Misplaced Pages

#524475

54-766: The Dual Analog Controller was first displayed under glass at the PlayStation Expo 96–97 , which was held from 1 November to 4 November 1996. It was released in Japan in April 1997, coincident with the Japanese releases of analog-capable titles Tobal 2 and Bushido Blade . Before its release in the United States , Sony decided that vibration feedback would be removed from the European and American versions of

108-569: A Square official, the game was not localized due to the disappointing sales of Tobal No. 1 , and the assumption that most of the people who did buy it only did so for the included playable demo of Final Fantasy VII . Square also stated that because they were working on the translations for Final Fantasy VII and Bushido Blade , they lacked the time and resources to translate a text-heavy game like Tobal 2 , and their publishing deal with Sony prohibited them from contracting translations of their games to third-party companies . However, according to

162-460: A console type game, where it's more action-oriented and fast paced, and also doing things like adding power-ups so it's more of an arcade experience. We're also adding more enemy mechs to each mission so there's a certain carnage element to the whole thing." Neither the Saturn nor PlayStation version is a port of the other; the code for each version was built from the ground up. All 32 missions from

216-600: A feature in the February 2006 issue of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine , Square representatives claimed that the game was not released because the PlayStation's limited memory prevented the English dialogue from fitting in the game's text boxes. A fan translation was completed little more than three years prior to Square's official statement. The Tobal 2 Original Sound Track was scored by Takayuki Nakamura . Like

270-685: A less expensive alternative to the FlightStick Analog Joystick and retailed for an average of US$ 35 compared to the Flightstick's retail price of US$ 70. Similarly to the Nintendo 64 controller , the Dual Analog Controller was designed to be held in four different ways: standard control, in which the left thumb uses the directional buttons and the right thumb uses the action buttons; analog control, in which

324-432: A mech lab allows players to customize the weapon, armor, engine and heat sinks of any drivable mech. MechWarrior 2 is played as a tactical simulation that incorporates aspects of real-time first-person combat and the physical simulation of the player's mech. The player can choose between several control modes that range from a basic "point and shoot" mode to an advanced mode that allows the player to independently manage

378-536: A simulation and that a throttle-control joystick was particularly intuitive. NetMech had some problems with stability and smoothness. PC Gamer US named MechWarrior 2 the best action game of 1995 while Computer Games Strategy Plus declared it the year's top "sci-fi/fantasy sim" title. The editors of PC Gamer US wrote that " MechWarrior II has everything an action game needs—beautiful graphics; great sound effects; smooth animation, even at high resolution; lots of options; and tons of firepower—all set against

432-583: A society based around warfare and creating warriors for their advanced BattleMechs. During the years of isolation, two ideologies divided the Clans; Crusader Clans wished to return to the Inner Sphere as conquerors, forcing the nations to unite and recreate the Star League. The Warden Clans believed the Clans should act as protectors of the Inner Sphere, only intervening if a threat of sufficient magnitude

486-423: Is played as a tactical simulation that incorporates aspects of real-time first-person combat and the physical simulation of the player's mech . It is a game recreation of the "Refusal War." The player can join one of the clans , Clan Jade Falcon or Clan Wolf while engaging in up to 32 missions. The game was originally developed for MS-DOS and was ported to other platforms including Windows , Macintosh , and

540-411: Is that really makes MechWarrior 2 strut. It could be something to do with attention to detail and a sense of continuity which combine to create a feeling of completeness. The game feels confident, it feels deep." Next Generation called it "the best 'mech simulator currently available" making particular note of the rendered graphics and attention to detail in the game world. The reviewer complained at

594-515: The MechWarrior series justice. MechWarrior 2 for PlayStation is a faithful recreation of the PC title, although a few modifications were made with the arcade-oriented console owner in mind. The combat arenas have been condensed to prevent unnecessary wandering around, and a non-campaign mode has been included for some quick, no frills fighting." Gerstmann himself, while criticizing the appearance of

