First, go into the main folder, select the "User.ini" file, and deactivate "read-only." For some reason this file was set to read-only by default and this prevented the demo from saving your personal settings when you entered a new level or restarted the demo.
Then open User.ini and find the four movement speeds ("W=Move*=1.000000"). Change "1.000000" to "0.800000." This helps with the floaty mouse control and brings movement speed more in line with the original DX (you can, of course, change "1.000000" to another value if you so wish).
Then go into the Default.ini file (in the "System" directory) and change "FOV__d=61" to "FOV__d=68" (or 69 or 70). This will place the HUD closer to the edges of the screen; it turns out the default setting is for the Xbox version, where the HUD is further away from the edges so as to avoid getting cut off by TV overscan. Since this isn't so much an issue with PC monitors, change it ASAP. It's a lot better-looking. Change the settings for Volumetric Lighting and Trilinear Filtering from OFF to ON and change "CacheSizeMegs" from "1" to about 20. Change "MouseLagThreshold" from 75 to 0. Change "Use32BitTextures" to "TRUE" (if your card can handle it). If you want more realistic damage (including one-hit-kill headshots), find the "Difficulty" section and change the values for "Difficulty_AI_Damage_[insert difficulty level here]__d" to about 5.0.
You can make these adjustments with this tweak tool if you prefer (the site is in German but the download links aren't hard to find). The above fixes will address some of the main complaints about the demo; you can also play around with some other settings if you like (there are also settings for player damage, physics, and the font used for in-game text). Unfortunately the new inventory management system and the goofy unified ammo system can probably not be fixed by a mere.ini tweak.
Actually there is location-based damage, but they've effectively made it completely worthless by "fixing" it so enemies can now take five or six shots to the head without going down. Their rationale was that they wanted fights to be longer. So much for stealth.
I didn't know they were. They posted vastly increased first half profits (thanks mainly to their arcade division) and they expect their console division to finally move into the black next year.
I think an episode of Futurama costs about $2 million. Or at least that's how much it was costing when they pulled the plug. So that's about 17 1/2 episodes of Futurama, which in all honesty would still be preferable.
It's probably worth noting at this point that Bungie has admitted that Halo is basically an unofficial sequel to the Marathon games and even takes place in the same game universe.
Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors (which AFAIK was only released for the Genesis, but maybe there's a PC version out there somewhere). Which, as you pointed out, was just a collection of mini-games, although most of them weren't really "games" in any traditional sense of the word (my favorite was the one that made your TV screen hot to the touch; they claimed it didn't damage your TV in any way and I guess they were telling the truth because otherwise Sega probably wouldn't have allowed them to release it).
The following games on the SNES list are worth a damn:
Addams Family Values Batman Forever Choplifter Chuck Rock Combatribes Cybernator Earthworm Jim 2 Flashback Ignition Factor Joe and Mac King of Monsters Mech Warrior Operation Logic Bomb PilotWings Slam Masters Tiny Toons: Buster Busts Loose Urban Strike Wing Commander Zombies Ate My Neighbors Zoop
Apparently there was a bit of a holdup because the Chinese government wasn't sure whether or not to classify it as a computer. I don't remember which way they ended up deciding.
I assume this is a low res version of CounterStrike, without the fine aiming control of a mouse? Or does it have an auto-aim feature?
Well, in all fairness, a few of the previews mentioned that the developers were redoing the levels to make them more horizontally-oriented so less Y-axis aiming would be required. Still going from CS with a mouse to CS with a gamepad is not a prospect that interests me, but folks new to CS will probably get the swing of it pretty well.
Next Generation was the U.S. version of Edge. A lot of content (articles, previews, and even some reviews) was shared between the two. Personally I hated both of them but if you liked Next Generation and you're stinking rich a subscription to Edge wouldn't be a terrible idea.
Mononoke was going to be a Disney release until they released the whole severed limbs thing doesn't exactly match the image Disney wants for itself. So they handed it off to Miramax. Most Miyazaki films are more family-friendly, hence "Spirited Away," "Laputa" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" being released under the Disney label.
Rise of the Triad did something similar -- if you played the game on certain holidays, the group picture showing the five heroes would be altered in some way (i.e. one of the characters would be wearing a sombrero on Cinco de Mayo, a witch's hat on Halloween, etc.). Also if you played on Christmas the music on the first level was replaced with a bouncy Christmas tune.
Well, "Revolver Ocelot" leaps to mind. Also, any of the boss names from the Mega Man X series. "Infinity Mijinion," "Squid Adler," "Duff McWhalen," etc.
Who owns these games? I thought Atari (formerly Infogrames) owned the brand name and Williams owned the actual games, but looking at various websites I see that compilations of old Atari games have been released by both Williams AND Infogrames. So who owns what?
Slashdot Mirror
He loves Xenogears and Xenosaga and thinks Chrono Trigger "sucks." His opinion is objectively wrong. End of discussion.
