The 2010 Video Games Thread

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Phantasy Star Zero? Do tell.

SI

Not a lot TO tell. It's Phantasy Star, but it's more akin to the original Phantasy Star Online than Phantasy Star Universe on Xbox 360/PC or Phantasy Star Portable on PSP.

You've got the whole mag-raising thing going on, and you can actually play online with other people without monthly fees. Actually, you can do the four-player ad hoc wi-fi, or you can connect through Nintendo WiFi Connection.

It's good times.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I think it was a combination of server overload and software issues - the day that I played was Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, and according to one of my sources with the company they had minimal staff working due to the holiday and were swamped on the server side. I am a huge Trek fan, and I love the MMO genre, so I'm holding out high hopes. Sadly, all my friends that work for the company are in PR or HR, so I know nothing about the people that do the actual coding. I'm certain it's improved, but I'm gunshy about trying again after my computer got fried the first time.

Hmmm...2 months to fix all that. Working in software QA, that's just doesn't seem like enough time to work out the bugs you mentioned, unless they are working around the clock. I like Star Trek and I do enjoy MMOs too and am hoping that it will be better than Star Wars Galaxies. Well, if you talk to them, I'm willing to buy, if they have a lot the stuff you mentioned ironed out.

[RendeR]

*sigh* so much yummy gaminess and me without a machine strong enough to run them.

I can barely play bioshock at all, so much so that I haven't bothered playing it in months.

These new ones all look to be well beyond the abilities of my computers.

I tried downloading the Avatar demo and I can't even read the menu pages due to the graphics cascading. just a jumbled mess.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like 8 minutes of Heavy Rain gameplay video was leaked from CES 2010. Also, the other video in this post is video of someone who was in the presentation. He says that a feature in the DLC for the game will be to play through the game as the serial killer character.

Heavy Rain Gameplay and DLC Leaked

[Cringer]

My eyes have been opened up to mobile (phone) gaming. With the new stuff coming out for the Palm Pre announced at CES this year they had games up in the app store right after their event. I wanted to try some 3D gaming on a phone so last night I bought Sims 3 since my three year old laptop isn't able to handle the PC version. I am loving it. My daughter said she liked it better then the PC version of Sims 3. I may have to buy another game in a week or two, maybe Need for Speed Underground or X Flight (or whatever the flight sim game is called, I know they are all on the iPhone already from what I read).

[samifan24]

I just picked up Fallout 3 for the PS3, the original version. I know it isn't a new game but can anyone tell me if the GOTY edition has been patched yet? I've read the GOTY edition on PS3 is basically unplayable in the DLC areas due to freezing so that's why I bought the original version of the game.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Hmmm...2 months to fix all that. Working in software QA, that's just doesn't seem like enough time to work out the bugs you mentioned, unless they are working around the clock. I like Star Trek and I do enjoy MMOs too and am hoping that it will be better than Star Wars Galaxies. Well, if you talk to them, I'm willing to buy, if they have a lot the stuff you mentioned ironed out.

I know. I think that second post was me feeling bad for throwing my friends' software company under the bus. Further defense, my computer was acting screwy before I tried the beta, so hopefully that had something to do with it. They had plenty of people who were already in the beta that were playing with no problems (although that day even people who had been playing for a while were having connection issues), so perhaps it was something on my end.

That being said, my enthusiasm for the game is notably less because of the experience.

[DataKing]

Audiosurf might be the coolest thing ever.

[MJ4H]

For those that were terrified that NBA Jam would suffer because you had to waggle to play it:

NBA Jam Wii – More Details

Filed under: News — hattrick @ 10:33 am

Here’s a list of more details about the upcoming re-launch of the classic series.

• Classic Campaign: 3v3, shot clock and goaltending regulations
• Remix Tour: tweaks the traditional rules and regulations of NBA Jam
• Multiple dunks
• Spin move to avoid the shove
• Faces on characters are actually photographs of the real players’ faces
• Each character has 3 faces while running the court, 2 dunk faces, and a positive/negative face
• Motion control player or classic NES-style

Another list of returning features making it into the game:

• Fire
• Shattering Backboard
• Cheats
• Flashing Shoes
• Flashing ball
• Big Head Mode
• Legends
• Playable Mascots
• Secret Characters

Looks like classic control scheme is an option so you won't have to worry about that. This looks awesome to me.

[MJ4H]

Also Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (2d fighter) looks freaking awesome.

[MJ4H]

Welcome to the NBA Jam Wii blog apparently. Sorry, but this is a game I'm definitely excited about. Here is some more:

NBA Jam Wii – Image and More Info January 15, 2010

Filed under: News, Screens/Images — hattrick @ 9:32 am
Have you been wondering what the game might look like? Well, here is a scan from Nintendo Power to fix that appetite.

