What the hell is happening in the gaming world?

 

Halo 2 and Smackdown v Raw, two big and keenly awaited games, espically Halo 2... And what are they? Crap!

 

I loved the original Halo so much and I was willing to sell my kidney to gain the second and when I got it I played the single player on Normal (I am after all an experienced player, no need for easy). And what happens? I cleared in 4 hours! 4 hours!?!?

 

Yes it was filled with great set pieces and battles but it wasn't long enough at all. I got Half Life 2 during the week and its safe to say that it kicked Halo's ass right into touch.

 

Even Halo's multiplayer is a disappointment as you have no real control in the ranking matches or clean matches what the game type is going to be. Plus the sword is the most irratating and newbie weapon ever divised!

 

Then I get the latest Smackdown and I have already completed it. Today, half an hour ago... I started the career at seven!

 

Their isn't enough additions in the way of moves or game types or modifications. Plus all this Clean and Dirty stuff is a right jip. Plus you have you even tried doing a back special? Near impossible to keep the sods groggy for long enough.

 

It's quite simple, the only three games that have made this year bearable where Day of Reckoning (easily the best wrestling game this year and on a par with Smackdown 4 but still all falls short of No Mercy), GTA San Andreas and Half Life 2....

 

Doom 3, Halo 2, Smackdown v Raw et all have been rubbish... What is the gaming world coming to when people can ruin great gaming formulas... Even a rehash with some style would be more entertaining!

I think theres gonna be a few more dissapointing games before the year ends as well...I've got an awful feeling MGS3 is going to be crap, and Killzone, which has been hyped to death, is bound to dissapoint.

Well I have never been a fan of games such as Rainbow Six, Syphon Filter, Metal Gear etc... And for me MGS2 was a worse then MGS1 a game that I didn't really enjoy...

 

For me Zelda when it arrives, Perfect Dark Zero when it appears on X-Box 2 and the new WrestleMania games will be the only real standout games for a while.

 

That and Knights Of The Republic 2 when it comes out on the 12th...

I've been like that since Mario 64 Gringo. I remember playing Space Invaders when it came out and I think the more you actually "game" the easier games become, over the years very few games have impressed me but I'll list a few:

 

All Mario and Zelda 2D games on early Nes consoles

Mario 64

Diddy Kong Racing

Final Fantasy 7

Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Metal Gear Solid

Halo

Goldeneye 64

Timesplitters

Kingdom Hearts

Dark Chronicle

Panzer Dragoon (Saturn Version)

Soul Reaver

Banjo and Kazooie

 

There are others but most games today follow straightforward go do this get this and come back here stratagies which are obvious to those who are hardened gamers and who have seen it all before I mean FPS's are all the same with the possible exception of Red Faction where you can blow up scenery, but other than that it is just Castle Wolfenstien on the Jaguar.

RTS's same but with different characters and things to collect.

There are a lot of innovative games but then there are alot of games that follow the success of innovation and thus every so often you have an influx of games which are neither different nor difficult and people such as yourself become jaded by the whole experience.

There are though always new game advances to appear and the future is online interaction, where your ultimate nemesis is a 14 year old girl in Crewe who kicks your ass all the time. lol.

 

Spiritchaser

Retro Guru

To be fair I hated Mario 64. Mario reached its peak in its 2D incarnations, it did, 3D platforming is evil and overrated beyond belief...

 

I loved Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Virtua Tennis 1 & 2, the Resident Evil Series up to Code Veronica, WWF No Mercy and Wrestlemania, WCW World Tour and Revenge, Tetris, Zelda 1 and 2, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Windwaker, Halo, GTA 1-San Andreas, ISS 64, Fifa 2003, Champ Manager 97-98, Sonic 1-Knuckles, Earthworm Jim, Donkey Country 1-3 and all the Star Wars SNES games...

 

For me, bar a few exceptions, true quality and innovative gaming died along with the Dreamcast, n64 and PSone....

a

Edited December 17, 200618 yr by Mr Dragon

I've gotta agree, its all about franchises now and what sells... What happened to putting out games people will buy and then using the money to innovate? Rareware are greatly missed in my view. Even though I hate 3D platformers there where ideas in Donkey Kong 64 and the Banjo Kazooie games that were genuis. Blast Crops is a hugely underrated game, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini and of corse Conkers Bad Fur Day....

 

That's why I can't wait for PDZ.... the return of Joanna Dark.

I think Smackdown vs Raw is a great game, much better than Here comes the pain which was complete crap. But the lack of wrestlers can get quite annoying.

 

Also the back special is pretty simple, just run to the them and press left and O or right and O which will take you behind the opponent then hit L1.

