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Find: Games - Movies - Music - Free Stuff! - Electronics - Computers
January 31, 2001
Sega games on PS2! - Comments (21) 23 Square titles - Comments (10) The PS Final Fantasy titles (XII, XIII and IX) (hmm, maybe VII, VIII and IX) will be released for PS2 with enhanced features - including new graphics, movies and sound - that take full advantage of PS2's superior performance. Furthermore, FF IV, V and VI are also slated to be overhauled for a new system that has yet to be announced. The release schedule for the remakes is currently set to begin in 2001, with the exact dates taking the release of FFX (to be available in July 2001) and FFXI (scheduled for release in spring, 2002) into consideration.Full article What’s going on? - Comments (21) Reviews - Comments (0) This was the first time I ever appreciated the Playstation2's support of all analog buttons. The accelerator and brake levers are located inside the wheel and are easily accessible with the middle fingers. The accelerator offers enough resistance to make it easy to control how hard you are pressing, but not too much that it requires any extra effort to hold down. When testing the wheel on RRV I had it on the Negcon setting, and it worked very well. The forgiving nature of Ridge Racer made it ideal for the Compact Wheel. Power slides were easy to perform, and the wheel offered enough resistance and control to maneuver through the field of drivers.Full review We also added a review of Konami’s ESPN X Winter Games: Snowboarding: The only people that would truly appreciated ESPN Winter Game's simulation style gameplay would be actual snowboarders who know what to expect. But for everyone else, the game will be frustrating and has a very steep learning curve. One trait that a game should always have is good balance. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the realism gets in the way of the fun, this game is somewhat unbalanced.Full review Lastly, a reader review of the first-person shooter, TimeSplitters has been posted. January 17, 2001 Where’s the forum? Movie reviews NBA Live 2001 review - Comments (12) The Live series is known for its tight, responsive controls. Previous versions of the game are packed with a multitude of moves that are innate to the NBA, and player actions on the court are highly responsive to button commands. In the PlayStation 2 incarnation of Live, the game has lost some of its precise control traits. In several instances, the player simply would not respond to button commands. For example, there were times when players would not execute a quick wing jumper off a fast break or jump to block a shot, even with the corresponding buttons firmly pressed. This lack of response is not a common occurrence, but it does detract from the overall gameplay experience.Full review Lotus Challenge screens LithTech engine demo Sky Odyssey review On the mission screen you'll find an RPG style map of the four islands where your adventure will take place. The game does a superb job of conveying the sense of adventure and anticipation of the challenges to come which really helps to motivate the player to press on. Each mission is unique in its own right and begins with a briefing and real-time map displaying the steps to completing it. There are many things to do such as rescue operations, mid-air refueling, riding jet streams or treacherous treks over mountain tops thousands of feet above sea level!Full review More PS2 consoles Sony said it wants to ship 10 million consoles worldwide in the year ending March 31, a goal that included 3 million shipments in both Europe and the United States. That goal will probably be met, Sony Computer Entertainment Vice Chairman Shigeo Maruyama told Bloomberg News, an assertion some analysts doubt.Full article Final Fantasy X info - Comments (15) It is confirmed that the entire game will be voiced.. a first for a Final Fantasy title. Another feature mentioned in the fact sheet is "Facial Motion", which is, yup you guessed it, a facial motion and animation system. Expect much more "emotion" this time around. Lastly, the "Active Field" feature is explained a bit. Active Field is basically, a 3-D behind the back camera system which, on the field map, turns to follow the characters' movements.Full article The boys over at GIA also updated their FF X preview with new details. Gamerweb visited Square Japan, so for even more info check out their FFX preview. Media - Comments (1) Forum update Swing Away Golf review - Comments (8) In order to progress through the game and unlock additional courses and characters you will need to hone your skills and win competitions. Winning competitions earns you points, which are used to purchase upgrades on clubs, shoes, special balls and more from the virtual pro shop. Players can also choose to wager their earned points in Story Mode.Full review Digital Leisure’s Arcade games - Comments (0) Eden interview - Comments (0) CVG: Can you take us through the basis