Malik
(11/14/05)
One phrase for you
all..."about
f#$%ing time!" I'm talking about how Microsoft has finally
(with less than two freakin' weeks to the launch) announced which
games are backwards compatible on the 360. However, I ask that you
all take a look at the list and tell me if you see a problem, or
two. Don't see it? It's only one of the greatest selling game
franchises on the current generation being completely overlooking.
Yes, I am talking about Burnout. So, while I could see Burnout
Revenge being ignored, since it is coming, in theory, sometime early
next year to the 360, this doesn't include Burnout 2 or Burnout 3
(which, in my opinion, is the best of the series).
I also won't
mention that the ignoring of a game like Beyond Good and Evil, which
is probably one of the best overlooked games of the last generation,
is just weak. This game was ignored the first time it came out the
gate, and it's still being ignored. That's part of the concept
behind what makes us BG&E fans so upset. This is not the first
time it's been ignored, and it won't be the last time. It also is
part of the underlying reason we will never see a BG&E2...it
just doesn't get any love.
At least we have
the lamest of games, like Conflict: Desert Storm. Don't get me
wrong, this is an awesome game. It's just not great for much besides
a quick rental on a night when you have three bored friends with a
lot of silliness going around. Or there's also the Crash games,
which are also shit. Hell, we can have Catwoman, but no Burnout
3...makes complete sense...or not.
Also, it sounds
like the original set of games that will be backwards compatible
also include a pain in the ass technique for playing on the 360. If
you have Internet hooked up to the 360, then you just have to
download some files. However, if you don't have Internet, you will
need to burn the files to a CD and install them, or you will be
required to order a CD from Microsoft (for some money) and then
install them on the 360 when the CD arrives. This all comes back to
what I said when Half-Life 2 came out; one should not be required to
have Internet to play a game that is offline.
Also, on the same
general note of things to do with a 360, if you are getting on next
Tuesday, there's finally (with less than two weeks to launch...WTF
Microsoft!?) a
list of launch titles. If you're like me, you'd probably notice
two things. The first is a lack of the RPG influence...which we've
known since Oblivion was delayed. The second is how there are more
games that are cross-platform than there are exclusive titles. CoD2,
FIFA, Gun, Madden, NBA games, NFS, NHL, THAW...so many different
cross-platform titles, and only less than a half dozen original
exclusive titles. I remember Microsoft promising a launch that would
be different and better than all past launches...so much for that.
While the PS2 launched with lame games, at least most of them were
PS2 exclusive crap.
Ok, I am bitchy
today. I think I got a stomach bug this weekend...which is never
good when you add libations to the mix. So, while I'm done being
hungover, my gut is still killing me and keeping me from thinking
clearly. So, I'll end with one last thought; tomorrow continues the
insanity of awesome portable games with Legend of Heroes (maybe the
first must have PSP title, since GTA is not "must have" by
any means, and the first solid PSP RPG in the US) and Mario Kart
(can I get a "woot!"?). So, I'll be trying my best to take
down GTA:LCS tonight so that I'll be ready for the great games
tomorrow.
Malik
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Malik
(11/15/05)
With Mario Kart DS
still not in my hands last night, I had few options. I was stuck
with a steaming pile of crap that most people worship (blindly with
fanboy appeal) called GTA:LCS. I still can't believe that I had to
pay $50 for this game when it lacks anything of quality. This is
definitely one of those things I will bitch about for some time to
come...well, until I have a game in my PSP that I can actually say
is worth the $50 price tag.
I have held back
on reviewing this game, and for a good reason. I'm trying to give it
the full benefit of the doubt. The only way to do that is to ensure
that I fully finish the game prior to reviewing it. However, that is
the hard part. This game is difficult to play through when I'm stuck
between a rock (the lame nub) and a hard place (the unimaginative
missions). For example, last night I played missions with such
originality as "go drive to point A, shoot people, and drive
back to point B" and "get some friends and shoot
people". Is this from the same line of imaginative property
that gave us "Vertical Bird" and the Casino Heist of
GTA:SA? I guess so...despite how is sure as hell doesn't feel that
way.
I will probably be
letting GTA:LCS collect some dust on the shelf (along with the
still-needing-a-quality-game PSP) after I pop Mario Kart DS into my
DS this afternoon. I just don't see myself going back to this bland
excuse for a $50 game when I can have a game for a fraction of the
cost that will give quality entertainment. It's not that Mario Kart
DS will have a deeper level of game play as much as it will deliver
what it promises; a great kart racing game. Meanwhile, GTA:LCS
promises a GTA experience in a portable...and delivers a GTA world
with none of the detail.
