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All Things Video Games Thread: II


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IT's better than having to PLAY the latest FF game.

...

Or do you mean you have to buy the expansion and then ALSO play the game to get the ending? Because that would seriously be kicking you while you're down.

I just stumbled upon a few posts on a game forum where members were complaining that the ending to FFXIII-2 is DLC, which I take to be the FMV cutscene. Honestly, I have no effing idea what that means.

I read through the whole damn thread to bet a better understanding, but no one mentioned anything in detail, just that there's the ending is going to be a DLC. ...guess that's what Youtube clips are for.

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skyrim is what has occupied all my time.

This game is beautiful but anyone here who bought the ps3 version you might like to consider the game will start to stutter a lot and drop frames about 50-60 hours in to the game which has made a lot of fans of the es games who bought the ps3 version angry and disappointed.

PC and xbox360 versions are not nearly as bad as the ps3 version. Search the internet to know what this is about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Cz9zefTW4

Not a good game to get if you only have ps3. :( Worse than buying a yamato macross toy with exploding shoulder. lol

I have the 360 and pc one Not so great combat mechanics (dark souls is far better) but a great sequel with a bit more polish than oblivion (animation, graphics, dialogue). Still uses the same engine as before but modified and renamed.

As usual the real reason you would buy this is for the sheer scope of the game. Although the various systems have been oversimplified for my liking. No attributes for instance.

Edited by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
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It's a Bethesda game. My understanding of that developer is that it's not a good idea to get their games on anything other than a PC, so you can mod the hell out of it.

Ah yes I am familiar with that.

But this is even worse than just being buggy. This is unplayable framerate after a long period of time playing the game.

PS3 version is more severe but the 360 and pc are not as severe with frame per second stuttering.

The patch helps a bit, but the problem is still there.

Those who played fallout new vegas on ps3 (the last bethesda/obsidian open world titles using the engine) also had this problem so it might be hardware-related (ie the game was really coded mostyl for the pc and 360 platforms but doesn't go well on ps3) more on that here:

http://www.eurogamer...n-skyrim-issues

and

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-vs-ps3-skyrim-lag

Reviewers of skyrim were never given any access to ps3 versions and had to buy retail copy to be able to do reviews. Oh I wonder why? lol

Edited by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
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Finally got a MOAB on Christmas day #MW3 :D :D

My perks were Sleight of Hand, Overkill and Dead Silence. I was using the Specialist strike package ( assasin, blind eye, hardline as my kill streaks). Got it at the map Fallen, game mode was Domination (ground war). Felt like i won in a lottery lol. As a COD player this one was the hardest challenge i have finished.

Now my next goal is to be a good quick scoper... good luck to me, im a sniper noob :unsure:

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Quick question that isn't really "game" related but hardware related. I'm loving my new Final Fight arcade machine but I'm unsure as to whether I should turn it off when I'm not using it, or just leave it on like how it would've been treated in an arcade. Would constantly powering it on and off be somehow bad for it? Would leaving it on burn it out, so to speak? To me this is just a big cartridge based computer with a hulking CRT monitor on top of it and should be treated as such, but I just want to be sure. Thanks in advance...

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I don't own arcade cabinets but I am huge final fight fan.

I think games like Street Fighter III were arcade games that burnt out (I think this had to do with being a disc read by laser which eventually wore out) but my guess with final fight is that you are right and it is just like a cartridge being in a game console.

It probably won't die from overheating or anything like SFIII.

I know that when Street Fighter III was in the arcades I would always see an out of order sign, but rarely would I ever see a final fight arcade cab like that.

I actually still play the old GBA port on my DS once in a while. "Final Fight ONE" This is pretty decent port for its time but the enemies lack their neutral stance and always have their guard up which is not faithful to the arcade game. But it is a harder game too since enemies are more responsive. In this version you can play as Stree Fighter Alpha 3 Cody and Street Fighter Alpha Guy as unlockables.

Pretty funny seeing these sprites in final fight.

