Kain

There was one Episode of Friends where Chandler was playing Crash Team Racing. Episode where joey thinks he can pass for a 19 year old.

1 hour ago, kitsunebi77 said:

 

Btw, I loved Crazy Taxi as well, but I have to wonder if a new generation of gamers would be willing to accept paying for a new game that plays more or less the same a single minigame within any given GTA.

 If variety is the spice of life for you then it won't matter. What about demos? They are free, but people still end up buying those games, and some they don't as it goes both ways, Regardless of a demo, beta, mini game if it's something that interest you you'll get it.  Speaking of mini games, Geometry Wars was a mini game on Project Gotham Racing 2 on Xbox and eventually got re-released on Xbox 360 marketplace and became a huge hit. And it lead to many sequels.

1 hour ago, Areala said:

House of the Dead 2, Soulcalibur, and Power Stone are all fine titles. I'm not sure that three games qualifies as 'a lot', but everything else available at US launch easily fell into the 'terrible-to-mediocre' category, or was a sports game (but I repeat myself).

And let's not even bring up the Japanese launch of the system, which offered a tantalizing 4 titles: one terrible Godzilla game, one terrible sports sim starring penguins, one supremely sub-par visual novel, and the "No-one-will-remember-me-after-Soulcalibur's-release" third incarnation of Virtua Fighter.

*huggles*
Areala

So much fun with Power Stone, and Ready to Rumble Boxing, I enjoyed house of the Dead 2 as well, years later got the HOTD III on Xbox and it came with 2, which was unlockable and that was nice.

1 hour ago, kitsunebi77 said:

I'm not sure I'm following the logic, though.  If launch titles can find success just because there's nothing else available, isn't that the best time to launch a new non-franchise title?  The whole point of a sequel is cashing in on its built-in fanbase, which can be done at any time.  It's much harder to get people to buy a completely new title, so a system launch seems like a sensible time to try to get some new franchises started.

 For this thread and in this case it's franchises that will find a way into people's hands that have been gone for too long, at launch great time to pick it up as it reinvents itself and it almost feels like a new IP, but a game hasn't had a sequel in a long time. Crazy Taxi and one of my favorite games Panzer Dragoon Orta, new titles in those series would have been great at launch or within the first year of PS4 or Xbox 1's lifecycle. GTA, COD, Halo, can release anytime as they have a fanbase that is true, but titles that have close to 10 years between them hard to sell people on those sequels when the ecosystem of a new console is already established. And you obviously want new Ip's as they will make their mark and build on it. Mention Syphon Filter to someone under 20? Will they know it. Same thing with Cool Boarders titles that have almost gone the way of the dodo. But when the series has been gone for too long, it's not really cashing in if it's a sequel, movies not really counting as Star Wars makes money be it good,bad or ugly.  Bottom line you want new, but at the same time looking back into into the vault and seeing what you can bring out when it's been gone for a long time be it 10 plus years or several.

 To tell you the truth i don't trust many if any  developers to make a proper sequel to another/their series of games that's been absent for a long time. They just don't care anymore and if there are any that care they get shut down by their publisher and make what they are told. I loved Acclaim and Midway, is everything that they did gold? No but they weren't afraid to make and publish titles. MLB Slugfest was awesome, as was NFL Blitz, Turok was great at one point. Turok in the right hands could be awesome and impressive, but more than likely just another name on a long list of games that a another game needs to be made. At one point we got great games and really great sequels, but now the older titles are being more and more a distant memory. One series that i know that makes people from all genres play it was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Series 1-4, didn't matter if you loved MMO's or RPG's, Shooters or whatever you could pick up a THPS  and like it and have fun. And there were many titles between then and now some good other garbage and then the sequel came out THPS 5, and that went out faster than it hit the shelves. I wanted a new THPS for the PS3/Xbox 360 generation and when it came out, i refused to even finish it. That bad, how do you mess up a simple skateboarding game? Many games so far have had a perfect time to be released, but Sony didn't take the plunge and neither did Microsoft.  At launch PS4 could have had a new Syphon Filter, instead they gave people Killzone, Or Tourist Trophy at launch, Or Legend Of Dragoon, a great RPG to add to the launch as great new ecosystem, Cool Boarders a fun snowboarding game for the holidays. These and many more titles should have been seen by now to add and have Sony have something different than the usual, COD, Battlefield, Need For Speed and so on. You make something a launch title people are more likely to pick it up now when there is a limited selection to give it a try rather than now when the system has many games to chooses from.

