Im not 100% sure what to make of it yet. Im not that impressed with the controls, I find the PSP stick too stiff at times so I wouldn't mind seeing how this plays with the motion sensor that is supposed to be released in Europe. The level design (at the moment) appears to be rather too linear as well. Unlike SMB where there are a number of ways to complete a level on Mercury it seems most only have one, or possibly two, routes to goal.
I've not bought anything other than a handful of old Saturn bits and pieces for ages. Been on the rock and roll for the last couple of months so can't afford anything unfortunately.
So this week i have been mostly playing...Mr Driller Drill Spirits on DS. Either i'm a bit of a spacker when it comes to this game or it's rock hard. Can't even do 800m and struggle with 500m!
Just working my way through Doom 3 on XB and enjoying the online co-op when friends are around.
Besides that, learning XB Live Halo 2 from the ground up since Bungie decided to trash the game mechanics and weigh it in favour of US players when it comes to lag/latency issues.
Finally getting to grips with Gradius 5, but as Caco knows, I'm finding it tough and its making me feel like a n00b.
Twisted Metal Head On.
Dull, dull, dull..'nuff said!
Densha PSP
The densha mode isn't quite what I was expecting but there is still plenty of fun to be had in trying to work my way through it. The Simulator mode is a nice addition but haven't spent too much time with it yet.
Brother in Arms: Road to Hill 30
First time I have ever played this kind of game and have been enjoying it a lot, though i'm sure big fans of the genre could find plenty of faults.
Band bros
Counterstrike Source
Winning Eleven 8 Liveware Evolution
Really enjoy Band Bros, Countrike Source is great, we have 4 player co-op vs Bots, good fun, and WE8LE is just fantastic, started an Italien League which promptly filled my memory card up.
The last two games I bought were Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Jade Empire, both of them the limited editions. RE4 about killed me and the wife on dark skulkers, so SC has been pushed back whilst I play on Jade Empire, which itself is digital sex. I love it.
Well this will be my first official open senses post/reply wotsit.
Bought-
My girlfriend bought me Devil May Cry 3 for my birthday.
Playing-
Knights Of The Old Republic. What can I say? It's ace! This is my second time through it now and I'm still loving it.
Also playing Mario 64 DS which is in Japanese which makes it extra fun!
"...and I captured him using a combination of small arms fire and hand to hand techniques!"
Devil May Cry 3 frightens. It's great to watch someone like Saurian play it, because you can appreciate the skill and style of the whole thing, but when I try it's brain overload
Next big thing to crack is Trizeal for me - not sure whether I should wear the bandana that came with it when I play or not.
Writing the T3K review has got me right back into that, and I'm still steadily improving. Check out the second movie on the review page it's amazing what that game can throw at you:
Also Street Fighter Anniversary collection is sat here waiting for me to reactivate my Live account... I still cling to the belief I can master it again, after all these years since playing Turbo to death
Devil May Cry 3 frightens. It's great to watch someone like Saurian play it, because you can appreciate the skill and style of the whole thing, but when I try it's brain overload
It can be, if you try to do everything from the off. However, those nice people at Capcom, have graded the learning curve very nicely. You pick up little facets of the gameplay as you progress and then merge that into something coherent later on. Admittedly, many other games do something similar but DMC3 is intentionally thought out this way, to the point that the stylistic satisfaction kicks in post game completion. I find it interesting really; DMC3 starts off as a linear mission based game but the more you understand the nuances of how the game works the less it becomes a rigid singleplayer game and more of a stylised sandbox to have lots and lots of fun in.
The problem with this is that many people 1) don't complete the game in order to understand how the game works fully and 2) simply can't be arsed to play it if they do. Their loss really, because DMC is uniquely intense game.
Wilkommen Denti. Denti's a mate of mine from RL.
PC: Denti's actually very good at roaming 3D action games but, naturally, not Saurian level. I have pretty much given up on these type of games as i'm bored of the genre, but was quite good at them.
(Denti: Saurian is a mate of ours from another forum, and is a bit...er...tasty when it comes to any reaction-based games)
My point is, yeah, these type of games are pretty tough. DMC was a really hard game at times, but never to the point where you got sick of it. If DMC3 has the same balance, it sounds like a game that really deserves to be bought.
By the way, I bought bastard Liquid bastard Denti a copy of Castlevania: SOTN over a year ago and he hasn't even put it in his machine yet. Nor has he even opened the MGS3 I bought him for Christmas.
Well we could make an aircraft hanger out of yours!
