The Elite Gamers

Sony: future PSP and PS3 firmware updates will raise level of interconnectivity

noreply@blogger.com (scorcher868) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:36:00 +0000

PS3 and PSP connectivity has always been a priority to Sony, and it looks like they have some pretty exciting plans for the two platforms in future firmware updates.

One of those plans include having the PSP use some of the PS3's processing power. Says SCEJ's Matsui:

In future updates, there are thoughts of raising the level of interaction, in the sense of “interactive entertainment”.

Among those ideas are enabling the PSP to cope with more processing while using computational resources on the PS3 side for areas where the PSP lacks resources, so we think that interaction between the two systems will be possible by having them successfully complement each other .

Don't know how they can actually make practical use of this though, considering that the PSP is primarily a portable console. If you're stuck connected to the PS3 to use its processing power, it defeats the whole purpose of getting a handheld.

Matsui adds that future firmware updates of the PS3 will add more services. They won't necessarily be about gaming either, despite Kaz Hirai's strong words about video games being the PS3's main premise. Says Matsui:

In addition, as with Life with PlayStation, we take the approach of making the PS3 something people will use from when they wake up, like switching it on to watch the news in the morning.

Since we believe that there must still be many areas in with both the PS3 and PSP can be of use in people’s daily lives, we want to continue to make firmware updates with this perspective in mind.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas comes to Xbox Live

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:09:00 +0000

Content: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States
[ESRB: M (MATURE) ALCOHOL REFERENCE, USE OF DRUGS, BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT, STRONG LANGUAGE]
Local Multiplayer 2, 5.1
Surround Sound.
GAME-PLAY ALERT:
This game has been fully tested to successfully play on your Xbox 360 console. However, in some cases, you may see some minor irregularities with audio/video for brief periods. For more details, see www.xbox.com/xboxoriginals. Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Now he’s back in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas™. But Carl's family is in dire straits and his friends are headed for disaster. To make matters worse, he's just been framed for homicide. Join Carl on his journey across the state of San Andreas as he fights to save his family and take back control of the streets. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

This is a great game for everyone who has completed GTA IV and hasnt yet played it. Its one of the best GTA's because of the wide variety of things you can do. Fly planes, buy your own houses, custom hair tattoos and more.
I won't be getting it because I already have the ps2 version.

Fallout 3 Best Buy? Maybe not, but presumed to be well worth it.

noreply@blogger.com (Pyros) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Who here loved playing Fallout 1 and 2? Ok... maybe I'm getting old. But nonetheless Fallout 3 has the hype, the background, and the backing of the entire industry. I wont try to explain the storyline or the world that Fallout 3 is presented in as other sites and the press release below can do it much better than I can. I will say one thing however, the initial two Fallout games did what few other games could do, offer variety and choice to the many types of gamers out there. The game offered a complex set of choices and builds that could accomodate any user. Did you wish to sway the entire game world through charisma? Or would you rather just brute force it through. Try playing the originals with near zero intelligence ^^ it changes the game.

Of course thats in the past. Whether or not Fallout 3 lives up to its predecessors or its fame will probably be decided in the new few times. There have been a few drastic changes such as the incorporation of the third person shooter aspect. This may irritate some of the true to the original fans but it may serve as a better method to get new players. Coming out soon with a midnight launch at Best Buy nationwide. Go forth! Make the brotherhood of steel proud!

Bethesda Softworks and Best Buy Bring Fallout 3 to Fans with Midnight Launch Events Across the Country

Fans to Help Usher in One of Year’s Biggest Videogame Launches

October 24, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, and Best Buy Co., Inc. have announced that in response to huge demand for Bethesda’s award-winning upcoming game, Fallout® 3, there will be midnight openings at Best Buy stores across the country the evening of October 27. Best Buy customers at select stores in the Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Dallas and Chicago metropolitan areas will be among the first to play one of the most anticipated videogames of the year.

“Fallout 3 has been a labor of love for the team at Bethesda and we can’t wait to get the game into the hands of consumers,” said Todd Howard, Game Director for Fallout 3. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the launch of Fallout 3 with the fans.”

