Tell me about MK:DD, F-Zero X, Cubivore and Pac-Man Vs.

[goatdan]

In a sort of continuation but topic switch from my "Convince me to buy or to not buy a GameCube thread," I'm curious about what people have to say about these games. Here's the background on my tastes:

Mario Kart: DD

I ADORED Mario Kart on the SNES.

I HATED Mario Kart on the N64 -- the lack of AI and the poorly designed 3D courses (in my opinion, of course) helped me come to that conclusion.

I don't know what to think of MK:DD. I want to play it, but I don't want to be burned like I felt I was with MK64.

I did really like - for the most part - the Disney Kart Racer for the Dreamcast. The only thing that sucked about it was the sometimes boring and uncompetitive track designs.

I have always wanted to try Crash Team Racing. I saw Crash Nitro Kart for the Xbox this weekend for $9.99, but didn't pick it up thinking it must be bad to be selling that cheap. Looked up reviews and went back Monday, but it's gone. For those of you that have played CNK, how does it compare to MK:DD?

F-Zero GX

I first played the N64 version, and I loved it. I played the heck out of that game, and when Krazy_Kamino posted in my GameCube thread, all the thoughts of how much I loved that game came back to me.

On the other hand, after loving the N64 version I gave the SNES version a shot. I didn't like that at all.

Racing games are the one thing I really don't have any for the Xbox -- and it isn't for lack of liking the genre, its the fact that I don't much like the realistic ones and I can't justify paying a lot for them. Is there any Xbox equivalent to F-Zero GX?

How does the N64 version stack up to the new one?

CubiVore

This game so fasicanted when it came out. Can someone describe the general idea of the game and why they like it? Does anyone have it and not enjoy it?

Pac-Man Vs.

I have head only good things about this game. Are they justified? How does Pac-Man Vs. work in single player?

I do love Pac-Man :D

Thanks everyone in advance!

[Promophile]

You can get the Metriod prime bundle for like 70 dollars, why not get the system? Anyway, for AWESOME cube only games, how about


Animal Crossing

Super Smash Bros Melee (one of the best games ever)

Tales of Symphonia (well its cube only in the US, donno for how long)

Zelda, new one plus windwalker

Mario tennis, golf, ect ect including baseball coming soon

Wario Ware

Wario world (short but fun)

Just to name a few

Personally I didn't like Mario Kart DD, just because the two person car thing isn't my bag.

[Jibbajaba]

You can get the Metriod prime bundle for like 70 dollars, why not get the system? Anyway, for AWESOME cube only games, how about


Animal Crossing

Super Smash Bros Melee (one of the best games ever)

Tales of Symphonia (well its cube only in the US, donno for how long)

Zelda, new one plus windwalker

Mario tennis, golf, ect ect including baseball coming soon

Wario Ware

Wario world (short but fun)

Just to name a few


A: That isn't what he is asking about.

B: Where the hell can you get a Metroid Prime bundle for $70??? I would definitely get one for that price!

Chris

[Jasoco]

I enjoy MK:DD much more than MK64. The courses are much cooler IMHO.

Never played FZero GX. I liked, sorta, the N64 version, but I heard the Cube one was really hard.

Cubivore is really fun. I got all the way through. But didn't get all the combinations. Still pretty cool, and actually tough at some times.

Pac-Man Vs... The VS game is multi-player only I thought. It comes with Pac-Man World 2 which is basically a throw-away platformer. Still kinda fun. But I haven't touched it since the first day I got it.

[badinsults]

Fzero GX will rape you. I can't really recommend this unless you absolutely love perfection, because you need to be perfect to do anything in this game. Fzero X was much nicer.

I haven't played Mario Kart DD that much, but I found it to be too similar to MK64, so I quickly got bored, as I played the crap out of MK64.

I haven't played the others.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Pac-Man Vs.

