Well, movies and television shows have come to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. It just launched today, and it looks like there is quite a bit of material in there. TV shows in plain definition run US$2 and high def at US$3. Old movies are $3 or $4.5 (SD or HD), and new movies at $4 or $6. It seems the servers are quite swamped because when I first tried it, I got a lot of errors. Now, things are working better, but are a bit slooooooow.
The prices seem kind of reasonable. $4 to rent a movie in 480p (same as a DVD), and that matches what I pay at Hollywood Video. However, I don't get the extras that most DVDs come with. I do get to rent these things without even leaving the house, which is nice, but it isn't exactly "on demand". The SD version of Unforgiven (starring Clint Eastwood... great movie!) weighs in at a 1.4 GB. And the high def version? 5.7 GB!! ... sheesh. Microsoft better come out with a storage attachment for the 360. I don't have that much space, and 5.7 GB is gonna take a while to download, too...
I love the idea, and this is a bold move by Microsoft to get into our living rooms. The whole Xbox program was designed for exactly this. They are in our workplace, and our home office. They want the living room, though. That is where untold millions of consumers are located, and are people they can sell to. You might call it Big Corporate, but I call it an awesome game playing device, and Xbox Live as a wonderful source of continuing enjoyment.
They may be onto something truly spectacular here. Let's see how it shakes out...
Hawaii Racing: Test Drive Unlimited
This one is great! It is very different from every other racer that I've played. They have mapped out Oahu in all its digital glory. Okay... well, the graphics could be tuned up to take advantage of the 360, but the game does look really good. And they have the whole island in here. It will take you at least an hour to circumnavigate the whole thing.
Test Drive: Unlimited is an attempt at an massively multiplayer online racing game ("MMORG"). There are lots of cars to unlock, houses to buy, clothes to purchase, and several hundred races and missions to perform. This is all done very well, with a good progression of gamepoints to score as you're playing the game.
What completely and totally sucks, though, is the difficulty of playing with your friends. Yeah, you read that right. This is an MMORG yet it is practically impossible to play with a friend... and I'm not talking some random Joe, but a person marked on your Xbox Live Friends List. What makes it so hard? At any given point in time, the servers select up to 8 people near you on the island and links you together in your own little pocket universe on the island. 8 random people. No preference whatsoever to the folks on your list. None. Your only hope is to go to some remote location and wait for the server to link you up. You can then do a little trick to lock in your friend so they won't suddenly disappear in a regrouping by the server. But this is hit or miss and can take a while.
But it gets worse. Now that you're all linked up, you pop open the map to see where to go. Say some remote location, or a multiplayer race so you and your buddy can race some opponents. Whoops!! Opening the map disconnects you from other players. Yeah. You spend 15 minutes trying to get sync'd up with your pal, and you cannot touch the map. Fuckin' ludicrous.
Okay... now past the suck part... this game is fun. The driving physics are working towards "realism" rather than "arcade". However, I do find that the cars can do donuts way too easily... like the programmers included angular momentum, but forgot that a tire skidding sideways is a huge source of friction and should slow the spin. In this game, if you try to drift around a corner, then you better have a really good car and be able to hold it in the proper line. The cars are beautiful looking and will they have a little bit of damage modeling. I've put some truly kickass dual-color pearlescent paint on some of my cars. There is a little bit of tunability, but nothing to the extent of the Need for Speed series.
The other night, I linked up with a couple people from the UK, and we simply hit the gas. Just started driving down the highways, with each of us taking a turn defining the lead as we zoomed about the island at high speed. Invariably, one of us would go careening around a corner, lose it, and crash in some horrendous way. The others would slow until the other caught up, and off we went again. Lots of fun with all the open space on the island.
I am hoping they will issue a game patch to fix the friends thing at some point. I just can't see how they could call this an MMORG with the current nastiness. But despite that, I do recommend this game. The openness, the unlocks, the cars, and the modeling of Hawaii... all excellent. And at just $40 for the game, this game is a bargain... it has given me lots of hours of fun.
Test Drive: Unlimited is an attempt at an massively multiplayer online racing game ("MMORG"). There are lots of cars to unlock, houses to buy, clothes to purchase, and several hundred races and missions to perform. This is all done very well, with a good progression of gamepoints to score as you're playing the game.
