Entertainment/Gaming Consoles

No, but check out http://xxxxx.ign.com/reviews.html where xxxxx is your console - ps2, xbox, cube all work. They have excellent reviews and I find them to be pretty much spot-on.

[vsp]

Originally posted by Bil Braski
I'm heading over to EB this weekend to pick up a new game. Anyone have any info on any of these?:

Medal of Honor: Frontline
Stuntman
The Getaway

From what I've heard, MOH: Frontline is a very good FPS -- it's on the linear side (don't expect Half-Life-level flexibility or AI), but very engrossing and vivid. Sorta like being in a good WWII movie -- the plot won't differ much from game to game, but it's a GOOD plot and the cinematography and special effects are solid.

Well, quite a few things have happened in my gaming world. I still play consoles pretty frequently, though I've had less time lately. I guess that's why I haven't written about it.

GTA3 was finally beaten while at Paul's. It wasn't beaten <b>fairly</b>, but it was beaten. I'll go through it soon enough and 100% the game, though I think I'm going to need a walkthrough for some of the packages.

I've been playing a lot of sports games lately and I'm definitely enjoying it. <b>FIFA World Cup 2002</b> has provided a number of hours of fun and I haven't even really scratched the surface of it yet - there are a number of difficulty levels, and beating it on "World Class" difficulty is definitely going to be the ultimate challenge. I think Paul and I <b>may</b> be able to accomplish it in a 2P Co-op while he's here. We'll see. We'll definitely have trouble with it, but I've gotten better since I played it as his place.

<b>NBA Inside Drive 2002</b> is also pretty fun, and I've started a season in that game. 80-some games + playoffs + championships should give me some serious play time on the game... and it only cost $10! You'll have to pay $30 if you buy it at the store though - I gots the hookup. Pretty good basketball game, though it has its quirks - sometimes you'll have the momentum for a dunk and you'll be in the right spot but it'll stop and do a fuckin' jumper. That's aggravating.

<b>Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3</b> has been beaten to a bloody pulp. It's still fun as hell though. I've 100%'d the game which is <b>no small feat</b>. I probably have over a hundred hours on the game. I'm now going through it and picking up the little things that don't count - stat points and extra decks. I have most characters complete now - only 5 more to go. That's out of about 20. But every goal for every character is complete. That was definitely a satisfying accomplishment.

I counted up and I currently have 17 Xbox games. Many of these were purchased at pretty hefty discounts, but I've still invested some pretty serious cash in my Xbox. I just got NFL 2K2 at Target the other day (for $17 and change) and I'll be getting into that when I have some time. Right now though, FIFA has got my attention.

I'm up to 13 PS2 games, which I think is a pretty decent amount. Again, most of these were purchased at pretty steep discounts - $20 for a lot of them, even though they weren't listed on the "Greatest Hits" roster. I really want to 100% GTA3, as I've stated previously. The other game that I'm eager to fully get into is <b>Virtua Fighter 4</b>, which I got at a discount thanks to a pricing error. I really really really suck at it right now, but I think that it'll come to me with enough practice. If I spend the time to master all of the characters, it will definitely be providing me with PS2 goodness for a long time to come.

As for the actual console, my original unit died after only a few months of use. The drive tray would shoot out of the console and remain in an open position, unable to close until I powered off the unit. Game discs would not read in the drive - I couldn't play anything. So I took the console back to Wal Mart, put up a bit of resistance to their resistance and got a brand new unit. I'm happy to report that it's working fine. I really really really hope this doesn't happen again.

Today's my birthday; last night was the party. I got a GameCube, Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Brothers Melee. Both games are pretty good fun with a friend, and SMB has a pretty good single player game. I haven't had much time with the GC, but I'm enjoying it so far. I plan on ordering FIFA 2002 and NBA 2K2 today, as well as Eternal Darkness, which, I'm told by a friend, is one of the most amazing games ever. We shall see...

[perth]

Happy Birthday!

definitely pick up eternal darkness. creepy as hell and fun to play. the story is a trip. lost kingdoms is supposed to be good too, i was gonna pick that up next week. rogue leader is another really good gc game.