The thing is if the game is good, really good I'll play it again. And again. I recently played Deus Ex again on the PS2. Which was ace. I've lost track of the amount of times I've played on Halo. Which I completed on Legendary I hasten to add...
I'm skintarooney too, so I've not been buying much of late. However I've picked up the odd thing or too.
Bought
Wario Ware Touch
Pokemon Dash (yuk, might review this stinker if I can be arsed to finish it)
Trizeal (sitting at home 5000 miles away still in it's cellophane.
Playing...
NGEN Racing (expect review soon)
Some Interactive Fiction
Macross (PS2)
Because I enjoy playing the game and I've yet to S rank all the missions. I did about half of them when I was playing it heavily first time around, so I'm going back now to see if I can knock a couple more on the head.
Thanks for the AC3 advice, it hadn't occured to me that the enemy ACs would have ammo limits. DOH
Because I enjoy playing the game and I've yet to S rank all the missions. I did about half of them when I was playing it heavily first time around, so I'm going back now to see if I can knock a couple more on the head.
Thanks for the AC3 advice, it hadn't occured to me that the enemy ACs would have ammo limits. DOH
There is another Macross game still in development, by AM2 obviously, so that's good news at least.
How come Sega and AM2 generally don't publicise their involvement? Or am I reading the wrong websites?
It's not officially publicised anywahere as of yet, I am going on my contacts that work at SEGA.
However, it's worth noting, in Japan a publisher has rights over the publicity of a game (in this case that would be Bandai) and the develope has to keep schtum. This is why there is nowt on the AM2 site even about the original Macross game.
You know the more I play that game the more I love it. Putting aside the issue of firing missiles in Battroid mode (probably ommitted for gameplay reasons) the game just feels so damn good.
I would love to see what AM2 are cooking up for the next one, I assume we will be seeing the YF fighters in full effect and can expect more epic conflicts: The last level of the first game was :jawdrop:.
if they can get some of the Macross Zero stuff in there too then we could be in for a real treat. The final battle and the canyon battle spring readily to mind as stand out Macross moments.
Popped down to Gamestation in Bracknell at Lunchtime and found a copy of Galactic Attack on the Saturn for a tenner.
Probably not a bad investment, I've no doubt the PAL version is inferior in some way to Layer Section, but considering a mint PAL copy went on ebay for over £20 I don't think I've done too badly
--EDIT-- seems that on further research it runs fine in 60Hz in full screen Yay! Shame about the shit title, Rayforce or Layer Section sound a gajillion times better the gaylactic attack
The latter was sumptious in terms of aesthetic and atmosphere, though equally woeful in terms of the fundamentally broken mechanics of camera system and erratic locking-on. Where it deviated from the original was in some much needed diversity in being able to change characters, and by offering a slightly more extensive non-linear path (bonus missions etc.). It also helped that it wasn't nearly as frustrating as Otogi over the course of progression, and didn't punish the player as much for flawed system elements that aren't properly ever under control.
As for Stranger's Wrath... if it wasn't for Resident Evil 4, it would be my game of the year so far. Yes, it gets repetitive; though having said that the atmosphere, environment, fludity of travel and movement, not to mention the ability to tackle the game in several different ways, were just a few of the reasons which helped it to stand out in the memory. Oddworld's best game in a long, long time... and a shame to see them go out when they were possibly about to hit their peak.
Darwinia was another title I was enjoying a lot on the PC... a simple 'strategy/arcade' title that has minimalist retro/futurist style visuals. Once again, a title that appeals to me because it relies on atmosphere to help generate a further need to continue to play. I particularly appreciate games that raise a player's level of compulsion via the development of mood and tone.
Unfortunately, I lost my save game due to my PC crashing big-time. :/
Recently completed Panzer Dragoon/Panzer Dragoon Zwei back to back, while also playing San Andreas on and off.
172 hours in now, and its still amazingly vast. An amazing game... especially when you jump out from a passenger jet thousands of feet up in the air and parachute slowly down over an area equivalent to the grand canyon, or LA.
Made a fair few purchases recently that i'm waiting for. Went on a cheapy retro kick and filled in some stuff I either used to have and sold cos it was PAL in tatty boxes and with huge borders, or that I never owned before:
Ridge Racer 4 [PSone]
Ghost in the Shell [PSone]
X Men [Saturn]
Vampire Savior & RAM [Saturn] - (I already have this, but saw it cheap and will sell it on for a profit )
Street Fighter Zero
Street Fighter Zero 2 [both Saturn]
Yoshi's Island [SFC]
Street Fighter 2 Turbo [SFC]
Wonder Boy 3 [MD]
PC Genjin 2 [PC Engine]
Playing....
