Sunday, 30 December 2007
360 Holiday Sales Wreak Havoc on Xbox LIVE Servers - Seriously
All I want for Christmas is to play online, but Microsoft won’t let me
As of Wednesday the 26th, my experience with Xbox LIVE could best be described as “inconsistent”. I am randomly and sporadically kicked off of the service, and by that, I mean any time I try to do something — anything.
To make sure this wasn’t an isolated case of shitty broadband service on the part of my cable provider, or a local “malfunction”, I rang up some friends in various parts of the country to see if they were having similar issues — they were.
Around noon today, my annoyance got the best of me, and I called up 1-800-4my-xbox. I was greeted, as always, by the never-helpful automated super-dork — Max.
I’ve been down this road before, so I know to skip past his bullshit by spouting off “Agent” a hundred times until he finally gets the hint.
Anyhow, long story short, the agent tells me that the Xbox LIVE servers are having difficulty dealing with the massive influx of users that apparently got a 360 for Christmas. “Seriously?” I asked. “Yes, seriously” he responded.
In fact, it’s such a problem, that they have temporarily disabled the ability to create a new LIVE account. I went ahead and tried to create an account (out of curiosity) and I wasn’t able to.
I am unsure if this is the “official” Microsoft stance regarding the issue, but it does seem logical, and it did come straight from the mouth of a Microsoft employee — Tier 3 even! His Thetan levels must be off the chart.
The agent estimated that the problems will be fixed by the end of the weekend, if not by the end of the night. So I guess I just want to say “thank you” to Microsoft for making such a killer system. If it weren’t so awesome, I might actually be able to sign into the Chromehounds servers and, you know, play some freaking games.
by Dan Landis on December 28, 2007
Jade Empire 2 is coming
By Dean Takahashi
Here’s an opportunity for BioWare to get it right and for all of you fans out there to rejoice. Rumors have been swirling about the possibility of a sequel to BioWare’s Xbox hit, “Jade Empire.” For years, people have predicted it would come and Ray Muzyka, co-CEO of BioWare, even spilled the beans of something coming back in 2005. But I talked with someone who saw code for Jade Empire 2. It’s coming for the Xbox 360, and it’s real. It’s not much as far as scoops go, but I’m on vacation. What do you expect? Happy New Year.Jade Empire was BioWare’s second big game for the Xbox, following the exclusive Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic title in 2003. It will be interesting to see if Jade Empire 2 will remain an exclusive for the Xbox 360, now that Electronic Arts has agreed to acquire BioWare/Pandemic.
Jade Empire launched in spring 2005 on the Xbox. That means the team that created it has probably had a couple of years to work on it. During that time, I would guess that Microsoft secured it as an exclusive and they developed the game for that platform. But there is no law that says such games can’t be ported to the PS 3. And we all know how EA loves to do cross-platform games to maximize profits from a single property.
The original game was an action role-playing game with core martial-arts fighting game play. You play an orphan who is trained in martial arts and on whose shoulders lies the fate of the mystical Asian land, the Jade Empire. The possibilities for the sequel are very interesting given where BioWare took the conversation and RPG system with Mass Effect. Would this be the Xbox 360’s answer to Heavenly Sword on the PlayStation 3? Probably not, given it is an RPG and not a fighting game first.
Here’s an opportunity for BioWare to get it right and for all of you fans out there to rejoice. Rumors have been swirling about the possibility of a sequel to BioWare’s Xbox hit, “Jade Empire.” For years, people have predicted it would come and Ray Muzyka, co-CEO of BioWare, even spilled the beans of something coming back in 2005. But I talked with someone who saw code for Jade Empire 2. It’s coming for the Xbox 360, and it’s real. It’s not much as far as scoops go, but I’m on vacation. What do you expect? Happy New Year.Jade Empire was BioWare’s second big game for the Xbox, following the exclusive Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic title in 2003. It will be interesting to see if Jade Empire 2 will remain an exclusive for the Xbox 360, now that Electronic Arts has agreed to acquire BioWare/Pandemic.
Jade Empire launched in spring 2005 on the Xbox. That means the team that created it has probably had a couple of years to work on it. During that time, I would guess that Microsoft secured it as an exclusive and they developed the game for that platform. But there is no law that says such games can’t be ported to the PS 3. And we all know how EA loves to do cross-platform games to maximize profits from a single property.
