Post your comments (bad or good) here. I will also use this board to report major updates.

Could someone put up a "Video Games" board?

Could you clarify that?

I meant a games board for Playstation and N64 games so the nitpickers without good PC games could talk about platform games. Thanks.

Uh, I think you need to e-mail Phil about that. I'm doing a PC Games board, and there are enough of those without adding consoles as well.

There seems to be a lot of demand for a console board. I don't know enough to run a proper board, so I'll make a 'Create New Conversation' board. If it is successful, then someone else can try and get permission for their own Console Games board.
Note that this is veru temporary.

Now there's a Consoles board (run by Matthew Patterson), I've deleted the temporary section here.

Please add Star Craft and Brood Wars. They are two very good games.

I don't know how I missed those. I've spent many a happy evening playing multiplayer Starcraft

Could you please add a section for Wizardry7 ?

Ed Jefferson : Question:
A while back I let my friend use Heavy Gear and Jedi Knight but they won't work under her Win 98. They work fine under Win 95, so what's the problem, and can it be solved by using a "patch"?
I appreciate any suggestions you can offer.

Ha! Windows problems! Love them! Eternally glad I don't have them!

I have no idea, sorry. You might want to check the Lucasarts website. (www.lucasarts.com?)

Thanks anyway Ed.
Mpatterson, at least Window lets you run good games not that Mac or Linux or whatever stuff you're using (And NO, that was not a flame, just saying Windows is cool...).

If Windows has so many good games, then why do most Mac and windows users play the same ones? Rebel Assault, Dark Forces, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Myth, Quake, Carmageddon, Myst, etc. One might say that Mac users get the games that survive the Windows market. This way, we only get the cream of the crop. (Oh, let's not forget Tomb Raider.) Plus, we get Virtual Game Station, which allows us to play at least a hundred PlayStation games perfectly and a significant fraction of the others acceptably. While I'm here, I might as well mention Starcraft, and Episode 1 Racer, and Oni, and marathon, and Descent, and Madden NFL 2000, and Diablo, and Zork, and Age of Empires, and Civilization, and Rainbow Six, and Deer Avenger, and Unreal, and almost every Star Trek title. All of these are currently available or will be available within six months.

And might I mention that Quake III test is currently available only for the Mac?

Mpatterson, I of course respect your opinions and all but I wonder: (And this isn't a flame either...)how do you play Quake with that one-button mouse and tiny monitor?
I am sorry if I offended you in any way.

Answer: Get a cheap multi-button mouse or gamepad and get a bigger monitor. Only the iMacs are all-in-one. You can get monitors up to 22 inches in size. (What exactly led to the "tiny monitor" thing? Do you think the only Macs in existence are iMacs?)

No, I don't think that!!! It's just that all the Macs I have seen have had really small monitors. But then you're right Matthew, you're right...Sorry. I guess the newer Macs do have large monitor capability.

Please don't think I'm some fool who hates Macs or Apple or...you!!! And no, I'm not anti-Mac or anything like that.

All right already!!! And all this bickering just because I wanted to know if my Win 95 games would work with Win 98. Let's just be friends (Actually we already are on other boards...) :^)

Most Macs do have large monitor capability. SOme of the really old ones don't though.

Most of the PC users I've seen don't have a monitor beyond 15" either. I have no idea how the 15" size got to be ubiquitous. I don't have a huge monitor because I have an iMac and can't use one, and I have reservations about getting a computer monitor that's bigger than my TV.

Rebel Assault, Dark Forces, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Myth, Quake, Carmageddon, Myst

THese games are a little dated aren't they? The fact is that no-one makes games for the Mac. They make games for the PC and then convert them.

The list of games like Unreal, Civilization, Rainbow Six, Starcraft etc. only backs this up. Unreal is available on a budget label already for the PC.

Oh and my advice for anyone with problems with Win98.... reinstall 95 ;-) Windows is not cool. Windows is a piece of ****. But it is pretty much the only option on PCs (OS Warp anyone?)

THen how do you explain Quake III Test being available only for the Mac? And why should it matter who gets the games first, since the majority of the people don't buy the games whn they first come out anyway? (Or at least I don't.) In a lot of cases, the Mac versions of games are superior to the PC version. And PC useres still don't have the option of getting Virtual GameStation and popping in Crash Bandicoot or Final Fantasy VII.