Anyway, I have
little to say, am still feeling like crap, and am in desperate need
of some quality gaming. Expect something a little different tomorrow
with some praise of a game for the first time since I laid Fable
back to rest. In other words, expect some Mario Kart
impressions.
Malik
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Malik
(11/16/05)
To say Mario Kart
DS has left a good impression on me that there can be good games for
this device would be one hell of an understatement. In fact, this
is, without a doubt, the best time I have spent with the DS since I
bought it nearly a year ago. I just wish more games would be
designed around this simple premise. That premise would be that a
good console style game can be developed for this system that
doesn't require massive touch screen use.
The only peeves I
can think of with this game are quite minor to the peeves I had with
the other supposed "must have" game (Castlevania DS). The
first one, which is minor, is that it's a throw-back to the older
Mario Kart titles. In other words, I miss Double Dash. I miss how
you slide into turns, rather than had to jump into a slide. Let's
face it, the jump on older Mario Kart games, and this one, is a
nearly wasted skill that is only used for extra air on ramps that
end with boost sections. Also, that's not to mention how I liked the
concept of keeping two items on your cart at a time. With only one
item, it means you have to be less offensive when you're in first
place, and that's just not as fun as leaving massive piles of
bananas all over the track. I know you can hold an item behind you
by holding the item button, but...
Another peeve is
that I'm starting to see how uncomfortable the DS is for action
games. Seriously, I played some last night, and this morning my
hands still feel like I spent a whole night playing guitar. It's
hard to keep certain buttons pressed (like the item hold/use button
and the accelerator) for multiple races in a row. Your hand will
feel it after a few races.
I also saw some
flaws with the slide boost technique. For one, I think changing it
to red sparks from how it was blue in MK:DD seems like a weird
transition. Blue in DS is for when you are just starting the
technique, as the red was in DD. To switch it up just feels like
Nintendo is having a case of ADD. Pick one and go with it. Also, the
controls for the slide boost are a little awkward. I know this move
perfectly, thanks to DD, and they feel a little unrefined in DS. In
fact, there are times when I hit the correct d-pad movements, and it
still won't fire until I go through the cycle a second time (usually
sliding into a wall in the process).
There's also now a
ranking system. You no longer want to just get gold on every race.
You will be ranked on your ability with an inane ranking system of a
letter grade for bad scores. An "A" means you didn't suck
too badly. However, if you do better than "A", you will
get a gold star. This means you still aren't that great. In order to
be great, you have to earn three golden stars. It's like trying to
combine the old grade-school grade system of getting a check with or
without a plus or minus, but combining it with a standard letter
score. Once again, I think Nintendo had some ADD...pick a system and
run with it. I won't even say how hard it is to get a triple gold
star...I have several grand prix completed with the victory cup, but
only receiving a "C". Does this make sense? It doesn't to
me.
There's also
mission mode, in which you complete some completely pointless goals.
For example, you'll be told to collect all
coins on a track, and then the game will pick your racer. So, you
may have a windy course with a big and sloppy racer, like Bowser.
Once again, you are graded on the stars and letters system and you
are supposed to get all triple stars. The missions are mainly boring
(how many times can I collect all the coins? Apparently, I'm
supposed to a few too many times.
Lastly, the game
has some issues with the CPU's abilities. The computer will pick a
racer at the start of each grand prix (it won't tell you who it
picked, but you'll know soon enough), and this driver will have
insane abilities. For example, this is so broken because I saw the
racer with the lowest top speed and the highest acceleration fly far
ahead of me (playing Mario who has a damned nice top speed), despite
how I never hit anything (so I never slowed down) and how I hit
every turn with a slide boost. I'm not one who likes to say
"the computer cheated", but I think I can tell sometimes
when the game is messing with me. This is a game that will do so. I
have never been so challenged in a MK game, and unfortunately the
challenge is not coming from the game, but rather the advantage the
computer gives this one golden driver.
Last of all, for
my peeves, is the fact that there are now 32 courses, instead of the
usual 16, in this game. I like that. However, 16 are
"retro" courses from past MK games. That's fine too. The
bad part is that some of Nintendo's choices show that the developers
never played the old Mario Kart games. The "Moo Moo"
course is back...one of the lamest and more boring courses in MK
history. From DD, which had some awesome courses, they actually
picked (among 4 other courses) the Baby track (the small and boring
oval). Seriously, the designers should have picked a few of the
truly great courses. I know I could name 16 other courses that
should've been in this. It also doesn't help when a few twists and
secrets of these old courses have been changes (like on Mushroom
Bridge).
