Oh yeah I'm getting HalfLife 2 for free since I bought a Sapphire Radeon 9600XT a year ago and it came with it. Hehe!
That reminds me... I really need to learn the video cards name. The only thing I can take from the name is the name and the amount of RAM. Somebody asked me what mine what the other day and all I could tell them was that it was a Geforce 4 with 128 MB. I don't understand all those other numbers or abbrievations. I see "6600 Ultra XT Pro" and then "6600 Ultra Ti Pro" and then "6600 Ultra Pro." (kind of made these up sort of so if one of them doesn't exist or they all exist, I didn't know that) Considering how much I am into video games, I really need to learn the difference between them. Of course, it would help if ATI and Nvidia just made their names a lot more simpler. Also, in my rush of posting about Oblivion, I forget a few things. I think the game will also be on the PS3 as well. Also, here are some more pics: http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00456.JPG http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00470.JPG http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00471.JPG http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00472.JPG http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00474.JPG http://www.todesturnpike.com/images/TES4/DSC00475.JPG
FYI, this game is really good. Much more stuff to do than in the first one, which was fun too. In this one, though, they've added a few different types of gameplay in addition to the regular stories. They give you challenges to complete which timed, etc. that are good. And then there is a 2 person battle mode which is surprisingly very fun, in a Mario Kart kind of way. They even have something analogous to the weapon boxes in Mario Kart. Anyway, I doubt many on the board here would venture out for this game, but it is one of the examples of what can make the GC unique - and that is innovative gaming. As an aside, I rented Ninja Gaiden this week and am very impressed, especially with the graphics. I do find it hard, though - which isn't saying much because I don't generally kick-ass at video games right off the bat anymore.
Kind of late to reply to a post, but Pikmin always seemed like an interesting game to me. Of course, I don't have a GC nor have I even played it, so I never got a shot to play either Pikmin 1 or 2. It does look like something pretty cool though. If I did have a GC, I'd definitly give it a shot. OK, time for more gaming news: Some cool news for me is that is sounds like the Cell is almost finished, according to the president of Toshiba. It looks like IBM, Sony, and Toshiba seem to be on schedule with Cell and I guess that means we can see some sort of workstation using it later this year or early next year. I think IBM is also expaning one of their factories, creating a rather large expansion that will allow for an area that will create the Cell, I think. They want it done in 15 months, which I guess is around when they want to start mass-producing Cell. It is mentioned that the PS3 won't be the 1st device to use Cell; whether that means that workstations will be the first or that there will be other consumer devices, such as computers, TVs, etc., I'm not sure. It looks like HL2 is getting close to going gold. They sent a possible release date to their publisher, asking for approval. It sounds like it is real close to being done. There's some Quake 4 pics on the internet. Here's some links to pics (ugh!): http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake4.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake41.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake42.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake43.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake44.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake45.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake46.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake47.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake48.jpg http://quake.gamevision-network.de/images/q4/09_04/Quake49.jpg Looks pretty cool, although it does remind me of Doom 3 a lot. Maybe it is because they're using the same engine I think...oh yeah....that's why. For ICO fans out there, there have been some pics of the sequel out recently. Like ICO, it looks beautiful, and combined with the newer tech since the original, the graphics look awesome. Here are some pics: http://ranobe.com/up/updata/up6754.jpg http://ranobe.com/up/updata/up6755.jpg http://ranobe.com/up/updata/up6756.jpg http://ranobe.com/up/updata/up6757.jpg According to the Wal-mart, EB games, and Gamestop preorder pages, the Nintedo DS will cost $200. In reality, this it probably just them overestimating the price than it actually being the actual price; however, if it actually does cost $200, I think that would suck. I was expecting the DS to be around the $150-180 range, but if it is around $200, I wonder how it