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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

What video games 2 - TEH MEGATON!!1111!!!!11 etc.

  
  

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STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
09:17 / 05.04.04
Ah... my life is complete. I now have Tiger Woods Golf 2004 on my new phone (a V500, I think the game's only just come out for it) and TW2003 was all that was making me cling on to my old phone.

It's weird... in real life, I can't think of anything more dull than golf. But as a video game, it's perfect.
 
 
Axolotl
20:16 / 05.04.04
I picked up a copy of Street NBA 2 recently. It's got no depth really, but it is quite good to pick up and play for half an hour. Plus the tricks are cool *grin*. I dunno, I like an epic game, but I just don't have the time now. That's why I liked the new prince of persia game; it only lasted a couple of weekends, but I finished it. I rarely do that as I tend to lose interest in these sprawling games that you have to invest a lot of time in. Beyond Good and Evil being a prime example; loved it but I'll probably never finish it.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
21:39 / 05.04.04
BG&E isn't all that much longer than PoP - like I say, I polished it off and hit 100% item collection with 15hrs on the clock, and that was including the few times I forgot to turn the console off while I did something else. It's not anything like as sprawling as it first appears.
 
 
Baz Auckland
03:23 / 06.04.04
Why is videogame golf so much fun? Especially the new Mario Golf for the gamecube... Strangely addictive...
 
 
Spatula Clarke
15:12 / 06.04.04
Buncha free PC shooter links being compiled in this NTSC-uk thread, if anyone's interested.

Best of the bunch are:

rRootage, which Paleface has already mentioned. Offers four approaches to the genre. First, iirc, just follows the oldest shmup rules around - shoot enemies, avoid bullets. Another mode is based on Ikaruga - you can change the colour of your ship at any time and can absorb enemy bullets that are the same colour as it by running straight into them. There's a mode based on Giga Wing - you've got a rechargable shield that reflects enemy shots back to the source - and a final one based on Psyvariar - only a tiny, central portion of your ship can be damaged and you get points for buzzing (scraping) enemy shots with the invincible parts.

Warning Forever is really simple stuff, but no worse for that. It's just you against a selection of boss ships, each based on the previous one, but with additional turrets.

TIMKI Fighters twists the standard shmup formula again, but this time in a really original way. At least, I've not come across it before. Everything is made out of kids' building bricks. Destroy an enemy ship and you can add its parts to yours by flying into them as they fall to the bottom of the screen. The bigger you get, the more points you get, but the harder it becomes to avoid bullet patterns. Getting hit by a bullet will knock all the extra pieces off your ship and send it back to its original state.

The best of the bunch, imo, is Perfect Cherry Blossom (direct download here. It's easily good enough to be a full-price release. Looks lovely, has muchos depth and excitement. I'm still trying to puzzle bits of it out - there's a buzz system there, but I can't work out what benefits you gain from buzzing other than an increased score. Smart bombs suck enemy bullets into you, for some reason - again, there are points to be gained there, but I'm not sure what else. There's also a blue icon that you can collect which ups you 'Point' counter (not your score counter - this is something different).

If you've not played a shmup for a while, it's worth downloading these to get a taster of the way that the form's been twisted in the last three or four years. Definitely get Perfect Cherry Blossom, just to see how enemy bullet patterns have been turned into a work of art.

You'll need LHASA to extract the .lzh files - if anyone's having trouble finding it online, let me know and I'll email it to you. It's freeware, so there's no problem with that.
 
 
agvvv
15:36 / 06.04.04
Perfect Cherry Blossom is beautiful. It`s like a 80ish space fighter only theres fireworks and girls.. I like it.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
12:57 / 08.04.04
Cloned Christ is bang on the fucking money...
Far Cry absolutely fucking rocks. Started playing it an hour ago. I have to go to bed cos I've got work tonight, but... fuck... clicking on "quit" actually caused me physical pain...
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
22:03 / 08.04.04
Stoatie: Cloned Christ is bang on the fucking money...

You're damn right I am!

But, Jeez, this game's getting hard! I'm trying to escape from a complex but I'm constantly accosted by rather intelligent troopers & just-plain-nasty mutants. Gits, the lot of 'em.

I'm determined not to let my determination flag on this game, as I'm sure there's loads of delights to come yet (but having seen the huge human-mutants, I'm not sure if I want to go there).

Anyone else played this absolute masterpiece?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
23:14 / 08.04.04
There's no way my PC can take it. I await the announced Xbox take on the Far Cry universe (which sounds like it'll effectively be moew of the same, only with a slightly altered storyline/set of characters/set of levels).
 
 
Baz Auckland
02:19 / 09.04.04
I am loving Max Payne 2... but curious as to what the other game modes are that I haven't unlocked yet... I'm hoping it's the same game, but from the p.o.v of the other characters... I really want to play as the Russian Mobster!
 
