mikeszekely

I haven't liked Hanks in anything since his SNL days. I've come close, but always found myself thinking, "man, this movie would be so much better if Tom Hanks weren't in it!" Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors, but I'm not sure he's really who I'd have thought of as Langdon. Maybe Eric Bana?

not for FPS... halo is kinda a different story, since it's obvious the AI has been tweeked for console play... but FPS on a PC and on a console, it's just two different worlds. I agree, it is too different worlds. But see, just as PC gamers find gamepads to be worthless for shooters, a mouse and keyboard are basically foreign objects to me outside of websurfing. Nothing but an gamepad will feel right to me.

Since I also love TIE Fighter the most, I'll trust your review. So is Battlefront worth the money, or should I wait until it drops to Greatest Hits $19.99? Target has it on sale for $39.77, but I'm not too sure if it's worth the dough considering MGS3 is coming out on Friday. So many darn games... Back on topic, how is the music of AC5? I loved AC4's music, but when I heard they licensed some rock band's music for AC5, I get a bad vibe... Well, the thing is, Battlefront is immensely fun and easy to play... for about a day or two. With no story or campaign mode, there's not a ton to do in single-player. And once you're done, you're basically done. Multiplayer is still fun, but there are just other games out there that are more fun multiplayer, depending on your system of choice. Target's price isn't bad if you really want it now... but if you can wait, it'll definately drop in price eventually. I remember the music in Ace Combat 5 as being similar to Ace Combat 4... it's good, it suits the series, but it didn't really stand out. As for Puddle of Mud, you only hear them twice. Once is in the intro movie, which is easily skipable. The other is in a cutscene, but it's appropriate, since Chopper was supposed to be listening to rock music anyway.

The fun thing about Halo 2 is that, with friends, voice chat, and no lag, Live is more like a LAN than other Live games have been.

I know Kawamori and company were investing a lot into getting Macross Zero out, but remember the SW-XA series? I really liked both of those designs, and I was wondering if there were anymore? Graham, if you're reading this, you especially seem to have info from the modeling magazines. For those of us not into toys or models (is that just me?), if there was anything brand spanking new (as oppossed to variations or new kits for old mecha), you'd let us know here, right?

Ah, I dunno. Ridicule me for the console gamer I am if you must, but I'm going to hold out and see if Microsoft ports it to Xbox like they did with Counterstrike, just like I'm waiting for the Xbox version of Doom. I mean, I don't mind a PC game here and there, but I prefer stuff like Neverwinter Nights on PC. I'm a console gamer first and foremost.

Which is a point well-made... except for the fact that Mobius 1 is all he/she went by, and hence, all we know him/her as. Man... in a way, it's kind of impressive to see this thread still alive and active while the San Andreas and Halo 2 threads fade into obscurity.

See, that's why I liked being Mobius 1. I kicked ass, and everyone knew it. I was mysterious. Blaze... he was amazingly skilled, ala Mobius 1, but only his wingmen seemed to recognize that. To everyone esle, it was the entire Wardog/Razgriz squadron that was godlike. Then you go and look at their kills after campaign, and find they shot down between 5 and 15 targets, while you bagged like 700. Face it man... Blaze loses points because his wingmen steal his glory.

Okay, I see what you're saying. Yeah, Halo was very accessible to the console gamers, hence it's popularity. There's a lot more to compete with out there on PC. Still, Halo has a certain charm to it... the way the names of the levels come up, the interaction with the Marines ("Purple Hearts for everyone!"), etc. It might not have been hailed as highly as, say Half-Life, but I'm sure it would still have gathered a fanbase. Anyway, since I finished Halo, I need something to play until KOTOR II. I might pick up Killzone, or NFSU2.

Not just their software. Everyone's always talking about how original and innovative Nintendo's games are... because why? Because of Pikmin? Nintendo might have been original back in the 80's, but let's look at the facts... Super Mario Sunshine is Super Mario 64, but with a squirt gun. The Windwaker was Ocarina of Time, but with cel-shading. And then there's the fact that all four Super Mario Advance games plus a Link to the Past are ports of SNES games. I'm not saying they aren't fun games, but I'd hardly say that rehashing the same games qualifies as originality. Now, if you really want originality... Sega's the place. At least, they were with the Dreamcast. Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5, Seaman, Jet Set Radio... ah, those were the days...

Well you've got to have commander's colors for Blaze. So far I've found the best thing to kill the Synfaxi-classes is the base model Tornado. Line it up right and you can kill those subs in around 3 passes. No, I still think the F/A-18C (or eventually the Rafale M, since I think it has the same weapon) is the best for the subs. One shot will cause it to submerge, two more shots will kill it's ability to submerge, then two more to sink it... and all from a ridiculous range with almost no chance of missing. David- actually, I noticed that Blaze has red accents with his Razgriz colors. It was very noticeable on the mission where you have to take the photoes of the base. I just never realized that Blaze was the only one with the red!

Alas, it doesn't say how I can get one.

Most of the original Halo work was done on PCs. Halo was shown privately at E3 99 before the public MWNY 99 demo running on PCs. They didn't even have a working Mac demo a week and a half before MWNY 99 (revealed in a video interview with Jason Jones filmed on the MWNY 99 showroom floor). They had to show Jobs the demo running on PCs but they were able to get the Mac demo up and running in time. I've also read in some interivews that Bungie actually approached Microsoft about the buyout first. It doesn't really matter if Halo was original being developed for Mac or PC... the fact is, that had it come out back then, it wouldn't have looked so dated next to other PC FPS (although I thought it looked fine on Xbox). And the fact that the eventual PC version wasn't reviewed very well has little bearing on if Halo was originally released on PC, because Bungie didn't do the PC version, it was a half-assed port.

