Come anticipate the Next-Gen Game Consoles with me!

(I've been reading Tombot's link on the video games thread)

The XBOX 360, regardless of release date, is going to be purchased by people who already have an XBOX, and the PS3, regardless of starting price point, is going to be purchased by people who already have a PS2. There's no significant reason to crossover in the new generation. They've done nothing but focus on their core.

I don't know anybody in the entire world who thinks the problem with video gaming in 2005 is not enough aircraft on the screen or not enough ducks bobbing in the bathtub. I kind of already hate both the PS3 and the 360, and the fanboys slathering over the system specs for either of them are basically the reason why gaming all sucks now, so I hate them too.

What's the Nintendo's big secret, that's what I wanna know?

http://www.terragame.com/Tetris/big1.jpg

to my mind, I can only remember the ps2 being backwards compatible and then who would want to play a ps1 game again?

but there are a few gamecube games worth playing, really, seeing how it's entered a great twilight (all of the consoles seem to, actually, to be fair.)

chrono cross(for giggles)
Parappa the Rappa
MGS1

we're just tightening up the graphics on level three. we'll be done in a minute.

'man, staying up nights for two years straight rendering water splashing is so fucking awesome!'

the gamers' manifesto reminds me of the dogma 2001 thing that floated around a few years back, except it's not anywhere near as obnoxious and smug as the latter. I didn't even get my gamecube and x-box until this year, so it'll probably be a geological age before I get the next-gen systems. and I'm cool with that, because I already have a five-year backlog of games in need of finishing. here's some monkeys.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/n/u/nur108/monkey.jpg

Bushido Blade
Ghost in the Shell (orig.)
Tobal 1/Tobal 2

and Giboyeux linked to the gamer's thingee on another thread so for people like me who give a shit about trackbacks

A Gamer's Manifesto

The same developers (but under a different publisher) of bushido blade made a game called Kengo: master of Bushido. Its basically an unofficial bushido blade game. Its pretty good.

cover of Overwhelming Colorfast's _Two Words_

http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv

game boy micro

The sheer amount of buzz about the Nintendo Revolution after such a lackluster press non-blitz makes me think I'm not the only person who thinks they could have a massive fucking hit on their hands. Hopefully they don't force such a bizarrosexual control interface on the consuming public that only old-core Nintendo Power subscribers buy it.

I really like some of the MMO "player-generated" content ideas but I doubt any publisher currently has the guts or the ingenuity to do it very well. Who wants have player-generated content if some 14 year old is going to just come along and burn your content down while you're at work? And OTOH, where Spore is concerned, there's no interactivity with the other players, you just get to see what other people have built parallel-universe style.

This Bushido Blade conversation isn't actually (totally) a hijack, because it points up something about graphics. I was totally fine with the graphics in BB1 exactly as they were (minus perhaps some popping in of backgrounds here and there). If they did a versh of BB now, it would be minutely rendered. But it's exactly BECAUSE the art was a little abstract that the first one felt so magical. The way the girl's scarf flowed in the wind wasn't totally fluid, it was almost jointed like a snake, but the combination of its perfectly executed undulation with its slightly polygonal shape worked perfectly, and provoked the idea that this was a place that was neither realistic nor abstract... a little like.. http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/adventure/okami/index.html?q=okami

OMG THAT WAS AWESOME!!! I think I got up into the 80s.

I recently heard a rumor that WoW's honor system allows for one "Grand Marshall" per side on each server and the players who hold that rank will be able to issue commands to NPCs, in effect making them ueber-delegators a la Warcraft III. I am finding this concept unbelievably cool.

That would be awesome. Esp. if they combine it with a Sim City style editor where you could duplicate your neighborhood, and then obliterate it.

The thing is I'm fairly sure the vast preponderance of the population agrees with this, and would actually BE more interested in buying consoles and computer games if the fucking things didn't have such a massive barrier to entry in the form of impossibly complex interfaces. The nintendo was able to become incredibly popular because of the d-pad controller with its two little buttons. Everybody could sit down and play. I feel like a fucking moron trying to even start to learn how to manage the mouse+keyboard+FASTER FASTER FASTER OH TOO LATE interfaces of 3D FPS games and I know I'm not the only one.

There came a point shortly after the introduction of the Playstation 1 controller where I began to feel overwhelmed and learning-disabled by all the new buttons and their dynamic, insulting function schemes and I think that's exactly when I stopped paying any attention to new games for a very, very long time, because why bother with something if you can't be even remotely good at it.

xpost: you're reminding me of page two or three of every Playstation game's booklet, which has a diagram of the controller and little captions for each button. The button with a picture of a triangle on it has a helpful caption that says "Triangle Button", with a line pointing to the button. GUH. I know that's not really what you're talking about, I just always thought that was kind of weird. Like, it's a booklet for YOUR GAME, why not put "fire" or "jump" in the caption?

http://coco.8bit-micro.com/images/joy.jpg

Unfortunately I'm coming to the view that it's simply getting people to come up with realistic and non-predictable ways to suck. The newest of which is simply going up to people and saying "I need gold, please give me gold" only with half the letters missing. Everyone needs gold, you fuckers, that's why it's called gold!

