I think the Eye-Toy is cool in concept and has some real potential. Imagine integrating your own face and face of friends for custom skins, or with an online title being able to see a small Picture in Picture of your teammate instead of just voice.
Of course, this is Sony, so maybe a more realistic scenario would be The Olson Twins Dressup Game, where your 7-13 year old daughter can play virtual dressup on herself. Just whatver you do, do not get the Christina Aguilara Expansion Disc!
Anyway, back to my topic - I think the Robbie was cool (yet useless) and it MUST be selling for a pretty penny on Ebay. By the way, did anyone else notice in the new F-Zero game footage there was one level with a GIANT Robbie in the background? Super cool.
Even though I'm an admitted Halo junkie, Half Life 2 completely amazed me. Sure Halo looks shinier and has a few new features, but watching the Half Life 2 demo blew my mind. The physics engine is truly incredible, and the ability to summon your own creatures to attack definitely adds a strategic element usually lacking in FPS games. I can't wait until the mod community gets ahold of this!
Gran Turismo 4
As for Gran Turismo 4, I watched the Sony E3 coverage for that and I must say I wasn't too impressed. I know it's going to be all that and a pack of crackers, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of innovation. Maybe I'm starting to get tired of the all too familiar CA(R)PG genre. Some scenes definitely looked beautiful, I'm not sure if it was actualy in game footage, but the Grand Canyon backdrop was stunning - made me look twice.
I think this has been the best E3 as far as I can remember, just a look at the list shows you how spoiled and lucky us gamers are. You know that feeling you get when you haven't eaten all day? When you go to take the first bite out of something sweet or salty and the second the treat hits your tongue a shot of saliva breaks loose from your glands like a premature shot from a Super Soaker? Well.. uhh.. got a towel?
Thea Wachowski should have waited until the trilogy was over to get a cut from the Super Extended Happy Fun Time Collectors Edition of Matrix Trilogy DVD.
I can see how this came about though. Some late night research at the local PVC/S&M bars - I mean what film director could resist all that shiny plastic on those tight bodies?
Pandora Tomorrow will the be the first stealth game ever to feature multiplayer online missions allowing several players to simultaneously share Sam Fisher's shadowy world of espionage.
When I was younger we used to call this "Hide and Seek" Think they will impliment a KTC (Kick the Can) mode instead of CTF? Look, I saw a pixel move!
When I was younger, nothing was more thrilling than going to the arcade. I knew that the machines I would be playing were much more advanced than my NES/SNES, and the word "Arcade" to me was synonymous with excellence. There was also a definite rush to be had from pulling some excellent moves in front of complete strangers. Sure, the home systems had some Arcade ports (Smash TV and NARC come to mind) but these were often comparitively weak, and the mature over the top content was edited out. And there was NO way you could mimic the feeling of the Space Harrier, Afterburner and Outrun moving cabinets at home.
I used to get impatient waiting for 5 people with the quarters stacked on the SF2 machines to finish, and all the cool games always had a long lineup. I spent more time watching than playing. When SF2 was announced for SNES I remember the $100 CDN I dropped for it the day it came out. It was the most faithful arcade translation I had yet seen, and I became so much better playing it at home than the arcade. Me and my friends would stay up all night trying every single move. I was able to go back to the arcade with my new knowledge and kick some serious ass! And of course you couldn't pause the arcade machine to see Chun-Li's panties. (Hey, I was 14, give me a break)
Now I just go to the arcade every now and then to kill some time. My hometown arcade still has the old dusty machines from the 80's, with hardly any new innovative games. Half of them eat your tokens and are out of order, and a good number of them have sticky buttons and off calibrated sticks. One thing that I still enjoy though that can never be replicated at home properly (without buying one) is the Pinball machine. I still have a fun time playing Midway's Whirlwind (Tornado?) when I visit. How cool is a Pinball game that has a built in fan to cool off your sweating forehead after a long intense session!
They have a Palladium mega arcade in the city but I haven't bothered to visit, I might go back soon and see if there is anything worth playing (aside from those crappy DDR games) but right now I'm very content having everything in the comfort of my home. If I want multiplayer action I play Wolfenstein on XBC, get some friends for a Halo night, Powerstone 2 on my DC, or try and make some use of my Ti4200 PC (which I barely play anymore).
Home consoles killed the Arcade - and I feel fine.
Definitely the #1 spot for me to look up an assortment of reviews and IMDB style voting. Very intuitive search engine and an overall great site to spend some time on.
"For Sega.. this could give them a much-needed boost by exposing more people to their games and, maybe more importantly, their characters/franchises"
I agree. Hopefully customers won't determine price=quality and think they are paying for a lesser game though.
