mikeszekely

Are you kidding? The secondary fire modes, plus some imaginative new weapons, made Pefect Dark twice as fun as GoldenEye for multiplayer. GoldenEye was great for running around huge multi-player levels demanding more thought and skill for killing than simple run-and-shoot games like Unreal, but in the end, you were still shooting at each other. Perfect Dark, with weapons like Proximity Mines and the Laptop Gun, took that to another level by allowing more clever traps. The multi-player in PD was actually so good, it took me a long time to get into Halo (I had my Xbox for almost a year before I bought it). As much as I'm looking forward to Halo 2, I can honestly say that I'd rather Perfect Dark Zero came out first.

I never contested games today have no magic anymore. All I am saying is most of the games you just dismiss as not being fun anymore are still fun. Maybe Abombz was close when she said new knowledge has ruined it for you. God knows, I work with new graphics every day as an animation coordinator using Maya Unlimited. Yet, somehow despite that I'm able to enjoy an old game like Ninja Gaiden just as I'm able to enjoy Tenchu 3. Yes, Ninja Gaiden is a far cry from Tenchu and can be looked down as VERY inferior but the fact it's now inferior still doesn't take away the enjoyment of just playing for me. I'm not talking about how in retrospect how a game was in technical power, speed, visuals, and it's processing engine. Just simply the amount of fun, originality and great gameplay they had which I have many fond memories of. I'm not doubting if you ever once enjoyed the games of old but it sounds more to me that much of your interest of those games had to do with the THEN new graphics. You also said this: So I still can't understand how you can claim it's not the graphics that interest you when it seems they are a big part that made a game special for you when you FIRST played them. BTW I never cared for Perfect Dark because there was not much variation from the gameplay from GoldenEye. For me anyways. I'm not saying there are no games from the SNES or NES era that are still fun to this day. As I said, I LOVE the classic NES Megaman games. I'm just saying that the simple majority did not hold up as well with time. And certainly, the NES games that I still going to be different that the ones that other people pick. A lot of people think Megaman is lame now. And for me, while Ninja Gaiden III was one of my favorite NES games, I really can't get into it now. Because graphics aren't the draw for me. Example: The Bouncer looks gorgeous, but it doesn't mean that it's more fun than the classic Konami beat 'em ups from back in the day, especially the Ninja Turtle games. It's true that I crave the next new thing, but to simply say that each new console brings better graphics totally demeens the evolution of the industry, not to mention that it's not even true. As a matter of fact, a lot of Dreamcast games look way better than a lot of PS2 games. What makes new games on new consoles more and more exciting for me are the innovations in gameplay and storytelling. The PSX and the Dreamcast were great for innovations is gameplay, with games like Jumping Flash, PaRappa, Bushido Blade, home versions of Dance Dance Revolution, Soul Calibur (possibly Soul Blade, although I didn't play it), Sea Man, Samba de Amigo, etc. The newer consoles haven't offered a lot in the way of new gameplay (although I get a big kick out of games like Dynasty Warriors), but they have seen gaming become a medium for storytelling right on the level with Hollywood movies. And not just for RPGs, either. Halo is remembered not just for being a blast to play all night with your friends, but for having a plot instead of just being a frag fest. Enter the Matrix, despite being a so-so game at best, was designed from the get go to tell a story that compliments the movies. Metal Gear Solid 2 surpassed the original in terms of cinematics, even if the story fell through. Heck, even Ace Combat 4 had an overly dramatic, War in the Pocket kind of story. In some cases, it's not so much the story itself, but how the story is told, ala Viewtiful Joe. Even if you didn't like the movie Memento, you had to give it credit for its artistry. Games like Viewtiful Joe are the same.

