The Thing and Buffy ... Man oh man! (1 Viewer)

[James Zos]

I know I'm late to the party, but I just rented these two this week and they have revived my faith in the Xbox.
I think they are two of the best looking games I've seen on the system, close to the quality of my PC (something I'd never thought I'd witness) and the gameplay for both is awesome ... Buffy has such a great fighting system. I could care less about the show but being a horror fan, I still love the game. It has excellent atmosphere and that soundtrack! Reminds me of the score to The Shining. Only thing wrong with it so far is having to repeat too many battles due to a lack of save points ... but I still like it.
The Thing I think I like even better. Maybe the best use of surround so far, besting Halo, and best graphics as well. I've heard it said that the game is not 480p but since I'm stuck with a lowly old regular analog set I can't tell the difference ... It looks great to me. And I love that the developers actually added something new, to an extent, with the team management and having to reassure/take care of your team members ... even if I did fry them a couple of times with my flamethrower just to watch them run around.
Best week in gaming I've had for a while.

 

[paul h]

Hmmmm...im sure opinions vary on these 2 but i'm not overly impressed with either of them. The graphics on Buffy are nowhere near the best on the XBox IMHO, it looks and plays like an updated Tomb Raider. The Thing is fun but again not in the same ball park as Halo or other titles as far as visuals are concerned.

 

[James Zos]

Well, obviously I disagree. There are a lot of games I haven't played on the Xbox, so I would be inclinded to grant you that there may be better games on a visual level -except you list Halo as one of them and I HAVE played Halo and I believe The Thing far surpasses it in terms of graphics. The Thing is limited in that it is set in a polar region, so obviously you tend to get a lot of snowy vistas, but even so the images are much cleaner, much sharper, than Halo, and the aliens are better designed and MUCH scarier. Halo's aliens were always a little too cartoony for my taste. The frame rate is also a lot faster in The Thing.
Same goes for Buffy - though of the two, The Thing is better looking.
This is all just my opinion of course (except for the frame rate, which I'd argue is a matter of fact).

 

[MikeyWeitz]

Haven't played buffy yet, but I am really not enjoying the gameplay on The Thing that much at all. I still like to jump and climb around the environment.
But to each his own of course

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Buffy has been upgraded from Dreamcast. Some models, like Buffy and Giles have been upgraded, others like Xander, Willow, and Cordy look like crap in comparison. It's obviously just a half-assed graphical upgrade
Of course, it doens't matter THAT much, because the game kicks major ass

 

[Adam Tyner]

Hmm. I thought Giles was by far the worst looking character of the lot.

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

Haven't tried The Thing, because I'm not going to purchase or even rent a non-480p game (aside from the fact that I'd have to pull out my 200 pound TV, unplug the inputs from my progressive ports, plug them in to the interlaced ports, etc). Will it matter in the long run? No, because they'll never correlate a lack of rentals to the lack of support, but I can hope. It's a shame, I was very intrigued by this title as well.

Buffy was pretty fun when I rented it, but not fun enough to keep me interested. The camera ticked me off too many times. "Look at me! I'm facing off-screen toward a foe that you can't see!"

 

[Damien]

i wouldn't not get a game just for not having 480p support, you are paying $50 for the work the developers put on the game
anyway the things graphics are not up to halo standards imo, but the cinemas are good...
buffy i haven't played yet

 

[Dave F]

I agree, Brian. I'm just not going to support Universal setting a new low standard.

-Dave

 

[James Zos]

I understand why people are pissed about the lack of 480p, but I think you are missing out on too much if you let that stop you from checking out The Thing.
Gamespy is the latest big reviewer to rave about the game:
Link Removed

 

[Dave F]

There are so many great games that I have yet to play, it just makes my list a little shorter. To me, it's the equivalent of a pan-n-scan DVD. I loooove the Buffy game though. I finally got a 15 hitter combo the other night. Now if I could just get a double-staking (stake a vampire in front, then a backhand stake into another)!
-Dave

 

[Dave_Olds]

I understand why people are pissed about the lack of 480p, but I think you are missing out on too much if you let that stop you from checking out The Thing.

