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Finally 3 weeks before the release of the evil incarnate, X-branded, oversized radiator, Microsoft have unleashed demo units in several Electronics Boutique stores, supposedly showing off what the "X-box" (or box with x carved into it) is actually capable of, and to that end it would seem it is capable of not a lot.
Firstly, I thought it looked big in pictures inside magazines but when I saw one in the flesh (or plastic rather) I thought to myself "oh my god it's the size of nearly 3 Dreamcasts!" well, more to the point I thought it looked like a poorly designed radiator but the fact remains that it is a huge hunk of crud with an X carved into it nonetheless.
Secondly, The controller, hmmm where do I start? I picked it up and I was utterly confused it was a very poor fusion of a dreamcast, Ps2 and gamecube controller all rolled into an oversized plastic shell, it has to be the worst controller for a console ever designed (even the Atari Jaguars controller looks comfortable compared to it!) it seems to live by the it's own philosophy of "so many buttons yet so little functions", in many of the control layouts in the games about half of the buttons seemed to perform the same action making the whole prospect of pushing a button to find out what it does completley lifeless and uninspiring.
Right! thats the basic moaning about the system over and done with (apart from the crippling price that is) now onto the games, firstly the demo disc boasted about 12 demo's half of which were only 30 second trailers, much to my bemusement Halo was not playable! yes Halo the game that Microsoft and everyone who's played it on Import has been hyping to the extreme for the past couple of months or so was nothing more than a Non-interactive trailer! So I thought to my self right, Halo's not playable so nothing else is going to be even playable, and guess what? I was right (well mostly).
out of all the games on the disc only one was half decent in my opinion, the utterly rubbish games on display were Fusion Frenzy which basically had you "juming over sticks" which I found highly dull and uninteresting, Project Gotham racing, in which the cars handled like ice-cream trucks! and Blood wake, which was original if original means that it is also totaly lifeless!
The one decent game which stood out from the rest was Amped, the snowboarding game which was highly reminicent of 1080% and was suprisingly just as good and had me coming back earlier today to play it again for about 40 minutes! (which even I was quite suprised about!) so even though the X-box has about two good things going for it (Halo and Amped) I would have to say that overall it is all overhyped and overated cack, a harsh comment you say? i really don't think so, anyway roll on May 3rd then we will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
Thanks for reading!
slik ~_~
Firstly, I thought it looked big in pictures inside magazines but when I saw one in the flesh (or plastic rather) I thought to myself "oh my god it's the size of nearly 3 Dreamcasts!" well, more to the point I thought it looked like a poorly designed radiator but the fact remains that it is a huge hunk of crud with an X carved into it nonetheless.
Secondly, The controller, hmmm where do I start? I picked it up and I was utterly confused it was a very poor fusion of a dreamcast, Ps2 and gamecube controller all rolled into an oversized plastic shell, it has to be the worst controller for a console ever designed (even the Atari Jaguars controller looks comfortable compared to it!) it seems to live by the it's own philosophy of "so many buttons yet so little functions", in many of the control layouts in the games about half of the buttons seemed to perform the same action making the whole prospect of pushing a button to find out what it does completley lifeless and uninspiring.
Right! thats the basic moaning about the system over and done with (apart from the crippling price that is) now onto the games, firstly the demo disc boasted about 12 demo's half of which were only 30 second trailers, much to my bemusement Halo was not playable! yes Halo the game that Microsoft and everyone who's played it on Import has been hyping to the extreme for the past couple of months or so was nothing more than a Non-interactive trailer! So I thought to my self right, Halo's not playable so nothing else is going to be even playable, and guess what? I was right (well mostly).
out of all the games on the disc only one was half decent in my opinion, the utterly rubbish games on display were Fusion Frenzy which basically had you "juming over sticks" which I found highly dull and uninteresting, Project Gotham racing, in which the cars handled like ice-cream trucks! and Blood wake, which was original if original means that it is also totaly lifeless!
