Daeval

These look neat, if a little big. There are more coming out too: http://www.streetfightercontroller.com/ Seeing as I already have a full compliment of perfectly good controllers for the consoles I own, I'm probably going to pass on them. We'll see how I feel with the M. Bison (evil mario) one comes out.

Those choices are lame. Are they owned by advertising or were there really that few good releases this year?

As in, you'd rather have the original? What makes you not like 2K4 so much? And have you tried using the "classic UT" mutator or whatever it's called? That's supposed to make it play like the original.

Find 2K4 cheap somewhere. If you liked the original, you won't regret it.

335 and 82%. I found the particular choices in wording more difficult to read quickly than most textbooks, novels, or articles. The text doesn't flow very well at all. I'm guessing it's made that way because they're trying to sell you speed reading software. I also read paper faster.

some of the other articles on that site are even better

There's a version of plus that has them unlocked already. If that's not the one you have, there are a set of tools somewhere (I dunno where to get them anymore) that will unlock them on your rom with a little work. Update: Doh, the mighty Agozer ran an interception on my post.

Rival schools is actually connected to street fighter by fluff? Sweet! This I have to look into...

I was having the same sort of thoughts myself...photorealism is cool and all, but I like how computer-generated graphics look. Plus, we'd have to say goodbye to the infant art-form of machinimia. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Eh, that's still up to the developers. Just because a machine can do photoreal graphics doesn't mean that's ALL it can do. Heck, I'm sure it can still do sprites. Now, it's up to us (that's the fans) to let companies know that we don't want those other things to go out the window now that photoreal is getting closer. And we do that with our wallets.

Just played my first session of HL2, only about two hours worth on normal. I think I got the machinegun about an autosave or two back, just to give a sense of where I am. So far, it reminds me a lot of the original, strangely enough. The human enemies seem to work together a little bit, but not quite as much as those in Far Cry. I may change my tune when I get to tougher enemies though. The graphics are pretty solid on my aging GeForce 4 Ti, more varied than Doom 3, but not quite as nice looking. Textures are more obviously flat, for example, but maybe it's a problem with bump mapping on my card (I'm playing with High textures), I dunno. And now for some of the only criticism about this game you are likely to read anywhere! Before I begin, so far it's a lot of fun and I'd recommend it to any shooter fan. However, this game has recieved a lot of hype about "revolution in the FPS genre" and whatnot, and I have yet to see any of the following laid on the table alongside such bold claims. I don't claim to know how to make any of these better, but here's a little of what HL2 doesn't do... HL1 was really good about immersion, something FPS games hadn't really done until then. Many people said HL2 would raise the bar in this respect, but so far it's just kind of brought HL1 up to speed. Scripted sequences are many, they look nice and the voice acting is great, but they're the same "once I'm done talking you can't interact with me anymore" sequences that are common in FPS games nowadays. The facial animation and detail is amazing, the characters and extras look like people you might meet, but there are a limited number of "extra" models of a given type, just as there were in HL1, and I've already seen many of the same person in different places just 2 hours in. The physics are awesome, especially when an explosion sends debris flying everywhere. However, the realistic physics, which should immerse the player like never before, are used in the least believable effect I've seen. What I'm talking about: Gordon (that's you) can pick up just about anything that's smaller than he is, which is cool. But by "pick up" I mean "cause to hover mysteriously about 4 feet in front of you." Even that wouldn't be so bad if you couldn't grab, say, a wooden crate that's a good four foot cubed, jump and run at full speed and swing it around magically in the air without any sense of weight, and knock it agianst things causing either 1) no resistance whatsoever on the crate, or 2) the crate to stop or spin in mid-air while you continue turning or moving, without dropping it. The end result is something that works for showing off the physics, but does very little to make you feel like you're in a real world. (I believe Deus Ex had a system like this, and even in that the object was stuck closer to you and felt more realistic) There are exceptions also - You can "pick up" a four foot wooden crate, but you can't pick up a standard sized trash can. You also can't rotate objects manually, so if an object is sitting on its side, you'll pick it up and set it down on its side. The best way to turn things I've found is to jump at it at odd angles until it falls the way you want it to fall. This makes it a lot harder to stack objects the way you want them, or to carry containers full of other objects. Since the developers seem to like to show off the physics (such as in a puzzle where you have to stack cinder blocks on a see-saw), you would think they would make a more elegant way to interact with the physics system. All in all, I've found HL2, so far, to be an excellent shooter, comparable to Doom 3 or Far Cry (those are high marks in my book), but with storytelling that is well above par. Is it revolutionary? Ehhh.. so far I'd say that was an overstatement, but it definately is fun.

