The Official "Console War" and Video Game Thread

[Flor2099]

Wonder why they went with the Genesis version of Earthworm Jim instead of the Super Nintendo version....

I think the Genesis version had an additional level, but I may be thinking of EWJ2.

[Skullface]

Can't wait to grab my copy of LittleBigPlanet tonight after getting out of the car dealer! Rest assured I'll be up into the wee hours putting it through its paces.....

Guess I'll have to dig up that thread with everyone's PSN IDs again.....

[markatisu]

Guess I'll have to dig up that thread with everyone's PSN IDs again.....

No need, its right here He-man.org PSN User ID Thread

[Skullface]

No need, its right here He-man.org PSN User ID Thread

Thanks!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

This was sort of funny...

I had reserved Little Big Planet at Gamestop, and I happened to be in there this past Saturday and they had just gotten it in (they weren't expecting it until later in the week), so I picked it up.

Then last night (Tuesday), I get an automated call letting me know that my copy of Little Big Planet will be in stock on Wednesday. What a great system they have there.

[GR81]

GR81 says:

So, who got the new Guitar Hero: World Tour complete set?
Heard that there is an sensibility issue with the drum set... true?

[markatisu]

GR81 says:

So, who got the new Guitar Hero: World Tour complete set?
Heard that there is an sensibility issue with the drum set... true?

Yes its kind of like how a lot of equipment was faulty when Rock Band came out last year.

Seeing how the price of the guitar hero equipment and rock band equipment drops I am just going to wait and play GHWT with my GH3 guitar and RB2 with my RB1 drums

Also some notes of interest this week, not sure how many of you use the Wii Homebrew but the creators of it have enabled SDHC (for big cards like 4gb/8gb/16gb SD cards) and apps can now use it (they need to have their code modified with a few lines) which means it can be done and everyone is just waiting on Nintendo to "officially" do it

That has always been an issue, nobody was sure if the Wii was limited to just 2gb or not, but it turns out that similar to the PSP, the firmware is the thing limiting us not the actual unit itself.

[GR81]

GR81 says:

So the sensitivity issue was fixed in a later version of the drums in Rock Band?

[Skullface]

Also some notes of interest this week, not sure how many of you use the Wii Homebrew but the creators of it have enabled SDHC (for big cards like 4gb/8gb/16gb SD cards) and apps can now use it (they need to have their code modified with a few lines) which means it can be done and everyone is just waiting on Nintendo to "officially" do it

That has always been an issue, nobody was sure if the Wii was limited to just 2gb or not, but it turns out that similar to the PSP, the firmware is the thing limiting us not the actual unit itself.

Great news - I'll be updating when I get home tonight, as I never installed last weeks firmware upgrade. Now I can actually put a lot more import ROMs on my card without worrying about lack of space on my 2GB card!

[markatisu]

Sega to publish The Conduit for High Voltage! Alongside Sonic and the Black Knight, Mad World (developed by Platinum Games) and House of the Dead Overkill, Sega is really pushing for the Wii in 2009

SEGA gets zapped by HIGH VOLTAGE with the conduit

SEGA to Publish Highly Anticipated Wii Title in Spring 2009

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (October 29, 2008) – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® of Europe Ltd. today announced a worldwide partnership with High Voltage Software to publish and distribute the Wii™ home video game system-exclusive title, The Conduit. The first-person shooter garnered multiple awards at E3 2008, including Best Wii Game by GameTrailers and three awards from IGN: Best Shooting Game (Wii), Best Graphics Technology (Wii) and Best Overall Wii Game. The Conduit is a stunning, futuristic title powered by a new game engine technology that delivers remarkable visuals and effects, as well as a rich interactive experience that is unlike any other title on the Wii.

“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far,” says Simon Jeffery, President of SEGA of America, Inc. “They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”

“High Voltage Software's partnership with SEGA to publish The Conduit represents an important milestone for this studio,” said Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software, Inc. “SEGA shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for.”

The Conduit takes players into a dark story in Washington D.C. after a vicious alien invasion has rocked the country. An organization called the Trust has sent in Secret Service agent, Mr. Ford, to go up against the insect-like alien race known as “The Drudge.” Armed with an array of futuristic weaponry and an intelligence-gathering device simply called the “All-Seeing Eye,” players follow an intricate storyline filled with conspiracy, shady government activity and terrifying aliens.

