Video Games...Discuss Them

[Sycophant]

Jesus man, the Wii is like, made for that. Rayman! Wario Ware! Kororinpa! Wii Sports! Excite Truck! Wii Play! Elebits! Virtual Console games! Did I mention Kororinpa?

Oh, thanks. Kororinpa may very well be just what I was looking for. I should probably pick up Wario Ware, though the one time I played it, I felt like it was likely a better party game. But then, I've probably devoted a cumulative six months of my life to its GBA incarnation. I should get that.

[Milky Joe]

Yeah, Kororinpa is probably exactly what you're looking for. It seems simple on the surface but it's an incredibly fun, gratifying experience no matter if you blow right through it or play it for 5 minutes a day. The music is fantastic as well and the scores of different balls all have their own special personality.

[Gizmo]

I'm 90% sure i'm getting Guitar Hero III for x-mas, which is cool, because my brother owns the 2nd and i've had fun playing it while at his place. But it sucks having to wait til January before I can play it, as we're going out of town (to her family's place) for x-mas and aren't doing our x-mas at home til we get back on the 1st.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Guitar Hero III has been purchased! Unfortunately I'm not allowed to have it until my birthday (the 15th).

[rocus]

Guitar Hero III has been purchased! Unfortunately I'm not allowed to have it until my birthday (the 15th).

Add me to list of those waiting. I'll have it for Christmas, but like Gizmo must wait until we return from New Orleans.

[DSNT]

Jesus man, the Wii is like, made for that. Rayman! Wario Ware! Kororinpa! Wii Sports! Excite Truck! Wii Play! Elebits! Virtual Console games! Did I mention Kororinpa?

Not to mention the new DDR.

I'll be buying GH3, but not for a few weeks yet. I cannot wait to shred up my living room. Hail Satan!

[megladon8]

I'm really enjoying HL2: Episode 2. Much, much better than the fairly bland Episode 1.

I have to say that I liked the graphics in this series more than the Halo graphics.

Especially the facial animations.

[D_Davis]

I'm really enjoying HL2: Episode 2. Much, much better than the fairly bland Episode 1.

I have to say that I liked the graphics in this series more than the Halo graphics.

Especially the facial animations.

The graphics are amazing. Even though the textures aren't as highly detailed as some newer games, the Source engine handles animation, geometry, and lighting better and more naturally than most. It is probably my favorite 3D graphics engine. The architecture that Valve creates for their world is stunning. Everything feels real, like it is a real part of a real world. Half Life 2 is almost entirely devoid of artifice. For every object, building, and thing in the game world, there is a logical reason for it to be there.

[megladon8]

The graphics are amazing. Even though the textures aren't as highly detailed as some newer games, the Source engine handles animation, geometry, and lighting better and more naturally than most. It is probably my favorite 3D graphics engine. The architecture that Valve creates for their world is stunning. Everything feels real, like it is a real part of a real world. Half Life 2 is almost entirely devoid of artifice. For every object, building, and thing in the game world, there is a logical reason for it to be there.

What I like is that, yes, there is a reason for every object, building, etc...but also it doesn't all feel too convenient.

A lot of games suffer that, I find - it's sort of like the other extreme of a game having an open world. When it is so linear that the worlds feel like they were mae simply for you to go through.

HL2 is, in fact, a very linear game. But it is executed in such a way that it feels totally free.

And Episode 2 has gorgeous graphics. The updated Source engine is just wonderful.

[Morris Schæffer]

Call of Duty 4 is getting some great reviews. This part amuses me:

Also, the enemy has access to perhaps the greatest weapon in modern war: dogs. Yes, there are dogs in COD4 and they can be real bitches (get it?). Dogs are a major pain in the ass. They don't have fear; they don't worry about flanking you or dying by your bullets. They want one thing: to rip out your throat. Often they will. Dogs move fast and attack sometimes before you turn to see what all that barking's about. If a dog attacks, you will hit the ground and enter one of the shortest mini-games of all time. You have perhaps two seconds from the moment you hit the ground to perform a melee attack and break the dog's neck. Otherwise, the dog will rip out your throat. That means you die.

[D_Davis]

Call of Duty 4 is getting some great reviews. This part amuses me:

Yet another game to add to my "must get" list. 2007 rules for gaming.

[D_Davis]

My Top 25 Video Games...Contd.

