XBOX Turok: Evolution-my Halo killer!!....

[SheSaidDutch]

Deus Ex is the only FPS I've ever played from start to finish, hell it's the only game in years that I rekindled my childhood attitude of actually playing a game for enjoyment.

Turok 2 was pretty decent as a detour once and awhile from GoldenEye back inthe day.

[The n00b]

Deus Ex is the only FPS I've ever played from start to finish, hell it's the only game in years that I rekindled my childhood attitude of actually playing a game for enjoyment.

Turok 2 was pretty decent as a detour once and awhile from GoldenEye back inthe day.

I agree with the awesomeness of Deux Ex but I don't think Deus Ex is really an FPS. It bears more of a resemblance to first person rpg's.

[SheSaidDutch]

Deus Ex is the only FPS I've ever played from start to finish, hell it's the only game in years that I rekindled my childhood attitude of actually playing a game for enjoyment.

Turok 2 was pretty decent as a detour once and awhile from GoldenEye back inthe day.

I agree with the awesomeness of Deux Ex but I don't think Deus Ex is really an FPS. It bears more of a resemblance to first person rpg's.

Yeah I agree myself but I've known people to get rather uptight when refering Deus Ex as such, so I just said FPS just incase .

[Shatterhand]

For me, there are 2 FPSes that kick some serious Ass, and they both are VERY VERY old, and came from the same guys

Those games are Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior. IMO, no other FPS could manage to be half as fun as both of those games, and it's 2 of the very few FPSes that I finished (And certainly are the only ones which I did more than once, in harder difficulty levels). They may be limited for today standards, but they are fun as hell. Both are also unmatched in deathmatch too IMO.

THat's why I've been waiting for the "new" Duke Nukem game forever, if this is ever released. I have hope in 3D Realms

Other than that, I've enjoyed Doom 2, Quake 3, Terminator: Future Shock, Serious Sam (Though I didn't play it too much), both Medal of Honors in PS1 and Call of Duty.

I'd say System Shock too, but I dont consider that an FPS. This game is AWESOME though.

Coincidence or not, I'll be getting a Halo copy this week.

[The n00b]

I really liked Half Life, The Halo series, and the Quake series. The Quakes were really the best for mutiplayer while Halo and Half Life were great single player experiences because they had great enemy AI. It's just too bad that Half Life 2 seemed to throw all that stuff out.

[Marc]

Damn I loved Duke 3D. Never played Shadow Warriors though. Would love to play PC Duke 3D through again if I had the time, Shatterhand was right, it was pure FUN.

Deus Ex is the only FPS I've ever played from start to finish, hell it's the only game in years that I rekindled my childhood attitude of actually playing a game for enjoyment.

I second that. First time in many years a game had had me utterly gripped from start to finish. I really enjoyed the follow up, but it was a shame the way they trimmed various aspects down.

I'd say System Shock too, but I dont consider that an FPS. This game is AWESOME though.

I've started the second one numerous times, but I don't really enjoy PC gaming so never get very far. Is it worth persevering with?

[Shatterhand]

Shadow Warrior its even more fun in single player than Duke3D IMO, mainly because its a lot faster, and it has cooler weapons. Duke3D is still a little better in multiplayer, though Shadow Warrior is pretty good too (Mainly because its hard to beat the "Jetpack + RPG" combo )


The same thing happened to me with System Shock 2 Marc... could never have the patience to play it properly. System Shock 1 was more enjoyable for me, even though the controls are a lot worse, the graphics are a lot worse, etc etc


Oh, I forgot Goldeneye on the N64. It's probably very dated today, but back in the day, I wasted too many hours in this game at a friend's house..

[Accutron]

I too am a fan of Disruptor. In fact, I may even argue that its the best FPS for the PS1. Alien Trilogy is a close second...

I picked up Alien Trilogy for the Saturn yesterday, and after playing through the first 7 levels in my sleep, I'm still waiting to see what's so great about it. The controls are sluggish and uneven, the adult aliens are a joke (men in rubber suits), and there are way too many facehuggers. The levels are the ultimate in repetitive boredom. They integrated snippets from all the movies into the game, but it all feels very forced and unfaithful, like the people making it were just given a bucket of intellectual property to play with but had never actually seen the movies. It reminds me of people who are name-droppers, only these guys are snippet-droppers, like if they say 'ICC quarantine' enough times I might actually believe they've watched Aliens. The music reminds me of Perfect Dark, and totally doesn't fit the Aliens experience. The game is nowhere near as polished as Doom.

