Daman_He_Hate_Me
11-16-2003, 05:17 AM
Found out while on LIVE that the game was being sold by several retailers, quite early. When I went to EB they had it in the safe, with packaging that read "do not sell before 11/18/03." Turns out that some retailer began selling the game as soon as they got it, once that's done the other retailers can also begin selling it. I wonder if this was just part of MS "big plan" though.
The game itself is markedly improved, just from the little I've played. I don't like that you can't customize the control set-up like MGP2, the buttons I usually use for shifting are reversed. There are 4 different control schemes, so people should be able to find something they are comfortable with. The cars look flawless, they took away all the gloss and shine the cars had in the first game. The damage model is much more realistic. The geometry on the cars is really really good, the physics are improved also. The cars aren't as sloppy as the first game. When you bump into another car it doesn't send you careening off the track. It feels like a real collision. The AI at least with the slower cars is a bit better, I noticed on replays the AI adjusting for my position, hopefully this will carry on into the latter levels, where in the PGR the AI became horrendous.
LIVE is really intermixed throughout gameplay. After each race, LIVE will pop in with the scoreboard showing where u place in the "world" on that track. One track I actually placed 2nd in the world, that is likely not to last long. You can download ghost cars from people online and race 'em. One thing I really like is the powersliding, the first game it seemed really random. This game is solid and dependable, machine like precision. I execute the same move and the car behaves exactly the same each time. When I downshift and tap the emergency brake, the car slides in loses traction, picks back up traction with an arousing blast of smoke, the car tracks up and propels forward with precision. I switched to a MR-2 and the oversteer was incredible and consistent after each and every powerslide.
MS has fired the first shot, we will wait and see how GT4 turns out. But I just don't see it being this good. It'll be good in its own right, and has the tuning and upgrading that PGR2 doesn't have. But the seemless LIVE interaction and excellent driving model, visuals and graphics of PGR2 are gonna be hard to beat. Plus, I miss the KUDOS, something the franchise use to get razed about. But after all the other racers where all u do is have to win, no matter how ugly. It feels good to execute propers slides, overtakes cleanly and watch those KUDOS pile up. Plus the cone challenges are back, and after not having this feature in any other racer, you realize how cool it is.
I don't think this game will be that great online though, the key will be finding great guys to race against. If not, it will be a lot of crashing and ugly driving in a "normal" room. Greatfully, i'm sure the guys in our MGP2 league will be fun to race against, but your average 16 year old on LIVE will make this game suck. Any MS has stepped up, let's see what Nintendo and Sony can do.
The game itself is markedly improved, just from the little I've played. I don't like that you can't customize the control set-up like MGP2, the buttons I usually use for shifting are reversed. There are 4 different control schemes, so people should be able to find something they are comfortable with. The cars look flawless, they took away all the gloss and shine the cars had in the first game. The damage model is much more realistic. The geometry on the cars is really really good, the physics are improved also. The cars aren't as sloppy as the first game. When you bump into another car it doesn't send you careening off the track. It feels like a real collision. The AI at least with the slower cars is a bit better, I noticed on replays the AI adjusting for my position, hopefully this will carry on into the latter levels, where in the PGR the AI became horrendous.
LIVE is really intermixed throughout gameplay. After each race, LIVE will pop in with the scoreboard showing where u place in the "world" on that track. One track I actually placed 2nd in the world, that is likely not to last long. You can download ghost cars from people online and race 'em. One thing I really like is the powersliding, the first game it seemed really random. This game is solid and dependable, machine like precision. I execute the same move and the car behaves exactly the same each time. When I downshift and tap the emergency brake, the car slides in loses traction, picks back up traction with an arousing blast of smoke, the car tracks up and propels forward with precision. I switched to a MR-2 and the oversteer was incredible and consistent after each and every powerslide.
MS has fired the first shot, we will wait and see how GT4 turns out. But I just don't see it being this good. It'll be good in its own right, and has the tuning and upgrading that PGR2 doesn't have. But the seemless LIVE interaction and excellent driving model, visuals and graphics of PGR2 are gonna be hard to beat. Plus, I miss the KUDOS, something the franchise use to get razed about. But after all the other racers where all u do is have to win, no matter how ugly. It feels good to execute propers slides, overtakes cleanly and watch those KUDOS pile up. Plus the cone challenges are back, and after not having this feature in any other racer, you realize how cool it is.
I don't think this game will be that great online though, the key will be finding great guys to race against. If not, it will be a lot of crashing and ugly driving in a "normal" room. Greatfully, i'm sure the guys in our MGP2 league will be fun to race against, but your average 16 year old on LIVE will make this game suck. Any MS has stepped up, let's see what Nintendo and Sony can do.