I have head only good things about this game. Are they justified? How does Pac-Man Vs. work in single player?
Single player doesn't apply - it's strictly a multiplayer game only. For more on it, I've got a whole review written up here-ish (http://www.thelogbook.com/phosphor/edit/pacmanvs/).

[ubersaurus]

Mario Kart: It's similar to MK64, to be honest, although I like 64 better then double dash as a single player racer, Double Dash has the sweetest multiplayer you can think of. The co-op mode is weird at first, but after playing with it in a networked game, I can't imagine the game being anywhere near as fun without it.

F-Zero GX: Basically, if you liked the n64 one, you'll like this. It's more difficult in my experience, and if you're like me, you'll prefer the speed metal soundtrack of X to GX's awesome techno, but it's fast as hell, the vehicles are very responsive (almost too much so), and becoming truly skilled at the game is a serious accomplishment-I've had it since it came out, and I still have like 2 more cars to unlock(although I probably could do it now, if I had the drive). I'm sure there's futuristic racers on the Xbox, but I'm hard pressed to find any that don't involve weapons, just pure speed like F-Zero. not as good a multiplayer game as Kart, though, but still fairly fun.

Pac-Man vs: It's a multiplayer game only. Basically, one player is randomly chosen to be pac-man, and the rest are designated ghosts. Whichever ghost catches pac-man, becomes pac-man, and has the chance to rack up some points. First to X amount of points wins. It's pure chaos-you have to work together to catch pac-man, while at the same time, you have to try and screw the other ghosts, particularly one close to winning, and become pac-man yourself. Pac-man gets to see the whole screen, since his view is on a GBA, but the ghosts only get to see what's directly around them on the tv. Intense game with a deceptive amount of strategy, it was a multiplayer mainstay among my friends until the one broke his cube, and everyone else got too lazy to bring theirs over.

[pseudonym]

f-zero gx is a lot like the n64 one but much harder. you really have to watch the track and have good reflexes as there's a bunch of sharp/hair pin turns and dead ends where there's no barriers. most of the racers can be beat if you don't mess up on the track itself; the top 2 or 3 racers can be challenge even if you're doing good. story mode is fun on lower difficulties, but frustrating on very hard. you'll need a lot of luck and practice on some of them on vh (save jody, f-zero grand prix, and the last one, i forget what it's called).

[Sylentwulf]

Personally, F-Zero GX Sucks in my opinion. My kids had more fun with it than I did.

The story mode, I made it to level 2 I think (where you race Goroh) was HORRIBLE, and the CG sequences were flat out stupid. I tried level 2 like 20-30 times before beating it by luck, level 3 I think I tried 5-10 times and then put the game away for good.

[YoshiM]

Mario Kart:DD- I liked the N64 version better. I can't say I played it much as the owner bought it then traded it in not too long after, so I can't get into too much detail. The single player courses didn't "do it" for me-I preferred the N64 ones. As for Vs. Multiplayer (which I did get to sink my teeth into) the courses weren't all that fun and most felt way too small.

F-Zero GX: Gorgeous game. It's amazing at the amount of detail that goes into the game while still maintaining a super fast frame rate. The only problem I had with the game was the control which is more of a hardware than a software issue. The stick isn't nearly as "tight" as the N64's so being able to do tighter turns with just the stick doesn't happen. The triggers for sliding left and right are essential. For me it just wasn't all that comfortable to do.

Pac-Man VS.-Cool game. Very cool concept. However you have to get friends with GBAs in order to play it and I'm the only one in my group that owns one. When they used my GBA the game was met with lukewarm responses and it never got played again. These are the same people who sometimes mutter "There is nothing less sexy than playing old video games", which is what they see Pac-Man as no matter how polygonal he gets. If you can find people who are receptive to using a GBA and dot munching, it's a blast.

[Darth Sensei]

Pac-Man Vs is a scream with several people.

