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"Splinter Cell was Multi-platform from the beginning."

Well Well then it appears that Splinter Cell the so called Xbox exclusive was infact a multi platform game from the very beginning and infact the developers actually wanted to make sure they could achieve the same level of detail on the PS2 and GC games otherwise they would have never have started the project.

Infact the PS2 version has extras, that are geared more towards the PS2 user as they demand more and have higher skill level, not my words but the actual developers comments.

Then again I can imagine that it's a hard game for Xbox users because of their poorly designed controllers.

Top score wrote:
>
> As for us PS2 and Xbox owners we are in the obvious position of owning
> consoles with a standard format that is big enough not to need two
> discs. Then again Nintendo which is supposed to know a lot about
> gaming keep making the wrong decisions any idot could see it was the
> same N64 mistake all over again.

are you for real?

I really don't know why you bother.

Cyclone wrote:
> I have Resident Evil on GC. Very near the end, I have to change the
> disc. Once.
>
> I'm active enough to get up and do that. It makes no sodding
> difference to me.
>
> And I can get GC games for under £30. Easily.
>
> Shut up and sod off Top Score.

Yeh all the ones that are under £30 are cheap @ss PS2 ports which make up most of the GC library.

As for us PS2 and Xbox owners we are in the obvious position of owning consoles with a standard format that is big enough not to need two discs. Then again Nintendo which is supposed to know a lot about gaming keep making the wrong decisions any idot could see it was the same N64 mistake all over again.

Right, lets put this to bed once and for all. I found this over and C&VG.com:

"We also introduce a greater difference between the two levels of difficulty in the game (the normal and hard mode).The normal mode has new rules. We wanted to avoid at any cost the situation where you triggered three alarms, then a last one, meaning mission over causing you to have to go back to a checkpoint very near to an alarm and re-trigger it again and again. Checkpoints, in normal mode, will put you back to a maximum of two alarms already triggered.

We're working on PlayStation 2 to really heighten the immersion as far as possible: cinematics are a first means to do this, so we made new cinematics and even a brand new intro cinematic, directed by French director Florent-Emilio Siri. We also developed some camera effects when a dead body is found to raise the tension of the gameplay."

- - - - -

So basically, the game has been made easier, on the normal difficulty mode. And the story has been broken up by more cut scenes. Quite why, I have no idea, perhaps PS2 owners like just sitting there watching their games, rather than playing them? Hey, it woked for MGS 2...

Quote from same place:

How long have the PS2 and GC versions been in development?

Doat: We started in Shanghai with a very small group of PlayStation 2 experts coming from the China studio but also from 3 other Ubi Soft studios in February 2002. We worked on the prototype to prove that we could reach our goal before starting the production.

- - - - -

So therefore the Xbox version was started first, as there's no way that the game could be started after Feb '02, and be in the shops by Nov '02.

I have Resident Evil on GC. Very near the end, I have to change the disc. Once.

I'm active enough to get up and do that. It makes no sodding difference to me.

And I can get GC games for under £30. Easily.

Shut up and sod off Top Score.

Top score wrote:
> Infact the PS2 version has extras, that are geared more towards the
> PS2 user as they demand more and have higher skill level, not my words
> but the actual developers comments.

I'm not even goin to diginify that wth a proper response

> Then again I can imagine that it's a hard game for Xbox users because
> of their poorly designed controllers.

I take it you have not used one for a long period of time. It's not often i stick up for the X-Box, but once you get used to the pad it is actually quite comfortable.

Update2.01 wrote:
> I would have thought the reason for that was the fact that back in the
> days of FF7+8, there was no DVD-ROM media. At least there was no
> console that used it at that time. So there was no option. Sony did
> take a risk in launching PS2 based around DVD-ROM - at that time DVD
> was certainly not as popular as it is now. Microsoft didn't even
> blink, they knew DVD was the way forward by that time. So, since GC is
> relatively new, why did Nintendo decide to develop a custom format
> (which holds less data than DVD), and in the process loose DVD Video
> (movie) compatibility?

1) my point is, despite the fact that they came on multiple discs, they worked fine, and were popular nonetheless.

2) The GC custom formate is more difficult to pirate, which ultimately benefits developers, and by knock-on, consumers.



> As for Baldurs Gate shipping on 6 CD-ROM's for PC, I don't know how
> old that particular version of the game is. If it's a number of years
> old, then again, DVD would not have been around - or it would be to
> rare and far to expensive to use. If it's more recent, then is
> represents cost cutting in that the publisher would prefer to spread
> the game over lots of (cheaper) CD-ROM's rather than put it onto a
> single DVD-ROM.

But again, what differene does this make to the gameplay? And if the developers are cutting costs, this only benefits the consumers at the end of the day.

Multiple discs, on whatever format, are nothing to be afraid of.

Insane Bartender wrote:
> this point has been banging around for ages, and it actually makes no
> difference whatsoever. No-one laughed when FF7 had to come on three
> discs, no-one made the point that FF8 used 4, and absolutely nobody
> batted an eyelid when Baldur's Gate came on 6 CDs on PC CDROM.
>
> Why? Because it makes absolutely no effect on gameplay whatsoever.

I would have thought the reason for that was the fact that back in the days of FF7+8, there was no DVD-ROM media. At least there was no console that used it at that time. So there was no option. Sony did take a risk in launching PS2 based around DVD-ROM - at that time DVD was certainly not as popular as it is now. Microsoft didn't even blink, they knew DVD was the way forward by that time. So, since GC is relatively new, why did Nintendo decide to develop a custom format (which holds less data than DVD), and in the process loose DVD Video (movie) compatibility?

As for Baldurs Gate shipping on 6 CD-ROM's for PC, I don't know how old that particular version of the game is. If it's a number of years old, then again, DVD would not have been around - or it would be to rare and far to expensive to use. If it's more recent, then is represents cost cutting in that the publisher would prefer to spread the game over lots of (cheaper) CD-ROM's rather than put it onto a single DVD-ROM.

this point has been banging around for ages, and it actually makes no difference whatsoever. No-one laughed when FF7 had to come on three discs, no-one made the point that FF8 used 4, and absolutely nobody batted an eyelid when Baldur's Gate came on 6 CDs on PC CDROM.

Why? Because it makes absolutely no effect on gameplay whatsoever.

:s