Ah... I didn't tell you guys... our company had a trade show in Dallas last two weeks ago, and we got an N-Gage... and let me tell you, in sucks in every way possible. First off, you don't have to sign up for a cellular service to play it, just to play it online. And since you look like a retard holding the top of the device to you hear, ridiculous vertical screen facing in the same direction you are, you'd look like a gimp if you decided to use it for your cell phone. Myself and the majority of us probably already have a cell phone we like. Even if you didn't, T-Mobile and AT&T are the carriers so far. If you were thinking about getting Verizon (since they seem to be the popular company today), you're not going to be getting it on N-Gage. Second, the games fit underneath the battery. If you want to change games, you have to remove the back of the N-Gage, pop out the battery, switch games, put the battery back in, and put the cover back on. And remember how the N-Gage is going to be an mp3 player, too? Well, it uses proprietary memory cards, $70 for a 64mb card... and the mem cards go where the game goes. Meaning, if you were playing a game, and want to listen to mp3s, you have to go through the same process as changing games. The N-Gage itself is ridiculously complicated. After you turn it on, it's a bitch to get it to do what you want it to. The graphics are below PSX level, and the control is way off, at least for Tomb Raider. And sadly, Tomb Raider is one of the better N-Gage games out there. Even the Sega games, which Nokia was so proud to have, are BAD ports of GBA titles (Sonic Advance, Super Monkey Ball Jr, and Virtua Tennis). Slap a $300 price tag on the turd, and you're practically telling people to buy a GBA. I can't reccomend this thing to anyone, not even the most hardcore gamers. I do plan to get one, but I'm waiting for it to flop so I can get everything on clearance. A more interesting new handheld might be the Helix from Tapwave. Like the N-Gage, it's too pricey to consider too seriously, and the fact that Tapwave is only selling them online, at least until Spring of '04, makes me a little more leary... but so far, it seems to do everything that the N-Gage does, except act as a cell phone, and it seems to do it better. Two hot swapable SD media slots allow you do to more things at a time, plus you can wait until Best Buy has a good sale on SD memory cards before you get a big one. The games, from what I've seen, look like PSX games, but the library isn't so huge yet. Oh, yeah, and to replace the cell phone feature and justify the price tag, the Helix runs on Palm OS, and doubles as a Palm Pilot, totally compatible with any Palm application or game out there. If they can line up some better games, start selling it in stores, and bring the price down by the time it starts selling in stores, I might bite.

In other words, you ARE clouded by the graphics! I've never ever ever considered putting away my SNES and I never will. I'll be 80 years old and still playing old games like Super Metroid when my grand kids will be telling me how lame the graphics are when they are teleported into the TV screen or whatever new technology will allow by then. If only it were that simple. Actually, I was one of the big "gameplay over graphics" people, and I stood up for the SNES for two years after the PlayStation's launch. What it comes down to is gameplay. I'm not saying there's NO SNES or NES games still worth playing. Actually, I get picked on at work, because I'm the only that still plays the original NES Megaman games. But compare the number of Final Fantasies, Megamans, and Super Metroids to the ridiculous number of simple shooters and beat 'em ups, and you'll see what I'm talking about. And even at that, a lot of the games I played on the NES or SNES that I remember loving back in the day just don't seem to hold up with age. Point in case, when Maximum Carnage came out on the Genesis, I loved that game! Today, I see it's just another beat 'em up, and a pretty mediocre one at that. Sure, there were those moments of "magic" back on the old systems... the first time I ever played Megaman, playing the original home version of Street Fighter II with my friend (and I'd only play as Ken), staying up until 2:00 playing a demo of VF-X2 to see who could get the better score, the wrestling league my brother, myself, and about six friends created on WWF No Mercy, the time two of my friends stayed at my house for two days while my parents were away so we could do nothing but play Perfect Dark... but you can't honestly tell me there's no magic in todays games! Onimusha captivated me like no other game since Megaman, and my weekend Perfect Dark games have become weekend Halo games. I had as much fun with Soul Calibur II as I ever did with Street Fighter. And while I'll always have a special place in my heart for Final Fantasy IV, I have to admit it was a lot of fun going through Final Fantasy X with the wife.

Then... as a gamer... theres something terribly wrong with you. I might not be that old, and only been around since the NES... but the SNES games are still a blast to play and much more fun then most PS2 and Xbox games. Well, either that, or as a gamer and tech nut, I just crave the next new thing.

Actually, you guys might not have heard this, but there might not be a Phantom. Apparently, the guy in charge at Infinium Labs has been the head of 7 or 8 companies in the past 5 years that have gone bankrupt after taking a ton of money from investors. Add that to the fact that the Phantom is supposed to start selling in October, but no one has actually seen it... all those pictures of the Phantom are still CGI mock-ups... and the speculation is that at some point, Infinium Labs will declare bankruptcy, not a single Phantom will have been delivered, and the guy behind Infinium will go on to steal more investor money and put another company out of business.