Also, here is some more information about the upcoming game:

• Player faces switch with a blur effect, as to keep them from being to jarring when they rotate
• When they pull off a good play, they run back up-court with a smile/goofy face
• When they do poorly, they have a sad face
• Players can be substituted at halftime
• Unlockable mascots
• Old school legends(Larry Bird and more)

[MJ4H]

So checked my mail today and I have the Nintendo Power that that scan is from. Holy crap, there is like a 6 page article about NBA Jam for Wii. I assure you, this game is going to kick all sorts of ass. There are tons more screenshots and they look awesome. They got one of the original NBA Jam creators on the team and they are staying true to the original intents of the game. This really will be awesome.

[Big Fo]

I'm glad they have two control options but I'm wondering what they'll use as the third button. Holding the Wiimote sideways you can hit the d-pad, 1, and 2 comfortably but NBA Jam is a three button game (shoot/block, pass/steal, and turbo). I'd rather not have to shake the controller in order to pass/steal. A classic controller option would be preferable for me, not just because of the extra buttons. I prefer the d-pad on the CC also.

It sounds pretty good from what I've read so far. Hope it turns out to be as good as Tournament Edition and Hangtime were back in the day.

[MJ4H]

The A button isn't hard to hit in the sideways config. The article clearly said you would easily be able to do everything in the sideways config that you can do with gestures. The article also described the gestures and they are being pretty intelligent about them and really want them to be responsive. It sounds pretty good.

[Tasan]

The trigger is pretty easy to hit in sideways mode. You use it in Mario Kart.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Random gaming thing, figured I'd just drop it in here.

My son busted out Far Cry 2 for a bit tonight & noticed that some of the billboards were advertising The Book of Eli.

Notable to me mostly because I'm surprised they're still getting sales for those ad placements after the game has been out for so long. Then again I was surprised that he had no problem finding opponents for online deathmatch so maybe FC2 had better legs than I thought.

[RainMaker]

I don't know why, but I love seeing real ads in games.

[spleen1015]

I was shocked when my son was playing Fight Night Round 4 and they had ESPN Radio SportCenters that had current news.

[RainMaker]

Well EA and ESPN have had a deal for years but EA has been too poor in development to implement it much.

Last year's The Show had ads for Ax Men and I remember seeing Dollhouse ads while playing Battlefield: Bad Company.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I was shocked when my son was playing Fight Night Round 4 and they had ESPN Radio SportCenters that had current news.

NCAA 2010 football has that too

[MizzouRah]

NHL 10 had a McDonalds ad I just noticed today.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Random gaming thing, figured I'd just drop it in here.

My son busted out Far Cry 2 for a bit tonight & noticed that some of the billboards were advertising The Book of Eli.

Notable to me mostly because I'm surprised they're still getting sales for those ad placements after the game has been out for so long. Then again I was surprised that he had no problem finding opponents for online deathmatch so maybe FC2 had better legs than I thought.

It's not just the game, though.

A lot of the in-game advertising is being served by ad technology that the game incorporates. My understanding is, they aren't buying views from a specific game, but they're buying views in a more general sense, and those views are distributed across the various platforms within the medium that use that technology.

I mean, I think Crackdown, which is 3-4 years old, still gets current ads when logged in to Live for that very reason.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

It's not just the game, though.

A lot of the in-game advertising is being served by ad technology that the game incorporates. My understanding is, they aren't buying views from a specific game, but they're buying views in a more general sense, and those views are distributed across the various platforms within the medium that use that technology.

I mean, I think Crackdown, which is 3-4 years old, still gets current ads when logged in to Live for that very reason.

Ah, got it now.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Love it when they do videos like this one. Got a side-by-side view of the actual track next to the view in Gran Turismo 5.

[Cringer]

I wonder how many people would complain about it looking like crap if they made the game's colouring and lighting the exact same as the "real" video they did a side by side with?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I wonder how many people would complain about it looking like crap if they made the game's colouring and lighting the exact same as the "real" video they did a side by side with?

Probably the same people who complain about Player X not having the right wristband on the proper arm in Madden.

[k0ruptr]

The only thing that would bug me that I think would make it cooler is the real camera is shaking quite a bit. I think that would be a nice addition to the game when you are in the driver view. I didn't notice it shaking at all .

[gstelmack]

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

Makes me dizzy. Can't handle that.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

Same here. Head-bob tends to make me dizzy as well.

