The Games we play...
- Thread starter Ormerod
- Start date
mrclam
Giga Poster
Gamers are weird.. I love the style of the new PoP screenshots.
Very stylised new look. Much better than playing a dull old "Brown and Grey" (tm) game (which 99.9999% of all modern games seem to be).
The gameplay wont change much with the new style so i fail to see how it could be ruining your favorite franchise... but having a new VISUAL style just will keep me playing just to admire the eye candy.
How can you look at the below shots and NOT think that (visually alone.. Remember graphics and gameplay are NOT the same thing) it looks fantastic?
Very stylised new look. Much better than playing a dull old "Brown and Grey" (tm) game (which 99.9999% of all modern games seem to be).
The gameplay wont change much with the new style so i fail to see how it could be ruining your favorite franchise... but having a new VISUAL style just will keep me playing just to admire the eye candy.
How can you look at the below shots and NOT think that (visually alone.. Remember graphics and gameplay are NOT the same thing) it looks fantastic?
Ollie
CF Legend
I didn't say it was bad (because it looks ****ing lush).
I just meant that with this sudden change in the way they do the series they may loose customers as they consider cell shading to be childish (just look at how badly Okami did on the market, yet it was an amazing game).
Many fans of Zelda hated the way windwaker was done as it made the game feel childish and pointless. Remember adult gamers want to be treated as adults and not have some great game that they've grown up with turn into some colourful, cartoon style video game.
I'll still be getting it though.
I just meant that with this sudden change in the way they do the series they may loose customers as they consider cell shading to be childish (just look at how badly Okami did on the market, yet it was an amazing game).
Many fans of Zelda hated the way windwaker was done as it made the game feel childish and pointless. Remember adult gamers want to be treated as adults and not have some great game that they've grown up with turn into some colourful, cartoon style video game.
I'll still be getting it though.
New PoP looks very nice - pity it'll be as pants as the rest of the series
Well, I got Race Driver Grid on Friday, so I'd best do a review or something - this may take some time :lol:
I've been a fan of the Toca series since Toca 2 (I played a demo of Toca, but could never afford it, was good though). I love Tour Car racing, and hard surface racing, so the series has always pushed the right buttons for me. F1 is too technical and a bit dull, I like hard, bumper to bumper racing.
So, I've been buying the series year in, year out for a long time now - all on PC. Each year it's been a little bit more realistic physics and graphics wise, and there has been an increasing number of events. I got bored of Race Driver 3 though, as the increased events were essentially just offroad - which is something I'm not generally a fan of. I buy the odd Colin McCrae game, but generally I find rally too lonely.
So after Dirt had all the off-road stuff for the PS3 incarnation of the next Code Masters' race games, Grid looked like it may be a bit light on content. I may have been wrong there.
Instead of just throwing in more tracks and more disciplines - they've just chucked it all away and started again - working on core gameplay and making their way from there.
What does this mean for the player? Well, at first you'll notice a distinct lack of different car types compared to before, obviously, and also fewer tracks. However, you'll soon start to unlock more and more anyway - it's just not as in your face.
The biggest thing you'll notice though is just how exciting and fun racing games be. I think it's got it's feet planted more in the arcade side than previously, but it plays much more realistically - this may sound like a paradox, but bear with me.
I'm sure GT5 is superbly realistic. If I take a corner too fast, I may skid and lose momentum, and then be a few seconds, or tenths of seconds, slower, which makes a big difference when there's only a second difference between the pack finishing times. This is very similar to F1 racing... A bit dull really and very technical.
Watch a GT or Tour Car race though, and people make mistakes all the time, but they're straight back into the race, up the arse of a car in front and raring to take them, despite now having a bumper half hanging off and sparking along the floor. It's exciting, and it's non-stop - exactly what Grid manages to capture.
It's certainly not easy - a mistake and skid can set you back, but Code Masters have been clever with the AI. The other cars aren't so much attached to you be elastic, giving that 'yo-yo' feel as you race - but rather they just increase the battle between themselves while you catch up :lol: If you watch a real race, you'll often see pairs of cars battling, with the cars over taking, slowing to defend lines, smashing, etc, etc. It's all here, and as you catch up to a pack, you can see it going on - they're not just robots following a racing line. There's another thing too...
One complaint I had with Dirt was the fact that it was pretty dull crash wise. It's off-roading for goodness sakes! There should be a roll in it if I hit a pebble badly at 120mph in a Lancia Delta. You just never seem able to really crash in a satisfactory manner.
Grid crashes the cars properly, and with delicious frequency. You're in an American muscle car, hammering down the streets of San Francisco , when two Mustangs in front, neck and neck, hit a chicane together fast. There's not enough room and one clips the tyre wall and... flips and rolls down the track in front of you. You have to serve to avoid the debris and remaining chassis - all the time trying to make it through the chicane yourself. The AI are as exposed to damage and physics as you are, and it makes the races incredibly exciting at times. It's not over played though, it's about right for what you'd expect, several races may pass and you see nothing but a single spin out - so it makes it all the better when there's a big smash just down the road from you.
