| 23 JUN 2003 at 3:32am |
GamaholicPrivate Detective
Posts : 724
Joined: 3 NOV 2002
Status : Online | Originally Posted By KillTheGrimace (23 JUN 2003 3:01am)
I was never interested in the PC Baldur's Gate games because of the graphics. But now that I'm kinda into RPGs I might give them a second look. Anyway, this Baldur's Gate is a pure hack'n'slash RPG. It IS an RPG in that you level up, develop skills, have mana/hp, but it's very heavy on the action.
I have to say though, that the graphics are fantastic. It has the most realistic water I've ever seen (better than Morrowind's) and the ice caves are almost distractingly beautiful.
Also, about Zelda: Wind Waker, the first Zelda game I've ever played. I am continually amazed by the scope of the game- it's huge. Almost Morrowind huge, which is very rare for an action adventure game. Once you get past the first few islands you can go anywhere in the gameworld and find all kinds of buried treasure and helpful people that have nothing to do with the main storyline.
Dark Alliance does sound very different. The pc baldur's gate have simplistic yet charming graphics, but are really quite far from hack n slash. You do have me curious what the baldur's gate world looks like with more intricate graphics.
Is it isometric or a whole different point of view?
Is Zelda like a RPG? I know you said action/adventure...are there quests? character development? inventory? fighting?
As you can tell I know zip about console games
That which makes one happy is not a waste of time
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 3:58am |
KillTheGrimaceSpace Cadet
Posts : 177
Joined: 6 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Gamaholic (23 JUN 2003 3:22am)
Animal Crossing is on line or off line? I'm confused by the ever changing world aspect. If offline, does it mean it just randomizes each time you play?
...and what exactly is game boy advanced? sort of pda port for the game cube? excuse my ignorance!
Animal Crossing is technically offline, but you can actually visit other people's towns- and people in other towns can send you gifts. When you're playing, the only human character in town is you. All others are NPCs and they're all animals. Up to 4 humans can live in a town at a time. The way this works is the town is saved on your memory card (the game comes with a card, but you can use your own). Other people who use the same card will get their own house in that town.
Now, if your friend brings over his/her town on a memory card, you can just plug it into memory slot B of the GameCube and have your villager travel to that town. You can shop there, meet the villagers, maybe pick up some items you've never seen in your own village.
But then there's the global aspect of the game. If you know the name of a player and that player's town, you can send them gifts- and you don't even need their memory card to do it. You just go to your town's store and ask the shopkeeper for a password that will unlock the gift for that specific person in their town. Then in real life, you tell your friend what the password is. They can then tell their own local shopkeeper the password and they'll get your gift.
People trade items this way all the time on Animal Crossing forums.
Oh, I have to mention my favorite part of Animal Crossing. Every Saturday night, from 8:00pm til Midnight this little dog named K.K. Slider shows up at the train station with his guitar. You can ask him to play you a song, and after he's done he gives you a tape of it you can play on the boombox back in your house. There are a LOT of songs he knows, and some are secrets that you will only hear if you request them by name.
Okay, now the GameBoy Advance is a handheld gaming platform. Games come on cartridges, and are usually a lot cheaper than other console games (usually $20-30 instead of $50). The latest model, the GameBoy Advance Platinum SP is tiny- around 3" x 3" with a flip-top backlit LCD screen. The GameBoy Advance has its own complete library of games that are totally different from the GameCube titles. (You can even get the first Broken Sword game for GBA!)
But here's the thing- you can plug the GameBoy Advance into the GameCube with a special cable to unlock features in GameCube games. In Animal Crossing, you get Animal Island. In Zelda, you get all sorts of help, from navigational assistance to tips on where to find treasure, to bombs you can use when you're in a pinch. So stuff comes up on the GameBoy screen while you're playing GameCube on your TV.