~james

[vsp]

After hearing some raves about it, I did a little digging through some Eternal Darkness reviews. I have one simple response to the Insanity Meter/Effects: I _must_ get my hands on this game. This makes the Silent Hill games seem like Shining Time Station.

It's a pity that there's really nothing else for the 'Cube (yet) that I'd want to play. Tony Hawk's on PS2 (if I wanted it), Smash Bros. doesn't excite me, and I don't have the patience right now for Monkey Ball, which leaves a horde of sports games (which I don't generally play) and Pikmin in the Doesn't Suck And Might Be Worth Your $50 category. For one game, the Cube's not an impulse buy... yet, anyway.

On the PS2 end, things are equally slow. I picked up Frequency for cheap (Best Buy, $9.99) and am trying to figure out its quirks. Stuntman looks _very_ interesting, and might be a time-killer until GTA: Vice and The Getaway arrive this fall/winter. The Mark of Kri (end of this month) has possibilities.

The Italian Job is on my bought-it-and-need-to-find-time-to-play-it list, as is (still) Freedom Force for the PC. I'm actually getting more mileage out of Final Fantasy V (the PSX remake) than anything else at the moment.

I totally agree that there's not much on the Cube yet, especially if you don't do a lot of your gaming with friends. Most of the fun in Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Brothers Melee is the multiplayer. However, Nintendo now has Eternal Darkness (which, we can all agree, looks amazing) and the other big one I'm waiting for is Metroid Prime, which promises to rock the socks off of everything else. Soul Calibur 2 is geared toward GameCube's controller, which is the other reason I wanted one.

All in all, I think I'll be pretty happy with it as a console... but of course, to each their own.

[vsp]

Originally posted by dhamsaic
The other game that I'm eager to fully get into is <b>Virtua Fighter 4</b>, which I got at a discount thanks to a pricing error. I really really really suck at it right now, but I think that it'll come to me with enough practice. If I spend the time to master all of the characters, it will definitely be providing me with PS2 goodness for a long time to come.

Ooooook. No no no. If you spend the necessary time to master half of VF4's characters, you will be in a nursing home when you start on the other half.

Some are easier than others, of course. Mastering Jerky is a snap compared to, say, Jeffry or Akira, and anyone who can master Shun-Di deserves Congressional recognition and a temple built in their honor.

I'm far from that level myself, so I've taken the next-best route; those who can't do, teach. I've been working on a Wolf AI and plunging it into Kumite mode, with sparring and replays in between to drill good habits into his thick Indian head. He's at 7th Dan and counting, even if he still can't figure out "Catch" throws or go-behind throws 90% of the time. It's a great way to vicariously experience the fun of characters whose combos are too painful for mortal fingers to execute... the first time my Wolf pulled off a toe-kick/gut-punch/Tiger Driver combo smoothly, I felt like a proud papa handing out cigars.

(My big three: Lion for speed and annoyance, Wolf for power and chain throws, Lau for flowing attacks. An Aoi AI is next on my list to develop.)

[vsp]

Originally posted by dhamsaic
I totally agree that there's not much on the Cube yet, especially if you don't do a lot of your gaming with friends. Most of the fun in Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Brothers Melee is the multiplayer. However, Nintendo now has Eternal Darkness (which, we can all agree, looks amazing) and the other big one I'm waiting for is Metroid Prime, which promises to rock the socks off of everything else. Soul Calibur 2 is geared toward GameCube's controller, which is the other reason I wanted one.

All in all, I think I'll be pretty happy with it as a console... but of course, to each their own.

Yep. I'd rather have the Cube than, say, the Xbox. With Eternal Darkness's release, the Cube now has more games I'm lusting for than the Xbox by a one-to-nothing score.

I am definitely more of a solo gamer than a multiplayer type; hell, I have an Athlon 1300 with 768K DSL and the ONLY online multiplayer game I've played on it so far is Netrek, which is the cutting edge of 1991 technology. (Okay, I compiled Dreamcast Quake on it, but that doesn't count.)

