The harder dificulties took me to school, yeah. I'd get owned by the first or second boss.

So basically what you're saying is "I can beat any action game on the easy levels becuase I was raised on playing action games on the easy levels." Is this right?


I bet that paper is a great read.

Don't tell me you pussed out and played Ninja Dog Mode with that weak-ass purple ribbon tied around your waist. I'd never be able to look at you the same again.

God bless the interweb.

No, i played the game and beat it on it's normal dificulty and then tried the harder one or whatever and stopped playing because I had to fuck your mothers.


and my paper's almost done.

yeah that's right.

On a day when I have no work or school, I will attempt to beat the original Ninja Gaiden on Nintendo. Difficult, but fun as hell.

My recommendation: fuck Psychonauts, its a mediocre platformer at best. Instead, drop everything and go pick up Half Life 2 (if you dont have it for the PC that is). It is the best thing the Xbox has to offer right now.

Done. And Done. Thanks for the tip.

I dunno about the original Xbox, but Half-Life 2 runs like shit when played on a 360. Backwards compatibility is a sham!

I almost bought two games today and ended up buying neither. I've got enough to keep me occupied for a while.



However, as a GameStop employee, I'm allowed to check out games for a few days, so I checked out Sonic Riders. Not that I'm pumped to play it, but I've got the next three days off and was looking for a game that I wouldn't normally play that I could blow through this weekend and review for Static.

so I heard tomb raider is really short, so let me know if you beat it in under a month. Got good reviews, but the next 360 game I want is XMEN unless it just sucks.

also looking out for Scarface and Godfather.

Tomb Raider is eight missions, 8-10 hours. I'm halfway through the second mission. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm done with it by Monday night.

It's pretty great so far. The actual "raiding" is spectacular, as you acrobatically navigate the areas. The shooting isn't anything special, but luckily it's not a huge focus of the game. A motorcycle chase sequence was fun way to inject a bit of variety into the game, as well.

I played the demo for that recently.

It sucked.

Old school, baby. Best game ever right here.

Yeah, it didn't seem to be great. I figured I'd give it a fair shake and see what I think of it.

Great fun. Very addicting. One of those games that pretty much anyone can pick up and play. My girlfriend even likes it. It probably won't be long before we complete it, but even if it's a short game, it's worth it. A must-have for anyone with a PS2, plus it's under $20 brand new (used copies even less).

I bet this game sells for 90 bucks in like 5 years. it's sweet.

Too many copies of it were made for it to ever accumulate in value.

That's true. If only the first shipment had been released (where stores got like 2-3 copies), then yeah, it would definitely be worth something. I had one of those early copies, but eventually traded it in. Awesome game, though.

I had considered buying the PSP version (Me & My Katamari), but the controls aren't so hot... I may wait til it drops in price.

I wrote a review of Sonic Riders for Static Multimedia. The game is trash. My reviews have typically been lengthy and comprehensive, but I figured I'd go short and sweet on this one. No point in wasting words on it.

By the way Undo, I bought this today under the strength of your recommendation, so don't let me down.

Soundtrack = awesome. Never played the game tho. Don't know anyone with a PS2.

Oh, Katamari is an excellent game. Simple gameplay, but so bizarre that anyone with a sense of humor should have a hell of a time with it.

Today we should discuss easter eggs.

How far did you guys get in minus world before realizing it went forever.

Huh?

Super Mario Bros, minus world, you know.

Speaking of Mario, is anyone else pumped for New Super Mario Bros. for DS? Comes out next month... I believe it's the first original 2D Mario side-scroller since... Super Mario Land 2 for Game Boy.

If I'm missing one, let me know. But I think everything else since then has either been a remake (on GBA), a Wario game (GBC/GBA), a different type of game (Mario & Luigi series), or in 3D (many).

I don't have a DS anymore, but the lovely Nintendo DS Lite is said to be releasing on the same day as Mario, so that'll be an essential purchase.

Many? Super Mario 64 and Sunshine are the only real ones to come out. Mario rarely comes out of retirement these days.

If there's one thing that would convince me a DS is worth owning, it's the new Mario.

I was thinking of all of the variations of 3D Mario games (Party, Kart, etc.). But yeah, in terms of platform, Mario 64 and Sunshine are the only ones.

Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time; got all 120 stars back in 1997. But Sunshine underwhelmed me... both times I bought it.

i've been playing MGS3 a lot lately

Word.

Excellent game. I didn't play it much when it first released, but I picked up the re-release (Subsistence) last month and whipped through it in a week. I still prefer MGS2 and MGS: Twin Snakes (which is probably my favorite) to it, but it's definitely one of the best games on PlayStation 2.

