Now, in about three days, I can officially say that I am a Civil Engineer. Now, Civil Engineers do a lot of things. Designing Bridges, Creating Dams, Building Things, Creating Traffic Jams, Mitigating Floods, yeah, we do all that and much more. See, there is this thing though. Most, if not all Civil Engineers specialize in something. I, for example, specialized in transportation. Seamar, specialized in structures. See, from an ethics standpoint, we agree only to practice in the fields we're competent in. We know better than do attempt to do something when we have no idea how. So, we know better than than to do and market things that we have no idea how to do, so why does Microsoft then try to do something it doesn't really know how to do?
Microsoft does a bunch of things well. I personally enjoy their Wireless Mice and Keyboards. Windows XP was and still is amazing. So Microsoft can in fact do things well. But there are certain things that Microsoft doesn't do well. Vista, for example. Windows 98 is to Windows XP like Windows Me is to Windows Vista. So, some things that Microsoft do are just terrible.
So, Microsoft has this wonderful little console that many of you might lovingly refer to as the Microsoft Xbox 360. It's lovely little console, but it had some problems. These problems caused Microsoft to issue a recall for the 360, and with that recall came quite a monetary hit on their ledger. So, what caused this problem?
So, this wonderful guy at the Gartner Group, Bryan Lewis, who happens to be their research VP and chief analyst, has stated that the source of their gigantic recall lies in the fact that Microsoft decided to design their original GPU by themselves. Did you know that Microsoft designs GPUs? Neither did I. When I think Graphics Accelerator, I think NVidia and ATI. Turns out, once a massive recall is initiated, that Microsoft also thinks ATI for their graphics needs, as that's who they contracted to redesign their 360 GPU.
Here's to you, Microsoft. If only you had used ATI or NVidia to begin with, you wouldn't have had this massive recall and all those extended warranties. I bet you all don't care, as your warranties are longer. But then, there are probably several of you who wish they didn't have to send their 360 in because of a RRoD. If only Microsoft stuck to what it could do well and contracted out that what it couldn't, you might have never had to send out your 360.
People have been sneering at the price of the PS3. They say it is expensive. You know, this statement is correct. However, I find it troubling that many of these people that say the Playstation 3 is overly expensive have no problem laying down the money for Microsoft's 360. I find such actions humorous. Let's analyze what I perceive as the true costs of these two systems, in terms of what they have to offer and what hidden costs lie with the system. Perhaps, we'll be enlightened after this discussion. Perhaps you'll be enraged. Chances are though that my arguments are pretty decent, and perhaps it will make take a second look at which system you ultimately end up purchasing.
For those of you unaware, there's been another X360 BC update. This time it adds another 80 or so games. I'm glad they are still working on them, hopefully the news of a download service for Xbox1 games won't stop these from being released. Another feature added this time around is cross-platform play between the Xbox and the X360 for multiplayer Xbox1 titles.
Of personal note this time around are: Shattered Union, Blood Omen 2, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, D&D Heroes and Apex. Apex is a much overlooked racing game where you build and race your own cars for a company you create. Excellent graphics and good gameplay, it didn't get a lot of exposure and has become harder to find in the wild. It was also notable because when it was released it had an unprecedented 11,000 polygons per car model.
With those games I noted above I'm just about ready to retire my Xbox to storage. All I need now are Rallisport Challenge 2, Mechassault 1, Transworld Snowboarding and Star Wars Obi-Wan. Still, considering the vast difference between architecture and difficulties in emulation of any kind, having 50% of my Xbox1 games on that list isn't too shabby.
