The Big Fight - Xbox Live vs PS2 Central Station

[John Beaulieu]

of course that was your mistake

i seriously doubt we will see ffxi in this country - and depending on how they do the billing it might be difficult to play the US version online over here (hope i am wrong but.....) - plus add in the cost of the hdd and its a game which is gonna cost some serious moolah.

Resi evil online could be a strange one - its not something i personally am looking forward to (the resi franchise bores me to tears now) but i am interested to see how exactly the make it an exciting horror title whilst being scripted for online play ..... random zombies is something which i expect will be in there and i can see the game playing out like a pso hybrid minus the spells. one thing i hope they do implement into the game is voice comms - i doubt i can go back to playing a squad based co-op game now without the ability to discuss tactics on the fly whilst playing.

i hope Sony push Everquest out at us and its a big game - I also hope they can get Planetside working on the ps2 (at least a version of it) though i don't hold much hope for this one.

end of the day i am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face. i am set up for online gaming on both consoles and will have the best of both worlds - multi-format games with online support on both consoles i will more than likely get for Xbox Live due to the superior technology on offer and the ps2 exclusives (of which there will be many) I will get for that. I enjoy playing online and know that both consoles will have their hits - but at the moment in my personal experience the Xbox has more variety - though both consoles pale in comparison to the dreamcasts online library.

back to my original point - for ease of connectivity, ease of use, superior use of technology and interconnectivity between games Xbox Live is vastly superior to Central Station --- for me its as though Xbox Live is building a community not just within each individual game but within the network itself whereas Central Station feels disjointed as a network and the individual games stand alone rather than as part of a greater whole.

camps

[Max M]

Notable Games coming this year

Crimson Skies
Soldier of Fortune 2
Ghost Recon Island Thunder
Counter Strike

That's my point, PC games like these don't appeal to me (Though Crimson Skies might be cool). I couldn't believe it when I heard they've even turned Conker into a team-based shooter! The original game had so much humour and brilliant ideas that they could've made it's online mode so much more imaginative.

I'm hoping the rumours of Sabreman Stampede and Outrun on Live! are true.

[C']

OK, but you're still making it sound like I was making arguments that I was never actually making. I hate to be an ass by picking apart your post but just to make things absolutely clear.

seriously doubt we will see ffxi in this country - and depending on how they do the billing it might be difficult to play the US version online over here (hope i am wrong but.....) - plus add in the cost of the hdd and its a game which is gonna cost some serious moolah.

The lack of PAL launch is always a possibility, but I am not going to let that stop my enthusiasm for the title. I'd much rather anticipate a title that I may not be able to play (although even if the PS2 release never happens I'm sure the PC one will) tha make do with one that doesn't appeal. That is all. Plus I've never let the price factor be a deterrant to enjoyable gaming experiences. Sometimes it comes back to bite me (I spent ?130 on Steel Batallion and don't much care for the game) yet others (such as Samba) have been very enjoyabel. If I have to pay excessive amounts to enjoy FFXI, so be it.

Resi evil online could be a strange one - its not something i personally am looking forward to (the resi franchise bores me to tears now) but i am interested to see how exactly the make it an exciting horror title whilst being scripted for online play ..... random zombies is something which i expect will be in there and i can see the game playing out like a pso hybrid minus the spells. one thing i hope they do implement into the game is voice comms - i doubt i can go back to playing a squad based co-op game now without the ability to discuss tactics on the fly whilst playing.

Well I can say for certain that voice comms won't be in the game. the characters will speak with pre-recorded phrases. How well this will work I don't know.

end of the day i am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face. i am set up for online gaming on both consoles and will have the best of both worlds - multi-format games with online support on both consoles i will more than likely get for Xbox Live due to the superior technology on offer and the ps2 exclusives (of which there will be many) I will get for that. I enjoy playing online and know that both consoles will have their hits - but at the moment in my personal experience the Xbox has more variety - though both consoles pale in comparison to the dreamcasts online library.

Right this is where you seem to be paraphrasing me way out of context. (and apologies if I've misinterpreted) I presume by your 'cut off nose, spite face' comment you are assuming I am ignoring X-Box Live. Not true at all. In fact quite the opposite. The X-Box is actually the only console I have hooked up online at the moment as I regularly play CvS2 online (getting pretty damned good as well, if I do say so myself). but that is all I play which I guess is what's disappointing me. If an online game for X-Box is released that appeals to it will take something pretty big to stop me from buying it. Doesn't change the fact though that there is nothing else out there right now that I want to play online.

Likewise, because there are NO PS2 online games which I want (so based on that I prefer the X-Box online system 100% over PS2) I don't have the Network Adaptor. As soon as an online game comes out for PS2 that I want I'll be signed up ASAP. No hidden agendas, no blind brand loyalty. Just good games

back to my original point - for ease of connectivity, ease of use, superior use of technology and interconnectivity between games Xbox Live is vastly superior to Central Station --- for me its as though Xbox Live is building a community not just within each individual game but within the network itself whereas Central Station feels disjointed as a network and the individual games stand alone rather than as part of a greater whole.

