Topic: Need some Gamecube advise ASAP.

[Pugnate]

Alright so this what I have so far:

Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
WWE Day of Reckoning 2
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario Sunshine
F-Zero GX   
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
James Bond: Everything or Nothing
Viewtiful Joe 1
Viewtiful Joe 2

I need opinions on the following:

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (I can get it at a decent price)
Tales of Symphonia (don't want an RPG for the sake of it. Is it good?)
Mario Tennis (Pretty expensive still. I need a 2p game. Definitely need your input)
Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes (I really want it as I've never played MGS. Worth it?)

[sirean_syan]

I don't think Eternal Darkness was all it was really cracked up to be, personally. I really tried to get through it when it was released, but it never happened. Something about the game just wasn't all that enjoyable and the whole insanity thing never played out as cool as it could. It's an interesting game, but I think it's missable unless that decent price is really decent.

MGS:Twin Snakes.... if you haven't played through the original I'm inclined to have you stay away. Granted, it's pretty much a remake, but it makes some subtle changes to things that just don't work and would mislead you as to what the style of the series actually is. It's like getting a tainted first impression.

I never bothered with the other games.

[idolminds]

Sy covered what I had typed (reply warning FTW!). However, I dont see Pikmin on your list anywhere. For shame....

[poomcgoo]

I had a Virtual Boy, believe it or not, and I had Mario Tennis for it.  If the GC version is anything at all like the VB version, then definitely get it -- it was a blast.  If Mario Golf is any indication of how the other Mario Sports games are, then it should be good.

Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes is what made me buy a Gamecube.  I literally bought a Gamecube a few years ago with only this game.  I beat the game and never touched my cube again.  I consider it worth every penny. The only flaw with the original Metal Gear Solid is the fact that it's so dated.  This game is not, therefore it is flawless.
 
Seriously though,  MGS is an absolute must buy.  The updated gameplay/cutscenes are more fun and way more impressive.

What Sy said is kinda true, I suppose.  It's not totally faithful to the original, but it's an awesome gaming experience.

[Pugnate]

Ok I will skip Eternal Darkness, thanks Sirean.

Mario Tennis I want for sure, because I don't really have many 2p titles.

What Sy said is kinda true, I suppose.  It's not totally faithful to the original, but it's an awesome gaming experience.

I am interested to know what changes they made? Storyline changes or actual gameplay?

Also if anyone has any opinions on Tales of Symphonia I'd be interested to hear. I don't have too much time left.

[sirean_syan]

They made some gameplay updates, but they were basically just placed on the existing game. So, for example, you can do a FPS aimming thing, but the AI or level design was basically the same and it made things too easy.

All the real changes were done to the cutscenes and voice acting. Many of the cutscenes were changed to be more over-the-top and it doesn't work. Metal Gear has this sort of grounding in it's action that's not realistic, but it's got more artistry to it. This was just like taking a cheap hollywood movie or bad anime and putting it over some stylized and interesting. It worked on maybe one thing, but even then it was pushing it. Then they also revoiced the entire game, which is lame. If anything has aged well with MGS it was the voice acting. So when they redid everything they did stuff like dropped accents on characters or just did a little things so the inflection was different.

At the same time, they had the oppertunity to update or twist things in terms of boss fights that would have really been cool for the fans, but they left them alone.

I dunno, the whole thing felt like wasted opportunity... sorta like the Special Editions of Star Wars. While cleaning up source would be welcome, changing things that didn't need to be changed are not. I know I'm making a big deal out what really ammounts to several small things, but I feel that the things they did change were so close to perfect in the original game that they really went after the wrong elements.

[poomcgoo]

No, I totally agree with your gripes about it.  The original is definitely better, but sometimes trying to go back and play something that dated is tough.  I just love the MGS series, and any reason to replay the original is good enough for me.  Hell, I bought the whole cube for it.

[iPPi]

I didn't like Eternal Darkness.  I tried to like it, but to me, it just didn't work as well as it should have. 

For Tales of Symphonia, it's another game that I couldn't get into.  My friend lent it to me for 2 months and I managed to get like 4 hours into it and I didn't play it again.  Again, I think it's good only if you have the time for it.

If Mario Tennis is anything like the N64 version, then it's simplistic fun.  Worth picking up if you will be using it for multiplayer.

[sirean_syan]

Yeah, it is hard to go back to... actually, that's another reason I wouldn't recommend it. It'd be that much harder for you to go back and experience the real game.

Huh. That settles it. Pug, you need to just play the PSX version of MGS.

[Quemaqua]

I think Tales was pretty well received.  And I, for one, liked Eternal Darkness.  Not the best game in the world, but at a decent price I'd say it'd be worth it.  It was pretty fun and you should be able to find it for pretty fucking cheap by now I'd imagine.  It had some interesting elements, and while they weren't used to their full potential, it was fun to play.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I think JB can back me on this, get Ikaruga.

[Pugnate]

Dude I can't find it below $40. I'd rather get 2 other GC games for that much.

[iPPi]

You have to understand that Ikaruga is a must own and is an ultra rare game.  The fact that you can still find the game is very surprising.

[Quemaqua]

I think that's a bit of an unqualified statement.  Ikaruga is not a must-own.  It's a must-own if you're really into those tight, difficult kinds of top-down shooters.  If you're into that, you really can't find a better game for your buck.  And at $40, that isn't a bad price considering how hard it is to find.  The game should give any fan of that genre loads and loads of joy because it *is* awesome.  That said, if you don't really, really like those kinds of shooters, you may as well just forget it.  It's really quite hard and people that aren't fans of the genre will just end up getting frustrated.

[scottws]

I actually found Ikaruga at a Kohl's (department store) for $10.  No idea how that happened, but of course I lept at the opportunity.  I don't love the game, but I do like it.  Haven't played it in forever though.

I liked Eternal Darkness.  I actually beat it twice.  Contrary to what all the IGN previews said, the insanity thing was a bit of a gimmick... after awhile you can just tell when you are going insane and it isn't cool anymore and you know everything is fine.  I thought it had a fairly interesting story, and I like how you sort of played throughout time, I thought it was neat.

I never played Twin Snakes (nor the original MGS), but it's still on my to-buy list.  I just never get around to it.

What about Starfox Armada?  Did that turn out any good?

[ren]

I played Twin Snakes before I played the original MGS and I liked it just fine. It's basically the same game, and the little changes won't bother you at all if you don't know any better. Twin Snakes also has the better graphics. It's not a big deal, but it's nice. If you have played any MGS games just get it.

I liked Eternal Darkness. It's not the greatest game, but it was fun. I haven't played it for a few years now though, so take that win a grain of salt.