Charles

Well, the main problem that I have with the Silent Hill series, is that a good deal of the monsters don't look particularly frightening. Heh, Especially when I can beat them using a board with a nail in it. [Quote][B]Hmmm...are you sure you want that to happen? Think about it, if all of the characters die (except for Barry ), what would that leave? Let me guess, the daughter of Steve and Claire, out to avenge her parents as a one man army against Umbrella. The plot and usage of characters really need to be thought out carefully, this isn't your average third person shoot 'em up.[/Quote][/B] I would much rather the series use totally original characters. There are so many interesting things that Capcom can do to bring fear back into the series. For instance, give us a player that is inexperienced in combat, like you mentioned. As an example, it would be terrific, if a version of the game started out of context with the current plot. Give us a school teacher and a few struggling survivors barricaded in a school, surrounded by monsters and you're starting out great. Especially if real-time actions came into play, like a timer counting down how approximately how much time you have left until the barricade begins to fail. I remember when Capcom was in talks to bring a Resident Evil to the N64. During a press conference, someone said that it would be interesting to see Resident Evil take place with ninjas. Upon thinking about it, that's probably how Onimusha came about, lol. Moving on to another quote that I found interesting..... [Quote][B]Personally, I don't think that Resident Evil 3 and beyond really did anything to push the envelope and enhance the series in any way. Resident Evil 1 and 2 had a great atmosphere, while RE3 was a tad too easy and predictable.[/Quote][/B] Considering that Resident Evil 3 was first released on the PSX, you have to be fair. There wasn't much that Capcom could do to "push the envelope." Essentially, Resident Evil 3 was a treat for the fans. While I still don't consider it much of a sequal, I am also fond of the Nemesis idea. Also, Capcom finally delivered and allowed players to explore the city somewhat, instead of being totally confined to indoor environments.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by SpyderDragon [/i] [B]God, you post so long....If only I had the time or the finger stamina to do that :D [/B][/QUOTE] Well, you [I]can[/I] post like that. Instead of posting about ten, one-sentence posts a day, just make a handful of thoughtful ones like me. ;) Anyway, I've always liked the exploration involved in the Turok series, but the lack of save points in Turok 2 [I]really[/I] turned me off to it. I literally played a level for two hours before being able to save my game. I don't know what Acclaim was thinking, because those worlds were [I]expansive[/I]. I've never played Turok 3, so I don't know if Acclaim's already corrected this or not. But, if they haven't, then Metroid Prime and Die Hard Vendetta will be the shooters to own.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sensei-San [/i] [B] Well, it is true that the essence of fear and suspense is dying down, as are the attitudes of the heroes towards the incidents, but I wouldn't really say that it is due to "getting use to the monsters". [/B][/QUOTE] All I have to say, is refer to your own paragraph, lol. :) [Quote][B]They are re-using an old story plot, but in a different manner. When Clair Redfield was first introduced to the series, she was totally unaware of anything, no zombies, no lickers, no Umbrella. She was also, as Rebecca was in Resident Evil One, inexperienced and new. This whole criminal on the loose ordeal is just another "add-on" so gamers feel as if they are experiencing a brand new storyline. [/B][/QUOTE] You said it yourself, Claire is now familiar with these manifestations. Why should I believe she's frightened by a simple zombie, when she's tackled a Tyrant in Resident Evil 2? With the sense of fear vanishing from the onscreen characters, the sense of horror as a whole diminishes. In order for a survival horror formula to be successful, we have to believe that the characters are somewhat helpless. The insane acrobatics that Claire pulled off in that opening video didn't make her look like an underdog at all. Thus, survival isn't necessarily a big idea. Shinji Mikami even refused to use Chris or Jill in the second Resident Evil because he didn't want to hurt the sense of fear. Hopefully, all of the current heros (except for Barry) will be killed off or something.