Wip3out.
Totally hooked at the moment. I can't put it down ^^
Just got Golds on all single races on Vector, doing it for Venom now.
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Treb, your not wrong about switch modding the Saturn. :jawdrop: It's like playing a totally different console. Playing the Japanese stuff in 60Hz is awesome. Radiant Silvergun just feels so zippy now. Looks like you have a fair few fighter there to keep you going
Also I'd love to have a whirl at Ghost in the Shell, I played the demo briefly when it was released and really liked the freedom of climbing walls and buildings in the tank.
Were you just using an Action Replay or something before, on your Saturn? The difference is huge, isn't it?
Yeah, they all rule. Haven't had Zero 1 since I had the PAL PS1 version, nearly ten years ago. Borders, yuck. It's worth owning the Saturn one just for the artwork section and the 'Dramatic Battle' (Ken and Ryu vs. Vega).
I had PAL Saturn Street Fighter Alpha 2, but sold this as it was tatty. X Men, same.
The SFC one is just nostalgia (and it cost about £3 )
Never played GitS myself either, but it was only about £4 and has a good reputation.
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
The dramatic battle was available on the PAL PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha (not sure if you're suggesting it wasn't). It was really good fun with two equally matched players kicking the living shit out of Bison - beautiful!
Soz, badly phrased: yeah, me and my mates played it for hours, it's tons 'o' fun. I just meant I had to re-buy it for this feature alone. Again, think this one was only £6 odd...
/checks
....my mistake: £4.21.
Zero 2 cost me £4.67
}=]
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
I'm really struggling with games at the moment so haven't bought anything for a while and wont until Killer 7 hits Canada.
PLAYING ALONE IN MY ROOM
Viewtiful Joe 2
Devil May cry 3
PLAYING IN LOUNG WITH HOUSEMATE/FRIENDS
Def Jam : Fight for NY
Resident Evil: Mercenaries
PLAYING AT/ON WAY TO/FROM WORK
Catch! Touch! Yoshi!
Advance Wars
I think the probably with VJ2 and DMC3 is I can't see anything on the horizon that's going to give me closure. I managed to tire myself out on VJ2 in the 36 Chambers for a good few months and moved onto DMC3. But I've started back in the main game again now and find myself switching between both games until silly O'clock.
Reading that back it sounds quite negative - of course I'm loving these games, I just worry that I'm missing out on new gaming experiences.
Training up in the dark arts of Ibuki and Necro, along with everybody else really! Oro and his dirt Tengu Stone set ups and playing with Urien and his Aegis Reflector.
Addicted to love...of 3S!!
----------------------------
Alan Moore - i worship thee!
Just completed Saga in two ten hour spells. Awesome stuff.
Madbury - switching on the Saturn makes a big difference. The speed and screen increase on PDS is huge, though some of the audio skips now and again in minor in-game cut scenes.
I've not touched Nights for a long time actually. Not since I had it modded.
I might have to though. Saga doesn't look squished anymore thank god. I assume the audio skipping is to do with the change in refresh rate or something like that, but playing that game in full screen is bliss. I may have to go back to re-discovering some of my Saturn collection myself.
It's all been PS2, GameCube and PSP for me mainly over the past few months.
Anyway, when's NiGHTS going to be covered on this site? I thought Treble would have it as high priority for a feature.
Madders:
Yeah, it's sometimes tough to tell though. Just to confuse you even further, some non-optimised games will frame skip in 60hz, when they shouldn't, whereas some already optimised games won't frame skip...when they should. My feeble brain doesn't even pretend to understand why :?
Concept:
Heh, yeah
Doing the game justice, whilst staying level-headed and not being a "OMG SO GOOOD \m/!!!eleven" fanboy, is going to take work >_<
It's an easy trap to fall into. I remember one bloke was so enamoured with one particular game, he gave up trying to review it and turned it into a 10,000 word essay....
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Yeah, I've noticed that optimised games tend to be stretched off the top and bottom of the screen slightly. I never thought I'd say this... but I prefer my PAL Saturn games to be unoptimised so I can run them in full screen/full speed glory.
As for the 10,000 word essay. Damn. Who'd ever write so much on a videogame, eh?
That means I could be playing Galactic Attack aka layer section 17.5% faster than designed. It would seem like cheating to play it at proper speed now.
One way to tell - switch to 60Hz after the game is booted, and see if some parts disappear off the bottom of the screen. It's fairly easy to tell this in NiGHTS I seem to remember.
