The All Things Video Games Thread!

[Warmaker]

First Person Shooters. Yeah, I know we have some FPS whores on this board also! Some more than others.

The last FPSs I've put alot of time into in the past year:

Battlefield 2: Arcadey, yes. But I love the setting and the maps are gloriously beautiful and very, very detailed. Far better maps than BF2142. My gametime has been very sporadic over BF2's history, so I never got too great. I've leaned towards Support and Medic. As support, if my teammates were guaranteed lots of ammo, then that's good. Medic? Patch the guys up and rez the guys who got reckless.

Battlefield 2142: I liked the futuristic setting of the game, though I questioned what EA has deemed to be futuristic weapons which are no more effective than today's weapons (even inferior to BF2's take on modern weapons IMO). Regardless, this was the most recent FPS that I poured alot of time into and got pretty decent with it. I can play all classes just fine but Sniping is my specialty. I love finding the weirdest shooting positions to observe the enemy first, relaying intel to the team, and picking targets of opportunity.

Rainbow Six III: Raven Shield + Athena Sword Expansion: The last true Rainbow Six game, before the Lockdown debacle and the copout design of Vegas for simplicity and cheese. Yawn. Anyways, I dug out my old CDs for Raven Shield, installed it, played, and remembered why I was such a big fan of the old R6 games. Making plans, practicing the execution, unforgiving gameplay. Too bad Red Storm Entertainment decided to make the R6 franchise just like any FPS shooter out there.

When I get back to the USA, I intend to check out Call of Duty 4 and see what the hype is about.

One last thing about FPSs: I wondered how great it would be that some future FPS would have a random map generator, like how some wargames do, but much beefier in what needs to be filled out. The host would set parameters, i.e. urban, open, "trenches," hilly, or just completely random settings. IF an FPS can ever have such a system and still allow specifically designed, player made maps, it would be so great. A randomly created map puts everyone on the blind before start of the first match on it. The teams need to scout it out. A good leader will read the terrain and quickly instruct his guys what to do for victory. You may not necessarily know at first what kit / class will be the best for the map on the first match.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I liked COD4 but thought the single player campaign needed a bit more meat to it. (kinda short)

COD4 is less a squad-based tactical shooter (rainbow 6, hidden and dangerous, delta force, conflict desert storm etc) and more a scripted linear experience where there isn't planning, but more action just like the other ones in the series. This one seems to focus on a story and you get to be involved as characters coming from two different perspectives. The modern weapons you get to use is what makes it a 'fresh' game within the franchise since people are getting sick of the old world war II setting. Even though it's short in campaign mode what's there is excellent.

I like that idea of a random map generator. Maybe the idea is doing that though, would cut into profits for selling online content like new maps and stuff? I can see that being more for pc versions of the games. (where map editors and tools are almost standard)

Edited February 8, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Warmaker]

I've seen glimpses of the X360's version of COD4's campaign. I like the storytelling aspect they did at the beginning with the SAS and all, but I left it at that. My Sister got me a copy of COD4 waiting for me when I'm done out here and come home

Anyways, I'm already familiar with the COD series' very linear campaigns. They're good for a few complete runs, but that's it. There's no real variation. That's why the only COD game I've played was the first one. On that original, my favorite part was with the British Airborne for the bridge. By far the most tense part of that game. But the linear nature of COD was not endearing to me. But since COD4 is in a completely different setting and would look BEAUTIFUL on my PC, I'm willing to buy a new COD game. I wonder how the multiplayer is compared to other FPSs.

I miss the tactical shooter subgenre in FPSs though. I can't recall any recent ones, the last one being R6 Raven Shield, and that was years ago. I really did love the whole briefing, outfitting, planning aspects.

As for the random map generator for a FPS, I also agree it will be a PC sort of thing. I myself wouldn't mind the longer wait when a new map is generated and uploaded to the players. The very nature of everyone going in blind for the first of a series of matches in an unknown map is enticing for me, if someone can develop it.

Let's face it, any FPS, once you've played enough, the maps are easily predictable. This includes even fan made maps for all those PC FPSs. It's simple human nature, you notice patterns, you know what kits work best at what parts of the map practically everytime. You know all the Sniper hideouts, lanes of travelling, bottlenecks, etc. But a random map? Toss all that out of the window. It's up to the players to recognize it first and adapt their tactics to it. It could be sniper heaven. It could be an armor map. It could be well suited for all classes.

[JB0]

Only FPSes I've ever really spent a lot of time with are Shogo, Dark Forces, and Duke Nukem 3D.

