Should I buy a GameCube? X-box? PC upgrade?
RedorDead
the art' motherboard, graphics and sound card. I don't have too much time to
play games so in that time I've only really picked my way through 4 or so
*big* games (mainly the Medal Of Honour franchise). The other day, I got
myself Metal Gear Solid 2/Substance. I noticed a hell of a lot of slowdown
and this was rectified only by turning the resolution/graphics/sound quality
down. This got me thinking about how I would fair up with *real* next
generation PC games (Half life 2/Doom 3 etc). So, I looked into upgrading my
PC. Fine I thought, bang in a gig of memory (currently 256MB), up my CPU to
say an Athlon XP 3000 (currently 1.8 Athlon XP) and get in a Radeon 9600
128MB pro (currently a Radeon 8500LE 64MB-yes, there are better and faster
cards than the 9600 pro, but not in my price range). With the labour costs
of getting all this put in (not a capable man in this area) it would be
another £50-so all in I'm looking at best part of £350, spent. Then I found
that my motherboard has only AGP 4X support and the Radeon 9600 pro is an
AGP 8X card (although is AGP 4X capable), so the graphics card would only be
going in an AGP 4X slot for the moment and I'd have to update my motherboard
when games start to *need* AGP 8X support. (at the moment the Radeon 9600
pro in my AGP 4X slot would still be a massive boost, as AGP 8X is still a
non starter at the moment). So, after my near future motherboard upgrade I'm
looking at £400+ total.
Before I had a PC, I had both a Nintendo 64 (favourite) and a playstation 2
(one of the dodgy batch that knackered *just* after my warranty date
ended=waste of money!).
This got me thinking to how happy I was with game consoles before my foray
into PC gaming. I bought a game, came home, banged it in and it played. I
never had to update my DirectX, graphics card driver, check to see if my
operating system was compatible...you know the feeling-say no more!
So, do I spend £400+ only to find that two years down the road I'll have to
do it all again, to make my PC 'roadworthy' for gaming (remember this price
is *before* I buy games for it). Or do I buy a game console for the same
price (including a batch of games and stuff), knowing that that same £400
would probably include the console *and* the price of the games I'd play for
at *least* the same two year period? As my PC stands, it will carry on doing
all the other things I want it to do, without spending another penny on it.
As all I do is surf the net and write the odd letter on it using Microsoft
word etc. So I'd get my gaming 'kicks' from a new console and still be able
surf the net etc on my PC.
This is where I need advice from you guy's. I know there are bound to be a
few Nintendo 'die hards' in here who will no doubt instantly suggest I get a
gamecube instead of a PC upgrade, but if there are any impartial console
owners in here who own more than one of the current platforms, I need to
know that my new console will be supported for a good while yet. I remember
towards the end of the life of the glorious N64, how hard it was to shop for
games and peripherals in the high street. What with all the shelf space
being devoted to the more commercially successful platforms. I don't want to
go there again-it was most frustrating. With being out of touch of the
console community for so long, I have no idea of the current 'leaders and
losers' in the console race. I *presume* Sony is still leading the way, but
who has the second place position Gamecube or X-Box? I haven't ruled out
getting *another* PS2 if that would be best for 'future proofing' myself, as
I know that there *was* a dodgy batch in the first run of the consoles off
the production line, and knowing that lightning never (hardly ever) strikes
twice and that my machine would be better constructed than my first was.
The Zelda games are my favourite games *ever* and Amazon still have a few of
the GameCube-Zelda wind walker limited edition packs in, at £95!!! At that
price, I would have a lot of money left from my £400 to buy a clutch of
necessities like memory card/another controller etc *and* a whole bunch of
the leading titles *and* possibly future titles.
But would I find after picking my way through these (a year-two), that the
console is no longer supported? In that respect, would I be better off with
an X-Box or (*another*) PS2?
Any input/advise on this would be most appreciated.
Thanks.
Fry
play the odd PC game once in a while... Unless there are PC games you REALLY
want to play that you can't find on a console that require you to upgrade, I
wouldn't bother. There's just not enough variety in PC games, they're all
really FPS games or Strategy games, and many of them are ridiculously
similar.
The Xbox has a LOT of games that are either ports of PC games or very
PC-esque... It might be worth looking at the Xbox catalogue of games to see
if any of the games suit you if you do like PC style games.
However, in my opinion the Gamecube has much more to offer than Xbox in
terms of the sheer quality of the games available. There's probably a bit
more variety as well...
A Gamecube with Mario Kart and a Limited Edition Legend of Zelda collector's
disc (Including NES Zelda I & II, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and a Wind
Waker Demo) can be picked up for £99 or less and an Xbox with 4 games can
currently be had for £140, so if you're looking to blow £400, you can quite
easily buy both of them and a decent pile of games for each...
