Entertainment/Gaming Consoles - Page 15

vsp · 01-10-2003, 01:25 PM

The local EB Gameworld (Electronics Boutique clearance outlet) has used Dreamcasts for the riproaring price of $29.99, with one controller and the usual cables. I'm in the process of talking a buddy into getting one (FIRE PRO D baybee).

N64s are a dime-a-dozen these days, depending on how picky you are about condition. The fact that they're down to twenty bucks and I _still_ won't buy one should speak volumes about my opinion of its game library. Between the Atari 2600 and the Dreamcast, it's one of only three mainstream systems I've never owned -- I never bought an Atari Lynx for lack of finding a good deal on the used market, and the NeoGeo systems were too expensive (plus, MAME filled that need nicely).

Recent gameage: On the PS2, Legaia 2 was a decent time killer. An improvement on the first in some ways, but very, very linear and somewhat on the short side plot-wise, along with having the First Team Flaw (i.e. an RPG where you can recruit and switch between multiple characters, but by the time you get that option, your original characters have been levelled-up so much that it's pointless to use anyone BUT them. The original Suikoden was the grand high poobah of that trend.)

I'm halfway through Onimusha, and alarmed that I'm _already_ halfway through it. I'm at about 94% and holding in Vice City, and don't have the heart to figure out which Unique Jump I'm missing (since the you-did-this-before animation is identical to the you-haven't-done-this-one-but-you're-not-landing-in-the-precise-trigger-spot animation, I can't tell).

Morrowind was entertaining but got repetitive once I built some levels and skills -- I haven't dug into the expansion pack much yet.

And what game did I probably put more hours into than any other this year? GTA Vice is probably third, GTA3 is second, CARDFIGHTER'S CLASH on the mofo'in NeoGeo Pocket Color gets the nod. Never thought I'd say that, but the game is insanely addictive.

Cam · 01-12-2003, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Cam, have you beaten it yet? If so, how was it as a whole?

No I havn't beaten it, hopefully will get it finished off within the next month or so, unless I get in a groove and just rush through the game. School caught up to me the last month before I went home and I hardly touched any games, and when I was home I got into my emulation collection.

vsp · 01-12-2003, 07:38 PM

PS2 bargain of the day: Wild Arms 3, $29.99 at Target (unadvertised sale, on their discount rack)

01-13-2003, 08:05 AM

Where you at in it Cam? I'm on the 8th mission, and that's all I'll say (for fear of revealing anything) until you tell me where you're at.

wolf · 01-13-2003, 10:46 AM

I did something yesterday I hadn't been planning on.

One of my girlfriends received a GameCube for Christmas. Apparently at some point in the last year she had complained to her husband about missing Mario ... so there it was under the tree, along with a copy of Mario Sunshine.

You know, for a safe for small children to play platform game, Mario Sunshine is DAMN hard ...

So now, I'm resisting getting a game cube.

I DON'T HAVE ROOM!!!!!!!!!

(The reason I got a playstation2 was that I wanted a DVD player, but didn't have space on the TV Cart and justified the purchase because it was also a game system)

01-13-2003, 11:16 AM

The GameCube really is a pretty awesome console. I find it more fun to play than either my Xbox or my PS2. I just bought a new one a few weeks ago to replace the one that got destroyed (luckily, all my games survived)... it's great.

Super Mario Sunshine really isn't all that hard, it just takes some getting used to. Once you master the camera, you'll be fine. Take your time and explore a lot. I have like 14 extra lives now and I think three shines.

(You can get a GameCube/Sunshine bundle for $189, which saves you $10, but you'll also want to get a WaveBird as well. I'm told you can find these for as low as $25 if you shop around, but expect to pay $35. It's a great controller. Lastly, you definitely want a memory card, so $20 there.)

vsp · 01-13-2003, 11:31 AM

I'm toying with the notion of a GameCube... eventually... but for very different reasons.

