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September 28th 2008 23:36
MICROSOFT has supplied us with a list of things for 360 gamers to do while Xbox Live undergoes maintenance for 24 hours from 5pm Australian Eastern Standard time today, 29 September.
While it's purely spin, the list attempts to pump up the pending Xbox Live upgrade that Microsoft is calling the New Xbox Experience.
I particularly like number 10!
1. Today is International Inventor's Day. Create a time machine so you can fast forward 24 hours when the downtime will be over.
2. Read the unofficial strategy guide to Braid so you can boost your Achievements and finally beat the game.
3. Head over to the nearest shopping centre to search for inspiration and design ideas to use when creating your Avatar. We hear kilts and t-shirts with gamer slogans will be in this year.
4. Go out and take some great pictures to share with your friends during an Xbox LIVE Party. Wear your kilt and gamer t-shirt.
5. Flip through your collection and look for games that you haven't completed and get stuck back into them. Yes, even that nasty boss battle that you are avoiding going back to.
6. Get ready for Lips by singing in front of a mirror with your beer bottle in your hand.
7. Read MajorNelson.com to catch up on the latest features coming with the New Xbox Experience.
8. Play some couch co-op on Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and grow your garden, but watch out for Professor Pester, please.
9. Play through the story-mode of the original Gears of War so you have a story refresher before Gears of War 2 launches in November. Practice your Roadie Run. You could even make some chainsaw noises if you felt like it.
10. Get some sun. You are going to be spending A LOT more time inside once the New Xbox Experience launches.
September 17th 2008 04:01
Almost more disappointing than the prequel films
The Dark Side really is bad
AS A Star Wars fanatic I nearly wet myself when a copy of The Force Unleashed arrived on my desk last week.
A week later, I'm glad I didn't pee my pants because quite frankly, the game isn't worth the embarrassment.
Fundamentally, The Force Unleashed fails to offer anything new in terms of gameplay.
It's the same old hack and slash approach we've seen countless times before, except this time you can attack people with Force powers, too.
Credit to LucasArts for nailing the Force powers, because they are the highlight of the show.
But you'll play through the game feeling to much attention was devoted to perfecting Force powers, and not enough time was spent on gameplay.
You know these levels, even if you haven't played them. It's as though the Force is talking to you from boot-up.
"Long and repetitive, young apprentice," a guiding voice calls, warning you of what lies ahead.
"The Dark Side of this game is incredibly powerful. It makes you want to buy it, because it undoubtedly looks cool and feels great to play for the first ten minutes.
"But then it turns on you, like all Sith turn on their masters."
You play as Darth Vader's apprentice, but for someone so in tune with the Force, he seems to have a hard time beating down defenseless enemies.
Run-of-the-mill Storm Troopers who'd normally take one slash to kill in the films can take several powerful slashes before they die.
When they come before a lightsaber these buggers should melt like butter.
Then there's the frustrating level design and pathetic checkpoint save system.
Checkpoints are for games from the 90s, when cartridge or memory card space was tight.
In this age of 100 GB hard drives - with the minimum being 20GB in the 360, there's no reason why gamers should not be able to save at the point they are actually in.
Instead, you'll die and be taken back to a point you cleared five minutes earlier - rather easily, too - to then finally make it to the point you died at, and forget the hell how you died, so that it happens again.
Stupid, stupid system. Controller rage may set in at this point.
Level design, or evidence of, is lacking.
Random waves of enemies infiltrate the screen in primitive manoeuvres not seen since arcade classic Galaga.
Using the Force powers, you can even kill dumb enemies you're able to see, from a distance, before you 'trigger' their in-game response so that they 'see' you.
Other level highlights include falling off cliffs unnecessarily, thanks to a crappy, clueless camera; getting stuck on invisible walls; visual texture tearing; and Force powers that don't always work unless triggered from a specific spot.
I hate to be negative about the game, because it does show a lot of promise for a sequel.
But aside from the Force powers, and thrill of flinging bodies around empty hangars, through glass windows and into space, or throwing crates at people, there's nothing new or refreshing to be found here.
Casual gamers and Star Wars fans will probably love it.
It's worth a quick bash if you can find it for rent, but without multiplayer, it's hard to justify to anyone else a purchase based on its short single player campaign and poor replay value.
R18 rating not the be all, end all
AN R18-plus classification won't guarantee violent or drug-referenced video games safe passage onto Australian shelves, the Federal Government has revealed.
Gamers have been calling for an R18-plus classification after national censor, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), banned the post-apocalyptic set Fallout 3 from being imported, sold or advertised in Australia because it contained 'incentives and rewards (to gamers) related to drug use'.
But Australia's Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus, whose portfolio includes classification policy, last week revealed that an R18-plus classification was no guarantee to save games such as Fallout 3 from being banned.
"In the board's view the game warrants an RC classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of the National Classification Code," Mr Debus said.
"As a general rule material that contains drug use related to incentives will be refused classification.
"The availability of an R18-plus classification would not necessarily have resulted in a different decision by the Classification Board."
Since July's classification 'fallout' at the OFLC, the game's developer Bethesda has modified the Australian version to remove animations showing drug use, pleasing the OFLC and resulting in it classifying the game as MA15 on 7 August.
Meanwhile, Mr Debus said a review on the R18-plus classification for games was underway with a review paper to be released for public consultation 'once Censorship Ministers agreed to it.'
Mr Debus said policy change would require a unanimous agreement from all state, territory and federal censorship ministers.
For gamers wandering whether or not they can import the game, Mr Debus said games classified RC 'can not be legally imported, sold or advertised in Australia.'
View the letter from Mr Debus
(Click on image to enlarge)
Trauma Centre makes novel use of the Wii's motion sensitive controls
NURSE! Pass the scalpel! It's an emergency!
[ Click here to read more ]
Let's get ready for a very different rumble
Depending on how you approach it, Prizefighter will either reward you, or appear to be using dirty tactics. It's a hard game to play, folks.
[ Click here to read more ]
2K Sports hits a winner
Player 1: "Urrghh"; Player 2: "Arrgghh". Proof that the drama in tennis is not scripted with words
[ Click here to read more ]
New WiiMotionPlus controller, voice chat, Wii Music and new Animal Crossing also announced
The WiiMotionPlus attachment will give your Wiimote super powers. Well, at the very least, it'll be more precise.
[ Click here to read more ]
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Comment by Shaun Inguanzo
on R18-plus category won't stop bans: Aussie Government
Blogocratic Nightmare
There are plenty of films that reveal how people go about buying, selling and dealing drugs - even taking them - and they aren't banned.