Knight Rider 2 - Out Now! *OFFICIAL DISCUSSION THREAD*

Archive for discussions from 2005. Please post new discussions in the appropriate forum.

Moderators: neps, Matthew, Michael Pajaro

User avatar
Sith
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 601
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Korriban
Contact:

Knight Rider 2 - Out Now! *OFFICIAL DISCUSSION THREAD*

Post by Sith » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:16 pm

To save forum resources, please restrict all reviews, opinions, gameplay questions etc to this thread only. Thanks.


Warning! This thread contains spoilers!!


Well, I'll start us off. Here's my review:


So, its finally here. The sequel to the 2002 Knight Rider The Game.

As most of you will recall, at the time a number of us were suitably unimpressed with the first game, and decided to lobby together on this very forum for a List Of Suggestions to aid Davilex in making the sequel a better game.

How much did they listen? Well... I'll tell you.

Things don't start off well when you get the disc out the box and notice it is on CD... rather than 95% of the rest of the market - who are on DVD. Just shows you how little code there really is.

What is clearly evident from the outset, is that this game uses the exact same engine as the original. Graphically you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the games. Except in one clear example: KITT. His appearance visibly changes throughout the game. Sometimes pure black, others he's grey or dark blue, and all the time he is too shiny - almost to the extent that he looks as if he has a brand new metallic paint job. Proportionally, the car is still wrong too. Awkward angles, the scanner is way too wide, the nose looks wrong etc. You just get the impression that they wanted to save time and use the original model from the first game - however wrong it may be.

KITT is still missing his characteristic turbine whine, and sounds identical to the first game. In fact the audio as a whole is quite disappointing, as some music tracks from the first game are reused here. Some sound effects are either inaudible due to the poor mixing, or are completely wrong in the first place. For example, KITT's micro jam sounds like a printer...

Entering the first mission, we are already presented with two niggling issues. First of all, the camera is placed looking back at KITT while missiles are coming in behind him. I have to say, this is the first driving game that I can recall not having the camera looking in the direction you are actually travelling. As such, being unable to see the turns, you go lumbering into them through no fault of your own. This is further worsened in the boss fights, where the camera rotates around you with a mind of its own. Its very distracting.

The second issue is the handling. (Again, sadly) Whilst KITT is far more responsive than the original, it also comes at a price. Go round a bend at great speed, and KITT will break into a slide which is nigh impossible to counter steer out of. And the issues don't end there. By the second level, its clear that the low speed responsiveness is way too excessive. From standstill, and applying full lock, you can turn KITT 180 degrees with a half second touch on the accelerator. So from standstill, when you put your foot down to drive away, you find yourself fishtailing left and right in order to just navigate in a straight line. Its embarrassing, especially if you are trying to beat a time limit. Then of course, when you finally get up to speed - you make the obligatory spin round the next corner. In fact, its possible to turbo boost and spin 360 in the air before you touch the ground - such is the poorness of the physics.

It takes a while, but you do eventually adjust to the handling. But its more pain than pleasure at all times. And these issues with the handling don't just affect driving. They affect the weapons too.

Yes... KITT has weapons. A contentious issue that has split the KR community on whether Davilex were going the wrong way. When they first stated that KITT would have them, I cautioned them that it would not sit pretty with the hardcore fans. But they assured me that it would improve the gameplay, and move us away from the repetitive and boring 'roof platforming' of the original. So I went into the sequel with an open mind, that it would improve gameplay. After playing with the weapons, I'll gladly trade them back for the roofs.

First things first - they look awful. Especially the guns, that seemingly pop out of the bonnet from just above the wheels. Quite how the footwell has space for the wheel and the gun when it is stored is beyond me.

There are three weapons; laser gun, plasma gun and missiles. The laser is best suited for one on one combat, yet strangely aims above your enemies. However, when it hits something, its miraculously realigned perfectly. Bizarre. The plasma gun is only really useful at close range, and is best used when surrounded by enemies. The missiles are pretty pointless, and are scarcely used since they cannot target your ordinary enemies, and are only really used for fighting a chopper and taking out gun turrets.

And how does the handling tie into this? Well... there is no auto aiming... (except on bosses) so you have to angle the car to hit anything. Now.. if your car can miraculously turn 180 at the tap of the accelerator, how on earth can you line up enemies who are 5 metres to the right of where you are aiming? You see the problem. The sensitivity drives you nuts, to the point that you just end up spinning on the spot and holding down the fire button until everything is dead.

