X-Box impressions (1 Viewer)

[BrianB]

How can you guys forget Virtua Tennis and UFC

Like I said, that list was off the top of my head.
Anyway, I guess it is subjective... I just know that *I* have had a *ton* of fun with the games I've got for the Dreamcast - I've got no shortage of back catalogue games to get still as well.
Each to their own, I guess.
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[Kelley_B]

Anyone getting Alien Front Online on the 9th? I know I am!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I agree that some of those games might be good, but I'm not into sports games, and some (if not most) DC games were too short. Crazy Taxi was excellent, but I had accomplished everything in less than a week and had nothing else to do. Just playing the game is good, but it gets boring after a while.
Shenmue was badly designed. They should have just held it off and released it with the second game, maybe then it would have been longer. There were multiple design problems, and hardware limitations kept them from being able to have more than just a few people on-screen at once. The fact that you had to waste time in the game also slowed it down and made it boring. The story wasn't that great either. I will probably get the sequel to see if they made it any better.
Just thought I would add this. Its a story about how Funcom is not developing for the X-Box anymore and stopped all of its projects for it to develop for PC. I don't know why that one game was cancelled for GCN, but this story means that the X-Box is getting a similar event.
[Edited last by Morgan Jolley on August 06, 2001 at 11:20 PM]

 

[Calvin Watts III]

The PS has Way too many me too games....
My DC still gets use, and as for some good games-
How can anybody not mention NFL & NBA2K1 ?
These are the best of their kind, IMHO better than anything done on the PS2 so far (yes,including Madden...)
Also, Virtua Tennis is a heck of a lot of fun.
Also:
Ecco The Dolphin
Chu Chu Rocket (boy was that addictive..)
Skies of Arcadia (& I'm not even a big RPG fan...)
Toy Commander
Daytona 500
&
Soul Caliber is STILL the best fighting game out there...nuff' said
As for RE:Code Veronica, not only is it the best of the RE series, I was able to play it over 6 months ago...while I admit I'd like to see the new FMV, it won't be better than the DC version.
Morgan, I kinda liked Shenmue...it was different from anything else I've played so far...(but then again, I liked D2)
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"Don't make me angry....You wouldn't like me when I'm angry......"

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Let me start off by saying that Shenmue was not bad, it was just not well though out. There were problems they could have worked out, polygons they could have thrown in for some things, and better animations that could have been added. The weather effects weren't that exciting, and the story was pretty forgetful (like the tattoo guy and stuff). Had I known this beforehand, I probably would have still gotten it because I didn't dislike it that much.
Chu Chu Rocket was addictive, but the online play was horrible.
Ecco was pretty bad, IMO. The graphics were great, but the game was not that fun. There was not that much innovation, and that kinda bugged me. I don't think the games were that good in 2-D, but 3-D didn't add much. If only games wouldn't have to fog out the background so much.
Soul Calibur (there are two U's in its title, and no E's) was good, but the fighting system was not exactly the best ever. It did raise the bar graphically, and still looks and plays great. I think that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was better because there was always something new, plus the action was faster.
There are many games on DC that would never exist without the PSX games. Tony Hawk, Final Fantasy (started the whole 3-D RPG thing), Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, and many more games either changed a genre drastically or were brought to the DC. Imagine what titles we would have if the PSX and its titles never existed. Also, a lot of PSX games are good. Since it was around longer, it also had more time to make games, and a lot of them are good. Of all the PSX games I own (almost 40) only a few are not good, plus I don't have many of the good PSX games. The DC had a better good to bad game ratio, but there still aren't as many good games.

 

[Calvin Watts III]

Don't get me wrong...I'm not knocking the PS at all...it more than had its share of good games, and I see what you are saying about the RE series et al...But that arguement can be sent way back to the glory days of the Atari 2600.
The way I look at gaming is simple...Did I get my gaming's worth out of the system? Out of everything I own, I can honestly say I only have 2 systems that I didn't - Odyssey 2 & Virtua Boy ( these BTW I bought for collecting purposes...)
Again, I repeat my mantra........
The future is looking good...

