The Game Cube controllers are so similar to the PS2 controller in terms of size that I can't tell the difference. The wavebird (Game Cube cordless) is probably a little larger than the PS 2 offering if anything.
The PS 2 controllers are great, no problems there. But the Game Cube have the best controllers. They are more responsive, have better button placement, and feel lighter and more robust.
What happened to the joystick? It basically was absorbed into the controllers we use today. The Joystick is still there, it's just more responsive and smaller, you use your thumb to control it. Joysticks are useful for flight sims on PC's when you can place them on a desk, but these days, you need a dual hand control setup to play games comfortably on a console. It's more comfortable and far more ergonomic.
For first person shooters, you still can't beat a keyboard and mouse setup, imo.
I have a similar problem in the my computer monitor is far superior to my TV monitor in terms of graphical quality. Thus, my PC is a better platform for gaming.
Pikmin can't be played on small, twenty-year-old tv's, *sniff*
I don't see any evidence that Nintendo are abusing their monopoly in this area, however there are problems with their not having to compete. Case in point, the fact that the GBA has no backlighting, something that I would consider a necessity in this era. Nintendo argued that people would not be prepared to pay the extra $30 for a backlight, and that they wouldn't like the hit it would take to playing time due to battery drain. I think they are wrong.
A lot of people are getting their GBA's modified so that they can actually see the games they want to play (and to be fair, the darkness of the screen doesn't seem to bother some people) I personally think that consumers should at least have had a choice. These kinds of fairly obvious blunders surprise me, and although I am happy with a Nintendo handheld, and probably wouldn't swap to a competing brand even if I could....the potential is there for companies to benefit from any mistakes they make. Can they really afford to behave as if they are unaware of this?
I actually was pleased with the ending. If you didn't like the ending of Deus Ex, you probably didn't like the ending for Half Life, both end with a bit of a cliff-hanger, the need to make a choice, and the knowledge that this choice is basically an intimation of the content of the sequel.
I loved Deus Ex, played it in it's entirety three times or more to try things different ways so far as upgrading different abilities went, to better explore the environment, and to find out how the plot would change if I made different choices.
A little OT here but...I thought the game was excellent. It was long, absorbing, intelligent, and had a lot of replay value. The ending was excellent, because although it didn't offer up all of the answers on a platter, you achieve a major objective you had been working towards, it gave one a lot of food for thought, and it made me aware that a sequel was in the works before any sequel had been announced...more Deus Ex = good thing!
God, how many times can you play Halo? Yeah so they are going online? So are the Game Cube and PS2. Yeah, and Halo is going to the "real" PC, where we can play it with a keyboard and mouse set up.
But there are heaps of FPS's for the PC. So many the market is saturated. And Halo is great, but SUFFERED for having to be ported to a console, which is was never intended for. I would rather play my FPS's online on my PC, and save my console for adventure, survival horror, RPG's, and 3D platformer's.
Does the Xbox have any other cool games besides Halo? Yeah like I wanna spend $300+ just so I can play that *rolls eyes*
Re:Single player game suggestions
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Gaming Goodness
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· Score: 1
If you enjoyed Nocturne then give the Blair Witch trilogy a try, you should be able to get them cheaply, perhaps as a pack containing all three. The second one is particularly good.
There are a lot of good SP games being created for the PC, think Doom 3, Unreal 2, Deus Ex 2 (yes, all sequals, but that is partly because they get more coverage)Also consoles are getting multiplayer, so that they will be little different from the PC in that reguard.
"Wow. I knew most PC gamers were shallow enough not to care about anything but graphics"
I think most gamers balence a desire for decent graphics with a (greater) desire for fun and absorbing game-play.
I think the continuing sucess of Counter Strike is a testomony to that.
Also, I agree that having to have a cd in the actual drive does little to deter piracy, but really does become annoying for registered game users who paid full price for the game.
Many UTK3 buyers recently discovered they couldn't even start the game because of this. The official tech help advice? "Go online and see if you can find a "no-cd" crack.
Sony are fantastic I agree, and I have never regretted buying anything from them thus far... however they have a few misses amoung their hits. A couple of years ago I researched their mobile phones and although they looked great, at that time the technology wasn't up to speed with some of the other phone retailers.
On the same topic of excellent functional and snappy design I would have to also applaud Fujitsu and Panasonic. They have really worked on their design approach for the last few years and it's really starting to show.