Here's the latest additions to the backwards compatibility list:
November 2007 Back Compatibility titles added: 2006 Fifa World Cup Germany 25 to Life AMF Bowling 2004 Apex Arena Football Armed and Dangerous Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance Batman Rise of Sin Tzu Bionicle Blade II Blinx: The Timesweeper Blitz The League Blood Omen 2 Blowout Breakdown Burnout 2: Point of Impact Cabelas Dangerous Hunts 2 Championship Manager 2006 Colin Mcrae Rally 2005 Crime Life: Gang Wars Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Dungeons& Dragons Heroes ESPN College Hoops 2k5 ESPN NFL 2k5 Fantastic 4 FIFA 06 Soccer Fight Night: Round 3 Final Fight: Streetwise Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Freedom Fighters Freestyle Street Soccer Future Tactics: The Uprising Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee Godzilla Save the Earth Goldeneye Rogue Agent Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball Max'd High Heat MLB 2004 Hunter: The Reckoning Indiana Jones And The Emperors Tomb MLB Slugfest Loaded MVP Baseball 2003 MVP Baseball 2004 Nascar Thunder 2002 Nascar Thunder 2003 NBA 2k3 NBA Ballers NBA Inside Drive 2002 NBA Street V3 NCAA College Basketball 2k3 NCAA March Madness 2005 NCAA March Madness 2006 NFL 2k2 NFL 2k3 NHL 2005 NHL 2K3 NHL Hitz Pro Nightcaster: Defeat The Darkness NTRA Breeders Cup: World Thoroughbred Championships Playboy The Mansion RLH Hunt or be Hunted Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown Rocky Rugby 2006 Shattered Union Shrek Super Party Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter Starsky & Hutch Syberia II Techmo Classic Arcade Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Test Drive The Bard's Tale The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe The Guy Game The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age Thousand Land Thrillville Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers Turok: Evolution Van Helsing WarPath Worms 3D Zathura
Below is the link to the article on Major Nelson that besides having this list, also has links to the complete list to date as well as a downloadable PDF file of all current backwards compatible Xbox titles.
So Halo 3 has been out for a couple of days now. I thought I'd share with you it's impact it's had on me, a guy who doesn't hate it or love it, just two ships passing in the night so to speak. I made a list of things Halo 3 is indirectly responsible for, because in the end I guarantee you 50% of X360 owners still won't have a copy of it. After all, all of us X360 owners aren't Halo fanboys as many people think. So it's good to view Halo 3 from a neutral perspective, it reminds everyone that hype aside everyone considers it inferior to BioShock and that's the kind of irony you can't replicate with ad campaigns and marketing.
I went online to see if I could take advantage of the 3 free days of Xbox Live, I couldn't. But I did see the "Crash of the Titans" demo when I was there, good find and fun demo, like Kameo mixed with Crash Warped.
All those desperate Halo 3 fans are trading in their PS3's, sisters and other X360 games to buy the Helmet. That means plenty of selection of used X360 titles to choose from in game retailers and pawn shops everywhere.
More friends of mine buying 360's because they are Halo fans of yesteryear. It'll be like old times, except I'll coerce them into playing Ace Combat 6 instead of Crimson Skies when they get sick of Halo 3.
The flame wars have begun and the trolls carry large bloody clubs around in the forums. It makes for interesting reading and hilarious commentary.
When Call of Duty 4 comes out (shooter of the year BTW) all the whining pukes I find on XBL will still be playing Halo 3, so the matchmaking with strangers will be of higher quality.
All in all I have to thank Bungie for creating this diversion that both indirectly benefits me and amuses. The game may be forgettable but i'll always remember the money I've saved and the laughs I got.
Just a shout out to all of you Halo 3 fans who may have received scratched Halo 3 discs in your Collector's Edition boxsets. Microsoft has had a disc replacement program for quite some time now, so if you got home and opened your Halo 3 Limited Edition to find one or both of your discs scratched, well here's the link you need to be clicking:
You'd think the supposed "biggest 360 game of the year" wouldn't have cheaped out on packaging or quality. Really puts a dent into the validation of having so many LE versions of games coming out. Live and learn I guess.
Here's a new trailer for Assassin's Creed. Awesome ending. I'm really looking forward to this game more than ever now, let's hope it lives up to it's hype. Here's (raises glass) to a medieval Splinter Cell/Prince of Persia hybrid.
That's a fundamental fact of the universe. Does Tan like Gundam? Well he's not a fan nor is he opposed to it. Why is Tan referring to himself in the third person? Well because it's Friday and with the weekend looming so close his mind is elsewhere.
He was lucid enough however to take notice of this TGS Trailer of Mobile Ops: The One Year War for the X360. Tanks, heavy weapons, 40 foot Mech suits what else does a game need? It's not the flashiest game nor the most impressive I've seen, but it does have an appeal of massive destruction and simple fun many games today seem to lack. So sit back and enjoy the carnage on what's looks to be a laid back, easy, fun game with big multiplayer potential.
Mitch Gitelman, manager of FASA Studios has confirmed that today was the last day for operations and that half of their employees will transfer to Microsoft Gaming Studios and other positions within Microsoft.