Well, I know that I'll get Mario Sunshine for the sake of getting the next big Nintendo title. Since getting Eternal Darkness for GameCube, I haven't really bothered picking up anymore games. Mario Sunshine will be a great way to round out the summer. Star Fox Adventures is scheduled to release on my birthday, so I seem destined to add it to my collection at one time or another. Super Monkey Ball 2 looks nice, but I'm not made of money and I can't play [I]every[/I] game out there, so I don't know if I'll bother buying it. Turok Evolution looks promising, but I'm not sure if it's worth owning. Acclaim has a way of coming out of the gate strong with Turok titles, but as the game progresses, layer upon layer of flaw is revealed. The weapon arsenal will be amazing and the ambient life pulls me in, but if the gameplay frustrates me as much as Turok 2 did, then count me out. Metroid Prime, DieHard Vendetta and Resident Evil 0 are the other three titles that I'm looking forward too. All three bring innovative new features to their genre and even surpass the boundries of their genres to a certain extent.....

Resident Evil 0 looks very interesting and the setting perfectly suits the genre. Rebecca is a fairly green medic, trapped within the narrow corridors of a train, which is infested with zombies. Plus, there's a convicted criminal on the loose to boot. Now, if that premise doesn't sound cool, then what does? The fact that Shinji Mikami was busy developing the original Resident Evil remake during Zero's development doesn't bother me one bit. Because of his work on the remake, the team behind Zero has really had to step it up a notch in order for this prequel to meet the quality standards of Mikami's work. Swapping characters on the fly is also a step in the right direction. Oddworld for the Xbox used this concept somewhat, but came up a little short. If Capcom uses this feature to it's potential, the puzzles will be more intricate and fun to play through. Rationing weaponry, ammo and healing items will create a deepened sense of strategy as well. I do hope that Capcom ends the Resident Evil series as it is though. These prequels and sequels are becoming a little ridiculous. During the first Resident Evil, Rebecca was supposed to be lacking in combat experience and more helpless than other members. Now that we know she went through an entire zombie-infested adventure, this premise seems a little ridiculous. Also, I didn't like Code Veronica's action approach. The game just didn't strike me as survival horror. Even the opening cinematic screamed "action movie." I guess this is due to the fact that the characters have grown used to these monsters by now. The feeling of helplessness and fear just isn't as strong. Resident Evil 4 is being hyped as revolutionary, Resident Evil 0 ditches the crates, while allowing us to swap characters in real time and Resident Evil Online is allowing us to play the game how it truly was meant to be played. The franchise is still strong. I would just like to see it taken in a different direction.

I'm not sure if the game comes bundled with Frequency, but I doubt it. This game further solidifies the Playstation 2 as the system to own for shooter fans. Although the texture work isn't exactly the greatest (especially in the outdoor environments), the artificial intelligence and mission objectives seem rather accomplished. To be honest, I didn't expect high resolution textures or high polygon counts to begin with. I'll take fluid animation over sharp textures any day. One cool feature is the ability to use the weapons from fallen enemies. I just loved how Halo was realistic, in that you couldn't carry a large assortment of guns with you at one time. Swapping guns with downed enemies, made the experience seem more resourceful. I just hope that no one purchases this game with the intention of mindlessly shooting people. Like Rogue Leader, this is definitely a more methodically paced game.

Ugh, this topic is full of spam. Furthermore, this closely resembles a pointless favorites topic. If you two want to talk this nonsense then I suggest that you do it via pm. :) Say it with me now people, "This topic is closed."

We had a [I]long[/I] topic about user names a while ago, and I didn't have anything to say about my name then. Guess what? I still don't. I'm just a crazy white boy is all. My avatar displays the God of children's television himself, Mister Rogers. Mr. Rogers is a good man. [I]I[/I] am a good man. Mr. Rogers helps people. [I]I[/I] help people. Mr. Rogers is friendly. [I]I[/I] am friendly. Mr. Rogers is your neighbor. [I]I[/I] am your neighbor. Mr. Rogers is pleasant. [I]I[/I] am pleasant. That is the explanation of my avatar. It suits me. Heck, I [I]am[/I] Mr. Rogers. My Clique against Clique logo is just that. My friend Vampire Ed and I are a clique against cliques. Lastly, the banner tells a story. A story does it tell. Yes, it tells an epic story of one man who was ordained by God himself, as the most stunning man alive. Seeing as how that banner is in my sig (and features my user name), it's safe to say that that man is I. Thank you. Thank you very much.