The Conduit’s detailed control system allows players to customize and configure look sensitivity, turning speed, the dead zone and much more. As players delve further into the mystery behind the extraterrestrial invasion, shocking details reveal that the invasion may have been brought on with help from the government itself.

Powered by High Voltage Software’s groundbreaking Quantum 3 engine, The Conduit ensures that players will experience single and multiplayer gameplay with graphical fidelity never seen before on the Wii. The Conduit will also support the recently announced Wii Speak peripheral, allowing online multiplayer gamers the ability to chat as they destroy aliens in each terrifying level. Additionally, the game will take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus for optimal control.

The Conduit, exclusively for the Wii, is slated to ship in spring 2009. For more information on the game, please visit www.conduitgame.com. For screenshots and art, please visit the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

GR81 says:

So the sensitivity issue was fixed in a later version of the drums in Rock Band?

Yes, and if it was still an issue you could just call EA for replacements.

Great news - I'll be updating when I get home tonight, as I never installed last weeks firmware upgrade. Now I can actually put a lot more import ROMs on my card without worrying about lack of space on my 2GB card!

Be careful when you update though, the new Homebrew Channel (Beta 9 which adds the SDHC support) has been modified to run apps in dol format instead of elf. A lot of the apps have already been updated or patched but ones like Gecko OS which let you play import games require a conversion.

The great thing is you can download the Wii Shop Channel update without having to go through the latest firmware (its on the Wii Homebrew Page) and so I have left the Homebrew Channel at Beta 8 until they get all the apps compatible with Beta 9, I am just too lazy to worry about manually patching them

But more and more homebrew apps are starting to take advantage of the SDHC support, and with the proof that you can directly use the SD Card in Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 it means when Nintendo finally gets around to offering to us officially in the Spring more developers should be ready to utilize DLC and add-ons!

[Skullface]

WOW - Never thought this would happen: The Beatles are coming to Rock Band!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122531701276881747.html

At least music game fans (Specifically Rock Band) have managed to get 2 of the 3 big holdouts of music. (Rock Band has/will have AC/DC & The Beatles, while Led Zeppelin has, in the past at least, said they have NO intention of allowing their music to appear in ANY music game)

As a music game fan, it really does bother me that we're forced to choose or buy both games due to exclusivity agreements with artists. But for now, there's not much else we can do.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

As a music game fan, it really does bother me that we're forced to choose or buy both games due to exclusivity agreements with artists. But for now, there's not much else we can do.

That's a good point, but let's face it, even if there were no exclusivity agreements, there is no guarantee that both games would get the same songs and would likely get mostly different with only a handful of crossovers. So, most fans would likely end up getting both games anyway.

The thing that bugs me most isn't so much having to buy the different games as much as the different peripherals that are needed to go with them.

Sure, there has been more effort recently put into making the peripherals compatible, but there are still issues with it. There really should be more of a standard ongoing design for the layouts of the guitars and drums. While it may not be best to 'pigeon-hold' the instruments to existing configurations when something more could be done with them, it does kind of stink that you do get more a stripped-down, reduced experience when using the Rock Band drums on GHWT, for example, with the only alternative being to shell out A LOT more money for additional peripherals which will also take up a lot of space.

[Skullface]

The Beatles announcement was that they are getting their own standalone game!

http://www.rockgamer.com/2008/10/30/...ck-band-title/

[Dynamo of Eternia]

The Beatles announcement was that they are getting their own standalone game!

http://www.rockgamer.com/2008/10/30/...ck-band-title/

Well, it BETTER be compatible with the Rock Band peripherals. I doubt that they would be stupid enough to have the case be otherwise, but you never know for sure.

But, I have a feeling that even though it's not going to be a "Rock Band" game by name, it's essentially going to be the same kind of thing.

[ChemicalChemical]

So how about that Fallout 3? Anyone else playing it? It's pretty awesome...

I'm running it on my PC. Silky smooth framerate and impressive graphics. I'm really annoyed there's no dedicated map hotkey.

[krosfyah]

Well, it BETTER be compatible with the Rock Band peripherals. I doubt that they would be stupid enough to have the case be otherwise, but you never know for sure.

But, I have a feeling that even though it's not going to be a "Rock Band" game by name, it's essentially going to be the same kind of thing.

yeah what I hope they do is make it compatible with the rock band peripherals but the deluxe set would come with era-accurate controllers inspirde by beatles designs etc. that way you won't force consumers to shell out (and risk alienating them) extra $ for yet MORE bulky space hogging equipment but you will appeal to beatles fans and collectors.

