kisrael

Interesting topic. ChuChu is cool, but...stressfull I'd say. It's really hard to bend your mind around all the moves and countermoves going on sometimes. I'm really particular about buying games, unless its multiplayer, in which case I'm a bit of a sucker, even though when my friends come over we usually experiment little, mostly sticking with the proven favorites. I definately know the feeling of not having the same amount of time to pour into gaming. In fact, I really try to maximize the bang for the buck, in terms of time, by having no qualms about going to a FAQ or walkthrough as soon as things get tough. The things, I've seen things in games that I know I never would have been able to get past on my own, either because I'm stupid or just not wiling to put enough time trying every little thing. So while I don't want to be "led by the hand" for everything, challenge for its own sake doesn't interest me either.

Oh, I got into it alright, though that was when it first came out. Now I'd be sure to play it with an emulator with save/restore state. I guess I had forgotten how 'mean' those games could be...I mean, you can fairly easily get taken out by a monster at the begining of the board (in this case I'm thinking of those little "propeller beanie" guys at the start of one of the stages, forget which) if you didn't learn the patterns (and how to react to them) right quick! That's something missing in today's 3D platformers. Heck, it's not even really there in Metroid Fusion...

Punctuate much? Eh, typical GC hater. I think. Maybe he was for it, I couldn't really tell. Almost every time someone votes against the GC you jump right in with your little comments and try to make it sound like they have some personal hatred against Nintendo. I was making a small joke...in the end, I wasn't 100% positive he was anti-GC because his sentences all ran together. And then I put in a cheap shot "eh, typical" to try to be cute. I probably shoulda included a winking smiley. Yeah, I know people aren't as concerned about this as I am, I'm making too big a deal. I still think the people who are pro-controller (either GC or Jaguar) have made better cases than the people who slam them, and more people have slammed the GC. But I think better of the Jaguar Controller than I did before this thread, the keypad may be a little goofy, but now I can see it would be great for something like Doom. I ask these questions because I like a decent discussion, and would like to hear explanations for opinions that I don't yet share. For instance, I learned more about the Jag controller. I really want to know why some people think the button layout is the worst ever, because I'm among the several people here who thinks it has a very intellingent layout. I think it might have to doing a soso job with some traditional fighters, but I'm not sure. I know I've been a bit of an ass and I'm sorry; but believe it or not, even though I have a strong opinion, I'd really like a decent discussion on this. That's why I'm willing to admit the GC controller faults. I guess I may be forgetting that since we can vote on any criteria we want, other people don't share mine. I really look to functionality (in an absolute scale) and innovation. Other people judge strictly on comfort, or functionality relative to when the thing came out.

Punctuate much? Eh, typical GC hater. I think. Maybe he was for it, I couldn't really tell.

Mmmm, the delicous smell of hyperbole. You musta got unlucky, then. Please explain why it's the worst button layout ever. I think it's the best, for reasons other people here and myself have already gone on about. I'm really surprised that more people don't miss the analog stick. Even the vectrex had that figured out...

Whatever. I don't want a brick. You think it's lighter or thinner than, say, the dualshock? And I still don't see how the Jaguar's is better overall. Seriously. People seem to take offense at anything that doesn't look like it was designed in 1980s Russia.

shrug, that's just the story I heard. "GCN" is the "offical" abbreviation. Some people think it's a japanese thing maybe. I usually use "GC" myself.

Heh. I remember how tough the very first one was. The first game I *really* felt satisfied with myself for plowing through...I really liked the styling the old school NES MegaMan games had.

GCN is the "official" abbreviation. I think the more obvious "NGC" was "already taken" by "NeoGeo Color" or "CD" or something. You guys are all nuts, by the way. I guess this board is more about "Atari Age" than "Modern Gaming". I mean, "tinny"?? You guys and your frickin' andre the giant hands.

