Messages

1

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Bethesda whips out their Wii... aims at the Mature

« on: May 20, 2009, 11:16:06 AM »

I'd like a Star Trek game that lets you be more like the Kirk or Picard where you can just go off exploring the universe without any real plot forcing you into any particular direction. Of course, there should be some sort of plot, but following it should be optional, or it should leave you alone for long periods while you explore. Being attacked by strange new alien civilizations who come at you from out of nowhere would be cool, but there should also be peaceful ones who help you out or need your help. You should also be able to form away teams ala TNG and explore the surface of planets too.

Have you ever played Star Control II?  You can download free and legally, ya know! 

2

TalkBack / Re: GameStop Offers Overlord Pre-Order Goodies

« on: May 19, 2009, 11:25:59 PM »

Those figures make me want to roll some 4-sided dice!

3

TalkBack / Re: Rock Band Country Track Pack Announced

« on: May 17, 2009, 03:14:49 PM »

I suggested The Gambler months ago at the Rock Band website.  Who knew my words carried such power, even if it takes four or five months and a thousand other people making similar requests for such power to come to fruition?

4

TalkBack / Re: Activision Announces Science Papa

« on: May 16, 2009, 03:50:01 PM »

I think we'll see more feminists complain that they saw fit to replace Mama with Papa because the game is about science instead of housework.

I sincerely hope not.  Cooking and gardening are creative outlets.  Now, if it were "Sweeping Mama," they'd have a point.

5

General Gaming / Re: Sony's secret weapon is PS3 Slim... Jim?

« on: May 15, 2009, 03:36:45 PM »

Sony has changed the controller significantly once but it's still rare enough occurance that to expect a console maker to do it is unrealistic.  I don't think it's fair to crap on Sony for not changing the controller with this console redesign.

The PS3's price is definitely the gorilla in the room when you're talking about things Sony needs to improve on.  That Sony refuses to modify the Dual Shock IS a fairly common complaint about Playstation hardware, however, so I don't think it's really too far-out to expect a controller that's different, on an aesthetic level, at least. 
 

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General Gaming / Re: Sony's secret weapon is PS3 Slim... Jim?

« on: May 14, 2009, 03:42:21 PM »

And yet, the controller remains unaffected.  The Playstation controller is the horseshoe crab of interactivity.

7

TalkBack / Re: Pokemon Gold and Silver being remade for DS

« on: May 08, 2009, 08:33:29 PM »

Gold and Silver were fantastic for their time, but I'm not really excited about this.  It'll take something more complex than the standard Pokemon formula to get me into the series again...a "Pokemon Tactics," if you will. 

Pokemon has gotten way too complicated as it is. If you know whats up with all them monsters it becomes absolutely insane.

You're 100% right.  It's true that you can spend days breeding the perfect pokemon, and weeks managing its stats so as to squeeze every last point out of your build.  That kind of behavior is largely unnecessary, though, unless you plan on duking it out with other players.  I've never really felt compelled to compete with other players, though, largely because many of my favorite pokemon are far from being powerhouses.  And also, I'm kind of old, and I'm pretty sure there's some kind of law against people my age trolling about for Pokemon match-ups.

Simply put, I don't find the basic combat mechanic to be very engaging, and just coming up with new moves in the next generation isn't going to make it any better.  Just adding new moves to the Pokemon formula is like coming up with new fist gesticulations for Rock-Paper-Scissors, or putting an 8-sided die in the ol' Pop-o-Matic Trouble bubble.  If only Nintendo would combine the addicting collection aspects of Pokemon with the strategic elements of Fire Emblem or Disgaea...oh, what a spin-off that would be.

8

TalkBack / Re: Pokemon Gold and Silver being remade for DS

« on: May 08, 2009, 02:28:15 PM »

Gold and Silver were fantastic for their time, but I'm not really excited about this.  It'll take something more complex than the standard Pokemon formula to get me into the series again...a "Pokemon Tactics," if you will. 

9

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii Survival Horror Franchises

« on: May 07, 2009, 09:30:13 PM »

Manhunt 2 is a stealth game?  What with the raucous outcry it generated, I assumed it was a gory Doom 3-esque FPS.

10

General Gaming / Re: Well, here's another take on why hardcore games are bad business

« on: May 07, 2009, 07:59:40 AM »

The one factor that kept me from finishing the original Halo is how generic the enemies are.  There are big lizardmen that walk sideways to avoid being shot, and there are cute little comedy relief lizardmen that pull a Shemp Howard and run away when you shoot at them.  There might have been medium-sized lizardmen later in the game, but I didn't make it that far. 

I suspect the later Halo games are more diverse.

