Microsoft At E3 2012

E3 has officially kicked off with Microsoft's press conference. So here's what got me excited:

Starting it off with Halo 4. The forerunners look sick, the music made me a little weepy in a good way, and the game looks gorgeous.

Gears of War Judgement trailer. As an unapologetic Gears freak, I was so damn excited to hear we're getting another game in 2013. According to the Gameinformer cover, both Baird and Cole are in chains. However, the very short trailer only showed Baird. Of course, there were lots and lots of locusts.

Resident Evil 6 focused on Leon and had tons of zombies. So many zombies. It looks great and I can't wait to play it.  It looks like the 360 will get DLC first.

Tomb Raider reboot is a game I've been waiting forever for. What was shown at E3 was awesome, especially the part where her parachute fails. What a heart pounding moment. Again it seems the 360 will get exclusive first DLC for this one too.

South Park Stick of Truth looks just like the TV show.  Trey and Matt talked a bit about the game on stage, but I wish their presentation was longer. However, it's good to know that they're still heavily involved with the game.

Smart Glass is a way to connect the 360 with smart devices. It seems like this is what the Wii U is trying to as well.   I think it is an interesting idea, especially with things like Halo Waypoint.

What didn't do anything for me:

Anything Kinect related like the Nike fitness game and Dance Central 3. Seriously, having Usher sing a song was just a waste of time.

Not too excited about Internet Explorer coming to the 360. I don't use it on my computer, don't think I want to use it on my 360. We'll see.

The Loco Cycle game confused me a bit. I guess you play as a female motorbike?

Black Ops 2 overkill. During the pre-show they talked about Blacks Ops and then at the end of the conference they played Black Ops 2 for about 10 minutes.

The Slow Death of an Xbox 360

While I written about my experiences with Xbox 360s and their problems before, this is something new to me.

Whenever I had a console fail or break in some way, it was always quick. One minute it's fine, the next it's RROD. So I decide to chronicle the very slow and painful death of my son's 20gb  Xbox 360.

Here's how it went down:

Back in March we got Operation Raccoon City. I played a bit of it on my 360. He popped it into his and it froze three times in 30 minutes. We thought maybe the disc was defective. But, he tried it on mine and it works perfectly.

A little while later, it wouldn't download the Trials Evolution demo. Then it stopped playing any game that was downloaded.  This made me think it's the HDD, but nothing looks corrupted and all the saved game data works fine. I think it went back to playing downloaded games a few days later.

Everything was okay for a few weeks, but then the two red rings on the left side started appearing. According to the Xbox support website, this means it's overheating, but it would happen even if it was on for a few minutes.  My husband took it to get it cleaned, thinking that it's old and probably very dusty inside.

After the cleaning, the two rings stopped, but now if you try to play a game, one red ring on the right side lights up. So I looked this up and might be the dreaded E74. But, we're not getting the screen for it. The screen is just black. So I tried everything it told me to do. Including unplugging it, taking out the HDD, etc.

At the same time, we got Ninja Gaiden 3 and it's freezing constantly.

He can watch Netflix on the 360, but I think that's about it for now. It seems everything that can go wrong with it, will. I'll admit that I'm somewhat fascinated by this process. It's like the 360 is having one last swan song and we're forced to deal with it.  It's an old system that's gotten fixed by Microsoft. It's not under warranty anymore, of course.

While I'm a bit upset to see the sad state of this 360, I'm looking forward to getting my son a newer model, like mine. Then I will be able to actually play my 360 in peace again, which will be awesome.

Microsoft to Intergrate Cable with Xbox TV?

I've heard this rumor before and  it seems to have slowly picked up speed since Microsoft unveiled this at E3. Microsoft is talking to Comcast and Verizon about integrating cable to the Xbox 360. So you don't need a cable box, but you still have to subscribe to their services. I wonder if they'll have different options for the Xbox 360 or if it's just the same prices as a regular subscription. The details are still limited, but it seems all this does is give gamers another way to pay for cable. 

What's the point? I ditched my cable company because I was sick of paying for services and channels I don't watch. I didn't need 50,000 channels in pretty HD. (And I don't watch sports) I want a service where I can sign up for just a few channels. I was hoping when Microsoft announced its Xbox TV in June that it would take more independent approach.

