"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
It's a UK one. Had no problems with it so far. Being blasting through the first four levels of PD0 for most of the evening and playing with the bots in deathmatches (and getting my arse handed to me ). It's good. Really user friendly. Haven't really tried the media capabilities yet, but will do tomorrow. Going to get PGR3 and possibly one more game tomorrow as well. Nice to see the Kameo demo available for free download as well as trials of most of the Xbox Live Arcade stuff.
No face plate yet, no crazy queueing. Pre-ordered from my local indie ages ago and picked it up at 5.30pm last night.
1. What the hell is a face plate?
2. Is XBox Live arcade actually any good? If so it could be the reason for getting a 360 for me.
Good to hear some positive impressions of PD0.
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"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
Haven't delved into Live Arcade too much as promised the shopkeep i got it off I would stay off Live until gone midnight. By that point I was pretty tired and thought I'd check it out only briefly. You can buy arcade games for MS Points which come in bundles ranging from 500 points for about £4 to shit loads for £42. You can then use these points to buy stuff from the market place or download arcade games. Stuff like Mutant Storm and Geometry Wars Evolved from PGR3 are available as well as stuff like Gauntlet and some other bits and bobs. Admittedly, having Mame on a modded Xbox is gonna beat the arcade downloads, but it looks ok from a quick perusal. I'll buy some points today and download something. See what it's like.
OK dumb question. I just hadn't realised it had swappable face-plates.
(they really are trying to wring every last cent out of the consumer with this thing).
Pimp my XBox360. Someone better do a Sega themed one, DC or Genesis. Now that I would buy.
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"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
Finally got to play on a mate's, so here are some impressions:
First off, we played all of these in 720p on my mate's 28" LCD, so I'm giving the visuals the best of all possible starts to impress me....
Kameo: generic Rare balls, in my humble opinion. I've always thought their visual style for platform games was ugly; kind of like Nintendo without any of the charm, grace or style. Gameplay looked dull and dated. Other than a couple of nice lighting effects, there's nothing here the Xbox 1 couldn't have done bar the higher res (I didn't see any sections with 1000s of characters on screen, though, that said).
Quake 4: Excellent. Visually, this looks like a top o' the line PC game, so great if a tad plain and..well....PC-looking. It's sort of like a 'best of' compilation of FPSs from the past 4 years. You've got Doom3's spookiness, Halo's squads etc. and it hangs together well. Controls work effectively (Halo's are the default), and the only problem is the chuggy framerate, which - insanely - appears locked at sub-30FPS constantly. If it dropped, fair enough, but it actually stays at this rate without deviation. Odd. Still, a very good FPS that is definitely top-of-current-to-next-gen.
PGR3: More of the same. Very slightly prettier, although hardly stunning (textures are incredibly bland for a start). Basically, probably only worth getting if you're either a PGR fanatic or will cane it on L!ve (which is meant to be aces high).
Call of Duty 2: Solid enough Medal of Honour-style shooter, although it looks completely Xbox1 and last gen. Not really worth a punt as it does nowt new at all.
Need For Speed: Bling!*
*Shite!
Condemed: Solid-seeming Silent Hill-style game, with some nice Eternal Darkness-type flashes of memory/psychic ability. Although it doesn't look at all like a next-gen title, it's pleasant-looking (if you can call a game by the makers of F.E.A.R. 'pleasant-looking') and stylistically solid. I might pick this one up in future for a whirl: combat is restrictive but fairly realistic, and the atmosphere is sharp and tense. Not cutting-edge Survival Horror, but intriguing nonetheless.
Perfect Dark 0: Odd. It's by far the best looking game of the release bunch, with some fabulous reload animations, great motion blur on swift movements and nice controls that satisfy. On the other hand, the garish environments often make your eyes bleed, especially with the excessive bump mapping. It all becomes a bit searing on the retinas, and makes the arrows on the floor (which everyone decried when they saw the vids) almost essential until you learn the maps, because there's no definition to the levels.
Controls are spot-on, with any configuration available and tweaking well catered for. Weapon balance seems a touch off so far, although I only played with the P9P, MagSec, some type of SMG and a shotty. The physics are a bit floaty, with enemies often taking quite a while to drop (Goldeneye players will remember the irritation of enemy models getting in the way by taking ages to fall over, blocking your vision and gunfire etc.) and the armour bursting off is just fucking ridiculous.
So it's an odd game. Loads of PD1 stuff is there, with gizmos, secondary objectives, loads of funky secondary and tertiary gun uses. Levels can be tackled in various ways, and the ducking and rolling works really, really well, surprisingly. Still, it's one that's imperfect - inexcusable for a game with a development time as long as this one's. Worth owning but not essential (unless the L!ve play is as good as people are saying) if just for the memories and the quirkiness.
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♦ "Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
You can buy old games. I remember Mike saying that he saw Smash TV for sale at £3.50. He hasn't got L!ve yet, though, so I couldn't explore it. Geometry Wars Evolved was about £4, I remember. GW is ace.
Squirtle: oh aye? Go on then, what did you think of them? You seem to like PD0, and I thought that was ok.
