ION customer support over-zealous????

In my ION Drum Rocker Review, I mentioned my kit was missing an Allen Wrench and the USB pigtail was faulty. I had messaged customer service through their website to get the problems resolved. They responded with a form used to request replacement parts.

They never sent me any kind of confirmation, so I've been wondering on the status. On Halloween, I received an unexpected package from an unfamiliar address from Customer Service. Upon cutting through the packing tape, I was greated with a white box labeled "360 module". It was the whole brain unit with the mounting bracket...

I thought "Allen Wrench Tool" and "USB Pigtail Attachment" would be pretty obvious. And a mere $5 worth of parts. But hey, if they want to send me a backup brain with that pigtail, there's no complaints here. In a final humorous twist, the Allen Wrench Tool was not included, but I have no quarrel; I'll use my own at this point.

XBLA "Portal: Still Alive" 10/22

The arcade version of Portal heads to XBLA for 1200 Microsoft points. This is the same game you would get with The Orange Box only with additional levels and a few extras. GladouS,here we come for more.
Watch trailer.

Source

SoulCalibur IV DLC is strong with you

Due to high number of demands from the fans, Namco Bandai is set to release a Yoda and Darth Vader DLC on October 23rd. The DLC will cost 400 Microsoft Points ($5). Five dollars for a character? Might seem alot just for a character but hey you can create intense battles that were impossible to imagine.

Source

NIRVANA Rock Band:DLC Tuesday, October 21st

Nirvana heading to marketplace next Tuesday for Rock Band. The DLC includes 7 master recordings for 800 Microsoft Points or individually for 160 Microsoft Points. The DLC includes:

• Breed
• Lounge Act
• On a Plain
• Polly
• Something in the Way
• Stay Away
• Territorial Pissings

Source

New Xbox Experience Nov.19th

So it's about time the dashboard update "New Xbox Experience" is coming up Nov. 19th. You'll see lots of improvements. Let's not say that the Avatars remind us of the Mii nor the dashboard reminding us as if were on a PS3. No no, this is unique.

Bioshock on PS3, trying to just match the 360 version

It's interesting that 2k is making such an effort to say they are "matching" the fidelity of the 360. All those with PS3 picket signs were expecting graphical improvements and the usual ridiculous expectations because of the PS3 hypothetical magic graphic powers. And Blu-ray is supposed to make everything better right? Wrong.

With my slight PS3 jabs aside, I'm appalled that anyone could expected wasted development time in improving unbroken graphics. It really isn't in the publisher's best interest to do anything but reiterate what they've already put out there. Sure, they are adding a few negligible features, but that's merely to entice those who are already bent on the PS3. In the end, it's about money. That's why exclusives such as Bioshock don't stay as such.

As a final word, both systems are perfectly capable of this impressive game. They will be about on par with each other. Pick your white or black poison, and get on with it. The game is more important than bickering about details.

Uniqueskins.com Review

The aesthetically boring look of gadgets can always use a little vinyl surgery. Sometimes a single color on a device lacks personality, and other times we just need a custom look that defines an object as our own.

A couple of weeks ago, I was dabbling in reminiscence. My original launch Xbox 360 had such customization. I had the Nyko custom faceplate, and converted an AVP window static cling into a skin for the 360. Photos of the work are available under "Systems" at the right.

It looked alright, but I had to use double-sided sticky tape to keep the skin on. The text on the static cling was also cut off and unappealing. The custom face plate insert I made was okay, but it was the result of being over-creative.

With the 360 Elite upgrade I went with last year, I figured the black would go along with my skinning idea. However, this time I was in the market for a professional product. Several google searches later, I finally came to uniqueskins.com.

As opposed to the usual obnoxious designs at say, decalgirl.com, unique skins allow you to create the skin you want first, right on the website. Using either pictures they provide or you upload, you use whatever pictures you want and size them appropriately. Within minutes, I had downloaded some AVP photos and had the design I wanted.

I liked the concept so much that I decided to make me a Bullet Witch Zune as well.