Wow Gringo Blast Corps was superb I forgot that on my list "Gotta Keep Movin"

Man that was a difficult game to complete especially in Platinum Mode.

 

As for Majora's Mask and Windwaker, Majora's was excellent but not a patch on Ocarina of Time, I wept with joy at that game, and Windwaker was cel-shaded Ocarina of Time, not much innovation apart from the boat but it felt borrowed from FF games.

 

I am waiting for the new Zelda though and hoping it innovates but I'm not holding my breath.

 

Spiritchaser

Loved Dig Dug

Games are easier these days. I dont mind playing SdvsRAW, its more entertaining for me as a major wrestling fan than GTA but then theres a lot of games that I have enjoyed this year and over time there have been better wrestling games.

 

WWF RAW for MegaDrive was brilliance.

Backstage Assault for PsOne I loved as it was different, no ring.

WrestleMania 2000 and No Mercy-best two wrestling games of all time.

Survivor Series for GBA-Superb.

 

Just waiting til Christmas to get my copy of Day of Reckoning.

 

This year the games i have enjoyed have been

 

Tony Hawks Underground 2

FIFA 2005

Pro Evolution Soccer 4

LotR-third Age

GTA:SA

SDvsRAW

Hitman:Contracts

Tiger Woods 2005

Def Jam Fight For NY

WWE Survivor Series

What the hell is happening in the gaming world?

 

Halo 2 and Smackdown v Raw, two big and keenly awaited games, espically Halo 2... And what are they? Crap!

 

I loved the original Halo so much and I was willing to sell my kidney to gain the second and when I got it I played the single player on Normal (I am after all an experienced player, no need for easy). And what happens? I cleared in 4 hours! 4 hours!?!?

 

Yes it was filled with great set pieces and battles but it wasn't long enough at all. I got Half Life 2 during the week and its safe to say that it kicked Halo's ass right into touch.

 

Even Halo's multiplayer is a disappointment as you have no real control in the ranking matches or clean matches what the game type is going to be. Plus the sword is the most irratating and newbie weapon ever divised!

 

Then I get the latest Smackdown and I have already completed it. Today, half an hour ago... I started the career at seven!

 

Their isn't enough additions in the way of moves or game types or modifications. Plus all this Clean and Dirty stuff is a right jip. Plus you have you even tried doing a back special? Near impossible to keep the sods groggy for long enough.

 

It's quite simple, the only three games that have made this year bearable where Day of Reckoning (easily the best wrestling game this year and on a par with Smackdown 4 but still all falls short of No Mercy), GTA San Andreas and Half Life 2....

 

Doom 3, Halo 2, Smackdown v Raw et all have been rubbish... What is the gaming world coming to when people can ruin great gaming formulas... Even a rehash with some style would be more entertaining!

What a terribly bleak view of things. I really like SD v Raw, and prefer it to DOR, if only because DOR only has one route through season mode and nothing to do after that. I don't have Halo 2 yet but the first game was short as well, it's quality and not quantity that counts, although I do like LOTS of quality stuff.

It hasn't been all bad this year.. Animal Crossing was great on Gamecube, and there was the brilliance of Burnout 3.

As for Fletchers list though.. Backstage Assault? That was lame. And THUG 2 was a real low point in the series I feel.

Still, if the current crop is a bit weak, there's a world of great older stuff out there. My most played game for a long time this summer was the brilliant Die Hard Arcade (aka Dynamite Cop) on the Saturn. Great beat em up with absolutely sod all to do with the film.

WrestleMania 2000 and No Mercy-best two wrestling games of all time

 

I couldn't agree more. The story mode in WM2000 was great. If you continued on and choose another created wrestler, you're original choice would stay in season mode. I did this for about 15 seasons and ended up with a roster o WWF, ECW and WCW wrestlers.

 

In No Mercy there was one feature that I wish the SD games had kept. That is the ability to put tables & chairs on the floor and do any moves on them. it lent a little more realism than SD. In SD they can't walk over chairs and simply move them around. It seem a small thimg, but piledriving, powerbombing or DDTing someone on a chair and hearing that familiar "THUNK" as their head/back struck a chair was great.

What a terribly bleak view of things. I really like SD v Raw, and prefer it to DOR, if only because DOR only has one route through season mode and nothing to do after that. I don't have Halo 2 yet but the first game was short as well, it's quality and not quantity that counts, although I do like LOTS of quality stuff.

It hasn't been all bad this year.. Animal Crossing was great on Gamecube, and there was the brilliance of Burnout 3.

As for Fletchers list though.. Backstage Assault? That was lame. And THUG 2 was a real low point in the series I feel.

