Category Archives: Xbox 360
Choke points, why do you exist?
Here it is. The start of a wonderful relationship between you and your next obsession [insert game title here]. You pop it in, go through the ropes of what hopefully is a competent tutorial only to inevitably be shut down by a choke point. Better known as the “fuck us over with an unseen ridiculous ramp up in difficulty”.
So, what would bring this sort of thing up from the clutches of Will’s (hey that’s me) thoughts. Referring to myself in third person, that’s what. No, really it’s the GTA IV mission Three Leaf Clover. What a cluster fuck of frustration. Whoever the fuck thought this mission up needs to have a serious phyc evaluation. In hindsight, Three Leaf Clover is brilliant in so many ways. It’s in the trailer’s so there no real spoiler here. This bank robbery is better than almost the entirety of that of which is Kane & Lynch.
It’s a pivotal mission by all accounts as it starts you on the ramp up towards some pretty key parts of the story. Then again, this is the sort of thing that will keep lots of impatient people from finishing an already long game like this. Repeating things over and over isn’t exactly any-ones call for a good time. So why do game designer’s continue to put them in their games? Do they not want anyone not hardcore enough to make it to the end credits of their game. You see, this what mostly continues the divide between every other entertainment medium and videogames.
Is it so much to ask for some love? Creating artificial stop gaps in the middle of your game is troubling. No wonder so many people just don’t even bother trying to play a game when all they can see is that first point when they get stuck. And yes I know this is a much more complicated issue than what I’m making it out to be, but that’s the whole point. The consumer isn’t thinking about things the way myself and others like me think. What do you think “Joe Blow” is thinking when they get frustrated. Yes, there just going to do something else. Do you call that a job well done?
Microsoft Announces HOMEless
With an 8-bit avatar uniquely customized according to each user’s preference, Gold members can pause Silver users’ games, reset their Xbox 360’s or trash talk through both speakers and Xbox 360 Live headsets with no option for the hacked Xbox Live user to mute the Xbox Live Gold member.
Yes! My salvation has ben answered.
I don’t want to go back to PlayStation!
After seeing countless threads on numerous forums and article’s all over the net about red light this and red light that, I find my self in a peculiar situation as my Xbox 360 has shown me the red lights. Of course I love the Xbox 360 to death, but not solely for the Xbox itself. Xbox Live is what makes Xbox what it is.
Now I find myself in a situation where I have to either endure a Xbox-less existence until this issue is resolved or go back to a platform without on-line. Yes, the PlayStation 2 has an on-line component,but it’s no Xbox Live. This is going to make what I do over on The Xbox Domain kind of weird in the process as well. Writing about all things Xbox without a working Xbox?
I am a gamer first after all, right! I have all three of the past gen machines, but I still can’t help but feel slighted playing a machine without the 360’s implementation of Xbox Live. Wireless is another thing that will kill me if not in the short, in long term for sure. If anything, having to actually push a button on the machine to turn it on and off will be the death of me as a gamer. As petty as it sounds, it’s not a luxury as far as I concerned anymore. I have my original Xbox still, so I guess I’ll have to move back to the cave man days for my gaming needs until further notice. I hope I make it out alive! I guess this will be my excuse to go back to Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess having only played a few hours into it.
What if the Zune was a Xbox VMU?
With a much more capable device could this be what Microsoft has in store for the portable device in the future? Those who don’t have an interest in buying a Zune at the moment, I’m sure would give this a look if it somehow could keep them always connected to the games they play even if there away.
I wrote this over on The Xbox Domain, but I decided to post it here as well.
What’s up with all of the Joystiq hatin?
For what seems like ages now, Joystiq has been under fire from manly people I consider closet Sony fanboys or just out right Sony loyalist to the extreme. At this years CES (Consumer Electronic Show) some of the Microsoft suits had some choice words when asked about the Sony on-line status as of now. Microsoft’s Chris Satchell and Peter Moore had this to say about Sony On-line strategy: The two called Sony’s newly launched on-line service a “disaster” and that Kutaragi and company lack the talent and “DNA” to deliver a workable service. “If I wanted to make my on-line service better, and I wanted to give [Sony] a little piece of advice, it would be to copy Xbox Live a little more closely … My honest opinion is that [PS3 Online] is pretty much a disaster. They keep saying that they have a free service. Well, if they don’t have anything, of course it’s free. And you know what: what’s free about $600?”