If you don't really want to buy 2 consoles... Read up on the following games
(personal faovurites of mine) and see which console has the most you want:
Gamecube:
The Legend of Zelda - The Wind Waker
Viewtiful Joe (Best game I've played all year)
Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2
F-Zero GX
Mario Kart - Double Dash!!
Pikmin
Soul Calibur II featuring Link
Super Mario Sunshine
Xbox:
Halo
Project Gotham Racing 2
Amped 2
Crimson Skies
Soul Calibur II featuring Spawn
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack (Out Jan)
er... Someone help me out here (I don't play our Xbox much, we've not got
many games)
I wouldn't bother with a PS2, in my opinion it's a very weak console with
few exclusive games that are really must haves... Most games that are
released on all 3 formats (SSX3, Soul Calibur II, FIFA, etc) are usually
very similar on the Xbox and the Gamecube, but if you're realtl nit picking
on things like texture filtering etc, Xbox usually has the slightly better
version (though the Gamecube versions usually load fastest)
Hope that's of some help... the best path if you do have cash burning a hole
in your pocket is probably to get both if you can't decide, £400 will buy
and Xbox and a Gamecube with 10 games with money left over, which should
keep you busy. Though you might need to factor in extra controllers at £20
each, a Gamecube memory card at £15 and an RGB SCART cable for each at £20
per console...
koorb
<I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote:
<snip>
>Any input/advise on this would be most appreciated.
Obviously your not a PC gamer. Some people like having to upgrade
their system every year or so, but it doesn't suit everybody.
And incidently I would have suggested spend all your £350 on just a
graphics card, not a cheap system over hall.
-PS2
As far as the PS2 goes. The PS2 is king of the hill, but shit. If it
wasn't for it's one year head start on the competition then Sony would
have long since closed it's gaming division.
I have no idea why anybody is still buying these things. I mean it
doesn't even have four player! The Game Boy has four player!
It's graphics are terrible! And it hasn't had a change of controller
since 1995!
It's not a bad controller, but in all these years I still can't get
used to the triangle, circle thing. And they are using the same
controller for the PS3!
-GC
The GC is a great fun console with a good solid controller. If
anything has let it down, it has been it's lack of hard drive, online
experience and publishers generally being very timid in making a
commitment.
If Nintendo was to say they were not going to replace the GC and
become a developer like Sega, I would say it was a good move because
there is no need for Nintendo to be ridiculed by publishers like it
has.
-XBox
When it was launched the XBox was and still is big, expensive, is had
an oversized BIGmack as a controller, but since then they have
redesigned the controller with the amazing S-Type that only has the
problem of having it's white and black buttons in the wrong place.
The hard drive is far more than a gimmick. Being able to play a
beat-em-up and listen to Linkin Park is fun. As well as having quick
saves just like you have on the PC.
Live support is great and they could only improve it by providing more
content, but when it comes down to the games it has the best publisher
support because Microsoft has been paying for developers to develop
games for years now and they must of lost close to a billion now
because the XBox was never designed to turn a profit, but instead get
Microsoft's foot in the console markets door.
Out of all the unreleased consoles I look forward to the XBox2 more
than any other.
RedorDead
That's an excellent reply, thanks. You have really got me thinking a little
more clearer now. Just one thing, do you think the Gamecube and XBox will be
supported for a good time yet? And, at a guess, how long respectively for
each console?
Also, as much of a fan I am of F-Zero and Mario Kart and the like, and with
my love of 'straight' racing games (Gran Turismo made me buy the PS2), is
the gamecube lacking in 'straight' racing games (like the N64 was)? I've a
feeling the XBox isn't, am I right?
Thanks for your input, it *really *is* appreciated.
Chris F
if by lacking you mean "has none at all" then yeah :) tho NFS:
Underground looks quite good, not exactly a "straight" racing game.
PGR2 on the XBox looks amazing though.......it's actually tempting me
to get one.......
Satanica
RedorDead Screamed:
<snipped>
Only go the PC route if you want a beast of a machine just for the sake of
owning one. If youre really after Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 then Xbox will
possibly be more up your street since its getting both (supposedly anyway).
As Fry' already said, alot of games are multiplatform... especially the
bigger games.
At the moment its swinging back and forth between who's 2nd place in the
console market. Nintendo seem to be having a better christmas of it this
year (personal experience of working in Toys R Us) but other people are
adamant that the Gamecube is dead and buried and the Xbox has a clear 2nd
place by a million sales (although the same could be said for people talking
about the Cube aswell :)). Games are easy enough to come by for both, and
for the more obscure titles there's always online retailers and importing
games with the use of Freeloader on the Cube or chipping on the Xbox
Chris F
have to say from what ive seen working in Game, the cube has been
outselling the Xbox by a country mile since the pricedrop, even more
so since the mariokart pack came out.
the ps2 is still outselling both of course, unbelievable how many
people think the silver one is a new machine.