The one decent game which stood out from the rest was Amped, the snowboarding game which was highly reminicent of 1080% and was suprisingly just as good and had me coming back earlier today to play it again for about 40 minutes! (which even I was quite suprised about!) so even though the X-box has about two good things going for it (Halo and Amped) I would have to say that overall it is all overhyped and overated cack, a harsh comment you say? i really don't think so, anyway roll on May 3rd then we will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
Thanks for reading!
slik ~_~
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Belldandy wrote:
> $lik wrote:
>i really don't think so, anyway roll on
> May 3rd then we
> will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
You mean "who's
> the kiddy of the consoles!" surely ? I think Gamecube is just some
> overpriced toy. The lack of DVD, a hard drive, announced online capability, and
> no really unique launch games make it one to avoid. Microsoft and Sony are going
> to be where the main showdown is on the console front. Sure the Gamecube will
> sell in launch because its cheap - and looks it to ! The controllers are small
> compared to the Xbox/PS2 ones and look terrible. As for purple for the
> colour.... :)
Microsoft and Sony have secured massive tird party support,
> but Nintendo is relying mainly on itself and its bunch of characters, safe in
> the knowledge that sticking Mario/Luigi in the game, will secure the necessary
> sales regardless. Yes, GC has the new Resident Evil, and Die Hard (multi
> platform so not that great) but other than that theres not much to interest me
> !
Right, going through that....
I don't watch the console while playing games, so its look doesn't bother me, and anyway, if you don't like purple, get black. Simple.
The controller is the best of the 3, PS2 is OK but the XBox one is painful. Literally.
GC is for playing games, so no DVD doesn't matter. And anyway, if, like loads of people, you already own a DVD player in some shape or form, then it is just a waste of money.
The HDD. Yes you don't need mem cards, but one of the whole points of mem cards is so you can transport your saves to a friends! In a press conference, when somebody asked microsoft whether you can transport, they said to get a memory card! Undermining the whole point! And grapically, XBox and GC are very similar. Dont tell me 125 million polygons, because they cant. Simple. With texture, lighting and all the other tech jargon, the figure goes down drastically. GC's is actual in game, taking into account all the tech stuff.
Online gaming has not taken off in the mainstream yet, so to plunge in headfirst is unwise. per minute fees, subscriptions etc mean that the casual gamer wont want it yet, so by holding back, Ninty are waiting for the market to be ready and will learn from others mistakes.
As for games...
Ninty and Rare and all of Ninty 2nd parties make fantastic games, look at Rare's collection! Goldeneye, PD, CBFD, Jet Force Gemini, and more were all class games, and they're working on more exclusively for GC! And Ninty do make great games, Zelda. Mario, Metroid, Super Smash are all great games anyone can enjoy! And loads of 3rd parties are with Ninty, Sega, EA, Acclaim, Midway, Kemco, and more I cant remeber on the spot. Games are not a problem for GC.
So actually, GC is not the 'Kiddy console', it is a brilliant piece of gaming kit for anyone, young, teen or adult.
> $lik wrote:
>i really don't think so, anyway roll on
> May 3rd then we
> will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
You mean "who's
> the kiddy of the consoles!" surely ? I think Gamecube is just some
> overpriced toy. The lack of DVD, a hard drive, announced online capability, and
> no really unique launch games make it one to avoid. Microsoft and Sony are going
> to be where the main showdown is on the console front. Sure the Gamecube will
> sell in launch because its cheap - and looks it to ! The controllers are small
> compared to the Xbox/PS2 ones and look terrible. As for purple for the
> colour.... :)
Microsoft and Sony have secured massive tird party support,
> but Nintendo is relying mainly on itself and its bunch of characters, safe in
> the knowledge that sticking Mario/Luigi in the game, will secure the necessary
> sales regardless. Yes, GC has the new Resident Evil, and Die Hard (multi
> platform so not that great) but other than that theres not much to interest me
> !
Right, going through that....
I don't watch the console while playing games, so its look doesn't bother me, and anyway, if you don't like purple, get black. Simple.
The controller is the best of the 3, PS2 is OK but the XBox one is painful. Literally.
GC is for playing games, so no DVD doesn't matter. And anyway, if, like loads of people, you already own a DVD player in some shape or form, then it is just a waste of money.