About the DS: there are actually a lot of DS games I need to pick up.  Fire Emblem, The Dark Spire, Civilization Revolution, Ninjatown...my selfish lust for DS games is pulling me in so many directions at once, I don't know where to start.

11

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pokemon Gold and Silver remakes on the way? Possible May 10th announcement.

« on: May 04, 2009, 05:08:47 AM »

After more than a decade of playing, I'm officially bored of the Pokemon formula.  I don't think Pokemon can ever draw me in again just by layering the same mechanics over a different map.

Now, if Nintendo ever made a spin-off series that added a bit more depth to the formula, a "Pokemon Tactics," if you will, I can very well see me easing back into Poke-serfdom. 

12

General Gaming / Re: Batman Arkham Asylum

« on: May 02, 2009, 01:40:27 PM »

I'm not really all that upset about the delay.  Ghostbusters and The Conduit are more than enough for me to digest in June.

13

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

« on: April 27, 2009, 08:21:18 AM »

Considering its low sales figures, this very well could be the end of Banjo-Kazooie.  On a non-Nintendo machine, anyway.

14

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Rabbids Go Home - New Rayman game w/o Rayman

« on: April 18, 2009, 12:01:34 AM »

DKR for the N64 was fun, if you didn't mind playing through the game as the mouse or the turtle. 

15

TalkBack / Re: Activision Reveals Part of the Set List for Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

« on: April 16, 2009, 05:01:55 AM »

John the Fisherman would be nice.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo to bail out World Economy... $5.3billion for FY 2008 expected

« on: April 14, 2009, 02:18:12 AM »

Did they ever get around to making slow characters less depressing in Gauntlet?

17

General Gaming / Re: Godfather 2

« on: April 11, 2009, 07:31:26 PM »

Can you name your goon and modify his appearance, like in the first game?  If so, I'm buying this.

18

TalkBack / Re: Robocalypse Applies Beaver Defense to WiiWare

« on: April 08, 2009, 02:24:36 AM »

The turrets look like StarCraft, and the maps look like...uh...Addams Family Values for the SNES.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Your Top 5 most wanted for the GB/GBA DSi service.

« on: April 06, 2009, 08:39:04 PM »

1) Quarth - It's really fun.  Seriously!

2) Pokemon Trading Card Game - Not going to happen, but in my dreams, I can live on Mars, buy expensive cars and have it my way.

3) Donkey Kong - Growing up, I knew a kid that had this, and I was always deeply envious of his game-having skills.  I need closure.

4) Metroid 2 - Regardless of its quality, I want to play through it.  I always felt like I was only getting half the story in Super Metroid.

5) That Kid Icarus Game - Because.  It's a Kid Icarus game.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Swords and Soldiers (WiiWare title by the creators of de Blob)

« on: April 03, 2009, 05:46:39 AM »

Looks like: Grim Grimoire.  That's a good thing.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: What DS games to buy?

« on: April 01, 2009, 01:11:46 AM »

Disgaea DS is a happy place.

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

« on: March 29, 2009, 12:34:34 AM »

Civilization Revolution was really made from the ground up to work on consoles, and they pulled it off wonderfully.  I've spent dozens of hours playing it, and never wished I were playing it on a computer instead.  If you like strategy games, I can't suggest CR enough.

The limited success of Banjo makes me sad, because it really is a wonderful game.  It's like the spiritual successor to Diddy Kong Racing.  The only real flaw I could find with the game is that it gets difficult.  Mightily so. 

23

TalkBack / Re: Eidos Shareholders Approve Square Enix Takeover

« on: March 29, 2009, 12:25:47 AM »

Eidos published Monster Lab, which was one of my favorite games of 2008.  "Kids game," indeed!

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Madworld

« on: March 26, 2009, 05:30:10 AM »

Get better eyesight.

Telling me to get better eyesight so I can play more video games is like telling a drunkard to get a better liver so he can drink more booze.  Really, it's a cycle of abuse.  I will admit to being easily disoriented by games though...I seldom play first-person shooters for that very reason.

I'm really not going to say anything bad about Madword, because from what I've played of it, it's just a darn good game.  Everything about it suggests that it's an acquired taste.  It stopped being funny a few levels in, and while exploring stages to find the most creative way to kill people is extremely inventive...it's just not clicking with me.

Shyguy makes an interesting point; I can see how the game might take on a new dimension if you had an audience of guys yukking it up around you.

25

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Madworld

« on: March 26, 2009, 12:30:22 AM »

I bought Madworld a few days ago, and while it seems like a quality game, it's just not my cup of tea.  I'm kind of wishing that I would have bought Deadly Creatures, instead. 

Madworld's greatest strength is also its greatest flaw, so far as I'm concerned.  The black and white graphics are nothing if not eye-catching, but I have serious trouble seeing enemies against the backgrounds.