"er, its just silver"
ChrisM
if you count each zelda!). so really your only paying £40 for the machine
(as pc games you'd buy at approx £30 too) add a memory card an extra
controller and still your well under £100 for hardware (compared to your 400
pc upgrades). so if your happy with the games on the gamecube (in my
oppinion it has the best quality) then id go for it :). im sure the cube
will last a few years yet, worst case scenario you'd be able to pick up a
different console for a similar sub £100 and still be quids in on your pc
upgrade estimate!
my pc is a similar spec to yours, i play mainly on my cube but also have a
ps2 and consider my pc to be very good, which really if i was playing games
it wouldnt be! but its good for the titles you dont seem to get on consoles
that i like, like sim city :)
also remember in 2 years your pc will again be a milkfloat and require a
further say £400, but another console in 2 years would again be 1/2 or 1/4
of that. could be even more to upgrade if you have to get a new motherboard,
different type of ram etc which is inevitable at some point.
Chris
Fry
> and with my love of 'straight' racing games (Gran Turismo made me buy
> the PS2), is the gamecube lacking in 'straight' racing games (like
> the N64 was)? I've a feeling the XBox isn't, am I right?
>
> Thanks for your input, it *really *is* appreciated.
If you're looking for a Gran Turismo-alike for Gamecube, R: Racing Evolution
is out soon on Gamecube, Xbox and PS2 by Namco and looks to be just that...
http://cube.ign.com/objects/014/014871.html
switchblade
"RedorDead" <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote in message
news:bpqgqc$aaf$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
My advice, short and sweet:
I own all the current consoles bar the handhelds so feel fairly qualified to
answer.
Get an Xbox and Gamecube, you've got all areas covered then apart from maybe
one or two exclusives to PS2 - but then again you always get surprises like
GTA3/Vice City coming out on Xbox (these games are the only reason i bought
a PS2).
Get em both you wont regret it. And keep the PC for the internet and work
like I do.
Pessimist
in, and then buy the appropriate system. My personal suggestions would
be as follows:
1. "Should I buy a GameCube?" Yes. If you were a fan of the N64, I'm
fairly confident you won't regret buying a Cube.
2. "X-box?" As a second system, why not? It's a good console, and has
some quality games. As does the PS2.
3. "PC upgrade?" Not yet. Patience is the key with PC games. Just wait
until affordable hardware can run Doom 3 and HL2 without significant
compromise. There's no law saying you have to play these titles on the
day of release. Better to wait a year or two until they've been patched
to a relatively stable state, and by then suitable hardware will be a
lot cheaper. You'll have a much better experience.
-P
RedorDead
Thanks to all who have given me food for thought on this conundrum. I really
do appreciate all your input. And I feel close to a decision, it's looking
square-like...well, more cube-ish. :-)
RedorDead
> i'd say go for the mario kart/zelda pack, at 99£ you've got 2 games
snip-me-do
> Chris
I like the sound of this Mario Kart/Zelda pack for £99. Is this an offer at
a particular shop, or is this a Nintendo boxed pack that you can buy
anywhere? I've seen the Zelda Wind Walker limited edition pack, with the
extra 'Ocarina Of Time', etc extras. (are these 'extras' in the Mario
Kart/Zelda pack you speak of?) but not this *both* Mario Kart *&* Zelda
offer.
I'd buy this pack tomorrow, where do I go for this baby?
Thanks again, you're most kind.
ChrisM
the mario/zelda pack is avaliable everywhere! :)
the bonus disk included is (cue copy and paste from amazon)
"This bundle includes a copy of Mario Kart: Double Dash!, plus a bonus disc
containing GameCube versions of four classic Zelda games--The Legend of
Zelda (NES), The Adventure of Link (NES), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time (N64), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)--and a one-level demo
version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker."
so basically the mario kart/zelda cube pack is more zelda games but NOT the
wind waker game. you do get the wind waker in the zelda pack but less of the
retro games and no mario, i think that was limited edition too so you may
have more trouble getting that pack.
apparently Game shops have a good deal on the mario/zelda pack where they
throw in a couple of average games (better than nothing as there free!) you
can always trade them in!!
Chris
Chris F
he will indeed, we havent had any more in, it's been replaced by the
mario bundle it seems.
Spyder man
>
> Thanks to all who have given me food for thought on this conundrum. I
> really do appreciate all your input. And I feel close to a decision,
> it's looking square-like...well, more cube-ish. :-)
Go for both XBox and Cube and you're still quids in!
I decided the same as you about the PC, when the XBox was launched and even
tho' I paid a lot more for it than it is now I don't regret it.
I've just bought the Mario Kart pack for my daughter (and me), and was
pleasantly suprised at the software available for the Cube, having never
paid it any attention before.
It seems like the Cube has all the cutesy, fun games and the Box has all the
FPS and driving games.
Can't go wrong getting both, especially at the prices they are now.
It seems to me that Sony are just trying to milk the market as long as they
can with the aged PS2, as it doesn't offer very much in it's favour these
days. Just living off past glory.
No offence to PS2 owners!