of the storyline? Where did the ideas come from for the game?Full interview Paris-Dakar for PS2 - Comments (1) In development for the last year for PlayStation 2 and PC – an Xbox version is strongly tipped – the game consists of 12 stages, although the routes are an approximation of the actual 2001 race. "We weren't sure of the final route for this year until recently, so the stages in the game were created after watching videos of the event from the past four or five years," Broadsword Interactive joint MD John Jones-Steele told CVG. "The jungle and desert environments are approximated from the footage."Full article & screenshots Shinji Mikami talks PS2 - Comments (3) Continuing, Mikami-san discussed Devil May Cry and what players can expect graphically: "It's possible to make huge stages on the PlayStation 2, but it also takes considerable labor. You have to pile-up textures; it's almost like creating an oil painting from scratch. Most of the process is trial and error, and large areas can take as much as a month to create. Since I want to express the aspects of action and adventure however, these kinds of wide areas are necessary in Devil May Cry."Full article Rune coming to PS2 - Comments (1) The PC game Rune starred a young lead character by the name of Ragnar, who must prove his worthiness to his clan by guarding Odin's powerful Runestones, located in your own village of Midgard. At the outset of the game, you discover that a renegade group of Vikings have been destroying other Runestones across the countryside to free the mischievous god Loki from the underworld. And guess whose job it is to save Midgard?Full article Media - Comments (7) Views - Comments (0) Once a level of fighting and collecting has been completed successfully, you return to the site of the village to partake in a little rebuilding work - it's here that Dark Cloud begins to show itself as something more than merely sword and sorcery adventuring. Early on you acquire a special artefact that gathers and stores energy or mana, the stuff that enables you to rebuild the village. Reconstruct the landscape from the overhead view then tap select and the camera zooms seamlessly to first person view, allowing you to examine your handiwork. Simply delicious.Full review Gamespot posted hand-on impressions of Konami’s action game, 7 Blades: At start, the game is a fun hack-and-slash game, but the thrill does not last long enough to keep the game interesting. The enemies will respawn indefinitely, and they often look exactly the same. As such, the game isn't about killing enemies to complete the level - it's about getting from one point to the next. This isn't as obvious as it would seem at the start of the game, and soon the throngs of look-alike enemies simply become tiresome.Full article January 11, 2001 Forums down - Comments (46) Online PS2 games this spring - Comments (0) Typing game from Sunsoft - Comments (0) Soul Reaver 2 interview - Comments (0) IGN DC: What about the delivery? Will the same voice acting crew reprise their roles? Can we expect as many scripted events and in-game cinemas to help carry the plot?Full interview Media - Comments (0) Views - Comments (0) Players have total control of their outfit from the getgo, from selecting the armaments of each individual member all the way through to choosing who gets to drive the assault vehicle. Once dispatched, the chosen squadron must navigate a variety of intricately detailed turn-based environments, cleansing cities, crash sites and underground bases of Sauran scum as they go.Full preview IGN posted first impressions of Acclaim’s All-Star Baseball 2001: The Jumbotrons and scoreboards reflect the progress of the game in real time, displaying accents like the face of the player at bat, but perhaps the most interesting part of the stadiums are the people, not the building itself. The crowd is well-animated, with a couple of different routines to reflect their emotional state, and the players aren't the only inhabitants rendered in real time.Full article January 10, 2001 RC Revenge Pro ships - Comments (0) RC Revenge Pro boasts unique elements specifically designed to enhance game play. These include the special track editor, allowing the player to create their own racing tracks and save these custom tracks to a memory card. RC Revenge Pro also features a handbrake giving the player the ability to power-slide or perform super tight turns, as well as rear-view mirrors, which allow drivers to see competing cars approaching from behind.Full press release PS2 browser - Comments (0) GAME Studios to release two PS2 games - Comments (0) Phase Paradox - Comments (0) Spy Hunter: The Return - Comments (0) At least two identifiable cars appeared in this early version, a Jaguar from the XJ series, and an Audi. The camera angle is much like SF Rush's default view, and the game boasts a training level, too. Unlike the first title, Spy Hunter will follow a mission-based format, with structured levels and perhaps even time limits, which is