Now, after posting this and many others, Sony fanboys continue to question Joystiq’s journalist integrity because of the so-called bias they have when it comes to Sony. Of course, Joystiq and many other sites out there have been making up all of the insanely demeaning comments coming from Sony consistently over the last year. Saying that the next-gen doesn’t start until we say so isn’t asking for trouble?
How can anybody blame Joystiq for Sony essentially writing there own PR mistakes for them. Accusing Joystiq of being bias for reporting about Sony isn’t what any of this is about. Most of this backlash against them is exactly what should be forwarded on to Sony. What the hell are they doing? Arrogant statement after Arrogant statement discounting the competition is what the real problem is. Taking it out on Joystiq is wrong. When Microsoft has something to say the “Sony Defense Force” kicks in to save the day, when it’s the other way around Joystiq is accused of being bias. I guess you can’t win for losing.
Comment #36 on this post says exactly what I’m talking about. Smoke_Dawg_187: Anyone bashing Joystiq is just self projecting their true anger for Sony and using Joystiq as the scapegoat. It’s sad really. Sony let you down, bottom line.
Check here for the post in question.
Impressions of the Sony and Microsoft Booth’s at CES
Although I didn’t have the pleasure of going to CES this year, I know that I can sit back an let the “internets” tell me all about it. That brings me to the question of why couldn’t CES have been back in August of last year? I was in Las Vegas then. What’s up with the conspiracies to not let me enjoy the new things this world has to offer. It would have been nice to have been in Vegas in a time other than when it was melting hot.
In other news, Tek Jansen over at Games Central was in good fortune enough to have actual gone out to the desert to enjoy what I cannot. On his blog he give’s a good rundown on what’s to see in the respective Sony and Microsoft booths. Apparently Sony is all about the hardware like they should be, right. After all they are hardware first company, while Microsoft is all about software. No surprise there. Head over to Tek’s Games Central blog for his impressions of the two. What he thinks in the end follows what a ump-teen amount of people have been saying along with myself for what seems like forever now.
Guy Returns Original Xbox to Wal-Mart as a Xbox 360 and Gets Away With It..
A staffer at a Michigan Wal-Mart mailed in to let us know about a rather funny ‘Xbox 360’ which passed through their returns center. A guy returned an original Xbox spray painted in white and put it in an Xbox 360 box bundled with some official accessories but also a random power adapter and regular phone cord. Poor Wal-Mart…
This would be genious if he had really gotten away with it. I still don’t understand the Walmart return policy one lick. The stuff your able to return is unreal.
Sony’s PS2 is likely to outsell PS3 not just this year but in 2007 too
In December video game maker Square Enix Co. began running prime-time TV ads in Japan featuring battle scenes from its new adventure game Seiken Densetsu 4, or Legend of the Sacred Sword. Every 30-second spot ended with a familiar logo: PlayStation. But the game isn’t played on Sony Corp.’s (SNE) new PlayStation 3 console. It’s for the PlayStation 2.
This isn’t encouraging news if this turns out to be the case for Sony. While they are still making money whether it’s PS2 or 3, Sony is in dire need to make inroads with there newest format. As with the UMD, Sony needs people to move on to Blu-ray for them to keep afloat and stop bleeding money from there other divisions. Shouldn’t this be the way for them to squeeze out that other great white box called 360, and think PlayStation for everything regardless if its version 2 or 3. It sure seems to be working in Japan.
Biggest Xbox 360 Hater – Japan: GameSpy’s GOTY 2006, XBOX360 Special Awards
“What will it take to get you guys to buy this thing? It’s awesome! It has a huge library of games after only one year, and some of them were even designed by genuine, respected Japanese developers.”…”Japan, you are worse than the worst Sony or Nintendo fanboys over here in the States…”
I couldn’t agree more with this. While Microsoft hasn’t done quite enough when it comes to Japanese centric games, it’s very disheartening to see the Xbox 360 get much love from the peeps everywhere, but Japan. I guess Japan can’t get over that Playstation and Nintendo addiction that they have. Withdrawal is a tough thing you know. Japan is in a never ending cycle of relapse.
2 Blogs for the price of one!
For those not in the know, I have begun to write over on the Xbox Domain as well as to continuing to tell it like it is on this blog. Most of my Xbox commentary is going to be directed over there from now on. Everything else is fare game @ The Will Effect. So bookmark/favorite the Xbox Domain for continuing Xbox bliss, or just read both. It’s up to you. This blog will continue on with more truthiness ( A Corlbert Report reference for those of you without a clue) in the future. The best is yet to come I tell you. Hoo Haa Haa Haa HAAAAA!
The Will Effect 