The Coop

A much needed bump for this one.

A slight nudge, and an update. I decided to hold off on the sig stuff, as I really can't decide on whether to truly consider that stuff an OCR quirk. However, I do have a request... one that's coming way late... Does anyone have a link to the Overclocked thread that gave birth to the infamous "Your opinions of late have been ridiculous" quote? I believe it was archived somewhere, but I'm having a tough time finding it.

First going days without a new list, and now missing votes. You're ruining my faith in humanity, man. YOU'RE RUINING IT! **sobs**

There are two yes votes for Panzer Dragoon II Zwei. Mine, and Neo Samus'.

Opinions. They are a bitch But in all seriousness, GH1-3 are as subject to opinions as every other series out there. Some folks hate it, some love it, and others simply don't care about its existence. It's just part of the gaming landscape.

At long last, the final entry... Gradius Gaiden (import PS1)- The last Gradius game (as of right now) to play and look like classic Gradius, it's also one of the best entries in the series. Good graphics, good music, levels that are both familiar and new (with some cool twists), four different ships to choose from, and the gameplay that's been a staple of the series since its inception. It a well made shmup from beginning to end. YES. RayCrisis: Series Termination (PS1)- As the title suggests, this is the last game in the series that includes RayForce (Galactic Attack on the Saturn earlier in here), and a previous PS1 entry on this list, Raystorm. It plays much like Raystorm, and has the same visual perspective. As such, it plays a lot like that game, but it adds it's own little touches. The graphics are good, the music is decent, the levels are interesting, and the gameplay is solid. It's not quite as good as Raystorm, but it's still a good shmup that brings the series to close by taking it to its beginning. Borderline YES. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PS1)- Alpha 3 is a great fighting game. So many characters, a good gameplay balance, lots of modes to play in... good stuff. This version of the game is about as good as one could hope for on the PS1. However, compared to the other ports out there, this one comes out on the bottom. The graphics are good, the music is good, and the game modes are all there, but the timing is a bit off. As such, it's hard to call it a must have. If you only have a PS1, then by all means get this game. You'll enjoy it. But if you have a Saturn that can play imports, a Dreamcast, or a PS2, get their versions instead. Borderline NO. Mega Man & Bass (GBA)- Back in the days of the SNES, a game called Rockman & Forte was released. Basically, it played very much like the regular MegaMan series, had rather nice graphics and music, featured a new character to play as, and proved to be an enjoyable game that could have easily been called MegaMan 9. Sadly, it never came to the US... until a few years later. The GBA port of the SNES game is quite faithful. The graphics and music are reproduced very well, the gameplay is intact, the challenge level is good, and the levels are fun. Add in a few game save slots, and you've got a very solid action/platform GBA game that's worth picking up. YES. Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)- The final GBA Sonic game (no, the horrid Sonic the Hedgehog port doesn't count). Like the first two, it's got nice and colorful graphics, good music, and loads of stages. However, this one combines the platforming style of the first game, with the speedier gameplay of the second one, while tacking on a kind of tag team aspect, that allows you to pick up a teammate that follows you around (like Sonic 2) for special abilities. Some folks don't like this game, but I enjoyed. YES.