The original game was an action role-playing game with core martial-arts fighting game play. You play an orphan who is trained in martial arts and on whose shoulders lies the fate of the mystical Asian land, the Jade Empire. The possibilities for the sequel are very interesting given where BioWare took the conversation and RPG system with Mass Effect. Would this be the Xbox 360’s answer to Heavenly Sword on the PlayStation 3? Probably not, given it is an RPG and not a fighting game first.
Is This The Gears of War 2 UK Release Date?
Amazon.com have already given an indication of when Gears of War 2 should be hitting store shelves in the US when it started taking pre-orders for the new game and set a release date of the 15th of Nov. 2008.
Now the UK have been given the same treatment and Gears of War 2 is now available to pre-order and Amazon have set the british release date for the 30th of December 2008.
Now of course this is in no way official and publishers don't usually release games that soon after christmas, but even so it is a good indication of when the gaming world expects this new title to hit the United Kingdom.
Why Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4 Should Be Multiplatform
So the wishful thinking begins again. You don’t have to wonder why so many Xbox 360 gamers would love Metal Gear Solid 4 to go multiplatform. The series has had a huge success on many platforms from MSX to the Xbox. Konami has made millions of dollars on this franchise but for some bullheaded reason, will not go multiplatform with it’s latest triple A title. Is Hideo Kojima just a Sony fanboy in disguise?
We’ve seen the numbers and not even Kaz Hirai can deny that the Xbox 360 attach rate is dumbfounding. Even on that tiny island called Japan where about 8,000 Xbox 360’s are sold a week, the attach rate is still higher than the hotter selling PS3. So the question here is, what attracts 3rd party developers to consoles? If a console sells well but 3rd party titles collect dust(think Wii), there’s obviously no motivation to spend millions of development dollars on a longshot. In the case of the Xbox 360, pretty much everything sells from 1st to 3rd party. Xbox 360 has 29 games that have sold over 1 million copies worldwide. The Playstation 3 has 4 games that have sold over 1 million copies. 2 of those games are mulitplatform. The Wii has 15 games that have sold over 1 million and half of those are first party titles.
So I ask a question to all of you readers out there: if you became a 3rd party developer today, what systems would you release your first game on? You’d be a fool to say PS3 only, even if you are a fanboy. There is too much money to be made on both platforms; moreso on the Xbox 360. This brings us back to our original issue; what is Konami thinking?
MGS4 has been in development for many years. It’s setup to be the biggest game of 2008 along with Final Fantasy XIII. Konami has spent millions on the game and hopes to move 1 million copies in it’s first week. Looking at the numbers, how do they expect to move 1 million copies when the best PS3 title to date, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, has only been able to move 552,000 copies worldwide? Now 552k is a good number for a 3rd party after six weeks, but MGS4 needs bigger numbers. If the masses of PS3 owners who like 3D action games bought 552,000 copies of Uncharted, where are the other 448,000 that are supposed to buy MGS4 but didn’t buy Uncharted?
I’ve read interviews and postings about Kojima that has stated that it’s PS3 exclusive several times. Is that smart business? I can bet that if it also came out on the 360, they could move a million units in less than a month. That’s in addition to whatever they sell on the PS3. By going exclusive with a game like this, they are basically throwing millions of dollars down the drain.
3rd party exclusives are a thing of the past. 3rd party developers need to look out for their best interest. Whatever happened to making the game available to as many gamers as possible? Capcom, From Software, Sega and Namco all went multiplatform and are reaping the rewards. What’s stopping Konami from doing the same? Is it Kojima’s arrogance or Konami’s allegiance to Sony? Only time will tell and as we near the end of 2007, time seems to be running out.
Ninja Gaiden 2 to feature 4 difficulty levels
This time around they don't want to make the battle areas so restricted. They don't want to make it like those other games where you can't exit an area until you defeat all of the appearing enemies. In most instances, if you can outsmart your opponents you should be able to run away. Although of course if you're really skilled at fighting, you may do that as well and find it easier to do. Basically they're giving you options.
When you receive damage from enemies, there are parts that can't be healed through auto healing. This is called the necrosis system. You can only hold 6 items this time around. One bad aspect about the last game is that there were too many healing items made available to use.
