Xbox 360

[AndrewTS 0]

First Rumble Roses is good, if a bit more arcade-style than the other Yukes wrestlers.

 

 

Check this out:

http://gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games...ews/50871.shtml

 

I didn't know it was possible to do a game review with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE GAMEPLAY WHATSOEVER mentioned. 2 pages, too. That's something else.

 

It's all "OMGRFFX, H@l0c haracter! ONLNEONLNELNELINE!!!"

 

(posted in quotes, since it broke Anya's internets from the ads and other garbage)

 

Review by: JohnnyK

Posted: 01/03/06 [view screens]

 

Dead or Alive 4 is ready for the Xbox 360 launch with new characters, new environments, a brand-new online system, and one newcomer who may just surprise you.

 

A World of Interactivity

If looks could kill, DOA 4 would be called Murderer's Row. This game looks beautiful, and even while you're beating the tar out of your opponent, you'll notice that your surroundings are among the finest you've seen in any fighting game.

 

The Xbox 360's processing power affords tremendous detail in the arenas, whether it's in the way objects break apart when you fall into them or the way that lights bend and reflect off wet surfaces. The new interactive objects, such as rocks, fences, walls, and even dinosaurs, also add great strategic depth to fights. Since you can inflict extra damage onto an opponent by knocking them into objects, you'll find yourself taking more frequent advantage of the ability to move around freely, which can spice up even the most typical match.

 

Say "Halo" to My Little Friend

Perhaps the most surprising addition to Dead or Alive 4 is the inclusion of a new fighter that you may recognize from another flagship Xbox franchise. That's right - the world of Halo is now part of the Dead or Alive universe. Say hello to Spartan-458, the newest female fighter. Unfortunately, you'll have a hard time even figuring out that there's a woman encased in armor. In fact, the only indication that there's a woman under all that metal is her voice-over dialogue! So all you gamers out there hoping for some titillating Halo-inspired jiggle physics will come away disappointed.

 

But while the addition of Spartan-458 is an odd one, as a character she seems to fit into the Dead or Alive experience pretty darn well. A careful mix of both speed and power, she can hold her own against the speedy fighters like Kasumi and Christie, while also stay toe to toe with the bruisers like Bass and Leon. It's this duality that really makes Spartan-458 a pleasure to play, and I imagine that most gamers will quickly welcome her with open arms. If you're a huge Halo fan, you'll also want to be on the lookout for some special trademark moves, including one that involves a plasma grenade. Hey, wipe that drool from your mouth!

 

To make things even more interesting, you'll be treated to a special fighting arena inspired by the mega seller. While stark in terms of overall cover palette use, the level oozes Halo goodness thanks to its trademark visual style and includes some Dead or Alive specifics features, such as having a multi-tiered elevation system that allows you to knock opponents off ledges for extra damage.

 

Bringing Personality to the Online Experience

While Dead or Alive Ultimate successfully brought the series online, that didn't necessarily add any key improvements to the overall fighting experience. For Dead or Alive 4, Team Ninja is planning a mountain of new features that manage to spice up the online experience tremendously. First off, when you fire up an online game you'll pick an on-screen avatar and choose a theme for your match lobby. Themes include things like Christmas, Halloween, and even one that takes place underwater. Up to 16 players can occupy a single room and while two people are fighting against each other, the remaining 14 can watch the action via a monitor that appears in the lobby.

 

Surprisingly enough, half the fun of fighting online comes in the "down time" while you're not even playing. You can use voice chat to talk to other lobby mates or even type to each other if you have a USB keyboard connected to your Xbox 360. The real fun occurs in the myriad number of avatars you can eventually access. You only start off with one, but as you play online and beat opponents, you'll gain points that can be spent at a special shop.

 

Besides being able to buy up new avatars, you'll also be able to purchase new theme lobbies, accessories to dress your avatar up in, as well as other goodies. In fact, Team Ninja developed the store system to enable gamers to effectively unlock everything that can be had in the game strictly by playing online. So if you're an online junkie, the ability exists to never even have to play offline to earn things such as extra costumes or characters.