Speaking of the dead, the enemies you fight are hopelessly uninspired. They are robots. Robots with tracks. And there are only three types. One looks near exactly like the Hunter Killer robot from the Terminator films, and another looks like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. Combat with them involves them driving around you in circles, whilst shooting at you. And thats about it. They come in waves of three, and by about the 6th robot, you're already bored.

"Oh no! More robots!" exclaims Michael. Too bloody right.

They appear in the early levels, and then subsequently show up in pretty much every level after that. Every time, combat is the same. Three robots. Destroy. Three more. Destroy. Three more. Destroy. Zzzzzz.... "Oh no! More robots!"

By the time you've heard Michael say that the 500th time, you really do struggle to carry on playing. You can't aim properly. The enemies are hardly challenging. And you're sat in the world's greatest car, and would much rather be zooming down the highways than sitting through this rubbish. Heck, I'd even take back the roof jumping again...

And thats pretty much how you will spend about 80% of this game. Fighting the same bloody robots over and over. Which brings me to another issue. KITT's new energy system.

He has a number of 'power packs' that he uses as his 'health' meter. If you fire a weapon, it drains from his reserves. But here's the daft part... the robots fire ordinary bullets and damage KITT. There is no explanation given as to why this happens. As such, you could fire your laser at a wall until you are on a sliver of energy. Then take one bullet and die.

Even more laughable is the shield. By using it, you protect yourself from enemy fire. But wait... its drains energy! So what is the point? lol :D

You find the power packs exhaust very quickly, especially during combat. So you drive to these electric stations, and KITT miraculously heals himself by absorbing electricity through his Micro Jam. (No.. I haven't a clue either.)

Whilst the majority of the levels involve you fighting robots, there are a few diversions. Dodging laser beam fields in an underground bunker... avoiding incoming missiles... stopping a rocket from launching...

And therein lies a big issue. This game feels more like you are part of a James Bond movie, than Knight Rider. Its basically a poor version of Spyhunter with KITT in. And that says it all. You could replace KITT with another car quite easily... thats how far removed the story and levels are. They even have the old Bond cliche of Michael being tied to a conveyor belt and heading towards a shredder... oh please... spare me.

In fact I was amazed to actually see a Michael Knight character model in the game. Although you don't get to see his face up real close at any point. Good thing too, as he walks like a constipated doll with sticks for legs and arms.

Speaking of the levels, not even Super Pursuit Mode can save these. Mostly because the level design prevents you from really getting up to any great speed. You need long straights to do so, and there are far too many corners to navigate. Two things you notice whilst playing, is that some levels are in fact reused from the original. For example, when the chopper first attacks you, the road you head down is the exact same road you chased KARR down in the first game.

The other you notice, is that there are no chase missions... at all! One of the great things about the TV series was KITT chasing down the bad guy, yet you don't do this at all in any of the missions. All the levels rely on your weapons, and very rarely do you reach any kind of decent speed. Most of the time is spent unlocking gates, fighting, or recharging.

Another disappointment was that the main villains, Garthe and KARR don't actually make an appearance until the very end of the game. A criminal waste of the quality of the characters. But the bigger crime is the voice acting.

Many people complained that the voice acting in the first game was poor, but the sequel is worse. Far worse. KITT is clearly voiced by a British voice actor, and sounds very little like William Daniels. Heck, even the voice actor from the first game would have been miles better. Bonnie and Michael are the same voice actors as far as I can tell, but Devon, Garthe and KARR are all changed too. Devon is passable, but its clear the same voice actor also did Garthe. I was laughing when I heard Garthe in a really whiney British tone say "I'll get you for that!". The actor makes little effort to get into character, and rarely reaches the aggressiveness we are used to hearing in Garthe's voice. KARR is very poor. He speaks very monotone, and to begin with sounds like a cross between a Borg and a Dalek. He even comes out with "Exterminate!" at one point. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

And finally... there is the dash view. It is in fact worse than the first game. There are no longer meters for SPM and Turbo Boost, and you have no idea whatsoever what your energy level is from that viewpoint. Essentially, you cannot play the game from that viewpoint now - its basically redundant.

All in all, the suffering ended after just two hours. About the same length of the original. Quite disappointing, given that it only had 11 levels whereas the original had 15. I was expecting at least double. And with the likes of GTA: San Andreas coming out this week, with a reputed 200 hours of gameplay... it makes this game look even more poor.