"..mostly for the perception that third-party games look better on Microsoft's hardware"
There's absolutely no denying that the Xbox games are much more graphically advanced, thus being a very valid point for people wanting the Xbox (Wanting the best possible graphical, dolby 5.1 experience). It's too bad developers have to dumb down most ports because of *cough* inferior systems, so people don't see a huge difference in the majority of ported titles.
In the end, competition is great, and having 3 major players is very very good news for gamers.
Then it would be one less system to buy and clutter up the apartment, 3 less controllers, memory card, other peripherals, etc. I was upset about the DC dying an undignified death, but that all went away the second I booted up JSRF on my Xbox and realized I don't give a damn about the HW as long as I get the games.
I turn it on and I have only 3 options. "Memory" apparently just allows for some kind of game save copying and stuff, "Music" is kinda cool but I already have a CD player so it's pointless! And it can't even read my TDK burned cdr's:( I'd say the most interesting thing about the Xbox so far is the "Language" selection screen. It really screws with my friend's heads when they turn on my Xbox and everything in the menu is Japanese or Italian:) Grrr, this machine is so damn boring!
I noticed several months back that some video stores had big signs on certain DVD's "Will NOT work on a Playstation 2", I guess a lot of customers were complaining about the compatibility issue with the stores. Not to mention buying Korn's new DVD and also realizing it didn't work. Got the remote for my Xbox though and everything was a-ok.
I wish I would have known that back then! Pretty good customer relations if you ask me. Back in the early early 90's I had to ride my bike to a local computer store and buy 5 1/4's and access the local shareware machine in order to get demos. 75% of them didn't work when I got home, so it was a bit of a pisser sometimes. Ahh, memories.
I used to play console games growing up, but it wasn't until my parents bought the 8088-XT back in 1989 that I truly discovered Sierra games. A grabbed a copy of King's Quest 2 and instantly fell in love. The next several years I remember using what little money I had to purchase the next Quest games, I played them all and *every* series holds a special place in my heart (sounds lame, but true) and brings a smile to my face. Looking back after all the advancements in game technology, these titles are extremely dated and pretty cliched, but for the time they were groundbreaking and pretty much invented a genre. It was a great article to read, and here's hoping that Ken and Roberta (Not to mention the Two Guys from Andromeda) will forever be rememberd as pioneers.
I was playing Chrono Cross (from FF Chronicles) last night, and aside from some minor sound stutter in the FMV it played wonderfully. Except for some reason I couldn't save my game after playing an hour and a half, had to reset it and it pissed me off!
Very well said, that pretty much sums up the argument and puts the "haters" in their place. Having an Xbox is almost like rooting for the underdog (kind of ironic isn't it?) against a wave of neverending Sony fanboys! The PSX emulator is just another great step towards excellence in the underground scene. I just played Chrono Cross last night and it was great:)
I applied there several months ago, didn't think I had a chance in hell of getting in - but it was worth a shot:) The best part was getting up to the gate and having to buzz in, almost like I was entering the Pentagon or something.
"What do you want"
"Umm, I'm here to drop off a resume"
- long pause -
"OK, you're clear"
- gate opens - camera tracking movements -
Walked in there, went to the front desk and knew my resume was barely going to get a look over as the desk attendant filed it with the 3,000 other applicants that day. -sigh-
God, you don't know how hard I laughed when I read this. Something to tell the grandkids! (Back in our day we had to spin the discs before we got to play the games!)
We're talking about Con-soles. By saying "platform" the previous poster *should* have been more specific, but that's just semantics - so thank *you* for playing.
God, did you just get off the Gamepro forums or what? To say that Halo is the only killer app for the Xbox is an insult to anybody who remotely considers themselves a hardcore gamer. And don't compare a 20+ year legacy like Nintendo to the Xbox, of course Nintendo has more A+ titles (nevermind that most are just re-hashed over and over). That being said, I think I'm going to pick up a GC when the price drops - and maybe, just maybe, a PS2 when they hit the bargain bins and garage sales.
On another note, many millions of people still continue to eat at McDonalds - not because the food tastes better, but because a franchaise exists on every block, thus the masses overlook much better resteraunts. Why have a cheap shit burger when you can eat steak? Are you a mindless consumer whore like all those people who bought Tickle Me Elmos?
Single player does get stale after you've completed it, but how can the multiplayer not excite you? Get some friends, get some beer, kiss the next 8 hours of your life goodbye.
I completely agree. I played the game all the way through and found the story interesting but hardly original. What it did accomplish though is the strong desire to avenge the death of your loved ones. This desire added an extra intensity to the game, and complimented the overall experience. Yeah, these games are tried and true rehashes, but then again, most of what Hollywood pushes out is rehashes of rehashes too. We demand new hash!
Slashdot Mirror
I think the Eye-Toy is cool in concept and has some real potential. Imagine integrating your own face and face of friends for custom skins, or with an online title being able to see a small Picture in Picture of your teammate instead of just voice.
