[Jim Paradise]

Well, hopefully this will be a bit different than the usual "bash console ___" threads that usually arise. I'll state up front that I could care less about XBox since having played Halo 2 a bit, I found it to be nothing special. Having said that, the times I've played it I've played it with friends in two person mode, I've had fun. So this is what this thread is all about in essence - gaming enjoyment.

I've recently played through Resident Evil 4 on my GameCube and found it to be one of the greatest games I've ever played. The graphics are beyond anything I've seen on most systems; after the first two opening scenes, I was amazed at the initial in-game graphics when I first played. That amazement hasn't ceased and even on my second time playing through right now, I'm astonished at the level of detail put into even the little areas that you may not notice or are not central to the game. I'd say if you have the chance, do yourself a favour and play Res Evil 4.

I've never been one for RPG's, but my girlfriend and I went splits recently on Tales of Symphonia (also for GameCube) and have been enjoying it quite a bit. When I came across it online, it was the first RPG that I had seen that looked interesting to play due to the real-time battles and graphics. While I haven't played too far through it yet, I've enjoyed the level of depth to the game from what I've seen when my girlfriend has been playing it.

There are some odd titles that I enjoy. Goblin Commander is an example of a game that I doubt the more hardcore gamer would like, but I enjoy it as it reminds me more of the kinds of games you might find on older systems. Alien Hominid is another old school style game that's a side scroller. A lent it to a friend of mine recently who felt it was very Contra-ish in some of the levels. It also makes for a good game if you want a quick pick-up game for two people.

A friend of mine recently finished up San Andreas. While I haven't found the graphics to be that interesting or detailed in San Andreas, the gameplay's definitely worthwhile if you enjoy having a vast amount of missions to complete. I was quite impressed with the size of the maps/locations (as I was with Resident Evil 4) and there's just so many small things to do if you're just ambling around shooting a few people here and there.

And since I need to do some schoowork before this afternoon's seminar, I'll close by saying that Need For Speed 2 Underground is the first racing game since Virtua Racing on Sega 32x that I've really enjoyed. Hopefully a friend of mine with PS2 will pick up a copy of Gran Turismo 4, and I'll be able to give it a whirl.

Sooo... post just games you've enjoyed recently regardless of platform. I've been enjoying watching my friend play some World of Warcraft on his nice gaming rig. The colours of the game suit the 'fantasy' feel of the game perfectly.

[entrox]

Super Bomberman 2 on the SNES. 4-Player gaming heaven.

Oh, and better don't mention WoW.. damn thing has been sucking up too much of my time lately.

[starman]

WoW

[E's Lil Theorem]

Quake II, instagib mod to be exact.

Railguns forever!

[Millennium]

I liked Tales of Symphonia a lot. You might also want to check out the Star Ocean series, which uses many of the same gameplay concepts. It's made by a company called Tri-Ace, who split off from the Tales folks shortly after making the first game.

If you can find an old PS1 game called Valkyrie Profile, that is another excellent game along these lines. That said, it's very hard to find this game anymore; it's something of a cult classic.

[sek929]

Halo 2 without Xbox live is like sex with a bodysuit on. Excellent game but single player is the same old hat (besides some must-play parts of course).

Besides that the only new game I am playing is Gran Turismo 4, which is THE best racing game (driving simulator really) ever made.....ever. I'm at 62% complete and I have 12 pages of cars I've either won or bought. The shear scale of the game is daunting at first and they have refined it quite nicely from 3. The revised physics engine is most apparent in races where you drive older or low-end cars and offers just about every type of handling characteristic ever conceived. The crown jewel of this game is the Nurinburgring a massive 13 mile course that resides in Germany. With every kind of twist, turn, chicane, and high speed curve that you would find if you put numerous courses together.

That combined with the other real-world circuits like Suzuka, Fuji, Cirque De la Sarthe (24 Hrs Le Mans course) Infineon raceway, and a re-vamped Laguna Seca add a much higher level of difficulty than the one-of courses made by the folks at Polyphony.