 
The Strobe
06:24 / 09.04.04
Sadly not, Baz. New York Minute gives you a minute to finish each level - except your timer gets charged up for every bad guy you kill. There are two harder difficulties (or maybe one, I forget), and Dead on Arrival, which is just a skirmish mode in increasingly impossible scenarios - the aim is to survive as long as possible. It does lead to some lovely slow-motion moments, though, when eight guys are flying through the air from your grenades and bullets...
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
06:38 / 09.04.04
I must get back into Max Payne 2 - it is a classic and I bet it'd sound great on my spangly new digital 5.1 speaker system, too. Dolby Surround (TM) sure does add a whole new aspect to playing FPS type games - you can hear where the foes are firing from. Very cool indeed.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
21:03 / 10.04.04
I don't know why I didn't remember this before - I've tripped over the site previously, but never had a proper look around it.

There's a ridiculous number of free shmups linked to at Shoot the Core. I've only downloaded and played a few of them so far, but there's some choice little games there and they're all worth trying at least once. A couple are fairly shit - Another Zero and Idinaloq, for example - but there are some real gems. Also, a few are cut down demo versions (I'm pretty sure that this includes Perfect Cherry Blossom, seeing as the download I pointed to before only consists of three levels), but a lot are full titles.

Quick warning, btw - the games with the word 'hentai' in brackets aren't work-safe, for obvious reasons. Stupidity rules the roost, as per usual. If you've gone to the trouble of creating a decent, original homebrew game, why feel the need to include cartoon porn in the cut scenes? Shmups fans play the games for a number of reasons - soft porn anime character art isn't one of them.

Going to try the Gradius and R-Type rip offs next.
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
21:52 / 10.04.04
Thanks for the link, Randy (I can call you Randy, can't I?); it's been years since I've played this kind of olde worlde blaster and there are some real doozies on that site.

Had a dalliance with M.A.M.E. a few months ago, but lost the CD and never got round to downloading it again. Playing Galaxian was such a nostalgia trip I felt like digging out my school shorts and going looking for conkers!
 
 
w1rebaby
21:59 / 10.04.04
I have one of those Namco joystick boxes that you plug into your TV, with Galaxian on it (as well as other stuff). It's fab. Ever since Arcadians on the BBC B, that's been my game.
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
23:31 / 10.04.04
Are they worth the money, fridemagnet? I've been casting my beady consumerist eye over that colourful box-o'-tricks for a while now, deliberating over buying one.

Is Galaxians a faithful reproduction? And what are the other games like? (Having said that, if Galaxians is up to scratch the other games are academic.)

In case anyone wonders what we're on about, the Namco box can be found HERE.
 
 
w1rebaby
00:02 / 11.04.04
For the money, I'd say it was definitely worth it, if you like any of the games concerned. They're all good reproductions of the originals as far as I can tell, and the joystick means it's better than playing them on MAME.
 
 
The Strobe
09:12 / 11.04.04
I've just started Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. This despite many reservations with the original game, which I got fed up with very quick.

I'm actually a bit more engaged, this time. The gameplay is very, very similar, but the interface has been tightened up inline with the PS2/GC ports of SC - this makes things a lot easier. Also, there have been some tweaks to the controls which help a lot.

What makes the real difference is that, well, there's a bit more choice. The first game, there was usually one way around a problem, and if you did it, you got through, and if you didn't, well, you got fed up as you kept trying. This time round, there's usually a range of options - different routes within a room, different ways to tackle situations - and you're given the rifle way earlier on, which helps a lot, what with the CS gas, ringfoils, and sniping it allows.

It's stunningly beautiful, and it gets to the meat of the standard techno-thriller plot a lot earlier than SC did. Quite impressed.

The multiplayer, though, is super-impressive, and I'm really looking forward to trying it online. Quite unlike anything else; great level design. I'm practicing the levels in anticipation of Live. If I ever get it.

The game is still about as difficult as the first, and you need a good degree of patience, but it's not quite so illogical and I'm certainly enjoying the act of playing it a good deal more.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
10:04 / 11.04.04
Ooh... I'm looking forward to Pandora Tomorrow.

Far Cry, right now, though, is one of those wonderful gaming experiences. Like when I first played Doom, or (actually yes, more like) Half-Life.

I've just met the Trigens. They're cool. (I only ever caught a brief glimpse in one of the pre-release demos... but they're cool as baddies.)
 
 
Spatula Clarke
12:45 / 11.04.04
Paleface> Are you playing the multiplayer over a LAN or does it have bots in it for those without Live?

