This morning I woke up with one hell of a headache, but after about 2000 mg of something I took, along with 4 Latte's, my headache went away, imagine that.
Later!
Today's top stories!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Guitar Hero II has been patched!
Wow, Red Octane flew under the radar with this one. Early this morning an auto update was released for Guitar Hero II. The update fixed the problem with the whammy bar that some people were experiencing.
A title update for Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 will be available on Xbox Live at 4:00 am PDT on Saturday, April 14 that should resolve the situation where input from the whammy bar was not always recognized. Downloading the update should resolve this issue for all Activision Guitar Hero branded guitar models.
Will the Sony fanboy's be up in arms? or will they approve? wouldn't that make them hypocrites?
When Microsoft unveiled the XBOX 360 Elite with the 120GB HDD, the Sony fanboys lit up the Playstation forums with post's saying that Microsoft abandoned the early adopters of the XBOX 360 and Microsoft once again screws over it's fan base. I wonder what these Sony fanboys will be saying if what Nextgen.biz is reporting too be true.
Bloomberg cited a Sony Tokyo spokesperson who said that Sony is "also considering introducing the model with a bigger hard disk." Rumors have abounded that Sony could introduce an 80GB hard drive-equipped PS3.
Now Microsoft unveiled a new and improved model well after a year from launch. The PS3 has only been around for 5 months and they have already dropped the 20GB SKU and are talking about bringing a new SKU to the PS3 family. These Sony fanboys need to realize that ALL electronics including cars are eventually improved and modified as time goes on, it's the nature of the business. I applaud Sony for improving their product and making changes, I just want to hear what these Sony fanboys have to say about all of this, since they don't approve of changes and improvements. Hell the PS2 eventually added a Ethernet adapter and we also can't forget about the HDD that Sony came out with that they never supported.
When I hear Sony fanboy's whine about no built in wifi for the XBOX 360, I ask them, why didn't Sony include ethernet hookups and a HDD into the PS2 when it launched? I get no response.
XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 4/9/07!
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Gears of War
2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
3 Guitar Hero II
4 Call Of Duty 3
5 GRAW 2
6 Crackdown
7 Oblivion
8 Pro Evolution Soccer 6
9 Madden NFL 07
10 Saints Row
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Boom Boom Rocket
2 TMNT 1989 Arcade
3 Luxor 2
4 Castlevania: SOTN
5 Worms
6 UNO
7 Alien Hominid HD
8 Jetpac Refuelled
9 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
10 Texas Hold 'em
Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
5 Madden NFL 07
6 Forza Motorsport
7 Call of Duty 3
8 Ghost Recon 2
9 PGR 2
10 Splinter Cell Chaos
This list is gathered and posted by Major Nelson on Majornelson.com!
Bungie's weekly update!
Oh Frankie, your love for the water effects in Halo 3 is well known, so much so that when I watched the latest vidoc that I took notice too the way the water never reacted to a body falling into it. When I saw that I said to myself, I know this is not the final product and Frankie is going to let us know this in his next weekly update. Well folks, here it is, straight from Frankie himself:
In one moment of the Vidoc, we see a Spartan launch out of the Mancannon and meet a sorry, embarrassing end in mid air as a sniper uses him for target practice. Now in that footage from old build, he tumbles into the river and slides splash-lessly into a boring placeholder water effect. He won’t do that in May. He’ll do something neater.
Below, Fankie talks Halo 2:
Frankie posted a list that shows which gametypes will require the new maps to play. He said that they don't want to alienate the people who don't purchase the new maps so only a few of the gametypes will require the new maps to play.
- Rumble Pit – Unranked – FFA – New Maps Required!
- Double Team – Ranked – 2v2 Teams
- Team Slayer – Ranked – 3 / 4 vs. 3 /4 - New Maps Required!
- Team Skirmish – Ranked – 3 /4 vs. 3 /4 – New Maps Required!
- Team Training – Unranked – 3 /4 vs. 3 /4
- Team Snipers – Ranked – 3 / 4 vs. 3 / 4 – New Maps Required!
- Team Hardcore – Ranked – 3 /4 vs. 3 /4
- Team SWAT – Unranked – 3 /4 vs. 3 /4 – New Maps Required!