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♦ "Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
You can buy old games. I remember Mike saying that he saw Smash TV for sale at £3.50. He hasn't got L!ve yet, though, so I couldn't explore it. Geometry Wars Evolved was about £4, I remember. GW is ace.
Squirtle: oh aye? Go on then, what did you think of them? You seem to like PD0, and I thought that was ok.
Well, let me first say that Geometry Wars Evolved is so good, it's almost painful. I'm rubbish at it though, but even so, it's still just ace.
As for the rest of the games:
Quake 4 - awful. Just awful. Shocking frame rate, which sometimes is nigh on unplayable with a few things on screen. Boring vehicle sections that are not integrated into the game at all. Nice looking character models but the backgorunds, especially outside are just dull. It's a really bad port of what seems liks a really boring PC FPS.
Perfect Dark Zero - Better than a lot of people are saying. I like the openness to the levels, the multiple ways of tackling them. The cover moves works excellently well, but I always seem to forget the roll move. Controls feel good, weapons are excellent and it looks amazing (if a little wet). The level on the sea base with the spaceship stretching above you is quite the best thing I have ever seen. It just looks so solid!.
Kameo - Another one that I think looks amazing. Yeah, it's busy, yeah, it's fantasy, but it's Western Fantasy to me, or more precisely, British Fantasy. Fairies, elves, trolls, dragons... Plays nicely too with some good use of the multiple characters.
Condemned - Perhaps the game of the launch line up for me. But I'm gonna review this. So I'll leave it until then. Suffice to say, bloody great.
Call Of Duty - Only a brief play with this, but way in advance of current gen stuff. The smoke clouds and the sense of immersion is pretty bloody incredible. Almost overwhelming in places.
Not so much the anti-you then, Treble, but a few differences of opinion.
Well, let me first say that Geometry Wars Evolved is so good, it's almost painful. I'm rubbish at it though, but even so, it's still just ace.
Well, I've only played the demo and it was seriously nuts. Great stuff.
Quote:
Quake 4 - awful. Just awful. Shocking frame rate, which sometimes is nigh on unplayable with a few things on screen. Boring vehicle sections that are not integrated into the game at all. Nice looking character models but the backgorunds, especially outside are just dull. It's a really bad port of what seems liks a really boring PC FPS.
I mind find this if I play it a bit longer, but I was impressed by the interaction. The vehicles could be the deal-breaker though. The frame rate's a bitch, ain't it?
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Perfect Dark Zero - Better than a lot of people are saying. I like the openness to the levels, the multiple ways of tackling them. The cover moves works excellently well, but I always seem to forget the roll move. Controls feel good, weapons are excellent and it looks amazing (if a little wet). The level on the sea base with the spaceship stretching above you is quite the best thing I have ever seen. It just looks so solid!.
Agreed on all points, from what I played on it.
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Kameo - Another one that I think looks amazing. Yeah, it's busy, yeah, it's fantasy, but it's Western Fantasy to me, or more precisely, British Fantasy. Fairies, elves, trolls, dragons... Plays nicely too with some good use of the multiple characters.
Those design elements are fine...as long as you don't overuse them or make them too pedestrian. Over-elaborate (and yet trite) character models are Rare's constant letdown, as are over-busy screens and lack of innovation. I disagree with you on this one, deffo.
Quote:
Condemned - Perhaps the game of the launch line up for me. But I'm gonna review this. So I'll leave it until then. Suffice to say, bloody great.
Cool, I'll definitely buy it with my 360 then.
Quote:
Call Of Duty - Only a brief play with this, but way in advance of current gen stuff. The smoke clouds and the sense of immersion is pretty bloody incredible. Almost overwhelming in places.
Really?? Looked like an XB1 game to me. Maybe I was on a particularly bland level. Also, dunno about the immersion....it just looked and played like every wartime shooter I've ever seen, tbh. Still, put a bit of time on it and see what you reckon - it might be one of those that just clicks.
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♦ "Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
finally ordered a 360 of my own (form ½ pint ex of NTSC and now of GHZ) and should get it soon. I've put a lot of time on 360 stuff and some of it is mighty impressive. Me and the gf are going to co-play (back seat driver-style) Oblivion first, and i'll be on RR6 in the meantime. More impressions when it turns up ^_^
Cool, 360 ownership on here is a little thin. It would be good to get some impressions of Oblivion.
I'm actually on the brink of caving in and getting one myself. Only the dire lack of funds at the moment is stopping me and the thought of the Wii before Christmas.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
I got PD0 with it (no choice really, although it's an alright game) and borrowed the two I mentioned above plus Quake 4 (as it runs far better on 360 than my laptop).
Expect lots of Oblivion and Lost Planet demo impressions ^_^
finally ordered a 360 of my own (form ½ pint ex of NTSC and now of GHZ) and should get it soon. I've put a lot of time on 360 stuff and some of it is mighty impressive. Me and the gf are going to co-play (back seat driver-style) Oblivion first, and i'll be on RR6 in the meantime. More impressions when it turns up ^_^
Yeah, I've heard that 2nd gen units are coming. Not sure when though. Thing is there's likely to be little fanfare since it will be cosmetically identical I suspect.