Oh, and the link I've posted above has a couple more games by the guy responsible for rRootage and using the same engine (he also did TIMKI Fighters, linked on the previous page, but that's completely new). I've only played Noiz2sa so far out of the two of them - if anything, it's better than rRootage because it doesn't feel so much like justa homage to other titles.

fridge> I've been thinking about getting one of those Namco thingumies since you first mentioned them, but I think it's overpriced. You can pick up their Playstation collections for a couple of quid off eBay now, and there's a Midway collection out on the Xbox that's a tenner cheaper and contains twenty-four games. Online hi-score tables, too. It's still a nice gadget, for sure, but there are cheaper ways to get the exact same thing without resorting to MAME.

HoverDonkey> There are a lot of stunning olde worlde games out there right now. What I like about the shmups situation is that people are finding new ways to twist the formula into something original, without sacrificing the twitch gameplay or familiarity. It's just a shame that the only decent examples on PC are all homebrew - PC gamers in general seem to have a negative reaction to the words 'arcade experience' or 'simplicity'. Console gamers are increasingly getting the best of both worlds.
 
 
The Strobe
13:17 / 11.04.04
It doesn't have bots, but it does have two offline tutorials, and you can practice the maps alone to your hearts content. This is actually worth doing as there are a LOT of multiple routes, especially for the spies, in them. Plus you learn how not to be a clutz with the controls. And where all the invisible-bar-to-thermal-vision (which will make you obvious to mercs with EM trackingon) laser tripwires are. And cameras. And motion sensors. And the like.

So whilst you're not "playing" it of offline, it still counts as useful practice. You can also play it systemlink as well as on live - just not split screen. Which would be dumb, really.
 
 
The Strobe
13:19 / 11.04.04
Oh, and I'd seen that Midway collection and was sorely tempted. Maybe next time...
 
 
Lurid Archive
13:57 / 14.04.04
I've been playing and hugely enjoying Mafia. What I didn't realise is that a large part of it is a driving game and, surprisingly, I really liked it. Surprising, because I have tended to steer away from driving games. Boom-tish.

Anyway, I was thinking of exploring this further, so who wants to recommend me a PC driving game?
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
14:07 / 14.04.04
Other than Vice City?
 
 
Char Aina
17:59 / 14.04.04
yeah, mafia is basically the prohibition era GTA, isnt it?
i'd reccomend getting the double pack of liberty city and vice city, and then playing those until they release 'san andreas'.

also, the newer driver games are pretty tight, if less open. you are almost always in cars, as the name suggests, but the later ones do have some 'get out and smack him' bits.

have you played burnout?
i quite liked that for being a driving game with a difference. driving the wrong way on the motorway gets you cash, for example. very arcade, very good 'feel' to the controls.
 
 
Char Aina
18:07 / 14.04.04
....and am i the only one who cant wait until you can link all the GTA maps together?

as i see it, they could release a backwards compatible disc, with a version of the games set in, say boise. somewhere lamer.
you start as a normal listless punk teen, and work your way up the local thug ladder. when you get the greyhound outta town because you are being chased, you get a message which says "put in city disc" the city disc then loads up, giving you a free reign in whatever city you chose.

i mean, if there was a way to continue your ascension through the criminal underworld over multiple locations... that would just be awesome.

i even think the fact that they are set in different eras could work. GTA seems to be going fo rthe 'classic era of crime' for all the titles so far, playing on our ideas taken from TeeVee and films. i dont think that would need to change, really.

i just know i was always frsutrated when teh game go to that 99% complete stage and you end up just cruising round killing cops, or whatever. it would also mean that people who had bought one and become addisted would have a reason to buy all the older less advanced titles. (as long as teh maps are what is taken from each game, and the guns, cars and possible moves can be transferred. it would be worth it just to drive the old stinger round vice city, or to take a pcj+uzi tour of liberty.


should i tell someone important?
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
21:51 / 14.04.04
Sounds cool, toksik - you could score 'reputation' points in Boise, which would then partially carry over to your next city, ensuring you get missions/jobs of relevant diffculty when you land in your chosen city.

Sounds like a winner to me.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
22:21 / 14.04.04
That would SO rock...

geek that I am, I've even rationalised the different eras/same character thing in my head to be some crazy parallel universe of TV/movie-style crime.

I was thinking the other day... after San Andreas ('70s, apparently), what next? I figure the '50s's be cool. You could have a wicked rock'n'roll soundtrack, some gorgeous-looking cars, and loads of bequiffed characters in leather. (Although they still could do the '60s in full-on 3D- it's an era they've already covered, but that was before the game itself took a HUGE leap...)

How far are you with Far Cry, Cloned Christ? Fuck, some of the set-pieces in that are amazing- coming out of a compound into the middle of a full-on battle between Trigens and mercs- "the rockets' red glare" in-fucking-DEED! (I've just met the scrawny buggers with the cloaking effect. Cunts.)
 