still undecided at this point. In some levels, your Jaguar-esque vehicle can transform into a speedboat, while in others it remains solely a high-powered combat streetcar. When the life level of the player dips under a certain level, the vehicle transforms into a motorcycle or a jet ski for a fast getaway.Full article Turok 4 and QB Club for PS2 - Comments (2) Media - Comments (0) Views - Comments (0) Onimusha really doesn't stray too far from the Resident Evil formula. You spend most of your time moving from one static location to the next, and you view most of the game through overdramatic camera angles. Akechi spends plenty of time indoors, moving through narrow passageways and flipping hidden switches. Still, the focus this time is definitely on fast-paced sword-slashing action, as enemies have a nasty habit of respawning and Akechi's sword attack is lightning quick and does a very good job of auto-aiming on enemies. Akechi will often circle around enemies, and he'll even alternate his sword blows between two attacking baddies to keep both at bay. Additionally, killing enemies leaves their souls behind, and you can absorb those souls through the demon gauntlet to provide you with special power-ups.Full article Gamespot also posted reviews of 3DO’s World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks and Aqua-Aqua. DailyRadar posted first impressions of Bungie’s action game, Oni: Weapons and items are all accessible on the fly and with one button you can drop a weapon, pick up a weapon, reload, swap weapons with one on the ground and do just about anything else in the game. The R3 button (pushing down on the right analog stick) is used to pick up items and, thanks to the inverse kinematics in the game, it's possible to combine that action with any others. This allows you to pick up a weapon while in the middle of a cartwheel -- and really see it happening -- then jump in the air, flipping and shooting the entire time.Full article IGN also posted first impressions of Oni. January 9, 2001 Top Gear: Dare Devil review - Comments (0) Now to the multiplayer mode. It is a two player horizontally split screen mode featuring three ways to race. There is the traditional lap race where you and an opponent race a certain number of laps on customized tracks made for lap racing. The next mode is coin grab. This is exactly the same as the single player game except that you and a friend compete to see who can gather the most coins first. Finally there is bomb tag which is my personal favorite. One player starts off carrying a bomb on their car. They must run into their opponent to pass the bomb to them and who ever has the bomb when the timer reaches zero, explodes and loses (of course).Full review PS2 Midway games - Comments (0) Cool Boarders: Code Alien review - Comments (0) That's the fatal flaw with Code Alien. It's got all the bits we've come to expect from a snowboarding game, or, more to the point, a Cool Boarders game, but nothing else. There just isn't that little bit extra that we expect from a PS2 game, and that SSX delivers in spades. That's what prevents Code Alien being an essential purchase, especially when you can get hold of Cool Boarders 2 (arguably the best in the series) for under a tenner. The PSone classic will give you everything you'll get here and it's much faster to boot.Full review MDK 2: Armageddon interview - Comments (0) SoW: Can you describe any incidents that have gone on during the development of MDK2: Armageddon that would help to humanize the designers for our readers? Any crunch time stories, humorous anecdotes, or telling events?Full interview Racing game from Synaptic Soup - Comments (0) "Crazy Car Championship exemplifies the kind of high tech, high impact titles that we want to bring to gamers," said Vince Farquharson, development director for Synaptic Soup. "It's pure escapist gameplay in a snazzy set of pants, and that's pretty much what we're about."Full article GT3 details - Comments (1) In GT3 our physics modeling is much more precise, and we can find the subtle swells and bumps that cause the problems. So we have been going over the courses with a fine toothed comb trying to eliminate any spots where controlling the car becomes unreasonably hard. Another thing we're experimenting with is changing the courses' friction coefficients. This allows us to differentiate between gravel and mud on dirt courses. We now can express details that were impossible in GT2. Of course, when the friction coefficient changes, the handling changes too, so the end user will notice these adjustments.Full article Media - Comments (0) PS2 hard-drive from Seagate - Comments (0) Seagate, one of the leaders in manufacturing hard drives for computers, will make two types of hard drives for PlayStation 2, according to sources.Full article Red Faction interview - Comments (0) GO: Set on Mars and featuring an evil mining company, Red Faction is already drawing a lot of comparisons to Total Recall. Without divulging any state secrets, what