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

Oh yea!
I like Doom as well. Although its not aging very well.

I also remember playing Descent a lot, including the sequel Maximum D. All on the Playstation of course.
I liked the way they attempted to recreate the classic "bossfight". Then one had to leave the space mine within the time limit.
Pretty intense!!

Still, the first FPS to really grab me and pull me in was Aliens VS. Predator.(Jaguar)
Not unless you consider those early RPG's like Bards Tale...but then again, they were not true/real FPS.

I also love they way they've evolved...meaning on consoles with dual analog control. It just feels right.
I do not play games on the computer.

[Shatterhand]

I never liked Alien Trilogy too.. it has lots of fans, but I feel pretty much like Accutron. And I played it on PC.

On PS1, the best FPS gotta be Medal of Honor. Anyway, I only remebemr to have played this, Final Doom and Hybrid, which is an obscure JAPANESE FPS which is not very good.

[Marc]

Alien Trilogy sucked. Alien Ressurection on the other hand, was a pants-staining masterpiece. Not many played it as it was released pretty late in the PS1's lifespan, and visuals were rough even then, but it goes for the atmosphere angle and does it really well. Not much ammo, plenty of surprise attacks in the dark - someone needs to remake this now.

No one here played Pariah then? Getting better the further I get.

[Shatterhand]

Just got Halo.

Played up until I got in the warthog (a war vehicle)... me and other 2 soldiers... I went undergroud through a cave, and went into an alien city or something. I got too happy with the acelleratory try to overrun an alien (Which dodged my attack), and fell in a pit.

Nice game, but what was all the fuss about ? Ok, it has some AI, but all I see my enemies doing is hide when they are weak, they dont even seem to try to attack in squads or something. Maybe I am still too early in the game. It doesnt seem much more than one more FPS... the graphics are amazing, but the gameplay isnt all that hot.

[Accutron]

I picked up a copy of Dark Forces for PS1 today. It was one of my favorites on the Mac back in 1996, and the PS1 treatment seems pretty good. It's a great example of a movie-licensed Doom clone done well (unlike Alien Trilogy). The levels are both challenging and interesting, you can jump, and the men-in-rubber-suits AI works just fine for a stormtrooper. The graphics sure haven't aged well, but the same can be said for any FPS from that period. If you like Doom and Star Wars, Dark Forces does it right.

[sethsez]

Nice game, but what was all the fuss about ? Ok, it has some AI, but all I see my enemies doing is hide when they are weak, they dont even seem to try to attack in squads or something. Maybe I am still too early in the game. It doesnt seem much more than one more FPS... the graphics are amazing, but the gameplay isnt all that hot.

Play it on the hardest difficulty. That's really where the balance of the game becomes evident, and it's what the game was designed for.

Even so, it became popular for its multiplayer content. The "only two weapons at a time" was novel when it came out, and the integration of vehicles was better than anything before (or, arguably, since). Every weapon has a use, and the powerful pistol means you're not screwed the second you spawn. If you don't do multiplayer FPS... well, you probably picked the wrong game. Most people agree that single player isn't really Halo's strength overall, though it's still entertaining in a general "blow shit up" way.

[Shatterhand]

Yeah, I dont play online too much... I clicked on multiplayer, but then it said it would have to download more stuff.. so I just gave up, Ill try it later.

Played it a little more... the game is entertaining for sure, though I feel it may be get a little too repetitive too soon...

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

"New Turok to be Unreal-powered"

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/09/28 ... 34558.html

I'm in a good mood today.

[sethsez]

Oh, you're playing Halo 2? That's a whole 'nother ballgame. You'll find Halo fans who absolutely hate it, and fans who think it makes the original obsolete, but generally most people seem to think one is far better than the other.

Personally, I like the original more. The sequel had some nifty ideas, but it doesn't feel complete, and I don't just mean the ending.

[The n00b]

Oh, you're playing Halo 2? That's a whole 'nother ballgame. You'll find Halo fans who absolutely hate it, and fans who think it makes the original obsolete, but generally most people seem to think one is far better than the other.

Personally, I like the original more. The sequel had some nifty ideas, but it doesn't feel complete, and I don't just mean the ending.

