Video Game Discussion

[Bondo]

Don't know why the other thread was deleted so I have to C&P my editorial over here...I'd have been pissed to lose it.

Well, seeing as I am a legit video game journalist...my word naturally has the most say .

Anyway, the Gamecube is the best...no one but Sega could even come close to making Nintendo quality games.  Others may have new ideas but the execution and polish just isn't there.

Take a game like GTA3...sure it is innovative and incredibly fun (I gave it a 9 out of 10) but it has a sloppy aiming system and is overly difficult, things that keep it from being one of the best all time.

The PS2 has the most acclaimed games, but most are overrated.  I've played 9 PS2 games (all but 1 rated above 80% at Gamerankings) and outside of a 9 and two 8s I've given to GTA3, GT3, and WRC the rest have gotten 6 or below.  They are only rated higher on the PS2 because there aren't many better games.  Gamers who started with the PSX won't understand this as they haven't been open to the great games of the NES, SNES, and Genesis.

The Xbox is overly reliant on having good graphics compared to actually having good games.  Additionally more focus is put into mature themes.  Halo will no doubt be great (on Mac where it will have good controls) and there are a few quality racing games in PGR and Ralisport.  The only game relesased at the moment that I consider a breakthrough is Oddworld.

I don't consider online gaming as a feasible thing on consoles and I certainly wouldn't pay for it...this holds the Xbox back for all but the dedicated online gamer (who manages not to have a decent computer).  I think the PS2 has the edge here and I think the GCN would as well if it was being supported with more than one game but overall I consider online to be a non-factor.

One telling thing will be the future releases...the PS2 has another GTA game coming and a few other solid but less recognizable exclusive titles.  Xbox has a sequel to Halo that is coming way to close to the original that it can only mean bad things, it has a few neat looking Sega titles that will likely turn out to be mediocre like many of their games do (Shenmue and Jet Set Radio)...one title that could prove to be great is Blinx...it has the layout to be but I don't trust the developer Artoon as their only game so far is a mediocre GBA platformer Pinobee.

Then we move to the GCN...it essentially wipes the floor with the other systems in the next year...Mario, Star Fox Adventure, Metroid, Zelda...the big four...fill it in with some lesser know but solidly innovative titles like Animal Crossing, Animal Leader (I believe the US title will be Cubivore), Wario World.  Throw in the online PSO and solid games in Star Fox (Namco developed), F-Zero, and 1080 White Storm.  If only half of these live up to promise the GCN would have a better line-up, but with Nintendo chances are at least 9 or so will be.

Despite the GCN being better I have no doubt the PS2 will continue to sell better, gamers today aren't in it for the gaming as much as the image and the PS2 has a better image for them.  The Xbox is destined to be the third tier console as it doesn't have the dedicated market of Nintendo and can't really compete for Sony's market leaving them in a tight spot.

Well, did I answer your question Mattie?  You ask a video game question, you get a video game journalist's response  

[KoS PY.nq.ict]

Nice Bondo...I'm with you on the GCN....I play Super Smach Bros. Melee constantly..and the occasional James Bond, Rogue Squadron, Guantlet, and Resident Evil...(resident evil the least as its greatly overrated)

[Brain]

yes, ssbm rules.

heh in college on the weekend before finals week we were playing roy vs roy and marth vs marth. our shortest 5 life game was 10 min and we averaged 15 min a pop. plus it was the first time we had ever seen anyone get to 400% damage.

i still need to get a game cube...damn lack of cash.

[KoS PY.nq.ict]

I was first introduced to super smash on my friends n64...we spent nights battling each other and having tournaments...wow it was fun. But super smash melee has a lot more features and the replay value for single player is well worth it....more challenging in my eye.

[*DAMN Hazard]

I have a firm belief that all the systems have their advantages because no matter what you say it dosen't matter to someone who has a different system so i just nod my head and say "Yea, that system is good."