My understanding was they'd dropped the power requirements of the internal gubbins so it runs a lot cooler. I'm sure this will appeal to Cacky since he spends a lot of time doing heat management in Armored Core.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
The new model machines aren't going to be on the market until 2007. Quite why, I dunno. Obviously, the shortage was a manufactured one, or they'd be desperate for new models that were cheaper to produce and ran better, incresing consumer confidence. I'm intrigued to know how people are going to transfer saves, downloaded games and demos from their old 20GB HDDs to theor spanking-new 60GB ones. Get around that one, MS.
My machine hasn't arrived yet, but it's PAL and I have my mate's 27" LCD that i'm buying off him that does 720p and 1080i. It's fine having a PAL Xbox, as most of the games get simultaneous UK and US releases, and refresh rate, obviously, isn't a problem.
Yeah, at standard spec you'd have to be a drooling retard to use the 360 as a serious means of storage. I thought the whole point though was you could do media streaming using it. So you stream the media across your home network through the 360s AV processors and then onto your nice big shiny HD tele.
That would make more sense.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
My machine hasn't arrived yet, but it's PAL and I have my mate's 27" LCD that i'm buying off him that does 720p and 1080i. It's fine having a PAL Xbox, as most of the games get simultaneous UK and US releases, and refresh rate, obviously, isn't a problem.
I only mention the PALness because the Japanese NTSC 360 is very cheap and you can nab official games from China for under 25 quid (they are also in English too).
Some of those Asian games work fine on a PAL 360. I bought "Blazing Angels" from Play-Asia (who have a compatibilty chart on the detail page for each of the games). The games appear to be the American release (I assume) just marked as NTSC on the cover. I also have the Asian G.R.A.W which I bought pre-owned for £20 including delivery at NTSC-UK. There are a number of PAL compatible 360 Asian releases.
Some of those Asian games work fine on a PAL 360. I bought "Blazing Angels" from Play-Asia (who have a compatibilty chart on the detail page for each of the games). The games appear to be the American release (I assume) just marked as NTSC on the cover. I also have the Asian G.R.A.W which I bought pre-owned for £20 including delivery at NTSC-UK. There are a number of PAL compatible 360 Asian releases.
Quite a lot of 360 games are multiregioned, all the Ubisoft ones for instance. The thing about the Chinese release is that they are so much cheaper than the US or UK versions.
I had no problems on live with my Asian "Blazing Angel". The only slight concern would be if there were any downloads for the game. I am not sure if they would be compatible.
Hmm useful to know this stuff. Is there any limitation on using marketplace/live with a Japanese 360? or with a PAL 360 and Asian disks?
I am using my 360 on what appears to be the European Live service just fine (downloaded Geometry Wars evolved and Mutant Storm, plus a bunch of other game demos such as Lost Planet). As for using Asian releases on a PAL 360, like I said previously some games are multiregioned anyway, so you need to check which ones before purchasing. In all honesty though, the Japanese 360 cost me very little (about a quarter of the UK price) and it runs beautifully.
Where did you manage to find a Japanese 360 for a quarter of the UK price then?
My brother-in-law nabbed one during launch week, when all the Japanese shopkeepers shat their pants and lowered the price to 18,800 yen (which translated to 88 quid at the time). You can still get the console at a similar price if you look around.
Few will deny that Lost Planet is a great prospect, but how many will be able to spot where this inspiration comes from? Is it the superficially similar-looking Gears of War? I’d guess not – LP has a lot of gloss already, almost as much as GoW, so their third-person perspective is likely coincidence as they were likely dreamt up at the same time. Is it Syphon Filter? Perhaps some of its inspiration is yoinked from Sony’s long-forgotten-but-recently-resurrected franchise, but it’s a smear on the radar rather than a big influence.
The most obvious? Gun Valkyrie? Definitely…in part. The pacing and dynamic almost makes LP seem like a GV semi-sequel, but the lack of an aerial element prevents it having the full GV flavour. But no, the main inspiration is even closer to Capcom’s heart: it’s their own Dreamcast release Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand that it most resembles.
Now, before you all panic and run away, possibly vomiting blood and praying to sonny Jesus for mercy, S:ITDH had a fair bit of potential, I’ll have you know. It was well designed and had lovely effects. Characters were well used and weapons were great. Pity, then, that the camera ruined the experience.
Capcom have obviously decided it is time to resurrect this game type, and have streamlined it. The camera is adjustable, with a typical two-stick setup moving your reticule and body, but with the addition of the bumpers swinging you through 90 degrees with a fast tap. The action sees you trudging through snow, watching your body temperature drop (and collect the crystal-thingies that replenish your plummeting temp) and battling the insectoid bastards that are scattered around the level.
I’ll leave it to Madders to describe the combat (as a birthday treat), but suffice to say, it’s impressive and exciting so far….
It's pretty neat isn't it. Not especially original, but intense.
Basically you blast your way through aliens both big and small similar to Starship Troopers or indeed Gun Valkyrie. Eventually the aliens die and freeze and then you can shatter them with another shot. Weapons are as varied as any fps and there are plenty lying around to scoop up (in the demo at least). The bad guys spawn from generators or come up through the snow from underground (which really shits you up the first time you see it). You also have a grappling hook, but this doesn't really mesh with the combat, rather it's used as a platform scaling and jumpind device.
