Mario's in da HOUSE!

gr4yJ4Y · Post by **gr4yJ4Y** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 5:33 pm

Soul Cali
Sonic Adventure 2
Chu Chu Rocket
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Resident Evil CODE: Veronica

They were all released during that "gap" you speak of. Plus Capcom had more than enough fighters to keep you busy durring that time.

And Sega had its own Madden: NFL 2k1 which was on-line by the time that PS2 lunched. Also, Madden was on PC durring that time too.

Post by **Esrever** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 9:22 pm

No they weren't. Soul Calibur was released in the "launch window," and Sonic Adventure 2 was released two years later. Tony Hawk was a port of an already released PS1 title. Chu Chu Rocket was not released until the beginning of September 2000, nearly a year after launch. You are right about Code: Veronica, but that's all you're right about.

Whether or not NFL2k1 was superior to Madden is irrelevant... quality obviously did not factor into the equation. Christmas of 2000, the DC had a ridiculously killer line-up and deserved to be more popular than the PS2, but it couldn't compete with Sony's massive marketing campaign, known franchise exclusives and brand recognition. But perhaps if some of those a-list DC titles had been released before the fall, before the PS2 hype-machine kicked into high gear, they would have been harder to ignore and the DC would have moved a few more systems when it really mattered. It's just unfortunate timing that all the Jet Sets and Shenmues had to compete with the recently launched Sony behemoth for attention.

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 10:02 pm

Speaking of marketing campaigns, boy, the Dreamcast's failed miserably.

The ads were kind of clever, with the whole "It's thinking" thing, but Sega quickly discovered cleverness does not a system sell.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 10:14 pm

The early ads with the Dreamcast "parties" were awesome. It was super cool the way they were actually modelled to look like they'd be on Dreamcast hardware. Apparently they only appealed to the hardcore, though, and it turns out that ignorant people have money, too.

But perhaps if some of those a-list DC titles had been released before the fall, before the PS2 hype-machine kicked into high gear, they would have been harder to ignore and the DC would have moved a few more systems when it really mattered. It's just unfortunate timing that all the Jet Sets and Shenmues had to compete with the recently launched Sony behemoth for attention.

It wouldn't have mattered. Whether the Cast had one dozen or two dozen great games before the PS2 launch wouldn't have made the slightest difference. Because I can assure you, it wasn't a massive library of quality titles that got the PS2 off the ground.

Post by **Esrever** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 11:56 pm

Hah, that's for sure. I guess the hope would have been that quality could have pushed up the systems' install base before the PS2 launched. After that, it's still basically ass-ram city no matter how many good games they have.

Sigh! It's all so depressing. It was my favourite console! My poor baby. :(

Double-S- · Post by **Double-S-** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:40 am

I seem to recall ChuChu Rocket! coming out in March or April of 2000.

And now I looked it up, and I am correct.

http://dreamcast.ign.com/objects/014/01 ... gamefinder

Post by **Esrever** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 2:03 am

Weird... what did I look up then, the European release date? Whoops!

muke · Post by **muke** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 12:41 pm

The thing about the PS2 that keeps me coming back is the style in which it releases its games. I was just about to give up on the system until that wonderful miracle we all know as Need for Speed Underground 2 came out. Even if you hate racing, play this game and you might have second thoughts...

Double-S- · Post by **Double-S-** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:52 pm

lolz NFSU2. Riceroni - the San Francisco treat.

Baba O'Reily · Post by **Baba O'Reily** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:00 pm

muke wrote:The thing about the PS2 that keeps me coming back is the style in which it releases its games. I was just about to give up on the system until that wonderful miracle we all know as Need for Speed Underground 2 came out. Even if you hate racing, play this game and you might have second thoughts...

...This is sarcasm, correct?

Ngangbius · Post by **Ngangbius** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 7:08 pm

If it isn't, then he/she probably misspelled Katamari Damacy.

Jaden · Post by **Jaden** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:02 pm

By miracle do you mean a pointless game made to appeal to all the wannabe generation Y "badasses" who think that they if waste money on a car and use it in such manner that crashing and wrecking increases a few fold just to believe that they are that crappy actor whos only good part is when he dies in Saving Private Ryan...

Anyway the DC was doomed to fail from the start since the market shifted in the 32 bit era... None of what we consider blockbuster games are even noticed by the new key market force, like those who defind miracle as above... I know it's a little clichÃƒÂ© to say so but the Penny Arcade called the "Sucking", I believe, is what the market is like now... Just look into any game store now, you will most likely see a bunch of jocks and such buying their Halo and GTA games now... Anyway thats just how I see it...

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 9:11 pm

Just look into any game store now, you will most likely see a bunch of jocks and such buying their Halo and GTA games now... Anyway thats just how I see it...

