Czernobog wrote:
Also, Playstation All Stars Battle Royal was hugely fun and had a lot going for it, despite so many dismissing it as a Smash clone.
Finally, someone else who agrees! I loved PASBR, and really didn't see with all the entries in the 1v1 fighting game series how so many people thought it was totally unacceptable for any other game to be done in the Smash-style.
To be honest, compared to other Smash-esque games I've played like DON Battle Stadium (which itself is a pretty fun romp to import on the GameCube if you're into Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto), PASBR is by far the one that's tried to differentiate itself the most in terms of gameplay mechanics: I really enjoyed the emphasis on finishing moves rather than ring-outs. It gave the game a good risk-reward system for characters who had lousier tier-1 finishers like Sir Daniel.
I identify everyone via avatar, so if you change your avatar, I genuinely might completely forget who you are. -- Me
I thought I would weigh in here, this is a great thread and I've really enjoyed reading a lot of the posts so far, and I appreciated some of the stories I've read about your experiences, especially yours, Ack.
What was your favorite platform in general? Xbox 360. There was so much to offer on the console, and it’s where I invested most of my time. It was mainly the social aspects for me. I got my Xbox 360 around the release of Halo 3, and it turned into a great love affair of playing games with friends in college.
Which game do you think had the best graphics for each platform?
I believe this is subjective. I personally like art styles nowadays moreso than graphical improvements, so I don’t think I’ll weigh in.
What was your overall favorite game(s) for each platform? Wii: I think New Super Mario Brothers was my favorite game. Lots of fun platforming plus the multiplayer aspects made this a really enjoyable experience. Close second would be Zelda: Twilight Princess. I dunno, I enjoyed the waggling for novelty’s sake at the time of its release.
Xbox 360: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was hands down my favorite game on each platform. I would play this game with my dad in the evenings and with friends. It was where this series truly blew up in popularity and it’s a great game. The sequels felt different, neither good nor bad, but didn’t appeal to me in the same ways. The campaign was fun, especially the ghillie suit level sneaking around. The online was thrilling and engaging. I felt like this was a great moment in online gaming history.
PS3: Yakuza 3 & 4: I didn’t do much PS3 gaming, to be honest. I went in for Metal Gear Solid 4, but ended up falling in love with the Yakuza series. BogusMeatFactory and others expressed their satisfaction about this series and I gave them a try on the PS2, playing the first two games. It was great to see the series stay true to its roots on a new console. Now I’m excited that the 5th game was released on PSN and I should go play that now.
What do you think was the most overrated game(s) for each platform? Wii: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. I think Zelda is in a bit of identity crisis with its approach to console games. As the technology has progressed, I think a large overworld has become lacking. I’m not saying the game needs to be a sandbox, but hardly have I found the last few games encourage exploring. The series has always been prideful of its lack of linear gameplay, and the Skyward Sword simply points you to the next objective without so much as you figuring it out yourself.
Xbox 360: Halo 4. I think 343 is still trying to find their voice in storytelling. I love the original series but this new story-arc just doesn’t do it for me. The games play awesome in their own right, I just perhaps might be burnt out on the series as all of the expanded universe has left me with this constant feeling of being lost in the games as the series continues in books and comics.
PS3: Uncharted was overrated. I think I’ve enjoyed most of Naughty Dog’s creations, but I just couldn’t get into this one. It could’ve been tied to the fact that I played through the Gears of War series before playing the first game of the Uncharted series, but I don’t think that would’ve changed my mind all that much. The story-telling was cool, but the mechanics felt generic. Overall Uncharted was a 3rd person adventure that was good but forgettable.
What do you think was the most underrated game for each console?** Wii: Sonic Colors. I had become jaded with the Sonic Series ever since Sonic 2006. I had almost written off the series because of all the wacky spin-offs, like Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Black Knight. I first played Sonic Generations on Xbox 360, loved it, and heard about Sonic Colors being similar in its design approach. Great soundtrack, only a few frustrating levels. I really quite enjoyed it.
Xbox 360: Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing. This was a hidden gem for me. I played it late into the console’s life but found it to be really quite engaging and fun. A great Mario Kart title with some great controls, lots of fan-service characters and stages. I don’t know that it will ever receive the level of praise that it should, but it’s easily one of the best racing games I played this past generation.
PS3: Journey was a lovely little indie game that you could beat in a few short sittings or one maybe 3 hour marathon. I enjoyed the speechless narrative a great point behind its storytelling. It received a lot of praise but obviously it’s hard to tell how impactful this game was in sales. Something around 200,000 worldwide feels to me that this game didn’t get the expanding reach it deserved. It’s a simple adventure/platformer and it’s heartwarming and endearing.
What are some of your fondest memories of gaming during this era? Playing Halo and Call of Duty with all of my friends in the residence hall I lived in. Getting 16 people online all at once, getting a match on with some friendly banter and trash talking. Getting a smaller group of friends online and hopping into random matches, to dominate or be humbled when we got too cocky.