Terry
RedorDead
>
> the mario/zelda pack is avaliable everywhere! :)
> the bonus disk included is (cue copy and paste from amazon)
> "This bundle includes a copy of Mario Kart: Double Dash!, plus a
> bonus disc containing GameCube versions of four classic Zelda
> games--The Legend of Zelda (NES), The Adventure of Link (NES), The
> Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's
> Mask (N64)--and a one-level demo version of The Legend of Zelda: The
> Wind Waker."
>
> so basically the mario kart/zelda cube pack is more zelda games but
> NOT the wind waker game. you do get the wind waker in the zelda pack
> but less of the retro games and no mario, i think that was limited
> edition too so you may have more trouble getting that pack.
>
> apparently Game shops have a good deal on the mario/zelda pack where
> they throw in a couple of average games (better than nothing as there
> free!) you can always trade them in!!
>
> Chris
Righty then. I'm gonna go for the pack you speak of, get 'Wind Walker'
separately, an extra controller, mem card and the quintessential RGB scart
lead. And still have enough to bang a bit of memory in my PC (and possibly
upgrade my CPU), but sod a new graphics card....£150 to find I need to do it
all again in two years? Pah!
I'm glad I posted on here, you guy's have certainly made me think clearer.
If you think about it, all the time I've had a decent PC I've only played a
handful of games, and in the same time, when I had an N64, I played all
those classics (why oh why did I sell my N64 collection?, oh that's
right...to help buy my PC). It would appear that I'm more a console
orientated gamer by heart. I've been disillusioned with the PC game scene
anyway, new drivers, wrong operating system...blah blah...bunch of arse!!!
I love my PC for using the net and all those other PC things...but it's back
to consoles for me!
Thanks, Chris. (and everyone else) :-)
RedorDead
You mean they've been replaced with the double dash+Zelda bonus disc
pack...or is that the one you're out of??? As it's the double dash/Zelda
bonus disc pack that I'm wanting to get. It's like just hit me that it inclu
des the whole of OOT (my favourite game in the whole bleedin universe!, and
Majoras mask that I was half way through when I sold my N64 to buy my
PC......I needed to join the online revolution...it seemed worth it at the
time!).
Mind you, Amazon UK have *BOTH* the limited edition Zelda Wind Waker pack
(with purple Cube) and the Double Dash+Zelda bonus disc pack (with black
Cube...my preferred choice)...and I've seen the odd screen shot of a
European Double Dash+ Zelda bonus disc pack with a *SILVER* (no, I'm not
mixing up a PS2 with a lack of sleep) Cube. Confoooooozed!!!!
Sigh, decisions, decisions!!!
I take it you are a 'Game' Employee?
Chris F
yeah i am.
the mario kart + zelda bonus disc pack only comes with a black cube,
not a silver/platinum one. the zeldaTWW bundle came with the platinum
cube, but they aren't doing any more of them afaik.
RedorDead
Lucky man. I'd love to do a job that holds a personal interest, instead of
dragging my arse out of bed to do something I need only do to earn a living.
What's the perks like? 10% off, or better?
Thanks for clearing up the matter of the elusive 'platinum' Cube. I was
hankering after one to match my TV, Video, DVD player, 5.1 amp etc, but as
long as I *don't* end up with the purple one, I can live with that (hate
purple). Besides, all my favourite consoles (N64, megadrive and master
system) have all been black....apart from my brief dalliance with Sony's
scum bucket that is (spit!). No offence to PS2 fans, but I paid £300 to have
it 'time bomb' just after my warranty expired as did countless others,
'Watchdog' viewers will know what I'm on about. The conspiracy theorist in
me half believes Sony did this on purpose...with controlled numbers, as not
to put off the masses. I was first led to believe this when I found that
Sony, in an attempt to 'sex up' sales figures, counted warranty replacements
as another console sold. Gets you thinking though, huh? If true, I wonder
what the *real* sales figures for the three platforms are?
I'm up this late still deciding on 'Cube' or 'Box', tomorrow I will have
one, which I don't know. I'll let you's all know tomorrow. An ad for 'Toy's
R' us' for a Cube (inclusive of MKDD and Zelda bonus disc) with *4* other
titles *and* a Ferrari wheel for £129.99 has got me enticed, but the other
titles were that good I've forgotten them already, I know one was a Harry
Potter game (likely to be a wodge of horse puckey!) and another was a
Bomberman title (never a big fan of BM), so I think the extra £30 would be
better spent on 'Wind Waker'.
I *had* decided on a Cube but seeing that Toy's R' Us' ad reminded me of the
death throws of the doomed Dreamcast, where they were giving you like £10 to
take one off the shelf. And this has me spooked on the long term support of
the Cube. But to play the Zelda's, Mario titles, Metroid, Starfox, Waverace,
1080 Snow'bo (SSX? My Arse!) etc would be still worth it for the money spent
even if they stopped developing for it tomorrow.