I am very resistant to the Mario Family of games, i.e. Brightly Colored Objects Running Around And Collecting Other Brightly Colored Objects While Jumping On Top Of And Squashing Evil Brightly Colored Objects. On the NES, I had no problems with the genre, but it's gotten out of hand since. I respect Miyamoto as a creative mind, but I don't play many of his games. Likewise, the other classic Nintendo franchises (Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Mario Kart, StarFox, etc.) don't fill me with tingly glee like they do to the 'Cube's early adopters.

The 'Cube has a fair amount of those, plus a LOT of crap (but what console doesn't?) Animal Crossing scares me as a _concept_. However, it is starting to accumulate a few games that break out of the Nintendo=kiddy fare equation. Eternal Darkness:Sanity's Requiem, the Resident Evil games and such appeal to my wife's love of the survival-horror genre, while Metroid Prime and the Godzilla game are ones I could see myself playing. Not a huge lineup, granted, but I've bought consoles for less, and I can find oddballs like Cubivore to hold me over. Skies of Arcadia Legends is coming, which will fill one of its biggest gaps (no traditional RPGs of any note).

A game in the Fire Pro Wrestling series is reportedly coming to the 'Cube. If it does, all bets are off -- one will be coming to my house.

(BAM! Entertainment has backed off of bringing it to the States, but the 'Cube is reasonably modification-friendly.)

I already own and overuse a PlayStation 2, so the games that are ported to both systems are out. I'm not a sports-game guy, so those are out.

j03L10T · 01-13-2003, 11:38 AM

[quote]Originally posted by wolf
I did something yesterday I hadn't been planning on.[/QUOTE. Wolf, you shouldn't require much room for these here files. Someone else has already covered that department for others like you.

Goodbye.

01-13-2003, 01:34 PM

As I've stated before, the game I'm really looking forward to is Soul Calibur 2, which is supposed to be out on all 3 but specifically geared toward the GC and its controller. We shall see...

I'm gonna get Animal Crossing for Jenni, and I really want Eternal Darkness and Metroid Prime.

Mario Sunshine is different because it's more "shoot this bad guy with a fun water gun"... plus, I never played Super Mario World or Mario 64 very much, so it's still fun to me.

wolf · 01-13-2003, 01:34 PM

Uuuh ... thanks j03.

I do enjoy the adventures of Mario and family ... and also the Zelda franchise.

I was a BIG nintendo fan, and still enjoy playing my N64. (My sister currently has custody of the SNES, so that she at least has something to play with. I ought to check with her one of these days to see if she's actually using it, or if she wants to perhaps move up to the PS world ...) However, their corporate decision to drop the old systems like a hot rock and promote the hell out of the new one does not give me warm fuzzy feelings. At least Sony continues to support the PSone, and made their new system backward compatible with the old and did not alienate their fan base.

Most of the other games available for the GameCube are not the kind of things I find interesting. Pikmin? Oh man, I would NOT touch that with a ten foot pole. Bossing around seeds? Not for me. Gimme a good sniper rifle and let me pick off targets, thank you very much.

Anyway, there is an astonishing amount of cuteness involved in Mario Sunshine, which includes any number of places where you just HAVE to say, "Oh Gee that's clever indeed!" When there is some little game feature that gives you a reminder of the old NES Mario days ... like the "underground" music every time mario hops into a manhole cover, or the scary rendering of the Pirhana plants in the new version of the game. The graphics were awesomely crisp. But maybe I'm just reacting to the fact that a lot of the games I tend to play are of the dark, brooding, grainy, atmospheric variety.

