) But it's worth it.
Last, I can't WAIT for DNF to come out. I get a chubby just thinking about it.
-- Dan
Both of these games are amazing. My copy of Pikmin doesn't arrive until tomorrow, but the reviews look stellar.
As for Monkey Ball, if you have a GCN, you need this game. Hell, if you are an avid gamer at all, you need this. Mega fun with 4 people, and quite addictive and enjoyable just by yourself or with your spouse. My fiance and I wasted all of Thanksgiving weekend on this one, and she doesn't even like games much.
Gamecube is a lot of fun, but unfortunately, it hasn't gotten much attention from store employees and media with Xbox's release. But don't let the lack of enthusiasm from sales monkeys deter you; GCN is a boatload of fun (not to mention you can pick up the console AND these 2 games for the cost of one of the other consoles alone!) What a value!
My favorite addictive game is Patrician II by Ascaron. Basically you are a merchant located in a town in the 14th century, being member of the hanse. You trade all over the baltic sea and the north sea, you fight pirates, build houses, manufactories, etc. and become mayor of your town... later you can you go on to explore america, etc... :) Check out Patricianworld for more info about Patrican II (no, I am not affiliated with that site).
Also, the new add-on for Patrican II allows for internet play and has more cool features.
My son has been waiting for this game for a year and a half and he is thrilled to finally have it up and running(see links on SUBSIM Review). A WWII submarine sim, you're a German U-boat commander in the North Atlantic. Graphics, realism, sound, etc. are orders of magnitude better than its DOS/Win3.1 forbearer, "Silent Hunter" (where you were an American sub commander in the Pacific). Real soon now should come "Destroyer Command" which can be played *against* SHII.
Now, will they ever update "Command Aces of the Deep" for Windows?
"Love is a familiar; Love is a devil: there is no evil angel but Love." --William Shakespeare ('Love's Labors Lost')
Don't forget. TuxRacer 1.0 is coming out before Christmas. I'm all over wanting to get TuxRacer and Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
Star Trek Armada II just came out, and theres another came called Bridge Commander thats coming out sometime soon. Cant go wrong with Trek!
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Have to agree, this is the best game since Neuromancer. I have ordered my copy already. This is by far better than anything out there currently, IMO
Why should a pay 3000 for a motorized vehicle when I can pay 100$ for a bike which will go faster, AND has the added benefit of running on my own energy, so I don't gain a fat ass!?!
My suggestion for this years FPS is RTCW (return to castle wolfenstein) and for MMORPG i s Dark Age of Camelot.
These games deserve to be in a lot of X-mas stockings. Because the game allies you with a creature, you can get: (1) first person shooter (you shoot), (2) third person shooter (your creature shoots, largely based on how you train it), (3) roleplaying (be good, be evil, whatever), (4) real-time strategy (limited, game only lasts for 5 scenarios). Anyone who loves games for their variety has to try the interface these games have.
These kids today have it so easy... 3D...
More HP under it a computer then a 429 Cobrajet which could turn the tires of the day in to 14" smokebombs...
So what to do with all of the CPU power... Give them the magic of text games...
Zork...
Let the figure out that xyzzy has real meaning..
Give nethack...
Rouge..
You get the idea...
After a few plays, I realized I was getting pushed around because the physics were a lot better than it's predecessor. Water and weather effects have a substantial impact on gameplay, and the addition of the turbo (applied at the right time, of course) makes near-losses into close shaves.
I get a big kick out of it, and think it is, given the lack of press it's been given, a very underrated game well worth the $.
On the PS2 side Tony Hawk 3 is ok single player, but if you mastered the first two, it's a weekend of play. The online play is cool, but dunno if it makes up for the $50 price tag, and I wish they had supported 802.11b usb adapters. Still, getting together with folks online (finally) with the PS2 is fun.
I just wish Wipeout was available. That's what I bought the stupid PS2 for last year. Anyone from Psygnosis reading and can give a hint or six as to when it is expected?
Idiot, n. A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant
All I really want for Christmas is Trainz by Auran and Strategy First...
Oh the hours I will widdle away with that one recreating our local lines...
[move
What ever did happen to the leisure suit larry series?
Graphics cards have advanced so much since the last revision... there should be another!
And if it was around... I'd want that first.
Then CIV3... but i've already had it.. in its unadulterated tin glory! (yea! it comes in tin!)
--donabal
Safety First Day?
I'd highly recommend picking up Super Monkey Ball if you've gotten a GameCube. If you haven't gotten a GameCube, I'd recommend picking up one of those two, while you're buying Super Monkey Ball. There are many many play modes (Main -think Marble Madness, Practice, Competition - multiplayer main, Monkey Race, Monkey Fight, Monkey Target - monkey hangliding, trying to hit a target, Monkey Billiards, Monkey Bowling, and Monkey Golf). The single player is deep, and gets extremely difficult on the expert setting. There are at least 93 different boards on the main mode. This game is the perfect party game. No one I know who has seen or played a game of Monkey Bowling has gone away unsatisfied. When it comes right down to it, a game with monkeys inside of balls cannot be anything other than great.
"Chances of RHIC-induced Armageddon are exceedingly rare, but... you never know." - MIT Physicist Bob Jaffe
The creator of Mario and Zelda created a real-time strategy game where you are a spaceman who crash landed on a planet, and with the help of hundreds of little native creatures (Pikmin) you have to gather your spacecraft parts. Preview
;)
Looks quite impressive. A creative approach to the RTS genre that I'm sure will attact a large range of players. Will be released tomorrow here in the US. I know it's on my Christmas list!
--- witty signature
The only two big names that haven't slipped until 2002 are Civilization 3 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Both are excellent.
max
you damn right....i got soul reaver:legacy of kain a few months ago, and i couldn't put it down. i only inturuptted my soul reaving by gettting a new computer, firewall and DSL within a month. but once i get my system working (to my specs) i'm gonna beat kain like a little bitch.
On a personal note, its nice to see SEGA out of the Dreamcast debacle and on to better things.
The other must have is RTCW... busting through axis defenses hasen't been this much fun since Combat Mission. http://www.combatmission.com/
"Smokey, this isn't Nam, there are rules." -Walter
it really does.
I'm not sure that IT is something this society really needs right now. Think of how many people are overweight and could use any walking they can get. Now think of what they will be doing with that scooter. Now people will get the opportunity to never actually use their own muscles.[sarcasm] wow, sign me up. [/sarcasm] I imagine the future just got a little wider.
"It has always been this way and it won't change, god bless the fucked up USA" The Briefs
On the Game Cube end of things, Rogue Leader and Super Monkey Ball are excellent. Also look into Pikmin and Super Smash Brothers. Really, who doesn't want to take Bowser and stomp the hell out of Pikachu?.
On the XBox, Project Gotham Racing, DOA3, Halo, and Amped are all good. Just make sure that the recipient actually likes a given game type before getting it for them. If they hate racing games, dont get a racer.
On the PS2, other then Metal Gear Solid 2, I am not qualified to offer an opinion due to lack of first or even 2nd hand knowledge.
A word on console sports games. The 3 consoles are going to look nearly identical. If there is not an obvious graphics or feature advantage, then make your decision based on the controller. If the game feels better on the Game Cube then the XBox, and the recipient owns both, get him the Cube version.
END COMMUNICATION
Since us gamers just got the early Christmas of a lifetime with the release of the Xbox (hush your mouth) and Gamecube, not to mention the amazing games that are flooding the market for the PS2, it's going to be hard NOT to buy a good game/system for Christmas. Anywhoo... here are some suggestions on games to get (or avoid) for Christmas.
Playstation 2
-------------
Metal Gear Solid 2: Yes, it's as bad assed as it wants to be. The intro looks like something from Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer's wildest imaginations. The game itself is pretty dang fun even if I do keep getting confused on which button does what (play it, you'll see what I mean). I want to play this game some more, but there's so much more to see!
NFL 2K2: This game is hands down the best looking football game I've ever seen. If you can handle the slightly more arcade type feel to the game, it has it all over Madden 2002. It sure would be nice to have some equivalent of the Madden Cards but even without it - this is one helluva football game. You can't coach that.
Gran Turismo 3: Okay, yes this game has been out for six months now, but I had to put some more time into it after playing Metropolis Street Racer for the Xbox. This game is damn near flawless. Well, with the exception of a lack of skid marks (almost unforgivable), crash modeling, and complete lack of ability to turn up the volume on the background music (really). Outside of that, the cars handle just like you think they would - and this game is deep enough to keep you busy for months. Literally. If you're going to own one driving game, this is it.
Grand Theft Auto III: I don't mean to rain on anybody's parade but please, give me a friggin' break. The way people were talking about this game, you'd of thought that it'd be fun. Marketed as a 'mature' game, I guess a large part of the fun of this game is suppoed to come from all the bad things you can do. Hmm... maybe I haven't gotten far enough in this game (roughly 6-7 hours into it) but picking up a hooker (read: woman with fishnet stockings) to take her to a policeman's ball isn't criminal - it's a taxi service. I was thinking this would be a criminal Shenmue type game, but it's just not there. The palatte of colors used in the game is muted, the storyline isn't that engaging, in short - I don't get the appeal of this game. I'm sure some of you will LOVE it, but if I'm going to spend several hours driving around, I'd just as soon drive in a game with realistic handling. Skip it.
Xbox
-----
Halo: I'm not the biggest fan of first person shooters. Personally, the last time I spent a lot of time on one was when 007's Goldeneye came out for the N64. But Halo pretty much rocks. It's the best looking FPS I've seen, and it has a high nervous quotient to it in the beginning because you just get dropped into the action - so you have to learn everything on the fly. I've only spent an hour with this game, but it deserves some more time.
Oh, and Penny Arcade has a great comic about it.
NASCAR Thunder 2002: I know what you're thinking... it's NASCAR. And you're right. But it's also one fun racing game. They've crammed 43 cars onto one track, built in a nice drafting system and they put you on the NASCAR tracks and let you go to it. It's pretty fun to start a race in the middle of the pack and to be passing cars the entire race. If you like to race, this is a great game.
Project Gotham Racing: Do you remember Metropolis Street Racer on the Dreamcast? No? Shame on you. Yes? Well, this is like MSR 2. It's really good. It looks good, the sound is awesome and there are enough tracks and cars to keep you busy for the next 3 months. It has a kudos system to reward good driving, and the game demands expertice to beat it. It's a really fun title.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2x: I'm a Tony Hawk freak. Ever since THPS1 on the Dreamcast, I've logged more hours on THPS games than any other game I can remember playing with the exception of some Final Fantasy games - or maybe some game for the NES back in the day when I didn't have anything better to do. I own a bunch of them, THPS 1 and 2 on the Dreamcast, THPS3 on the PS2, THPS2x on the Xbox and THPS3 on the Gamecube. So I feel TOTALLY qualified to say what's right and wrong with this game. And this game has an issue - it's the controller. The Xbox controller is about the size of New Hampshire. It's friggin' huge. I just haven't gotten used to the controls on this game yet. Otherwise, this is THPS 2 on the DC with marginally better graphics, a few new areas on existing levels to explore, a new menu system, supposedly THPS 1 is in the game somewhere - so you can now manual throughout that game (they added the manual after THPS 1) and there are six new levels. It's fun, but if you have THPS 1 and 2 for the Playstation or Dreamcast already... you can pretty much pass this title up.
