[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

No shit. The over-priced demo is somehow second on the PS3 all-time seller list. But its worth pointing out that if it had been a regular console cycle, they'd be barely getting these must-haves out before it was over.

I'll definitely admit GT5's constant delays have been damaging.

I'm not going to compare raw numbers because I think it's apples-to-oranges. I definitely underestimated Motorstorm's impact (apparently PS3ers want anything with wheels; Also, God of War III sold less than Heavy Rain?!).

God of War III suffered a little from the "AGAIN?" community response. Lots of Kratos yelling, lots of blood, lots of big god fights. I've never played the series before, but I have a friend who loves it, but was tired by the end.

XBOX Live disproves that theory (Gears dropped like a rock in the face of better games).

I just have so many gripes about Gears.

I recently got back to Gears of War. It's clunky and inelegant, but the gratuitousness and scale are hard to find matched anywhere. I don't think enjoying the novelty of such a game (Bulletstorm seems like the next thing in that vein, unsurprisingly coming from EPIC) makes somebody a hardcore/mature "try-hard".

I just know a lot of games take violence and other mature content to a different level in an attempt to make the game feel "cool" to the 13-year-olds whose parents buy them M-rated games. The dialogue in Gears is what made the game feel like it was trying too hard, IMHO. I actually found the game itself to be pretty fun.

FWIW, God of War felt the same way to me.

Look at this forum; Virtually everyone on the 360 (who's semi-active on the boards) picked GoW2 up. Would you classify any of us like you're trying to paint the 360 audience?

No, but every time I play CoD or any other shooter online, I bump into plenty of people who I'd say fit that description. Part of the reason that I got a 360 was because so many people on these forums have them, and I know you guys don't fit that category. If I thought that you guys (and my other 360 friends) were like that, I wouldn't have bothered with a 360 in the first place.

You owned a 360 twice before affording a PS3? Doesn't that all but confirm my point?

My game console buying habits can't be brought to the table to prove anything. I have a problem.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

See The Xbox 360's New Dashboard In Action

I know it's not a drastic departure, but it's really clean. I'm diggin' it.

They've cleaned it up so much.

[Brien]

I don't think many people are buying a PS3 as their first system. I bought mine after the Xbox and Wii (and DS, even).

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Brien 

I don't think many people are buying a PS3 as their first system. I bought mine after the Xbox and Wii (and DS, even).

I'd need to see a poll on that.

About 80% of the people on my PS3 friends list are PS3-only owners. They're a faithful bunch.

[Brien]

I'm going by people I know, so YMMV.

[Jawbone54]

I had to google that one.

[SpaceMonkey]

I bought a PS3 Slim as my only console after they were first released last year.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I just know a lot of games take violence and other mature content to a different level in an attempt to make the game feel "cool" to the 13-year-olds whose parents buy them M-rated games. The dialogue in Gears is what made the game feel like it was trying too hard, IMHO. I actually found the game itself to be pretty fun.

FWIW, God of War felt the same way to me.

Then I think the problem is you.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

No, but every time I play CoD or any other shooter online, I bump into plenty of people who I'd say fit that description. Part of the reason that I got a 360 was because so many people on these forums have them, and I know you guys don't fit that category. If I thought that you guys (and my other 360 friends) were like that, I wouldn't have bothered with a 360 in the first place.

I think you're misconstruing the competitive and loud nature of adolescents for more than it is.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

My game console buying habits can't be brought to the table to prove anything. I have a problem.

Cop-out. You specifically cite the lowered price when mentioning your PS3 purchase. $5 says you would have bought a PS3 first if it had been $200 cheaper. Did you even own an original XBOX?

[Jawbone54]

The PS3 is the only console of mine that is labeled hands-off. I've owned three 360s and two Wiis (own both currently), but I've only owned one PS3. I won't ever sell it.

My own personal tastes trend toward the PS3, but I do understand why others gravitate to the 360. A lot of my attraction to the Playstation brand is probably nostalgic. The PS2 and original Playstation were my two favorite systems by a long shot, particularly the PS2.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Brien 

I don't think many people are buying a PS3 as their first system. I bought mine after the Xbox and Wii (and DS, even).

It feels like the GameCube of this generation. The single-console of the loyal, the secondary console of polyamorous.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Then I think the problem is you.

I'm willing to accept that.

I've often found myself in the minority with purchases and other interests.