can you tell us about the plot of Red Faction? How does the game progress? Are there missions, areas and levels, or is it one continuous flow?Full interview Oni screenshots - Comments (1) Surfing H30 review - Comments (0) Control of the game is a very mixed bag. Surfing H30 is the only game to support the patented X-Board controller peripheral, which attempts to provide an unparalleled sense of control and responsiveness. The X-Board which comes with the game sits atop of your Dual Shock 2 controller and allows you to "finger surf" and perform over a dozen aerial tricks that can be linked for unlimited combinations. The problem is trying to pull of these tricks in any kind of order. Getting used to the X-Board took us some time and some felt they could control the game better without it.Full review Q-Ball Billiards Master review - Comments (0) As a newcomer to the pool hall you will be able to take on any of the 13 characters found within the game. There are 5 in normal rank, 5 in pro rank and at least 3 bonus characters. Each has his or her own unique set of characteristics and techniques of play. While there are only 4 pool hall to choose from, each has been beautifully and meticulously designed to give it's own character and feeling. If only real pool halls looked like this.Full review Play-Pak review - Comments (0) PS2 modems from Conexant - Comments (0) Top-tier modem manufacturers including AIWA Co. Ltd., ASCII Corp., Cadmus Micro Inc., a Billionton Systems Inc. company, I-O Data Device Inc., Melco Inc. and TDK Corp. will use Conexant's SmartSCM(TM) universal serial bus (USB) V.90 chipset to create modems targeted for the PlayStation 2 market, with additional modem manufacturers to closely follow.Full press release More PS2s for UK - Comments (0) Activision to develop ‘Michelin Race of Champions’ games - Comments (0) The agreement underscores Activision’s commitment to develop racing games for the next-generation consoles and follows the company’s recent announcement that it is in development with its first racing title for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Supercar Street Challenge.Full press release Moderngroove to develop PS2 games - Comments (0) "When evaluating potential developers, Sony looks for a high level of innovation coupled with the ability to deliver a great product," said Adrian Crook, executive producer of moderngroove. "Our team is excited to be given the chance to prove as much on the most significant entertainment platform in the world."Full press release Extermination website - Comments (0) Media - Comments (0) Views - Comments (0) The weapons you get in the first few levels range from a pistol to a machine gun to some kind of plasma weapon. However, the firepower you may be packing is not nearly as much fun as taking out the bad guys hand (and feet) to hand. Oni finally brings a console-style fighting game to the PC that is not embarrassing or dull. There is nothing quite so satisfying as flinging an enemy over your head and watching him crash down to the ground. Also, unlike most other fighting games, there is no blood or gore involved. You can tell an enemy is defeated when you strike him and a colored light turns red when you hit.Full article Gamespot also posted first impression of Oni (PC version). GamespotUK posted a review of Disney’s Donald Duck Quack Attack Following a rather trite introductory sequence that underlines the collection aspects of the game, Donald is dropped into a number of pseudo-3D game worlds, each based around jungles, cities and B-movie themes. Within these, Donald scurries from start to finish, collecting shiny cogs, using the time-honoured "bum bounce" manoeuvre to kill anything in his way and navigating hazardous narrow walkways and treacherous routes. The action is viewed in the third person, although the camera is surprisingly distant from the action and thus misses out on the game's neat animation touches and some very attractive level and enemy design. But, ultimately, Donald Duck Quack Attack takes a path as familiar as its graphical themes, and while it is eminently playable, it lacks the finesses of the original Bandicoot titles.Full review DailyRadar kicked up a review of Square’s RPG-fighter, The Bouncer: The real kicker, however, is the fact that the game is set up in a fashion that keeps the pacing erratic. After you beat up a group of enemies, you're treated to a loading screen, then a menu that enables you to buy your powerups. Next, you're moved over to the save menu, then, another load and you get to watch an FMV sequence (which can be quite long), then, after yet another load, you're back in the action. While the order of these things may shift a little during the game, it's the same thing over and over, and it gets horribly jarring to constantly have to stop the action -- sometimes after only a minute or two of actual fighting. So instead of providing the excitement of Double Dragon or Streets of Rage, where you walk along a path fighting enemies as you