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Post by Fryguy64 on Jun 11, 2006 13:54:16 GMT -5
I've just picked up Sands of Time now. Time for some fun!
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Post by amazingeee on Jun 11, 2006 16:53:28 GMT -5
The platforming in SoT is awesome, but the fighting gets tedious. I've never checked out the sequels, and now I probably won't.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 11, 2006 21:06:57 GMT -5
I've just picked up Sands of Time now. Time for some fun! Excellent! I won't be so arrogant as to assume that it had anything to do with last week's TPCGW, but you made a good choice! I'll give you a hint on the combat: It may be frustrating at first, but don't rely on button mashing or patterns. Be tactful and stay on your toes! Remember than you can temporarily freeze enemies with a stab of the dagger.
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Post by Wildcat on Jun 11, 2006 22:51:29 GMT -5
Personally, I like Underground. I think the story was solid (enough for what it is), the gameplay fun, and I liked the stages (except the KISS pandering in this game...feh). THUG2 on the other hand is a trainwreck. Stay away. For further opinions, see my website review of THUG: members.tripod.com/jf.wildcat/id1131.htm
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Post by Fryguy64 on Jun 12, 2006 3:45:53 GMT -5
Excellent! I won't be so arrogant as to assume that it had anything to do with last week's TPCGW, but you made a good choice! Since you started this thread, the number of third-party games I've been snatching up has increased significantly. What with the drought of Gamecube titles worldwide right now, it's about time I caught up on some of the better games I passed over originally. Now if only I could tear myself away from the DS...
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 12, 2006 21:53:48 GMT -5
Since you started this thread, the number of third-party games I've been snatching up has increased significantly. You've just made me very happy! My work here is done... not! I love doing this too much! Personally, I like Underground. I think the story was solid (enough for what it is), the gameplay fun, and I liked the stages (except the KISS pandering in this game...feh). THUG2 on the other hand is a trainwreck. Stay away. To be honest, the only TH game I've played is THPS2 on the Dreamcast. In fact, I've been playing it lately, which is why I chose 3 & 4 this week. I got the impression that THUG was a result of the Grand Theft Auto influence that so many games had around that time. I think SSX: On Tour may have imitated THUG by emphasizing a create-a-character feature and using it in the main game, but it wasn't done very well. I also read that THAW wasn't so great, either. But Downhill Jam... Tony Hawk meets SSX? I'm there! At least they're not calling it "Tony Hawk's Wii." ( ;D It never gets old!)
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Post by Wildcat on Jun 12, 2006 22:23:30 GMT -5
Yes, I suppose the GTA sandbox relation is true. THUG's pretty much TH with the ability to run around. And drive cars (which is the worst part of the whole game). Running can be used with tricks, though, so it's not just there for the sake of being there. I still like it the most of the TH's I've played. THAW didn't need to be made. I haven't played it, but Activision was trying to whip a dead horse with it. At least Downhill Jam is a proper departure and something different.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 18, 2006 20:45:19 GMT -5
TPCGW: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummyfrom THQ Boy, it just seems like the launch of the Wii, and concurrently, the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, is so far away! I want to play Twilight Princess now! What do we do? Well, we could go back and take a look at Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. It's another one of those games from the end of 2003 that got over looked, and it's notable here since it's considered to have a very "Nintendo" style. It's specifically like the Zelda series, featuring a large overworld and several dungeons, as well various power-ups and abilities you collect along the way. You take control of two different characters in the game: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. Sphinx is your basic running, jumping, sword-swinging action-adventure hero. The Cursed Mummy, however, is more unique. Since he's already dead, he can subject himself to various abuse for the sake of solving puzzles. For instance, he can light himself on fire and take the fire to another area. Or he can get smashed and slip through narrow passages. Check it out, and maybe it'll tide you over until Link finally rides back into town. At least Downhill Jam is a proper departure and something different. What are your thoughts on Tony Hawk's Project 8? I think Neversoft built a brand new game engine for it from the ground up. The graphics look very impressive on the 360, but I believe it's also coming out for current gen consoles (with graphic downgrades, of course).