HA! Speak for yourself, Jr. Actually, I remember very well what I enjoyed during my entire 22 year gaming history. Including a strange weekend in 1989 with my NES when my younger sister (who turned 21 this Sat) had a tough time with SMB 2. I think you are just clouded by new graphics and limited memory. Jr? You only wish. I'm not saying the people that picked the NES or the SNES don't remember that it was fun. Back in the day, it was fun. Hell, I remember having a blast playing a Galaga knock off back on the Odyssey. I remember loving the NES, and I remember loving the SNES. In fact, I remember not wanting a PlayStation for two years after its release because I was having so much fun with the SNES. What I am saying is that while those games were great in their time, they're just not that fun anymore. I remember games like Super Contra being fun back in the day, but I recently dusted off my old consoles and tried playing some of those games again. After a few minutes, I was bored. Hell, I can't even play GoldenEye or Perfect Dark anymore, because they look and feel old and dated compared to more recent shooters like Halo. And I'm willing to bet that, 10 years from now, I'll remember games like Onimusha or Halo or Super Smash Bros Melee very fondly, but if I dust off their respective consoles and fire the games up I'll get bored with them and rank whatever consoles are current as better.

Leave it to the resident Megaman guru to identify everyone.

Yeah, no kidding. I still use my 64 for Goldeneye. For one.... every videogame has at least 1 good game. The N64 had Goldeneye (and a few others, but lets just keep it at that), the Lynx had Ninja Gaiden, the Pc Engine (Turbographs(sp)) had DraculaX: Rondo with blood. The Game Gear had Shinobi. The Jaguar had Alien Vs Predator. The Sega CD had the 2 Lunar games. The 3DO had the most faithful port of Super Street Fighter II X, and the best port of Samurai Spirits. The list goes on. Unless we are talking about several games.... a system cannot be bad based on the notion that 1 game makes it good. What's the CD-i's good game? Not that funky Zelda game...

Err... no. Super Mario World is better then most platformers we have today. Chrono Trigger is better then most RPGs we have today. Super Contra is better then most action shooters we have today. Zelda: A link to the past is better then most action adventures we have today. Unlike 3D graphics.... 2D graphics still hold their own now a days. Its not about nostalgia, I have owned every major console, with the exception of the Sega Mega Drive, and I can say.... the SNES is not about nostalgia... its fact, the SNES has better games then what we have today. I have a mint condition SNES that I play everyday. Very few PS2 games are as fun as Actriser, Super Adventure Island 2, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV, Yoshis Island, Earthbound.... the list goes on. I tried playing Super Contra yesterday, and it wasn't really as fun as I remember. And Actraiser was never fun. Zelda, Mario, and Chrono Trigger are indeed still fun... but Mario and Zelda you can play on the GBA, and CT on the PlayStation. Why not pick one of those instead of the SNES? In fact, aside from Battletoads and Double Dragon, TMNT: Turtles in Time, and the Megaman games, you named all the SNES games that are still fun today.

You'll be saying the same thing about the PS2 in 10 years, I guarantee it. Very few games stand the test of time. This is why I said this poll won't work. You just can't remember the "amount of fun" you had with your SNES, NES, or Genesis that long ago. You CAN remember how much fun you just had with a PS2 game 6 weeks ago. Absolutely. And that's why, if this poll came up again 10 years from now, I'd have to pick whatever's current then.

http://dw.com.com/redir?asid=197819&astid=...ross_vf_x_2.txt

Not only is Rogue Squadron not on rails, about 40% of RSIII isn't even in a fighter. Don't get me wrong, the game looks amazing, and for Star Wars fans, it gives them the ability to play through just about all of the best moments from the triliogy... but there's seriously a ton of other games to play between now and then. And for the hardcore gamer in me, there's too many that look better than RSIII, so I'm thinking that I'm going to have to overlook that one.

The first one definately should get credit for helping the industry get where it is today. But that doesn't necessarily make it the best. Go back and play some of those old NES games. The only ones that I can really still play today are Mario, Zelda, and Megaman. Also, there was an insane number of beat 'em ups back then... Saying that the first is always the best is like saying that you'd rather drive a Model-T everyday instead of *insert car of choice, mine's a Mitsubishi 3000GT*. Or that you prefer zeppelins to air liners for your trans atlantic flights. Or maybe you'd prefer to do your computer stuff on an Apple ][? I know that I certainly prefer my Pentium 4 VAIO. Sure all of those things were necessary first steps to get where we are today, but I'll definately take the technology of today!

I did love, and still do love, Megaman! So should I point out that Megaman X7 is coming out on PS2 in October, and a Megaman Anniversary Collection with Megaman 1-8 is coming out for PS2 and Gamecube in February? Or that a second Megaman X collection is rumored to be works as well?