Having said that... I'm fairly sure some games actually adapt to 50 or 60Hz accordingly - I know the menus do in Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Just completed Orta again. Great game, but I can't stand the last level. It's an exercise of how to poorly design a boss battle to frustrate the player. :/
The final battle where you have to perform a timed lock-on for Abadd's second and third forms to avoid being decimated by his lasers. At no point does the game make it clear what you have to do, and although it isn't hard to figure out, the timing and required base-wing form change aren't alluded to. You basically have to learn it through repeated trial and error, and repeated trial and error that requires a length of time for his first form.
The music and graphical design is also poor during this segment. The colour scheme doesn't feel panzerish, and the music is ill fitting for the eventual conclusion of the game, witholding tension and drama, sounding all too generic.
Compared to the ends of Zwei and Saga it's a real let down. Episodes 1,2,3,5,6,7,8 are all great though so the flaws are nothing too drastic to the game's overall quality.
Back on-topic, my mate picked me up a PAL PSone from Warrington Gamestation, with a free clear pad thrown in, and a free 3rd party memory card (which i'd never, ever use, but is a nice gesture ^^). Grand total? £15. Just ordered a modchip for it for a tenner.
As for playing, me and my mates had a big resurgence in playing Street Fighter Zero 3 on the Saturn. This one's the best version (the DC one had incorrect sprite sizes and the timings were slightly out, plus the Saturn pads are the greatest) and my word, it looks incredible. It's so cartoony, and the design is some of the best ever seen, with the best backgrounds Capcom have ever done, in my opinion. We had a big sesh on it yesterday afternoon, and I continued to kick some anus when I got home.
I stuck it on Dramatic Battle, and had me as Fei Long and a CPU T.Hawk versus the comm. You fight every single charcter, and it's really cool. Honestly, any of you lot own the game, throw it on and take another look at it. Superb.
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
I'm about to attempt Vagrant Story again (consistently giving up on it previously), which I love from a stylistic and atmospheric point of view.
The problem is that it features a system which unfairly starts to make it hard for the player without a proper tutorial system after an hour in. Most of Squaresoft games gradually bring you into the fold, but Vagrant Story feels as though it drops you in to a hard-to-fathom system without the expected learning curve.
On one level it could be commended for that... on the other, (and where I'm coming from) less so.
Still. It has one of the best openings to any game I've played, rivaling Silent Hill, Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 4 (to use fairly recent/randomly thought up examples).
It does. I made a post on rllmuk the other day about this game, basically saying it should map changes to L1, L2, L3 etc. so that you can quickly scroll through armour types without resorting to the menu. The Vagrant Story system as it stands is far too over-complicated and unintuitive.
The problem with Square's forays outside of RPGs is that sometimes they are darn near perfect (Einhander), sometimes they are middling and need work on the combat system (Vagrant Story, Parasite Eve), and sometimes they are just plain shite (The Bouncer). If they stuck to their guns and made more sequels to these innovative games, they'd get better results. Seems like they try something new about once ever three years, get disheartened and cower back behind their RPGs.
______
♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
It's surprising their output isn't more varied, especially after the merger with Enix. I was sort of expecting some innovation after that.
Personally I don't care too much for Einhander, I find the gunpod system too fiddly to manage in the heat of the battle. I know there are simpler ships, but playing with fixed weapons just seems pointless.
Bushido Blade is good and deserves a sequel. The bouncer is awful though isn't it.
Lots of stuff I'm trying to play right now...
Densha de GO! PSP
Electroplankton
Kirby DS
Come On Baby (takes effort)
The next biggie for me is Trizeal, heven't had chance to play that yet. Need to get me vga tate setup back together
Bought:
Mercury (PSP)
Playing:
The above
Im not 100% sure what to make of it yet. Im not that impressed with the controls, I find the PSP stick too stiff at times so I wouldn't mind seeing how this plays with the motion sensor that is supposed to be released in Europe. The level design (at the moment) appears to be rather too linear as well. Unlike SMB where there are a number of ways to complete a level on Mercury it seems most only have one, or possibly two, routes to goal.
I've not bought anything other than a handful of old Saturn bits and pieces for ages. Been on the rock and roll for the last couple of months so can't afford anything unfortunately.
So this week i have been mostly playing...Mr Driller Drill Spirits on DS. Either i'm a bit of a spacker when it comes to this game or it's rock hard. Can't even do 800m and struggle with 500m!
Just working my way through Doom 3 on XB and enjoying the online co-op when friends are around.
Besides that, learning XB Live Halo 2 from the ground up since Bungie decided to trash the game mechanics and weigh it in favour of US players when it comes to lag/latency issues.
