Obviously, I've been on pause for a couple months. Some work stuff, a bunch of travel, and not a lot new to talk about. I'm still playing Oblivion, though getting close to "done" at this point (if there is such a thing). I've been simultaneously playing all four guild questlines (mage, fighter, thief, dark brotherhood) plus the main questline plus every sidequest I could find. It stacks up to a ton of fun, a huge world to explore, and yes: a good chunk of time. It's still seriously fun.
But! New things are afoot.
Ninety-Nine Nights (N3) was released. Not great reviews, but screw that. The playstyle may be repetitive to some, and the story may be shallow, but whothefuckcares? How many other games let you grind through a thousand enemies singlehandly?!! And oh jeez... download the demo. The graphics are sweet. Watching a hundred goblins come down the valley at you? All rendered with no popup? Booyah! Watch out Koei! There's a new sheriff in town.
My buddy has been playing it and having a blast, which is surprising since he never really got into Dynasty Warriors. Given the graphics in the demo tho... understandable. I have a feeling the strategic aspect of DW won't be there, but I'll report on that next week once I get my own copy of the game (props to my Microsoft buddy for sharing his discounted price!).
And last tidbit for this evening... a new trailer for Heavenly Sword (a PS3 game that might just make me buy one). If that game plays as well as it looks? Yeeeawww...
Out.
Kudos, Microsoft!
Now, I'm not some raving fanboy who wontonly raves about Microsoft, but for this post? Yeah. I will. This is about sending a big "Kudos!" over to Microsoft.
"Why?" you ask? Well, the sad news is that my Xbox 360 horked up on me a few weeks ago. I came back from a trip over Memorial Day weekend, and it wouldn't turn back on. Yeah. Bad news. The previous week, I had a lockup and a scary moment trying to get it restarted (and when it did finally come back on, I copied all the "critical" save games off to a memory card!).
So. As I said: full-on wedge. Not good. Some perusing on the web showed how to get an error code out of the thing, and some things to do to try and get it working. No luck. Hunk o' unusable circuitry. Sent an email to Xbox Support describing the problem. Got one back saying "do this", which I had already done. Called them, and here is where it gets good.
The guy on the phone was quite apologetic for the problem. I wasn't being a pain, yet he was being very nice and solicitous. He got my details and had an empty box sent to me. It arrived the next week, and I packed up the Xbox and sent it off to repair.
"Oh, woe is me!" thinking it wouldn't come back for several weeks. But no... I got back from a trip today, and sitting there is a replacement Xbox. Just like that. No muss, no fuss, and even while out of warranty. How frickin' cool is that?
Very
Thanks, Microsoft.
(yeah, it shouldn't have broke in the first place, but I work with computers all the time, and the Xbox is even more finely-tuned than those... it doesn't really surprise me to see a failure. what makes it all nice is their response to the problem)
"Why?" you ask? Well, the sad news is that my Xbox 360 horked up on me a few weeks ago. I came back from a trip over Memorial Day weekend, and it wouldn't turn back on. Yeah. Bad news. The previous week, I had a lockup and a scary moment trying to get it restarted (and when it did finally come back on, I copied all the "critical" save games off to a memory card!).
So. As I said: full-on wedge. Not good. Some perusing on the web showed how to get an error code out of the thing, and some things to do to try and get it working. No luck. Hunk o' unusable circuitry. Sent an email to Xbox Support describing the problem. Got one back saying "do this", which I had already done. Called them, and here is where it gets good.
The guy on the phone was quite apologetic for the problem. I wasn't being a pain, yet he was being very nice and solicitous. He got my details and had an empty box sent to me. It arrived the next week, and I packed up the Xbox and sent it off to repair.
"Oh, woe is me!" thinking it wouldn't come back for several weeks. But no... I got back from a trip today, and sitting there is a replacement Xbox. Just like that. No muss, no fuss, and even while out of warranty. How frickin' cool is that?
Very
Thanks, Microsoft.
(yeah, it shouldn't have broke in the first place, but I work with computers all the time, and the Xbox is even more finely-tuned than those... it doesn't really surprise me to see a failure. what makes it all nice is their response to the problem)
Patch Luvin' Continues
Woot! The Oblivion patch was just released.
I had one quest that jammed up my game. Thankfully, with games like Oblivion, I've learned to keep a rotation of about 10 save games. I skipped back about five saves before I found the critical juncture that bugged up the game. I replayed about 30 minute of game to catch up (minus that one action). I'm not sure if this patch fixes the problem, but I'm always happy for patches!