Oops, I must remember to shorten my posts. Sorry if they are a little long
winded for you's all. I can waffle, soz.
Thanks again. Peace!
RorD
Zomoniac
Both GAMEs in Bradford have stacks of the platinum packs.
Zo
Zomoniac
> little more clearer now. Just one thing, do you think the Gamecube
> and XBox will be supported for a good time yet? And, at a guess, how
> long respectively for each console?
>
> Also, as much of a fan I am of F-Zero and Mario Kart and the like,
> and with my love of 'straight' racing games (Gran Turismo made me buy
> the PS2), is the gamecube lacking in 'straight' racing games (like
> the N64 was)? I've a feeling the XBox isn't, am I right?
>
> Thanks for your input, it *really *is* appreciated.
F-Zero is to all intents a 'straight' racing game, save the odd speed boost,
it has no weapons, and is simply a case of come first and win. Sega GT 2002
and its forthcoming online counterpart are straight racing games for XBox.
Moto GP 1/2 online for XB are also fantastic straight racers, just on bikes.
R Evolution's looking good too.
My opinion would be that I couldn't decide between mine, I have all 3 of
them, and I probably spend marginally more time on my XBox, simply because
of Live!. I'd say my time was divided 45% XBox, 40% Cube, 10% DC and 5% PS2
(which has probably now been overtaken by my Mega Drive, just rediscovering
Jungle Strike). I have it for Pro Evo 3 and GT3, and in anticipation of GT4,
and that's about it. If you have broadband and would like to get into online
play, go XBox, the Live! service in unbelievable. If you're likely to have
lots of friends round at any one time, go Cube, if only for the beauty that
is 4 player Monkey Ball. If all you want to do is play single-player,
offline games, I couldn't decide. In your position, if you have a £3-400
budget, I'd buy the MK/Zelda Cube pack and the MM3/Halo/TS2/Frontline XBox
pack. That comes out at £240. eBay your Zelda bonus disk for £50, and you
get a total of £190. That's £210 to buy Wind Waker, PGR2, extra pads,
memory cards and whatnot. HTH.
Zo
Ken Catchpole
>
> My advice, short and sweet:
>
> I own all the current consoles bar the handhelds so feel fairly qualified
to
> answer.
>
> Get an Xbox and Gamecube, you've got all areas covered then apart from
maybe
> one or two exclusives to PS2 - but then again you always get surprises
like
> GTA3/Vice City coming out on Xbox (these games are the only reason i
bought
> a PS2).
>
> Get em both you wont regret it. And keep the PC for the internet and work
> like I do.
>
I'd second this. I have GC, XB and PC (no PS2, though).
The GC is an excellent sucessor to the N64, with two caveats; firstly,
there's a lack of decent FPS games (no Goldeneye or Perfect Dark beaters,
I'm afraid); and secondly, I've been *slighty* disappointed with some of the
updates (though Zelda: Wind Waker was very popular, to me it didn't come
close to Ocarina of Time). Having said that, there are an enormous number of
excellent and original titles for GC.
I have the XB to fulfil my FPS needs; this it does very well (esp. online),
but I would have sorely missed out if I hadn't had the GC.
So, get both; and if you can't, decide if can live without FPS's or not.
Nathan
> F-Zero is to all intents a 'straight' racing game, save the odd speed
> boost, it has no weapons, and is simply a case of come first and win
Sorry, but I totally disagree with this.
You say odd speed boost, in expert mode and certainly master mode you have
to be boosting almost constantly to stand a chance of winning, trading off
energy and boosting becomes quite a tactic.
It has no weapons, true, but attack can potentially be a big thing in the
game (otherwise why does it keep score of your kills in a race?).
To say it's a "straight" racing game is pretty crazy really. For example,
you virtually never need the brake button in F-zero. By "straight" i'm
sure the guy meant real cars, and some ounce of realism in the physics,
which counts out F-zero completely.
--
Nathan.
XBL Gamertag: Cowfield
http://www.cowfields.com
Bow to the Cow!
[ste parker]
"RedorDead" <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote in message
news:bpqgqc$aaf$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
> With the labour costs
> of getting all this put in (not a capable man in this area) it would be
> another £50-so all in I'm looking at best part of £350, spent.
Ever tried? It's really one of the simplest things to do!
> Then I found
> that my motherboard has only AGP 4X support and the Radeon 9600 pro is an
> AGP 8X card (although is AGP 4X capable), so the graphics card would only
be
> going in an AGP 4X slot for the moment and I'd have to update my
motherboard
> when games start to *need* AGP 8X support.
By the time that comes around your card would be well out of date anyway.
Not worth worrying about at all.
<snip>
> The Zelda games are my favourite games *ever* and Amazon still have a few
of
> the GameCube-Zelda wind walker limited edition packs in, at £95!!! At that
> price, I would have a lot of money left from my £400 to buy a clutch of
> necessities like memory card/another controller etc *and* a whole bunch of
> the leading titles *and* possibly future titles.
