Stone Cold
12-10-2001, 07:02 PM
I hate this guy, (SHANE) they single most biased, Nintendo, lover, MS hater, editor in the world, and to top it all of hes working for a great place like Gamespot.
Heres a little taste, that i found in 5 minutes.......look through the archives yourself and see.
Impressed With Load Times
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
Hello,
I got my Xbox today and am very, very happy with it. I bought Halo, DOA3, and Madden 2002. I am very impressed with the loading times. It seems a lot faster than any CD system I have played. Also the graphics are awesome, and this is just the beginning. I can't wait to see what developers have in store for next year. The hard drive is great. No more memory cards for me! The menus on startup and with the DVD are really great. Overall, I think the Xbox is a very polished and not rushed product. Everything looks real smooth and performs that way. The controller is great for someone with big hands like me. Bravo to Microsoft for a great console launch. I hope for the best in the future.
-PSYnman
Yeah, the load times in Xbox games are far superior to those on the PS2. If you think they're good, wait until you see the lightning quick loads in many of the GameCube's games.
Which DVD?
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
Hey love your site,
I have a couple of quick questions on console DVD players. I have an Xbox and a PS2 (I also plan on getting a GameCube). How does the Xbox DVD player compare with the PS2's? I'm a film freak and planned on getting the DVD kit for the Xbox when I thought it was going to be progressive scan. Now that I know that it's not, is there any reason to have it when my PS2 plays DVDs just fine? Is there any difference in the hardware (better motor)? We're also about to buy an HDTV. Will one console have any difference in DVD quality on HDTV over the other? On the back of the Xbox's box, it lists on the features "HDTV game and movie support." What kind of HDTV support is it if it's not progressive scan?
Thanks. You guys rock.
-GdB, Los Angeles
Both DVD players are basically the same. Neither plays in progressive scan mode and the options are adequate for both. This shouldn't factor into anyone's decision to buy one or the other unless having to pay $29 for the Xbox's DVD playback kit burns your britches. The Xbox is HDTV compatible because it can still play movies in a higher resolution, it just doesn't include a deinterlacer to sync up the frames.
Xbox RPGS and Platformers
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
What quality RPGs and platform games are in development for the Xbox that will be released by the summer of next year? Also, when will Microsoft start showing more of its 2002 games? In the newest EGM, Microsoft says it has more than 400 games in development for the Xbox between first party and third party, though I think that may be an exaggeration. When will we see some more of those games? Besides a few games to be released in the early months of next year, some Sega games, and a few screen shots of games to be released late next year, I haven't seen much. Keep up the great work. Thanks and happy gaming.
-C.L.N.
If you're looking for 3D platforming games, there really isn't a system that has established a definitive advantage. You can assume that the GameCube will have a healthy amount of them with Mario, Banjo, and Conker, but they won't be here for quite a while. On the Xbox, there aren't a lot of 3D platformers on the way. This is likely because Microsoft wants the Xbox to appeal to older players. Why Microsoft thinks older players aren't into platforming games is beyond me, but I would expect the next Rayman game to be released for Microsoft's console eventually. Quality RPGs for the Xbox are kind of scarce, but there are a few coming. Look out for Morrowind and Project Ego over the next year.
Halo Haven
[POSTED: 14-Nov-01]
First off, I would like to start as many others have started by saying great site. I don't know if you know how much all of your fans appreciate this site or not but let me tell you, I would take GameSpot over [other sites] any day! I am fed up and sick of all the pop-up advertisements, advertisements between pages, and subscription programs. I think that I represent all of your fans when I say thanks for the continuously free gaming news, previews, and reviews!
1. In your review of Halo, you mentioned in the first paragraph that, "Those who've spent the last few years looking for a first-person shooter as good as Rare's GoldenEye 007 or Valve's Half-Life will be happy to hear they need look no longer." I mentioned this to my friend and he quickly pointed out that it mentioned GoldenEye, but not Perfect Dark. I know that there are probably some better aspects of Perfect Dark over Halo, but overall from reading vast amounts of info I have a feeling that Halo is a better game than Perfect Dark is. Could you tell me which is better and why? A comparison article would be great!
2. Also, I have heard that Halo is going to the PC from some, while others say that it is staying on the Xbox exclusively because Microsoft won't let it go to the PC. So my question is, is Halo going to come out for the PC or not?