Dead or Alive 3: This game is basically Dead or Alive 2 with better graphics. I've never been a huge fan of this series because I personally like to beat the crap outta people without having to be graceful about it. And best I can tell, DoA3 asks for grace. You have to know just when to block, just when to counter and just when to attack. There's no run-away command to back up quickly, so everything is pretty much hand to hand short distance combat all the time. It's fun for about 10 minutes, but then I just want to play Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast - if I'm going to play a fighter.
Gamecube
--------
Luigi's Mansion: Okay, I thought this was a dumb as hell idea for a game. Give Luigi a vacuum cleaner and a flashlight and let him run thru some mansion stunning ghosts so he can suck them up in his vacuum cleaner. But I have to admit, this game is fun. It brings back some of that original Mario feel to a 3D game. It's silly, and ultimately, pretty stupid, but give it up for the game and the system. I woke up this morning wanting to play it some more. And now that I've finished it - I have to admit - it's one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Seeing Bowser rendered in all his 3D splendor alone was worth the purchase.
Rogue Squadron II: This is supposed to be the game that got everybody's juices flowing when they saw it. And it comes pretty damn close to the hype that preceeded it. The original Rogue Squadron came out for the N64, and that game was bad ass. This game is just as cool. It looks at times just as good or better than the Star Wars movies. This isn't like Star Wars Starfighter on the PS2 where you can do barrel rolls while flying your craft. Starfighter feels a bit more like a sim game, where you really have to have skills to blow stuff up. This game is all about recreating the fun of the dogfights from the movies. The explosions are amazing. And when you fire a missle down a shaft, you see the light from the missle light up the shaft as it flys down it... majorly cool. This game is way fun. And the sound is amazing. Add to that, this is the first game I know of that has a making of documentary built in, and you've got a title that you pretty much need to own if you have a GameCube.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3: Like I said above, I rock these games. Off the bat, I like this game better than the PS2 version. Mostly because I could pick up the game without looking at the manual and I could trick all day long, so the controls are really good. There are a few issues with the game being too forgiving with landings or how you do tricks - but I almost prefer it to the PS2 version where everything has to be perfect. I guess maybe I'm just somewhat of a sloppy skater. But the game is super fun. If you're a THPS fan and have a Gamecube... consider this a must buy.
Wave Race: I wasn't so sure about this game. I've never really liked any other wave race type games (the one for the N64 comes to mind) bascially because I was bad at it. The waves frustrated me, and there was nothing compelling enough about the title to make me put serious time into it. But this game changes all of that. The water is hands down the best, most amazing beautiful water in any game you've ever seen period stop end of discussion. It's that good. It looks great in all conditions. But when it's raining outside, it especially looks cool. The water will splash up on the camera and leave water marks. The graphics are gorgeous. Once I got the hang of the controls (not hard to master), this game totally rocked. This was the big surprise game for me. With tons of tracks, and tons of characters to choose from - I can already tell that this game will get some good play for weeks to come.
Lastly, if you're on a budget, but you want to be happy-happy on Dec. 25th, go buy a Dreamcast and a bunch of used games. Systems run $80, and your typical used game goes for around $20. Try Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi, NFL 2K2, Samba de Amigo, Shenmue, Sonic I & II, Virtua Tennis, Skies of Arcadia, THPS 1 & 2, Metropolis Street Racing, Ferrari 355 Challenge, and, Test Drive LeMans among the many other great games for this underappreciated system.
Well, that's the wrap-up. Happy gaming.
what's irritating is the hype. and yeah, yeah, the inventor says he didn't want that... which considering the train of events, with the leaks and the big tech names and the book deal, seems suspect to me. nevertheless, the rhetoric was the supertech marvel world changing brave new world machine. well, what it is is a funky little rolling platform... and the performance I saw on good morning america did little to impress me. you're dreaming if you think this thing can do any serious power turns or off-roading. it's awfully slow and awfully heavy and just insanely expensive for what it is. a bike can completely replace a car for the dedicated commuter - my brother did this for years (in Minneapolis!) - and EVERYTHING in the USA is set up for the car/park/walk a mile paradigm - so is there really even a potential market for adding this third transportation phase? I'll say what a million other people have said - at 20 pounds and say $500 I would . The product , just in and of itself, is all very nice and nifty - enhanced stability, intuitive interface - but the premise that giving people the ability to triple their walking speed at about 1/3 the median cost of a fairly decent car is a stretch. I suspect it is going to be a very hard road out of the economy of scale valley for Ginger. you notice the thing has its defenders and detractors, but I have yet to see anyone go tot he extent of saying: I'm going to buy one. plunk down my $3000 and roll on home. will you?
It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries
- Chu Chu Rocket (Dreamcast)
- Advance Wars (GBA)
- Paper Mario (N64)
Golden Sun for GBA looks really good. RTCW and Max Payne were pretty fun for the PC, but I think I am personally a sucker for bad single-player FPS games.
Playstation is my love but this Christmas I'm buying myself a Dreamcast. At $50 each I just can't help it. Hey it runs Linux and keyboard, mouse, and net connection are available. Get the damn thing a decent PSX-style controller and it ain't half bad. Skies of Arcadia is the #1 game on my list for it and Omikron is a possible 2nd. Toy Commander looks like a fun 3rd. My only question.. did Bleem ever release their Final Fantasy discs for Dreamcast?
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
For you old-school adventurers out there. A great game that can be had pretty cheap, didn't sell too well due to poor marketing but got rave reviews from... pretty much everyone.
Nice graphics, great speech, and a female lead who's not all about tight-fitting clothes and guns.
More info here
I just started grad school and I buy myself a game whenever I take a test.
Anyway, someone allready mentioned Civ III, and I second that. A design decision was made that simple-is-good, so in terms of the number of things that exist in the game, techs, units, bells and whistles for units to have, there are far less than in, say, Alpha Centauri. But, it's a big improvement in many, many, fundamental respects - it has whole new dimensions of play, which are simple yet profound. Personally, there are certain realism aspects (taking years for ships to circumnavigate the globe) that really annoy me, but the games very deep. It's also really difficult.
Art of Magic: Magic and Mayhem II is an attempt to make Sacrifice (nearly a great game) playable. Unfortunately, it fails and completely lacks the entrancing graphic artistry of sacrifice, so don't bother.
Pool of Radiance is a cute time waster. The game is a bit buggy, even with the patch, and their implementation of the D&D 3rd. ed rules is deeply flawed in a couple of respects (for those of you who are familiar, it won't let you pick your own skills and feats, and none of the really fun feats are even implemented.) Still, the parts of the game that take place on the surface are gorgeous in a technically uninspired kind of way, and the designs on the monsters and effects are solidly handsome and fun to look at. The big downside of the game is that big parts of it are just a dungeon crawl. There's a lot of very frank discussion abuot the merits of this game on the forums page (link above) which you might read before forking over fifty bucks.
One game that has seen surprisingly little hype is a Diablo clone called Throne of Darkness. The game, while once again not a technical breakthrough in the graphics department, is just beautiful. Really, the graphics are art. They've done something so that everything looks like it was drawn with those ink brushes - it looks like those highly detailed japanese landscape paintings, except unfortunately for the grass which is ugly and over-detailed like in Diablo (ah well). Unfortunately, the game play is just diablo. In fact, it is exactly diablo; Sierra has some kind of deal to copy the engine (I forget where I read this.) You get four guys at once, but the only summonings suck.
Finally, if you don't want to spend money, cosmic encounter online (which I tried to shamelessly promote as a Slashdot story, but it was rejected) is in development, and you can play as several races for free. No flares yet, but still.
Sam
The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
I just got Spy Hunter and it's a blast.
20 years ago, Spy Hunter was a sprite-based top-down scrolling shooter. Your little car sprite would shoot the other little car sprites, or drop oil slicks in front of them. Sometimes you would drive a little boat sprite. You drove on an endless scrolling road (or sometimes river). (With Shockwave, you can play a version of the original Spy Hunter here.)
Now, on the PlayStation 2, Spy Hunter is a 3D game. The camera is just above and behind your car. There are 14 levels to play, with multiple objectives per level. It plays a lot like Hydro Thunder, but with weapons.
Drive into water, and the car morphs to a boat. Drive the boat up onto land it and morphs back to car. When the car takes too much damage, lots of parts explode off it and what's left morphs to an armored motorcycle! Even cooler, drive the motorcycle into the water and it morphs into an armored jet-ski! When you are driving the car/jetski, you don't have the full special abilities of the car, and you have reduced firepower, but you can play the level anyway; it's just tougher. Dock with the weapons van (or weapons boat) for a full repair of all damage and full ammo load.
If you like Hydro Thunder you should like this too. I haven't had it long, but I don't think I will get tired of it, just as I'm not tired of Hydro Thunder. The gameplay is somewhat repetitive: you drive around shooting bad guys, you try to find the ramps that let you make the jumps, etc. But the level design is fun, and I don't seem to get tired of locking guided missiles on enemies and blowing them away.
I have only two complaints about the game. 0) Most of the cinematic cutscenes are pretty boring (just a shot of your car making the getaway after finishing the level). 1) If you are a good player, it will probably take you 20 hours or less to finish all the levels. But as I said there is a lot of replay value even just playing the same levels over and over, plus it will take you many plays to find all the secrets and accomplish all the objectives. Once you have found all secrets and accomplished all objectives, that level unlocks for 2-player mode; in 2-player mode you both play, split-screen, at the same time. I haven't tried 2-player yet but it looks like a blast.
The music is great. The rocking "Spy Hunter" soundtrack the "Peter Gunn Theme" by Henry Mancini, but remixed and with variations. I like the soundtrack so much that if they sell a CD of just the music, I'll probably buy it.
GameSpot has a review. They like it but not quite as much as I like it.
Recommended.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Or if you're already laid-off like myself, you can go the super cheap route using one of the free PsxEmu deals, then run those super cheap games on your 'puter.
Personally I think console games suck. I started out with a 2600 back in the olden days, that was great fun. I then moved on to C64 and Amiga stuff. Now though, I dunno, I can't sit there and play some stupid-ass repetitive console game.
So what do I play you ask? Well, not much really. If I play anything it's Q3 or maybe (rarely) Tribes2. With Q3 it's nice to just sit down for 30 minutes and kick some real people's asses, then get up and get back to real work... simple, quick, stress relief and you can gloat because those were real people not some dim-witted computer opponent.
Supposed to be out in the next couple of weeks.
CmdrTaco, could you please take yourown advice and list the system names with your games.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I have just three words:
Super. Monkey. Ball.
