Xbox LIVE Activity: Week of February 9th

[YankeeH8er]

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)

1 Call of Duty: WaW
2 Halo 3
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 Halo Wars Demo
6 GTA IV
7 Left 4 Dead
8 Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X: Rio Demo
9 FIFA 09
10 RESIDENT EVIL 5 Demo


Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)

1 3 on 3 NHL(TM) Arcade
2 Castle Crashers
3 Worms
4 R-Type Dimensions
5 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
6 UNO
7 A Kingdom for Keflings
8 Minesweeper Flags
9 The Maw
10 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Top Community Games NEW! (Full Versions purchased)

1 RC-AirSim
2 Rumble Massage
3 Miner Dig Deep
4 Bowling X
5 Golden Royal Blackjack
6 Remote Masseuse
7 Simply HangMan
8 Air Legends
9 A Game of Tennis
10 Ocean Scenes

Damn not looking good for RE 5. I would have thought that it would have been ahead of HAWX and Halo Wars. Man I am thinking that game is going to he huge.

[KANG the Crybaby]

wow, UMK3 is still selling?

[The Skies]

It was so my doing that RC-AirSim won that! lol.

I found it, and my buddy that loves flight games to, he was telling me about something similer he use to play so he bought it, and he got a friend of his that played that similer game with him to buy it, as well as a couple others I think to, so w00t! :p

I played the top games of each! :O

[YankeeH8er]

wow, UMK3 is still selling?

The crazy thing is that MKII was the number 2 dl game on PSN in dec I believe.

[Bruhaha69]

I wouldn't say it's not looking good for RE5. It's still on the top 10 of the activity list. I am surprised to see HAWX being higher, though. After playing it, I think I would only enjoy it with a flight stick. Since I'm not gonna get a flight stick, HAWX has become a big maybe where it was once a guaranteed purchase.

[Katie]

Do community games have achievements? I can't imagine any other reason people would download hangman..

[YankeeH8er]

Nope, no achivements at all. I also cant believe the crap people buy from that section.

[Bruhaha69]

I was shocked to see community game's prices. I figured they'd be free, hah.

[YankeeH8er]

Yeah I think some are as much as $5, anyone that pays that for any of these games is crazy. I tried the demos out for a couple of different ones, and the first one I tried kept freezing up on me.

[Hunter]

Definitely not buying HAWX. We really need a good space sim. Damnit, I want one SOO bad.

[YankeeH8er]

Project Slypheed was a great game. Buy that.

[Hunter]

I hated the demo, that was not a space sim, it was a 3D semi-shmup.

[Frogacuda]

wow, UMK3 is still selling?
not necessarily, it just means people are still playing it online.
____________
[post updated]

Definitely not buying HAWX. We really need a good space sim. Damnit, I want one SOO bad.

New Wing Commander pls.

[Hunter]

There are so many great franchises or games that could get sequels.

Colony Wars
Independence Wars
Freespace
Starlancer
Freelancer
Wing Commander

All I want is ONE. At times, I'm tempted to just join EVE Online, but that's not really what I want.

[The Skies]

I hated the demo, that was not a space sim, it was a 3D semi-shmup.

wth?

Dude, Yankee is right, Project Sylpheed IS awesome! I have no idea how you got that from the demo, but it really is a great game. Once you get the controls down, its perfect and a ton of fun. Decent story to, at least its not bad, lol. I've been all over this game since I got it, recommending it to everyone that I can. You can get it for pretty cheap now to, dude just get it and give it some time, its well worth it and enjoyable. Plus free DLC! lol.

[Hunter]

I'm not saying it's not a good game, I'm saying it's not really a space sim. It's a space arcade game. Maybe it was just the demo, but there was little in the way of Sim there.

[The Skies]

So it has a bit more arcadey feel to it, I can understand that, and maybe I just don't remember some of those games you mention that much, but its not far off from those, and for someone who likes those type of games, how can you not like this one? Just try it, thats all I can say.

[Hunter]

The Demo was COMPLETELY different from those types of games. It really played like 3D shmup. Just because it is in space and is in first person doesn't make it anywhere near the same. I'll try the demo again, but Im fairly certain it won't change my mind any.

[YankeeH8er]

Buying equipment for your ship and swaping out weapons between missions I felt made it more of a space sim then a shmup.

[Bruhaha69]

Colony Wars was pretty awesome. Definitely one of my favorites for the old Playstation.