I would comment on
online play, but Nintendo had the usual problem of a new online
game; the servers were down when I tried to play. I don't fault
Nintendo. This is their first real step in online gaming, so they
will have some bugs as they get it running. Also, the first few days
of a new and anticipated online game usually finds the developer
saying "Damn! I didn't know the game would be this
popular" as their servers die an agonizing and suffocating
death. That's all fine. This will probably be solved in a few days.
At least the process of initiating the online connection is really
easy compared to another certain (worthless) handheld.
Besides those
issues, which really are pretty minor, the game is solid. This is a
nice throw-back to the classics of the MK family. It's a great game,
probably the first must-have DS game for fans of more lighthearted
genres (in other words, those who don't enjoy Advance Wars), and
it's damned addictive. I know this game should keep me nicely
entertained until the 360 hits next week. Now if only the DS didn't
hurt my hand so badly...I actually had to play some GTA:LCS last
night when I couldn't hold the DS anymore. I guess, despite how it
has no great games and has the worst analogue input of all time, the
PSP does have one thing going for it; it's feels nice in your hand,
even if it won't handle how it should.
Before I go for
the day, and play some more MK, I feel like sharing a bit of news
for the Square Enix fans (do they still exist...or are they all just
"fanboys"?). Square Enix is considering making Dragon
Quest and FF games for both
the PS3 and the 360 in the next generation. I think it's about
time they considered this. After all, the PS3 is, as of now, having
an uncertain future. It will do great in the end (it's Sony), but
the first year or two may be shaky as the prospect of being so
overpriced looms on the horizon. So, if you're afraid of not having
anymore crying male leads and stuck-up female leads in
story-deprived RPGs when you can't afford a PS3, there may (key word
being "may") be some hope for you. Yes, I still have no
love left in my weary old body for Square's half-assed attempts at
making trendy games with overly cliche plots that have no likable
main characters (and if you liked Tidus...sigh...he f$#@ing couldn't
stop crying for his daddy the whole game! What type of f@#%ing hero
is that?!).
Malik
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Malik
(11/17/05)
For those as
caught up as myself on bitching about the next-gen, there's good
news at Gamespot. Basically, there are rumors floating around
that the PS3 batarang controller may undergo some changes (like by
making it look less like something from a Batman movie and more like
something that isn't a joke). Well, as far as Gamespot seems to
deduce, that won't happen. So, on the plus side, there's still
plenty to bitch about. On the other hand, this means we probably
will have this ridiculous object sitting in living rooms in several
months.
Anyway, I gave up
my thought of playing Mario Kart DS some more. I will play again,
but last night I realized two things. First off, I need to finish
GTA:LCS. I really want to bitch about this game in a proper review,
so I need to finish the damned thing. Sadly, I still can't play more
than a few missions at a time without feeling like I'm going beyond
my obligation to get a review out. This game is just sapping my will
to geek. Last night, for example, I played a couple of missions that
basically amounted to "blow up those cars" and "kill
those people". Is this supposed to be a quality experience? I
don't think so. In fact, that "blow up vehicles" mission
amounted to this; I drove two blocks from where I started, got out
of my car, and fired three rockets (which I was hinted at to buy
before the previous mission). Grenades would've worked too. That was
it. Mission accomplished. Wow...it was the single lamest mission
I've played yet. It lasted a whole 10 seconds (ok...really, it was
more along the lines of 15 seconds) and had no challenge at
all.
The second thing I
realized last night is that I've been neglecting one of the best
theme-park-style sims; The Movies. This is an awesome game. I
honestly can't find a thing to complain about with this title. The
game gives the best of all that is in a theme-park sim, a people sim
(like The Sims), and a an awesome machima generator.
The only thing I
would've liked to see more of is a little more automation in your
employees. For example, when your writers finish a new script, they
will proceed to wander around the studio until you force them to
work again. So, these small details will keep your working at
pointless clicking and dragging. However, the other details of the
game easily counter this excess of involvement.
For example, last
night I was trying to get an overworked cast and director to make
their third film in a row. So, shortly after the filming started, my
director ran off to the bar. Eventually he went back to the set, but
then the star decided to do the same. In a game in which a film is
usually made in well under a year, it took that movie 48 months to
be made...and at the end, it was the worst film I made yet. It
flopped. Worse than that, the star ratings for all people involved
bombed since they had not been seen in film for 4 years. It was like
I made my own Ishtar. I didn't know whether to be proud about that,
or to be sad.