I swear, this is one of the most addictive console games I've ever played. The main game is fun, but gets tired after a little while. When it does, you've got six other games packed in there to fool around with for a while. I've already racked up many hours playing this game, and I expect to while away many more on it. (And it's completely appropriate for little kids, too!)
check out battle realms. it's a RTS and seems like it'll tide people over until warcraft 3.
also, for xbox there is tony hawk 2x. it's tony hawk 2 and tony hawk 1 w/ manuals. then there are 5 new "xbox only" levels. it's hellah fun and i haven't stopped playing for a week.
also, dragon warrior 7 is a throw back to old RPG's in the early 90's with graphics and music and length(supposed 100+ hours of gametime).
i've also been playing alot of operation flashpoint and ghost recon for those "i wanna be a soldier, but don't have the real discipline" nights.
xavii aka bob
The flagship game in Japan, Super Smash Brothers: Melee increased sales of the GameCube by 800%. Features include 20 of Nintendo's greatest heros, a slew of new characters to join the mix, new levels, and all sorts of fun features such as coin mode, and tournament mode.
For those of you unfamiliar with Super Smash Brothers, it originally showed up on the N64 as a very simple fighting game. Looking at the controls you would see only 2 attack buttons, jump, grapple, and shield; very simple when it comes to the kind of complex fighting games you might see on PSX or DC. But simple it is not, as anyone who has played against a human opponent can tell you. What the game lacks in variety of controls, it makes up for in strategy and fun.
This is a game that I recommend for any hardcore Nintendo fan, and anyone who owns a GameCube. It will rock your world, hands down.
pxg
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You are at the end of the post. To the north lies the post.
There is a sig here.
I don't know about anyone else, but for me, there is nothing better at Christmas time than playing board games with family and friends.
Any suggestions for new, interesting family board games for this year like Settlers of Catan , or Monopoly?
I am just a sucker for shooting people in the face.
also, there are 14 new weapons including the M60...
Interesting. /. posts articles rather regularly regarding energy saving machines and alternatives. Then when one is used in a rather novel way, badmouths it as a scooter.
As an individual who uses a car and bicycle to get around, $.05 a day for all day, hell, even for $.05 an hour, would save me well over $10 a week. And potentially less polluting (although one could argue that how we produce our electricity (usually coal) is dirtier than producing and burning gasoline). Win win.
Of course, TacoBell boy would probably rather we return to leaded gasoline. $3,000? My friend's last bicycle cost that much. At least this one is powered.
Yeah, I got a CD with about 500 SNES/Genesis/Gameboy ROMS on it as well as a couple of good quality emulators from a friend to give to my girlfriends kids. They love it.
In Soviet Russia, hot grits put YOU down THEIR pants.
A very good WWII tactical wargame for Mac and PC. Get the demo, then buy the game at: www.battlefront.com
Warcraft 3 will be one of the biggest games released for PC ever. I'm quit surprised I didn't find that here... --Nate
if your favorite geek watches too much history channel he/she might like this game even more than Civ. While Civ has historcal names it does not try and model anything from history- no matter how elite they are spearmen don't kill tanks and the Pyramids do not create granaries.
EU2 OTOH has history at the core of its gameplay. It tries to model state development, war, diplomacy, imperialism and religious strife from 1419-1820 in a realistic way- and it does a prtetty good job. It has a real-time engine that this old turn-based gamer likes a lot and the game is awfully engaging plsu it can be modified very easily thanks to an open data strcture and event engine- it beat CivIII for my time hands down.
Where do you get the time to play multiple games?? I can't scrape together an hour to play even one game!
Panty Raiders
Woowee, gotta loosen my jeans now.
so when my girlfriend finally kills me for playing it, I'll be doomed to eternal torment cleaning pollution outside my cities....
In Soviet Russia, hot grits put YOU down THEIR pants.
Playstation 2:
:)
You've already mentioned GTA 3 and Metal Gear Solid 2, which are absolute must-haves. Devil May Cry, Silent Hill 2, ICO, Tony Hawk 3, Spy Hunter, and Gran Turismo 3 are also worth picking up. As for party games, Frequency, WWF Smackdown: Know Your Role, and NBA Street are good candidates. Which reminds me, don't overlook the sports titles out there (I'm not a big sports nut but I do enjoy playing football games like Madden 2002 and NFL 2K2 as a change of pace every so often).
Gamecube:
Star Wars: Rogue Leader is a must-have. The second-to-last level, simply titled "Battle Above Endor," is breathtaking (my friends are always astonished at the sheer amount of chaos that occurs on that level). Wave Race: Blue Storm and Super Smash Brothers Melee are great party games. Luigi's Mansion is good, although people have complained that the completion time is rather short.
Xbox:
HALO and Dead or Alive 3 are must-haves and great party games. Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey is also worth picking up.
Dreamcast:
With the console's price slashed down to just $50.00, you can quickly stock up on a great collection of games. I was shocked that Space Channel 5 and Jet Grind Radio were less than $10.00 apiece at the local Best Buy last weekend.
PS One and Nintendo 64:
I've recently started picking up many games that I had previously overlooked which have now been heavily discounted (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for instance). It might be worth filling some holes in your collection.
I wish this list were more complete but all of my games are at home and I'm at work.
In my opinion the C&C series went downhill since "Red Alert", the problem being that the game complexity kept increasing, allowing people to develop pre-cooked strategies which could only be defeated with other pre-cooked strategies, reducing the opportunity for creativity in playing the game.
While I am still getting accustomed to it, I think Real War has the potential to get back to the simplicity that made the early C&C games so much fun. Combine that with impressive graphics, and the knowledge that the US military actually uses the software upon which this was based to train people, and I think we have the makings of the best RTS game yet.
Have to forgive the lameness penalty it gets for having "tycoon" in the title. This game just freekin rocks. Addictive, fun, intuitive interface, and very well packaged into a great game. And it's been out long enough that you can pick up a (legal) copy for less than $20.
Plus hey, i even got my wife to play it!
-r0
I just finished off Devil May Cry. Great graphics, cool action, and all attitude.
Well, it can get corny here and there - Dante's asides are bit over the top.
But if you like a game that you can pick up after work, do a few missions, put down, and come back to the next day and not have to ask yourself "Where was I again?!", DMC is the best this year.
I swear by MacOS X. Although I use to swear *at* MacOS 9...
enough said. EQ rocks since half the population is playing DAoC now!
The last few that came out that I can think of were Starlancer, Tachyon: The Fringe, and Allegiance.
I passed up all of these to purchase X-Wing: Alliance.
Comments?
Recommendations?
If it's not capable of at least 200 mph I'm not interested.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
But Dynasty Warriors 3 is out for the PS2. It's a third person slasher, set in medieval japan, where three clans and their warlords battle it out in actual historical settings.
The cool part is it's 2 person co-op (or vs., if you swing that way) so you and you buddy can go can lay the smacketh down in stereo. This was a staple last summer with my friends, each of us taking a turn per stage in DW2, but now it's twice the fun. I HIGHLY recommmend this to anyone with, um, friends...
Th
Some of these may be from this year, but since they're from smaller companies don't get that much publicity they're easy to overlook.
Malfador's Space Empires IV (Gold version due in February or so, but the original is darn good), published by Shrapnel. It's a 4X space game, and focuses very heavily on depth and customizability versus flash. Want to replace the tech tree wholesale? Customize your race to be lousy at combat, but rake in the resources and trade? Create a system type featuring unusually powerful black holes? You can, if you like. It's been out for a while, but the publisher and developer are still supporting it.
Illwinter's "Dominions" is a fantasy 4X, that some have compared to Master of Magic. Ritual magic, combat spells, item construction, combat formations, god customization, 14 very different (not mirror-image...) races to choose from... Also still in active development -- e.g. I've gotten helpful responses regarding bugs and questions sent via e-mail, and they're still patching to fix bugs and add features.
Battlefront's "Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord" is fairly old -- "CM: Barbarossa to Berlin" might be out sometime next year -- but still very good for 3D WWII tactical (up to Battalion-sized, say) warfare, with a nice WEGO system. It's very, very detailed, although you don't really have to memorize armor slopes... CMBO is not in active development anymore since they've been busy on the sequel, but the forum community is still active.
All three of the above support both solo- and multiple players (CMBO only two at a time, Dominions 14, SE4 not sure what the limit is if there is one).
There's also A-Sharp's "King of Dragon Pass", which seems intriguing. I can't comment on this too much since I've only seen the demo, but a (the?) dev has been spotted on USENET answering questions about it occasionally. It might be of interest to Runequest/Glorantha fans in particular.
The demo reminded me vaguely of the old Hammurabi decision-making game, if for some reason anybody remembers that (e.g. "101 BASIC Computer Games"). Of course, this one is FAR more complicated...
Only the dead have seen the end of war.
Sony will debut Shadows of Luclin on the 4th. It should be a nice upgrade. I am not thrilled about the 256MB RAM requirement (512 recommended) but I can't wait for the new graphics.
I am sure most EQ addicts will run out and buy it as soon as they can so it might not make the best gift. How about those memory and video card upgrades. They make nice gifts too.
If you were (are) a Marathon series junkie, I'd say there'd be no contest for HALO, though you'd have to justify pesky moral issues like selling your soul to M$.
But if you've never been a Marathon junkie, then there's no better time to get addicted!:
http://source.bungie.org/
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
The baldur's gate games have never missed their mark, and I'm eagerly awaiting this one. This one looks like it'll be diabloesque, but with actual role-playing involved, rather than just a click-fest(or in this case button-mash) arcade game.
Got Freedom?
Thinking?
I'm thinking of giving myself the gift of Harpoon 97 online for Xmas.
Harpoon is a series of naval-warfare simulation "games." I wasn't Navy, but ever since I read Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October, which the original Harpoon wargame was used to help develop, I've been fascinated at the idea of simulating a modern naval battle via software -- not just the surface-warfare element, but the air, submarine, and amphibious ones too.
My fondest dream is that either a bunch of people develop a GNU version, or that the code someday winds up placed in the public domain and naval-warfare-enthusiast geeks seize upon it, port it to the *x platforms, and extend it further. I fancy a small group naval-warfare geeks gaming over the 'net with this to win the Battle of Midway for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
"How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
He capitalizes games but not Christmas. That's a good way to skipped by the jolly fat guy on Dec 25. You got to give Santa his props if you want to see some loot under the old evergreen.
If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem
I recently picked up Galactic Battlegrounds and I'm having a blast with it. Sure, it's the same engine as AoE plastered with Star Wars stuff, but the game is very different in terms of strategy. Practically EVERYTHING is ranged based (lasers are cool) as opposed to knocking on the enemies walls and and hacking it down. The introduction of air units also takes out the invulnerability of walls. The Six different civilizations are all unique, yet very balanced. Not having to learn all the nuances of a new style of game makes for quick enjoyability as opposed to spending two weeks just figuring out how to play the thing.
Besides, being able to be the Empire with AT-AT's on Hoth is just plain sweet.
I've been looking for some nice mindless violence for some time now. The problem is, most games want me to shoot at monsters, zombies, aliens, robots or other stupid things. Why?? how do they think i can relax and lower my stress by shooting at a stupid make-believe character? no. I need something based on real life. looking through my rifle scope as i pick off innocent bystanders. beating policemen to the ground until they bleed and then gibbing them with some explosives. Shooting tossers in the back of the head and watching them fall to the ground, and generally running things over and blowing stuff up.
:). The lack of gibbing ability for bodies is an irritation, but the baseball-bat more than makes up for this.
