From: owner-NGamers-digest@lists.xmission.com (NGamers-digest) To: ngamers-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: NGamers-digest V1 #1836 Reply-To: NGamers-digest Sender: owner-NGamers-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-NGamers-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk NGamers-digest Thursday, April 18 2002 Volume 01 : Number 1836 Re: [NG] RE for 39.88 Re: [NG] IGN's "Spider-Man: Head to Head" Article Re: [NG] SSX Tricky Re: [NG] Head To Head: SSX Tricky Re: [NG] IGN's "Spider-Man: Head to Head" Article ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 06:54:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Dave Rhodes Subject: Re: [NG] RE for 39.88 - --- Vi On wrote: > > -May 2nd > -Target Stores > -Resident Evil for the GCN $39.88 > > thats exactly 2 days from today thursday. > -Vi > Maybe 2 weeks? ===== ** Dave ** super_trey_bros@yahoo.com AIM: Sanrio Velocity Felt like a bulldozer trying to catch a butterfly. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 11:07:22 -0500 From: "Geoff Taylor" Subject: Re: [NG] IGN's "Spider-Man: Head to Head" Article - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Rhodes" To: Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 7:02 AM Subject: Re: [NG] IGN's "Spider-Man: Head to Head" Article > Well folks. Aside from the pretty XBOX pictures and > the pretty ugly PS2 pictures, that's it. XBOX wins > again. =) Yup, I figured it would. Though, I'm quite happy with the GCN version I purchased yesterday. No matter how powerful the XBOX is under the hood, it still doesn't have a game library that interests me enough to blow $300 on. When it drops to $200 or less I'll pick one up. Eventually it will have a library worth taking note of. Thanks for posting the article. Geoff [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 12:00:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Tim Ballard Subject: Re: [NG] SSX Tricky > All three versions feature unlockable bonus content, > such as Spidey bowling and movie clips. Activision > swears that it didn't pull an SSX Tricky, either: > GameCube owners get the same stuff as the PS2 and Xbox > players. What do the Xbox and PS2 versions have the the GameCube doesn't? And does the GameCube version have anything that the others don't? Tim __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 12:50:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Dave Rhodes Subject: Re: [NG] Head To Head: SSX Tricky - --- Tim Ballard wrote: > > All three versions feature unlockable bonus > content, > > such as Spidey bowling and movie clips. Activision > > swears that it didn't pull an SSX Tricky, either: > > GameCube owners get the same stuff as the PS2 and > Xbox > > players. > > What do the Xbox and PS2 versions have the the > GameCube doesn't? And does > the GameCube version have anything that the others > don't? > > Tim > SSX Tricky (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox) Considered by many the best PlayStation 2 launch title, the original SSX put EA on the map as a fierce competitor to reigning extreme sports champion Activision. The recipe was almost perfect: take the excitement of catching "big air" and the fine-tuned board control from 1080, add a deep trick system a la Tony Hawk, mix in shortcut laden tracks, a kicking soundtrack and wacky characters with plenty of personality, and you've created a completely new snowboarding experience. If it weren't for the steep learning curve and a somewhat repetitive championship mode setup, the original SSX would have indeed been the best snowboarding game on any console. With new gaming platforms on the horizon, EA must have felt the timeframe was too short to create a quality sequel to the game for multiple platforms, and instead took the original SSX and set out to perfect it. But what initially started off as an SSX special edition with some bonus DVD features quickly turned into a very different and more ambitious game: SSX Tricky. Though initially developed on PS2, EA managed to finish Xbox and GameCube versions of SSX Tricky in time to capitalize on both systems' domestic launches. This article is designed to let you know which version you should buy if you own multiple platforms. Control It shows that SSX was designed from the ground up with the PlayStation 2 in mind. The control setup uses the four shoulder buttons for grabs, Square for tweak/boost, X for jump, and the left analog stick for boarder control (and on the pro controller setup setting, for prewinding spins and flips). The directional pad doubles as a control alternative but is used mostly for prewinding on the standard controller setup. The right control stick is used for four-directional shoving -- a more important feature in SSX Tricky as knocking an opponent down rewards you with a full boost meter. The control scheme may be overly complex (c'mon, do we really need multi-directional shoving?), but it works and becomes second nature before long. On the PS2, you can boost comfortably while pressing X to prepare for a jump and you can easily pull off grabs via