What completely and totally sucks, though, is the difficulty of playing with your friends. Yeah, you read that right. This is an MMORG yet it is practically impossible to play with a friend... and I'm not talking some random Joe, but a person marked on your Xbox Live Friends List. What makes it so hard? At any given point in time, the servers select up to 8 people near you on the island and links you together in your own little pocket universe on the island. 8 random people. No preference whatsoever to the folks on your list. None. Your only hope is to go to some remote location and wait for the server to link you up. You can then do a little trick to lock in your friend so they won't suddenly disappear in a regrouping by the server. But this is hit or miss and can take a while.
But it gets worse. Now that you're all linked up, you pop open the map to see where to go. Say some remote location, or a multiplayer race so you and your buddy can race some opponents. Whoops!! Opening the map disconnects you from other players. Yeah. You spend 15 minutes trying to get sync'd up with your pal, and you cannot touch the map. Fuckin' ludicrous.
Okay... now past the suck part... this game is fun. The driving physics are working towards "realism" rather than "arcade". However, I do find that the cars can do donuts way too easily... like the programmers included angular momentum, but forgot that a tire skidding sideways is a huge source of friction and should slow the spin. In this game, if you try to drift around a corner, then you better have a really good car and be able to hold it in the proper line. The cars are beautiful looking and will they have a little bit of damage modeling. I've put some truly kickass dual-color pearlescent paint on some of my cars. There is a little bit of tunability, but nothing to the extent of the Need for Speed series.
The other night, I linked up with a couple people from the UK, and we simply hit the gas. Just started driving down the highways, with each of us taking a turn defining the lead as we zoomed about the island at high speed. Invariably, one of us would go careening around a corner, lose it, and crash in some horrendous way. The others would slow until the other caught up, and off we went again. Lots of fun with all the open space on the island.
I am hoping they will issue a game patch to fix the friends thing at some point. I just can't see how they could call this an MMORG with the current nastiness. But despite that, I do recommend this game. The openness, the unlocks, the cars, and the modeling of Hawaii... all excellent. And at just $40 for the game, this game is a bargain... it has given me lots of hours of fun.
Playing with Cops... Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NFS: Most Wanted is an "arcade" racer... physics exist, but not if they get in the way of enjoyability. Similar to Burnout, this game is about speed, sliding around corners, slamming into things, and sweet cars.
And cops. As you slam into civilian cars, or (gasp!) into cop cars, or inflict property damage... your "heat" goes up. The higher your heat, the more you will attract Mr Law Enforcement. If they spot you, then the chase is on. The cop chases are simply awesome. It ends up being a crazy, wild spin around the town, trying to shake them. Certain environment features can be collapsed onto the cops to knock them out of the chase. Or you can slam into them, send them into walls, whatever... eventually, they'll get crushed and fall out. Others will eventually come to replace them, but if you can shake them or disable them, then you move into a "cooldown" period where a timer counts down until the chase is called off. But! If you just keep flying around town without ending it, your heat will continue to get upgraded. From simple cops, to SUVs, to FBI, and eventually to helicopters. If you've seen the coppers' escalation in Grand Theft Auto, then you're familiar with this. Shaking helicopters is tough... underground parking lots work, but you also have the ground cops after you.
Seriously exhilirating.
The controls are awesome... very responsive, easy to manage, and the cars respond as you would expect. The graphics are very good, althought I think it suffers a bit of "least common denominator" since NFS: MW was ported to all platforms... In other words, it doesn't fully represent the power of the 360, but it is beyond what you'd find on the previous generation. The sound is unbelievable... tire noise, rain noise, engine noise, other cars, ... everything. The NFS series has done excellent work on the audio for a couple game generations now (starting back with Need for Speed: Underground).
The story lines and missions and progression in this game is excellent. The overall feel and attitude is spot-on for a street racer.
Now... I would highly recommend this game, but for just one thing... Need for Speed: Carbon came out just last week. If you're going to buy just one racing game, then you may want to see my review of that one first.
Wait. What? ... yup. Bonus review: I've been playing Carbon and will throw in a review of that game as part of this series.
Seriously, though... with NFS: Carbon out now, I expect NFS: MW to hit the bargain bin. I'm seeing it for $29.99 at EBgames.com and Amazon. This could make an excellent bargain gift for the holiday season. Great game, very much recommended!