 

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

If you already have an Xbox 360, do yourself a favor and grab Dead or Alive 4. Besides just being a faster and more enjoyable experience overall, the inclusion of some truly unique online features should have you glued to your shiny new console for hours. While it would have been nice to see some new modes (Survival, Tag, and Sparring are starting to get really old), Dead or Alive 4 is still hands-down the best installment in the series yet, and dare we say, maybe one of the best fighting games out there.

[Anya 0]

So it's......faster? Leave to the journalists at Gamepro to give you the inside scoop!

 

Do throws still pass through the opponent if they are recovering from a stun or attack? Do only a handful of lows hit grounded opponents? Is the window for counters still huge? Is it still the same old weaksauce DOA?

[AndrewTS 0]

...uh....

5.0 rating...! 5.0 FUN FACTOR!

 

Buy it, will ya?

 

I'm amused even Gamepro panned 50 cent's lousy game (2/5).

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

So it's......faster? Leave to the journalists at Gamepro to give you the inside scoop!

 

Do throws still pass through the opponent if they are recovering from a stun or attack? Do only a handful of lows hit grounded opponents? Is the window for counters still huge? Is it still the same old weaksauce DOA?

 

This si the first DOA I've ever owned, so I can't really compare it to the other games in the series. BUT, throws seem to work pretty well, yes lots of low hits pass over grounded opponents, and apparently the window for counters has been drastically reduced (by almost half I've read) although the computer seems to have little difficulty countering if you do the same attack more than once.

 

All in all, it sure does look pretty. Plays pretty well too. Computer can get pretty irritating with it's constant juggles and counters in later fights, but I've beaten it with a couple of fighters (Bass, Ryu). Haven't unlocked Spartan-458 though..

[Anya 0]

I called MS to get it fixed Saturday. They told me they'd send the box it ship it in overnight. It just arrived today. It's the wrong box!

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

Just bought mine today. Haven't played it yet. But I bought it today at Best Buy, so they're getting more in. WHOOO HOOO....

[AndrewTS 0]

The Shoe/Hsu (EGM guy) interview with Peter Moore is pretty awesome in its bluntness.

 

Moore tries to squirm out of them but just dodges, bullshits, and lies.

 

Since game magazines are not real journalism anyway, it's ridiculous for game mags to have so many dull, pre-fielded interviews.

[Anya 0]

Yeah that's a big part of the reason I stopped paying attention to the gaming press. It's not news, it's just press releases. It's like they're all so afraid to ask the real questions. If they would all start acting like real journalists they wouldn't have to worry about pissing off the companies.

 

 

MS deserves to be grilled about all this. How can it be months after launch and the systems are still nearly impossible to find? What is the explination for this? I don't care about damage control and BS like "we didn't expect this much demand". I want to know the real reason and when it's getting fixed. Just how many are defective? What are they going to do about it? 1Up was right about the weak graphics. The 360 is not what I would consider next gen. What does MS have to say about this?

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

The Shoe/Hsu (EGM guy) interview with Peter Moore is pretty awesome in its bluntness.

 

Moore tries to squirm out of them but just dodges, bullshits, and lies.

 

Since game magazines are not real journalism anyway, it's ridiculous for game mags to have so many dull, pre-fielded interviews.

 

Except for the fact he's a marketing guy, and that's what they do.

 

Hsu sounds less like a journalist, and more like someone off the PS2 fanboy forums. Pathetic.

[Anya 0]

What does PS2 have to do with anything? They're valid issues and points that need to be raised and discussed. Criticism for Xbox does not have anything to do with supporting another company.

 

If that's all a marketing guy can do they need to quit wasting their time with him and talk to someone who can actually say something worthwhile.

 

It's not just MS either. They all do this and the press lets them get away with it.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

A lot of the questions are just stupid, though.

 

Especially the "Wouldn't you be pissed if you paid $400 for a new console and many of its games looked only marginally better than their current-gen equivalents?" bit.

 

Gee, a bunch of ports from Activision and EA don't look much better than the Xbox ones, and the guy acts like it's a major revelation. He harps on it for about half a page, and it's just idiotic.