[k0ruptr]

Ahh ok, didn't know it made so many dizzy, that makes sense. I do notice it though a little, but then I'm not usually driving around at 100 mph +, I'm sure people that are driving this fast do notice it quite a bit though .

guess I'm just one of the lucky ones

[Fidatelo]

I can't play Battlefield because of the head bob thing, it gives me the worst headache in under 5 minutes.

[Ramzavail]

I can't wait for Mass Effect 2 to come in the mail.

Plus, Infinite Space does look fun.

Sidenote: I've been TIVOing Star Trek TNG lately, I think I have a space fetish.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

I can't wait for Mass Effect 2 to come in the mail.

Mass Effect 2 is still slated for Jan 26th right?

[Ramzavail]

as far as I know.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Saw that Crysis 2 is featured in the Official Playstation Magazine this week, confirming that it's in development for the PS3. I'm assuming they'll be doing a PC version as well. Does anyone know if it's coming to the 360?

[Aylmar]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Saw that Crysis 2 is featured in the Official Playstation Magazine this week, confirming that it's in development for the PS3. I'm assuming they'll be doing a PC version as well. Does anyone know if it's coming to the 360?

According to EA, it's going to be released on all three platforms.

Crysis 2 - EA Games

[RainMaker]

Is anyone playing Assassin's Creed 2? I was disappointed in the first one but finding myself having a ton of fun with this version. Not a ton of combat so far but I'm really enjoying the storyline, scenery, history and puzzles. Sort of a King's Quest element to the game that a lot of games are missing on consoles.

There is supposed to be a DLC coming out soon.

[MJ4H]

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Video Review

Man I can't wait for this and NBA Jam

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Is anyone playing Assassin's Creed 2? I was disappointed in the first one but finding myself having a ton of fun with this version. Not a ton of combat so far but I'm really enjoying the storyline, scenery, history and puzzles. Sort of a King's Quest element to the game that a lot of games are missing on consoles.

There is supposed to be a DLC coming out soon.

I really liked AC2, I rented it and finished it around the holidays. Great setting, pretty good storyline and the graphics are very impressive, especially when you climb up one of the taller buildings and just look around. Sneaking around rooftops and diving down to kill two guards at once with blades hidden under each arm is fantastic. The regular swordplay wasn't all that great (easy to button mash on many enemies, while harder enemies could only be attacked a certain way which got repetitive when one of them showed up) and the hire a group to help you maintain cover thing felt kind of gamey and too easy imo but it's still a really good game.

I never played the first one, from what I've read it sounds like it'd be hard to go back to it after playing the second one first.

[Philliesfan980]

NBA Jam does look awesome. It's a shame it's so far away (release date of 12/31/10 on EBgames.com). Hopefully they're able to move it up.

[cartman]

The PS3 has now been hacked. It was done by the guy that originally broke the iPhone.

On the PlayStation 3: Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot

[CraigSca]

As someone who is on the outside looking in, what does hacking a video game system buy you? Why would I want to do that?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

As someone who is on the outside looking in, what does hacking a video game system buy you? Why would I want to do that?

If the other systems are any indication, being able to run other operating systems on it at the innocent end, to running pirated downloaded games at the other end.

[CraigSca]

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

[Big Fo]

Pirated games, homebrew applications, get around region locking in order to play imported games, emulators/roms, maybe cheats in online play, etc. There are various reasons why people hack their consoles.

[Greyroofoo]

Anyone getting Mass Effect 2? I'm borderline on whether or not to preorder it. However I think I should finish Dragon Age first (which I think has an expansion coming out soon). I just wish I still had my mass effect 1 saved game.

Hopefully someone can post impressions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

If the other systems are any indication, being able to run other operating systems on it at the innocent end, to running pirated downloaded games at the other end.

He's already admitted that pirating games on the PS3 isn't a terribly useful scenario. The large size of the games on Blu-ray discs make it more cost-prohibitive than the 360, where you can fit a lot more pirated games on the same amount of drive space. It's a lot of work with a lesser amount of benefit. It's much cheaper to do it on the 360 (if someone is the type of person that's scum enough to do it of course).

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Greyroofoo

Anyone getting Mass Effect 2? I'm borderline on whether or not to preorder it. However I think I should finish Dragon Age first (which I think has an expansion coming out soon). I just wish I still had my mass effect 1 saved game.

Hopefully someone can post impressions.

I was tempted but have a couple games queued up (Assassin's Creed 2 and Ballad of Gay Tony) that I think I'm going to pass for now. There are just so many good games coming out in the coming months. I do think I'll pick it up sometime this summer when I can grab it on Ebay for like $25-$30.

[Ramzavail]

My Mass Effect 2 pre-order got backordered, GREAT!!1