And cops. As you slam into civilian cars, or (gasp!) into cop cars, or inflict property damage... your "heat" goes up. The higher your heat, the more you will attract Mr Law Enforcement. If they spot you, then the chase is on. The cop chases are simply awesome. It ends up being a crazy, wild spin around the town, trying to shake them. Certain environment features can be collapsed onto the cops to knock them out of the chase. Or you can slam into them, send them into walls, whatever... eventually, they'll get crushed and fall out. Others will eventually come to replace them, but if you can shake them or disable them, then you move into a "cooldown" period where a timer counts down until the chase is called off. But! If you just keep flying around town without ending it, your heat will continue to get upgraded. From simple cops, to SUVs, to FBI, and eventually to helicopters. If you've seen the coppers' escalation in Grand Theft Auto, then you're familiar with this. Shaking helicopters is tough... underground parking lots work, but you also have the ground cops after you.
Seriously exhilirating.
The controls are awesome... very responsive, easy to manage, and the cars respond as you would expect. The graphics are very good, althought I think it suffers a bit of "least common denominator" since NFS: MW was ported to all platforms... In other words, it doesn't fully represent the power of the 360, but it is beyond what you'd find on the previous generation. The sound is unbelievable... tire noise, rain noise, engine noise, other cars, ... everything. The NFS series has done excellent work on the audio for a couple game generations now (starting back with Need for Speed: Underground).
The story lines and missions and progression in this game is excellent. The overall feel and attitude is spot-on for a street racer.
Now... I would highly recommend this game, but for just one thing... Need for Speed: Carbon came out just last week. If you're going to buy just one racing game, then you may want to see my review of that one first.
Wait. What? ... yup. Bonus review: I've been playing Carbon and will throw in a review of that game as part of this series.
Seriously, though... with NFS: Carbon out now, I expect NFS: MW to hit the bargain bin. I'm seeing it for $29.99 at EBgames.com and Amazon. This could make an excellent bargain gift for the holiday season. Great game, very much recommended!
Driving Simulation: Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3 is what I would call a "technical" racer, or a "driving simulation". The handling of the car, the stickiness to the course, weight distribution, braking and tire behavior, and more... all modeled as closely as possible to the real world. You don't hit 90 degree corners at 100 miles an hour like in an "arcade" racer. Try it, and you're gonna hose yourself.
I'm personally not a big fan of this kind of game. I want fast-paced action rather than knowing that the driving faithfully matches reality. I don't need reality. I want adrenaline. I want to smash through traffic, slide around a corner, hit my nitrous, and leave competitors inhaling my exhaust.
But! This game is a teriffic challenge. You have to be on your game. If you miss that line through the corner, then you're out. Hit a wall? Cut too sharp? Bash into another car? Don't do it. You have to draft, take the lines tight, glide thru your opponents... all necessary parts to winning the race.
Meanwhile, there is a "kudos" system scoring you for good driving. Do all the driving right, and you get big kudos bonuses. The kudos then bring on some excellent unlocks and other goods.
And the game is *beautiful* ... it really showed off the graphics of the 360 at launch time. As you fly by the buildings and crowds... all detailed. The cars are kick-ass modeled. Sound is awesome.
This game is very much recommended if you like simulations and "true" driving. It is the best out there for that sub-genre of racing.
I'm personally not a big fan of this kind of game. I want fast-paced action rather than knowing that the driving faithfully matches reality. I don't need reality. I want adrenaline. I want to smash through traffic, slide around a corner, hit my nitrous, and leave competitors inhaling my exhaust.
But! This game is a teriffic challenge. You have to be on your game. If you miss that line through the corner, then you're out. Hit a wall? Cut too sharp? Bash into another car? Don't do it. You have to draft, take the lines tight, glide thru your opponents... all necessary parts to winning the race.
Meanwhile, there is a "kudos" system scoring you for good driving. Do all the driving right, and you get big kudos bonuses. The kudos then bring on some excellent unlocks and other goods.
And the game is *beautiful* ... it really showed off the graphics of the 360 at launch time. As you fly by the buildings and crowds... all detailed. The cars are kick-ass modeled. Sound is awesome.
This game is very much recommended if you like simulations and "true" driving. It is the best out there for that sub-genre of racing.