[Luminous]

Damn not looking good for RE 5. I would have thought that it would have been ahead of HAWX and Halo Wars. Man I am thinking that game is going to he huge.


Crappy controls = not fun = me not buying RE5.

[Frogacuda]

Crappy controls = not fun = me not buying RE5.

Is this your first resident evil game?

[YankeeH8er]

Crappy controls = not fun = me not buying RE5.

I think what is hurting RE5 is that they tried to make an action co-op game like Gears but the controls are so outdated and unfun that it really turns people off.

[Frogacuda]

You should have played it at E3. The controls now are 10x better.

[Luminous]

Is this your first resident evil game?


Uh...no, but it is now 2009. Before there were dual analog sticks the controls were somewhat understandable. Now, no thanks. I know it is survival horror, I get that, but there is no excuse for not being able to shoot or reload while you are moving. They made some strides with RE4, but still not working for me.

I really liked RE2, it was great, but now I am too used to being able to actually move and shoot (shocking concept I know). Like Yankee said if you want it to be similar to a Gears type third person game you have to update the controls. If you want to keep the survival horror thing going that is fine as well. I played the demo a couple of times and I hated the controls, HATED them.


You should have played it at E3. The controls now are 10x better.

That is just pathetic.

[Frogacuda]

there is no excuse for not being able to shoot or reload while you are moving.
I can see how that would heighten tension. Survival horror is about limitations. That makes the prospect of being caught needing to reload scarier.

But on the other hand, I don't see RE5 as an earnest survival horror game. You play a beefed up badass character with lots of guns, and it does seem more like a shooter (RE4 did too), so in that sense maybe they should have just gone all out commando with it like you're saying. I personally don't think that direction is the one I want to see the series go, but they should pick one and stick with it.


That is just pathetic.
Yeah, it had classic "tank" controls like Doom, where left and right rotate you and up and down walk forward and back. When you pull the trigger, you can aim. I think the not being able to run and shoot thing is probably a vestige of this control scheme.

FPS-style dual analog controls are intuitive for us, but considered too complex in Japan so I think they're still going with that control scheme for the Japanese release.

[Bruhaha69]

I don't think Yankee is right in that they're trying to make it like Gears. It's not supposed to be like that at all. This is not a run and gun action game, a first person shooter or even a third person shooter. If you play the game, shooting everything in sight, you will probably fail.

It's still all about survival horror but since 4, has a lot more action involved. In a game like Gears, the odds are never really against you. You can easily be a one-man team (or take your friend and be a two man army). In RE4 and 5, the odds are always against you. Survival is still the name of the game.

I think the problem is that the devs rely too much on a lack of precise, quick action controls to keep the feeling of being overwhelmed alive. They haven't found a good way to make the controls more accessible and fast without making you too powerful.

EDIT: to what Frog said about FPS type controls, I think that would make the characters way too powerful in RE and then force them to make enemies a lot quicker and smarter which would lead to this game truly becoming a standard action game instead of the survival horror action game it is now.

I initially had these same shitty feelings towards the controls, but I quickly said "fuck it" to those feelings. I know this is RE and that these controls work for the game. They worked for 4 and they'll work for 5.

[Luminous]

I can see how that would heighten tension. Survival horror is about limitations. That makes the prospect of being caught needing to reload scarier.

But on the other hand, I don't see RE5 as an earnest survival horror game. You play a beefed up badass character with lots of guns, and it does seem more like a shooter (RE4 did too), so in that sense maybe they should have just gone all out commando with it like you're saying. I personally don't think that direction is the one I want to see the series go, but they should pick one and stick with it.

I totally understand the survival horror aspect, but like you said they really aren't staying with that direction. Great point about the main character, Redfield is all jacked up and looks like he could roll with any of the standard action shooter heroes. So telling me he can't move and shoot or even move and reload is almost ridiculous. Whether or not it is intentional for the tension of the game.



Yeah, it had classic "tank" controls like Doom, where left and right rotate you and up and down walk forward and back. When you pull the trigger, you can aim. I think the not being able to run and shoot thing is probably a vestige of this control scheme.

FPS-style dual analog controls are intuitive for us, but considered too complex in Japan so I think they're still going with that control scheme for the Japanese release.

If that is the case fine as I have no idea at all, but the dualshock controller must have been out in Japan for years now so I can't imagine it being too foreign. Then again how many shooters are all that popular in Japan? Either way I am obviously not a fan on the control scheme.