 
Cloned Christ on a HoverDonkey
23:12 / 14.04.04
You're ahead of me now, Stoatie - I'm on my way to the archives. Work/Son/Wife commitments have seriously impeded my progress in any game for the last week or so. The gits.

Tomorrow, however, is a different matter; Emma@work; Archie@nursery; not working - will attack Far Cry with every sinew in my (virtually) over-muscled, over-armed body.

BTW - I've found an easy hack (cheat?) that will allow quicksaves. Interested?

While we're on the subject of FPSs - has anyone played Painkiller yet? It's the game that Doom was trying to be - Tagline : 'Heaven's Got A Hitman'. You're a fatal car crash victim, approached by an angel with a mission to wipe out the evil minions of Satan.

Story: basically irrelevant.
Weapons: Shotgun; Stake Gun (pins enemies to walls); etc...
Physics: Advanced ragdoll - very OTT (enemies arc away from your shotgun blasts)
Strategy: Fuck 'em all!
Subtlety: None.

Think Serious Sam in a series of hellish environs, but with cool graphics and very serious (and sometimes quite unfathomable) boss characters.







Very cool, almost-retro, graphically superb mindless blast.
 
 
Char Aina
00:16 / 15.04.04
what next?

well, i always assumed that the era was to suit the locale... pre giulliani new york, for example. or 80s drug fuelled miami. san andreas in the late seventies i know less about... i had heard that vegas was to be next, but SA is here. vegas was supposed to be set in the seventies, ala casino and all the mafia-run gaming.

perhaps a 'now' late nineties version in the city of god?
 
 
nedrichards is confused
09:25 / 15.04.04
Inspired by those screenies I just downloaded and played some Quake. Hot bannana that's still a good game, especially because l33t open source programmers have been tightening up the engine since they open sourced it a couple of years back. Ate my rocket indeed.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
09:30 / 15.04.04
Ooh, may have to go back for some hot Quake action.

Played the Painkiller demo- it's lovely, but plays like shit on my system. (Strangely enough, the equally gorgeous Far Cry doesn't have too much of a problem, but you can tell the PC's working its little heart out.) New graphics card here I come (bastard bastard Geforce4 MX bastard won't bastarding well play Deus Ex 2. Or Silent Hill 3.)
 
 
Bear
09:45 / 15.04.04
Loved the Painkiller demo also, the Farcry seems far too hard for me though...

I think I've reached a new level of nerdyness, I've been playing Neverwinter Nights with my girlfriend over the LAN - really good fun actually I tried playing it a couple of times but got really pissed off at how crap my character was but now I'm happy with Bear Lácis my chaotic evil wizard Level 7
 
 
Lord Morgue
11:44 / 15.04.04
Would you believe I'm playing Doom II and Dark Forces? And Bobtris, it's the lame Subgenius version of Tetris.
I've got various half-finished Fallout 2, Redneck Rampage, Unreal, Heretic 2, Wolfenstein 2: Spear of Destiny, Quake, Quake 2, Shogo, GTA, Deathtrap Dungeon and Deus Ex games cluttering up my hard drive... I really should finish some of these bastards so I can free the space up.
Oh, and this sweet baby-
http://www.planetblood.com/qblood/
Blood Transfusion- half-finished project to emulate Monolith's Build engine classic Blood using Quake 1 technology. It burns! It burns! And it's open-source code, so you can download the whole thing and play without owning the original. Unfortunately, no single-player yet, so it's bots or other players, no zombies to kick around.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
11:58 / 15.04.04
Hi. I've been playing XIII. This game is frustrating, and I just can't find the time to deal with that. I rarely play this sort of game, though. After an hour or two I was frantically searching for cheats. Are there any? Bastards.

Anyway. On further reflection I have decided that Prince of Persia is a bit.. well... shit. Seriously, disjointed and stupid game. I mean... it's fun, I had fun, I enjoyed it. But now I think about it, it's so linear it annoys me. Probably not one decision to be made in this game. Can you miss a jump? Can you fuck.

Last boss? Fighting in general? = Laaaaame.

Argh. The conflict! I just realised I like bits of it, but there's too much wrong with it to herald it a work of art/really really good. Get it right next time, Ubi. You're nearly there. Also, get rid of that poxy little beard. Not cool.

I've been meaning to write a substantial video games post. But this isn't it. I'd been meaning to play Zelda again too but then I accidentally bought the aformentioned XIII. Zelda is the best of all games. I think I feel this way because I am a presentation whore. But it makes me feel special. Next one's up for some sort of persual at next months E3. Woop!

Also: new Metroid? Multiplayer, even? (hmmm)

Who said sequels were bad?
 
  

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