Right. I've just played Xbox260. f***n it's cool.
The games I played on the bus:
Fight Night Round 3
DOA4
That's it.
FN3: Best looking thing I've seen. The gameplay videos look f***ing sweet, but they really don't do it justice.
This game is all about the graphics really. Gameplay is of course very similar to the previous ***les, which can't be a bad thing. The detail in the boxers though is superb.
You can feel every punch.
As there is no HUD (optional), there are neat little things to show how well you are doing in terms of health/stamina.
If you misstime too many punches etc., you can actually see your man start to wear himself down. His shoulders seem to droop, and he just looks exhausted.
When you get hit by a stunner (happened once or twice
), the edges of the screen fade to black very slightly, showing that you need to ease up and take care...
The control seemed a little different... I eventually figured it out though.
What happens is that you push up on the analog stick to move across the screen towards the opponent, down to move away, and left or right to move sidewards. At first I though the controls were just buggy. Was a little peeved. Sweet as.
DOA, I didn't get any real time with it... But it felt exactly the same as DOA2 imo... Meh. Great detail in the environments, but characters didn't look as great as I was hoping. Very smooth though. Menu is exactly the same as DOA Ultimate.
The controller isn't as perfect as I though it would be. It feels smaller than the Controller S, and is very very comfortable, with every button in very nice places... However, the thumbsticks feel too spongy for my liking, and the D-pad is less solid feeling.
Also, the new shoulder buttons feel very clicky, but just don't feel "right".
All of this of course, will be very easy o get used to.
One thing though, while the graphics are great in the games, I have some concerns. With Fight Night, the gameplay felt a little less respnsive than the previous ***les. In Rd 2, when you blocked, it was very quick. Of course, the animation looked like it was skipping a few frames, and just jumping to position, but it was very responsive. In Rd. 3, those missing frames are there, and theres now a more realistic animation for the blocking. It feels a little slower. This isn't bad, as it feels realistic, and actually quite good.
That was just an example though... But as a whole, the game feels a little less responsive. My concern is, that with this new generation, the whole thing will be about the graphics. Everything will have smooth 60fps animations, and at the gameplays expense.
On my drive home (oh yeah, I stopped off in Harvey Norman and played PGR3. Great game. 'Nuff said), I said to myself amidst my buzzing out "I don't need to fork out shitloads of money for this. I have my Xbox. I have my V8 Race Driver 3 (now), I can get this later. First I shall save up for a car, and upgrade my drums etc."
I said "By god, you're right!!. Thanks sexy, mysterious stranger!".
In all it was a good day.