And a painfully accurate vision it is. I love it when some one asks about my hobbies and I answer, "I play alot of games," then they start talking about Madden or GTA or some Tom Clancy shit. How do you respond to that? Like, "No, I mean I play... games."

Baba O'Reily · Post by **Baba O'Reily** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 9:17 pm

I feel the same way about music... except they want to discuss palm-muted 5ths, I want to discuss Phrygian-Blues Scale super-imposement.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 9:23 pm

Jaden wrote:By miracle do you mean a pointless game made to appeal to all the wannabe generation Y "badasses" who think that they if waste money on a car and use it in such manner that crashing and wrecking increases a few fold just to believe that they are that crappy actor whos only good part is when he dies in Saving Private Ryan...

Anyway the DC was doomed to fail from the start since the market shifted in the 32 bit era... None of what we consider blockbuster games are even noticed by the new key market force, like those who defind miracle as above... I know it's a little clichÃƒÂ© to say so but the Penny Arcade called the "Sucking", I believe, is what the market is like now... Just look into any game store now, you will most likely see a bunch of jocks and such buying their Halo and GTA games now... Anyway thats just how I see it...

Here you go:

Post by **Esrever** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 3:01 am

Green Gibbon! wrote:And a painfully accurate vision it is. I love it when some one asks about my hobbies and I answer, "I play alot of games," then they start talking about Madden or GTA or some Tom Clancy shit. How do you respond to that?

"No, I mean I play a lot of good games."

chriscaffee · Post by **chriscaffee** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:37 pm

Because a popular game can't be good.

Post by **Esrever** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:48 pm

Dude, he mentioned three specific franchises. We're not slamming every popular game ever made. Save your disgruntled populist jabbery for a time when we are actually being that elitist. (Around here, it's not like you'll have a long wait. ;) )

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:08 pm

Popularity has no direct effect on game quality, it's just that all the shitty games become popular. It's a confounding mystery of the human condition.

Jaden · Post by **Jaden** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:27 pm

I think it has more to do that shitty games are usually either franchise or license games, and since most consumers are scared of anything new they go with what the know or heard about... Let's take Madden, people know the name from real football and since it been around for awhile people flock to it as if it was the made by some odd football god... So since it did well last year, it will get more coverage, even if the changes really mean nothing, so it will sell more this year and thusly get more coverage the next year and so... And since now that the average person who plays games no shit about they just buy the most popular one or which one the magazines tell them too, which now is usually one in the same... So in the end a games popularity usually has to do with the name that goes with it and as such those games are usually crap since they don't need to be good since they have said name... But that's just how I see it...

muke · Post by **muke** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:36 pm

Baba O'Reily wrote:
muke wrote:The thing about the PS2 that keeps me coming back is the style in which it releases its games. I was just about to give up on the system until that wonderful miracle we all know as Need for Speed Underground 2 came out. Even if you hate racing, play this game and you might have second thoughts...
...This is sarcasm, correct?

Partially, yes, but it still is a damn good game. When EA started pedaling it however, I was about to not get it because usually once a company has to press a game on you it means the game is shit, but a buddy of mine gave it to me for christmas, and man I'm glad he did. This is much better than the first!

chriscaffee · Post by **chriscaffee** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 1:42 pm

Tom Clancy isn't shit. I can't speak for GTA as I've played it for about five minutes, but I would submit that the five minutes I played weren't shit.

muke · Post by **muke** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:06 pm

I am that very jock, but I ran track (was a captain as well) so I don't have the same build.

Here you go:

[/quote]

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:22 pm

I dunno, Ghost Recon has the most retarded control scheme ever conceived by man. Rainbow Six, while fun has the shittiest hit detection ever conceived by man. Splinter Cell though, while I hate stealth games is still the man. I never played the single player, but SC:PT's multiplayer is the shit.

GTA games are overrated, I like the idea of being able to run anywhere at any time, but the game itself isn't that great. I always get bored with missions almost immediately and start shooting the shit outa everything until that gets old. Also the control scheme in that game is retareded too.

And I think Madden speaks for itself.

Post by **Esrever** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:38 pm

The Splinter Cell games are fun exception, but on average, the Clancy franchise as a whole is pretty miserable. That's just my take, but it is what it is.

I don't get GTA. It's definiteely fun to just screw around in the open end environment, but as soon as you start trying to actually play through the story it becomes incredibly aggrevating. The missions are repetetive, the plot is braindead, the out-of-car controls are awful, and even in it's THIRD 3D iteration the game is still butt ugly and full of glitches and collision problems.

I always end up ignoring the story altogether and just trying to see how many stars I can get without getting arrested. And THAT is undeniably entertaining. Just not for a very long time.