Morgan-thanks BTW on the sp correction...I'm getting a bit tired..its bedtime me thinks...
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"Don't make me angry....You wouldn't like me when I'm angry......"

 

[BrianB]

I don't know why that one game was cancelled for GCN, but this story means that the X-Box is getting a similar event.

The 'Cube titles were canned at Retro Studios because of mismanagement & development screw-ups. The usual reasons. Titles get canned left, right & centre in this industry, usually before they're announced so the public don't know about it. Plenty of XBox titles have been canned - you just don't know about it. Just as many GameCube titles have been canned (if not more TBH...). Many many more PSX games have been canned - so what?
Again, ho hum.
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[Morgan Jolley]

"THPS1 on the PSX helped keep our team sane in the last few weeks of GTA2's development."
You were a developer for GTA2? Cool. I wish there was a development company in New Jersey. I would love to get a job as a game tester, that would be my ultimate dream job...
I agree that the DC had good games. I didn't take the PSX thing personally, but I think the PSX has more good games than the DC. Why? Because the DC games were centered to one group, like sports people, and the PSX games were playable by many people (everyone I know loved THPS 1 & 2, along with some others). I still think that Sega is better as a developer than a console manufacturer (or whatever its called) and I'm happy that a lot of DC series' are being brougtht to other platforms. I hope the next Sonic is just a bunch of fast Sonic levels rather than a few levels for each character. The multiple character idea was acceptable in SoA, but ruined SoA2.

 

[Gary King]

Originally posted by Morgan Jolley:
Soul Calibur (great game, but its taking too long for a sequel)

Since when is "taking too long for a sequel" a mark against a game? Tobal 2 is still probably the best reason to mod a Playstation, and that hasn't changed since there hasn't been a new Tobal game in 4 1/2 years.
If anything, it will make a (good) sequel all the better.

 

[Gary King]

Because the DC games were centered to one group, like sports people, and the PSX games were playable by many people (everyone I know loved THPS 1 & 2, along with some others)

That's an over-generalization (and poorly-veiled opinion) if ever one existed.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I never said taking too long to make a sequel was bad. I was just adding that as a side-note.
It might have been an over-generalization, but its true. Jet Grind Radio (NOT Jet Set Radio) was made for more people than just the alternative sports audience, but most of the games were harcorde to their genre. I don't find fighter and RPG fans playing NFL2K very often, and my brother (who only plays sports games) never plays Shenmue. Some games are just good, so many people will play them. Many developers will want to make games that anyone will enjoy, even hardcore fanatics, because not everyone is a gamer. If RPG fans, fighter fans, sports fans, sim fans, and adventure fans can enjoy a game, then it will be a success.
Also, many people say the PS2 launch was bad, but the DC launch had few good games (fewer games at all than the PS2 launch).
Phantasy Star Online was probably good, but playing an online RPG using a 56k modem and being stuck to playing it on only one DC kinda keeps me away. I never got what was so great about it. Gaming itself can waste time, but online RPGs just eat it up faster. One question: did PSO have a storyline like a regular RPG or was it just a bunch of dungeons and mini-quests?

 

[Joel Mack]

One question: did PSO have a storyline like a regular RPG or was it just a bunch of dungeons and mini-quests?

It's just like Diablo/Diablo II.
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"If we blow up, whatever's left of me is kickin' your butt."

 

[Calvin Watts III]

quote:

Also, many people say the PS2 launch was bad, but the DC launch had few good games (fewer games at all than the PS2 launch).

