Fighting with the Playstation 3

Well, the first big name title to be released for the PS3 since its launch in mid-November of last year is finally upon us. My question to you is this: Are you going to get Virtua Fighter 5? It has been fairly well reviewed. Then again, as Avenger would say "It is just a fighting game." Will this help the PS3 sell, or are we still waiting around for a true system seller? (I defy anyone to label Resistance: Fall of Man as a true system seller. Halo that game is not.)

Re: Its going to be a long winter

Avenger, fortunately I think the correct name of your post is "It's been a long winter." It looks like the light is finally starting to penetrate the darkness. Supreme Commander, C+C 3, God of War 2, Motorstorm, NBA Street Homecourt, Crackdown, etc. all look worthy of our support. As for the way I play Battle for Middle Earth 2: The match was an hour and a half not two hours, I was beating you to a bloody pulp, and I unfortunately couldn't seal the deal. And then of course, pork chops, 'nuff said.

It's going to be a long winter...

For one of the first times I've seen Game Informer decided not to award a PC game of the month or a Handheld game of the month as they felt there wasn't enough suitable material to warrant an award. Ouch.

At least Supreme Commander comes out this week! I can't wait to have my first 4-6 hour multiplayer match! ;)

Though the way Sidious plays it will probably last about 2 min. Except when we play Battle for Middle Earth II then it will last for-ev-er. Our last 2 hour bout basically made me sick of strategy and all things strategy related for about a day...or at least a couple hours...

Getting fiscally hosed...again

If you, like me, purchased the Lost Planet collector's edition, you will no doubt be pleased to hear that the Battlegrounds map you got with your shiny new game will not be part of a future map pack. No. Instead, it will be released for free. Free?! If that map costs zero dollars, what did I pay for when I got the collector's edition? Are you really telling me that I paid ten dollars for a metal case (and in my case, a dented one), a miniature art book, and a couple months head start on a free map? Honestly, I feel as though Capcom owes me something more, and it's unlikely that I'll get satisfaction. Hopefully this isn't the start of a long history of Capcom sticking it to consumers via Marketplace, since I'd hate to see how far they would try to push people with RE5 DLC.

Seeds of a great new company

From EvilAvatar comes some great news. Some of the old members of the now defunct Clover development studio (thanks Capcom) have started a new one, called Seeds. I am very, very, very exited to see what a development studio with the directors of Okami and RE 4 on board can do. I have no doubt that they will make some "preposterously amazing" games.

Just one more turn...

I should really know better than to start a 4X game so close to bedtime.

Oh well, I still got some sleep and Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar really is that good. I mean, the original Galactic Civilizations II was a fantastic game and Dark Avatar just expands and improves on its predecessor. I definitely wanted to keep playing so I could just research one more technology, build one more ship, subjugate one more race, and that's exactly how a good 4X game should feel. Supposedly Dark Avatar also includes a program that generates a narrative of what occured in your game so once I figure out how to use that I will happily regale you all with the rise of Korxcom and the fall of the other major races under the weighty bootheel of Korx trading and diplomacy.

In other news, I haven't really tried to register since my 360 is in the shop (again), but I did see that the site has basically been down since the kickoff for the challenge. Too bad...

Xbox rewards backdoor

For anyone still having trouble with the broken Xbox rewards page, I have found a backdoor. First, make sure you have a passport account (hotmail, etc.), then go here to sign in. Then go here to register for the challenge.

Finally!

Xbox Rewards = broken

So, I have been trying to sign up for the Xbox rewards thing since the site went live last night. I have not yet been able to actually get into it. It started last night when none of the pages would load when I tried to sign in. I've been trying every few hours since then, and still nothing. As of February 13 at 5:32 EST, MS Game Studios says: "sorry we are very busy at the moment, please try again later." That's all that you see now when you try to access xbox.com/rewards. Thanks, Microsoft. Thanks for making this a smooth process.

If anyone has been able to actually log in, good for you. You must have hit that 5 minute window before everyone broke the site. I find it very surprising that MS may have underestimated the number of people who would try to sign up ASAP.

The original GOW

So did everybody see all of the God of War II reviews hitting the web this week. Its a little bit odd to say the least since the game is not slated to hit store shelves until early March. And these reviews are coming from big sites too: Gamespy, IGN, etc. Do you figure that these guys are reviewing pre-release versions of the game. I can't imagine that they would, and yet we're faced with almost a month-long window before the game is released to us.

Why would Sony hold a finished AAA game until March? Any thoughts?