But then, some would argue... what do you expect? It is after all developed by a tiny development studio in Holland, and released on a budget price of £15. The old adage of 'you get what you pay for' comes to mind.

On the plus side, the extras are not a bad idea. There are video clips, which are taken from the original series and craftily edited to cut out all dialogue, and show KITT at his stuntman best. There are numerous photos in the art gallery, and some background info on the show - all of which is unlocked as you play the game. There is a great quiz put together by Joe Huth and myself, that you will find interesting for a few minutes... but ultimately.. this sort of thing is best left to DVDs.

For me though, its a bitter disappointment personally. After all the work a number of fans put into helping Davilex out and researching apsects of the TV series for them, it seems a number of our ideas went straight out the window. Most of the levels look the same as the first. KITT is still wrong. We can't play as Michael. Its too short. There is no two player mode (apart from where the second pad can be used to aim the guns. Poor). No shooting gallery. No dirt track. No free roaming mode. In fact, quite alot of what was promised in their initial press release is missing from the game.

I do not wish to appear ungrateful to them, after all they were kind enough to send me a copy to review. And I'm sure they put a great deal of effort into the game. But I think in this instance they have really shot themselves in the foot by promising features they could not deliver on. One could argue that we ourselves expected too much from them with our List Of Suggestions, but at the end of the day - you have to create a product that a market wants. For Knight Rider fans, I'm afraid to say they have failed to be faithful to the show. I didn't think I'd say it, but I actually vastly prefer the original.

If Davilex want to get this license selling the way it should do, they have to put the effort into it. Issues such as clipping, KITT's shadow disappearing/reappearing, cameras getting stuck in walls.... all points at a game that was rushed and either not finished or very poorly bugtested. The Polish sounding names in the credits in fact suggest that it was developed by some unknown development house in Eastern Europe. Which explains alot actually...

But seriously, if Davilex want to make a Knight Rider 3 for their target audience (i.e. Us), then they really do need to develop what we want to see. Not add things that we don't. The weapons should never have happened, and if anything its quite a step backwards over the first game's playability. Davilex either need to acquire the old GTA III engine from Rockstar games, or co-develop the next sequel with the team who are developing Miami Vice for them. As those who have seen it will attest, it features the characters on foot and investigating buildings. If Davilex were to use that code to let us play as Michael Knight in Knight Rider 3, remove the weapons from KITT and fix his paint/bodywork, use the existing engine from KR1, and re-read the List Of Suggestions... I think we would all be happier. I'm sure their sales would be too.

I've been playing video games for twenty years, and even done beta testing for some of the larger companies such as LucasArts in my past. I can say safely, this is the worse game I have played this year.

If you are looking for KITT in a GTA type game, do yourself a favour and go buy GTA Vice City and mod KITT into it instead. If you are looking for a Knight Rider game, buy the original Knight Rider Davilex game. If you are content to let your imagination cope with the changes to the Knight Rider universe found in Knight Rider 2, then you might find some enjoyment from this game. If you find the weapons not to your tastes, or are expecting a better game than the original, avoid this game at all costs.


2/10



P.s. Whilst messing about, I found two cheats which are entered in the name entry screen:

ROAM1 - Unlocks vid clips
QUIZ1 - Unlocks the hard quiz

There's probably more though.
Last edited by Sith on Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.

FuzzieDice
KRO Podcaster (retired)
Posts: 3333
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:55 pm

Post by FuzzieDice » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:41 pm

Wow. Doesn't sound good. :( I was holding out for a US release of KR2. I haven't even unzipped and tried the KR2 demo yet. If I am not happy with that one, I may just drop $10 on the original after all.

BTW:
Sith wrote:after all they were kind enough to send me a review to copy
You mean "copy to review"? ;)

User avatar
knightdriver
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 553
Joined: Sun May 12, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Post by knightdriver » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:46 pm

I hate to say it, but your review was far more enjoyable to read then
playing the game. Everything you mentioned above is so correct. I only
have the demo but it got boring quickly. I finished the whole thing in
about 20 minutes and I am very horrible and impatient when it comes to
game playing. I normally don't do games.

I had to turn the demo off most of the time because I would loose
the picture alot. Lots of glitches in it. Most of the time, the screen would
turn into a clouded sky with some black blobs along the bottom.