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. is releasing tomorrow (October 31st)... great news, given they were planning to release mid-November.
Time to get creeped out for Halloween...
Time to get creeped out for Halloween...
Driving the 360: Burnout Revenge
If you've been following my blog the past couple years, then you'll already know how much of a Burnout fan I am. The series is fantastically cool.
Now... I played Burnout Revenge all the way through on the original Xbox. I didn't spend time getting every single gold medal, but I did play through to Elite status and acquiring almost every single car. Burnout: Takedown was my crazy get-all-medals playthrough. A couple months ago, I played the Xbox 360 version of Revenge, and the gameplay was just the same as the original Xbox game. The graphics are tuned up, and the sound is better, but the game is the same.
I would characterize the Burnout series as a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat game. There is no way you can just sit back and roll through the tracks. The game is FAST. Way, way fast. One little pixel shows up on the screen, and you have know "car coming up!" and start to steer. You relax for just one second? You're toast. Of course, the car crashes in Burnout are stupendous. Nothing like it anywhere else, so this isn't a Bad Thing... but it does mean that you're going to lose that tight race.
The controls are a bit forgiving, so I wouldn't call this a "technical racer" or a "simulation"... it is all about having fun. Fun on adrenaline, mind you, but lots of fun. The various play modes and crashes are crazy. This game is about getting in your car and moving. Sliding around corners, bashing into your opponents, finding shortcuts, dodging oncoming traffic, and more. Getting out on the streets and zooming as fast as possible, for as long as possible, until you twitch just a bit too late and go up in a flaming ball of car parts.
I think that I like Burnout: Takedown a bit better. In Revenge, you can plow into the backs of cars which are moving in the same direction. It will slow you down, so you don't want to do this all the time, but the problem is that it makes it a bit too forgiving. The crash mode is also not quite as cool: you can't get a replay and move the camera around to see what is going on, and how you can improve for another try. Blowing crap up is always awesome, but they lost a bit in the crash mode, I think. But these little issues are like complaining about that small scratch on the front bumper of your car... in the bigger picture, it is totally moot.
Unquestionably recommended.
Now... I played Burnout Revenge all the way through on the original Xbox. I didn't spend time getting every single gold medal, but I did play through to Elite status and acquiring almost every single car. Burnout: Takedown was my crazy get-all-medals playthrough. A couple months ago, I played the Xbox 360 version of Revenge, and the gameplay was just the same as the original Xbox game. The graphics are tuned up, and the sound is better, but the game is the same.
I would characterize the Burnout series as a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat game. There is no way you can just sit back and roll through the tracks. The game is FAST. Way, way fast. One little pixel shows up on the screen, and you have know "car coming up!" and start to steer. You relax for just one second? You're toast. Of course, the car crashes in Burnout are stupendous. Nothing like it anywhere else, so this isn't a Bad Thing... but it does mean that you're going to lose that tight race.
The controls are a bit forgiving, so I wouldn't call this a "technical racer" or a "simulation"... it is all about having fun. Fun on adrenaline, mind you, but lots of fun. The various play modes and crashes are crazy. This game is about getting in your car and moving. Sliding around corners, bashing into your opponents, finding shortcuts, dodging oncoming traffic, and more. Getting out on the streets and zooming as fast as possible, for as long as possible, until you twitch just a bit too late and go up in a flaming ball of car parts.
I think that I like Burnout: Takedown a bit better. In Revenge, you can plow into the backs of cars which are moving in the same direction. It will slow you down, so you don't want to do this all the time, but the problem is that it makes it a bit too forgiving. The crash mode is also not quite as cool: you can't get a replay and move the camera around to see what is going on, and how you can improve for another try. Blowing crap up is always awesome, but they lost a bit in the crash mode, I think. But these little issues are like complaining about that small scratch on the front bumper of your car... in the bigger picture, it is totally moot.
Unquestionably recommended.
Driving Games, part 1 of 6
One of my original motivations for starting this blog was to provide information about games. I'm lucky enough to be able to buy a whole passel of games, but many people are not. So I figured that I might be able to talk about games, so people could use that to help their buying decisions.
This year, I've been on the weak side of passing along information. "Dear God, Greg, can't you post about something other than Oblivion?!?!" Obviously, not very well... hehe.
