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Good Games For Christmas?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the stuff-to-chat-about dept.

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.

17 of 613 comments (clear)

  1. Civ III by UberOogie · · Score: 5, Informative
    This is a gimmie. Buy it, and you won't need another game, or TV, or food, for a vera, vera long time.

    --
    "Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life." -- Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_, Book 9, 37
    1. Re:Civ III by UberOogie · · Score: 5, Informative
      I certainly understand this sentiment. I had been waiting six years for this game. The CTPers were cheap ripoffs with pointlessly snazzy graphics. I bought a copy of Civ III on day one, and promptly got my ass kicked by the computer until I saw the note about starting the game at two levels below what you're used to playing at. I got frustrated and went off and completed Max Payne and Wolf 3D (both in under a week--not long games, but good games), and I came back to Civ III. And then I found the sucking of my soul returned. Some brief reasons why this is a great game:

      Wars: Wars are much more realistic in this go around. They are much more difficult. You have to use actual planning and strategy and concentrate on specific goals (like one city).

      Strategic Resources: There add an entire new element to the game, and give much historically realistic reasons for wars. You might finally find yourself sympathizing with the Japenese in WWII when you're playing the game and another civilzation will just not trade you for an important strategic resource you need that is just outside your borders.

      Culture: This one kicked my ass to there and back and is the biggest change you have to get used to in the game, but the culture in the game accurately reflects the influence it has in the real world. One only has to look at the pervasiveness of American "culture" today to see how it really has an influence on geopolitics.

      In all, it is much more realistic and deep advancement on Civ II. Take a step back and come back to it with fresh eyes. The hype and the wait probably did the same thing to you as it did to me.

      --
      "Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life." -- Marcus Aurelius, _Meditations_, Book 9, 37
  2. The Burning Question Everybody Wants to Know: by carlhirsch · · Score: 5, Funny

    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"
    1. Re:The Burning Question Everybody Wants to Know: by dswensen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      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.

      Look, Sims Hot Date is $29.99. Penthouse will run you about five to six bucks. Just cut out the middle man.

      I'm kidding. I actually own Hot Date, and it's entertaining enough (if a little buggy), but smutty it isn't, at all. Nor, I think, will the Sims ever be, as the "T" rating and lack of tit & ass / power armor / ludicrous gibs / seeing one's own reflection in the blood splattered on the wall from Sodomizer 5000 no doubt helps put Sims in the top ten sales rankings.

      Not that I don't enjoy my Unreal Tournament, but the Sims is a nice change of pace from the usual fare of Decapitator III Online (now with bare-naveled mascot!) or what have you. I can get that kind of stuff anywhere.

  3. Gift Certificate! by nuintari · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  4. PS2 / PC Games by Captain_Frisk · · Score: 5, Informative
    PS2 Wise I would recommend the following:
    • Grand Theft Auto 3 - Amazing
    • Metal Gear Solid 2 - Has its ups and downs, but pretty cool
    Reviews have been good on the following:
    • SSX Tricky
    • Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3
    • Ico
    • Devil May Cry

    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

    1. Re:PS2 / PC Games by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My wife and I were recently browsing through the local Best Buy, and she found something called CookiesandCream for PS2.

      In a nutshell, this is exactly what you're looking for. Up to 4 people can play (2 people can share a controller!). The basic idea is that the screen is split in half by a vertical divider, and each player (or team) is racing from the bottom to the top. The catch is that you're really only trying to beat the clock, and the players have to help each other. I.e., the left player has to pull a rope that pulls an alligator out of the path of the right player, and the right player has to launch a catapult to launch a cabbage into the water in front of the left player so that a hippo will come and eat it and the left player can hitch a ride on it.

      It's hopelessly cheesy at first; I was tempted to try to return it after the first 15 minutes. However, once you're into it, it's a blast to play. Even more importantly, my wife, who has literally never played a video game before in her life, picked up the controls pretty quickly and is now a pretty competent partner.

      See if you can demo it at your local game store. If you can get past the goofy into and the Fisher-Price graphics, you'll love it, and your girlfriend will appreciate you bringing something home that she can play with you.

      --
      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  5. I asked for Uplink by edremy · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Yes, you've never heard of it. Available only from the website

    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!"
  6. PLAYSTATION: Don't overlook cheap shit. by Matt2000 · · Score: 5, Insightful


    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.

    --

  7. The Sims Hot Date. by ellem · · Score: 5, Funny

    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 .sig is fake but accurate.
    1. Re:The Sims Hot Date. by albamuth · · Score: 5, Funny
      You think that's bad? My ex-girlfriend from a year ago was positively obsessed with the Sims. The worst aspect was that she made exact replicas of all her friends, her and myself included. She even had every single Sim's zodiac sign match our real ones!

      Guess what happened when we started dating? Our Sims moved in together. Argument in real life? Temper tantrum expressed via my sim has to sleep on the dreadful Comfort: 2 couch.

      Guess what happened when we broke up? My sim moves out. She gets back together with her old boyfriend (who I maliciously drowned in a pool at the start of our relationship...er, I mean, his Sim!) so she remakes him and moves him in. She changes apartments -- her sim-house changes. I had to beg her to make a door in the room in which my Sim was locked up...fortunately I, I mean, my Sim is still alive.

      After about six months of that (and playing with all the fan-made skins and things) I had to walk away from the sims. However, my worldview was scarred forever...

      Please, if you're going to get someone a PC game this Christmas, make sure that it in NO WAY resembles reality.

      --
      [pink beam of light]
  8. New for Nerds? by Scratch-O-Matic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.
  9. I have to say... by dhamsaic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.
  10. Re:Wolfenstein by slashzero · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can still hear it. It's burned into my nuerons along with the mario brothers theme song.

  11. Grand Theft Auto 3 by GregGardner · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  12. Dreamcast. by dhamsaic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.
  13. Mame by crow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.