I think the most enjoyable part of ti all was kicking Johny 5's butt. LOL.

I think the thing that took me the longest was someting I discovered by
accident. That was firing off some missles in the compound to see where
they would go and they ended up targeting that crane tower. I was
wondering why I couldn't do anything further on that level.

I wont be spending the money on the game itself. The demo left me
sour on the whole thing.

Good overall review though. Maybe, poor sales will get them to do
better on another attempt. (if any).
Brian - Knightdriver.com

User avatar
Sith
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 601
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Korriban
Contact:

Post by Sith » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:54 pm

FuzzieDice wrote:You mean "copy to review"? ;)
Bah... I knew one typo would sneak in there, given the length of it. :P

Cheers ;)

whet
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: derbyshire england

Post by whet » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:57 pm

Site's selling the game have it down as 2 players.

Is the game 2 players or did we not get that either???

User avatar
86chvs10
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 472
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:54 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Pensacola,Florida
Contact:

Post by 86chvs10 » Fri Oct 29, 2004 1:13 pm

When the game gets to the US or eventually i want to test the game and play all the levels before i say how the game is. I thought the game was cool and we were wondering so badly what it would be like. But if it's like Knight Rider 1 well i'll just have to live with it.

User avatar
DanielB
Operative
Posts: 220
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 11:43 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: England

Post by DanielB » Fri Oct 29, 2004 3:03 pm

Rather than acquiring the GTA3 game engine - they'd be better off with something like Driver3. The handling of the cars in Driver is far superior to GTA, the realistic graphics and environments are better looking too, and it would just make a better game. If KITT was a secret car in Driver3, I'd be over the moon!

Exchange Tanner for Michael Knight, and include KITT. The car chases are superb in Driver!

User avatar
Matthew
Site Administrator
Posts: 1150
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: England

Post by Matthew » Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:02 pm

I was wondering if you would mind answering a quick question for me Sith? It pertains to the dashboard view. In KR1 we all felt that the dashboard was far too bland, despite the fact that the SPM, Turbo Boost and Damage gauges all lit up when necessary. In the latest batch of pictures, the dashboard is exactly the same in KR2. This of course presents a few issues for anyone wishing to use the dashboard view, as there no longer seems to be a SPM, Turbo Boost or Damage gauge in any of the other available views, which leaves the three gauges unlit, which makes the dashboard even more bland than it was originally. If you then add the lack of Power Pack and Weapons gauges, it seems clear to me that the dashboard view cannot function in the same manner as the other available views cans. This leads me to the conclusion that the dashboard can’t be the final version, which leaves me hopeful that there is a more functional dashboard available in the copy that you have. If you could clear this up for me, I would be very grateful. :)

From Matthew
Welcome aboard the Knight 2000.

Thank you. What's all this, it looks like Darth Vader's bathroom?

FuzzieDice
KRO Podcaster (retired)
Posts: 3333
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:55 pm

Post by FuzzieDice » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:11 pm

I had mentioned in another thread that it would be neat to not just have the option to play Michael, but make up a character or just play yourself - so that KITT would respond to you as he would Michael, and call you by name, even (using speach technology). That and some fuzzie logic added to KITT would really make the game rock! The technology is there, just that there has to be good programmers to make use of it.

User avatar
dragonball1957
Operative
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:32 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: brooklyn NY 11207
Contact:

Post by dragonball1957 » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:36 pm

WELL!, sith u finally admit u didnt like it.

well i have to admit , yes i really did like the First one better.

SUper Pursuit Mode was Slower , even at around 300, it was slower then the first game at max speed.

and although kitt turns realisticly a little, it still is laggy when u need it for corners.

i went back at the first game today and use the lastest changes i made to the game and i was glad i still had it installed.


i knew something wasint right though. like i had a feeling that they didnt use any thing or barly anything in the suggestions.

I though since it was a demo that they were still adding them in.

im getting worred about KR's game future now. Expecialy since Sith even said he was disapointed. if he said that then u know somethings wrong.

i guess i might as well release that thing i was doing for the first game.

FuzzieDice
KRO Podcaster (retired)
Posts: 3333
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:55 pm

Post by FuzzieDice » Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:25 am

I just tried to play the demo. Due to my motion/dizziness I don't play these too well. I went on the mountain mission and I ended up with mission failed (didn't get KITT out of the way of the missiles). The gameplay was so confusing. I mean, facing the FRONT of the car going forward? Odd! At lest in KR1 demo you were facing forward going forward and not facing backward going forward. LOL!