>
If you want the games, then buy the machine - like you say, its well within
your budget. Theres also a lot of decent games about.
> But would I find after picking my way through these (a year-two), that the
> console is no longer supported? In that respect, would I be better off
with
> an X-Box or (*another*) PS2?
>
I don't see why it wouldn't last as long as the Xbox / PS2 at the moment -
in fact, it seems to be getting a bit of an upsurge if anything. Eother
way, even if thats the case I'd say there's easily enough games that have
been released so far that you could buy that will last you.
[ste]
Zomoniac
> "RedorDead" <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote in message
> news:bpqgqc$aaf$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
> <snip>
>> With the labour costs
>> of getting all this put in (not a capable man in this area) it would
>> be another £50-so all in I'm looking at best part of £350, spent.
>
> Ever tried? It's really one of the simplest things to do!
>
Zo
RedorDead
Well yes, I *did* mean cars of the vroom vroom honk honk variety. I'm really
Toad of Toad Hall when it comes to racing games. (I wish they did a Stirling
Moss stylee game, with Monaco rendered as it would have been at that time).
Though I appreciate F-Zero (emulated SNES version, couldn't hack the
cyberpunk soundtrack on the N64 version....used to put Motorhead on full
blast to play it....or booming techno)
Nice. ;-)
[ste parker]
>
> Well yes, I *did* mean cars of the vroom vroom honk honk variety. I'm
really
> Toad of Toad Hall when it comes to racing games. (I wish they did a
Stirling
> Moss stylee game, with Monaco rendered as it would have been at that
time).
>
Grand Prix Legends on PC?
[ste]
[ste parker]
"Nathan" <id...@checkthis.com> wrote in message
news:Xns943D67D1...@130.133.1.4...
> Stop!.. Zomoniac time
>
> > F-Zero is to all intents a 'straight' racing game, save the odd speed
> > boost, it has no weapons, and is simply a case of come first and win
>
> Sorry, but I totally disagree with this.
>
> You say odd speed boost, in expert mode and certainly master mode you have
> to be boosting almost constantly to stand a chance of winning, trading off
> energy and boosting becomes quite a tactic.
>
> It has no weapons, true, but attack can potentially be a big thing in the
> game (otherwise why does it keep score of your kills in a race?).
>
I think the side attacks are definitely really useful (the spin attack much
less so) - nothing like taking out your nearest rival right at the start of
the race so you know he's gonna get no points this time round :)
[ste]
Jon Skeet
> I think the side attacks are definitely really useful (the spin attack much
> less so) - nothing like taking out your nearest rival right at the start of
> the race so you know he's gonna get no points this time round :)
There's also the fact that:
o With only 25 cars in the race you're *bound* to get a few points
o If you can fairly safely get 5 kills each attempt, you can keep going
until you manage the race
--
Jon Skeet - <sk...@pobox.com>
http://www.pobox.com/~skeet
If replying to the group, please do not mail me too
Cool_Daz_2000
I got the mario & Zelda pack and it came with a purple cube
Chris F
<Cool_D...@Hotmail.com> wrote:
>On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 01:05:48 GMT, Chris F <ch...@asif.com> wrote:
>I got the mario & Zelda pack and it came with a purple cube
>
hmm, we've only ever had black ones, and thats what the nintendo site
says it comes with.
Satanica
RedorDead Screamed:
> I'm up this late still deciding on 'Cube' or 'Box', tomorrow I will
> have one, which I don't know. I'll let you's all know tomorrow. An
> ad for 'Toy's R' us' for a Cube (inclusive of MKDD and Zelda bonus
> disc) with *4* other titles *and* a Ferrari wheel for £129.99 has got
> me enticed, but the other titles were that good I've forgotten them
> already, I know one was a Harry Potter game (likely to be a wodge of
> horse puckey!) and another was a Bomberman title (never a big fan of
> BM), so I think the extra £30 would be better spent on 'Wind Waker'.
I think the other one is Spyro. Too many packs to remember them all though.
If you get it them PLEASE take the wheel through the tills aswell. You only
have to hang around otherwise
> I *had* decided on a Cube but seeing that Toy's R' Us' ad reminded me
> of the death throws of the doomed Dreamcast, where they were giving
> you like £10 to take one off the shelf. And this has me spooked on
> the long term support of the Cube. But to play the Zelda's, Mario
> titles, Metroid, Starfox, Waverace, 1080 Snow'bo (SSX? My Arse!) etc
> would be still worth it for the money spent even if they stopped
> developing for it tomorrow.
I'd say the Cubes at a fine price in comparison to the others. No DVD player
with this one so paying the same as the others always seemed a bit much. And
you can get a decent player for the price difference anyway
Satanica
RedorDead
I got a dandy Poneer DVD player anyway, so it's never really entered the
equation.