The best bit though is the mech, which you can load up with chainguns (one for each arm). Piloting the mech gives you massive firepower and just feels meaty if a little lumbering.
Apart from that it's pretty generic: exploding barrels - yep; grenades okey dokey. Could be great if they can keep the levels interesting.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
Apart from that it's pretty generic: exploding barrels - yep; grenades okey dokey. Could be great if they can keep the levels interesting.
Yeah, the demo introduces the elements (like snow! lolz etc.) that can make the game great (good physics, decent weapons, realistic reloads and player movement, the temperature gauge etc.)
Now all we need are decent levels and scenarios to make good use of this. The aforementioned Gears of War, whilst not as pretty, certainly seems to have the scenarios in place.
Capcom vs. some-generic-second-party-developer-for-M$....FIGHT!
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That exciting geeky dash update it meant to be O U T
And here's me in work! I should have taken the day off for EXCITING DASHBOARD UPDATE DAY™!!!
Right, some more on-going impressions in a series of on-going impressions!
Perfect Dark Zero
It's one of those "It's a bit broken, but I like it. Shoot me." games, really. What it does well, it does brilliantly: the atmosphere is great; the level design (so far) works well; the gfx and sfx are spot on; the additions to the core gameplay, like rolls and cover, become integral once you get used to them; the weapon set is fantastic.
Bumbling over their own feet, though, Rare mess up over things like physics, enemy AI and other aspects of the game *ever-so-slightly* important like that. For a game based on stealth (well, if you want to play it properly it is. The difficulty is set too high on Perfect Agent to be played any other way, ammo too scarce, etc. just like the original. And that's a GOOD thing) you can't really be stealthy. Hiding is hit and miss - it only seems to be keyed on distance, so you can stoll at head height passed armed guards, under some spotlights, whistling a loud and jaunty tune and, if you are outside their pre-determined range, you're fine.
You can, on the other hand, crawl past in the shadows, slowly and without making a squeak, but because you're in range you'll be detected. That's a bit of broken gaming, right there Rare. Sweep it up, please.
They're totally standing on the shoulders of giants: everything in the game that hand merit comes from the original, and the old Rare/Free Radical talent. Anything new is shoddy and half-arsed. How something can be so duff in so many areas after so much money and so many years...well, Daikatana and Galleon rubbish that argument, so i'll stop right there
In short, PD0 needs to be played if you fulfill all these criteria:
1) You own a 360
2) You can get it cheap, or can rent/borrow it
3) You adored Perfect Dark
Otherwise, you ain't missing much. Still, I can't put it down so it must have some bizarre hook I can't easily identify....
I really liked Perfect Dark, apart from the frame rate obviously, so I find myself tempted.
I'm really beginning to weaken on the 360. Having Ridge Racer 6 and a VGA cable sat here really isn't helping either.
Think I might go for a HK model, which comes with component and 220v power suppy. Need to check out the Live situation though (can I transfer my existing account to an Asian machine?).
Maybe... maybe...
I've blown my gaming spend on a Drummania setup recently though, so who knows
Yeah, you'll be able to transfer your account. When you do the setup, it asks if you have a pre-existing XBL account. Enter your MS Passport/MSN-style details such as email and password, and it re-activates your old account.
360s are the same all over, hardware-wise. You *will* be able to connect to UK XBL with the foreign machine
Tis nice.
Perfect Dark Zero is pleasantly enjoyable. The console is well designed, the dashboards are excellent. Impressed so far.
Is it a US and UK release? Have you had any problems with the hardware acting up?
Pre-order, or crazy queueing?
dead pixels?.... no wait....
What FacePlate you got?
Yeah like he's going to post again this evening
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"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
Might do... at 3am
Well, 2am...
It's a UK one. Had no problems with it so far. Being blasting through the first four levels of PD0 for most of the evening and playing with the bots in deathmatches (and getting my arse handed to me
). It's good. Really user friendly. Haven't really tried the media capabilities yet, but will do tomorrow. Going to get PGR3 and possibly one more game tomorrow as well. Nice to see the Kameo demo available for free download as well as trials of most of the Xbox Live Arcade stuff.
No face plate yet, no crazy queueing. Pre-ordered from my local indie ages ago and picked it up at 5.30pm last night.
Two questions.
1. What the hell is a face plate?
2. Is XBox Live arcade actually any good? If so it could be the reason for getting a 360 for me.
Good to hear some positive impressions of PD0.
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"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
n00b!
It has replaceable face plates, GBA Micro style (you could argue, in fact, that the Micro has 360 style face plates).
Have a scan on play-asia for 360 accessories
I'm hearing that GAME have disconnected their customer order phone lines this morning, with some online orders stuck in limbo.
Haven't searched the news sites for Tesco queue violence yet though
What the hell is a face plate?