"appearance first and with no concern for function"--please back up that claim with details. The only way I see that as remotely true is with the D-pad, which is small. * the main analog stick is very comfortable, soft but with good traction * the buttons are well designed. You don't mix up A and B with X and Y--too many PS2 games having things randomly assigned to the 4 symbol buttons, and it takes a lot longer to remember which is which * the "gas pedal" shoulder buttons are excellent...you can really tell if its down all the way, half way, quarter way, etc. Compare that to the PS2's "all analog" crap, where buttons don't have far enough to tell how far they are, so everything feels mushy--plus it's way too easy to mixup R1 with R2 and L1 with L2. * for my medium large hands, everything is within very easy reach. I feel a lot more strain with the DualShock * the yellow "C-stick"...they decided to make it an actual stick rather than have the 4 directional buttons, which means they have fewer buttons to work with (i.e. its harder to assign functions to directions) but there are enough buttons that it's not much of an issue. * this stick is also terrific for FPS; comparing TimeSplitters on PS2 to TimeSplitters 2 on GC (haven't tried TS2 on PS2), the GC controller feels much better. I admit that this stick isn't as innovative as the SNES (button crosspad, shoulder buttons) or N64 (analog stick w/o losing other stuff, 4 ports on the console). But it's really well done. I don't understand what you mean by "appearance over functionality"...I mean I think it looks good too, in a tonka toy sort of way. I haven't used the Jag controller, but judging by it's functionality, it just looks like a competent crosspad controller. Plus the system didn't have 4 controller ports w/o a multitap. Seriously, besides extra buttons and the telephone pad, does this controller do anything that the SNES pad doesn't? There is no way in the big picture the Jag controller is better than the GC's, unless you only play games w/ the crosspad, in which case the GC's controller's small D-pad might be an issue.

PS, it wouldn't have made the difference, but in retrospect I shoulda taken the X-box controller over the SMS pad rather than abstain...neither are very innovative (which is really one of my most important criteria) but standards for controllers have risen ALOT since the SMS days.

The GC controller, while not flawless, is probably one of the best controllers in history. Comfortable, built-in rumble, 4 ports on the 'cube itself, well-placed and grouped buttons, excellent shoulder buttons (not of DualShock 2's "every button is analog and mushy"). The D-pad is a bit small, I grant that much. I haven't used the Jag controller, though it looks pretty damn limited, a day late, a dollar short. The keypad is amusingly retro. What games used it well? So I think Agent-X had the fairest analysis; I haven't noticed it being bad for fighting games (well, Smash Bros is the only one I play, and that's more of a brawler) or Sports (works fine for Sega Soccer Slam and Blitz...) but I'll take his word for it. And who the hell are you guys, Andre the Giant? I'm 5'11, normal sized hands, the GC fits fine. (without bending your thumbs the way DualShock2 does...though I think people should vote how it fits most people, not just themselves. Thus the original Xbox controller was probably too big, but I won't hold the fact that many people find the dual shcock uncomfortable against it in the voting...Troooper, I wish you'da reconsidered your vote, you seem to recognize some the the GC's qualitites...) Seriously, if a modern flexible (and comfortable for many) controller, with lots of useful controls and other features can't beat the Jaguar's, maybe ok for its time but only bringing a keypad to the table as something different than say the SNES (and also on the huge side) then this tourney is absolutely flawed. I could see the Atari 2600 stick edging out the N64, but this is really people voting 'cause they're biased against Nintendo or they're playing "mighta been" with the Jag. One vote for the GC. (And it's funny that the people who give the fairest assesment of its flaws are the ones who vote for it, besides that the arguments were more emotional, except for the size thing.)

I'm guessing he mistyped OT, Ogre Tactics No wait, that's not it. Huh.

What about Ogre Battle 64? Not N64, but how about Super Mario RPG on the SNES? I hate the genre myself...

Well, playing with GameFAQs search engine, no game had the word "Simpsons" "Bart" "Homer" or "Springfield" in the title, so I'm guessing probably not.

I wonder if there's a site just dedicated to Simpson's videogames. They really whored out the license, going all the way back to the NES! Like that weird one with Krusty the Klown and all the mice, kind of a Lemmings-genre-ish puzzle game if memory serves. There was a very good arcade game too, based on the TMNT four player engine. I think I MAME'd that all the way through at one point. (followup: duhhr, any sentence of the form "I wonder if there's a site..." should immediately be followed by a Google search, which found Noiseland Arcade.)

I think the more interesting "take on Crazy Taxi" is the head to head mode...though all the soundsamples don't hurt either. I'd say it's worth picking up because it's fun and cheap. I don't think it came out for DC tho.

They had Chef's Love Shack, which was just as bad as on N64, but with hideous loadtimes to go along with it. A Mario-Pary wanna be, with a small number of would be ok minigames that were hurt by there being no AI players if you weren't playing w/ a full house--and most of the games were a lot less fun with only 1 or 2 characters... Anyway, Simpsons Road Rage is a pretty darn decent Crazy Taxi clone...though it improves on the original with its head to head mode. Do any of the Crazy Taxi series have that? My favorite line: some passenger says something random and then Krusty says "Heh. Goyem."

