The All Things Video Games Thread!

[Ladic]

I thought same.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Isn't the Direct X install popup with software pretty much an optional thing these days? It seems like every time I install a program on my computer it gives me a Direct X installer, even when I'm running that version of Direct X. Have you tried just hitting NO or Cancel and seeing if it runs? Is there any chance it could be a Vista compatibility issue and not a Direct X issue if it's not running right? We have some machines at the office running 64 bit Vista and I'll be damned if that OS is not the most useless, incompatible pile of crap I've ever seen.

[eugimon]

Help Installing Civilization 4 on Windows Vista

Ok, so I have vista with directx 10, I;m trying to install civ 4, during installation it says I need to install direct x 9.0c, I cancel because I dont want to downgrade, and the installation stops, it says I cant continue.

what the hell? so to play civ4 i need to downgrade to direcx 9.0c?

just hit yes, direct x will go through and check what version you have, then it will have an epiphany and then it will let you continue installing civ4.

I'm running civ 4 on a vista box right now, no worries.

[Ladic]

ok, will give that a try

[JB0]

I could be wrong but don't future versions of things pretty much run the older versions of things? I mean, if you have Direct X 9 installed won't it automatically run everything beneath it like DX8 and back software? I mean, If my PC is running DX9 and for some weird reason the urge grabs me to install Half Life 1, which to my knowledge needed Direct X 7, it will work just fine without re-installing DX7... right?

For the most part.

I've heard there's some back-compatibility issues with versions prior to 6 or 7, because the interface kept shifting around.

And while it's not really DX's fault so much as Vista's(Vista features a complete driver rework, and the sound interface was radically altered), there's no longer a way to get hardware acceleration in DirectSound 10. Or 3D sound.

Apparently the changes kill a lot of games.

[Twoducks]

I'm laughing my ass of with the reviews this guy does :

Bioshock

Psychonauts

Console Wars

[bandit29]

It looks fine on the PS3.

I'm assuming the Real Bout series and MOTW will debut on Vol. 2.

I'm waiting for the SS series as well. I'll bet they split it up though.

Well we won't have to wait much more. US release too

TOKYO--The NeoGeo arcade gaming system laid the foundation for SNK Playmore, and at the Tokyo Game Show today, the US arm of the company announced a slate of games built on some of that system's best known series, all set for release by the end of 2008.

Samurai Shodown is set for an arcade revival and a console retrospective.

Following up the Art of Fighting Anthology and Fatal Fury Battle Archives collections, SNK Playmore is compiling some of its other highly regarded series for domestic release. The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga is a collection of the 1995-1997 demon-tinted installments in the series for the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. Meanwhile, Samurai Shodown Anthology should collect a sampling of that series' offerings and will see release on the PS2 and Wii.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6179601.html?...ewstop;title;10

[Smiley424]

Nice, always been a fan of Samurai Showdown. Will have to pick up the PS2 compilation and check out this next gen version. As much as I like Soul Caliber, it's always good to see something new in the weapon fighter genre. Seems like Soul Caliber is the only game in town in the fighter game with weapons category.

On another note, I don't know if it's been mentioned in this thread but Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is coming out for PS2 at the budget price of $14.99. For those that don't know, Fire Pro is a Japanese wrestling video game series and is probably one of the best I've ever played. The graphics aren't cutting edge or anything, but for me gameplay outweighs graphics. Can't wait, it's supposed to be out sometime in November.

Cheap Ass Gamer discussion thread for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns

[Kurisama]

I'm bringing it back - old skool yo, boyee!

Ahem...

Call me old fashioned, but i loved Space Quest 1, 2 & 3, Syndicate, Flash Back & Another World, Ghost & Goblins, Ghouls & Ghosts, St.Dragon, Flood, Black Throne, Venus The Flytrap, Impossamole, Rick Dangerous, the ORIGINAL Duke Nukem, Halloween Harry damn... and about 200 other games on my beloved (R.I.P) Amiga 500. BTW the last 2 games were on my old PC - which, I used to (still do, now that i think of it) LOVE Monkey Island 1 and 2, FULL THROTTLE!! Sam and Max...