Of course, this is Sony, so maybe a more realistic scenario would be The Olson Twins Dressup Game, where your 7-13 year old daughter can play virtual dressup on herself. Just whatver you do, do not get the Christina Aguilara Expansion Disc!
Anyway, back to my topic - I think the Robbie was cool (yet useless) and it MUST be selling for a pretty penny on Ebay. By the way, did anyone else notice in the new F-Zero game footage there was one level with a GIANT Robbie in the background? Super cool.
Halo 2 vs Half Life 2
Even though I'm an admitted Halo junkie, Half Life 2 completely amazed me. Sure Halo looks shinier and has a few new features, but watching the Half Life 2 demo blew my mind. The physics engine is truly incredible, and the ability to summon your own creatures to attack definitely adds a strategic element usually lacking in FPS games. I can't wait until the mod community gets ahold of this!
Gran Turismo 4
As for Gran Turismo 4, I watched the Sony E3 coverage for that and I must say I wasn't too impressed. I know it's going to be all that and a pack of crackers, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of innovation. Maybe I'm starting to get tired of the all too familiar CA(R)PG genre. Some scenes definitely looked beautiful, I'm not sure if it was actualy in game footage, but the Grand Canyon backdrop was stunning - made me look twice.
I think this has been the best E3 as far as I can remember, just a look at the list shows you how spoiled and lucky us gamers are. You know that feeling you get when you haven't eaten all day? When you go to take the first bite out of something sweet or salty and the second the treat hits your tongue a shot of saliva breaks loose from your glands like a premature shot from a Super Soaker? Well.. uhh.. got a towel?
best.e3.ever.
Thea Wachowski should have waited until the trilogy was over to get a cut from the Super Extended Happy Fun Time Collectors Edition of Matrix Trilogy DVD.
I can see how this came about though. Some late night research at the local PVC/S&M bars - I mean what film director could resist all that shiny plastic on those tight bodies?
Pandora Tomorrow will the be the first stealth game ever to feature multiplayer online missions allowing several players to simultaneously share Sam Fisher's shadowy world of espionage.
When I was younger we used to call this "Hide and Seek" Think they will impliment a KTC (Kick the Can) mode instead of CTF? Look, I saw a pixel move!
When I was younger, nothing was more thrilling than going to the arcade. I knew that the machines I would be playing were much more advanced than my NES/SNES, and the word "Arcade" to me was synonymous with excellence. There was also a definite rush to be had from pulling some excellent moves in front of complete strangers. Sure, the home systems had some Arcade ports (Smash TV and NARC come to mind) but these were often comparitively weak, and the mature over the top content was edited out. And there was NO way you could mimic the feeling of the Space Harrier, Afterburner and Outrun moving cabinets at home.
I used to get impatient waiting for 5 people with the quarters stacked on the SF2 machines to finish, and all the cool games always had a long lineup. I spent more time watching than playing. When SF2 was announced for SNES I remember the $100 CDN I dropped for it the day it came out. It was the most faithful arcade translation I had yet seen, and I became so much better playing it at home than the arcade. Me and my friends would stay up all night trying every single move. I was able to go back to the arcade with my new knowledge and kick some serious ass! And of course you couldn't pause the arcade machine to see Chun-Li's panties. (Hey, I was 14, give me a break)
Now I just go to the arcade every now and then to kill some time. My hometown arcade still has the old dusty machines from the 80's, with hardly any new innovative games. Half of them eat your tokens and are out of order, and a good number of them have sticky buttons and off calibrated sticks. One thing that I still enjoy though that can never be replicated at home properly (without buying one) is the Pinball machine. I still have a fun time playing Midway's Whirlwind (Tornado?) when I visit. How cool is a Pinball game that has a built in fan to cool off your sweating forehead after a long intense session!
They have a Palladium mega arcade in the city but I haven't bothered to visit, I might go back soon and see if there is anything worth playing (aside from those crappy DDR games) but right now I'm very content having everything in the comfort of my home. If I want multiplayer action I play Wolfenstein on XBC, get some friends for a Halo night, Powerstone 2 on my DC, or try and make some use of my Ti4200 PC (which I barely play anymore).
Home consoles killed the Arcade - and I feel fine.
Definitely the #1 spot for me to look up an assortment of reviews and IMDB style voting. Very intuitive search engine and an overall great site to spend some time on.
"For Sega.. this could give them a much-needed boost by exposing more people to their games and, maybe more importantly, their characters/franchises" I agree. Hopefully customers won't determine price=quality and think they are paying for a lesser game though. "..mostly for the perception that third-party games look better on Microsoft's hardware" There's absolutely no denying that the Xbox games are much more graphically advanced, thus being a very valid point for people wanting the Xbox (Wanting the best possible graphical, dolby 5.1 experience). It's too bad developers have to dumb down most ports because of *cough* inferior systems, so people don't see a huge difference in the majority of ported titles. In the end, competition is great, and having 3 major players is very very good news for gamers.