Morgan, I would have to disagree with you here. How many PS2 games at launch were must buy? For me personally, I bought Timesplitters & Tekken Tag ( my other half's choice). But I bought those simply to play something on the system, which is what I truly wanted.
But what was truly a must buy @ the PS2 launch? Some would say Madden...I'd say that NFL2K1 played better, and was more refined. The only true standout PS2 launch game,IMHO was SSX. Heck, Sony couldn't come up with anything other than Fantavision for their own system! (and look at the train wreck that 989 Sports has become....)
The DC, meanwhile, had Power Stone, NFL2K, Soul Calibur,Sonic Adventure all as games that were standout games. ( I also bought Blue Stinger @ launch, and I thought it was great,but hey that's me...)
Again, I'm not dissing the PS2 by any stretch...There have been some great games (by what I like, anyways) that have come out, with many more to come, I'm sure.
Every system (well at least in recent years...), has had Something good to play with it. That's why I'll own a Gamecube, & eventually a X-Box as well.
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"Don't make me angry....You wouldn't like me when I'm angry......"

 

[Dean DeMass]

IMHO, the Dreamcast is the console that I have had the most fun with. I've owned an Atari 2600, Nintendo, SEGA Genesis, Super Nintendo, SEGA Saturn, Nintendo 64, and a PSX.
Some of my favs on the DC:
NFL2k series
NBA2K series
Metropolis Street Racer (Best racer ever IMHO)
Shenmue
Jet Grind Radio
Tony Hawk 1 and 2
Ecco
Seaman
Spider-Man
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2
Powerstone 1 and 2
UFC (Best fighter ever, a thinking man's fighter)
Virtua Fighter 3
Rayman 2
Shadowman
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Vanishing Point
SEGA Rally 2
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (MUCH better than the PS version)
Fire Pro Wrestling D (one of the best wrestling games ever)
Giant Gram 2000
Soul Calibur
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Crazy Taxi 1 and 2
Fur Fighters
Soul Reaver
MDK 2
Virtua Tennis
Re-Volt
These are off the top of my head.

-Dean-

 

[BrianB]

. I would love to get a job as a game tester, that would be my ultimate dream job...

You need higher dreams

Hands-on game testing sucksas a job... It's boring, monotonous & mind-numbing. Try playing the one game for months on end, possibly playing the same level for weeks at a time, consistently trying to break it, consistently going over the same area again & again & again & again.
Repeat ad nauseum for 8-12 hours a day.
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[Kelley_B]

BrianB,
You forgot to add the fact that they pay SUCKS!! Almost as bad as having to play the same game over and over does.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I don't care if its monotonous. I would still do it. If I was living by myself and making a minimum of $360 a week, I would be happy. Add to that the fact that you may "make friends" and get games early or free consoles. You also get to play games that aren't out yet. I would love to do that, considering I sometimes get stuck at a level and play it over and over again. I was stuck in one level of MDK2 for a week, and finally got past it. The main thing in the way of my dreams is that I am on the opposite coast of where most of this game testing goes on and I'm only a sophomore in High School (maybe my opinion is nieve because I'm so young).

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I played Final Fantasy 9 for a month before I beat it, and then still played it for another month just doing stuff in it without accomplishing much. I still played it after getting all the side quests.
[Edited last by Morgan Jolley on August 07, 2001 at 05:54 PM]

 

[BrianB]

I played Final Fantasy 9 for a month before I beat it, and then still played it for another month just doing stuff in it without accomplishing much. I still played it after getting all the side quests.

Chances are you won't be testing something as involving as Final Fantasy 9. Think of the worst game you've played in recent times. Imagine being stuck testing /that/ for months on end. Imagine being stuck testing the /worst/ level of the /worst/ game for months on end.
"Free games" ain't worth it. It's precisely your attitude that allows game companies to fill up their test dept with cheap labour.
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[Morgan Jolley]

I was reading about how Square is looking for people to test games, the most probable one being the American version of Final Fantasy X. If I got a job as a game tester, I wouldn't be stupid enough to get one with a company that makes bad games or makes specific types. The worst kind of game I could be stuck playing is probably a fighting game. I like fighting games, but all that time by yourself trying to do anything possible would be exhausting. I don't think I could handle that. RPGs would be right up my alley, as would action adventure games.