[Frogacuda]

If that is the case fine as I have no idea at all, but the dualshock controller must have been out in Japan for years now so I can't imagine it being too foreign. Then again how many shooters are all that popular in Japan? Either way I am obviously not a fan on the control scheme.

It's not that the dual analog controller is alien, but the right stick is treated as a camera stick, not something used for movement and aiming. Remember first-person gaming is very unpopular there, so while we've been playing games that control like this since early last-gen, it's alien to them and maybe overwhelming.

Watch someone who hasn't played games in years, maybe someone who fell off around the genesis or PS1 era, try to play Halo. It's difficult for them. That's what Japan is going through. I imagine they'll grow out of it as western games continue to gain popularity there.

[DarthArcturus]

I dunno guys, I just could not accept the controls for RE 5 and the odd thing is I loved RE 4 on gamecube. I need to give the demo another try but it just felt dated.

I agree about a space sim and HAWX. Was not impressed by it at all, and I'd love to see a serious star wars space sim again.

[Conjoshus]

The crazy thing is that MKII was the number 2 dl game on PSN in dec I believe.

I was about to say the same thing.

Damn right UMK3 is still selling, Mortal Kombat is fucking awesome.

[Luminous]

It's not that the dual analog controller is alien, but the right stick is treated as a camera stick, not something used for movement and aiming. Remember first-person gaming is very unpopular there, so while we've been playing games that control like this since early last-gen, it's alien to them and maybe overwhelming.

Watch someone who hasn't played games in years, maybe someone who fell off around the genesis or PS1 era, try to play Halo. It's difficult for them. That's what Japan is going through. I imagine they'll grow out of it as western games continue to gain popularity there.

Good point, most people that stopped playing games around then or earlier do have a tough time with the dual analog set-up for FPS games. I know my wife has real trouble just walking around in Halo....lol.

Well unfortunately for me and for Capcom I am not feeling the controls. Survival horror or not, I am not interested. I could care less if it makes the characters too powerful, make the game more like SURVIVAL horror with being outnumbered, not having a lot of ammo, etc. There are ways around that control scheme, but hey it's one less game I have to play. It feels to me like the controls make the game difficult in the wrong way, but again that is just my opinion.

[YankeeH8er]

Bru I only said the Gears thing because I read an interview with someone at Capcom talking about RE5 and they sqaid that they added new controls schemes to make the game feel more like Gears of War.

[Bruhaha69]

Well, jeez. If that was their intention then I'd agree they fucked it up.

[Frogacuda]

Well, jeez. If that was their intention then I'd agree they fucked it up.

If you played it before, you wouldn't say that. "More" is a comparative term.

[Bruhaha69]

If I played RE? Frog, I've played and completed RE, RE2, RE Nemesis, RE Code Veronica, RE4, Gears and Gears 2. I think that gives me plenty of room to say what I want about it.

If they claimed to be trying to make this game "more" lke Gears as Yankee is telling me, then I would say they fucked up and missed the mark. If Yankee is incorrect, then I stand by everything I posted earlier in the thread.

Also, I beat both demo levels without any deaths and killed both boss creatures with no hint or strat guide.....I know how to play Resident Evil. The controls don't scare me.

And I know more is a comparative term, but having played Gears, RE4 and the demo for RE5, I can tell you this is no more like Gears than RE4 was, so they still look like assholes for saying it and they missed the mark of making ANY progress toward that goal as far as I'm concerned. It would have been more accurate to say "we want to make this more like Gears but without making any changes".

To me, it's a mistake for them to try and make the game more Gears like in the first place.

[Luminous]

If I played RE? Frog, I've played and completed RE, RE2, RE Nemesis, RE Code Veronica, RE4, Gears and Gears 2. I think that gives me plenty of room to say what I want about it.

If they claimed to be trying to make this game with similar gameplay to Gears as Yankee is telling me, then I would say they fucked up and missed the mark. If Yankee is incorrect, then I stand by everything I posted earlier in the thread.

Also, I beat both demo levels without any deaths and killed both boss creatures with no hint or strat guide.....I know how to play Resident Evil. The controls don't scare me.

And I know more is a comparative term, but having played Gears, RE4 and the demo for RE5, I can tell you this is no more like Gears than RE4 was, so they still look like assholes for saying it and they missed the mark of making ANY progress toward that goal as far as I'm concerned. It would have been more accurate to say "we want to make this more like Gears but without making any changes".


I think Frog was just comparing the original RE5 controls he played at E3 to the ones on the current demo. He said they were even worse before.