Certain damaged areas can only be healed through items.You can only hold 6 items this time around. One bad aspect about the last game is that there were too many healing items made available to use. They basically went back to its roots of life management for the game so that you can't overheal against bosses. Also, they're going make you think more about using potions. For example, do you use a healing item that recovers 50% life when you're only down 30? You can't really waste your healing items as much in this game.
This time when you try to use items with the d-pad, the game will pause momentarily so that you can think about which item(s) to use wisely, since you can only carry 6 this time. This time you can't waste your game over-recovery talisman. You can't do what you did in the last game and just use it up and then reset the game. Basically, the talisman will come with strings attached to prevent that.
There will be 4 difficulty levels. Level 2 will be recommended for those who cleared the first game. Level 3 for those pretty skilled and huge fans. Level 4 is made to be really hard. They're thinking about possibly altering how much damage you take and how many items you can carry depending on the difficulty. Those who have played the last game may find the lowest difficulty (shinobi no michi) [Ninja Dog] a little disappointing. In the last game I mean. But this time around it'll be more enjoyable and interesting [funnier] than the last game's "ninja dog".
When you receive damage from enemies, there are parts that can't be healed through auto healing. This is called the necrosis system. You can only hold 6 items this time around. One bad aspect about the last game is that there were too many healing items made available to use.
Certain damaged areas can only be healed through items.You can only hold 6 items this time around. One bad aspect about the last game is that there were too many healing items made available to use. They basically went back to its roots of life management for the game so that you can't overheal against bosses. Also, they're going make you think more about using potions. For example, do you use a healing item that recovers 50% life when you're only down 30? You can't really waste your healing items as much in this game.
This time when you try to use items with the d-pad, the game will pause momentarily so that you can think about which item(s) to use wisely, since you can only carry 6 this time. This time you can't waste your game over-recovery talisman. You can't do what you did in the last game and just use it up and then reset the game. Basically, the talisman will come with strings attached to prevent that.
There will be 4 difficulty levels. Level 2 will be recommended for those who cleared the first game. Level 3 for those pretty skilled and huge fans. Level 4 is made to be really hard. They're thinking about possibly altering how much damage you take and how many items you can carry depending on the difficulty. Those who have played the last game may find the lowest difficulty (shinobi no michi) [Ninja Dog] a little disappointing. In the last game I mean. But this time around it'll be more enjoyable and interesting [funnier] than the last game's "ninja dog".
Amazing demo seen with graphics not thought possible on 360"
http://www.gameguru.in/features/2007/29/rumor-101-microsofts-metal-gear-for-the-xbox-360/
It seems absolutely impossible to notice that Microsoft is unfazed by Metal Gear Solid 4, the titan of all games released during the year on the PS3. Splinter Cell: Conviction might not be powerful enough to scratch our beloved Solid Snake, so Microsoft has decided to bring something as brilliant as the game on the 360.Word has it that the company is in collaboration with a highly talented studio that can give their 360 something way better than Snake
Microsoft Cooking Up an Enhanced Xbox 360 Controller?
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar" Share This ArticleDec. 28th, 2007 12:02 am I should not have been talking about this until next year, but a story of a motion sensing add-on for the Xbox 360 controller forced me to interrupt my holiday break. First, let me tell you that the image floating around with supposed prototypes of a motion sensing Xbox 360 controller is FAKE.
The image in question, which you can see below, was taken from a Gizmodo article that showed the many prototypes Gyration and Bridge Design pitched to Nintendo in 2001; prototypes that eventually gave birth to the Wii controller.
TeamXbox.com can confirm that Microsoft has been researching alternative input technologies for the last two years, including vision-based recognition such as the one used on Xbox Live Vision, as well as motion sensing technologies similar to those seen in the Microsoft Freestyle Pro and the PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS.
Particularly, Microsoft has looked at ways to improve the right analog stick input and you’ll hear more about those efforts soon.
In the long run, there’s more than a first-party tilt mod in the works and TeamXbox.com will bring you a real list of next-generation Xbox controller prototypes soon.
Xbox LIVE Status
You may have noticed that the LIVE service has been having a few issues over the past few days. This includes things like signing in, matchmaking and account recovery. Not everyone has had problems, but I know some of you have and I wanted to give you and update. While the service was never completely offline, problems like this are not acceptable. The entire LIVE team has been working day and night to ensure that you can have a great LIVE experience. While we’re not done yet, I wanted to let you know that things are getting better each hour and that no one on the team is going anywhere until the job is done. Thanks for your patience.