will affect sales. This is more related to Blu-ray, although very loosely, but Sony finally bought MGM studios. They now hold a large piece of the movie industry, which means that support for Blu-ray should be easier when they release James Bond movies, and others, just for it. IIRC, it was like $3 Billion dollars, although I think Sony actually paid an extra 2 billion to pay off MGM's debts. Hehe...here's a funny picture I saw about this: http://img38.exs.cx/img38/9127/mgm.png There is some sort of emulation thing in the news. I read it a little while back, and kind of forgot the specifics, but basically, this company claims that it can emulate all sorts of things without little performance loss. IIRC, they had something like a Windows computer running an Apple application in Linux. This also opens the possibility to Xbox 2 being able to emulate the Xbox easier as well. There is a Prince of Persia clip out there that shows how the acrobatics and stuff works. Here's a link to a place you could download it: http://www.3dgamers.com/dl/games/princepersia5/pop2_video1.zip.html In about a week, Sony will speak to the Japanese press about the PS3, PSP, and probably the PStwo. For those that don't know, the PStwo is supposed to be like the PSone; basically, just a smaller, cheaper PS2, I think. According to one article, it is supposed to be released around the time GTA:SA comes out, yet that seems a little too early since I don't even think they've confirmed the PStwo yet. Whatever happens, it sounds like a nice little thing that will give a small boost to PS2 sales. Now this is starting to get a little strange and cool at the same time. Final Fantasy 7 AC and the FF7 game for cell phones, Before Crisis, will not be the only spinoffs of FF7. While it has been rumored before, there is now info about another game called Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus, now going to be referred as FF7 DC (hehe..AC, DC, BC), for the PS2. This game will center around Vincent from FF7 and takes place a year, I think, after FF AC. There genre is unknown, and it is rumored to be more action based than most FF games. Here is a scanned image from a magazine showing pics of it: http://www.playfrance.com/news/images/979543653/zoom/1387.jpg More news about Square-Enix includes a new MMORPG they are working on called Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion. Besides some pics, there isn't much known about it, IIRC. Check out their site to see the pics: http://www.playonline.com/fe/ And finally, Bioware has licensed the Unreal 3.0 engine and they'll use it for an unannounced upcoming title. Imagining the graphics from the engine combined with the awesome ideas and artwork from Bioware makes me drool. Whatever game they are using it for, it sounds like it will be awesome.
Today was a sort of big day for Sony since it had a conference with the Japanese press concerning their plans with the 2nd half of this fiscal year, which included news on the PS2, or PStwo, the PSP, and a bit of info on the PS3. I'll try to sum up a little of what I've read: Today's biggest news was the announcement of the PStwo, basically a PSOne version of the PS2. It is freaking small. The internal volume is down by 75 percent, weight has been halved, and the thickness is now 2.8 cm (compared to 7.8 cm). It will go on sale in the US by November 1. I think it has a network adapter already as well. It too will cost $150, although I was thinking it may have been a little cheaper. Here's a lot of pics for comparisons and stuff: http://www.gfdata.de/gamefront-temp/ps-a.jpg (huge resolution) http://img67.exs.cx/img67/5162/ps-b.jpg(huge resolution) http://img58.exs.cx/img58/4608/ps2.jpg http://gamer.no/bilde.php?produktid=21383&konsoll=&bildeurl=././bilder/hardware/pstwo/6.jpg http://gamer.no/bilde.php?produktid=21383&konsoll=&bildeurl=././bilder/hardware/pstwo/8.jpg http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20040921/scej21.jpg http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20040921/scej24.jpg http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20040921/scej23.jpg http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20040921/scej29.jpg (Pic of insides, including the EE+GS) Little was said about the PS3 except for Sony officially saying that it will use Blu-ray. Also, they had a little graphic showing the PS1's disc formats, the PS2's disc formats and the "Next System's" formats. Although it isn't really too much of a surprise, it can play Blu-ray discs, DVD's, and CD's. I don't know how many people will play PS1 games on it although I wouldn't mind sticking in Final Fantasy 7 every once in a while. Sony kind of dodged around one question involving the PS3's storage. They said it would have 54 GB of storage. Whether that means 54 GB on a new type of BR disc or 24-25 GB on a regular BR disc and the rest would be a hard drive. I'm holding out for a hard drive. The PSP also had a nice