I know a few people who use Linux all the time and they're pretty happy with it. Course, they switch to Windows to do games and such, but it's better than nothing.

The Mac versions would be superior because they have had anywhere from 6-24 month from the PC release. A lot of the time, the sequel will be available before it is released on the Mac.

Anyways, the Quake 3 thing isn't really valid, as there are Linux and Win32 versions already up on www.quakearena.com. And if it is released on the Mac, it won't necessarily be better. Where do you get off with the 'Macs are better... because they are' argument.

No offense, but PCs are easily as good as Macs for games. This is why the PC gaming industry is so much bigger, although a lot smaller than the console gaming industry.

Oh yeah, and about Linux. Nice idea in theory, but if you're going to use Windows for one thing, it's easier to use it for everything.

I would say that the majority of people buy games when they first come out, or at least when they are first released on budget. (I know that 67 people will now post saying that I'm wrong, but I'm generalising. Real Mac/PC users probably are more choosy, but Joe Public buys the games on the 'pretty lights' priniciple.)

I checked the virtual gamestation site, and it said that it will only wouk with games from North America. So, being in the good old UK, won't do much good for Mac users here.

Please don't hit me with a big stick. I am a fool, and know not what I do. Please don't hit me. Please. Usual quote back.

"CURSE YOU GOD FOR MAKING ME THIS WAY!!!"

Oh well. So sorry. I've never understood why UK versions are different. I mean, American English and British English are different, yes, but that's mostly in slang and colloquialisms and such. Or is it a more subtle modification in the game machines?

I won't aregue that there are far more PC games than Mac games. But when you get right down to it, the difference is kinds academic. So you have 3,000 games for one platform and 10,000 for the other. That's still more than are available for any one console, more than any three people could play in their lifetimes, and far more than anyone ever wanted or needed.

I'd mention one reason why PCs are not as good as Macs for games. Most of them do not have 3D graphics acceleration built in. Each and every Blue G3 tower has an ATI Rage 128 2D/3D accelerator built in with 16 megs of VRAM, capable of displaying millions of colors at 1600x1200 resolution. For a PC, you have to buy a Voodoo card or some such nonsense to plug in. Also, Mac graphics (overall) are generally superior to PC graphics. This is why professional page layout (newspapers, etc.) and graphic design is done on Macs.

But anyway, it doesn't matter, since the console market is still the driving force in games. (Read recently where Microsoft may be porting console games like Metal Gear Solid to the PC. Oh joy. An inferior PS game on the PC. On the other hand, this means we can have Age of Empires on the PSX/Dreamcast.)

I have no desire to anger you again, Matthew, but come on, Metal Gear Solid was the best video game ever. Have you actually played it? "Inferior" is not a word most gamers would use to describe it. Having a port over to the PC would be a dream come true for MGS fans.

Any serious gamer will have a voodoo, although that isn't the only choice.

I would agree that Macs are better for professional graphics and DTP, but then they are mainly used in those areas.

And don't slag off MGS.

Ok. That's the end of this. No more flames on the comments board people. Any more Mac/PC flame wars can go on the gamer's sink.

Just for the record: ANy game which takes less than a week to beat can never truly be called a "good" game. If you're looking for a challenge, I direct you to Zelda.\

While I'm at this, there will be an MGS vs. Zelda board open on the Console Games Sink shortly after I post this message.

I beat both MGS and Zelda in less than a week and I still think MGS is better. Zelda a challenge? Nah. It's one of the easiest games I have ever played. Not that I'm criticizing your skills, Matthew.

The difference between the US and the UK versions is the TV system, Previews Always Lie vs. Never The Same Color.

Could the moderator please add a section for the Mechwarrior (Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries and Mechwarrior 3) and Heavy Gear ( Heavy Gear, Heavy Gear 2) games?

Done.

Thank You!!!

Does anyone know how much a pentium celeron 450 and intel 440bx motherboard goes for, is it really cheaper than 150$?

1) No

and

2) Why is this on the comments/updates board? At the very least use the Sink.

As long as it's here… Pentium Celeron 450? Even I can tell you that you just named two different chips. Do you need a Pentium or a Celeron? (Go Pentium. If you absolutely must have a PC, Pentium is the only way to go.)

Actually that isn't necessarily true, Celerons have done very well in tests. Actually if I were buying just a new processer, I'd go with AMD every time.

ok- from now on this is the Comments/Updates/random discussion board, since it had turned that way anyway.