The controls still suck. :p

[Bruhaha69]

O, hahaha. Then sorry for blowing up, Frog. Haha.....man. I think I've been too tense lately. I gotta start drinking again.

I still know what "more" means, though....I'm not a fucking idiot.

[YankeeH8er]

Here you go Bru.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/906/906950p1.html

[Bruhaha69]

Hmmm....weird.

You know.....if they wanted to go that route, they should have just added strafing and walking/running reloads like I said before. If that's what people are clamoring for and it can still feel like an RE game, just do it. It worked for Dead Space, although that was a lot less large scale actiony.

[Hunter]

Buying equipment for your ship and swaping out weapons between missions I felt made it more of a space sim then a shmup.


Don't remember that from the demo, maybe it wasn't in there.

[Newport420]

I gotta side with Luminous and others that feel that RE controls just plain blow. Sure they are better now than before but still. They adda degree of frustration to the game that is completely uneeded and DO NOT add to the game in any way IMO. Sure they are workable.... but it woudl gain them a LOT of sales if they made it more customizable..... much like Halo and other games do. I still think you should be able to completely customize every button in every game... but alas I do not ruel the world. :p

[Advocate]

You all know RE5 Has two control schemes ... right?

The one that's default is the old RE setting and the other is the newer Gears style.

[Frogacuda]

You all know RE5 Has two control schemes ... right?
Yeah, the new one and the old one. I think the new one is the American default and the old one is the Japanese default.

But the problem with this is that one is mechanically beholden to the other. In the Japanese controls, it doesn't make sense to be able to walk and shoot, because then you can't aim. So that's why you can't do it with the other controls.

Anyway, I really don't think it's so bad. I think some limitations in a game with a survival horror theme can make things scarier. I kind of with RE5 would go all-out survial-horror instead of trying to walk the line.

But then a lot of people don't like what I would call "true" survival-horror games anymore. People want their games to be male power fantasies about running fast and shooting a million dudes and feeling like a badass, and they call games where the characters are slow and weak "sluggish" and "clunky." Difficult games have fallen out of fashion too. Survival Horror games have to be tough and require strict resource conservation, which can mean practical dead ends for the unskilled.

Though to be fair, Dead Space managed to pull off the survival-horror thing while still having modern controls and bit of flash and it went over pretty well (though not as well as it should have). I guess it can be done, but I still think people try to hard to hold SH games accountable to a standard that doesn't make sense for them.

[NeoZeedeater]

I guess it can be done, but I still think people try to hard to hold SH games accountable to a standard that doesn't make sense for them.
Truth. I'm kind of in awe at how badly last year's Alone in the Dark got bashed in nearly every review except your TNL one. I loved the game almost as much as Dead Space.

[Frogacuda]

Alone in the Dark was a good story away from greatness. Well, that and the obnoxious root-hunting bit.

Stuff that I thought was really cool (like having to manage your inventory while the action is going on) was perceived as a tragic flaw by other reviewers. C'est la vie.

[Luminous]

You all know RE5 Has two control schemes ... right?

The one that's default is the old RE setting and the other is the newer Gears style.


Yes and both suck.



So if Dead Space can pull it off, why can't RE? If they want me to feel like I am in a survival horror game the hero needs to be less badass and more everyman. Being a cop is okay, but not Supercop. I said it already, but they made Redfield look like every other "badass" hero in games. So to do that and then make him feel like a rookie with the controls doesn't work.

I have been eyeing up Alone in the Dark, but I have other games to play and other games ahead of it on the "to get" list. Such as Dead Space and Mirror's Edge.

[Frogacuda]

Being a cop is okay, but not Supercop. I said it already, but they made Redfield look like every other "badass" hero in games. So to do that and then make him feel like a rookie with the controls doesn't work.
Agreed with this. There's an identity crisis with this game. It seems like they want to turn it into an action game, but they either don't want to go all the way with it or don't know how. They should probably pick one or the other.

[NeoZeedeater]

Alone in the Dark was a good story away from greatness. Well, that and the obnoxious root-hunting bit.

Stuff that I thought was really cool (like having to manage your inventory while the action is going on) was perceived as a tragic flaw by other reviewers. C'est la vie.
I actually liked the root hunt at first as I encountered some cool emergent situations that made me play creatively but when they continued with that in the next chapter, it started pissing me off.

[Frogacuda]

Yeah, Chapter 7 when they were just like "Find 73 more roots" was a pain in the ass. Yeah, they let you skip it once you get like half of them, but it's still really blatant filler.