Still, if the current crop is a bit weak, there's a world of great older stuff out there. My most played game for a long time this summer was the brilliant Die Hard Arcade (aka Dynamite Cop) on the Saturn. Great beat em up with absolutely sod all to do with the film.

 

Thats what I mean... Why should I have to resort to my old beat up n64 for true gaming pleasure? People should be allowed to expect more from gaming as far as innovation etc goes simply due to the advances in technology...

 

The first Halo wasn't short IMO, it had just the right balance in both Single Player, co-op and multiplayer... Now unless you want to arm a bomb in a crap multiplayer game online then there is no real longevity!

I couldn't agree more. The story mode in WM2000 was great. If you continued on and choose another created wrestler, you're original choice would stay in season mode. I did this for about 15 seasons and ended up with a roster o WWF, ECW and WCW wrestlers.

 

In No Mercy there was one feature that I wish the SD games had kept. That is the ability to put tables & chairs on the floor and do any moves on them. it lent a little more realism than SD. In SD they can't walk over chairs and simply move them around. It seem a small thimg, but piledriving, powerbombing or DDTing someone on a chair and hearing that familiar "THUNK" as their head/back struck a chair was great.

 

 

theres nothing sweeter than running and diving at someone with your title belt and connecting. You can do it on SDvsRAW but it just doesnt feel the same.

And i never forgot the hilarity of smalling someone head first onto the ring bell. Ding. And whenever you used a ring bell the bell to end the match always sounded slightly distorted

Yep, its true, in every small little way No Mercy was the greatest wrestling game of all time... Only Super Fire Pro Wrestling can match it in some aspects....

 

Always fun giving someone the Ganso Bomb or the Burning Hammer on the ring steps...

Outside of WWE games though Def Jam Vendetta was superb too.

 

Spiritchaser

Clothesline

Thats what I mean... Why should I have to resort to my old beat up n64 for true gaming pleasure? People should be allowed to expect more from gaming as far as innovation etc goes simply due to the advances in technology...

Not neccesarily. While the 32- 64 bit boom caused widespread use of 3D games which lead to some innovation from developers, which is probably why your beat up N64 is still going strong, this generation, and I suspect the next, has merely offered more polys and higher framerates. Granted it made Halo, San Andreas, Splinter Cell and Burnout to live up to their expectations, but it didn't provoke inspiration. As far as technology changing gaming.. the Nintendo DS is the first machine in ages to give developers something entirely new to experiment with. Hopefully we'll get some classics once the thing truly gets out of the blocks.

But if you have more graphical power then you can build a better engine that allows realistic physics, images and actions as well as larger enviroments etc....

 

These can be used as tools to build more exciting and innovative games... Think of all the things that Nintendo, Rare and Capcom managed to fit in there games when 3D became available... why can't they all do the same?

 

Play Half Life 2... feel the effects on the game with the gravity gun and the graphics and how this is intergrated into the gaming enviroment and the goals in the game... Thats what it should be about!

Some of the new games have been great. I just got an x-box recently and have been hooked on Burnout 3, Champ man is always quality too. Although some sequels have been crap, im taking Tiger Woods back to the shop tomorrow cause if you had it last year then there is no point in owning this one, i feel.

 

Had a GC before and day of reckoning was legendary, yeah story mode was a bit one dimensional but the best gameplay for a wrestling game in years. Word of warning dont make the mistake of buying Raw for the x-box. I did but returned it the next day, ''it was my birthday and my mate has bought it for me so now i have two, mr shopkeeper. Honest!''

 

Old skool does rule tho. I think i have had four or five Snes's in my time. I just keep buying them back and when i do, i inherit or discover great games i missed the first time around. DK country 3 and Yoshi's Island are examples of those. My favourite games were, Sunset Riders, Mario Kart, F-Zero, Zelda, Mario Land, DK country and Kevin Keeegans Soccer Manager. Well maybe not the last one.

 

I have one question concerning the original topic. Being relativley new to the x-box scene should i buy Halo or Halo 2?

Halo 1 for single play and none online multiplay....

 

Halo 2 for a short and epic yet disappointing single player and a good online multiplayer game if you don't play ranking games and just play against your mates....

 

So in short, you really have to have both, they complete each other...

 

All I can say is that Halo 2 just feels like to me a stop gap to Halo 3 when it occurs on the second generation of X-Box... trust me, those who have seen the ending will know and believe me.

Concerning Smackdown vs Raw, it is a dissapointment, but it seems that everyone is now. We expect so much from games that when they dont match up to our high standards we make them out to be dire. SvsR is still a very good game, better than its previous incarnation thats for sure. The story mode may not be as long, but it has better fueds etc the HCTP. The graphics havent improved greatly, but they never do. But the speech is a good addition, the commentating is great fun, and the whole VS aspect is excellent.