I've got one and it's really cool. I've even got a couple games for it, which I play while waiting at the doctor's office.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 4:11am |
GamaholicPrivate Detective
Posts : 724
Joined: 3 NOV 2002
Status : Online | That does sound cool! what genre games are available for the GameBoy Advance? I have about 30 games (scrabble, backgammon, several rpgs, strategy, arcade, text adventures, etc.) at a time on my pda (sony clie) and i never wait anywhere bored, I just need to be playing a game at all times or I get cranky.
Animal Crossing does sound like something I'd like. So with the exchanges on the forum you don't actually need a gaming friend in the real world to have the interactivity you described? none of my friends play games, silly people they are). Can you actually download stuff for it? or is downloading stuff/add-ons for games strictly PC territory?
I appreciate all the info!
That which makes one happy is not a waste of time
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 4:17am |
GamaholicPrivate Detective
Posts : 724
Joined: 3 NOV 2002
Status : Online | and hey Grimace....love the "W" expose on your website...sooo funny
That which makes one happy is not a waste of time
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 4:29am |
KillTheGrimaceSpace Cadet
Posts : 177
Joined: 6 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Gamaholic (23 JUN 2003 3:32am)
You do have me curious what the baldur's gate world looks like with more intricate graphics.
Is it isometric or a whole different point of view?
Is Zelda like a RPG? I know you said action/adventure...are there quests? character development? inventory? fighting?
The Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance graphics during gameplay are overhead, from fairly high up. It's isometric with a twist- most of the time you can tilt the camera to get around things blocking your view, but you can't zoom in on your characters like you can in Dungeon Siege. You can't see too much detail on your players during this time, but if you look closely you can see that their appearance changes appropriately when you add armor and weapons. You will also see their nearly naked butts running around in the dungeon if you forget to equip their armor. (Apparently elves wear thongs.)
You can see your characters very well in inventory view though. Also, when you talk to NPCs the game zooms in to first-person 3D. The character graphics and animation are rather impressive here.
So, Zelda. It's almost an RPG. Over time you do get powerful new weapons and abilities, and you also get increasing hit points and what is essentially mana. But that's as detailed as the character development aspect gets. There is a main storyline and there are lots of side quests. The side quests often give you things that make winning the game a lot easier (increased carrying capacity, for example). There's a lot of fighting and a lot of jumping, swinging from vines and grappling hooks, swimming, sailing, crawling, sidling, and blowing stuff up.
Also you do have an inventory, which is kinda confusing at first, but makes sense once you've used it a few times. Basically, if you need to use an item, you assign it to one of three buttons on your controller, then exit the inventory screen, and push the button you just assigned the item to. This way you can have three items equipped at any one time instead of just one, like in most action adventures.
And I will not lie, the game is hard sometimes. There are some very difficult parts that usually involve mastering some new weapon or tool you've acquired. It's hard but it's always something different each time, so the game stays challenging but fresh.
The cel-shaded graphics, and just the overall presentation are just unique and astounding. It has a look all its own and truly does feel more like an immersive cartoon than a video game.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 5:32am |
SCiVPrivate Detective
Posts : 671
Joined: 22 OCT 2002
Status : Online | Just have to throw in a word of warning: the GC hookup with a GBA isn't always a great thing. For most games it means you have to buy a game twice (gba and gc version) and all you get are some extra levels.
But there are also examples where it is great. A friend of mine plays Zelda with his gf, she plays on the GC, he on the GBA, and apparently, it's a lot of fun.
GBA line-up of games is kinda limited though (at least here in Europe). Many games are simple platform / action / shooters. The only games I got for it so far are Advance Wars (turn based strategy) and Golden Sun, a great RPG.
Playing: World of Warcraft / Monkey Island SE&&Reading: Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance - Harry Turtledove&&Watching: Repo! The Genetic Opera
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 3:13pm |
KillTheGrimaceSpace Cadet
Posts : 177
Joined: 6 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By SCiV (23 JUN 2003 5:32am)
GBA line-up of games is kinda limited though (at least here in Europe). Many games are simple platform / action / shooters. The only games I got for it so far are Advance Wars (turn based strategy) and Golden Sun, a great RPG.
