Thursday, February 22, 2007

Someday, I Will Have a Mech

These are much cooler than that other mech I showed you a while back. Anyway, just thought I'd get some advice: AC4 is coming out for Xbox 360 and PS3, and I don't know which system to get.

The difference between the game versions from From's end: The PS3 version isn't going to have voice chat during online play (at least not initially: Rumors suggest they might release a patch that'll enable it), so that's a point in favor of the Xbox.

The PS3, however, seems like it'll have more games that I'll be interested in, so it'll probably be my longer-term interest, unless you, dear readers, can suggest some Xbox games I might like. Please, don't bring up Halo: I'm not really interested in FPS games.

Tease out my interests in the comments, where we can geek out in our comparisons.

14 comments:

Soulhuntre said...

By all means, go for the 360. Now only is the system less expensive but Live! is head and shoulders the best online play network for consoles.

Voice chat is a must :)

Don said...

Not only that, the PS3 is basically the equivalent of a pretty, shiny black brick. They have a reputation for burning out rather quickly, they have a current library of about a half-dozen games, all of which are either bad or multiplatform, and they're damn pricey, not to mention the shitty online service that soulhuntre already brought up. Sony really dropped the ball with the PS3; it's pretty worthless.

On the upside, they're easy to find, as nobody really wants one. The Wii, on the other hand...That thing's sexy.

As for 360 games, there are a few that convinced me it would be a worthy purchase. I never owned an XBox (I thought it was a piece of crap with no games; like you, Halo doesn't do it for me at all), and was anti-360 for a while until I played Dead Rising, Gears of War (which isn't as good as the hype but is still quite fun) and saw the trailers for Blue Dragon, an RPG from Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, with music by Nobuo Uematsu, also of FF fame, and art by Akira Toriyama who, while Dragon Ball and its iterations suck, has breathed a lot of life into the Dragon Quest games. That one was the clincher, as it looks fantastic.

Also, the CEO of SCEA won't give me the $2400 he owes me, so I don't want him to have your or anyone else's money.

Bronze Dog said...

Oh, yeah. Blue Dragon. Forgot that was a 360 game. Last time all those guys teamed up was to create Chrono Trigger. 'Nother big point for the 360.

Oh, and yeah, my Wii's pretty gosh-darn sexy.

Rev. BigDumbChimp said...

Not to mention the media center capabilities of the 360.

Anonymous said...

Um... The AC series ARE FPS games. I don't like most FPS games either, but that's no reason to pretend that the AC games aren't.

First Person... check.

Shooting... definitely check.

AC has several gameplay innovations that distinguish them from the herd of FPS (design your own mech, most weapons not dumb-fire, no regaining health during a level, earn money to buy new parts as you progress in the campaign, the whole missiles/jamming/point-defense system, shields, etc.) but that doesn't make them not part of the genre.

Also a slight nitpick: Although Uematsu did work on Chrono Trigger, the majority of its music was by Yasunori Mitsuda. Uematsu was brought in when Mitsuda had health problems preventing him from finishing (fortunately, he later recovered and did the music to Chrono Cross among other projects).

I'm not really a fan of Toriyama (although I don't blame him for the horrendous pacing of the DB animes, I just don't like his character designs much), but I might have to take a look at Blue Dragon too.

Bronze Dog said...

Nitpicks:

1. If you can see yourself without employing a mirror, it isn't first person. (One thing I like about 3rd person games: Being able to see your feet helps in landing from a jump/flight.)

2. The mass of differences add up to an experience that's very dissimilar to all the generic FPS games that more readily spring to mind from the abbreviation, and tend to get a lot more recognition. Mostly I used that phrase to prevent recommendations for the bulk of non-detailed FPS games.

TheBrummell said...

I don't have an opinion of PS3 vs. XBox 360.

But that trailer was frackin' TERRIBLE.

The same two long notes, repeated ad nauseum, random quick cuts between scenes, lots of flashy cheese with no hint of actual game play, and ridiculous made-up physics. Urgh.

Was AC 3 any good? Is there some other way to determine if this game will be worth more than a coaster?

Anonymous said...

It had its flaws but if you like the mech on mech action you may want to consider chromehounds (x360).

When you read the reviews you need to keep in mind that chromehounds is 90% an online game. The single person game is short, simple and for training only. The rest is online squadbased action divided into multiple roletypes.

And yes there is insane customization of the mechs :)

Bronze Dog said...

Yeah, the opening FMVs tend to be far too exaggerated and the music is hit and miss in some games. (Big annoyance with Silent Line: The big "cool" mech from the FMV was overweight and arms overweight. Would have majorly sucked in actual gameplay.)

As for game physics: Well, you have to crack a few eggs to make giant lumbering chunks of titanium move at a high pace.

Just to note: AC4's had its engine completely redone to be newbie-friendly, so it'll be a lot different than the previous games. For one thing, they've taken out heat management, which they overemphasized in Nexus. They've also changed the lock-on method by removing the reticle: You can maintain a lock on an enemy anywhere on the screen, though the quality of the lock varies according to your FCS. They've also reduced the number of parts to make it easier to maintain balance.

AC3 and Silent Line were quite good in my opinion, though I'm a guy who prefers emphasis on Arena over missions, so chances are I'll like AC4 with online play.

Yeah, Chrome Hounds is one thing I'm considering. Was made by the same people as the AC series, so they know a thing or two.

Joshua said...

Chris: No offence, but by your definition, flight sims are FPS games as long as you don't leave the cockpit. FPS definitely has a more specific meaning than just what the name implies.

Bronze: For the love of God, don't buy a PS3. Unless you're a really, really, really big Metal Gear Solid fan. (I'm one "really" short of paying for an otherwise useless console.)

Bronze Dog said...

Just because the library's limited now, doesn't mean it'll always be limited.

But I do think it's a good idea to delay as long as possible. That way, if/when they do come out with worthwhile games, the system price might have gone down.

So, my current list of Xbox games that hold any interest for me: AC4, Chrome Hounds, Blue Dragon. Any other suggestions?

Tom Foss said...

The only 360 game I've played is Marvel Ultimate Alliance (which I know is available on several consoles, but only the 360 and Wii have Colossus and someone else. Colossus rocks). Anyway, the game is the shit. I've been sorely tempted to get a 360 just for that.

You know, despite the fact that I have no money.

Don said...

I just thought of another. I don't know whether or not you player or enjoyed Knights of the Old Republic, but it was a fucking awesome game, and Bioware is making another RPG that is similar but far advanced called Mass Effect, and it looks fantastic.

Rev. BigDumbChimp said...

akusai that is one of the main reasons I've been considering getting a 360. The makers of Mass Effect and KOTOR make fantastic RPGs.