Sorry, UGA is dead.
Then open User.ini and find the four movement speeds ("W=Move*=1.000000"). Change "1.000000" to "0.800000." This helps with the floaty mouse control and brings movement speed more in line with the original DX (you can, of course, change "1.000000" to another value if you so wish).
Then go into the Default.ini file (in the "System" directory) and change "FOV__d=61" to "FOV__d=68" (or 69 or 70). This will place the HUD closer to the edges of the screen; it turns out the default setting is for the Xbox version, where the HUD is further away from the edges so as to avoid getting cut off by TV overscan. Since this isn't so much an issue with PC monitors, change it ASAP. It's a lot better-looking. Change the settings for Volumetric Lighting and Trilinear Filtering from OFF to ON and change "CacheSizeMegs" from "1" to about 20. Change "MouseLagThreshold" from 75 to 0. Change "Use32BitTextures" to "TRUE" (if your card can handle it). If you want more realistic damage (including one-hit-kill headshots), find the "Difficulty" section and change the values for "Difficulty_AI_Damage_[insert difficulty level here]__d" to about 5.0.
You can make these adjustments with this tweak tool if you prefer (the site is in German but the download links aren't hard to find). The above fixes will address some of the main complaints about the demo; you can also play around with some other settings if you like (there are also settings for player damage, physics, and the font used for in-game text). Unfortunately the new inventory management system and the goofy unified ammo system can probably not be fixed by a mere .ini tweak.
Actually there is location-based damage, but they've effectively made it completely worthless by "fixing" it so enemies can now take five or six shots to the head without going down. Their rationale was that they wanted fights to be longer. So much for stealth.
I think an episode of Futurama costs about $2 million. Or at least that's how much it was costing when they pulled the plug. So that's about 17 1/2 episodes of Futurama, which in all honesty would still be preferable.
Actually Kirby's Air Ride really is terrible. I'm guessing the reader score was pushed up by legions of sad fanboys.
It's probably worth noting at this point that Bungie has admitted that Halo is basically an unofficial sequel to the Marathon games and even takes place in the same game universe.
Penn and Teller's Smoke and Mirrors (which AFAIK was only released for the Genesis, but maybe there's a PC version out there somewhere). Which, as you pointed out, was just a collection of mini-games, although most of them weren't really "games" in any traditional sense of the word (my favorite was the one that made your TV screen hot to the touch; they claimed it didn't damage your TV in any way and I guess they were telling the truth because otherwise Sega probably wouldn't have allowed them to release it).
Oni was released before the MS buyout. MS didn't distribute it either.
The following games on the SNES list are worth a damn:
Addams Family Values
Batman Forever
Choplifter
Chuck Rock
Combatribes
Cybernator
Earthworm Jim 2
Flashback
Ignition Factor
Joe and Mac
King of Monsters
Mech Warrior
Operation Logic Bomb
PilotWings
Slam Masters
Tiny Toons: Buster Busts Loose
Urban Strike
Wing Commander
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zoop
And F-Zero, of course.
That comes out to about $5 per hour of play. I guess that's an okay deal.
Apparently there was a bit of a holdup because the Chinese government wasn't sure whether or not to classify it as a computer. I don't remember which way they ended up deciding.
I wonder if I could get a voucher to take money away from Penny Arcade.
Lemmings Revolutions was pretty good.
Next Generation was the U.S. version of Edge. A lot of content (articles, previews, and even some reviews) was shared between the two. Personally I hated both of them but if you liked Next Generation and you're stinking rich a subscription to Edge wouldn't be a terrible idea.
You left out the bit about the Bilderberg Group and the Knights Templar.
Mononoke was going to be a Disney release until they released the whole severed limbs thing doesn't exactly match the image Disney wants for itself. So they handed it off to Miramax. Most Miyazaki films are more family-friendly, hence "Spirited Away," "Laputa" and "Kiki's Delivery Service" being released under the Disney label.
A "I think (blank) says it best" post that doesn't involve a link to Penny Arcade? My hat goes off to you, sir.
WOW WHAT A SAVAGE BURN! How about a "yo momma" joke? And what's the deal with airline food? Dumbass.
Rise of the Triad did something similar -- if you played the game on certain holidays, the group picture showing the five heroes would be altered in some way (i.e. one of the characters would be wearing a sombrero on Cinco de Mayo, a witch's hat on Halloween, etc.). Also if you played on Christmas the music on the first level was replaced with a bouncy Christmas tune.
Well, "Revolver Ocelot" leaps to mind. Also, any of the boss names from the Mega Man X series. "Infinity Mijinion," "Squid Adler," "Duff McWhalen," etc.
Who owns these games? I thought Atari (formerly Infogrames) owned the brand name and Williams owned the actual games, but looking at various websites I see that compilations of old Atari games have been released by both Williams AND Infogrames. So who owns what?