Favorite car thus far? MINOLTA Toyota 88CV Race Car (1167 Horsepower )

[paul w]

I loved my NES and my commodore 64 and my Atari 2600. But the games these days are amazingly rich and intense.

I'm playing Resident Evil 4 as well and I am blown away - this game actually frightens me at times. I have very little gaming eperience in recent years. This Gamecube kinda fell into my lap a couple months ago. I only played one other game - Wind Walker. That was fun, but RE4 is different. It gets to you more. I suppose the deaths are kind of gruesome, having your head sawed off or your heart ripped out will do that to you. It's on another level, this game.

I do wish I could put the moves on Ashley though. Maybe later in the game.

[Garage81]

Originally posted by sek929:
Halo 2 without Xbox live is like sex with a bodysuit on.

haha, great guote.

I found my SNES, and I've been playing through Final Fantasy 2 again.

Final Fantasy 2 is, for me, without a doubt, the best video game ever created.

The story, the characters, the gameplay, all top notch. Even the graphics (dating over 10 years old) still have more character than most of the games being released today.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

I don't know what it is about RE4 and me, I bought it the first day, played it for 30 min and absolutely hated everything about it (mostly the control). I am trying to motivate myself to pick it up again.

[iREZ]

I am and always be a Halo whore. Xbox live and Halo 2 is my guilty pleasure for the last 5 months. People who usually don't like it aren't very good at it, and it's totally understandable, no game has ever made 100% of their consumers happy. MR ATM is my Xbox life account nate if you guys wanna get rocked.

[sek929]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I don't know what it is about RE4 and me, I bought it the first day, played it for 30 min and absolutely hated everything about it (mostly the control). I am trying to motivate myself to pick it up again.

I had the same experience with Silent Hill 2 for Xbox, unfortunately I won't get back into the game cuz I sh!tcanned it to the pawn shop.

Recently borrowed Mario 64 from a friend a blew through it, great game. Also another game that has gone through a resurgence in my house is Dead or Alive 3, my favorite fighting game by far.

[itai195]

I'm still looking to pick up Tales of Symphonia, being a longtime fan of the Tales series. Glad to hear you enjoyed it; you may want to look into the previous titles in the series if you have a PS1.

I'm also playing RE4 and loving it. I've been a big fan of RE since the very day the first title came out, but this game is easily the best in the series and a blast to play. Code Veronica is now relegated to second place

As for the XBOX, I'd just say that there is a lot more to the console than Halo 2. I'm not a huge Halo fan either, but my XBOX is probably my most heavily used console.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by sek929:
I had the same experience with Silent Hill 2 for Xbox, unfortunately I won't get back into the game cuz I sh!tcanned it to the pawn shop.

Funny same goes for me. I was totally fed up with that first outdoor area and canned the game for about 8 months. Finally I picked it up again and finished it. Turnes out it is one of my fav games of all time.

[mdc]

the one game is living in my gamecube is fifa 2005. i have 4 controllers and 4 player fifa is awesome.

i bought it and nfl street 2 at the same time and i have hardly played anything else since then. great fun.

[paul w]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I don't know what it is about RE4 and me, I bought it the first day, played it for 30 min and absolutely hated everything about it (mostly the control). I am trying to motivate myself to pick it up again.

Hey I hated the controls at first - but after a while you get used to them. And while at first it comes off as standard mummies attacking from everywhere, it really develops niceey as you advance. Lots of surprises.

If a spaz like me can get used to the controls, anybody can.

[ort888]

Resident Evil 4 is my favorite game this generation.

Well, maybe Metroid Prime is.. I dunno. Call it a tie.

[Jim Paradise]

I'm going to try to refrain from posting about older games as I don't want go get caught up in talking about Choplifter, Jumpan Junior, Doom, Quake, SimAnt, NBA Jam, etc., etc.