They should have it so you face the windshield and see from inside KITT, his vox, the TV screens, his dash, etc. And drive him like a real car. This KR2 game is nutz. :(

User avatar
Sith
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 601
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Korriban
Contact:

Post by Sith » Sat Oct 30, 2004 5:59 am

Matthew wrote:This leads me to the conclusion that the dashboard can’t be the final version, which leaves me hopeful that there is a more functional dashboard available in the copy that you have. If you could clear this up for me, I would be very grateful. :)
Thanks for bringing that up Matthew, I failed to remember to put it in the review. But the dash view is in fact worse than the first game. There are no longer meters for SPM and Turbo Boost, and you have no idea whatsoever what your energy level is from that viewpoint. Essentially, you cannot play the game from that viewpoint now - its basically redundant.

So to answer you... what you see in the demo is the final thing. Sucks... yeah.

I'll add that now to the review actually.

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Post by Knight Racer » Sat Oct 30, 2004 9:57 am

I'm probably the worst person to say this but,I think if you picture the game as lets say 5 years after the series ended,and this being the future of knight rider with the new weapons,it might be a cool game.Notice how they never said what year it is in each game.

The reason there are no new meters in the dash is simple.One of the suggestions I read either on the board or the list of suggestions is to make kitt have infinite spm mode.Someone said you press the s button and it work forever or something.They did listen to that ,hence no meter for it.Turbo boost meter is gone because there wasn't a reason for it in the first place other then making a cool graphic in the dash.The series never had a turbo boost meter either.

I had my own long list of suggestions myself,but I figured that why would they make a number 2 at all?So i kept them to myself.Companies are too pomps or maybe arrogant to actualy listen to there audience.Even if its the fans of the series there trieing to bring back from the dead.My suggestions were simple:

1.Incorporate evrything in the dash from the heads up menu such as the radar screen or objective as the monitor view.This new game could have had the rear view of the car as the monitor dash in the first level of missile to say maybe if a missile lock was on kitt you would know turn left or right and the explosion would be seen on the right or left side of the windshield.

Another suggestion is say the scanner could fire the laser if one was required for the game.It would be acurate for the show.The scanner are is well as one already put it wide and huge.Why not have the aeroline are beneath the scanner open to reveal a missile.This would be new to the show I know but hey wy not.If you use dash view you can have the monitor aim a bulseye on what you want to fire at.An example would the doors at red bluff.I also wanted a samall button pod of maybe six buttons on the side where they have buttons to show the button pod existed and in dahs view you would see where alon with lower console and upper.

I have a bunch of more ideas but I figured why should I list themDavilex will probably throw it out saying,"Why make ANOTHER game if the first had so many bad reviews from people on the board but some good from game review companies.

All in all I will buy this game if it does come out to the U.S. or if anyone here can explain to me how I can order one from U.K. now.

User avatar
KFCreator
FLAG Recruit
Posts: 453
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by KFCreator » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:32 am

I haven't played much of either the 1st or 2nd game but I did get a chance to finally play the demo for KR2 when I was at my girlfriend's house last weekend!

Maybe I was just so excited to finally play a newer KR game than the original NES version but I personally loved just being able to play the game finally, although I too felt there was much room for improvement, especially in the handling and acceleration of KITT. Most annoying to me was the lack of aim of the laser except for straight in front of you and the way that KITT always was fishtailing if you turned too hard once you picked up even a little bit of speed. I didn't see mcuh use for the Plasma Cannon but I did enjoy using the laser to some extent and the missiles were cool, especially in the Chopper level.

I do have to say that I don't think it was helpful at all to suddenly have the camera angle chnage on you at times, especially in the Chopper level. Most of the time, it'd happen at a crucial moment and I'd lose control of KITT because I would lose my frame of reference and suddenly have to adjust to seeing him from the front instead of the rear or something. The voice acting for several of the characters could have been much better but it was passable overall. I did miss the whine of KITT's turbine and I was disappointed at the lack of detail in the dashboard yet again. I did notice a glitch in the game though that was really only noticable in cinema scenes--why is it that you can see the reflection of KITT's scanner in his own fog lights when they show the front end close-up like in the 1st level of the game? LOL Weird Physics there for ya!

