The Negative Edge News Report 03.07.07
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 03.07.2007
This week I bring to you the art of breaking an alliance.
I'll be attending one or two functions over at GDC. I'm actually supposed to be at one right now. Hmmm...
Oh yeah. 411 Games now has its own MySpace page. Check it out here.
The news as I see it
It's like playing your NES in High Definition
According to Spong, the South Park episode called "Good Times With Weapons" will be made available for free some time this week for about two weeks. This coincides with the start of South Park's new season starting this week. New episodes will be made available each week. In addition, this episode will be given away for free on HD-DVD with the purchase of a 360 between March 20 and the 3rd of April.
This one ties with the Wii episodes from last season as my favorite South Park episodes. I was thinking about getting a 360 soon so that I can start to mess around with all the XNA stuff. This offer sort of gives me an incentive, but I think that I'm still gonna hold off until I can find a way to guarantee that I'll get one with a quiet drive. I want my 360 to be jet engine free. Even though I like what Microsoft chose to give out for free, I still find it odd that the chose something that has less then stellar visual appeal to show off what their high def system can do. Really, it's like bringing some friends over to experience your new HD flat screen but only letting them play with your NES. Oooh! I can see each pixel with perfect clarity!
Here's a clip from the episode (with translations). Now imagin it in HD...
Please note that this clip is
Rated M for Mature
The impossible has happened!
Ubisoft recently confirmed that Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be appearing on Xbox Live Arcade some time this month. The game will contain all seven levels from the original arcade game as well as online co-op modes via Xbox Live.
Because Ubisoft currently holds the rights to publish TMNT games, I never would have imagined that we'd be seeing this on XBLA anytime soon. I'd be interested in seeing who paid who off and how much it cost them to make this happen. I'm seriously impressed. Now, if only Konami/Microsoft could pay off EA for the rights to release The Simpsons Arcade Game...
What comes out this week?
I looked at the release list for this week and this is the only thing that I'm really interested in -
Burnout Dominator (PS2)
The removal of Traffic Checking and the re-addition of Burnouts make this release seem more like Burnout 3.5. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as I am more interested in the high-speed racing aspects of the series. Burnout Revenge didn't feel right as a sequel to Burnout 3 but this game looks to bring the series back to form.
What is on my desktop this week?
I spend a good chunk of my day staring at my computer screen. It's nice to be able to see something different every now and then.
I just started to get back into Capcom vs. SNK 2. Vice (the girl in the back) just happens to be my favorite character so I did a little search for some pictures of her. I guess she isn't very popular as I couldn't find any decent ones. There were, of course, enough pictures of Mature. Oh well... This'll have to do.
"Vice is very violent. She takes great pleasure in killing her opponents, and seems to be a sadist, immune to other's pain. It also seems Mature and her are not precisely friends, they just help each other to free the power of Orochi. Vice also seems to be in an eternal state of anger and frustration; she also despises Saisyu for having her go through so much trouble in brainwashing him."
Yeah, she has a great personality. Yeah, I know about the "controversy" surrounding Iori's comments at the end of The King of Fighters '96. And, uh, just to show how/why Vice is cool, here are some high-level (at least they look high level) play vids were she is used. I personally think that high-level play is boring to watch most of the time, so I've included the times where Vice is used so that you can skip to the good stuff.
1:30 - end
1:30 - end
beginning - 2:25
It's fun to be a bastard in multiplayer games
Before I get started, let me give you a quick rundown on how a typical multiplayer game works in Red Alert 2. Typical for me at least. I like playing unranked games using the Super Prison Break map. In this particular map, 4 players are positioned in each of the corners. The map is set up so that money is plentiful. All the player has to worry about is setting up his or her defenses and offensive units and then attacking when things are ready. Typically, the players on the left side will ally with each other and the players on the right side will do the same. When you are in an alliance, your units will not attack your ally's units and vice versa. The winner(s) of the game are those who destroy every single unit of the opposing individuals or teams.
While teamwork is the staple of any good alliance and will often give the participants satisfaction in the knowledge that they worked with someone to completely obliterate the enemy, I've found that I had more fun in the game by breaking an alliance halfway through the game. It's bastardous, I know, but what's more satisfying than taking out three teams in one game through dubious means? I can't think of any.
Here are the various ways that I do it -
If I'm alone:
First thing's first. I ally with the person on my side and build up my standard base and units. In addition to those, I create as many demolition trucks as I can. These trucks carry nuclear charges that detonate when the trucks run into their targets. In addition, I create a few MCVs (Mobile Construction Vehicle). These allow me to build bases wherever they are deployed. If I have the ability to build Yuris (mind control soldiers), I also make a bunch of them. Engineers are also good to build as I can use them to steal my ally's buildings. Its faster to steal a building than to rebuild. As I build these units I begin to surround my ally's base with them. The MCVs in particular are important as I can build Tesla Coils all around the place to take out my ally's soldiers when the time is right. That way my engineers can stay alive long enough to make it into the buildings. Once I am satisfied that I have my ally's base covered, I tell my ally to start his attack on the enemy. I'll usually send a few of my guys to make it look like I'm helping out. Then, as his forces reach the enemy's territory, I do the deed - I break the alliance. What follows is often one of the most satisfying (as perverse as it is) experiences that I have the pleasure of partaking in - the annihilation of my ally's forces. If I do things correctly, not only will I have most of his/her important buildings under my control, but he will be unable to launch a successful counterattack as all his forces will be taken out by the people on the other side. After that, if I feel like taking out the other two I can proceed to do so. Either way, I'll have had enough fun for the night.