Another one that i myself at first i thought it was a nice idea and something interesting and then it got out of hand. The Rockband/Guitar Hero Series.  Seeing people, forming their own bands was something else, and a video game band at that. Did like the first game but after that, it just went downhill. I guess it's more of the popularity and just seeing people dishing out money for song packs, buying the equipment and  taking the games so seriously that drove me to be disappointed by it and not to care for the series, the fun got taken out of it that i just don't care.

Basically list a game you were disappointed with, but it is very highly rated and loved.

For me, even to this day i don't get people's love with The Last Of Us. When it came out it was being touted as a amazing achievement, And it still is, considered to be one of the best games ever and so on, but for me it was anything but. The level design was ok, story was decent, but game-play and the characters as far as i go were not that great. As i was playing it, i kept waiting for that touching moment, something that grabs me and shows me why the game was great and what everyone was raving about, and before you know it it never came and the credits rolled. A really good PS3 exclusive. but i wouldn't say anything special other than that, Did i miss something with it? To me it's just one title that i myself never could get my head around as to it being really special.  The game does have many accolades and fans but i'm one of the few who didn't think it was that great or special.

Little surprised some of these didn't get a mention. Prince Of Persia, does it get any better than that. The Gabriel Knight series was fantastic, MYST, haven't played it in years but it does bring back great memories.  As a sport game junkie i have to give a shout to Sensible Soccer, way ahead of it's time, so much fun the series in general was amazing. Then again there are so  many titles to keep adding, Ultima, Civilization SimCity, Doom, Wolfenstein, Command and Conquer, Warcraft and so on, So many titles.

Which hockey team do you cheer for?

Do you judge teams by points, goal differential, hometown rivalries or with complexities like Sam Rothstein from the movie Casino?

 

Me, I follow Edmonton Oilers this year as well as Winnipeg Jets.  I think Oilers will at least make playoffs this year.  They have a good chance with their rookie captain Connor McDavid.  He has all the attributes of the two legends Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky.  Lacking only in experience but he aint shy and he is one of the fastest on the ice as well as having a wicked shot.

 

The rest of the team needs to rise for the occasion when this guy is on the ice and Edmonton will be back in the spotlight.

I haven't laughed this hard in years. Here in Canada all over TSN and Sportsnet that is all they talk about, how great Mcdavid and Matthews are. To even Put them in the same sentence as Gretzky or Orr is just beyond insane. And the worst part is these are older folks who've watched thousands of games, and seen thousands of players and they are praising folks who've done nothing. In the last 20 years more and more people have been praising players for doing nothing early on in their careers. In today's NHL if you get over 100 points consider yourself lucky. I don't see another player having 150+ point season or a 70+ goal campaign for a long time. And getting the 50 in 50 good luck. I want to see hardware and long playoff pushes, not potential, attributes and hype.  Just my train of thought.

It's more to do with the perception and the era that we are in. At one point you would say you got a PC and that would be a good conversation starter, as PC's at one point were expensive and lots of games were advertised for it. I used to see more gaming ads running on windows than actual work related programs. I don't want to use this word but it's almost a FAD to some extent. Not saying that computers are a fad, but gaming on pc's now seems to have that close approach to it. Once everyone almost has one it doesn't have the same feeling again. When your parents would take you to the movies, that was a special occasion. You loved and looked forward to it when they would tell you that you are going on a certain day or whatever. But when you grow up and can go to the movies on your own as a teenager or a adult, it doesn't have that special feeling again it once did as you can afford it. At the drop of a dime you can go whenever and see whatever. Same here, it was a luxury to play pc games and wait for a new game to come out as you had friends who were like you, but over time we get older and move on.  And over time people grow and get used to other things, everyone is it's own crowd. You got xbox crowds, PS crowds and Nintendo Crowds, everyone went their own way. You factor in smartphones which do more than pc's 15 years ago, and a new generation of people doing things differently than you and i did a long time ago and you come to the conclusion that nobody plays PC games, board games, pick up basketball games and so on.