 

(Notice, there's no mention of the games that clearly do look better. Take PGR2 and PGR3, and compare them side-by-side. Or Call of Duty 2 with the original. )

 

The guy also does a lot of nitpicking. Backwards compatibility, noise (It's a PC stuffed into a tiny case, and you're shocked it's loud?), and the voice chat echo (which has been around since the original Xbox launched).

 

The BC bit is the worst, where he keeps bringing up that games like Barbie worked and Spinter Cell didn't (at the time), and keeps acting like it's a major disaster.

 

Woah, you mean the games with more advanced effects are going to take longer to emulate? No way! It's not like the PS2, which has the PS1 chipset inside of it. The 360 runs on completely different hardware, and that's been known forever.

 

It's like the interviewer's just trying to get himself over, so it looks like he's asking the "tough questions". Maybe it wouldn't be so hypocritical if EGM wasn't complete shit anyway.

[Anya 0]

Backwards compatibilty for 360 is a joke. It's not just key games not being supported. Some that are don't even work right. I know of a few that are unplayable or horrible on 360 and shouldn't even be on the list. It's like they did no testing at all.

[2GOLD 0]

Each company does the same thing, they rush out the systems and usually the first run of next gen games come out looking like they belong on the system you just left. I still haven't been impressed by one next gen title I've seen (I'll admit, only seen about five or six of them but they have all looked ho-hum).

 

Odds are the massive delays are BECAUSE of bugs they just flat out missed when they first released the system. I really fear the first run of the PS3 since Sony cannot seem to release a system that doesn't blow up after one year when it's the first batch.

[WukenBloodstar 0]

Backwards compatibilty for 360 is a joke. It's not just key games not being supported. Some that are don't even work right. I know of a few that are unplayable or horrible on 360 and shouldn't even be on the list. It's like they did no testing at all.

 

 

I never personally saw the hype around backwards compatibilty myself, I mean..why do people like it so much? Are they going to run in with the new system, plug it in and throw the old one in the trash? The x-box games I like to play (Jade Emipre and a few others) run pretty well besides jade empire lagging in a few cut scenes. When I look for a game system backwards compatibilty is about the least thing I'm worried about. Games, specs and performance matter more to me.

 

 

Personally I don't think it's a valid issue at all, I'm more concerned with the delayment of the next Morrowind and Ghost Recon: Advanced War Fighter than some bloody unimportant(to me) thing like backwards compatibilty. If you want to play x-box games, play them on the x-box, not the 360 unless you're really lazy and don't want to hook the system back up, or have it hooked up and are still too lazy to change to it. I see why it might be important to you however. I just don't care about backwards compatibilty, I felt that as a whole ruined the PS2 in performance.

[Anya 0]

PS2/Dreamcast games looked amazing compared to 32 Bit era games. If you told me Quake 4 and DOA 4 were Xbox games I would believe you. I don't expect everything to have great graphics but weak looking 360 graphics seem to be the norm not the exception. I wasn't even expecting much from DOA4 and was still somewhat surprised at how disappointing it looks. The backgrounds are ok I guess but the characters look ripped straight from DOA3. The first thing I thought when I was selecting my character was that it looks exactly like DOA Ultimate. I don't doubt it will eventually improve but it's an underwhelming start.

 

 

Backwards compatibilty is nice when you have a lot of systems and not much room. Right now I have a SNES, Saturn, Genesis, N64, Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube all hooked up with a couple other systems ready to go. I had to rearrange some stuff just to get the 360 in there. I actually thought about retiring the Gamecube just to make more room and that system isn't even dead yet. It's also nice for traveling. I have a PS2 for the office at work and it's great to be able to play a PSX game.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

Part of the increase between PSX and PS2/DC wasn't just the power of the consoles, it was the fact that developers were just getting better.

 

The early 3D games just looked terrible. Part of that was because they'd just switched from sprite-based games to polygon based ones, and the results weren't pretty. By the time the PS2 and DC rolled around, the devs had a lot more time to adjust.

 

PGR3, COD2, and Condemned all look amazing, but I do have a good HD setup. Also, all of those were developed just for the 360 anyway.

 

I can't say anything for DOA, because I haven't played it since 3. Ultimate wasn't that long ago, was it? They likely just reused stuff from that, which would be the developer's fault.