Haven't delved into Live Arcade too much as promised the shopkeep i got it off I would stay off Live until gone midnight. By that point I was pretty tired and thought I'd check it out only briefly. You can buy arcade games for MS Points which come in bundles ranging from 500 points for about £4 to shit loads for £42. You can then use these points to buy stuff from the market place or download arcade games. Stuff like Mutant Storm and Geometry Wars Evolved from PGR3 are available as well as stuff like Gauntlet and some other bits and bobs. Admittedly, having Mame on a modded Xbox is gonna beat the arcade downloads, but it looks ok from a quick perusal. I'll buy some points today and download something. See what it's like.
OK dumb question. I just hadn't realised it had swappable face-plates.
(they really are trying to wring every last cent out of the consumer with this thing).
Pimp my XBox360. Someone better do a Sega themed one, DC or Genesis. Now that I would buy.
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"For the next year most of the 360s will end up in the hands of the hardcore gamers because they are the most eager ones. So the first wave of software will reflect that." - Gerhard Florin, Head of EA Europe
Finally got to play on a mate's, so here are some impressions:
First off, we played all of these in 720p on my mate's 28" LCD, so I'm giving the visuals the best of all possible starts to impress me....
Kameo: generic Rare balls, in my humble opinion. I've always thought their visual style for platform games was ugly; kind of like Nintendo without any of the charm, grace or style. Gameplay looked dull and dated. Other than a couple of nice lighting effects, there's nothing here the Xbox 1 couldn't have done bar the higher res (I didn't see any sections with 1000s of characters on screen, though, that said).
Quake 4: Excellent. Visually, this looks like a top o' the line PC game, so great if a tad plain and..well....PC-looking. It's sort of like a 'best of' compilation of FPSs from the past 4 years. You've got Doom3's spookiness, Halo's squads etc. and it hangs together well. Controls work effectively (Halo's are the default), and the only problem is the chuggy framerate, which - insanely - appears locked at sub-30FPS constantly. If it dropped, fair enough, but it actually stays at this rate without deviation. Odd. Still, a very good FPS that is definitely top-of-current-to-next-gen.
PGR3: More of the same. Very slightly prettier, although hardly stunning (textures are incredibly bland for a start). Basically, probably only worth getting if you're either a PGR fanatic or will cane it on L!ve (which is meant to be aces high).
Call of Duty 2: Solid enough Medal of Honour-style shooter, although it looks completely Xbox1 and last gen. Not really worth a punt as it does nowt new at all.
Need For Speed: Bling!*
*Shite!
Condemed: Solid-seeming Silent Hill-style game, with some nice Eternal Darkness-type flashes of memory/psychic ability. Although it doesn't look at all like a next-gen title, it's pleasant-looking (if you can call a game by the makers of F.E.A.R. 'pleasant-looking') and stylistically solid. I might pick this one up in future for a whirl: combat is restrictive but fairly realistic, and the atmosphere is sharp and tense. Not cutting-edge Survival Horror, but intriguing nonetheless.
Perfect Dark 0: Odd. It's by far the best looking game of the release bunch, with some fabulous reload animations, great motion blur on swift movements and nice controls that satisfy. On the other hand, the garish environments often make your eyes bleed, especially with the excessive bump mapping. It all becomes a bit searing on the retinas, and makes the arrows on the floor (which everyone decried when they saw the vids) almost essential until you learn the maps, because there's no definition to the levels.
Controls are spot-on, with any configuration available and tweaking well catered for. Weapon balance seems a touch off so far, although I only played with the P9P, MagSec, some type of SMG and a shotty. The physics are a bit floaty, with enemies often taking quite a while to drop (Goldeneye players will remember the irritation of enemy models getting in the way by taking ages to fall over, blocking your vision and gunfire etc.) and the armour bursting off is just fucking ridiculous.
So it's an odd game. Loads of PD1 stuff is there, with gizmos, secondary objectives, loads of funky secondary and tertiary gun uses. Levels can be tackled in various ways, and the ducking and rolling works really, really well, surprisingly. Still, it's one that's imperfect - inexcusable for a game with a development time as long as this one's. Worth owning but not essential (unless the L!ve play is as good as people are saying) if just for the memories and the quirkiness.
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♦
"Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
Wow, Treble, it's like you're the anti-me.
People seem to be more interested in the "Arcade" I can't remember the name. Anyone got any playtime with that?
You can buy old games. I remember Mike saying that he saw Smash TV for sale at £3.50. He hasn't got L!ve yet, though, so I couldn't explore it. Geometry Wars Evolved was about £4, I remember. GW is ace.
Squirtle: oh aye? Go on then, what did you think of them? You seem to like PD0, and I thought that was ok.
______
♦
"Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
You can buy old games. I remember Mike saying that he saw Smash TV for sale at £3.50. He hasn't got L!ve yet, though, so I couldn't explore it. Geometry Wars Evolved was about £4, I remember. GW is ace.
Squirtle: oh aye? Go on then, what did you think of them? You seem to like PD0, and I thought that was ok.
Well, let me first say that Geometry Wars Evolved is so good, it's almost painful. I'm rubbish at it though, but even so, it's still just ace.