Wait, I thought there were nanorobots involved. Like, they sucked up air, broke the oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other trace elements down into individual protons, neutrons, and electrons, and then reassembled the particles into new missiles. But everytime they do, some of the robots wear out, and when they're all worn out, no more missiles.

Well, I got what I expected with Battlefront... me as a Storm Trooper shooting Rebels by the dozen, with all of the story removed and sold seperately on DVD. And I love that god-like feeling you get when you're driving an AT-AT. Anyway, fun, for a little while anyway... but I played it on Xbox. I have no idea if the PS2 or PC versions were any good or not. I liked Starfighter and Jedi Starfighter a lot. In fact, dare I say it, better than the Rouge Squadron games. The flight physics just seemed better, and it always bothered me that in Rouge Squadron, you can't target an enemy and have them lit up in your HUD. I never liked any of the Jedi Knight/Dark Forces games. Just couldn't get into them. KOTOR was amazing... even if you remove it from the Star Wars universe and just look at it as a sci-fi RPG, it was and still is easily one of the best games available on the Xbox. Naturally, I have high hopes for KOTOR II. The Clone Wars wasn't bad. Racer Revenge wasn't all that hot.l TIE Fighter is still the best Star Wars game ever. X-Wing Alliance is fun, but just not the same. As for Revenge of the Sith, it's too early to tell. I know nothing about the game, and I've deliberately avoided anything about the movie. The Phantom Menace wasn't that good, but I liked Attack of the Clones. I think the prequels suffer a lot from early hype and expectations. Haven't played any other Star Wars games.

Ah, come on. So far, only Sony's really done it, and I understand a part of that was because the press/consumers were already used to calling it PS2. When Sega was around, they had great names for their consoles... Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, etc. And as for Nintendo's "originality," going from Nintendo to Super Nintendo or Gameboy to Gameboy Color to Gameboy Advance is almost as bad as going from PlayStation to PlayStation 2. Nintendo 64 really wasn't that hot either, and frankly, Gamecube and Nintendo Dual Screen are really more descriptive than original. Yeah, I think I'm sticking with Sega for most originality.

I think Halo 2 is pretty realistic. I mean, if I ever see any nasty-looking aliens, clobbering one, taking its pink needle-shooting gun, and using it to shoot more aliens is definately the way I'd approach them.

Code-named Xenon. Just like the Gamecube was code-named Dolphin, or the Dreamcast was code-named Katana. It also goes by Xbox Next or, for the unimaginative, Xbox 2. There's a difference, though, between a project's code-name, nicknames, and the final products finished title.

Besides, I don't see how going up with only four missiles could be any fun.

Alright, David! Another guy who owns all three systems! Except I'm not really interested in the new Metroid (scanning everything gets real old, real fast) right now, and my Cube is kinda collecting dust. Now Halo 2 online is where it's at! I hate playing strangers online, but I had a kick-ass time playing CTF with two bros and a stranger against four strangers. Anyway, I think you're alright to start a new game. Don't load your old stuff, though. Just pick Campaign, then New Game instead of load, and then save it to a different file.

David, as far as I know, you must beat the game on ACE to get the Falken's SP color.

Though supposedly Bungie is through with Halo...if this is true...who will take up the reigns? And most likely on the next gen console. Almost finished with KZ so...Halo2 here I come. Actually, I think that's somewhat misleading. Bungie was asked about what they'd be working after Halo, and they talked about possibly finishing Phoenix and what not. But it's obvious that they're not done working on Halo. Now, think of it this way. Xbox dev kits have been out for awhile. Elder Scrolls IV looks very nice (hope the gameplay is good). So, suppose that Bungie had finished work on the single-player part of Halo 2 some time ago. Then, they split the team so that some of them could fine-tune Halo 2, while the rest immediately began work on Halo 3? When Bungie comments on what's after Halo, they may not mean after Halo 2, but after the Halo trilogy. Anyway, as the rumors go (and the rumors are credible enough to get some press in OXM), Microsoft's next system will be out before the PS3, probably as early as holiday 2005. Halo 3 will be completed and ready to release the same day as the PS3. And if Halo 2's sales are any indication, that's a wicked yet brilliant strategy for Microsoft.

Just finished the game. Don't really want to spoil anything, but where the original Halo had a conclusive ending to it's little story but room for sequels in the overarching war against the Covenant, Halo 2 just ends with a major cliffhanger. Now, I had fun with the game, sure, and it's by far my favorite game on Xbox Live now, but I felt the ending (or lack thereof) kind of cheapend the whole thing. Like it's less the sequel we've been waiting years for, and more of a stop-gap in between the original Halo and a Halo on next-gen hardware. Fact: There will be a Halo 3. Oh, the other thing is... after you beat it, you're supposed to get a certain something for the multiplayer. But I didn't get it. Weird.

Better cancel my preorder...

you know you can connect your computer to your tv and sound system. then you just need a wireless keyboard and mouse/trackerball if the keyboard doesnt have a touchpad built in or you dont like it in games like me. But again, the thing is, just as the hardcore PC crowd thinks that mouse and keyboard is the only way to go, console gamers are just used to our controllers. Check this out, guys. You can go to Bungie's Website, click on "stats" at the bottom of the page, and then type in your Gamertag (for those without gamertags, mine's Pharaohman, if you want to have a look). You can see ever game you've played, who you played with, who won, etc. You can also click to see a map of who died and where. That's a pretty cool feature. Plus, once you get involved in clans, Bungie is provided each clan with it's own clan forum.