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Several years ago, I linked to how a few folks got the DOS version of MechWarrior 2 running in DOSBox. It was a great day for all of us MW2 fans, as the work of those guys meant we could play the regular DOS version of a classic PC game. Since then, the game's gotten more compatible with DOSBox, but what of MechWarrior 2: Titanium Edition? Well, an answer has arrived... http://files.filefront.com/Mech+Warrior+2+Titanium+Patch/;6944187;/fileinfo.html Right there is a patch to run MW2:TE on Windows XP. I've tried it, and it does indeed work. I don't know how perfect everything runs visually and aurally, as I've never gotten to play TE up until now. It does chug once in a while during play, but the game runs. However, there have also been other updates... http://www.warp13.co.uk/mech2 Those are other patches. I believe the TE patch (the middle one) is the same as in the first link, but the other ones are for the regular version of MW2 95, so that it too may run on XP. The top one worked for me on the first try (you install it to the MW2 95 directory), but I haven't tested the second one. So, that one's still up in the air. Anyway, I thought I'd share these discoveries in hopes that others can get them up and running. And of course, a big kudos to those coders who sat down and did what Activision simply refused to do. EDIT: BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Want to play the 3DFX version? The way to do it is simple (now). First, install the W95 version of Mech2. Then, install the "MW2Hook" file to the Mech2 game folder, and allow it to make a shortcut for you (it's in the second link above). Then, go and grab this file... http://rapidshare.com/files/20054229/Mech2_3DFX_Conversion.zip.html ... and copy/paste those files into your Mech2 folder (overwrite anything that comes up). Finally, grab this... http://dege.freeweb.hu/ ... and place all the files in your Mech2 folder. All you have to do, is run "dgVooDooSetup", click the "DOS" button, uncheck "Working in VDD Mode", and hit "OK". Then just double click the "MW2Hook" shortcut that was made on your desktop, and you'll be playing the 3DFX version of MechWarrior 2. Special Note: I've run the 3DFX version both with, and without starting the "dgVooDoo" executable first in the Mech2 folder. As such, you may or may not need to having that file running before starting the game. EDIT 2: Want to see further into the distance with the W95 and TE versions? Grab this... http://www.mech2.org/forum/download/file.php?id=44 ... and point it to the proper files in the two directories. Punch in a new number (like say 1000), and you'll see a lot further into the distance than you could before. This is nice for eliminating that funky mountain/structure pop up that occurs normally, and it makes the game look nicer. It doesn't seem to work on the 3DFX version though.

I'm not sure I want to be a part of a review site that willingly hosts a review that gives the GBA version of R-Type III: The Third Lightning an 8. It's a sign that something truly evil is afoot there.

Skate 2 Pretty good one this week.

I'd avoid any NES clones. Thus far, all the ones I've read about have had graphical, aural, or compatibility issues with various NES games. If you can't find a real NES2 for a price you like, then get an NES1. The clones just aren't worth the cash for the issues that come with them.

**Wanders in with a small metal tank strapped to his back, spraying an unknown mist from a nozzle on the end of a rubber hose. Stops for a second, and lifts up his respirator.** Don't mind me folks. Just spraying for newbies. **Puts his respirator back over his mouth and nose, and continues methodically spraying.**

Alright. Zune software loves to hate OCR.

A few more, this time from the Sega CD. Underrated in part because hardly anyone played the games... Soul Star- A good synth-orchestral soundtrack. Stellar Fire- Not sure where to classify it, but the music is quite cool. Robo Aleste- A rock/disco/electronica/symphonic conglomeration that's enjoyable. Android Assault- 80s Anime rock. Lords of Thunder- Great Metal soundtrack. Ecco the Dolphin- Atmospheric and rhythmic. If you're familiar with Pink Floydd's "Momentary Lapse of Reason" CD, you'll get a similar vibe at times. Amazing Spiderman- A rather unexpected soundtrack given the game. 80s glam rock/hair metal from start to finish, and you might even recognize the singer on the opening track

Whip Rush Master of Monsters Alien 3 Dragon's Fury Elemental Master Sword of Vermillion Zero Wing Also, Midnight Resistance if only for the first level's theme.