Well... I've played a bunch of the driving games on the Xbox 360, so this is the first post in a series about each of the games I've played:
And you, in the back row... stop heckling. Yes, I'll shoot for posting once every day or two. Nyeah.
This year, I've been on the weak side of passing along information. "Dear God, Greg, can't you post about something other than Oblivion?!?!" Obviously, not very well... hehe.
Well... I've played a bunch of the driving games on the Xbox 360, so this is the first post in a series about each of the games I've played:
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Project Gotham Racing 2
- Burnout: Revenge
- Test Drive Unlimited
And you, in the back row... stop heckling. Yes, I'll shoot for posting once every day or two. Nyeah.
Xbox 360 Calendar
Hey all... sorry for the lack of posts over the past few months. I've been doing a lot of travel, and my gameplay has suffered for it :-(
I've created a Google Calendar that contains the release dates for a bunch of games that I'm interested in. If you want to track some upcoming releases, then this calendar might be helpful for you. As release dates change and announcements are made, I'll work on keeping it updated.
If you see any incorrect dates or have suggestions/additions for it, then feel free to comment here or drop me an email.
Smack this button to subscribe to the calendar:
I've created a Google Calendar that contains the release dates for a bunch of games that I'm interested in. If you want to track some upcoming releases, then this calendar might be helpful for you. As release dates change and announcements are made, I'll work on keeping it updated.
If you see any incorrect dates or have suggestions/additions for it, then feel free to comment here or drop me an email.
Smack this button to subscribe to the calendar:
Pause... Break!
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.
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!
N3N
I've been looking over my blog a bit. There are quite a few things that I need to back and write about. But for now, after reading about the Dynasty Warriors posts, I wanted to take a moment to point out an upcoming game...
It's called Ninety-Nine Nights (or "N3N"), and looks to be in the same "massive hand-to-hand carnage" genre as DW. Go check out those videos.
I'm a bit saddened in that we don't have any US release information at this point. Like, whether we'll even get one(!) Everyone: cross your fingers. Even if you don't want it, then help me out here!
It's called Ninety-Nine Nights (or "N3N"), and looks to be in the same "massive hand-to-hand carnage" genre as DW. Go check out those videos.
I'm a bit saddened in that we don't have any US release information at this point. Like, whether we'll even get one(!) Everyone: cross your fingers. Even if you don't want it, then help me out here!
Give it up, already
Unbelievable.
So I was on the phone with my buddy, talking about various upcoming games for the Xbox 360. So I go and log into ebgames.com, where I keep my wish list (I put my list there when I couldn't find a to-be-released game on Amazon, yet it was on ebgames). Nice thing about their wish list is that it shows the expected release date.
There were a few games for the 360 that were due in February. Only one now (Full Auto), but as I don't recall the prior list, I dunno what got moved out.
But there was one game for the original Xbox which I knew had been moved. I've written about it slipping before. A couple times. Hit those links yet?
Yup. We're talking about Starcraft: Ghost. Holy crap, man. That game was due in June 2004!! The current date is listed as November 2006. Oh, sure, they changed developers once already. Doesn't excuse its delay.
It was a cutting edge game at one time, but today? Stealthy? Aliens? Psi abilities? Whatever... It's all been done by now. I looked forward to it with great anticipation (woo! Nova!), but now? Bah.
Pass the controller. I'll dig in with a little Joanna Dark instead...
So I was on the phone with my buddy, talking about various upcoming games for the Xbox 360. So I go and log into ebgames.com, where I keep my wish list (I put my list there when I couldn't find a to-be-released game on Amazon, yet it was on ebgames). Nice thing about their wish list is that it shows the expected release date.
There were a few games for the 360 that were due in February. Only one now (Full Auto), but as I don't recall the prior list, I dunno what got moved out.
But there was one game for the original Xbox which I knew had been moved. I've written about it slipping before. A couple times. Hit those links yet?
Yup. We're talking about Starcraft: Ghost. Holy crap, man. That game was due in June 2004!! The current date is listed as November 2006. Oh, sure, they changed developers once already. Doesn't excuse its delay.
It was a cutting edge game at one time, but today? Stealthy? Aliens? Psi abilities? Whatever... It's all been done by now. I looked forward to it with great anticipation (woo! Nova!), but now? Bah.
Pass the controller. I'll dig in with a little Joanna Dark instead...
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