*Sigh*

Fast forward a few decades and well, Halo, Street Fighter Alpha 3, SNK vs CAPCOM 2, God of War, Dawn of War rate pretty high on my list of fun games to play, over and over again.

[CoryHolmes]

Descent. Best. Sim. Evar.

[Chowser]

wasn't Another World originally called Out of this World?

I loved Flashback and Another World. Didn't they make a Flashback II?

[JsARCLIGHT]

The sequel to Flashback was a game called Fade to Black. I had it for PC and if I remember right it came out on Playstation 1. It was a fully 3D game rather than a side scroller like Flashback was.

[Chowser]

That's right, Fade to Black, I remember it on PS1, I remember the awful superlong load times with that game!

[Kurisama]

That's right, Fade to Black, I remember it on PS1, I remember the awful superlong load times with that game!

I remember the awful thing that was that game.

wasn't Another World originally called Out of this World?

I think it was released under that title in different countries. Man, they should do something again in that universe - it was so good, and simple controls. Just a jem of a game.

[Warmaker]

Nice, always been a fan of Samurai Showdown. Will have to pick up the PS2 compilation and check out this next gen version. As much as I like Soul Caliber, it's always good to see something new in the weapon fighter genre. Seems like Soul Caliber is the only game in town in the fighter game with weapons category.

I can't tell you how much fun I had with the Samurai Shodown series. SS1, 2, and 5 was where I spent the most time on with the series, but 2 was the one I loved the most.

I played 5 alot in Okinawa and in Japan. The best part was that other than currency, there was no big difference in playing the US arcade release to the Japanese ones. The engrish was so bad with the ones I found on US bases that I had no issues whatsoever when trying it out in town in Okinawa and Japan I always felt comfortable that all the announcements from the matches were in Japanese anyways, so maybe that helped.

I can still recall my friend who fancied himself good in Street Fighter getting schooled in Japan by a kid coming off school. Repeatedly... like x3, IIRC

[JB0]

http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/070927-3416.asp

As it turns out, violent video games are GOOD for you! .

From a friend who has the magazine it was published in...

"In the first experiment, they just tested people on specific tasks without assigning them games (so they had game players and non-players). In the second, where all people were non-players before the experiment, the experimental group played Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault and the control group played Ballance. The experimental group improved significantly in the non-game tasks they were testing, while the control group didn't."

In conclusion: Playing FPSes improves your spatial skills. And if you're female, it makes you the equal of your male counterparts.

So go teach your kid sister to deathmatch. It gives Jack Thompson a coronary AND will give her an edge in math class when she gets older.

[Apollo Leader]

Street Fighter IV next year. Nice promo video by Capcom!

[Black Valkyrie]

Bionic Commando, now this !

THEY GOT TO BE KIDDING ?!

[Black Valkyrie]

Dave wanted to be sure if Super Mario World is indeed SMB-4, well here is the answer :

Edited October 19, 2007 by Black Valkyrie

[Black Valkyrie]

Early(1988)Super Famicom Demos.

[David Hingtgen]

And hey---the Japanese version is the "real, true" version for most games, especially first-party Nintendo ones. Anyone got a pic of a Zelda 3 SFC cart?

[TheLoneWolf]

Doesn't look like it. Maybe there's something in the kanji.

[Black Valkyrie]

Just now I was going through amiami site and I found this.

[mikeszekely]

Doesn't look like it. Maybe there's something in the kanji.

Nope, the kanji (and kana) say "Zelda no Densetsu" in big print, and the small print says "Kamigami no Triforce." That translates to something like "Legend of Zelda" and "Triforce of Gods."

[gerwalk25]

Just now I was going through amiami site and I found this.

I wonder if Kawamori-san lent his design elements for the Vic-Viper? That looked BAD-ASS!