- Big Team Battle – Unranked – 5 / 6 vs. 5 /6
Click here to read the entire weekly update!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Another day 4/13/07!
Today I have been tweaking and fine tuning the new Twitter badge that I added to the blog. For some reason I am having a hell of a time trying to get my text messaging from my phone to work properly. Oh well, I will figure it out. I have also spent a large portion of my day trying to get an answer out of Activision about future updates to Call of Duty 3, but who am I kidding, I will probably get the typical PR spin that goes something like this....
"We at Activision have yet to make any formal announcements regarding future updates to Call of Duty 3, The sequel to the popular Call of Duty 2 that launched with the XBOX 360, Nov 22nd 2005. Treyarch is a very talented team who strives to keep their fans happy. Activision and Treyarch are pleased that people show this much interest in our product and we thank you for that.
Sincerely xxxxx Activision"
Later!
Today's top stories:
- Capcom announced 4 new XBLA titles.
- Microsoft unveiled a video showing the new features that will be in the Spring update.
- Activision says that the problems with some people's Guitar Hero II guitar's is a software problem, not hardware....patch coming soon.
- Vigilante 8 is coming to XBLA according to a developers personal site.
- Digital Trends said the PS3 is in trouble.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD coming to XBLA!
Capcom has announced that they are bringing Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD to XBLA. Capcom has given the job of redrawing the entire game, pixel by pixel to UDON, the masterminds behind the Street Fighter comic books.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for Xbox Live Arcade and PSN mirrors the same tactic Capcom utilized with their Hyper Fighting release - the goods you remember, only with online play. This time, however, Capcom is taking care of business in-house and utilizing the insight that 13 years of worldwide, top-tier competition has brought to the game.
Capcom is shooting for a Fall release!
[UPDATE] Capcom has 3 more XBLA titles in the works!
- Super Puzzle Fighter™ II HD Remix,
- Rocketmen: Axis of Evil
- Talisman
Microsoft's on10.net goes in depth with the Spring update!
Microsoft's own on10.net has a video up hosted by Tina Wood that goes through a few of the 100's of new additions that you will find in the spring update. They demo the new text input device that they say will probably look different when it's released this summer. Click here to check out the video for yourself. The video is about 20 minutes long and they show allot of stuff that was never officially announced, very cool. Also, the guy on the right, "Jerry" will be on Major Nelson's podcast this Sunday.
Elite wont see UK release until November!
We are all aware that the XBOX 360 Elite will land in retail outlets on April 29th in the U.S. People in the UK want to know when they will be able to get their hands on Microsoft's latest SKU. If XBOXER.tv is correct, the UK wont see the Elite until November.
Following Microsoft's announcement of the Xbox 360 Elite, to release in the US on 29th April, rumours of a UK street date started circulating inside the industry early this week.
Xboxer confirmed today with a publisher, peripheral manufacturer and a magazine that the UK Street date isn't going to be anytime soon. Not hitting our shores until November, it appears Europe comes a distant second to the US for Microsoft. With gamers already disgruntled with the lack of Video Marketplace in the UK, Microsoft risks alienating gamers more with it's latest move.
Microsoft hasn't officially announced this yet, but when they do I will post it here!
Boom Boom Rocket done blindfolded!
This is done by one of the game's producers. He does this on hard while blindfolded. I could never do this looking at the screen, let alone blind. If you have played this game, you will watch this video in complete aww, I know I did.
Guitar Hero II guitar problems is software not hardware says Activision!
When Guitar Hero II hit the shelves 2 weeks ago, some people were experiencing problems with the whammy bar. After further investigation, it was happening to one particular model only. Red Octane contracted out two manufacturers to produce the guitar's too meet the demand. Apparently one of those models has been a little problematic and people were trying too fix the problem them selves. Today, Activision said in a press release, that the problem isn't in the hardware but the software. It appears to be a line of code that Activision added late in development that would prevent people from cheating.
“On learning of potential issues with the whammy bar on the Xbox360 guitar, we immediately began extensive testing of both the guitar and the software to isolate any issues with whammy bar functionality and the corresponding causes. Our testing identified a specific software element that may, in certain situations, cause the whammy bar to lose responsiveness. Given that this is a software-driven, an patch is being developed to fix the issue and will arrive as soon as possible via download on Xbox Live. We will confirm soon a target date for this download.”