the shoulder buttons as soon as you're airborne. Sadly, the control setup wasn't really designed with "portability" in mind. For example, to pull off an Experimental with Eddie in the PS2 version, you press all four shoulder buttons in the air at the same time. To do a Holy Crail Air, you press L1, R1, R2 and Square. These tricks are easy to learn and to remember. So how does all of this work on GameCube and Xbox? To do an Experimental on Xbox, you press L, R, and Y. On GameCube, it's all three shoulder buttons, L, R, and Z. Hey, wait that's a Canadian Bacon on PS2... Okay, let's try to do a Holy Crail Air, then. Er, it's not there. Since the Xbox has only two shoulder buttons, Y is used as a third grab with the tiny black button acting as a trick modifier (A is used as a secondary boost button so that you can reach the black button in the first place). EA added this modifier button in an attempt to adopt the control scheme to both GameCube and Xbox -- it gets the job done, but it does feel dumbed down and much less intuitive than the PS2 setup. The developers must have realized that the whole modifier thing makes things a bit too complicated so they changed the characters' trick books not to include the more complex tricks. The choices for the Xbox and GameCube control setups are particularly odd when you take into consideration that both controllers have analog shoulder buttons. The amount of tricks in the PS2 original could have easily been duplicated with three buttons and use of "light" and "full" pressing of the analog triggers. As a matter of fact the GameCube layout is so puzzling that one wonders if that version was play tested at all. The GameCube pad may look like the Dual Shock, but it's a completely different story. Which buttons on the GameCube controller are harder to reach than the others? Start and Z, right? Why use Z for grabs, considering that you index finger rests on R, not your middle finger? Why use Y to reset your rider, a function that's wisely "out of the way" on the PS2 and Xbox (Select and Back respectively)? I'm sure GameCube users would have been fine with putting the rider reset (which is only used if you screw up badly) as the first option in the pause menu that comes up when you press Start. Instead, it's mapped to a button that's right above the jump button -- a perfect location for action commands. Sadly, there is no way to customize the controls to your liking, either. The secret behind a good control scheme is that it makes sense the moment you start to play the game -- but that there is enough room for experts to improve upon their game by learning its intricacies. One look at the control setup for the PS2 version, and you understand it. Considering that the game was designed first and foremost for PS2, it's no surprise that forcing this same control scheme on the other two pads yields less spectacular results. The GameCube controls in particular have us scratching our heads and not only take longer to learn, but make you wish you could reconfigure them. Here's hoping the next installment of SSX Tricky is designed with multiple pads in mind. There are plenty of possibilities, such as a trick system that uses the right analog stick for grabs (corresponding to the edges of the board) in combination with the shoulder buttons. Whatever EA comes up with, let's hope it works on all three versions equally well -- an important point considering that EA prides itself on being platform agnostic. Winner: PlayStation 2 Sound SSX Tricky has great sound design, no matter which version you're playing. The game uses accomplished Hollywood celebs to supply the character voices, including David Arquette, Macy Gray, Bif Naked, Lucy Liu, Billy Zane, and Oliver Platt. The lineup of music tracks is equally impressive, with music by Run DMC, Rasmus, Pizzicato 5, Huda Hudia, Mixmaster Mike, and the like, complemented by lots of original compositions by John Morgan. Add to that diverse boarding sound effects that change depending on the surface, crowd cheers, interactive music cues, and clever audio fades that accompany jumps. If you don't have a surround sound capable setup, you might as well skip the next paragraph and rest easy that no matter which version of Tricky you buy, it'll sound great on your set. The audio mixing differs from version to version. The much touted DTS support for the PlayStation 2 version may initially sound cleaner than the default center-heavy "brand X" analog surround, but don't expect five channel surround sound. Unless my Denon amp likes to play tricks on me, SSX Tricky runs indeed only in 4.0 DTS mode, with all narration and announcing mapped to the left and right channels instead of the center. Tracking from the front to the back is good, however, so if you don't have a powerful center speaker and sub to begin with, the DTS option is definitely the one to go with. The GameCube port pretty much duplicates the basic two-channel surround of the PS2's analog surround option, but is so unbalanced, everything seems to come out of the center channel (except for crowd cheers and some