Back in the N64/PS days, I really enjoyed Crusin' World and GoldenEye on the N64. For the PS, I thought MediEvil was a really fun game, and I also had some good times going through Soul Reaver 2. Thinking about it, Soul Reaver 2 had a rather larger and graphically detailed world for a PlayStation game. A friend and I would sit around for hours, listen to random records, and play the same damn level of Cool Boarders 3 that came on some demo disc for the PS.

Millennium, I'll definitely take a look at the Star Ocean series. Thanks for the suggestion! My girlfriend and I recently picked up a PSOne (the mini PS) and once our class workloads are down, we're gonna do up some missions to find some good used PS games. At least around here it seems that used games have really been harder to find in the past few months than in previous years; seems like stores such as EB are trying to get rid of as much of their old stuff as possible which is a shame 'cause they used to have a pretty good used games selection at their stores. But if I find Valkyrie Profile, I'll pick it up.

Has anyone by chance played the Futurama game for PS2? A friend of mine has been trying to locate it for ages and it seems quite difficult to find.

[Jim Paradise]

Originally posted by ort888:
Resident Evil 4 is my favorite game this generation.

Well, maybe Metroid Prime is.. I dunno. Call it a tie.

I never really got into Metroid Prime despite trying to, but Res Evil 4 is also my fav game of this generation of consoles. I'm glad that they added such things after you beat the game such as The Mercenaries which is a really fun zombie killing freeforall.

[Link]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I don't know what it is about RE4 and me, I bought it the first day, played it for 30 min and absolutely hated everything about it (mostly the control). I am trying to motivate myself to pick it up again.

First off, you're Disgruntled Head of C-3PO, if Nintendo made a Quad 4ghz g5 console, had contracts with every major game company including sony, and was priced at $10, with $5 games, you'd STILL complain.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Link:
First off, you're Disgruntled Head of C-3PO, if Nintendo made a Quad 4ghz g5 console, had contracts with every major game company including sony, and was priced at $10, with $5 games, you'd STILL complain.

Second off being a Nintendo fanboy all my life till 2 years ago proves you have no clue as to what you are talking about.

[OB1]

It's all GT4 for me at the moment. Unless my good friend Jim drops 'round, then it's "Ding Ding! Monkey Fight!" (Super Monkey Ball, GameCube, still love it)

[lavar78]

My favorite game this generation is definitely Wind Waker. I also loved Paper Mario. Tales of Symphonia is next on my list.

My all-time favorites would have to be Final Fantasy VI, Tactics, and the original Legend of Zelda.

I'm stumbling though RE4 right now and those freaky Los Illuminatos (or, whatever) in the castle are really freakin' me out. As soon as I enter a room and hear their weird chanting - goosebumps!

I hated the other RE games - but this one is a lot more fun and not as cheezy. I have had to get out the 'ol Action Replay a time or two to get past some parts in RE4 but don't feel like its hindered the experience too much.

Even though I'm getting a PSP tonight, I don't think it's going to see much use until RE4 is complete!

[finboy]

Originally posted by paul w:

I do wish I could put the moves on Ashley though. Maybe later in the game.

***************************SPOILER ALERT**************************

Nope.

Seriously, RE4 is an awesome example of what the GameCube can do. And I think RE4 is so much better than the old ones, too.

I like the GameCube, with the right titles, I just wish the Star Wars games were a little easier to play.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by Garage81:
Final Fantasy 2 is, for me, without a doubt, the best video game ever created.

The story, the characters, the gameplay, all top notch. Even the graphics (dating over 10 years old) still have more character than most of the games being released today.

You might want to pick up a copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PlayStation.

It includes Final Fantasy IV--SquareSoft released Final Fantasy IV in North America as Final Fantasy II because it couldn't convince Nintendo to hand over North American publishing rights of the real Final Fantasy II and III--with a far superior translation yet keeping the most infamous poor translations from the original English-language version intact. (You spoony bard!)

And you get Chrono Trigger for free.

Final Fantasy IV, despite the barely passable translation of the original English-language version, remained my favorite game for ten years.

