The Negative Edge News Report 06.20.07
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 06.20.2007
A case for emulation, Ender's Long Overdue Game, some Tomb Raider nonsense, and more!
A few weeks ago I said that there wasn't any noticeable difference between HDMI and component on the Xbox 360. At the time I chose to just use the HDMI connection since it was easier to hook up (one cable as opposed to five). Well, I recently decided to get a component cable system switcher so that I can easily switch between my 360, Wii, and PS2 instead of disconnecting and reconnecting everything every time I wanted to use a different system. Of course, this forced me to use a component cable for the 360. Since I assessed that HDMI and component were the same anyway I didn't really give it a second thought. Unfortunately, I think I was wrong. After connecting my 360 and playing a few games, it became abundantly clear that there is in fact a difference. It isn't that great of a difference, but after having used HDMI for the past month or so and then switching to component, I can definitely see it. The difference is visible with or without the system switcher as a go-between. So there you have it - I was wrong. HDMI is slightly better than component!
Time for some news -
The news as I see it
CPS3 Emulation is just one perfect victory away
Less than two weeks ago the encryption scheme for the eleven-year-old arcade board was finally cracked and now it would appear that emulation for the system is well underway. Progress can be tracked here for now. Babelfish tells me that things are moving along nicely. The pictures above help too...
Now, as far as emulation goes, I'd much rather play things in their original format. I can still tell the difference between emulated NES games and the originals. They can usually get the graphics going nicely, but sound is always a dead giveaway. Nobody has been able to emulate NES sound perfectly yet. Even if they did, playing stuff on their original platforms is almost always better (there are some exceptions of course).
As for CPS3 games, the only one that I'm interested in is Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Sure, I already have the Dreamcast version and the Xbox version that I can play on Live, but honestly, the lag on Live is bothersome. Don't get me wrong. The Xbox version has the second best net code (behind the awful CFJ) among 2D games on Live. However, I've found that despite the fact that emulators are written by a bunch of amateurs in their free time, 2D games on emulators are much more responsive than their Live counterparts. Sad but true. Hopefully, these guys can show Capcom and MS how online 2D fighters should be done.
Raiding your wallet, one episode at a time
I'm still waiting for someone to do episodic gaming right. I thought that the recent announcement about the "episodic serialization" of Tomb Raider Anniversary for the Xbox 360 was a step in the right direction... until I found out that a copy of Tomb Raider Legend is required in order to play it. WTF? It'd make sense if Anniversary was only available on the 360 period (and not on the PS2, PSP, and PC) as downloadable content, but to offer the same game on other consoles and to charge the same amount as the other "lesser" console versions in addition to requiring the purchase of another game is ludicrous! Fortunately, the game will make an appearance at retail later on in disc form. If you already have Legend then cool, you can try it out early. But for those of us that don't, we gotta play the waiting game.
The Week In Releases
Resident Evil 4 (Wii)
Don't worry guys. Unlike the Japanese version, this one appears to be uncensored. Blood? Check. Beheadings? Check. The option to say "yes" to Ashley's proposition at the end of the game? Sorry. That's too much for our fragile American minds to handle...
SimCity (DS)
This version is based on SimCity 3000 which was released back in 1999. I watched a review/overview of the Japanese version earlier this year and was pretty excited about picking this one up once it was localized. I didn't know it was coming out this week. It's not a good sign when a game is release without much fanfare, especially a SimCity game on a console. I don't see why this wouldn't be popular. This is probably one of the most violent game series ever. You can pretty much play god and kill everyone in your city if you felt like it. I remember in some versions there were options where you can cause natural disasters one after another until your city was decimated. There was also an option to unleash huge monsters if you so felt like it. Those who always feel the need to exert their power over other people will feel right at home. If it was done right, this could be a game that one could waste a lot of time on. It's definitely something that's worth considering if you have a long plane trip ahead of you.
"Two games ... each with unique storylines, missions and characters." Really? Is one of the missions to catch 'em all? These games are based on a movie... They're on the DS... Be afraid. Be very afraid!