little showing. This time, it was fully playable. (it has been previously hooked up to emulators and other hardware) So it now fit into the hands of those who tried it, although they did have it attached so no one would take them. 5 titles were playable: Minna no Golf Portable, Dynasty Warriors (Shin Sangokumusou), Shin Ridge Racer, Metal Gear Acid and Dokodemo Issho. According to some guys who tried it, it feels comfortable, or should I say fomfortable, in the hands. In about 15 minutes of play, the left side did get a little warm, but it was still cooler than most cell phones and stuff. It is also very quiet. As for battery life, Sony didn't mention it yet, wanting to wait a little later for announing that, but there were some hints at what it could be. Some people who were there for about an hour and the battery meter stayed full at 3 notches. The PSP gave off excellent sound according to reports. A good analogy seems to be that the difference in sound quality between Gameboy cartridges and the UMDs is similar to the change cartridges and CD's a while back. (SNES to Playstation I guess). One of the games, Shin Ridge Racer, was described and it was mentioned that it appeared to mimic the PS2 version of Ridge Racer exactly. Of course, like I hinted at earlier, little specifics were given. The two biggest questions about the PSP, cost and battery life, will not be addressed until after the Tokyo Game Show. There has been a rumor that the PSP will retail for about 33,000 yen or about $300. I don't know whether to believe it or not, but I guess it isn't a bad price. It looks very expensive compared to the $150 of the DS though. I guess it could be possible though that they may lower the price a bit in the US since we're cheap bastards. I want to say that the PS2 sold a little more in other countries that it did here. Hehe...it sold for 300 pounds in England after launching in America at $300. For those wanting a currency conversion, that is almost $540! Here are two pics for the PSP: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040921/scei9.jpg http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040921/scei8.jpg I think I had some more gaming news but I kind of forgot all of it due to the big news from both Sony and Nintendo today. For all those who would like to read more, here are some articles that I tried to sum up here: http://psp.ign.com/articles/549/549978p1.html http://psp.ign.com/articles/549/549982p1.html?fromint=1 http://www.us.playstation.com/pressreleases.aspx?id=227 http://ps2.ign.com/articles/549/549950p1.html?fromint=1 I probably took some things from other articles that I can't remember but those are the majority of it I think.
.The Red Shadow has returned to the BBS. Well anyway, has anyone heard any news on the Dynasty Empires game, and any new news on Second Sight? Oh and by the way, I've seen this game called Shin Megami Tensai: Nocturne, and I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about and if any of you have any post release thought about it?
For those that don't know, don't remember, or just don't care but are forced to read anyways, RedShadow is a friend of mine at my high school. Don't ask me why he suddenly decided to come back. I don't even think he knows why. I actually still had him on my buddy list about a month ago, but I finally decided to take him off since he wasn't coming back...or so I thought. He does ask some pretty good questions though. I'm so used to reading about the big games (GTA, MGS, FF, Halo, etc.), that I kind of forget about some of these lesser knowned games. Don't know much about Dynasty Empire since I don't really play the Dynasty Warriors series that much. Looks like it has gotten ok reviews. Second Sight sounds like it is around Psi-Ops's level although a little better in some aspects I think. I may give it a rent since I liked Psi-Ops so much. Shin Megami Tensai: Nocturne definitly sounds like an interesting game. I read a little about it around a month or so ago when it got rated M and considering it is an RPG, that's pretty rare. IIRC, it is made by Atlus and I have liked some of their RPG's, so it will be interesting to see how this game turns out. It reminds me of another more mature RPG in Shadow Hearts 2 which I believe is coming out pretty soon. I liked the first one and want to see how the 2nd one has shaped up. NBA game news: Early this morning, I saw that NBA Live 2005 had gotten an earlier release date of September 28th and that it is now going to cost only $40. That was all good until ESPN fired back and is now listed by EBGames and other video game stores to be releasing on the same day. It looks like Live was trying to get a week or so advantage on ESPN but it looks like ESPN had no problem releasing on that day as well. Hopefully, both games will be ready. I don't want to play a buggy game just because Live and ESPN tried to release ASAP to get an advantage over their competition. One