Finally getting to grips with Gradius 5, but as Caco knows, I'm finding it tough and its making me feel like a n00b.
Recent Additions:
Twisted Metal Head On.
Dull, dull, dull..'nuff said!
Densha PSP
The densha mode isn't quite what I was expecting but there is still plenty of fun to be had in trying to work my way through it. The Simulator mode is a nice addition but haven't spent too much time with it yet.
Brother in Arms: Road to Hill 30
First time I have ever played this kind of game and have been enjoying it a lot, though i'm sure big fans of the genre could find plenty of faults.
Bought:
Electroplankton
Kirby DS
Playing:
Band bros
Counterstrike Source
Winning Eleven 8 Liveware Evolution
Really enjoy Band Bros, Countrike Source is great, we have 4 player co-op vs Bots, good fun, and WE8LE is just fantastic, started an Italien League which promptly filled my memory card up.
Bought:
Wipeout Pure
Mercury
Remote Control Dandy
Remote Control Dandy SF
Real Robots Final Attack
Meteos
Darwinia
Playing:
Meteos
Remote Control Dandy
Remote Control Dandy SF
Darwinia
Real Robots Final Attack
Finished:
Mercury
Wipeout Pure
---
Will review the latter ("finished") games at some point in the near future.
The last two games I bought were Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Jade Empire, both of them the limited editions. RE4 about killed me and the wife on dark skulkers, so SC has been pushed back whilst I play on Jade Empire, which itself is digital sex. I love it.
Bought:
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (xbox)
Halo 2
Playing:
The above since release.
I need a new game :shocked:
Well this will be my first official open senses post/reply wotsit.
Bought-
My girlfriend bought me Devil May Cry 3 for my birthday.
Playing-
Knights Of The Old Republic. What can I say? It's ace! This is my second time through it now and I'm still loving it.
Also playing Mario 64 DS which is in Japanese which makes it extra fun!
"...and I captured him using a combination of small arms fire and hand to hand techniques!"
Devil May Cry 3 frightens. It's great to watch someone like Saurian play it, because you can appreciate the skill and style of the whole thing, but when I try it's brain overload
Next big thing to crack is Trizeal for me - not sure whether I should wear the bandana that came with it when I play or not.
Writing the T3K review has got me right back into that, and I'm still steadily improving. Check out the second movie on the review page it's amazing what that game can throw at you:
http://www.opensenses.com/?q=node/114
Also Street Fighter Anniversary collection is sat here waiting for me to reactivate my Live account... I still cling to the belief I can master it again, after all these years since playing Turbo to death
Devil May Cry 3 frightens. It's great to watch someone like Saurian play it, because you can appreciate the skill and style of the whole thing, but when I try it's brain overload
It can be, if you try to do everything from the off. However, those nice people at Capcom, have graded the learning curve very nicely. You pick up little facets of the gameplay as you progress and then merge that into something coherent later on. Admittedly, many other games do something similar but DMC3 is intentionally thought out this way, to the point that the stylistic satisfaction kicks in post game completion. I find it interesting really; DMC3 starts off as a linear mission based game but the more you understand the nuances of how the game works the less it becomes a rigid singleplayer game and more of a stylised sandbox to have lots and lots of fun in.
The problem with this is that many people 1) don't complete the game in order to understand how the game works fully and 2) simply can't be arsed to play it if they do. Their loss really, because DMC is uniquely intense game.
Expect a ZOE 2 review soon, you lucky people.
Don't do it man! The game is an exploitative abomination!
Wilkommen Denti. Denti's a mate of mine from RL.
PC: Denti's actually very good at roaming 3D action games but, naturally, not Saurian level. I have pretty much given up on these type of games as i'm bored of the genre, but was quite good at them.
(Denti: Saurian is a mate of ours from another forum, and is a bit...er...tasty when it comes to any reaction-based games)
My point is, yeah, these type of games are pretty tough. DMC was a really hard game at times, but never to the point where you got sick of it. If DMC3 has the same balance, it sounds like a game that really deserves to be bought.
By the way, I bought bastard Liquid bastard Denti a copy of Castlevania: SOTN over a year ago and he hasn't even put it in his machine yet. Nor has he even opened the MGS3 I bought him for Christmas.
Cuuuuuuuuuunnnn........
;p
Well we could make an aircraft hanger out of yours!
The thing is if the game is good, really good I'll play it again. And again. I recently played Deus Ex again on the PS2. Which was ace. I've lost track of the amount of times I've played on Halo. Which I completed on Legendary I hasten to add...
