Sadly, the thing I hated about SSX3 was the big trumpeted change that seems doesn't seem to be going away:  the big mountain.  Not every game has to be like GTA.  They ruined the last Need For Speed with that concept.  And they're doing it to the next Tony Hawk game, too.  Frankly, I don't want to be able to "skate all of LA that we were able to render..."  especially if it means I don't get the fun variety of locations from the previous games.

By the way, I did try Death Jr again, and I didn't hate it as much the second time (though the levels are long and playing all the way through again on a save is very annoying).  Still, Medievil seems to be the better game by a long shot.

(oh, yeah - & tom baker's perfect! Smile )...

He is also the narrator of the BBC import "Little Brittain" to even greater effect.

If you've not seen the show, rent the DVD.  The first episode is hilarious, but then you'll find that the setups are basically the same for each episode (same characters in basically the same situations), but for the most part you won't care, because these guys are just good at what they do.

Any word on MAME for firmware 2.0?

I only played Medievil one time on the PS1.  I enjoyed it, but I didn't actually have a PS1.  So, to me, the PSP version doesn't really feel like a been there, done that.  I've only played the first level, and while combat is a little bit wonkier than I would like, I still was instantly charmed and will attempt to play through the whole thing.  No guarantees that I will continue to be charmed once I get to levels where the combat is more key.

Death Jr, on the other hand, didn't charm me and I didn't even finish the first level.  I'll be suprised if I get back to it, really.

I should point out that I do love me some platformers, so that effects the opinion on both of them.

You might have to restart Steam.

Yeah, reloading Steam did it.  Can't believe I didn't think of that.  Thanks!

How do I know if it's pre-loaded?  Steam was running on my computer, but I see no indication that DOD pre-loaded.

Well, that would be exciting, except it'll mean I probably have to wait until I can get the 360.

Hopefully, it doesn't mean they're suddenly rushing it for the holiday season.  My enthusiasm has been toyed with for each new TR release, claiming it would be a return to greatness, but never more than with this one.  Switching to a new developer I've been thinking would be the trick (and I like Crystal Dynamics).  If they pull the rug out from under me again, I'm going to go ballistic.

Hey, for those who've played the expansion, is it a little better/more interesting, at least?  I have it, and I've got four levels to slog through to finish D3 before I think about firing it up.  

Every once in a while, I get excited about playing Doom 3 again.  Then I do, and as soon as some monster beams in behind me, I get annoyed and hate the game all over again.  Really, the game becomes quicksave-push forward-get my ass handed to me, but see where they're coming from-load-try to fight them-load again-keep a fair amount of health/shield/ammo-quicksave.  Just arggh!  Does the expansion keep up with the teleporting beasties?

To think I drove to a store an hour away to pick up this thing...

That said, at least it does have a quicksave.  Unlike Far Cry (don't worry, I still think FC is a much better game).

A quick comment on a few versions:

The PSP version is not the same game (different name and everything).  Burnout Legends is more like a compilation of the first three games (though apparently it's most like #3).

There is an Xbox 360 version, but it isn't due until the 1st of March (if it doesn't get pushed back).  I, for one, won't be waiting that long.

Thanks, DiscoJason, that's exactly what I meant.  And part of the problem is that so many of those racers are good.

And Harpua3, I was just being goofy with your typo.

gotta go pick it up (hopefully) tomarrow

What, on the way to your bone transplant or something?

it seems to be a mix of the first three Burnouts with nothing new.

That and the fact that the PSP is lousy with racers are the only things turning me off.  But, seeing that I have a big trip coming next week, I can't imagine I won't be picking it up.

This is from a few days ago, but I haven't had time to post, and I figured someone else would, but IGN really slammed this game.  3.5!

Here's linkage: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/648/648099p1.html

I, of course, bought it before these reviews came out.  I thought it was okay, but I didn't get very far into a career before I got bored.  Ah, well.

Yeah, there really is something fun and satisfying about it.  They got it right.  It really feels like you're stomping around a city.

There's actually a whole discussion about it here: http://www.consolegold.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8227

but the subject title of that one is annoying, so I'm happy to start a new discussion.

I dont really think this is a big deal at all-most people that want backwards compatiblity will either be buyign the XBox games for the first time to play on the 360 or catching up on the backlog-I really dont think too many will stop halfway through a game, throw away their XBox, and then try to finish on the 360. Just seems counterintuitive.

Well, you're wrong.

That was exactly my plan.  And I, too, was hoping for some sort of ethernet- or wi-fi-file transfer for the games that wouldn't let you move your saves (and why the hell does THAT happen, anyway?  I guess so you can't edit it, but, still, shouldn't that be my option?) or that were too big.