But Bondo you failed to overlook the newest innovative game coming out for PS2. SOCOM: Navy Seals. I have been anticipating this game since last november(first scheduled release date) The previews for this made me go crazy! My reasons.

1.Great Graphics
2. Inteligent AI. (Such as detecting muzzle flashes and actually using camoflauge)
3. And by far what i think would be the coolest. Voice activated AI commands.

The voice activated commands are like "shoot em up" or "cover me" and online gaming capabilities. I think this game should be good and I hope to play it soon.

And Bondo your views are totally the views of a person born playing Nintendo his whole life. Im not saying thats a bad thing but no matter what system you grow up using you will always be loyal to that system. Thats my only criticism other than that nice post.

[Brain]

And Bondo your views are totally the views of a person born playing Nintendo his whole life. Im not saying thats a bad thing but no matter what system you grow up using you will always be loyal to that system. Thats my only criticism other than that nice post.

sounds like a good description of  the computing world as well.

[*DAMN Hazard]

I think its almost like a "culture shock" thing.

[Bondo]

I have a firm belief that all the systems have their advantages because no matter what you say it dosen't matter to someone who has a different system so i just nod my head and say "Yea, that system is good."

I share no such firm belief...because IMO the only way to judge a system is on games and IMO some systems clearly are better for games than others.

But Bondo you failed to overlook the newest innovative game coming out for PS2. SOCOM: Navy Seals. I have been anticipating this game since last november(first scheduled release date) The previews for this made me go crazy! My reasons.

1.Great Graphics
2. Inteligent AI. (Such as detecting muzzle flashes and actually using camoflauge)
3. And by far what i think would be the coolest. Voice activated AI commands.

The voice activated commands are like "shoot em up" or "cover me" and online gaming capabilities. I think this game should be good and I hope to play it soon.

All well and good but it is a FPS...console FPS suck that is the short and long of it.  Goes for SOCOM just like it goes for Halo.  As for the voice commands...from my experience playing Seaman, voice commands are a pain in the ass as it never understands you.  And no PS2 game can really say great graphics about if you are looking at it from the whole market perspective rather than the system perspective.  I personally will be skipping SOCOM as I have no interest in console FPS or online games (I'll be playing Nintendo online games purely for my job).

And Bondo your views are totally the views of a person born playing Nintendo his whole life. Im not saying thats a bad thing but no matter what system you grow up using you will always be loyal to that system. Thats my only criticism other than that nice post.

Actually, the N64 was my first Nintendo system that I owned...I owned a Genesis as my first console although I did play Atari, NES, and SNES at friends.  It isn't so much about loyalty as trust.  I can trust Nintendo to release games that I enjoy...there is no other company that I can say that about although Sega comes close.

[Mattster]

Lol BOndo. Both my threads were deleted. Well GTA3 OWNS like hell. and for Gamecube id say SuperSmash Bros. Mele. and for Xbox The Snowboarding games.

[Bondo]

Lol BOndo. Both my threads were deleted. Well GTA3 OWNS like hell. and for Gamecube id say SuperSmash Bros. Mele. and for Xbox The Snowboarding games.

Well, like I said GTA3 is best PS2 game yet...not best game out though. ?I'd put Super Monkey Ball and Eternal Darkness above SSBM but it was a great game as well. ?The game on the Xbox of which you speak is likely Amped...it is alright...not as good as 1080 in realism though. ?I've heard people say it is nothing at all like snowboarding . ?One sleeper game was Dark Summit, a adventure snowboarding game that is fun as hell, available on all three systems.

Just for anyone who is curious, I've played 48 GCN games, 9 GBA games, and 10 PS2 games this year...looking like a sure thing to break 100 for the first time. ?Still will fall short of the number of movies that I watch most likely although it will be close.