come to them, The Bouncer feels more like a compilation of short fighting vignettes.Full review IGN also posted a review of The Bouncer. January 3, 2001 Best PSX games - Comments (2) Kengo: Master of Bushido ships - Comments (0) Popular for its realistic battles and varying stages of injury, "Kengo" simulates the complex fighting style of kendo. "Kengo" challenges the player to become a master of Bushido - to hone skills and learn new techniques in swordplay while maintaining spiritual balance.Screens: pic #1, pic #2, pic #3, pic #4, pic #5 PS2 sales - Comments (0) Interplay’s PS2 games - Comments (0) DreamCatcher plans Playstation games - Comments (0) “The company will bring several of its high-profile franchises, including Dracula - The Resurrection, and other original game titles to the PlayStation in 2001. Specific regarding PlayStation 2 development was not announced, but several PS2 games will also be released in the new year.”Full article Media - Comments (0) Views - Comments (0) You'll be jumping right into the action as soon as the intro is finished, and fighting your way out of the bar Fate where Sion and the gang are employed as bouncers. The character models are all very detailed and movements look realistic. The bar area is well detailed with stuff like a red car and a juke box scattered around the room. I noticed that as you progress through the game some of the battle areas are left with less detail compared to others. After feeling so drawn into the story, a plain looking area detracts from the overall experience. There really isn't much to complain about in the graphics department, but a little more detail in some places and Yu Suzuki would be eating his shorts and cursing at Shen Mue after a few fights with the bouncers.Full review GamespotUK posted a preview of EA’s NBA Live 2001: The animation of the players, for example, is exemplary. EA has really gone to town to create physically impressive players who flip between moves and feints with a degree of smoothness that even Des Lynam would envy. Despite the occasional awkward moment, passes are made and players slip their defender with incredible turns, while blocking and shooting are equally well realised. These skilful moves are also highlighted by slick-looking camera work worthy of a US pay-per-view event. Close-ups are used to show off the facial detail that now graces the recognisable NBA pros featured in the game, while intercut scene-setting sequences reveal a very detailed crowd and work to create the atmosphere of an important game - the players even talk to each other during free shots. With an unobtrusive musical score and sound effects that recreate the roars of a happy or disappointed crowd and the ever-present squeak of trainers on wood floor, EA's reputation for stunning presentation remains intact.Full preview Core posted first impressions of Koei’s Winback: The primary difference with the PlayStation 2 version of WinBack are its much-improved visuals – the difference is stunning, with W-Force Omega putting many of its tricks seen in DW2 to use here. As you move throughout the game, one can easily see distinct cloud cover slither across the skies – an effect that hasn’t been implemented to this degree before. A variety of special effects complement the weather, including smoke, fire, shadows, and a laser sight that can "see" far into the distance. Bullets almost always stream past the camera, instead of simply disappearing several feet after being fired. The hero (Jean-Luc) is also represented quite nicely; while there aren’t any changing facial expressions to speak of, his static face is seemingly both very realistic and complex regardless of the on-screen action.Full article First impressions of Konami’s action game, 7 Blades, was posted by GA-foum user Folken over at the Gaming-Age Forum: Konami has created quite a cool "cinematic action game" here(I prefer this genre name to your typical beat-em-up) Here is how it works: Basically, you start the game with a choice between two characters. You can choose a samurai with the ability to wield all sorts of various swords and bladed weapons, or the chick whom can equip various firearms. The game takes place in Feudal Japan, and features you taking on an army of ninja's and demon-possessed goons that could have crawled out of most typical smurai anime flicks.Full article IGN posted a review of 3DO’s puzzle game, Aqua Aqua: While the basic idea of the game seems simple in nature, it's actually quite complicated and very difficult to master. And when you combine the game's wide array of pieces and items that must be managed, its relatively hectic pace and the fact that it has some control issues that must be dealt with, which come in the form of camera problems and some difficulty with placing pieces exactly where you want them because of the camera problems and the imprecise control, Aqua Aqua is a game that might turn off a lot of first-time players.Full review |
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