The Fallout 3 team’s hometown Best Buy in Rockville, MD will serve as the flagship location of the midnight events, with special festivities including game kiosks, giveaways, contests and a live broadcast from the event with DC 101 FM. Game director Todd Howard will be on-hand along with other key members of the development team to sign copies of the game and chat with fans. In addition to the Rockville event, 11 Best Buy stores across the country will be hosting special midnight sales events.

Midnight sales event lines will begin forming at 3 pm local time, October 27 at the following Best Buy locations:

Washington, DC area

· Rockville, MD - 1200 Rockville Pike

· Tysons Corner, VA – 8449 Leesburg Pike

New York Area

· New York, NY – 44th And 5th

· Westbury, NY – 1100 Old Country Rd.

Los Angeles area

· Glendale, CA – 2909 Los Feliz Blvd.

· Pasadena, CA – 3415 E. Foothill Blvd.

Chicago area

· Chicago, IL. – 1000 W. North Ave.

· Downers Grove, IL – 1432 Butterfield Rd

Dallas area

· Plano, TX – 2800 N. Central Expy.

· Fort Worth, TX – 6750 West Fwy.

Minneapolis area

· Roseville, MN – 1643 Country Rd. B2

· Richfield, MN – 1000 W. 78th St.

Fallout 3 will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, in Europe and Australia on October 30 and in the UK on October 31. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008 and a perfect 10 out of 10 from Official Xbox Magazine.

Fallout® 3 has been rated Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit www.BestBuy.com/Fallout3, http://fallout.bethsoft.com and www.prepareforthefuture.com.

The "Towel Trick"

noreply@blogger.com (scorcher868) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:38:00 +0000

source- http://www.gameolosophy.com/Consoles/Xbox/Xbox-360-Red-Ring-of-Death-Fix.285307

OK so say your beloved Xbox 360 has received the dreaded Red Ring of Death. So you ring up Microsoft and let them know and they say that you will receive a box to ship it back in about 1 week.

That’s all fine and dandy but wouldn't it be cool if you could get your Xbox to temporarily work until you had to ship it out?

Well there is a way, it is known as the "towel trick"

OK for this you will need 3 large bath towels

First unplug everything from your Xbox 360 including your hard drive leaving just the power cord plugged it. Turn your Xbox on and place it in the center of the first towel. Wrap it up so everything is covered. Repeat with the two other towels. Now leave your 360 on and let it get all warm and toasty for 25 minutes

After the 25 minutes is up unwrap your 360 and unplug the power cord

Allow your Xbox to cool for about 20 minutes, preferably by a fan or open window to speed up the process.

Once completely cooled hook everything back up and power up your 360. Amazingly the Red Ring of Death will be gone!

Now this fix will last about 1 - 1 1/2 weeks, just about the time it takes Microsoft to get you your shipping box

Hope this helped!

Wii Music Launch Party Unsuccessful

noreply@blogger.com (scorcher868) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:26:00 +0000

The recent Rockefeller Center launch party in for Wii Music didn't attract the large crowd we usually see at Nintendo events. 1UP user Anthony Parisi attended the party and blogged on the low turnout, complete with pictures. The difference between it and the midnight launch for Super Mario Galaxy was clear (pictured above). When Nintendo announced the music pantomime game at E3 2008, many core gamers felt it lacked depth despite assurances and the frequent invoking of Shigeru Miyamoto's name.

Our own preview and positive review suggested that it's good casual-focused fun, but the launch bust doesn't bode well. Maybe more casual gamers -- who are less likely to attend a launch party -- will snatch it up as they have other titles like Wii Play. Otherwise, we may be getting our first glimpse at a Wii game that didn't catch the core or casual markets.

source- http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170773

Atari New Releases.

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Alone in the Dark PS3 in November, Race Pro in January, Eternal Sonata PS3 in February.
Atari has today released an updated release schedule, featuring its announced titles for the end of 2008 and in 2009.

Big titles on the way include the werewolf infested FPS Legendary, confirmed to be releasing first on Xbox 360 (October 31), followed in November on PC and PS3. Also in November is the reworked Alone in the Dark: Inferno for PS3 and the second Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion, Storm of Zehir.

Moving into 2009 gamers can look forward to Race Pro in January and Eternal Sonata PS3 in February. Also set for some point during the year are Afro Samurai and Heroes Over Europe.

