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Denver, 2:24 AM
Sun Dec 6
16 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/03/09
Paleeeeaaaase.
There was no game in that Box. It was worse then the races in GTAIV. The handling felt like out of some bad racing game out of the 80's. Clumsy, unresponsive, weird. Just thinking about that slamming into other cars with an extra button, makes me die a little inside.
Hitting a button so that your car shimmies a little to the left or right?!?
In a game, that wants to be a little like "The Transporter"?
As cool, as Vin Diesels voice sounds... The Character Design in this game just doesn't exist. They move weird and are generally just not good. Uncanny Valley? Much. Sub-par animations feeling like 90's Videogames? Much...
Nothing even barely resembles a good game.
The Idea, to make a more Action Movie like experience out of it was there. But they just couldn't deliver it.
Not in the slightest.
I'm always very sorry, and it's sad, when people loose their jobs and have to fight for new ones.
But as a Gamer, I'm glad, that studio gets shut down.
08/04/09
08/04/09
Same is true for Wheelman.
And I personally just can't stand that.
It feels like controlling Robots, or a Toy.
Nothing I want to indulge myself in, at least, when I play a story driven game.
A good example of good Character animation? Uncharted. It's fluid, dynamic, feels authentic and just a pleasure to play. That Character feels almost alive.
And it was possible a long time before that.
I destroyed a PS2 controller, while playing Shadow of the Colossus, while holding on to a Giant. I was so attached and wouldn't want to let go, that the R1 Button snapped.
That Character was alive as well.
I don't know. I always thought Midway Character Design was sub par. It started in the PS2 Era and holds true till today. They just don't seem to be able to fill their characters with life.
08/04/09
08/04/09
Wheelman is what would have resulted if Crazy Taxi tried to take itself seriously and added in a horrid storyline fronted by a big name actor.
Its certainly true that personal preference is a huge factor in the debate of a game being good/bad. Yet, in this case, I imagine you're in the minority. Wheelman sold poorly and was reviewed poorly averaging around 65%. The common opinion is clearly that Wheelman is a mediocre game at best.
08/04/09
I'll save you the trouble, these are all from unique reviews of the game.
Also, which system did you play it on?
"Wheelman has enough explosive thrills that you’ll be yelling and laughing the whole time."
"Wheelman is a good game, with a bit more polish it might have been a great one."
"Even though Wheelman combines myriad genres, gameplay styles and presentation references into a single title, it actually pulls it off quite well."
"Much like a lot of the leading mans films, Wheelman is brainless entertainment without any pesky delusions of grandeur to trip over."
"it does the most important thing casual gamers look for, and that's ‘be fun'."
"A successful game, that certainly is going to keep you playing for a long time."
"Fun can be found in the simplest of things, and Wheelman nails car combat "
"Its arcadey addictiveness and cinematic style successfully lands it in a sweet spot right between those two genres,"
"So, if you are looking for an action game with a heavy focus on vehicular combat, over-the-top driving sequences, and ridiculously unrealistic abilities, you should definitely check out Wheelman."
"If you're looking for just having some dumb fun driving in a big sprawling city, smashing and shooting every last thing in your way, then Wheelman is a great pick"
"a must have for all the free roaming action game lovers,"
"While it won’t win huge awards, The Wheelman remains a fun game to experience"
07/14/09
If any of the guys and gals from the office is on here today, stay strong- its a pain in the ass, and there are times it seems like you are going to be out of work for the rest of your life, but you'll get through it. All any of us can do at this point is find something to barely pay the bills, and hope the hiring push starts in spring with some actual economic recovery.
07/14/09
07/14/09
It's the only Midway IP I care about, and I'm the only person left alive that cares about it. lol
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07/14/09
Any beats on when we get Mk vs Loony Tunes?
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
I hope someone picks up the studio or that those people laid off get jobs. Wheelman wasn't that great at all, but it had its moments.
07/14/09
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07/14/09
Also worked on numerous patches and compilations.
07/14/09
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07/14/09
Since you've opened the Pandora's Box by answering questions about Westwood, were you in Irvine or Vegas? I'm not even sure if the Vegas studio was still around in 2003, but I think it was.
Also, how awesome was Westwood in it's heyday? You don't have to answer that, it was rhetorical. I loved the C&C, Dune and E&B games. You should be proud.
07/14/09
Irvin was turned into EA Pacific long before Westwood was shuttered.
Working at Westwood was amazing. I remember going in for my first interview and being awestruck by the place. I was a HUGE Westwood fan from way back in the Eye of the Beholder days. I'll never forget, after just a few days of starting there, I walked past Joe Kucan (a.k.a. Kane) and I just stopped in my tracks with my mouth hanging open. I had no idea he worked there. He invited me to play poker with him in the lunch room. That was a good day.
07/14/09
07/14/09
I'll never forgive myself for not taking the opportunity to do QA testing there in what turned out to be their last years. Everyone I knew (indirectly, really) who worked there had nothing but good things to say. Even contractors.
07/14/09
07/14/09
07/14/09
However, I bet Midway CEO "Matt Booty" doesn't let anything get in his way!
What a fantastic name!
Seriously though, best of luck to all of those let go.
May the winds of change blow your way, and not lead you to iPhone game devs.
07/14/09
After saying such things, I am sad to see their studios being offed one by one. I realize their games would still be around carrying forth the company name in one way or another, but it wouldn't be the Midway that I once knew.
07/14/09
Cheers on that. So many memories!
Maybe if there is a god out there, we will have some kind of arcade revival in the US, and Midway can churn out some cabs. They made some pinball jammers too!
07/14/09
I remember a trip to the local arcade a few months ago. It was filled with people playing games with fellow strangers and having a good time and when I went the next day, it was a shoe store! Women already have enough stores to buy from in the city. Sheesh.
06/20/09
That better be a 'roided up Scott Bakula in that screen, otherwise no sale.
06/19/09
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06/19/09
06/16/09
I am sorry, I don't use that old fashioned system. I deal in dog years. What would that be? 5 dog years I think. I wish more people would consider various units when discussing these things. No consideration at all.
06/16/09