Perhaps Chris8282's parents were raped and killed by LEGOs, and that's the source of his disdain for them. On a dark, moonless night, the LEGOs crept into the silent and still house. Once inside, they made their way on little rubber wheels into his parents bedroom. There, horrid acts of carnal savagery were committed, only to end as suddenly as they began. For reasons he still doesn't understand, the LEGOs left young Chris8282 to find the bloody scene when he awoke later that morning. Perhaps it was a mistake. Perhaps... perhaps it was a plan. Now, all Chris8282 can do is sit awake at night, wondering if the LEGOs that took his parents, will also come for him. He knows they're watching. He finds a small piece of LEGO here and there from time to time outside in the yard, and he even comes across the occasional LEGO in his home. He catches the rare nap when the sun is up, but he refuses to sleep with any regularity. He knows that even the slightest pattern will give them a chance to strike. Instead, he uses the blood stained helmet of a space LEGO figure... one he found next to his parents' bed on that dreadful morning... as a daily reminder of why he can't let his guard down. And because of this, his nights are always spent sitting in a well lit corner of his home, chanting under his breath... "Can't sleep, LEGOs will kill me... can't sleep, LEGOs will kill me..."

I was about to go and update my old thread with this. Guess Midway is finally getting close to the drain in their financial whirlpool.

Just remembered something... No modern day references. This is one thing that bugged me about Working Designs. In the middle of their games like Lunar, you get references to modern day people or happenings. Nothing breaks an RPG game's fantasy atmosphere like having a reference to real-world events in some sad attempt to be funny. Leave them out, don't even think off adding them, and forget that such immersion-breaking "humor" exists. Your game will be better for it.

Thief: The Dark Project

Wing Commander Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi The Immortal Stallar 7 Nova 9 Silpheed Prince of Persia Prince of Persia 2 Wolfenstein 3D Spear of Destiny Raptor: Call of the Shadows MechWarrior 2 WarCraft II Tyrian Another World Flashback: The Quest For Identity Blood Battle Chess

With ePSXe, you can pop your PS1 discs into your PC, and play it without issue. In fact, you could even use some of the emu traits to make the game looks better. Get a decent controller, and you'd be stylin'. Not only that, but then you could get some of the great Japan-only shmups and games that aren't likely to see the light of day on PSN... like Raiden DX, Gradius Gaiden, and X2 (skip the Euro version, and get the Japanese Capcom version).

A few thoughts... For characters, a good idea is to try and develop each one to the point that they come across as their own person. To do this, you'd need to make decisions about how they speak, what they like or dislike, etc. Doing this will define the heroes and villains, and make them more individually identifiable. I'm not talking about writing a twenty page dissertation on each one, but making sure they have their own quirks and traits that come through in their dialogue or actions is a good thing. It would also be good to have reason's for why they talk or act as they do. For the text itself, allow players to set a "speak speed" (how fast the text comes up). If you want a prime example of how not to do cinema text, play Valis: The Phantasm Solider on the Genesis. Keep your character roster diverse, but trimmed. It's cool to give players the sense of a world filled with individuals, but you'll create a better world by having a well developed set of fewer characters. It's hard to grow closer or more attached to eighty different characters. Instead, focus on a core group that are important to the story (on both the good and bad sides), and let the players see the world through those characters' eyes. Don't make the players go all the way back through caves and dungeons they've already had to go through earlier. It's tedious, it's dull, and it's a trait that needs to die off. Fresh new territory is much more enticing than having to walk through Demon Cave a second or third time because some dipshit ran off to hide in there. MAKE AN ENDING THAT'S WORTH THE TIME OF THE PLAYER! I can't being to describe how utterly maddening it is to play through a game for 40+ hours, only to have the ending done and over with three minutes later (this includes credits rolling). Phantasy Star IV has a great ending for an RPG... Sword of Vermillion doesn't. Try to let more of the story play out through events in the game, rather than through pages of dialogue and narrative. Sure, some dialogue and narration can be used very effectively, but when you wrap the player up in the events that would have otherwise just been a page's worth of text, it draws them in more. Don't be afraid of using graphics in needed narration points. A few images that detail key aspects in the narration are more interesting than just big blocks of text. This works great for things like characters talking about some key event that happened to them in the past, or when a character is talking about a legend they remember... you know, stuff along those lines. If you have a main villain, try to make their evil deeds stem from something other than "HAR HAR! I'M AN EVIL PRICK!". Give them a real reason as to why they're doing what they're doing... something that the player can evaluate for themselves. The more tangible the reason, the better. ... Okay, I guess that was more than a few. Sorry.

I believe that's what I said you could do

Phantasy Star III. I've always felt it was a good game, but one with some noticeable issues. The enemies having virtually no animation, and lazy backgrounds behind them, hurt the game. The music sounding like it was always too loud didn't help either. These things kept the game from being as good as it could have been, and a nice redo would help the good points stand out more. And hey, maybe then someone would finally get off their ass and make Phantasy Star V, continuing where III left off.

Soldner-X has been out for the PC for months, and you can play PS1 shmups on a PC just fine via emulation and a decent controller. Why spend the $500+ for a PS3 in hopes of games being re-released (which you'll then have to buy as well), when you can just spend that $500+ and get those games now, and enjoy them long before they might (key word there) be put on PSN?