It's really the only reason I turn on my Game Cube anymore. :roll:

[Mayhem]

My MK:DD review

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/review.php?platform=ngc&game=MarioKartDD

My F-Zero GX review

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/review.php?platform=ngc&game=FZeroGX

My Pacman VS review

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/review.php?platform=ngc&game=PacmanVs

My Cubivore review

Erm... well I didn't do one for the site there LOL

But it's a fun little game that's quirky in an Atlus like way... if you can find it as it is semi-rare. Then again I found a used complete copy for $18 last week with QoF so it is possible...

[le geek]

Cubivore - very Darwinian. You start out as a one limbed cube animal and work your way up the food chain attacking and eating other animals, mating, dying, then reincarnating... The style is hyper geometric.

If you like Parappa the Rappa and Katamari Damanci and you own a cube, you owe it to yourself to get Cubivore...

[downfall]

Here goes:

Mario Kart: Double Dash

This series of games is a rather strange one, at least in my opinion. The only two you can actually compare to one another are Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit - the only reason for that comparison is because MK:SC pretty much includes the entire Super Mario Kart game in it. Mario Kart 64 is a completely different beast, as is Mario Kart: Double Dash. Super Mario Kart and MK:SC are by far the two toughest games in the series. MK64 is a breeze, even on 150cc, and though I haven't completely beaten MK:DD, it too seems to be a breeze. The first day I played it, I started on 50cc, and didn't lose a race until the Star Cup on 100cc - a race which I came in second. MK:DD feels much lighter and more "floaty" if you will, than any other game in the series. With Mario Kart 64, I always felt like there was a very good sense of speed - one of the reasons I enjoyed the game so much - but with Double Dash, everything seems slow. It's not that the game isn't running at full speed or anything, but I never really got the sense of urgency or had to face that frantic last lap where I'm shooting turtle shells and whatever else I can get and racing as hard as I can to come in 2nd place, or to hold onto my 1st place lead. I probably have gotten the least enjoyment out of Double Dash - perhaps it's because I played it the least compared to the others - but it really didn't give me the desire to go back and put that extra time into it, unlike the others in the series.

If you loved Super Mario Kart, I would encourage you to buy Mario Kart: Super Circuit instead if you don't already have it. It's a much better game, and in my opinion, the best game in the Mario Kart series.

F-Zero GX

This game will spit on you, kick you in the face, and yet make you come back to it again and again.

Beautiful game, and I'm still not sure that any other game out there has replicated the sense of speed that this game has. I know people that have actually vomited because of it, and these are people that have never gotten sick from any other game.

I much prefer this game to the N64 version - at least to me, it just does everything better. It's more fun to play, it's more fun to watch, and it really captures the essence of the F-Zero series - jumps and turbos and bumping and banging - it's a blast. And it makes going back to the SNES and GBA versions pretty tough.

Let us also not forget that there are 29 other F-Zero racers on the track at the same time as well, which is also amazingly cool. Plus, you can purchase and unlock parts to build your own F-Zero racer - very cool. The track design is fun, though there are a few that are insanely hard to navigate - ie. narrow tracks with drops and jumps - very easy to fall off, but that's only a few courses.

However, like everyone else has said, this game is freakin hard. It's made by Amusement Vision, the gang that did Super Monkey Ball, and Super Monkey Ball 2 - two of the most difficult games you'll ever play. That's transfered over to F-Zero tenfold - there are some races that I've done 20 times, and I'm lucky to come in 3rd. Still a blast to play, and with Target stores blowing this game out for $10 or so, there's no reason you shouldn't buy it.

There's really not too much else like it on any other systems - the closest thing to it is probably the Extreme-G series (XGRA, Extreme-G III), but it's no F-Zero. It's fun though (and the Extreme-G series always has great music) and most of the XGRA titles can be had on the cheap as well (under $20).

Cubivore

Well. Let's see. One of those bizarre games. The graphics are worse than Animal Crossing, so that probably turns some people off - they really look like something the N64 could've pulled off in it's latter days (wasn't this actually supposed to be an N64 title at one point?). Either way, graphics aren't so important, but I thought I'd mention it. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad though - it's obviously the style they were going for, but it's far from the prettiest game on the Cube - and I don't think it's pushing the Cube too far.