Atari European Release Schedule:

October 24, 2008 What's Cooking: Jamie Oliver (DS)

October 31, 2008 My Horse and Me 2 (Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS)Legendary (Xbox 360)

November 2008 Tamagotchi: Connection Cornershop 3 (DS), Legendary (PS3, PC), Alone in the Dark: Inferno (PS3), Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir (PC)

November 7, 2008 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (PS3)

November 14, 2008 My Farm Around the World (DS)

December 5, 2008 Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World (PS2), Dragon Ball Z: Origins (DS)

January 2009 Race Pro (Xbox 360)

February 2009 Eternal Sonata (PS3)

Capcom Disses Xbox Live

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE boasts an enormous user base, however, many of its users have been nothing short of vocal in criticizing the monthly subscription fee required to fully “jump in.”
Supporters of the service often cited the flexible in-game chat capability as its primary edge over the PlayStation Network, but recent updates on the part of Sony have bridged that gap.
The addition of online capabilities to consoles allowed gamers to remotely connect to each other, but more importantly, from a publishers perspective, it created a viable means for digital distribution of content. On that note, both the PS3 and 360 next-gen consoles have infrastructures capable of delivering digital content to consumers, but which format do publishers prefer?

In a recent interview, Capcom’s digital content product manager, John Diamonon, discussed the current digital distribution options available to publishers. Diamonon complimented the PSN service, and had the following to say about XBL:
“As far as Microsoft goes–how can I say this diplomatically–there are things I think they’d like to do to promote content in multiple ways, and I think they’ll get there eventually… but they’re not there yet.”

It should also be noted that Sony recently granted Capcom a branded PSN storefront (the first of its kind), allowing the publisher to pimp their wares and their brand.

Unreal Tournament Expansion

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:54:00 +0000

Epic Games's money maker these days is Gears of War but don't think they've forgotten the Unreal series that put them on the map. Just a couple weeks away from Gears of War 2's release, Epic VP Mark Rein has revealed that a huge update is coming for Unreal Tournament 3.

"We're working together [with publisher Midway Games] on a major expansion to Unreal Tournament 3, that we expect will excite and grow our UT3 customer base which, incidentally, now numbers over a million units sold-through world-wide," said Rein to Eurogamer.

No release date or further details were mentioned. Though we're all jaded about sales figures at this point - the first Gears of War sold about three million copies in its first ten weeks - a million sales is still a lot of money/players. Unreal Tournament 3 always struck me as one of those games that didn't get nearly enough attention from gamers relative to its quality. We'll see if this expansion manages to reignite interest in the game.

The Conduit

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:17:00 +0000

The Conduit is the futuristic first person shooter video game for the Nintendo Wii. The storyline focuses on an alien invasion of Washington, D.C. in the near future. The online multiplayer offers udes several game modes such as Deathmatch and will have voice chat capability via the WiiSpeak peripheral, but other details have yet to be revealed. Watch the trailer.

Top 10 Games That Should Be Made

noreply@blogger.com (scorcher868) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:18:00 +0000

Everyone has games they like and dislike, but what about the games that never get made? What are the games that companies should have made, but haven’t? Well, here’s my top 10 personal choices.

10) Another 2D Mario game

I’m not even sure if I have to explain this. When Mario was in 2D, most Mario games were either the best on their console, or a close second or third. Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World… all of these games were awesome, and some of the most respected games of all time. While Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are good, there’s no need to stop pumping out 2D goodness. Sure, the DS had a new Super Mario game that was 2D, but that was years ago, and we’re getting restless for another. Plus, the DS game was kind of short, and we want more!
There must be more!

9) Mother/Earthbound continuation.

Most of you will have (hopefully) heard of Earthbound, an SNES RPG that has been my favourite game for a few years now. Now that Brawl is out with the character Lucas from Mother 3, you should know that it is a GBA game that was only released in Japan that was a sequel to Earthbound.
Luckily, Mother 3 will become available to the US and UK in a few days, because a group of fans translated the entire thing from scratch.
http://mother3.fobby.net/
The bad news is that if you want to play it, you’ll need a ROM and emulator. I’m not saying whether or not I’ll be doing that for legal reasons…

Remember kids, stealing is wrong…

But still, even though the story of Mother 3 wraps up the trilogy, I would still be overjoyed if they announced that the series wasn’t over. Come on, Ninty!

