inselaffe on 11/11/2010 at 00:03
So i'm guessing now might be a good time to try and pick up last generation games that i missed out on due to not having the particular console. The sad part about this is that living in europe, we kind of get screwed when it comes to re-releases for console games or general availability of less successful ones. I'll be able to pick up some at least.
So, all i had for the previous generation was a pc and a gamecube.
On my gamecube i have:
* Windwaker
* Mario Sunshine
* Pikmin 1
* Star Fox Adventures (this is really quite bad)
* Resident Evil (remake)
* Resident Evil 0
* Resident Evil 4
* Burnout 2
* Metroid Prime
* Metroid Prime 2
* Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes (remake)
* Rogue Leader
* Rebel Strike (mixed game - on foot bits are crap, graphics lovely)
Was going to get pikmin 2 but you couldn't find it cheap for love nor money here unlike in america. Now, however, i can always wait until i get a wii whenever i can be bothered - same for twilight princess and the definitive RE4 version.
So i was thinking of definitely getting a playstation 2 and wondering what games i should look out for for it.
I'm not sure whether there is any point getting an xbox? Are there any decent games that have their best version on that console? There is gta3 and vice city which i have for it, and played 3 on the xbox 360 - however the emulation is not the best.
For playstation, i am considering:
* Metal Gear Solid 2 (what's the difference between the 2 editions?)
* Metal Gear Solid 3 (again what is the difference? although i think i'll be sadly stuck with the normal, as you can't get the other one here for love nor money - i think there is a compilation pack for the US though).
* Silent Hill 2 - I am assuming these are best on ps2? or doesn't it make a difference? Are the pc ports crap?
* Silent Hill 3
* Silent Hill 4
* GTA Liberty City Stories
* GTA Vice City Stories
* Ico - might as well give up trying to find this - even if i do it would be a fortune
* Shadow of the Colossus
Anything else to suggest for ps2 / xbox / ps1 (or even gc)? I don't really know a lot about the games released for them. Especially clueless on ps1 games.
Where games (that you suggest) are available for multiple platforms, i'm wondering if there is a definitive version as there tends to be sometimes, or if they are the same. That is useful information too.
Thanks, and hopefully this might be useful to anyone else in the same position :)
june gloom on 11/11/2010 at 00:12
Hey, this is actually a good thread.
Here's some answers to your questions:
Metal Gear Solid 2: The Substance version is, er, well, more substantial. The base game has been improved slightly, but the key part is the additional stuff like VR missions, 'Snake Tales' (little non-canon side-stories using existing locations but with Snake as the hero) and, afaik only in the US, a skateboarding game of all things. Think of it as the Collector's Edition DVD of a movie with all the bonus shit on it.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Yeah, I'm afraid you're getting shafted on this one if you can't find the Substance version. The original version is a fantastic game, but it lacks things like an over-the-shoulder camera, and also has slowdown issues and some painfully long (few seconds) loading times for radio conversations. Equally unfortunate is that MGS3: Substance originally game with a bonus disc loaded with all sorts of cool shit, among them the original MSX Metal Gear games, fully (and properly) translated and some graphical updates added (no more horrified Gary Sinese as Snake in MG2!) Unfortunately you can't get that anymore.
Silent Hill 2- PC port is shoddy. Don't bother. The console versions, well- the first-run PS2 version lacks the additional story, but the Greatest Hits version is identical to the Xbox1 version.
Silent Hill 3 - I imagine the PC port is slightly better, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say just get the PS2 version.
Silent Hill 4- AVOID. Avoid any other Silent Hill game as well.
I strongly recommend The Warriors for PS2 (love-letter to the 80s beat-em-up) and Manhunt for PC (if you like stealth and murder). If you like the Zelda games, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (both for GC) are worthy finds.
You may also wish to look into Rogue Trooper- picture Gears of War, only last-gen and fun. PC version may be your best bet. I also heartily recommend The Suffering and its sequel, Ties That Bind.