You mean reruns

The community of OCR is about as wide a mix as you can imagine in terms of humanity. Young kids, young adults, people in their twenties (and even their thirties) make up the populous. Furries, goth kids, mathematicians, bullies, cry babies, temper tantrum throwers, drama queens, kind hearted folk, helpful advice givers... they've all been here (or are currently here). OCR really has been a melting pot of personality types intermingling to different degrees. Couple that with a moderation staff that generally tries not to drive people away because of likes or dislikes (both on the part of the moderators, and the posters), and the site is pretty open for folks to come in and see what's what. Granted in the past, the community of OCR used to do its own "weeding out" process on the new folks (especially in the now defunct UnMod forum), but that's a whole different story. As with any large site, OCR has its own groups as well. Just a few (both past and present) examples would be... - Various games that bring people together for discussion or playing on-line in clans. - Some folks like to discuss more serious or thought provoking events, and so they take part in the PPR forum a lot. - Other people just like to shoot the shit, and don't care much about remixes or remixing, bringing them to post mostly in the Community and Off-Topic forums. - Art threads where people drew/created original drawings and renders for people to see and critique. - Smaller groups of posters that have tended to post together based off of shared interests outside of OCR, real world locales, and/or join dates (yes, join dates). - Signature creators (and their customers) that both make the signatures, and critique them. - And of course, those who come here for the remixes, and the remixers themselves. Between contests, site projects, the WIP forum, review threads, the musical help threads, and past events like Liontamer's VG Frequency show and the various podcasts, there's a lot going on for people to take part in to some degree remix-wise. Obviously, OCR is primarily about remixing, and those who love to make, or listen to, remixes. The amount of time spent maintaining the site, its functionality, and judging its remixes gives the place a relatively professional appearance, and its primary subject matter gives the site a strong focal point that appeals to a lot of people. Not every site has such a focus or staff, and that makes it harder for them to keep people coming in and sticking around. But what also helps keep OCR around, is that it's not just a video game remix site. On top of the remixes, there's a variety of forums open for people to take part in. Games, movies, current news events, controversial subjects, politics, idle chit-chat about what you did that afternoon... all of it can be talked about on the various forums. This setup makes for a place that has a large base with which to continually bring people in, and a means of helping to keep people here when they look beyond that base. OCR's not simply a one trick pony, and that's helped its longevity.

Have you tried power cycling the modem? Turn it off, and unplug it from its power source. Wait about twenty minutes, and then reconnect the power. See what happens. Also, give the "repair" button a try. Go to "Start/Control Panel/Network Connections/Local Area Connection", and click the "Support" tab. It's helped me a couple times when my modem was being prickish.