Re: Re: Gamerwhoring

I agree with Avenger on his points, however, I do think that there is some danger on the margins. It wasn't so long ago that we here in the Den were arguing over whether it was a fair and just practice to tie gamerpoints to multiplayer gaming that mandates that the player play with anyone but his friends. The problems with this system are many: The player doesn't get to play with anyone he or she knows; The system usually boots the Player out of the game once it is completed, leading to a cycle of 5 minutes finding a game/five minutes playing a game; and The Player is far more likely to find him or herself playing with "Gamerwhores" who are not the most friendly of gaming compatriots.

My thought is that the addition of tangible rewards to the Gamerpoint system will practically mandate that all multiplayer acheivments are tied to "Ranked matches." At the very least Microsoft will have to keep better tabs on how developers choose to distribute their points. I mean, do we really want a class of games (see Fuzion Frenzy) that are popular solely because you can get 1000 points out of them quite easily? I know I don't.

Re: Gamerwhoring

Ok, first of all, regardless of what slam I decided to come back at you with you would have criticized it, so I decided, "why waste the effort?" I got across the point that your insult was, in fact, false and that was all I wanted to achieve. I would imagine that you of all people would understand and respect this kind of pragmatic laziness. Anyway, on to the business at hand...

First, I actually like achievements. I can't really explain why but for some reason seeing that little 'achievement unlocked' flash across my screen actually has some level of satisfaction, and I know I'm not alone in this. It's what motivates us to play through Gears of War multiple times, to try to go through a level of Lego Star Wars II without losing a life, or to see if you can manage to get through a level of Splinter Cell: Double Agent without being seen. It's the challenges that gamers have always been giving themselves for their favorite games, but now it has been given form and function.

Next, I like the concept of the rewards program. I don't think it is likely to make anyone more of an achievement whore than they already are (though it might convince to go finish King Kong which is about 8 hours long and a cool 1000), and it actually gives the Gamerscore some value even if it is rather small (I mean the Level 1 and Level 2 prize packages are like $5-$7). Before this, Gamerscore was just some limited measure of status that no one really cared about. Now, it has some purpose, I'm actually surprised it took this long to get here. I always thought that things like cool gamer pics should be tied to your Gamerscore: you want to be Master Chief, rack up 10,000 points and you earn it. Having to pay for gamer pics is completely ridiculous anyway, but that's an argument for another day...

In the end, I don't think that the Reward program will change the way most people play, but I do think it will encourage gamers to play their 360 a little more often and maybe aim at some of the more difficult achievements just a little more aggressively. I think that's exactly what Microsoft was going for, and with that I think they'll be very successful. This is another move in the right direction for XBox Live and another innovation that Sony would do well to downright copy.

Gamerwhoring

"Cram it"? That's your comeback? I really expect better from you Avenger.

Anyways, Microsoft recently announced their Xbox Rewards program, which will reward gamers who enjoy achievement whoring with worldly goods, like t-shirts, Xbox games, etc. I'm not saying that I won't register (1500 in 2 months, especially with Crackdown coming out is a slam dunk), but I'm not excited for the online environment that this will most likely generate for two months. I think I'll just avoid ranked matches for a while (especially in Gears), until the almost certain rampant Gamerscore frenzy is over.

So, what do you guys think? Is this a cool way for Microsoft to reward dedicated fans, or just a gimmick that will cause more harm (for gamers' enjoyment of their favorite games) than good?

Supreme Commander Demo Has Landed

First off, Incognito, I finished Final Fantasy XII less than a month ago (which you'd know if you actually read stuff at the website) and that was about 80+ hours...so cram it.

In other news, for those eagerly awaiting Chris Taylor's newest strategic masterpiece, Supreme Commander, if you haven't heard already, a demo for the game was made available yesterday. I am currently downloading a copy from FileShack (my favorite of the download sites) and plan to report back on my findings (either in a short article or a blog post) after I have had a chance to play around with it some. Just thought you all should know!

Really?

Wait, you probably won't finish Rogue Galaxy? I'm so surprised by that! Seriously, when is the last time you finished a 10+ hour game? 1998?

No offense intended, it's just that I haven't made fun of you for your poor game-finishing habits in a while. It's refreshing, like a fresh pair of pants straight from the dryer on a cold day.

A Galactic Romp for the Ages...

The concept of this post will likely become a one-minute review if I ever get around to writing it, but I just wanted to say my initial impressions of Rogue Galaxy have been very strong. Actually, my initial impressions (like the first hour or so) were somewhat weak, but having now played it for upwards of 15 hours, I can say it has really grown on me.

The characters are likeable and interesting, the combat is fun, albeit repetitive at times, and the adventure would seem to be chock full of stuff to do. You can advance the plot, go on bounty hunts, train your insectors for the insectron tournament, build items in the factory, or just explore the galaxy to you heart's content. From what I've heard of the length of this beast, chances are I won't finish it, but at this point I know I have an overwhelming desire to do so, and that's all I can ask for right now. Good stuff, if you like console RPGs, be sure to give this one a look.

