Messages

151

General Gaming / Bionic Commando

« on: May 30, 2009, 12:39:02 AM »

I've beaten it on normal ignoring challenges and collectables, and am now half-way through hard trying to get all the collectables and complete many of the challenges. I'm enjoying it a lot and intend to play the hardest difficulty after this (at which time I will ignore the god forsaken collectables and focus on staying alive).

My personal review: the game's got a lot of little flaws (flaky presentation, a really bad story, linear level progression, only a few bosses and only one really good one) but they're superficial flaws mostly. The core gameplay is really fun and the bionic arm mechanics just get better and better as you gain experience with them. The game's biggest sin is lack of basic content. A single play through is only about 8 hours if you don't try to get the relatively pointless "collectables" (tokens that serve no gameplay purpose whatsoever except occasionally to draw your attention to a certain area). Despite the lack of content, the game is worth replaying on harder modes. You take less and less damage forcing you to use the arm more expertly to evade and attack groups of soldiers (and you have a better idea of where you can and can't go). Anyone who was interested in this before the 70% review average ought to at least rent it. Just note that the game likes to kill people who lack skill!

152

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Announces Metroid Prime Trilogy

« on: May 27, 2009, 04:15:04 PM »

So, I played MP3 on my 50" Plasma for the first time.  I was shocked by how great it looks.  I mean, RE4 looks like dirt, Mario Sunshine wasn't too hot and Zelda was pretty terrible looking.  Retro are just geniuses I guess.

I also found the motion control a lot more awesome on the giant screen.  The one negative however, upon close examination, there are two tiny black bars on the left and right side of the image.  wtf... burn-in city, thanks Retro.  They're at least half an inch each.

Anyway, Retro's artist never cease to amaze me.  I remembered wondering if Prime 1 and 2 would still look impressed after playing Doom 3.  Hell, they still look impressive today.

153

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Contra: Rebirth

« on: May 26, 2009, 09:41:31 PM »

Is the music any good?

The continue system makes me think of the continue system in punch out Wii.  It really takes the teeth out of the game to be able to play the same boxer indefinitely (and don't even get me started on the practice mode).  I think it's a very bad thing.  Super Punch Out!! remains the best game in the franchise for me.

154

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Announces Metroid Prime Trilogy

« on: May 24, 2009, 02:28:47 PM »

I don't guess MP3 is worth keeping, but I'm definitely keeping the GameCube games.

155

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Announces Metroid Prime Trilogy

« on: May 22, 2009, 02:57:48 PM »

I'm pretty sure I don't want this.  I love the original two Prime's just the way they are.  The only thing I'm remotely interested in is the wide screen.  If I do want this someday, I'm quite sure that 3 or 4 years from now I'll be able to pick up a copy on the cheap.

156

TalkBack / Re: Activision Reveals Tony Hawk Ride

« on: May 22, 2009, 01:00:30 PM »

The concept is pretty neat, but honestly my desire to ride a fake skateboard is pretty low.  I'd like to try it some day, but I don't want to buy an expensive peripheral/game combo when I have a feeling I won't like it much.  Sometimes it's all I can do to plop down on a couch and play a regular game, much less something this active.

157

TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: Punch-Out!!

« on: May 22, 2009, 12:56:54 PM »

I was pleasantly surprised by Punch Out!!  The game gets very difficult, is sufficiently long and generally kicks way more ass than I expected.  It doesn't even look terrible on my 50" Plasma because of the nature of the graphics.

158

Nintendo Gaming / Re: PUNCH OUT!!

« on: May 19, 2009, 09:01:15 PM »

well, turns out that this isn't "my first punch out" after all.  it's pretty durn hard actually.

159

TalkBack / Re: Red Steel 2 Will Require Wii MotionPlus

« on: May 17, 2009, 01:42:21 PM »

you know, I might actually buy red steel ii because of this.  as long as the reviews are 80% or higher I'll strongly consider it. bravo

Sorry, but the gaming 'media' has a agenda to uphold to. It's better to take what they say with a grain of salt.

So what is this agenda and how does it manifest in review scores?  Would you say the average Wii game has a score that's 5% lower than it ought to be? 10%?

160

TalkBack / Re: Red Steel 2 Will Require Wii MotionPlus

« on: May 15, 2009, 01:26:37 PM »

 you know, I might actually buy red steel ii because of this.  as long as the reviews are 80% or higher I'll strongly consider it. bravo

161

TalkBack / Re: There Won't Be Blood

« on: May 11, 2009, 08:09:15 PM »

I totally expect a business to do what it thinks will generate the most profits, including sacrificing artistic purity and having PR people lie through their teeth about it.  As long as the government stays the hell out of the process, I'm happy.

162

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Metroid Dread is incredible!

« on: April 23, 2009, 02:54:26 PM »

talk about salt in a wound

163

General Gaming / Re: The smartest person on the Internet

« on: April 23, 2009, 02:48:13 PM »

Yes, there is a question as to whether or not more and more powerful consoles can exist without driving production costs too high.

I don't think it's as big a problem as you think for the gen after this one.  Current games could get a lot better looking without driving the production budgets way up.  Going all the way back to Doom 3 the models were created by making super detailed models and then using a program to generate a low poly model with normal maps to simulate the high quality model.  On more and more powerful systems, this procedure can be done the exact some way (except you flip a few switches on the compiler program to output a higher quality model with higher res normal maps and more polygons).