Okay... this is from a hardcore console gamer who's owned just about everything is his lifetime... PS2. (Dreamcast would be a close second, just for Samba de Amigo...) For those of you who picked the original NES or the SNES, I applaud you... they were excellent systems back in the day... but I'd also say that your memory is clouded by nostalgia. I've played both consoles recently, and there are very few games on the NES that are still fun. The SNES does a little bit better, except so many of it's best games have already been ported to the GBA. If you picked SNES, then, you might as well have picked GBA, because at least the GBA also has Megaman Zero and Castlevania. Unless you're a Final Fantasy fan. Then you go with PS2, where you can now play 9 out of 10 Final Fantasies (Poor FFIII). And yes, the crap to good ratio is high on the PS2. But that's true for ever console that's ever been made. If you doubt me on this, dust off your SNES, Genesis, or NES, again I say dust it off and play it. It's a truth in the industry that 80% of the sales go to 20% of the games. Now, why the PS2, with it's weaker processor and ridiculously low ammount of RAM? Well, I haven't cared for Nintendo's first party games since the SNES, and I'm not a big Star Wars fan, either, so... yeah, there's a few Cube games that I enjoy, but not too many. And yes, while hardware sales for the Cube sales are on the rise, and PS2 sales on the decline, don't kid yourself and say it's because the Gamecube has better games now. It's because 52 million people in the world already own a PS2, to something like 10 million people with Gamecubes. This late in the PS2s life, most of the people that want one already have one, and now that the Cube's only $99.99, they're snagging it for a second system. I think the Xbox is unfairly blackballed for being a Microsoft product, because I can honestly say that I've enjoyed it a lot more than the Cube. The problem with the Xbox, though, is that when I look at my library of Xbox games, most of them were also released on the PS2. So, if I didn't own an Xbox, I'm really only missing DoA 3 and Halo (and down the line, Ninja Gaiden). Now as for the PS2, it plays all of your old PSX games, so right off the bat you've got the FF fans covered. But although I enjoyed them, I can't really call myself a fan, so I'd better give some other reasons for picking PS2. Okay, Ace Combat, Zone of the Enders, Onimusha, Time Crisis, and Gran Turismo. Not to mention that, as I said, if you don't have an Xbox or Cube, you can also enjoy all those other multi-platform titles.

At least the N64 had GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, and the AKI wrestling games (still considered the best to this day). I picked "other," and my other choice was the Philips CD-i.

Yes! Two ways, in fact! The first way is if you own something called a "Dex Drive" for the PSX. The Dex Drive allows you to take saves from PSX memory cards, transfer them to your PC, and then from the PC you can transfer it the same way you would any other PC file. Second way is if you own a PS2 and can't find one of those old Dex Drives. When the PS2 is in browser mode, transfer your game save from a PSX memory card to a PS2 memory card. Now you need another tool like Dex Drive to transfer the save from the PS2 to your PC. There are several tools out there for that, like the Shark Port (since Datel split from InterAct and stopped doing Gameshark, I think the newer one is called "X-Port.") Instead of e-mailing, IM-ing, P2Ping, or finding a server to host your file so you can send everyone the link, FYI, I believe www.gamefaqs.com hosts game saves.

Why're you so upset about the delay? If it was supposed to come out in early September and got pushed back, I'd be more understanding since September was a crap month for games. But c'mon! We've got just over a week until Viewtiful Joe (I've had the pleasure of playing it, and it's really as good as the magazines are saying), plus that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is looking pretty sweet to us fans of the old-school Ninja Turtles games. On top of that, if you're a multiplatform gamer like me, there's also Megaman Zero 2 for GBA, plus Megaman X7 on PS2. Then shortly thereafter, Castlevania (PS2), Double Dragon (GBA), Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2), Need For Speed Underground, Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, Sonic Heroes... there's actually a ton of games coming out between now and Christmas that I want... to be honest, I think I'm gonna pass over Rogue Squadron III.

I'm sure, when first Gundam came out, there were only supposed to be three Gundam prototypes. In Kunio Okawara's MS Design Collection, the RX-78-1 is a prototype built at Jaburo, and the back story for the RX-78-3 is that it was built at Jaburo from the remains of the two Gundams destroyed during the Side-07 raid. Also, supposedly all three of the Gundams at Side-07 were RX-78-2s. No back story is given for the RX-78-4, the RX-78-5, or the RX-78-7. The RX-78-6 got some back story for being included in Zeonic Front. Who knows, that means we might get back story for the 4 and 5, since they're both going to be in Encounters In Space. Abombz!!, the aquatic Gundam is the RAG-79-G1. I don't know if that's considered Gundam G-1 or if the RX-78-1 is. Probably the RX-78-1, since the G-2, G-3, G-4 are all in the RX-78 line, and RX-79 implies that it came later. No back story is given for it, but it's part of KO's MS Design Collection, too. And I couldn't find anything that said that Alex is G-8, but if G-6 rolled out in November, and Alex was testing in December, it could very well be. Despite being the "official" explaination, the idea that the RX-79[G]s were built from spare RX-78 parts is still a pretty weak attempt to explain why there are yet more new Gundams in another One Year War story.