Well, it's not quite photorealism for the PS3 yet, but close enough that it'll look damn fine in action. Both shots suffer a tiny bit from early CG style "shiny" lighting, but seeing as only the very best hollywood special effects manage to avoid that, I'll let it slide. The last three or four Wardevil shots look really nice, but the others have poor bump mapping, and there's something wrong with the lighting - I think too much ambient light. Doom 3 on PC looks nicer where the two can be compared. The outdoor shots look way shiny like old school Myst. :\

I joined adulthood a while ago, but went screaming back to studentdom after about a year. Finals for me in about a week or two..

I had my doubts about this one since they advertized with half naked chicks at E3 (to their credit, they were probably the hottest half naked chicks there that year). Whether or not it's a decent game on its own merits, it's not worthy of the sacred (or at least classic) Prince of Persia title. The Sands of Time captured much of the spirit of the original, this one just spits in its face.

Well that's kinda what I meant.. That they bothered to create a new kind of chip, and what kinds of things might come of that. That's what I like, not just that they made it for PS3. New directions are good, or at least interesting, things.

I'm hoping they make this easy to code for, else they're going to hve a hard time convincing developers not to go the easy route with Xbox2 (as they did with PS2 vs. XBox). It sounds like a beast, but we'll have to wait for more meaningful specs later. I kind of like that they bothered to design a new kind of chip for it though.

I didn't raelly thing about that, but yeah, KOM characters are huge.. And also, Cyber Woo could be the missing grappler. It would be fitting since KOM was basically a wrestling game.

Definately the economy is something to keep watch on, but you can't say something is gospel just because one guy said it behind closed doors.

Nope, I actually, honest to god, like Mudman. I have no idea why, I just always found him interesting. Tam Tam too.

Mudman!!!!! I don't think I've ever had a softer spot for a character...

This is a mad bump, but I missed it the first time around and it's interesting. Check the link he posted: http://www.wlnplayground.co.nr There should be an IP under Server Status or something like that.

I thought Shin Akuma was listed off to the side of the regular roster?

Getting killed in one hit in CS is no surprise unless you're buying armor. Armor with a Helmet is pretty much a requirement after a round or two. And an AWP is the biggest sniper rifle in the game. People used to refer to "AWP whores," people who used nothing but that rifle, beacuse it was ridiculously overpowered (it could kill an armored opponent in one hit and shoot through multiple walls). It was also a favorite with wallhackers (people who hack to see through walls). I'm not sure if it's been toned down any, but I would guess not. Knowing what to do in CS is pretty simple, aside from knowing the maps. Basically, buy a helmet and armor, then buy an ak47 if you're terrorist, or an m4 if you're counter-terrorist, and maybe a Desert Eagle and an HE grenade if you're feeling frisky. Aside from the AWP whores, you'll notice this is what about 85% of players do every round. To put it plainly, there is very little attempt made to balance the weapons aside from those mentioned, which is a shame. I personally like the pump shotgun and the P90, but they aren't nearly as universally effective as the ak and m4.