SECTION 10

#1732775427525

648-650: The PlayStation Analog Joystick that is not available on the DualShock or DualShock 2. If a PlayStation game is DualShock or Dual Analog compatible, the player may press the Analog button located between the two analog sticks to activate the analog mode. This is indicated by a red LED . If the Dual Analog controller is switched to analog mode while using a game which is not analog-compatible,

702-431: The game consoles Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation (as MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition ). The MS-DOS, Windows, and Mac releases share the same gameplay while the console versions tweaked the game's mechanics to emphasize arcade-style action over the tactical-simulation of the original PC release. Several enhanced versions were released to take advantage of the 3D graphics accelerator cards that were available at

756-425: The 27th best game of all time and called it "an amazingly immersive experience". That same year, it was also ranked as the 54th top game of all time by Next Generation . In 2000, Computer Games Strategy Plus named MechWarrior 2 one of the "10 Best Sci-Fi Simulations". The magazine's Steve Bauman wrote: "While subsequent games, whether it's the seemingly thousands of variations Activision released in its wake, or

810-528: The 31st best selling game of the year. In 2000, Tobal 2 was ranked number 50 on Weekly Famitsu 's 100 best PlayStation games of all time. MechWarrior 2 MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is a vehicle simulation game developed and published by Activision , released in 1995 as part of the MechWarrior series of video games in the BattleTech franchise. The game is set in 3057, and

864-417: The 3D graphics accelerator cards at the time. Its soundtrack was composed by Jeehun Hwang and its rendered introductory sequence was produced by Digital Domain . The Saturn and PlayStation versions were developed by Quantum Factory. Project coordinator Brian Clarke said they were adapting the game to appeal to a console gaming audience, adding: "Instead of doing a sim game, we're making the crossover into

918-541: The Clans, as well as a staunch Warden and member of the Warden-leaning Clan Wolf, was charged with treason and accused of purposely losing by the Crusader elements of his Clan. They claimed because Ulric was a Warden, he engineered the defeat to sabotage the invasion, and also accused him of genocide. The basis of Clan law was "might equals right" so matters could be settled by combat. Ulric challenged

972-596: The Clans. It focuses on the Clans Jade Falcon and Wolf, which represent either Crusaders and Wardens, respectively. The Clans are the descendants of the Star League Defense Force, most of which was led by their commander Aleksandr Kerensky into the unknown regions of space in an attempt to prevent the warring nations of the Inner Sphere from obliterating each other. These forces eventually splintered and formed 20 groups called Clans, creating

1026-867: The Crusaders to uphold his status within the Clan Council and, as a result, maintain the Truce of Tukayyid. The Jade Falcon Clan, the strongest of the Crusader Clans and historic enemy of Wolf Clan, took up the challenge. In the conflict, which became known as the Refusal War, the Jade Falcons fight to uphold the Council's judgment of guilt, allowing an immediate resumption of the Invasion against

1080-515: The PC version were included in the console versions, though some were shortened to maintain a fast pace. These versions also include 16 new missions. According to producer Murali Tegulapalle, the team considered including missions from the Ghost Bear's Legacy expansion and MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries but decided because those missions were designed with a PC gaming audience in mind, it would make more sense to design new missions in keeping with

1134-506: The PlayStation's potential a piece of software uses, Tobal 2 was shown to use 90%, while every other PlayStation game released up until that point measured at 50% or less. Reviewing the game as an import, American video game website GameSpot gave Tobal 2 an 8.1/10, finding it superior to Tobal No. 1 , but also said that it has no chance of competing with more popular fighting series such as Tekken and Mortal Kombat . Tobal 2 sold over 318,000 copies in Japan in 1997, making it

SECTION 20

#1732775427525

1188-503: The U.S. and European models are the most commonly cited reasons that Sony decided to end production of this controller and redesign it. This redesign eventually became the DualShock. The Dual Analog controller was discontinued in all three markets in 1998, to be replaced by the DualShock. The Dual Analog controller has three modes of operation: Digital , which disables the Analog sticks, Analog (as also found on DualShock/DualShock 2 controllers) and an Analog Flightstick mode emulating

