mikeszekely

He means the console versions, and yeah, X-Men Legends is a lot like Baldur's Gate. I thought X-Men Legends was fun, true to to the comic books, yet accessible to people who only know X-Men through the movies. Graphics aren't all that great, though... the cel-shading has them looking like colorful blobs rather than people. My biggest gripe with it, though, is that for all the characters, a lot of them are clones. Like Magma... she uses lava instead of ice, but otherwise she plays just like Iceman. You can pretty much divide them up into melee characters and ranged characters. Chances are, you have your ideas about which characters you'll want to mostly play as, and for the most part, you'll stick with them throughout the whole game. Replay value is pretty low, since even if you play again with different X-Men, it'll play pretty much the same way. Oh, and don't listen to the PC crowd. They're knocking the Dark Alliance games just because they have the Baldur's Gate title, but are nothing like the PC Baldur's Gate games in terms of story or gameplay. Both the Dark Alliance games, as well as Champions of Norrath, are very fun dungeon crawlers.

Yes, I did see Aladdin and the King of Thieves. I've seen all three, and liked all three. I also liked Lion King II and Lion King 1 and 1/2 is my favorite of the Lion King movies. Stitch: the Movie was highly entertaining, but suffered a bit from being more the pilot to a Saturday morning cartoon than from being an actual stand alone movie. And Buzz Lightyear of the Star Command was better than either of the Toy Story movies. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw it the first time, and the giant laser didn't work because the batteries were in it upside down. In any case, I hated both Beauty and the Beast movies, and both Little Mermaid movies. Didn't see either Pocahontes movies. Now the funny thing about Disney... or Pixar, or just about anyone out there making movies today... are you ready for this? They're all in it to make money. I know, it's shocking, but it's the goal of a business, be it a movie studio, a grocery store, an automobile maker, etc, to make enough money to turn a profit. Disney, nor any other movie studio, has never made a movie because "there is a good story to be told." They make a movie because they believe there's a story that people are willing to pay to see. And they learn what we want to see by trial and error... either people go to see their movies or not. Usually, it's a fairly logical assumption that sequels work, and as I've already said, yes, I have liked some of their sequels. With a little more budget for production, yeah, I would have loved to see them in the theater. Which actually makes me think of something. Those direct to video releases? They're not intended to be on par with the theatrical releases. They're intended for kids who always watch a particular movie (for my niece, it was Shrek) so their poor parents don't have to watch the same movie over and over and over. If Toy Story 3 is going to be a theatrical release, it's hardly fair to compare it to Disney's direct to video releases. Especially when you haven't even seen a preview or anything. That's jumping the gun. You can't argue that "it's not about being pessmistic, it's about recognizing talent," when you have no idea if the people working on Toy Story 3 are talented or not. It's absolutely pessimistic, because you're saying that Toy Story 3 is going to suck when the only thing you know about it is that Pixar isn't working on it. And of course, the only reason Pixar isn't working on it is because they split with Disney. Why? They wanted a bigger slice of the pie. It all comes back to money.

I didn't see Shark Tale. Sorry. But yes, I did see Antz. And it kicked the hell out of A Bug's Life.

Anyone have the lineart for the SW-XAII?

Did you guys ever see Shrek? Ice Age? Antz? Shark Tale? Seriously, there are other studios out there than can do a CG animated film. Yes, it's a shame that Disney and Pixar couldn't work out a more mutally satisfiying deal, but Disney is still allowed to make movies about their intellectual property (which Toy Story is), and they're still allowed to make CGI films. I'm not saying anything against Pixar, since I've loved everything I've seen by them (except A Bug's Life). What I am saying, though, is that for once (I know it's hard, given that we at MW are a picky and pessimistic lot), could we not knock something before we try it?

I really like both designs, although the canards on the SW-XAII look ridiculous. With a transformation closer to the VF-1, I think it looks better in Gerwalk mode than most of Kawamori's more recent designs... and dare I say it, better than the VF-19 (even the VF-19A) in fighter or Battroid. But anyway, I guess with Kawamori finishing up Macross Zero, there hasn't been anything new in VF-EX?

Yeah, and I'm still waiting for the Xbox version. Well, at least I have Fable, Megaman X8, and Knights of the Old Republic II to keep me busy until 2005...

Well, if they're going to bring Ace Combat online, I would actually prefer the next installment of Ace Combat to be on Xbox or Xbox Next. I really don't feel like fussing to bring my PS2 online for one game when Xbox Live's infrastructure blows PS2's out of the water. Actually, Xbox Next would be better than Xbox. I could make due with Xbox, since I have one of those adaptor thingies so I can use my PS2 controller on the Xbox. But on the Xbox Next's controller, they're supposedly moving the black and white buttons up onto the shoulder.

I've heard some other people with DSL having trouble. It could be your carrier, or it could be your router. Definately call someone though! You're missing out! I started a clan today. What's cool is that, once registered at Bungie.net, you can not only check your personal stats, but you can see who from your Friend List is online, check their stats, and then create a group area for your clan. The group area comes complete with it's own mini forum and bulletin board!

Personally, I think the new Halo 2 Master Chief action figure looks a little cheap. But if you can find one (they're rare), the civillian Warthog (as seen on a billboard in the multiplayer map "Headlong") is extremely kick ass.

One pic says his computer is too crappy to play Half-Life 2. The next pic tells him that he can play My Little Pony, though.