Street Fighter- Try it, but only to see how bad the series was at its birth. This game looks bad (even by that era's standards), it sounds bad, it had horrid control, and seriously messed up jumping. Be thankful this game was not used as the blueprint for II. Street Fighter II- Much better, but it's the least playable of the "II" releases. Street Fighter II: Championship Edition- A good step up from the regular "II". Better balance, playable bosses, and same character vs same character. Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting- Yet another tweaking. New moves, changed AI patterns, faster gameplay, and tougher opponents. Considered by some to the best of the "II" series. Super Street Fighter II- Yet another upgrade. Four new characters, slower gameplay, and about the same difficulty as "Hyper Fighting". Super Street Fighter II Turbo- And the final upgrade. Stupidly hard, even on the first fight. Some consider it the peak of the "II" series, but I consider it too fucking hard for its own good to actually be fun. Street Fighter Alpha- New visual take on the franchise. It plays well, but its balance could use some work. It's also rather short, since its roster got shrunk down. Street Fighter Alpha II- More characters, better balance, and it plays better than the first "Alpha". Street Fighter Alpha III- The last game in the series, and generally considered the best in the "Alpha" line up. Loads of characters, more modes than just "VS", and better balance than the first two "Alpha" games. Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX 2, Street Fighter EX 3- The 3D branch of the series. They're not bad, but they play nowhere as well as the 2D entries. Street Fighter III- Another new take. Much better animation, an almost entirely new cast, but it has some balance issues. Street Fighter III: Second Impact- A slight upgrade over the first one. Not really worth checking out. Street Fighter III: Third Strike- Considered by a good number of people to be the best in the "III" series. Better balance, new characters, and tweaked gameplay. X-Men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK, Capcom vs SNK 2- Off shoots. The first four I listed play very differently from any of the main Street Fighter lines, as they're more chaotic and feature tag team gameplay ala King of Fighters. The "vs SNK" ones play similarly to the main SF games, but they're still pretty different in gameplay thanks to the various so-called grooves (fighting styles). So if you want to see some Street Fighter stuff, I'd suggest Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Street Fighter Alpha III, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike. That'll give you a nice taste of the various incarnations of the franchise.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)- Okay. Anyone who votes no on this needs to be put out of our misery Beautiful pixel work, an amazing soundtrack, a big quest, multiple endings depending on how well you do, loads of weapons, hidden spells, memorable lines, great character designs, and decent voice work. This is a must have on all fronts. YES. Duke Nukem 3D (PC)- The original, nothing-cut-out version. All the levels, all the gore, all the swearing, all the one liners, and all the nudity. The graphics are good, the music is great, and gameplay is smooth, there are lots of weapons and special items that give the game a bit more depth, and the levels are varied. The controversy surrounding the game got it attention, but the fact that it's a good game kept people around once the controversy faded. YES. Mega Man Zero 4 (GBA)- The final entry for the series on the GBA. The graphics are nice, the music is good, the gameplay is well done, the challenge level is still there, and the story continues to be well handled. Some might say "It's just more of the same", but considering that the first three games were quality stuff, this game's continuing that trend isn't a bad thing. YES. In the Hunt (PS1)- There's a rumor going around that some of the people responsible for this game went on to SNK, and started the Metal Slug franchise. Looking at the graphics, I can see why some think this. Graphically, this game as a wonder to see. Detailed as hell visuals, and lots of little touches that give the sprites a unique style. The music is good, and this version even has a remixed version of the tunes on the disc. The gameplay is slow in terms of movement, but it's intense. Shit is blowing up almost constantly, with buildings going down, enemies coming and going, tight squeezes, bullets being sprayed about, and tough boss fights. It's an overlooked release for the PS1, but any shmup lover should play it. YES. WipeOut 3 (PS1)- The final entry for the PS1, and it went out on a high note. Very nice graphics, good tunes, a lot of twisting tracks and ships to choose from, a sold challenge, a