Exploring the Capital Wasteland was something amazing. I loved the scale of Fallout 3 and the many pieces tied to the alternative history of a world-gone-apocalypse were exciting for me. The good and bad karma choices, the weird things you’d encounter in the next town, walking around in some super sweet power armor, and listening to some Billie Hollie on Galaxy News Radio with Three Dog was one of my favorite gaming moments of 7th gen.
Playing Mario Kart and New Super Mario Brothers with my staff. Some fond memories of playing games with them and just slogging it out on Super Smash Brothers Brawl.
Ultimately, what changes do you think the Seventh Generation made to this medium overall? I think the seventh generation further refined a lot of the online aspects of console gaming. Better connectivity and online features. The marketplace availability of online DLC and implications of getting the full game once those shop services shut down. What happens when your hard drive fails and all of your games saved are lost to the ether? I think that will be some frustration for the collectors among the group, but we’ll be a small minority.
I just hope I die before my PS4 hard drive fails. I can't stand the thought of lose PT...Not seventh gen, I know, but hard drive failures got mentioned, so I felt it at least tangentially relevant. =P
All I can really say is that I'm still knee deep into the 7th gen and heavily focused on it.
Had some strong trilogies I don't see being topped for the gen:
- Demon's / Dark Souls 1-2 = Pretty much the best thing since Zelda and Metroid to me, with a dash of kind of feeling like the modern and brutal Secret of Mana. I love ARPG's done well and that sums up this series. It's entirely gameplay focused, you still have traditional bosses, etc, has a REAL sense of progression via player experience and just doesn't get better.
- Dead Space = I hate cover shooters and with the exception of Dead Space 3 where it has that option, it's still completely pointless. I like shooters that have inhuman enemy types. RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time and Dead Space does an excellent job following its foot steps. Crazy good tight controls that make me dislike other series like Uncharted, etc, and toss on an awesome sci-fi setting, and I can't get enough of these games and replay them frequently. Top notch gameplay.
- Mass Effect = Again, not big on cover shooters, but Mass Effect obviously has way more going for it, squad based combat, cool abilities, etc. It's awesome and I love sci-fi.
I did game design in high school in the mid 2000's for two years, so my friends and I learned a lot about gaming behind the scenes during this gen. That's pretty cool to think about. It's been great having the knowledge I learned there ever since. I decided I didn't want my hobby to be a job though so I didn't take it further after high school.
I rode the 360 train for the early going, as everyone else pretty much did for awhile. Kind of disturbing to think I reached the maxed prestige for Call of Duty 4, and played that game quite actively for 2 straight years. Probably one of the longest runs of a single game I played for months on end. I'm not into MMO's and usually the type of player that goes from game to game, sometimes quickly, but CoD4 was great. Bad Company 1-2 were the next FPS's I really got into. I've been craving that good popcorn FPS on the side again for awhile now. Obviously I was playing stuff in between all that time, but yeah I didn't get bored of CoD4 for years.
The original Xbox was special because I saved up my own allowance and it was the first console I bought myself as a kid. Halo was one of my favorites for a long time. But I wasn't too big on 3, ODST, and Reach was solid but things were changing. Something eventually clicked and I jumped to the PS3 after awhile... and basically haven't turned back and see no reason to. Haven't had the 360 out in years now. I'm not even a huge fan of some of the Sony first party titles, but like the PS2 before it, the library just kept piling up and the Japanese-esque games kept rolling in. The PS1 and PS2 stood the test of time best to me compared to their competition, so the PS3 is another repeat of that, and I finally learned my lesson and went with the PS4 first this time and don't regret it at all. Honestly by this point, I don't know if I'll ever get an Xbone or see any point.
Didn't give the Wii much attention outside of Metroid and Zelda. I just now got to Galaxy 2 last year! But yeah, like I said originally, I'm still keeping very busy with the PS3/Wii and still have tons of games I want to get for them!
Overrated? PS3: LittleBigPlanet. 360: I don't have one. Wii: Smash Bros. Brawl.
Underrated? PS3: Thomas Was Alone is great. 360: Lost Planet isn't great, but it surprisingly fun at times. Wii: Link's Crossbow Training. Pretty fun.
Fondest Memories? Playing Minecraft with my sibling. either that, or my first time experiencing Uncharted 2. Blew my mind away that games could be this cinematic.
Changes to the Medium?
I feel like this gen brought the perfect balance between indies & triple A games. Before, indies where on Newgrounds, or very very niche. Now? they can hold their own against most Triple A's.
All in All, I loved this gen. one of the best, IMO.
Currently Playing: Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd (PS3)
I'd like to know how you think Ancient City contrasts to say Demon's Souls or Dark Souls.
Wii: Smash Bros. Brawl.
360: Lost Planet isn't great, but it surprisingly fun at times. Wii: Link's Crossbow Training. Pretty fun.