So far the only game i've found to satisfy my needs is GTA3, which does this brilliantly. (and also provides some sort of storyline thing for when i get bored). I think the best aspect of GTA3 is the little classical radio station that provides a _perfect_ background for some mindless violence (alla Gary Oldman in Leon). Also a good thing, is the fact that i can shoot at both armed gangsters _and_ unarmed pedestrians because - sometimes a challenge is good, but other times i just want some free kills (candy from a baby). - oh yeah, why are there no children in GTA3? i was hoping for some good-for-nothing youths to smash up, or even the classic "oh no! my baby's buggy is rolling in the middle of the road" gag
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
If they don't have Linux, but wish they did, get them the Mandrake Linux 8.1 bundle with The Sims.
If they do have Linux, then get the Linux version of The Sims.
If they don't have Linux and like Windows. Umm. OK, they're probably relatives or something, you can't choose those. Then, get them The Sims Hot Date.
If they don't have a computer, get them a GameCube or a Sony PS2. And have another relative get a game for them with that.
-
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
Years ago, I've been into military simulations like Falcon 3.0 and F-15 Strike Eagle II. As years went by, simulations have become ever more realistic (take Jane's F-15, F/A-18, Longbow 2 or Hasbro's Falcon 4.0), though I haven't had time to play them. Unfortunately, the days of the ultra-realistic flight-sims are counted.
That's why I have bought Longbow 2 and Falcon 4.0 on e-Bay, have downloaded all the patches from the internet and very much look forward to playing these sims during my Christmas holidays. In addition, my computing power these days is much more appropriate for Falcon 4.0 than it was when this program appeared new on the market.
Being something of a retrogamer, I was thrilled last year when a friend of mine gave me an original copy of the ZORK trilogy (with the little zorkmid thingy they gave out, even!)...
That's for PC, naturally.
This year I'm hoping for a Hacklopedia of Beasts set (www.kenzerco.com) for my HackMaster games. Those, naturally, are tabletop format.
Who wouldn't like to take their own car out to real racetracks? Fly along at 130 Mph in their XXX HP Miata/Teg/Imepreza/{Your car here}, at Laguna Seca?
Excellent graphics, phenomenal car simulation, endless fun.
C'mon is their really any contest?
Are you serious?
If you had 1/10 of the intelligence, drive, and creativity that the creator of that thing has, you'd be doing a hell of alot more with your life than running this shitty website.
released a Starcraft patch for the random lockup problem they have under Win2k!
Anyone hear about one coming? It's the primary reason I still have Win98SE on my machine.
stop.. come here .... pass please
I would recommend Lord of the Rings, it is designed by Reiner Knizia, one of the world's greatest game designers. In it, you must work together to destroy the ring, while the game itself represents Sauron's evil minions. The dynamics work really well, the game gets tense and exciting, particularly near the end. It is also the most beautiful board game ever.
On a different note, check out Cheap-Ass Games. They're sold on the idea that you'll already have tokens and dice and such from other games. These items are what makes a game expensive (~40 bucks, generally). Cheap-ass games are typically sold in paper pouches for 5 bucks. The games themselves are usually well-designed, funny, and for that price, what do you have to lose? Try Kill Dr. Lucky or any of the zombie games (zombies working fast-food, with one brain between them...)
If you mean Carma 2 for PC, wasn't it incredibly buggy for you? I bought it for about $30 a few years ago and it was terrible. You had to hack your own cd to get it to work in most cdroms, with a copy-protection disable crack that was put out by the original authors.
The copy protection really screwed up that game, it should teach them a lesson for being idiots, and believing the marketing hype from safedisk.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
unless you count some lame overpriced scooter...
When I was 11 I got a mechanical pong game for Christmas. That's right, mechanical...A tv-shaped box with a frosted screen, behind which a moving arm with a light on the end of it swept back and forth (quite audibly, I might add). We chased the light with a little paddle that was moved with pulleys and string.
Over the years I've seen many useless upgrades come and go...video pong and "tennis" hardwired into a game console, more flexible consoles that accepted cartriges, even better consoles with high speed, 3-D graphics, etc. But I've never understood why I should shell out my hard earned cash for a lame overpriced Playstation, Nintendo, or X-box when my old mechanical Pong box works just fine. Those dumb games will never amount to anything because I see no need to own one.
Evil is the money of root.
I'd also consider some of the older games that have reached the "Classics" or bargian shelves:
Some that come to mind are:
Dark Forces II
Rogue Squadron
Doom (Final Doom Boxed set)
Sim City 3000
Flight Simulator Classic (or 2000 now that a new version is out)
For older retro gamers. besides a MAME complaition (already mentioned in another post), there are:
Atari Arcade Classics - Silver Aniv. Edition
MS Arcade, Return and Revenge of Arcade
There are a lot of great games that are a few years old - they may not have the mind blowing graphics of today's games, but what they lack in graphics they often make up for in game play. You can get quite a few presents without blowing a budget.
Finally, there's always setting up some emulators (NES/SNES/Sega Master System) and a few ROM sets - there were some great console games, such as Yoshi's Story, the original Zeldas, Sonic, as well as arcade hits such as Dig Dug for those machines - why not turn someone on to a whole new gaming experience? You can even pick up carts cheap at used game stores, to keep your ROM images "legal (sort-of)".
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
see subject and http://www.pocketexpress.com/Catalog/Product_Pages /spyhunter.shtml
The dreamcasts are being blown out everywhere for $50, and the accessories and games are just as cheap. For those that don't already own one, this is a deal that you simply can't pass up. While the graphics aren't up to par with the xbox, if that concerned you, you wouldn't still be playing Super Mario Bros on your NES emulator...
I haven't bought a console since the Sega Master system, cicra 1986, but now that I'm a poor college student, PC gaming is just a bit too expensive. My parents offered me an xbox with no games or accessories for christmas as my primary present, so I chose a tricked out DC instead. My list:
Dreamcast bundled with some games, Extra DC controller, DC Memory Card, DC VGA Adaptor, Skies of Arcadia, Shenmue, Grandia 2, Soul Caliber, Bomberman Online, Metal Gear Solid, Chu Chu Rocket, Worms Armageddon
All this comes out to about US$270. The console, enough great games to fail me out of school through the end of next year and an extra controller, all for less than the cost of a bare XBox or PS2.
Now, can someone else suggest a few more great games I should pick up? (preferably bargain bin, $20 or less, although not really required)
...the new expansion for Everquest, Shadows of Luclin, is out soon, and the servers will open tomorrow, December 4th. Though I still prefer playing a nice, text based mud over Everquest, many of my mudding buddies have been lost to EQ. True, for most of the rabid fans, you'd have to buy it as an early present, but still...
To write a haiku - all you need is the correct - number of syli...
Well since I got a job they became more interesting, since I can buy most of the things I want. :P)
Recently I bought BG2, and I didn't like it too much (don't hit that halbeard on my head pleeeease!), I guess I am more of a final fantasy type of guy (or an old eye of the beholder type).
I _was_ waiting for Command & Conquer Renegade (the guys over westwood said november and then they said BETA TESTING in NOVEMBER!!!!),
FIFA 2002 looks delicious but my Voodoo 3000 won't play it (because I don't like sports games), Spiderman is very likely to be on my christmas list, and so Harry potter for my gameboy color if it turns out to be an rpg-like game (I love gameboy color
But seriously, I want to play an oldstylish adventure game. The new ones are surely very extravaganzza (like schism) but guys? Where is Sierra's lovin characters? What happened to gabriel's affair? Where are the aliens that kidnapped Larry at the open sea? Where is Roger?
I always remembered that christmas were the times of a new Sierra game that you could play up over and over again just for the fun. (And surely legend don't respond anymore)...
Oh well past Christmas ghost mixedup with futuristic graphics...
[Offtopic] Anyone played kingdom of magic? Maybe the Silicon Graphics CGI were lame-o but the game did had the best comedy of Lord of the rings i've ever seen...
- Unikron fades where cybertron lies...
I would suggest the same as doom and the original Wolfenstein do not play before bedtime. I forgot and played it and then went right to bed to surreal nightmares about sneaking around and shooting Nazi's with a silenced submachine gun. I then woke up drenched in sweat and had a hard time going back to sleep. The next day my girlfriend laughed and taunted me for hours, little does she know that I can always blame it on the game if I go crazy.
Vote early. Vote often. Vote CowboyNeal.
http://www.blizzard.com/war3
This has been out for a while now... and looks pretty good too
My problem is that Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 does not come out for the PC until March 2002. It is out for the playstation NOW. So the choices are: Buy a PS2 and submit to evil marketers or wait. Waiting is difficult.
Well, maybe they will actually have internet play and make the game stable this time. Unlike...... THPS2
Don't write in this space.
OK
Looking for something on the cheap?
I was a kid who grew up on Nintendo-- unfortunately, like most 6-year-olds I knew, my meager allowance couldn't cover the fifty bucks or so to buy each of the cool games we played at friends' houses. And if you remember the huge library of NES games, you know there was plenty to want.
Anyways, a couple years ago I got my girlfriend at the time an NES console, as hers had broken some years earlier, and about five games from Funcoland. The whole package set me back about thirty-five dollars, and I even included another gift certificate to round it up to an even fifty so she could buy a few I didn't think of.
I spent a whole day devoted to playing Super Mario Bros. 3 straight through, no warping. It was as much fun as I remembered.
And how about the original hockey game, just called "Ice Hockey?" Where there were three different player models: the skinny fast guy, the medium guy, and the fat slow guy?
Excitebike-- Need I say more?
Of course, this is all only applicable if you've got a relative or significant other cool enough to appreciate something other than the shiny graphics of an Xbox or PS2.
But it's fun. Cheap. Never goes out of style. Gotta love it.
Dark Age of Camelot (PC)
This game is rather hefty in the system requirements department, but is a wonderful online RPG that just seems to have more character and enjoyability than Everquest.
Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2)
This is a fun, and potentially challenging game.
It is good, especially if you like complex story lines. Probably not quite as good as MGS1 because of the "Raiden" character, but still an awesome game.
SSX Tricky (PS2/GC/X-Box)
This is a nifty updated version of SSX, an excellent snowboarding game. Lots of fun, and
this version now has new features, tracks, and "ubertricks." I think most of the family can enjoy this game as well.
Luigi's Mansion (GC)
It may be rather kiddy, but this game is tons of fun for the whole family. It is also nice to see
Luigi get his own game for once.
Mario Kart Super Circut (GBA)
I think most people are familiar with Mario Kart.
This is a sweet handheld adaptation of the game, that has lots and lots of tracks (all the tracks from the original SNES game are there). Lots of multiplayer fun.
Dance Dance Revolution (PS)
It has been out for a while, but this game really
is totally addictive and fun. Those with mod chips can also import the superior Japanese versions of the game. There is also a "Disney Mix" available that is fun for kids to play.
This really is another game that a family can enjoy.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Europa Universalis 2 and Civilization 3 in that order.:)
better play this! fun for the whole family (4 player) www.jumpbump.mine.nu
Windoze not found: (C)heer, (P)arty or (D)ance
Think of it as AOE II Kings, but with Wookies and AT-ATs. Built on the same engine, has most of the same hot keys, etc.