If your cab does die, have you ever tried entering the world of the emulator?:

despite the title it is not full speed but you get the idea

:)

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If your cab does die, have you ever tried entering the world of the emulator?:

:)

Oh yeah, I'm also a MAJOR Final Fight fan, from playing that game almost exclusively in the late 80's/early 90's in the arcades, owning it on SNES, SEGA CD and even as a ROM on my PC. The person that gave it to me had the machine restored over the course of months, complete with marquee, screen overlay and the rare side-art. I mean, this thing is cleaner and in better shape than any Final Fight machine I saw back in the day, and as a matter of fact on its way to me it was in Disneyland on Flynn's Arcade floor for a day or two-there was like $7 worth of quarters in the coin basket LOL. This thing is so cool I just want to take care of it. What troubles me is that there is no fan on the top of the cabinet to draw out all of the heat from the 25" CRT, and that thing gets HOT, so I may install some PC case fans or something. If any of you guys have any other ideas on how to take care of this freaking beast, please let me know.

PS: So....do arcade machines still use CRT's or do they use LCD screens now? If so, I'm wondering why they didn't just mount an LCD panel in this cabinet for the obvious advantages that an LCD screen would have over CRT? Would this ancient game not look good on a modern LCD?

Edited by myk
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Congratulations on owning an arcade cabinet! While I know nothing about arcade maintenance, keeping a CRT in an enclosed space with no ventilation doesn't seem like a good idea to me. CRTs generate heat, and that heat has to be ventilated somehow. And turning the cabinet on and off whenever you want to play it shouldn't damage it any more than turning on an old TV CRT.

As for keeping the arcade cabinet running all day long, it'll just run up your electricity bill and eventually wear out the CRT. Commercial arcades did it because they were running a business. The only reason I can see for leaving it on would be to preserve hi-scores, if that's your thing.

I'm not sure if it's even possible to connect an old arcade like this to an LCD, but even if you could, it's just a plain bad idea. You'd lose the classic scanlines and would probably enounter problems with the screen's refresh rate.

PS: Post some pics!

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Quick question that isn't really "game" related but hardware related. I'm loving my new Final Fight arcade machine but I'm unsure as to whether I should turn it off when I'm not using it, or just leave it on like how it would've been treated in an arcade. Would constantly powering it on and off be somehow bad for it? Would leaving it on burn it out, so to speak? To me this is just a big cartridge based computer with a hulking CRT monitor on top of it and should be treated as such, but I just want to be sure. Thanks in advance...

Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just download final fight HD on PSN?

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Oh yeah, I'm also a MAJOR Final Fight fan, from playing that game almost exclusively in the late 80's/early 90's in the arcades, owning it on SNES, SEGA CD and even as a ROM on my PC. The person that gave it to me had the machine restored over the course of months, complete with marquee, screen overlay and the rare side-art. I mean, this thing is cleaner and in better shape than any Final Fight machine I saw back in the day, and as a matter of fact on its way to me it was in Disneyland on Flynn's Arcade floor for a day or two-there was like $7 worth of quarters in the coin basket LOL. This thing is so cool I just want to take care of it. What troubles me is that there is no fan on the top of the cabinet to draw out all of the heat from the 25" CRT, and that thing gets HOT, so I may install some PC case fans or something. If any of you guys have any other ideas on how to take care of this freaking beast, please let me know.

PS: So....do arcade machines still use CRT's or do they use LCD screens now? If so, I'm wondering why they didn't just mount an LCD panel in this cabinet for the obvious advantages that an LCD screen would have over CRT? Would this ancient game not look good on a modern LCD?

If you ever want an arcade perfect port (not like the GBA one lol) and not downloading the game illegally or needing to buy it from a XBLA pr PSN online service, there is a game on psp called capcom classics collection with final fight included as one of the retro arcade classic games.