I know that sports titles don't get a lot of love as do some other titles as not everything is everyone's cup of tea. So i'm throwing some titles that i enjoyed a lot. THPS 2, Cool Boarders 3, WWF SmackDown 2. Ready To Rumble Boxing, Battle Arena Toshinden,  Ape Escape, Army Men. among many others just had a blast, top to bottom. I know it's a top 10 list so i just threw some games less likely to be on the list but some deserve the mention, if not great but fun.

I only know english so reading subtitles becomes an impediment but I have learned that some of the best movies don't speak a word of english.

 

Grave of the Fireflies is a story of a brother who struggles to survive with his sister and no home and no parents during world war 2.

This one was dubbed in english.

 

Also Porco Rosso was another good one about an old pilot who flies in Italy during world war 1. 

I love that movie, I remember renting that one day just to see how good it is, was just browsing for something different and ended up being one of the few times i picked something for the hell of it and ended up being great.

I admit, the Playstation 2 had a tremendous following from loyal Playstation 1 owners as well as fallout from Nintendo and Sega owners of the 90's. 

I was always interested in the Xbox because of Halo and Shenmue 2.  In fact Microsoft co developed some of Dreamcasts Bios and operating system and after Sega folded, Microsoft took much of what they learned and built the powerful Xbox.

Xbox also had a good launch, to this day i love Project Gotham Racing and Amped, Amped 2 hands down my favorite snowboarding game. In time the Xbox like gamecube had really solid titles. 2001 was a great gaming year when you look back on it. Lots of great titles and a great variety.

The best reason to buy a Playstation 2 was the integrated DVD player.  I remember in 1999 a guy said he wanted to sell his DVD player and buy a new one but it was $450.00.  DVD's were $40.00.

At the end of the day the PS2 had so many things going for it at that point in time that are unmatched in today's day in age. Compatible with the PS1 games, the accessories, and the killer library of games in the first year or so on the market. Not to mention PS1 games were still being made. All those things made the PS2 a system to have. You got Silent Hill 2,Gran Turismo 3, MGS 2, GTA III, Final Fantasy X, Max Payne, Rayman 2, ICO, Devil May Cry, Jak And Daxter, THPS 3 that variety in the first year or so is hard to come by on a single console. I remember still seeing FFVII and original MGS and other PS1 classics in store for sale for around 20 bucks in 2000-2001. If you skipped some of those you could enjoy them on the PS2. PS2 had everything going for it. Right console, right price and right time.

Max Payne was decent, Mark Wahlberg was nicely cast as Max. Like many of them could have been better.

Does anyone remember the Joe Camel Ads? I always loved them and thought they were very well done. I'm not a smoker myself but i like and love a great ad. And they were really great.

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I enjoyed the Spawn comics. I didn't read every issue but from 40 or so issues i got my hands on i liked it. They were really well done. Also the Animated series is one of my favorite shows as well. And i enjoyed the movie as well. I also liked the Tomb Raider comics.

Most of the Movie tie in games and celebrity games are trash. Granted that's been the case for a long time. There are only a few games based on films/Tv and celebrity endorsed that are any good.

About a year ago bought a Xbox 360, one of the first models with the HDMI option. Bought it basically to play Gears Of War Judgment. The only gears title i didn't play up to that point. Old xbox 360 stopped working a long time ago, so got it for 40 bucks. Nice deal and the game was good. Worth it.

. I've got...let's see......three games for it?