I'm totally useless though. I drew £200 out of the bank today, went to town,
and walked from Toys R Us, to Game, to EB, to, HMV to Virgin megastore and
to GameStation (an excellent largish independent store that are great for
trade ins....if you are lucky enough to live near one. Mind you, they are
popping up all over the shop which leads me to believe they could have been
bought out by a major retailer?). And basically stood gawping at the
different bundles, and *still* could not make my mind up between Cube and
Box. I'm giving it one more nights deep thought. This is turning into a
frickin soap opera :-)
I will probably end up with both before krimbo, but I can really only
stretch to one at the minute. And basically I was worried that if I got the
Xbox bundle( one of the ones including halo, MM3 + other game in some cases)
that when I came to get the Cube in a couple or so weeks that they would be
out of the Double Dash + Zelda bonus packs. And visa versa, that if I got
the Cube, that when it came to the Xbox, the Halo+MM3 packs/offers would be
sold out.
So if anyone in the industry (Chris?) has a feeling which offers/packs are
likely to be around longest, that *could* swing me into a more decisive
state of mind.
RedorDead
No, take it from me guys, I wouldn't know a PCI slot from my a....well, you
get the picture.
Chris F
gamestation are owned by blockbuster now and are just as commercial as
game (and judging by some posts, their staff know even less than the
stereotypical Game employee these days. one of the guys in the
gamestation intown didnt even know what final fantasy x-2 was, useless
sod)
granted they give you better prices on trade-ins than Game, but other
than that theres very little difference between the two.
personally i still wouldnt shop in either if i didnt work for one of
them, cos without the staff discount high street shops are just far
too bloody expensive.
>
>I will probably end up with both before krimbo, but I can really only
>stretch to one at the minute. And basically I was worried that if I got the
>Xbox bundle( one of the ones including halo, MM3 + other game in some cases)
>that when I came to get the Cube in a couple or so weeks that they would be
>out of the Double Dash + Zelda bonus packs. And visa versa, that if I got
>the Cube, that when it came to the Xbox, the Halo+MM3 packs/offers would be
>sold out.
>
>So if anyone in the industry (Chris?) has a feeling which offers/packs are
>likely to be around longest, that *could* swing me into a more decisive
>state of mind.
>
no idea how long the mario pack will be around, as long as nintendo
keep bundling it i suppose, and as it's been selling pretty well that
should last until christmas or just after at least.
as for the xbox pack i really wouldn't know, but i have heard that
when the current supply runs out thats it, same as it is with the
silver ps2's apparently.
but if they stop doing the 2 free games with it, id expect them to
drop the price of the console on its own down to about 100 quid
anyway.
RedorDead
> On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 21:35:25 -0000, "RedorDead"
> <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote:
>
> gamestation are owned by blockbuster now and are just as commercial as
> game (and judging by some posts, their staff know even less than the
> stereotypical Game employee these days. one of the guys in the
> gamestation intown didnt even know what final fantasy x-2 was, useless
> sod)
In defence of the staff in the Manchester Arndale store, they are a great
bunch of lads. And gamers to the core. At least two of them I know will even
talk you out of parting with your cash if they think a game or whatever is a
bad purchase. I can't speak for anywhere else though, and now Blockbuster
has a hand in it...well, that's bad news.
Chris F
<I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote:
oh good god.
if you come into the Game store downstairs i may well sell you your
console lol ;)
RedorDead
Oh, you a Manchester lad then??? Tell me you're a United fan and I think
we'll get on fine. ;-) rofl
Chris F
<I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote:
am i fuck, i just have to live here :P
RedorDead
That's no bad thing. Best place on earth and all that.
Chris F
<I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote:
spoken like a true mancunian.......
ie someone who's never left manchester ;)
RedorDead
I'll have you know I'm a man of the world, thank you!!! ;-)
My head is in tatters! I'm flitting from 'Cube' site to 'Box' site, and
every two minutes I go "Eureka[sp?], I'm going to buy an, erm, or will I buy
a.......?"
I reckon I should just come in your shop, place a wodge of cash in your till
and you just give me a 'mystery Game bag'...There, problem solved. The Zelda
thing (bonus disc) has me drooling, but only for 'Ocarina' (officially the
best game in the world-ever TM), which I've completed 4 or 5 times (every
piece of heart is imprinted in my brain), but to play it again in higher
resolution through an RGB SCART lead is damn tempting. If Mario Tennis and
Mario Golf were in the pipeline (and not just rumours which is all I can dig
up) and maybe a Perfect Dark or (oh god please?) even a 'Rare' *real* Bond
game (as in Goldeneye) were also on the cards, it would be a no brainer. But
then I think about how long I've wanted to play Jet Set Radio and Project
Gotham Racing...and I'm.....sod it, I'm getting an Xbox.
Just post back if you get a clue as to the likely availability of the double
dash packs (with Zelda) *after* krimbo. Then my world will be complete.
Cheers, Chris.