The game really
gives a nice blending of having to play the boss and playing the
role of a guy who really wants to make people happy. If you make
your stars too happy, then you make no money. However, if you make
them work hard for you, you end up with a bunch of actors in rehab.
I was just glad that I won a movie award the previous cycle, which
gave me the bonus that none of my actors would end up addicted to
booze for a few years. If it wasn't for that, I'm sure that one of
my two directors, and one of my six actors would've been out of
action and sitting in counseling.
Anyway, since it's
been a couple of days, I'm going to try giving Mario Kart online
play a chance tonight. I think Nintendo should have most of the
server bugs worked out, and I need a break from my divas of
film.
Malik
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Malik
(11/18/05)
Last night I was
finally able to connect to Mario Kart DS online. I do have some
qualms with the method that the system uses for online matches. It
did pretty well at matching me with a good range of opponents who
seemed to have about the same skill level as me (despite how I
smoked 'em...sorry, had to brag about that). I'm not personally sure
of how the game matches people, but it felt like it was using some
sort of score based on my ranks on different one-player courses or
something like that. The worst guy I faced felt like he was only
slightly less proficient than myself, and the best of the guys I
played felt like he was the exact same skill level as me (I only won
due to him/her making one fatal mistake on the final turn of the
final track).
The qualms I have
are based on simple problem. It took me about 2 minutes for the
online service to find a game for me to join. I feel like it
shouldn't take that long to start a game. With how many people are
playing online (I imagine this is a high number), it should only
take a few seconds, not minutes, to find a game. I also didn't care
for how so many people seemed to quit in the middle of a game (each
game has four races)...that's not Nintendo's fault, but it is a
qualm, none-the-less.
The other issue I
have is that the game will not show when (or let...not sure on the
physical nature of this) you drag an item behind your cart. This
means you either have less of a shield, or you don't see it. Either
way, the game play for an online match should equal that of a one
player game. It really shouldn't be that much of a drain on the DS
to show items being trailed behind a kart.
I also have to say
that it would've been nice to have 8-player online games. I guess I
can understand if the DS just can't handle this (although...it
probably could). However, it sure would've been nice. After all, if
Mario Kart has ever taught us anything, it's the fact that 8 player
races are better than four any day of the week.
At least, like I
said, the methods used, after your hideous 2 minute wait, to play an
online game are really well done. Each game is made of four races,
like with the standard 1 player GP mode. Also, each track is chosen
before each round starts. Each player is able to cast a vote for any
of the levels and then the game will start the one with the most
votes. If there is no winner (a tie), then the game will simply pick
one of the selections at random. This way you always have a nice mix
of tracks (unless you have the same two dumbass opponents I had one
game who loved Moo Moo a little too much) and enough rounds to be
able to be sloppy on one race and still come out on top for the
total game.
Also, for those
who've heard some weird rumors with the friend codes, these are not
as all encompassing as they seem at first glance. When you start
playing MK:DS online, the game will assign you a 12-digit code. This
is your identity online (you DS nickname is still used, but this is
a tracking number so friends can find you). If you want to play a
game without a friend code inputted, then you can. However, if you
want to just play with some of your friends, then you can do so as
well. The only drawback on this system is that you cannot obtain a
friend code while playing. In other words, you cannot have a great
time racing a random stranger and then hope to ever run into this
same person again.
Anyway, I'm still
aiming to defeat GTA:LCS before the 360 comes out. I'm not 100% sure
if I can do this anymore, but I'll see how the weekend treats me. If
I can finish this damned this before the weekend is over, you can
expect a review by the time the 360 is in my hands on Tuesday.
Before I fade away
for the weekend, I just found one last thing I'd like to share. So,
it seems, with the 360 looming on the horizon, there is some undue
hatred
for this new system at FOX
News. I can understand easily if someone was to blast the 360. I
can see the rumors about how the systems are intentionally being
limited in the first release (it's not a worldwide conspiracy...it's
a worldwide launch, which lowers the supply to each individual
region) and the talk of game stores limiting first batch systems to
those who preorder the most stuff with the 360 (which is crap...at
least the idea of this applying to all stores is false, since I know
that my EB is not doing this...what can I say beyond "it's nice
having a store where everybody knows your name"?) making people
hate the 360. I can also see people who claim that it will only be
worth it if you have an HD-TV saying the system sucks for standard
TV owners.