It depends....In my case, I use a digital projector with the xbox non-scaled, so yeah, 480p is a HUGE deal....I can notice the difference immensely in 480p and 480i....Enough to effect my enjoyment....If I had a non-digital TV it wouldnt be a big deal....

I might try Buffy cuz my wife is a huge fan of the show and might show an interest in it....but thats the only reason....

 

[Troy LaMont]

....If I had a non-digital TV it wouldnt be a big deal....

Ditto that times 10. That's one of the main reasons I rarely play my PS2.
Troy

 

[Josey M]

Hello,
My wife bought me an X-box and Buffy.
I am stuck in the court yard looking for 2 of 3 stones to get out of court yard. HELP !
Does any body know where to look for those hidden stones.
Thanx in advance,
Josey

 

[Dave_Olds]

My wife bought me an X-box and Buffy.

your wife rocks...!!! Mine hasnt talked me in two weeks since I bought mine :frowning:

 

[Derrik Draven]

The Thing I think I like even better. Maybe the best use of surround so far, besting Halo, and best graphics as well.

...you're joking, right? Link Removed
The Thing, while entertaining, REALLY falls down in the sound department. Where is ANY mood setting background music?!!? I don't mean just a wimpy little soundclip a second or two, here and there. And surround...??? I'm lucky enough to make enough to have a killer home theater and I can tell you, I don't hear dick coming from the surrounds much. And as for subwoofer action...well, my sub gets a real nice rest when playing The Thing, if you know what I mean.
Halo is VERY active in the surrounds, and the dropships have to be "felt" to be believed!
As for the graphics, I don't know about anyone else but, mine st-st-stutter when in 1st person mode, quite frequently. Not terribly but, no way are they butter smooth.
Perhaps I'm jaded on the graphics but, I just finished Enclave before playing The Thing. Now THAT has some bee-oo-tee-fool graphics. And no frame stutters. And kick ass sound! In fact, I turned my sub down on one level because it was way over the top!
To each his own, I suppose.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Josey, facing the first stone you hit, go to your right. You'll see some stones stacked like stairs that will take you to the upper level. When you get there, you'll get to dust some vamps. That should point you in the right direction. If you get stuck, GameFAQs.com has a walkthrough

Enjoy!

 

[Josey M]

Jeff,
Thank you very much--I will try it now.
Josey

 

[James Zos]

"...you're joking, right? The Thing, while entertaining, REALLY falls down in the sound department. Where is ANY mood setting background music?!!? I don't mean just a wimpy little soundclip a second or two, here and there. And surround...???"

I'm completely serious, Derrik.

With my system I get pinpoint directional sound when playing The Thing. I can tell exactly where all the "little things" are by the sound of their scuttling claws even when I can't see them. If I turn in a circle the eerie sound of dripping water or a burning fire or the sizzle of fried wiring revolves around me ... best sound I've heard in an Xbox game so far.
I fail to understand your argument that a general absence of "mood setting background music" means a game falls short in the surround sound department (The Thing DOES have some background music by the way, but it is true that it is very rare and of short duration.)
If the game had music playing all the time, would that make the overall sound better? I think locational effects and background music are two totally different things. It is true that if used right they compliment each other, but you don't have to have one to have the other.
As for the sub, you may have a point, as I don't notice to much bass in the game, but then again I don't notice its absence either.

 

[Troy LaMont]

Perhaps I'm jaded on the graphics but, I just finished Enclave before playing The Thing. Now THAT has some bee-oo-tee-fool graphics. And no frame stutters. And kick ass sound! In fact, I turned my sub down on one level because it was way over the top!

Yes, yes, yes. Finally, someone who's on the same page as me when it comes to Enclave!
Spectacular game, graphically, audibly and game play!
Troy