Chris is right, first person 3-d without a mouse is like having training wheels on your legs.

Esp. if they combine it with a Sim City style editor where you could duplicate your neighborhood, and then obliterate it.

Easy there, Milhouse.

lol i quit reading after this.

This version of the line is much funnier than Mamet's Maybe Heist should've been a medieval movie.

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx_assets/product_images/147696.jpg

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/147696.asp

N64, no less...

yes it was worse than xenogears, but in the same way that World War II was 'worse' than World War I.

farrell otm about WoW.

i mean god, you guys sound like a bunch of yentas :(. why is it that when anyone over 25 talks about games it has to come back around to "rararar graphics are ruining everything/fucking kids these days/blub blub salad days" it's not that there aren't a ton of valid points scattered throughout this thread, ones which i would ordinarily be inclined to echo, but they're drowned out by all the chicken-littling.

now i'm gonna go play Halo 2 with my BROS, while we listen to Korn and drink from kegs filled with mountain dew.

Personally, I'm all about obscure, bizarre and innovative games. Looking most forward to the new Katamari, The Warriors from Rockstar and whatever the hell Spore turns out to be.

YES NO

You need this game:
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx_assets/product_images/178114.jpg

You can basically use one button the whole time and vary it up every once in a while with the second if you're feeling 'fancy'. Play multiplayer and this game is a uniter but THINGS WILL GET HEATED (i.e. anyone can pick it up and play so EVERYONE starts talkin trash). Plus a dreamcast AND this game would probably run about 20 bucks combined.

a jackal bites!

a jackal bites!

a jackal bites!

a jackal bites!

a jackal bites!

you die.

...your amulet start to glow. you are resurrected!

you kick a door. WHAM!

you kick a door. WHAM!

you kick a door. WHAM!

the door crashes open

do you really want to attack your cat? y/n

you miss a goblin

a goblin hits you with a crude dagger!

your force bolt hits a goblin

a goblin turns to flee

you hit a goblin with your quarterstaff

you kill a goblin!

eat a goblin corpse? y/n

you eat a goblin corpse

my, that was a yummy goblin corpse

you pick up an iron skullcap

you put on an iron skullcap

you can't take off an iron skull cap, it's cursed!

do you really want to attack your cat? y/n

you kick your cat. the cat yowls!

OUCH! you kick a wall

you can't kick, your leg is injured

there is a chest here. loot it? y/n

the chest is locked

you can't kick, your leg is injured

you force your quarterstaff into a crack and pry

you force your quarterstaff into a crack and pry

your quarterstaff breaks!

you throw a potion of paralysis

the potion of paralysis shatters!

you feel as though you are being held by something

a sewer rat bites!

a sewer rat bites!

a sewer rat bites!

a sewer rat bites!

wizard, you are running out of life force

do you really want to pray? y/n

you feel that your god is angry. a thunderous voice booms, "Foolish mortal, you must relearn your lessons!" goodbye level 4.

you drink a potion of healing

you feel somewhat better

a sewer rat bites!

you can't kick, your leg is injured

you attack a sewer rat with your bare hands

you kill a sewer rat

eat a sewer rat corpse? y/n

the corpse tastes terrible!

you feel sick. you gag and vomit!

Xbox 360 vs Nintendo Revolution

oh, for the days of the Dolphin...

Zeitgeist This Week

Top 15 Gaining Queries: Week Ending September 19, 2005
     1. 	kenny chesney
     2. 	kate moss
     3. 	britney spears baby
     4. 	nintendo revolution

There's no longer anything exciting to say about either of the remaining consoles! There's no way I'm buying the fucking green one, though. Why? Who wants that color for anything?!?

beautiful, just beautiful

highlights:

"Sony introduces the PS3, sporting far more powerful hardware than either alternative system, limited online system support, and a fairly solid launch line-up. Nintendo introduces the Revolution. At the same time that the Revolution and PS3 hit the store shelves, Microsoft reduces the price of the Xbox 360 and releases Halo 3. Halo 3, combined with the price reduction, effectively undercuts the momentum of the PS3 launch. Customers have to decide between the 360 with Halo 3, the PS3 with a potentially high price tag, and the Revolution, priced near current generation game consoles."

...

"With a 6-month head start, the Xbox 360 claims the dominant location in households who are unable to afford owning both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360's programming architecture makes it fairly easy to develop for, while the PS3's design makes it difficult for Sony to provide consistent support in terms of game releases. Sony continues to outperform the 360 in Japan, followed by Nintendo, but finds itself in the number three position - counting handheld and home console sales - by the end of this generation."

BRICK!!

I might get a 360.