I've been playing through a bunch of NES games lately, and find that there's proportionally about as much crap on there as there is on a modern console if you don't count unlicensed games. You're probably playing the wrong games. I just finished playing through Destiny of an Emperor and it was just as good as I remembered it.
True, the quality of the experience is highly dependent upon the selection of games. While working my way through a catalog of older games I have found some enjoyable titles. I didn't link to the Millipede (NES) review where I say how much I enjoy the game, despite it being difficult nearly to a fault (in part because of the lack of an NES trackball). And I really find Monopoly (NES) to be kind of charming.
I've never heard of Destiny of an Emperor, so I'll be sure to give it a look when I run across it.
Finally, yes, that DragonStrike for PC looks a billion times more fun than the crap I played on the NES. In fact, it's that 3D perspective that I recall the Commodore version had had. I've put an eBay watch out for the Commodore version of DragonStrike, so perhaps I'll give the "real thing" a whirl at some point in the future. What a shame that they linked the "game ending" to the NES version, which I presume is entirely different from the other versions.
I've been on a bit of a tear myself, playing old games and finding them deficient. First it was Double Dragon on the NES, which I had at one time thought was pretty ok, but now realize is awful. Then there was Prince of Persia (again, NES), which is a neat idea, but way too long. Then Deceptor on the Commodore 64, which I had always wanted to finish. I played through it, beat it, and found that the ending was absolutely terrible. Then Into the Eagle's Nest, another Commodore game, that is really not worth the effort. (As a generous human, however, I'm making a series of maps for it just so other people don't have to suffer.) And then DragonStrike (back on the NES) which turns out to be a terrible version of a classic Commodore 64 game I'd always wanted.
Fortunately, these are all cheap games, so I'm not really out a ton of money, but it is truly disappointing to see how cruddy the past was and I didn't have the sense to realize it.
1) Yes, I use the backward compatibility of my PS2 all the time. Since I got my PS2, my PSOne library has more than doubled (maybe even tripled) in size; the games are just so cheap that I'd be crazy to pass up that inexpensive gaming option. Then there's the fact that I had a sizeable number of PSOne titles I was terribly fond of before I got my PS2, so I didn't have to give them up or keep a second console around to play them. The indications that the PS3 will have PS2/PSOne compatibility are just the kinds of things that will tip me toward a PS3 purchase when that day comes.
2) Some more stuff about backward compatibility from a while back here. I don't find it that surprising that Microsoft is willing to break with the Xbox when they release the successor: it will only be energy and money that they lose on their way to trying to be profitable in the video game industry.
Microsoft had former Playboy Playmate, Jenny McCarthy show off the new voice capabilities with a new videophone. The new videophone not only allows gamers to talk, but also allows them to see each other while they communicate. Microsoft promises that the videophone will not only be part of the Xbox Live experience, but also revolutionize social entertainment.
Hot woman known for taking off her clothes. A video phone. And revolutionary social entertainment. I have an inkling I know where Microsoft is headed with this one.
On the other hand, considering what the hardcore, never-goes-out-in-the-sunlight Xbox Live user probably looks like gives me real fear for what prank calls of the future will be like.:^)
This is a serious question: I'd like to know what people feel are the strongest qualities of the Max Payne 2 story. Is it the narration? The characterization? The pacing?
It isn't uncommon to hear how the story in Max Payne 2 is a great example of storytelling (as in the blurb on Slashdot), but I'd like to know just what it has that, say, Silent Hill 2 didn't have. Or Metal Gear Solid. Or Wasteland. Or even Resident Evil 2.
I think that the official NPD reports cost several hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. I haven't actually investigated myself, but this is what I've been told when I've asked friends (in the game industry) about them.
That said, there are apparently occasional leaks that allow you to get some of the raw data itself.
Impossible, yet we have source releases for Wolfenstein 3D, DooM, Quake, and Quake II? Ok, so id Software is a bad example. How about 3D Realms releasing both Duke Nukem 3D and Rise of the Triad? Then there was Bungie giving away Marathon. And don't forget Hexen, Heretic, Descent 1, Descent 2, Freespace 2, and Aliens vs. Predator.
These aren't all chump games. In fact, many of them are very popular, commercially successful games.
Because it's a point I feel strongly about. Should I cease to voice my view, just because the discussion comes up again, even in a different context? No, not at all. In fact, since game companies are making what appears to be a poor choice over and over, I think that makes it more important that I voice my opinion.
