remjim

Hello everyone. I just want to begin by declaring that even though I have been an avid reader of this forum for a few months this is my first time posting anything. It makes my work day move quicker and sometimes the threads even put a smile on my face. So, with that said, here we go....

The other night I had the chance to play the Ratchet and Clank demo. I don't know how big of a hit it was at E3 but it seems that Sony is pushing it at the moment as it will be released in the fall. My first impressions were that the graphics were good, the sound good (with some good voice acting - something that most companies are only now beginning to understand the value of), and the controls ok (weird camera manuevering that proved to be a bit annoying). Overall a decent experience although this is where I become concerned: What was it that separates this game from Jak and Daxter and countless others?

While I understand that originality is hard to come by and most games (even the best of them) suffer from this. What bothered me the most is that this issue is a concern expressed in most of the gaming publications: that the PS2's fall lineup suffers from any sort of innovation and the new crop of titles are too similar to what we experienced last year. It may be too early to judge these games but after playing Ratchet and Clank I understand that concern. Will The Getaway be any different from GTA3? Will Sly Thievious or Ratchet and Clank be any different from Jak and Daxter or Mario 64? Similarities can be good but too much of a good thing can be too much. I just hope that the library remains diverse and the clutter of the 16-bit days never recurs (too many shooters then too many fighters).

Now that I've rambled on, what do others think? Will we be merely reliving last year's amazing lineup or will a new batch of games break through and amaze us by delivering more than we thought possible?

Josh H

I'm looking forward to Tekken 4, Shinobi, and Rygar myself. The Getaway could be good, and many are anticipating Kingdom Hearts. Plus the EA sports will have online play as a PS2 exclusive feature.

That's not on par with Nintendo's killer fall line-up IMO, but it's more impressive than the X-box's fall line-up IMO.

Kellehair

I don't really see myself getting any of the upcoming PS2 games until I can get a good deal on them. Maybe I'll rent one or 2 of them too. That could change if a couple of the games turn out really great but right now I'm not too excited.

Absolute Zero

I was reading some reviews of Thevius and they all said that although its look is that of Jak and Daxter, there is not the irritating reliance on treasure hunting. I have not played ratchet and crank however, but I look forward to trying it out.

I enjoyed Jak and Daxter. I completed it over a long weekend. But I felt it to be repetitive having to find those god forsaken orbs.

seeyouauntie

Sony's Best of Fall: Mark of Kri, SOCOM, Tribes Aerial Assualt, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, Auto Modelista, .hack, GTA: Vice City, Gungrave, Kingdom Hearts, Red Dead Revolver, Rygar, Shinobi, Tekken 4, The Getaway and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

But to answer your orignal question, R&C's novelty are the weapon upgrades. Read the preview on IGN to get details. (I'm too lazy to remember right now)

EDITED TO ADD:

Ok, I missed some points in your post. Are you asking what makes Sony's lineup different then their own past games or other systems? Obviously mario has layed the groundwork in all platformers so if you are only a casual platformer gamer go get Mario. For platform lovers and people who only have PS2's, Sly Cooper and R&C will bring new elements and styles to platform games but there really is nothing revolutionary about platformers since Mario 64.

Tribes is just another FPS with new elements, although the PC gamers seem to give it more respect then other FPS's, I think because of its team based play. Anyways, lets hope it doesn't suck like Halflife did on PS2 (it shouldn't because it has been specially designed for the PS2 as a new game instead of a port).

The Getaway functions half like GTA3 but also the other half lets you go do some shooting mission in a Max Payne fashion, only no wussy running. And the city is supposed to be exactly modeled after London.

Nothing revolutionary but then again, what is nowadays? (I'm sure I'll get some answers to this) All that matters is if the game brings something to the table that you will enjoy.

Also, i added a few more titles up top.

seeyouauntie

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

remjim

Thanks and the point that raise is that it seems to be that Sony is rolling out a batch of games that are very similar to the lineup that they had last fall. I'm only worried that the batch of new games just seem to rehash what made those games good.

The list you made are the games that I'm looking forward to the most! PS2 bound that is...

ScandalUMD

I'm also underwhelmed by the PS2 lineup for fall. I won't be getting FFXI, because I won't pay a subscription fee for any
game.

Auto Modelista looks cool, but Gran Turismo is still the only car racing game anyone needs.

No matter how good "Ratchet and Clank" and "Sly Cooper" are, they still won't be as good as "Mario Sunshine" and "Star Fox."

"GTA: Vice City" will just be more GTA3, but that's fine with me. I'm really excited about this one.

"Mark of Kri" looks like a cut-rate Zelda.

The Getaway is an unknown quantity. I don't expect it to be a GTA clone. It was announced before GTA, so the developers had their own ideas firmly in place before they saw what DMA was doing. Also, the game's theme is a sort of slick, jet-set superthief, like in "The Saint" or "Entrapment," rather than the sociopathic violent-fantasy theme of GTA.