The decals are high quality and glossy. I quickly found that I should have heeded uniqueskins warning on resolution. While the low-res pictures looked great scaled down on the site, they are a little gritty on the final product. However, it's only noticeable on close inspection. If you go this route, use the highest resolution photos you can get!

The only other small issue is that the full console decals are a bit spendy. $25 may seem like a lot, but the product is solid. The Zune was thankfully a mere $6, which I found to be a steal.

Now I have the look I wanted without all the hack-job mess of before. I will post pictures soon.

Would I buy again? Definitely! I recommend uniqueskins.com for anyone who wants to design their own skin. It's custom, easy, and hassle-free. I'll probably return for a slim PS2 skin next!

Rented my first XBL movie

I'm going to admit right now, unless it's ALIENS or ALIENS related, I'm not really a movie fan. But that doesn't stop me from watching the occasional flick.

To date, I've refused to wait for the download and to pay money for a movie rental that's a mere 24 hours once activated. For the money, I'd think 72 hours would be a bit more fair, matching rental stores. On the other hand, my friend tells me that pay-per-view is similar in price but offers only half the time. Interesting.

I figure Batman Begins would be a good trial run, since I wanted to see it, but had little faith in a non-Keaton version. Clooney and Kilmer were awful in my opinion, and even Batman Returns was a bit lame. But Batman has always been a favorite of mine since the comic book "Batman vs Predator".

For Batman Begins, it was $3 for SD and $4.50 for HD. Since Blu-ray isn't exactly the most amazing thing to me, I figured I'd save download time and money and just stick with SD. I started the download, and went out for some errands.

I have no idea how long the download took, but I was ready to go after I got home a couple hours later.

For being compressed and the "lowly" 480p, the movie looked great. It was better quality than a lot of downloaded films I've seen, and the 1.5GB size was impressive. The movie itself was better than expected, although it misses the magic of the original movie. For a film that I expected to be a one-viewing deal for me, the whole experience was near-perfect.

My suggestion for these films in the future: the price is right, but extend the duration of the rental. 14 days means nothing if only 24 hours of it is usable. Keep the 14 day time frame for use but extend the viewing period to 72 hours. Then I won't feel like my lack-of-trip to the video store is in vain.

PS3 vs 360 - Smackdown vs Raw 2008 Review

My martial arts background leaves me a little less accepting of the fake sideshow soap opera known as "Professional Wrestling". That said, I must say that collecting the physical form of that sideshow and hurling it into a video game is where it's at. You'd think that the TV show would have been based off a video game...not the other way around with how ridiculous it is.

Anyway, I've got the PS3 and 360 versions in my mitts. I was going to try to try to do a comparison...but the two versions are neigh indistinguishable aside from the onscreen controller instructions. I did notice that the PS3 version had a few more noticeable jaggies, but it wasn't anything horrendous. I attribute this to playing in 720p (PS3 doesn't upscale). The 360 version upscales to 1080p, but the colors take a little hit because of it (but less jaggies). As usual, the 360 version has achievements, so I'd tip in its direction.

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I decided to give SvR the "noob test". I let my button-mashing room mate give it the first go. Since the controls revolve around thumbstick movements more than button presses, his patience wore thin quickly. The controller almost became the next hole-in-the-wall; it was that bad. In short, the game is not noob-friendly, and it does not walk new-comers through on how to play the game very well.

Since I'm more comfortable with the current generation of games, my attitude was quite a bit different. I was slamming and flipping around with Mysterio within minutes. Most of the slams were cringe inducing, more so than expected. It was rather liberating, and it puts a game like Rumble Roses in its place (the forgotten Bargain Bin).

The character models are impressive; the developers captured most of the characters' details. However, uncomfortable polygon collision is a bit common here, along with some disappointing transitional animations. Don't expect much from the crowd either, but we don't' care about the background. The "superstars" are all that matters here.