If I'm playing with a friend:
What's more fun that breaking an alliance in the middle of a game? Breaking an alliance in the middle of a game and then creating an alliance with one of your enemies of course. I used to do this with one of my roommates a few years ago. At the beginning of the game each of use would ally with a stranger. We'd do the same "surround our enemies with weapons of mass destruction" thing. When we were ready (or when one of your allies catches on to what's happening), we'd simultaneously break our alliances and the ally with each other. Usually its an instant win as our former allies would usually quit the game. If they decided to fight it out it would just be a matter of time before we would completely wipe them out.
So, why did we do this? These were unranked games so it wasn't for the recognition. It wasn't because of a lack of skill either. My roommate was good enough to rank somewhere in the top 100 during Red Alert 2's heyday. I think that it all came down to the fact that it was just plain fun to be evil and to be able to get away with it. If I can do this in Command and Conquer 3 and get away with it I'll probably continue to do it. Should I be stopped or is it all just part of the game?
The annoyance of the week (formerly the Douchbag of the week)
I didn't want this section to be restricted to just individuals so I decided to change it to "the annoyance of the week." Let's see how well this works out.
This is the section where I highlight the worst move done by an individual, group, or corporation over the past week. I will make an effort to keep Sony out of this section since they're too easy to target these days.
People who enjoy being bastards online
Ok. So I partake in dastardly deeds online from time to time. That doesn't mean that I haven't been on the receiving end every once in a while. I've owned pretty much every online fighter on the original Xbox at one point in time and I can safely say that there are complete bastards online in each an every one of them. You know which ones I'm talking about - the ones that abuse lag, the ones that only pick the top tier characters, the ones that beat you down 10 times in a row but then drop when you're about to beat them for the first time, or all of the above. One of the main reasons that I stopped playing online (besides the fact that I realized that I drive by Golfland every day after work) is because of all the crap that I had to deal with. Shooters are OK. But fighting games? Ugh. Heart attack city.
Bastardous people online, myself included of course, need to be stopped. There's got to be a way.
This week's annoyance reminds me of -
AI controlled Guile in Street Fighter II aka @#$%@ Cheap Dirty Bastard!
Normally, players are required to hold down for 2 seconds in order to unleash a flash kick. Likewise, they have to charge back in order to whip out a sonic boom. Computer controlled (CC) Guild doesn't have this restriction. The AI in Street Fighter II is already notorious for being ultra cheap. Because he doesn't need to charge, CC Guile takes that cheapness to a whole new level. like the annoyance of the week, he takes the joy out of the game. Online bastards and CC Guile - Rot in hell!
That will be 255 Rupees please
The words "video game player" and "poor" seem to go hand-in-hand, don't they? Well, at least they do in my case. If this unfortunate pairing happens to apply to you as well, you might find this section useful.
Since I couldn't find anything good this week at CAG, I will hit you on something that I saw recently at Circuit City. While perusing their video game bargain bin, I found three copies of Space Channel 5: Special Edition for the PS2 for the criminally low price of $9.99. I first saw them there about a month ago and, wouldn't you know it, they're still sitting there waiting to be picked up. I know, I know. The two games in the collection are old, but they're just so damn fun. Yes, you heard correctly, this collection comes with two separate games - Space Channel 5 and Space Channel 5 Part 2. I'm not really a fan of the first game though so when you hear me gushing about how great this package is, I'm mostly talking about the second game. I liken part 1 to Street Fighter 1 and part 2 to Street Fighter 2 - the sequel is head and shoulders above its predecessor.
The premise is simple. You just listen to what the Rhythm Rogues (the main bad guys in the game) say and repeat it using your controller. Of course, what sets this apart from other rhythm games that you'll find out there is the great soundtrack that permeates the entire game. If you ever get into the game, I guarantee that you'll be humming the songs for weeks to come.
Now, I understand that the game isn't a very manly game so some of you might feel weird about having it in your collection (and actually enjoying it). Thankfully, it comes with a two player option so you can in fact play it with your girlfriend if you happen to have one. If you don't have one you can always say that it's the ex's. That'll work.
Or you can say that you got it because it was made by the same guy that made Rez, Meteos, Lumines, and Every Extend Extra. That'll work too…
So, to summarize - Circuit City - Space Channel 5 Special Edition for the PS2 - bargain bin - $9.99 - part 2 - great game.
Now, I present to you, one the of the most popular segments from the game -
This one is my personal favorite. I could only find the Japanese version though. I started off by playing the Japanese version on the Dreamcast so this is what I prefer. Too bad they didn't include a language option in this edition.
The character selection screen
While you're here, you might as well see what else the Games section has to offer, the Guitar Scene -
Part 1 of 3 of Steve McHugh's look at games based on comic books and whether there is truth to the idea that all games based on comics are aweful. This one focues on indy comics.
Damian Sarcuni gives us the lowdown on three of the major issues that gamers will have to deal with in the coming year. As Mr. Smith would say, it's not impossible, it's inevitable.
That's all I've got for this week. I'll be attending some functions at GDC this week. I'll report on it if I learn anything interesting. I'm about to enter a Chronosphere. If I don't materialize in the past, I'll be back next week.
