AndrewTS

Yeah, but as I said, likely *something* called Assassin's Creed will be on Wii, but I hope it isn't crap. I'd bet your sweet ass that the new Prince of Persia game being announced for Wii doesn't mean it's exclusive, either. Likely that's the first version that'll be revealed and they'll downplay talk of any other versions. I thought the almost nil gameplay of Ep. I, plus the crappiness of II would be considering a greater insult. The T rating is a *desperate* attempt to hope more people buy it, because on paper you can see a lot of 13-16 year olds getting it when otherwise they wouldn't/couldn't. It's why we get PG-13 horror movies. Of course, that's exec logic, and it's the type of overt stupidity that got Streets of Rage 1-3 omitted from the US Sonic Gems Collection. You should just get the DS Xenosaga I + II, Flik.

Except that 1) it's by Rockstar North, who aren't actually the folks who made the GTA titles and Manhunt, 2) it's supposed to be actually extremely positive, charming, and funny. 3) there's no blood at all in it, weapons break easily, and if you attack people you're more likely to get busted and punished than in any GTA title. Count me in on the "GTA3 was alright, but I think I've had my fill" panel.

Assassin's Creed 360--worst kept industry secret ever. What I'm *really* interested in is that if the Wii version is for real. "Project Assassin" showed up the leaked Ubi release list. Ubi's been pushing how the new tech allows them to have all of the crowds respond realistically--which seems like it would be something Wii couldn't do. However, that doesn't necessarily mean a visual downgrade wouldn't make it possible. Though, we know Ubi isn't completely opposed to massively toning down a game just to say that released it on a system (some of the non-xbox splinter cells, for instance). A PSP release was on there, too. I got Disgaea 2 as well, although I don't know why exactly. Has Jesus ever made an appearance like this is in a game before? (OMG SPOILERS!) Wisdom Tree loved them some Moses, that I know. lol xenosaga is retarded 2006

Lots of things went awry on that deal. RE4 didn't sell all that hot, ditto VJ, PN03 was meh on a cracker, Dead Phoenix looked fantastic but was cancelled, and Killer 7 was...well, not exactly a game with wide appeal. However, that vid makes me actually look forward to a new Mega Man Legends game--or better yet, a new Tron Bonne. Like that's ever going to happen...

"And as I watched him...playing these violent games...powerless to do anything to stop it....I couldn't help but wonder...where the system has failed."

I wouldn't entirely rule it out, but Capcom's been giving Sony and MS each their own (current) exclusives. I doubt Wii, but we know PS3 can handle it. It's just a question of how easy a port it would be. I'd expect it to be a "timed exclusive" at most.

Awesome:

When you've been unable to sleep, usually you'll at least hop yourself up on buttloads of caffeine so you can be awake when you absolutely have to.

It takes organized crime to whole new levels if done properly. I'm sure the parents groups will love that. "Our little boy joined a St.'s Row gang, and before you know it, he was running with a horrible crowd of online ruffians. He was a Level 67 Pimp with +28 CHAR before we finally cancelled our internet service to stop him!"

I'm sure it's a little more complicated than this--but they weren't published under the Psygnosis/Sony label; Midway published. So I guess it came down to $, and likely Sony got a chunk of the change without having to directly take on publisher costs. So think about it. Some Sony Europe exec was probably approached with the idea to take a IP waning in popularity, develop a version for a system that posted little threat to Playstation at that point, and without Sony having to risk being stuck with the costs of publishing and marketing the thing. At least that's my theory.