Aerothorn on 11/11/2010 at 00:32
Seconding the MGS3 thing - I did enjoy it playing the vanilla version, and it's better to play that than not play it at all, but the new camera makes a HUGE difference (top-down was really not suited for outdoor environments) and the bonuses are fun.
The big PS2 question is: Do you like JRPGs? That is the genre that it dominates the most in (relative to the xbox and gamecube). There's plenty of stuff to enjoy if that's not your bag, but that's a big part of the catalog.
For starters, Ace Combat 4 and 5 are very solid fun (Zero is just a shoddy re-tread).
As far as "best versions" are concerned, the Xbox versions of multiplatform games are usually (thought not always) superior, at least relative to the other consoles. Psychonauts, for instance.
gunsmoke on 11/11/2010 at 02:12
Ok. Gunny is the man you wanna talk to here.
Since you have a PC and a Gamecube, skip the Xbox (man, that pains me to say). The PS2 has way too many exclusives to ignore it. That said, I have been seeing PS2s and Xboxs literally being given away (hell, I just got a PS2 for $2 and gave someone a full Xbox for free myself) so you could get both systems for under $50.
I will fill in more details about specific games in a few hours. I have over 250 last gen console games, and have played another couple hundred easy. It is just really late here.
sNeaksieGarrett on 11/11/2010 at 03:12
PS2:
Red Faction 1
Final Fantasy X
MGS2
MGS3
Timesplitters 2
Great games that I've played, of course this is all subjective so you might not like any of these. You might want to do some research on those titles to see if they suit your fancy. I'll tell you a bit about each if you want. If your interested in PS1 games, the ones I've played and enjoyed are:
Syphon Filter 1
Syphon Filter 2
Tekken 3
Final Fantasy IX
Quake II
Fighting Force
etc.
There's more that I've played but don't own.... For PS1 titles, Sony has been re-releasing them on the Playstation store (if you didn't already know) and are compatible with PS3 and PSP. If you have either of these systems then you could get them from there if they're available to you where you live.
Gunny should know better than I do about the Grand Theft Auto series, but I like the PC version of GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas. But these are the only versions I have, so yeah...
Jason Moyer on 11/11/2010 at 04:33
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
The big PS2 question is: Do you like JRPGs?
Also, SHMUPs, which are all but nonexistent on the xbox (dunno about the Gamecube).
Tonamel on 11/11/2010 at 04:53
For SHMUPs, Gamecube's got Ikaruga if you can find a copy.
inselaffe on 11/11/2010 at 21:14
Well i think you can get the better version of mgs 2 here for a little more, but mgs 3 i am seemingly screwed. I guess there must be ways mind.
Is there any point trying to get mgs 1 / vr missions for the ps1? Considering I have twin snakes (although haven't played much of it yet). Same with the original resident evil, bearing in mind if have the gc remake.
Ok, will try silent hill for ps2 if you say so. The only reason i wonder about silent hill pc ports and things is because of added resolution and things. Though i don't doubt that japanese companies to pc conversions have generally been rather bad.
For silent hill one, i remember hearing something about a fan-made pc ported version being the best? Or is it not.
Quote Posted by dethtoll
I strongly recommend The Warriors for PS2 (love-letter to the 80s beat-em-up) and Manhunt for PC (if you like stealth and murder). If you like the Zelda games, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (both for GC) are worthy finds.
You may also wish to look into Rogue Trooper- picture Gears of War, only last-gen and fun. PC version may be your best bet. I also heartily recommend The Suffering and its sequel, Ties That Bind.
Ah cool yer i've never really tried 3d beatemups, i liked streets of rage back in the day and if rockstar have done it well it should be worth a go.
Manhunt, i always assumed the pc ports would be not very good, but perhaps i was wrong which is nice to hear.
Already got windwaker - really pretty game. Will get twilight princess whenever i get a wii (which doesn't seem to be any time soon). GC versions are like goldust.
