Video game thread

[mussa]

you both fall right into that catagory too

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

This snugglefest has gone too far.  Stop being so nice.

I miss moats23.

[mikey418]

So is anyone on XBOX Live (360) playing Madden and wants a challenge?

[Sgt PSN]

This snugglefest has gone too far. Stop being so nice.

I miss moats23.

That's funny. 

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Back to grouphug, Sassy.

[TexasEagle]

If anyone cares I played through the first two demo levels of Company of Heroes and it's a pretty damn good game. Good action for a RTS and the graphics are killer even though my video card isn't up to snuff for some of the cinematics. Pretty damn fun though. Watching shtein blow up is crazy fun. Artillery strikes are a killer on my system though. Slows it down like mad then stuffs getting blowed up real good all over the place. And watching the sniper shoot a German and blood go flying all over the place. Awesome! Highly recommended. Not sure if I'll buy it at full price or not, but I'll be picking this one up sooner rather than later.

Rome: Total War just dropped to $20 so will be getting that first. I'm such a cheap ass.

[SD_Eagle5]

An update on Fable 2:

BARCELONA, Spain--Earlier today at Microsoft's undeniably good X06 event in Barcelona, we met with Peter Molyneux to discuss his plans for Fable 2. Molyneux got the proceedings underway with an apology for having nothing to show us save for a few pieces of concept art. He went on to more than make up for that, though, with talk of his incredibly ambitious plans for the game that, in his own eyes it would seem, could make or break him as game designer.

Fable 2 will take place some 500 years after the events of the first game, and among other improvements, it will boast a number of gameplay features that were originally promised for Fable. Molyneux apparently received two death threats from Fable fans when they realized that you couldn't plant an acorn and witness it growing into a mighty oak tree over time--he didn't enjoy the experience, and so we're told that this feature will definitely be in Fable 2. To further illustrate his vision of a game in which you can influence the world in dramatic ways through simple actions, we were shown a concept image of an area called Brightwood--a small campsite tucked away in the middle of a forest.

The first time you encounter the camp, you might think that any decision you make on how to interact with it is insignificant, but according to Molyneux, the effects of even your seemingly trivial actions will be felt for decades. If you choose to trade with the camp, for example, you might find that it has developed into a small settlement when you're in the area again 10 years later. After another decade, that small settlement might grow into a village, and ultimately it could become a thriving town or city. If you decided to loot the camp and kill its inhabitants, on the other hand, the land it occupied would be reclaimed by nature, and 10 years later you'd never even know it was there. Molyneux calls this technology "dynamic regions," and it's one of several features in the game that he seems genuinely excited to talk about.

Among the features that didn't realize their full potential in Fable were the promises that you'd be able to invest in property and have a family. These somewhat gimmicky features of the original game will not only be fleshed out in the sequel, but also have the potential to occupy huge chunks of your time--perhaps even becoming an important part of your Fable 2 storyline. Regardless of whether you choose to play as a male or a female, you'll start out as a street urchin with absolutely nothing to lose. Your physical transformation as you become an adult in the game will be determined by a number of factors in addition to the requisite good/evil mechanic, including cruel/kind deeds, and whether you become rich or poor. If you manage to accrue a significant amount of wealth in the game, you'll have the option to unlock additional game content by purchasing each and every building in the world, including castles, catacombs, and the like. If you never have more than two gold pieces to rub together, your experience, your appearance, and the ways that people in the world react to you will be very different.

On the subject of family, Molyneux's goal is to introduce unconditional love to video games by giving you the ability to have children with whichever character from the world you decide to marry. After meeting the woman or man of your dreams (you can play as a woman, remember), you can marry them and then, if you're so inclined, you can opt to have protected or unprotected sex with them. If you choose the latter, we've heard nothing that leads us to believe that your hero will be at risk from infection, but there is a chance that you might become a parent nine months later. Your offspring's appearance will be determined by your spouse's characteristics and by your own at the time of conception, and regardless of what path you choose to take through the game, that child will love you unconditionally. If you've opted to play as a woman, it'll be you that gets pregnant, of course, but that's a preview topic for another day.
Molyneux said that one of the most magical moments of his career was when he recently saw the Fable 2 family features in action. Returning home from a lengthy quest, Molyneux found that his baby son had grown up in his absence and, as he approached the house, the boy swung the doors open and ran toward him with his arms outstretched. Molyneux also stated that your child's development will be determined to some extent by your own actions, almost as if he or she is trying to imitate you or gain your approval. So, if you play as an evil guy covered in tattoos, you might find that your son gets himself some ink the first chance he gets. As the bread winner of your family, you'll be responsible for making sure that they always have enough money to eat, and your performance in this regard will also play a part in your child's development.