Edited October 22, 2007 by gerwalk25

[Ghadrack]

I am not sure how many people have had a chance to play it but Portal by Valve may be the single most exciting game I have ever played. Seriously, the basic portal game mechanic is the single neatest feature ever in video games in my opinion and the AI in the game had me laughing out loud repeatedly, short but I felt like it was a perfect game experience. Highly recommended :thumbsup:

[mikeszekely]

OK, I got a copy of Guitar Hero III on the PS2 (might spring for the 360 version down the line, might not). I've had a change to play a lot of it. Quick and dirty, I'll say this much:

Pros:

-Gameplay is the same as the first two.

-You can get cash and encores on easy. Not a biggie for me, but good for people just starting out.

-Animated cutscenes between venues kind of create a fun story.

-Though rare, the boss battles are kind of neat and fun.

-New multiplier HUD looks good, and provides info about your note streak.

Cons:

-New character models are fugly.

-The stuff in the shop seems less interesting.

-It's the game engine that Harmonix built, but the soul is gone.

-A distracting message about your note streak will pop up from time to time.

- New Star Power Meter sucks.

-Whammy bar doesn't seem to give you Star Power on the long notes anymore.

Neither pro nor con:

-Set list, like Guitar Hero II, just isn't as good as the original.

Now, it seems unfair to compare a game I've almost completed with a demo, but I'm going to do it anyway. I had the opportunity to play Rock Band over th weekend. I played the guitar, my wife played the drums, and we did "Wanted Dead or Alive." Can't comment on the drums, since my wife was playing, except to say that it looks a lot like playing the guitar... you hit the correct drum when the corresponding color hits the bottom of the screen. As for the guitar, well, the Fender Strat controller is bigger and looks/feels more like a real guitar than the Gibson SG for PS2 or the Xplorer for the 360. The interface was a lot cleaner, too, with a glossy black board instead of kiddie drawings like the ones in the Guitar Hero games. Notes are little rectangles instead of circles. It plays pretty much like Guitar Hero, giving the overall feeling of a more mature, grown-up Guitar Hero. If you like previous Guitar Heroes, you'll like Guitar Hero III, but you'll love Rock Band.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Any Virtual On freaks in here? The latest volume of the Sega Ages series featuring the first VO arcade game (Operation Moongate) just arrived at my porch, and it is sweeeet. Even with the absence of the twin-sticks controller, the game seems to be as frantic and smooth as I remembered. Extras include several new color schemes (Prototype Temjin or Raiden anyone?) two art galleries, and a new “chibi” mode with SD renditions of all the virtuaroids. There are also options for online vs. matches, but I’ll have to play around with them to get it working. Definitely one of my better import purchases.

[Apollo Leader]

OK, I got a copy of Guitar Hero III on the PS2 (might spring for the 360 version down the line, might not). I've had a change to play a lot of it. Quick and dirty, I'll say this much:

Pros:

-Gameplay is the same as the first two.

-You can get cash and encores on easy. Not a biggie for me, but good for people just starting out.

-Animated cutscenes between venues kind of create a fun story.

-Though rare, the boss battles are kind of neat and fun.

-New multiplier HUD looks good, and provides info about your note streak.

Cons:

-New character models are fugly.

-The stuff in the shop seems less interesting.

-It's the game engine that Harmonix built, but the soul is gone.

-A distracting message about your note streak will pop up from time to time.

- New Star Power Meter sucks.

-Whammy bar doesn't seem to give you Star Power on the long notes anymore.

Neither pro nor con:

-Set list, like Guitar Hero II, just isn't as good as the original.

Now, it seems unfair to compare a game I've almost completed with a demo, but I'm going to do it anyway. I had the opportunity to play Rock Band over th weekend. I played the guitar, my wife played the drums, and we did "Wanted Dead or Alive." Can't comment on the drums, since my wife was playing, except to say that it looks a lot like playing the guitar... you hit the correct drum when the corresponding color hits the bottom of the screen. As for the guitar, well, the Fender Strat controller is bigger and looks/feels more like a real guitar than the Gibson SG for PS2 or the Xplorer for the 360. The interface was a lot cleaner, too, with a glossy black board instead of kiddie drawings like the ones in the Guitar Hero games. Notes are little rectangles instead of circles. It plays pretty much like Guitar Hero, giving the overall feeling of a more mature, grown-up Guitar Hero. If you like previous Guitar Heroes, you'll like Guitar Hero III, but you'll love Rock Band.