It's still not known whether their latest release Shadowrun had anything to do with it, by all accounts it was a success regardless of it's criticisms. Fortunately it's intellectual properties were bought by Microsoft in 1999 so they may live on yet and benefit from a fresh start. Just to give you an idea of who they are, here's a small list of some of their most notable titles:
MechCommander
MechCommander Gold
MechCommander 2
MechWarrior 4: Vengeance
MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Shadowrun
I've been waiting for a Mechwarrior 5 for what seems like forever. Mechassault is a nice little diversion but I want a sim with a mechlab Maybe Microsoft will take the series in a new direction. Maybe just maybe, I'll get a MechCommander 3 and a Crimson Skies 2 as well.
An article via GameSpot has revealed that the Conan the Barbarian game (not to be confused with the Age of Conan MMO) is apparently hacking it's way into stores September 28th as opposed to it's previous expected release of 2008 and later stated late October.
This "M" rated PS3 and X360 Action game with a similar style to God of War will go on sale for $59.99 in North America and £44.99 for the Xbox 360 version, and £49.99 for the PlayStation 3 in the U.K. with a BBFC 18 rating.
Unfortunately in my opinion it's published by THQ, or as I call them Poor man's Activision. Which means it'll either surprise everyone by not becoming a steaming pile of crap, or it'll become another normal THQ title.
Here's an E3 2007 gameplay vid for your viewing pleasure:
Before you ask, no I haven't beaten the game yet. But I figured seeing as this is quite a large game and will take many many hours to complete, I'd post my review of it for those who may be on the fence about whether they should buy it or not. Like a "game for lunch" type deal but after say 10-12 hours in or so. I suppose this could even apply to the PC version as well to some extent.
For those of you frivolous and generous with your Microsoft Points, this weekend (specifically September 2nd and 3rd) four Xbox Live Arcade titles will be dropped to half price for those two days only. Here's the four titles:
Small Arms - 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)
Zuma Deluxe - 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)
Gauntlet - 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)
Dig Dug - 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)
Remember, that's 12:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday, September 2 until 11: 59 p.m. GMT on Monday, September 3. After that they return to their original prices. For more information check out the source article at Major Nelson:
So we more or less have confirmation now. Advergames are coming. What's an advergame you ask? Well it's exactly as it sounds, an advertisement cleverly disguised as a game.
That picture on the right, is of a Toyota Yaris advergame that has recently been rated by the ESRB. As the original quoted article has stated, there's been no announcement or release date, or even if it'll cost anything for that matter.
Sure I hate in-game advertising and lame product placement as much as the next gamer, but give me a free game and some achievement points to go with it and I'll play it.
The word from Microsoft is that PGR4 is nearly completed. A press release found via Kotaku states that it's release date will be October 2nd for North America and October 14 for Europe.
As well as the release info, they have revealed a list of cars and bikes to add to the total so far:
CARS
Ariel Atom 300 Supercharged 2004
Aston Martin V8 Vantage 2005
Austin Mini Cooper S 1964
Chevrolet Camaro Z28 1969
Ferrari F430 2004
Caparo T1 2007
Caterham R500 2000
Lamborghini Gallardo 2004
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 2005
Tesla Roadster 2008
MOTORCYCLES
BMW F 800 S 2006
Honda NR750 1992
Honda CBR600RR 2005
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 2007
MTT Turbine Superbike 2006
MV Agusta F4 Senna 2006
Norton 500 Manx 1962
Triumph Speed Triple 2005
Triumph Trident 2005
Now that's going to be one helluva week for gaming. Zelda comes out the day before that so I'll be fighting the urge to hide away in a corner with my DS until I've finished it. Now I'll have to pop my head out after a day of playing to go all Mr. Bean on Quebec's ass with that '64 Mini (though I'd rather a '77).
For more info check out the official PGR4 homepage at:
Not a bad game. No, not bad at all. I had the first Blazing Angels, and although this one has a few of the same problems it's still very much improved.
The demo put you into a theatre of operation along the coast with plenty of entrenched German defenses. Flak guns, destroyers, spotlights, spotter balloons, enemy aircraft and other immobile ground targets. You get the choice of three planes for the demo that has varying stats but similar weapons.
You start by shooting down slow moving V2 rockets, then move onto ground targets in several locations. The tactical map makes it easy to get around much like that found in the Ace Combat games. Then you have to defend an amphibious force as it moves towards the shore. A bit trickier as you need to avoid the spotlights that will mark you an easy target for AA guns aboard several destroyers patrolling the coast.
