borandi's Xbox 360 diary

Retired

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Well, if you couldn't have guessed from the lack of posts since September 08, I've retired from the GS race. It was a snap decision - the circumstances in my life have changed such that Xbox 360 gaming is no longer important.

I still have my Guitar Hero and some RPGs, but apart from that, I'm selling everything else, including my US Xbox 360 and my second UK 360.

A full list of what's for sale can be found at http://tinyurl.com/borandiSale

Email me if you want anything - borandi [at] gmail [dot] com

I'll be writing a new blog soon, based on what may become my profession - PC building and overclocking. Stay tuned, or something.

Edit - here it is. http://borandipc.blogspot.com

The Easy Games - September 2008

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:14:00 +0000

At time of writing, I'm at 55 retail completions and 28 arcade completions. In a descending list of GS/hour:

Avatar
Madden 06
NBA 2k6
College Hoops 2k6
NHL 2k6
Madden 08
MLB 2k6
TMNT
Open Season
Fifa 06 RTFWC
NBA Live 2006
NHL® 07
Cars
Galaga
Surf's Up
Jumper
Lost: Via Domus
CSI: Hard Evidence
Cars: Mater-National
King Kong
POTC: At World's End
GUN
A-Train HX
Fuzion Frenzy 2
Jericho
Fifa Street 3
Fight Night Round 3
Viva Pinata: Party Animals
New Rally-X
Sonic
Eragon
Golden Axe
NBA Street Homecourt
Live Draft Tracker
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
X-Men III
Madden 07
Track and Field
Ms. Pac-Man
NBA Ballers: Chosen One
SpiderMan: FoF
Spyglass Board Games
Shrek III
Summer Athletics
Bomberman Live
Sonic 2
Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires
Meet the Robinsons
Gauntlet
Prey
NBA 2k7
NHL 2k7
3D Ultra Minigolf
Bionicle Heroes
Superman Returns
Bee Movie Game
Dig Dug
Pac-Man
Buku Numeros
Buku Sudoku
Backgammon
Carcassone
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
NCAA Football 07
Puzzle Fighter HD
Soul Calibur
Uno
Worms
TMNT: Arcade
Bankshot Billiards 2
Enchanted Arms
Phantasy Star Universe
WWE 08
LMA Manager 07
Arkadian Warriors
Civilisation Revolution
Viva Piñata
Wits and Wagers
WWE 07
Fable 2 Pub Games
Pro Evo 6 / Winning Eleven 2007
Undertow
Blue Dragon
Beautiful Katamari
Forza
Puzzle Quest

I've left Puzzle Quest in there, even though it's now got some DLC (for 700MSPs... rip off). To my surprise a few arcade games come in near the bottom.

I have a list of games I still want to play, due to easy GS:

Wall-E
Kung Fu Panda
Bourne Supremacy
Spiderwick Chronicles
Golden Compass
Madden 09
Big Game Hunter
Prince Caspian

and also a few games I own but not completed 100% yet:

Bully
Eternal Sonata
Lost Odyssey
Two Worlds
Cabela Safari
Scene It
Braid

etc. etc.

Here's the PDF of easy games with handy hints for most of the games.

7th September: GS Update

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:37:00 +0000

2 weeks since last update, so lots of gaming to cover :) Take, for example, my last 360voice entry:

borandi hit the switch and fired me up yesterday... his total gamer score is 109,879.That is an improvement of 385 points over last time! He opened up Jumper winning 1 achievement to defeat the game, Live Score Tracker winning 1 achievement, Unreal Tournament® 3 picking up 2 achievements, Infinite Undiscovery gaining 3 achievements, Yaris, Rez HD, Poker Smash, N+, NHL 2K8 adding 4 achievements, Bully Scholarship Ed. finishing an amazing 6 achievements, and laughed with joy and glee the whole time. I like making people happy.

And all the games:

NHL 2K8

0 -> 445 of 1000
10 of 19 Achievements

Started on NHL 2k8 this week. Its... frustrating. The menu system is weird, and like THE LAST NHL 2k7 there is a GLITCHED ACHIEVEMENT!! DAMN YOU 2K SPORTS!! HOW CAN YOU GET THIS SH!T WRONG TWICE IN A ROW!!!... Damn you, and your crappy programmers.

Live Score Tracker

0 -> 195 of 200
11 of 12 Achievements

Live score Tracker is EA's attempt to garnish money from us by making a game related to Fantasy NFL and offering easy gamerscore with it. Damn them. Damn us for buying it! I'm beginning to question EA's ethical practices.

Unreal Tournament® 3

290 -> 420 of 1000
22 of 50 Achievements

Spent a while on UT3 this week - mostly working towards the 200 kills every day for 50 days. On the way, worked on the weapons achievements. Fairly straightforward.

Bully Scholarship Ed.

150 -> 430 of 1000
20 of 38 Achievements

I completely blitzed Bully today. Did some of the story, but mainly worked on the easy achievements, like Kiss 20 Gents, Kick a football 100 times etc. Fairly easy so far, apart from the Shop classes (failed 3x :p).

Infinite Undiscovery

0 -> 50 of 1000
3 of 50 Achievements

I preordered IU with my Elite, so got some additional DLC with it. It's a JRPG with a Star Ocean type battle system. Only played a couple hours, seems fun, though the actual speech in game is words, not vocals which is common nowadays in RPGs. Will play more, will aim for 1k GS :)

Jumper

0 -> 1000 of 1000
20 of 20 Achievements

Jumper is an odd game. It offers a new battle system which is fun, but the camera angles are shoddy and the game is glitchy enough that 3 times I fell through the floor. On a speed run, I completed the story mode in 1hr 1minute, though it took 3 playthroughs to get the achievements. One boss was really hard half-way through the first playthrough, but after that it was easy (even the final boss). Game Complete!