You got a 360 so why did you buy the gimped version? As for using the whammy bar, the wavy effect is there it's just not as pronounced. Also I liked the old Star Power meter better (I do like that it shows you note total though). My main gripes are that I liked the artwork of the characters better on the first two games and that quite a few of the achievements I think are ridiculous (some of GHII's were hard, but they were in the realm of doable and made more sense), But I like a lot of the songs so far and it was awesome being able to get online and play against some other people (shouldn have bought the 360 version, Mike! ).

Edited October 29, 2007 by Apollo Leader

[TheLoneWolf]

Any Virtual On freaks in here? The latest volume of the Sega Ages series featuring the first VO arcade game (Operation Moongate) just arrived at my porch, and it is sweeeet. Even with the absence of the twin-sticks controller, the game seems to be as frantic and smooth as I remembered. Extras include several new color schemes (Prototype Temjin or Raiden anyone?) two art galleries, and a new “chibi” mode with SD renditions of all the virtuaroids. There are also options for online vs. matches, but I’ll have to play around with them to get it working. Definitely one of my better import purchases.

Did Sega clean up the graphics at all? From the screenshots I've seen it looks like a straight port, in which case I'll stick with my Saturn version. The online feature is nice addition, but I'm worried that in true PS2 online fashion the load times will far exceed the match times. It's still nice to see the original on another console so that other people can check it out.

Edited October 29, 2007 by TheLoneWolf

[JB0]

Did Sega clean up the graphics at all? From the screenshots I've seen it looks like a straight port, in which case I'll stick with my Saturn version. The online feature is nice addition, but I'm worried that in true PS2 online fashion the load times will far exceed the match times. It's still nice to see the original on another console so that other people can check it out.

According to Insert Credit, the feature attraction is an arcade-perfect port that's "not even vaguely based on the Sega Saturn version."

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

According to Insert Credit, the feature attraction is an arcade-perfect port that's "not even vaguely based on the Sega Saturn version."

By the way the game looks, this seems to be true. This version looks stunning compared to the Saturn version. There are two options for frame rate; 57.5 and 60 fps with accommodations for wide screen. The sounds effects are just like they were 10 yrs ago with choices for arcade or "consumer" BGM. There's no loading time in between bouts, but I don't know what the speed is like with online play. The only thing needed to complete the experience is to find some way to use the Dreamcast twinsticks with the PS2, which is unfortunately impossible.

[mikeszekely]

You got a 360 so why did you buy the gimped version? As for using the whammy bar, the wavy effect is there it's just not as pronounced. Also I liked the old Star Power meter better (I do like that it shows you note total though). My main gripes are that I liked the artwork of the characters better on the first two games and that quite a few of the achievements I think are ridiculous (some of GHII's were hard, but they were in the realm of doable and made more sense), But I like a lot of the songs so far and it was awesome being able to get online and play against some other people (shouldn have bought the 360 version, Mike! ).

I didn't buy any version, I was given the PS2 version. And why not? I had the first two, plus Rocks the 80's, on the PS2, and two guitars for the PS2. I only recently found a cheap used copy of the second one for the 360. I digress. The whammy bar does give the notes the wavy effect, but in the previous two, when you hit a star power note and hit the whammy bar, it would add extra star power to your meter. This time, it makes the note wave, but there's no change in the star power meter. Anyway, I may buy Guitar Hero III for the 360 later (I want the Les Paul), but I'll wait until the used ones show up in the spring or summer. For now, I'm saving my cash for Rock Band.

[TheLoneWolf]

According to Insert Credit, the feature attraction is an arcade-perfect port that's "not even vaguely based on the Sega Saturn version."

Excellent, looks like I'll be picking this one up then. The optional frameart also sounds great.

[David Hingtgen]

If my PS2 could play imports, I'd so buy VO again. There's about a .5% chance of a US release.