Smiter

Looks like Penny Arcade loved the game:

Ahh, I see, so I was indeed mistaken. Thanks for clearing that up. Yeah, £40 is too steep, especially for people who have just bought their 360s. I'll probably let the month's Gold run out, and only pay up for Gold if there's some worthy marketplace content in the future (that isn't already out now) - probably just a month's subscription at most.

I got that deal. I finally got to play on the 360 after passing my exam with flying colours, and I have to say I am impressed. I had to wait for the wireless adapter, I went through hell to get one - all the local shops had no stock, and Play and Amazon didn't have any at the time! But it was all worth it, it's really nice to see how Xbox Live just melds with the games you're playing. Little things like the online leaderboards, achievements, and downloadable extras. It definitely feels like Nintendo should have used that approach to Wii online (but more tailored to mainstream gamers). It was disappointing that there was no year's Gold included, just one month. I could have sworn that buying a Premium got you a year's worth of Gold, but perhaps I was mistaken? Rummaged through all the manuals and could only find the voucher in the Arcade/PGR3/controller pack. As well as all those games in the deal, I picked up DOA4 for very cheap (£2.99, lol) by trading in SSX Blur.

Probably playing Trauma Center.

Thank you, I just spit my coffee all over my monitor. XD

Aye, Switch, I know that the region code and pirate copy stuff has already been done. It's just that my main concern is that the Drive Doctor allows you to insert whatever data you want to, while the other modchips simply break the disc security. Then again, I just realised that, since each Wii has an unique code, Nintendo could be able to block off the Wiis of cheaters. If they set it up that way, that is. I admit I really don't like Datel. At least not ever since they helped mess up PSO on the Dreamcast and Gamecube ("Online cheating? Hey, not our problem.") Region-free-stuff like the Freeloader is cool, tools that let people cheat online aren't cool. (end rant)

Just chiming in here to say that's a bit unfair, considering you only went up to the Tomb of Raithwall. You didn't even see what happens afterwards. As Hellfire said, FFXII's story develops more slowly and is broader. While FFX mainly focused on a small band of people making their pilgrimage (and as such was more focused on their relationships), FFXII zooms out and looks at the whole world, taking in the viewpoints of several different people. At present, I've just finished a section of the game and I'm now really worried about Ashe's intentions. There have also been little twists along the way. The character progression isn't blaringly obvious like FFX, it's more subtle. Anyway, I do respect that you don't like FFXII and won't try to make you like it. Agree to disagree, and all that.

Ah, so the long wait is finally over for you guys! I hope at least some of you will catch up on your sleep, lol. I'll try out the beta after I pass the exam and my 360 arrives. I wouldn't worry about the jaggies too much. As it's a still just a beta, Bungie can always slap on some FSAA via a small patch or on the final product. Man, so much to try out in demos. DOA4, Dead Rising, Burnout, Lost Planet, Halo 3, and maybe FEAR.

Hmm, those screenshots do indeed seem to match the ones that were confirmed as "fake". Wouldn't surprise me if the magazine editors just saw doctored shots, and just decided to throw them into the magazine to fill up a couple of pages.

I don't like the sound of this. If I read this correctly, you are totally free to input whatever code you wish into the Wii, and the Wii thinks it's coming from the disc. You could probably break the region code, play pirated copies, maybe even cheat in online games (when they come out) and write exploits to mess up other Wiis. Thankfully, it requires soldering so it could be limited to just the hardcore hackers. I hope I'm just being alarmist, but I can't shake the feeling it could cause a lot of damage in the wrong hands. Since mod chips are illegal in some countries and in a grey area in others, Nintendo could be able to stop Datel from launching the Drive Doctor because it directly tampers with the Wii hardware and could open up some real holes in its security.

Fierce_Link, I only really know you as the admin of N-Europe, so I don't know you personally. But I have seen the massive contribution you've made to this place, and I can see how highly people value you here. Your friends are there for you, Flinky, and you'll never be alone. Whatever you need to do to pull through this, I hope you can do. I have a very close friend who is also going through a really rough time, so I can understand the kind of pain that you must be going through. Good luck, Fierce_Link, and I hope we'll see you around again sometime in the future. And thanks for everything you did for N-Europe.

From the looks of it, you would have to buy the VGA cable anyway. That port switch only accepts VGA inputs.

Aw, look at those puppy eyes imploring you to buy the game.

My virgin eyes! Oh my... The HUD design is just eyewateringly awful, the 3D models horrific, and the whole thing stinks higher than a pile of industrial-strength compost! This "game" and everyone involved with it should be consigned to gaming hell.

I'm going to mark that relaunch on my calendar! Hopefully they will have that release date as well as new content. Maybe they might even gradually reveal the character roster, one by one?