True. However, Pentiums offer greater sheer clock speed than either of the other two (as if that counted for much) and they have better graphics performance. Also I can't live without less than 512k of L2 cache. (Not that I need to worry about making this decision anytime soon.)

REAL UPDATE 28/8/99

If you want a game put up, e-mail me, DO NOT USE THE GAMER'S SINK.

Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, and Wolfenstien have been deleted, because I don't think they are suitable games for discussion at nitcentral. Unlike more recent FPSs, where there is a storyline and you have to complete objectives, the point of those games is really to be violent, and I have consulted with Phil, and we decided that they are not suitable for discussion here, as I would have said

Has anyone come across a truly bug-free version of Fallout 2 yet?????????????
The situation with bugged games is getting way out of control.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Matthew Patterson (Mpatterson) on Wednesday, July 7, 1999 - 04:01 pm:
Oh well. So sorry. I've never understood why UK versions are different. I mean, American English and British English are different, yes, but that's mostly in slang and colloquialisms and such. Or is it a more subtle modification in the game machines?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's due to the "Zone lockout" in the system
rom/game CDs that was put there for
marketing purposes. Basicly, it's designed
so titles/versions of a game made and marketed
in one country can't be used on a system for
another country. Frankly, I hate this idea.
I don't want a chip in a machine that I bought
telling me what I can and cannot run.
This was only done to protect distributors.
Even the 8bit NES had a zone lockout scheme
which could be bypassed, simply by snippingf
a lead on one of the chips inside, if i'm not
mistaking (there are instructions on the web
on how to do this). There are also MOD
chips available for the play station that can
bypass zone lock schemes, and I don't see why
the writers of the PSX emulator couldn't make
the program "universal". The whole idea
of a zone lockout to me is stupi d, and it's
idiotic garbage like this that helps take the pleasure out of new technology

They have actually made it universal, but until all the court proceedings are cleared up Connectix can't ship any new versions. They've also made a PC version and added support for 3D accelerator cards.

Nitpickers laugh a lot game: Sierra's Phantasmagoria by Roberta Williams. This game has so many bloopers its more scarier than the game. (Not saying the game is not scary. It's your basic interactive movie, but with disemmbowlments added to make it interesting.)
This is mostly because the game mostly used blue screen technique, but the actors were bad at it. Several characters close doors with their arm halfway through, and when you touch the TV with Harriet in the room, Harriet suddenly turns seven feet tall! If you want a game easy to nitpick, this is the one. Most of the bloopers are on Anthony Larmes, Review of Phantasmagoria page. Simply look up Review of Phantasmagoria on Yahoo.

The new Sierra game Gabriel Knight 3 give a very good idea of the mysteries of the Lanquedoc valley of France however there are two many unanswered questions. They can be explained, but there is a nit that can't.

In one of the ending scenes, Mosely is wearing a the red shirt that he wears during day 1 instead of the white one that he wears during the rest of day 3.

(this is an old post, but I'll respond anyway

By Matthew Patterson (Mpatterson) on Tuesday, July 6, 1999 - 06:42 pm:

If Windows has so many good games, then why do most Mac and windows users play the same ones? Rebel Assault, Dark Forces, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, Myth, Quake, Carmageddon, Myst, etc. One might say that Mac users get the games that survive the Windows market. This way, we only get the cream of the crop. (Oh, let's not forget Tomb Raider.)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>\

What about the many games that aren't so popular,
but are good. How 'bout Nitemare Creatures,
Mystic Towers, or even Nitemare 3d (3 games that
probaly wouldn't be considered very popular,
but I enjoy)? And what about the various betas,
tests, projects and such that started on the PC
(did you know a _very_ early prototype of
the engine used in Duke3d is available on
the net? I'm not even talking about
the "Lameduke" beta, which is also PC-only)?
I don't want the market to choose exactly
what I can and can't play, and as far
as major games go, it seems to be the
way Mac gaming is :\


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Plus, we get Virtual Game Station, which allows us to play at least a hundred PlayStation games perfectly and a significant fraction of the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PC users may also be getting it, if
Connectix wins (or won) the legal battle
with Sony.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
others acceptably. While I'm here, I might as well mention Starcraft, and Episode 1 Racer, and Oni, and marathon, and Descent, and Madden NFL 2000, and Diablo, and Zork, and Age of Empires, and Civilization, and Rainbow Six, and Deer Avenger, and Unreal, and almost every Star Trek title. All of these are currently available or will be available within six months.
>>>>>>>>>>

We get them sooner :>

>>>>>>
And might I mention that Quake III test is currently available only for the Mac?
>>>>>>>

And did you know thare are many tests out there
that are PC only? :>

Yes. Just pointing out that, no matter how bad ths situation was, it has improved considerably. I've always been of the mindset thta you should get a compter for what you need it to do. If you need one just for games, then get a much cheaper one called an N64 or PlayStation or Dreamcast. You won't be disappointed. (Then come to the Console Video Games board and talk about them...)

