Games and stuff.

[thatshortguy]

Having recently earned a job at a local video game store (free games for every console as far back as the NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM), I decided to pose a few questions to you, the general forum-going public.

1. For those interested, what is the collective take on the newer, thinner PSTWO? Personally, I think it is absolutely brilliant. It's literally only slightly bigger than the instruction booklet that comes with it, but size isn't the main matter here. Now, it can play burned DVDs of all formats, which is excellent since I don't like running the risk of scratching up my coveted ATHF/Red Dwarf DVDs (which, by the way, I feel like I want to absolutely kill you Englanders for getting Dwarf series five four months ahead of us.) On top of that, the general speed of the PS2 feels faster, although I will chalk that up to the fact that my old PS2 was one of the original launch consoles.

2. Need for Speed Underground 2 is so addicting not because of the racing -- strange, perhaps -- but because of the customization. Much like on City of Heroes, I spent hours customizing my ride, and I haven't even unlocked close to everything yet. That amount of customization is great for immersing people like me into actually caring about what is going on. Even though there's no damage in the game, I can't help but cringe when I smack a wall or -- worse yet -- those damned ice cream truck-looking vans. All that (and the badass contribution Mudvayne gives on the soundtrack) aside, I'm curious as to your collective take on not just NFSU2, but racing games in general.

3. Why must people give me so much crap for owning and liking Mortal Kombat: Deception? Aside from Soul Calibur II, it's probably the best fighting game to be found on the PS2 (granted, I've yet to try King of Fighters out, so bare with me here.)

So, go on, let's chat. These three topics, or any other console/game-related points you want to throw in.

[K]

free games for every console as far back as the NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

How about SOR3 on the genesis >_>

[Docpepper]

haven't played NFSU2 yet but it looks awesome the first on was great.

for some reason though i have a soft spot for burnout 3 i jsut love that game but i'll definetly add NFSU2 to my collection.

I prefer Soul caliber 2 over Mk deception i like how the fighting system in Sc2 is . in Mk the fighters seem stiff and rigid when fighting with weapons

as for the new ps2 does it really play any type of dvd ?

[FunkAsPuck]

(which, by the way, I feel like I want to absolutely kill you Englanders for getting Dwarf series five four months ahead of us.)

[stokeriño]

(which, by the way, I feel like I want to absolutely kill you Englanders for getting Dwarf series five four months ahead of us.)

You got San Andreas 2 days before us. Quite frankly, thats even worse.

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Than the prospect of having to miss out on Red Dwarf Series V for another four months? I think not. I'd been waiting years for that series to be released again. I almost went mad with Mr. Fwibble withdrawal...

[ErikBN3012]

Burnout 3 is damn fun. I rented it and spent almost 5 days straight playing it.

[thatshortguy]

free games for every console as far back as the NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

How about SOR3 on the genesis >_>

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We've got 'round about two walls of nothing but Genesis catridges, yo.

haven't played NFSU2 yet but it looks awesome the first on was great.

for some reason though i have a soft spot for burnout 3  i jsut love that game but i'll definetly add NFSU2 to my collection.

I prefer  Soul caliber 2 over Mk deception i like how the fighting system in  Sc2 is . in Mk the fighters seem stiff and rigid when fighting with weapons

as for the new ps2 does it really play any type of dvd ?

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It does indeed play any kind of DVD. Don't start thinking about copying games, however, as you'll have to create an exact duplication, bad sectors and all.

(which, by the way, I feel like I want to absolutely kill you Englanders for getting Dwarf series five four months ahead of us.)

You got San Andreas 2 days before us. Quite frankly, thats even worse.

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I will GLADLY trade you the chance to cap peoples arses as opposed to my favorite Dwarf episodes of all time, "Legion" and "Quarantine".

[paidelr]

Well at my work I get to wear jeans on Fridays and have coffee... during my break.

[oldskool]

Find any copies of EarthBound for SNES?

...and what store you working in, Midget? I can't think of any around here that give free games to employees. Is there a limit to how many you can take?

[thatshortguy]

Find any copies of EarthBound for SNES?

...and what store you working in, Midget? I can't think of any around here that give free games to employees. Is there a limit to how many you can take?

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I remember seeing some copies of yon Ness' debut. I'll have to double-check sometime.

As for the games, it's a 15% discount for new games ($50 goes down to $43, etc.), 25% discount for any preowned games ($40 goes down to $30, etc.), and once a game has been out for 30 days, any employee can borrow it from the store for seven days.

Free rentals from any and all Blockbusters, too.

Since the old NES and SNES games are no more than $5-$10 each, they become practically free after the discount. And believe me, if I see Chrono Trigger for around the same price as a two-burrito meal at Taco Bell, you damn well bet I'll be playin' some SNES later on in the day.

[GhostMachine]

1. No opinion on the PSTwo, but I've heard you can't use the hard drive with it????

2. I haven't played many racing games in a long time, but I prefer racing games where you can customize the cars and/or tracks over games where you can't. There's no point to games where you have to use the same cars and tracks/racing areas over and over again, because they're not really worth the money due to lack of replayability.

3. Haven't played MK Deception yet, but I loved Deadly Alliance, except for three things: Moloch has got to be one of the cheapest bosses I've ever seen in a game, Scorpion's ending sucked, and its impossible to do the more complex combos with the standard PS controllers.

Its kind of sad that with all the great games released for the PS2 recently, the only two I'm even interested in are Phantom Brave and X-Men Legends, and I've heard there's not much replayability for XML.