If Microsoft is just getting rid of the cable box, but keeping high prices, unwanted channels and all other fun things about cable, I'll pass. I do hope in the future consoles will be able to provide a different way on how we watch TV, like Hulu or Netflix. (Although Netflix just freshly pissed off customers this morning with the Netflix blog post and an email)

Unless Microsoft changes its tune and grows a pair, (see this article where it reports Microsoft didn't want to "pick a fight with cable") Xbox TV won't make a big difference.

PSN Fiasco and Other Problems Gamers Had to Deal With

Yes, it's the weekend and yes the PSN is still down. Sony went from May 3or 4 to not giving a set date. But that's okay with me. I want it back, but I also want it fixed properly. So in the time being, why not reminisce about other problems of the seventh generation of consoles?

Remember that weird Leap Year bug of last year? It's was only if you had a fat PS3 and I had one at the time. I remember hearing that we shouldn't even turn the thing on all day. It wasn't so bad and it only lasted a day or so. It was more strange then anything, really.

Then there was the great "Wii remote breaks everything" situation in 2006 and 2007.  Wii remotes were slipping out of sweaty gamers' hands at an alarming rate. It took Nintendo a year to start shipping silicone gloves for the remotes.


The worst, I think, is the Xbox 360's RROD. I'm not exaggerating when I say everyone I know had to ship a console back for the Red Ring at on time or another.

I guess this is the price we pay for the latest console tech. Every system has its flaws and failures, but I'm still happy to call myself  an owner of each one.

Other console problems and more details

Y is for Yay for April

Since the A to Z challenge is almost over, I want to do a post about the month in general. I had a blast with the challenge and I'm so glad I signed up.

As for this month in video games, it's been one of big highs and lows. There was "Portal Kombat" on April 19.  How often does two of my favorite video game franchises release games on the same day? Yay! It was awesome. I'm still playing both Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat and will be for quite awhile. I've mentioned before, the PS3 had the upper hand with both games. Portal 2 got Steam integration and MK got Kratos.

Of course, this month has been one of the worst for the PSN. We found out that Sony shut down the PSN on April 20th because of security concerns. Then it was announced someone broke into our accounts and may have taken credit card info. It's a mess. The PSN won't be back until May 3 or 4. In all this news about the PSN, XBL warned of a possible phishing scam on CoD Modern Warfare 2.

Speaking of XBL, starting on April 18, gamers who bought Bulletstorm were invited to play the Gears of War 3 beta. People who pre-ordered Gears through Gamestop (like me) got beta access on the 25.While I'm more excited for the campaign of Gears 3, what I've seen of the multiplayer so far is awesome.

April has been a very busy month for gamers.  May is promising L.A. Noire, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean,  the return of the PSN,  and many other things. I can't wait!

X is for Xbox 360

Dear Xbox,

I love you, I really do, but  you frighten me. You get loud and sound angry. You don't want to do what I want sometimes. You turn red and just stop paying attention to me. Then you leave for a month and come back with "I'm sorry, here's a  small present."  Occasionally, you destroy my things.  But I keep coming back. Why? Because you have attributes the others don't have. I've said in the past after you give me this or that, I'm done with you. But then you tell me about some new, awesome thing you're working on. Damn you.

Love, me

Okay, so that wasn't entirely serious, but I think any long time 360 owner can relate on some level. RROD, E74, or "the 360 ate my game."  I have two 360's. One is an older model I call Old Clunky. Old Clunky has made the trip to Texas (where 360s are fixed) for the RROD once while in my possession. Old Clunky ate my Halo Reach disc and is working on Black Ops by the looks of it. He also makes lots of noise and doesn't want to close his tray sometimes.

Then I have a S model. It's much quieter and I don't hold my breath in fear when I turn it on. Thank you! The only thing that bothers me is its sensitive nature. It will turn on and open its tray while I dust it. I'm afraid when a cat walks by, it will turn on. Cause really, all you got to do it wave your finger in front of it and it pops to life. It's because of this nonsense, the tray has broken once already. All my babies go to Texas. They vacation there.  But, I can't deny I really love the S model. It's so much better.

Really, Microsoft. I love your exclusives. Gears, Halo, Left 4 Dead. I can't get them on the PS3 or Wii. I prefer XBL to the PSN, even if I have to pay for it.