3. Have there been any indications for online play for Halo? I thought that it would be fairly easy to make a downloadable patch for Halo that would make it playable online. Or perhaps Bungie could release an expansion, sort of like what Gran Turismo Concept will be like. Make it a cheap, small game with a couple of new features (weapons, vehicles, maps, and so on) and the main feature of online play. This makes a whole lot of sense because you mentioned in your review that Halo multiplayer is great fun, but really has to be played with more than six players. Since most people won't rush out to buy multiple Xboxes, TVs, and controllers to play Halo with more than six players, an add-on of this sort would open up a whole new level of gaming for Halo.
4. Does the ending of Halo leave open a large possibility for Halo 2? Obviously, if the game is as big of a success as it seems it will be, Bungie will almost surely release Halo 2 no matter what. But does the ending kinda lead you to believe that there is something left to the story?
5. Last but not least, is the book Halo: The Fall of Reach available already or not? I tried looking it up online at my local library's database, but there wasn't anything on it about it.
Thanks for the info I am sure I will get!
-Gavin Schutten, MI
1. Please remember that this is my opinion and does not represent the views of everyone here on staff, but here goes. Perfect Dark is better than Halo. There, I said it. Halo is a kick-ass game and I had a lot of fun playing it, but its lack of mission objectives other than "kill everything in sight" started to wear on me after a while. I also grew tired of playing through so many nearly identical rooms and mowing down the same five or six enemies again and again. The first few hours with Halo are truly incredible, but I found my will to play gradually diminishing as the game wore on. Perfect Dark's story is kind of clichéd, but the mission objectives are varied, there are tons of weapons and gadgets to use, and the level design and enemy placement just seems smarter to me. As far as multiplayer is concerned, Halo kicks major butt with 16 players, but with just four players, half the maps are rendered useless, and the lack of weapon variety stymies the game's replay value. Most people will never have the ability to play with 15 other fraggers in Halo, so I have to give the nod to Perfect Dark in this regard as well. There's just more meat in PD. There are several different kinds of bots to add to the mix, and two firing options for each of the game's 20-plus weapons. Who can forget the fun of watching the bodies pile up from a well-placed laptop gun in turret form? I like both games a lot, but I feel as if more planning and precision went into making PD. Again, it's my opinion, so please don't send me your Halo hate mail.
2. Halo will be released for the PC sometime next year.
3. Don't be surprised if an online-only version of Halo is released in the next year.
4. Sorry, you'll have to play through it. No spoilers here.
5. I haven't heard if the book is out or not.
<img src=http://forums.teamxbox.com/avatar.php?userid=12296&dateline=1007974209>
Heres a little taste, that i found in 5 minutes.......look through the archives yourself and see.
Impressed With Load Times
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
Hello,
I got my Xbox today and am very, very happy with it. I bought Halo, DOA3, and Madden 2002. I am very impressed with the loading times. It seems a lot faster than any CD system I have played. Also the graphics are awesome, and this is just the beginning. I can't wait to see what developers have in store for next year. The hard drive is great. No more memory cards for me! The menus on startup and with the DVD are really great. Overall, I think the Xbox is a very polished and not rushed product. Everything looks real smooth and performs that way. The controller is great for someone with big hands like me. Bravo to Microsoft for a great console launch. I hope for the best in the future.
-PSYnman
Yeah, the load times in Xbox games are far superior to those on the PS2. If you think they're good, wait until you see the lightning quick loads in many of the GameCube's games.
Which DVD?
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
Hey love your site,
I have a couple of quick questions on console DVD players. I have an Xbox and a PS2 (I also plan on getting a GameCube). How does the Xbox DVD player compare with the PS2's? I'm a film freak and planned on getting the DVD kit for the Xbox when I thought it was going to be progressive scan. Now that I know that it's not, is there any reason to have it when my PS2 plays DVDs just fine? Is there any difference in the hardware (better motor)? We're also about to buy an HDTV. Will one console have any difference in DVD quality on HDTV over the other? On the back of the Xbox's box, it lists on the features "HDTV game and movie support." What kind of HDTV support is it if it's not progressive scan?
Thanks. You guys rock.
-GdB, Los Angeles
Both DVD players are basically the same. Neither plays in progressive scan mode and the options are adequate for both. This shouldn't factor into anyone's decision to buy one or the other unless having to pay $29 for the Xbox's DVD playback kit burns your britches. The Xbox is HDTV compatible because it can still play movies in a higher resolution, it just doesn't include a deinterlacer to sync up the frames.
Xbox RPGS and Platformers
[POSTED: 19-Nov-01]
What quality RPGs and platform games are in development for the Xbox that will be released by the summer of next year? Also, when will Microsoft start showing more of its 2002 games? In the newest EGM, Microsoft says it has more than 400 games in development for the Xbox between first party and third party, though I think that may be an exaggeration. When will we see some more of those games? Besides a few games to be released in the early months of next year, some Sega games, and a few screen shots of games to be released late next year, I haven't seen much. Keep up the great work. Thanks and happy gaming.