[Warmaker]

Dang JBO, those are from way back!

[JB0]

Dang JBO, those are from way back!

Haven't really had a gaming-grade PC in ages.

And honestly, FPSes were never my strong point anyways.

But I played the ever-loving crap out of Shogo.

[Warmaker]

While on the subject of FPSs, here's a Star Wars mod for BF2142 called "First Strike."

[Alpha OTS]

For any fans of the series, Twisted Metal Head On for the ps2 was released this month. It's a port of the PSP version which is as close to an update of Twisted Metal 2 as you're ever going to see. There's also what was made of the Twisted Metal Black sequel thrown in as an extra, which isn't much(a few pretty bland levels and no endings or character cines). Plus a bunch of other extras: a Twisted Metal documentary of sorts with interviews with the staff and the original Twisted Metal 1 character endings which were removed from the game(a smart decision, because they're hilariously bad as evidenced in Sweet Tooth's ending here.)

$20 brand new. If you're a fan of the series, it's a must-get.

[Black Valkyrie]

From Magicbox :

P L A Y S T A T I O N 2

- Sega announced Thunder Force VI for PlayStation 2, the 6th installment of the classic shooter series from Techno Soft. The game will be released in Japan on October 30, for 6090 yen.

Pics from Famitsu.

[JB0]

And of course, there's Megaman 9 all over the place.

PSWii60 turned Wii-exclusive turned PSWii60 all in the space of like a week.

Never expected Capcom to go back to the original Megaman series, though. I like it.

And the idea of a new old-style game is pretty appealing to me.

[Black Valkyrie]

With all remakes and classics Konami should do a new Gradius and Salamander.

[yellowlightman]

With all remakes and classics Konami should do a new Gradius and Salamander.

Well, they did Otomedius. Which is the same boring Namco shooter gameplay now with more moe. And touch screens.

[bob joe mac]

megaman 9 = pure awesome

http://youtube.com/watch?v=buHIlenFVz0 < trailer makes it look FANTASTIC XD

another game worth mentioning Super robot wars Z for anyone into the SRW games featuring series such as

-aquarion

-eureka 7

-orguss

-gundam seed destiny

- Xabungle

-Gundam X

- turn A gundam

and many others

looks like good stuff

[David Hingtgen]

Soul Calibur IV:

Wiki mentions that the limited edition versions may come with more customizing options/bits whatever. And I'm a *huge* fan of the character creation/customizing. But I really don't want to pay 20 bucks extra for everything else I'm uninterested in, especially if there's NOT bonus stuff for customizing in the LE. Anyone heard anything? Depending on what's offered, it may or may not be worth it. I mean, this is Bandai-Namco, kings of "charging for DLC". They'll probably have a zillion things to download for it. "Black hair for Ivy--200pts". "Glowing sword for Nightmare--400pts". Etc. And honestly, I'd buy them all.

[JB0]

With all remakes and classics Konami should do a new Gradius and Salamander.

Yes to Salamander, no to Gradius.

Gradius sucks. Even Gradius 5, which has recoverable options and a higher minimum speed. The power-up system just needs so much refinement that no one's willing to do because it tampers with the formula.

R-Type got speed right(eventually). Instead of making speed a one-way street dependent on how many power-ups you grabbed, make it adjustable on-the-fly.

And I'm doing everyone else a dis-service by ignoring them. Rest assured, I'm aware that many other games had controllable speed(or one sane speed) well before R-Type Delta. Parsec(on the TI 99/4a) would be the first controllable speed I know of, though irem did it in Image Fight before most of the J-era developers thought of it.

Though... even from the beginning R-Type's speed wasn't the death-trap that Gradius' was. You start survivable, and can't accelerate to uncontrollable.

The fact that Konami never fixed this, and it took an outsider to realize something was wrong(Gradius 5 is developed by Treasure), is just sad.

[transfan52]

Yes to Salamander, no to Gradius.

Gradius sucks. Even Gradius 5, which has recoverable options and a higher minimum speed. The power-up system just needs so much refinement that no one's willing to do because it tampers with the formula.

R-Type got speed right(eventually). Instead of making speed a one-way street dependent on how many power-ups you grabbed, make it adjustable on-the-fly.

And I'm doing everyone else a dis-service by ignoring them. Rest assured, I'm aware that many other games had controllable speed(or one sane speed) well before R-Type Delta. Parsec(on the TI 99/4a) would be the first controllable speed I know of, though irem did it in Image Fight before most of the J-era developers thought of it.