17. The Secret of Mana - 1993 - Square - SNES



Square has been trying, unsuccessfully, since 1993 to recapture the magic they created in The Secret of Mana. This game is extraordinary. It has bright, beautiful, and insanely colorful graphics, a mysterious world full of adventure to explore, memorable characters and situations, and is filled with charm like its going out of style. If I had to boil down the essence of the J-RPG sub-genre, the reduction would be called "Secret Mana Sauce" - this game has it all, and does everything right.

Story wise, Mana might be seen as a game that Miyazaki would make. It is part Nausicaa, part Mononoke, and even part Laputa. The player is in control of the main hero (named Randi, but it can be changed by the player), and guides this hero on an epic quest to save the Mana tree and restore peace to back to his land. It is not an original story by any means, however the execution is masterful and the game play mechanics are flawless.



On the adventure, the player is joined by two companions, the girl, Purim, and the sprite, Popoie. Purim is a white-magic user, a kind of cleric, and specializes in healing and defensive spells. Popoie is the black magic-user of the party and specializes in damage-dealing magic. One of the best things about this game is that at any time another player can plug a controller in and play the game co-op! This is a brilliant move, and why more RPGS don't have this feature is utterly mind boggling. I would say, that any action RPG like Mana, that lacks co-op and has come out after Mana, is fundamentally broken. The co-op in this game is a ton of fun, and that it was easy to jump in and jump out was a stroke of genius.

I must also mention the dragon-flying parts. At a certain point in the game the player gains control of what looks like a Luck Dragon. This dragon's name is Flammie. Flammie is used to fly across vast distances, and the developers made use of the SNES's amazing Mode 7 capabilities. Mode 7 processing allows the graphics to scale and rotate giving the illusion of perspective. This, coupled with the amazing parallax-scrolling capabilities of the SNES, made the flying sequences in Mana a stand-out powerhouse demonstration of technical artistry.



The Secret of Mana is simply a joy to play. The soundtrack is beautiful and heart felt, the game's world is massive, provocative, and gorgeous, and the epic adventure is memorable. This will always be the game that defines the SNES experience for me, and I wish that Square and Nintendo could capture this magic again. In my mind, this will always be the best Square game and one of the best things Nintendo has ever been a part of.

[monolith94]

Man oh man, I stayed up way too late playing Civ 4 last night....

Just one, more, turn! I was playing an absolutely vicious game as the Americans, and I annhilated the stupid aztecs and was close to forcing out the egyptians when I decided I just had to go to bed...

[Saya]

Call of Duty 4 is getting some great reviews.

Yep, this game looks pretty good. I'll probably get this one next year though, too many other awesome games coming this month.

My Top 25 Video Games...Contd.

17. The Secret of Mana - 1993 - Square - SNES

Great pick!

Secret of Mana was the game that introduced me to the RPG genre. My friend showed it to me one day and I was hooked. It was great. I played it to death. This was my first imported game, I had to buy one of those converters for the SNES to play it. Good times.

[Justin]

Call of Duty 4 is getting some great reviews.

I am slightly interested in the game, the single player mode looks fantastic and a lot fun, but I did think the MP beta was pretty boring. I will probably wait until it drops in price.

[Morris Schæffer]

Super Mario Galaxy is going to be so amazing!!!

[Milky Joe]

Super Mario Galaxy is going to be so amazing!!!

You are completely right about this!! I'm glad I preordered it.

[megladon8]

I beat HL2: Episode 2 tonight.

I'm not sure it is as good/better than the first HL2 game, but hot damn, it was amazing.

That ending battle against the armies of hunters and striders was EPIC. I loved that...hard as hell, but it was so satisfying.

Does anyone know if there's any possibility of more game series' being released in the same style as The Orange Box? It seems to me this could easily become a new "big thing".

[D_Davis]

Does anyone know if there's any possibility of more game series' being released in the same style as The Orange Box? It seems to me this could easily become a new "big thing".

Shoot, who wouldn't five of the best games ever made, on the same disc, for the price of one?

[megladon8]

Shoot, who wouldn't five of the best games ever made, on the same disc, for the price of one?

Exactly!

Sadly, I doubt this will ever take off, since the companies are too greedy to ever bundle together the games this well.

It could be great for stuff like Quake, Doom, Unreal/Unreal Tournament, etc.

[megladon8]

OH!

I almost forgot to mention the INCREDIBLE pacing of the HL2 games.

Seriously, they straddle the line between cinematic and game so well that it is completely immersive. I really felt like I was Gordon Freeman.