1242-549: The arcade and versus mode. Like the first game, the characters in Tobal 2 were designed by Akira Toriyama . Tobal 2 was to be released in North America, with a planned launch date of March 7, 1998, but the release was cancelled. It would have been the sixth and last title to be part of Square's publishing deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America ; the companies instead opted to release Einhänder . According to

1296-483: The condition that they face the opponent. High, medium, and low attacks can be executed using assigned buttons. As in Tobal No. 1 , the grappling and blocking system offers the player a variety of offensive and defensive maneuvers. An unblockable fireball attack has been added for each character. Tobal 2 was released on the same day as Sony's Dual Analog Controller in Japan, noted as the first game compatible with

1350-740: The console versions' overall philosophy of offering a more fast-paced experience than the PC version. Activision was also developing a version of MechWarrior 2 for the Panasonic M2 , but this version was never released due to the cancellation of the system. MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy is the follow-up expansion pack for MechWarrior 2 that was released in November 1995. The expansion pack allows players to play as Clan Ghost Bear and gives access to 14 new BattleMechs, some new weapons, twelve new missions and some new environments, such as outer space and underwater. It also adds new songs to

1404-428: The controller. According to a Sony spokesperson, "We evaluated all the features and decided, for manufacturing reasons, that what was most important to gamers was the analog feature." Reasons for dropping the vibration feedback reportedly included it being linked to premature malfunction of the controllers. There were rumors that Nintendo had attempted to legally block the release of the controller in North America due to

1458-461: The exploding mechs and the music, concluded that "For those of you who want a quick-and-dirty combat simulator with a lot of things to shoot, and can get past the uninspired graphics, MW2 fits the bill nicely." Even Crispin Boyer of Electronic Gaming Monthly , one of the few to dislike the changes, summarized that "Although it has been dummied down a little from the PC original, Mech 2 is still one of

1512-416: The fact that the initial release was single-player only, but noted that an add-on disk for networked multiplayer was due out by the end of the month. GameSpot praised the game for its high-resolution graphics and its requirement of strategy and planning from the player. The control complexity was likened to that of a flight simulator . GameRevolution also noted the controls were not overly complex for

1566-430: The game will not register any button presses or, in some cases, the game will consider the controller to be detached. This is due to the fact the controller's type ID that is reported to the game is changed when the button is pressed. The ability to emulate Sony's own PlayStation Analog Joystick by pressing the "Analog" button a second time to reveal a green LED (this was commonly referred to as "Flightstick Mode") provided

1620-462: The invading Clans were challenged by the ComStar organization to a fight on the planet Tukayyid. If the Clans won, they would gain control of Terra, which was controlled by ComStar; if they lost they would halt the invasion for 15 years under a truce. The Clans lost the battle and their invasion was halted for 15 years. In the wake of the defeat, Ulric Kerensky, the leader of the invasion and warlord of

1674-604: The left thumb uses the left analog stick and the right thumb uses the action buttons; dual analog control, which imitates the Dual Analog Joystick, with both thumbs positioned over the analog sticks, and the shoulder buttons used instead of the action buttons; and analog-digital control, in which the left thumb uses the directional buttons, the right thumb uses the right analog stick, and the shoulder buttons are again used for actions. MechWarrior 2 , Ace Combat 2 , Descent Maximum , and Colony Wars were among

Dual Analog Controller - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-463: The legs and torso of the mech. The mech's on-board computer provides feedback ranging from the proximity of friendly and enemy forces to system damage and ammunition depletion to the player, who must carefully manage heat buildup. The mech's computer attempts to perform an emergency shutdown if heat levels rise too much but the player can override this. Rising temperatures caused by the repeated firing of weapons can cause ammunition explosions and damage to

1782-510: The level of the characters arms and legs and throw, the more damage an attack using that part will yield. Similarly, the higher the guard level, attacks on the character will yield less damage. Both attack and defence levels can be increased/decreased by potions and stones. Guard experience can also be accumulated by eating food when the stamina bar is (nearly) full. Using a special item, the player can capture monsters in Quest Mode for use in