The reason I liked this game was because I didn't have to learn a new game paradigm all over again. You cna build X-wings, or Imperial troopers.
Plus, you get to wipe out an entire race of Jar-Jar Binks in this game!
GameCube: Lookin forward to Super Smash Bros. Very cool looking.
It's been mentioned before, but Return to Wolfenstein looks amazing, and the multiplayer demo is a blast. I will refrain from recapping what has already been said about this cool looking game.
I was watching TechTV's Extended Play recently on my TiVo and they had a Holiday Gift Guide show on games for the holidays. It discussed the PC, as well as PS2, GameCube, and XBox and made recommendations on games for all of them.
- Vincit qui patitur.
Don't buy - just rent.
Check out www.redoctane.com - they have a rental program similar to NetFlix. For a monthly fee you get a certain number of games out at any one time, and when you return one they send you the next one on your list. They have a great selection (including some imports), but it's pretty common for games to be out of stock for a while. For example I put Sonic Adventure 2 in my queue when I joined in late September, and recieved it in early November. I still haven't gotten Parasite Eve though, which I also added when I joined and which it now finally says is in stock. I haven't gotten any GameCubes games yet, and don't really expect them for a while.
Still, it's been worth it. There are a lot of games that just don't take that long to finish. ICO, for example, was very fun first time through but I can't imagine wanting to play it again. It's also nice to not have to rely on reviews, but actually be able to easily check games out for yourself.
I see one possibility that has been overlooked so far, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. Possibly one of the best SW games out there. Too bad it is only available for the GameCube. Maybe we will lick out and it will be ported to PC. Defiantly in my top ten favorite games. I had to rent a GameCube to play it but it rocks. Check out the videos on their site. The audio is amazing too, direct out takes from the movies. Everyone will recognize the Death Star run by the way it seams to be modeled on the old CGA game. Be sure to check out the Screen Shots and Videos in the Gallery.
a ult.htm
http://www.lucasarts.com/products/rogueleader/def
Your right to absolute free speech extends neither through my home's door, nor to the hardware Slashdot runs on. Sorry to burst your ill-informed little bubble.
Not new, but still the very best of the best: Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate 2.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
I haven't finished it yet, but I'm on the 5th of 10 levels. I haven't really enjoyed a shooter since DOOM, but this game is absolutely awesome.
Hate it because it's XBOX if you must, but frankly, it looks gorgeous on my mediocre 27" TV -- far better than Deus Ex on my 19" GeForce2 MX400 powered Athon 1.3 GHz PC.
Halo rocks already.
So I trust this is NOT offtopic.... I just have to get this off my chest.
The only explanation I can think of to explain the Slashdot editors' unwarranted negativism is that they got scooped and are having sour grapes about it.
Not scooped in the literal sense, since I'm sure they knew about it long ago, but in the editorial sense: they made a bad decision in thinking that this story was irrelevant, and now they're going to defend it at all costs.
By the way, one of those costs includes trying to influence your opinion.
Wizardry was the THE game back in the day. This was the first "real" computer game i ever saw being played and as i recall that was on the Apple II My UberGeek pal recieved a Diploma of sorts for finishing up or scroring high in one of the series. IIRC. I was never a huge geek myself, but 2 weeks ago i rushed right out to grab it at EB, only to find no one else i know is playing it ?? I guess FPS and such have realy over run a good ole RPG in terms of popularity. Or maybe everyone is all tuckerd out fm playing Baldurs Gate 2, perhaps a more intelectual RPG. ?
Yup. Picked one up at Amazon. Little bugger surfs and everything. Think WebTV but with a very annoying controller. WalMarts still have a number of DC games - they're dumped in piles in the glass cabinets under the PS2 displays over in the tech dept. They had Resident Evil(s), Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, NFL2K NBA2K and assorted others when I checked on Saturday... bet they go fast. Seem to be at least 33% off, some half off or better. Also found out that pawn shops are a great source of consoles and games - must be after a cerrtain amount of sitting on the couch with no income, out goes the game console for some quick cash. Wonder if it's the first or last thing to be hocked? ;-)
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
to fly the cars do right, R2, O, R1, L2, down, L1, R1
when you gain enough speed with this cheat on (just do it again to disable it) the car will begin to lift, use the toggle buttons to fly it.
It does work with the tank, but not well
Now these games might have been ones you've missed, but in my opinion warrant a place in anyone's collections.
(Starting from oldest system first)
Sega Genesis:
Beyond Oasis (It's sequel is on the Sega Saturn in case anyone wants more Oasis action)
Snes:
Lufia Series
Breath of Fire Series
FF Series (Of course)
Secret of Mana
Secret of Evermore (not as good as mana but still fun)
Chrono Trigger (if you've been living in a cave and don't know this one)
Super Metroid (Amazing Game)
Playstation:
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3 Nemesis
(stay away from the ResEvil shooter)
Vandal Hearts (Turn based strategy sleeper)
FinalFantasy Tactics (Rereleased as greatest hit $19.99)
FF Series
Parasite Eve (Skip PE 2 or at least watch the opening movie which pretty much tells the whole story.)
Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Vagrant Story
Metal Gear Solid
Nintendo 64:
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zelda: Legend of Majora's Mask
Goldeneye: 007
Perfect Dark
Tactics Ogre
Dreamcast:
Jet Grind Radio
Tony Hawk 1&2
Skies of Arcadia (Do NOT miss this one)
Resident Evil CODE: Veronica
Playstation 2:
Grand Theft Auto 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Metal Gear Solid 2
Final Fantasy X (December release)
Devil May Cry
Game Boy Advance:
Castlevania
Advance Wars (If you can get only one game, get this one)
Tony Hawk 2 (Almost Identical to the Console version)
XBox:
Halo
Gamecube:
Super Smash Bros.
Pikmin? (Maybe. Read reviews before buying)
PC:
(Doing some more recent games)
No One Lives Forever
Serious Sam
Max Payne
Half-life (Cstrike & DOD & TFC)
Quake 3 (TeamArena & Rocket Arena)
Starcraft (Still going strong...)
Tribes 2 (Online only pretty much single player offers very few challenges)
Clive Barker's Undying (GREAT sleeper hit.)
American McGee's Alice
Black & White (some people like it, not my thing though)
Fifa 2k1, 2k2
NHL 2k1, 2k2
*Note* this is just going off of my memory, all of these games are AT LEAST worth renting / ROM'ing and I believe many of these will open new doors of imagination in your minds and hearts.
Have a great Christmas everybody!
...plus Jet Grind Radio, Chu-Chu Rocket, and whatever other games you can snag for $10.
I've bought more games for my $50 DC in the last two weeks than I have for my $150 PSX in the last, what, 3 or 4 years?
Behind the hype (and not so hype) of the nexgen consoles, out came without much fanfare the English version of Dragon Warrior 7 for PlayStation 1 (which by the way can be played by PlayStation 2... I think). I'm playing it and it is very good. It had many of the old-school elements that you have come to expect from an RPG, plus a truly epic story that only recent RPGs can unfold so boldly. I have played 82 hours so far, and have not switched the second disc yet (of 2). According to my expectations, I should be able to switch discs at about 90 to 95 hours which is pretty good anyway. Because the second disc is the last, it may not last another 90 hours but nevertheless it is a great accomplishment by the authors given that Final Fantasy 9 (a good RPG too) had me going for over 120 hours (adding the uncounted hours that went into unrecoverable gameovers) and DW7 is looking to match or exceed that. (The 120 hours also include completion of [or mostly completed] many of the optional side quests, as I'm doing in DW7.) Naturally, if you choose to play with a guide your times are bound to be less.
What are the good points? The game is very strong on both story and battles. If you don't like talking a lot or fighting a lot, then this RPG might too balanced for your taste. Like many RPGs you will have to talk a lot before you can stick a sword at a monster. I found the story (and substories) very interesting. There are over 280 different monsters in the game, although like many RPGs out there (even FFs...) 'repeat' them: some are stronger colored variations of others. I also found it interesting that there was a dungeon where there was no monsters at all, only puzzles. There are various side quests but I'm not going to spoil the fun for you.
The graphics are decent and very acceptable, altough they are no FF wanna-be. In my case, I've 'grown' to a position where I rarely allow myself to be lead by hype and by the press, and I tend to look more into the gameplay and fun factor behind the graphics. For some strange reason, the game scores an almost perfect in my book, but I guess that as always there are those who won't like the game. The best way to know how it would be for you, is to check it out for yourself. If you use the Internet, remember that forums are usually closer to reality (compared to the press... at least from my point of view), provided you don't check just a few posts on a few forums.
If you decide to play the game, I hope you enjoy it. Also, you might want to send some feedback mail over to Enix. They very well deserve it. (And no, I am not related to them except as someone who just purchased the game).
Although probably already mentioned, I suggest everyone pick up a copy of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. I just beat it, and the game is incredible. To me, Unreal Tournament has been the best game for the past several years, but RtCW really whoops up on it. Its somewhat sad that it took 2 years for a game to finally beat UT, though UT is still an incredible game.
The QuakeIII engine has earned new respect in my book for running RtCW. The gameplay is incredible, the story is really cool, although definitely imaginary, and the graphics are beyond killer.
However, it requires a lot of system resources. The box says a 500 mhz box with a 16mb card, but if you want to see anything decent, I suggest at least an 800 with 512mb RAM and a good GeForce to get somewhere with the graphics.
Hope this helps.
-Vic
There are some gameplay aspects that make for a less challenging game. Being able to stick up guards makes silent kills too easy. Amongst other things, a stuck up guard will stand with hands up indefinately, which makes choking them trivial. I've been running through grabbing dogtags hoping for something more than just new items.
Ideally, I'd hope for either a significant plot switch (being able to kill Olga as Snake would be one example, or rescuing Emma, or even getting a different ending at the last minute), or a large extra plot realm (even the redone Shadow Moses mission, or VR missions or something.)
It comes down to I just felt like it fell a bit flat, and it needed more. Unless I missed some huge cool thing along the way...
IP is just rude.
Is there any torture so subl
If you are a Gamecube lover like I am then you will probably been looking for these games:
:)
Super Smash Bros Melee: what could possibly be more fun than beating the crap out of Pikachu as Princess Peach?
Pikmin: Miyamoto is a genius and has brought us another great game...I can't wait!
Sonic Adventure 2: Sonic on a Nintendo product...that is reason enough for me!
There are of course more, but these three are what I really want to get my hands on
Unstable Apps: Our Android Apps Don't Suck
1. Go and get PC Gamer (or equivalent for consoles) and read their reviews before buying *anything*. (Or, read DailyRadar or other Gamez sites.) $40-$50 is a lot to waste on total crap games like Open Kart, and PC Gamer does not hesitate to blast them (Open Kart got 32% in the November issue). Also, "free" (OK, cheap at least) demo CDs. Always try before you buy, I find the CDs more convienient that downloading. (I do NOT work for PC Gamer, I have subscribed for about 3 yrs). With how bizeee my life has been lately, the demo CDs have almost been enough gaming goodness to keep me satisfied (almost). Better yet, give that gamer on your list a subscription. With demo CD, it's only $30/yr. (Tell them it's edyacashunal...)