I think you're misconstruing the competitive and loud nature of adolescents for more than it is.

I've seen plenty of arguments in favor of the 360 that featured hardcore mentality as part of the appeal.

Cop-out. You specifically cite the lowered price when mentioning your PS3 purchase. $5 says you would have bought a PS3 first if it had been $200 cheaper.

Oh, yeah, I never considered the PS3 at $600. I wanted to, especially because of the Blu-ray, but the price is a big factor in why I originally bought a 360.

Did you even own an original XBOX?

Two.

I was a Halo:CE addict.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

I've seen plenty of arguments in favor of the 360 that featured hardcore mentality as part of the appeal.

What is that again, exactly (Hardcore)?

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Two.

Don't tell me you were buying and trading multiple systems back then, too.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

What is that again, exactly (Hardcore)?

Eh, it's a loose term, but personally...

I'd think of hardcore as those that basically gravitate towards nothing but adult titles, hate the more mainstream games (especially hate the Wii), and spend inordinate amounts of time playing.

Not all hardcore gamers are the type that grate on my nerves. For instance, I have good friends locally who are too hardcore to even own a console; they're PC gamers. It's the attitude that comes along with some that ruins the experience for me. The superiority complex really drives me up the wall.

[EDIT]I love gaming, and enjoy just about every genre. I play sports, action, adventure, FPS, racing, RPGS...but gravitate mostly towards Sports and Adventure games (Uncharted 2 especially), but I'm not hardcore. My schedule keeps me from spending as much time as I'd like on gaming, but my interests are also too varied to make me a hardcore gamer.

Don't tell me you were buying and trading multiple systems back then, too.

Well, of course.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Eh, it's a loose term, but personally...

I'd think of hardcore as those that basically gravitate towards nothing but adult titles, hate the more mainstream games (especially hate the Wii), and spend inordinate amounts of time playing.

Hate mainstream games? Aren't Halo, CoD, and Gears of War mainstream games?

[Jawbone54]

Hardcore that became mainstream.

This is mostly opinion; I realize that. It's just my rationalization of the thought process that led me towards my PS3-lovin'.

[The Final Dakar]

Let me put it this way – those of us that you just referred to as not hardcore here just qualified for your definition of hardcore. Including the Wii part.

[Kevin Bogues]

Dakar,

whats your feelings on Darksiders so far?

I jumped into the game excited for something different from the FPS/Racings games i usually play but got bored quick for some reason.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Not all hardcore gamers are the type that grate on my nerves. For instance, I have good friends locally who are too hardcore to even own a console; they're PC gamers. It's the attitude that comes along with some that ruins the experience for me. The superiority complex really drives me up the wall.

Ahem...

In other words, the defining characteristic is the attitude. If I felt the attitude and general nastiness, I probably would've deleted friends. Luckily I haven't had to unfriend anyone for those reasons.

Also, 'NN is no delight to post on from an iPhone.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Also, 'NN is no delight to post on from an iPhone.

no delight? its terrible.
Honestly i've started to reply to messages multiple times and then gave up due to the annoyance

[The Final Dakar]

I did put some heavy hours into it this weekend (Roughly 10) and I was probably sick of it by 8 or 9 (and not feeling it by 6).

Its pretty much Zelda. This is kinda cool in the beginning but there are some major differences and drawbacks.

Combat:
What is the point of the Scythe if I can't equip it as my Primary? How the hell is the Gauntlet considered one of the three major weapons? What is the point of the gun when it takes several shots to down the zombies at the beginning of the game with the upgrade applied?

Feels deeper than Zelda. This stops being fun when they decide to mob you for sake of making it hard. It's also reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors (which I looooved) except DW was more about dropping some serious carnage than serious challenge.

Still it gets rather repetitive (upgrades and all) and this is where it contrasts from DW, where you had fairly brief campaigns, but like 30 million characters with differing move sets to finish them with.

Gameplay:
Something about the formula seems very transparent with Darksider. I have no powers, but hey I can find random shit I need everywhere. Doors inexplicably lock behind me. Vines grow in all these handy places. All happen in Zelda, all seem out of place in a more modern less fairy tale world.

It's odd but the familiarity of Zelda has another unexpected advantage here: When I unlock a new power or weapon or gear I have a pretty fair understanding of what I can do with it. In Darksiders, I completely clueless (See: The Gun). I've had to turn to guides more than I would have expected.