Whatever you do, don't try fixing your guitar. Wait a few weeks and the patch should have you up and going in no time.
Games for the week of 4/23/07!
Rayman Raving Rabbids:
Rayman Raving Rabbids marks the return of the iconic video-game hero, Rayman, in his funniest and zaniest adventure ever. When the world of Rayman is threatened by a devastating invasion of crazed, out-of-control bunnies Rayman must rise up against his furry foes to foil their wicked plans. Utilizing an array of amazing new abilities, and with the help of magical creatures, Rayman must break out all the moves to save his world from these delirious bunnies and their hare-raising antics.
Release Date: April 24, 2007
Vigilante 8 coming to XBLA!
XBOX LIVE Arcade titles being leaked through the ESRB site has been the norm as of late. But when developers start leaking games on their own personal websites, it makes things interesting. For example, the latest leaker [is that a word?] is a level designer and environmental artist for Isopod games, Dan Savage. Dan has a portfolio section on his website where he has a description of the different projects he has worked on or that is currently in progress. When you scroll all the way down to the bottom, you will find Vigilante 8 with the following description:
Vigilante 8: Arcade
Available to download on Xbox 360 Live in summer 07'. This update of the classic Vigilante 8 series that arrived on PS1 and N64.
In conjunction with: Isopod Games
Well that pretty much confirms that game. Click here to read Dan's portfolio!
Digital Trends says the PS3 is in trouble!
According to Rob Enderle of Digital Trends, If Shadowrun and Halo 3 really take off, Sony will be in serious trouble. Rob also says that having a deeper online experience can only help Microsoft.
"Sony is in trouble if these games take off. They don’t even do multi-player that well yet, MMOGs are well out of their reach and they have effectively blocked every attempt their PC unit has made to work with their game platform,"
You can read the entire Digital Trends article here!
Another day 4/12/07!
Today when I got home I decided to download the trial version of Boom Boom Rocket. After a about an hour of taking turns with my wife, I decided to purchase the full version. Well, here I sit, it is 12:30AM and I just put the controller down. That game kicks ass and I really like the soundtrack, so much so I was browsing the web a minute ago looking for an MP3 to a track on there called, "Game Over Beethoven". If anyone out there know's where I can get that song, let me know, thanks.
Later!
Today's top stories:
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Atari releases the "Lexus Car Pack" for Test Drive Unlimited for free!
Today, Atari released the "Lexus Car Pack" for free on XBOX LIVE Marketplace for Test Drive Unlimited. Below is the Press release with the announcement of the new partnership between Atari and Lexus.
NEW YORK, April 12 -- Atari, Inc. , one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced that a new "Lexus Car Pack" is available now for free download on Xbox Live(R) Marketplace for Test Drive Unlimited, the ultimate automotive and lifestyle gaming experience for Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.
As part of the Company's new relationship with Lexus, Atari has released the Lexus GS 450h hybrid-powered luxury sport sedan and Lexus LS 460 premium luxury sedan on Xbox Live Marketplace for free download. Additional Lexus vehicles coming soon to Test Drive Unlimited include the SC 430 hard-top convertible and the all-new 2008 LS 600h L, which will be the world's first full hybrid V8 luxury sedan. The LS 600h L will reach Lexus dealer showrooms later this Spring.
"Lexus automobiles are among the finest vehicles on the market today and a perfect fit for Test Drive Unlimited, one of the hottest racing games in recent times," said Nique Fajors, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Atari, Inc. "Atari is committed to providing consumers with a top-notch automotive experience and this free, downloadable Lexus Car Pack for Test Drive Unlimited is another example of that commitment."
Packed with 90 vehicles, one thousand plus miles of open roads and a host of online options, Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R. (TM): Massively Open Online Racing. Both online and offline gamers will experience many of the world's most exotic and fastest vehicles on Test Drive Unlimited's diverse Hawaiian roads. Gamers win races, challenges, missions and tournaments to earn credits and purchase new cars, bikes, apparel, homes and garages. Boasting huge online content, racers around the world can challenge others to join them in the virtual paradise of the game's persistent online racing world. Players will engage in online challenges, and build communities by creating or joining exclusive members clubs to talk, trade cars, and race with other like-minded and similarly-skilled drivers in Test Drive Unlimited, one of the most comprehensive online racing experiences to date. Test Drive Unlimited is currently available in North America for a suggested retail price of $39.99 and rated E10+.