As for the rest of the games:
Quake 4 - awful. Just awful. Shocking frame rate, which sometimes is nigh on unplayable with a few things on screen. Boring vehicle sections that are not integrated into the game at all. Nice looking character models but the backgorunds, especially outside are just dull. It's a really bad port of what seems liks a really boring PC FPS.
Perfect Dark Zero - Better than a lot of people are saying. I like the openness to the levels, the multiple ways of tackling them. The cover moves works excellently well, but I always seem to forget the roll move. Controls feel good, weapons are excellent and it looks amazing (if a little wet). The level on the sea base with the spaceship stretching above you is quite the best thing I have ever seen. It just looks so solid!.
Kameo - Another one that I think looks amazing. Yeah, it's busy, yeah, it's fantasy, but it's Western Fantasy to me, or more precisely, British Fantasy. Fairies, elves, trolls, dragons... Plays nicely too with some good use of the multiple characters.
Condemned - Perhaps the game of the launch line up for me. But I'm gonna review this. So I'll leave it until then. Suffice to say, bloody great.
Call Of Duty - Only a brief play with this, but way in advance of current gen stuff. The smoke clouds and the sense of immersion is pretty bloody incredible. Almost overwhelming in places.
Not so much the anti-you then, Treble, but a few differences of opinion.
Well, let me first say that Geometry Wars Evolved is so good, it's almost painful. I'm rubbish at it though, but even so, it's still just ace.
Well, I've only played the demo and it was seriously nuts. Great stuff.
Quake 4 - awful. Just awful. Shocking frame rate, which sometimes is nigh on unplayable with a few things on screen. Boring vehicle sections that are not integrated into the game at all. Nice looking character models but the backgorunds, especially outside are just dull. It's a really bad port of what seems liks a really boring PC FPS.
I mind find this if I play it a bit longer, but I was impressed by the interaction. The vehicles could be the deal-breaker though. The frame rate's a bitch, ain't it?
Perfect Dark Zero - Better than a lot of people are saying. I like the openness to the levels, the multiple ways of tackling them. The cover moves works excellently well, but I always seem to forget the roll move. Controls feel good, weapons are excellent and it looks amazing (if a little wet). The level on the sea base with the spaceship stretching above you is quite the best thing I have ever seen. It just looks so solid!.
Agreed on all points, from what I played on it.
Kameo - Another one that I think looks amazing. Yeah, it's busy, yeah, it's fantasy, but it's Western Fantasy to me, or more precisely, British Fantasy. Fairies, elves, trolls, dragons... Plays nicely too with some good use of the multiple characters.
Those design elements are fine...as long as you don't overuse them or make them too pedestrian. Over-elaborate (and yet trite) character models are Rare's constant letdown, as are over-busy screens and lack of innovation. I disagree with you on this one, deffo.
Condemned - Perhaps the game of the launch line up for me. But I'm gonna review this. So I'll leave it until then. Suffice to say, bloody great.
Cool, I'll definitely buy it with my 360 then.
Call Of Duty - Only a brief play with this, but way in advance of current gen stuff. The smoke clouds and the sense of immersion is pretty bloody incredible. Almost overwhelming in places.
Really?? Looked like an XB1 game to me. Maybe I was on a particularly bland level. Also, dunno about the immersion....it just looked and played like every wartime shooter I've ever seen, tbh. Still, put a bit of time on it and see what you reckon - it might be one of those that just clicks.
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♦
"Obviously some sort of anti-menstrual reference in the world of gay utopian fantasy"
finally ordered a 360 of my own (form ½ pint ex of NTSC and now of GHZ) and should get it soon. I've put a lot of time on 360 stuff and some of it is mighty impressive. Me and the gf are going to co-play (back seat driver-style) Oblivion first, and i'll be on RR6 in the meantime. More impressions when it turns up ^_^
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Cool, 360 ownership on here is a little thin. It would be good to get some impressions of Oblivion.
I'm actually on the brink of caving in and getting one myself. Only the dire lack of funds at the moment is stopping me and the thought of the Wii before Christmas.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
I got PD0 with it (no choice really, although it's an alright game) and borrowed the two I mentioned above plus Quake 4 (as it runs far better on 360 than my laptop).
Expect lots of Oblivion and Lost Planet demo impressions ^_^
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finally ordered a 360 of my own (form ½ pint ex of NTSC and now of GHZ) and should get it soon. I've put a lot of time on 360 stuff and some of it is mighty impressive. Me and the gf are going to co-play (back seat driver-style) Oblivion first, and i'll be on RR6 in the meantime. More impressions when it turns up ^_^
Is it a PAL 360?
Treble, I nopticed your response to the 360 in the trading forum at NTSC-UK.
I presume you are enjoying your 360 ownership? Are you playing in high def?
Xbox Gamertag - RogsR34UK
Are you playing in high def?
Treble(TM). High Def since 1995
my housemate is talking about getting a 360, something like £275?
Word on the street is a 60Gig drive is due soon? is it worth waiting for that?
Probably not. I mean what the hell are you going to use it for? Media Centre? I thought you already had a chipped brick to do all that shit anyway.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
one of my 360 buddies has a few gazillion Oblivion saves, and he's used half the drive.
