Castlevania 360

[Dark Jaguar]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152635

Symphony of the Night as a download in Arcade.

Problem as I see it? First, this'll take up a chunk of space unless they do some compression. Second, it is the PS1 version. Since I already have the PS1 version, that means I'm not nearly as interested as I would be if it was the Saturn version. Well, the PS1 version had some better visuals. So, I submit that they should basically stuff in all the extras of the Saturn version into this game.

[The Former DMiller]

I just realized the Wii would be an awesome platform for the next Castlevania game as would an Indiana Jones game. Basically anything with a whip would be cool so I guess a bondage game would be good too.

[Great Rumbler]

It probably won't take up more than 100MB or so, which isn't THAT much.

[Dark Jaguar]

The game pretty much took up the whole CD, so unless they compress it, that's half a gig, and on a system where, after downloading all updates, you are left with about 8 gigs of usable space, that's important.

[A Black Falcon]

DJ, not all CD games used the whole CD... it's quite possible that the game is just a couple hundred megs. And they could presumably compress the audio and stuff to shrink it more...

[Dark Jaguar]

Yeah, as I said at first. The game did use almost the whole CD from what I recall though, so it as of itself would take up a chunk of space without compression. With today's lossless compression formats (which are nice but they of course don't compress as much as the lossy formats), I'm sure a chunk of space could be saved.

At any rate, the idea of storing a large number of games on that small amount of space we are given access to on the 360 drive is eventually going to require buying more hard disks. 20GB is not what MS actually lets you use to store data :D.

By the way, even though the 360 can rip songs off CDs and store them, I have no reason to do that, ever. The system has the abililty to both read MP3s off devices plugged into USB (like a memory card or an iPod, though you do have to download the iPod plugin onto the system it is a free download that takes about a second) AND to connect to any computer you have properly set up (using a special media setup application from MS to apply the right security permissions for a 360, specifically YOUR 360 and no others) and browse every single folder to use whatever music you may have stuck in there. As such, I just rip all my music to my own computer and play it all from my 360. Further, yes the OS which allows you to replace the universal music track of the games (MS apparently forced a standard for which audio channel music is played on so that they can all be shut off this way) with your own lets you use music from devices connected these two ways in the same way. I have no reason to store any music on the 360 itself due to this. (Note that this doesn't work for original XBox games, though I believe those specially programmed can still access song playlists stored on the 360 itself, I have no games that actually support that.)

And, now they are going to allow you to chat over a web cam on the 360. I think I'll not be doing that, and I think I'll be disabling the ability to see other people. I'm pretty sure I don't want any part of that.

[A Black Falcon]

How about that 900MB Prey demo then, DJ? :)

... I played it, actually, on a demo station (Prey). Very impressive graphics, but technically I now understand all of the criticisms aimed its way... it's pretty sad when the old 1998 edition impresses people more than the newly released title. :)

(http://www.apogeegames.com/prey/files/files.htm)

Um, as for the topic, basically the solution is that MS needs a larger HDD option. 60GB at least, but larger than that would be nice too.

[Dark Jaguar]

I thought it was fun, because of the portals and all, but if you can't create your own then another little game coming up soon will kick it's arse. At any rate, yeah, you can only hold a few demos at a time, but demos are things I delete when I'm done with them anyway.

[A Black Falcon]

My point with that post was that you should watch the iMHZ 1998 video interview. The original version of Prey not only DID have user-creatable portals, but you could do things like drop several of them and shoot yourself... :) Plus, it had awesome destructable environments, at least as good as Red Factions'! Watch if you haven't before...

Also, the portals are visible from a lot farther away than the three-foot vision range of the new Prey's portals...

[Dark Jaguar]

You can shoot yourself in this one too. And, the draw distance is a lot farther, sometimes across the room (there's just some load times now and then). In fact one entire "maze" was made up of portals and I ended up chasing myself all over the place and confusing myself.

[A Black Falcon]

No, the draw distance for seeing through the portals -- I played the X360 demo, they turn black at a couple of feet away...

[Dark Jaguar]

That's not what I noticed... I mean maybe several meters away but two feet? What I noticed was a big room full of portals and later a big hallway that was made OUT of portals (not the circular ones, these were set up in a way that you only realize what's going on when you notice you are chasing yourself, I had to think 4D, except I'm not capable of doing that so I ended up just experimenting until I stumbled on the exit, though I'm sure if I had a pad and paper I could have mapped it in mathematical form (representing the 4th as "W" or something) and calculated my position that way).

[A Black Falcon]

Just watch the old video and see what I mean...

I will say though that the graphics in Prey for X360 are really nice...