The 24/7 career mode seems to cover the right bases. There's plenty of modes/match types to keep players going. Beyond that, creating your own wrestler and running the ropes will probably leave for quite a bit of play value. Unfortunately, creating a noob means for some potentially aggravating losses. The dedicated won't have a problem with it, however.

Even though wrestling fans don't have a lot of options for games, SvR 2k8 should fulfil their slamming needs. The character models enhance the experience for those with favorites, and the slams will leave real spectators crowingly entertained. Fans will not be disappointed here in either version of this pummel-fest.

Fan-worthy:
-Excellent detail on character models
-Cringe-inducing moves
-"Legendary superstars" available for play

SLAMS:
-Questionable transitional animations
-Not "noob" friendly; controls could be better
-Polygon collision is too common

Resembles/Feels like: An improved version of SvR 2007 with improved features
Rent or Buy: Buy for wrestling fans
Personal Appraisal: $49.99
MSRP: $59.99

Other Opinions:

7/10 (360 version) TeamXbox
7.5/10.0 (PS3 version) IGN
4.5/5.0 (360 version) GamePro
(no scoring system) (PS3 version) VideogameVagabond.com

The Achievement "Edge"

DemolitionNinja and I were discussing why we weren't playing Metroid Prime 3 yesterday, and it merits some discussion. I hadn't even finished the first level yet, and I've had the game since launch. He played through the first couple of levels and lost interest.

Halo 3 eclipsed MP3 hard, especially since the controls were more familiar and the multiplayer is addictive. While I like the Wii remote for text entry, I don't really like it for FPS; the controls don't always sync up with the games as expected. While MP3 did the best job thus far for the Wii, it's still not as good as it should be. This is part of the problem.

On a separate tangent, we concluded that the lack of achievements is starting to hinder our non-360 games. It has nothing to do with gamerscore; my friends passed my low score long ago and I'm not bothered whatsoever. The achievements themselves are the key; they serve a few covert purposes that were not apparent before.

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I realized that achievements can be used as progress indicators in several games, since there's usually an achievement for beating such and such a level. They can also provide motivation to experience more of the story, since alternate endings usual involve achievements as well. Somewhat related is seeing more of the game when going after non-necessary-item-collection achievements.

All-in-all, this key provides motivation to extract replay value from a game. The idea is still brilliant, and I think naysayers concentrate too much on the negative aspect of achievements. Sure, there are individuals who won't truly "earn" some of their achievements, and there will be some who are obsessed with their near-meaningless gamerscore. But those who "get it" will try to hit that difficult goal just to prove to themselves they can.

One example was with Guitar Hero two. One of my online friends had beaten GH2 on Expert. I saw that and realized that I play guitar and I haven't even done that. I had to prove to myself that I could do it, too. Once I had got there, I felt plenty of vindication; so much so that I 5-starred all of Hard and most of Expert. The satisfaction that resulted in seeing that little mark on my record somehow feels worth it.

When playing re-released games on XBL, the achievements are even more essential. I thought I was good and games like Pacman, Contra, and Streets of Rage 2. But the challenges presented by the achievements really tested my skills, and showed there was still plenty left in these old titles. I'm still working on SoR2! That's something that the Virtual Console fails to do on the Wii...you're getting the same challenges you've mastered in the past with no new goals or changes.

Re-rant this article is, but it's amazing how Microsoft took some great ideas and sunk them like sharks teeth into our gaming world. It's hard to go backwards and go without all the additions that XBL and gamercards have brought to the table. Within seconds, we can challenge ourselves more, or compete with the world. The Xbox 360 is our digital crack...and we consume willingly.

Taking XBL for granted, PS3/Wii upgrades

I FINALLY received a working 120GB Xbox 360 hard drive yesterday, which only had 103GB available after included media, Xbox BC, and overhead. Talk about relief.

Quick recap: I bought a 360 Elite back in August, and ordered a transfer kit. It took 3 weeks to receive it from Microsoft. At that point, I found out that my 120GB Elite HDD was defective. 2 calls to Microsoft later, I returned the drive and they had it replaced in about a week. I'm not too happy about it, but at least I don't have to worry about storage space, and my room mate has my old hard drive.