I am starting to adjust to the new controller configuration, but there are more buttons than I have fingers. Luckily my friend has an 8 year old son who is able to help me through the more difficult parts. I'm actually doing fairly well at his point, and I think in just a couple hours of play I got 5 or 6 sunsprites. The stuff I tend to get stuck on are the "test of skill, agility, and eye hand coordination" stuff ... like those damn races. I'm assuming that in the first race (on those surfin' blooper things) I have to get my course time down to under 40 seconds, which is a hassle and a half. I hated the Slide Races in Super Mario World 64 and STILL haven't beaten the damn aztec turtle in DK64 despite numerous tries and careful reading of the hint book.

I don't see myself getting a 'cube in the next month or two, but now that the bug has bit, It is likely that sometime this summer I'll hit a sale or get a coupon or just say "oh what the heck" and head over to the EB World in the shopping center in East Norriton.

In the meantime, I'm still more than entranced with the many games available for the PS2, so finding time for ANOTHER game system will not be easy. Does anybody know where the damn train has to be in Max Payne when I start my running jump so I can actually land on top of it rather than *splatting* onto the tracks? Is this actually a "bullet time" kind of moment or am I just lame?

I'm likely to set that aside for a bit though, since I got "Fatal Frame" for Christmas ... I played the X-Box version one night and thought it was even spookier than Silent Hill 2.

Cam · 01-13-2003, 01:44 PM

I'm smack dab in the middle of the Chinese EMbassy mission, having hell of a time with it. Just havn't been in the gaming mood lately so I havn't put in considerable amount of effort into it.

vsp · 01-13-2003, 02:08 PM

Fatal Frame is nice 'n' creepy. I bought my wife the PS2 version, and had her play with the lights off and the sound turned up. Good stuff.

Looking over the upcoming first-quarter release-date lists:

PS2:
The Sims (tomorrow), for anyone not terminally sick of it by now
The Getaway (next week) -- think Lock Stock & Two Smoking Grand Theft Autos, but more mission-centric than GTA games. Early reviews have been mixed.
Devil May Cry 2 (two weeks) -- If you liked the first one...
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (early March) -- If you liked the first two...
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (early March) -- I sense a trend here...

Cube:
Resident Evil 2, 3 and Codename: Veronica (this month) -- In case you missed them on two or more other consoles.
Skies of Arcadia Legends (late January) -- Aw hell yeah. Classy RPG goodness.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (early March) -- Back to platforming heaven for Rayman, where he belongs.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Zelda: Wind Waker (late March) -- No, "Wind Waker" is _not_ a typo.

Xbox:
Panzer Dragoon Orta (tomorrow) -- Return to the series' rail-shooter roots with lotsa eye candy. Looks good.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (two weeks) -- "She kicks high."
State of Emergency (end of January) -- After thoroughly underwhelming PS2 gamers who expected it to be GTA3 1/2...
Phantasy Star Online Xbox (late February) -- For those who missed it on the Dreamcast...
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick (March) -- It had better be better than Hail to the King, THAT's for sure...

Boy, February is a dead zone, isn't it?

01-13-2003, 03:17 PM

Which Chinese Embassy mission? There are two - 6 and 8.

I'm guessing the first?

You will have a HELL of a time at the end of the 7th mission, but you'll know when you're there. All I'm going to tell you is to make sure you don't read any guides online (I read one after I had beaten it), 'cause a) it won't help you and b) then you'll feel cheap.

Cam · 01-13-2003, 08:05 PM

I refuse the help of guides ruins the fun, I'd rather struggle through it and get pissed off a couple hundred times before I look at a guide. And your right I'm on the 6th.

01-16-2003, 07:40 PM

Oh boy.

Well, the ending to mission 8 isn't too hard. Mission 9 should be pretty challenging for you - there are two fun shootouts. But you'll eventually get it.

I just beat it... man, what a great game. Truly the best game I've played on any console this year, and I've played a lot of good ones. I'm going to re-start it soon and try and explore everything. God it's great.