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Post by Wildcat on Jun 18, 2006 22:51:27 GMT -5
Hm. I didn't hear about a Project 8. Let me take a look and I'll get back to you on that.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 25, 2006 12:02:14 GMT -5
TPCGW: Soul Calibur II from Namco
The 'Cube is not known for its fighting games. However, it still has a few notable titles, and Soul Calibur II among them. It's the sequel to the Dreamcast launch title that redefined 3D fighting games. In fact, many claim that Soul Calibur on the DC has better graphics than PS2 launch titles that came out over a year later.
SC2 is easy to pick up and play for beginners, but it's also deep and complex for people who like to get technical. There are so many moves and combos that you'll be busy learning new characters for a long time to come. And the characters themselves are varied and filled with personality.
Of course, the real reason Nintendo fans bought this game had nothing to do with depth or quality of gameplay. It was because Nintendo's own Link was included as a guest character. He retains all his moves from Super Smash Bros. Melee, and he fits in really well.
The graphics, of course, are gorgeous. Characters are detailed and have excellent motion capture. The backgrounds are interesting and have nice lighting effects. The sound is great, too, if you can forgive the strange English translation and voice acting (or switch it to Japanese).
If you're looking for another great fighting game for your 'Cube, you can't do much better than Soul Calibur II.
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Post by Wildcat on Jun 25, 2006 20:30:16 GMT -5
Ah, SCII. A good game, yes. I personally like Soul Calibur on the DC more (it just feels more connected together to me...and I dislike the walls), but SCII is a solid choice. I do have a review of it on my site, which I will post below.
Soul Calibur was one of the Dreamcast's early gems and a graphical masterpiece for the system. Never before had a fighter been so lush with its animation, backgrounds and modeling, and it set a standpoint that several games couldn't touch for a long time. Not to mention that the gameplay was pretty solid as well, and it was a blast fighting other people, too. Lastly, the Mission mode was a great addition to the usually stale Single player modes of fighters.
After some years had passed, Soul Calibur returned to all three consoles. With Todd McFarlane's studio providing the art, Link being an exclusive character along with 5 other new characters, a tweaked battle system, walls added to the stages, a new Weapon Master mode and several things to unlock, Soul Calibur II did impress...but there are a few issues with the game that I will share as I go.
First off, the stages in SCII really aren't as impressive as the original's to me. I don't like the walls that much, and a lot of the stages seem to be a lot smaller or too large compared to SC. I like a few of the stages, but compared to the fact I liked nearly all of the original's, this was a disappointment. Also, there seems to be fewer stages than before, and you'll see why I was a bit saddened with the stage selection.
The new characters are overall great: Raphael is a fantastic addition with his fencing skills (which are pretty close to the actual fencing I did at school) and Talim's got a unique fighting style all her own (which my fiancé enjoys playing as). Necrid is also an interesting character, combining several other character's moves into his own...yet manages to be unimpressive on the whole. Cassandra and Yunsung are tweaked versions of Sophitia and Hwang, but are different enough to not be direct rip offs. Link is a blast to play as, and is very polished and fits in well against the SC veterans. The returning characters have new moves and skills to figure out, several of the last game's strategies work here, and the 8 way run is improved and Soul charges actually seem to do something (I never used them in the original SC). Fan favorites Cervantes, Seung Mina, Sophitia and Yoshimitsu are lurking in the shadows to be unlocked, plus the incredibly lame replacement for Edge Master, Charade. The U.S. version also scored three other fighters that are quite limited in use: Berserker (Rock), Assassin (Hwang), and Lizardman. This brings the cast up to 23, which is quite respectable for a 3D fighter.
The graphics are impressive, sure, but the backgrounds didn't wow me like SC did. Also, some of the larger weapons go through the arena floor when you're laying down, which is an odd little glitch. But the animation remains fantastic and the models otherwise look great, so no giant complaints here. The music is decent (I do like the Zelda theme quite a bit), the voice work is excellent (in Japanese...Nightmare's voice in English made me laugh out loud...so I turned it over to Japanese quickly), and the game has plenty of replay in its Vs. and Training modes.