 

Ports are going to be a problem with underwhelming graphics. Unless you have a developer who's smart enough to develop for the better system first (Ubisoft, particularly with the Clancy games) and then downgrade it for the lesser ones, they're going to be ugly. Hell, all of EA, Activision, and Midway's Xbox games look like PS2 ports..and most are. EA's particularly bad with developing things for PS2 first, then just bringing it to Xbox.

 

Also, for anyone doubting the jump in graphics, take a look at the screenshots or movies for the Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. That's going to be insane.

[AndrewTS 0]

DoA4 was originally going to be an X-Box 1 game.

 

King Kong, Gun, Tony Hawk, etc--those are multi-console titles. Of course they're going to be barely-enhanced, with the HD support the major upgrade.

 

Kameo started from a GC title, although the game environments do display more of the 360's capabilities than some other titles.

 

So maybe...Project Gotham and RR6 are a couple of the few titles that was always supposed to be a 360 game?

 

The library is loaded with multi-console titles, and titles that were aborted for other systems. Naturally they aren't as next-gen as they should be.

 

I expect Rumble Roses XX and Gears of War to make DoA4 and Quake IV look pathetic (graphically)--and that's just maybe 6 months or so from now.

[EricMM 0]

Look, if a game isn't as good as a next gen system could be, why the higher price tag?

[Guest Princess Leena]

I never personally saw the hype around backwards compatibilty myself, I mean..why do people like it so much? Are they going to run in with the new system, plug it in and throw the old one in the trash? The x-box games I like to play (Jade Emipre and a few others) run pretty well besides jade empire lagging in a few cut scenes. When I look for a game system backwards compatibilty is about the least thing I'm worried about. Games, specs and performance matter more to me.

 

Many people sell the old console, or trade it in for some significant value. Plus, especially in the early stages of a console where games are ridiculously priced at $60... the only games you can play for a while are the older ones.

[AndrewTS 0]

Look, if a game isn't as good as a next gen system could be, why the higher price tag?

 

Microsoft is losing money on the consoles, hence the overpriced games and accessories.

 

I was pretty hyped over a 360, considering the steamshovel of utter bullshit that Sony drove into e3 with.

 

However, MS' ineptness dwarfs it.

[Downhome 0]

Alrighty then, in positive 360 news...

 

Have any of you downloaded the full version of Marble Blast Ultra I played the demo, and as soon as I finished going through it I bought the complete version. I've been playing the hell out of the game, I love it. I know it's not enough to recommend the 360 or anything like that, but I highly recommend the game if you already have a 360.

 

It's also been reported that Live Arcade is going to really grow pretty soon, with them releasing up to six new games every month. Check out this thread at GA:

 

http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=82282

[EricMM 0]

So, okay, does that make two killer aps that are download only?

 

Why can't they sell these games as $10 CD's?

 

Even $15 would be fine. Why does everything have to be so expensive?

[AndrewTS 0]

Screw Halo 3 or Gears of War. Here's your killer aps here:

 

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143335.html

 

Itagaki serving up DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2 next

Designer confirms Team Ninja's next project is the jiggle-fest sequel, hints Ninja Gaiden 2 won't be coming anytime soon.

 

In the latest issue of Famitsu Xbox 360, Dead or Alive series producer Tomonobu Itagaki commented about Dead or Alive 4's numerous delays for the first time.

 

While it's rare for Itagaki to make an apology, he told the magazine he feels sorry for the last-minute postponements of the well-reviewed fighter. Itagaki said that he never presumed to think that his games would affect the sales of a console. Now, though, he admits that the DOA4 delay caused major problems for the Xbox 360's launch in Japan. Nonetheless, he decided that he didn't want to release the game in an unpolished form and cause disappointment, as several 360 launch titles did in North America.

 

Despite DOA4's extended development, Itagaki confirms that there still are a few problems with playing the game on Xbox Live, and Team Ninja is working hard to fix the issues. He told the magazine that currently his team is having problems figuring out whether it's Xbox Live or the game itself that's causing the issues. He said the first update is scheduled for mid-February. Aside from bug fixes, it will also feature some minor changes to the game's interface.