Though... even from the beginning R-Type's speed wasn't the death-trap that Gradius' was. You start survivable, and can't accelerate to uncontrollable.

The fact that Konami never fixed this, and it took an outsider to realize something was wrong(Gradius 5 is developed by Treasure), is just sad.

It seems like your just bashing gradius because you had a hard time with it and couldn't take the manly difficulty the game had to offer... I have beaten every gradius game except for that obscure 3D arcade version and while some of the games were extremely frustrating... (I.E Gradius II arcade version) I still managed to beat them with a little bit of luck and alot of effort. Salamander blows in comparison... Gradius 5 was just awesome and is the best shooter I have ever played. Shooters are short game that need alot of challenge, they are no fun when you can just plow through them on the first run...

[wolfx]

Speaking of Gradius.... i have this godly video of gradius 5 being played on most difficulty setting and the way the dude controls his options is beyond belief.........and some parts seem impossible to get past and he does it without breaking a sweat.

>_<

[yellowlightman]

JBO is right, the upgrade mechanic in Gradius is unfun and it's obnoxious it's still used in games (see Otomedius). I'm not a big fan of Namco shooters for that reason, as it absolutely punishes you for dying and you have no real hope of coming back.

I much prefer a shooter like Dodonpachi that is difficult and requires skill, without feeling cheap or broken.

[Black Valkyrie]

Nice more Salamander fans , my fave game of all time until today. Speaking of Otomedius they should have made for the DS, it well sell even more and instead of the X360 .

[yellowlightman]

Nice more Salamander fans , my fave game of all time until today. Speaking of Otomedius they should have made for the DS, it well sell even more and instead of the X360 .

Well, the 360 is becoming the place for shooters, true to form as it's the least popular system in Japan.

[transfan52]

I think there are just too many young boys in here that cant take the difficulty of old school games is all im saying.

[eugimon]

Well, the 360 is becoming the place for shooters, true to form as it's the least popular system in Japan.

PS3 is hanging its hat on some big name shooters for this holiday and for 2008, killzone, resistance, MAG while 360 looks like it's trying to diversify, more RPGs and RTS games mixed in with their traditional shooters.

I think sony figures it has the rest of the world wrapped up and they're focusing on shooters to win over north america.

Edited July 25, 2008 by eugimon

[JB0]

It seems like your just bashing gradius because you had a hard time with it and couldn't take the manly difficulty the game had to offer...

No. I'm bashing it because any game constructed in such a way that it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PROGRESS if you die at the wrong point has fundamental design issues.

Don't tell me it can't happen, because it HAS happened to me.

Gradius 3, SNES version.

There's a stage with a series of fast-scrolling tunnels.

Die past the halfway point and you respawn in the tunnels.

Which scroll faster than you can move.

Meaning that no matter how good you are, or how many lives you have, you will have no choice but to watch as the wall creeps closer and closer, dying over and over, until you meet the continue screen.

It is bull-dookie of the highest caliber.

I DO admit to being heavily biased against pattern-memorization games. I prefer games that test reflexes and coordination over ones that test your ability to remember where everything's gonna be.

I'll take a bullet-hell over a memorization game any day, and Gradius is among the worst of memorization games.

(One of my favorite shooters is Mars Matrix, for what it's worth. I admit to never playing any of the Giga Wings, which might color my perceptions some. )

Sure it may only take one death to find out that maxing your speed is a bad idea, but... why do they offer excessive speed power-ups in the first place? Because it's a good way to generate a cheap death. That's the ONLY reason it's there. To punish you for your uninformed choices.

And getting back your laser and options after a cheap death in the middle of a stage? Fat. Chance.

By comparison, Defender is a bitch and a half of a game.

But it's all about skill. There's no map to memorize. No boss pattern to learn. No forced scroll to herd you towards obstacles. No scarcity of powerups to ensure death will leave you ill-equipped for those obstacles.

Just you, a laser gun, and an endless sea of targets.

And it's infinitely better than Gradius, despite being 5 years younger(and I'm not conbvinced Gradius is any betteer than Konami's first side-sccroller, Scramble, released the year after Defender).

Yes, I'm comparing to Gradius 1.

2, 3, 4, and Gaiden brought no real change to the formula. Well, except 3 offered more hostile maps(even Gradius fans concede that one's way over the top). I've acknowledged 5 is a hell of an improvement, though I still hold no great love for it.

The fact is that Salamander WAS a Gradius upgrade. They scrapped the power-up bar and raised the base speed of the ship.

I WONDER WHY?