rider sounds). Considering the cutting edge sound design in Tricky, it would have been a good idea to use Dolby Pro-Logic II for both GameCube and PS2. The Xbox version emerges as the best of the bunch. Running in Dolby Digital, SSX Tricky on the Xbox delivers impressive five-channel surround sound. No LFE channel, once again, so take that into consideration when you configure your receiver. Given the integration of sound into the game, it's no surprise that the Xbox version doesn't allow you to customize your soundtrack via playlists. Overall, SSX Tricky features outstanding sound design on all three platforms, with the mixing of the Xbox version being the best. Winner: Xbox version Graphics SSX Tricky's graphical improvements over the original SSX are subtle. There are new cloud effects, lighting effects and pyrotechnics, and the framerate is improved as a whole, but the PS2 version still slows down here and there. EA tried to get the game to run at 60 fps -- and it looks spectacular when it does -- but it also makes the drops all the more noticeable when they occur. Basically, any time there are lots of characters on screen and you turn a corner, it chugs a little. Not enough to distract from the gameplay, but you'll definitely notice it. For the Xbox port, EA actually managed to iron out a lot of the rough spots. The game runs smoother (framerate drops still occur, but they're less frequent), the lighting and colors look better, the characters feature self-shadowing, and the snow is actually bump-mapped. The overall look of the tracks remains unchanged. Ironically, the Xbox version's character select screens are plagued by a mild case of jaggies and flicker (not the PS2 version, though), but the actual game looks much nicer. This is the part where I talk about the GameCube version and ask: what the heck happened? Never mind that all the FMV clips feature heavy artifacting -- that's to be expected given the smaller disc size. I've got all my consoles hooked up via component inputs and I can switch between them at the press of a button -- and the GameCube version is clearly a step below both the PS2 and the Xbox versions as far as in-game visuals go. Never mind 60fps, I'm happy when the GameCube SSX Tricky runs at 30 frames per second! It would be easy to attribute this to lack of polygon muscle, but why on Earth does GameCube SSX Tricky slow down with no riders on screen when heading into a curve that obscures the sprawling landscapes that this game is famous for? Given the amount of sub-par PS2 ports GameCube owners will likely have to put up with over the next months, it's a bit disheartening to see something like this from EA, a company that usually manages to make every version of its key franchises look great, no matter what platform they're on. Let's chalk it up to console launch pressure and hope that the next GameCube BIG game gets the same treatment the Xbox version received. HDTV and DTV owners will be happy to hear that like most EA games, all three versions offer 16x9 widescreen support (though only Xbox supports 480p). Winner: Xbox Special Features All three versions of Tricky are identical when it comes to options and basic features, but both the Xbox and PS2 versions of SSX Tricky use the added space of the DVD format, so they've got much more space to work with than both the original PS2 SSX game and the GameCube version. What this translates to is that the GameCube version is missing almost every "special edition" feature. Whereas the other two versions have several well-produced making-of featurettes and interviews with the voice talents, the GameCube version only features the basic making-of video. One really wonders what all the extra stuff is that EA added over the original SSX (which fit into a single CD) that it would take up three times as much space this time around. I don't want to be a whiny jackass, but was there really no space left to add a jukebox feature to the GameCube Tricky, a tiny little app that lets users listen to all the different music tracks in the Xbox and PS2 versions? On the upside, the GameCube version's loadtimes are much quicker than the PS2's and Xbox's. It would have been nice if EA could have released the GameCube Tricky as a two-disc set, with one disc dedicated to the "DVD contents," but the omission of the making-of stuff doesn't make it a worse game -- just a less impressive package. Winner: Xbox and PS2 Feature PlayStation Xbox GameCube Media/Size 1 DVD (4.7GB) 1 DVD (9GB) 1 GCD (1.5GB) Single Ev. Modes 3 3 3 World Circ. Modes 2 2 2 Practice Mode Yes Yes Yes Players 1-2 1-2 1-2 Playable characters 12 12 12 Tracks 10 10 10 Resolution 640x480 640x480 640x480 Progressive scan No Yes No Widescreen Yes Yes Yes Sound Stereo Surround DTS* Stereo Surround Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo Surround Control configs 2 2 2 Initial load time 25 sec 20 sec 13 sec Avg. track load time 22 sec 19 sec 10 sec Self-shadowing No Yes No Bump mapping No Yes No Volume control 6 presets/sliders 6 presets/sliders 6 presets/sliders Video control Brightness adjust Brightness