Microsoft didn't charge me, but I'm barely putting them above Sony in the Customer service department. Nintendo still wins hands down in that aspect.

After my pool league, I came back and started the HDD transfer. It would take an hour and 30 minutes which seemed excessive. I decided this was a good time to blow the dust off the PS3 and Wii...and probably update them. They hadn't seen action (read: been turned on) in months.

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Both probably took about 15-20 minutes a piece. I don't remember an XBL upgrade EVER taking that long...and I certainly didn't have to weed through menus to get them done. I did notice that I didn't have to re-connect my PS3 controller via USB cable *applauds Sony for doing something right*. Still, the PS3 upgrade process is the slowest and most obnoxious of the three consoles. And no, I don't use wireless for ANYTHING.

I jumped on PSN to see if any new demos were worth playing. Almost all of the games I was interested in I had already played on the 360. I downloaded the TimeShift demo, and can honestly say that I didn't really notice much difference. Except for the 360 upscales it to 1080p and the PS3 does not. Besides that, the analog sticks on the SIXAXIS just don't work for me. Even with the sensitivity on low, it was difficult to control the protagonist. Aside from that, I started downloading Folklore but I lost interest and moved to the Wii.

I trudged through Nintendo's Wii Shopping channel and tried to find good VC games. Super Metroid was the only game I wanted. I thought $8 was a complete rip-off, especially with no additions to the game (like achievement challenges). I have the cart for this game, but no SNES...so that is even more aggravating. The game emulates like crap on most PC's, so I figured this was the best way to play it. It is, but the price is ridiculous.

I played my new VC prize for a few minutes and checked my 360. It was done so I immediately shut down the Wii and PS3, quickly cleaned up my new HDD, and played Kane and Lynch with DemolitionNinja.

Just before, we had an interesting conversation about why we haven't really played Metroid Prime 3. I'll save that for another post.

Reflecting back, it's easy to take XBL for granted. These experiences reminded me why I don't mind spending $5 a month. While the Wii Channels are great for...dare I say, "noobs,", it just can't keep up with seasoned media-surfers. The PSN's interface is very attractive, but would only be functional with true mouse support. Even if it had that, it still takes much longer to look through a list of available demos than it does on XBL.

XBL may not be as gaudy as PSN or "cute" as Wii Channels, but it's fast and efficient. Plenty more media is surfable in a short time on XBL compared to the much slower, and clucky-interfaced PSN and Wii Channels. And as far as online content goes, XBL wins by a landslide.

Xbox 360: Kane and Lynch: Deadmen Review

I wasn't planning on playing Kane and Lynch anytime soon. The trailers were rather amusing, but nothing in particular caught my attention about it. My room mate decided to buy and blast through the game this week, and I decided to participate.

It took a grand total of 10 minutes before this game had me wanting to play Gears of War. I think GoW's 3rd person style sank its teeth into my mind, so playing another 3rd person shooter that plays even remotely similar left my mind elsewhere.

Is Kane and Lynch similar to Gears? Not really. It goes for a much more "realistic" environment and story, and that comes with prison-mate appropriate dialog (that is hilarious for the wrong reasons). While KnL is a little over-the-top, it's believable enough. However, it comes at the cost of being just another shooter that lacks that "epic" feel.

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The controls for KnL may throw some seasoned players off. Duck is delegated to the left bumper, and focusing is done with the trigger. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the duck was a toggle-type, so I had myself holding my hands awkwardly the first couple of levels. After that it was fine, especially after figuring out that the stick-buttons weren't necessary to switch weapons (you can use the d-pad)

The presentation was delivered in spades. The graphics aren't anything memorable, and the environments leave a lot to be desired. The AI isn't very bright either; you'll find comrades running directly into bullets. On the other hand, the destructible environments are always a welcome addition. The dialog has its moments, and complements the story well.

