RadarScope1
Member
That looks pretty fun, I'm going to check that one out.SAB CA said:
SAB CA said:
Indeed.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The Official Game Room thread of Rewinding Time
- Thread starter Gazunta
- Start date
Indeed.
PopfulMail
Member
Meh...
Okay, call me an idiot if it's warranted, but how in the world do I find out what the most recent games for Game Room are from inside Game Room? If I go and download the most recent pack, is there anything actually inside Game Room that will give me a list - or in any other way notify me - so that I know what's new?
The way they've made this thing, you're forced to just dump a bunch of games into the big collective pool every week, and it seems like there's no way to know what you've gotten as new items without going online. Which, you know, is a huge god-damn failing of the service.
The way they've made this thing, you're forced to just dump a bunch of games into the big collective pool every week, and it seems like there's no way to know what you've gotten as new items without going online. Which, you know, is a huge god-damn failing of the service.
Diablohead
Member
Original delay of 5 weeks before any new game packs didn't help any, if not made people forget about game room.
Not being able to download the new game packs inside game room is a bit of an oversight and also a limit for 360 games, now allowed to do such a thing and there is no way a patch would hold that many old games.
Not being able to see what is new from new packs, no labels or anything.
The avatar features in the game are very poor and ask the question "why are they even in there?" some free walking around a room would have helped so much, especially when a friend visits your place.
Most of the games currently are not worth asking price, some golden oldies are keepers but the rest are only worth value if you have love for that game in the first place.
There are more problems but I don't want to sit here thinking about it, the project seems to be a failure in my eyes but who knows maybe microsoft are making a small fortune behind the scenes.
Until we get some more modern emulated arcade games in there I think it's a waste, the games are classics but also way too old for most gamers today.
Not being able to download the new game packs inside game room is a bit of an oversight and also a limit for 360 games, now allowed to do such a thing and there is no way a patch would hold that many old games.
Not being able to see what is new from new packs, no labels or anything.
The avatar features in the game are very poor and ask the question "why are they even in there?" some free walking around a room would have helped so much, especially when a friend visits your place.
Most of the games currently are not worth asking price, some golden oldies are keepers but the rest are only worth value if you have love for that game in the first place.
There are more problems but I don't want to sit here thinking about it, the project seems to be a failure in my eyes but who knows maybe microsoft are making a small fortune behind the scenes.
Until we get some more modern emulated arcade games in there I think it's a waste, the games are classics but also way too old for most gamers today.
MightyHedgehog
Member
If they cannot get these ancient single-digit MHz boards to emulate perceptively perfect now, I'm not sure I'm all that hopeful about more modern 16- and 32-bit super-multi-chip boards in later 80s and early 90s titles. That's really the least of my worries when it comes to GR, though. Their choice in titles is really incompatible with my expectations and fails to get me personally excited about the concept anymore. I'm hoping for some good news to come out of E3 and maybe some insight into the future direction of the service.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Ugh River Raid 2
I think that was the first ever disappointing sequel for me.
I think that was the first ever disappointing sequel for me.
This is the first week where I don't think I've played any of this stuff. I have vague memories of maybe seeing Circus Atari on one of those posters with a bunch of screenshots they used to pack in with games and thinking that was a cool idea for a game. When I was four.
Remember those posters? They were rad, I still have a Sega Master System one in a box somewhere.
Remember those posters? They were rad, I still have a Sega Master System one in a box somewhere.
What's doubly frustrating is most of what they've got has been in MAME for years and emulated perfectly. I understand that they probably went and reinvented the wheel here in a lot of ways with regard to the emulation, but the gold standard is already out there. If you can't match that, then don't bother, especially since large numbers of people know it exists and have been doing it that way for years.MightyHedgehog said:
PopfulMail
Member
Next weeks releases
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Any recommendations for games to try out? Keep in mind I think $3 is too much. :\
Diablohead
Member
Lunar LanderICallItFutile said:
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
Still no word on when Namco, Sega or Midway will show up?
Diablohead
Member
Not going to see that kind of stuff ever in game room, I personally think. We get lack of game pack updates as it is.twinturbo2 said:
We got a new pack today. Would it kill them to simply list the included games in the description?
Edit: Black Widow is alright, vector graphics dual stick (8way) shooter
Juno First is one I'd never heard of before. Reminds me of a vertical version of Defender.
Liberator is somewhere between Missile Command and garbage.
Major Havoc is a neat premise ruined by shit controls.
Oh shit! Missile Command! Wait, I have no trackball! Control is surprisingly good, but the sound is muffled or something.
Mr. Goemon is another I've never seen, though obviously familiar w/ the series. Side-scrolling beat-em-up, not nearly as good as shao-lin's road.