The HDD. Yes you don't need mem cards, but one of the whole points of mem cards is so you can transport your saves to a friends! In a press conference, when somebody asked microsoft whether you can transport, they said to get a memory card! Undermining the whole point! And grapically, XBox and GC are very similar. Dont tell me 125 million polygons, because they cant. Simple. With texture, lighting and all the other tech jargon, the figure goes down drastically. GC's is actual in game, taking into account all the tech stuff.
Online gaming has not taken off in the mainstream yet, so to plunge in headfirst is unwise. per minute fees, subscriptions etc mean that the casual gamer wont want it yet, so by holding back, Ninty are waiting for the market to be ready and will learn from others mistakes.
As for games...
Ninty and Rare and all of Ninty 2nd parties make fantastic games, look at Rare's collection! Goldeneye, PD, CBFD, Jet Force Gemini, and more were all class games, and they're working on more exclusively for GC! And Ninty do make great games, Zelda. Mario, Metroid, Super Smash are all great games anyone can enjoy! And loads of 3rd parties are with Ninty, Sega, EA, Acclaim, Midway, Kemco, and more I cant remeber on the spot. Games are not a problem for GC.
So actually, GC is not the 'Kiddy console', it is a brilliant piece of gaming kit for anyone, young, teen or adult.
Now your talking - Pikmin is fantastic. A little short-lived,
> but fantastic none-the-less.
As for DOA, I like me beat-em-up's. Preferably
> 2D, but it's no Soul Calibur that's for sure.
Sorry, that should've been "I prefer 2D" rather than "preferably".
> but fantastic none-the-less.
As for DOA, I like me beat-em-up's. Preferably
> 2D, but it's no Soul Calibur that's for sure.
Sorry, that should've been "I prefer 2D" rather than "preferably".
Grix Thraves wrote:
> Pikmin... not *quite* launch, but close enough. Something like a week
> after.
Rogue Leader, Star Wars braindead actiony.
And, once again
> personal taste, Super Smash Bros. Suppose it does come down to it in the end...
> but I really can't stand Wave Race. To be fair though, I can hardly stand any
> racing games.
And then I wouldn't have got Dead and Alive 3, only because I
> thought DOA2 sucked... loads of boobies bouncing around, yeah, lovely... but
> where's the game? Gimme Soul Calibur anyday.
Now your talking - Pikmin is fantastic. A little short-lived, but fantastic none-the-less.
As for DOA, I like me beat-em-up's. Preferably 2D, but it's no Soul Calibur that's for sure.
> Pikmin... not *quite* launch, but close enough. Something like a week
> after.
Rogue Leader, Star Wars braindead actiony.
And, once again
> personal taste, Super Smash Bros. Suppose it does come down to it in the end...
> but I really can't stand Wave Race. To be fair though, I can hardly stand any
> racing games.
And then I wouldn't have got Dead and Alive 3, only because I
> thought DOA2 sucked... loads of boobies bouncing around, yeah, lovely... but
> where's the game? Gimme Soul Calibur anyday.
Now your talking - Pikmin is fantastic. A little short-lived, but fantastic none-the-less.
As for DOA, I like me beat-em-up's. Preferably 2D, but it's no Soul Calibur that's for sure.
$lik wrote:
>i really don't think so, anyway roll on
> May 3rd then we will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
You mean "who's the kiddy of the consoles!" surely ? I think Gamecube is just some overpriced toy. The lack of DVD, a hard drive, announced online capability, and no really unique launch games make it one to avoid. Microsoft and Sony are going to be where the main showdown is on the console front. Sure the Gamecube will sell in launch because its cheap - and looks it to ! The controllers are small compared to the Xbox/PS2 ones and look terrible. As for purple for the colour.... :)
Microsoft and Sony have secured massive tird party support, but Nintendo is relying mainly on itself and its bunch of characters, safe in the knowledge that sticking Mario/Luigi in the game, will secure the necessary sales regardless. Yes, GC has the new Resident Evil, and Die Hard (multi platform so not that great) but other than that theres not much to interest me !
>i really don't think so, anyway roll on
> May 3rd then we will see "who's the daddy of the consoles!"
