I own a 4:3 36" Sony XBR TV, capable of 480p and 1080i (with letterboxing). If a game offers 16:9 anamorphic support, I usually don't use it, because I like to be able to see the details that I'd have to strain to see if the picture were made smaller.
But when I played Eternal Darkness on the GC, playing in 16:9 mode was a no-brainer. The game is so cinematic and immersive that I felt like I was watching a movie, and the widescreen was the icing on the cake. Other games with a cinematic feel, I imagine, would also benefit from being played in 16:9, even if you have a 4:3 set--assuming your TV can squish the anamorphic display down to look right, that is, cause otherwise you're losing a lot of pixels (if it's not anamorphic) or the game will look all stretched out.
Incidentally, anyone who has a GameCube and hasn't played Eternal Darkness, should. (though it is rated M, so only play it if you can handle it)
First and simplest (on the surface), it's based on a conflict that's very en vogue right now. While DC is currently based on the first Gulf War, the basic conflict of Coalition (U.S. et al) vs. Opposition (Iraq) is something everyone's been thinking about.
Second, it takes some of the funnest parts from BF1942 and makes them even better. Tanks are faster and they shoot better. Missile launchers are awesomely powerful versions of artillery. The classes and their abilities are all shuffled together, making a number of new class concepts that work really well. And aircraft, arguably the most popular part of BF1942 (see all those plane campers for proof), are even awesomer--jets are fast and maneuverable, the Harrier can take off vertically, and there are HELICOPTERS! The DC team totally extended this 1942-themed game and added a whole new type of unit! That's pretty impressive for a game with no mod SDK available.
The last reason is really just the quality level of the mod. Even though the current version is an alpha version, numbered 0.3, it already feels like enough. I can only imagine the level of quality that their 1.0 release will have.
Any surprise that more people are currently playing DC than the original BF1942? Any surprise that the DC team has been approached by EA to get their mod on store shelves someday?
Shel Silverstein was truly something else. I remember reading his books when I was just a little kid. I still have A Light in the Attic on my bookshelf now, as well as Where the Sidewalk Ends. Maybe I'll open them up and look through them again, just this once.
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I own a 4:3 36" Sony XBR TV, capable of 480p and 1080i (with letterboxing). If a game offers 16:9 anamorphic support, I usually don't use it, because I like to be able to see the details that I'd have to strain to see if the picture were made smaller.
But when I played Eternal Darkness on the GC, playing in 16:9 mode was a no-brainer. The game is so cinematic and immersive that I felt like I was watching a movie, and the widescreen was the icing on the cake. Other games with a cinematic feel, I imagine, would also benefit from being played in 16:9, even if you have a 4:3 set--assuming your TV can squish the anamorphic display down to look right, that is, cause otherwise you're losing a lot of pixels (if it's not anamorphic) or the game will look all stretched out.
Incidentally, anyone who has a GameCube and hasn't played Eternal Darkness, should. (though it is rated M, so only play it if you can handle it)
Desert Combat rocks, for a number of reasons.
First and simplest (on the surface), it's based on a conflict that's very en vogue right now. While DC is currently based on the first Gulf War, the basic conflict of Coalition (U.S. et al) vs. Opposition (Iraq) is something everyone's been thinking about.
Second, it takes some of the funnest parts from BF1942 and makes them even better. Tanks are faster and they shoot better. Missile launchers are awesomely powerful versions of artillery. The classes and their abilities are all shuffled together, making a number of new class concepts that work really well. And aircraft, arguably the most popular part of BF1942 (see all those plane campers for proof), are even awesomer--jets are fast and maneuverable, the Harrier can take off vertically, and there are HELICOPTERS! The DC team totally extended this 1942-themed game and added a whole new type of unit! That's pretty impressive for a game with no mod SDK available.
The last reason is really just the quality level of the mod. Even though the current version is an alpha version, numbered 0.3, it already feels like enough. I can only imagine the level of quality that their 1.0 release will have.
Any surprise that more people are currently playing DC than the original BF1942? Any surprise that the DC team has been approached by EA to get their mod on store shelves someday?
Woo, my game--or at least its name--made it on games.slashdot.org's front page! Guess which one of pudge's listed games I was a programmer on! ;)
Shel Silverstein was truly something else. I remember reading his books when I was just a little kid.
I still have A Light in the Attic on my bookshelf now, as well as Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Maybe I'll open them up and look through them again, just this once.