great sense of speed once you get to the higher ship classes, and the ability to take some serious air off of the jumps. It's the fast, weapon-friendly racing style that made the previous games so much fun, and it's a game not to be missed. YES. Raiden DX (import PS1)- Some have called this game "Raiden II remix", but it's more than that. Yes, it has the same great graphics that made Raiden II so cool, but it adds more to the pot than just slightly altered stages. First, there's a whole new and deeper scoring system in place, adding in the extra replayability that comes with such a thing. The stages have the same bosses as RII, but the stages themselves are redone so that they're not simply a result of copy/pasting. There's a redone soundtrack, and several soundtracks to choose from in general. There's also two new modes to play though. One is single stage that takes about fifteen minutes complete, and the other consists of the first five stages from RII exactly as they were graphically (but with the new scoring system in them). So while it may be something of a remix title, it also provides all sorts of new challenges. If you like Raiden II, pick this up. You'll get at least the same level of enjoyment from it. YES. Quake III Arena (PC)- Sure, it's a good multiplayer game, but holy shit is it an utterly boring single player experience. It feels very much like an afterthought, as it provides you with AI that's not very good, no story whatsoever, and predictable bot patterns. Frankly, the most interesting part of the game was the scripting that enables the bots to respond to you taunts and sentences in single player mode. I had more fun playing around with that than I did playing the game. If you're in it for the multiplayer, you might like it after you've grabbed a mod or two. Otherwise, don't bother. Sorry Ganemi, but Borderline NO. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)- The forgotten middle child of the GBA trilogy. The music for this game turned people off to it in a hurry, as it does sound much like something done on the original GameBoy. If you can get past that, you'll find a good game to play. Well drawn graphics, a good sized quest, unlockable modes, a new magic system, a strange little "collect everything" ability, and you'll even find the composition of the music to be good (even if the sound of it isn't). It's a very good and fun game, that only suffers from a case of musical sample downgrading. YES. Dragon Warrior VII (PS1)- "Oldschool". That's the word that comes to mind playing this game. The graphics feel like they're straight out of the 16bit era, and the game plays very much like it's predecessors (random battles, turn-based battles, etc). This game also has an absolutely massive quest (100 hours isn't an exaggeration), and some nice tunes as you play through. It's a big game with well designed dungeons, an interesting way to gain new areas to explore, and a great class system. Dated looking? Sure. Worth playing? YES. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1)- The final entry on PS1, and a much more action packed entry to boot. As usual, the graphics look nice for the PS1, the cinemas are pretty good, and there are loads of zombies waiting to be disposed of. However, RE3 does a few things different. First, the controls are more fluid than the first two games, making movement in Raccoon City much less of a chore. Second, it's not as stingy with the ammo are the first two games, making RE3 more action oriented than the previous two. And finally, Nemesis. This hulking beast chases you throughout the game, forcing you to battle and avoid it at various points in the game. As a result, there's a level of tension in the game that outdoes what was found in RE1 and RE2, as you always know Nemesis is out there, but you don't know when it'll show up. RE3 was a refreshing change to the formula that had been established by this time, and a YES to me. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (GBA)- Take the original great Genesis game Shining Force, give it a graphical face lift, tweak the story a bit, add in a new card battle system, simplify the controls a little so the game's menu system is a bit less combersome in spots, and here your end result. The original Genesis game was great, and this game mirrors it. It may seem a little dated given how far the strategy RPG genre has come, but it's still a great game that GBA owners shouldn't pass up. YES. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA)- OutSpoken pretty much summed it up. Graphically, it's quite nice, and the sound is good too. The gameplay is a bit different than what might be considered typical for the Metroid series, as it adds things like stealth to be used in spots, and it plays a little quicker. It's not the pinnacle of the series, but it's by no means a bad game. Borderline YES.