You mean "who's the kiddy of the consoles!" surely ? I think Gamecube is just some overpriced toy. The lack of DVD, a hard drive, announced online capability, and no really unique launch games make it one to avoid. Microsoft and Sony are going to be where the main showdown is on the console front. Sure the Gamecube will sell in launch because its cheap - and looks it to ! The controllers are small compared to the Xbox/PS2 ones and look terrible. As for purple for the colour.... :)
Microsoft and Sony have secured massive tird party support, but Nintendo is relying mainly on itself and its bunch of characters, safe in the knowledge that sticking Mario/Luigi in the game, will secure the necessary sales regardless. Yes, GC has the new Resident Evil, and Die Hard (multi platform so not that great) but other than that theres not much to interest me !
Pikmin... not *quite* launch, but close enough. Something like a week after.
Rogue Leader, Star Wars braindead actiony.
And, once again personal taste, Super Smash Bros. Suppose it does come down to it in the end... but I really can't stand Wave Race. To be fair though, I can hardly stand any racing games.
And then I wouldn't have got Dead and Alive 3, only because I thought DOA2 sucked... loads of boobies bouncing around, yeah, lovely... but where's the game? Gimme Soul Calibur anyday.
Rogue Leader, Star Wars braindead actiony.
And, once again personal taste, Super Smash Bros. Suppose it does come down to it in the end... but I really can't stand Wave Race. To be fair though, I can hardly stand any racing games.
And then I wouldn't have got Dead and Alive 3, only because I thought DOA2 sucked... loads of boobies bouncing around, yeah, lovely... but where's the game? Gimme Soul Calibur anyday.
DrDragon wrote:
> Smash Brothers is amazing. It just is. Amazing.
I got it on import, and it
> really is brilliant. Truly.
Loads to do, great fun single and multiplayer,
> looks great, unlockable thing galore, etc.
Unmissable.
Again, it's what floats your boat really.
I just didn't get on with it.
> Smash Brothers is amazing. It just is. Amazing.
I got it on import, and it
> really is brilliant. Truly.
Loads to do, great fun single and multiplayer,
> looks great, unlockable thing galore, etc.
Unmissable.
Again, it's what floats your boat really.
I just didn't get on with it.
Smash Brothers is amazing. It just is. Amazing.
I got it on import, and it really is brilliant. Truly.
Loads to do, great fun single and multiplayer, looks great, unlockable thing galore, etc.
Unmissable.
I got it on import, and it really is brilliant. Truly.
Loads to do, great fun single and multiplayer, looks great, unlockable thing galore, etc.
Unmissable.
Grix Thraves wrote:
> Bleeders wrote:
"Best games at launch for GameCube? Super Monkey Ball,
> Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm IMO."
Hell no, Wave Race sucks
> too... are you talking about the European launch here?
Yep, I'll put this one down to personal taste. I preferred WR to Smash Brothers Melee, which I went for initially.
There's a load of much
> more appealing games than Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race.
Which ones do you think are more appealing? :)
> Bleeders wrote:
"Best games at launch for GameCube? Super Monkey Ball,
> Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm IMO."
Hell no, Wave Race sucks
> too... are you talking about the European launch here?
Yep, I'll put this one down to personal taste. I preferred WR to Smash Brothers Melee, which I went for initially.
There's a load of much
> more appealing games than Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race.
Which ones do you think are more appealing? :)
Grix Thraves wrote:
> Agree with the controller, lifeless crappy piece of junk. But I didn't like
> Amped... but I do need to play it more, to get a better idea.
You're right, the controller is not good.
> Agree with the controller, lifeless crappy piece of junk. But I didn't like
> Amped... but I do need to play it more, to get a better idea.
You're right, the controller is not good.
Slik, there are deoms with Halo, I played it in HMV Oxford Street. To be fair it did play like it was fun, and it looked very good. I also played Amped and PGR there. PGR handles poorly, but it wasn't that bad. Just nother realistic racer. Amped was not good. It was like SSX, even the scoring system, but without the humour added or thrill of racing. Get SSX tricky instead.
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