Something tells me that's the way it's going to stay as far as PS Vita titles are concerned. The PSP was good, it had some steam but i can't count more then 10 really great games on it. At best 15 as far as i'm concerned maybe even less.. As a big MGS fan i only bought the PSP for MGS Portable Ops, and i had to wait a few years after to play Peace Walker, so for me two main games to use the psp. I've played others but those two were the main reason for me to get a PSP back in the day. and the MGS games were great. Had the PSP came out at around 2002 and competed with the GBA and vita around 2008, it might have been better as far as sales and things like that go but at the end of the day they both needed the software, and that is the killer of sony handhelds. Another killer was the UMD format for the PSP. That thing was a joke from my point of view. Sure there are nice titles but not system sellers like pokemon for Nintendo.

one of my all time favorite shows. probably #2 behind Seinfeld.

easily the best sketch comedy show of all time.

man, i LOVED my Muscle Men when i was a kid. always liked the colored ones better than the fleshtone ones tho.

tried google to find a picture of my favorite one, but didn't see it in the dozens of group shots i looked at. he was purple, tho.

It was a amazing show no doubt about it. Acting, writing, the style just a amazing show. And one of my Favorites. I would have liked it if it went on longer for a few more years but in the end it was short and sweet and one hell of a show.

Basically my biggest issue with apple is that they refuse to release a finished product. I don't buy things that you're still working on. Imagine if the house I built had plumbing that "sort of" worked...

That's Apple, kind of Ironic that long time ago Steve Jobs was bashing Microsoft and them making mediocre products and such. I am waiting for the new Iphone, not getting one myself but just watching these folks waiting in line for it for days and watching the news cover it like people are getting a reinvention of the wheel if you will. And when they come out of the Apple store they celebrate like they found the cure for something. No different than most phones i suppose, but it will be a scene.

Agree I don't think using digital credit is a good idea. I wonder will people become social phones the way technology is isolating us yet at the same time bringing us together. I mean I've seen people walking on the streets who stare at their iPhone to avoid eye contact,same thing at restaurant and other venus. Heck one lady died walking that way not to mention I now see WAY MORE accidents on the streets thanks to texting.

I'll tell you myself it's not that long ago that things seem NORMAL if you will. But in the last 10 years or so, we've changed drastically. And not for the good. I'd be in the store and waiting in line with a cart full of things to pay and the person in front of me, is texting away not realizing that they have to pay and so forth. And even when they realize it, they don't stop they have to finish the text. It drives me crazy. I'm not anti technology or anything like that, but sometimes i see my VHS and remember the simpler times. Brings back those great memories.

Perhaps it was after the first few years of the PS that Sony was having financial troubles that I am thinking of. Could have sworn that the PS is what kept them afloat as a company. Perhaps after the ipod launch took a bite (pardon the pun, really not intended) out of the sales of the walkman?

Also, what are you thinking Sony needs now? I haven't picked one up myself, but the PS4 seems to be doing quite well, and I probably know just as many, if not more people, who own the PS3 compared to the 360.

The PS4 is selling well, the Ps3 and the Xbox 360 are really close, however early on PS3 was sold at a loss a big one. Kind of Ironic that the PS3 came out a decade after the Saturn and pretty much copied their mistakes at launch. The world we live in is totally different. Even the PC sales are down, granted pc's are cheap, and mostly everyone almost has one but people want portability and tablets are the way to go and mostly people want one or the other. They want a Samsung one or a Apple one. Not to mention TV's aren't TV's like they once were. Home market is where Sony was great at, Their TV's were great, the VCR's after they started making them, the Stereos and so on. But the market changed so drastically in the new millennium. And with the arrival of Ipods, and Iphones and the Ipads hard to keep up as a new year brings the basic same thing over and people line up to buy it which makes me sick. At one point Blackberry was on the mountain had a clear insight into the mobility aspect and they lost track and went down. The things people want has been there since the dawn of man obviously but since year 2000 everyone wants it now. Voice control on TV, i never understood the fascination but ok. They want app's on their TV's, They want WiFi, they want credit cards on their phones, because taking it out of your wallet is too much of a hassle. We want a emoji to order pizza, and send a text to do it, because dialing a number of a pizza shop and saying i want a large pepperoni and two sodas is so outdated. Every device needs to be touch screen item almost. And Sony like many other companies who do various other things are in this loop of having to meet these needs of these needy people. PSPGo was junk don't know why they ever released that, and the PSP and Vita great machines but you're selling it to a special market. You're selling it to a gamer. Most people have a smartphone now, kids in elementary school have phones, you go back just 10 years or so ago, maybe 1 in 30 people on the street have a phone. Now anyone you pass has some kind of phone, if not a phone a Tablet. It's crazy. Now phone carriers are buying out your contracts and giving you free smartphones just so you'd come and be their customer and so forth. I remember when they wouldn't give you a 99 cent ringtone for free a 4-5 second part of a song as your ringtone. Now they can buy out your 600 dollar contract, go figure. Maybe sony has something up it's sleeve for 2016, maybe not but as i said when you are a company trying to meet the needs of many people in different needs and are in a tech field in today's day in age is harder. In the 1990's and decades before that was easier but now not really. Especially for a company in a home game console field. Not sounding negative here or like Abe Simpson and hating the times we live in but, it's the truth and the reality.