I'm guardedly excited about Socom and Tribes. We'll have to see whether the online console community are people I'll want to play team-based games with.

seeyouauntie

That is actually a Spring release with a slight chance for Fall.

Maybe that's your opinion but I don't like 100% realistic feel. I want a cross between sim and arcade plus it allows for online racing, upgrades, and I'm a sucker for cell-shading if done right, and it looks damn good for a racing game.

Ummmm....fanboy? Have you even played ANY of these game sin their final version? I'm sure Mario will rock, not as sure about Star Fox, but don't put down games you haven't played. Unless you admit to being a fanboy.

Once again, ummm...fanboy? I don't think MoK is the same game as Zelda and you might want to give it some credit for the targeting system that is a first. Also, have you played either game?

I hate when people jump to conclusions.

darkside

You are pretty quick to jump to the fanboy conclusion.

seeyouauntie

If he was mentioning other system games then I would be more cautious but ONLY Nintendo games were mentioned which leads me to my assumption.

Kellehair

Mario will be better than either of the other 2 games. There's no point in arguing that. The safe money's on Star Fox being better as well, but I'm willing to listen to arguments to the contrary.

seeyouauntie

I'm not arguing against somoene's blind faith. You have nothing to argue against. You just stated that the game will be the best. Nice arguement.

Kellehair

Make an argument to the contrary then.

seeyouauntie

inappropriate comment removed. -namja

gcribbs

I disagree.

Now that Kellehair is totally disarmed by my razor sharp wit and well reasoned arguments I will talk about the games I am looking forward to


Mark of Kri- I think this will be a good game although as with any of these games time will tell

Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank,

GTA: Vice City- what can I say I am a sucker for sequels

Kingdom Hearts- I am interested in this since it might be a fun game and a bit different

Red Dead Revolver- I liked this one at E3 a bunch

The Getaway- this was a great looking game and if they can pull it off I think it could be great.

War Of Monsters- I am a sucker for Big Monsters destroying cities also

http://www.xengamers.com/sections/news/7483/

http://www.clearvisiongaming.com/new...82567641.shtml

ScandalUMD

Maybe I am a fanboy. I've got a PS2 and a Gamecube, and lately I've been more partial to the Cube, even though I thought Eternal Darkness was crap.

I bought half a dozen PS2 games last holiday season, and loved all of them except for Devil May Cry, which I thought was pretty, but ultimately unsatisfying, and only about ten times as good as Eternal Darkness.

Anyway, I'll certainly admit to being more excited about Mario and Star Fox than I am about Rachet and Sly Cooper. Rachet looks really good, and I may buy it when it's a "greatest hit," but I don't think it has a chance of competing with the Nintendo stuff. Nintendo invented the platformer, and then invented the 3D platformer. They do it better than anyone else, bar none, and you don't have to be a fanboy to know it. I got all 101 power cells in Jak and Daxter, and I thought it was a pretty good game, but it's just not as much fun as Nintendo's stuff (with the exception of Eternal Darkness).

Incidentally, I sold it back, but I'm keeping the save on my memory card, in case having 101 power cells opens something up in Naughty Dog's next game.

As for Auto Modelista, I was and continue to be amazed by the depth and detail of GT3. The tremendous number of cars, the visual detail on the car models, and the extraordinary amount of gameplay there surpasses all the competition to such an extent that I can't justify owning a car racing game that isn't Gran Turismo. I know some people are frustrated by the learning curve, but the game is incredibly rewarding. Auto-Modelista does cell shading in a very cool way, but the car selection is paltry next to GT3, and all the cars are Japanese.

The editors of IGN and Gamespot are really building up Mark of Kri, like they did with Oni and State of Emergency and The Bouncer. I'm highly skeptical of any beat-em-up game these days. Nobody seems to be able to make a good one. They come out linear and repetitive. And if you want a deep fighting system, get a fighting game like Tekken or Virtua Fighter, where there's real depth and a competitive aspect. You'll have to excuse me for not being wowed by the "targetting beam."

Josh H

Mark of Kri was the Game of the Month in the latest EGM as well. It looks to be a pretty cool game.

dhc

I'll only comment on the games I played at E3.

Stuntman--- (although it's already out) I could tell from just trying to get past the first two levels that this wasn't going to be a game I would buy. The other thread on this game is pretty on target as far as the problems this game has.

The Getaway--- I played a limited amount of this game and found it to be fun enough to get at least merit a second go-round. It does play very similar to GTA3 and Max Payne. That's not a bad thing at all...