After playing through the game, I can say I enjoyed it, but it didn't make me want to go buy the game. The plot is standard mafia-type business with a few twists, and the gameplay doesn't bring anything spectacular to the table. However, sometimes that's not always a bad thing; sometimes familiarity can be pleasing. That's how KnL left me feeling.

If you want a solid co-op game to play with a buddy, or just want to play an entertaining game to grab some achievements, KnL is for you.

Following Orders:
-Destructible environments aid the feel
-Co-op mode reveals the other perspective
-The game plays well after learning the control scheme

Take your pills and focus:
-Unnecessarily awkward control scheme
-Aside from Achievements, not much replay value
-Lacks an epic feel; some moments should have been more tense

Resembles/Feels like:
A little Grand Theft Auto, mixed with a Gears of War play-feel, and topped with a bit of Hitman.

Rent or Buy: Rent or Bargain Bin
Personal Appraisal: $29.99
MSRP: $59.99

Notes: The lack of online co-op, unimpressive graphics, and limited replay value even with multiplayer hurts the value of the game. Halo 3, Orange Box, and Bioshock provide more for the gaming dollar.

Other opinions:
6/10 @ gamespot.com
7/10 @ teamxbox.com
7.5/10 @ 1up.com

Xbox 360: Clive Barker's Jericho Review

Some games don't care about your opinion. They contain content that does and says what its creators felt was appropriate. And it's done unapologetically.

Jericho is one of those games.

Unfortunately for the expectant consumer, this doesn't always work as intended. Jericho delivers some things well, and some things not at all. This is probably why we'll see mixed reviews for this game with no general consensus. But maybe that just means it really is art. So who "gets it"?

Denying that Jericho's presentation is top-tier would be deserving of masticated entrails. The atmosphere is quite perfect giving the game's circumstances, and the horror-movie nuances are all present. Topping that off with mostly solid graphics, frames, and animations almost sealed the deal.

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While the overall graphics may not directly compare with the likes of Gears of War, this game holds it own. Between mood-setting lighting in already dank environments, and detailed enemies, we have a playable art-form here.

The FPS-nature of this game blasts players in the face and may be surprising even after playing the demo. Enemies are relentless, and most of the offense seems to be via bullet, while the magic portions end up being mostly defense and tactical. The developers did a respectable job in requiring the use of all the squad members, although most gamers will likely stick with their favorite(s).

Unfortunately, Jericho's bad points are quite notable. The lack of co-op and multiplayer does disappoint. Even with all the visual flair, the game may not have the scare-tactics that gamers might be expecting. The jumbled story, and lack-of-an-ending show that the ball wasn't so much dropped as it was severely mishandled. Even with achievements, there isn't much for replay value here, which is sad granted the game's stellar presentation.

Jericho is definitely worth a playthrough. Those who enjoy the experience will have to settle for going after achievements to get the most from the game. There's some hilarious lines delivered that I'm sure a few dark souls will be quoting amongst friends. It does a good job of providing familiar FPS action with a few added twists. Whether renting or buying, make sure to give this game a chance.

P.S.

I am surprised that the advertising campaign for this game was so limited. Personally, I hope to see a problems-fixed sequel.

Bleeding the "right" way:
-Commendable graphical presentation
-Interesting FPS concepts/mechanics
-Intense firefights and overall action

Missed the spiritual boat:
-No multiplayer or Co-op
-Convoluted Story without an ending
-Limited replay value

Rent or Buy: Rent or Bargain Bin Buy
Personal Appraisal: $39.99*
MSRP: $59.99

*I wanted to appraise this game higher, but the presence of recent highly-lauded games such a Bioshock, Halo 3, and Orange Box in the same price range, it can't compete in value.

Other opinions:
6.5/10 @ gamespot.com
7.8/10 @ teamxbox.com
4.5/5 @ gamepro.com

Clive Barker's Jericho: Initial Impression

Insane. Imagine a toddler who's father was Condemned (the game), and was spoon-fed crack until he became an adult. That's what I'm thinking as I'm watching my room mate jump hesitantly into Jericho.