I'm sure that we already had a thread discussing addicting games.... I must say though, that the first game I ever beat was wither Donkey Kong or the original Super Mario Brothers.

You cannot defeat the Yellow Squadron yet. Simply head South as quickly as you are able to. Once you cross the "Return to Base" line, the mission will be complete.

Women and men do not have their own unique natures. Human nature is human nature, thus the world would remain largely the same. Females tend to act differently than men because society has programmed them to act a certain way. Social Darwinism (essentially survival of the fittest) would still influence the way the world operated. Those in power would want to remain in power, thus struggles for power would still occur. Plus, religion and racism would still exist, so we would still have disagreements and wars over such issues. People are just inherently violent by nature. If we assumed that there would be no wars, we would automatically be theorizing that there would be no murder or assault. If anyone has bothered to read my words, then congratulations, you have just been enlightened. ;)

Well, you mentioned that he's a pretty friendly guy and as you said, this is just a case of a joke gone bad. I don't think that this makes him feel more important, because you noted that he only went off like this one other time. If this store accommodates your schedule, then I suggest you stay. This whole problem with Bob will blow over, since he doesn't seem like a particularly cruel guy. Ignoring your boss wasn't really a mature thing to do, lol. Can you really fault the man anyway?

The Death of Fox in [B]Metal Gear Solid[/B] was definitely an emotionally charged moment and sticks out in my mind as a prime example of how Konami blurred the line between big budget film and video game. Although Snake was a battle hardened veteran, whose hands were infinitely stained with blood, he actually showed [I]compassion[/I] for his enemies. Plus, we learned that the villains were human also. Wolf died regretting what she had become, even referring to herself as a dog. It was a beautiful thing to see when Snake reassured her. The fact that Hal had to witness his friend and would be lover battle to the death, only heightened the experience. Such power scenes were nearly nonexistent in Metal Gear Solid 2. [B]Final Fantasy X[/B] also provides one of my favorite moments in gaming. The ending is incredibly deep and superior to the finale of any of Square's masterpieces in quite a while. Once again, emotion and artistic direction played a heavy part in making this ending so memorable. The love between Yuna and Tidus was so strong, that, even though he couldn't physically touch Yuna, he placed his arms around her to show his love. I also liked when he slapped Jecht's hand after he leapt from the ship. [B]GoldenEye007[/B] also brings back plenty of fond moments. I remember making up all kinds of games with my friends. I remember when we would have one guy disarmed, while three others would hunt him in the Bunker stage. Once caught, we would take him to the prison (loaded with remote mines, mind you) and execute him, lol. Great stuff. Playing the Bull Arena in [B]Tony Hawk 2[/B] via multiplayer also brings back a lot of fun memories. The scores we achieved in that stage were insane. The last fond memory I will have is when I beat the crap out of Sephiroth in online [B]Tekken[/B]. None of you will ever hear the end of it. ;)

Although futuristic racers have made significant gains in speed and style over the years, Wipeout XL will always remain the leader of the pack in my eyes, lol. :D While Kinetica doesn't allow the player the opportunity to achieve speeds quite as blinding as Extreme G3, the assortment of sweet trick combos and multi-tiered racing tracks (complete with clever short cut paths) make this quite an enjoyable racer. Furthermore, the racer designs, featuring contestants attached to wheels by their respective limbs, are neat. Sensei-San, I wouldn't attribute the success of sim-oriented racers to connections to mainstream media, such as movies and such. Futuristic or arcade racers tend to lack the wealth of options and vehicles found in simulation racers. The Grand Turismo series in particular, has helped catapult sim racers and further the overall evolution of racing games by raising the bar in terms of available options, car customization, vehicle selection, and overall depth of the season mode. Titles such as Kinetica or Extreme G3 rely on blinding speeds and flashy designs, while simulation racers provide superior longetivity. Most racers based on movies are of low quality anyway. Look at 007 Racing or the plethora of useless Star Wars racers, lol.