Welcome Denti,
I'm skintarooney too, so I've not been buying much of late. However I've picked up the odd thing or too.
Bought
Wario Ware Touch
Pokemon Dash (yuk, might review this stinker if I can be arsed to finish it)
Trizeal (sitting at home 5000 miles away still in it's cellophane.
Playing...
NGEN Racing (expect review soon)
Some Interactive Fiction
Macross (PS2)
Going to Play
More of the above
+ Armored Core 3
Bought....a whole bunch of cheap gamecube stuff
kururururururin squash
1080 silverstorm
donky konga 2
donkey kong jungle beat (plus drums)
and nintendogs is in the post
Playing.
none of them, because street fighter 3 on xbox live just tastes too good
Going to Play
More of the above
+ Armored Core 3
You KNOWS it...
As for Macross, why are you still caning that? It's a great game, sure, but past S ranking all the missions there isn't much else to it.
Simple,
Because I enjoy playing the game and I've yet to S rank all the missions. I did about half of them when I was playing it heavily first time around, so I'm going back now to see if I can knock a couple more on the head.
Thanks for the AC3 advice, it hadn't occured to me that the enemy ACs would have ammo limits. DOH
Simple,
Because I enjoy playing the game and I've yet to S rank all the missions. I did about half of them when I was playing it heavily first time around, so I'm going back now to see if I can knock a couple more on the head.
Thanks for the AC3 advice, it hadn't occured to me that the enemy ACs would have ammo limits. DOH
There is another Macross game still in development, by AM2 obviously, so that's good news at least.
How come Sega and AM2 generally don't publicise their involvement? Or am I reading the wrong websites?
How come Sega and AM2 generally don't publicise their involvement? Or am I reading the wrong websites?
It's not officially publicised anywahere as of yet, I am going on my contacts that work at SEGA.
However, it's worth noting, in Japan a publisher has rights over the publicity of a game (in this case that would be Bandai) and the develope has to keep schtum. This is why there is nowt on the AM2 site even about the original Macross game.
You know the more I play that game the more I love it. Putting aside the issue of firing missiles in Battroid mode (probably ommitted for gameplay reasons) the game just feels so damn good.
I would love to see what AM2 are cooking up for the next one, I assume we will be seeing the YF fighters in full effect and can expect more epic conflicts: The last level of the first game was :jawdrop:.
if they can get some of the Macross Zero stuff in there too then we could be in for a real treat. The final battle and the canyon battle spring readily to mind as stand out Macross moments.
...
Popped down to Gamestation in Bracknell at Lunchtime and found a copy of Galactic Attack on the Saturn for a tenner.
Probably not a bad investment, I've no doubt the PAL version is inferior in some way to Layer Section, but considering a mint PAL copy went on ebay for over £20 I don't think I've done too badly
--EDIT-- seems that on further research it runs fine in 60Hz in full screen Yay! Shame about the shit title, Rayforce or Layer Section sound a gajillion times better the gaylactic attack
Recently finished Stranger's Wrath and Otogi 2.
The latter was sumptious in terms of aesthetic and atmosphere, though equally woeful in terms of the fundamentally broken mechanics of camera system and erratic locking-on. Where it deviated from the original was in some much needed diversity in being able to change characters, and by offering a slightly more extensive non-linear path (bonus missions etc.). It also helped that it wasn't nearly as frustrating as Otogi over the course of progression, and didn't punish the player as much for flawed system elements that aren't properly ever under control.
As for Stranger's Wrath... if it wasn't for Resident Evil 4, it would be my game of the year so far. Yes, it gets repetitive; though having said that the atmosphere, environment, fludity of travel and movement, not to mention the ability to tackle the game in several different ways, were just a few of the reasons which helped it to stand out in the memory. Oddworld's best game in a long, long time... and a shame to see them go out when they were possibly about to hit their peak.
Darwinia was another title I was enjoying a lot on the PC... a simple 'strategy/arcade' title that has minimalist retro/futurist style visuals. Once again, a title that appeals to me because it relies on atmosphere to help generate a further need to continue to play. I particularly appreciate games that raise a player's level of compulsion via the development of mood and tone.
Unfortunately, I lost my save game due to my PC crashing big-time. :/
Recently completed Panzer Dragoon/Panzer Dragoon Zwei back to back, while also playing San Andreas on and off.
172 hours in now, and its still amazingly vast. An amazing game... especially when you jump out from a passenger jet thousands of feet up in the air and parachute slowly down over an area equivalent to the grand canyon, or LA.