I know Davilex felt that it wouldn't be good to have any other characters to be playable other than KITT (i.e. there's no point in the game where Michael can get out of KITT and go run around and explore) but I think that's an element that's sorely lacking and that they're dead wrong about. I personally think that if you're going to attempt to make a good KR game, there has to be chases where not only is KITT being chased but you're chasing others, and there HAS to be inolvement of Michael running around, talking to people, sneaking into places like an undercover cop and of course, using his comlink to call KITT for help when he's in trouble. How badass would it be to be in control of Michael as he's sneaking into a warehouse, overhearing some conversation between the bad guys, then falling through the ceiling and beig discovered and just as he's about to get clobbered, you make him talk into his comlink and he says "KITT, I need ya buddy!" and then it switches over to a cinema scene of KITT's dashboard lighting up, the stick shift thrown into "D" and seconds later you see KITT come blasting through the wall to save you.

Seriously Davilex, if you're going to make a KR3, look at the major elements that were in the show and recreate those for the game! Yes, it should be prmarily a driving game but also give us the option to step out of KITT in some levels to go run around as Michael Knight to advance the storyling even more. And please, put some effort into actually "making" a sequel, not reusing levels, models and sounds from the first game. It would be extremely nice to see a very accurate and proportional model of KITT (why they can't scan in AMT's plastic model into a computer and base their CGI model on that is beyond me but doesn't seem like it should be impossible to do).

Bottom line is that while I think KR2 is a definite improvement over the 1st game (I say the weapons are cool and to hell with most of them not being in the original series), there's still much work to be done to make it a real "hit." Listen to us fans and gamers and we won't steer you wrong (no pun intended! LOL) when you make KR3! Until then, as much as I think KR1 and KR2 have some shortcomings, I'll still probably end up buying them so that when I go to my girlfriend's, I can play them (unless a miracle occurs and versions are made for Mac). :-P
"One man can make a difference. You can make a difference in someone else's life. You can make a difference in your own life." -- David Hasselhoff

User avatar
cloudkitt
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sun May 18, 2003 11:34 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Post by cloudkitt » Sat Oct 30, 2004 2:38 pm

Well...that sucks....

But I have a question, sure we want them to try again, see if they can nail it one of these times. But, according to your review, it isn't worth buying. However, wouldn't a lack of scales prompt them to quit the whole KR project? Someone said it might give them a good kick in the butt to do it right...but I'm afraid the opposite would happen. I've only played the Demo of course, and trying to get that laser to hit those robots with KITT flailing back and forth like a fish out of water was what really got to me. And I hated KITT's new voice.

However, I must say, apparently in contrast to all of you, that I thought the first mission WAS fun. The whole front of KITT thing, though odd, was definately something new, and KITT does keep you on the road for the most part, least that's what I noticed. The other two demo level left me disappointed, but I DID genuinely enjoy that first level. So I'll give them that. Besides, it was better than the LAST games opening mission.

Sith, what as all that about scenes cut from the series?
Michael: "KITT! Where are ya?!"
K.I.T.T.: "I'm in your parking space, Michael, where else would I be?"

User avatar
Sith
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 601
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Korriban
Contact:

Post by Sith » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:51 pm

Well, SPM isn't infinite. It uses energy from the total reserves. So there is a need for the energy meter to be in the dash. Unfortunately we still have to hold down the button for SPM. Most annoying.

Turbo boost wasn't so essential, but it was handy to know when KITT had recovered enough to jump again with the meter.

But ultimately, the dash board is fairly minor in terms of the issues with the game. Even if they had got it spot on with an exact replication of the show, you can't escape the underlying issues of poor level design and physics that downcast the game engine.

Ok, so if the reviews once again say that this game sucks, then people won't buy it. So Davilex are left with two choices. Either make the game everyone wants to see, or cut their losses and sell the license. And as bad as the latter option sounds... it may not be the end of the Knight Rider legend in video gaming. Given the 80s revival in culture at the moment, such as the new Dukes Of Hazzard game and movie, I'm sure there would be another developer out there willing to pick up the license some day.

Either option is much preferred than Davilex rehashing the existing game engine, and doing another cash cow clone for the third game. If they do so, I think most KR fans patience will be exhausted by then.

Besides, by the time it is finished... we are all likely to be playing on PS3 anyway. Remember it took two years for this sequel to appear. So it would have to be something special for us to dust down the PS2 once more.