This is perfect if you like to play old arcade games on a portable (the legit way without relying on modifying your game devices)

I am also generally a fan of most of the capcom action titles like megaman, ghouls n ghost, most of their one-on-one fighting games too. So I keep up to date on all their later titles. One thing I wish for: strider 2 port. I remember having this game on ps1 but it suffered from slowdown compared to the arcade game. I think with today's console they can re-release this game again and not have it slow down at the last boss section.

Strider is one of my fave capcom characters. I always choose to use him in marvel vs capcom fighting games. Was so disapointed that they had taken him out in the third MVC sequel but all is good now that they have added him back in.

Another series you might like which is similar to final fight is Streets Of Rage (AKA Bare Knuckle to the japanese) which started on the megadrive during the days of the 16 bit game consoles. It's using the template of the final fight games but has a bit more of a deep co-op experience where you can use your partner together to do certain moves you couldn't do normally by yourself which is great fun if you play walk-along beat-em-ups with a friend a lot. (personally I don't since they always hog the chicken and scroll the screen too far which fills up the screen with too many enemies)

Final Fight One on GBA: (released early on in the GBAs life)

This is quite a decent port of the game but not as good (MUCH better than the SNES version though) as I'd like personally. Still worth checking out if you like FF and want to see everything for research purposes.

Damage on all punches has been modified in GBA FF so that you wouldn't spend ages on those Andores using Guy. In the arcade you had to really exploit the throw damage and knee kick damage in order to finish off Andore enemies quickly, but the GBA version made it so that his punches are a bit more damaging but his health was worse.

Final Fight on Capcom classics collection (XBOX 1 version shown)

slap an old xbox in a arcade cabinet and load this game up for the time when the real one dies. That way you can pretend you still have a working arcade version. lol

Seriously though: hunt down capcom classic collection (the one with Final Fight on it) if you really like Final Fight. This is as good as owning the original arcade version and is not a "port" of the game like the GBA or Sega CD version of FF. It IS the arcade game itself so all the enemies and things should react just as they did in the arcade.

If you can't find them after your arcade cabinet dies, you will probably be left having to download the new version that appears on PSN and XBLA.

do a youtube search for "final fight double impact" for reviews of this.

not a fan of the changed music in that though :p

Edited by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
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Here is one other title you might like:

It is known as Burning Fight on the Neo Geo (appeared in the 90s as a arcade console for the home to compete against the super nintendo and the sega megadrive)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJgaJFsvAWs

not as good as FF but a decent attempt by SNK to clone the success of capcom's walk-along-beat-em-up.

Other games I would recommend if you like Final Fight is Double Dragon Advance on the GBA:

I enjoy this more than FF because fighting is more deep and choosing the right combination of moves for the right situation is more crucual to survival than in FF where it is just button mashing, throwing people into other people and spamming spin kicks. Double Dragon Advance is like a combination of DD 1 with Double Dragon 2 enemies included and withsome new stuff included (like the Agent Smith guys who can block and attack with insane speed). It's like a remix of Double Dragon.

I play this almost everyday for years in my DS Lite. Best Double Dragon game ever imo. Just too bad the GBA has bad music chip. :p

If you ever get sick of final fight check that out by getting the cart or playing it on a good GBA emulator. (using a console game style controller)

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Maybe myk would prefer to work on the physical arcade rather than deal with Final Fight: Double Impact's horrible DRM on the PSN. :p

DRM is the reason I think he should track down a copy of Capcom Classics collection.

If you can't get that go illegal and get a rom with the final burn emulator.

Won't bother to link that here. He's a smart boy.

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Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just download final fight HD on PSN?

The arcade machine was a present, a product of an old's friends penchant for showing off during gift-giving times. The best part? I now have ZERO mobility in my 1 bedroom apartment. :rolleyes:

If you ever want an arcade perfect port (not like the GBA one lol) and not downloading the game illegally or needing to buy it from a XBLA pr PSN online service, there is a game on psp called capcom classics collection with final fight included as one of the retro arcade classic games.

