The All Things Video Games Thread!

[Black Valkyrie]

Simon Belmont's shorts immortalized in new figurine

[JB0]

Simon Belmont's shorts immortalized in new figurine

*looks at related links*

...

You know, I could have lived my whole life without knowing they're making a Castlevania fighting game. Why does Konami even MAKE home Castlevania games anymore? They've ALL been complete ass since Symphony of the Night.

[Black Valkyrie]

*looks at related links*

...

You know, I could have lived my whole life without knowing they're making a Castlevania fighting game. Why does Konami even MAKE home Castlevania games anymore? They've ALL been complete ass since Symphony of the Night.

I agree, they should make old school Castlevanias again at least like PSP game. All this trend cuz of the PS-SOTN, the same as FF7 fashion .

[Black Valkyrie]

I think we should make a poll, what`s your best or top three Cv of all time.

[mikeszekely]

*looks at related links*

...

You know, I could have lived my whole life without knowing they're making a Castlevania fighting game. Why does Konami even MAKE home Castlevania games anymore? They've ALL been complete ass since Symphony of the Night.

*Beats JB0 over the head with a GBA*

If you had said that none of the Castlevania games since SotN were as good as SotN, you might have made a statement I could agree with. If you'd said none of the non-handheld Castlevanias were any good, I'd give you that too. But Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, and Portrait of Ruin were still all great games... among the best the GBA and DS have to offer. And I can't wait for Order of Ecclesia. I'm not interested in the fighting game for the Wii, where I think that Simon statue is from, anymore than the rest of you. But frankly, I think that there should be a law that says IGA can only do Metroidvanias from now on.

[mikeszekely]

Megaman 9 release dates

And they're soon! Day after tomorrow for the Wii (9-22), Thursday (9-25) for the PlayStation Network. Poor Xbox 360 owners have to wait until October 1st, though.

As obsessed as I am with Megaman, I could very well buy all three versions, but if I had to choose just one, I guess I'm going with PSN. The PlayStation controller just seems like the most comfortable for a Megaman game right now.

[JB0]

*Beats JB0 over the head with a GBA*

If you had said that none of the Castlevania games since SotN were as good as SotN, you might have made a statement I could agree with. If you'd said none of the non-handheld Castlevanias were any good, I'd give you that too.

*smacks mikeszekely in the face with a PSP*

I did. That's why I included the "home" qualifier.

The GBA, DS, and PSP games have been, if not always stellar, at least non-execrable.

Sure the PSP had it easy, since they were just remaking the best (or at least best traditional-style) game of the series. But that didn't really save Dracula X on the SNES, did it?

But Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, and Portrait of Ruin were still all great games... among the best the GBA and DS have to offer.

OBJECTION!

Aria was pathetically easy. I consider it mediocre.

Harmony wasn't any better. And the crayon outlines around everything were an embarrassing overcompensation for CotM's low-contrast pallets(I suspect that CotM was never playtested on a real GBA).

I haven't played DS and PR. I'm sure I'll pick them up eventually.

Now CotM, though... THAT'S a game.

And I still laugh in the face of people that claim you need to use summons to beat Dracula(Which is a distressingly common assertion. What's happened to gamers?).

As far as Megaman, I'm torn between Wii and 360. The Wii has a fixed resolution that avoids scaling artifacts(my Wii's hooked to a CRT, so NYAH!), but the 360 version has ACHIEVEMENTS! and is portable from system to system. If I need to replace my 360, I still have all my games. If I need to replace my Wii, I lose everything I bought online.

Wii version also has the NES pad. Not that it really matters, since I use a joystick.

Edited September 21, 2008 by JB0

[mikeszekely]

*smacks mikeszekely in the face with a PSP*

I did. That's why I included the "home" qualifier.

The GBA, DS, and PSP games have been, if not always stellar, at least non-execrable.

Sure the PSP had it easy, since they were just remaking the best (or at least best traditional-style) game of the series. But that didn't really save Dracula X on the SNES, did it?

*offers JB0 an icepack*

Oops, I missed "home" between your capital letter words.

OBJECTION!

Aria was pathetically easy. I consider it mediocre.

Harmony wasn't any better. And the crayon outlines around everything were an embarrassing overcompensation for CotM's low-contrast pallets(I suspect that CotM was never playtested on a real GBA).

I haven't played DS and PR. I'm sure I'll pick them up eventually.

*rescinds icepack offer*

Aria could have stood to me more challenging, yeah (DoS was). But the Soul system was simply the best magic system since Symphony, and after Circle and Harmony, I was glad to have weapons beside a whip. I maintain that Aria was the best of the three GBA Castlevanias.