Also, what with the demos etc being a good .5 gig on average (rando-stat), and game patches being nominal and whatever...
Who knows, also word on a similar street is that the 2nd generation 360s are due at some point.
Its all grotesque speculation on my part.
Yeah, I've heard that 2nd gen units are coming. Not sure when though. Thing is there's likely to be little fanfare since it will be cosmetically identical I suspect.
My understanding was they'd dropped the power requirements of the internal gubbins so it runs a lot cooler. I'm sure this will appeal to Cacky since he spends a lot of time doing heat management in Armored Core.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
The new model machines aren't going to be on the market until 2007. Quite why, I dunno. Obviously, the shortage was a manufactured one, or they'd be desperate for new models that were cheaper to produce and ran better, incresing consumer confidence. I'm intrigued to know how people are going to transfer saves, downloaded games and demos from their old 20GB HDDs to theor spanking-new 60GB ones. Get around that one, MS.
My machine hasn't arrived yet, but it's PAL and I have my mate's 27" LCD that i'm buying off him that does 720p and 1080i. It's fine having a PAL Xbox, as most of the games get simultaneous UK and US releases, and refresh rate, obviously, isn't a problem.
Pfft, of COURSE i'm HD Ready™!
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I know of folk who had to use a memory card to transfer saves from kn@Xor3d xbox 360s, dunno how big they are.
But like you say, if you have all your prized multimedia stuff and saves etcetcetcetc then.... what do you do?
Yeah, at standard spec you'd have to be a drooling retard to use the 360 as a serious means of storage. I thought the whole point though was you could do media streaming using it. So you stream the media across your home network through the 360s AV processors and then onto your nice big shiny HD tele.
That would make more sense.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
My machine hasn't arrived yet, but it's PAL and I have my mate's 27" LCD that i'm buying off him that does 720p and 1080i. It's fine having a PAL Xbox, as most of the games get simultaneous UK and US releases, and refresh rate, obviously, isn't a problem.
I only mention the PALness because the Japanese NTSC 360 is very cheap and you can nab official games from China for under 25 quid (they are also in English too).
Some of those Asian games work fine on a PAL 360. I bought "Blazing Angels" from Play-Asia (who have a compatibilty chart on the detail page for each of the games). The games appear to be the American release (I assume) just marked as NTSC on the cover. I also have the Asian G.R.A.W which I bought pre-owned for £20 including delivery at NTSC-UK. There are a number of PAL compatible 360 Asian releases.
Xbox Gamertag - RogsR34UK
Some of those Asian games work fine on a PAL 360. I bought "Blazing Angels" from Play-Asia (who have a compatibilty chart on the detail page for each of the games). The games appear to be the American release (I assume) just marked as NTSC on the cover. I also have the Asian G.R.A.W which I bought pre-owned for £20 including delivery at NTSC-UK. There are a number of PAL compatible 360 Asian releases.
Quite a lot of 360 games are multiregioned, all the Ubisoft ones for instance. The thing about the Chinese release is that they are so much cheaper than the US or UK versions.
Hmm useful to know this stuff. Is there any limitation on using marketplace/live with a Japanese 360? or with a PAL 360 and Asian disks?
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
I had no problems on live with my Asian "Blazing Angel". The only slight concern would be if there were any downloads for the game. I am not sure if they would be compatible.
Xbox Gamertag - RogsR34UK
Hmm useful to know this stuff. Is there any limitation on using marketplace/live with a Japanese 360? or with a PAL 360 and Asian disks?
I am using my 360 on what appears to be the European Live service just fine (downloaded Geometry Wars evolved and Mutant Storm, plus a bunch of other game demos such as Lost Planet). As for using Asian releases on a PAL 360, like I said previously some games are multiregioned anyway, so you need to check which ones before purchasing. In all honesty though, the Japanese 360 cost me very little (about a quarter of the UK price) and it runs beautifully.
Where did you manage to find a Japanese 360 for a quarter of the UK price then?
Xbox Gamertag - RogsR34UK
His brother-in-law nabbed it on launch weekend if I'm not mistaken.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
I wonder if the live service uses the reverse on your IP to work out where you are?
Something like GeoIP
http://www.maxmind.com/app/locate_my_ip
'Cos that'd be good.
I haven't played arounf enough with Nintendo WiFi but I think "Local" games are set by the region of the game. At least they were in Mario Kart DS
Where did you manage to find a Japanese 360 for a quarter of the UK price then?
My brother-in-law nabbed one during launch week, when all the Japanese shopkeepers shat their pants and lowered the price to 18,800 yen (which translated to 88 quid at the time). You can still get the console at a similar price if you look around.
Got one for my birthday!
Loving it so far. Lost Planet Demo seems very accomplished
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
Few will deny that Lost Planet is a great prospect, but how many will be able to spot where this inspiration comes from? Is it the superficially similar-looking Gears of War? I’d guess not – LP has a lot of gloss already, almost as much as GoW, so their third-person perspective is likely coincidence as they were likely dreamt up at the same time. Is it Syphon Filter? Perhaps some of its inspiration is yoinked from Sony’s long-forgotten-but-recently-resurrected franchise, but it’s a smear on the radar rather than a big influence.