On top of this is an excellent replay system. You have full control over speed and direction, so you can see the crashes in tight detail after the race - the damage modeling isn't perfect, but it usually stands up to this close inspection
As for the game itself then - structurally it's a little freer than previous Race Driver games. You aren't tiered so tightly, with a mix of 6 disciplines per continent (Asia, Europe and USA) per tier. Okay, you have to earn money to buy the cars to enter the races, but there's a larger degree of free will than before. I've not played enough yet to really decide if it works, but I think it does.
The new events are solid additions. The Drift mode is very well executed, and bloody tough. The demolition derby is great fun, and the GT/Le Mans series is excellent - 24minutes of Le Mans :lol: What a bitch of a way to end each season! :lol: The sun setting and rising is a great effect on Le Mans, and driving in night with just the headlights its seriously tough the first time out.
The game is a wonderful cross breed of Need For Speed Underground, Flat Out and Gran Tourismo. It's professionally presented right the way through and hasn't got the annoying twat from Dirt on the menus! :lol:
It's not perfect though by any means, and I'm sure as I play it more, I'll find mor eniggles, but initial first 5 hour impressions are exceptionally favourable.
If you're looking for a racing game which is tougher and more realistic than the typical arcade affair, but find Gran Tourismo/Project Gotham and their ilk tedious and dull - then this is for you.
If you like your racing games fast, furious and action packed, then it's also for you.
If you like all of the above and the racing disciplines on offer, then you're probably in heaven like I am right now! :lol:
Well, I got Race Driver Grid on Friday, so I'd best do a review or something - this may take some time :lol:
I've been a fan of the Toca series since Toca 2 (I played a demo of Toca, but could never afford it, was good though). I love Tour Car racing, and hard surface racing, so the series has always pushed the right buttons for me. F1 is too technical and a bit dull, I like hard, bumper to bumper racing.
So, I've been buying the series year in, year out for a long time now - all on PC. Each year it's been a little bit more realistic physics and graphics wise, and there has been an increasing number of events. I got bored of Race Driver 3 though, as the increased events were essentially just offroad - which is something I'm not generally a fan of. I buy the odd Colin McCrae game, but generally I find rally too lonely.
So after Dirt had all the off-road stuff for the PS3 incarnation of the next Code Masters' race games, Grid looked like it may be a bit light on content. I may have been wrong there.
Instead of just throwing in more tracks and more disciplines - they've just chucked it all away and started again - working on core gameplay and making their way from there.
What does this mean for the player? Well, at first you'll notice a distinct lack of different car types compared to before, obviously, and also fewer tracks. However, you'll soon start to unlock more and more anyway - it's just not as in your face.
The biggest thing you'll notice though is just how exciting and fun racing games be. I think it's got it's feet planted more in the arcade side than previously, but it plays much more realistically - this may sound like a paradox, but bear with me.
I'm sure GT5 is superbly realistic. If I take a corner too fast, I may skid and lose momentum, and then be a few seconds, or tenths of seconds, slower, which makes a big difference when there's only a second difference between the pack finishing times. This is very similar to F1 racing... A bit dull really and very technical.
Watch a GT or Tour Car race though, and people make mistakes all the time, but they're straight back into the race, up the arse of a car in front and raring to take them, despite now having a bumper half hanging off and sparking along the floor. It's exciting, and it's non-stop - exactly what Grid manages to capture.
It's certainly not easy - a mistake and skid can set you back, but Code Masters have been clever with the AI. The other cars aren't so much attached to you be elastic, giving that 'yo-yo' feel as you race - but rather they just increase the battle between themselves while you catch up :lol: If you watch a real race, you'll often see pairs of cars battling, with the cars over taking, slowing to defend lines, smashing, etc, etc. It's all here, and as you catch up to a pack, you can see it going on - they're not just robots following a racing line. There's another thing too...
One complaint I had with Dirt was the fact that it was pretty dull crash wise. It's off-roading for goodness sakes! There should be a roll in it if I hit a pebble badly at 120mph in a Lancia Delta. You just never seem able to really crash in a satisfactory manner.
Grid crashes the cars properly, and with delicious frequency. You're in an American muscle car, hammering down the streets of San Francisco , when two Mustangs in front, neck and neck, hit a chicane together fast. There's not enough room and one clips the tyre wall and... flips and rolls down the track in front of you. You have to serve to avoid the debris and remaining chassis - all the time trying to make it through the chicane yourself. The AI are as exposed to damage and physics as you are, and it makes the races incredibly exciting at times. It's not over played though, it's about right for what you'd expect, several races may pass and you see nothing but a single spin out - so it makes it all the better when there's a big smash just down the road from you.