I guess I abstain too, not having used either. If I had to guess, I'd probably vote for the DC-ripoff-revamp rather than the NES-ripoff, but hey.

I've given reasons why I think it's a good controller, I'm reading your rant, trying to figure out what exactly you think makes it a "piece of CR*P". So far, the only thing I can figure out is that the 3 prong design bugs you, without being able to easily reach the digital pad and the analog stick at the same time. (At least without reaching over with the right hand, taking it away from the other buttons, which is why most games assigned the D-pad to lesser functions.) Hell, I pointed that out in my argument, even along with the fact that the top of the analog stick is a little too rough. I don't see where either problem makes it drip with CR*Pitude. (Just out of curiousity, how did the SuperPad handle the L, R, and Z buttons?) Anyway, the N64 controller a comfortable, very decent to use design with great button grouping that reintroduced the analog stick and 4-ports-in-the-console. The Atari was an elegant looking, but less comfortable stick with, in the long run, extremely limited functionality. Unless you make a better argument, I don't think I need my head examined.

Sorry, despite my attempt at even-handed treatment, I thought my preference for the N64 was clear. It's a versatile, comfortable stick that raised the bar for controllers across the board. The atari stick was good for its time, but is ultimately hampered by its single button, and was only soso ergonomically.

The N64 has its share of supporters, but a LOT of people don't like it too...relatively few people are neutral about it...and I agree that this matchup will be the most interesting matchup of the first round. Interesting--I hadn't heard about the 3D0 controller connection! That was cool to know. Looking back, the Atari design was clasic, but having one button was really limiting. Games that had a guy jumping and firing had to assign jump to pressing up on the controller, tough to get as much precision.

Ugh, I was with you right until the "Nuff Said" which hardly ever indicates a nice way of talking. Anyway, I think the biggest difference between the DC and the GC is Nintendo's strength and weakness of its amazing stable. Sony and company just doesn't add up to the legacy Nintendo's history provides. Many many people want to buy into the Nintendo franchise, but sometimes it seems like there's not as much innovation there.

This is a tough one, but I think the people who are trashtalking about the N64's controller A. don't understand history and can't see the advances it brought to the table B. can't get over a few flaws to see it as a damn decent controller or C. Are just Nintendo/N64 haters in general. First, the classic Atari stick: it *was* a true classic. Back in the day, someone wrote that with its simple and elegant design "it's the only controller you wouldn't be ashamed to have seen sitting on your desk". In fact, for the old pixeltime site's "technology" section, I made a little 45x45 pixel tribute to it, included here. It was also cool how it set the standard for many 8bit machines, C=64 and Atari 8bits used it directly and the Colecovision and the Genesis built on it. Plus, it could be rewired for lefthanders... That said, it was only so-so as a stick. It was too hard to press, it wasn't fast, it wore down and broke, it was slow. Third party sticks, from the ones that came with the Coleco Gemini (known to me as the Columbia Home Arcade) to the tiny Amiga Power Sticks to the amazingly wonderful Epyx 500XJ all put it to shame. The N64 was a true innovation: * The re-appearance of the Analog stick. This hadn't been around since like, the vectrex and went hand in hand with the innovation of Mario 64. (and just like the first PSX sticks barely improved on the SNES pad, the Dual Shock ripped off the idea of analog sticks, 'til finally they became standard) *A lot of buttons, but very intelligently grouped. A vs B buttons were untuitive and not mixed up. Yellow C buttons formed an optional second crosspad, like on the SNES. Z and the shoulder buttons felt right as well. * 4 ports on the console without a multitap made it THE multiplayer system of the late 90s. * its expandability, while a little kludgey, allowed later developments like the rumble pack It wasn't perfect. The analog stick would get worn down a bit, and the top could hurt your hand (especially during the infamus "rotate the analog stick" boards on the first Mario Party). Idiots got confused by the 3 prong design. I don't think not being able to use the crosspad while in 'analog' mode was too big a deal though...there were enough buttons that the crosspad would only be needed for secondary functions. I don't think any other controller in history raised the bar so much, or had so many features blatantly copied as this controller. Both the Atari and the N64 were innovations, but the N64 got to benefit from 15 years of (largely Nintendo driven) advances in game controllers.

Huh, I used to think "Air Man" in MM2, but now it doesn't seem as great. I remember it being more jazzy, with a solo instrument in front. The title theme is really good, though the long intro to it kinda sucks.