I must focus on the controls, which haven't changed much from SC1. In fact, I can't think of a major change to the system other than the use of the C Stick as a combination of two of the attack buttons (which makes Nightmare's stances or Link's Bow/Boomerang/Bombs easier to access, that's for sure). But I had no qualms with SC1's controls, so I can't say the game needed an overhaul here. It still controls great, although getting used to the GC tiny directional pad takes a while.
The only other problem in the game lies with Weapon Master mode. Mostly, it's fantastic and very similar to the original's Mission mode, but with Weapons, costumes, modes, Exhibitions and more to purchase this time around (although I do miss finding things through buying things in the art gallery...and the amount of art SC1 had). The weapons increase the game's strategy a lot, and will have players tinkering with their character strategy a lot more than in the last game, which had no difference in the weapons. But, the dungeons are awful. They're tedious, take a long time to get through and reset if you leave them, making them more of a chore than entertaining.
All and all, Soul Calibur II continues to maintain the series' hold on being the King of 3D fighters in my eyes, but a few small issues and a few disappointments keep it from dethroning Street Fighter as the best fighter of all time. Now Soul Calibur 3 has hit the PS2, and I must wonder how improved it is over SC2...maybe when it get a little cheaper I'll pick it up.
Corey - I did some looking up of Project 8, and it's nice that they're finally upgrading the engine. It was horribly dated. The new features sound good, too. Alas, it seems the Cube or the WIi isn't getting it (the site I read the news on did not list them as systems)...so depending on reviews, I may pick it up for the PS2 when it gets cheaper. But probably not before that.
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Post by Fryguy64 on Jun 26, 2006 3:13:03 GMT -5
Soul Calibur II is indeed a mighty game. I haven't played it loads (can't remember what took my attention away from it... oh wait... I think it was DK: King of Swing) but what I did play I liked.
But yes, I mainly bought it for Link's appearance, otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered. Definitely a major selling point for any Nintendo fan.
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Post by Dances in Undergarments on Jun 26, 2006 3:26:56 GMT -5
I really love Soul Calibur II. Unfortunately my disc seems to have decided that it can't take it anymore, and the game wont progress further than the title screen, but I had some brilliant times with it for those last few years.
Its a real shame that SCIII didn't make it to the Cube, because I'd love to play it (and will at some point - I plan to pick up a PS2 fairly soon), but I would have loved to have way back when it came out.
Very good stuff.
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Post by amazingeee on Jun 26, 2006 20:00:11 GMT -5
Yeah, I hope SC returns to being multi-platform. Not sure how they would Wiimote-ize it though...
SCII is excellent...
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jul 2, 2006 15:40:39 GMT -5
TPCGW: Midway Arcade Treasures 1, 2 & 3from Midway The Midway Arcade Treasures collections set the standard for classic game compilations by including an impressive number of classic games in a single package for a budget price. The first Midway Arcade Treasures includes 24 classic arcade games, mainly from the early 80's. The variety in the games is really the key. Games like Defender, Joust, and Robotron were originally designed to last for only a few minutes (thus sucking up more quarters in the arcade). But there are so many games included on the disc that once you get tired of one game (which can happen pretty quick), you can easily move on to another. In a way, it almost feels like actually being in an arcade in the early 80's. MAT2 includes 20 more games, this time mainly from the late 80's and 90's. It's notable for its inclusion of Mortal Kombat 2 and 3. In general, the games in MAT2 have a bit more lasting power. In addition to this, you will also find a lot more old games that you don't normally see on classic compilations. That, alone, makes it worth picking up, just so you can enjoy any obscure favorites you may have. MAT3 took a different approach by including only racing games, and even then, there are only eight games on the disc. Also, two of the games are not their original arcade versions, but emulations of the Dreamcast ports. This was done mainly to make the inclusion of multiplayer modes more practical. Of course, in the case of emulation, some games turn out better than others. On MAT1, Satan's Hollow looks and sounds terrible. On MAT2, Primal Rage suffers from some inexcusable stutters and pauses. Still, there are enough fine emulations to overlook the bad ones. (And in the case of Satan's Hollow, you can always go to midwayarcade.com and play a much more accurately emulated version for free!) So, if your gaming roots stretch back to arcades in the 80's like mine do, or if you just like classic arcade games, these are some of the best compilations you can get for your money.
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