01-13-2003, 10:46 AM	#215
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I did something yesterday I hadn't been planning on. One of my girlfriends received a GameCube for Christmas. Apparently at some point in the last year she had complained to her husband about missing Mario ... so there it was under the tree, along with a copy of Mario Sunshine. You know, for a safe for small children to play platform game, Mario Sunshine is DAMN hard ... So now, I'm resisting getting a game cube. I DON'T HAVE ROOM!!!!!!!!! (The reason I got a playstation2 was that I wanted a DVD player, but didn't have space on the TV Cart and justified the purchase because it was also a game system) __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

01-13-2003, 11:38 AM	#218
j03L10T going nowhere slow Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: L.A. Posts: 252	Something Corporate [quote]Originally posted by wolf I did something yesterday I hadn't been planning on.[/QUOTE. Wolf, you shouldn't require much room for these here files. Someone else has already covered that department for others like you. Goodbye. __________________ "There never seems to be enough time to do things you wanna' do once you find them."-excerpt from Jim Croce's 'Time in a Bottle'.

01-13-2003, 01:34 PM	#220
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Uuuh ... thanks j03. I do enjoy the adventures of Mario and family ... and also the Zelda franchise. I was a BIG nintendo fan, and still enjoy playing my N64. (My sister currently has custody of the SNES, so that she at least has something to play with. I ought to check with her one of these days to see if she's actually using it, or if she wants to perhaps move up to the PS world ...) However, their corporate decision to drop the old systems like a hot rock and promote the hell out of the new one does not give me warm fuzzy feelings. At least Sony continues to support the PSone, and made their new system backward compatible with the old and did not alienate their fan base. Most of the other games available for the GameCube are not the kind of things I find interesting. Pikmin? Oh man, I would NOT touch that with a ten foot pole. Bossing around seeds? Not for me. Gimme a good sniper rifle and let me pick off targets, thank you very much. Anyway, there is an astonishing amount of cuteness involved in Mario Sunshine, which includes any number of places where you just HAVE to say, "Oh Gee that's clever indeed!" When there is some little game feature that gives you a reminder of the old NES Mario days ... like the "underground" music every time mario hops into a manhole cover, or the scary rendering of the Pirhana plants in the new version of the game. The graphics were awesomely crisp. But maybe I'm just reacting to the fact that a lot of the games I tend to play are of the dark, brooding, grainy, atmospheric variety. I am starting to adjust to the new controller configuration, but there are more buttons than I have fingers. Luckily my friend has an 8 year old son who is able to help me through the more difficult parts. I'm actually doing fairly well at his point, and I think in just a couple hours of play I got 5 or 6 sunsprites. The stuff I tend to get stuck on are the "test of skill, agility, and eye hand coordination" stuff ... like those damn races. I'm assuming that in the first race (on those surfin' blooper things) I have to get my course time down to under 40 seconds, which is a hassle and a half. I hated the Slide Races in Super Mario World 64 and STILL haven't beaten the damn aztec turtle in DK64 despite numerous tries and careful reading of the hint book. I don't see myself getting a 'cube in the next month or two, but now that the bug has bit, It is likely that sometime this summer I'll hit a sale or get a coupon or just say "oh what the heck" and head over to the EB World in the shopping center in East Norriton. In the meantime, I'm still more than entranced with the many games available for the PS2, so finding time for ANOTHER game system will not be easy. Does anybody know where the damn train has to be in Max Payne when I start my running jump so I can actually land on top of it rather than splatting onto the tracks? Is this actually a "bullet time" kind of moment or am I just lame? I'm likely to set that aside for a bit though, since I got "Fatal Frame" for Christmas ... I played the X-Box version one night and thought it was even spookier than Silent Hill 2. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

01-13-2003, 01:44 PM	#221
Cam dripping with ignorance Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Grand Forks ND Posts: 642	I'm smack dab in the middle of the Chinese EMbassy mission, having hell of a time with it. Just havn't been in the gaming mood lately so I havn't put in considerable amount of effort into it. __________________ After the seventh beer I generally try and stay away from the keyboard, I apologize for what happens when I fail.