Condemned had a character that rarely used firearms and a fair amount of vicious enemies who left you feeling trapped and defenseless. Jericho does the same thing and provides the same visual feel, except there are plenty of guns and allies...and you still feel defenseless. The enemies come quick and eat bullets like candy. It's quite overwhelming.

This may sound bad, but it's actually quite an experience. The environmental feel plus enemy onslaught plus quality graphics were pulled together quite well.

If you haven't played the demo yet, get on that. It's a quality sample of the game. I'll be reviewing this soon, and I'm hopeful it will be worthy of a high appraisal.

Xbox 360: Guitar Hero III Review

As expected, I've been sucked into the black hole that is playing Guitar Hero. Even though I knew it wouldn't take me long to beat, it really doesn't matter. Yet again, I foresee tackling the seemingly unbeatable achievements for 5-starring songs that are ready to send my hands into a cramped zombie state.

There are changes this time around. As previously mentioned, it is obvious that some of the originals' rockin' feeling has been lost with the new developer. After completing the game though, I've found that those Harmonix nuances are easily forgotten. I've come to respect the higher detail on the characters and the more familiar track list.

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The new 360 wireless controller is awesome. Personally, I wouldn't care if it was wireless or not, but it is a huge improvement over the old Explorer guitars. My guitarist thanks them for making it more southpaw friendly. I even took the pocketbook hit and traded both my explorers in at a quarter of the cost just to buy another Les Paul style guitar. Unfortunately, Red Octane does not yet sell this guitar by itself; you actually have to buy ANOTHER combo pack to get a 2nd. I traded in Guitar Hero 3 in order to buy it again. Weird.

One thing that is notable is that the window of time that you can press a note is actually longer than the game's predecessors. But that's okay. There is a lot of "sweeps" so the purists can just shut up and take the forgiveness. You tell me that that increased window isn't a godsend for the DragonForce song on Expert. :)

The online play is an excellent addition as well. I don't see why Guitar Hero II couldn't include this. It did take several tries to finally get matched up with someone. Luck escaped me though; my first successful online match was against someone who choice DragonForce on Expert. Surprisingly, I won (70% to 47% or so), and even obtained the "Meet your maker" achievement. Did I play a programmer or something? There didn't seem to be any lag problems, and it went rather smoothly. High-fives to Neversoft on that one.

Lay any doubts to rest; this is still Guitar Hero, and it's still ready to absorb any gaming free time you might obtain. Put your foot up on the couch, tilt your rockin' Les Paul, and call up your hand massaging therapist.

Head Bangin' Pros:
*New Battle Mode
*Online Play
*Improved graphics

Booed off the stage:
*Iffy animations
*Spotty matchmaking
*Some menus aren't immediately clear

Resembles/Feels like:
DDR with a Fisher-Price My-First-Guitar, just like its predecessors (in the best way possible).

Rent or Buy: Definite Buy
Personal Appraisal: $99.99
MSRP: $99.99 (360 version with wireless guitar)

Other opinions:
8/10 @ cnet.com
8/10 @ gamespot
90/100 @ 1up.com

Xbox 360: Tenchu Z Review

Ninja Gaiden fans looking for "hot" Ninja action should stop here. Tenchu may have Ninjas, but the idea is to "appropriately" slow things down and go from full-throttle aggressive, to "stick and move" with stealth in mind rather than unapologetic domination.

However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Ninjas are technically supposed to be stealthy. The premise behind the game is perfect. Take guns out of the Splinter Cell environment, and you should have a non-shooter stealth action title. Unfortunately, the series has not progressed along with the hardware it runs on. If the gameplay was as perfect as the premise, Tenchu could return to it's former glory.

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Admittedly, it is fun for a while to run around and slaughter the herds of dumbfounded Samurai that stand between the ninjas and their goals. Tuning out the bad physics, lighting, and polygon collisions happens naturally after a while. A little twist of the imagination makes this game fantastic. However, we put money down so someone else can have the imagination and we can have the experience.

