Adrian M

The more I play it, the more I like the powerslide physics. For some reason, I'm reminded a little of Sega Rally when you initiate a slide and attempt to keep it going. I do like the long draw distance and the simplified control is disappointing at first for those who've logged some quality time with the latest batch of rally racing games, but you get used to it.

Shows you the special move combinations during training sessions and displays a progress bar during saves. Aside from that, 99% of the time it just displays the Shenmue II logo.

I bet its better if you got the PAL version thats like 60 bucks Not really. I owned both versions. The XBOX version is on one DVD (as opposed to 4 GDROMs), slightly less slowdown, saving was faster and more convenient direct to the hard drive, and you could unlock some hidden comics with the photo aspect.

Uh, didn't you just say Primal Rage looked "interesting?" Man, talk about a horrible game... Not only that, but the control and the special moves setup sucks big time. That 'hold down so and so buttons as you click in the attack with the joystick" was just too strange to be considered effective in a fighting game.

Again, if the noob asking the question is asking his/her question with some degree of thought and not outright DEMANDING an answer (a la Rocko) AND if said individual is not a fake account, then the approach is generally handled differently. My general approach is to do the searching myself for answers to my questions, not have others constantly doing the legwork for me.

News to me. Though, the recent DP-AA drama that unfolded a few months ago did make me chuckle a little.

Glad we agree on something See? We all CAN get along if we try!

Generalizing a bit, aren't we?

True indeed!

Please don't nuke the Politics & Religion forum or make it invisable. If you do that, all those topics will ooze into the other forums like nuclear waste, turning this site into a genetically altered hellfire of a site. At least by keeping all those posts together at the bottom of the forums, they're easy to ignore. If you want, I'll help mod that forum. I have no problem locking a thread that turns into a flame war. :wink: I disagree. Before the unrelated forum was split up, the number of politics/religion themed posts was mercifully low. The few threads that DID show up were mostly civil and generated some interesting responses--nothing like it is today.

Oh....looks like the Paypal site just came up after some 5 minutes of loading. Logged in successfully...now let's see if I can purchase this item. Ack...too slow. No thanks then. I'll just hold off until it's up and running correctly again.

I do my best to help out the Noobs. Hell, I was a noob once too. That is, when I know for a fact that they are legitimate noobs and not some spammer hiding behind a fake account. As long as the questions are asked with some degree of thought and not just (as Rocko is known to do) outright demand answers. Only then will I point them in the direction of Google or whatever search device that happens to come to mind at that particular moment.

I just want to buy something using my PayPal account and I can't even access the page. I'd hate having to resort to using a money order like the old days.

What do you have for MVS? I have almost the entire Metal Slug series in complete kit form as well as a few KOF's and SSV.

The problem, to me, is that this site no longer seems to be primarily about the hobby. But rather, the popular topics today are about politics, religion, or other pointless matters. What caused this? I'd point to the separation of the unrelated forum is what caused this rash of hatred and separation. I agree with liquid_sky...things were different back in 2001. I do my part to try to liven things up a bit, but in the end, it seems as if people would rather talk politics or cry about the fact that I insulted their beloved Nintendo game or something.

Hehe! I appreciate your honesty. Oh, and I can assure you that my DC collection is rather sparse (only Shenmue and Soul Calibur remain) and there isn't a single Playstation product in my possession!

Feel free to put me on ignore if my posts bother you. I won't be offended!

Good points. Hell, if we want to gripe about topics around here, then let's talk about some of these which have popped up in the past: 1. Microsoft just released a special-edition case! 2. Sega got bought. Hah, hah, hah! 3. Threads which pops up everytime a new game is released for the xbox. 4. Threads which start out, "Which console is better...?" Those just degenerate into flame wars and tend to drag on for pages. 5. Any thread which starts out with, "(insert console/handheld name here) sucks." We get treated to more whining from someone who decided Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo or whatever has treated them badly. More flame wars result. I could post some more examples, but the point is made. If we start complaining about people new to classic gaming and are just looking for a little advice, let's talk about some of the posters around here who seem to have no mission but to irritate people as often as possible. Or, we could just decide to be a little less anal retentive about what goes on in the forums, huh? Amen! I find those very same topics annoying as well! LOLZ!!!

Oh oh.. We agree.... Sort of. Perhaps a mandatory etiquette tutorial? What we don't agree on: I belong to many forums that treat their new members well...In fact great, as they realize that new life, is continuing life. This forum will be pretty lame when it's only the top twenty posters, typing out retardicons as quick as they can to keep up, don't ya think? If this site encouraged new members, someone like Kepone would be warned of his actions by someone other than regular old posters like myself. Check his posts. He will, at first chance, throw a rolly eyes retardicon on someone not being the "perfect poster". Too many established members of this site are elitist. Thoughts like that will not expand the hobby., It will only contract it. Kepone would be a great case study for that. I see what you're saying and you do make some valid points. And yes, the bulk of what constitutes a high post count is usually spam. To me, I look at these forums as a fun little diversion for which to spend a few sporadic minutes a day while at work. Granted, you can learn a lot here and get some answers to your questions, but in the grand scheme of things it is just a forum....text on a screen if you will. That is why I do not make a particularly concerted effort to "get along" or "be welcoming"...I read and speak my mind and that is all. Perhaps my approach is wrong for this community, but in the end, I am not overly concerned!

I have to ask, why do you read those threads if you're bored with them? I know sometimes the title is too vague to get the meaning but it just seems an easy thing to ignore if it bugs you. Who says I read them? The point is, many of them show up under the topics list in the various forums.

Then perhaps there should be a newbie faq forum or a brief explanation of the forum's features when they sign up.

I actually welcomed games with endings back in the day. While I liked my Atari 2600, one could only play a game so much which featured endless stages or infinite waves of enemies. The absolute worst thing were games that ramped up their difficulty to near insane levels as you progressed...you literally would only get by on sheer luck and things only got worse the more you advanced. That is why I enjoyed playing through 32 stages of Super Mario Bros and having my hard work rewarded with a brief ending sequence. Difficulty increased gradually, but within reason. Replayabilty was boosted since you didn't feel the frustrating dread of those near impossible later stages so prevalent in the Atari 2600 (and arcade) games of the era.

Newbies generally get the same response on any other forum. I don't necessarily belittle newbies (check my post history), but it does get a bit tiresome to see the same "What's your favorite 2600 game" or "How do I hook up my 2600" threads 10 times each month. Face it, society in general is becoming ruder and less receptive in real life, so why should an online community be any different?

Ironically enough, one of my motivating factors for buying the XBOX (aside from the hatred of Sony) was not only for Halo but also to play the US release of Shenmue II which Microsoft had scooped up from the ashes of Sega during their crash-and-burn period. I had the DC and truly enjoyed Shenmue...when the DC was pronounced dead by Sega, there were still a trickle of titles coming out here and there with Shenmue II being readied for a stateside release. They even advertised it. But alas, only the Euros and Japanese got the DC version of Shenmue II. When I heard that Microsoft was going to bring the game out complete with English dialog, that only reaffirmed my faith in the company and their stance in bringing GAMERS the games they wanted. By and large, you look at how Microsoft has been to gamers and developers, you'll see that they are taking the right approach and catering to both segments. It was a refreshing change, and considering how the whole DC debacle left a sour taste in my mouth in regards to next-gen consoles, the XBOX is truly the reason why I still play newer games.

Congrats and welcome to the club! You really can't go wrong with 90% of the XBOX library! Just stay away from the PS2 and DC ports and you'll be OK!