Frankly, this isn't the game company caring about the fans. This is drumming up interest in an upcoming game, plain and simple. It's just that some companies are better at portraying their craven stunts as good acts than others, while some don't even bother with the stunts in the first place. To VU, the fans are nothing more than money-generating aphids.
Not a bad point, although I believe it's the engine for Tribes 2 only, not the original Tribes. I suspect, however, that the data and the engine only get you so far; there is, no doubt, a significant amount of customization, scripting, and so forth (sort of like progs.dat for Quake) that makes Tribes 2 more than just the engine and the data.
To Vivendi and all the other publishers giving away older games for free, let me say thanks but no thanks. I appreciate the price you're offering, but I'd like to offer my humble feelings on the matter: This free is not Free enough.. Read that article to see what I mean.
In short, a better option for everyone (publisher, developer, game players) is to make games available at the source level. The effect is that the game will live forever, far beyond the original's limitations, as it is updated and modernized and built for newer, more capable systems. Furthermore, the game data itself, in the form of cheap CDs, could be sold by the publisher for an ongoing revenue stream.
Just something I'd like more game companies to consider.
Free versions of binary-only games like this frustrates me. Perhaps this is so old that they don't still have source, but this curmudgeoning is my usual response to games offered as free downloads. In short: making the game available as source will do more to preserve the legacy of your game than any binary distribution ever will. (Again, as long as source is available...)
Someone need to kick Old Man Murray out of retirement. The video game world needs that hot, steaming cup of bile to wake it up from its gross, self-congratulatory stupor.
Then we'd know if World of Warcraft was really worth its salt. And be entertained at the same time.
But how many mod chip users are interested in making honest backups? You could probably fit them all into the trunk of a Cadillac, with space left over for a spare tire.
And yet not one of them was interviewed! This guy posted on USENET asking for information and I responded in email saying that I could tell him about the fliptop modification I made to my PS2. I'd even be happy to give my name for the record because I only use it to play emulators and homebrew software. Furthermore, I only play emulators for which I own the original games. I'm uptight that way, so sue me.
I'm sure it's more sensational to talk about the modchips and pirates and oh look at all that money that the industry loses to illegal copies of games! But a real opportunity was missed here to discuss what can really be done, within the limits of the law, with a modified console.
I guess I'll just stay in the back of this Cadillac with all the other folks using a modified console for legal purposes.
I skimmed the article yesterday, so maybe I missed it, but I didn't see anything about the venerable Commodore 64. Any 30-something who was a Commodore user knows that that personal computer was often less of a productivity machine and more of a game playing machine. Along with those games came some GREAT music, including my favorite of all time, Capcom's Commando with music by Rob Hubbard. There were many more, including Skate or Die, California Games, and Ghosts 'n' Goblins.
With its advanced SID chip for making sounds and music, the Commodore 64 was an incredible machine for video game music. It's nearly criminal that it was left out.
Readers might find this study of games on the GBA interesting. It has its flaws (discussed in the article itself, as well as further in the comments) but shows that at least one platform is a huge magnet for sequel/rehash/ports, namely the GBA. I suspect, but haven't investigated for specifics, that other platforms since the Atari 2600 (or thereabouts) are similar.
To tie it into a "shrinking market" angle, I think that the size of the GBA installed base says that, at least at some level, there is a huge sector of the public willing to eat crap and call it great. Judging from the ongoing poor level of quality in all other media for as long as anyone can remember, it seems that this sector of the public is here permanently and thus there will always be a huge market for drivel. Oh well.
There are some good examples of how crazy copyright law can get in this article by Jonathan Zittrain. My favorite is the bit about Teddy Ruxpin, the toy bear who moves in response to the sound on a tape put into the cassette player in his back. (Putting a tape of, say, Madonna in him and turning him on constitutes a performance of the work, or some such.) Also talks about TV sizes in bars, the "strangler" VHS comment, filesharing, and others. This was linked to in a previous Slashdot story.
Everquest Online Adventures (my initial impressions) also has mandatory patches, and they are also stored on the memory card. You even get a changelog with them that tells you what's been updated and why. It was pretty neat, even if it does take forever to do sometimes. Also, just like a critical Windows patch, it requires a reboot of the machine to finish.