I also like the original more but that could just be nostalgia. I really liked the multiplayer too until Halo 2 showed me that pistol wars were kinda stupid. ie. two guys trying to get a headshot with the pistol and then they both get blown away by the dude with the rocket launcher. Rinse, repeat. Grenades were far better in Halo 1 though especially the frag grenade. Ending was far better and I liked Halo 1's cortana better too. I don't even like to think about Cortana betraying me...

Halo 2 though introduced dual wielding which was really cool. The enemy AI was beefed up, better vehicles, and you could actually still play multiplayer Halo 2 without having a phd in pistols. Changing the health system was a mixed bag though. Some good things about it, some bad things.

The story in Halo 2 >> The story in halo 1. Even with the bad ending... The story in Halo 2 managed to give the Covenant some personality. They aren't just unoriginal religious zealots like in Halo 1, who bear a striking resemblance to jihad crazed lunatics, they are a complex society wracked by racism, religious turmoil, and an extremely rigid caste system. I like the way Bungie introduced the Brutes. They could have been really lazy and have the whole game be Heretic Elites vs True Believer Elites, I think the idea was tossed around for awhile, but they went the hard route and introduced a whole new Covenant race.

Overall even though I might think Halo 1 is the slightly better game, I have rarely played the game since Halo 2 came out. I think the same goes for most Halo fans. Just because they think Halo 1 is the better game, does not mean they think Halo 2 is a bucket of crap.

[Shatterhand]

No, I am playing Halo 1 !

I am now stuck inside an alien ship, I have to find colonel (or sergeant or general... ack, cant remember his patent) keyes. I've killed everyone in the ship, and I just keep walking on circles... I just got frustrated and quit. I'll get back to it later.

Anyway, what I dont like about FPSes (even more in the modern ones) is that I don't have any sense of achievement while playing them. Halo is the biggest proof of it... first, they give me that stupid shield system, which is great for cowards.... if I am just close to die, I run, hide, and my shield goes back up... I did not like that.

And then the game has too many checkpoints... it feels strange, I die, and I am sent back to just a few seconds before I died... and I can keep on trying again as much as I can up until I get past that section.

Thats why I enjoyed Medal of Honor and Goldeneye so much, they at least tried to give me a challenge (Goldeneye in hardest difficult is a pain in the ass), as everytime I die I get back to the start of the stage. I AM afraid of dying, as this means I'll have to do everything again once more. In Halo, it doesnt make any difference if I die or not, because I'll just get back to where I was.

My conclusion is: I should just quit FPSes and stick with the shmups. I WANT FINITE LIVES GODDAMN!

[The n00b]

No, I am playing Halo 1 !

I am now stuck inside an alien ship, I have to find colonel (or sergeant or general... ack, cant remember his patent) keyes. I've killed everyone in the ship, and I just keep walking on circles... I just got frustrated and quit. I'll get back to it later.

Anyway, what I dont like about FPSes (even more in the modern ones) is that I don't have any sense of achievement while playing them. Halo is the biggest proof of it... first, they give me that stupid shield system, which is great for cowards.... if I am just close to die, I run, hide, and my shield goes back up... I did not like that.

And then the game has too many checkpoints... it feels strange, I die, and I am sent back to just a few seconds before I died... and I can keep on trying again as much as I can up until I get past that section.

Thats why I enjoyed Medal of Honor and Goldeneye so much, they at least tried to give me a challenge (Goldeneye in hardest difficult is a pain in the ass), as everytime I die I get back to the start of the stage. I AM afraid of dying, as this means I'll have to do everything again once more. In Halo, it doesnt make any difference if I die or not, because I'll just get back to where I was.

My conclusion is: I should just quit FPSes and stick with the shmups. I WANT FINITE LIVES GODDAMN!

Totally understandable, Truth and Reconciliation can be a pretty stupid level for some people. Unless you have a good sense of direction you'll wind up walking in circles a few times. Maybe Bungie could have done some better level work in this level or maybe not. The inside of a warship is kind of a boring place. Just look at typical episode of ST:TNG or take a tour on an old ship sometime. Maybe they could throw the level out altogether but then you would miss out on one of the best fps levels ever made IMO.

If you find the game too easy, why don't you just crank up the difficulty on Halo? It's not really fair comparing one game's highest difficulty level to another one on its normal difficulty level.