Next week on Arcade: Metal Slug 3
Kick off the New Year with Metal Slug 3 on Xbox LIVE Arcade. It will be available Wednesday, January 2, 2008 for 800 points.
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Spiritlorre season greating & quick year rundown
Thanks all for checking out the blog this year, i really hope i've helped you guys out & given you all the information you need concerning the gaming industry.
Next year i will be expanding the blog & i will be writing more of the article myself, if there's anything i can do to improve the site please let me know as the blog is for you
This year has been a dam fine year for gaming, the quality of games has been outstanding.2007 has been one the most memorable gaming years for me.
Early 2007 starting strong straight out of the blocks with LOST PLANET,superb shooter with great graphics amazing boss battles & fantastic multilayer maps i will never forget the map where you start submerged underwater brilliant.
CRACKDOWN what a wonderful unexpected surprise, a complete riot & a joy to play taking on gang members or climbing buildings collecting orbs or juggling trucks with your firefly rocket launcher, coop is amazing to as you could be at either ends of the city a complete blast.
GHOST RECON WARFIGHTER 2 & RAINBOW SIX VEGAS two world class shooter,s also took so much of my time ghost recon solid single player campaign stunning visuals but must admit the multilayer side needs to move on.rainbow six vegas was blazing on both counts brilliant single player campaign with multiplayer pushing the bouderies way to go ubisoft.
FORZA MOTOSPORT 2 WOW!what a game, this stunning racer is so comprehensive its making my head spin just typing it,over 300 cars including cars packs & tracks to download, comprehensive car customisation to deep to go into,built in market place trade, buy, paint & auction house even give a car as a gift what the hell! Crisp detailed vibrant graphics with stunning physics & crash damage which really effects the way you drive, stunning a.i. too all running at 60fps the mind boggles, i could go on but you my drift lol..
GOTHEM 4 is off the chain is as simple as that, the weather effect,s are gorgeous & its not just not for show either it really has an impact on the way you drive puddles will slow you down & so on, awesome handling great cockpit view, great online mode amazing tracks & cities to rip your car around & the graphics are truly firing.
BIOSHOCK one of the best first person shooters to arrive on the scene since the mighty halflife, amazing use of the unreal engine stunning water effects compelling storyline, fantastic atmoshpere, big daddies.
F.E.A.R EXPANSION PACK What game do you know where you can approach your enemy slow down time perform a fly kick to the chest & pump them full of bullets at the same time yep its f.e.a.r, why is it so good well it has the best a.i. i have ever seen in a first person shooter its that's simple, they flank you they speak to each other verbal & with hand signals, enemy animation is superb as well as voice overs, atmosphere is also brilliant with great shadow effects for good measure a quality scfi horror.As for the weapons they could be the best ever.
TYPE 12 LASER CARBINE
DEPLOYABLE TURRETS
TG-2A MINIGUN
ANDRA MOD-2 MULTI ROCKET LAUNCHER
ARMACHAN TYPE-7 PATICLE WEAPON
ARMACHAN 10MM HV PENETRATOR
LP4 LIGHTNING ARCH
STRANGLEHOLD This game is a good old fashioned now brainer 3rd person shooter but boy is fun, just sit back and let those bullets fly john woo style, brilliant arcade action slick visuals destructable enviroments & a fun multiplayer riot to cap it all off, a satisfying blast indeed, the tequila gains are tops , you get precision aiming, bombs, & barrage, barrage being the best as you spin around in slow mow as doves fly dropping enemy at will exiting & fun.
MEDAL OF HONOUR AIRBORNE, Is this the best game in the world? hell no! is it fun play hell yes! a solid shooter indeed a nice blend of quality graphics open sandbox world where you can parachute in and start your campaign from anywhere along with great lighting gives this game its appeal, i enjoyed this one hats of EA.
ORANGE BOX This is the best bargain ever in gaming history, halflife 2 episode 1&2 plus portal & team fortress on disc stunning, in my humble opinion halflife 2 & the episodes are simply the best single player first person shooters i have ever played, no other game has ever got be so involved & gripped in a game like this one, the story, atmoshpere, visuals gameplay are the best, the pacing & set pieces & puzzles are great, character & enemies are so memorable, the last section in episode is just incredible, if your into first person shooters you must play this its a must.