Don't get me wrong, Tenchu Z has some enjoyable moments. The first dozen or so stealth kills still make the player feel like a bad-ass, so it's not a complete waste of time. But many of the games coming out now leave us expecting a lot more than this paltry effort for our hard-earned dollars. For those new to the series, definitely pick this up, when he price is stealth-killed to the bargin bin.

Perfect Shuriken Throws:
-Character creation was a good idea: create-a-ninja! BLAM!
-Online co-op was a good idea
-Newcomers to the series will find enjoyment here

Ninja Dogs:
-AI is pathetic; hiding 20 feet away in the open works
-Repetitive levels, and repetitive missions
-Graphically disappointing. Shadows go through floors and solid walls.

Hits like: Every Tenchu before it.
Rent or Buy: Rent
Personal Appraisal: $24.99
MSRP: $59.99

What Other Reviews think:
5.2/10.0 at IGN
2.5/5.0 stars per gamespy.com
5.0/10.0 from tweaktown.com

Xbox 360 QWERTY thumb keyboard is official - Engadget

Xbox 360 QWERTY thumb keyboard is official - Engadget

All nuclear heating semi-circle of red death jokes aside, one has to admit that Microsoft makes some pretty solid and useful hardware. As with any manufacturer, there will always be faults (*cough* floppy d-pad *cough*), but in general I like their stuffs.

The 360 controller, their mice and keyboards, the 360 wireless headset, their steering wheel design, etc. are examples of good ones. The upcoming thumb keyboard attachment for the 360 keyboard is a welcome addition to the accessory family.

Now I just have to wonder whether this add-on or the keyboard will be my preferred method of messaging mayhem. Not if I continue to use those tad bits of alliteration...

Anything but that cell-phone-style text entry that the PS3 uses, right? ;)

360 is crap in the exclusive department (per GamePro)

GamePro has much the opposite opinion of me when it comes to games for the 360. They say that the 360 has the weakest exclusive lineup while forgetting to mention a few key titles such as Splinter Cell and well...all of the new IP heading toward the 360. When it comes to established franchises though, they aren't far off. But everyone whines about sequels (myself included), so this would seem to be a double-edged sword.

Personally, I'm hoping Lost Odyssey competes directly with Final Fantasy. It'd be nice to not have to attach a number at the end of all RPG-talk for once.

I'd love to hear opinions on 360 vs Wii vs PS3 exclusives.

Game Informer "gets it" when it comes to achievements

The latest issue of my favorite gaming magazine has a great article on the Xbox 360's Achievement (Issue 167, page 44). The author outlines what makes achievements so great, and why it will help in the console wars of the generation.

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Many Wii and PS3 fanatics scoff at "gamerscore". Even some Xbox 360 owners say they don't care about the achievement system at all. They maliciously label it as "nerd cred" or meaningless numbers. My assumption on those types of conclusions is that "personal gain" isn't even considered. Yes, there is some public-show-off-ed-ness to gamerscore, but I consider that just something to keep between friends. Even in the latter case, gamerscore and achievements provide a big advantage over the premise of all Wii and PS3 games. As I've said before, it only takes two words to describe that advantage: "Replay value."

Since I own all three consoles, I've noticed the "lack of motivation" given by Wii and PS3 titles. Sure, you can run through Zelda or even Resistance Fall of Man. Blasting through though games will result in many extras being missed. But why bother? Many of us have made personal achievements in gaming over the years, but many of them have been forgotten because there was no reward and nothing short of a screen-shot could be used to prove the achievement to yourself. In the opposite situation, some side-quests were an overload of work with no payoff. These things cause replay value to be killed early. This is where the achievement system comes to the rescue.

For example, let's take FEAR for Xbox 360 and PS3. The games should be nearly identical. But one has Achievements while the other one doesn't. FEAR could easily be rented, and ran through on moderate difficulty. Multiplayer might get a little attention, but the road will probably stop shortly thereafter. There would be no motivation to play 1000 matches, complete the campaign without boosters, or even complete the campaign without dying. That just cut some hours of value out of that $60 game. But the 360 version has these "goals", and even puts them on your "record" if you get them. Completionists will get even more replay value plugging away at these goals to satisfy their personal obsession.