Yeah, this and Tetris DS are pretty much the reason I'm planning on buying a DS Lite.

I had the original DS for a couple of months, but traded it in towards my 360. I hated the original design, I couldn't wrap my hands around it comfortable. The DS Lite looks amazing, it's essentially the SP version of the system: smaller, clamshell design with better screens.

I've seriously considered importing one now, but it's not worth it at a $70 premium. I can wait a month or two.

Anyone else have a PSP? There was a long while where there was nothing worth playing; I bought a couple of new games for it before going to Hawaii over Christmas break, and I ended up using the system for a total of two hours. I just couldn't find the interest. But there have been more solid titles releasing lately. Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X was really good, and Metal Gear Acid 2 was excellent. I've got a review copy of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror coming from Static this week, and that's gotten very good reviews as well. I'm glad I held onto it. I know I'll use it much more during baseball season; toss on the game, lay on the futon, and play PSP.

if you liked maverick hunter x, make sure to pick up Mega Man Powered Up.

I wasn't too hot on the demo for it. Seemed like a much simpler game than Maverick Hunter. I might pick it up used this summer for my trip.

http://www.dailyherald.com/business/busine...y.asp?id=178715

Christian game: good word or bad idea?
"Left Behind" depicts battle of good vs. evil

By Hillary Rhodes
Posted Monday, April 17, 2006

The rapture has come, and the believers have been gathered up and taken to heaven. As for everybody else: They’ve been left behind to duke it out in a smoldering, apocalyptic New York City.

That’s the scenario in a soon-to-be-released Christian-themed video game. Meanwhile, in the real world, the Christian community is engaged in its own skirmish over the virtues or vices of the concept of a Christian video game that involves killing.

“Left Behind: Eternal Forces,” which is made for PCs and will be unveiled at the E3 show next month, is a classic struggle of good vs. evil.

Here, the angelic Tribulation Forces and the demonic Global Community Peacekeepers, led by the Antichrist, battle it out to convert secular, neutral units to their respective sides.

Players participate in “battles raging in the streets of New York,” according to the game’s fact sheet. They engage in “physical and spiritual warfare: using the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world.”

The scenes and challenges that unfold — as players control more than 30 unit types from Prayer Warrior to Hellraiser to Spies, Special Forces and Battle Tanks — are based on the prophecies from the Book of Revelation as interpreted by the popular “Left Behind” book series, authored by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

On the one hand, it’s perfect content for a video game — set in a fictional, futuristic world with a black-and-white view of what’s good and what’s bad. Take those elements and tie them directly to the Bible, and now you can market an exciting, conflict-ridden game to the Christian community, enticing them with something that, if packaged differently, might come across as potentially harmful to wholesome Christian youth.

But on the other hand you have ... something that’s potentially harmful to wholesome Christian youth (or any youth for that matter).

A Newsweek article last month said the level of violence in “Left Behind” makes it “reminiscent” of “Grand Theft Auto” — a game well-known for depicting shocking levels of brutality and accused of inspiring hooked teenagers to commit real-life copycat crimes.

The CEO of Left Behind Games — a company started specifically to turn the book series into video games — said the Newsweek article was uninformed. He said the game won’t be rated any higher than a “T” for teenagers, and that it depicts nothing more menacing than what he calls “Star Wars violence.”

“Our game has no blood, no decapitation, no vulgar language,” Troy Lyndon said. “Our game does not have gratuitous violence for the sake of showing intestines on a doorknob.”

He insists his company has produced an inspirational source of entertainment with a good message, without compromising on quality. The graphics are vivid and the combat action intense — the kind of gripping content Lyndon says is essential to make a product viable in the gaming community.

“We believe parents need a substitute for the degrading moral values of ‘Grand Theft Auto’ or some of the top-selling titles,” Lyndon said. And you can’t get gamers to switch over from “Grand Theft Auto” if you only offer a conflict level of, say, Pong.

Christian attorney Jack Thompson, a fervent anti-video-game-violence activist in Miami, says the makers of “Left Behind” are compromising their values as they try to provide an effective substitute for mainstream games.

“It breaks my heart to realize that the culture has basically transformed the church rather than the church confronting the culture and trying to transform it,” Thompson said.

Having litigated and been involved in many cases fighting against violent video game content, Thompson said studies show young people’s brains are not developed enough to properly process simulated violence. He thinks the company is counting on a naivete within the Christian community to embrace the “Left Behind” game just because it is produced by self-proclaimed believers.