I had one quest that jammed up my game. Thankfully, with games like Oblivion, I've learned to keep a rotation of about 10 save games. I skipped back about five saves before I found the critical juncture that bugged up the game. I replayed about 30 minute of game to catch up (minus that one action). I'm not sure if this patch fixes the problem, but I'm always happy for patches!
Oblivion Fun
If you haven't guessed, I've been playing a ton of Oblivion rather than keeping this blog up to date :-) (well, also some travel, but that's not as interesting)
Just had a hilarious moment, felt like reporting...
I'm in a tomb, and along comes a Skeleton Champion. Wants to get all in my face. Fine fine. Well, he also has his summoned Guardian with him (woo! monsters that can conjure!). In this case, the idea is to ignore the guardian and just kill off the spellcaster. Once you do that, then the conjured monster disappears.
No problem. I'm beating him down. Wham wham, and all. Almost got him... he's down to just a little bit of health. Then he gets a lucky hit and knocks me clean off my feet. As I'm flying backwards, I see the Guardian come in for a swing. His blade cuts right into his master. Down goes master. Guardian disappears.
Heh.
Just had a hilarious moment, felt like reporting...
I'm in a tomb, and along comes a Skeleton Champion. Wants to get all in my face. Fine fine. Well, he also has his summoned Guardian with him (woo! monsters that can conjure!). In this case, the idea is to ignore the guardian and just kill off the spellcaster. Once you do that, then the conjured monster disappears.
No problem. I'm beating him down. Wham wham, and all. Almost got him... he's down to just a little bit of health. Then he gets a lucky hit and knocks me clean off my feet. As I'm flying backwards, I see the Guardian come in for a swing. His blade cuts right into his master. Down goes master. Guardian disappears.
Heh.
Xbox Live Update
The new Xbox Live update just arrived on my Xbox 360.
The new background downloads are spiffy. Perfect for downloading those multi-hundred meg demos. Not so sure yet on the additional subdivisions of the marketplace menus. Kind of implies "more places to hunt for stuff", but it does appear there are more "New" sections which may make it easier.
Personally, I really want previews of the gamerpics and themes. I'm never gonna buy one of those things. Without a preview, it's a total crap shoot.
The new background downloads are spiffy. Perfect for downloading those multi-hundred meg demos. Not so sure yet on the additional subdivisions of the marketplace menus. Kind of implies "more places to hunt for stuff", but it does appear there are more "New" sections which may make it easier.
Personally, I really want previews of the gamerpics and themes. I'm never gonna buy one of those things. Without a preview, it's a total crap shoot.
Oblivion Patch and New Content
The Bethesda guys have posted about some upcoming patches and downloadable content.
Cool. I am so buying the Wizard's Tower. Holy crap.
[ thanks to Nelson for the find... I should monitor those bboards... ]
Cool. I am so buying the Wizard's Tower. Holy crap.
[ thanks to Nelson for the find... I should monitor those bboards... ]
Houses in Oblivion
On one of the mailing lists I subscribe to, a fellow Oblivion player noted that he had built up just enough gold to buy a house. He wondered if it was worthwhile to go broke in the process. My reply was:
I've bought two houses in my game :-)
The main reason that I own a house is for storage. The manual says that you shouldn't put stuff into a container you don't own, or it might not be there when you come back. As an experiment, I threw some stuff into a chest one of the Fighter's Guilds. It was there when I came back a short time later. BUT. After a lengthy excursion, when I returned... gone.
I've also left stuff sitting on the floor in rooms in the guilds. That seems to work well; I don't think it has ever been cleaned up on me. I haven't run a lengthy experiment, however.
Note that bodies count as containers, too. And they'll get cleaned up pretty aggressively within dungeons, so you want to loot the body and drop it on the floor if you're encumbered. You can come back and grab the stuff from the floor, and the body will typically be gone.
Anyhow... back to the house. Once you buy a house, you also have to buy furnishings for the house. The furnishings come in about eight sets (stuff for the bedroom, stuff for a storage area, wall hangings for the bedroom, etc), and the total of the eight sets is approximately equal to the house purchase price. These furnishings are bought at one of the vendors in the city where the house is (they don't show up until you buy the house). I've bought two houses, and then one storage area furnishings (my house in Bruma has two storage areas, but I've only bought one so far; house in Bravil has just one).