Scooter Shooter is some kind of shitty vs. shooter.
Edit: Black Widow is alright, vector graphics dual stick (8way) shooter
Juno First is one I'd never heard of before. Reminds me of a vertical version of Defender.
Liberator is somewhere between Missile Command and garbage.
Major Havoc is a neat premise ruined by shit controls.
Oh shit! Missile Command! Wait, I have no trackball! Control is surprisingly good, but the sound is muffled or something.
Mr. Goemon is another I've never seen, though obviously familiar w/ the series. Side-scrolling beat-em-up, not nearly as good as shao-lin's road.
Scooter Shooter is some kind of shitty vs. shooter.
twinturbo2
butthurt Heat fan
I hope this isn't the case, MS better step their game up.Diablohead said:
Kinda forgot I had this installed on my HD, fired it up yesterday and reminded myself why. Presentation is still very slick, but the content remains just as disappointing and this thing has been live for how long now? Deleted it to free up the 200MB or so on my pathetic 20GB drive and I can't really imagine myself ever reinstalling it.
RadarScope1
Member
Been playing Juno First, a Konami arcade shooter. Not bad. A mix of Defender aesthetics and Galaxian gameplay, and a Pac-Man powerpill-esque multiplier. Thinking about picking up Black Widow, too. Anyone playing that one?
Looks like Gyruss is coming this week. It's about the first actually recognizable Konami game since the first week.
Looks like Gyruss is coming this week. It's about the first actually recognizable Konami game since the first week.
Ark Malmeida
Neo Member
I've still been dabbling in Game Room pretty consistently. I have Juno First and Black Widow as well. They're actually both pretty decent games. Juno First got a lot better when I watched a replay and realized that you get lots of bonus points if you rescue one of the astronauts from the pod things.
I'll definitely be getting Gyruss this week. One of my favorite games as a kid.
Looks like there's some server downtime in a few minutes in preparation for an update they'll be rolling out tomorrow:
http://twitter.com/LIVEGameRoom
Not getting my hopes up but maybe it will be something good.
I'll definitely be getting Gyruss this week. One of my favorite games as a kid.
Looks like there's some server downtime in a few minutes in preparation for an update they'll be rolling out tomorrow:
http://twitter.com/LIVEGameRoom
Not getting my hopes up but maybe it will be something good.
RadarScope1
Member
Interesting. Maybe our friend from Krome in the thread can fill us in?
Ark Malmeida
Neo Member
Their twitter was update to say that the update will bring bug fixes and new features. Hmmm....
RadarScope1
Member
I'm not expecting much beyond fixing whatever bugs are causing GR to hang up during loading. Probably just some UI tweaks like the ability to sort by newest, more easily see the hi score on each game, and possibly the addition of more floors for those who are running out of space (if they even exist).
There are two realistic things would make this update truly worthwhile: Expanding the leaderboards beyond the top 20 hopefully to fully worldwide and adding more emulation software in preparation for new publishers' games. We'll see.
There are two realistic things would make this update truly worthwhile: Expanding the leaderboards beyond the top 20 hopefully to fully worldwide and adding more emulation software in preparation for new publishers' games. We'll see.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Improving existing emulation quality (most of these games simply run worse than they should), improving the initialization on the load and list build behavior on app startup (it's fucking slow as shit when the servers don't respond quickly and the enumeration is stuck), widening the top scores lists, adding fully-configurable button and controller mapping (this shit is unbelievable when absent), adding the ability to maintain aspect ratio for screen zoom (I fucking hate when games don't do this), the building of arcades needs fixing since it often fails to work correctly, and brand new Intellivision and Atari 2600 interfaces are needed (why can't the numpads/overlays stay in the margins and persist on-screen?). So many things need fixing and improvement. And that's just talking about the app itself. The games library needs more publishers and games. Running out of good quality titles to choose from with the current publisher and platform set...
Ark Malmeida
Neo Member
Here's the take on the update from Game Room's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/game-room/july-14th-update/132120650160206
Our July 14 Game Room update includes a lot of new features and fixes to make your gameplay easier and more fun.
Top of the heap is the new in-game Leaderboard. As you play, watch the left and right sides of the screen. On the left youll see your High Score and current Rank, and on the right youll see where you stand in the overall Leaderboard. Watch your avatar as you break into the top rankingsyoure on fire! Plus, anytime youre on your game, your friends avatars will start gathering around to watch!
Its now easier to find games. We have a new, complete store that shows all the Game Room games available, even if you havent downloaded all the Game Packs. Weve also made it clearer which Game Pack each game belongs to, so its easier to get the game you want.
Youll see a bunch of other new features, ways to access Game Room, and helpful fixes, including UI improvements to Intellivision and Atari console games. Let us know what you think! Game on!