A Day that Will Live in Infamy

All I can say is, it's good I wasn't in command of our forces in the Pacific during WWII...

In no less than three matches of Battlestations: Midway, my forces were handily defeated by the tactically-challenged Sidious. He may have limped across the finish line on a number of occasions, but a win is a win, and I'm not sure how he managed it. I don't know what it is about that game, but I haven't yet been able to wrap my head around it and it shows in my play.

Sidious and I have a long history of playing strategy games together. In Rise of Legends he hasn't captured a single one of my cities. He hasn't managed to win a single campaign in Star Wars: Empire at War (okay, he won one, but that was before we realized it auto resolved neutral battles and I sent the emperor to go capture a pirate planet, poor Emperor Palpatine). In the collective pantheon of RTS matches we've played (Age of Mythology, Age of Empires III, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Command & Conquer: Generals, just to name a few) he's probably only managed a handful of victories. Yet somehow he managed three Battlestations victories in a row!

I'm not sure what to make of all this, but it was very unsettling, so I needed to vent (and counter his gloating over our Battlestations matches, with a little "scoreboard!"). Still, I congratulate him on his victories and assure him that he will not find me such easy prey the next time we meet. That is, if I can manage to tear myself away from Rogue Galaxy long enough to get in some practice...

You're a Big Boy Now

Just like in real life, lots of people online are douchebags. People in WoW gank you, people in Madden glitch you, people in Halo say stupid crap. The problem that this causes is not just social, it affects the gaming. There are PC FPS games, primarily MOH:AA, where I have played through the campaign but never touched online play. Why? Because I can't aim. I don't know what my problem is because I have good hand-eye coordination. But I can't aim to save my life...
Do I think I could have fun online without being able to aim? Heck yes I could. But I know that there will be people out there that will feel the need to belittle my lack of aim. In some games, this doesn't matter. In Tribes II it was okay that I wasn't that good at aiming. There were always enough people playing that I just tried to contribute. The smaller the game, the less likely I am to play online, partially cause I don't like losing and partially because its no fun to be that no-aim pariah.
Does that mean anything should stop you from playing Gears online? No. There are going to be some games where you'd rather smack you teammate with a polearm than congratulate him on a win, but other times it will be great. If you enjoy the game with friends, I'm sure you'll enjoy it online. If not, life goes on. It might even work out that the douchebag from the other night is on the other team. Sweet Justice!

Internet Social Anxiety Disorder

For the last 4 days, I've had a really strong urge to play Gears of War online. The problem is, I can't bring myself to do it. I'm just too terrified of joining a match full of douchebags that will ruin my multi-player experience (much like the last time I tried to play GoW with strangers), so I just turn on my Xbox and sit at the Dashboard while I watch TV. Over this time I have only managed to start gears twice: once to play some of the single-player campaign, and once to stare at the multi-player menu. Seriously, how pathetic is that? I should be making fun of myself for being such a wussy.

Not surprisingly, Gears isn't the only game that will do this to me. Just downloading the Lost Planet online demo was a huge leap for me, let alone actually playing and enjoying it. Why was that such a huge feat? That humble Lost Planet online demo marked the first time I had ever (as in: forever) played a console game online.

What I want to know is this: does this ever happen to anyone else, even occasionally? Please tell me that I'm not as crazy as I think I am (because if I ever become that crazy, the end of the world is nigh).

As it has happened many times before, my own insanity has more or less crushed my ability to do something that I should enjoy. In this case, that thing is playing multi-player games. I know that this shouldn't be a problem, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't like playing with people I can't see. I don't know if I will ever be able to shake the discomfort of playing with people over the internets.

So the next time you see me in your Friends list just sitting at the Xbox Dashboard, you'll know that I'm probably just sitting there trying to psych myself up to boot up Gears. When this happens, do me a favor and kick my ass. I deserve it.

I spoke too soon

So, it turns out that my previous information about Blu-ray was incorrect. I was under the impression that Vivid had already announced their support of HD-DVD, but I learned to today that the opposite is true: they are producing Blu-ray movies. My apologies to Blu-ray for my premature prediction of its lack of boobies and subsequent demise. However, I still don't trust Sony not to royally screw it up.

Question for Gamers: Where do you want to see gaming go in the future?

Okay all you gamers out there....Where do you want to see gaming go in the future? There are lots of new games being made and new systems being developed. What would you like to see happen?

I think that I would like better developed sim games. It seems like some games are made so quickly that attention to detail is forgotten and they aren't as much fun to play. I would also like to see a new version of tetris...maybe like a take on Magical Mickey Tetris for the N64.