I use the houses to store excess loot between excursions: really expensive stuff that I can't sell to the local vendor (since there is a cap to what they'll offer you, I'd lose out on a bunch of $$), and also all the potion components that I have gathered (after gathering huge amounts, then I'll sit down and brew a gazillion potions, selling most of the results). I've found their utility as a depository most excellent. It's hard to sell a daedric warhammer worth 5000 gold to just any vendor :-P (one day, I'll find one... until then, it's in storage)
Hope that helps.
I've bought two houses in my game :-)
The main reason that I own a house is for storage. The manual says that you shouldn't put stuff into a container you don't own, or it might not be there when you come back. As an experiment, I threw some stuff into a chest one of the Fighter's Guilds. It was there when I came back a short time later. BUT. After a lengthy excursion, when I returned... gone.
I've also left stuff sitting on the floor in rooms in the guilds. That seems to work well; I don't think it has ever been cleaned up on me. I haven't run a lengthy experiment, however.
Note that bodies count as containers, too. And they'll get cleaned up pretty aggressively within dungeons, so you want to loot the body and drop it on the floor if you're encumbered. You can come back and grab the stuff from the floor, and the body will typically be gone.
Anyhow... back to the house. Once you buy a house, you also have to buy furnishings for the house. The furnishings come in about eight sets (stuff for the bedroom, stuff for a storage area, wall hangings for the bedroom, etc), and the total of the eight sets is approximately equal to the house purchase price. These furnishings are bought at one of the vendors in the city where the house is (they don't show up until you buy the house). I've bought two houses, and then one storage area furnishings (my house in Bruma has two storage areas, but I've only bought one so far; house in Bravil has just one).
I use the houses to store excess loot between excursions: really expensive stuff that I can't sell to the local vendor (since there is a cap to what they'll offer you, I'd lose out on a bunch of $$), and also all the potion components that I have gathered (after gathering huge amounts, then I'll sit down and brew a gazillion potions, selling most of the results). I've found their utility as a depository most excellent. It's hard to sell a daedric warhammer worth 5000 gold to just any vendor :-P (one day, I'll find one... until then, it's in storage)
Hope that helps.
Goldtoe Goes 360
A buddy of mine wrote an Xbox 360 review. I'd concur with his points, though I'm curious why he is setting up Windows Media Connect, as I thought the Media PC itself was enough.
I'd also like to stress the coolness of the Achievements. Yes, you get to see how your friends are doing, but you also get to lord it over them when you're kicking their ass in gamerpoints. (yeah, I'm looking at you, Chip... hehe...) It introduces a nice amount of friendly competition beyond the gameplay experience.
I'd also like to stress the coolness of the Achievements. Yes, you get to see how your friends are doing, but you also get to lord it over them when you're kicking their ass in gamerpoints. (yeah, I'm looking at you, Chip... hehe...) It introduces a nice amount of friendly competition beyond the gameplay experience.
Hitman for the 360
It was recently announced that Hitman is coming to the 360. As I've written before, the Hitman series is an excellent stealth game. I'm very much looking forward to it on the 360, though wary of its simul-release on the "current-gen" platforms and the possibility that it won't take advantage of the 360's more powerful features.
Let's wait and see...
Let's wait and see...
Solo Goodness
One of the reasons that Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is so great is that Bethesda has concentrated entirely on one niche: the solo role playing game. They haven't fallen into the MMORPG camp, and have steadfastly refused to go there. The result is a game that reigns supreme in its niche. And it isn't because they're the only one satisfying the niche... Oblivion is truly an awesome game.
Via Nelson's linkblog, I found a great story on why the solo RPG can be so great, relative to an MMORPG. It's all about concentrating on the player and their role in the unfolding story of the world. Basically, the player matters. The Elder Scrolls series has been entertaining me a dozen years. They have some really epic stories for the character to participate within.
If you don't have Oblivion yet (for the 360 or the PC), then I highly advise you check out some of the reviews. Very highly recommended.
Via Nelson's linkblog, I found a great story on why the solo RPG can be so great, relative to an MMORPG. It's all about concentrating on the player and their role in the unfolding story of the world. Basically, the player matters. The Elder Scrolls series has been entertaining me a dozen years. They have some really epic stories for the character to participate within.
If you don't have Oblivion yet (for the 360 or the PC), then I highly advise you check out some of the reviews. Very highly recommended.
Darn you, EBStop
So EBgames finally switched some of their web property over to use the GameStop web stuff (you may recall, these two companies merged last year). No real noticable difference until recently.
I went to log into EBgames.com to check out my wish list. Euh... Where'd it go?