adjust Brightness adjust Vibration Yes (on/off) Yes (on/off) Yes (on/off) Difficulty settings 3 3 3 Speed units 2 (MPH/Km) 2 (MPH/Km) 2 (MPH/Km) Auto load On/off On/off On/off Replay modes 2 2 2 Max boarders 2-6 2-6 2-6 SSX featurette Yes Yes Yes Tricks featurette Yes Yes No Tracks featurette Yes Yes No Characters feat. Yes Yes No Voices featurette Yes Yes No Music featurette Yes Yes No Audio featurette Yes Yes No Jukebox Yes Yes No EA Previews clip Yes No No Final Verdict When compared to the PS2 original, SSX Tricky is a much more balanced title, with even better track design, a better framerate, and improved tricks system, and a whole lot more personality. I haven't played a single snowboarding game on Xbox, PS2, or GameCube so far that's better than SSX Tricky, so don't hesitate to pick this one up. Multi-console owners should definitely stay clear of the inferior, slimmed down GameCube version and get the Xbox or PS2 version instead. If you only own a GameCube, remember that despite its shortcomings, it's still a great snowboarder that deserves to be played again and again. Overall, the PS2 SSX Tricky delivers the best control setup for returning players, but if you've never played SSX before you might as well go for the best-looking and sounding version: SSX Tricky for Xbox. Personally, I have no problem investing the extra time to get used to the less intuitive control setup in return for the added bells and whistles and the comfort of memory card-less saving. So check the above table, consider all the differences, and make your decision based on what you value most in games. If you played the original SSX on PS2 and liked how it controlled, then SSX Tricky PS2 will most definitely be the way to go for you. - ------------------------------ There. ===== ** Dave ** super_trey_bros@yahoo.com AIM: Sanrio Velocity Felt like a bulldozer trying to catch a butterfly. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:10:16 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lloyd Millard Mccoy Jr." Subject: Re: [NG] IGN's "Spider-Man: Head to Head" Article Xbox beat GC on first level load times? Hmm, interesting. Now that Tetrarch has been accustomed to GC hardware I expect the gap to close between GCand Xbox Tetrarch games. :) lloyd n Thu, 18 Apr 2002, Dave Rhodes wrote: > > --- Tim Ballard wrote: > > Could someone please post (or just send it to me) > > the IGN Insider article > > "Spider-Man: Head to Head" where the pros and cons > > of each console version > > of the new Spider-Man game is discussed? I've got > > more than one system and > > would like to know which version is the best. > > Thanks! > > > > Tim > > > > Head-to-Head: Spider-Man > Which of the three next-generation console versions > would director Sam Raimi be most proud of? Zoom in and > find out. > > April 17, 2002 - When we first came up with > IGNinsider, we took a long look at all our existing > IGN channels to find topics and areas we don't already > cover -- and that would be interesting to die-hard > gamers and IGN fans like yourself. If there is one > major trend that emerged with the release of the new > gaming consoles, it's that more and more developers > are trying to release their titles on multiple > consoles. The editors at IGN try to do their best to > write about each gaming system and objectively review > all the major titles, but there is one thing we don't > often do: compare games across platforms. Is > Starfighter for Xbox an improvement over the PS2 > version  or a step back? Is Madden for GameCube just > as fun as the other versions? Should you buy Crazy > Taxi for PS2 even though you already own the Dreamcast > version? Or, for that matter, is a GameCube game that > gets an 8 in graphics necessarily less impressive > looking than a PS2 game that gets a 9 in the same > category? > > If you're at conflict every time a game debuts on > multiple platforms, this column is for you. The > Head-to-Head series of articles cuts through all the > different takes the editors have on the games, > compares the facts, and presents you with one uniform > opinion on all the versions. > > Spider-Man (PlayStation 2, GameCube, XBOX) > > Treyarch is a busy, busy company. It seems like it was > just yesterday that the developer's Tony Hawk > compilation lit up our Xboxes and now there's already > a completely new Treyarch title on the market -- and > on three consoles and PC, no less. Though rooted in > the gameplay of Neversoft's Spider-Man (the game that > broke the string of bad superhero games on the old > consoles -- no pun intended), Treyarch's game stays > true to the look and plot of the new movie, while > adding plenty of additional side stories and enemies > to defeat. Is it a good game worth buying? Yep, anyone > with a hankering for good-looking action platformers > won't be disappointed. You'll be able to read in-depth > reviews of all three console versions (as well as the > PC and Game Boy Advance Spider-Man) by hopping over to > the respective channels, but if you want the dirt on > which version plays, looks, and sounds best, you've > come to the right place. > > Control > > Spider-Man offers two basic control schemes, no matter > which version you're playing: Classic and Enhanced. > Both setups are very similar, but enhanced offers the > ability to do instant swing turns and a less > complicated way of yanking enemies with your web. The > face buttons on all three versions are used for > punch/action, kick, web, and jump, while simple > two-button combinations let Spidey pull off all sorts > of web attacks. Camera controls are mainly assigned to > the right analog sticks, and the shoulder buttons are > used for web swinging, with GameCube/Xbox L doubling > up for look-around and as a web move modifier. > Interestingly, the GameCube version omits the "force > crawl" function that's triggered by clicking the left > thumbstick on the Xbox and L3 on the PS2 (enhanced > setup, only). It's a curious omission, considering > that it could have been included via double-tapping > down on the D-Pad or a similar combination -- but once > you start to play the game you actually realize how > meaningless the function really is. Let's just say > that if we didn't tell you about it, you wouldn't have > noticed that it was gone. > > In case of the Xbox and GameCube versions, the > enhanced setting also moves the all-important zip > function to another button (Black Button on Xbox and Z > on GameCube), whereas it stays on R1 on the PS2. This > translates into easier-to-learn controls on PS2 than > on Xbox and GameCube simply because all buttons on the > PS2 controller are easy to reach. Given their > location, the Z trigger and white/black buttons are > better used for toggling less important functions in > games. Still, after a little bit of practice the > controls on all three versions work equally well. > > Overall, the PS2 version has a tiny, tiny advantage > over the other two in the control department -- but > it's too minute of a difference to, er, really make a > difference. > > Winner: PS2 > > Features > > Chalk it up to the fact that Treyarch is more familiar > with the Xbox hardware -- or start hatching conspiracy > theories about Bill paying off Activision -- whatever > the reason, the Xbox version of Spider-Man features > two additional levels. Even though both levels deal > with spider-villain Kraven the Hunter (who does not > appear in the movie), they're woven seamlessly into > the main storyline. The first extra level has Spidey > trying to avoid getting hit by sniper fire, while the > second one has you confront Kraven himself in a > surprisingly easy boss battle. Together, the two > missions add about 30 minutes of playtime to the > overall 10-12 hour game. They're not exactly worth > buying an Xbox for, but if you've got multiple systems > at home already, the longer gameplay of the Xbox > version is definitely one decisive factor why that > version is the one to get. > > All three versions feature unlockable bonus content, > such as Spidey bowling and movie clips. Activision > swears that it didn't pull an SSX Tricky, either: > GameCube owners get the same stuff as the PS2 and Xbox > players. > > Winner: XBOX > > Sound > > Hats off to Activision for not only making the game > look like the movie it's based on, but also sound like > it. Spider-Man features the voice talents of Tobey > Maguire (Spidey/Peter Parker), Willem Dafoe (Green > Goblin/Norman Osborn), and cult-favorite Bruce > Campbell as the tour guide/narrator. Maguire's > constant quips and comments may annoy some of you out > there, but fans of the comic book series will > appreciate the fact that Spider-Man is just as vocal > as in the comic. In addition to the movie villains, > Activision also hired accomplished voice actors for > the other characters, including Dwight Schultz (Star > Trek's Reginald Barclay) as the Vulture. The music, on > the other hand, is not the Danny Elfman movie score, > but very similar sounding stuff by Michael McCuistion > > The three console versions of Spider-Man all use the > same samples and music, but there are some marked > differences in sound quality across the board. At the > risk of repeating ourselves in this column, the Xbox > version once again features the cleanest and punchiest > sound. Running in five-channel Dolby Digital, the > surround separation during gameplay is noticeably > better on Xbox if you're using a 5.1 receiver and > appropriate speaker setup. We tested all three > versions in our demo room using the best possible > connections (optical for Xbox and PS2), RCA stereo for > GameCube -- and the results are very clear-cut. The > Xbox version sounds best, followed by the PlayStation > 2 version, which supports Dolby Pro-Logic II (DPLII > offers enhanced rear-channel separation, among other > things). The standard Dolby Pro Logic of the GameCube > Spider-Man, while still impressive, sounds a tad more > tinny and the surround sound separation isn't quite as > nice. Now that more PS2 games support DPLII, the > question has to be asked whether Rogue Leader will > remain the sole DPLII game in GameCube's library. > Nintendo? > > Winner: XBOX > > Graphics > > This latest 3D Spider-Man is visually impressive on > all three next-generation consoles. The once foggy and > almost lifeless cityscapes are now totally fleshed out > thanks to a strong draw distance and much higher > polygon count than seen in the last generation. The > art design is also quite dazzling with remarkably > vibrant sky textures and subtle lighting. > Additionally, all of these buildings are equipped with > reflection maps and crisp textures. Under the > revealing sunlight you can really see a step-by-step > difference between the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and > Xbox versions. Without a doubt the Xbox version has a > considerably smoother framerate and certainly higher > quality textures. The golden glass windows that > reflect a crisp city texture (it does not reflect you > or the city around it) on Xbox are blurred slightly on > GameCube and even more so on PlayStation 2. As you > move from Xbox to GameCube to PS2 the quality descends > in that order. In the screenshots below you can > clearly see this. Also, while you may not be able to > see it in screenshots, Xbox also features better > lighting and hands-down the best shadows, with > GameCube and PS2 casting ones more jagged. > > This is the general theme for the whole of the game. > Xbox outshines the rest with an overall more vibrant > look and considerably more solid framerate. In > particular, the GameCube offers up some smooth 60 > visuals, but very often drops to 30. The PlayStation 2 > is absolutely the worst of the three due to its > perpetual battle with a more jagged look and > distracting flicker. In fact, once you've seen the > Xbox version, Spider-Man on PS2 just looks "noisy." > Taken by themselves, all three games are visually > impressive, but once you put them side by side the > choppier PS2 Spider-Man pales in comparison with the > other two. All of the titles seem to feature the same > quality FMV clips, however, which is a plus given the > fact that GameCube has historically seen more > compressed CG videos. > > As for extra visual goodies, there really are none. > There is no true 16:9 support and no letterbox display > for those interested in it. Thanks to the Xbox's > special liking to run every game in progressive scan > it certainly supports that, but PlayStation and, > surprisingly, GameCube do not. > > Winner: XBOX > > Feature PlayStation 2 Xbox GameCube > Media/Size 1 DVD (4.7GB) 1 DVD (9 GB) 1 GCD (1.5GB) > Stages 22 24 22 > Villains 4 5 4 > Players 1 1 1 > Resolution 640x480 640x480 640x480 > Progressive scan No Yes No > Widescreen No No No > Sound Dolby Pro-Logic II Dolby Digital 5.1 Dolby > Pro-Logic > Control configs 2 2 2 > Initial load time 15 sec 12 sec 8 sec > First level load time 20 sec 10 sec 14 sec > Volume control 4 sliders 4 sliders 4 sliders > Vibration Yes (on/off) Yes (on/off) Yes (on/off) > Difficulty settings 4 4 4 > Costumes/skins 12 12 12 > Bowling mode Yes Yes Yes > Bonus clips 3 3 3 > > Final Verdict > > It doesn't happen very often that a game debuts > simultaneously on all three console platforms, but > Activision and Treyarch somehow pulled it off. All > three play equally well, but the Xbox version is just > a little longer. All three have good sound, but the > Xbox sounds just a little better. And finally, all > three look nice, but the Xbox version just looks a > whole lot nicer. The differences are more pronounced > if you're an audio/videophile and you've got a nice > setup. Xbox Spider-Man really shines on DTVs (though > the lack of 16x9 support is a little disappointing) > and the audio requires a Dolby Digital receiver to > really rock the house. If you've got a standard TV > set, you can still tell the difference because of the > smoother framerate. > > If you own all three consoles, the choice is clear: > Xbox Spider-Man is the best of the bunch. If you've > got a GameCube and a PS2, get the GameCube version for > its smoother and more vibrant visuals -- unless you > can't live without the PS2 version's DPLII support. > Each version has its strengths, but the Xbox > Spider-Man stands heads and shoulders above the other > two. > > > -- Peer Schneider and Fran Mirabella III > _____________________ > > Well folks. Aside from the pretty XBOX pictures and > the pretty ugly PS2 pictures, that's it. XBOX wins > again. =) > > > > ===== > ** Dave ** > super_trey_bros@yahoo.com > AIM: Sanrio Velocity > Felt like a bulldozer trying to catch a butterfly. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax > http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > > [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] > [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] > sx [ To quit the NGamers mailing list, send the message "unsubscribe ] [ NGamers" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ] ------------------------------ End of NGamers-digest V1 #1836 ****************************** [ To quit the NGamers-digest mailing list (big mistake), send the message ] [ "unsubscribe NGamers-digest" (without the quotes) to majordomo@xmission.com ]