2. I still play Total Annihilation. I have not found a RTS that can match it for playability, and it still looks decent even without using a 3D card. AOE kiss my hairy white %^$. Ground Control this! For breadth and depth of play, TA wins hands down. How many games give you robots, airplanes, vehicles, hovercraft, navies and nuclear weapons? Mourn the beloved Cavedog!
3. I still play Unreal Tournament. Tases great and is less filling. If you don't got it, get it. And yes, I think it's much better than Q3.
4. I haven't bought from them yet, but I will probably buy my next gamez from www.dragon.ca. Shipped from Canada with prices hard to beat. (I don't work for them either.)
5. On PS1, I just ADORED Crash Team Racing. Graphics are not so impressive, but this was an immensely fun adventure. You can probably get it cheap...try to find the secrets!
If you like RPG's, until neverwinter nights comes out this has got to be one of the best out there.
Best RPG out today. Actually, the best part is Trials of the Luremaster, a free expansion to Heart of Winter.
You actually care about the plot in a game like this (action/shoot 'em up)? Are you a game reviewer???
I can't believe no one has mention Jak and Daxter for the PS2. This is a pretty incredible looking platformer/action-adventure. You can read the previews, but it looks to have the following prominent features:
According the the IGN preview (as well as other articles and interviews), the authors are fans of games like Zelda which also feature large expansive worlds, so that vision combined with NDS talent might produce a top-10 title.
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
My year of waiting for MGS2 was a bit of a disappointmet. Solid Snake was such a cool, smooth player. In MGS2, you play him for about an hour, then they have you play some guy named 'Jack', who's girlfriend nags at you whenever you save (which is usually right at an intense moment, like must diffuse bomb in 400 seconds!)... "Why don't you open up to me" "Do you really love me"... Its a beautiful game with some great moments, but
a.) I want Snake
b.) I want that b1tch on radio frequency 140.96 to DIE!
thank you
I am really hoping that MS will get Solitaire 2.0 'ready for the holidays'!
New features:
- 3 new decks
- ending animation has cards bounce upward
- 1 new skill level 'Your not this good'
Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pikmin show some promise. Also, the Gamecube is $100 cheaper than PS2 or XBox, not like anybody who reads /. doesent already know that.
I'm not one of the open source "enthusaists" on here, but youre running windows me? Come over here while I slap you with a penguin. I mean even us widows users know better than that. Using ME. What the hell are you thinking!!!
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
Man, I don't see enough people singing this games praises. I absolutely love this game, and RTCW too. I mean, a welldone 3d RTS is a godsend. The fact that you can go through 10-15 different epochs leaves alot of replayability. You can make campaigns for just about part of history!! Well, I'm going back to playing it now...
If I wasn't so lazy, I'd have a sig.
Due out tomorrow Jak and Daxter looks like a worthy Crash Bandicoot replacement.
The Game is produced by Naughty Dog.
A preview at IGNhttp://ps2.ign.com/previews/16447.html
If you liked Kolona 2, this should be right up your alley.
I had a friend ask about good sports games for Windows. What are the best baseball and football computer games right now?
It still rocks! No need to spend big bucks for the latest games. You should be able to pick up a bargain-priced copy of HL - if you're lucky with Opposing Force and maybe even Blue Shift. HL is still (IMO) the best single-player experience that ever happened.
Download the latest patch and you become part of the biggest online gaming community. Team Fortress Classic and Counter Strike are included in the patch, and are the most well known, but there are others. See Planet Half-Life for more mods/skins/levels/cheese.
Another FPS which had a good immersive story line was Who Wants To Live Forever. More tongue-in-cheek than violent. Shouldn't be too expensive now either.
Other classics would be the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert. Tiberian Sun wasn't bad, but RA2 was pure cheese.
Also worth a mention: Total Annihilation (along with expansion packs Core Contingency and Battle Tactics), and Age of Empires II. I liked those.
The game I play the most: TFC (online of course). I'm looking forward to TFC2.
-- Steve
For less then the price of a GameCube you can get a DC with a tom of good games.
DC 50-60 bucks.
xtra controller - 15
memory card - 10
Soul Calibur - 25-35 ( a must have )
other games - 5 - 25 dollars
I got evolution for 5 bucks, ROLW for 10, Shenmue for 20, Chu Chu for 10, Jet Grind Radio for 10. The list goes on, but if you don't mind the fact that no more new games are coming out, then for like 150 dollars you can get hundreds of hours of entertainment.
Search for SnowCraft at www.download.com
I'm on a heavy nostalgia trip and I'm gonna check out all the old DOS games over the vacation :
:)
Pacman
Prince Of Persia
Stunts
Lotus racing
Paratrooper
EF2000
MAN! They bring back memories of the time when you were in total control and DOS was king! I'm gonna swap out my 20Gig hard drive for a 540 MB one that still has DOS 6.22 on it and weep as memories come flooding back
AH! I'm feeling all choked up already !
Find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life.
That one's more scary, because in reality, Afganistan was at war with Russia, and we were Afganistan's allies.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
This is an excellent game and hasn't been mentioned much is this thread. Max Payne is probably the best game I've played so far this year. I definitely put this on the "must have" list. Not recommended for young kids of course. Download the demo and give it a spin.
Burnout for the Playstation 2.
Played this on demo at the local Wal-Mart, really good arcade-style racing controls, and when you slam into traffic going 100+ mph it's really fun to watch how many times your car flips :).
Since I didn't see any posts for flight simulators, why not try X-Plane.
It uses OpenGL and runs on Windows, Mac, (OSX by Christmas) -- Linux port upcoming, and although I haven't tried, it supposedly can run with WINE.
There is also a great online community where one can get new planes, scenery, and utilities.
Oh and once you get it, feel free to land at my grandparent's airstrip - ID NA61. ;-)
help fill in hidden movie endings @ End of the Credits
by buying my kid an iMac. no more manually resetting windows(TM) screen resolution for game x then back, rebooting a locked system.....ad nauseum.
I understand that it needs a fifty gig partition, but System Commander can start it, so I can keep my real operating system as well.
I mean, Microsoft has come a long way in increasing the bulk of the solitaire engine from the Windows 3.0 days. We are impressed.{/grin}
And besides, to one that plays with operating systems, new operating systems really are entertainment, and hence games. Now, I just have to figure out where Windows keeps its scores.
OS/2 - because choice is a terrible thing to waste.
Two new Zelda games (Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons) were released for the Game Boy earlier this year. Definitely worth picking up if you like adventure games.
-Stephen
Load up on the old games, and have a ball. Older games like Warcraft 2, Starcraft, Carmageddon, Civ2, DooM... you just can't beat them for playability.
I've been sorely disappointed with the latest games, things like Max Payne etc.
And it's not just because my computer is old (and it is)... I've played them on the latest Athlon XP1600 + GeForce 3.
Hell, I'd love nothing more than a portable MAME emulator with both TV & SVGA output, and USB + Atari joystick ports...
Frequency is a great game. The objective is to move around inside a 8-sided tunnel. Each side is a track and in single-player mode, every two sets played (you tap the correct button on the controller when a note passes) it auto-plays the rest of the track for that section. Ultimatly the entire song gets played. It's much harder than it seems so don't think that this is easy. In multiplayer you battle eachother on hitting as many notes while getting as many points and trying to steal or disable your opponent. Don't even get me started on remixing the songs. This is a sure buy for PS2 owners who love music.
Ratings: GameSpot gives it a 8.7 and IGN gives it a 9.
You could try Fitznik It's astoundingly briliant and fiendishly dificult and I'm absolutely certian that I've never played a better puzzle game that I have written ever.
;-)
-- That which does not kill us has made its last mistake.
I remember the first time I played Wolf3D was also the first time that I had ever heard Ministry (In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up) - ever since that day I can't surpass the adrenaline rush and I can't play a FPS without some hard core industrial.
Half Life came close, but it didn't own me like that game did with that soundtrack. Screw Trent Reznor and his lame Quake sound track, gimmie some Al Jorgensen (back when he was still doing heroine please, not his new crap) and some huge pixels >:)
Please give your mod points to others, Im at the cap. They will appreciate it more
The aforementioned Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Really shows how things have changed in the last ten years.
Hmmmmmm.... Leather-clad Dominatrix Nazi Babes.... Can I freeze frame that bit...
Ahem. For the flight sim fan, Microsoft Flight Sim 2002 is a major improvement over the 2000 model. Better and more importantly faster graphics, autogen scenery, other planes, and ATC.
Free-scrolling virtual cockpit with working dials means you can take a good lookout as you'd do in a real plane. The program that shows Microsoft can do some things right!
Also on a flight sim vein, IL2 Sturmovik is a delightfully different combat flight sim. Unlike most WWII combat flight sims, IL2 concentrates on the air war over Russia, and the Russian IL2 ground attack fighter. Looks pretty good so far..
"Information wants to be paid"
Ya, its a great game as a sequal to the ever popular Myst and Riven games, however, it seemed quite a bit simpler than riven ones, and a bit shorter. I'm not even sure if it would've kept me occupied for the week between xmas and new years.. but if you love those games i'd reccomend getting it.
it may not be a game but damn i want to be on www.bangbus.com
Me and lunchbox here are going to kick your ass.
Doomdark was one good turn based fantasy wargame that had over 200,000 locations all running on an 80's 48k ZX Spectrum, for those thirtysomethings its a piece of pure nostalgia.
For all you PeeCee owners theres a decent remake at Icemark and best of all its free and runs on low spec machines too.....
Oh yeah what to have for christmas , well as Neverwinter Nights isn't out yet I guess its AliensVsPredator2 for me.
And for all you naysayers, here's a little thing I typed up. Please correct me where necessary.
The Unofficial Anti-Anti-Segway FAQ v0.01
by Greg Fodor (nebby@half-empty.org)
Created on 12/3/01
Feel free to copy this wherever you want.
Q: What is Segway?
A: Not a scooter. More specifically, Segway is a two-wheeled self-balancing electrically powered people moving device created by inventor Dean Kamen.
More information, obviously, can be found at http://www.segway.com.
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Q: How is it not a scooter? Screw this, I'm gonna just go by an electric Razor!
A: Calling the Segway a scooter is analagous to calling the automobile a motorized buggy. Riding the Segway is supposedly an amazing experience like no other; all those who have ridden one agree: this is amazing stuff. Propelling the scooter requires just a slight lean forward or back, with steering controlled on the handlebar.
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Q: What if I don't *need* help balancing? I'm not an uncoordinated loser like the people who need these Segway things! (or, Why don't they just put a third wheel on it for balancing and chop $2500 off the price?)
A: The purpose of Kamen's balancing technology is not merely to prevent you from falling, but is the key element in the entire feel and interface of the device. Using the device, as Kamen puts it, is like wearing "magic sneakers." The device feels like an attachment to your very feet, giving you the ability to freely glide over any surface on a whim. You feel not like the passenger on a vehicle, as you would with a motorized scooter, but as an empowered pedestrian whose very feet have been enhanced with wheels.