The negative effects of violence in video games should not be underestimated, he said, even if it’s delivered in a box that is supposedly blessed.

“You’ve got a generation of boys in this country who are spending sometimes dozens of hours a week blowing away people,” Thompson said. “Now they’re going to have the opportunity to do it in a Christian setting and, you know, where does it stop?”

But it’s not going to stop, some argue. Pop culture is there to stay, and maybe you can win out in promoting your ideology or theology by embracing pop culture and making it your own rather than spending your energy in a fight you might never win.

“Rather than forbid young people from viewing their favorite pastime, I prefer to give them something that’s positive,” said Tim LaHaye, an author of the “Left Behind” book series who is supporting the game developers.

The Christian community has long been leaving its mark on radio, television, music, movies and fashion. Perhaps it’s only natural that video games would come next.

“This is just part of a long trend, part of the cultural DNA of evangelicalism, to make whatever it’s doing relevant to pop culture,” according to John Schmalzbauer, who is in a Protestant Studies chair in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University.

However, enticing believers with movies, books or video games is only half the picture. Great sales or high numbers could mean people just like a good game.

“Whether it helps them actually live out their faith is a different question,” said Lynn Schofield Clark, an assistant research professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who wrote an upcoming book called “Religion, Media, and the Marketplace.”

“To evaluate whether a game is a ‘Christian’ game you need to ask this: Does it make young people more compassionate? Does it make them more interested in human rights?” she said.

And of course, there’s another question: Does it connect with players spiritually?

Lyndon, the Left Behind Games CEO, said parents who have seen the game are thrilled. They say it will instill good Christian values in their children — and they’re especially excited about the “pray” button.

But in the end, actions speak louder than virtual actions. “Left Behind: Eternal Forces” is entering an already embattled world of lawmakers, entertainers, parents, teachers, teenagers and spiritual leaders debating whether killing on screen leads to killing in real life.

Now they can discuss whether pressing the “pray” button makes young people feel closer to God.

———

hey deja have you played the demo to Timeshift yet? was wondering if its going to be a great 360 game or a renter. also Hitman and Dead Rising are close, might be 2 buyers right there.

Anyone played any of the Timesplitters games for PS2? They always got good reviews for a straight-up FPS.

Not yet, but I was wondering the same thing. I've never really played the Hitman series, but I'm definitely geting Dead Rising. Even if the reviews are horrid, I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do in a game than cut a zombie in half with a huge pair of hedge clippers.

Slackmo - I played the first two. I didn't like the original because it didn't have much of a storyline, but TimeSplitters 2 was good. I didn't get too deep into it, but the first two levels were very solid. You can probably pick that up for $10 now. I didn't hear too much about Future Perfect; fewer people gave a damn about a post-Halo 2 FPS.

All Timesplitters games I've played have been awesome.

I haven't played a real driving game (Mario Kart doesn't count) since Sega Rally Championship on the Saturn. This game feels nothing like that one at all and drives completely different. I'm having a really hard time with this one and don't know how or if I'll find the patience to see it through to the point where I start winning races, let alone just not finishing last. I really love the selection of cars and the different courses, though. Lots of good options, but I wish there was actual damage when you hit something. I think we're living in an age where it's kind of laughable to put out racing games where the cars just bounce off the wall if you hit it at top speed.

I think the trouble has always been with the contracts they sign with the car makers; I don't think they were allowed to damage the vehicles. But I've heard that Forza Motorsport for Xbox has damage, so who knows. Certainly GT5 better have damage, or the series' popularity will sink further.

Just beat Tomb Raider: Legend. Awesome platforming/exploring, decent combat, though definitely a bit short overall.

EDIT: Here's the review.

Got a review copy of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror for PSP today. Just started playing it... seems pretty solid, at least for the PSP. Control scheme isn't the nicest, but it's probably the best they could do within the limits of the system.

They announced that the PS2 version of GTA: Liberty City Stories will ship on June 6th for only $19.99. I'll pick it up again.

This is game-related, so i'll post it here. Quite fascinating and very amusing. It is the 10 Worst Videogame quotes of all time.

Remember kiddies: "A winner is you!"

I kinda want to grab a PSP but I likely would only play it on the way to work on the bus in the mornings. But if I could get one for like $125 (used) I would be almost like buying an ipod since they cost around the same, plus you can use the PSP as an ipod right?
oh, and how much are psp games usually??

I know I've seen a top 100 list like that before somewhere. Good stuff.

"Yo gangsta! Get ready to gang bang!"

I am Error.