Don't forget Hamtaro: Ham-ham Heartbreak. It's a great traditional adventure game.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 4:00pm |
Bob_the_BuilderJourneyman
Posts : 956
Joined: 25 APR 2003
Status : Online | NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT HAMTARO!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
NO SOUP FOR YOU!
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 5:19pm |
jujigatameSchattenjger
Posts : 1976
Joined: 14 FEB 2003
Status : Online | Is Hamtaro those little cutesy hamster dealies?
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 5:31pm |
KillTheGrimaceSpace Cadet
Posts : 177
Joined: 6 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Bob_the_Builder (23 JUN 2003 4:00pm)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT HAMTARO!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Dude, Hamtaro is swiggity-sweet!
Is Hamtaro those little cutesy hamster dealies?
Yeah. The game is really good. I'm serious!
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 6:32pm |
jujigatameSchattenjger
Posts : 1976
Joined: 14 FEB 2003
Status : Online | Yeah. The game is really good. I'm serious!
Sorry, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. It looks like Pokemon without what made Pokemon a good game (the battles). Not to mention it's aimed at 8 year olds. I'll pass.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 7:02pm |
StammerGuild Master
Posts : 3894
Joined: 5 JAN 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By jujigatame (23 JUN 2003 6:32pm)
Sorry, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. It looks like Pokemon without what made Pokemon a good game (the battles). Not to mention it's aimed at 8 year olds. I'll pass. Come one! It is good thing to have different opinions and express them but don't you think you are being too harsh about this one. I haven't played it but I have the feeling that it is good... :-/
Resistance is not futile, we're gonna win this thing, humankind is too good, we're not a bunch of under-achievers! We're gonna stand up, and we're gonna be human beings. We're going to get fired up about the real things, the things that matter! Creativity, and the dynamic human spirit that refuses to submit.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 7:22pm |
AllanonJourneyman
Posts : 1322
Joined: 19 JUN 2003
Status : Offline | Well then , Godfather , you shouldn't worry about anybody's posts !
You only live once , but , if you live right , once is enough . Being happy takes work ...
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 7:24pm |
AllanonJourneyman
Posts : 1322
Joined: 19 JUN 2003
Status : Offline | Forever in jest ... My friend ??
You only live once , but , if you live right , once is enough . Being happy takes work ...
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 8:10pm |
Bob_the_BuilderJourneyman
Posts : 956
Joined: 25 APR 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Godfather (23 JUN 2003 7:02pm)
Come one! It is good thing to have different opinions and express them but don't you think you are being too harsh about this one. I haven't played it but I have the feeling that it is good... :-/
No, he's not being harsh at all. I watched the show once for 5 minutes and that was all that I needed to determine how crappy it was. This is coming from someone who lives in the same house as a Yu Gi Oh fan.
I hope I didn't offend anyone
NO SOUP FOR YOU!
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 8:20pm |
jujigatameSchattenjger
Posts : 1976
Joined: 14 FEB 2003
Status : Online | What can I say, sometimes I'm harsh.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 8:40pm |
sparkySorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 270
Joined: 18 JUN 2003
Status : Online | What can I say, sometimes I'm harsh.
And rightfully so.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exisit.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 9:31pm |
AllanonJourneyman
Posts : 1322
Joined: 19 JUN 2003
Status : Offline | I see .
You only live once , but , if you live right , once is enough . Being happy takes work ...
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 9:35pm |
KillTheGrimaceSpace Cadet
Posts : 177
Joined: 6 MAY 2003
Status : Online | Originally Posted By Bob_the_Builder (23 JUN 2003 8:10pm)
I watched the show once for 5 minutes and that was all that I needed to determine how crappy it was.
Actually I've never seen the show, and didn't know there was one til after I had the game. All I know is it's a good adventure game.
Not to mention it's aimed at 8 year olds
That may be, but I doubt there are any 8-year-olds who can complete it.
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| 23 JUN 2003 at 11:22pm |
Bob_the_BuilderJourneyman
Posts : 956
Joined: 25 APR 2003
Status : Online | I was kidding BTW, I hope you didn't take me that seriously.
NO SOUP FOR YOU!
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