[PanMan]

So how about that Fallout 3? Anyone else playing it? It's pretty awesome...

I'm running it on my PC. Silky smooth framerate and impressive graphics. I'm really annoyed there's no dedicated map hotkey.

I just picked it up today, but haven't had a chance to play it yet. It looks like it'll be awesome though!

[asharachal]

i picked-up the new scene it? game (box office smash) today... i love it. much better than LCA. the online play is pretty smooth too.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Well, I finally tried out my Rock Band drums on GHWT last night.

It worked rather well, actually. I had heard some things that suggested that the experience would be worse (such as the colors of the notes on screen not matching the colors set up with the Rock Band drums and still being the color lay out of the GH drum kit, etc).

Well, I can say that this isn't true.

Basically, when using the RB drum kit, it works as if it was designed around it. The 4 lanes, colors matching up, etc.

Using the GH drum kit is probably still something of a different experience since there are 5 surfaces to hit instead of 4, but this still works very, very well.

And since the GH drum kits are apparently having issues right now, anyone who already has the RB drum kit may just want to consider picking up just the game or the game&guitar set.

[ChemicalChemical]

This picture is rad:

yeah what I hope they do is make it compatible with the rock band peripherals but the deluxe set would come with era-accurate controllers inspirde by beatles designs etc. that way you won't force consumers to shell out (and risk alienating them) extra $ for yet MORE bulky space hogging equipment but you will appeal to beatles fans and collectors.

Sweeet. I've been hoping for Rickenbacker fake guitars for a while.

[asharachal]

pretty cool cake!

[Motucollector83]

Well it happened at the worst possible time RROD. Just after buying fable 2 and dead space, with fallout 3 just released and gears 2 next week. what is the turn around time to get the unit back?




edit: wow that towel trick really works!!!

[Raining Light]

Well it happened at the worst possible time RROD. Just after buying fable 2 and dead space, with fallout 3 just released and gears 2 next week. what is the turn around time to get the unit back?




edit: wow that towel trick really works!!!

Turnaround time is about a month.
The towel trick only works for awhile.

[Skullface]

WiiWare/VC update:

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO WIIWARE GAMES AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Nov. 3, 2008

Sometimes you feel like a pinball, bouncing from one thing to the other. Do you spend time blasting things in outer space or just spend a quiet afternoon at home, redecorating? Fortunately this week’s Wii-kly Update doesn’t force you to make those tough choices.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

ALIEN CRUSH RETURNS™ (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): ALIEN CRUSH RETURNS is the ultimate incarnation of the popular TurboGrafx pinball classic, Alien Crush. Boasting innovative game and control features, this is one Wii experience that you don’t want to miss. With all the ball-blazing simplicity and flipper action thrills of standard pinball, ALIEN CRUSH RETURNS has all the visual and digital elements that you’ve come to expect in a video game, including grotesque, eye-stunning playfields as well as unique Action Ball gimmicks that redefine the fun and excitement of pinball. You can even nudge the machine with your Wii Remote controller. What’s more, you can connect via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to enjoy a variety of features such as four-player head-to-head action, high score competitions and Extra Stage downloads.

Home Sweet Home (Big Blue Bubble Inc., 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Picture this scene... You move into your new home, and every room is perfect. Every room, except one. Here is the blank canvas for your vision, but you lack the know-how. Who do you call? The Home Sweet Home team! Home Sweet Home will give you the chance to unleash your hidden talents as an interior designer. You choose the furniture, patterns and colors to create a masterpiece that will blow your client away. With simple controls, a fun graphical style and an easy-to-use interface, Home Sweet Home allows you to nurture your creative side. Remember, a house is not a home until it is a Home Sweet Home.

Virtual Console

Space Harrier™ (Sega Master System, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): Space Harrier was originally released in the arcade in the 1980s, developed by AM2, which also developed OutRun and Afterburner. Space Harrier is widely recognizable by many arcade fans due to its distinctive, colorful art design and its fast-paced action. The SEGA Master System version is considered a solid port of the arcade game, containing 18 levels of intense fun. As the “Space Harrier,” you must fight your way through “The Land of Dragons” and defeat the bosses at the end of each level to restore peace to the land. Are you prepared? Get ready!

Decent week, as Alien Crush was great on the the TG-16, and I'm a HUGE Space Harrier fan. Not into another pointless tech-demo regarding interior design, but whatever.....

[ehenyo]

This picture is rad:

That will be us in about 50 years!