I'm going nuts waiting for Xenosaga II!!!!

(I'm also waiting for Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich, but that's a PC game)

Edited November 18, 2004 by GhostMachine

[thatshortguy]

1. No opinion on the PSTwo, but I've heard you can't use the hard drive with it????

2. I haven't played many racing games in a long time, but I prefer racing games where you can customize the cars and/or tracks over games where you can't. There's no point to games where you have to use the same cars and tracks/racing areas over and over again, because they're not really worth the money due to lack of replayability.

3. Haven't played MK Deception yet, but I loved Deadly Alliance, except for three things: Moloch has got to be one of the cheapest bosses I've ever seen in a game, Scorpion's ending sucked, and its impossible to do the more complex combos with the standard PS controllers.

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1. Tis true that you cannot use the hard drive with the newer PSTwo, but the HD was only utilized by Final Fantasy XI.

2. If you prefer racing games heavy on customization, then go get thyself NFSU2. For gawd's and barbecue sauce's sakes, you can customize you gauges.

3. Moloch is not a playable character or an opponent in "Deception", but be ready to want to stab whoever came up with Onaga's moveset. The combos are a little easier than DA's, but the style-branching combos might get you a little miffed due to difficulty, and if you hated Scorpion's ending in DA, you're either going to absolutely love or hate his Deception ending. No middle ground to it...at least for me.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Can Onaga be unlocked as a playable character? He's awesome.

I'm going nuts waiting for Xenosaga II!!!!

Same. I haven't heard very flattering reviews of the trailers and videos that have been posted on the internet though, one Xenosaga fansite gave it a 6/10, judging only by a tiny demo and a gameplay video.

[paidelr]

1.  Tis true that you cannot use the hard drive with the newer PSTwo, but the HD was only utilized by Final Fantasy XI.

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[Guest Mr McFarlane]

*forces Midge to buy him a slimline (Cooler way to say the new PS2 >_>) and GTA: SA*

[thatshortguy]

Can Onaga be unlocked as a playable character? He's awesome.

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As far as I know, Onaga isn't playable (which is a shame, as if you thought Ermac could piss the online players off, just imagine Onaga.) However, as with a lot of MK games, the more dedicated players are constantly looking for the quote-unqoute Super Unlockables (such as Reptile in MK1, Kintaro in MK2, etc.)

1.  Tis true that you cannot use the hard drive with the newer PSTwo, but the HD was only utilized by Final Fantasy XI.

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And now Socom 2.

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Totally failed to remember said Socom. Good point, Paidy....though I still feel it's no huge loss when only two games of the massive Sony catalogue are affected.

*forces Midge to buy him a slimline (Cooler way to say the new PS2 >_>) and GTA: SA*

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No discount on consoles. Did you know that most gaming stores actually lose money when they sell a gaming console due to shipping costs? Matter of fact, when my boss informed me of the schematics, it came out to the store losing $5 for each next-gen console sold. Of course, this is all made up through periphials (controllers, network adapters, etc.) and games.

[MalaCloudy Black]

As far as I know, Onaga isn't playable (which is a shame, as if you thought Ermac could piss the online players off, just imagine Onaga.) However, as with a lot of MK games, the more dedicated players are constantly looking for the quote-unqoute Super Unlockables (such as Reptile in MK1, Kintaro in MK2, etc.)

Ermac IS GOD.

[Guest Mr McFarlane]

And RE: Outbreak, Midge.

That used the Hard Drive too.

[Godfatha]

I'm still waiting for enough money to purchase NFSU:2. I played the demo on PC and I'm satisfied that it'll be even better on the Xbox (as it uses a controller instead of an infernal keyboard). One question: Is the rubberband AI still in effect this time around?

Fighting games for me, I hadn't liked since Mortal Kombat II. I just couldn't get into them. I need something to do for single player, something to keep me interested. I can't seem to get that with any fighting game, although a point about Soul Caliber II, it's too bad you can't get all three special characters (Spawn, Link and the dude from the Tekken series), but what can you do.

No comment on the PS2 dealy as I don't have one.

Question about the games though: How far back do you get the games. i.e., Halo 2 was released last Tuesday, but when did you guys receive your shipment? And did you play it?

[thatshortguy]

I'm still waiting for enough money to purchase NFSU:2. I played the demo on PC and I'm satisfied that it'll be even better on the Xbox (as it uses a controller instead of an infernal keyboard). One question: Is the rubberband AI still in effect this time around?

Question about the games though: How far back do you get the games. i.e., Halo 2 was released last Tuesday, but when did you guys receive your shipment? And did you play it?

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1. The rubberband AI, at least to me, is nowhere to be found. Granted, on the harder races (i.e., the last 15 or so), it may seem like there's RBAI, but it's because the computer knows the shortcuts and also how to utilize power slides.

2. Rhino receives their game shipments on Mondays, the same as everyone else. However, only people who pre-order get them within the week. Since Blockbuster Video owns the company, they have implemented their stocking policy, meaning if you didn't pre-order it, you'll have to wait until likely the end of the week (Sunday) until you can buy it from there.

This does not affect me, even if I wasn't hired by Rhino, as I have connections at Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., and the only Gamestop within the vicinty of my home. Midget got friends in geeky places, yo.

One of my friends from EB allowed me the opportunity to give Halo 2 a shot a full two days prior to launch. Magnifique.