01-13-2003, 02:08 PM	#222
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	Fatal Frame is nice 'n' creepy. I bought my wife the PS2 version, and had her play with the lights off and the sound turned up. Good stuff. Looking over the upcoming first-quarter release-date lists: PS2: <b>The Sims</b> (tomorrow), for anyone not terminally sick of it by now <b>The Getaway</b> (next week) -- think Lock Stock & Two Smoking Grand Theft Autos, but more mission-centric than GTA games. Early reviews have been mixed. <b>Devil May Cry 2</b> (two weeks) -- If you liked the first one... <b>Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance</b> (early March) -- If you liked the first two... <b>Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven</b> (early March) -- I sense a trend here... Cube: <b>Resident Evil 2, 3 and Codename: Veronica</b> (this month) -- In case you missed them on two or more other consoles. <b>Skies of Arcadia Legends</b> (late January) -- Aw hell yeah. Classy RPG goodness. <b>Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc</b> (early March) -- Back to platforming heaven for Rayman, where he belongs. <b>Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Zelda: Wind Waker</b> (late March) -- No, "Wind Waker" is _not_ a typo. Xbox: <b>Panzer Dragoon Orta</b> (tomorrow) -- Return to the series' rail-shooter roots with lotsa eye candy. Looks good. <b>Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball</b> (two weeks) -- "She kicks high." <b>State of Emergency</b> (end of January) -- After thoroughly underwhelming PS2 gamers who expected it to be GTA3 1/2... <b>Phantasy Star Online Xbox</b> (late February) -- For those who missed it on the Dreamcast... <b>Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick</b> (March) -- It had better be better than Hail to the King, THAT's for sure... Boy, February is a dead zone, isn't it?

01-10-2003, 01:25 PM	#211
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	The local EB Gameworld (Electronics Boutique clearance outlet) has used Dreamcasts for the riproaring price of $29.99, with one controller and the usual cables. I'm in the process of talking a buddy into getting one (FIRE PRO D baybee). N64s are a dime-a-dozen these days, depending on how picky you are about condition. The fact that they're down to twenty bucks and I _still_ won't buy one should speak volumes about my opinion of its game library. Between the Atari 2600 and the Dreamcast, it's one of only three mainstream systems I've never owned -- I never bought an Atari Lynx for lack of finding a good deal on the used market, and the NeoGeo systems were too expensive (plus, MAME filled that need nicely). Recent gameage: On the PS2, Legaia 2 was a decent time killer. An improvement on the first in some ways, but very, very linear and somewhat on the short side plot-wise, along with having the First Team Flaw (i.e. an RPG where you can recruit and switch between multiple characters, but by the time you get that option, your original characters have been levelled-up so much that it's pointless to use anyone BUT them. The original Suikoden was the grand high poobah of that trend.) I'm halfway through Onimusha, and alarmed that I'm _already_ halfway through it. I'm at about 94% and holding in Vice City, and don't have the heart to figure out which Unique Jump I'm missing (since the you-did-this-before animation is identical to the you-haven't-done-this-one-but-you're-not-landing-in-the-precise-trigger-spot animation, I can't tell). Morrowind was entertaining but got repetitive once I built some levels and skills -- I haven't dug into the expansion pack much yet. And what game did I probably put more hours into than any other this year? GTA Vice is probably third, GTA3 is second, CARDFIGHTER'S CLASH on the mofo'in NeoGeo Pocket Color gets the nod. Never thought I'd say that, but the game is insanely addictive.

01-12-2003, 07:38 PM	#213
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	PS2 bargain of the day: Wild Arms 3, $29.99 at Target (unadvertised sale, on their discount rack)

01-13-2003, 08:05 AM	#214
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Where you at in it Cam? I'm on the 8th mission, and that's all I'll say (for fear of revealing anything) until you tell me where you're at.