Bit heaven. They tossed my list. I've been using EBgames to track stuff for a long time now, and it has just vanished. I'm a bit peeved.
At one point, I used Amazon, but switched when Amazon didn't know a game, yet EBgames did. These are games that I know I want to buy, or maybe that I'm thinking of, but am waiting for reviews. Some are games that I'll track until their price goes down. All very handy.
Sad thing is... this is EBgames' loss. I visited the site frequently because I liked that service. Probably won't visit so much any more. As a result, I've started setting up a wish list over at IGN, but they have kind of a clunky UI. They do have good information on game release dates, and they track everything. Any other suggestions, gamers?
I went to log into EBgames.com to check out my wish list. Euh... Where'd it go?
Bit heaven. They tossed my list. I've been using EBgames to track stuff for a long time now, and it has just vanished. I'm a bit peeved.
At one point, I used Amazon, but switched when Amazon didn't know a game, yet EBgames did. These are games that I know I want to buy, or maybe that I'm thinking of, but am waiting for reviews. Some are games that I'll track until their price goes down. All very handy.
Sad thing is... this is EBgames' loss. I visited the site frequently because I liked that service. Probably won't visit so much any more. As a result, I've started setting up a wish list over at IGN, but they have kind of a clunky UI. They do have good information on game release dates, and they track everything. Any other suggestions, gamers?
Xbox Hacking
Hacking my xbox is a question that has come up a number of times. There is the obvious reason, enable playing of pirated games, but I'm just not into that. But when I look at how my buddy has converted his xbox into a suh-weet media center, then I start to really think about it.
But not for long. I always decide that it isn't for me. "Why?" you ask.
Consider this: Microsoft has explicitly stated that they'll disable Xbox Live if they discover the box is hacked. My impression is that this isn't just for that box, but for your gamertag, and quite likely for any account trying to use that credit card. Heck, they could even go and disable it for anything associated with your MSN Passport login. They have a number of bits of information about "you" which can interrupt your use of Xbox Live quite permanently without some effort on your part.
I haven't blogged about the 360 much here (yet), but its integration with Xbox Live is brilliant. Live is always there. Last night, I spent three hours playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. The entire time, I was on voice chat with my buddy while he played. The game is single player only, but the two of us could talk about what we were doing, what we found that was cool, or simply be quiet while engaging in heavy combat.
Do I want to risk that? Not a chance. Without Live support, the 360 would be a ghost of its real self.
Xbox modding can be nice, but the potential cost is just too much for me. Be careful out there.
But not for long. I always decide that it isn't for me. "Why?" you ask.
Consider this: Microsoft has explicitly stated that they'll disable Xbox Live if they discover the box is hacked. My impression is that this isn't just for that box, but for your gamertag, and quite likely for any account trying to use that credit card. Heck, they could even go and disable it for anything associated with your MSN Passport login. They have a number of bits of information about "you" which can interrupt your use of Xbox Live quite permanently without some effort on your part.
I haven't blogged about the 360 much here (yet), but its integration with Xbox Live is brilliant. Live is always there. Last night, I spent three hours playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. The entire time, I was on voice chat with my buddy while he played. The game is single player only, but the two of us could talk about what we were doing, what we found that was cool, or simply be quiet while engaging in heavy combat.
Do I want to risk that? Not a chance. Without Live support, the 360 would be a ghost of its real self.
Xbox modding can be nice, but the potential cost is just too much for me. Be careful out there.
Goodbye, Nova
After the latest slip, it now looks like they're finally giving up on Starcraft: Ghost. The game has been put on indefinite hold.
The game has had its share of problems in the past. Looks like the road has ended, though. Sigh.
Nice knowing you, Nova...
"Like many in the industry, we've been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we're looking forward to exploring that potential further,"Bah. Marketing speak for, "we gotta figure out how to get this running on next-gen hardware".
The game has had its share of problems in the past. Looks like the road has ended, though. Sigh.
Nice knowing you, Nova...
US date for N3?
I just noticed that IGN lists a US release date of June 1 for Nighty-Nine Nights. There hasn't been any other press that I can find, so I don't have any real confidence in this date. But a guy can hold out hope, right?
The Golden Dynasty
Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires has gone gold, for a March 28 release date.
"Woo!" I say, given how much I like this game (prior writing).