Looks like it was actually a decent update. Can't wait to try it out tonight!
http://www.facebook.com/notes/game-room/july-14th-update/132120650160206
Our July 14 Game Room update includes a lot of new features and fixes to make your gameplay easier and more fun.
Top of the heap is the new in-game Leaderboard. As you play, watch the left and right sides of the screen. On the left youll see your High Score and current Rank, and on the right youll see where you stand in the overall Leaderboard. Watch your avatar as you break into the top rankingsyoure on fire! Plus, anytime youre on your game, your friends avatars will start gathering around to watch!
Its now easier to find games. We have a new, complete store that shows all the Game Room games available, even if you havent downloaded all the Game Packs. Weve also made it clearer which Game Pack each game belongs to, so its easier to get the game you want.
Youll see a bunch of other new features, ways to access Game Room, and helpful fixes, including UI improvements to Intellivision and Atari console games. Let us know what you think! Game on!
Looks like it was actually a decent update. Can't wait to try it out tonight!
Jamie xxoo
Member
Ark Malmeida said:
Yay!
Now it needs more games.
GitarooMan
Member
I can't imagine who thought people who be interested in a bunch of old Atari/Intellivision games for $3 each. I'm as much a sucker for nostalgia as anybody, but I have never seen a bunch of people clamoring to replay old 2600/Intellivision games. I know there are other arcade games on there, but I'm consistently baffled as to who thought this was worthwhile without getting at least some late 80s/early 90s arcade stuff up there.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
With the new update, it tells you your best local score, and worldwide ranking while you're playing.
Thing is, there are like 9000 people on the Pitfall leaderboards, so when you first start you're at 9000, then the leaderboard updates as you get a better score.
If they have all this leaderboard data... why are we only allowed to see top 20?
Thing is, there are like 9000 people on the Pitfall leaderboards, so when you first start you're at 9000, then the leaderboard updates as you get a better score.
If they have all this leaderboard data... why are we only allowed to see top 20?
Ark Malmeida
Neo Member
GitarooMan said:
I'm still optimistic that more impressive arcade games are coming down the road. I would assume that the licensing is a tricky thing - just look at the fact that all of the Konami cabinets are generic, even though they had some of them (Scramble for one) modeled in all of the preview videos, because of the fact that Stern apparently owned the rights to the artwork.
That said I have some of the Atari 2600 classics. Not many, but there were a few that I didn't mind dropping $3 on. I had never heard of H.E.R.O. for example and I love that game. Easily worth the $3 to me.
There have definitely been some good arcade games released for the service thus far. Some obscure ones that I found a lot of fun (Mr. Goemon, Jungler, Mega Zone, Finalizer) and some recognizable classics (Battlezone, Centipede, Millipede, Missile Command, Crystal Castles, Major Havoc, Warlords, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Scramble, Time Pilot, Tutankham, Gyruss).
Krome has done a good job working with only four publishers so far (Atari, Activision, Konami, Intellivision). The hope is that MS already has, or will soon, acquire agreements with other publishers. One of the biggest fish would be Midway of course but from what I read their stuff is still in limbo.
RadarScope1
Member
Leaderboard update is a solid addition. Your hi and rank on the left. On the right, it's a dynamic scale you move up as your score ticks upward. At one point I was "on fire" as I passed several ranks. Other avatars were gathered around looking over my should when I got done. Agree about the leaderboards in the menu, though - if the info is there, let us scroll through all of it.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
I've been out of the console gaming loop lately but what's up with Game Room? I thought new games were supposed to come out every week. I checked for the last week and this week and there's nothing new!
This is fail.
This is fail.
HadesGigas
Member
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Five news games next week. Didn't they mention about a dozen games a week?HadesGigas said:
Again, this is fail.HadesGigas
Member
Darkmakaimura said:Five news games next week. Didn't they mention about a dozen games a week?
Think the word was 7 a week.
Darkmakaimura
Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
Well, they didn't even give us 7 after three weeks...HadesGigas said:
Dr. Zoidberg
Member
Now I know we all agree that Game Room is poorly implemented, but what is up with all the false advertising on the game packs?
For example, Game Pack 9 just came out. Here's what the description on the marketplace says:
Yet, when you download the pack, it only has 4 games TOTAL, one of which is a Konami arcade game. WTF?
This isn't the first time I've noticed a discrepancy like this, either.
For example, Game Pack 9 just came out. Here's what the description on the marketplace says:
Yet, when you download the pack, it only has 4 games TOTAL, one of which is a Konami arcade game. WTF?
This isn't the first time I've noticed a discrepancy like this, either.