It's more odd when you think about the other GG and Zentraedi ties. Like how GG built the VA-14 as a VF-14 variant especially for Zentraedi pilots. Or how much Q-rau tech went into the YF-21/VF-22.

As far as I can tell, the VF-17 Brando flies is an S type. From Macross 7, you can see that the VF-17 has a regular gunpod. In an earlier discussion we had at the old forums, we decided that the laser was an optional weapon that the Ravens happened to use, possibly developed after Macross 7, that works with the same gunpod, in place of a traditional magazine. This is all the Compendiums says, "One multipurpose seven-barrelled gatling gun pod (with retractable handle and fore grip, folding stock, muzzle sensors, and strap) mounted with an exit port and stealth covers in lower main fuselage in all modes or ejectible from lower leg section into manipulator in Battroid mode (one spare gun pod magazine or one gunpod beam adaptor stored in lower main fuselage in Fighter mode or in opposite lower leg section in Battroid mode)." It also goes on to say, "(Internal standard equipment capable of being exchanged for other weapon packs.)" I have no idea what kind of VF-1 Maria used. Since Maria seemed like a very Millia rip off, I always kind of thought of it as a VF-1J. As for the VF-1X-Plus, I'd quote the Compendium again, but there's just too much info. You can check it all out here. To summarize, though, the older regular VF-1s have the control stick in the middle, ala the TV series, older engines, HUDs on display panels, and different avionics. The VF-1X-Plus has the control stick on the right, throttle on the left (like the YF-19 in Macross Plus), improved avionics for space, a better cockpit with a different ejection seat, HUDs that display right on the canopy, and newer engines that give the VF-1X-Plus all-around better performance. There's a theory going around that, since DYRL is supposed to be a movie within the Macross universe, that the VF-1's in DYRL are VF-1X-Plus models, and the ones from the TV series are the older kind. That would kind of make sense, if you catch the subtle differences between the TV series and DYRL, but personally I think that's just an afterthought, and the VF-X-Plus think was just a way to put the VF-1 more on the level with contemporary VFs so that you'd have a reason to be flying them in the VF-X games. Sorry, I get the black screen of death on my VF-X2. I never got to play as the armored VF-1 or VF-11.

Now granted, my UC Gundam experience so far has just been first Gundam and the One Year War OVAs, and all just this summer. But of those Gundams, I really have to say that 0083 wasn't that bad. A few things that didn't makes sense, a plot hole with a colony drop, but it was still an interesting bridge from the One Year stuff into what I know about Zeta and ZZ. The 08th MS Team was, in my opinion, the worst of the One Year War stories. I don't see how the plot hole that is the RX-79(G) can be explained at all, and even if you can get around that, that was by far the worst cast ever! Karen had no personality, Eledore was a fruit, Michel was an annoying complainer, Terry was a "Oh, I'm a jinx, woe to me!" gloom and doom kind of character. And while Shiro demonstrated some admirable qualities, he also showed that he had no business in the miliatary. The ONLY thing that the 08th MS Team deserves credit for is it's very realistic portrayal of war and combat. But even then, 0080 outshines the 08th MS for more powerfully showing the effects of war. Naturally, the best One Year War story is the original Gundam series.

But as I learned when studying different meteor impacts on the Earth and Moon, a shallow angel impact often does more damage than a head on impact. As for velocity, that would indeed make a difference... but we really don't have any info on how fast either of the colonies were falling. I think plot hole makes the most sense. I can overlook it, though. OT: Anyone catch the newspaper Al was reading at the end of 0080? The banner says "UN Spacy." Is that because Mikimoto was on the staff, like a nod to Macross?

0083 may have had it's plot issues, but c'mon, no series did more to wreck continuity than the 08th MS Team. I mean, wasn't the whole point of the original Gundam series that the Gundam was the only one of its kind? In 0080, you can kind of explain Alex as being that it was so late in the war, and it was just a test bed for new technology... but in the 08th MS Team we have a whole unit piloting Gundams! Yeah, my biggest issue with 0083 was really what they were really targeting.