As far as Megaman, I'm torn between Wii and 360. The Wii has a fixed resolution that avoids scaling artifacts(my Wii's hooked to a CRT, so NYAH!), but the 360 version has ACHIEVEMENTS! and is portable from system to system. If I need to replace my 360, I still have all my games. If I need to replace my Wii, I lose everything I bought online.

Wii version also has the NES pad. Not that it really matters, since I use a joystick.

You've really just described the reason I'm not even considering the Wii. The only reason I might buy it is because, between Monday and Thursday, I break down with the need to play it. Achievements are the reason I could see myself buying it on 360 after finishing it on PSN.

[mikeszekely]

Protoman DLC coming to Megaman 9.

Finally. I've only wanted him as a playable character since Megaman IV.

[JB0]

Aria could have stood to me more challenging, yeah (DoS was). But the Soul system was simply the best magic system since Symphony, and after Circle and Harmony, I was glad to have weapons beside a whip. I maintain that Aria was the best of the three GBA Castlevanias.

I got tired of pokesouls after a while.

Especially since most of them were fairly useless. EVERY monster didn't need a drop.

Though they DO get credit for making it a first-kill drop and auto-absorb. I don't think I ever got more than half the cards in Circle, due to the low drop rate and occasionally dropping one somewhere I couldn't reach.

Ultimately I was just frustrated that the game insisted on rolling over and submitting before I did anything.

You've really just described the reason I'm not even considering the Wii. The only reason I might buy it is because, between Monday and Thursday, I break down with the need to play it. Achievements are the reason I could see myself buying it on 360 after finishing it on PSN.

Honestly, the only reason I'm considering the Wii version is the sharper image. I like my pixel edges.

If the Wii had demo versions, I'd do a 360/Wii comparison, but as-is... I'll probably go with the 360.

Edited September 21, 2008 by JB0

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I think it would be good if they did an arcadey castlevania again sort of like what capcom did with the ghouls n ghost game on psp.

Just make an easy mode for noobs, and a harder mode for old school fans who want to be punished for slightly mistimed moves and want to perfect each level completely. They already did a Contra 4 for the DS, so I think a new Vania is in order.

Set it way in the future where vampires have got cyborg implants and use sci-fi blasters and you are a vampire hunter with a powered armor and beam saber. Just kidding!

The thing is: if they want to make 3d castlevania they've got to learn from games like Ninja Gaiden. Don't do it half assed.

Edited September 22, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Pics of Cel-shaded GTA Chinatown Wars on DS:

- Uses Isometric Top-Down perspective sort of like old school GTAs, but with 3D cel-shaded graphics.

- Story centers around Huang Lee, a Triad whose father (the boss) is killed and his heirloom, a sword called the Yu Jian, is stolen. Huang must fight back with the help of Wade Heston, a cop.

- Wanted Levels are no longer lost by losing the cops, but by destroying their cars

- Uses the buttons for controls, but the touch screen is used for Huang's PDA (where he can check e-mail, send and receive calls, and listen to music) and several minigames.

- Break the windshield to escape a sinking car, hotwire a car to steal it, dig through trash to find weapons, make bombs, and draw tattoos.

- A "good portion" of Liberty City is in the game, including all five boroughs. The game also features real-time weather, pedestrians, and all the GTA amenities.

- True GTA game - sandbox gameplay, open-world environment, gritty crime narrative.

- M-rating

- Isometric camera angle

- Cel-shaded polygons w/ black borders

- good touch-screen implementation - "tasteful" minigames, streamlining interface

- UI based on a PDA - hub for email, contacts, map, music player, GPS, stat-tracking

- stats uploaded to Rockstar Social Club website via Wi-Fi

- finger-sized icons

- missions designed for shorter periods of play, arcade quality

- aiming with control pad, auto targeting with R button

- subtle autosteer

- if you fail a mission, you can jump back to the action sequence

- chain gun, flamethrower

- good portion of Liberty City is modeled in the game (different routes than console games)

- no probems with load times, draw-in or frame rate

- lots of pedestrians, cars, etc on screen

- Wanted system - objective is to disable police cars any way possible

- real-time weather effects, 24-hour day/night cycle

- lots of radio stations to listen to (more instrumentals than vocals)

- 800,000 lines of hand-optimized source code (hey, the people like the info, right?)

- no details yet on multiplayer/Wi-Fi features

Hopefully the isometric view doesn't obscure too much of your view when shooting things. (maybe they should have the building in front of the camera go translucent)

Edited September 22, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[mikeszekely]

Honestly, the only reason I'm considering the Wii version is the sharper image. I like my pixel edges.