Made a fair few purchases recently that i'm waiting for. Went on a cheapy retro kick and filled in some stuff I either used to have and sold cos it was PAL in tatty boxes and with huge borders, or that I never owned before:
Ridge Racer 4 [PSone]
)
Ghost in the Shell [PSone]
X Men [Saturn]
Vampire Savior & RAM [Saturn] - (I already have this, but saw it cheap and will sell it on for a profit
Street Fighter Zero
Street Fighter Zero 2 [both Saturn]
Yoshi's Island [SFC]
Street Fighter 2 Turbo [SFC]
Wonder Boy 3 [MD]
PC Genjin 2 [PC Engine]
Playing....
Wip3out.
Totally hooked at the moment. I can't put it down ^^
Just got Golds on all single races on Vector, doing it for Venom now.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Treb, your not wrong about switch modding the Saturn. :jawdrop: It's like playing a totally different console. Playing the Japanese stuff in 60Hz is awesome. Radiant Silvergun just feels so zippy now. Looks like you have a fair few fighter there to keep you going
Also I'd love to have a whirl at Ghost in the Shell, I played the demo briefly when it was released and really liked the freedom of climbing walls and buildings in the tank.
Were you just using an Action Replay or something before, on your Saturn? The difference is huge, isn't it?
Yeah, they all rule. Haven't had Zero 1 since I had the PAL PS1 version, nearly ten years ago. Borders, yuck. It's worth owning the Saturn one just for the artwork section and the 'Dramatic Battle' (Ken and Ryu vs. Vega).
I had PAL Saturn Street Fighter Alpha 2, but sold this as it was tatty. X Men, same.
The SFC one is just nostalgia (and it cost about £3
)
Never played GitS myself either, but it was only about £4 and has a good reputation.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
The dramatic battle was available on the PAL PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha (not sure if you're suggesting it wasn't). It was really good fun with two equally matched players kicking the living shit out of Bison - beautiful!
Soz, badly phrased: yeah, me and my mates played it for hours, it's tons 'o' fun. I just meant I had to re-buy it for this feature alone. Again, think this one was only £6 odd...
/checks
....my mistake: £4.21.
Zero 2 cost me £4.67
}=]
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
I'm really struggling with games at the moment so haven't bought anything for a while and wont until Killer 7 hits Canada.
PLAYING ALONE IN MY ROOM
Viewtiful Joe 2
Devil May cry 3
PLAYING IN LOUNG WITH HOUSEMATE/FRIENDS
Def Jam : Fight for NY
Resident Evil: Mercenaries
PLAYING AT/ON WAY TO/FROM WORK
Catch! Touch! Yoshi!
Advance Wars
I think the probably with VJ2 and DMC3 is I can't see anything on the horizon that's going to give me closure. I managed to tire myself out on VJ2 in the 36 Chambers for a good few months and moved onto DMC3. But I've started back in the main game again now and find myself switching between both games until silly O'clock.
Reading that back it sounds quite negative - of course I'm loving these games, I just worry that I'm missing out on new gaming experiences.
I'm still playing SFIII:3S
Training up in the dark arts of Ibuki and Necro, along with everybody else really! Oro and his dirt Tengu Stone set ups and playing with Urien and his Aegis Reflector.
Addicted to love...of 3S!!
----------------------------
Alan Moore - i worship thee!
Just completed Saga in two ten hour spells. Awesome stuff.
Madbury - switching on the Saturn makes a big difference. The speed and screen increase on PDS is huge, though some of the audio skips now and again in minor in-game cut scenes.
If I had the time I'd replay it in 60Hz. I'm rediscovering a lot of my Saturn stuff at the moment. Nights is like a different game at 60Hz it's scary
It is actually optimised
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
I've not touched Nights for a long time actually. Not since I had it modded.
I might have to though. Saga doesn't look squished anymore thank god. I assume the audio skipping is to do with the change in refresh rate or something like that, but playing that game in full screen is bliss. I may have to go back to re-discovering some of my Saturn collection myself.
It's all been PS2, GameCube and PSP for me mainly over the past few months.
Anyway, when's NiGHTS going to be covered on this site? I thought Treble would have it as high priority for a feature.
that explains the slow down I'm getting then >_< Sometimes I surprise myself with how stupid I am.
Madders:
Yeah, it's sometimes tough to tell though. Just to confuse you even further, some non-optimised games will frame skip in 60hz, when they shouldn't, whereas some already optimised games won't frame skip...when they should. My feeble brain doesn't even pretend to understand why :?
