Open Discussion – December 10, 2008

I'd like to see the movies Marley and Me, The Knowing, Seven Pounds,Push, and that new Ice Age movie coming out next year. Looking forward to New Moon in November. I believe that as long as the director sticks with the original cast, that New Moon will be a great movie, even if they do rush it a bit to get to filming Eclipse. Ya got to admit that rushing it a bit IS a good idea, since the characters in the books don't age at all and the cast for the movies do age.

I just heard on the radio Peter Falks daughter has gone to court to be declared her fathers conservator, Because the man known to Millions of TV viewers as Columbo has been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease.
Damn.

Oh did I type AWAC, I meant AWACS, uh I meant,,, a modified C-130 Hercules...

The vibrating controller made that mission very realistic.

Boom!
Like killing ants with a bazooka. Very bad ants!!!

Actually 790, AWACS is an acronym, not a plural form of AWAC, so calling one an "AWAC" (like in Iron Man, lol) is technically incorrect. But anyway, they are not armed, AWACS is a system, but usually it refers to the E3 Sentry, it's basically a flying control center, used to gather intelligence and distribute relevant information to other units in the air and/or on the ground.

That mission you speak of is of a Spectre Gunship, which is a modified C-130 Hercules. They basically just mounted 20mm gatling guns and different size artilery pieces to the sides of this thing and filled the insides to the brim with ammunition.

It's pretty bad-ass, they showed it in Transformers, although in a very incorrect way. They had it flying WAY too low... They just did that so Michael Bay can have a "cool" shot where you can see the plane and the Transformer in the same frame...

I find video games to be boring..ZZZZZZ

On COD4,,,,
Yeah the Sniper mission, the AWAC Gunner and the ending were top notch, I don't know if you can beat that ending ,,, ;-)

Yah, COD4 was pretty fun. Still can't wait for Operation Flashpoint 2 though, lol.

Haha yeah Rainbow Six 3 Vegas was too short.

I almost forgot about Call of Duty 4, have you played that one,,, that was also short but very fun !!!

I think RS2, aka Rogue Spear, was the last Rainbow Six game I played all the way through. That was before they were sold to ubisoft. RS3 was the first ubisoft Rainbow Six game. A friend I met through the Rainbow Six forums actually gave me that game for free, but I didn't really like it that much. But they had a very similar mission in Rogue Spear (or was it the first Rainbow Six, now I don't remember) where you had to sneak into this villa and place surveillance devices, then get out without getting detected. I think that's like what you're describing, and yes, it was probably the hardest mission in the game.

And Valve is something else. Normally I really don't like sci-fi shooters, and the first Half Life I really didn't like. But the story telling and gameplay in HL2 and the 2 episodes so far have been great, I can't wait until episode 3 comes out...

You know what game I enjoy playing every now and then on the Xbox? Rainbow Six Vegas, but only in terrorist hunt mode with friends. The single player game is retarded, the story sucks, and the gameplay is pretty crappy. But playing in coop terrorist hunt mode with friends is usually fun, but then again, it's the social interaction that's fun more than anything else. That's one thing that makes Left 4 Dead great, because it kind of forces you to play it online with friends. You CAN play it single player, but it's pretty lame if you do. I always call my friends up on the phone and we play that game. It has in-game voice, but it's easier to just talk over the phone since you don't need to hold down any buttons to talk, lol. I have a headset for my phone just for that. Oh good times.

They have a coop mode for Grand Theft Auto 4 as well, but I read that they did a lazy job in porting it to the PC so it doesn't run that well. Porting games from Xbox to PC or the other way around would be easier since the Xbox basically is made up of PC components. But the PS3 is all this proprietary hardware, so designing games for the PS3 is not as easy if you want to make them multi-platform...

That's cool,,,
I enjoyed "Half life 2",,, good game!!!
Also the earlier "Ghost Recons" were awesome on the xbox. The new ones suck!
I also played the "Rainbow Six" games. Do you remember that RS3 game where the last level was sneaking around this drug cartel's compound. Man that was a tough endgame.

LOL, you act like I've never played them. I said I never messed with playing HD DVD's versus blu-ray movies, I never said that I don't have friends with Xbox's and PS3's that like to play games a lot. I've played all of those games before.

Halo is really overrated. I can see how console people might be blown away by it, but I've been playing much better shooters on my PC for years before that game came out. But then again, i'm more into the more realistic shooters than a sci-fi schooter where their pistol is more powerful and accurate than their assault rifles...