Original Prince of Persia coming to XBLA?
XBOX360fanboy.com is reporting that a German videogame rating's board called, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) play tested the original Prince of Persia. What is so news worthy about that? well according to the USK, it was for XBOX LIVE ARCADE.
As of late these Rating's board website's have been a great resource for gathering information for soon to be released games that have not been officially confirmed. For example, if you go to the ESRB website, you can brows through a list of XBOX 360 games that Microsoft has never announced.
Click here and look around for yourself!
EA launches XBLA website!
Coming off the heels of the release of Boom Boom Rocket, EA has launched an XBLA website. Ben Swanson, Community Manager at EA, had this to say:
"Through the XBLA forums on the site we will be publishing a steady stream of content including exclusive interviews with developers, reviews of classic EA titles from the Genesis and beyond, supplementary fiction and assets created by fans, community member profiles, as well as online contests and events. We are also trying to start an initiative where we can highlight great independent developers that aren’t getting enough exposure.
We have also tried to create a place for people to talk about their own projects, their favorite independent developers and just about anything else that might be on their minds, feeding the best and latest threads straight onto the home and title specific pages."
Click here to view EA Arcade!
Major Nelson talks to Joystiq about the latest DLC for Guitar Hero II!
Yesterday, the boys over at Joystiq were able to to sit down with XBOX LIVE's Larry Hyrb, AKA Major Nelson. He was asked if he was expecting the backlash that came from the pricing over the new Guitar Hero II content.
When you were putting up the story at 2AM, were you expecting such a negative response from fans?
Major Nelson: Well, I found out about it late last night, before I posted it. I looked at it and said "okay." But you have to remember, I used to work in the broadcasting industry and in music for a long time and I know that content is not linear. It's not like you go to iTunes, and you're buying the same thing. There's testing that's involved, and there's also licensing involved. There's a lot of elements involved. When there's music involved, that brings up a lot of licensing issues. [pointing at camera] Kids, if you want to make a lot of money, write music. Write the hits, I should say ... It's roughly about $2 a song that you can play over and over. You can't get interactivity with a song on iTunes, and I don't want to defend it: it is what it is.
Click here to read the rest!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Another day 4/11/07!
Today, I got my new glasses that I ordered a week ago but they don't seem quite right. My left eye seems blurry and my right eye seems fine, so I am going to have to get these fixed. After I got home with my new glasses, I rounded up the family and we went out too dinner because neither my wife or myself wanted to cook.
Later!
Today's top stories were:
20GB PS3 has been discontinued!
Rumors have been circulating for a few weeks now regarding the dismissal of the 20GB PS3 sku from the Sony classroom. Today, Sony has confirmed this in a statement:
At launch, we offered two separate models of PLAYSTATION 3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of ninety percent in favor of the 60GB sku, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly. Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America. In addition to the larger internal hard drive, the 60GB PlayStation 3 features added storage media slots and built-in Wi-Fi not found in the 20GB system. Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model.
Wow, that seems a little crazy if you ask me. If someone want's to get a PS3 but they don't have much money, they are now forced to spend $600. you might as well buy a $300 XBOX 360 with a $125 120GB HDD and save the extra $125 on a game and a XBOX LIVE subscription.
Petition against latest Guitar Hero II content!
Did you buy Guitar Hero II? were you excited over the DLC that was released today? are you you all worked up into a shoot over the price? well I have just the thing for you. A disgruntled Guitar Hero II fan is upset over the new DLC. He feels that 500 points or $6.25 is too much, so he or she has formed an online petition.
Now whether or not the new DLC is expensive, I think a petition to boycott any new DLC is ridiculous. There is no need for a petition, if you don't like the price and you are angry, then don't download the content. Signing some online petition will not get the attention of Microsoft, but if you don't buy their product, then people take notice.
