The gaming diary

[Tan]

My wife and I have been taking turns at Viva Pinata. Incredibly easy game but a fun and addicting one that I think the demo doesn't represent very well. Easily as good as any N64 game Rare ever made IMO.

Also playing a bit of Mechassault and also Splinter Cell both for the DS, 2 games that got lost in my ever increasing backlog of games to play.

[two_scoop_steve]

it can't be better then golden eye.

[Tan]

it can't be better then golden eye.

I and everyone else I knew it seemed played Goldeneye on a nightly basis and I hold those times in high regard. Nevertheless Goldeneye's larger than life image is more based on nostalgia than modern perception. How many people sit and play it nowadays? I can honestly say I pick it up a couple of times a year, play the first level, listen to the effects, curse at the shitty controller, then pack it away for another year. The truth is it's a game that hasn't aged well at all. It's graphics, gameplay and control were innovative at the time, but plenty have done it better in the years since it came out. Mind you this is from a huge Goldeneye fan who owns a N64 mainly for no other reason.

What that boils down to is that it makes Goldeneye a game that may be a classic, but it doesn't stand the test of time. Viva Pinata on the other hand will be a game talked about in those "top lists" for games that were under-appreciated or fell under the radar. Also the kind of game like say SimCity or Fallout where generations of gamers may pass by but they'll find worth in playing them even if they are old and outdated regardless of age, gender or gaming habits.

A unique idea will always be appreciated but an "excellent within it's genre" game will continue to be improved by others.

[James]

I downloaded the Tomb Raider Anniversary demo on the PC. Meh. I couldn't really get used to the controls. I'll try it later with my PS2 stylee pad.

[phoenix1967]

Tested the copy of Pariah for the XBox that I received yesterday from ebay. It works.

The map editor was the reason I was curious enough to buy it (less than $10), so I'm going to have to tinker around with it to see if it can compare to Far Cry.

[phoenix1967]

Played offline multiplayer with den68, sauza, and Tynstar. Some GH2, Halo 2, and Far Cry: Instincts Evolution.

[Tondog]

Whoa, you all know each other? I had no clue.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Dude, where have you been?

[Tondog]

I don't know. I just never really saw that until now.

[Tynstar]

Played offline multiplayer with den68, sauza, and Tynstar. Some GH2, Halo 2, and Far Cry: Instincts Evolution.

It was a lot of fun. Phoenix kicked ass a lot in Halo 2. I won one round I think and Sauza won a few. FarCry was a lot closer each round. It was pretty even in the wins for all of us I think.

I got to see the legendary Sauza Guitar Hero skills. It was pretty cool but Jordan on expert ate him alive like all normal humans. Den beat a song for the first time as we watched so that was cool.

[Izret101]

Playing Burnout Revenge on XBox.
There is actualy like 12-15% left to this game!
I thought i just had to get a couple Gold Medal perfect races.

But after doing what i thought was an awesome crash i decided to post.
I hit the front of a semi did a frontflip and a 180 and landed dead center in the trailer bed behind it. It was too perfect looking...

[phoenix1967]

Tested out a couple of games I bought recently: Destroy All Humans (Xbox), Condemned: Criminal Origins (360). Both work fine.

Played some more Guitar Hero 2. Finally passed Laid to Rest and Psychobilly Freakout on Hard. Then went on to also pass YYZ and Jordan on Hard. This last tier of songs on Hard look to be a bitch!

[James]

My Xbox Live subscription is renewed in about two weeks. I don't want to pay £40 for it. I'm thinking of buying a code on ebay for £31.

But does anyone know if an American code would still work on a UK account? I know they used to but then Microsoft cut off access to the US marketplace from places outside America, meaning US Points wouldn't work for a UK account. 12 month Live codes used to sell for about £20-25 on ebay.com


Edit: Never mind, I bought the ebay UK one and it worked fine.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

Acquired half-life II. Pretty damn stunning, got past the hoverboat part and now I'm in some kinda weird place with those damn alien dudes.

[phoenix1967]

Played the Hour of Victory demo. Seemed a little easy at first, but the 3rd checkpoint killed me. We'll see how it turns out at release. The graphics seemed like that of a launch title instead of a 2nd gen one.

Played another game of the Halo 3 Beta. Started out good, but finished 5th out of 6. I was matched up against players 1-3 levels higher, though, so that may have had something to do with it.