And people make such a big deal about the graphics in Gears of War when all they did was bump map EVERYTHING, and bump mapping has been in PC games for YEARS and YEARS and in my opinion is it WAY overused in GoW. Even surfaces that are meant to be smooth are bump mapped, like the hull of the helicopter, making everything look like they are made of stucco...

And again, the gameplay is far too arcadey for my personal tastes. I'm more of an Operation Flashpoint, original Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear, old Ghost Recon, you know, back when they were still realistic tactical shooters, person. Of course now that the console-friendly ubisoft bought out the Tom Clancy titles, they have become typical arcadey garbage.

I'll have to say that there has been a sort of a drought in realistic shooters lately, PC or console. But I've kept busy with Half Life 2 and the episodes, Call of Duty 4, Battlefield 2, and Left 4 Dead. But when Operation Flashpoint 2 comes out, you'll be seeing a whole lot less of me on this website. That will probably take up all of my spare time, lol.

And it's kind of ridiculous to say the analog stick on a controller is more realistic in the movements than the mouse. Like I said, I shoot in real life, and when I shoot multiple targets, I don't smoothly sweep from one target to the next, I SNAP from one target to the next in a quick movement that stops exactly where the next target is. That's something you can do with the mouse easily that you can't really do as well with an analog stick. That's why when a game is on both console and PC, the console version will have some kind of aim assist or auto aim while the PC won't, because they don't need it.

I'm not saying it is arbitrarily better, I'm saying it is better for me and other people who prefer precise quick movements over the convenience of picking up a controller. If you prefer the controller, that's fine, but for me, I haven't preferred the controller since Goldeneye for the N64, lol. That was a fun game though...

Perfect example of the same game with different controls, would be Resident Evil 4 on the GC versus on the Wii, or Metroid Prime on the GC versus its sequel on the Wii. The Wii controller is the closest to being like a mouse where you can aim as fast as you can move your hand, not as fast as the analog sensitivity setting you chose for your analog stick. Playing RE4 with the Wii controller is about 5 times as fun as using the analog stick to try to aim. Same with Metroid. But too bad the Wii isn't powerful enough to run some of the more serious games out there. So, no spending my money on a Wii either, lol. PC is where my heart is... oh wait, that's not how that saying goes... :-D

@Ken J
Not trying to win you over (cause that's impossible) but the vibrating controller is used very well in the well made games like Halo, Gears of War, etc,,, its one of those things that once you experience you can never go back to keyboard.

The mouse you use to set your crosshairs on the target is an analog mini joystick on the Xbox controller... You use your left thumb to move it around. You can also set speed ratios...
This makes your acquisition and fire speed more realistic. There's of course a trigger to shoot your weapon. And the best part, you don't have to clean your guns afterwards, I'm sure you can relate. :-)

LOL, yah, the PS3 not getting the vibration thing was weird, but in my opinion that feature can just become a gimmick, but some games manage to make good use of it. I don't care about a controller shaking when I fire a fake gun, I shoot REAL guns in REAL life, so I know how real recoil is, lol. I care more about the precise aiming and quick reaction aiming with a mouse gives. In fact, if they made a vibrating mouse, I would prefer NOT to have it because that would take away from how precise it is. They already model recoil into the game, I don't need my mouse shaking my hand away from the target as well, lol.

Console games typically have some sort of aiming assist or auto aim type thing built into their shooters to help with this. But personally I like doing it myself. It's just my personal preference. There are plenty of types of games where a controller is better, like platformers and sports games. Luckily for me, I absolutely hate sports games, and I don't feel a platformer needs to have the graphics of a Xbox or PS3, I like the classics more than any new platformer anyhow, those I can get on a GBA or Nintendo DS which I can bring to work, lol.

I guess I'm lucky that my tastes in games make it better for me to have a PC, since I'm going to have a PC regardless of where I like to play my games, so no extra money on buying a whole separate console for my games, the games are cheaper, easier to get demo's, and expanded content and multiplayer play is so much easier, and cheaper. Good thing I'm not a fan of sports games or other games that are better on consoles, I would be a lot poorer, lol.

I like the shooters on PC's more anyhow, most of the console-only shooters are the more arcadey ones, and I don't like them anyhow. Although Left 4 Dead is awesome since it is like every zombie movie put into a video game, lol. Not sure about the Xbox version, but I know us PC guys are getting the Dawn of the Dead mall on Christmas (free, as usual). That should be fun. And there are already new skins for the players and other mods for the game to download.

Oh, and they already have Blu-Ray drives for a little over $100 so you can simply hook your PC onto a HDTV and play hi-def movies that way. That's what I'm going to do with my main tv, but if the players get cheap enough, i'll get a dedicated player for like my bedroom tv or something, lol.