On top of this is an excellent replay system. You have full control over speed and direction, so you can see the crashes in tight detail after the race - the damage modeling isn't perfect, but it usually stands up to this close inspection
As for the game itself then - structurally it's a little freer than previous Race Driver games. You aren't tiered so tightly, with a mix of 6 disciplines per continent (Asia, Europe and USA) per tier. Okay, you have to earn money to buy the cars to enter the races, but there's a larger degree of free will than before. I've not played enough yet to really decide if it works, but I think it does.
The new events are solid additions. The Drift mode is very well executed, and bloody tough. The demolition derby is great fun, and the GT/Le Mans series is excellent - 24minutes of Le Mans :lol: What a bitch of a way to end each season! :lol: The sun setting and rising is a great effect on Le Mans, and driving in night with just the headlights its seriously tough the first time out.
The game is a wonderful cross breed of Need For Speed Underground, Flat Out and Gran Tourismo. It's professionally presented right the way through and hasn't got the annoying twat from Dirt on the menus! :lol:
It's not perfect though by any means, and I'm sure as I play it more, I'll find mor eniggles, but initial first 5 hour impressions are exceptionally favourable.
If you're looking for a racing game which is tougher and more realistic than the typical arcade affair, but find Gran Tourismo/Project Gotham and their ilk tedious and dull - then this is for you.
If you like your racing games fast, furious and action packed, then it's also for you.
If you like all of the above and the racing disciplines on offer, then you're probably in heaven like I am right now! :lol:
Bitter
Mega Poster
I love racing games, might have to check this one out! I love the technical mastery of things like GT and Forza, but also love the fury and pace of games like NFS.
I remember the original Toca's, you could cheat for a tank and blow up all the other cars, or fire it backwards to go insanely fast (like on GTA3 et al). I remember something about racing in hell, or on a lava level as well, the cheats were awesome.
Haven't really played anything too much since i beat and did everything on GTA4. I only have 2 360 games, I don't find very much jumps out at me as must buy. Plus I ust let my mate buy them all :lol:, but this looks promising.
I remember the original Toca's, you could cheat for a tank and blow up all the other cars, or fire it backwards to go insanely fast (like on GTA3 et al). I remember something about racing in hell, or on a lava level as well, the cheats were awesome.
Haven't really played anything too much since i beat and did everything on GTA4. I only have 2 360 games, I don't find very much jumps out at me as must buy. Plus I ust let my mate buy them all :lol:, but this looks promising.
Ollie said:^^As good as it is, I can't complete a lap of the circuit on the demo without flying off the track and getting stuck spinning in circles in the gravel.
That's where the pretend realism comes into it - you have to brake going into corners, and use the analogue feature of the controller to gently ease on the throttle as you come out of it (preferably when the car is straight). Hammer on the throttle like in most arcade games and the back end will spin on you - you have to learn to be a little more delicate, and to learn the track, where your braking points are, and the best racing lines (hint: there are tyre marks on the tarmac showing the path most followed).
Bitter, there must be a demo on XBL you can play around with - it was on the Playstation network three weeks back
Martyn
Giga Poster
furie said:
I might have to come round and have a play, I'm in a serious Le Mans mood after yesterday's test day (and of course the impending race week!)
Can you do this on it?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gSsorp6F36s
Bitter
Mega Poster
I don't pay for it online is the simple answer .
GTA4 came with a free month which I'll use when I'm home and my 360 will be plugged in permanently.
You can get the demos from Live without Gold membership.
BTW, I didn't even buy my 360, my girlfriend gave it to me for Christmas. That's not to say I didn't want one, but as I've hinted at I'm hardly fussed enough to go out and buy a PS3 instead. Plus that wouldn't solve the problem of only being able to connect one device to the internet at a time.
.GTA4 came with a free month which I'll use when I'm home and my 360 will be plugged in permanently.
You can get the demos from Live without Gold membership.
BTW, I didn't even buy my 360, my girlfriend gave it to me for Christmas. That's not to say I didn't want one, but as I've hinted at I'm hardly fussed enough to go out and buy a PS3 instead. Plus that wouldn't solve the problem of only being able to connect one device to the internet at a time.
Martyn said:
Give me a buzz - MMF is in bed by 7:30 most days now, so any time in the evening after that is playtime
Martyn said:
I don't know, I've only been offered to drive a 911 so far
I didn't do that very well either :lol:I've seen a BMW similar though...
Not exactly a game recommendation but a place to get games from.
The new stock is about average priced but stock thats been out around 3-6months, gamestation and game are selling them for about £30-£35 still, this place is awesome and one just opened in Middlesbrough
http://www.graingergames.co.uk/
The new stock is about average priced but stock thats been out around 3-6months, gamestation and game are selling them for about £30-£35 still, this place is awesome and one just opened in Middlesbrough
http://www.graingergames.co.uk/