So there. Thank you for the S model. I'm not too afraid general hardware failure anymore. I enjoy playing it and it doesn't seem to mess up the discs. Yay!

For a complete account of my RROD adventure go here

V is for Video Game Replay Value

I think replay value is extremely important in games.  It sort of sucks when you realize you never want to play that game you were so excited for again, especially when they're so expensive. I remember my disappointment with the Star Wars Force Unleashed game. I love Star Wars video games, but when I finished this one, I couldn't find a reason to go through it again. The game was too linear, too short, and really had nothing worth revisiting.

But just because a game is short, that doesn't mean it has no replay value. Look at Portal and Left 4 Dead.  The L4D games are short. Although, multiplayer is a blast. The campaign never gets boring, either. The Call of Duty games have short single player campaigns, but the multiplayer is one of the best.

Whether the game is long or short, the best feeling is never wanting to leave the world the game created. That's the most important factor to me.

More games with great replay value

Games with little replay value

U is for Useless Video Game Accessories

Through the years, there's been plenty of gaming accessories. It's funny to look back and see things that were suppose to be groundbreaking at the time, but turned out to be pretty horrible. My favorite useless accessory is the R.O.B. robot from the NES. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, until I learned  it actually made things harder. But I was a kid at the time, now I'm more wary of the latest and greatest "must have" gaming accessory. How many people shelled out money for the useless Wii remote sports add-ons like tennis rackets and bowling pins?

More more useless gaming accessories*cough* plowerglove *cough* can be found here

Q is for Quality in Video Games

How weird is it that I wake up to news of PC gamers complaining about the quality of Portal 2? My Q word was always going to be quality, but now it's taking a different twist.

What's all the fuss about? Apparently, PC gamers are mad that they can purchase DLCs on day one. Yes, I have rallied against pre-order bonuses including DLCs, but I think what's happening with Portal 2 is different. This downloadable content includes stuff like skins for Atlas and P-body. Yes, people are complaining about having the ability to change the color of the co-op  characters.  Does any of this DLC change the game? No. Is a fancy Atlas better then a regular one? Nope. This DLC doesn't actually impact the quality of the game.  Also, from what I understand, all these skins and costumes can be earned by playing the game anyway.

Valve has given free DLC to PC gamers in the past. The DLC that actually counts for something. When the Passing DLC was released for Left 4 Dead 2, PC gamers got it for free. I shelled out cash for it, cause I'm on the Xbox 360. But, I didn't mind because it was new content, a new level of the game.

Another complaint is the quality of the graphics. Now, I can only speak for the version of Portal 2 I played (PS3), but the graphics are really great. In fact, they blow the first Portal out of the water. I have not played it on the PC yet, although I will.  The game also  runs smoother then the first. In Portal, controlling Chell was a bit clunky. Just this past Monday, I died while playing Portal because Chell would not back out of a door in Test Chamber 19 and I got hit with a missile. (This is the 360 arcade version, btw)

Yet another complaint is the length of the game.  The first Portal is short.  Portal 2 is a stand alone title, with two different campaigns. I haven't finished the single player, but I'm about 3 hours into it. And I know I'm nowhere near finished. I haven't even touched the co-op yet. If I get about 7 hours from single and 5 from co-op, that's a decent amount of time. Plus, I replayed the hell out of the first one. A lot. So even if the game was a mere 4 hours, I know I'll replay it cause it's fun.

I don't see what the big deal is. Just because you're offered new skins, that doesn't mean you have to buy them. They don't change the quality of the game. Portal 2 is not broken, it's a gorgeous looking game that's entertaining. And that's all that matters to me.

P is for Portal

*bounces* It's finally here! Portal 2 was released today! To celebrate, I feel compelled to post a song I don't think I can get sick of:



Not only is there a new single player campaign, but there's also a c0-op campaign. Good-bye social life for awhile. Besides the mind bending physics of the Portal gun and the puzzles,  the new gels and other tricks like the panels,  you still have to deal with GLaDOS. I'm so excited to hear her taunting in Portal 2!

In the original  game, she was helpful at first and down right murderous at the end. Then you go and destroy her.  She turns around and sings during the credits about how she's "still alive". In the second game, you still play as Chell.  Aperture Science is in a state of severe disrepair, but that doesn't stop GLaDOS from rebuilding the facility.