People also need too realize, is that these game developers don't have to release extra content for their product's. But people now demand and expect it. People also are pissed, that [we] the consumer has to actually pay for this stuff. Now don't get me wrong, I am in favor of extra content, it add's replay value to a game, especially games that I play a ton of.
Please, no haters here. Just remember, [we] as a consumer don't have to buy the content. We are given the choice, the same choice that Microsoft has in how they price their product.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance update has issues!
Today an update was released for Marvel Ultimate Alliance, then pulled just hours later. Now the XBOX.com forums are ablaze with complaints about the update. People are reporting that the update has corrupted their game saves. A poster on the Forums emailed Activision about the problem he is having since he downloaded the update. Activision responded to his email:
"Thanks for contacting us. Activision is indeed aware of the various issues on Marvel Ultimate Alliance in relation to the recently released game update. We are currently researching a solution, and truly appreciate your patience in this matter. For the purpose of acquiring more information regarding this issue, could you please respond with a precise account of what has occurred to your characters, items, and save game since the update?"
That was nice of them to actually respond, but this isn't the first time Activision has had problems with updates to their games over LIVE. About 4 months ago when they released the Valor map pack for Call of Duty 3, you may remember that when people would download the map pack the file was corrupted and people were still charged their Microsoft points.
New Guitar Hero II content now available!
Last week Guitar Hero II came out for the XBOX 360 and today there are 3 "song packs" available for 500 points each.
The following is from Majoenelson.com:
Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 1
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Bark at the Moon as made famous by Ozzy Osbourne, Hey You as made famous by The Exies, Ace of Spades as made famous by Motorhead, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.
Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 2
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Killer Queen as made famous by Queen, Take it Off as made famous by The Donnas, Frankenstein as made famous by The Edgar Winter Group, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.
Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 3
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Higher Ground as made famous by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Infected as made famous by Bad Religon, Stellar as made famous by Incubus, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Another day 4/10/07!
When I got home I was pretty hungry so I decided to break out the Ravioli from the cupboard. What I love about today's canned food's is, they come with a tab that you can just peel off so you don't have to mess with a can opener. Once I peeled the top off I decided to go completely lazy and just eat it out of the can with a fork. Hey don't knock it until you try it, it may be cold but it taste's good.
Later!
Today's top stories were:
Boom Boom Rocket is this weeks XBLA title!
You may remember earlier I posted that this week's XBLA title would be Boom Boom Rocket but that was not confirmed. Guess what? I was right on my assumption. Like earlier, I new something was up when I saw Boom Boom Rocket added to the XBOX.com forum listing's, but nevermind that, here is the official release courtesy of Gamerscoreblog.com:
A new original title rockets onto Xbox Live Arcade from Bizarre Creations (the creators of the critically acclaimed “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved”) and publisher Electronic Arts. “Boom Boom Rocket” will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, Apr. 11, at 0900 GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT).
The addictive and original “Boom Boom Rocket” is the first music-rhythm game to appear on Xbox Live Arcade. Players trigger rockets to the beat of the music while traveling through a 3D cityscape. The better the player times the explosions, the more spectacular the fireworks effect. The fireworks are choreographed to 10 original tracks created by Ian Livingstone, who recently scored “Batman Returns” and “Project Gotham Racing 2.”
“Boom Boom Rocket” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points and will first launch in the U.S. Canada, and Europe. The title is rated “E” for Everyone (except in Germany, where it currently is unrated). The game also will be available in the near future in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore Australia, and New Zealand.
Game Features
- Two single player gameplay modes – Normal and Speed
- Two single console multiplayer head-to-head modes – Battle and Endurance
- Practice Mode
- Freestyle mode – No target line or scoring, just mash buttons to create cool fireworks shows
- Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points
I don't mean to brag here but I called this one before anybody else did but that's ok, I am used to not getting credit for shit.
Gears of War Rap!
Ok I consider myself a fan of the game, so much so I would put it in a top 10 list of best games ever made. Now when you write a rap song about a video game that is hardcore enough, but when you make a video to the rap song you wrote, that is out of control. Here is my advice to the next up and coming rap mega stars. If you wear hoodies over your head to look tough and rugged, make sure they are not thin and wore out looking like you bought them at a thrift store, because you don't come off like real ballers with Goodwill clothes on. Second, if you start waving money at the camera, could you find more than just one dollar bills? you don't look rich doing that either, you might as well wave food stamps at the camera, hell that might actually be funny.