If the Wii had demo versions, I'd do a 360/Wii comparison, but as-is... I'll probably go with the 360.

Well, I broke and bought the Wii version on Monday. The levels were clearly designed by sadists. I managed to beat the 8 Robot Masters, but none of the Wily levels.

Currently downloading it on the PS3. Neither the Wiimote held sideways nor the Classic Controller felt right to me. Despite talk in some circles of Megaman beginning on a Nintendo console, and despite the fact that MM9 is done in the spirit of those Nintendo games, I've spent the last decade playing Megaman on Sony consoles... including the Megaman Anniversary Collection, with the first 8.

[David Hingtgen]

Ouch, *you* can't beat the Wily levels? You're the biggest MM fan I know. (I have to wait for 360 version).

Of course, if I get a PS3 soon enough, I may just wait until I have one and get that version. I'm fairly used to 2D MM on a PS-style D-pad. I've done the d-pad mod on the 360 pad, but it's still only "acceptable".

[mikeszekely]

Ouch, *you* can't beat the Wily levels? You're the biggest MM fan I know. (I have to wait for 360 version).

Heh, I won't say that I can't. I only gave it one go on the Wii. But yeah, it's hard. I mean, Megaman has always had its share of pits and spikes, but Inti Creates made a game of nothing but pits and spikes. Enemies are almost an afterthought. So, the Robot Master levels are like the Wily levels in the old games, and the Wily levels are... like Super Wily Levels, I guess.

[Wes]

I'm hitting up the anniversary set because I didn't beat 7 or 8 yet. It only took me one day to beat 7 though, and that's pretty typical for the others. Does it really take to much effort to get anywhere in this version? I'd want it to be something special if it's going for the retro feel with today's tech. Is there going to be a demo out for PS3? Jeez I can't keep buying games if I don't finish the ones I have...

[David Hingtgen]

Ok, how hard is MM9 compared to say MM3's "remixed" robot stages and the wily levels? That's the hardest one *that I remember well*.

[Wes]

Ok, how hard is MM9 compared to say MM3's "remixed" robot stages and the wily levels? That's the hardest one *that I remember well*.

Yeah I even skipped over it until I completed the other NES games to avoid that nightmare. But the 2nd time around wasn't bad at all for me.

[mikeszekely]

Ok, how hard is MM9 compared to say MM3's "remixed" robot stages and the wily levels? That's the hardest one *that I remember well*.

The hardest part about the Robot Master revisited levels in MM3 was that there was no gate before the first boss fight, so if you died you started at the beginning. For a lot of the massive pits and spike traps, you had Rush for by then. So I'd really say that MM9 is harder.

Imagine, if you will, the dropping platform at the beginning of Gutsman's stage in Megaman 1. Remove the dropping part, but have it rotate so that you'll fall if you jump at the wrong time. Add some spikes, then drag it out for half a level. For the other half, you take that rain-pushing-you-back-when-you-jump effect from Toadman's stage (Megaman 4), then add single-Megaman-wide platforms and falling umbrellas. Congratulations, you have Tornado Man's level.

To be really honest, I'm still not even sure the best way to do some parts. There's a store, sorta like Megaman 7's, where you can change screws for items. For one room in Jewel Man's stage, I bought an item that lets you survive a hit from spikes one single time, then took the hit to drop under a moving platform.

My final bit of advice is this: if you really think you're going to get a PS3 soon, wait and get MM9 for it. I think the 360 controller has a great feel for a lot of games, but the d-pad just sucks too much for Megaman. I did play a little of MM9 on the PS3 today (I wanted to play WipEout HD more), and the control just felt a lot tighter to me than on the Wii. It looks a little fuzzy, though. If you've ever played NES or SNES roms on your PC with an emulator, and you set some filters to smooth the edges, you'll know what I'm talking about. For some, that might be a reason to go Wii, but for me, controls are more important (not to mention I have issues with my Wii's video output, but that's a story for another day).

[yellowlightman]

Just got back from Tokyo Game Show... and it sucked.

Crowds were absolutely massive, wait times on the demos for any vaguely interesting game were at least an hour... some upwards of three hours.

The smell was terrible and so many slack-jawed, mouth-breathing super losers apparently came over from overseas for it was like being back at Anime Expo, minus the women and anyone who looked like they were capable of regular social interaction.