Zomoniac
Bloody scary place. I was there on Saturday at the Radiohead gig, on my my
out of the city some fat old guy in a Discovery tried to overtake some
Mondeo coming up to some lights but couldn't, so he pulled up alongside him
at the lights, got out of his car and hammered on the windscreen with
statements along the lines of "you want a fucking fight? C'mon, I'll fucking
kill you". He was in the left lane, the Mondeo in the middle, me in the
right. Scary stuff, has to be said. Even Bradford ain't that bad.
Zo
Zomoniac
> your till and you just give me a 'mystery Game bag'...There, problem
> solved. The Zelda thing (bonus disc) has me drooling, but only for
> 'Ocarina' (officially the best game in the world-ever TM), which I've
> completed 4 or 5 times (every piece of heart is imprinted in my
> brain), but to play it again in higher resolution through an RGB
> SCART lead is damn tempting. If Mario Tennis and Mario Golf were in
> the pipeline (and not just rumours which is all I can dig up) and
> maybe a Perfect Dark or (oh god please?) even a 'Rare' *real* Bond
> game (as in Goldeneye) were also on the cards, it would be a no
> brainer.
a) Mario Golf's out in other countries.
b) MS now own Rare, their games are exclusive to XBox, so any PD game
wouldn't make Cube anyway.
Zo
[ste parker]
"Jon Skeet" <sk...@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1a2c58e31...@10.1.1.14...
> [ste parker] <imag...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > I think the side attacks are definitely really useful (the spin attack
much
> > less so) - nothing like taking out your nearest rival right at the start
of
> > the race so you know he's gonna get no points this time round :)
>
> There's also the fact that:
>
> o With only 25 cars in the race you're *bound* to get a few points
> o If you can fairly safely get 5 kills each attempt, you can keep going
> until you manage the race
>
On harder skill levels I notice that I can barely ever get any kills at all
now.
[ste]
[ste parker]
You don't need to, you just put stuff where it fits!
[ste]
RedorDead
> "RedorDead" <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote in message
> news:bpttlt$c97$1...@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk...
>> Satanica wrote:
>>> On The Day The Earth Burned,
>>> Zomoniac Screamed:
>>>> [ste parker] wrote:
>>>>> "RedorDead" <I'drathe...@themoment.net> wrote in message
>>>>> news:bpqgqc$aaf$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
>>>>> <snip>
>>>>>> With the labour costs
>>>>>> of getting all this put in (not a capable man in this area) it
>>>>>> would be another £50-so all in I'm looking at best part of £350,
>>>>>> spent.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ever tried? It's really one of the simplest things to do!
>>>>>
>>>> Seconded. It's just like Sticklebrix, only more expensive.
>>>>
>>> And if you get static with sticklebricks you dont need to buy a new
>>> tub :)
>>
>> No, take it from me guys, I wouldn't know a PCI slot from my
>> a....well, you get the picture.
>>
>>
>
> You don't need to, you just put stuff where it fits!
>
> [ste]
Ahem, gulp!
Burning_Ranger
> RedorDead wrote:
> I've just bought the Mario Kart pack for my daughter (and me), and was
> pleasantly suprised at the software available for the Cube, having
> never paid it any attention before.
> It seems like the Cube has all the cutesy, fun games and the Box has
> all the FPS and driving games.
> Can't go wrong getting both, especially at the prices they are now.
>
> It seems to me that Sony are just trying to milk the market as long
> as they can with the aged PS2, as it doesn't offer very much in it's
> favour these days. Just living off past glory.
> No offence to PS2 owners!
Doesn't anyone play RPGs anymore?
If you're after RPGs, then PS2 is the one you want.
Chris F
i'd have got out and chinned him one, fucking soft southern mancs.
RedorDead
*Southern* Manc?, is that someone who lives in Didsbury? (I used to live in
Didsbury, till I got priced out by it becoming even more posh than it
already was...lovely leafy suburb, how I miss thee, sigh).
Anyway, enough with the Manc bashing already!!! ;-)
Steve Thomas
<az...@NOSPAMaziz99.fsnet.co.uk> writes
Agreed, but:
<Rant>
If more RPGs were released in this country then perhaps more people
would play them. We've been shat upon from a great height in this
country by various manufacturers and some excellent games were
never/will not be released here (small sample: Chrono Cross, Xenogears,
Suikoden 3, Xenosaga, .Hack). We're forced to chip/import, which is
getting more expensive and increasingly difficult to do as the bastards
are clamping down.
</Rant>
Apologies: It's 3:15 AM and I can't sleep. I feel better now.
Edit: No I don't.
--
Steve Thomas
Chris F
yeah southern. cos yer from the sout (relative to where i'm from) :)
Satanica
Purple and black at Toys R Us. Purple comes with all the bundles but I found
the black ones hidden away in a corridor yesterday.
Satanica
RedorDead
You at Toy's R Us in Manchester by any chance?
Satanica
Leicester. They can probably get one transfered for you but it'll take about
2-3 weeks cos it'll be by regular trucking.