The characters are full of life and very 3-dimensional, there is a wonderful mix of shooting, puzzle solving, driving, and adventure, and the story is always interesting.

Add to that some of the most gorgeous graphics I have ever seen - even the first HL2 still looks wonderful - and man oh man, I was totally blown away.

I want Episode 3 right now.

[Saya]

Finished MUA last night. The last battle against Doom was pretty good. I've started on hard mode now with a different team and I'll try to unlock Daredevil and the other secret characters. This game is packed! I haven't even started the simulator missions yet.

[Morris Schæffer]

I would like Sega to release Daytona USA 2, Scud Race and Sega Rally 2 on one DVD for the Xbox 360 with online capability. Arcade perfect 60 fps goodness of course. Less would not be tolerated.

I want Episode 3 right now.

Supposedly, a research ship that belongs to a Back Mesa rival will figure heavily in Episode 3. Indeed:

Encounter with Owen on the Borealis. The Borealis was a science icebreaker that was, in some versions of the planned game, stranded in the ocean. Owen, sometimes named Odell, was the engineer of the original ship and leader of a group of rebels. His model was later recycled as Odessa Cubbage. After the battle fought with Captain Vance, Gordon travels on foot to the Borealis, which in turn takes him across the ocean bay. Note: A ship called Borealis is mentioned in Episode Two, but then in the form of property to Aperture Science. The ship will in all likelyhood be visited by Gordon in Episode Three.

By the way, these Hydra-style monsters were scrapped also:

[Ezee E]

My roommate played Call of Duty 4 for at least seven hours straight. I went to bed and he was still going.

[D_Davis]

16. Jet Set Radio Future - 2002 - Smilebit - XBOX



JSRF is the game I bought the XBOX for. Like most people, I was extremely skeptical of Microsoft's entry into the game-console world. Why would I need another console, weren't the PS2 and Gamecube going to be enough? The Dreamcast had recently died, and so I was not really looking forward to spending more money on another financial failure. However, my mind soon changed when I found out that SMiLEBIT would be continuing their amazing DC game on Microsoft's giant black box. So, without hesitation, the day that JSRF hit the shelves, I bought an XBOX - and I never looked back or regretted my decision.



JSRF is probably the coolest, hippest game ever designed. It just screams with ultra-trendy sensibilities: you play as the GGs, a rough-and-ready gang of roller-blading graffiti artists in modern Tokyo. Each skater you recruit has a slightly different skating style, and a different set of tags with which to canvas the city. Now, many people thought these games were going to be “extreme sports” games, like Tony Hawk or something, where the goal was just to do tricks and stuff. Well, many people were wrong, and ultimately disappointed. JSRF is not an extreme sports game - it is an action/platformer in which your heroes wear roller-blades. Sure, there are some moments where you can trick-out, and it is fun to do infinite grinds around the huge explorable levels, but the focus of the game is not on tricks. The focus is on tagging the neighborhoods and escaping and fighting the evil empire hell-bent on ridding the world of hip hop and style!



JSR for the DC was one of the first cel-shaded games - even today it still looks awesome - and I still think that JSRF is one of the best looking games ever made. It is just gorgeous, and is a testament to design over technology. The art style is so over the top and stylized that I can't believe it is not used more often - it just sizzles off of the screen. The characters all look totally different, and have different clothing styles, and body types - they actually feel like different characters. The levels also look amazing - from the dark night-time ghettos of the Tokyo alley ways, to the ultra-high tech business districts, every visual element in the game is designed to look cool and hip.

JSRF also has the best licensed soundtrack to ever grace a game, with bands like: BS 2000, Scapegoat Wax, Cibo Matto, Hideki Naganuma, the Latch Brothers and many more. I would often find myself just wasting time within the game to listen to some of the music, with Aisle 10, by Scapegoat Wax, being my favorite track.



The design of the graphics, the technical execution, the presentation, and the music in JSRF all combine to create to a unique experience that delivers on all accounts. The game is a total blast to play, look at, and listen to. It is challenging, and offers a lengthy quest. It has a ton of replay value. And, most of all, the game just makes me happy - I always have a good time playing it. One thing does get me down though - there will never be another game in this short-lived franchise. Like most games I love, it didn't sell well, and the developer was disbanded. This should have never happened to a developer as talented as SMiLEBIT, or to a game as amazing as Jet Set Radio Future.