That last one is a
lie. The system has some nice abilities that make up for it's
HD-centric ways (more polygons making more characters on screen like
in Kameo, downloading demos and trailers for FREE, a better button
layout than the XBox, some nice looking exclusive titles, blah,
blah). It just, like with all new games, comes down to how visuals
are always the first thing that the masses see, and hence it's the
easiest thing to form a first opinion off of.
The thing I don't
get is unfounded BS about how FOX News is telling me "Don't Buy
the 360". For one, these claims they make are along the same
lines as a fanboy claims of how Tidus is the greatest RPG hero ever
just because he is a Square creation. For one, with some lines like
"Sure, you could rush out and drop hundreds on the 360, but we
have no idea what the next-gen PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution
are going to be capable of doing" make it sound like the PS3 is
still possible to be fully endorsed by FOX News. Well, at the same
time they go on to say that the price is a little too steep. Have
they considered that Sony has announced that the PS3 will be
"expensive" (Sony's word)? Have they also considered that
no peripheral that costs upwards of $600 when coupled with the 360
will be needed for online play? No. That's why these claims are
being made. Maybe, in order to support their claim that money is
wasted on a 360, they could say to wait on considering any systems
(remember, if you want a launch PS3, you better have pre-ordered by
now, so this is very relevant to the current time).
I just think these
articles speak volumes about FOX News having some wacky ideas.
However, as a soon-to-be-360-owner, and a geek who has every major
console ever released, I have something to say. These are unbiased
and honest thoughts from a technophile and geek; me.
First of all, the
360 will be a better value, at launch, than the PS3. This is for one
simple reason; all systems are lackluster at launch. So, while the
PS3 is supposed to be more expensive than the 360, it also means the
PS3 will be more expensive just for that joy of having it before you
have any quality games.
Secondly, all of
the systems in the next-gen will be pretty damned nice after the
first 6-12 months. The Revolution will have the least games (but
more quality games per flop game). The PS3 will have the most games,
but the most flops. The 360 will have a medium amount (closer to PS3
levels) on all fronts. As for launch; they will all have at least
one fun game (I'd bet PDZ and Kameo will not be games I regret
buying, and I bet CoD2 and PGR3 will be nice too). The line ups are
not too set for the Revolution or PS3, but they will each have one
to three good games as well.
Thirdly, graphics
don't make the game, but support for newer technology is always
good. While I don't care too much about a game having to be HD, I
still think the option to use HD is what will be a nice feature.
Supposedly the HD era will be in full effect near the end of this
new generation (2009), and thus it would be better to implement the
tech now and not look bad later. This will be the only known
downfall of the Revolution, which doesn't support HD. The true
answer is a balance of supporting new technology, but making sure
that old technology is still supported as well (which I know, for a
fact, is being done on the 360, while Revolution is out, and the
jury is still out on the PS3).
Fourth, you need
to realize that research is the most important tool in this frontier
that is laying out in front of us. The FOX News articles lacked
research. This is seen in the hints of how HD-TVs are the only
important newly supported feature with the 360, and how online will
cost $600 when bundled with the system. Those are wrong. They are as
wrong at hinting how the 360 is not worth it because it won't be
able to play Shadow the Hedgehog. Also, while some, like FOX, may
say that the XBox has a lot of quality games in it's future, the
truth is that the majority of quality games released for a Microsoft
console after Tuesday will be 360 games. XBox is nearly dead (for
better or worse).
Last of all, and
this is why I can dismiss these articles so easily, FOX News
reporters must be completely out of touch with the game industry
when they call Shadow and Bulletproof "hot games". These
are going to be more of the same mass produced crap that define both
the game industry and, in particular, the Sega of recent years.
Also, it doesn't help FOX News' case when they print two articles in
a supposedly "professional" format that serve to do
nothing more than bash a system that is not out while praising a
half dozen games that also aren't available yet to the public.
So, the true
lessons are threefold. Fanboys can come in all forms, not just in
"unprofessional/amateur" sources. Research is more
important than hype. All of the next-gen systems will be awesome in
their own ways, but you need to pick the right one(s) for yourself
off of your own research.
I'm now just
curious of what FOX News will be reported in the last week before
the PS3 and the Revolution launch. Will they once again point out
the pricing problems with the more expensive PS3, or will they be
more friendly to the Blu-Ray buddy (remember, FOX News is owned by
FOX...which is one of Sony's pals in the next-gen DVD debate, while
Microsoft is on the opposing team...just a thought)?
Malik
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