Rogue Trooper might be something to try then, have to look into that - never played gears of war but always been put off by it's childish (and not in a good way) image. Rogue Trooper looks better in that regard.
The suffering - hmm nice a horror game, have to look at that. Pc version seems to have more (
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/suffering/screenshots/gameShotId,90413/) clarity to it but the lighting seems fucked in (
http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox/suffering/screenshots/gameShotId,403274/) comparison. Maybe that's just from how they've got it running. Otherwise the pc version would seem better due to higher resolution. I do have to worry though - as it would remind me of resident evil 4's pc port screens ;) (though i think they fixed that in a patch).
Are the fatal frame games any good? Or other horror. Mind you i dunno how hard all of this is to get hold of.
Quote Posted by Aerothorn
The big PS2 question is: Do you like JRPGs?
For starters, Ace Combat 4 and 5 are very solid fun (Zero is just a shoddy re-tread).
Never really liked jrpgs. I liked golden sun for the gba though. I guess i would like one if it wasn't stereotypical and without annoying characters (i guess, without the stereotypical anime stuff). Golden Sun didn't seem too bad in that regard. In truth i haven't really tried a lot of them. I generally don't like grind battles though. This is something that silver (which i remember playing a demo of on the pc) avoided by using mouse gestures for combat as opposed to turn based grind.
Not really tried any flying games, i guess ace combat is worth checking out when i have sometime if i have nothing else to play, to see what the genre is like, thanks.
Quote Posted by gunsmoke
Since you have a PC and a Gamecube, skip the Xbox (man, that pains me to say). The PS2 has way too many exclusives to ignore it.
Yer, that's what i was thinking. Surely there have to be good exclusives on the xbox though? Or at least games that have better versions (graphically or with more content). Although i do remember the trend of the day was to not develop anything technically above the ps2, i was surprised to see that some games actually are better on xbox - which was why i made this thread.
I'm sure there are some though. I mean like you say, i might as well get both if there are.
There is the conker's bad fur day remake, which while a great game, i have the original and i heard that they took stuff out of it (and they replaced the frying pan - heresy! haha).
Gta 3 and vice city are certainly a lot better on xbox in terms of graphics and cutscenes. Even than pc, as that is the same as ps2. Mind you pc does have better controls (except for driving, though i think you can mod in analogue support maybe).
Those 2 play okay on 360 but to be honest the emu isn't the best and i've completed 3 on it now, so i can't really justify an xbox purely for vice city lol.
Quote Posted by sNeaksieGarrett
PS2:
Wouldn't red faction be better on pc? I remember playing the demo of it and being that there was a "destruction limit" in the sandbox room haha. So the full game is actually good then?
Final fantasy i've never played but watched someone play a bit of 7 when they pretend to be prostitutes or something back in the day. I didn't really get what the fuss with that game was about but maybe i should try them some time. At least, the less annoying ones. Just wonder whether they would be a bit enfuriating or not?
Timesplitters i've never tried - i imagine it's one of the few shooting games on a console that actually works well? As it's from ex goldeneye / perfect dark people. So you are saying skip the first? And the 3rd?
Is this better on any particular platform? eg better graphics or anything on xbox? or just the same.
Quote Posted by sNeaksieGarrett
PS1:
Is Syphon Filter like mgs then? Looks like it could be interesting.
Never really tried 3d beatenups though soul calibur 2's controls for countering don't really work that well on the gc controller so that might be why i haven't bothered persevering with them.
Quake 2 on ps1? Didn't think it could handle it:S lol although maybe it has different levels like the n64 version. Still, the thought of playing it on a console is something i'd do if it was good only when i had run out of other things.
Fighting force seems to be streets of rage in 3d? Does it have charm or just get old and grindy though?
Quote Posted by Jason Moyer
Also, SHMUPs, which are all but nonexistent on the xbox (dunno about the Gamecube).