1836-487: The mech, including the loss of limbs, actuators, and the catastrophic detonation of the mech's fusion engine. A version for Windows 95 includes NetMech software for player vs. player battles over a network or direct connection. MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat is set in 3057, shortly after the Battle of Tukayyid between the Inner Sphere and invading Clan armies. The plot revolves around an ideological conflict inside

1890-512: The more recent sequel, feature better graphics and production, this is the still the benchmark." In 2004, MechWarrior 2 was inducted into GameSpot 's list of the greatest games of all time. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot predicted the game's PlayStation version "will receive decidedly mixed reviews. Fans of the original will likely feel the game has been watered down to appease the younger-skewing console demographic." Instead, reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and many critics outright praised

1944-460: The most complicated and rewarding sims you can play on the consoles-and it's definitely the best console mech game available." The Saturn version received similar critical praise. Sega Saturn Magazine ' s Matt Yeo remarked, "Fans of the original PC game will find little to gripe about here, the game's much-heralded strategy elements having been retained ..." GamePro stated that aside from "slight differences in graphics and control",

1998-455: The original, it also offers an explorable town that allows the player to eat, sleep, and shop. In each floor of the dungeons, the player will battle against a variety of monsters. When defeated, the monsters will drop either food, stones, potions, money or weapons. As the player progresses through the game, the character gains experience for each body part or type of attack (the most important being each arm, each leg, throwing and guard). The higher

2052-410: The peripheral. Graphically, the game features Gouraud shaded and higher-resolution character models compared to Tobal No. 1 , but still runs at 60 frames per second. The "Quest Mode" from Tobal No. 1 makes a return in Tobal 2 . The game contains six dungeons (Practice Dungeon, Pyramid, Desert Spaceship, Molmoran Mine, Castle and Final Dungeon) to conquer. Unlike the dungeon-enclosed Quest Mode of

2106-578: The price of the controller down in order to maximize user adoption. It was released in the United States on 27 August 1997, and in Europe in September 1997 with little promotion. A few months later, the first DualShock controller was released in Japan on 20 November 1997. Namco had already released an analog controller for PlayStation called NeGcon . Sony's Dual Analog Controller's analog mode

2160-512: The shortlist of 27 PlayStation Flightstick compatible games. The Dual Analog controller features several aspects that remain exclusive to it, and were scrapped or redesigned for the release of the DualShock controller. Tobal 2 Tobal 2 ( トバル2 , Tobaru 2 ) is a 1997 fighting video game developed by DreamFactory and released by Square for the PlayStation . It is the sequel to Tobal No. 1 . Unlike its predecessor, it

2214-424: The soundtrack for the game's predecessor, it includes a fusion of many different styles such as jazz , funk , and rock and roll . Nakamura's music was influenced by Chick Corea , Herbie Hancock and Jeff Beck . The 20 track CD was released by DigiCube on April 21, 1997, in Japan. According to Ken Kutaragi , when tested with a "performance analyzer" which Sony's engineers had developed to test how much of

Dual Analog Controller - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-625: The soundtrack. If players complete the 12 missions of the regular campaign without being killed or failing one mission, they enter a five-mission competition for a "bloodname." MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries was released in September 1996 as a stand-alone expansion to MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat ; it is the last BattleTech game made by Activision. In Mercenaries , players take control of an Inner Sphere mercenary squad, with control over finances and free choice of missions. Sales of MechWarrior 2 exceeded 500,000 copies within three months of its release. According to market research firm PC Data , it

2322-460: The start of MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat , the player must join either Clan Wolf or Clan Jade Falcon, which are involved in the "Refusal War." The game's battles take place on fictional extrasolar planets that are named in the franchise's canonical media. Each battle has a goal such as search-and-destroy, reconnaissance or a base strike. Initially, the player controls one mech and in later missions has access to squad commands. Between missions,