In reality, it's brilliant. Just like online scoreboards have brought back the fun-factor of the "High Score" from days-of-old, achievements compliment that idea to bring us forward in our hobby.

I highly suggest reading the article, whether it be in a Gamestop/EB Games store, or at a magazine stand somewhere.

Here's some choice quotes from the article:

Achievements definitely change the way you play your games.

Gamers are going out and purchasing games that they normally wouldn't even think of touching.

Our instinct to show off our skills is a powerful one, and Achievements perfectly play to this.

Lost Planet Review

The demo of Lost Planet was a great way to parade the highlights of this frigid title. It gave the player a sense of demolition, trudging through the snow, and mowing via mech via chain-gun action.

Jumping into the full retail version continues to provide that same exciting feeling. The demo ended up serving as a training session, so there's no need to adjust to the unfamiliar controls. As semi-seasoned demo-players blast their way through the first few levels, they will come to find that Lost Planet is willing to take some serious cheap shots to hinder your progress.

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To portray realism, nearby explosions will slow the main character down. A lot. And while running slowly through the snow makes sense, the same pacing applies indoors where no snow is seen. Surprisingly, this isn't as annoying as it may sound, but it results in feeling cheated during the intense boss fights.

While the levels aren't that difficult, the bosses toward the middle of the game will throw everything they have at you. Between the explosions and losing composure is a plethora of aggravation. At times it feels like there's no possible way to beat the boss without some an insane amount of luck, because death can come at any time.

Thankfully, the reward after each level is an actual cutscene, as opposed to Resistance's horrible narrated storyboards. The story builds fairly well, although it seems that some events aren't exaggerated as much as they need to be (to keep the excitement level up). With all the action packed in this game, the minor story-telling flaws are forgiven, just as in Gears of War.

The weapons and the mechs suffice, although nothing out-of-the-ordinary resides here. But ask yourself, will the classic rocket launcher ever get old? Nah, we like ridiculous explosions. It's also difficult not to shout, "Hell, yeah!" when picking up a mech-sized weapon for "hand-held" use.

The controls of the game are mostly functional, although I don't approve of the seemingly large movement required to move the camera left or right. Zooming in leaves a player with the annoyances of using the 360 d-pad; the response isn't exactly stellar. The adjustment time isn't long, but it seems unnecessary in the first place.

Running through the game is simultaneously satisfying and disappointing. That super-hero feeling of jumping through explosions, sniping the bad guys, and blowing up everything in sight with rockets leaves for plenty of praiseworthy moments. But Lost Planet doesn't want you getting comfortable with your Swartzenegger-type powers; it will take measures to keep its spot as "the Boss" of its own destiny. LP may not be Halo-esque, but there are plenty of good times to be had via single and multiplayer.

The good guys caused:

• Action packed, with a slight arcade-type feeling


• Graphics are outstanding; only Gears of War has bested these


• Story and cutscenes are well-crafted, as opposed to other games.

The Snow Pirates caused:

• Oddball Controls


• Frustratingly cheap shots by enemies (especially bosses)


• Questionable foot-soldier A.I.

Takes from:
Almost feels like Syphon Filter in the snow, but not quite. Any third-person Mech combat game could have given inspiration as well. The grappling hook is very Tenchu-ish in practice, although hanging there shooting enemies from above reminds me a little of Splinter Cell.

Rent or Buy:
For the general consumer, I'd say rent unless the multiplayer suits your fancy. There is some replay value in the achievements, but the value of that will differ per person. For the more serious gamer, this is definitely a buy.

MSRP: $59.99 USD

Suicide's Appraisal: $39.99 USD

Other Reviews:

8.4/10 at teamxbox.com
6.5/10 at 1up.com
8.5/10 at ign.com