The possibility of getting the 360 at launch dropped considerably when I read that they were hoping to have 5 -20 games working at launch (which we know means 7 games).  Now that I hear I'd have to start over in those games, forget it.

I am still playing older launch titles, too.  I'm not alone, and it is a very big issue to me.  Once again, I get tired of hearing the "It's a non-issue to me" comment with the implication being that therefore it's a non-issue to anyone else.

Here's an analogy that may add nothing to the discussion:  I had stopped playing Fable when I heard that Lost Chapters was coming for the Xbox.  Then I found out that your old saves wouldn't work with the new version.  Well, what the hell is the point of that, then.  I'm sure anyone who hasn't played Fable is excited, but really how many people who would be interested in Fable didn't get it in the first run?  It's a big seller (no doubt targeted to be one of the 7 backwards compatible ones).  So really, this is just a big ol' tease and slap in the face to all of us who bought the game.  I would happily have paid $20 for the extra content (maybe even $30).  Now, how many people are going to pay again and replay the whole thing?  I know some will, but they're losing money by cutting the rest out.  

Basically, the 360 is turning into Backwards Compatible for top selling games but our goal is to get every game backwards compatible until we tell you it's not possible after you buy the unit.Grr.

But when that site starts handing out Editor's choice awards at 80% and higher, mediocre hardly applies.  Even if you only meant that it in not a BAD way.

Also, when dealing with a range of 0-100%, 86% isn't really average, but I'll grant you few games score below 50%.

However, for IGN, they're average score is 70.5%, making their Hulk score of 84% well above average.  Gamespot's average is 68%.  They gave Hulk a n 82%.  And Gamespy has an average score of 74.1%.  And the Hulk got a whopping 90% from them.  

So, mediocre?  Hardly.

Speaking of timesplitters, did anyone ever play the new one? Timesplitters Future Perfect?

The new one is great.  If you liked 2, you'll like this one.  It's more of the same, but there's an actual story to this one, and it's very amusing.  They play with the notion of time travel a lot, quite humorously.  And I find the main character amusingly dim.  I especially enjoy the way he keeps trying to make the phrase "It's time to split" into a catch phrase, despite everyone around him hating it.  Good stuff.

I think if the FPS controls were as tight as, say, the TimeSplitters series, this would have been an A-list title.  So far, I haven't had a real problem (had to fight the Thing at the Top of the Elevator twice, but not a big hassle), but I've been lucky a couple of times, and I can see getting to a spot that I just don't want to continue past.

a 3.5-4 (Adam Sessler voice)out of 5(/Adam Sessler voice).

Though really that doesn't capture the long, unnecessary pause before the 5.

I think this game is great.  Absolutely a blast.  If you've ever wondered what it'd be like to stomp around smashing a city as the Hulk, this'll show you.  But what I find really interesting is the depth hidden here.  The last Hulk game was fun for a while (though the free roam smashing in the new game blows that one to hell), but this seems like it'll have legs.  There are lots of things to find and moves to unlock (and they all seem pretty useful so far).  But the story missions seem to have some variety to them.  And there are challenge missions much like in Spiderman 2.  And if you're scared off by GTA references, just know that this game is about as GTA as Spidey 2 was (GTA-lite).

Really, when you're leaping around the city tearing up the side of buildings then slamming down into a pile of police cars (while civilian vehicles impulsively drive out of your way and into buildings), the game just feels right.

You can't even get Dachshund version around here.

Actually, the dachshund version has a great choice of dogs, despite the weak choice for cover pooch.  It's the one I went with (partly because we had a scruffy Shih Tzu, but also because the Siberian Husky rocks.  The Golden Retreiver is a hugely popular dog, too, not to mention the pug.  And you get the beagle, which you can name Snoopy if you want.

And, actually, you do have to pick up doggie-poo, though I guess it doesn't smell.  Or at least, not until the Revolution's controller comes out with its exclusive gyroscopic-3D-scent feature.

I'd imagine anything that requires gyroscopic motors like what you describe and/or a touch screen will have to have a cord I think.

Well, supposedly, that is one of the reasons it's taken so long to show the controller, as they are trying to get it to run wirelessly with a long battery charge.

Also, I don't think this has limited use like a bongo controller at all.  At worst, I think it's just super advanced force feedback.  At best, I could be used to actually control many games (if not all games).

I figured it out (Well, really, I just saw this srticle:http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4739&), but given that the Revolution controller will resist tilting, according to rumor, and that they've said that the technology already exists but hasn't been used for gaming, I've come to the conclusion that the controller is essentially a Segway for your hands.  Which could be quite useful, if calibrated carefully enough (something I would trust Big N to do).  Cool.

How is that bad news?

It's not good news in the sense that this reveals the nail in the coffin all too clearly.  By not making the HDD standard, no game developer is going to develop for it, which will make all games suffer.  If Oblivion required the HDD to run, there might be a push to that trend if it sold at all well (and it is bordering on being a system seller).