We did have a topic concerning this game quite a while ago. But I'll allow this to remain open, considering the age of the other thread. :) The nature of this title seems rather repetitive to me. Although the somewhat quirky concept of parodying Japanese subcultures whilst playing as, of all creatures, a mosquito, earns "unique points" in my book, the overall fun factor just isn't there. The gameplay itself contains problems concerning collision detection, which hampers the enjoyment ever more so. However, the title can be somewhat challenging and [I]does[/I] contain plenty of bonus items to uncover. Visually, the blurry graphics aren't too impressive, but the scope of the environments and colossal size of the Yamada family provide a tad of visual splendor. I would pick this one up from a used bin. Overall the game isn't bad per say, but there are far superior titles on the market that you could spend your money are.

I find the Otaku Adventures forum frustrating. In the past I've put ample effort into my rpgs, only to see them die within a short period of time despite my effort. Sometimes I think that my writing is too floaty and that people just don't feel like reading. Such an attitude contradicts with the purpose of the forum, no? Anyway, I'm not a complainer. In fact, I'm planning an rpg right now that's going to set the bar for excellence in that forum. That is, if people are active once they sign up. ;)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by No-Name [/i] [B]i remember we had this discussion awhile ago, same topic title too. I think as long as the game doesnt revolve around sex and the sex actually has a meaning rather than eye candy, then it's fine. [/B][/QUOTE] Well, I don't remember this topic being discussed in the Sony forum. We had a similar chat about it in the Dave Mirra topic in the Nintendo forum, but I'm sure that that was as far as this discussion has gone. Nonetheless, more information has been revealed since that time and I feel that it would be nice to have a topic that deals with something more broad than "reviewing" or "previewing" games in this forum. :whoops: Moving on, I mentioned that the video game industry was maturing only based on the age of consumers. These products are primarily being targeted towards males ages 18 to 34. This somewhat applies to many of us here, considering that we grew up playing not only Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, but the consoles that preceded them as well. This demographic, within the boundaries of America at least, has propelled television shows and films featuring adult humor to tremendous success. American Pie, Jackass and Scary Movie are all three examples within the television or movie industry that enjoy similar approaches to the humor that developers are trying to achieve in their games. It seems as if everyone agrees that context determines whether the use of sexual or violence appeal is necessary--and I agree with that. Plus, I do laugh at poor products that use gratuitous sexual imagery as a marketing ploy. Yet, I did stumble upon one question that I had to ask myself. What makes gaming different from movies? Upon learning of Dave Mirra's content, I was disappointed and still am somewhat. After all, why [I]should[/I] a BMX game include nudity and "mature" humor? Yet, movies like Happy Gilmore, featuring a golfer that constantly swears and attacks others, have content that seems well out of context. Furthermore, almost anything that comes out of Hollywood, despite the subject matter, contains unnecessary nudity. Are we setting a double standard by accepting the movie industry's open attitude towards sex or violence despite the subject matter, while criticizing the [I]exact[/I] situation within the gaming industry?