There were other great games released in that era, of course. Ecco the Dolphin was unique; had incredibly deep and varied gameplay; amazing art direction; and, in the Sega CD (Mega CD) version, some of the the best music ever. Super Metroid took exploration to a new level. Puyo Puyo (aka Puyo Pop, Kirby's Avalanche, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Qwirks) was an addictive puzzle game (especially in multiplayer mode) with interesting characters. And Street Fighter II had required a great deal of strategy, had great replay value thanks to twelve (or seven) different playable characters, and spelled the end for those god-awful games in which you did nothing but move forward and hit the buttons as fast as possible.

But all of that was more than a decade ago.

Ico replaced Final Fantasy IV as my favorite game in 2001 and has remained there since. Nothing has better proved games can be art than Ico. The dreamy yet realistic organic appearance is truly awesome. Seriously, any game in which you stop playing just to look at the birds has done something right.

But it's more than art direction that makes Ico the best game ever.

The puzzles, the interactions between characters, placement of objects, et al.: everything feels natural; nothing feels contrived or out of place. This is what Prince of Persia 3D (aka Prince of Persia: Arabian Nights) could have been if the developers hadn't insisted on simply remaking the 2D Prince of Persia games in 3D (and ignoring that many elements from the 2D games didn't work in 3D) or what the Tomb Raider series could have been if Core had more talent. (Prince of Persia redeemed itself--albeit temporarily--with The Sands of Time.)

As for recently released games, everyone with a PS2 should get God of War. This is what Prince of Persia: Warrior Within could have been if Ubisoft had created a new game instead of ruining an existing series. Not to mention God of War, unlike Warrior Within, has a sense of humor about itself.

[ASIMO]

Originally posted by sek929:
Halo 2 without Xbox live is like sex with a bodysuit on....

Indeed. Except that S&M is infinitely more fulfilling.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Indeed. Except that S&M is infinitely more fulfilling.

We just learned something about you that was best kept secret.

Then again, seeing as how an increasing number of video game characters, both male and female, look like they're involved in alternative lifestyles...

[ryaxnb]

I'm A Game Boy Advance guy... I have Sonic, Pokemon pinball, Centipede/Millipede and Namco Museum as my top titles, I also have monopoly, Super Mario 3, Pac-Man collection, and more.
When I'm not Game Boy gaming, I'm using my Mac to game, running Airburst, Deimos Rising, or either Jinni Zeala or Monster Fair pinballs by LittleWing, and for more serious fun, Age of Empires and The Sims. On my PC I have SimCity 1, 2, 3, 4, The Sims 2, and Chessmaster 10, and a bunch of other old stuff.

I'm hoping for a GameCube pretty soon.

[DeathMan]

Originally posted by ASIMO:
Indeed. Except that S&M is infinitely more fulfilling.

I was just thinking to myself: a bodysuit doesn't sound so bad at all.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

The PSP is the best thing to happen to portable gaming since the original Gameboy. Stunning hardware and games.

[entrox]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
The PSP is the best thing to happen to portable gaming since the original Gameboy. Stunning hardware and games.

You really have a strong opinion on this, haven't you?

[BasketofPuppies]

I'm a sucker for retro collections.

It's an addiction. I'll buy almost any retro compilation or new game with classic game(s) included, even if the emulation or conversion is lacking and/or I didn't like the games when they were new.

For the time being I've been able to hold off on purchasing Tekken 5 (which includes the arcade versions of Tekken, Tekken 2 Version B, and Tekken 3) by reminding myself I never liked those games to begin with.

Anyway, here's what I have:

Dreamcast
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 - Emulation is awful, but it was cheap.
Street Fighter III: Double Impact - Still don't understand why Capcom sold Street Fighter III: Third Strike seperately.

