Sin DM/CTF was the last time since Q1CTF that multiplayer gaming really was a balls-to-the-wall rush. The locational damage allowed pretty much any weapon to be balanced and the runes were second to none (except for maybe the Creeper mod for Q1). That map where you were rat-sized in the library was intense as hell, and there was nothing better than chasing down a flag carrier with the deathquad and returning it for a cap just when the rune claimed your last health points. For those lucky enough to play the CTF mod for the expansion pack, CTF on the back of speed bikes took it to another level too.

I'll admit- the SP game got somewhat tedious, but it did mix in the occasional stealth mission and the sniper rifle implementation was top-notch. I don't think HL stole its thunder as much as Unreal though...if I remember correctly, Unreal came out within 1-2 months of the SiN demo and looked prettier, so people ran to that instead. I have yet to finish Unreal (and it took me 5 years to finish HL), but SiN stuck with me for quite a while.

Doesn't anyone here remember that spiders are not new to the DOOM universe? As long as they attack from the walls/ceiling/etc., that will make them different enough for me.

If anything, the DOOM3 engine makes me drool over the possibilities of seeing a future System Shock 3 running on it. That would be a match made in heaven.

Two good message boards I've found that have "spirited" Reloaded discussion:

http://www.coronaproductions.com/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=THE+MATRIX+sequels&number=8&DaysPrune=30&LastLogin=

http://footballguys.net/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=4749&s=66d04e4b50c3b001f4008dfff9cc8e5f

I've looked for this game in stores, and haven't been able to find it...since it's on DVD, has it been put in a separate area or has it not been released to all markets yet?

I finally managed to download the hi-res vids of HL2, but why do so many of the vids seem overly bright? Everything dark appears to have a weird glow to it and everything light just feels washed out. I figure that was just a by-product of the way the vids were recorded, but this seems about 300% brighter than the original.

The physics are cool...I can see multiplayer maps full of furniture that you just throw at each other. However, the first many levels better not be headcrab mania again- god that got old quick in HL1.

I don't know how I feel about this one as a whole yet...HL1 didn't really blow me away. I bought it a year after it came out and it took another 3-4 years to get around to finishing it (after starting and abandoning it a number of times). It seemed like they put a good chunk of story at the beginning, hardly any through the middle, and then made a last ditch effort at putting some connection between it all at the end. Hope this doesn't go the same way...

I really wish the comparisons between D3 and Deus Ex/DX2 would stop...they aren't the same genre. DX/1&2 are FPS games with RPG elements- the RPG features are what make the game non-linear. You want to compare apples and apples? Compare System Shock 2 and DX1&2.

What D3 seems to have that makes me interested is the 'alone in the dark, armed with a flashlight and a gun, listening to god-knows-what tracking me down' moments. System Shock 2 was the last game I played that actually gave me goosebumps. HL putting a headcrab conveniently around a bend in a vent does not count as a 'oh shit' moment. If D3 pays off in this department, it will be a worthy addition to my library, plain and simple. I'd like replayability and MP co/op as much as the next guy, but I'm willing to give it a chance at scaring me silly. Maybe it will be so intense that I'll be relieved once it's over.

id HAS said that it will be a remake of Doom. That's not necessarily a bad thing in my book. The worst thing you could accuse id of doing would be re-releasing an updated port of the Doom source code on an updated engine.

Although Xombie claims to have numerous quotes from id programmers boasting of the shortcomings of their product, I have yet to see an actual link stating such. I'm not attacking Xombie or anybody wanting to punch holes in id's latest creation, but I AM against people trying to rush to conclusions and take the 'I'm right until someone proves me wrong' stance when no first-hand, authoritative experience is involved (or available!). That's like saying the Fellowship of the Ring or the Two Towers was going to be empty and unoriginal based on a 30 second teaser trailer. How can you judge a 3+ hour product on a 30 second edit job from a publicity department?

Funny how you choose to rationalize every point EXCEPT the main fact of my post...you are trying to combat hype with hype. We have as little to offer to defend Doom3 as you do to attack it. However, you are trying to force your criticism on the rest of us, reacting to the demo as it was created to do. If it does nothing for you, so be it...don't watch it, don't waste your time on it.

Xombie, I see you making a lot of valid points (albeit speculative), but bottom line is, until you actually EXPERIENCE the Deus Ex 2 engine/HL2 engine/etc., you're basically comparing engine hype to engine hype. Have you experienced the "complex AI" in Deus Ex 2/HL2? Previews of RtCW and Unreal2 said the AI was going to be complex, yet it was anything but. What little details we do know about Doom3's engine (i.e. realistic physics) ended up integrated in these other engines too, but until you see proof of timelines for engine development, isn't it just a chicken/egg argument?

Your statement about "Deus Ex 2 is improving upon every single shortcoming of Deus Ex" is straight from the developer's mouth. Is that nothing more than a hype statement as well? I want Deus Ex 2 to knock my socks off, and Deus Ex 1 almost did if it wasn't for some strange clipping error that caused me to die when walking through a doorway (still waiting for support to answer that one BTW), but until I try it, all I can say is that it sounds good or looks good.