Problem is... some hands-on previews have said it is just so... current-gen. Sigh. Damn it. Ah well, I'm going to be playing Oblivion for who knows how long. I'll see what the official reviews (rather than previews) say about the game. Given that I'm on DW4, this upgrade will be nice, along with the addition of the "Empires" gameplay (there is still the smackdown, but add some Risk style strategy elements).
"Woo!" I say, given how much I like this game (prior writing).
Problem is... some hands-on previews have said it is just so... current-gen. Sigh. Damn it. Ah well, I'm going to be playing Oblivion for who knows how long. I'll see what the official reviews (rather than previews) say about the game. Given that I'm on DW4, this upgrade will be nice, along with the addition of the "Empires" gameplay (there is still the smackdown, but add some Risk style strategy elements).
First Culling
So last week, my Xbox games went through their first culling. I picked out 18 games to take over to GameStop, where I averaged about $3 each for the games. Not a whole lot, so maybe I'll look for other options. But awfully convenient.
The moolah went into Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Way cool! Also on a deposit for Oblivion (awesome).
So what kind of games got culled? Games where I have 360 replacements already (driving, Ghost Recon, etc). Games that I've completed once, but won't do a second pass through (e.g. Fable). And a few where I know that I'm not interested in completing them.
I still have a stack of Xbox games, and I'm holding out some small hope to play them. But I have the feeling that I'll do another round of culling without having played most of them...
The moolah went into Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Way cool! Also on a deposit for Oblivion (awesome).
So what kind of games got culled? Games where I have 360 replacements already (driving, Ghost Recon, etc). Games that I've completed once, but won't do a second pass through (e.g. Fable). And a few where I know that I'm not interested in completing them.
I still have a stack of Xbox games, and I'm holding out some small hope to play them. But I have the feeling that I'll do another round of culling without having played most of them...
Life as I Know It
Life as I know it will end on March 20th. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion ships that day (it has gone gold finally).
"But isn't Oblivion shipping a good thing?" you may ask?
It is. And I'm gonna be glued to that damned 360 for the following eight weeks. Seriously. With Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, I played it somewhere between 30 and 40 hours for week for about seven weeks.
Sleep? Friends? Family? All gone, in the face of Oblivion. Life is going to be quite different starting March 20th...
"But isn't Oblivion shipping a good thing?" you may ask?
It is. And I'm gonna be glued to that damned 360 for the following eight weeks. Seriously. With Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, I played it somewhere between 30 and 40 hours for week for about seven weeks.
Sleep? Friends? Family? All gone, in the face of Oblivion. Life is going to be quite different starting March 20th...
Gaming Music
I'm not sure whether it was in Need for Speed: Underground or one of the Burnout games, but there was a track called "Stay in Shadow" by a band named Finger Eleven. It always stuck with me, and when it came on the satellite music channel I listen, I was all "hey! I know that one!" The satellite channel played another of their tracks, and also the track "Good Times" (very good, btw) appears on the latest SSX game, SSX On Tour.
What's the point? I bought the CD recently. Music in games can be an excellent sales tool for bands. I've heard quite a few great tracks.
Of course, on the Xbox 360, you can toss out whatever background music comes with the game and use your own playlists. A nice thing, but don't forget to listen to the bundled music... you might find something new and interesting!
What's the point? I bought the CD recently. Music in games can be an excellent sales tool for bands. I've heard quite a few great tracks.
Of course, on the Xbox 360, you can toss out whatever background music comes with the game and use your own playlists. A nice thing, but don't forget to listen to the bundled music... you might find something new and interesting!
Speaking of N3N
Oooh.... I saw that N3N finally got a Japanese release date of April 20. More information is available at IGN.
Still no US release date tho.
Still no US release date tho.
Crystal Quest Returns
Woah! Blast from my gaming past!
I used to play Crystal Quest on my Macintosh II back in 1988. Hours and hours. The computer was right next to my bed in college, so I could roll out of bed to play Crystal Quest. The little "boing" sounds, and the "aaah!" as you left the wave.
Well, it is now available on Xbox Live Arcade. I plunked down my 400 points (aka US$5) and bought the sucker. It has a revamped gameplay, along with the classic mode.
So retro... but way fun. Very recommended!
I used to play Crystal Quest on my Macintosh II back in 1988. Hours and hours. The computer was right next to my bed in college, so I could roll out of bed to play Crystal Quest. The little "boing" sounds, and the "aaah!" as you left the wave.
Well, it is now available on Xbox Live Arcade. I plunked down my 400 points (aka US$5) and bought the sucker. It has a revamped gameplay, along with the classic mode.
So retro... but way fun. Very recommended!
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