From segway.com:
"Step on Segway HT, and your instinct will be to steady yourself, as you would on anything with two wheels. Almost immediately, you'll realize that isn't necessary - Segway HT is balancing for you. Then it's as simple as shifting your weight. Lean forward and you go forward. Straighten up and you gently stop. You'll see that Segway HT isn't moving you, it's moving in response to you.
That's what happens physically. Emotionally, it's like the childhood dreams you had where you could fly. You feel freedom, exhilaration, and confidence. You have the sensation of the ground moving beneath you, but you're not touching it. And you're seized by the desire to go somewhere. Only then do you become aware of your own smile."
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Q: 17 MPH!? It's way too slow, I want something that will replace the car!
A: The Segway is not meant to replace the car. It is meant as a way of augmenting the process of walking as a pedestrian. Being able to up your pace to 17 MPH both makes your usual walks shorter and easier (and on this thing, more fun,) and also increases the number of places you can feasibly go.
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Q: So aren't people going to be pissed when they're walking around and Segway users zip by and annoy them?
A: Eventually when more people purchase Segways, it is feasible to think that small Segway lanes will be opened (similar to bike lanes) in major cities for fast Segway users. Other Segway riders could very well roll along with pedestrians unannoyingly at a slightly slower pace.
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Q: This is so horrible. People already are fat and out of shape enough, we don't need another American gadget that will give people another excuse to stop exercising.
A: Yes, we should also outlaw cars since you can sit your lazy ass in them all the time. Donuts too are a possible target for legislation, we wouldn't want anyone eating them since they could become fat and stricken with heart disease. It's important that we keep a careful control on what people can choose to do or not do, since we know what's best for them.
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Q: I live in Northen Montana and it snows all day here. Theres no way in hell I'd give up my car to ride to work and get hypothermia in the snow.
A: The Segway wasn't made for you. Though it supposedly can navigate through small piles of snow (just put on a hat and jacket for the 5 minute ride to work in the city,) it's not meant to be a all-terrain 4-wheel drive mini-SUV with heat and AC.
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Q: So, what if it rains? I'll get soaked!
A: The Segway is supposed to be an elegant and easy to use enhancement for the speed of the pedestrian. It is not meant to replace the car, and hence, if you don't like walking in the rain with an umbrella, you probably will dislike riding the Segway in the rain with an umbrella.
Overall, anything you wouldn't walk through (wind, snow, rain) you probably won't be willing to go Segging through either. Don't buy one if you hate walking outside and in all cases prefer the heat/AC/enclosure of a car.
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Q: It's too expensive, at $3k nobody is ever going to buy one.
A: You're absolutely right, except the "nobody" part should be changed to "only early adopters." Like any brand-spanking-never-been-seen-before technology, the price will be high and the initial demand will be filled by either large companies who can drop the change needed to buy a slew of them, or for the enthusiasts (early adopters) who just have to have the latest and greatest. GeForce3, anyone?
--
Q: I'm so sick of this, all that hype and it's just a scooter? No sterling? It doesn't fly? What the hell??
A: The so-called hype that people love to complain about has not been fed to them by Kamen himself but by third parties, mostly just idiots on the Internet over-speculating and coming up with their wildest fantasies. It's amazing how many idiots thought it would fly. Kamen has said from the get go of the hype-machine that it would and could never live up to the hype.
That being said, Segway is an amazing acheivement, and does in fact have the ability to change everything if adopted around the world. It's a low-energy electrically powered transportation device that seemingly can be used by anyone. Not everyone can manage to control an electric scooter, but everyone will be able to glide around with childlike freedom on their Segway.
Also, don't forget that Kamen's company (DEKA Research, http://www.dekaresearch.com) has been and is working on a high efficiency sterling engine. I don't think it takes much foresight to think perhaps one could eventually be found on a new version of the Segway once the technology is perfected.
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Q: It's 60 pounds, yet in videos I've seen, there are old ladies carrying it up stairs! What a crock!
A: The Segway supposedly has a mode called "following mode" which allows it to be guided (perhaps remotely via the key?) by a human but using its own power for propelling itself. In other words, when you come to a set of stairs unnavigable by the device, you hop off, switch to following mode, and walk up the stairs guiding the Segway along. It will turn its wheels as you offset its balance in order to climb the stairs.
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Q: Nobody is going to buy one because they'll look really stupid on them.
A: I'd guess that in most cases, if you look stupid on a Segway, you look stupid off a Segway. Regardless, this product is largely meant for people who do not necessarily hold their "dork factor" in the highest importance when it comes to choosing a transportation method. Look at some of the cars on the road and you'll realize there are many of these types of people.
Also, once a tenth of the population are crusing around on them in a city, you'll probably get used to them. I'd imagine the first car drivers looked rather silly with no horse being driven by them in front of the thing.
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Q: Nobody is going to buy one because the thing doesn't go too far on a single charge.
A: It really isn't meant to go long distances. It's meant for daily errands, the short trip to work, etc. A charge will get you approx. 17 miles or so (IIRC) which has been determined by Kamen's team to be far exceeding the average amount of distance covered daily by city dwellers in their day-to-day activites.
Also, it wouldn't be impossible to imagine an enhanced battery or motor in a few years extending the distance capabilities of the Segway. Regardless, right now it's not an impractical limit by any means.
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Q: It's going to be great when the system just zonks out and people start falling over! Hahah! I am so smart!
A: Actually, the Segway incorporates reduntant systems and is supposed to be fail safe on a level near medical devices (remember, most of Kamen's other devices have been in the medical field, requiring FDA approval and all.) The onscreen meter will undoubtfully inform you of the battery level, and as such, battery failure is most likely going to be as common as a car running out of gas. Oh wait, actually, since every electrical outlet becomes the equivalent of a gas station with an electric vehicle, only those who are extremely stupid and/or drunk will be most likely to let their Segway run down to nothing. If your Segway is running out of steam, you're not exactly stranded with no means of charging it up if you're in a metropolis.
I'd also guess that if these become adopted in the future, offices will install chargers to allow you to charge your Segway while you work.
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Q: This Kamen guy is a crock.
A: Not really. He has many inventions in the medical industry, one of the most well known is the iBot, a motorized robot which serves the same purpose as a wheelchair but allows its rider to climb stairs, curbs, drive over sand, and raise his/herself to eye level by balancing on two wheels.
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Q: Ok, maybe he's smart, but he just over-hyped this thing to make tons of money.
A: First, he didn't hype it, that was (probably) you, and the media. Secondly, Kamen has a pretty good record to show he's an example of an rather unselfish inventor whose endevours are a function not just of his financial gain but moreso from the overall benefit to the users of his inventions. As further evidence, he's the creator and overseer of FIRST (the project on the top of his list of importance, supposedly,) a national robotics program and competition for high schoolers which is intended to help change teen idols from pop stars and sports athletes to scientists and mathematicians. More information about FIRST can be found at http://www.usfirst.org.
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Q: Well, I don't live in a city anyway, I would never want one.
A: Well, do you work in a manufacturing facility? For a shipping company? Hell, in a big library?
Do you deliver mail? Do you perform rounds as a guard in a federal building?
Do you hate walking around Disney World? The mall? The town square?
Are you a cop? A paramedic? Do you just make rounds with medication in a hospital?
Do you go to school at a large campus? Do you work on a company campus?
Do you have trouble walking around the house due to your age or another condition?
If so, you might end up riding on and appreciating a Segway.
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Q: But..but..it's just a freaking SCOOTER!? I want my flying car!!!
A: *sigh* Go invent it yourself, then. I'll be cruising around in my Segway in the meantime.
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ah, dead or alive 3 ... ;)
what the hell am i talking about all i asking for a is a realdoll and i can play reallife sims.
Me and lunchbox here are going to kick your ass.
We've been playing it in the office all day today and it is very pretty, nice AI. The graphics are a bit american in style (yawn bore) but the grass texture is nicely detailed.
The physics engine seems solid and there's a lot of gameplay in there.
Why on earth would you wonder why people have it? We bought it in the shops...
Metal Gear Solid 2 looks quite pretty too.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
IMHO
This has got to be one of the best games out there, right now. This game should be in your list of must have this x-mas. This game kicks ass! Multi-player and single player modes are much better than the standard Quake and Unreal games we are used to.
Cheers,
v26
wow hope no one takes that quote out of context. ;)
It's a very fun game, and I love the single player campaings too.
The Trade Federation is a very, cool civilization, and I just finished the "bonus" mission, sort of an alternate recreation of the Battle of Naboo.
Cool game, but yes, very similar to AOE2 (i've heard, haven't played AOE) since it's the same engine. However, it seems aircrafts and shielding make add a lot of different gameplay to the game. (specially the famba shields by the gungangs).
- sigs are for wimps.
If you could be persuaded into getting another console however, Smash Brothers Melee (for the game cube....due to be released tommorow) is an exceptionally cool game. Just picture the four player chaos of the original Smash Brothers with graphics that really show off what the game cube can do and about ten times as much hidden crap to unlock. They've added a new "Adventure" mode for single player where you get to play through a prettied up version of a level from each characters original game before you actually fight them (and going through the Mushroom Kingdom as Samus (from Metroid) is a very interesting experience). Lots more characters and items and stages, and all around just a hell of a fun game.
Duke Nukem Forever - well, maybe not this Christmas ...
[Insert pithy quote here]
OpenQuartz , needs GPL-compatible sounds!
software so sophisticated it puts Microsoft to shame
:)
That part's not so difficult. I have games on my Commodore 64 that put Microsoft to shame.
deus does not exist but if he does
Nuff Said!
Worked fine for me.
A bit off the subject (well maybe not, who can recommend a game that doesnt run on Linux?), but any word on the single player Linux binaries?
I still want Prey.... and a sequal to Halloween Harry dammit!
-$yD
Something is just awesome about this game.
GTA 3 is kinda fun too, but it requires way less skill.
Last games I liked: Commodore64 RPGS, street fighter 2, Starcraft
God spoke to me
Retro console gamers (SNES 2-D days) will love this. Lots of games that focus on FUN as the most important thing: Wario Land 4, Mega Man Battle Network, Klonoa, Castlevania: COTM (FINALLY a sequel to CSOTN!), and Advance Wars just to name a few. There's lots of creativity and skill being poured into this console, and yet I can't find a mention of it on the forum. Give it a chance, try out those display models or rent/borrow it and try out one of those games I mentioned.
-Shmibbon
it has to be Rogue!
Insightful but Overrated Troll
There's always room for a Gamecube.
Star Wars Rogue Leader is an absolute must for any Star Wars fan or anyone who like beautiful graphics. It's based on Episodes 4-6 and has some intense gameplay, wonderful SW music and the best graphics seen on any console.
The Gamecube also has clearly the best party games released this year in Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Brothers Melee, two incredibly addictive, 4-player games.
It seems like CmdrTaco didn't even acknoledge the existence of Xbox or Gamecube. Someone buy him one.
Game Derby. http://www.gamederby.com/
If you know somebody who loves video games they'll love Game Derby. I don't mean somebody who spends a lot of time getting caught up on the latest graphics, rather somebody who enjoys video games as GAMES. If you know anybody who knows video history and views them as an art form be sure to get the Game Derby. It'll be their best gift.