HALO 3 the biggest game of the year & rightfully so. the best multplayer on the xbox 360 by a good stretch sure COD4 comes close but not closer enough in my opinion.
Brilliant visuals superb lighting, stunning 4 player coop campaign, the forge, huge levels, great enemy a.i, for those in the loop there,s no need to say much it just awesome online where it will be played for years to come, & its still got one thing now other online game has & that's match making! plus the amazing ability to watch all your games recorded at any angle, & send them to your mates.i love the theatre lobby where can all join in and watch a memorable frag fest OUTSTANDING!!!
CALL OF DUTY 4 Let me just start by saying the graphics are remarkable!! maybe the best this year, amazing multiplayer game which is deep & rewarding, the single player mode offers a compelling & exiting & engaging gaming experience, the effects & lighting are outstanding along with great particle effects really stand out.WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS GAME IS ONLY 600P!! yep..
MASS EFFECT Ive only played one mission but that alone was enough! its blew me away its was like playing a dam movie.
SPRITLORRE GAMES OF THE YEAR
1 HALO 3
2 ORANGE BOX
3 FORZA 2
4 BIOSHOCK
5 GOTHEM 4
6 RAINBOW SIX VEGAS
7 LOST PLANET
8 MASS EFFECT
9 F.E.A.R. EXPANSION PACK
10 VIRTUA FIGHTER 5
There are a few more games COLIN MCRAE etc but i can,t mention them all i'm hungry lol, season greetings to all & many thanks Karis who first gave ne the idea for the blog "i won,t forget that" massive shout to, tag ulius, a hak, no1 mo,dam,ludi,kuma you have been a great flat mate, all the heads that I've been online with we have had a barn storming time playing halo 3 so many highlights & heart attacks its been unbelievable, i don,t think i,ve ever jump so high out of my seat winning these tight matches great stuff, can't wait for next year.
Devil May Cry Bundle Coming to Japan
PlayStation 3 isn't the only system getting some bundle love from Capcom. Microsoft Japan announced today the Xbox 360 Devil May Cry 4 Premium Pack, a hardware bundle that combines the 360 with the latest installment of Capcom's dramatic action hack-n-slasher.
The Japan-only bundle includes a Xbox 360 Standard Model, which is the Japanese version of America's Premium Pack, complete with a 20 gigabyte hard disk, wireless controller, media remote, HD AV cables and LAN cable. All hardware units in the bundle will have HDMI ports, so you'll get to experience the included retail copy of DMC4 in digital bliss.
Ps3 heated debate on 1up podcast
The 1UP podcast is considered by many the best of its kind on the Internet today, and this week's episode does not disappoint. Shane, the 1UP offices' only fan of Sony, and Garnett get entangled in a fierce explosive argument regarding the console wars; more specifically, the Online infrastructure of the consoles. Live and, coming soon, PlayStation Home.
The calm before the storm starts at the 2hour, 15min and 50second mark on the podcast. Tune in.
http://www.1up.com & go to podcast listen to the latest episode.
The calm before the storm starts at the 2hour, 15min and 50second mark on the podcast. Tune in.
http://www.1up.com & go to podcast listen to the latest episode.
BioWare Confirms Mass Effect Sequel
BioWare (accidentally?) announced today the title of the second volume in the Mass Effect series of novels, confirming also that there will be a sequel to the Xbox 360 exclusive.
Del-Rey Books and author Drew Karpyshyn have announced the title of the second volume in the Mass Effect series of novels: Mass Effect: Ascension. Set between the first and second game, the novel will arrive in Summer 2008.
When EA acquired BioWare, the future of the Mass Effect trilogy was in peril, but with the developer now confirming that there will be a second game, we are pretty sure the companies involved have come to an agreement.
Del-Rey Books and author Drew Karpyshyn have announced the title of the second volume in the Mass Effect series of novels: Mass Effect: Ascension. Set between the first and second game, the novel will arrive in Summer 2008.
When EA acquired BioWare, the future of the Mass Effect trilogy was in peril, but with the developer now confirming that there will be a second game, we are pretty sure the companies involved have come to an agreement.
Monday, 24 December 2007
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
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