interesting quote from a Capcom board member mentions that they will be making next-generation video games for consoles "...that should be released around the end of 2005 by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo." This is interesting since it only seems like Microsoft would be able to make the 05 release date, but it sounds like that there may be a possibility of a sooner release date from both Nintendo and Sony. That would definitly be interesting, although I will definitly wait for something more concrete that this until I change my estimates of the next-gen consoles' release dates. Also, there is another awesome engine out there which seems to be just as good as the Unreal 3.0 engine. It is called the Reality Engine and here is are a few clips of it in use: http://files.filefront.com/3639023;36MB Mansion clip http://artificialstudios.com/downloads/Mansion_LQ.wmv16MB Mansion clip http://www.fileplanet.com/files/140000/145936.shtml32 MB clip of Backyard from fileplanet http://files.filefront.com/363999532MB clip of Backyard from Filefront I only got to see the Mansion one so far, but that was pretty freaking amazing. I just about had a heart attack when I saw the bookshelf fall over. Also, this is all running on current hardware I believe. They plan on doing more when they are done with researching the next-gen power. You can see more pictures at their web site: http://artificialstudios.com/ There are also some new-type of animation videos available that also look pretty awesome, although it is all in the animation program itself, so it looks a little dull. What this animation program adds is character reactions to forces. For example, if a force were to hit a character in the upper chest, he'd probably fall straight down. What this program allows you to do is make the character react to the force, such as actually staggering back and trying to keep himself upright, but eventually fall anyways. Of course, it can get much more complex from here. They also show a guy falling down some stairs. Rather than just flailing away, hitting vital body parts, this program will allow a developer to make the character put himself into a protective position while going down the stairs. This is all kind of hard to explain, but if you can sit through the demos, you'll get the idea. Also, this may all sound simple but if you really think about it, this is some pretty cool stuff. Here are some clips (again, I haven't seen them all; just the 1st one): http://www.naturalmotion.com/files/endorphin_intro1.mov http://www.naturalmotion.com/files/endorphin_intro2.mov http://www.naturalmotion.com/files/endorphin_intro3.mov FYI, this tool will be used by SCEE in an upcoming project. I think the TGS is going to start pretty soon, so we'll be getting a lot of stuff to look at pretty soon.
Nocturne looks incredible. I think Gamespot, in a preview, called an "RPG for the GTA generation"....meaning it has an interesting mix of freedom for an RPG. I don't have much info yet....but enough to know I'm buying this sucker when it comes out.
Well I've gotten a bunch (well, several) new games through a friend at a local retailer (no I'm not stealing don't worry) and a few impressions: Def Jam Fight for New York: It's not really a wrestling game, not really a fighting game. Kinda a hybrid of the two. IMMENSE fun with the over the top Blazin' moves (kind of like finishers, but can be thrown anytime you work up enough momentum). CAW (Create-A-Wrestler) is good, although there's no move set. Instead you learn new styles (up to 3) and meld the fighting systems together. Some fighters are VERY difficult, but I'm working through the Story mode now. Plus it has HENRY ROLLINS as your trainer. What else do you need? Star Wars Battleground: Only played this one a bit but it seems like a pretty fun shoot-'em-up with friends. I'm going to be blasting Ewoks for a long time. Fable: Already finished the main quest. Took me a little under 17 hours, and could have done it faster. Nice graphics and particle effects, very good music, but WAY to short for having been in development for forever (in programming time anyway). Burnout 3: Ever been driving, gotten cut off, and thought very bad thoughts about that other guy? Well now you can do something about it. Put this in your Xbox (or PS2) and run everything you see off the road. Amazing graphics and great soundtrack ("Lazy Generation" by the FUps and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones are my favorites). Races can be aggravating, as it seems like cars come out of nowhere and ram you. but still fun. Just about ready to start up Kingdom Under Fire (don't ask how I got it, it was through another friend), and still have to look at MLB Slugfest. Plus looking forward to my birthday in a week to see if I got Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War for the PC. All in all, I should have plenty to keep me busy until the magic date (November 9th).