Quake II perhaps?

I'm rather surprised that the show is still going, with no apparent signs of cancellation. It's been what... ten-plus years now?

WipeOut 64 (N64)- This game is basically the N64 version of WipeOut XL. It has the same feel, look and speed, but it's been tweaked giving it new tunes, tracks and such. It's plays just as well as WOXL, and it's one of the best racers on the system. The music is done well, the graphics (though a bit fuzzy) are good, and the racing is fast and action filled. YES. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)- Like the translation of the first game, Lunar 2 for the Playstation expands the story and world by giving you greatly updated graphics, new music that sounds more realistic, and a more fleshed out story. It still plays like its 16bit original, but that's hardly something to hold against it. It's a great update to an already great Sega CD game. YES. Raiden Project (PS1)- Take what is basically arcade perfect translations of Raiden and Raiden II, add in some nice remixed versions of each game's music, and here's what you get. Both game's are very good shmups, with good graphics, solid gameplay and challenge, and two player simultaneous action. Of course, part II cranked up the graphics to add all sorts of great little touches, and added the now infamous "toothpaste laser". It may only be two games, but it's a fantastic compilation nonetheless. YES. Soviet Strike (Saturn)- Take the PS1 version of the game, add in a new difficulty select, and crank up the pyrotechnics a bit, and here ya go. Nice graphics, a tough challenge, fun missions, and some great presentations make this a solid entry in the "Strike" series, that just nudges the PS1 version out of the way in terms of which one's better overall. Borderline YES. Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi (PC)- Better graphics, cooler story, good cinemas, more ships, some extra mission diversity... it took the solid gameplay of the very good original, and built on it. A wonderful follow up. YES. Warhawk (PS1)- Yeah, it's a first gen PS1 game. But it's also one of the best first gen PS1 games out there. The graphics were great for the time, the music is very good, the missions are tough and fun, the flight mechanics are good, and it's arcadey gameplay makes it fast and explosion-filled. It was one of the main reasons to get a PS1, and it's still a lot of fun to play. YES. Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 (import Saturn)- This compilation is made up of Thunder Force IV, and the rarely seen Thunder Force AC. TF4 should be pretty well know to most people, as it's one of the (arguably THE) best 16bit shmups made. Graphics, music, gameplay, levels, weapons, challenge... it pretty much nailed everything. This Saturn port does the game justice for the most part, save for one area... the sound effects. For some reason, they're rather tinny sounding in this compilation. The music's fine, but the effects are off. But, considering this version gets rid of the slowdown present in the original 16bit version, it kind of balances out. Also, you can play as the TF3 ship in this version of TF4, so that's a rather cool bonus. As for TFAC, it's an arcade version of Thunder Force III with a couple levels replaced (one new, one borrowed from TF2). The music and graphics are fine, but again, the sound effects are rather tinny sounding. Not sure why, but they are. Nonetheless, it's a tough to come by game that any fan of the series should play. If you don't own a Genesis, this is the next best way to play these awesome shmups. YES. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)- C'mon. Does this really need explaining? A huge world, a seemingly never ending set of quests, freedom to be good or evil to any degree, good voice acting, great music, great graphics... it's the game TES3 should have been. YES. Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)- After the horrid 2003, 2004 came along and wiped away those memories. Much better gameplay, nicer graphics, better AI, more polished game modes, a longer single player game... it delivered what 2003 seemed to try and promise in its own busted way. A great FPS. YES. Gunstar Super Heroes (GBA)- While not quite as good as the Genesis original, this sequel is still a very good game. Well drawn graphics, good music, a solid challenge, some diverse levels that change up the gameplay from time to time, and lots of fast action. Goof stuff. Borderline YES.