01-13-2003, 11:16 AM	#216
dave Guest Posts: n/a	The GameCube really is a pretty awesome console. I find it more fun to play than either my Xbox or my PS2. I just bought a new one a few weeks ago to replace the one that got destroyed (luckily, all my games survived)... it's great. Super Mario Sunshine really isn't all that hard, it just takes some getting used to. Once you master the camera, you'll be fine. Take your time and explore a lot. I have like 14 extra lives now and I think three shines. (You can get a GameCube/Sunshine bundle for $189, which saves you $10, but you'll also want to get a WaveBird as well. I'm told you can find these for as low as $25 if you shop around, but expect to pay $35. It's a great controller. Lastly, you definitely want a memory card, so $20 there.)

01-13-2003, 11:31 AM	#217
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	I'm toying with the notion of a GameCube... eventually... but for very different reasons. I am very resistant to the Mario Family of games, i.e. Brightly Colored Objects Running Around And Collecting Other Brightly Colored Objects While Jumping On Top Of And Squashing Evil Brightly Colored Objects. On the NES, I had no problems with the genre, but it's gotten out of hand since. I respect Miyamoto as a creative mind, but I don't play many of his games. Likewise, the other classic Nintendo franchises (Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Mario Kart, StarFox, etc.) don't fill me with tingly glee like they do to the 'Cube's early adopters. The 'Cube has a fair amount of those, plus a LOT of crap (but what console doesn't?) Animal Crossing scares me as a _concept_. However, it is starting to accumulate a few games that break out of the Nintendo=kiddy fare equation. Eternal Darkness:Sanity's Requiem, the Resident Evil games and such appeal to my wife's love of the survival-horror genre, while Metroid Prime and the Godzilla game are ones I could see myself playing. Not a huge lineup, granted, but I've bought consoles for less, and I can find oddballs like Cubivore to hold me over. Skies of Arcadia Legends is coming, which will fill one of its biggest gaps (no traditional RPGs of any note). A game in the Fire Pro Wrestling series is reportedly coming to the 'Cube. If it does, all bets are off -- one will be coming to my house. (BAM! Entertainment has backed off of bringing it to the States, but the 'Cube is reasonably modification-friendly.) I already own and overuse a PlayStation 2, so the games that are ported to both systems are out. I'm not a sports-game guy, so those are out.

01-13-2003, 01:34 PM	#219
dave Guest Posts: n/a	As I've stated before, the game I'm really looking forward to is Soul Calibur 2, which is supposed to be out on all 3 but specifically geared toward the GC and its controller. We shall see... I'm gonna get Animal Crossing for Jenni, and I really want Eternal Darkness and Metroid Prime. Mario Sunshine is different because it's more "shoot this bad guy with a fun water gun"... plus, I never played Super Mario World or Mario 64 very much, so it's still fun to me.

01-13-2003, 03:17 PM	#223
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Which Chinese Embassy mission? There are two - 6 and 8. I'm guessing the first? You will have a HELL of a time at the end of the 7th mission, but you'll know when you're there. All I'm going to tell you is to make sure you don't read any guides online (I read one after I had beaten it), 'cause a) it won't help you and b) then you'll feel cheap.

01-13-2003, 08:05 PM	#224
Cam dripping with ignorance Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Grand Forks ND Posts: 642	I refuse the help of guides ruins the fun, I'd rather struggle through it and get pissed off a couple hundred times before I look at a guide. And your right I'm on the 6th. __________________ After the seventh beer I generally try and stay away from the keyboard, I apologize for what happens when I fail.

01-16-2003, 07:40 PM	#225
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Oh boy. Well, the ending to mission 8 isn't too hard. Mission 9 should be pretty challenging for you - there are two fun shootouts. But you'll eventually get it. I just beat it... man, what a great game. Truly the best game I've played on any console this year, and I've played a lot of good ones. I'm going to re-start it soon and try and explore everything. God it's great.

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