Concept:
Heh, yeah
Doing the game justice, whilst staying level-headed and not being a "OMG SO GOOOD \m/!!!eleven" fanboy, is going to take work >_<
It's an easy trap to fall into. I remember one bloke was so enamoured with one particular game, he gave up trying to review it and turned it into a 10,000 word essay....
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
Yeah, I've noticed that optimised games tend to be stretched off the top and bottom of the screen slightly. I never thought I'd say this... but I prefer my PAL Saturn games to be unoptimised so I can run them in full screen/full speed glory.
As for the 10,000 word essay. Damn. Who'd ever write so much on a videogame, eh?
Interesting,
That means I could be playing Galactic Attack aka layer section 17.5% faster than designed. It would seem like cheating to play it at proper speed now.
One way to tell - switch to 60Hz after the game is booted, and see if some parts disappear off the bottom of the screen. It's fairly easy to tell this in NiGHTS I seem to remember.
Having said that... I'm fairly sure some games actually adapt to 50 or 60Hz accordingly - I know the menus do in Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Just completed Orta again. Great game, but I can't stand the last level. It's an exercise of how to poorly design a boss battle to frustrate the player. :/
You mean the tower? Or the final battle? The tower does go on a bit...
The final battle where you have to perform a timed lock-on for Abadd's second and third forms to avoid being decimated by his lasers. At no point does the game make it clear what you have to do, and although it isn't hard to figure out, the timing and required base-wing form change aren't alluded to. You basically have to learn it through repeated trial and error, and repeated trial and error that requires a length of time for his first form.
The music and graphical design is also poor during this segment. The colour scheme doesn't feel panzerish, and the music is ill fitting for the eventual conclusion of the game, witholding tension and drama, sounding all too generic.
Compared to the ends of Zwei and Saga it's a real let down. Episodes 1,2,3,5,6,7,8 are all great though so the flaws are nothing too drastic to the game's overall quality.
Agreed on all counts.
Back on-topic, my mate picked me up a PAL PSone from Warrington Gamestation, with a free clear pad thrown in, and a free 3rd party memory card (which i'd never, ever use, but is a nice gesture ^^). Grand total? £15. Just ordered a modchip for it for a tenner.
As for playing, me and my mates had a big resurgence in playing Street Fighter Zero 3 on the Saturn. This one's the best version (the DC one had incorrect sprite sizes and the timings were slightly out, plus the Saturn pads are the greatest) and my word, it looks incredible. It's so cartoony, and the design is some of the best ever seen, with the best backgrounds Capcom have ever done, in my opinion. We had a big sesh on it yesterday afternoon, and I continued to kick some anus when I got home.
I stuck it on Dramatic Battle, and had me as Fei Long and a CPU T.Hawk versus the comm. You fight every single charcter, and it's really cool. Honestly, any of you lot own the game, throw it on and take another look at it. Superb.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
I'm about to attempt Vagrant Story again (consistently giving up on it previously), which I love from a stylistic and atmospheric point of view.
The problem is that it features a system which unfairly starts to make it hard for the player without a proper tutorial system after an hour in. Most of Squaresoft games gradually bring you into the fold, but Vagrant Story feels as though it drops you in to a hard-to-fathom system without the expected learning curve.
On one level it could be commended for that... on the other, (and where I'm coming from) less so.
Still. It has one of the best openings to any game I've played, rivaling Silent Hill, Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 4 (to use fairly recent/randomly thought up examples).
It does. I made a post on rllmuk the other day about this game, basically saying it should map changes to L1, L2, L3 etc. so that you can quickly scroll through armour types without resorting to the menu. The Vagrant Story system as it stands is far too over-complicated and unintuitive.
The problem with Square's forays outside of RPGs is that sometimes they are darn near perfect (Einhander), sometimes they are middling and need work on the combat system (Vagrant Story, Parasite Eve), and sometimes they are just plain shite (The Bouncer). If they stuck to their guns and made more sequels to these innovative games, they'd get better results. Seems like they try something new about once ever three years, get disheartened and cower back behind their RPGs.
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive
It's surprising their output isn't more varied, especially after the merger with Enix. I was sort of expecting some innovation after that.
Personally I don't care too much for Einhander, I find the gunpod system too fiddly to manage in the heat of the battle. I know there are simpler ships, but playing with fixed weapons just seems pointless.
Bushido Blade is good and deserves a sequel. The bouncer is awful though isn't it.
God knows why they dip their toes in to these genres but never bother getting their feet wet.
Played any more Kunoichi...?
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♫ I promise to commit no acts of violence,
Neither physical or otherwise,
If things come alive