I'll be taking Def Jam 2 back for NBA Live. Def Jam is cool and all, but I would rather have Live. The speed of Def Jam is what I really don't like. It is way too fast, IMO. I just think Live will have more legs in my X-Box.
Great news! I have been looking at the calendar, counting down the days till the new NBA games are released. I hated ESPN last year but, from what I have seen so far, it looks amazing. Not to mention it is only $20! I too hope that this doesn't effect game quality. I love the fact they are coming out sooner than later, but not if there are alot of glitches because of it.
Interesting....there are all sorts of rumors stating that the PSP price was mentioned at the Tokyo Game Show. Supposedly in excess of 300-350 bucks. But no solid evidence.
I hadn't heard anything until you mentioned it, although I stopped downloading my TGS clips and started looking for it. It was pretty hard to find though. I don't know where you heard it, but I basically got it mostly from the penny-arcade forums. It sounds like Gamespot put up an article saying that Sony had announced the price being around $350 in Japan, but that was quickly taken down. There have been some rumors going around lately though, like the one I mentioned earlier. (which actually seemed to be backed by a believable insider, but was quickly shot down by Sony). I really don't know what to make of it until Gamespot puts the article back up or whatever. (don't know if they screwed up and realized they had to honor a NDA or if maybe some idiot Gamespot guy posted a false claim) If it is true, that is certainly a bummer. Again, I would think that Sony would possibly lower the price once it hits America, but if it is starting at $350 in Japan, they'd have to lower it quite a bit to get it around what I'd want. Well, I'm getting pretty tired now so I'll just sleep on it. Hopefully this will all be cleared up when I wake up and it turns out that the PSP will retail at $225 or something like that.
Looking into it more, the rumor is that the Sony's German Marketing Director made some slip during a presentation about the PSP's Japanese price, which translates to roughly over 300 bucks. Sony quickly tried to dispel the rumors (which probably led to the pull of the Gamespot story), saying that they had no 'official pricing' yet. So nothing solid...hard to know what's true (if any of it). Sony's representatives also refused to answer any battery life questions, much to the dismay of the press assembled. http://etoychest.org/news.php?item.1909 http://spong.com/detail/news.asp?prid=7682
I just woke up. (yes...I felt like sleeping a little late) I haven't seen much of this except for at the sites you listed. I've also heard bad things about Sponge.com. They're not really very believable from what I have previously heard. However, I do believe that Gamespot did post an article on the price though. Why the took it down is the big question. The previous rumor I had about it being $300 was shot down at one site where it claimed that the Gamespot head editor was told by Sony that it was inaccurate. Hopefully this will be settled in a week or even less. I wish Sony would answer them pretty quickly...although I'd want them to price it pretty "cheap" more than that. About the battery life, I don't think there's been much news about it yet, which, like you said, seems to be dodged by Sony every time. There was a new article from a Science magazine that sait 2.5 hours, for movies, 8 for games, and I think 10 or so for music, but that was almost word for word from the news at E3. It seems more likely that they just reposted the same news to me. Judging from some of the games, I would think that the PSP could have pretty good battery life. While it may be possible to putting up PS2-esque graphics, it seems like most of the games are of far less quality. A lot of them look like PS1 graphics, although they still look pretty cool to me. Also, there are a lot of puzzle and card games, probably perfect considering what the PSP actually is. Of course, there are some games that look awesome, but it seems like most of them are rather unimpressive. (although I'm sure that is at least what the DS can put up) This is speculation on my part, but this may be because Sony wanted their developers to not use too much power due to the battery issues. If they ended up putting up PS2-esque graphics, it may have been likely that the PSP's battery life could have been halved. Ok, time for me to see more TGS goodness.