The graphics seem a bit better than the first game, but still not 360/PS3 worthy. Explosions look kind of odd but the smoke trails and spotlights look great. Get directly in the path of one at night and your blinded until you get clear of it, not easy to do with your doing strafing runs a few hundred feet above the water or treetops!
Sound is decent, but doesn't stand out. The first game had this problem as well. Everything seems to be a tame representation of the sounds you'd expect, but nothing comes out really loud and intense, not even machine gun fire or close flybys. That was one of the things I loved about Secret Weapons Over Normandy and Crimson Skies, the variation in loudness and directional audio.
Control is slick and smooth, very easy to pick up and play and again they have the arcade/sim styles depending on your preference. For the demo I used the "Arcade" style. LT for lock-on of a target, RT for your guns, RB for rockets/missiles, Y for your tactical map. Then you have your two analog sticks, Left for steering and pitch, Right for speed and roll. Very simple and very easy to master.
Overall I liked it. A big improvement over the first one when you add it all together. But I'll probably still rent it first. It may be a weekend love affair and after 5-10 hours or so it may get a bit boring. Especially with Ace Combat 6 overshadowing it this fall.
Just finished playing this demo a few minutes ago, not a bad game. I'm a Tony Hawk fan so it was interesting to play a non Hawk skateboarding game for a change. So most of my impressions will be comparisons between the two, i.e. challenger versus Champion of the market-share at the moment.
The demo starts out with a few quick tutorials to get you familiar with the controls. You use the triggers for grabs, left stick for spins and steering, the X and A for pushing off with your left and right leg respectively and the right stick for your ollies. Although in theory that sounds easy enough, pushing off 2-3 times for maximum speed, then swinging your thumb to the right stick to prepare for a jump will take a bit of getting used to, as you need to hold the right stick down when you do it. I well imagine a motion control alternative would be more practical. Not as easy to pick up and play compared to TH, only because of the pushing off that is necessary and the buttons used to do it. Grinds are automatic, as you only need to use an ollie to jump up onto it, then it's just a matter of balance.
Sound is fantastic, the wheels, grinds, jumps, all sound great and very realistic. graphics are good, though there was a bit of frame-rate stutter and pop-in that may be attributed to it being a demo. I wasn't super crazy about the camera angle, though maybe that will be another option added to the final build. It was a behind 3rd person off to the side a bit, like if you were 3 feet tall on a board behind the player following them.
Graphics are decent, but as it's a demo I won't judge them on that regard. If they remain the same for the final version it won't turn anyone's heads.
Overall I don't think either franchise will hurt one another. There's enough difference for both to co-exist. Though I will say the biggest drawbacks were the camera and the use of the right stick, both can be fixed with more options or the control with motion sensing.
Is Skate a sim or a arcade title? Well it doesn't seem to have the high flying crazy multiple tricks of TH, or the speed for that matter. It does take a lot more effort, timing and skill to pull off great moves. In my opinion it's a bit of both. This is one of those games that is hard to write about until the final version hits shelves but until then hopefully some of this makes sense.
Now, in about three days, I can officially say that I am a Civil Engineer. Now, Civil Engineers do a lot of things. Designing Bridges, Creating Dams, Building Things, Creating Traffic Jams, Mitigating Floods, yeah, we do all that and much more. See, there is this thing though. Most, if not all Civil Engineers specialize in something. I, for example, specialized in transportation. Seamar, specialized in structures. See, from an ethics standpoint, we agree only to practice in the fields we're competent in. We know better than do attempt to do something when we have no idea how. So, we know better than than to do and market things that we have no idea how to do, so why does Microsoft then try to do something it doesn't really know how to do?
Before you ask, no I haven't beaten the game yet. But I figured seeing as this is quite a large game and will take many many hours to complete, I'd post my review of it for those who may be on the fence about whether they should buy it or not. Like a "game for lunch" type deal but after say 10-12 hours in or so. I suppose this could even apply to the PC version as well to some extent.
For those of you frivolous and generous with your Microsoft Points, this weekend (specifically September 2nd and 3rd) four Xbox Live Arcade titles will be dropped to half price for those two days only. Here's the four titles:
So we more or less have confirmation now. Advergames are coming. What's an advergame you ask? Well it's exactly as it sounds, an advertisement cleverly disguised as a game.
The word from Microsoft is that PGR4 is nearly completed. A press release found via 
Not a bad game. No, not bad at all. I had the first Blazing Angels, and although this one has a few of the same problems it's still very much improved.