What does the X button do Frankie?
Today, Bungie's Frank O' Conner hit up the NeoGaf forums to answer some questions people had and one of the question's people are asking is, "what does the X button do". Frankie says that the X button will be used for the shield grenade and the trip mine that was shown in the VIDoc. Below, Frankie talks about the graphics everyone saw in Bungie's latest VIDoc.
"All of the water you saw, for example, is placeholder. No decorators are in those maps. The frame rates are all over the place. Some of that footage has correct lighting, some of it doesn't. All of that footage is olde."
Thank's Frankie, I cant wait to see the final product and the shield grenade and trip mine look bad ass.
Boom Boom Rocket this Wednesday, MAYBE!
This has not been confirmed yet but Boom Boom Rocket should be this week's XBLA title. For starters, there is a section up for Boom Boom Rocket on the XBOX forums. Microsoft never adds games to the XBLA Arcade forum section unless the game has a confirmed release date and we do know that the game is slated for a mid April release and after looking at my calendar, I would say it is mid April.
Stay tuned!
[UPDATE]
This has been confirmed as of 6:00PM PST!
Major Nelson on Sirius today at 2:00 PM ET!
Are you a Sirius satellite subscriber? I am and love it. Major Nelson is going to be on the Maxim channel 108 today at 2:00 PM ET 11:00 AM PST taking phone calls and talking XBOX.
"Talk X-Box Live with X-Box X-pert Larry "Major" Nelson – Level Up, Tuesday 2 PM ET
Larry from X-Box Live is in studio to answer your questions about X-Box live and the new X-Box elite."
R6V Red Edition drops next week!
Next Wed, Rainbow 6 Vegas will get the players pack "Red Edition" for under 1000 points, I say under because no official price has been given. Better late then never, the new content was supposed to be released in late March but I have a feeling that has a lot to do with Microsoft's certification process that we always hear about.
Halo 3 beta has a date!
Finally after months of waiting, Bungie has announced the release date for the Halo 3 beta. The beta will run from May 16th to June 6th for people who signed up or own a copy of Crackdown. The beta will have 3 playable maps Valhalla, High Ground and Snowbound.
Here Frankie talks a little about what we will see in the beta:
There are a number of new features you’ll get to test out – including a new grenade type, a completely different class of weapon and some of the enhanced online functionality we plan to bring to the game – but it should be noted, a lot of secret features are hidden in this Beta. We’re keeping a lot of our powder dry for Fall. In May, when your firing the Spiker, sniping vehicles with the Spartan Laser and sticking fools with the Brute Spike grenade, remember that it’s just a peek-a-boo fraction of what’s to come.
Below is Bungie's latest "VIDoc":
Monday, April 9, 2007
Another day 4/9/07!
Today the ESRB let everyone know that Quake III is 360 bound, Sony's "semi official" site Three speech are a bunch of buffoons, the GOW update actually came out today and Microsoft released a shit load of pics of the new "text input device".
The news was pretty heavy today, so much so I stepped away for a bit and took the family to my parents house for dinner. We got home pretty late so I haven't had a chance to play the new GOW mode yet, I am going to do that when I am done with this, ok I am done!
Later!
Quake III Team Arena coming to XBOX 360!
Every now and then when when I am looking for some news to report on I will go over to the ESRB website. The ESRB will list games that Microsoft has sent in for the ESRB to give a rating. Now why they do this is unknown, I am surprised Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft hasn't approached the ESRB and asked them to not list future titles. Well, they do and it makes my job fun.
The latest listing that wasn't there last week is Quake III: Team Arena. The game has been given an "M" rating and is being produced by PI studios, a Houston Texas based developer.
I am willing to bet that this will be an XBOX LIVE Arcade title and if that is the case, I will be all over it.
"Semi official" Sony blog retracts Bioshock statement!