I'm surprised no one said "There's no techno on OCR" at this

Resident Evil 2 (PS1)- Where the first RE failed, the sequel managed to pick up some of the slack. Better models, better controls, a larger quest with two characters to play through as, better weapon balance (the knife isn't so useless), and even the voice acting got improved a bit. There's still a good amount of back tracking, but it's not as bad as the first game. It's a bigger, deeper game that offers more enjoyment and replayability than its predecessor. Borderline YES. WipeOut XL (PS1)- The sequel to the surprise hit on the PS1 ups the ante on quite a few fronts. Better graphics, better gameplay, and a serious sense of speed that makes the second class of ships in the first game look slow. The music, while not quite as nice, is still good, and there's a bigger selection of ships and tracks too. It took what made the first game work, and built on it to make for an improved sequel. YES. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn)- Take the the rich world of the 'Panzer' games, and really flesh it out into an RPG. What you get is a fantastic realm to explore. Using the shmup gameplay that was so previlant in the first two games, the battles and exploratory scenes are action packed and involving. The graphics are wonderful, the designs are great, the music and sound effects are well done... there is so much that turned out well in this game, it's a shame that it didn't get a bigger release so that more Saturn owners could play it. If there's a kink in the game's armor, it's that it's not a long RPG. A lot of the four discs is made up of cinemas, making the game itself take roughly 20 hours. Even so, it's an innovative, amazing RPG. YES. PowerSlave (Saturn)- For a time, people were saying the Saturn couldn't do the FPS any justice. Lobotomy felt differently. Using the Slave Driver engine, this game silenced the critics, and proved the Saturn could not only have a fast paced and graphically nice FPS, but colored lighting effects too. The graphics and character designs are nice, the music is very good, the game plays very well on the Saturn controller, and the Egyptian theme makes for an interesting world and enemy set. There's even a few hidden goodies in the game if you look hard enough. The first real FPS on the Saturn, and fun game to boot. YES. Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction (PC)- Diablo II is a great game from start to finish. This expansion pack makes it even better. Lots of added content gives the regular game a good boost, the new chapter is just as fun as the previous ones, and the ending cinema is great. If you own D2, then this expansion pack should be with it. You're missing out if it's not. YES. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)- What happens when you take the world id created in Wolfenstein 3D, and push the demonic side to equal levels with the WWII side? You end up with a great game. Very good graphics for the day, good music, a creepier atmosphere in some of the numerous levels thanks to some nice graphical and aural touches, diverse weaponry and levels... won awards for a reason back then. If you like FPSs, this game should be a part of your library. YES.