Yeah I prefer the controller on a Xbox... You can't beat the feeling of recoil when you fire off a Rocket Launcher. You don't get that from a keyboard. The graphics on a 360 are much better than the original xbox as well,,,

The Ps3 was rushed out so that it would lockdown a substantial market share as a weapon in the format war,,,
The controller on the Ps3 doesn't even vibrate, they didn't want to spend the extra time to perfect that, (legal problems). The Ps3 is practically a Bluray player first a game console second.

As a gamer its an insult !!! I'll stick with Xbox,,,
Xbox has better games anyway,,, (IMO)

Oh ok, I haven't messed with either. I play games exclusively on PC. Cheaper games with better graphics with free online play and better controls for shooters (which happens to be my favorite games). Can't beat that.

So I didn't really pick a side, I just waited to see who would outlast the other...

@Ken J
Loading speed is faster, and I prefer the HD picture over Bluray. BR to me has almost an odd color filtration look to it...

The compression issue on HD would have been solved by upgrading the players...
Microsoft announced over two years ago that they had developed the technology to compete with the compression of Bluray...
It was later going to be incorporated into the Xbox360 as a new option or a separate disc player attachment. Since Bluray won the format war, I'm not sure what 360 is going to do,,,
I have to admit that I don't keep up on that console like I used to,,,

Just wondering, but why would you have preferred HD-DVD over Blu-Ray? Is there a technical difference between the two formats? Because the way I see it, the only difference are the capacities. Is there like a speed, compression, bitrate, or any other kind of tangible difference between the two formats that would have made one better than the other despite overall capacity?

That's how it all starts... High Kalibur,,,
You get a Bluray player, next thing you know you wake up with the Bluray player still running, its 5am,,, Monday, your fired from your job, cause this is the 5th week in a row you have skipped Monday, and even after all that all you care about are the special features on the upcoming Bluray of (your fav film here)
^
No but seriously I'm happy right now with dvds. And also would have preferred HDD over Bluray...

I would suggest that ppl wait on purchasing a BR player, the price is about to drop 50%...
Less than 2 years you'll be able to buy one at 7-11.

@ 790

Ha! Blu-ray: The Film buffs crack...

"C'mon man, just let me getta ray... you know I'm good for it!"

Honestly, I've never watched one but everytime I passsed the Hi-Def displays of Transformers and Spider-Man 3 at Best Buy and the mall I was pretty shocked at the quality so... If Blu-ray is suppose to be better...

Tommorrow is the day! The Dark Knight Blu-ray! Party at my house! Screenrant is invited! Haha : )

I really smell a bad ending on "The Day the Earth Stood Still",,,

I predict a 3 star rating...

@790

I don't know if I'll get an invite for a pre-screening. But to make you feel better, my Day the Earth Stood Still review is about an hour away. :-)

Vic

Vic,,, is anyone on Screen Rant reviewing Benjamin Button ???
Not encouraging only being prepared... :-)

@GreenKnight

Ya, makes sense man. Kinda blows, then again its not unexpected. Thanks

Lol High Kalibur, I liked how you worked Crack and Bluray in the same sentence...

Wow, no commentary or deleted scenes in a day where they start planning special features during pre-production. Two days until I crack open the Blu-ray, can't wait anyway!

However, If Nolan is saving them to bring the Joker back in the third film --I think it's brilliant.

Push -- I dunno, I saw a preview for it during Punisher and... I hate to seem so negative but It looks like a novice X-Men ripoff or Heroes: The Made for T.V. Motion Picture -- whichever you prefer.

I think Nolan has come out and said he hates deleted scenes on dvd. He thinks it hinders actors because they won't go all out in a scene for fear of them looking stupid on a dvd deleted scene

@evie
if i am correct, i beleive that Nolan does not do many commentaries, if any, for his films, Having said that it would have been nice to have commentary from the actors or the writers.
Maybe on the "Super Ultra limted extended unrated 4 disc set" they will have commentaries and the deleted scenes with The Joker. Who knows.

@Spark

Here's our page for the film:

http://screenrant.com/tag/push/

I actually received a pre-movie comic in the mail the other day with some backstory for the film. I think it's going to be a 6 part series.

Vic

@ Zach

I guess there will be a three of four disc special/ultimate edition on the way with all that stuff...you know the studios love the double/triple dip and gouge the fans..I'll buy it if and when it comes out because like yourself I bought the two disc special edition

Cheers

@Spark

I've seen a couple of trailers for Push. Looks pretty interesting, I'm planning to go see it. I have always liked psychic power stuff.