I’ve been thinking back on cool things that were cut down in their prime. Specifically I miss 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live. Man, I loved that game - it was a scheduled game show that you could play, with an actual host and actual prizes, I won an XBLA game once. I played every chance I got, it was a really fun trivia game even if you didn’t win or get into the 100 (as I did on a few occasions) or even the 1 (which I sadly never did). I wish it could have lasted but I guess it was pretty expensive, or something.
I miss Game Room, too, though I guess I could fire it up on my old 360. Wonder if this one is eligible for back compat? Anyway, I know lots of folks bristled at rebuying a bunch of console and arcade classics but I thought it was cool, setting up your own arcade, seeing your friends’ avatars wandering around. But I add it to this thread because they stopped adding new games and quietly shuffled it away.
So anyway, no need for me to hit the thread. Why not hit me with your sob stories? I’m still bummed that Pirates of the Caribbean RPG got shitcanned. And the Skies of Arcadia PS2 sequel. And KOTOR 3, and Van Buren and, well I’m going to go lie down now.
Things I actually played? I miss Missionforce: Cyberstorm multiplayer games via Kali. I also wish I could dip my toes again into DAoC and Shadowbane. Multiplayer is the theme here. These games have gone on to some gamers’ Valhalla where the mead flows and the pings are low. I do miss the original Command and Conquer over Kali. Just the memory of hearing my 28.8 modem connect is such a sweet sound.
Things I never got to play? The two Simtex games, Mechlords and the Superhero game. Throw in the Bullfrog Superhero game too. There are probably another dozen games I’m not thinking of.
Yep, this game was pretty awesome. I was the 1!! It was a night that they had technical difficulties though so I didn’t actually speak to anyone but it was still a blast.
For me, the biggest is still Privateer 3. It was in development, but the lack of sales for Wing Commander: Prophecy killed the project. The pitch was done internally by the Loose Cannon team.
Then they started developing Privateer: Online, and that was killed. And then they started developing a new Privateer: Online, and then that project was killed too. But frankly I never cared about Privateer Online. Especially not in that era, when the only way to do MMOs was to have low input from the player to prevent latency from being a problem, like the way Earth & Beyond did it. (Am I remembering that name correctly? The EA/Westwood Space MMO?). So the only one I really mourn is Privateer 3. Based on an improved Wing Commander Prophecy engine, it could have been a thing of beauty.
So did we actually get a Privateer 3-like game eventually, just not set in the Wing Commander universe? Eh. I’m not sure. Independence War 2 was kind of open, but it wasn’t really a Privateer style game. The X-series is kind of trying to do similar things, but not really. Not quite.
But hey, whatever Tbaldtree and his team are working on right now, that’s my biggest hope for a Privateer 3 since the cancellation of Privateer 3.
I very much miss Game Room. Bought all of the game packs, and wish they’d been able to do more with it. Many hours of fun competing with my daughter and customizing our arcades.
Others I wish saw the light of day (or were given more time in the oven):
You guys are great! I haven’t even heard of all of them.
OK, I do remember this trailer but I haven’t been keeping track of the “new” version that is soon to be released so I guess I don’t know what’s been lost. Have to do my homework here.
Man, I do too. Pretty much all the FASA properties, like MechWarrior and, I don’t know, probably other stuff that’s slipping my mind. Since MS has been interested in revisiting some old Xbox stuff like Phantom Dust and Voodoo Vince I’m really hopeful someone is paying attention to stuff like Crimson Skies.
I can get behind that - after all, it was pretty much adventure games that got me into the PC era, originally Infocom but eventually LucasArts and Sierra On-Line (though LucasArts was also closer to my heart). If you miss games like that, I must ask - have you tried Thimbleweed Park, Ron Gilbert’s latest? I haven’t, but I want to.
I miss the “feeling” associated with certain games/technologies that I can’t recapture. First modem. Using kali to play multiplayer. UO launch. Everquest. (Hmm, I seem to be in a rut with my experiences here - too much War Games, apparently? The computer called me!). Completing a new game typed in from a Compute! Gazette magazine.
While there are plenty of good games out now, nothing recaptures the wonder.
Oh hey, I did that too! Even before I had a storage medium on my computer, so it was only good until I turned it off. Good times. Really made troubleshooting problems feel urgent.
Everyone I know who played this ages with you. It was such an awesome game. A live gameshow where you could interactively play and potentially get picked to play on center state.
This was such an amazing idea, and speed a great new type of thing for entertainment and Xbox live… And then it just ended, and they never did anything with it.