[*DAMN Snake]

I got all systems but a Game cube. what i find is that if one system does not have what you want the other one will. like X-box...halo is great! but it's aliens..... for ps2 socom is so far the best game i seen yet. i like close to real life games. i read every thing about socom but i want to know if somone can answer one question for me for both systems (x-box and ps2) will the system have a game chat like GR with a main chat and what not. so we can have clans and play with people that we like. or it just starts up and you hit multi online game and it puts you into some game where you don't know anyone?

[*DAMN Hazard]

In PC world Halo can be played on Gamespy Arcade so i guess if they make it compatible with mac it will be on gameranger.

[†FiRE Infection]

Omg you guys are such video game noobies.  It's time for me to chime in but no I won't go into the advatages and disadvantages of each current system.  Gamecube and PS2 are the best.  Xbox just sucks, Halo is the only good game, and it's coming to mac so who cares anyway.  But the 3 greatest systems of all time would have to be regular Nintendo, Sega Genesis and N64, all of which I have now.  They had some of possibly the best games ever, maybe not comparing graphics wise, maybe not even some in storyline but oh man were they entertaining.  For N64, Mario 64, a great game, I hope they make another for Gamecube, Zelda, Harvest Moon, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark...so many others.  For Sega Streets of Rage 3 and Sonic 3 were the best games.  They were so much fun to play and beat with a friend, but man I hate when you touched or moved the system it would just freeze, especially after play Streets of Rage 3 all day with your friend and you get to the sixth level and Psyks hits the system off your bed and freezes it, then you had to blow on the stupid cartridge for 10 minutes, still so much fun to play those games.  For regular Nintendo Super Mario 1 and 2 were the best, probably a couple more that I can't think aboout now.  Well that's the truth on video games, have any questions about anygame on those systems, I probably know the answer.

[Bondo]

Snake, you own your consoles purely for FPS?  That is what I'd deduce from your pointing out only FPS on them...how can you even tolerate console FPS after playing so much on the computer.  I find them unbareable.

Infection, Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube (very similar to Mario 64 in style but with a few innovations to make it significantly different) comes out in less than a week.

Stemming from a discussion I had with Bigpat, I have another bit to add.

The people who don't like the Gamecube or call it childish are not true gamers...they are people playing games but care about image first and foremost.  The PS2 and Xbox are seen as the mature cool consoles because they try to make realistic looking games almost exclusively.  Realistic colors and as much realistically physical games as possible.  On the Gamecube like a fantasy book, it isn't about being real, it is about having imagination and creating whatever world that can be imagined and having fun playing in this world...to hell with realism.  That is why for true gamers the Gamecube will be the best because it puts fun and creativity at the forefront and only considers realism when it needs to.

[Jeb]

Well bondo, i think bigpat thinks the same way i do about the gamecube which is... its not a shitty consol, but simply marketed towards younger kids since nintendo lost alot of market share to sony. i've played spiderman on my cusin's GC and it was pretty cool.

 the PS2 is great, i bought one after spending hours playing GTA3 on bigpat's ps2. the game still isn't old even though i've beaten the main plot. and a game you recomended to me a while ago bondo, was NFL2k2 which is a amazing football game, come to think of it NFL2k3 is out now and i'll probly buy it tomorrow  . Tony hawk 3 was a decent game, it added alot of things that i think made it more realistic, however the skateparks weren't exactly great. it seems that the game designers made a game based off the phrase "wouldn't it be cool to ______." and it didn't work.
Nintendo has a reputation for making great games, Duck Hunt, Smash bros, mario 64, zelda, mario cart, and goldeneye. i think that posibly nintendo will make a comeback in the future. But untill then grand theft auto Vice city, will own ALL!!
for some GTA:VC info
http://www.piestactics.com/

[Bondo]

Well, the appearance that Nintendo is making games FOR kids is the image thing I talked about...an image many gamers of today are putting above innovative and entertaining gameplay.  There is certainly some of that on the PS2 and Xbox, but by eliminating the GCN purely on image most gamers lose the best innovation and entertainment.

In the end, if people don't let themselves be turned into Gamecube lovers in the next year, they never will...the line-up is to great to ignore.