Then the same kind of obsessive freaks that keep JRPGs from evolving beyond "stand in a line and stab the air" got mad because it WASN'T JUST LIKE GRADIUS. And Konami LISTENED.

It's the first example of the shooter market catering solely to the existing fanbase and ignoring new players, the birth of the "incest shooter."

And it's that sort of behavior that led to the scrolling shooter being the gimmicky niche market it is today.

I quite like shooters, and it's very sad to see them reduced to the pathetic state they're in now.

So no, Gradius is NOT a good series.

I think there are just too many young boys in here that cant take the difficulty of old school games is all im saying.

Wait, what?!?!

I grew up on Defender. It doesn't GET older-school than that! Not as far as scrolling shooters are concerned.

Just because you're blind to the major faults of a specific highly-overrated franchise is no reason to make blanket accusations.

Edited July 25, 2008 by JB0

[Gaijin]

Gimme Thunder Force again and I'm happy.

Edited July 25, 2008 by Gaijin

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I wish treasure made a macross shoot em up. They did astro boy on GBA and Hajime no Ippo. So now with all that experience with Bangai-o, I think they could make a cool side-scrolling macross shmup.

What do you guys think? Everytime I do the missile swarm move in Banga-O I think of Qrau in macross.

[Black Valkyrie]

Well Gradius has awesome OST especially Gradius-II. Gradius-V was way too difficult, in many ways like R-Type and at least in stage 2 the Salamander boss theme is in there.

Edited July 26, 2008 by Black Valkyrie

[bob joe mac]

Gradius V I found to be the only gradius that was beatable and fair towards the player. You could pick up your options and direction option was stupid deadly some play throughs I wouldn't even die until the inside of the bacterian ship or the asteroid level and what made gradius V possible to beat was the recoverable options and 2 player co-op and the longer you played the more credits you got. It is the only gradius I've ever been able to be with no cheats of emulator save states

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

That's why I stick to games like geometry wars where the enemies are numerous but underpowered.

Smash tv and robotron were my two fave arcade shooters. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Nintendo DS Bangai-o (eng version) is going to be like.

Seriously treasure should make a macross shooter: you are a valk in spacewith fast packs, outnumbered by zentradi fighter pod, reguld, and qrau, so you must survive endless waves of zentradi attacks.

Battroid mode gives you omni directional attacks with the gunpod, fighter allows you to move around the area at high speed to avoid missiles by boosting away from them at high speed, and the gerwalk mode is something in between (you can fire the gunpod in any direction, but you suffer in speed so no quick micromissile escape.

No "forced scrolling" nonsense which is just a hold over from the arcade days when people had to line up to play a game and the length of a game had to be short and sweet. Just let the player move to whereever he wants in the field. (ie defender style.)

Edited July 27, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Black Valkyrie]

I agree NDS should get more classic arcade ports even if it requires updated graphics.

[JB0]

Seriously treasure should make a macross shooter: you are a valk in spacewith fast packs, outnumbered by zentradi fighter pod, reguld, and qrau, so you must survive endless waves of zentradi attacks.

Battroid mode gives you omni directional attacks with the gunpod, fighter allows you to move around the area at high speed to avoid missiles by boosting away from them at high speed, and the gerwalk mode is something in between (you can fire the gunpod in any direction, but you suffer in speed so no quick micromissile escape.

Makes me think of the NES game. Which is absurdly fun, even if I do wind up just sitting in GERWALK mode(fighter wasn't maneuverable enough for my tastes, and battroid's hitbox was too tall).

And yes, Bangaioh makes me think Macross.

[Black Valkyrie]

What a shame ,

http://www.konami.jp/products/otome_g/

http://www.konamistyle.jp/sp/otome_g/

http://www.konamistyle.jp/sp/otome_ct/index.html

http://www.konamistyle.jp/ecitem/item50788.html

[JB0]

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3752...s_hironobu_.php

Interview with the producer of Megaman 9.

I thought it was an interesting read.

[wolfx]

What a shame ,

http://www.konami.jp/products/otome_g/

http://www.konamistyle.jp/sp/otome_g/

http://www.konamistyle.jp/sp/otome_ct/index.html

http://www.konamistyle.jp/ecitem/item50788.html

Don't read wapanese...and this otomedius is when parodius is mixed with Moe and the keroro artist + konami toys?

[yellowlightman]

Yeah, it's moe + Konami's same old lame power up system you got tired of 15 years ago.

There's a touch screen aspect, although from what I played it was only used during boss battles. The special arcade stick they're releasing for it has a touch panel to retain that feature.

[JB0]

Megaman 3: The SONG!