What's to say that this Doom3 video isn't rendered in some way to up the frame rate to look better for E3 presentation? It's a promo bit pure and simple to get people to drool. The promo video doesn't cost $50, so how can you complain already about paying for content?

Even so, arguing over an engine's possibilities is pointless. Half-Life's engine, Quake3's engine, Unreal's engine are still being tweaked and redefined to this day. The point is, does it effectively do what the developers wanted it to do and does it put a fun product in the hands of the gaming community? Given id's track record, I'd say they know more than a little about what gamers are looking for. Whether they succeed more than Valve, Ion Storm, etc. after all is said AND DONE, remains to be seen. If you're skeptical of id, OK- we get it- we won't look for you at the store when it goes on sale...just stop flooding Blue's bboard space repeating yourself about textures and unoriginality in a 30 second promo video.

Hi-res link (99 MB, Quicktime)
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_1000_dl.zip

Med-res link (57MB, Quicktime)
http://progressive1.stream.aol.com/wb/gl/wbonline/progressive/thematrix/us/med/trailer_final_640_dl.zip

Also will be on Entertainment Tonight at 7:30 EST.

Blue, you might want to put something about spoilers next to that link...they give away some serious plot points.

This movie is going to ROCK...can't believe it will be available on DVD by November.

Unfortunately, my wife is into sub-par Sci-Fi, so I've been subjected to Children of Dune against my will.

If you haven't seen- or don't remember- the Dune movie from years ago, don't bother. They don't spend any time on the back story so if you don't know it, you'll be clueless unless you spend quality time reading up on it on Sci-Fi's site.

Basically, it's a politically based soap opera. It has a Roman Empire-esque feel to it. The special effects are above average for a made for TV deal, but for covering two to three books of detail, I was hoping for more. It'll be on DVD in about 6 weeks if I remember correctly; the way they've been plugging it on Sci-Fi though, I'd be surprised if it doesn't make multiple repeat showings before then.

Ah...I remember that map well...many hours were lost on that one.

Personally, I was really disappointed the MP didn't take off more with SiN...the locational damage led to a lot of frantic back-and-forth flag action and the deathquad was the single greatest MP implementation ever. I was really looking forward to some hoverbike jousting once the expansion pack came out, but by then, servers started disappearing.

Carnage nostalgia...<sigh>

The SP is nothing new really, but the MP is a lot like CS (although maybe a little slower). I prefer it to CS, but there's still problems with cheating.

HL greatest single player game ever? PLEASE...it took me 4 years to finally get enough desire to play through it all. And after getting half-way through, I just wanted to get it over with. There wasn't much of a story to brag about...I only finally understood what the last enemy had to do with the whole "experiment" after I read the FAQs out there. That's what I call a serious flaw.

MP is its strong point- although it's quite dated, at least 9 out of every 10 PCs in the world should be able to play it with a decent frame rate. It still holds its own in the MP world compared to old school Quake MP (which also had its merits).

As for single player experiences, Deus Ex, System Shock 2, and NOLF are my all-time favs (and although I'll probably get flamed for it, Sin was a guilty pleasure because of the locational damage)...even though they had cutscenes, they didn't detract from the experience at all. Nothing in HL came across as revolutionary. These games all added something to the genre.

To each his own...

Right...it's not like they got Larry Flynt for the project...

Too late- SEQUEL

No no...I didn't mean they'd have a legitimate lawsuit in the works. Just seeing 'X2 trailer' makes me think of a trailer for the upcoming X-Men movie since that's how they've chosen to market it.

Seeing X2 is much better than X10!

Is it just me, or was it wrong to get this confused with a trailer for the new X-MEN movie? Wonder if Fox knows about this...

If you want a really good source for the mpgs, check out alt.binaries.emulators.arcade and alt.binaries.emulators.misc. Every so often they have laserdisc floods and you can get any game there- except I haven't been able to find Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp.

That would be Cliff Hanger! That game was frustrating as hell with those damn hands and feet buttons...but it works under the daphne emulator in case you're wondering.

I pray to God that if there's ONE thing we get out of passing tomorrow without an incident, it's that the media whores and whistle blowers finally stop raising red flags before EVERY HOLIDAY or date of historical significance. Ever since last year, alarmists have fought tooth and nail to be the first to point out a 'possible incident' or blow some story out of proportion about some mentally unstable guy going slightly loco in a public place. Over and above the effect of the sheer body count or personal effects of the tragedy, this <pardon the term> pussification of our society makes me almost ashamed of being an American. For every day that some entity thinks we should be cautious of moving out of our homes, the person/people responsible for 9/11 get to twist the knife a little more. As for me, I'll revert to the stone age for 24 hours, but PLEASE, let's get it out of our system and live a little.

<mandatory forum disclaimer: these statements are in no way meant to be insensitive to those directly affected by 9/11 or the devout patriots in our midst.>