The Play Asia page got an update. There's a track listing now for the soundtrack, a bit more info on the game box contents, and a release date of November 30th. Whether that date holds true is up in the air.

That's true. But a month or two from now, there'll be another game that gets all the same types of compliments. And a month after that, there'll be another one. Remember Prey and all the wonderful things said about it? Or F.E.A.R? Yeah, they've pretty much been crapped on by gamers ever since their "WOW!"-factor wore off. Gaming compliments get thrown around as much as movie compliments. When people are still talking about how good Portal is a year or two from now, then perhaps it could be considered a must have, as it'll have shown longevity beyond that initial "WOW!"-factor. Until then, it's reads much the same as all the quick praises that have been uttered since the 2600 days when gamers first saw something new. Anyway, sorry to interrupt the voting flow with my wet blanket grumblings. Not trying to get the game yanked or anything, I just wanted to voice something that was on my mind.

Another essay? Aw maaaaan... Colony Wars III: Red Sun (PS1)- The finale of the Colony Wars series, it ends on the same good notes as it began. Where part 1 had you on one side of the conflict, and part 2 had you on the other side, this third entry places you in the middle as a mercenary. Like "Vengeance" over the first one, this game takes a number of steps forward by refining the graphics and gameplay even more, and continuing to deliver a well done story and diverse missions. It looks, sounds and plays great, and it's a fitting send off to the space sim series time forgot. YES. Strider 2 (PS1)- Why have one game when you can have two? This game features both a virtually arcade perfect version of the first Strider, and a very good port of the official sequel (not the one made by U.S. Gold). Both games feature simple and fast gameplay, good music, fun boss fights, and a very good challenge if you stay away from the unlimited continues. The second game has a lot of loading points, but like the D&D collection, it's not enough to keep the game from being a great play. YES. Sega Ages: Galaxy Force II (import Saturn)- Short and sweet. That's the best way to describe this game. A port of the Sega arcade game, the Saturn version has all the levels and action that made the arcade game such a fast and frantic back in the day. The graphics are good, the gameplay is tight and straight forward, and the music is very nice. The only real blemish on this port, is that the frame rate is around 25fps, where as the arcade game was 60fps. As a result, it doesn't move quite as smoothly. Even so, it's still a fun, 20 minute ride from the heyday of Sega's sprite scaling arcade days. Borderline YES. System Shock 2 (PC)- I'd love to 'yes' this game, but I haven't played all the way through it yet. So I'll refrain for now. DarkStalkers 3 (PS1)- The Saturn had a basically arcade-perfect port of this. The PS1, got a port that's about as good as you can get. Yes, there's animation missing here and there, and the load times are present. But the graphics, music, gameplay and balance that made the third entry in the Darkstalkers saga such a great fighting game are still intact. If you can't get the Saturn version, this is the next best thing. YES. Mega Man X6 (PS1)- Yeah, I forgot to delete this from the list too. As has been said, this entry pretty much dragged the series into rehash and disjointed hell. NO. Gradius Deluxe Pack (import Saturn)- So... wanna play basically arcade perfect version of Gradius and Gradius II? Here ya go. All the graphics, tunes, options and difficulty that you remember are fully intact here. While the first game is a classic, the second game (which got far less attention in The States) is superior on all fronts, and it alone makes this package worth a play to any shmup fan. YES. Note: There's an import PS1 version of this pack as well, but I've never played it, so I don't know how well it stacks up to the import Saturn version. Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts (GBA)= One of the better SNES ports to hit the GBA. This game looks and sounds very close to the SNES original. As a result, the graphics are wonderful, the music is great, and the challenge is soul crushing. The GBA version gets an extra bonus though, as it has a special mode that allows you to play through both the 'Super' levels, as well as the levels from Ghouls 'N Ghosts. This gives the GBA version a longer lifespan thanks to increased replayability. Good stuff, and a YES. R-Type Delta (PS1)- The second to last game in the R-Type franchise (shmup-wise anyway), and a great game it is. The slower paced gameplay is in full swing with this one, and the challenge level is what you'd expect of the series... namely, it's a tough game. The graphics are quite good for that time in the PS1's life, and the music is well done as well. The levels are diverse and interesting, and the boss battles are good stuff too. It's a great shmup on the PS1 that comes damn close to rivaling Einhander for the best 3D shmup on the system. YES. Mass Destruction (Saturn)- Wanna blow shit up real good? As the name implies, that's pretty much what you'll be doing. Buildings, enemies, trees... if it's on the ground, it can more than likely be destroyed by your little tank. The pyrotechnics are very good, and the challenge provided by the game rides that comfort zone between a little too easy and a little too hard. It's a simple game of making things go boom, but it looks nice, sounds nice, and is a fun game to play for a few rounds (it can get tiresome if you play it for several hours straight). Borderline YES. Doom 3 (PC)- Another game I'm probably going to be alone on. So many people bitched about how dark the game was, like they expected buildings in a power outage with no windows to still be brightly lit. How dark the game is, is what creates its great atmosphere. Plus, it lends a degree of realism that many other FPS games seem to not address (lights always seem to be everywhere in there). The graphics are fantastic, and the redesigns of the classic monsters turned out rather well. Even the soundscapes created for the levels add even more to the atmosphere if you stop and listen to them once in a while. Sure, the controls and gameplay is as simple as the first two games, but since this game was intended to be a remake of the first Doom from the get go, adding in jumping and swimming and sniping all that wasn't warranted. If there's an issue that could have been addressed, it's the monster closets. They're a little cheap, and surely some more creative ways to bring the demons and zombies about could have been thought up. But, in light of the graphics, sound, well designed levels, and the game's thick atmosphere, it's a shortcoming that doesn't undo the game. YES. Star Control 2 (PC)- What, are you kidding? This game is fantastic, and HUGE. Great graphics, wild characters, a massive universe to explore, melee battles, an interesting story, and decent tunes make this a fun game that's the best in the series. YES. After thought... How can Portal be a must-have? The game's not even a month old yet, and hasn't gotten past it's new game smell.