 

Itagaki also told Famitsu Xbox 360 that plans to release new outfits for DO4 characters via Xbox Live Marketplace have been put off due to budget and staffing issues. However, Itagaki did say that fans and Team Ninja members had expressed interest in new costumes--and that if such costumes are ever made, they would not be free.

 

In the interview, Itagaki also confirmed that his next Xbox 360 release will be Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2, the sequel to the risqué 2003 sports game. Itagaki said Team Ninja is already working on the opening and ending scenes for the game, and he is currently implementing some new ideas to the original design. Itagaki avoided commenting on a release period.

 

After DOAXBV2, Itagaki say he will release an "action game." However, he hinted that the title in question won't be a sequel to Ninja Gaiden, which means it will either be Project Progressive, Dead or Alive Code: Cronus, or another title. He says the keyword for the game will be "interactivity," which will also go for the next Ninja Gaiden. He did not elaborate.

By Staff -- GameSpot

Posted Jan 30, 2006 10:37 am PT

 

So...another DOAX (Anya cheers)

 

Selling downloadable costumes for DOA4. Holy crap, how ghey.

 

I wonder if Tecmo will sue gamers for making hacked custom jobs again.

[Anya 0]

Yay DOAX2! I'm there on launch day. I liked DOAX1 more than the DOA fighting games. You get to play dress up and trade gifts.

[Anya 0]

Well my 360 came back. It's apparantly a new one. I got a letter of apology and a note saying it's a replacement unit instead of a repair. Ok cool.

 

Start it up and it freezes with 3 red lights in the circle of lights thing. Scary. Start it up again and it seems to work. Playing DOA4 now. I'm going to be so paranoid of a crash.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The 3 red lights are to signifiy that the other wireless controllers aren't connected though, right? I think there's supposed to be 4 total.

[Scroby 0]

I'll pray with you Anya.

[Fökai 0]

I finally got the call for my 360 yesterday. Picking it up today.

 

Based on what I've read in this thread, I'm sticking with taking Halo 2 back online (have been without Xbox access since June), while waiting for a good price on Call of Duty, Gun and anything else. If any of you have games to sell, I'll take them for above Gamestop's trade-in value. I might...just might...pick up Condemned tomorrow, but that'll be a impulse buy.

 

Geometry Wars looks sick. That is all.

 

Gamertag is claytronovich, my old tag. Look me up.

[Scroby 0]

I finally got the call for my 360 yesterday. Picking it up today.

 

Based on what I've read in this thread, I'm sticking with taking Halo 2 back online (have been without Xbox access since June), while waiting for a good price on Call of Duty, Gun and anything else. If any of you have games to sell, I'll take them for above Gamestop's trade-in value. I might...just might...pick up Condemned tomorrow, but that'll be a impulse buy.

 

If your gonna take Halo 2 online again I should warn you, in just about everygame there is some asshole. There's at least one person per game who kills himself over and over again to fuck up your game, some little kid who has a headset, a bridger who feels that if your doing better than him or her you don't belong in the game and kicks you out of the game, someone who is making it so they have host and your team has a harder time killing them and they have an easier time killing you, or someone who just flat out cheats. So except a lot of that crap now, its pretty much frustrating as all hell. I have just stopped playing all together its gotten so bad. The only times that I will play is when one of my friends who can bridge is on and I form up with him. He basically only takes advatage of it when someone from the other team is trying to cheat or do something he shouldn't be doing.

 

Oh yeah, don't be upset if you can't find the dvd remote control in your 360. Apprently Microsoft ran out of the remote's so now only certain 360's have them.

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

I've been playing numerous things. Played a VERY little bit of PGR(5 mins or so) and enjoyed it, although I really should play it more. Haven't played Call of Duty 2 yet. I've played both Madden 06 and Nba 2K6. I've enjoyed NBA 2K6 a lot although there really isnt a difference between it and the Xbox version(other than graphically of course). Madden 06 for 360 has been a pretty huge dissapointment. Looks great, otherwise, it's not so great.

 

Thinking bout buying Condemned, or atleast renting it, but I'm not really sure if I'm going to or not.