Why am I stupid for not getting the $400 bundle?

I don't play on Live, so I don't need the headset or the wireless ethernet.
I don't have an HD TV, so I don't need the cables.
I don't sit on my couch but right in front of my TV, so I don't need a wireless controller.

But will all of those things be true in five years (or ten years, if Sony has its way)?  Accessories and the like don't really come down in price, so as HDTVs become cheaper and standard, those cables may be in your future.  I wouldn't say you're stupid.  Just maybe not prudent.

Also, you're going to ruin your eyes.  Sit on the couch.

Do you mean this Medievil (link)? Doesn't look so good either...

Yeah, I saw that review.  I said my hope wasn't high.  Actually, though, the big complaint on eurogamer, if I remember correctly was that it wasn't very innovative.  Honestly, I kind of want a game that plays like the original game.  That won't bother me so much.  And since this review came out so long before release, I have to take it with a grain of salt.  Of course, the same can be said for the good Play review, too...

But to get back from the derailing and answer this post:

why so many of us had such high hopes for this one game.

I think it has something to do with the concept being so rich and such obviously fertile ground that the very idea that this potential would be wasted was alien.  I mean, it clearly rang of good, early Tim Burton stuff.  Also, it evoked Voodoo Vince for me a little bit, and that was an amazing, underrated platformer.  Ah, well...

This isnt good news IMO.

I agree.  I was a little suprised to see "Good news" in the heading.

Death, Jr. is what sold me on the PSP.  That and, oddly, Mercury.  I got Mercury and it's okay.  I'll be passing on DJ.  Now I'm holding out hope for Medievil (though it's not a high hope).

I also have to add Ridge Racer to the list of very good PSP games.  Better than Wipeout, IMO.  Hot Shots, Lumines, Ridge Racer, Wipeout and for my platform addiction Ape Escape are the main games I've played.  NFL Street a lot, too, which is odd for me, but it really shines on the PSP, much more than it's big console counterpart.

Anyway, more than anything, Death, Jr. is making me think the PSP is a waste of time (and that it desperately needed another control nub).

Loved BG&E.  Not so fond of Scrapland, for whomever brought that up.  As long as we're bringing up excellent games that didn't get the retail attention they deserved, if you haven't already, you may want to pick up Psychonauts for when you finish BG&E (which is relatively short, if I remember).

Sucker here, definitely (he said while installing Advent Rising on his PC [at least I went with the PC version, not the $50 Xbox version that's been tempting me for months]).

Just wondering if anyone has tried the PC version of Advent Rising.  I've seen the IGN review, but I've been waiting for other opinions.  Has anyone tried both?

Dude, you are totally jumping your own shark.

Well, at least I got the laugh I was promised.  

The insane difficulty and lack of saves quickly killed my interest in NG. There's too many good games out there to be spending hours replaying the same sections over and over again. The lack of saves only get worse as the game progresses. It it bugs you that bad now, you'll be reaching controller-chucking levels of frustration pretty soon.

Ditto, but I think Ninja Gaiden Black looks interesting.  Honestly, the camera alone will make it easier.  Not sure if I'll be able to suck it up and go Ninja Dog difficulty, as it apparently makes fun of you the whole time.  I guess it won't bather me too much if the story is otherwise unchanged...

The game that took me away from Jade Empire until I finished it was Psychonauts.  I don't finish a lot of games.  Psychonauts was finished in a short (very, for me) three months.  Excellent all the way through.

Really loived it.  It's like the next generation of adventure games everyone's been wishing for...

That said, I'll probably go with the console version, though I'm curious as to how the interactivity will work.  The interesting mouse movement scheme put me off at first, but then I grew to like it.  However, if they go with something similar on a console, it may bog the gameplay down a touch.  We'll see, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Dammint, G.

Where's my red pen...?

I got the new issue of XBN, and the demo disc had Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (as well as Rainbow Six: Lockdown multiplayer only and the Incredible Hulk [which was fun, if a little chaotic]).  The graphics are pretty lame.  Its gameplay is simple.  And yet I really enjoyed it.  For one thing, the fighting brings up fond memories of Double Dragon and the like, though it's a little more varied than that.  There's a definite platform element, too.  And (and for me this is really great, though your mileage will probably vary) there's a secret in every room.  I also found the boss fight against Baraka to be fun (in a typical stage-based, what-strategy-to-use way).  It reminded me a lot of Duke Nukem: The Manhattan Project, which I think was a missed gem.  Am I crazy?

Odd, the website says:

Availability: This item is currently not available.

Answering myself on part of it.

I guess it's a UK release and the US details are being sorted.  We may see it in September.

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54744

No word on Nanostray, though.