And DNF will be done when it's done. I bought Star Fox Command for DS. And yes, I like it. There's been a lot of confusion about just what it is and what it plays like (mostly due to Nintendo's sketchy information and deceptive gameplay videos that were released). Is it really not a rail shooter? -Yup. It's all combat. Is it really completely controlled with the stylus with no dpad input? -Yes, it is. You guide your ship and plot the courses of your units using the stylus, and even in the battle scenes you use it for all movement. You shoot using any button--so lefties and righties could use whatever choice of configs they want. I've found the L button to be...well, basically my only choice for firing. However, you will need to get yourself in the proper position so you can a. hold the ds b. hold the stylus and c. have a servicable fire button at your fingertips. Is there really strategy elements? -Yes. Each mission--at least so far--involves you usually keeping the Great Fox safe. You have x number of turns to destroy enemies and collect their cores. This can be rather annoying at first, because until you get the controls down pat nabbing the cores can be frustrating, but you get some leeway with collecting them. Are the controls bad / "ick, stylus controls." - I'm not convinced that the stylus is a proper replacement either--and keeping straight if you need to go left or right to head to one of the enemies on the map can be tricky, because you have to have your eyes darting up and down from the screen, when most of the time you can simply glance to plan the direction to head into. Did it need stylus controls? - For a rail shooter? Hell no. We know d-pad controls are fine, and nothing save for the bomb-dropping (which lets you actually drag a bomb from the bottom screen and "drop" it in an area with your preferred targets) really seems different from the old games. - However, if they *had* to go this direction for the game, it was the right decision, since the stylus controls are essential for controlling your units and plotting their courses effectively, plus it's better to do all stylus or all dpad rather than changing between them all the time. Are the cutscenes that bad? - I'm sure a few here and there are, but I've skipped over them up to this point, and it doesn't seem like they contain much essential gameplay-related information. Just what are the missions? - Basically mini-strat games. You move your "units" (which, when charging head-on into an enemy, results in the meat of the game, the combat scenes), try to destroy the enemy, and clear everything. However, just blowing enemies away aren't all you have to do. And yes, it sucks to have obliterated a ton of enemies in record time, only to lose because a dot that was hiding in some fog came close to a semi-circle.

With all the talk of "power levels," plots that can be summed up in 2 paragraphs stretching out to like 30 eps each, cookie-cutter semi-sd character designs, it's already just a party of barely-out-of-their-teens characters to complete most of the cliches.

Just rented it. Blasted through the arcade mode with 18. The gameplay is good although slower than the budokai games (budokai series emphasized looking like the tv fights above all else, though), but I like it. Your default characters to select from are: Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, krillin, majin buu, androids 16-18, Frieza, Trunks, Cell, Vegeta, Chi-chi and Chi-Chi. Unlockables are King Piccolo, Majin Vegeta, Mecha Frieza, Ultimate Gohan, Videl. The game's been plugged many times as being much like Street Fighter + DBZ. That's not entirely true. It feels more like Rival Schools/Project Justice. There's 4 main buttons for play- Light, Heavy, Jump and Guard. However, you can assign the triggers to do two-button functions (such as throw and the homing attacks. Characters only have about 3-4 "Special moves" and usually a single super move. Plus there's canned strings of 3-4 hits each. Scrubs will LOVE Goku. He has a projectile (which can be charged), the "Blast Fist" which is a shoryuken, and a spinning kick attack. Yes, you already know exactly how to execute them, too. He has a super Kamehameha, and is one of the few with a 2nd super with the ability to transform into a super saiyan. Plus he has a taunt that restores his life. The other saiyans share the transform ability, but their base play styles are much different. Movement includes dashing forward, back-dashing, and sidesteps with quick taps of up and down. Items on the playfield can usually be used as cover. Tapping Jump twice lets you float in the air--which is pretty much just like standing on air, rather than offering any unique gameplay situations. You can't simply dodge and jump around forever, because there's an "action" gauge that drains as you dash/sidestep/etc. Combos can be performed via the standard two-in-ones (which can be started by the canned strings), juggles, and corner traps. Oddly, it seems supercancels aren't here. Overall, a solid game that could use some improvements, but already is leagues better than the other DBZ fighters. I wouldn't say it's worth 40 bucks unless you're totally crazy for the series...maybe wait for Champion Edition.