The shield system is fine. You can run away to recharge your shield system but the enemies in Halo can do the same. On higher difficulty levels they'll do this a lot. BTW that's one of the cool things about the Halo series, anyone can play it. You can stick to easy and normal if just want to shoot crap but if you truly are a sadist, you can play it on legendary. Just be prepared to replay some sections a ton of times.

[sethsez]

What difficulty are you playing? Again, the games were designed for Legendary, and then dumbed down for the lower difficulties.

[Shatterhand]

Yeah, I am playing on default level. But I think thats not the point.

I think I'll restart the game at the hardest difficult to see what is it like

I just took a look at the manual, it seems like there's only FOUR different types of enemies? Ugh, even Wolfenstein 3D had more enemies.

Oh, Wolf3D was really fun.

[Ord]

It really doesn't matter about how many different types of enemy there are, it's about the combat. That's why it's subtitled combat evolved. It's about sticking it on Legendary and treating every firefight/exchange with the enemy as a serious life or death situation. The enemy AI is superb and it's when you are in these battles that is when Halo finds it's voice and succeeds as an exceptional FPS.
Forget the story (it's shit) forget the number of different types of enemy (it's tottaly irrelevant) concentrate on the combat!
That is the beauty of Halo.
On another subject, I've just played Far Cry Instincts on the Xbox and what an excellent shooter it's turned out to be! I enjoyed the PC original, but personally I think this conversion is turning out to be the better game. Forget about the technaical side (as the Xbox loses out to the PC in every way), but in gameplay and level design this is far superior.
Yes I like FPS's a lot and I'm highly looking forward to Call Of Duty 2, F.E.A.R. and Serious Sam 2.

[Damocles]

Just a quick note. The ending of Halo 2 isn't the true ending. A few levels had to be cut to make the November 9th release date.

[sethsez]

Yeah, I am playing on default level. But I think thats not the point.

Actually, it is. This is a game that only shines on the hardest difficulty, since that's where the AI, level design, weapon balance and overall mechanics fully shine. Most FPS just alter difficulty by making enemy shots stronger, sticking more enemies into levels, and making you weaker. Halo does this as well, but most importantly it jacks up the AI to very impressive levels, making for some very interesting confrontations. Enemies will try to distract you while an Elite sneaks up behind you, you'll be flanked, etc.

I wish they had just called Legendary "default" since that's really how it was designed. Any other difficulty is a watered-down version of the game and reduces it to... well, just another FPS.

I just took a look at the manual, it seems like there's only FOUR different types of enemies? Ugh, even Wolfenstein 3D had more enemies.

Well... there are more enemies. I won't say anything more, but don't trust the manual on this. However, keep in mind that enemies can drive vehicles and use a wide variety of weapons. There's no need for a chaingunner enemy, a rifle enemy, a needler enemy and a Ghost (flying ship) enemy because the Elites are capable of using all of them. This wasn't the case in Wolfenstein since that game had one gun per enemy type.

[The n00b]

Just a quick note. The ending of Halo 2 isn't the true ending. A few levels had to be cut to make the November 9th release date.

I don't think this is exactly true. Halo 2 suffered from an abrupt ending but if there were levels that were cut there had to be a lot more than a few that were cut. Since Halo 2 was not a short game, doubling the levels to complete the story would have made the game just freakin huge. It also would have taken an obscene amount of time and Halo 2 would have most likely been an xbox360 title.

I think Bungie was fully aware of this, early in Halo 2's development, and has already completed the story to Halo 3. For proof I point to the Halo 2 collector's dvd. On the dvd it is shown that Bungie had plenty of time to complete Halo 2. There were tons of unused art assets and gameplay ideas that were actually fleshed out, completed, and then torn out of the game when they just didn't jive with what Halo 2 was becoming. There were even half completed cutscenes that were trashed because they didn't meet Bungie's high standards. Anyway the point is, the Bungie team just didn't come across as a dev team that was pressed for time.

[sethsez]

Also, Halo 2 completes its plot arc. Master Chief's story is kinda cut in half, but the Covenant side (regarding the uprising of the Brutes) is started, developed, and completed. But since most people played the game from a Master Chief-centric point of view (for obvious reasons) it seemed like an arbitrary place to end.

[Dylan1CC]

Whether or not it's true they "had" to shorten the game (doubtful as they said in numerous interviews that one of the positive aspects for 2 was that unlike 1, they had plenty of time to make the game as long as they wanted 1 to be), it's obvious the ending is just a cliffhanger. You know, like the end of a movie serial like SW.