I presume that Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers has a similar system.
I've already seen this happen once. It wasn't pretty. Go read about it, already!. (Skip down to "story synopsis.)
At least a couple of extras got turned into poorly made-up plant things and died horrible deaths. There were some goofy special effects and pithy lines from the Doctor. NASA better hope that's all that happens this time too.
Many point out features of XF86 4.4 [an 'an open source X11-based desktop infrastructure'] they can't live without
And what would RMS say? If you're willing to compromise for what you want at the price of freedom, well you've already lost.:^) Ah, the luxury of being a man of principle.
Note: I don't actually speak for RMS, but I am reminded of his doctrine every time someone says "I need this non-free software".;^)
Mail Order Monsters - Keep the old idea: build monsters, add on parts with money earned through sparring with other monsters. (Sort of like Tecmo's Monster Rancher, but different.) Put this online with plenty of cool upgrades, tournaments, and other modern niceties and you'll make a mint.
Racing Destruction Set - The old ideas: Design cars and race courses with traps, terrain hazards, and so forth, then race. Add same updates as above for MOM. Also make sure you can build a course and then race against computer-controlled opponents of real intelligence.
Adventure Construction Set - Build a single-player RPG from the ground up, including graphics, items, scenery, and more. Update to modern standards for graphics, sound. Set up a site where users can upload their creations and then vote on them. Eventually, game buyers themselves become the real engine for driving more sales of the game.
Isn't giving away tons of Microsoft software like trafficking in weapons of mass infection? Shouldn't that be against some international law or something? I mean, what could be worse than a million extra Outlook and IE clients all unpatched and ready to act as virus broadcast stations?
So: 2D shooter, 2D shooter, 3D shooter, puzzle game, 3D shooter, isometric adventure, isometric shooter, hex strategy, adventure, adventure with lots of shooting.
Maybe it was just me, but seemed as though a good number of those games were just "shooters" of some sort, concerned with kill-or-be-killed gaming. Not that that's not fun...I like blowing the snot out of my enemies as much as the next alpha male...but I mean, how much are we going to trumpet the originality of games that are basically Xevious/Raiden or Robotron/Smash TV with lots of added stuff or a different perspective?
Sure, I'm generalizing, but these games aren't "novel" like that "falling down the stairs" game was a while back. If this is the "best of 2003", then sounds like a pretty hum-drum year.
Feel free to flame. I'm sure you've already started typing your angry reply.
I propose using consoles to emulate other consoles, thus keeping the number of necessary consoles to a minimum. Still, there will be some clutter, but it will be greatly reduced.
I can currently play Atari 2600, Atari 5200, NES, Commodore 64, Genesis, GameBoy/GameBoy Color/GameBoy Advance, DreamCast, PSX, PS2, and GameCube games all using just three consoles: my Dreamcast, PS2, and GameCube. I could include the Sega Master System and NeoGeo Pocket in there, if I had games for those systems. (I don't do the piracy thing.) If I were willing to live with some slowdown, I could add the SNES to that list. There are MAME packs too, but I've not tried them and can't speak to their quality.
That's a lot of gaming from just three consoles, so I'm fairly happy. It takes some effort, though. You can read about it in my last Slashdot post which has links to all the important stuff, like modding a PS2 and how each of the emulators works.
Of course, the real solution is apparently to use an Xbox. Unfortunately, I've got qualms about doing that (see discussion here, esp. the comments below the story). Others don't.
Then again, you can also go with a tiny PC next to the TV. I'm seriously considering that, although it wouldn't get rid of the DreamCast, PS2, and GC, since they're not emulated (sufficiently well) by any system yet.
Slashdot Mirror
I've never heard of Destiny of an Emperor, so I'll be sure to give it a look when I run across it.
Finally, yes, that DragonStrike for PC looks a billion times more fun than the crap I played on the NES. In fact, it's that 3D perspective that I recall the Commodore version had had. I've put an eBay watch out for the Commodore version of DragonStrike, so perhaps I'll give the "real thing" a whirl at some point in the future. What a shame that they linked the "game ending" to the NES version, which I presume is entirely different from the other versions.