This is basically going to be a TGS wrap up post, which is basically a PSP post since that was a huge part of TGS. Here we go! First thing first. Here are some videos for some games on the PSP http://www.konamistudio.com/new/coded_arms/coded_arms.wmv Clip of Coded Arms for PSP http://www.wirelesswatch.jp/vdo/110hb.wmv Just a clip of PSP getting played The following are a little difficult to download since they are asx files, although you can still do that (I know I did). What I did was use one of those streaming video download thingies (I used Flashget) to download these. The clips show a lot of different games though, so this is definitly worth the effort IMO. http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_ms.asx http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_ct.asx http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_title01.asx http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_title02.asx http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_title03.asx http://www.playstation.jp/ch/pv/asx/tgs2004/mv_psp_title04.asx From these clips, it seems like the PSP will have a whole bunch of genres to play as, although most of them certainly don't look like "PS2 graphics." Some of them look great though. I personally am wondering how Coded Arms, which was in the 1st clip I have, is going to turn out. I've heard some pretty good things about it. Also, there are some people at some of the review sites who got to check out the PSP. Given some of the responses, it seems like you could have cancer but if you put the PSP in your hands, you will be cancer-free. They seem to really love the design and feel of it. As for the rumor for the price being $350, AFAIK, it is a hoax. From what I can tell, one of two things happened: 1) Some guy made it all up and made up a link to an unused Gamespot article, but some people believed it a bit too much, or 2) Gamespot really did put it up but took it down for some reason, be it a broken NDA, a wrong price, or just for no reason in particular. I've been leaning towards the 1st one frankly since I saw somewhere that the guy admitted to it being a hoax. It is funny thought because a lot of site are just now getting to it and they also happen to be Nintendo sites, if that means anything. It was funny because I saw one site that credited a forum member for supporting the news, yet that member just joined the forums this month and only had 5 posts total. Yet, for some strange reason, everyone believe him. The funniest thing I saw was when someone told them it was a hoax and someone replied "Who cares if it is a hoax, it will still be expensive." I just found an article that talks about it being a hoax as well. http://gamejournalism.com/ Ok, I think that's about it, more or less, as far as the PSP goes. Now onto the bigger fry. Up to bat now is MGS. Here is a clip of it from Gamespot (sorry, asf again) http://www.gamespot.com/live/stream...4be-6168-dfad-6c25d0fbfbff&urdate=1099296000/ This game is looking pretty cool. Up next, GT4. Check this video out: http://www.hinjang.com/media/GT4_TGS2004_Trailer.wmv You can also check out some pics at IGN or something. Some of the pics are amazing. They really are pushing the PS2 to its limit. Here's a few examples of some good pics: http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/489/489327/img_2374477.html http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/489/489327/img_2374542.html http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/489/489327/img_2374528.html http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/489/489327/img_2374516.html That was the good news about GT4; the bad news is that they are taking out the online aspect of the game, at least when it launches anyway. They may either release a patch or something to download or they may just throw out GT4 online version for cheap. Now for some clips for Wanda and Colossus, which IIRC is the sequel to ICO. You can get two of them at IGN: http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/490/490849/vids_1.html This game also looks great. Some of the pics I've seen from it look awesome and I've heard that they are all in-game graphics. Rockstar also released a new trailer for GTA:SA during this time. http://www.hinjang.com/media/GTASA_TRAILER2_480x360.wmv FF7: DC was reported to be a 3rd person action shooter, so for any of those people that wanted more action from your FF games, this looks like a game to look out for. Off the topic of game previews and into movie previews. That's right, I'm talking about FF7: AC. There was a pretty lengthy preview for it at TGS. You can find mirrors here: http://www.squarenet.info/main.php?site=sn-news&id=1320 Whew! I'm sure there is a ton more that I missed, but here is a start if you want to see what went on during TGS.
crap! I hope its not going to be more than $350... the PSP looks a bit big but still pretty incredible