[perth]

Originally posted by vsp
After hearing some raves about it, I did a little digging through some Eternal Darkness reviews. I have one simple response to the Insanity Meter/Effects: I _must_ get my hands on this game. This makes the Silent Hill games seem like Shining Time Station.

without giving anything away, the sanity effects are by far the scariest thing in the game. i actually start to panic when my sanity meter gets low. its been a long time since a game sucked me in like this. the ambient sound is freaky. ive jumped out of my seat more than once because of the sound alone. this is the kind of horror i dig. resident evil was cool, but it didnt really scare me.

of the next gen consoles, i have only the gc (unless you count the dc), and im actually quite pleased with my purchase so far, given some of the stuff thats out now, and what will be coming out. gauntlet dark legacy, super monkey ball, ssbm, pikmin, ssx tricky, lost kingdoms, eternal darkness, spider-man, mario sunshine, zelda, metroid prime, resident evil. my faith in nintendo is restored. i know some of those are cross-platform, but like i said, i only have a gc currently. im gonna pick up a ps2 one of these days, and i might get an xbox mostly because i want to play jetset radio future and world series baseball 2k3.

~james

[vsp]

Originally posted by perth

of the next gen consoles, i have only the gc (unless you count the dc), and im actually quite pleased with my purchase so far, given some of the stuff thats out now, and what will be coming out. gauntlet dark legacy, super monkey ball, ssbm, pikmin, ssx tricky, lost kingdoms, eternal darkness, spider-man, mario sunshine, zelda, metroid prime, resident evil. my faith in nintendo is restored. i know some of those are cross-platform, but like i said, i only have a gc currently. im gonna pick up a ps2 one of these days, and i might get an xbox mostly because i want to play jetset radio future and world series baseball 2k3.

I count the DC. Hell, it's STILL the only console with a reasonable online presence, though the PS2's network adapter isn't too far off now.

The facts that it's very easy to bypass country-code verification (hello Fire Pro), that European versions tend to support 50hz AND 60hz displays (making them US-friendly), and that its games are, er, easily distributable (arrr! arrr! me hearties!) don't hurt, either.

[perth]

easily distributable. yeah, there are a few games i had an extraordinarily difficult time finding. a couple of them i still cannot fathom why they didnt make it to the u.s. super puzzle fighter, fire pro, some of the capcom vs. snk, and the worst offender, shenmue ii.

dc was a great console. based on principle alone, it will have a place on my entertainment center for a long time to come. that and world series baseball 2k2 is still the only game i can get my wife to play on a regular basis. have you ever played sega bass fishing? i didnt really like the game too much until i got the fishing controller. that may be the coolest specialized controller ever.

speaking of baseball, can anyone recommend a good one on the gc?

~james

[vsp]

In a way, Shenmue II did make it to the US. You can buy it at Gamestop (nee Babbage's) at either of two local malls near me. It _is_ a European version, but a boot disc (also sold there) fixes that, and the PAL thing shouldn't be an issue if 60hz is supported.

Fire Pro will never make it to the US in unmodified form. (It exists for the Game Boy, but the visuals were heavily hacked to fend off Vince McMahon's Corporate Copyright Fairies.)

[perth]

i should probably pick that up. i have discs 1 and 2 in that 'easily distributable' format, but i really do try to have legit copies unless its totally impossible or unreasonable. im one of few people i know that has authentic coas for every ms product i own. oops, i mean 'license', cuz you cant buy software.

~james

[matt]

Originally posted by vsp
Fire Pro will never make it to the US in unmodified form. (It exists for the Game Boy, but the visuals were heavily hacked to fend off Vince McMahon's Corporate Copyright Fairies.)

SWEET SWEET FIRE PRO. HOW I LOVE THEE!

I unlocked the <b>Monkey Billiards</b> mini-game in Super Monkey Ball. Let me tell you, this could be a game all by itself. It is stupidly addicting. The only game is 9-ball (unfortunately), but it's still a lot of fun. Instead of hitting the ball, you're the monkey and you roll yourself in various directions at varying speeds. Man is it a good time.

I've also gotten pretty good at <b>Monkey Target</b> Yeah. All I'm saying is, come over and play me.

I haven't gotten <b>Eternal Darkness</b> yet, but I most likely will whenever I've the time to play it. I'm hesitant to sink $50 into a game when I might not have much time to spend with it. Life's been kinda busy lately, so I haven't spent as much time gaming. But when that clears up, ED is on the "must have" list.