I expect the sequel to be awesome from start to finish. The first Portal was an amazing experience, from the weighted companion cube to learning that "speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out." While it's hard to top the unprecedented success of the short game wedged into the Orange Box,  I have faith that Portal 2 will be just as good, if not better.

O is for Older Kids and Video Games

When it comes to picking out video games for older kids or *tweens* (I don't like that word), it can be hard even for gamer parents. Personally, I throw the ESRB ratings out the window and use them only as a last resort. I know what my son can and can not handle. I also know a basic overview of recently released games. But what if you don't really know much about games? I have written about what games I think are appropriate for the almost teen boy.

There are some really cool video games releasing soon or that just came out. Portal 2 will be here tomorrow and it's rated E10+. The Lego games like Star Wars are awesome. My son and I love them. In May, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean will come out. And if your son watches WWE, he can play the new WWE All Stars game.

I admit, during this time in their lives, it's difficult to absolutely  say what ESRB rating  older kids fall in. Yes, there's E and E10+, but there are  many T (like WWE games) and even M games (like Halo) that I think the almost teen kid can handle. It's all about knowing your child and knowing what the game is all about.

N is for Non-Playable Video Game Characters

C was for playable characters, so N is for characters you can't play but still leave a lasting impression.  How can you be attached to a character that you don't play? Some characters are just that awesome.  Here are a few of my non-playable video game characters.

GLaDOS-  Definitely. How can you play Portal and not love the sassy, lying, murderous GLaDOS?  She's so awesome it's sort of hard to write a short paragraph on her. Luckily, the 19th is what I'm calling "Portal Day" because the second one will be released. So you'll get much more GLaDOS then. For now, let's just say Portal would have worked without her omniscient voice goading you on. But, having GLaDOS is the icing on the non-existent cake. (sorry, I just couldn't help it)

The Carmines- Gears of War's brothers have become a fan favorite. From Anthony to Ben to the newest brother Clayton, everyone loves the Carmines. Sure, Anthony and Ben died, but their rookie enthusiasm lives on. (My favorite moments include Ben dropping his gun on his foot) Let's hope the seasoned, buff  Clayton lives in Gears 3.

Legend of Zelda- Zelda is the king of weird non-playable characters. In fact, I wrote a whole article on it. Who can forget the weirdness of the Happy Mask man or the Hand in the Toilet? I'm not kidding. It's hard to pick just one.

Andrew Ryan- You're lead to believe that Ryan is BioShock's big, bad guy to kill at the end. But not so fast. Ryan is the founder of Rapture and his voice haunts and taunts you through out the game. When you finally get to him, he gives one of the most memorable speeches in video games. "A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys..."

Alma- The creepy girl from F.E.A.R. is one character that is hard to forget. Not only does you pop up and scare the crap out of you, her story is much deeper and screwed-up then I could ever have imaged. Bring on the F.E.A.R. 3!

There's many characters that I'm sure I'm forgetting and hopefully, I will have time to talk about them later this month. But for now, these are the ones that stick in my mind the most.

J is for John Marston and Red Dead Redemption

I'm not a fan of Westerns. Make me watch a John Wayne movie and I'll probably start napping in 10 minutes. That's why when Rockstar announced it was going to make a video game set in the "Wild West", I wasn't sure what to think. But I had faith in them and my husband was so excited over this Western game, he pre-ordered it.

That game is Red Dead Redemption, of course. There have been few Western games.  Before Red Dead none of them made any lasting impression, to me, anyway. What really makes Red Dead great? John Marston.  Mr. Martson is a former bank robber, gang member and all around bad guy outlaw. When he's left for dead by his gang after a robbery, he goes straight and settles down with his wife and son.

In order to round up members of his former gang,  a government agent kidnaps John's wife and son. This is where the game starts, you're a man who made every mistake, but tried to leave that life behind. All you want to do is find your family and go back to your ranch. It's  compelling  and you can't help but feel for John.  The story sucks you in and doesn't let go.