Unless I can get a press or industry pass next year I'll definitely be giving it a pass. The huge crowds, time it takes to get out of Tokyo and insane lines just aren't worth it for a few demos you'll be able to play at home in a little while anyways.

[Akilae]

Does anybody know if Gamestop will take in used-used games? Like, games I bought from them used, and have the big yellow stickers on them... will they buy those back at all?

[yellowlightman]

I think so, but they won't give you as much money if you dont have the case/manual. Which is BS because of course they charge the same when you buy it... but that's why Gamestop sucks.

[Duke Togo]

I think so, but they won't give you as much money if you dont have the case/manual. Which is BS because of course they charge the same when you buy it... but that's why Gamestop sucks.

Lets be honest, they screw you with trade-in's no matter how new, old, or used the game is. If you aren't selling it on eBay, you're not getting market value for your game.

[Akilae]

I'd rather deal with gamestop than deal with ebay and paypal. Of course, if I could find somebody who was willing to buy my games, then I would do that... anybody want Assassin's Creed and Armored Core 4? lol.

[yellowlightman]

Lets be honest, they screw you with trade-in's no matter how new, old, or used the game is. If you aren't selling it on eBay, you're not getting market value for your game.

Not gonna argue with that. I basically stopped shopping at Gamestop unless the game was brand new and still shrink wrapped, otherwise you're liable to get a "new" game that's already been opened and used as a display. eBay or half.com is the better bet for selling your games, although most games depreciate so quickly now you're better off just keeping them.

[Apollo Leader]

When it comes to me trading off old games and stuff I usually shop my trades around. Usually I will start by calling the Gamestop I usually buy and preorder and check with them for their trade-in values. After writing that down, I'll stop by one of the nearby Gamers stores here in the Omaha metro area and check on what they'll give me for it. Most of the time, Gamers gives me a far better deal. But if I have something that will have a better trade-in with Gamestop, with or without any promotional deal, I will take it to Gamestop.

I know not everyone has this luxury or convenience, but it obviously makes that most sense to get the most value for your dollar.

[Wes]

I miss Funcoland.

[JB0]

I grabbed MM9 on my 360.

Sharp graphics VS not-totally-dickish attitudes towards downloaded media...

To be really honest, I'm still not even sure the best way to do some parts. There's a store, sorta like Megaman 7's, where you can change screws for items. For one room in Jewel Man's stage, I bought an item that lets you survive a hit from spikes one single time, then took the hit to drop under a moving platform.

If it's the room I think it is... Swinging platform and the wall facing you is spikes as well as the ceiling of the room you're dropping into?

Just walk off the swinging platform at the right point. You'll sail under the spikes and land on the floor.

I've beat Galaxy Man and Jewel Man so far. I can make it TO Splash Woman, Magma Man, and Concrete Man, but I can't beat them.

To be fair, I only tried Concrete Man once, and that was early on. I'm a lot less out of practice now.

And QBERT YOU, PLUG MAN AND YOUR QBERTING DISAPPEARING BLOCKS! I QBERTING HATE VANISHING BLOCK ROOMS! DIEDIEDIE!

Also: The spinning magnetic platforms in Tornado Man's stage are sliding back and forth on magnet beams from Megaman 1.

Best cameo ever.

[Wes]

fyi, for those of you waiting, the Mother 3 translation was just released today. http://mother3.fobby.net/ Gonna see if I can get it working on the homebrew channel.

[D_Unit]

Bit off topic but I just got Dead Space. Been playing it all night yesterday, there's usually a lot of hype about video games but this one really freaking lived up to all of it. Sooooo bloody scary... it's like playing a hi-def version of Event Horizon and The Thing...

I wasted valuable time going to work, coming home to mix music, & eating today. I think if I can skip bathing and sleeping; I might be able to finish the game by tomorrow morning.

Edited October 18, 2008 by D_Unit

[gerwalk25]

I wonder how Gamecrazy/Hollywood Video is? IFAIK GC still sells NES and SNES games but that's about it. Do you get better deals trading-wise than Gamestop or it's about the same?

[jwinges]

Does anybody know if Gamestop will take in used-used games? Like, games I bought from them used, and have the big yellow stickers on them... will they buy those back at all?

Ahhhh, if they didn't couldn't you just remove the sticker? fjf\dasj\kajdskdj\dfsfakassajf

[Black Valkyrie]

Check out these awesome Lego Vic Vipers :

http://www.flickr.com/groups/921332@N22/

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=296200

[Black Valkyrie]

Sega goes Ultimate-ly retro.

[Gaijin]

Sega goes Ultimate-ly retro.

If the games are truly in HD, this will be a must buy.