Games: What games are you currently playing? [OT!]

[phaq]

not currently playing it, but for anyone looking for a "new" snes rpg: http://www.romhacking.net/trans/689/

[phaq]

had a browser fuck up, wasn't expecting the double post

[Cataferal]

Beat Guitar Hero II on Expert difficulty yesterday, and completed Elite Beat Agents on "Hard Rock!" difficulty today. Anyone here play these games?

[Cataferal]

Well, i got a Wii 4 days ago, along with Wii Sports and Mario 64 (through the Virtual Console). Just from playing these games its looking very promising; its giving me the same buzz i remember the Dreamcast gave me back in 1999. While the controller isnt being used in the revolutionary way i'd hoped so far, its definitely above the status of a novelty, and brimming with potential.

Here are my first impressions of the console:

Pros:
+The console design is compact, practical, and with a stylish iPod-esque white finish.
+Controller doesnt take long to get used to, and makes even the simplest of games at least interesting.
+WiFi internet capabilities straight out of the box.
+Virtual Console works flawlessly, is being updated with new games frequently, and is priced justly (with some exceptions).
+Backward compatibility with Gamecube peripherals and software.
+Relatively cheap.

Cons:
-Wii remotes require two AA batteries, which run out within around 30 hours (depending on the game, the attachment, and the controller's vibration and amp volume settings). Heres hoping a rechargeable lithium ion version is released in the future.
-In europe, 3/4 of the Virtual Console games run in 50Hz - just as they did when they were first released here.
-Browser needs a few tweaks in future updates (ie, calibration settings need to be added).
-Underwhelming graphics compared to the 360.
-Insufficient air-flow at the bottom of the console when placed vertically makes the console very hot after several hours of play.

Conclusion so far:
Right now, i consider the console worth owning just for the Virtual Console. I havent played a majority of Nintendo's classic N64 titles, and this is a perfect oppurtunity to resolve that. As with any launch lineup, choice is slight and overpriced, but with Zelda already out, and with Smash Brothers Brawl, Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 to join it in the new year, its difficult to complain too much about game content. Meanwhile, the controller is intuitive and already going some way to fulfill Nintendo's promise to attract new gamers (all my family have already expressed a genuine interest in the console), and encourage developers to create some fresh and new gameplay experiences. But above all, i'll summarize that even at its most primitive stage, the Wii is just fun to play and easy to use; something the PS3 certainly hasnt achieved in its first month on the market.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ December 12, 2006 08:52 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[Cataferal]

Hmm, lots of very positive news this week for Nintendo:

-Wii becomes fastest selling domestic console of all time in UK. 50,000 sold within 12 hours of going on sale.
-December Wii Virtual Console releases. Includes Gunstar Heroes, Super Castlevania IV, and Super Contra.
-Dragon Quest IX announced for exclusive release on DS. Developed by Level 5, epic single-player story, full 3D, no random encounters, and features 4 player online co-op. Screenshots here.

The last one especially is going to make life very difficult for Sony. The DS was already dominating the portable gaming market, and had the majority of the RPG's; now its got the king of the genre.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ December 12, 2006 09:05 PM: Message edited by: Cataferal ]</font>

[Cataferal]

Uhhh...

Wii becomes fastest selling console in europe. All 325,000 consoles shipped in 2 days.

Currently playing Wii Sports and Pro Evolution Soccer 6.

[mrwiseman]

Despite being quite disappointed with the new consoles games (all three), I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas.

Pros:
+ (Personal taste) The best game catalogue, if only because the other two aren't the bomb either. Wii is a not-so-far second despite being out just weeks ago, and the PS3 has the worst games for a new console I can remember, surpassing even the PS2's.
+ The most powerful system of the next generation, together with the PS3 (I have looked into these two, and neither seems to be a clear winner; they both seem very close and the PS3 looks harder to exploit).
+ High-resolution gaming.
+ Reasonably priced and well established after one year.
+ Overall good online services (Xbox Live).

Cons:
- Regional protection, which is an act of digital terrorism against Europe, free markets, globalization, and its very customers, in an attempt to steal money from Europeans and satisfy some people with small penis complex. Unfortunately, it hasn't been cracked yet, so pirating your Xbox 360 is useless (all you can do is play pirated games - no thanks, I only need to play legitimate imports).
- Few Japanese games; Japanese developers not very interested on it.
- (Personal taste) Still somewhat disappointing game catalogue: it's all American FPS starring Rambo with a very big gun-penis and racing games; not that these are bad, but I'm missing everything else.
- Lacks extra value such as retrogaming (where the Wii excels) or Internet browsing.
- It's Microsoft (though at least it's not Sony).

Conclusion so far:
I'm very disappointed with the new consoles game catalogues and games in the works, so only time will tell. I'm happy with the Xbox 360 and the games I got for it, and I'd buy it again after having played with it for some days.