Then it would be one less system to buy and clutter up the apartment, 3 less controllers, memory card, other peripherals, etc. I was upset about the DC dying an undignified death, but that all went away the second I booted up JSRF on my Xbox and realized I don't give a damn about the HW as long as I get the games.
I turn it on and I have only 3 options. "Memory" apparently just allows for some kind of game save copying and stuff, "Music" is kinda cool but I already have a CD player so it's pointless! And it can't even read my TDK burned cdr's :( I'd say the most interesting thing about the Xbox so far is the "Language" selection screen. It really screws with my friend's heads when they turn on my Xbox and everything in the menu is Japanese or Italian :) Grrr, this machine is so damn boring!
I noticed several months back that some video stores had big signs on certain DVD's "Will NOT work on a Playstation 2", I guess a lot of customers were complaining about the compatibility issue with the stores. Not to mention buying Korn's new DVD and also realizing it didn't work. Got the remote for my Xbox though and everything was a-ok.
I wish I would have known that back then! Pretty good customer relations if you ask me. Back in the early early 90's I had to ride my bike to a local computer store and buy 5 1/4's and access the local shareware machine in order to get demos. 75% of them didn't work when I got home, so it was a bit of a pisser sometimes. Ahh, memories.
I used to play console games growing up, but it wasn't until my parents bought the 8088-XT back in 1989 that I truly discovered Sierra games. A grabbed a copy of King's Quest 2 and instantly fell in love. The next several years I remember using what little money I had to purchase the next Quest games, I played them all and *every* series holds a special place in my heart (sounds lame, but true) and brings a smile to my face. Looking back after all the advancements in game technology, these titles are extremely dated and pretty cliched, but for the time they were groundbreaking and pretty much invented a genre. It was a great article to read, and here's hoping that Ken and Roberta (Not to mention the Two Guys from Andromeda) will forever be rememberd as pioneers.
I was playing Chrono Cross (from FF Chronicles) last night, and aside from some minor sound stutter in the FMV it played wonderfully. Except for some reason I couldn't save my game after playing an hour and a half, had to reset it and it pissed me off!
Very well said, that pretty much sums up the argument and puts the "haters" in their place. Having an Xbox is almost like rooting for the underdog (kind of ironic isn't it?) against a wave of neverending Sony fanboys! The PSX emulator is just another great step towards excellence in the underground scene. I just played Chrono Cross last night and it was great :)
I applied there several months ago, didn't think I had a chance in hell of getting in - but it was worth a shot :) The best part was getting up to the gate and having to buzz in, almost like I was entering the Pentagon or something.
"What do you want"
"Umm, I'm here to drop off a resume"
- long pause -
"OK, you're clear"
- gate opens - camera tracking movements -
Walked in there, went to the front desk and knew my resume was barely going to get a look over as the desk attendant filed it with the 3,000 other applicants that day. -sigh-
God, you don't know how hard I laughed when I read this. Something to tell the grandkids! (Back in our day we had to spin the discs before we got to play the games!)
We're talking about Con-soles. By saying "platform" the previous poster *should* have been more specific, but that's just semantics - so thank *you* for playing.
God, did you just get off the Gamepro forums or what? To say that Halo is the only killer app for the Xbox is an insult to anybody who remotely considers themselves a hardcore gamer. And don't compare a 20+ year legacy like Nintendo to the Xbox, of course Nintendo has more A+ titles (nevermind that most are just re-hashed over and over). That being said, I think I'm going to pick up a GC when the price drops - and maybe, just maybe, a PS2 when they hit the bargain bins and garage sales.
3dgamers is the best site to download the latest demos without having to go through those other nazi services.
That's like saying GTA is the only reason to buy a PS2. Well, that *and* the jaggies.
On another note, many millions of people still continue to eat at McDonalds - not because the food tastes better, but because a franchaise exists on every block, thus the masses overlook much better resteraunts. Why have a cheap shit burger when you can eat steak? Are you a mindless consumer whore like all those people who bought Tickle Me Elmos?
But I throw my sticky grenades with the left trigger! I say they make the controller bigger just for Halo 2 and add more triggers.
Single player does get stale after you've completed it, but how can the multiplayer not excite you? Get some friends, get some beer, kiss the next 8 hours of your life goodbye.
I completely agree. I played the game all the way through and found the story interesting but hardly original. What it did accomplish though is the strong desire to avenge the death of your loved ones. This desire added an extra intensity to the game, and complimented the overall experience. Yeah, these games are tried and true rehashes, but then again, most of what Hollywood pushes out is rehashes of rehashes too. We demand new hash!
The short has some decent effects and gun sequences, but you can definitely see it's clearly a student film. But, better than I could ever do!