2376-574: The still-weakened Inner Sphere. Ulric and the Wolves, however, are determined to fight a war of extermination against the Falcons and weaken them so they cannot threaten the Inner Sphere. MechWarrior 2 was originally planned for a release in October 1994 but development problems, including an almost-complete overturn of personnel in the development team, led to a series of considerable delays. The game

2430-447: The time. The game has a rendered introduction sequence produced by Digital Domain and its soundtrack was composed by Jeehun Hwang. MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat received a follow-up expansion pack called MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy and a stand-alone expansion titled MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries . MechWarror 2 was critically well-received and its sales exceeded 500,000 copies within three months of its release. At

2484-503: The versus fighting mode, making the number of playable characters a maximum of 200. Some monsters are unique, such as the chocobo , but many of them are palette swaps with attributes raised for higher level monsters. Monsters can be captured by throwing a purple stone at them when they are nearly defeated. The progress of the game can be saved using the church buildings in the town, and the character (consisting of additional data such as max hit points and attack/defence levels) can be used in

2538-492: The vibration feature's similarity to Nintendo's Rumble Pak , but Nintendo firmly denied it had taken any form of legal action over Sony's controllers. Moreover, according to the United States Patent Office , two employees of Atari Games have held a patent on vibrating game controller technology since March 1991. Another theory for the vibration feedback being dropped was that Sony simply wanted to keep

2592-411: The way the adaptation from PC to console was handled. For example, GamePro remarked, "The term 'PC port' often makes console gamers wince because many PC titles suffer severely in the switch. MechWarrior 2 deftly avoids that pitfall, ditching the complexity of the classic PC sim in favor of gripping arcade-style mayhem." Next Generation said, "Activision finally releases a console version that does

2646-472: The wonderfully rich background of FASA's Battletech universe." In the third quarter of 1995, Activision reported up to an hour's wait time to talk to their game counselors, chiefly due to a flood of calls from gamers asking for MechWarrior 2 hints. MechWarrior II won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1995. In 1996, Computer Gaming World ranked it as

2700-493: Was encountered. Eventually, the Crusader faction won and the Clans returned to the Inner Sphere as an invasion force containing a small fraction of the clans including the Jade Falcons, Clan Wolf, Smoke Jaguars and the Ghost Bears. The invasion force consisted of Crusader and Warden Clans, chiefly Clan Wolf. The Wardens participated in an attempt to mitigate the damage caused by the Crusader Clans. The invasion continued until

2754-474: Was not compatible with the NeGcon-compatible games like Wipeout and Ridge Racer . However, Need for Speed II , Gran Turismo , and Gran Turismo 2 feature compatibility with both NeGcon and Dual Analog control schemes. Fans of a smaller form factor, Japanese players complained the very long hand grips made the controller too large to be held properly and the lack of a rumble feature in

SECTION 50

#1732775427525

2808-446: Was not released outside Japan. The game was re-released in 2007 under Square Enix's "Legendary Hits" label. As of 2010, the game held the record for the largest character roster in a fighting game with 200 playable characters to choose from, as well as a greatly expanded Quest Mode compared to its predecessor. The fighting system in Tobal 2 is the same as in the previous game. The player can freely navigate 3D fighting arenas under

2862-476: Was originally developed for MS-DOS but was ported to other platforms including Windows, Apple Macintosh, and the game consoles Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation (as MechWarrior 2: Arcade Combat Edition ). The MS-DOS, Windows, and Mac releases share the same gameplay but the console versions tweaked the game's mechanics to emphasize arcade-style action over the tactical-simulation of the original PC release. Several enhanced versions were released to take advantage of

2916-416: Was the 12th-best-selling computer game in the United States for the year 1996, after claiming sixth in the rankings for the first half of the year. MechWarrior 2 was critically well-received. Maximum lauded the cut scenes, graphics, training section, customizable mechs, music, and sound effects, but concluded by saying: "If you put all this great quality stuff together, it's still hard to explain what it

#524475