The most obvious? Gun Valkyrie? Definitely…in part. The pacing and dynamic almost makes LP seem like a GV semi-sequel, but the lack of an aerial element prevents it having the full GV flavour. But no, the main inspiration is even closer to Capcom’s heart: it’s their own Dreamcast release Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand that it most resembles.
Now, before you all panic and run away, possibly vomiting blood and praying to sonny Jesus for mercy, S:ITDH had a fair bit of potential, I’ll have you know. It was well designed and had lovely effects. Characters were well used and weapons were great. Pity, then, that the camera ruined the experience.
Capcom have obviously decided it is time to resurrect this game type, and have streamlined it. The camera is adjustable, with a typical two-stick setup moving your reticule and body, but with the addition of the bumpers swinging you through 90 degrees with a fast tap. The action sees you trudging through snow, watching your body temperature drop (and collect the crystal-thingies that replenish your plummeting temp) and battling the insectoid bastards that are scattered around the level.
I’ll leave it to Madders to describe the combat (as a birthday treat), but suffice to say, it’s impressive and exciting so far….
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It's pretty neat isn't it. Not especially original, but intense.
Basically you blast your way through aliens both big and small similar to Starship Troopers or indeed Gun Valkyrie. Eventually the aliens die and freeze and then you can shatter them with another shot. Weapons are as varied as any fps and there are plenty lying around to scoop up (in the demo at least). The bad guys spawn from generators or come up through the snow from underground (which really shits you up the first time you see it). You also have a grappling hook, but this doesn't really mesh with the combat, rather it's used as a platform scaling and jumpind device.
The best bit though is the mech, which you can load up with chainguns (one for each arm). Piloting the mech gives you massive firepower and just feels meaty if a little lumbering.
Apart from that it's pretty generic: exploding barrels - yep; grenades okey dokey. Could be great if they can keep the levels interesting.
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"Anyone who's played Namco's Cyber Sled and wished, however remotely, for a home version will be the first to figure it out:... - Tim Rogers
That exciting geeky dash update it meant to be O U T
Apart from that it's pretty generic: exploding barrels - yep; grenades okey dokey. Could be great if they can keep the levels interesting.
Yeah, the demo introduces the elements (like snow! lolz etc.) that can make the game great (good physics, decent weapons, realistic reloads and player movement, the temperature gauge etc.)
Now all we need are decent levels and scenarios to make good use of this. The aforementioned Gears of War, whilst not as pretty, certainly seems to have the scenarios in place.
Capcom vs. some-generic-second-party-developer-for-M$....FIGHT!
That exciting geeky dash update it meant to be O U T
And here's me in work! I should have taken the day off for EXCITING DASHBOARD UPDATE DAY™!!!
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Right, some more on-going impressions in a series of on-going impressions!
Perfect Dark Zero
It's one of those "It's a bit broken, but I like it. Shoot me." games, really. What it does well, it does brilliantly: the atmosphere is great; the level design (so far) works well; the gfx and sfx are spot on; the additions to the core gameplay, like rolls and cover, become integral once you get used to them; the weapon set is fantastic.
Bumbling over their own feet, though, Rare mess up over things like physics, enemy AI and other aspects of the game *ever-so-slightly* important like that. For a game based on stealth (well, if you want to play it properly it is. The difficulty is set too high on Perfect Agent to be played any other way, ammo too scarce, etc. just like the original. And that's a GOOD thing) you can't really be stealthy. Hiding is hit and miss - it only seems to be keyed on distance, so you can stoll at head height passed armed guards, under some spotlights, whistling a loud and jaunty tune and, if you are outside their pre-determined range, you're fine.
You can, on the other hand, crawl past in the shadows, slowly and without making a squeak, but because you're in range you'll be detected. That's a bit of broken gaming, right there Rare. Sweep it up, please.
They're totally standing on the shoulders of giants: everything in the game that hand merit comes from the original, and the old Rare/Free Radical talent. Anything new is shoddy and half-arsed. How something can be so duff in so many areas after so much money and so many years...well, Daikatana and Galleon rubbish that argument, so i'll stop right there
In short, PD0 needs to be played if you fulfill all these criteria:
1) You own a 360
2) You can get it cheap, or can rent/borrow it
3) You adored Perfect Dark
Otherwise, you ain't missing much. Still, I can't put it down so it must have some bizarre hook I can't easily identify....
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I really liked Perfect Dark, apart from the frame rate obviously, so I find myself tempted.
I'm really beginning to weaken on the 360. Having Ridge Racer 6 and a VGA cable sat here really isn't helping either.
Think I might go for a HK model, which comes with component and 220v power suppy. Need to check out the Live situation though (can I transfer my existing account to an Asian machine?).
Maybe... maybe...
I've blown my gaming spend on a Drummania setup recently though, so who knows
Yeah, you'll be able to transfer your account. When you do the setup, it asks if you have a pre-existing XBL account. Enter your MS Passport/MSN-style details such as email and password, and it re-activates your old account.
360s are the same all over, hardware-wise. You *will* be able to connect to UK XBL with the foreign machine
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Hmm, that would depend on me knowing those details...