The basic idea of the game is to take your Cubivore around and eat other Cubivore, eventually becoming strong enough to defeat the Killer Cubivore (or is that King Cubivore). Anyway, you start out very weak, and through training (which is somewhat like exp. points in an rpg), and eating other Cubivore, you grow stronger over time. Each Cubivore has limbs (one to six of them). When you attack a Cubivore, if you are successful in tearing off it's limb, then that limb is added to your body. There are five colors of limbs, and different strengths in those colors - each color gives you a different ability. Purple, for example, makes you jump further (I think). There are something like 150 mutations (combinations) of your head and the various colored limbs that you can end up with, which is the other goal in the game (to get all 150 mutations). It's really hard to describe this game - there's really not much else like it out there.

It's a fun title, albeit rather quirky. My only two complaints are that it's a very slow paced game (which is more of a personal preference), and that the difficulty is a bit broken. Some of the earlier stuff is a bit too hard, and some of the latter stuff is way too easy.

Anyway, if you're a collector, this is definitely a title to pick up. It's far from a system seller, but it's neat for what it is. I snagged it for $9.99 at EB - they probably still have it for that price. It's worth that all the way.

Pac-Man Vs.

We (myself and bigdaddychester) actually had this in the "we need to play this tonight" pile when he was over last time, but we never even got to break the shrinkwrap on it. It looks like a lot of fun, but again, you do need multiple people (and at least one GBA) to play it with.

[dbiersdorf]

PAC-MAN VS!!!

I'm not kidding here, true story.

About the time Pac-Man Vs. came out, I picked it up for free in one of those cardboard sleeve versions from my local GameCrazy. Later that night a bunch of my friends got together to play some 16 player Halo. We weren't as heavy into Halo at the time, because our enjoyment for it had fallen over the years. Regardless we can still have a blast with Halo and were playing a game or two, when the pizza came so of course everyone stopped playing. I wasn't hungry and busted out the GameCube to try out some Pac-Man Vs. with another friend of mine, before you knew it everyone wanted to play. We completely stopped playing Halo and played so many rounds of Pac-Man Vs. it was crazy, everyone was passing the Game Boy around, and it got really intense. Alas, we have never had one of those times again, but everytime someone sees it in my room they're like, "That game was so awesome!". So underrated.

Oh and F-Zero made some of my friends motion sick, yeah, it's that fast.

As for Cubivore loved it, totally regret selling it for quick cash, its a bitch to come across but it's just one of those titles you can't get enough of.

As for Mario Kart, blah, it sucks donkey dick.

[tritium]

They made MK:DD Too complex, I rented it, and it felt like they were trying to crosss MK with Grand Toursmo. Doesn't work very well. I prefered the easy aracde style fo the original and n64 versions.

-Tritium

[Half Japanese]

They made MK:DD Too complex, I rented it, and it felt like they were trying to crosss MK with Grand Toursmo. Doesn't work very well. I prefered the easy aracde style fo the original and n64 versions.

-Tritium


Huh? MK is about as arcade as you're going to get outside of a sit-down cab...


Also, you asked about Xbox equivelants to F-Zero. I've heard a lot of good things (from gamers, not reviewers) about Quantum Redshift.

[devils advocate]

I have quantum redshift. It was actually designed by many of the same team that worked on the original 3 wipeouts I believe.
And it reflects that. It's weapons based, but the weapons don't seem as cool as the wipeout series, nor as effective.
The graphics are cool, and the control is fine. I quite like the game, but not quite as much as the three original wipeouts. I do like it better than Wipeout fusion for the Ps2 though.


ANother one for the Xbox and ps2 to check out is Powerdrome. Another futuristic racer. But it lost popularity quickly, as the Xbox live implementation is horrendous. If you have ever wondered what "lag" is, just play this online. Sad, because the game itself is good.