I have to give them credit for making some of the challenges elaborate training sessions, but the mere fact that its so transparent detracts from its usefulness/cleverness.

Story:
I really feel like they're making up as they go along. People complain that Zelda is repetitive. True. But at least its coherent. And more clearly delineated good and evil and characters I can care about.

Artstyle:
The entire concept is foreign, and then they make it ridiculously ornate. It's like the opposite of Wind Waker (which I also hated). I got tired of it when I noticed Samael's wings were on upside-down for some reason.


It's an oddly scathing review for a game that I would recommend to most people. I think the truth lies in that I find the gameplay solid (but not exceptional), but the presentation is more not to my taste rather than poor overall.

If you're wondering, about 3/5ths through the game (shortly after unlocking Epona). I'm on the fence about playing it this week. Really tired of it.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Ahem...

In other words, the defining characteristic is the attitude. If I felt the attitude and general nastiness, I probably would've deleted friends. Luckily I haven't had to unfriend anyone for those reasons.

I think I already covered this under "Hey, they're ****ing teenagers, what do you expect?"

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

no delight? its terrible.
Honestly i've started to reply to messages multiple times and then gave up due to the annoyance

I'm ready to rip out my uvula. This is my third post on it. I had no choice; I'm bored and in transit in the back of a car on a two-hour drive.

Also, don't misinterpret what I'm saying; just because a gamer is hardcore doesn't mean they drive me crazy. It's the hardcore gamers that are so full of themselves and treat others like crap on multiplayer or on forums because they don't meet their standards.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

(shortly after unlocking Epona)

Quote of the day

I was excited for the combat to step up and make the zelda like gameplay unique and exciting, but like you said, i got bored quick. I honestly couldn't force myself to keep playing.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

Quote of the day

*bows* The similarities between the two really are astounding.

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

I honestly couldn't force myself to keep playing.

Yeah, I'm a little worried as I was thinking about taking the week off.

I stepped away from AA because one spot was prime for an achievement (if I could get any good at the combat) and it ended up ****ing me because I never finished the game (one of the reasons I've taken a step away on achieves this year).

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I stepped away from AA because one spot was prime for an achievement (if I could get any good at the combat) and it ended up ****ing me because I never finished the game (one of the reasons I've taken a step away on achieves this year).

My new achive system is, play the game my way the first time, then check the list and see what i can go back and get (if it seems like a fun challenge) and if i'm bored or the achievements seem like a grind, i move on.

Did that with Bioshock 2 (now at 1200GS, and months later beat the campaign on the hardest difficulty)

[sek929]

I'm still about 60% of the way through Twilight Princess, and I doubt I'll ever finish.

I guess Zelda is just to played out for me, when I started TP they started talking about an evil magician from the desert and I nearly had a seizure due to un-originality.

Compare OoT and TP side by side and obviously TP is the better game, it's even darker and creepier. However, at this point the next Zelda will have to openly advertise that ganon is NOT the main bad guy to even pique my interest again.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

My new achive system is, play the game my way the first time, then check the list and see what i can go back and get (if it seems like a fun challenge) and if i'm bored or the achievements seem like a grind, i move on.

Did that with Bioshock 2 (now at 1200GS, and months later beat the campaign on the hardest difficulty)

Which is why the achievements in F3 were so awesome. None of them a grind (cept maybe for the Ingots in Pitt) and all of them brought to you new locales and had you experience new stuff without it seeming tacked on.

I play through once my way, play through a second time with some guidance on the easy and/or cool achievements and that's it. Orange Box has one for completing Episode One firing only one bullet. That doesn't sound like fun, it sounds like a root canal.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues 

My new achive system is, play the game my way the first time, then check the list and see what i can go back and get (if it seems like a fun challenge) and if i'm bored or the achievements seem like a grind, i move on.

Doesn't work for me. Unless a game has co-op I very rarely will play through twice, and certainly not right after I just beat it.

Originally Posted by sek929 

However, at this point the next Zelda will have to openly advertise that ganon is NOT the main bad guy to even pique my interest again.

Seriously, I don't understand how they couldn't at least change that.

[sek929]

Not to mention Midna (sidekick from TP) is actually MORE annoying than Navi.

Figure that one out.

[The Final Dakar]

Posting this here because it is random but funny.