Blast Wind (import Saturn)- Another great game by Technosoft. This time though, it's a vertical. Nicely detailed graphics, good tunes, branching levels, a solid challenge, goos ship designs... it's a well crafted game by one of the former greats in the shmup world. YES. IL-2 Sturmovik Series: Complete Edition (PC)- I don't own this game, but I do own the entire IL2 series. It's a fantastic flight simulator that allows you to play with either detailed physics, or simplistic "arcade"-like controls. The graphics are amazing, the physics are well implemented, the sound effects are great, there is a huge assortment of mission types to play through, there is a massive plane count, and overall, there are very few things to complain about in the franchise. If you like flying games at all, and are a fan of the WWII-era planes and settings, this game is a must. YES. MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries (PC)- You know, I wish I could comment on this, but it's been years since I played it last. It refuses to run well on XP, so a refresher isn't really doable. However, I know it got a lot of positive reviews over the years. But since I can't remember too much about it, I'll have to abstain from voting.

And I believe you just hit one of the biggest problems with your selling system... consistency in the game's standard. With so many little different things offered, you're making the game you're trying to create entirely too convoluted. Game balance is going to go right out the window, and the game world is going to become a hodge podge of areas that can't be reached, and items that players can't even pick up because they didn't buy it yet (thanks to players selling those new items off). Imagine playing the "out of the box" version of IL2-Sturmovik, versus the version with content from the latest patch. There's a lot of new content separating the two, and the game makers usually set it up so that playing on-line can only be done as "same game version vs same game version". Why? To preserve the game's balance, and keep its standards in check. Selling a bunch of small packs of content is going to make this notion insanely complicated, as suddenly there's going to be dozens of different content filled variations of the game. Tack on any patches that get released, and things get even more convoluted. Why create so many road blocks for a having smoothly run gaming world? Plus, look at it from the new gamer's perspective. So much stuff will get spread out in the game world, that someone new coming into it would be bombarded with areas, items and people that they can't access without dishing out more cash. It quickly becomes a, "See how cool this is? GIVE US MORE MONEY FOR IT! See how nice that is? GIVE US MORE MONEY FOR IT!"-world for the newcomers. This is why expansion packs (and free patches for pissy little content items) make so much more sense. One purchase, and there ya go. Everything that was once unreachable is now at your fingertips, and it keeps the on-line aspect of the game from getting wildly out of hand in balance and standardization. Having 30-50 different variations of the game simply doesn't make sense, and that's what you'll wind up with selling things as small micro transaction packs. Regarding the single player, non on-line RPGs you're talking about, it might work better as long as the game never goes on-line to let players co-op or compete. But even so, it still comes across as trying to nickel and dime the gamers to death, regardless of what reasoning is put forth. I guess I'm looking at this on a different psychological level as well. Offering 10 downloads for $2-$10 a piece, isn't going to look as attractive as 10 new additions for one $20-$25 payment. In today's world, getting everything in one package looks a lot nicer to the average Joe than having to make a bunch of smaller purchases to end up with the same thing (especially if those smaller purchases add up to costing more in the end, like what Bethesda did with all their TES:IV additions before the "Knights of the Nine" expansion came out). Plus, if you sell the single package at a price that's a bit lower than what it would cost to buy each thing individually, that makes even the less interesting pieces look nicer too. Anyway, to me, there's a reason the acronym K.I.S.S. is still being used today. It holds a big nugget of truth, in that simplicity is a far better thing to aim for. Expansion packs that combine all the ideas into one package are simple. Micro transactions, and everything that comes about as a result of them, is the opposite IMO. Yeah yeah... tl/dr

Not at all. zircon and I are just discussing the concept of micro transactions, and how they apply to games. No personal (or opinion) bashing involved. Granted, he could be insulting me as I type this, but...

I'm sure game costs have gone up. Bigger staffs and all that. But the fact that we pay anywhere from $50 to $90 for a game tells me that companies are already charging enough as it is. Plus, many on-line games require a monthly/yearly fee to play on their dedicated servers, or to even be able to get into the game you just paid for to make a character. How much more do they "need" to charge us? Annual server fees are understandable, as those things take constant maintenance. But considering how many large and small companies have released patches filled with new content for free over the years, I just don't agree with the view you're putting forth. To me, "development costs" comes across as flimsy an argument for micro transactions, as the "free patches in the past" argument against them might seem to others. If they want to add new content, then let them make an expansion pack... something that contains a lot of new quests, goodies, characters, and such. People will happily pay $20-30 for that. But charging $3 for a classic football team, or $1 for a damned helmet is just asinine.

If a game isn't turning a profit, then I believe the question isn't "What else can we charge the consumer for to turn that around?", it's "What went wrong?". Many games that don't turn a profit do so because they didn't sell well. Why it didn't could be for a number of reasons, ranging from a poorly made game (roughly 30 - 50% of what's on the shelves), to a game that simply didn't click with the consumer despite getting good reviews (Beyond Good and Evil anyone?). Now, if you're "5%" is true, then I think you should look into just what's in that other 95%. I'll bet you'll find a lot of movie tie-in games, badly programmed games, quick cash-in titles that are knock offs of something that did sell well, and those cheapy CD jewel case things that get sold for $9.95 at Walmart. And even if you take games like BG&E into account, that's still no justification for micro transactioning the hell out of games that were once offered as a complete package from day one. Charging for little things like a character, a weapon, a stadium, or a different car chassis (things that would have normally been added before release) simply wreaks of a cheap means to try and drill deeper into the consumer's pocket. People can go for expansion packs when it's a lot of fresh content that builds on an already finished game. But the idea of charging a dollar here and a three dollars there for pissy little additions doesn't sit well with folks.