Environmental textures are already frequently produced at ultra high quality for PC games and then scaled down versions are used for the console ports.

You can also improve visual quality significantly by using more intensive lighting models and shaders.  These things can be built as a one-time cost into the engines of choice for the next gen (cry-tech, unreal engine 4 and whatever id is working on).

It won't be as hard as you think to churn out high res games for the next gen.  Eventually the process for designing beautiful CG in movies will converge with the process for video games and the shared resources of the entire industry will keep costs down.

Things aren't as bad as they seem.

164

General Gaming / Re: How to have fun with a 360?

« on: April 23, 2009, 02:28:21 PM »

Left 4 Dead is unbelievably awesome.  It might be the best co-op game ever created.

165

General Gaming / Re: Should you play a poorly rated game before condemning it on the interwebs?

« on: April 23, 2009, 02:27:24 PM »

If a score is low enough, a game is probably junk.  However, some games deliberately feature old designs that are still of interest to certain gamers (Etrian Odyssey and the recently released Dark Spire).  Sometimes get major deductions for being short (which might not bother some consumers).  Point is, you ultimately need to look out for your own tastes.  If there is a game that interests you, carefully read the reviews to see why the scores are what they are.  If a game is getting an average of 80% because it's kinda short and has no multiplayer (but is otherwise good), you might like it just fine if you don't care about length and don't use multiplayer modes.

166

TalkBack / Re: Initial GTA, MadWorld Sales Numbers Disappointing

« on: April 20, 2009, 02:36:44 PM »

There are a few games on the DS that I will probably by eventually, I'm just not in the mood now.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Fire Emblem
Grand Theft Auto

The reason I'm not in the mood?  I don't know, but these are all franchise games so I have a pretty good idea what to expect from them.

Then again maybe I'll never buy them.  I didn't like FFT on the GBA, haven't completed a FE game since the first one that was ported here and have never completed a GTA game (although I came close on the original for the PSX but the last level was so glitchy I couldn't finish it).  I'm most interested in GTA of those 3 since it's a return to the overhead style that I prefer to the sprawling 3D games.

167

TalkBack / Re: Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus Dated for America

« on: April 14, 2009, 10:06:33 PM »

I had no expectations for price on this and 20 dollars is exactly what I would have guessed.  Exactly as much as the nunchuk.

168

Nintendo Gaming / Re: PUNCH OUT!!

« on: April 13, 2009, 04:15:04 PM »

I'm waiting for reviews of this one.  Honestly, if they could have topped Super Punch Out, wouldn't they have done it by now (the GBA or GameCube would have been fine platforms for the third game)?  I'm starting to seriously think my initial fear will turn out true.  It's going to be easier than the first two games owing to the reduced responsiveness of motion control.  May I be wrong.

169

General Gaming / Re: The smartest person on the Internet

« on: April 13, 2009, 03:58:50 PM »

Nintendo might have an interface edge, but if the others maintain a big visual edge, then they will maintain a very large niche in the market at worst.  Companies can survive like that in the long term (Apple).

Anyway, call them what you like, but I don't think the group of people who like the very best graphics and still enjoy a regular controller (if not prefer it) are going anywhere any time soon.  In fact, the best controller of the next-gen might just be the one that manages to combine good motion controls with good classic controls.  Note that the d-pad is still included on every modern controller.

170

TalkBack / Re: A Few Parting Shots

« on: April 11, 2009, 09:43:46 PM »

haha, yeah.  Lithtech was like the gizmondo of game engines

171

General Gaming / Re: The smartest person on the Internet

« on: April 08, 2009, 07:08:22 PM »

Interesting articles.  However, I don't see Nintendo neatly and cleanly sweeping away the hardcore market.  They may make some inroads, but Sony and Microsoft will remain entrenched in the minds of savvy consumers as long as they maintain their technological edge.

172

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Dragon Quest V

« on: April 08, 2009, 01:53:36 PM »

For those who have played this game a lot: who did you choose to marry?  Was anyone else a little put off by how this part was handled?  Suddenly three girls line up and wait for you to propose to one of them.  You barely know two of them, and the other hasn't had any kind of romantic discourse with you prior to that point.

I chose Nera because she seemed nice.  Bianca was getting on my nerves with her country girl attitude and annoying accent, and Deborah is just scary (though she would probably be a good fighter).  Maybe this says something about my taste in women...  Anyhow, I'm interested to hear what you all thought of it and what your experience was like afterwards.  My (game) wife is currently pregnant and out of the party.

I went with Bianca because I felt there was no connection with the other two (one of which, as you said, was very scary).

Of course, I saved my game at that part so I could marry all of them if I want, but I don't think I have it in me.

173

TalkBack / Re: Another Look at The Dark Spire

« on: April 08, 2009, 01:49:43 PM »

I never played Wizardry, but I had heard that.  I preordered this on a whim (free soundtrack double CD yay!) and am looking forward to trying it out.

174

TalkBack / Re: A Few Parting Shots

« on: March 31, 2009, 11:36:05 AM »

It's all symptoms of the same problem however.  We're used to buying software that functions independently of a network, but eventually that will all change.  Eventually, everything will be networked.

175

TalkBack / Re: A Few Parting Shots

« on: March 29, 2009, 12:17:02 PM »

Or not by the game.  That's not exactly my idea of voluntary either.