I want different planes for each army. Say, one army gets American and Japanese planes (since the Mitsubishi F-2 is always in it, but the F-2 is really an F-16 anyway), and the other gets Russian/Soviet and European Fighters. Bigger campaign mode! Play through the game as either side. If Namco is lazy, they could have a set story and recycle missions for both sides, and only occasionally have unique missions. That'd be more fun than simply having A missions or B missions. More different planes, instead of just more versions of the same plane. Include both older planes (I would love to fly a Draken or a Viggen) as well as experimental types, like the HiMAT and the X-44.

I'm afraid it'll be like the Airforce Delta game for the GBA.

I haven't liked Hanks in anything since his SNL days. I've come close, but always found myself thinking, "man, this movie would be so much better if Tom Hanks weren't in it!" Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors, but I'm not sure he's really who I'd have thought of as Langdon. Maybe Eric Bana?

not for FPS... halo is kinda a different story, since it's obvious the AI has been tweeked for console play... but FPS on a PC and on a console, it's just two different worlds. I agree, it is too different worlds. But see, just as PC gamers find gamepads to be worthless for shooters, a mouse and keyboard are basically foreign objects to me outside of websurfing. Nothing but an gamepad will feel right to me.

Since I also love TIE Fighter the most, I'll trust your review. So is Battlefront worth the money, or should I wait until it drops to Greatest Hits $19.99? Target has it on sale for $39.77, but I'm not too sure if it's worth the dough considering MGS3 is coming out on Friday. So many darn games... Back on topic, how is the music of AC5? I loved AC4's music, but when I heard they licensed some rock band's music for AC5, I get a bad vibe... Well, the thing is, Battlefront is immensely fun and easy to play... for about a day or two. With no story or campaign mode, there's not a ton to do in single-player. And once you're done, you're basically done. Multiplayer is still fun, but there are just other games out there that are more fun multiplayer, depending on your system of choice. Target's price isn't bad if you really want it now... but if you can wait, it'll definately drop in price eventually. I remember the music in Ace Combat 5 as being similar to Ace Combat 4... it's good, it suits the series, but it didn't really stand out. As for Puddle of Mud, you only hear them twice. Once is in the intro movie, which is easily skipable. The other is in a cutscene, but it's appropriate, since Chopper was supposed to be listening to rock music anyway.

The fun thing about Halo 2 is that, with friends, voice chat, and no lag, Live is more like a LAN than other Live games have been.

I know Kawamori and company were investing a lot into getting Macross Zero out, but remember the SW-XA series? I really liked both of those designs, and I was wondering if there were anymore? Graham, if you're reading this, you especially seem to have info from the modeling magazines. For those of us not into toys or models (is that just me?), if there was anything brand spanking new (as oppossed to variations or new kits for old mecha), you'd let us know here, right?

Ah, I dunno. Ridicule me for the console gamer I am if you must, but I'm going to hold out and see if Microsoft ports it to Xbox like they did with Counterstrike, just like I'm waiting for the Xbox version of Doom. I mean, I don't mind a PC game here and there, but I prefer stuff like Neverwinter Nights on PC. I'm a console gamer first and foremost.

Which is a point well-made... except for the fact that Mobius 1 is all he/she went by, and hence, all we know him/her as. Man... in a way, it's kind of impressive to see this thread still alive and active while the San Andreas and Halo 2 threads fade into obscurity.

See, that's why I liked being Mobius 1. I kicked ass, and everyone knew it. I was mysterious. Blaze... he was amazingly skilled, ala Mobius 1, but only his wingmen seemed to recognize that. To everyone esle, it was the entire Wardog/Razgriz squadron that was godlike. Then you go and look at their kills after campaign, and find they shot down between 5 and 15 targets, while you bagged like 700. Face it man... Blaze loses points because his wingmen steal his glory.

Okay, I see what you're saying. Yeah, Halo was very accessible to the console gamers, hence it's popularity. There's a lot more to compete with out there on PC. Still, Halo has a certain charm to it... the way the names of the levels come up, the interaction with the Marines ("Purple Hearts for everyone!"), etc. It might not have been hailed as highly as, say Half-Life, but I'm sure it would still have gathered a fanbase. Anyway, since I finished Halo, I need something to play until KOTOR II. I might pick up Killzone, or NFSU2.

Not just their software. Everyone's always talking about how original and innovative Nintendo's games are... because why? Because of Pikmin? Nintendo might have been original back in the 80's, but let's look at the facts... Super Mario Sunshine is Super Mario 64, but with a squirt gun. The Windwaker was Ocarina of Time, but with cel-shading. And then there's the fact that all four Super Mario Advance games plus a Link to the Past are ports of SNES games. I'm not saying they aren't fun games, but I'd hardly say that rehashing the same games qualifies as originality. Now, if you really want originality... Sega's the place. At least, they were with the Dreamcast. Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5, Seaman, Jet Set Radio... ah, those were the days...

Well you've got to have commander's colors for Blaze. So far I've found the best thing to kill the Synfaxi-classes is the base model Tornado. Line it up right and you can kill those subs in around 3 passes. No, I still think the F/A-18C (or eventually the Rafale M, since I think it has the same weapon) is the best for the subs. One shot will cause it to submerge, two more shots will kill it's ability to submerge, then two more to sink it... and all from a ridiculous range with almost no chance of missing. David- actually, I noticed that Blaze has red accents with his Razgriz colors. It was very noticeable on the mission where you have to take the photoes of the base. I just never realized that Blaze was the only one with the red!

Alas, it doesn't say how I can get one.