Last week the "semi official" Sony blog Three speech posted that Bioshock was coming to the PS3. That post started a firestorm that sent blogger's and other gaming news sites to go crazy. Apparently the wannabe starter kit Major Nelson "semi official" Sony blog was blowing smoke right up our ass, or they know something that they weren't supposed to talk about yet. Either way, Three speech had this to say:
Um, scratch what was said in the previous story about Bioshock. We’ll confirm either way as soon as we can. Meantime, consider Three Speech’s Easter eggs confiscated…
Addition to this story. There is currently no indication that Bioshock will come out on the PS3. Apologies for the previously inaccurate information. Steve Boxer will now not get any Easter eggs next year, either.
Sony really need's someone from inside the Playstation camp to communicate with the Playstation community and ditch this "semi official" crap. Microsoft's Major Nelson, Trixie and many other's read the blog's, forums and answers email's. Major also host's his own podcast each week with a guest, he also maintain's his blog which you can read at Majornelson.com. Another blog worth mentioning is Gamerscoreblog.com, the headline to their blog is "The inside scoop from Microsoft XBOX and games employees".
Gears of War update today!
Later today there will be an auto update to Gears of War. Major Nelson posted this today on his blog:
Later today, a Gears of War auto update is going to be available. I am not sure of the exact time, but here are some of the details of what the AU contains:
In Annex, gamers seize victory by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points. Every map contains two to five identified objectives available for capture, with one objective active at a time. Objectives are based on map weapon-spawn locations and have a potential value of 60 points toward either team's score. Teams collect those points by maintaining ownership of an objective until all 60 points have been distributed. Every second that a team controls an objective, the team gets one point. When an objective falls to zero points, the next objective is selected at random.And while defending their objectives against the onslaught of Xbox LIVE opponents, gamers may notice the following minor adjustments to "Gears of War":
-
VGA Cable Support: Monitor resolution widths greater than or equal to 1280 now render as letterbox. In particular VGA users running at 1280x1024 will now see the game in full 720p (1280x720) resolution in letterboxed form.
- Adjusted Assassination Multiplayer Gametype: Leader no longer has to unlock weapons and now has to be executed to die.
- Adjusted Boomshot: Splash damage to be more effective rendering targets down-but-not-out
- Adjusted Hammer of Dawn: Aiming will be more forgiving of moving targets
- Adjusted Roadie Run: Reduced frequency of accidentally grabbing cover while running
- Kill Message Ticker: Ticker can now be seen while down-but-not-out and spectating
- General: Addressed a number of possible exploits in multiplayer
New Gears maps will cost you now but free later!
You may have heard the latest battle between Microsoft and Epic Games over the new Gears of War maps. Epic Games wanted to give the maps away for free but Microsoft had a problem with that. Well it appears that Epic and Microsoft had come to an agreement. Epic will release 4 new maps for an undisclosed amount but will eventually be free down the road. Epic and Microsoft has decided to take the same route that Bungie did with the map pack they released for Halo 2. Epic's Mark Rein took to the Evil Avatar forums and had this to say:
"Quite frankly Xbox Live Marketplace isn't our store. It's Microsoft's store. Like any retailer they have the right to figure out what goes on the shelves of their store and what price they sell it at. They spend the money to operate the store and deliver the content. They've also spent billions of dollars to create and build Xbox and subsidize it's the price so you can afford it and we can make games for it. As our publisher, they also invested tens of millions of dollars marketing Gears of War, and have done an awesome job for us, so they have a right to a good return on that investment."
New pics of the "text input device"!
The boys over at Gamerscoreblog.com has posted new pics of the text input device. The images that came out over the weekend were promotional shots and didn't show the device separate from the controller. These shots answer some questions that I had, like how firm does it hold to the controller? according to these shots it looks like it braces to the hand grips of the controller to keep it rigid and solid.
A complete gallery can be seen by clicking here!
New Forza 2 screenshots!
Today, Turn 10 studios released a new batch of screenshots for Forza Motorsports 2. The Game is scheduled for a late April release and from the looks of these new screenshots, it will be worth the wait. Click here for a complete gallery of screenshots.
Halo 2 for Vista achievement list!