I second that - I saw Planescape: Torment in the bargain bin at Fry's a couple weeks ago and it made me almost fail a Circuits midterm.
It was in dual-jewelcase packaging with some other game (Anyone heard of "Soulbringer"? Looks stupid...) for $12.99, I think. Torment is definately more of a plot and character RPG (one million words total, according to the IGN interview, crazy) than a hack-and-slash; trust me, you're better off spending more points on Int-Wis-Cha than Str-Dex-Con. And the game world is exactly how Planescape should be. Without spoiling anything, the game includes areas of Sigil, the Outlands, and 3 other planes (don't want to name them and give anything away, hehe) and I can think of representatives of at least 8 of the Planescape factions in the game, some of which you can join.
The sound is nothing exciting. The characters (2D) aren't quite as smoothly animated as we expect these days, with only 8 angles of view, but damn are they beautiful. Spell effects are very well-animated, and the high-level spells are awesome; some of them have Final Fantasy-style cutscenes before casting, although none reaching the tedious 2 minute+ length of some of those giant summons. Honestly, though, I only got to a level to be able to cast 8th and 9th level spells because I snagged a huge exp boost right before the final boss, it seems kind of silly that they had them in there.
Anyway, I can't possibly recommend Torment strongly enough to anybody who wants an RPG with depth and emotion instead of massive hack-and-slash interrupted by the occaisional trip to town to sell ph4+ 1007.
Falcon4 was released three years ago November, and it is still one of the only sims I play regularly. As flight sims go, it is head and shoulders above the rest. I am in a virtual squadron, the 99th VFS Tuskegee Airmen, and our squadron commander actually flies F-15Es for a living.
Without going into the long and spotty history of Falcon4, suffice it to say that in the finest tradition of OpenSource software, the last two years, this sim has been receiving constant (free) upgrades from members of the community. The final installment in the Falcon4 saga is going to be Falcon4 SuperPack2 (SP2).
How many games/sims have that kind of shelf life?
Hey Santa...
--Storm
forgot and played it and then went right to bed to surreal nightmares
I'll never forget the time I played Quake III so long I got up from the computer and nearly walked into a door because I just expected it to open automatically. Wierd!
ANd stealing ME dosent count. Its like takeing a can of rat poision away from a toddler. It might be his, but he shouldnt be having it anyway. ;) I only wish you had taken my parents copy.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
I used to be upset that QIII, IMHO a far better game, was not as popular as CS, but, thank God for Counterstrike. Being far easier to get into, it drains away the cheats & the llamas like pus from a sore.
Full plate and packing steel! -Minsc
I got Battlegrounds last week, it totally kicks a**. It's even better than AOE2+expansion in terms of forcing you to diversify your armies; every aspect is interesting; and best of all, it's Star Wars. The single player campaigns have some nifty bonus missions too. The only complaint I have with it is that the 6 civilizations aren't different enough in terms of technologies that they get. Overall, Battlegrounds is an awesome RTS, especially if your computer can't handle Empire Earth. Highly recommended if you're into Star Wars at all.
Reality is indistinguishable from any sufficiently advanced fantasy.
Granted the single player game is terrific, am I the only one to notice there not being ANY sort of multiplayer option (split screen or link?).
This was one of the features I liked the most about previous versions. Needless to say it kept me and my friends up for hours in the dorms.
Has anyone heard whether other versions (XBOX or PC) will feature this?
HAHAAHHA! That's classic, you just made my day.
I haven't seen a price for the PS2 version of Linux yet, with the SDK kit, but I would really like one of those. It's pretty much every PC type accessory you could want for the PS2, all Sony branded, or at least guaranteed to work, and it's Linux! I dream of the day I can take my PS2 to work, and make it look like I'm being productive with it, then popping in FFX while no one is looking, of couse when it comes out.
Yea, there's a lot of hype about Civ3 and Return to castle wolfenstien, but let me tell you, I'd choose halo over both of them. I know how horrible it is to support microsoft, yada yada, but the x-box is actually an awesome system. It offers progressive scan images for games as well as surround sound and Halo is incredable. Civ3 is fun, but talk about micromanaging....that game just plain gives me a headache. Wolfenstien...well...it's no Halo. I was tired of the same old 1st person shooters...somehow, halo is different and lots of fun.
Halo is the best FPS I've ever played. Better than Half Life. The great thing about it is you can play through the single player campaign in split screen with a friend.
Read my short stories - You won't regret it.
I've been playing the test for weeks now. I love it. But how are the other maps? Kick ass? Stupid? Does it look like multiplayer is gonna get alot of support (and clans and all that good stuff?)
Take a look at IL-2 if you feel like 1st person shooters and CC-derivatives are getting a little boring.
At least it is refreshing for me, as I've rather fed up with pro-US-balance and tweaks in other simulators.
regardless of theater this is the best flight combat simulation ever. Yaks rock!
Erm...
Ok, I'll get my coat...
Smid
(Who remembers the shocking days when it was announced they would move from Quake to Unreal engine.)
I'm surprised not to see anyone touting this. I'm a short way in, and it's already scaring the bejesus out of me. It's a class act.
HyperBowl first hit upscale arcades like Metreon's Airtight Garage back in '99 and has since spread all over. The original version plays on a 9 foot tall screen with a regular sized bowling ball as a trackball. This fall two versions came out for the home PC (Plus! and Arcade). This is a simple game, but surprisingly fun to play. Not exactly a Half-life substitute, but maybe a good replacement for soliaire.
HyperBowl Plus! Edition that is in Micro$oft Plus! for Windows XP only has two lanes in it (Roman Aqueduct and Classic), but HyperBowl Arcade Edition has six wacky lanes to play in (think mini-golf meets bowling - Classic, Roman Aqueduct, Yosemite Forest, Ship on High Seas, Streets of San Francisco, and Tokyo). Right now you can only buy it online at: http://www.hyperbowl.com
Give it a try, for a change of pace.
-GXW is watching you.
(there is also a download version, but it apparently only works if you have Plus! for Windows XP: http://www.hyperbowl.com/plus/download.html)
Castles of Dr. Creep was a mixture between a graphics adventure- a D&D - and a jump & run game. Although graphics & sounds where far from what you have today (it wasn't even state of the art on a C64), it was one of the best games designed, ever
ich bin der musikant
mit taschenrechner in der hand
kraftwerk
There's also a new expansion out for Asheron's Call. Dark Majesty was released a month or so ago, and offers a whole new play area, populated with new content. It retails for around $20, does NOT require the original game to play (it's included in the price of the expansion) and includes the first month free (usually $10). The real selling point for me is the monthly content updates... it keeps my interest going and gets me wasting way too much time on this game!
If you're talking about "The Operative: No One Lives Forever", I agree--a mostly fun, mission based FPS. The best thing about this game is the enemy dialog. When you're stealthily creeping along a balcony, listening to two German-accented criminals discuss correlation vs. causality vis-a-vis beer drinking and criminal behavior...just priceless.
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup." --/usr/games/fortune
There is a very active community around the game, making "mods" for better looking terrain and armor, and putting out reams of scenarios, for free. You will never run out of new scenarios.
CM is available for purchase only on the web, at the battlefront website. It's not in stores. There is also a demo available there, with two playable scenarios. Try it out and see if you are not amazed and terrified the first time you get shelled. I certainly was.
This is the computer game that is the rightful heir to Squad Leader. Don't miss it. (Note I am not affiliated with BTS or battlefront in any way other than being a satisfied customer.)
You forgot Ghost Recon--Beats the heck out of RtCW.
For Christmas I'm getting a ps2 and SSX tricky.
.. in one way difficult and in another not.
;) and it had to have a playable 2 player game.
:) it would be the gamecube so I could get Smash Bros Melee. To anyone who hasn't played the original: FIND IT or MELEE and PLAY the most *fun* (not necessarily the greatest) fighting game ever. Four people at once and this game becomes absolutely amazing.
... disheartening ? ... that slashdot users always talk about "the sims." There *was* a better game out there.. but it seems to have disappeared. CREATURES. In my opinion, the sims is to creatures (1 2 and 3) what MS Windows is to Linux. Where the sims has fluff fluff and more fluff and is mostly for light hearted play, creatures has serious depth. Genetics, AI, medicine, raising generations instead of just a family all in creatures.
:P) The Sims is a fun game, I've spent a few hours playing it, but the first thing I noticed when I started playing it is that you couldn't have a baby, only adopt one... and children can't grow into adults. (those two things would increase the fun of the sims so much. Imagine you start out with a bachelor who meets a female sim and she moves in (they also need to add a marriage ceremony.. (a sims marriage, not a specific religion), they have a child (adoption by phone is okay) the baby grows into a child, the child grows into an adult and eventually the adult can move out of the house into another built/paid for house lot.
:> I type too much. Hope everyone gets the game they want :)
The choice was
I needed a game with good reviews, that was beautiful (to show off
If I could have any game + console that I wanted... (long story
The Sims
I find it
Don't get me wrong (or think I'm a troll
Yah
I would have never even taken a second glance at this game if I was a the store, but after playing it at DesertLAN in Pheonix this weekend, I have to say that it is the absolute most addicting game ever. I wasn't interested in getting a gamecube until I played this game. It's got great puzzles (like labyrinth and marble drop) and mini-games (like monkey bowling, 9-ball and golf) for single player action, but also racing, fighting, and pilot-wings-ish target drop modes for great party play. Just buy 3 extra controllers and you're set. And I would bet that the female side of the force would get a kick out of it too.
Nicodemus
Funny thing, some FPS games tend to make me ill too. Queasy, headache, eye-ache (not from the monitor--this is within a few minutes).
Oddly enough, I've found that really low framerates and resolutions don't seem as bad, and it also helps if I'm actually *doing* something in the game. Just running around killing in SP with cheats...vomit (almost). Running around in an MP level full of killers doesn't make me queasy.
Here's a wierd part; flight sims don't do this to me. Helicopter, plane, space, nothing. I can play for hours (I have) with no problem. Switch to FPS... yum (!).
I think it's a relative of motion sickness, though I have no problems with airsickness or carsickness (can sleep, read, eat, etc).
I'd love a non-drug fix for this. As it is, I play Half-Life about once a month-- really good game, but I don't feel so good afterwards. It's like an addiction; trying to control it, but succumbing to an occasional 'fix'.
-lf
I think the best game to buy would be Quake3 or Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
Games are so cool!
I'm not interested.
SMAC raised my expectations of the Civ line.
WOOT !
With Baldurs Gate 2, Quake 2, and Starcraft gathering dust in the background, the game that has been eating all of my time for the past month fits on a 3.5 inch floppy.
Nethack. The Dev Team really does think of everything.
I echo your plea for an update of Aces of the Deep. I miss the thrill of calculating an intercept, racing on the surface to catch the prey, diving and firing, then sweating it out (literally) as the escorts punish you.
it avoids all of the things lacking in many pinball games,,,, a playfield which is not overloaded....multiple things to do...several 1 shot
things which are worth doing....and all around good gameplay