Mark of Kri--- This is the game I'm really looking forward to. The graphics are a bit cartoony but the gameplay rocks. The new combat system takes just a few seconds to get used to; I was doing combos in no time. The combat system really is the driving force of the game but since I couldn't hear a damn thing at E3, I hope the story line is just as good. If anybody else played this game, I'd be interested to read what they thought of it.

namja

MOD NOTE: Opinions that greatly favor one game system over another are annoying. Still, calling someone a "fanboy" for his biased comments is heavily frowned upon. And responses like "F--- you" is never welcome here.

seeyouauntie

ScandalUMD:

Sorry about the labeling. Your response was more informed and you regarded both systems but they way your orignal post came across was moe one sided. Anyways, I take it back.

AM should have more cars. I hear there is a chance for American ones but I want to see some German cars! Another reason I need to play the Getaway.

I believe most beat 'em up games are usually linear. At least the old school ones like Double Dragon and Streets of Rage, so it's not something unexpected.

I still stand by my platform ideas. If someone were to have all 3 systems but only be a casual platformer I would say get mario. But I still think the other ones bring something to the table for those that still want some action.

Sorry about my outburst namja and Kellehair.

macross vfx

While at E3 I had the chance to play a lot of the PS2 lineup for fall and beyond heres my thoughts.. some stuff was only on video, no shows or I plain missed.

Gungrave: by Sega I love the look but ultimately its a mindless shooter from the demo, you just hold the button down and move, not very fun after a while. When you shoot the rocket the game crawls at 2 fps.

Getaway: by Sony, I didnt have a lot of playtime on this but from what I saw I liked, I'll need to wait till its done to make a better judgment.

Shinobi: by Sega Oh my I am waiting for this game, controls are excellent and I cant judge the E3 demo levels as those levels were made just for the show it seems very straightfoward kill anything that moves stuff. If they make the levels in the retail game well then watch out.

Auto Modellista: by Capcom This needed work at E3, I liked it but the game had collision and framerate issues, I love the look and the LAN they had was cool, placed first twice with my Imprezza ^_^. Still have no idea what the game is like offline or online either, cant resist a cell shaded Imprezza.

Mark of Kri: by Sony was also interesting and I liked the combat system and the use of the bird. If they can fix the camera and AI issues. Mark of Kri was not the game of the month in PSM, Agressive Inline was. Is it just me or are extreme sports games a fad past its time?

Rathcet and Clank, Sly Cooper: by Sony I'm normally not heavy into platformers but I do play them and these seem good from the demos I brought home.

Kingdom Hearts: by Square is the big fall game for me, never thought Id say that cause of the dizney influence.

Final Fantasy XI: by Square the demo at the show was in japanese -_-.. but I had a chance to play it thanks to a friend who translated what I needed to know. This will be the 1st online RPG I ever play, looks good not great but it has the job system and the promise of updating the game even after release is all I need to pay 10$ a month to play it.

War of the Monsters: by Sony looks very promising I didnt play it but its looks interesting.

Socom: by Sony played it liked it for a console shooter, I was on the winning team so I won a PS2 Hat ^_^..

Armored Core III: I missed it in the 3 days I walked around the show, doh..

LOTR Two Towers: EA, the demo at the show was very good.

Dynasty Tactics: Koei, I enjoy a good startegy game and this seems like it may be one from the demo, you cant play a game like this for 15 minutes and gauge it.

Contra: Konami, is bringing back Contra with classic gameplay and 128 graphics ..woot!.. now where's Castlevania?

MGS 2 Substance: Konami, yeah more cashing in on MGS name, but is that a bad thing? The VR missions alone are worth the price. To bad it wasnt playable at the show.

Zone of the Enders 2: Konami, graphics are nice, cell shaded. The video seems promising.

Devil May Cry 2: Capcom, the video looks great, this is one to watch for.

NHL 2003: EA, Im am big hockey fan and hockey makes a great videogame so its a yearly tradition for me.

Soul Calibur 2: Namco, the only fighting game I will buy!But it wasnt at the show and that was a huge letdown.

Just the things I can remember from the 3 days or lights, huge speakers, and expensive food.

Josh H

I disagree. I think. Mario will be the best 3D platformer ever when it's released. I'm a hardcore platform gaming fan. Platformers are my favorite genre.

My reasoning -- Mario games have always been the cream of the platforming crop. SMB was the best platformer until SMB2. SMB2 was the best until SMB3. SMB3 was the best until Super Mario World. SMW was the best until Yoshi's Island. Yoshi's Island was the best until Mario 64. Mario 64 is still the best 3D platformer.

Of course all that is just my opinion.

Also, there have been tons of other great platformers (Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Maximo, Crash, the Genesis Sonics, Spyro, Rayman 2, etc. etc.), just none have topped the Mario game that was out nearest their release IMO. By that I mean, Sonic 3 wasn't as good as Mario 3, Spyro or Banjo wasn't as good as Mario 64.

Mattalos

I agree Kingdom Hearts is awesome. And it will own j00 come this Fall.

As for FFXI costs -- they haven't been announced yet.

seeyouauntie

Josh:

What you said is exactly the same thing I said. I'm saying if there were one platform game someone should try it should be Mario. If they wanted more after that then they should check out the other games.