This is perfect if you like to play old arcade games on a portable (the legit way without relying on modifying your game devices)

Wow thanks for all of the information man. Yeah I've dabbled with Burning Fight and SOR, but never really got into those games. Obviously I'm biased but I just saw them as weaker attempts at copying Final Fight, although I really did enjoy those games, especially SOR. I DEFINITELY want to check out that DDA, though. What did you think of the SEGA CD's version of Final Fight? It was a welcome title when the only other choices we had at the time were the SNES' incomplete and lackluster versions. Like you, I did not appreciate the reworked music score in this game either. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

On another note, in order to break the monotony of walking to the right and beating people up for an hour straight, I try to add stupid rules to keep it challenging: I have the dip switches set to maximum difficulty where it's almost frustrating (why are there two sets of difficulty switches?), 1 life to start, and only 1 additional life after a determined point value, no weapons, and no super/crusher moves unless completely cornered...

Edited by myk
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The glory days of VG. Final Fight fan here, have the arcade and the Sega-CD tracks on my cellphone. It would have been nice if Capcom released an update version of FF2 but not FF3.

Any idea if Konami will continue with the Gradius and Castlevania series in 2D, hopefully for the portable units.

Frankly saying I've lost interest in VG due to the current trend (not into 3D, only games like Daytona & Afterburner) and even don't wanna spend on them but I hope in general if they do continue games the classic series in 2D, I'll return.

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Feel free to store your FF cabinent at my house. :D

I may have to take you up on that, lol. See at least you have a HOUSE-now that would be the ticket. I take it you have a garage for this kinda stuff?

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I may have to take you up on that, lol. See at least you have a HOUSE-now that would be the ticket. I take it you have a garage for this kinda stuff?

Not quite. The garage is where I keep my car (you know you're moving up in the world when you have a whole room just to store your car). But I have a finished basement where I set up my computers and display my Transformer collection. If I rearrange things a bit, I could definitely accomodate an arcade cabinent.

I gotta say, I lived (comfortably) in a one-bedroom apartment for nine years before I bought this house (just this year, in fact). Apartments have their perks (fewer bills, the knowledge that a lot of stuff was someone else's problem), but I'm digging the home ownership thing. More space, the aforementioned garage means I don't have to dig my car out of the snow at 6:30 in the morning (probably not as much of an issue in San Diego as it is in Pittsburgh), and if I want to have friends come over, get drunk, and play Rock Band with me until 4:00 in the morning we have to make a lot more noise before the neighbors call the cops.

Getting back on topic, though, I finally gave Skyrim a chance. Hated Morrowind, Hated Oblivion, but somehow I'm in love with Skyrim. I think it's because the game feels a lot more organic, in some ways. I mean, in Oblivion, you were free to explore and avoid the main quest, but you were still telling the guard what your class was, even if you made it up. With Skyrim, just because I've got my Destruction up into the 70's doesn't mean I can't decide I'm going to beat people with swords until I get good at that, too. I think I like the Norse-inspired land of Skyrim better than the generic fantasy of Oblivion, too.

My gripes are few, and minimal. I hate that the PC version is a very obvious conosle port, as I often find myself navigating menus with the WASD keys or the arrow keys because you simply aren't able to point at what you want and click, yet at other times you have to select with the mouse because keyboard isn't doing jack. I assume this is because you used both thumbsticks on the console versions. I also think it's kind of lame when you can kill a dragon like a boss, but a giant will drop you in one swing.

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It's a Bethesda game. My understanding of that developer is that it's not a good idea to get their games on anything other than a PC, so you can mod the hell out of it.

That's what I've been thinking too. Console players get the most out of their money once the Game of the Year or copies with the DLCs included come out. But you have to wait a long time for it. I felt more comfortable with PC Oblivion Game of the Year Edition plus the unoffical patches that fixed up a whole bunch of problems the developers didn't find. Until 6 months ago, my only alternative was the PS3 version.

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I DEFINITELY want to check out that DDA, though.