Again not arguing with that at all. In fact I said the X-Box system was better in my original post. X-Box was incredibly easy to setup and use and the complete integration of the community is impressive. But no point being part of a community if no games appeal. That is all.

Peace

[Hass]

Yes Halo 2 should be pretty good but overall I am not a massive fan of deathmatch FPS titles (played through single and cooperative play Halo several times, never touched competitive play) so that means halo 2 (and a good proportion of the current online compatible games) won't grab me in anyway.

When you play Halo over system link or xbconnect, you realise that it is not the deathmatching game style that is most enjoyable or prevalent but gametypes such as capture the flag or king of the hill. Such game types prove immensely enjoyable and capture the team dynamic perfectly. Bungie's level design really brought these gametypes out in Halo and i for one believe that Halo 2's on-line content may prove as revolutionary as Halo's single player content.

[djtickle]

All the points that were made at the beginning i pretty much agree with.

PS2 titles though are a bit thin on the ground at the mo due to it only being out in the uk for bout a week. I remember when i first got live i could only get moto gp, whacked, ghost recon and mech assault.

As for the PS2 online, i am considering giving it ago but..... things are worring me like isnt the HD and the bb adapter built into one in jap? Therefore i would have to buy the HD if it ever came out and then would have no use for my old BB?

ATM the only game online for PS2 that would interest me would be Final Fantasy 11, but with Res Evil and SSX 3 comin its way its lookin rather good.

To me it just seems that PS2 have gone the same way dreamcast did with there online service were ms seem to have put a bit more thought into it. With V2 off xbox live coming soon as well with Web Browsing, E-Mail and better friends list management, to me it seems like they have got it pretty much rapped up.

This is surley going to help xbox sales as the to set it up its simple!

With the Xbox having a build in hard disk patches and addons are not a problem. Which is all well and good in that it gives extra longtivity to the game. Were are only havin a memory card on the PS2 at the mo restricts this. Plus you dont have to pay a fee so really they dont have to do much anyway apart from maintaining the servers and who says if nobody plays the game they wont just stop?

As it goes to me xbox is winning the battle hands down at the moment but i just hope sony pull somthing out of there hat to change it around. So we get two quality services.

[jide]

All the points that were made at the beginning i pretty much agree with.

PS2 titles though are a bit thin on the ground at the mo due to it only being out in the uk for bout a week. I remember when i first got live i could only get moto gp, whacked, ghost recon and mech assault.

As for the PS2 online, i am considering giving it ago but..... things are worring me like isnt the HD and the bb adapter built into one in jap? Therefore i would have to buy the HD if it ever came out and then would have no use for my old BB?

ATM the only game online for PS2 that would interest me would be Final Fantasy 11, but with Res Evil and SSX 3 comin its way its lookin rather good.

To me it just seems that PS2 have gone the same way dreamcast did with there online service were ms seem to have put a bit more thought into it. With V2 off xbox live coming soon as well with Web Browsing, E-Mail and better friends list management, to me it seems like they have got it pretty much rapped up.

This is surley going to help xbox sales as the to set it up its simple!

With the Xbox having a build in hard disk patches and addons are not a problem. Which is all well and good in that it gives extra longtivity to the game. Were are only havin a memory card on the PS2 at the mo restricts this. Plus you dont have to pay a fee so really they dont have to do much anyway apart from maintaining the servers and who says if nobody plays the game they wont just stop?

As it goes to me xbox is winning the battle hands down at the moment but i just hope sony pull somthing out of there hat to change it around. So we get two quality services.

Well the first answert to your question is the fact that the HDD and NA can be seperate. Also that they are sold seperately aswell. Also the fact is that updates also happen on the Ps2 HDD aswell. FFXI is practically cheat free becuase sqaure work hard on getting rid of the hacks and loopholes. Halo 2 and Gt4 will be the big killer online apps for both consoles. Lets just wait and see

[Roost]

I'm hoping Halo 2 will have some sort of co-operative play over XB Live and not just competitive play.

[nips]

I'm hoping Halo 2 will have some sort of co-operative play over XB Live and not just competitive play.

I'd like bots. Lots of 'em. The type like we're promised in Counter-Strike:Condition Zero.

They would be good for people off-line who want to play multiplayer alone, but if you had them online then you could constantly upgrade the code. Add lines here and there and just get the ultimate bots.

It might make the game that much better. Or it could spoil it when you want to attack somewhere and send out orders and they just **** off on thier own...

But, who knows?

[Prine]

Its all about True Fantasy Live Online. Everything else can go to hell.