My my, you have been bitchy lately, haven't you? always trying to prove us wrong and show us up... We defended CFE against YOUR baseless attacks which you launched before you had ever played the game. Again you stereotype all reviewers and say they "don't understand" the subject matter - a ridiculous accusation. You are on a high-horse preaching about videogames from the point of view of "design concepts" and you don't understand the "art for the sake of art" or "labors of love" that are MGS2 and certainly CFE. What kind of a game designer are you anyway? In the MGS2 review your discussion of your post seems less like an official position and more like 1 angry guy with twisted ideas. What company do you even work for - if any? In short, don't antagonize us by trying to prove your superiority - we do hit back. Bring it on. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> "Before I had ever played the game"? I don't need to play something to know whether or not it's going to be crap. Case in point - CFE. There are plenty of things that can be used to ascertain the quality of something, without having to spend four hours with it first. As for game magazines, I've never needed to take the advice of a game review since I was about 7. By relying on my own intuition, I've never bought a poor game yet. How do you explain that? In fact it's the other way around. Any crap I've bought has been the magazines' fault. On the odd occasion I've punted on something (that I wouldn't have otherwise touched) based on all-round high review scores, I was right. Halo = 10 out of 10, Burnout 3 = 9 out of 10? Gimme a friggin' break...Game journalists = Absolute cretins. You want to defend the press? Of course, they are fine when they are merely reporting on news, events and press releases, it’s when they attempt to think that it all goes downhill. The best we have to offer in the west is ‘Edge’. Many gamers are apparently amazed at Edge magazine’s ‘insights’. In reality, much of its content is total tripe, regardless of the fact that it’s well-written. Edge hides the inadequacies it shares with all other games magazines behind its use of the written word. And to good effect. People will believe anything if its interspersed with a few adjectives they don’t understand. Just because you cannot see how game journalists are wrong 90 percent of the time and that their opinions are almost exclusively ‘utter bullsh*t’ doesn’t mean nobody else can. I don't expect for a second that you could understand what's wrong with MGS2 or anything else that's been over-rated beyond belief by the totally ignorant press. You have NO idea what it’s like to see the industry the way I do….oh wait… yes you do…you are on a forum……If I have no respect for professional game journalists how much respect do you think I reserve for people like you? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You could just leave the forum now and I don't think anyone would mind. We've been dealing with your high horse BS for a while now, including flames like that last one, and without any actual evidence of your great position in the industry. You've been asked several times, but never mentioned a game credit, company, or even a job title (other than a vague "designer," which could mean just about anything) that I can remember. I'll lay it out right here.. I worked for Sony Online Entertainment for about a year before going back to school for a degree, and have credits on at least two of the Everquest titles. My two best friends work for Sammy, and one previously worked at Activision, with credits on several games between them. Your turn? Better yet, why don't you just get going. Anyone who's worked in the industry knows that "industry insiders" are, get this folks, just normal people. The good ones are gamers, the best ones are dreamers and do-ers, but they're not some mysterious group of elitist a******s like you. It sounds like you went to some school for game design and they probably taught you all kinds of theory and told you you were all set to be the best of the best. I got news for ya.. Like any abstract art form, video games are subjective. Games come from a combination of designers' minds and marketting's research, in varying proportion. It's usually pretty clear which got the lion's share, but you can't absolutely and universally quantify a game's experience based on this, game design theories, or any other criteria. Everyone gets their own experience out of a game, and no one person's opinion is any more valid than another's. You can sum it up a little if you pick a target audience, such as "rpg fans" or "girl gamers," but very few designers or companies make their games specifically for "elitist a******s," nor do reviewers write for them. Reviewers write from a combination of personal experience, lack of personal experience, and monetary pressure. They are human like everyone else, and some are good and some are bad. To say "their opinions are almost exclusively ‘utter bullsh*t’" is ignorant at best, and to try to pass it off as some kind of high knowledge is the most utter bullsh*t of all. You're just another "guy on a forum" like the rest of us. Pull the stick out or go away.

As long as my connection was decent to your server (which would be on another continent for me), I'd be interested. I don't have HL2 yet though, I'm expecting it at the begginign of the month but we'll see.

Ah, that explains it. I have one of their MP3 MD players (they're cheap as hell when you work there, w00t ), so I'm familiar with Sonic Stage. Put blatantly, that is a miserable piece of software and Sony does very little to support it. IE, instead of fixing whatever screw up was in the original software (which is well known to be extremely screwy), they're telling you to uninstall a hotfix. Which hotfix was it, out of curiosity? MP3 MD owners have been bitching about this software since it was released, and this is especially lame of them. I wonder if anyone ever released their own software to transfer to/from the player? I know a few people were working on it.