Slashdot Mirror
The Game Cube controllers are so similar to the PS2 controller in terms of size that I can't tell the difference. The wavebird (Game Cube cordless) is probably a little larger than the PS 2 offering if anything.
The PS 2 controllers are great, no problems there. But the Game Cube have the best controllers. They are more responsive, have better button placement, and feel lighter and more robust.
What happened to the joystick? It basically was absorbed into the controllers we use today. The Joystick is still there, it's just more responsive and smaller, you use your thumb to control it. Joysticks are useful for flight sims on PC's when you can place them on a desk, but these days, you need a dual hand control setup to play games comfortably on a console. It's more comfortable and far more ergonomic.
For first person shooters, you still can't beat a keyboard and mouse setup, imo.
I have a similar problem in the my computer monitor is far superior to my TV monitor in terms of graphical quality. Thus, my PC is a better platform for gaming.
Pikmin can't be played on small, twenty-year-old tv's, *sniff*
I don't see any evidence that Nintendo are abusing their monopoly in this area, however there are problems with their not having to compete. Case in point, the fact that the GBA has no backlighting, something that I would consider a necessity in this era. Nintendo argued that people would not be prepared to pay the extra $30 for a backlight, and that they wouldn't like the hit it would take to playing time due to battery drain. I think they are wrong.
A lot of people are getting their GBA's modified so that they can actually see the games they want to play (and to be fair, the darkness of the screen doesn't seem to bother some people) I personally think that consumers should at least have had a choice. These kinds of fairly obvious blunders surprise me, and although I am happy with a Nintendo handheld, and probably wouldn't swap to a competing brand even if I could....the potential is there for companies to benefit from any mistakes they make. Can they really afford to behave as if they are unaware of this?
OK, possible spoilers below -
I actually was pleased with the ending. If you didn't like the ending of Deus Ex, you probably didn't like the ending for Half Life, both end with a bit of a cliff-hanger, the need to make a choice, and the knowledge that this choice is basically an intimation of the content of the sequel.
I loved Deus Ex, played it in it's entirety three times or more to try things different ways so far as upgrading different abilities went, to better explore the environment, and to find out how the plot would change if I made different choices.
A little OT here but...I thought the game was excellent. It was long, absorbing, intelligent, and had a lot of replay value. The ending was excellent, because although it didn't offer up all of the answers on a platter, you achieve a major objective you had been working towards, it gave one a lot of food for thought, and it made me aware that a sequel was in the works before any sequel had been announced...more Deus Ex = good thing!
Could be biased slightly?
Let's wait for more impartial reviews to filter though.
God, how many times can you play Halo? Yeah so they are going online? So are the Game Cube and PS2. Yeah, and Halo is going to the "real" PC, where we can play it with a keyboard and mouse set up.
But there are heaps of FPS's for the PC. So many the market is saturated. And Halo is great, but SUFFERED for having to be ported to a console, which is was never intended for. I would rather play my FPS's online on my PC, and save my console for adventure, survival horror, RPG's, and 3D platformer's.
Does the Xbox have any other cool games besides Halo? Yeah like I wanna spend $300+ just so I can play that *rolls eyes*
If you enjoyed Nocturne then give the Blair Witch trilogy a try, you should be able to get them cheaply, perhaps as a pack containing all three. The second one is particularly good.
There are a lot of good SP games being created for the PC, think Doom 3, Unreal 2, Deus Ex 2 (yes, all sequals, but that is partly because they get more coverage)Also consoles are getting multiplayer, so that they will be little different from the PC in that reguard.
"Wow. I knew most PC gamers were shallow enough not to care about anything but graphics"
I think most gamers balence a desire for decent graphics with a (greater) desire for fun and absorbing game-play.
I think the continuing sucess of Counter Strike is a testomony to that.
Also, I agree that having to have a cd in the actual drive does little to deter piracy, but really does become annoying for registered game users who paid full price for the game.
Many UTK3 buyers recently discovered they couldn't even start the game because of this. The official tech help advice? "Go online and see if you can find a "no-cd" crack.
Sony are fantastic I agree, and I have never regretted buying anything from them thus far... however they have a few misses amoung their hits. A couple of years ago I researched their mobile phones and although they looked great, at that time the technology wasn't up to speed with some of the other phone retailers.
On the same topic of excellent functional and snappy design I would have to also applaud Fujitsu and Panasonic. They have really worked on their design approach for the last few years and it's really starting to show.