[josekortez]

Cubivore is worth it for the rarity and the weirdness.

F-Zero GX's story mode is too hard, and I don't have any friends who exist outside the Internet so I can't comment on the multiplayer...

[Crush Crawfish]

Let's see:

MK: DD- For some reason I just couldn't get into this one, and I loved the SNES and N64 versions.

F-Zero GX- Didn't like this much. Too fast and hard for me.

Cubivore- FREAKIN' SWEET!!! Crazy little evolution sim game, where everything is made of cubes including the blood (which looks very weird). I mean, come on! what other game lets you collect "Hump" points? Too bad it's so hard to find. But if you see garb it!!!!

Pac-man Vs.- Very fun multiplayer, and I got mine for free so you can't beat that price. You can buy it bundled w/ pac-man world 2, another great game.

[Cantaloup]

The only one of those I've played is F-Zero GX. I haven't played the N64 F-Zero, so I can't compare. I really liked GX, though I'm not much of a racing game fan (or maybe I am, and just don't know it). It's very difficult, as others have said. Expect to spend a lot of time re-trying levels in the story mode. When you win, it's really an accomplishment. I guess I liked the grand prix mode the best, where you run 5 races in a row and try to get the most points. There are many racers that you can unlock, and you can also unlock parts to make your own racer (complete with custom paint job). There is also a decent variety of tracks, though some have to be unlocked. There are loops, twists, jumps, pipes, etc. through all kinds of exotic locations. There's some depth to the racing. You can attack other racers, which is risky but refills your boost meter and can give you extra lives. So do you try to take out the guy who's in 1st place in the cup, or do you play it safe and hope you can place high enough later on to win? Also, the boost meter is also your shields, so you have to find a balance between boosting and safety. The racers all handle a bit differently; there are some that are fast but tough to control, while there are others that are weak but responsive. Finally, the graphics are great and convey a tremendous amount of speed.

I'd also like to suggest you take a look at Wave Race: Blue Storm. Another good racing game with plenty of eye candy.

[DigitalSpace]

Mario Kart: Double Dash - Doesn't match up to SMK and Mario Kart 64, but still pretty fun. Multiplayer is better than single player. Sometimes the AI can be really cheap - one time in single player, I had almost finished a race in first place in 150cc mode when I had to dodge a red shell. No problem. Then ANOTHER red shell came at me. I got hit, but I could still recover and get a first place victory. Then a SPIKED SHELL came flying at me. All of this in less than a minute. I finished the race in fifth place. That really pissed me off. :angry:

For the most part, I like the game, but cheap moments like that occur more than they should, and it might get to you. The game is worth it as a pack-in, or for the $20 I paid for my copy, but no more than that.

F-Zero GX - Too difficult for my taste.

Cubivore - Haven't found a copy but I'd like to. It seems pretty interesting.

Pac-Man vs. - I got it when I purchased R: Racing Evolution. Haven't tried it out, but I have friends who are curious about the game so I'll probably play it soon.

[goatdan]

I saw Cubivore today used for $20.00. *Almost* got it. I also walked around for a bit with a GameCube before putting it down.

I think I'll end up finding a few games first and then getting the system.

[Mr Mort]

Well I am a huge fan of the F-Zero series, and F-Zero GX did not dissapoint. I pretty much agree with what most other people here have said about it. The visuals are amazing, the sensation of speed is unrivaled, controls great, and it's lots of fun.
As for the difficulty, I did beat F-Zero X on the N64 on master (I got my special title screen :rocker: ) and there's no doubt that GX is much, much harder than X. As long as you're prepared for that, you can still have fun. While the music is good, I liked the soundtrack in X more, and for the most part, I enjoyed the tracks in X more as well, but there are some awesome tracks in GX.
GX is easily the best racer in the GC IMO, even if I liked X a little better.
Very much worth getting, especially for $20.00.