It can be said that violence has become a common, almost essential part of the gameplay experience in today's games. However, with the exception of obscure titles, such as Night Trap or Custer's Revenge (being two prime examples), strong sexual content has been traditionally discouraged and ignored in the gaming industry. As a matter of fact, even Night Trap seems tame by present day Hollywood standards. Within the past decade however, the gaming industry has begun to adopt the concept of sexuality with open arms. Titles such as Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix, Duke Nukem, Grand Theft Auto III and Conker's Bad Fur Day, all contain bits of sexual imagery. Although females have been exploited in the past as eye candy in games such as Tomb Raider and Dead or Alive, developers are now taking the concept to another level. In the past, we've discussed Acclaim's new approach with the Dave Mirra BMX XXX. This title's bold new direction is due to Acclaim's belief that the demographic of today's gamer is older. Tasks such as finding a pimp's b*tch (dog), and blowing a bum (with a leaf blower) abound. Furthermore, developers are toiling over the idea of including nudity in full motion video. DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball is another title that will be marketed with the concept of sex appeal. Obviously, the industry as a whole is maturing. During the early nineties, Mortal Kombat sparked controversy like Wildfire. Today, games such as GTA3 and Resident Evil are released to critical acclaim. Once can infer that sex will eventually be integrated into households with less protest as time passes. What are your opinions on sex in video games? Could the concept of sex hurt the evolution of gaming as developers sell their product with the hook of digital skin? This mature concept (while it's fairly fresh) could be used as a marketing stunt to cover up a poor product. Insight from other gamers on the boards could be most interesting.

In my opinion, Madden 2002 was the pinacle of pigskin. This year's version will have two new defensive packages, a new defensive strafe move, linebackers who can tighten or fan out via audibles, and overall enhanced AI. Plus, EA has added to the offensive side of the ball by including the ability to send receivers on a post pattern via hot routes, and running backs have been tweaked to handle rushing between the tackles better. I'm not surprised with the tweaking of the running backs, because Sega clearly held the advantage in that area in NFL2K2. We can't forget the franchise mode either, which will most definitely be improved over last year's already strong effort. NFL2k3's player models are said to be improved, mainly in areas of animation. As any fan knows, fluidity in a football game is really essential to getting the most out of the experience. For example, the game will feature a smoother transition between blocks, which will allow defensive players to get better separation from offensive lineman. With the inclusion of the ESPN license, we can also expect this game to build upon the franchise mode as well. Plus, we can expect this game to have the best commentary on a console. In the end, I suppose that the more sim-oriented players will still flock to Madden. Especially with the new online play.

Sweetie_rei, that post was barely understandable. In fact, I really couldn't comprehend the latter part of it. I suggest that you take your time posting from now on and ensure that your words are clear to us all. Anyhow, feel free to check out the Angel of Darkness threads we've had. I'm quite sure that they address many of Tomb Raider's flaws. I encourage you to participate in future discussions, but with regard for post quality.

Your best chance would probably present itself if you purchase a vehicle with front engine rear wheel drive (FR). This type of drivetrain is ideal for amateur racers because it provides a neutral feeling when going around corners. It would also be best if you master tapping the gas and brake. This tactic will prevent you from spinning out whilst also decreasing your chances of oversteering and understeering. By the way, you're supposed to indicate the name of the game that you need help in when creating a "Help" thread. I'll fix it.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DarkOrderKnight [/i] [B]And just out of curiosity, do you have a cat in all of your banners? [/B][/QUOTE] Well, almost all of them. I find it appropriate for this one though. Everyone knows that God must be a cat, because people sure as heck don't have nine lives. :)

As the subject heading reads, I have completed a new banner. It's divine purity and truth shall be measured by your eyes. So, um, what do you think about it?

We've had this discussion in the past. Click [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=9026]HERE[/URL] to see my opinion, along with other members' opinions as well. The discussion is detailed, so you shouldn't be disappointed. Having said that, I shall keep this topic open for the time being. The other topic is quite old, and it'd be interesting to see what some of the newer members to the boards have to say. :)

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by GhostofSalvtore [/i] [B] Is there going to be any Gameshark codes and when is the gameshark for Xbox coming out?[/B][/Quote] Most definitely. However, for hardcore players such as myself, that would ruin the game. :) [Quote][B]Is there any bots in multiplayer?[/Quote][/B] Nope, actual people are a necessity. [Quote][B]How challenging is the game on I guess normal difficulty, because I want a challgenge and hopefully this game is it.[/Quote][/B] It's pretty challenging. Halo is often praised for it's quality enemy artificial intelligence. However, your friendly AI is of much less quality. The game should keep you on your toes with the difficulty pumped up.