I expect to enjoy at least five great games on the Xbox 360, but I think I'll eventually grow tired of waiting for decent Japanese RPGs to arrive Europe (and I can't import the very few that may reach America but not Europe), so I may buy a PS3 in a couple of years, if it's not a total failure (as of today, it has even less interesting Japanese RPGs in the works, and it's not out in Europe yet, goddamned bastards).

At this rate, the PS3 could very well fail. All it has today are famous giant enemy crab battles based on Japanese history (a real change for consumers who are ready), real-time weapon change, and Riiiiiiiiiidge Raaaceeeeeeeeer!!!, all for five hundred and ninety-nine US dollars. Then again, the PS2 looked about this pathetic, yet the people bought it because it had "PlayStation" written on the box.

And if the PS3 fails, then the Wii could be the one getting the cRPGs. While I'd like a next-gen, high-res cRPG with epic 1000 character battles and visuals that make you forget real life exists, I could get a Wii for the RPGs, if it has good ones that is. I'm not too interested on the Wiimote though.

As for Blu-ray and HD-DVD, I abhor both. They can stick these two up their asses. The PS3 forces you to buy that bullshitware full of digital AIDS (thanks to which it's $200 more expensive and 1 year late), and the Xbox 360 doesn't, so that's a feature of the later.


Currently playing Kameo and Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360), as well as Oblivion, Gothic III and SimCity 4 on PC and Grandia III on the PS2.

<font color="#345E81" size="1">[ December 30, 2006 01:22 PM: Message edited by: -Wiseman- ]</font>

[Cataferal]

Nice review! I agree with a great many of the points you made about it; the Xbox Live service is probably the best thing going for the 360 in my opinion (with its over-reliance on atypical macho titles being the worst). Its the most reliable, flexible and intuitive out of all the console based online services released so far, so kudos to the Microsoft for that. As for the game catalogue, things seem to be getting better by the day: you have games like Too Human and Blue Dragon on their way - and rare's "Viva Pinata" was considered something of a sleeper hit among the critics last year. Im seriously considering getting one at some point, although most likely when i discover both Halo 3 and Lost Odyssey in stock, and at reasonable retail prices.

For me currently, Zelda: Twilight Princess has been the focus of my gaming schedule (with Wii Sports and Mario Kart constituting the rest). Im convinced that this game is up to the standards of the reputable Ocarina of Time - although i respect this may not yet be the general consensus (as only a decades worth of hindsight will confirm). But in my opinion, it boasts the most engrossing plot, and has the most awe-inspiring art direction of the series - and with an reported 40+ hours of play, im satisfied i could'nt have asked for much better at a console launch.

So anyway, would anyone care to offer up a Playstation 3 review? You know, just for for a bit of closure on our overview of the next-gen console scene. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[phaq]

Ended up with a PSP myself. Too lazy to see if it's been discussed, but here's how I see it.

Pros:
+Excellent graphics for a handheld
+Capable of a lot of thing a PC is(movies, mp3s, pcitures, etc.)
+Possible to do emulation, or run sony ISO's(PSX and PSP), or run homebrew stuff, IF you invest the time to look into it.
+If I read into this correctly, it takes no effort to run imports, they just run. Again, if I read into this correctly, otherwise this would be a con.
+Uniquely different versions of console games. For instance a Metal Gear card game, or a Dynasty Warriors game with more strategy elements than the console counterparts.

Cons
-Susceptible to dead/stuck pixels(pretty sure I got one of each myself, bright side is they don't show if the screen isn't black where they are)
-Horrid loading times(o.k. thats only a con if you're impatient)
-screens easy to dirty/possibly scratch(like the dead pixels though, this won't show mid game or anything)
-obscene pricing for a handheld

Conclusion so far:
Huh, you know, honestly, I think I like this thing better than I thought I would so far. I'll leave it's library up to the individual, but I think there's something for everyone. I only have 3 games myself, and I can see myself using 2 a lot more in the future. Those being Dynasty Warriors Volume 2(didn't bother with the first cuz I heard it was pretty bad) and WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2006(can't stand watching wrestling these days, but for some reason this games enjoyable). I would have picked up Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth if they had it, but unfortunately they didn't. Like I already mentioned I couldn't tell ya if it's library would be a con or a pro. It has some rare PSX RPG's that's PSX versions would go for a ton on places like ebay, but it's original RPG line-up might leave something to be desired. At any rate it's not horrible if you can afford one, but you gotta be careful if you try downgrading to run emulation and ISO's and stuff because you could end up "bricking" it and making it completely useless.

[phaq]

Oh and here's a few afterthoughts in emulation and homebrew for ya:

Streets of Rage Remake - This is like it says. It's a whole new game for the PC, but you can use all 6 of the playable characters from the previous 3 Genesis games, and it has it's own bells and whistles to make it stand out. May have some bugs, I currently have the pre-patched version and the 2nd stage was undoable after something went wrong, but the patch probably fixes this.

Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog - Something even Sega couldn't do back in '94 when they released Sonic and Knuckles.

The Legend of Zelda - Parallel Worlds - A completely new game out of A Link to the Past, what more need be said.

Aw hell, just go here or here altogether and explore what you want to try out for hacking/translations.