I've been on a bit of a tear myself, playing old games and finding them deficient. First it was Double Dragon on the NES, which I had at one time thought was pretty ok, but now realize is awful. Then there was Prince of Persia (again, NES), which is a neat idea, but way too long. Then Deceptor on the Commodore 64, which I had always wanted to finish. I played through it, beat it, and found that the ending was absolutely terrible. Then Into the Eagle's Nest, another Commodore game, that is really not worth the effort. (As a generous human, however, I'm making a series of maps for it just so other people don't have to suffer.) And then DragonStrike (back on the NES) which turns out to be a terrible version of a classic Commodore 64 game I'd always wanted.
Fortunately, these are all cheap games, so I'm not really out a ton of money, but it is truly disappointing to see how cruddy the past was and I didn't have the sense to realize it.
The above summarizes a couple weeks of posts, but if you care to read the longer versions: Double Dragon, Prince of Persia, Deceptor, Into the Eagle's Nest, DragonStrike.
2) Some more stuff about backward compatibility from a while back here. I don't find it that surprising that Microsoft is willing to break with the Xbox when they release the successor: it will only be energy and money that they lose on their way to trying to be profitable in the video game industry.
Wait...this is the DooM 3 story, right?
Hot woman known for taking off her clothes. A video phone. And revolutionary social entertainment. I have an inkling I know where Microsoft is headed with this one.
On the other hand, considering what the hardcore, never-goes-out-in-the-sunlight Xbox Live user probably looks like gives me real fear for what prank calls of the future will be like. :^)
This is a serious question: I'd like to know what people feel are the strongest qualities of the Max Payne 2 story. Is it the narration? The characterization? The pacing?
It isn't uncommon to hear how the story in Max Payne 2 is a great example of storytelling (as in the blurb on Slashdot), but I'd like to know just what it has that, say, Silent Hill 2 didn't have. Or Metal Gear Solid. Or Wasteland. Or even Resident Evil 2.
Thanks in advance.
I think that the official NPD reports cost several hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. I haven't actually investigated myself, but this is what I've been told when I've asked friends (in the game industry) about them.
That said, there are apparently occasional leaks that allow you to get some of the raw data itself.
These aren't all chump games. In fact, many of them are very popular, commercially successful games.
Impossible? Not at all.
Because it's a point I feel strongly about. Should I cease to voice my view, just because the discussion comes up again, even in a different context? No, not at all. In fact, since game companies are making what appears to be a poor choice over and over, I think that makes it more important that I voice my opinion.
Frankly, this isn't the game company caring about the fans. This is drumming up interest in an upcoming game, plain and simple. It's just that some companies are better at portraying their craven stunts as good acts than others, while some don't even bother with the stunts in the first place. To VU, the fans are nothing more than money-generating aphids.
Not a bad point, although I believe it's the engine for Tribes 2 only, not the original Tribes. I suspect, however, that the data and the engine only get you so far; there is, no doubt, a significant amount of customization, scripting, and so forth (sort of like progs.dat for Quake) that makes Tribes 2 more than just the engine and the data.
In short, a better option for everyone (publisher, developer, game players) is to make games available at the source level. The effect is that the game will live forever, far beyond the original's limitations, as it is updated and modernized and built for newer, more capable systems. Furthermore, the game data itself, in the form of cheap CDs, could be sold by the publisher for an ongoing revenue stream.
Just something I'd like more game companies to consider.
Free versions of binary-only games like this frustrates me. Perhaps this is so old that they don't still have source, but this curmudgeoning is my usual response to games offered as free downloads. In short: making the game available as source will do more to preserve the legacy of your game than any binary distribution ever will. (Again, as long as source is available...)
Someone need to kick Old Man Murray out of retirement. The video game world needs that hot, steaming cup of bile to wake it up from its gross, self-congratulatory stupor.
Then we'd know if World of Warcraft was really worth its salt. And be entertained at the same time.
And yet not one of them was interviewed! This guy posted on USENET asking for information and I responded in email saying that I could tell him about the fliptop modification I made to my PS2. I'd even be happy to give my name for the record because I only use it to play emulators and homebrew software. Furthermore, I only play emulators for which I own the original games. I'm uptight that way, so sue me.
I'm sure it's more sensational to talk about the modchips and pirates and oh look at all that money that the industry loses to illegal copies of games! But a real opportunity was missed here to discuss what can really be done, within the limits of the law, with a modified console.
I guess I'll just stay in the back of this Cadillac with all the other folks using a modified console for legal purposes.
With its advanced SID chip for making sounds and music, the Commodore 64 was an incredible machine for video game music. It's nearly criminal that it was left out.