Also, legal battles between Sony and Connectix are ongoing... neither side has won yet. Ther is a PC emulator called Bleem!, but the Mac had one first!

REAL UPDATE 8/2/00

I've made the Games board public, so you can all add whatever games you want to see.

In the game Curse of Monkey Island the name of the Maximum Firepower cannon is the Destructomatic T-47. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT NUMBER?

Who in their right mind would say that the Q3:A test was only for the Mac?
I mean, it was at one time... But did you really think it would stay that way?
Which OS got the newer tests first (From 1.05 on up to 1.11 (current))?
(ok, I admit it, 1.11 isn't current if you include the kajillion-bajillion patches id has released since that day in December in which Q3 went gold)

heheh


Ohwell.

What does everybody think about the fabled Expansion pack for Q3:A?

The point is, it was on Mac and Linux before Windows.

Anyway, if you want gaming, buy a Nintendo and forget about the PC.

Even then, that was for how long?

And, surely you jest about buying a Nintendo :)

Doesn't matter for how long. Matters that it was first.

Even though, at this point, Nintendo no longer makes the superior console, I would rate it above the DC (although the DC is a close call) and the PS2 simply because it has more quality titles available, and more on the way.

Now if they'd just get off their butts with the Dolphin and release some specs, I would really have something to fight with.

And I'm not even going to mention the X-Box. 64 megs of RAM? Windows takes up about, what, 58? I'm real impressed. And what use is a hard drive in a console gaming machine?

Yea, I've heard (on ZDTV) that the Dolphin was delayed until late 2001, which doesn't help Nintendo's cause at all.
I would rate the Nintendo 64 above the DC for now. But, in about 6 months, hopefully Sega will get their Network up and running so you can play your DC games over the old "internet". However, lag will probably ruin it all. This doesn't help Sega's cause.
The behemoth PSX2... If the price is right it will sell really good. The kinks will probably (*hopefully*) be worked out by the time it ships over on the other side of the pond.
As for the X-Box... Who knows what Microsoft is up to. Maybe they'll put on Win2k, load it up with RAM, add ethernet, and maybe they'll let us use it to run an MP3 server or somethin'. It will probably be able to tell when you are about to turn it off and then it will do (A) turn itself back on (B) destroy other consoles in your house (C) burn down your house (D) kill your family and (E) propagate and spread future X-Box's around the world.

Yea, I've heard (on ZDTV) that the Dolphin was delayed until late 2001, which doesn't help Nintendo's cause at all.

Tragically, most news sources are under-informed. The American release has been pushed back to 2001. The Japanese release is still on schedule for 2000. The American media is terribly biased.

This also means that the Dolphin will be directly competing with the X-Box when they both finally come out. If ya ask me, M$ is doomed to failure with this project. Aside from their major applications (Windows, Office, IE, etc.), they really haven't been too successful with other things... a few keyboards and mice, but that's it. (That Intellimouse Explorer is sweet, though. All mice should be silver on top and glowing red on the bottom.)

SPOILER!!!


In the game Sanitarium, by ASC Games, in the labratory there is a blackboard, and from the far away view, you see a nice circle diagram, but in the close up view, its just text. I know the entire game is in the player's mind. But this is supposed to make sense.

Anyone hear about Microsoft's purchase of game developer Bungie? Apparently if they can't persuade other companies to make games for the X-Box, they'll do it themselves. I'm kinda scared... Bungie was originally Mac-only, and they still make the best Mac games there are. I hope Microsoft doesn't get all petty and restrict them to making X-Box games only.

If we can have a PC Games baord, how about a board for fans and users of the old Microcomputer age (BBC Micro, C64, Spectrum, Atari, dare I say Amiga?)?

Because you are still out there, aren't you?