Hmm how is SHMUP even short for shoot em up lol but i got there in the end. Never really played these except raptor call of shadows shareware back in the day which was nice. The thing about the new ones is they all seem rather "throw up in your face brightly coloured lights o-vision" rather than interesting environments. Still, a genre to explore if there are some that buck this trend.
Thinking about ps1 games, i really wonder what the good games it had were? I mean it sold spectacularly, so there has to be somemore.
I just thought of castlevania and the oddworld games - though oddworld is probly better on pc.
Never really played a castlevania game except the gameboy advance one and that was quite nice. I imagine the others are the same.
I might put a list up about n64 games later if anyone is wondering about that platform - even if you can't get hold of one i guess emulation is reasonable for it (but probably by no means perfect).
I guess to try and make a list of games for each system that people should try and check out might be quite a nice thing.
(Sorry this is so long, just wanted to reply to everything).
sNeaksieGarrett on 11/11/2010 at 22:33
Quote:
Wouldn't red faction be better on pc? I remember playing the demo of it and being that there was a "destruction limit" in the sandbox room haha. So the full game is actually good then?
Final fantasy i've never played but watched someone play a bit of 7 when they pretend to be prostitutes or something back in the day. I didn't really get what the fuss with that game was about but maybe i should try them some time. At least, the less annoying ones. Just wonder whether they would be a bit enfuriating or not?
Timesplitters i've never tried - i imagine it's one of the few shooting games on a console that actually works well? As it's from ex goldeneye / perfect dark people. So you are saying skip the first? And the 3rd?
Is this better on any particular platform? eg better graphics or anything on xbox? or just the same.
Never played the full game of Red Faction on pc. I wasn't suggesting based on "best version" of Red Faction and other games, just telling you games that I enjoyed on the PS2 that you might like as well. AFAIK, each Final Fantasy game is totally different. The basic stuff is all the same sure, but each game has new characters and storylines. I'm also not the one to talk about it when it comes to knowing everything about the series, as I've only played FFIX and FFX. That's it. None of the other ones.
Timesplitters 2 is the only one that I've owned and played extensively and enjoyed. My friend has a copy of Timesplitters Future Perfect, which is technically TS3. TS3 seems to be more of the same, and from very little that I've seen of it, it seemed like a decent sequel. I never played TS1so I can't say anything about that one. I can't really tell you what version is the best, maybe someone else can or you can look it up on one of the various game review sites.
Quote:
Is Syphon Filter like mgs then? ...
Syphon Filter doesn't have much in common with MGS. Sure they both have agents for the government and they can both sneak around, but Spyhon Filter is more action based and it's a third person behind the shoulder game unlike MGS.
Quote:
Quake 2 ...
Fighting force seems to be streets of rage in 3d? Does it have charm or just get old and grindy though?
Yeah I dunno why I mentioned Quake 2 for PS1 since I have it on PC; I was just looking at my collection of PS1 games and that was a game I have.:laff: It's probably best to play that one on PC, especially considering you can get source ports for Quake 2 that improve the gfx of the game.
Fighting Force could probably be compared to Street Fighter or Tekken series. Except Fighting Force is not a sidescroller, it's a 3d beat em up game that can be played with 2 players co-operatively. There's not much of a story, as it's more an arcade kind of game. FF is also a rather short game, as you could probably finish it in one sitting, if you played it all day. The camera is a bit annoying to deal with, and it's a bit challenging to play but I still find it's a great beat em up. (You can pick up items like axes or baseball bats to hurt the enemies with for example.) Fighting Force 2 on the other hand, was quite a change from the first one. FF2 focused on a single character going on missions by himself, whereas Fighting Force allowed you to choose from like four different characters. (Hawk, Smash, and whoever the others are, can't recall off the top of my head.)
Well I hope that helped somewhat.:p I didn't go into much detail, but that's because I don't know how much info you want on the games, and plus you can do your own research.