Readers might find this study of games on the GBA interesting. It has its flaws (discussed in the article itself, as well as further in the comments) but shows that at least one platform is a huge magnet for sequel/rehash/ports, namely the GBA. I suspect, but haven't investigated for specifics, that other platforms since the Atari 2600 (or thereabouts) are similar.
To tie it into a "shrinking market" angle, I think that the size of the GBA installed base says that, at least at some level, there is a huge sector of the public willing to eat crap and call it great. Judging from the ongoing poor level of quality in all other media for as long as anyone can remember, it seems that this sector of the public is here permanently and thus there will always be a huge market for drivel. Oh well.
There are some good examples of how crazy copyright law can get in this article by Jonathan Zittrain. My favorite is the bit about Teddy Ruxpin, the toy bear who moves in response to the sound on a tape put into the cassette player in his back. (Putting a tape of, say, Madonna in him and turning him on constitutes a performance of the work, or some such.) Also talks about TV sizes in bars, the "strangler" VHS comment, filesharing, and others. This was linked to in a previous Slashdot story.
I presume that Everquest Online Adventures: Frontiers has a similar system.
At least a couple of extras got turned into poorly made-up plant things and died horrible deaths. There were some goofy special effects and pithy lines from the Doctor. NASA better hope that's all that happens this time too.
Note: I don't actually speak for RMS, but I am reminded of his doctrine every time someone says "I need this non-free software". ;^)
Mail Order Monsters - Keep the old idea: build monsters, add on parts with money earned through sparring with other monsters. (Sort of like Tecmo's Monster Rancher, but different.) Put this online with plenty of cool upgrades, tournaments, and other modern niceties and you'll make a mint.
Racing Destruction Set - The old ideas: Design cars and race courses with traps, terrain hazards, and so forth, then race. Add same updates as above for MOM. Also make sure you can build a course and then race against computer-controlled opponents of real intelligence.
Adventure Construction Set - Build a single-player RPG from the ground up, including graphics, items, scenery, and more. Update to modern standards for graphics, sound. Set up a site where users can upload their creations and then vote on them. Eventually, game buyers themselves become the real engine for driving more sales of the game.
Isn't giving away tons of Microsoft software like trafficking in weapons of mass infection? Shouldn't that be against some international law or something? I mean, what could be worse than a million extra Outlook and IE clients all unpatched and ready to act as virus broadcast stations?
:^D
Yeah, yeah, I know. Not fair. So mod me down.
So: 2D shooter, 2D shooter, 3D shooter, puzzle game, 3D shooter, isometric adventure, isometric shooter, hex strategy, adventure, adventure with lots of shooting.
Maybe it was just me, but seemed as though a good number of those games were just "shooters" of some sort, concerned with kill-or-be-killed gaming. Not that that's not fun...I like blowing the snot out of my enemies as much as the next alpha male...but I mean, how much are we going to trumpet the originality of games that are basically Xevious/Raiden or Robotron/Smash TV with lots of added stuff or a different perspective?
Sure, I'm generalizing, but these games aren't "novel" like that "falling down the stairs" game was a while back. If this is the "best of 2003", then sounds like a pretty hum-drum year.
Feel free to flame. I'm sure you've already started typing your angry reply.
I can currently play Atari 2600, Atari 5200, NES, Commodore 64, Genesis, GameBoy/GameBoy Color/GameBoy Advance, DreamCast, PSX, PS2, and GameCube games all using just three consoles: my Dreamcast, PS2, and GameCube. I could include the Sega Master System and NeoGeo Pocket in there, if I had games for those systems. (I don't do the piracy thing.) If I were willing to live with some slowdown, I could add the SNES to that list. There are MAME packs too, but I've not tried them and can't speak to their quality.
That's a lot of gaming from just three consoles, so I'm fairly happy. It takes some effort, though. You can read about it in my last Slashdot post which has links to all the important stuff, like modding a PS2 and how each of the emulators works.
Of course, the real solution is apparently to use an Xbox. Unfortunately, I've got qualms about doing that (see discussion here, esp. the comments below the story). Others don't.
Then again, you can also go with a tiny PC next to the TV. I'm seriously considering that, although it wouldn't get rid of the DreamCast, PS2, and GC, since they're not emulated (sufficiently well) by any system yet.