Mother series FTW! Not for the win, but for the world!!! You have to PK-Love the Mother series. It’s PSI-Rockin!

A new Chrono game

Now I know what you’re thinking, “A new Chrono Trigger game? Aren’t they remaking it for the DS really soon? What are you talking about?”
Well, yes, Nintendo are remaking Chrono Trigger for the DS, but that’s all it is, a remake. People who have been waiting the last 10 years to hear more from Chrono and the gang are finally getting to play… the same game, with prettier graphics. And a split-screen that will probably make the game more awkward than the SNES version.

A remake is a decent start, but when we’re getting remakes of Pikmin, Resident Evil, and now Chrono Trigger, you have to wonder, whe are we actually going to get some games we haven’t played yet?

7) More NES style games

Let’s face it, Megaman 9 is one of the biggest releases this year. Apart from people who are pissed they can’t beat it, it’s been completely and utterly shagged by reviewers, and that’s because it’s everything a game should be. Good music, check. Challenging, check. Simple yet effective gameplay, check.
This isn’t just Megaman 9. Look at Braid, or Castle Crashers, or even the new Wario game. All of these old games are being praised nowadays for just about everything. So why not give us some more games like this?

So, to summarize, less of this.

And more of this.

6) Duck Hunt

I know that the Wii has been graced with a few FPSs that can pass for decent games, but let’s face it, the WiiMote is downright ugly to use in games that you’ve grown up playing with a controller. I don’t care about swinging the sword differently in Zelda, or opening doors in Metroid Prime 3, I just want to play normally, thanks.
With that being said, the WiiMote is perfect for FPS games. Being able to genuinely aim at the screen is a great help, and a lot more comfortable to me than a joystick or control pad. I’m not a big fan of FPSs, but when I can move without having to use dual analogue sticks, several load/change weapon/reload/duck/jump/do the funky chicken buttons, and even more complex controls, and instead just point at the screen and fire, it’s so much simpler.
So why not bring back a beloved 80s game, Duck Hunt, for the Wii? I’m not talking about the WiiPlay minigame where occasionally you shoot a duck, amongst other things. Put in some different modes, two player where you see who can shoot the duck first, and you’ve got simplistic fun that hasn’t been matched since the good old NES Zapper. The original Duck Hunt isn’t great by today’s standards, but they can change that. Multiplayer, co-op, maybe even multiplayer online to battle people ACROSS THE WORLD!
At shooting ducks…
It sounds silly, but how many people would play Tetris if it was online (which for all I know, it could be).
I rest my case.

5) Kid Icarus + Kirby!

I know that you might be wondering why I have 2 entries, but they’re both very similar. For example.

They haven’t been announced, so they can technically be put on this list.

People have been waiting f**king years for them.

Everyone knows they’re coming, it’s just a matter of when.

They’re games that will finally get hardcore gamers to stop bitching about Nintendo.

They both feature characters that are well-loved by people.

They both need to be released before people lose interest.

There, that just about explains it.

I’m sorry for the following picture, but it’s the only one I could find that had both Pit and Kirby in it.

4) A longer Wario game

Wario has always been one of the most underrated franchises in the world. The Wario Land series on the Gameboy was downright amazing, and the WarioWare series is pretty cool and original too. Even Wario World was awesome to me, with one flaw. It’s length.
It’s not exactly a ridiculously short game, with 4 world, 2 levels and 3 boss fights in each world, and the fact that to get everything would easily take you about an hour makes it not that short, but it felt it, and I think I know why.
It’s a great idea for a game, and I completely loved it. 3D, going around fighting things, collecting treasure, multiple paths in the levels, this game was great. So it wasn’t that the game was really really short, it was just that the game was so great, you wanted more, and we haven’t had more since! Sure, Wario Land: The Shake Dimension is out, but that’s more of a continuation of his 2D adventures. Bring me more Wario, people!

3) A Pokemon game as long as the Gameboy ones

Everyone knows the Pokemon series on the Gameboy was long itself, with Red, Yellow, Blue, Gold, Silver, Crystal, and the for the GBA Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, Leaf Green, etc.
But what’s often forgotten is the sheer length of these games. It’s amazing to consider that a game released more than 10 years ago is still one of the longest games in the world to complete, with gyms to beat and Pokemon to catch, and while Colosseum, Gale of Darkness, and Battle Revolution have been alright, they can’t compare length-wise to the older games. So please Nintendo, just make a game with at least half the length of the old magic you used to throw together.