If you're into Double Dragon, then do yourself a favor and track down a copy of Double Double Advance. Hands down, it's the best Double Dragon game ever made. Million, the game's developer, managed to perfectly capture the classic Double Dragon formula while polishing it off with improved collison detection, sprite animation, special moves and levels. The only caveat I can think of is that while it's an excellent Double Dragon game, it's overall just an average fighting game. Though, if Million radically altered the game's fighting engine to fully bring it into the 21st century, it just wouldn't be Double Dragon anymore.

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If you're into Double Dragon, then do yourself a favor and track down a copy of Double Double Advance.

I'm ashamed to say that I never played DD. I plan to fix that soon though. Do any of you guys remember Bad Dudes? I'm assuming that was a DD rip-off?

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My review of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword:

A little late to the discussion here, but figured I'd chime in on Skyward Sword, having just completed it. I was actually quite surprised at the depth and level of intensity present, particularly as the game gets closer to its epic finale (and I do say epic!). Not only did Nintendo make a solid Zelda game, but they made a prequel which establishes some context for the entire franchise (particularly the origins of certain characters and artifacts) and also enriches it with some new content, possibilities for further exploration, etc. While the graphics may have taken on a more artistic style than Twilight Princess, the game has a very serious tone that is on par with the best of the previous games, and I would say I enjoyed it as much as Ocarina of Time.

The puzzles are all creative and offer some decent challenges - I consider myself very adept at these styles of games, and there were a couple spots where figuring things out took me a while, but felt all the more sweet once I got past them.

I was also able to 100% the game pickups (heart containers, items, etc) and never once did it feel like I was stepping out of the main story to complete an unrelated side quest (which has been more jarring in past games). The optional extras are paced well such that they become available in times and places where the main story intersects, and can be taken in bite-sized pieces that add up to a larger narrative by the end.

My one complaint is that the main antagonist whom you fight in the game (Ghirahim) doesn't really come off as a believable villain, because he's... well, a little kooky. Every hero needs a villain, and the hero's actions don't seem nearly as heroic when the villain doesn't provide him with physical, mental, and moral adversity to overcome (okay, rant over). Similar to Zant in Twilight Princess, he has a threatening appearance at first, but then proceeds to go more the route of a badly-scripted clown who throws tantrums and doesn't pose a threat to the hero. To be fair, all of my "insane bad guy" critiques end up being compared to Kefka from FFVI, but in that context he falls a little short for me. Also like Zant, the big reveal near the end of the game does provide context for his behavior

as the evil counterpart to Fi, and the personification of a Dark Master Sword

and is much less of a jarring shift since he pretty much states who he's really working for throughout the entire game, but I never did get the same feeling of him being a viable, threatening villain with a constant presence like with Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time.

I could go on, but I'm sure most folks stopped reading 3 paragraphs ago :) I highly recommend this game if you own a Wii, as it's a very fitting book-end for the tail end of the system's life, and will provide you with a solid experience. I clocked in at just over 50 hours to complete it, and probably could have shaved that down to 40 without side quests, but the bulk of that time is taken up by story progression. There's not a lot of tedious backtracking or fetch quests, and every item gets used to its fullest extent in solving puzzles that are clever and original (especially the ones involving Time Shift stones).

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Bought Skyrim yesterday. So far, I'm a bit underwhelmed.

Follow the main plot until you learn your first shout, then explore the land and ignore the main quest for... oh, about 40 or 50 hours. I say this as someone who hated Morrowind and hated Oblivion: Skyrim is the most fun I've had just losing myself in a game in years.
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I've a feeling that I'm probably the only one who even cares about FF XIII-2 here, but has anyone played the Japanese version yet? I heard some complaints at gamefaqs about there being only two playable characters in the form of Sera Farron and some kid named Noel. But what with the forum being primarily populated by 13-year-olds, I have my doubts on how believable the news is.

But if it's true; kinda skimpy on the character roster, ain't it?

Honestly, I shouldn't even care about the sequel after the somewhat disappointment of FF XIII, but IGN's been waxing poetic about how XIII-2's such a massive improvement from the first XIII game. Just looking for a decent FF game to tide me over until Versus XIII finally come out.

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