Although many of these features were talked about as if they are confirmed for Fable 2, we should point out that Molyneux made a disclaimer of sorts at one point when he explained that many of his ideas are still being experimented with. An amusing example of a feature that won't be making the cut, for example, was the idea that you would assume the role of your offspring if you died. The reason why this won't be in the finished game? Testers at Lionhead started procreating like bunnies in the game, because every child was essentially like an extra life.

Perhaps the most amusing part of our meeting with Molyneux, though, came when he turned his attention to Fable 2's combat. This portion of the meeting was entertaining not because Molyneux's plans are crazy or anything, but simply because we recognized a lot of what was said from his "this is not Fable 2" keynote address at the Leipzig Games Convention earlier this year. Among the features mentioned (but not demonstrated on this occasion), was the "constrained combat" that occurs when the way that you swing a sword, for example, varies according to the vicinity of allies, walls, and anything else that would interfere with the kind of generic motion used in Fable.

Molyneux ended the meeting by telling us that the feature he's most excited about in Fable 2 is also the one that he's not willing to talk about yet. The top-secret feature is apparently so revolutionary that we won't believe it until we can see and play it for ourselves. In fact, it's so ambitious that nobody on the Lionhead development team wanted any part in attempting to make it work when it was first suggested. What could this feature possibly be? We're 99 percent certain that you'll find the answer in the aforementioned Leipzig Games Convention keynote, in which Molyneux detailed his plans for incredibly varied and realistic combat in fully interactive locales being played out using only a single button. We look forward to bringing you more information on Fable 2 as soon as it becomes available, though according to the man himself, we're unlikely to see the game in action until March of next year.

[General_Failure]

I hope the game bombs, forcing Lionhead to close down and sending Molyneux out on the streets to live with FredEx.

[Seabiscuit36]

Sony shares fall on PlayStation concerns

By HANS GREIMEL, Associated Press WriterTue Oct 3, 5:35 AM ET

Fresh concerns about the upcoming release of Sony's much-anticipated PlayStation 3 video game console and reports of erratic performance dragged Sony shares down 2.75 percent Tuesday.

Technical problems for the PlayStation 3 would be the latest embarrassment for Sony, which has already had to twice delay the product's launch, and is facing stepped up competition from rivals Microsoft and Nintendo.

Sony has also been hit by the recent string of recalls for its lithium ion batteries for laptop computers.

PlayStation 3 units on display at the Tokyo Game Show about 10 days ago operated erratically and had to be repeatedly reset, according to a report released Monday by Macquarie Equities analyst David Gibson in Tokyo.

"While the reason for this is unknown, we suspect it may be due to overheating as a result of enclosing the units and the high temperatures at the venue," Gibson wrote. "We are concerned that such a problem has occurred so close to full production and is clearly negative news for the company."

Sony denied that there was any technical problem with the PlayStation 3.

Earlier in the day, investment firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered Sony's stock rating to "neutral" from "buy," citing confusion over the release of PlayStation 3 and concerns that disappointing sales of PlayStation Portable may weigh on its earnings in electronics operations more heavily than expected.

Sony's stock tumbled 130 yen ($1.11), or 2.75 percent, to 4,600 yen ($38.98) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The PlayStation 3 will hit stores in Japan on Nov. 11 and in the United States on Nov. 17. In Europe, they won't go on sale until March, four months later than planned.

Sony spokeswoman Nanako Kato said any problems at the Tokyo Game Show, where Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo showed off rival offerings under the same roof, were likely caused by one-of-a-kind temperature irregularities.

About 200 PlayStation 3 units were clustered together in close proximity and housed in kiosks that concentrated the heat generated by their processors and provided poor ventilation, Kato said. Overheating under such circumstances is a common affliction at trade shows, afflicting not just Sony products but those of its competitors, she said.

"It's not a problem with the PlayStation 3 unit itself," Kato said. "For a normal player at home, there shouldn't be any problem."

Sony is sticking to its plans to ship 2 million PlayStation 3 units by year's end and 6 million by March 31, 2007, she said.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. rushed its next-generation Xbox 360 to Japanese markets last year to get a head start on its rivals, but it has seen sluggish sales in Japan, which is one of the world's biggest video game markets but one in which players have a deep loyalty to homegrown Sony.

Nintendo Co. meanwhile is planning to launch its new Wii game console in the final quarter of the year and price it below both rivals, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

[TexasEagle]

I don't care if the thing makes its own ice cream, for $6-700 I ain't buying.

[Seabiscuit36]

Rumor has it PS3 will be released at $299.99, which is a good deal, except when its catches on fire 

[MURP]

where is that rumor from?

[Seabiscuit36]

Gizmondo.com is reporting it

[mussa]

Yea, you prob get the console and thats it for $299.99. No controller, no blue ray dvd rom, small hard drive, etc...

[Seabiscuit36]

I heard the console doubles as a campfire    In all reality, Sony sounds like they screwed the pooch in developing the ps3 with technology that isnt compatible with they're overall plans.