This week's background wallpaper
I can't wait until digital downloads for full console games becomes the norm. That way if I feel like playing an older game I don't have to get off my ass to find it. I just spent an hour or two trying to hunt down a copy of Jet Set Radio Future for the original Xbox without any luck. For some odd reason I've been wanting to play it for the last few days. Because I can't find a copy anywhere it looks like I'll have to take it from behind from some bastard on eBay...
Note: To get a high resolution version, you have to first go to the DA site by clicking on the picture. Then, just click on the picture again or the magnifying glass with a + in the middle. The picture that you see in this column is just the small view...
I'll always remember Geometry Wars as the game that caused me to sell my launch Xbox 360 less than two months after I purchased it. Along with Geometry Wars, I got myself Dead or Alive 4, Ridge Racer, and some shooting game. The sad thing is that I was only really interested in playing this game and that kinda pissed me off. I paid all that money and the only game that was enjoyable was a Robotron clone with nicer graphics and an awesome soundtrack. Yes! I said it! Geometry Wars is just a glorified Robotron clone! So I sold the system and games and didn't have another next-gen system until just a few months ago. Luckily, 360s were still in high demand when I sold it so in all I didn't lose anything. After all was said and done I believe that I came out a cool seven dollars richer thanks to eBay.
Well, Geometry Wars is now available on the PC through Steam so those of you that want to enjoy the goodness without having to pay $400+ for it can now do so for the insanely low price of $2.50. But don't think for a second that Bizarre Creations will always be this generous. This price will only last until Thusday. On Friday the 22nd the price will get jacked up to the $3.95. So, if you're gonna get it, get it now!
The Anime Circle
New section this week. I've been wasting a lot of time on anime recently. Until I can get myself a life, I might as well make myself feel at least a little productive by writing about some of the stuff I've been watching.
Genshiken
Genshiken is one of the funniest series I've watched recently. Yes, I know that it was released in 2004. That doesn't make it any less entertaining. Really. This series focuses on a group called the "Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture" or Genshiken for short. In the show, modern visual culture includes anime (cartoons), manga (comic books), and video games. This is one of those "slice of life" series that pokes fun at otakus (fanboys) and how they interact with each other and the people around them. So you won't see super powerful people with magical powers... or swords... or mechs. This isn't one of those harem series (one guy with a bunch of girls who are all over said guy). Most of the women in it have normal breast sizes. And the guys are complete nerds. People that know these types of people and even those who don't will find it hilarious. It's sad, but I know some people that act exactly like the ones depicted in the anime. So, this really is a good way to see what makes some otakus tick.
Since Sega-Sammy co-produced the series, there were a few references to the Guilty Gear series including some game footage from Guilty Gear Isuka. There was also an instance where one of the characters cosplayed as Jam. I also saw footage of a King of Fighters game (edit: I figured out which one - it's KOF XI) and Puyo Pop Fever. In all, the game references were fun to spot (see the Sega Saturn and Neo Geo in one of the pictures up above?).
As of now, the series is only twelve episodes long. There are three more that were never released in America and a second series is supposed come out in Japan soon. Also, throughout the series the group watches an anime on TV called Kujibiki Unbalance. That was also turned into its own series as well (fifteen in all) but those were never release here either as far as I know. I believe that the Genshiken manga has already ended (or will end soon) so you might want to check that out if you ever get into this series.
Overall, if you like comedy and (somewhat) realistic characters, you will probably find this series enjoyable.
To be continued...
That's it for this week. I have my magic ball and saber. If they help me to get through my little big adventure, I'll be back next week.
Genshiken is one of the funniest series I've watched recently. Yes, I know that it was released in 2004. That doesn't make it any less entertaining. Really. This series focuses on a group called the "Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture" or Genshiken for short. In the show, modern visual culture includes anime (cartoons), manga (comic books), and video games. This is one of those "slice of life" series that pokes fun at otakus (fanboys) and how they interact with each other and the people around them. So you won't see super powerful people with magical powers... or swords... or mechs. This isn't one of those harem series (one guy with a bunch of girls who are all over said guy). Most of the women in it have normal breast sizes. And the guys are complete nerds. People that know these types of people and even those who don't will find it hilarious. It's sad, but I know some people that act exactly like the ones depicted in the anime. So, this really is a good way to see what makes some otakus tick.