Besides the story,  Red Dead is a  huge game. Filled with bounties, gun fights, wild animals, colorful characters, and crazy missions. The DLC, Undead Nightmare, not only expands the game but includes zombies, Bigfoot, the Four Horses of the Apocalypse and a  unicorn. And it works perfectly.

Red Dead is a game I can see myself playing over and over for many years to come. Besides the gameplay, the graphics, and the missions, it's really John and his need to make things right that will keep bringing me back.

 

I is for Idiotic Things Gamers Do

 

Ah yes, gamers can be idiots, especially during online games. From spawn killing, tea bagging, and noob tubers, the world of online gaming (I'm looking at you Xbox Live) can be an idiotic place. But the idiotic behaviors aren't limited to how games are played. There's also extreme trash talking, harassment for being a girl, being called gay, or any other number of slurs. I don't play online that much and when I do it's with people I've know either in real life or on XBL for years.

But that's not all of the idiotic gaming habits. There's fanboys/fangirls who believe their console of choice is a precious gift and every other console is crap.  For my list of annoying/idiotic habits go here.

I like to think I don't act like an idiot. I'm a bit of a gaming snob when it comes to certain things, though. I don't believe Facebook  games  like Farmville are actual games. ( and Zynga calling a Farmville addict a "hardcore gamer" makes me sick to my stomach)

But, I don't bother with them and I try to keep my mouth shut.  :)

 

H is for Horror Video Games

Anything horror is awesome and survival horror games hold a special place for me. I'm just drawn to them and beyond any other genre, I pay attention to it most. I remember the first time I saw those damn dogs crashing through the windows in Resident Evil way back in 1996. RE is probably my favorite horror game and the R blog post will most likely be for the series. Even though RE has changed over the years, I still love it. Who doesn't feel fear and tension in RE 5 when Chris and Sheva are wading through alligator infested swamps?

Another horror love of mine is F.E.A.R. I'm ridiculously excited that after many delays, the 3rd one should be releasing soon. At the end of F.E.A.R 2, your character is stuck in a pretty um..unsavory... situation. Even though we'll be playing Point Man again and not Becket, the third installment is focused on that unsavory situation. And a really cool thing I can't wait for is the ability to play as Fettel in the co-op mode. It should be very interesting.

Then we have  Silent Hill. I recently started playing 3 again.  Downpour will be released this year (maybe.. gotta love delays) and it's suppose to go back to the series'  roots. Yay! As long as there's crazy puzzles and monsters I'll be happy.

I can't forget Left 4 Dead. It's a game I originally mocked. How intriguing  can a  game with little story possible be? All you have to do is shot zombies and not die. But I was wrong. It's a blast and so is the sequel. There's few things worse then hearing the cries of the Witch or the roars of a Tank. But the games are also pretty funny especially when you make Coach and Ellis sing at the end of Dark Carnival.

There's a new zombie game that's on my radar called Dead Island. If you're a gamer, you probably have seen the trailer, (not for the squeamish, btw)  which looks fantastic. The graphics are really amazing. Maybe all of us good little zombie hunters will find that under our Christmas trees. (unless that's delayed too)

G is for Gears of War

I'm really excited about Gears of War right now. I've started replaying the series in anticipation for the Gears 3 beta coming on April 25. Remember when full game was suppose to release this month? Yeah, those were good times, until it was delayed until September.

What do I love about Gears?  There's the characters and the story. I've read many an article about how there isn't much story or development in the games. I tend to disagree.  From Marcus, to Dom, and the (so far) ill fated Carmines, I like hanging out with my COG  buddies. And GoW 3 will have new characters like Clayton Carmine. (who better live- I bought a T-shirt for the Xbox avatar)

There's two playable Gears girls for the first time, Anya and Sam. (I'm still going to play as Dom) There's also the mystery surrounding Marcus' father and his message at the end of Gears 2. I feel like I know these people and I'm anxious to see how their story ends.

Besides that, I like that the games have parts that can be pretty annoying. *cough* Berserker *cough* or how about razor hail, the Wretches, the Tickers, or the Kyrll? Yeah, Gears is full of enemies and situations that can make you nuts. But I love it and I can't wait until September.

 

 

C is for (Video Game) Characters

What makes a playable video game character great? Is it their struggles, humor, looks, or sheer badassness? Or something different? I have many favorite playable characters and through this A-Z challenge, I am planning on discussing  many of them in greater detail. But for now, I wanted to mention 5 and give a few reasons. N will be for Non-Playable Characters.

