Gaming GameCube Preview Disc in Stores

[Semjaza]

Well, I had heard stores had it in stock... went to Best Buy and it wasn't out, but when I asked they knew what I was talking about. They brought me a copy and I wound up leaving with that, the new Jampack with Silent Hill 3 and the new Zeromancer CD.

I've not played it yet... but the playable demos are Soul Calibur 2, Billy Hatcher, Sonic Adventure DX, Splinter Cell and Viewtiful Joe. Plus WarioWare and Dr. Mario to try on GBA and a bunch of movies.

So if you get a chance, pick it up. Some of these games won't be out for a while yet.

I'll give some better impressions later if anyone would like them.

[Shinmaru]

Soul Calibur 2...I can't wait to play it! I heard that it was Splinter Cell on the disc and not Silent Hill 3...please tell me I'm wrong, because Silent Hill on GameCube would be so cool!

[Semjaza]

I was referring to the Sony Jampack when I said Silent Hill 3 heh.

[Shinmaru]

Damn, I was hoping Silent Hill 3 would be coming to GameCube...Splinter Cell is good, though. And Soul Calibur 2 makes it worth the 10 bucks!

[Semjaza]

Soul Calibur 2 is quite good. Looks quite a bit better than the original, and plays mostly the same with a few differences. The demo lets you play as Nightmare or Cassandra (2 costumes each) against five or so different characters and their backdrops. The load times are basically nonexistant.

Billy Hatcher seems like it will be a lot of fun, but they just don't give you enough time with it. The mission goal can be completed in like 8 minutes, so I just ran around most of the time. The game looks pretty nice, but it has a lot of pop-up problems. Mostly with characters and items that suddenly pop into view despite you clearly seeing the area. I've not noticed it this badly since Mario 64 lol, but they have time to fix that. Seems great otherwise.

Splinter Cell goes without saying. I'm not really into the game personally.

Sonic DX... didn't play yet.

And then Viewtiful Joe. Definately the reason to get this disc. The game is a blast and you get to play a pretty decent sized level in the demo. The game looks like a comic, which is 10 times better in person than shots and video convey. Just a really fun game. I can't wait for it.

I've already played WarioWare... but the trial version gives a good idea of what to expect. However, it's far more repetitive than the real one. I saw repeats of mostly the same 7 games, but in the full version I think I played it for an hour and got only one repeated game. Lots of fun though.

F-Zero video rocks, and the Rogue Leader 3 one looks decent too.

[Shinmaru]

I seriously need to pick this up. Sonic Team is making Billy Hatcher, right? That pop-up doesn't sound too good, though...I hope that they get that fixed up. Viewtiful Joe sounds very intriguing. If memory serves right, Capcom is making this, are they not? I've seen some screens and it looks pretty good. I'll have to play it soon. F-Zero...I've been looking forward to this since the GameCube came out! After seeing what Nintendo could do with it on the N64, I've been going crazy thinking about what they could do on the GC. And the memory card connecting to the arcade game sounds cool as well. From what I've heard about Rogue Squadron 3, it sounds like a Star Wars geek's (mainly me) dream. And you get to play the entire Rogue Sqaudron 2 game multiplayer...I can't wait for it!

[Semjaza]

Capcom is Viewtiful Joe. Specifically, it should be from R&D4.

Billy Hatcher is Sonic Team.

Sonic DX is pretty bad. The lighting is apparently improved over the original, but it looks a bit too fake. The textures are improved slightly it seems... But otherwise the graphics are the same, with one big problem: the framerate. The first level in the game with Sonic is really choppy, unlike the basically totally smooth DC version of the level. Same problem with all the characters' levels (you can play one for each character). The sound seems a bit off too, and there are some new sound effects... but they are mostly annoying.

I didn't plan on getting this as it was, but it's pretty disappointing. At least this version lets you play like 12 Gamegear games in it, that's the main selling point lol.

[Shinmaru]

Yeah, I heard about those problems with Sonic Adventure DX in Electronic Gaming Monthly. They were pretty disappointed with the game overall, even with the addition of the Game Gear games. It might be worth getting if you want the nostalgia value, but if you want nostalgia, just get Sonic Mega Collection, right?

[Semjaza]

Anyone else going to pick this thing up?

$10 seems steep... but the PS2 one is only $1 cheaper and has mostly old games on it (other than Silent Hill 3). At least with this one you get a chance to try games that aren't coming for a while yet (other than Splinter Cell heh).

[Dan Rugh]

I bought this preview disc on the day that it came out at my local Target location. I agree with you on everything Semjaza Azazel, Sonic DX sucks really bad. The C-stick camera is really wierd and annoying and the game really isn't that fun.

The other games, thankfully, are really cool. I love Viewtiful Joe and Soul Calibur II. Too bad you can't play as Link, though.

[Semjaza]

I don't know what they are doing with Sonic at all.

Apparently the max framerate in the DC version was 30 FPS. I never paid attention. In the GC one, it's sometimes at 60 FPS. I'd say rather often... but the drops are so noticable that it doesn't even matter.

I bet it will sell well too, just like SA2:B did. Oh well heh.

[Dan Rugh]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i]
[B]I don't know what they are doing with Sonic at all.
I bet it will sell well too, just like SA2:B did. Oh well heh. [/B][/QUOTE]

I [b]know[/b] it will sell well. Sega is really trying to push Sonic and pals down everyone's throats, what with the new anime, chocolate candy :eek:, McDonald's toys, and not to mention the ton of games that came out/are coming out this year.

At least Sonic Heroes is looking good so far.

[Shinmaru]

I just barely got this thing yesterday.

The F-Zero and Rebel Strike videos impressed me very much; I'm looking forward to both those games very much.

I had a great time fighting in Soul Calibur 2. It's looking to be quite an amazing fighting game.

Viewtiful Joe is looking absolutely amazing. It's defintely the highlight of the disc. It take the Matrix effect to a whole new level and it's just enjoyable to play through.

Sonic DX...I wasn't impressed. Frankly, I don't like the 3-D Sonic games. Sega just can't get the camera right in both of the games. And the choppiness in this game is very noticable.

I didn't really get into Splinter Cell very much. I spent like five minutes with it and came away unimpressed.

I still haven't played Billy Hatcher but my brother really seems to like it a lot. I'll give it a play and edit in my thoughts later.

Wario Ware is fun and basically reaffirms the fact that I need to buy this game, because I had a blast with it. I've still yet to play Dr. Mario, though.

[Semjaza]

I was at the Best Buy I originally bought this disc at yesterday. I only paid $10... [b]So why in the world are they charging $40 for it!?[/b]. That's freaking insane. If they only want to sell it with new GCs, they should label it as such... not charge an insane amount of money for 5 demos. Nintendo should really do something about that.