Does anyone else here have the demo disk that this is referencing? Still have mine, it was a developer demo, full of basically test animations that were rendered by the PS1 in real time. Came with the early PS1's, although I dunno how long they included them with the console. Funny I still remember that dino demo...

Also Kain, the success of the Playstation pretty much saved Sony as a company, to my understanding. They still dabble in a variety of electronics, but they've had their slumps to suffer through, and have been able to lean on the PS brand to carry them through the rough economies.

I don't know if Saved is the right term. When i think of a company being saved i think of IBM and Lou Gerstner taking over. IBM in the early 90's was on the brink of going extinct until Lou came and took over. He came from a Tobacco and Food company. Obviously IBM is a different beast and a different field but he saved them. Sure IBM is one of the best and well know companies in the world and the thought of them going out was huge back in the day. Just need someone to come in and give a new approach. Not saying everything he did was right but it saved the Big Blue. Yes Sony like any company tried different things and the big loss for sony was the VHS and Betamax war. As far Playstation goes obviously it helped the company really well. I don't think sony was in any severe financial nightmare like i mentioned IBM, i'm sure they had sluggish sales and not meeting the quota on some things and making the expected profits for a small period, no different than any other company. But that's far from being on the brink of extinction. Not to mention Playstation was a gamble, a big one, because as i mentioned before they had no games, or well known mascots that you can quickly identify with the system. And above all else it costs Millions to start and make a console. Also when the Playstation lunched it was perceived as it's own thing rather than a Sony machine. Sure like any company who is either making big money, or losing just a little or losing a lot of money they all want to stumble and come across the next big thing that will reward them well. And Sony hit the jackpot with the Playstation. Nintendo had problems with the N64, great console some of my favorites are on it as well but compared to the original Playstation it was not even close. And then the Gamecube, once again didn't do well compared to the arrival of the Xbox and the PS2 juggernaut. They came back with the Wii, and that helped them out really well. At the same time the Game Boy color, the Game Boy Advance and the eventual DS helped Nintendo really well during the time their main console sales were sluggish. Sony does however need something now. The last several years haven't been kind to them.

Great time to be a gamer, isn't it? Back in the day if you had that many games, you probably had more money than sense.

Really? Legends includes all of Origins?

You'll enjoy the other two Onimusha games I'm sure. Myself, I try to go through prior generations of games too, play the highly acclaimed games that I missed, particularly the underrated stuff. Hence, my recent playthrough of BG&E. Had a great feel for suspense that the MGS and recent Batman games have done so well, and it has some Pokemon Snap style picture taking on the side too. Lots of fun.

As for Valkyria Chronicles, it was probably the first game I bought for PS3, other than MGS4 and SSF2HD. Bought it simply for the art style, and fell in love with the combat. Played through about half of the second one, but I dunno... while they expanded the classes, I almost feel like it lost some of the focus of the first game, it just didn't feel quite as special. Never played the third one, since it hasn't been translated to my knowledge. The original VC is a criminally under played game folks...

No Not all of them but a nice portion of them, still you get like 35+ extra levels. Here is a list of the levels available. Really cool.

http://raymanpc.com/wiki/en/Back_to_Origins