Today, mygamercard.net revealed the achievement list for Halo 2 for Vista:
- Cairo Station (30 GS) - Complete Cairo Station at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Outskirts (30 GS) - Complete Outskirts at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Metropolis (30 GS) - Complete Metropolis at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- The Arbiter (30 GS) - Complete The Arbiter at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Oracle (30 GS) - Complete The Oracle at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Delta Halo (30 GS) - Complete Delta Halo at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Regret (30 GS) - Complete Regret at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Sacred Icon (30 GS) - Complete Sacred Icon at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Quarantine Zone (30 GS) - Complete Quarantine Zone at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Gravemind (30 GS) - Complete Gravemind at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Uprising (30 GS) - Complete Uprising at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- High Charity (30 GS) - Complete High Charity at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- The Great Journey (30 GS) - Complete The Great Journey at Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Warrior (100 GS) - Complete the game on Normal difficulty
- Hero (50 GS) - Complete the game on Heroic difficulty
- Legend (50 GS) - Complete the game on Legendary difficulty
- King of the Scarab (20 GS) - Acquire the Scarab gun on the Metropolis level, any difficulty
- Silent but Deadly (20 GS) - Kill 7 opponents from behind in a row without being spotted, any level, any difficulty
- Demon (25 GS) - Complete any campaign level without dying once on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
- Go Ape Shiv (20 GS) - Kill an enraged, berserk Brute by melee, any level, any difficulty
- Stick It (5 GS) - Stick an opponent with a plasma grenade and blow them up
- Counterpoint (5 GS) - Kill the sword carrier
- Carjacking (5 GS) - Steal an occupied vehicle from an opponent and take it over
- Violent Cartographer (25 GS) - Play every available default map and stay in each game until it’s over
- Rainman (25 GS) - Play every available game variant, with at least 3 other players, to the end of each game
- Double Kill (20 GS) - Kill 2 opponents within 4 seconds
- Triple Kill (20 GS) - Kill 3 opponents within 4 seconds
- Killtacular (20 GS) - Kill 4 opponents within 4 seconds
- Killing Spree (20 GS) - Kill 5 opponents in a row in the same game, without dying
- Running Riot (20 GS) - Kill 10 opponents in a row in the same game, without dying
- Sniper Kill (10 GS) - Kill an opponent with the sniper rifle or the beam rifle
- Roadkill (10 GS) - Run over, hit and kill an opponent with a vehicle
- Bonecracker (10 GS) - Hit and kill an opponent with a melee attack
- Assassin (10 GS) - Melee an opponent from behind
- Skewer Stopper (20 GS) - Kill the sword carrier after they kill 5 or more times in a row with the sword
- Vigilante (10 GS) - Stop a Killing Spree of another player
- Air Traffic Controller (20 GS) - Blow up the Banshee in flight while manned, with grenades or the rocket launcher
- Decorated Soldier (10 GS) - Get awarded at least 8 different medals in one non-team game
- Ninja (20 GS) - In a non-team game, kill 5 people by melee, from behind
- Flaming Ninja (20 GS) - Kill an opponent that has the Ninja achievement
- Hired Gun (20 GS) - Kill an opponent who has the Legend achievement
XBOX LIVE update and keyboard confirmed!
Late last night, Microsoft confirmed the dashboard update that Gamespot.com leaked and the new keyboard attachment for the controller. Below is a list of some of the confirmed features that will be in the new update the week of May 7th, this list is from Majornelson.com:
- The redesigned Achievement notification pop-up (toast) will show the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value. You’ll see this information the moment you earn an achievement. No more popping open the guide and interrupting your gameplay. (screenshot)
- Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.
- A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek - whether it is game content or TV shows and movies (available in the United States) - from one place.
- Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. The Tell a Friend capabilities have been expanded as well.
- A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.
- New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
- Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.
XBOX.com has a section up about the update and controller keyboard, click here!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
XBOX 360 controller keyboard!
I am very excited about this little doo-dad, it is a 47 key keyboard that is scheduled for a summer release. The keyboard is being introduced to take full advantage of the new MSN messenger contact list that will be available after the spring update. If you are wondering how it works, it's simple, It plugs into the headset jack. If you still want to use your headset all you have to do is plug it into the jack that is on the outside of the keyboard. At this time no pricing or exact release date has been announced, but when it is I will let you know.
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