Damn, I knew there was something I forgot! I wanted to watch it, but was too wrapped up in my revision. Yeah, Scientology has always been a cult in my view, and a sinister one at that. Any "religion" that requires your credit card details and cuts you off from your friends and family is always going to be a shifty one.

Wow, that is an impressive deal. Thanks for pointing it out.

No problem, glad to help. Yeah, it has made quite the impression on me, lol. I'm currently hooked and I have to wrench myself away now and then to make sure I keep up my studies. Some FF purists hate FFXII, but the real time battles and Gambit system do definitely speed up the game and save you from having to input the same command over and over again. The Flee command no longer relies on random stuff to succeed, you can just hold R2 and run like hell. Indispensable when you come up against an unexpectedly strong enemy.

Whoo. I did a lot of dithering and thinking since I last posted in this thread, and I've decided I will get a 360. If I revise hard and pass my web design exam with a high mark this week, I'll slap down an order for that Amazon UK bundle (Gears, Crackdown, and premium, maybe with a third for £25 extra). I considered PS3, but: 1) 360 has better game library atm and it looks to really be improving now that more RPGs are on their way. 2) PS3 is way more expensive and probably one for the future. A considerable amount of its titles are also coming out on 360. Maybe I'll see in a year or so. 3) Bioshock is coming out within a few months, and maybe Microsoft will eventually get around to that downloadable HD content. 4) PS3 has no rumble! Seriously though, it's not essential to me but I do like having feedback in certain games (sports, fighting). I like the feeling of being connected to the game. I still don't like the 360's reputation on reliability, but I'll give it a chance and baby it (good ventliation etc.) in the hopes it'll last me a long time.

Nah, each Final Fantasy has a different story. The only exceptions are FFX2 (sequel to FFX, but you're not missing anything) and of course the FF7-spinoff-overhype-juggernaut. Anyway, I've completed FFX and am playing through FFXII. Both FFX and FFXII have excellent stories. Graphically, FFXII looks better and it has a free camera, whereas FFX uses pre-set cameras. FFX still looks nice. However, the biggest difference by far is the battle system. FFX uses the usual RPG battle system - turn based combat where the next turn is decided by how fast your characters and the enemy are, and you have the usual random encounters. But FFXII makes a real break with it - the battles are all in real time (with an option that lets you pause the action to input a command) and there are no random encounters (you might have surprise attacks, but those are rare and confined to certain types of mobs, such as snakes springing out of the ground). You can see almost all of the enemies in the surrounding area and can usually avoid them if you're running low on HP. It also uses the Gambit System, a set of rules you can define for your party. Such as: Foe: Fire-weak - cast Fira. Ally: HP < 40% - cast Cure. You do sometimes need to think carefully on how best to use the Gambits to defeat certain enemies, it's just like planning a strategy and telling your party what to do. In the heat of battle you can interrupt whatever your characters are doing and tell them to do something else, so you still have full control. Personally, I prefer FFXII and it definitely is far more vast than FFX. The only thing I'm not totally convinced about is the License Board - where you spend License Points (accumulated by defeating enemies) on new abilities and Quickenings (FFXII's Limit Breaks in a way). It can be a pain to keep switching between the shops and the License Board when you're trying to decide what armour/weapons to equip (you need to buy the ability to equip on the LB with LP, THEN buy the armour). But FFXII is definitely worth it, in my eyes. Hope that helps.

Updated with the character art and a little more info. This could be interesting, I never played Rygar on the PS2 but I certainly remember the NES version. UPDATE: Tecmo Bowl also announced! But they haven't revealed what platform it will be on. Hopefully it's for the Nintendo Wii. It's set for a 2008 release.

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/787/787604p1.html

It sounds pretty sweet so far. The artwork on 1UP's page looks tasty. Here's hoping Namco really refine this game and make it a must-have action-adventure-RPG. Here's hoping for some really intense fighting, like that artwork of Ivy tearing through a horde of mummies!

Table Tennis for Wii would be great. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that will happen - Falafelkid's blog is notorious for making things up. Plus, Manhunt 2 is looking to be the first Rockstar title on Wii anyway. You know, a Virtua Tennis Wii would rock.

Thanks for the replies. I'll give this some more thought. The deals at Amazon and Blockbuster are very tempting, and the console itself should come with a year's warranty from Microsoft, shouldn't it? I've been pondering PS3 or 360, and the 360 does have price, game library and Bioshock as advantages. The PS3 just has more reliable build quality and a built-in HD movie player. I'm very happy with the Wii, but I still like having "traditional" games. Anyway, if the 360 has a decent warranty, then maybe I'll take the plunge.