GameCube
Animal Crossing - Never had any interest in the game, but the hidden NES games make it a worthwile purchase. (Just buy an Action Replay to get the NES games.)
Fight Night: Round 2 - PS2 and Xbox versions look and control better and have online play not present in this version, but who cares? The 'Cube version includes Nintendo's Super Punch-Out!!
The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition - Missing the Super NES and Game Boy Zelda games, but it's still four classic games.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Other Zelda collection makes this one almost redundant. Almost.
Metroid Prime - Forget the expensive, time-consuming method "required" to unlock the original Metroid. Buy an Action Replay to get it instantly.
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut - Sonic Adventure is almost as bad as the Dreamcast original, but the (too) hidden Game Gear Sonic games make it worth buying, even though no retro game has a save option.
Sonic Mega Collection - Perfect emulation of the Genesis (Mega Drive) Sonic games. Too perfect. Only the emulations of games with internal batteries have save options. Additional Sonic games (Sonic CD, Knuckles Chaotix, Sonic Championship, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, and a few others) would have been nice too.

PlayStation
Darkstalkers 3
Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy Chronicles - Buy this now. Or else. Final Fantasy IV is the second best game ever and this version has a far superior English translation than the original Super NES version.
Final Fantasy Origins
Street Fighter Collection 2

PS2
Activision Anthology - A whole lot of Activision games for the Atari VCS (2600).
The King of Fighters 00/01
Mega Man Anniversary Collection - Look Sega, Capcom included save options for every game, even though only one originally had it.
Midway Arcade Treasures 1 - Bought this strictly for Joust. Seriously.
Namco Museum
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Still angry only the Xbox version included Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame
Space Channel 5: Special Edition
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection - Would have been nice to get a real Street Fighter collection instead of a slightly (and poorly) modified Super Street Fighter II Turbo and one third of Street Fighter III, but at least Street Fighter III: Third Strike is one of the best games ever made.

[mishap]

Yeah, more final fantasy talk.

I have been disappointed by the PS2's final fantasy releases maybe because i wasnt into the style of X-2 and X, dont get me wrong, i did enjoy these two titles. I did play XI for a month and decided to ditch it due to the fact that i couldnt keep up with playing it all the time. also, without a party of friends (or friends being offline), it is very difficult to progress--a little less enjoying, but i'm sure some people loved it.

I think i may be more into XII--it reminds me a little bit of IX.

as everyone has stated, Resident Evil 4 was great, kept me busy every few nights for 2 months straight. I'm back on chapter 3 on my second time through and i still havent tried to complete Mission Ada(sp?). I prefer Ashley's original costume..

Tekken 5 is a damn good game much more enjoying than 4.

also... dont know if i have the time to go near Gran Turismo 4 right now, but that is next on the list.

[Sandbaggins]

I miss my Final Fantasy Tactics

I don't remember what the name for this game on the GBA that was similiar.

Just wasn't the same.


Right now I'm enjoying Wipeout Pure on the PSP

[brapper]

I'm getting a Gamecube from a friend tomorrow. Great deal.
Pumped to play some NHL 05, being that it'll be my only hockey this season!

[sworthy]

Originally posted by mdc:
the one game is living in my gamecube is fifa 2005. i have 4 controllers and 4 player fifa is awesome.

I second fifa (though I only had the 2004 version). Sports games in general are easier for me to play receptively because you can always throw twists in the the games (try different tactics/plays/teams, etc).

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by entrox:
You really have a strong opinion on this, haven't you?

Having played games all my life with over 200 games and just about every system that came out I would have to say I have the experience to have an opinion. I am not a person who only has one system and thinks it is the best thing ever.

[E's Lil Theorem]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
...I have the experience to have an opinion. ...

You don't need experience to have an opinion. If you have experience and an opinion, however, it's called an expert opinion

[lavar78]

Originally posted by E's Lil Theorem:
You don't need experience to have an opinion. If you have experience and an opinion, however, it's called an expert opinion

... and even then the emphasis is still squarely on the word "opinion."

[villalobos]

RtCW multiplayer : can't seem to get enough of it, although it's years old now.

[parallax]

The last games I played a lot were Unreal Tournament and CS. After that, I've played a number of games but haven't gotten into any as intensely.

I'm just waiting until I have time to buy Half Life 2...