1. Link-  Hands down my absolute favorite. I have many Legend of Zelda themed posts coming up. In fact, there will be one tomorrow. I grew up with Link. When we first met, I was a wee lass of 10. I'm now 34. Why Link? Not only is he the strong, silent type, but he's portrayed as the unlikely hero. The boy who got thrust into saving the princess, or his sister, or friend. But ultimately, he saves the world.

2. Mario- Another one I grew up with. It seems rather silly to play a plumber who squashes evil turtles, travels through pipes, and can shoot fireballs. Whatever. I love Mario and all of his platform games.

3.  Darth Revan- Knights of the Old Republic was not only a great game, but it turned me into a Star Wars fanatic. The lasting attraction is Darth Revan. Forgetting the fact that canon states the "proper" end of the game is Revan redeeming himself, but I turned him (or her in my case) into a complete Sith badass. I really want to train on Korriban, btw.

4. Niko Bellic- Grand Theft Auto was never really my cup of tea until GTA IV and Niko. I liked the GTA games, but mostly watched others play them or I would just drive around causing mayhem without doing the missions. But Niko changed that.  The immigrant  who gets pulled into Liberty City's criminal underworld is still a good guy under the tough surface. And that shines through in the game. He's witty, realistic, and sometimes seems like the only sane person in the city.

5.  Dom- G is going to be for Gears of Wars. Why Dom and not Marcus? When I play Gears it's usually with someone else and I'm Dom. So I feel "closer" to him. And I feel horrible for him, especially after GoW 2.  Everything he went through trying to find his wife and the heartbreaking conclusion was very emotional.  I can't wait be play Dom again in GoW 3 this fall.

This is not a complete list as I also love characters like Leon, Jill, and Chris from Resident Evil. Every survivor especially Ellis, Zoey, Rochelle, and the ever complaining Francis from the  Left 4 Dead  games. I can't forget John Marston from Red Dead Redemption. I better stop now before I write a book here.

B is for BioShock

After this week, B is definitely for BioShock. My obsession with that game helped me get into the new Featured Contributor program on the Y!CN.  Besides playing and writing about BioShock, I have a Little Sister and Big Daddy tattoo. It's huge and almost finished. I should be getting it completed this coming week.  This is my first video game inspired tattoo.  That fact that is a BioShock tattoo speaks volumes on the influence the game and its sequel has had on me. I shall have pictures once it is done. :) If you're as jazzed about Rapture and excited about exploring Columbia next year as I am then check out some of my  BioShock articles here and here.

Video Games Based on 2011 Movie Releases

Ah, video games based on movies. Usually they're so bad they leave gamers screaming in frustration. It's  not always because the game doesn't reflect the movie well, the main issue is the game's broken. It's rushed, the controls don't respond, the graphics are choppy, it basically should have a Surgeon General warning on the box. Of course, there's exceptions to the rule.

As a gamer, I usually avoid movie tie in games, like Harry Potter. I'm a book nerd and while the movies are okay, the games based on the movies are mediocre at best. And I want more from a franchise like HP where there is such a rich, detailed world to explore. I'm hoping to be graced with a Knights of the Old Republic style game one day.

My HP geekiness aside, 2011 is full of big blockbuster type movies, which means a video game will be released just in time. While I don't have any expectations for these games, I'm hoping they will at least step up the quality a bit. A move in the right direction, if you will. Thor will be one follow, as the game is different on each system except the 360 and PS3 versions. Of course, all that variety can mean none of the versions are good. Captain America will have a different storyline then the movie, so at least that's interesting.

Once 2011 is over, we will see what impact video games based on movies will have. Maybe it will be a great year, or maybe I'm just cynical, cause I'm not hold my breath.

For more details click here

Video Game Franchises Getting a Reboot in 2011

Over the years, some video game franchises can lose popularity. Whether it's due to lack of innovation or the quality taking a hit, there are many games that haven't released that awe-inspiring, completely new title in awhile. 2011 will see at least 4 video game franchises getting rebooted. What is different about the new Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, and Mortal Kombat? Some are returning to their roots, others are branching out and getting a new twist.    For more details click here.