Infintum Labs' Phantom is officially dead: http://gear.ign.com/articles/726/726140p1.html

Actually, some (but not all) of the NES patents are expired. So in theory it's 100% legal to make a system that plays NES games if it doesn't infringe on existing patents. http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051111/boyd_01.shtml Most "NES-on-a-chip" consoles--such as the Retrocon and most of the others, aren't 100% effective duplicates of the chipsets and are fine and dandy. Nintendo actually lost a suit in one of those cases. So it's not as black-and-white as the band of gypsies at your local mall selling those 500-in-1 systems that resemble N64 controllers that plug into TVs (violating valid game copyrights), while down at the other end those same games are being sold through more legimate (though ridiculously overpriced) means. I'd been trying to find a Tristar 64 (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristar_64), but they're virtually impossible to find, and usually they're on ebay for higher prices than you'd except (nearing the triple digits). A nice compact console that would effectively play all my N64/SNES/and NES games would be fantastic, but sadly it probably wouldn't play those rare problematic NES games, and isn't 100% on SNES games. Oddly it plays Star Fox, despite it using the FX chip.

I didn't say it was "bad" exactly. I said I hate the game, that's all. So while it probably plays more like the fights in the show, I'd rather play SDBZ.

Yeah, but translating the spirit of a show/movie/etc. doesn't necessarily make for good gameplay. However, DBZ fans are hardly discriminating with their tastes in gameplay. BT fans were swearing up and down how complicated or "lousy" SDBZ is, because they don't get the gameplay. Although the air combat is much chunkier than in BT. As for the best of Budokai 1-3....it's like this. If you care more about heated, competitive gameplay, the 2nd one is a bit better. But B3 is more "cinematic" in it's approach--you get more mid-match cutscenes of people smashing into walls/through mountains, etc. Also, more people seem to prefer Budokai 3's quest mode. Don't ask me at all about Sagas, though. I played like 2 minutes of it.

Silent Hill 2: CE *contains minor spoilers from early into the game* http://newgrounds.com/portal/view/334798

The PS1 game is hard to find now, at least out of EB Games/Gamestop. After the movie it seems lots of people started trying the series, which shocks me. So a game that's 7 years old, has gone GH, has likely a million + copies out there--is now in such high demand you're going to have a hard time finding a copy under 30 bucks. Insane. 2, 3, and 4 are also getting to be in short supply, but nothing approaching SH1 yet. Oh, and a few other observations: NES Classics Super Mario Bros GBA is in a similar situation. I only saw 1 today running around the Pittsburgh area, and Gamestop was charging 20 bucks. Ha! Shadow Hearts 1 has apparently gotten a reprint. Other rare titles to get reprints (that are more well known)--Gitaroo Man and Rez. Silent Hill is backordered on the EBGames website, and currently they want $17.99. I've actually been looking for it for a friend, but after playing some of Silent Hill 2 (I have already collected 2 and 4 for him, and 3 is on the way from an online purchase) I might find myself getting into this series.

Japanese God Hand commercial; it has crappy sound, and unfortunately for me it cuts off part-way in. You may have to click past that point just a tad with your mouse to watch the rest. Oh, and possibly NSFW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZTlWWd7eaw

It's funny that on MKO's forums, there are plenty of folks in utter denial there. "No way the final will have text + katas. NO WAY is Midway that lazy." However, you're saying even for text+katas that the endings are still nonsensical anyway, which is pretty sad.

Wasn't the last game Guilty Gear XX "sharp" reload? Anyway, sounds more like they "Capcomed" GG; SNK is the one who Madden-ized fighters.

Maybe the live action show--if they haven't used her yet--can have her played by a dwarf girl.

That's a hella-old concept design, from back when the "shell" controller was actually going to be a shell you put the Wiimote in. Compare to the current Wii-mote's revamped design: http://e3.britishgaming.co.uk/2006/nintendo/wii/wiimote.png Also, it seems talk about the attachments and doodads has really toned down, and it seems all the launch (and launch window) titles either use a traditional scheme, or support the wiimote/nunchunku configuration. The "shell" design turned out to be this: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/arc..._controller.jpg. However, I doubt that's final, either.

SC III is officially a Greatest Hits title, so that $20 price tag is permanent. Ok, none of the target games had a GH packaging, and Lord knows that EB/gamestop barely has any new copies of the game, opting to keep the old pre-owned price on everything for a while..