Dr. Zoidberg
Member
SAB CA said:
Ah. Well, that explains a lot. I usually just download the packs when they're released, play all the trials and read the histories, then delete the packs. I've been missing out on some games that are "released" after they are downloaded. Kind of a stupid and misleading way of doing things but okay. Now I know...and knowing is half the battle.
RadarScope1
Member
It is kind of a weird system. Basically we get the news about the upcoming games every three weeks, then those games are released in three weekly batches. If you weren't paying close attention, you'd think they were only releasing games every three weeks.
One encouraging thing to see is that the latest Konami releases are somewhat newer games. City Bomber is out this week. Release in 1987. I think it's one of only 2 or 3 games on all of GR that came out post-1985. Apparently CB uses the same hardware that Gradius did, so here's hoping for more stuff like that.
One encouraging thing to see is that the latest Konami releases are somewhat newer games. City Bomber is out this week. Release in 1987. I think it's one of only 2 or 3 games on all of GR that came out post-1985. Apparently CB uses the same hardware that Gradius did, so here's hoping for more stuff like that.
legbone said:
shit that might get me to actually boot this horrible app up again. i havent even looked at it since week one because i found it so terribly dissapointing.
i think i need to delete this from my HD. hopefully it will improve in the future, but this turned out to be a pretty big dissapointment for me.
Princess Skittles
Prince's's 'Skittle's
So with Krome being confirmed close, anybody want to guess what will happen with Game Room?
I hope whoever they bring on can bring some much needed improvements to the interface.
Downloading game packs every few weeks is a strange choice. Why are these packs of a dozen ~32kb ROMs taking up 100MB per package? Why can't the sizes of these be brought down to a more normal level and allow the UI download new games into a master file upon bootup without making the player manually do it?
Why can't we actually walk around our arcades with our avatar?
The level system is dumb. What's the point? Nobody is looking forward to unlocking trinkets and themes.
How about adding another set of achievements? Maybe another set of 250 gamerscore achievements could be added regularly (every six months?).
Sending challenges to friends is a pain. The default friend list for selecting friends for a challenge should be based on who has the game (should be easy to assume based on if they're on the leaderboard for a game). You can switch to your whole friend list to add people who don't have it to maybe entice them to buy it.
Tokens should be able to be used to accept challenges on games you don't own.
The medal listing is a mess. It apparently lists every game you've demoed, so you have to scroll through a big mess of blanks to see the medals for games you actually own.
I could go on and on.. there's so much potential here.
They need the most, of course, to bring on new publishers. Get Sega, Capcom and Namco on this and use that to do a complete re-launch of the service.
Konami cabinets need artwork! They don't own the rights to the US cabinet arts, I understand. USE THE JAPANESE ART. They own that. This is such a ridiculously obvious answer.
I hope whoever they bring on can bring some much needed improvements to the interface.
Downloading game packs every few weeks is a strange choice. Why are these packs of a dozen ~32kb ROMs taking up 100MB per package? Why can't the sizes of these be brought down to a more normal level and allow the UI download new games into a master file upon bootup without making the player manually do it?
Why can't we actually walk around our arcades with our avatar?
The level system is dumb. What's the point? Nobody is looking forward to unlocking trinkets and themes.
How about adding another set of achievements? Maybe another set of 250 gamerscore achievements could be added regularly (every six months?).
Sending challenges to friends is a pain. The default friend list for selecting friends for a challenge should be based on who has the game (should be easy to assume based on if they're on the leaderboard for a game). You can switch to your whole friend list to add people who don't have it to maybe entice them to buy it.
Tokens should be able to be used to accept challenges on games you don't own.
The medal listing is a mess. It apparently lists every game you've demoed, so you have to scroll through a big mess of blanks to see the medals for games you actually own.
I could go on and on.. there's so much potential here.
They need the most, of course, to bring on new publishers. Get Sega, Capcom and Namco on this and use that to do a complete re-launch of the service.
Konami cabinets need artwork! They don't own the rights to the US cabinet arts, I understand. USE THE JAPANESE ART. They own that. This is such a ridiculously obvious answer.
Princess Skittles
Prince's's 'Skittle's
No, not at all. There was a title update Wednesday (which I'm assuming was to add support for the upcoming Konami bundle packs), they still have games released every week and they are still adding other new content, such as a laundromat theme coming in the next game pack.Dave Long said:
The only real thing hindering it at this point is the lack of new publishers. Now that the news that Krome is closed is out (and it had been rumored for a few months now), I think it's pretty safe to assume that Microsoft was likely holding back on bringing new publishing partners on board until that had been finalized so they could bring in a new team to handle updates to the user interface. I think the rational thing to think is that they did not want to approach new publishers when the initial developer of the user interface was in the middle of closing.