2) A 2D Castlevania game

I’m a pretty big Castlevania fan. I’ve completed 1, 2, 3, Super Castlevania IV, and even one of the most overlooked GBA games in history, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Heck, if I ever get a Playstation, it’s not going to be because of Final Fantasy 7, it’ll be because of Symphony of the Night.
With that being said, we’re being treated to a crapfest and a half this year.
Not only are Nintendo f**king up yet AGAIN with a Castlevania fighting game (Seriously Nintendo, what the fuck?) but there’s a new 3D Castlevania game coming out on PS3 and 360. It doesn’t sound as bad as the fighter (hence why I said ‘a crapfest and a half’; this game is only half as crap as the fighter) it still won’t make up for the years when we’ve had to flee to handhelds with any hope of reliving Castlevania greatness. It just doesn’t feel right playing Castlevania in 3D.
I don’t care whether or not they use the RPG elements, as they were no more/less fun to me than any other Castlevania game, but please, give us some old greatness with Simon Belmont again.

I would do a recap, but this isn’t a Screwattack vid, so if you really want to see the last 9 choices, just scroll up and read them again.

…

1) A platformer with…

He hasn’t had a great game in years, once the most recognised figure in gaming, featuring in one of the all time most recognisable games ever…

Donkey Kong!

One of my favourite characters, the old Donkey Kong games were complete and utter pwnage! The three NES games? First 2 were legendary, last one was good. The Donkey Kong Country series? One of the most amazing platformers I’ve ever played, and some the best graphics on the SNES. Even Donkey Kong 64 was good, with imaginative levels and some funny moments.
So how come everything since then has been crap? There was the Donkey Konga series, which wasn’t exactly bad, but not great either. Then we got a racing game with him on the Wii, which was pretty low. Now, no word on any future games! Donkey Kong is such an amazing character, how can you waste him?
I don’t care whether it’s 2D or 3D, Donkey Kong needs a return to greatness, and I for one am still waiting for the chance to collect more bananas and fight kremlings again.

He’s the leader of the bunch! You know him well! He’s finally back, to kick some tail!

DK! Donkey Kong!!!

New Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Im going to start of this blog with the most anticipated thing coming to xbox live this fall…..

The NEW Xbox 360 Dashboard.

With all therumored Xbox 360 price cuts for September, Microsoft must have the sick new dashboard just around the corner too right? November actually. The new update is scheduled to be release in 3 from now. Just a quick recap on what makes the update a must have:
Ability to save on and play games off the Hard Drive (instead of disks)- In short, this means quicker load times (big plus), lower risk of freezing with no more scratched disks (bigger plus), and an overall better gaming experience (biggest plus). However, you will have to keep the game you’re playing in the 360’s drive due to “pirating reasons” (people stealing games by making illegal copies of them).
Avatars (like the Wii’s Mii characters)- Not exactly sure how this will go, but we do know these will be your players in down-loadable Xbox Live Arcade games like Uno!.
Netflix Support- This will make the Xbox 360 even more of an entertainment device, allowing you to not only buy HD and standard definition TV shows and movies, but you can now rent from the larger Netflix library and straight to the 360.
New “Floating Panel” Interface- We mentioned this is similar to what Windows Vista has with that new flip 3D interface, and the released pics of this new interface (see pic above), look both intuitive and aesthetically stunning
Sound good? November is still a couple months away so sit tight until this “mandatory (Microsoft’s words not ours) update” comes. In the meantime, tell us what you think of the new update, the 360, or just your video game console of choice– and what they should do to fight this update if necessary– in the comments.

Start of The Elite Gamers

noreply@blogger.com (Rebs) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:57:00 +0000

I have big plans.
I will update thie blog every day depending on news.
I will bring in all your gaming news and speculation. I will start a daily giveaway once I reach 10 thousand views. Giveaways will start with 48 hour codes and 100 ms point codes posted daily and range up to 3 months xbox live in contests. I will also hold xbox live tournaments aswell as ps3 and wii battles.
Not to mention hiring new bloggers each to review games all for you.
Stay tuned.