[KCrosbie]

LOL! Damnit Dakar, I woke my daughter up cause I laughed so hard. Way to go man!

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by KCrosbie 

LOL! Damnit Dakar, I woke my daughter up cause I laughed so hard. Way to go man!

So long as one person found it funny.

---

Posted because EVE online is creepy in its deviousness sometimes.
You Shouldn't Trust EVE Online Players

The fund was protected by a board of trustees, who controlling 50% of the vote could theoretically block any attempts by Bobby to make a run for the cash. But they hadn't counted on Bobby working silently in the background adding more dummy trustees, which he was actually controlling, and when he'd created enough so that he controlled over 50% of the board's vote, he kicked everyone else off, took the money and ran.

Also, late:

[Kevin Bogues]

That's a good one, nice find

[The Final Dakar]

I'd love to know why MS no longer sells the black battery back (at least on Amazon).

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I'd love to know why MS no longer sells the black battery back (at least on Amazon).

I actually was looking for that on saturday, i could only find the kit with the cable

[The Final Dakar]

That's probably on purpose. God they're huge dicks.

[sek929]

That reminds me, all of my batteries are kaput, and two of my controllers are flaky.

I know modern controllers are more complicated and all, but is it to much to ask that they last over 2 years?

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

That reminds me, all of my batteries are kaput, and two of my controllers are flaky.

I know modern controllers are more complicated and all, but is it to much to ask that they last over 2 years?

I dunno. I replaced my black one last year (after two years) because the sticks were too beat. Considering they're used 100% it doesn't seem unreasonable.

[sek929]

My sticks are ok on all my controllers.

One controller does not work at all, and the black one that is not even 2 years old constantly shuts off, even when used with the damn charging cable.

Of course nothing compares to how worn out the joystick on the N64 controller used to get.

[The Final Dakar]

I returned 2 blue N64 controllers in one week. They were terrible.

What the hell are you doing to these controllers, man? Anybody else wanna chime in on the reliability of theirs?

[sek929]

Nothing, I treat my gaming stuff like Fabergé eggs.

The black controller worked fine when I retired it for the new one that came with my 4th 360. I knew the batteries were getting bad across the board but recently I wanted to charge a battery and still play from far away, only to realize that I had one working controller out of 3.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by sek929 

One controller does not work at all, and the black one that is not even 2 years old constantly shuts off, even when used with the damn charging cable.

My "good" battery lasts about 6 hours, i can't believe i'm about to buy a charge cable/battery today just to replace it.

[The Final Dakar]

Odd.

[Kevin Bogues]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

What the hell are you doing to these controllers, man? Anybody else wanna chime in on the reliability of theirs?

The white controller from my 1st 360 lasted perfect until i turned it in for my first elite, my back up black controller is okay but the right stick is terrible, its extremely loose.
My current main controller has been good but i think i'm on my 3rd battery (buying my 4th)

[sek929]

Honestly, if my current controller dies before the replacement plan is up for my 360 then I'm toweling that SOB.

[Jawbone54]

My first PS3 controller (no rumble version) lasted about a year before the sticks became unusable. My 360 controller has been great, but I've noticed it feels a little weird when I press in the left stick button and press forward (running in MW2, obviously). My DualShock3 is fine, but probably because I've split time between the two systems.

I'm really fine with having to buy a controller every two years or so. I'm apparently pretty rough on them when I play. I'm usually tense.

Like sek said earlier: at least it's not like the N64 controller.

[ajprice]

I've had my 360 a few years, its a non HDMI with a 20GB hard drive (original drive, its got a 120GB now). I've got a play and charge batery and cable, and the battery on it is useless now, I'm basically using it as a USB cable controller. Not sure whether to just get a new battery, play and charge or quick charge, or hang on for the new controller with the twisty d pad.

I've also signed up tonight for the discounted 12 month Xbox Live Gold with the Halo avatar helmet freebie, the discount 12 months starts in May next year for me.

[Brien]

The battery packs on my launch controller is pretty useless, so I'm doing like ajprice. Since my Xbox is out of warranty, if anything did happen to it I'd probably get one of those matte 360 S models.

[ajprice]

I might have missed this in this thread, but is there a definite way to get a fat 360 drive into a slim 360 drive slot? I know the slim is supposed to have some kind of internal drive caddy.

[The Final Dakar]

My understanding is you have to use a transfer kit to move the information.