-C.L.N.
If you're looking for 3D platforming games, there really isn't a system that has established a definitive advantage. You can assume that the GameCube will have a healthy amount of them with Mario, Banjo, and Conker, but they won't be here for quite a while. On the Xbox, there aren't a lot of 3D platformers on the way. This is likely because Microsoft wants the Xbox to appeal to older players. Why Microsoft thinks older players aren't into platforming games is beyond me, but I would expect the next Rayman game to be released for Microsoft's console eventually. Quality RPGs for the Xbox are kind of scarce, but there are a few coming. Look out for Morrowind and Project Ego over the next year.
Halo Haven
[POSTED: 14-Nov-01]
First off, I would like to start as many others have started by saying great site. I don't know if you know how much all of your fans appreciate this site or not but let me tell you, I would take GameSpot over [other sites] any day! I am fed up and sick of all the pop-up advertisements, advertisements between pages, and subscription programs. I think that I represent all of your fans when I say thanks for the continuously free gaming news, previews, and reviews!
1. In your review of Halo, you mentioned in the first paragraph that, "Those who've spent the last few years looking for a first-person shooter as good as Rare's GoldenEye 007 or Valve's Half-Life will be happy to hear they need look no longer." I mentioned this to my friend and he quickly pointed out that it mentioned GoldenEye, but not Perfect Dark. I know that there are probably some better aspects of Perfect Dark over Halo, but overall from reading vast amounts of info I have a feeling that Halo is a better game than Perfect Dark is. Could you tell me which is better and why? A comparison article would be great!
2. Also, I have heard that Halo is going to the PC from some, while others say that it is staying on the Xbox exclusively because Microsoft won't let it go to the PC. So my question is, is Halo going to come out for the PC or not?
3. Have there been any indications for online play for Halo? I thought that it would be fairly easy to make a downloadable patch for Halo that would make it playable online. Or perhaps Bungie could release an expansion, sort of like what Gran Turismo Concept will be like. Make it a cheap, small game with a couple of new features (weapons, vehicles, maps, and so on) and the main feature of online play. This makes a whole lot of sense because you mentioned in your review that Halo multiplayer is great fun, but really has to be played with more than six players. Since most people won't rush out to buy multiple Xboxes, TVs, and controllers to play Halo with more than six players, an add-on of this sort would open up a whole new level of gaming for Halo.
4. Does the ending of Halo leave open a large possibility for Halo 2? Obviously, if the game is as big of a success as it seems it will be, Bungie will almost surely release Halo 2 no matter what. But does the ending kinda lead you to believe that there is something left to the story?
5. Last but not least, is the book Halo: The Fall of Reach available already or not? I tried looking it up online at my local library's database, but there wasn't anything on it about it.
Thanks for the info I am sure I will get!
-Gavin Schutten, MI
1. Please remember that this is my opinion and does not represent the views of everyone here on staff, but here goes. Perfect Dark is better than Halo. There, I said it. Halo is a kick-ass game and I had a lot of fun playing it, but its lack of mission objectives other than "kill everything in sight" started to wear on me after a while. I also grew tired of playing through so many nearly identical rooms and mowing down the same five or six enemies again and again. The first few hours with Halo are truly incredible, but I found my will to play gradually diminishing as the game wore on. Perfect Dark's story is kind of clichéd, but the mission objectives are varied, there are tons of weapons and gadgets to use, and the level design and enemy placement just seems smarter to me. As far as multiplayer is concerned, Halo kicks major butt with 16 players, but with just four players, half the maps are rendered useless, and the lack of weapon variety stymies the game's replay value. Most people will never have the ability to play with 15 other fraggers in Halo, so I have to give the nod to Perfect Dark in this regard as well. There's just more meat in PD. There are several different kinds of bots to add to the mix, and two firing options for each of the game's 20-plus weapons. Who can forget the fun of watching the bodies pile up from a well-placed laptop gun in turret form? I like both games a lot, but I feel as if more planning and precision went into making PD. Again, it's my opinion, so please don't send me your Halo hate mail.
2. Halo will be released for the PC sometime next year.
3. Don't be surprised if an online-only version of Halo is released in the next year.
4. Sorry, you'll have to play through it. No spoilers here.
5. I haven't heard if the book is out or not.
<img src=http://forums.teamxbox.com/avatar.php?userid=12296&dateline=1007974209>