But at the end of the day, you design your product for your target audience's requirements. They have failed to do this twice now - more notably in this instance.

Its really down to them.

User avatar
dragonball1957
Operative
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:32 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: brooklyn NY 11207
Contact:

Post by dragonball1957 » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:02 pm

OT: and by the way SIth im voting for kerry!

:mrgreen:

User avatar
neps
Site Administrator
Posts: 3261
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: nyc, usa
Contact:

Post by neps » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:20 pm

Political comments in the Lounge please :)

User avatar
Skav
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1999
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: England, UK
Contact:

Post by Skav » Sun Oct 31, 2004 7:20 pm

i suppose i can safely say, there will be no KR 3...didn't think i'd say this, but this certainly isn't a bad thing.

it's been a disaster from the start.
Love boxing? http://www.ringnews24.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

User avatar
ReddawgKnight
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 514
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:23 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Chicago, IL
Contact:

Post by ReddawgKnight » Sun Oct 31, 2004 7:42 pm

I think that there should be another Knight Rider game but from a different developer of course...cuz evidentally Davilex didnt know what the hell they were doing in the first place.
Even givin the sole fact that they got so much reference from us but they opted to ignore us altogether.

User avatar
dragonball1957
Operative
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2003 5:32 pm
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: brooklyn NY 11207
Contact:

Post by dragonball1957 » Sun Oct 31, 2004 8:25 pm

damn it , SEE! if only some ppl didnt scare that KEN guy off from making that Knight Rider Game.

who knows how good it could of been.

also i think that Electronic Arts sould have done it.

They Have the Resources, I mean just imagine.....

plus i doubt Davilex will sell the licence to another developer. Theyll probally want to keep the license because the Knight Rider Series is what gets them the most cash. its probaly there bigest money maker.

Oh sith, please if u can. is there a Vehicle folder in Knight Rider 2's directory anywhere ?

Because in the demo i notice that folder doesnt exist like in the KR 1s dir.

now i cant see or tweak there settings.

this will let me decide if ill get it or not

User avatar
ILoveGames
Volunteer
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:18 pm

Post by ILoveGames » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:25 am

You guys are forgetting how much this game can be fun.. here's a simple step i will suggest u players do.. u don't like how the speed is for KITT?.. just open ur base folder of the game and find the ini. files and simply damn change the kitt's status speed to whatever max u want.. u can tweak around Kitt's Physics too.. i managed to get up more than 225mph for SMP lol.. it handles hard but.. i managed to make it less to 169mph and i HANDLE great!.. now i'm onto looking more script files.. i definately did import kitt's sounds from the first game and the rest.. only replaced it and by god.. KITT sounds better lol.. that's all you simply got to do but i will be back with full detail updates what else i found to tweak the ini files in Knight Rider 2.. just get the game.. it's a challenge.. especially mountain level.. HARD LEVEL.. it's very challenging.. the plot may somewhat not be really good but i hope they do something more new and challenging besides facing Goliath again? *rolls eyes* let's hope Knight Rider 3 will be a HUGE ASS improvement.. and maybe consider some online play for PC at least.. add more excitement to the fans.. only thing comes to my wishful thinking mind is Davilex make an Airwolf PC game lol hee hee.. :lol:

User avatar
ILoveGames
Volunteer
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:18 pm

Post by ILoveGames » Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:29 am

Oh another curious question.. there'd used to be cheats to unlock levels and cheats for Knight Rider 1 pc game.. isn't there one out for part 2 version? I looked everywhere and i don't see any released yet.. i would love to crack it so i can check the Knight Rider extra videos and levels.. i still haven't beaten it.. lol.. it's a challenge indeed.. let me know if you ever find cheats and unlocking codes for Knight Rider 2 game

User avatar
Sith
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 601
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Korriban
Contact:

Post by Sith » Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:26 pm

ILoveGames wrote:let me know if you ever find cheats and unlocking codes for Knight Rider 2 game
There are cheats in the very first post of this thread.

User avatar
ILoveGames
Volunteer
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 3:18 pm

Post by ILoveGames » Mon Nov 01, 2004 3:55 pm

you said there are cheats in this thread post.. well guess again.. i looked double and read.. dude read between the lines bubba, he's only talking about the game i see no codes or how u can unlock it properly.. i just need cheat codes that's all.. :roll:

Locked