Ticket to Ride™

0 -> 100 of 250
7 of 15 Achievements

I bought Ticket to Ride for the Social 2* badge over at 360voice. It's a fairly easy 200, though I need to boost some online games. Overall, it's a simple (but long) card game.

Live Draft Tracker

0 -> 200 of 200
12 of 12 Achievements

Live Draft Tracker is also one of EA's money making machines. This one is less palateable - too many MSPs!

NBA 2K7

655 -> 1000 of 1000
50 of 50 Achievements

Finally finished NBA 2k7. The main problem here were the blocks. I was able to fire up a second controller to get all block related achievements, and find a boosting partner for the online wins. Overall, a nice 1000 :)

NBA 2K8

210 -> 820 of 1000
40 of 50 Achievements

I played NBA 2k8 in the same ilk as 2k7 - once the blocks were out of the way, the rest was easy. The only achievements left are the online ones. I like the NBA 2k series - nice and somewhat easy :)

Call of Juarez

0 -> 10 of 1000
1 of 36 Achievements

I went into Gamestation and bought Call of Juarez and Kane&Lynch this week in their 2 for 20 (GBP) range. I've wanted CoJ for a while as part of my collection, though I'm not too fond of Westerns. I played this for a little, though it seemed a little frustrating. Must play later.

Buku Números

0 -> 200 of 200
12 of 12 Achievements

I got the opportunity to play Buku Numeros - the Mexican version of Buku Soduku. So I quickly wrapped up the 200GS, fairly easy when I found a boosting partner - which was a bit hard, seeing as only 100 people have ever played the game (according to MGC)!

Marvel Ult. Alliance

980 -> 1135 of 1250
54 of 58 Achievements

I've had Marvel: UA a while, and tbh I should have completed this already! I spent part of this past update time doing the simulation discs. Some of them were hard to get gold, but by using a combination of the best moves and being quick, it worked. After that, a case of getting all the outfits for every character. It was just a case of using one of the Asgard simulation levels. All that's left is to complete the game on hard, 100 arcade wins, and 2 DLC 'Meet X with X' achievements.

Rock Band

265 -> 285 of 1000
15 of 50 Achievements

Did some boosting with Roquey on Rock Band - some Score Duels. We traded about 10 each, along with me getting the 5 in a row achievement (he already had it).

============
No position updates this time - MGC are having problems. We all hope they get it sorted soon :) Good luck guys.

Ordered an Elite!!

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:50:00 +0000

So thats an Xbox 360 Elite (the version with 120GB HDD), Fable 2 Collectors Edition, Fallout 3 Collectors Edition and Infinite Undiscovery for £335 (inc P&P). Thats £30 saving over the cheapest prices to get these together, £65 over Gamestation.co.uk prices. Bargain.

See you on Fable II :)

25th August: GS Update

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Ahaha! I am back! *BIG FANFARE* No really, its all about the gaming.

Are you ready for a recap? I know I am! Giddyup: If your Xbox is depressed, try playing seven days in a row like borandi did last week. It has a way of making you a bit giddy... The gamerscore increase was just insane. I didn't think it would be possible to get 1730 points in such a short span of time but we did. Who knew 209 achievements could be worth that much? Ok I knew that...

For the record, we played 11 new games over the last week. They were Beijing 2008, Braid, Bully Scholarship Ed., ET: QUAKE Wars, Fable® II Pub Games, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, NFL Tour, SEGA Superstars Tennis, SOULCALIBUR, Summer Athletics, and Universe at War. They were all fun... in their own little ways. Also, I think we can all agree that borandi's favorite game last week was ET: QUAKE Wars. He played it on 3 of the days.

Lots of games played - some completed, some bought, some traded, some rented. Some fun, others not so much. Let me explain...

SOULCALIBUR

0 -> 200 of 200
12 of 12 Achievements

I've got the original in the Soul Calibur series (Soul Blade, PSX), and even though I'm not too keen on fighting games, the Soul series is the best. Though this XBLA version is a cut down copy of what was originally released - campaign mode has been cut. That was the best bit!!! But I heard this was some easy GS, so I got it and completed it. With the x360a guide, it was a cinch. Easy stuff. Game Complete!

Unreal Tournament® 3

0 -> 290 of 1000
12 of 50 Achievements

I had some HMV credit and had two options - wait a little while and get Too Human (where the demo was OK), or get UT3 which I know would be a little grindy but FPS fun. Well I got UT3 :) My brother and I blitzed the campaign mode in co-op, and I done a little in multiplayer. What's best is me + 15 easy bots, hyperspeed, small map, automatic weapons. There's a reason I got 457 kills in 20 minutes, 380 ahead of 2nd place :)

NBA 2K8

0 -> 210 of 1000
12 of 50 Achievements

I bought NBA 2k8 and NHL 2k8 from Gamestation a couple of days ago in the 2 for 20 range - bargain!!! So I got the easy achievements out of the way - 15 three pointers, 60 points in the paint, etc. The achs are almost identical to NBA 2k7, so we'll see how it goes. The hardest part is the blocks, which I'm working on.

Guitar Hero III

430 -> 455 of 1000
40 of 59 Achievements

Only one achievement of note on GH3 - the 250k notes hit in career. It came randomly, during a track which I failed - so even failed tracks count. I'm on my way to getting the 100mil total score and the $300k total across career.

Rock Band

245 -> 265 of 1000
14 of 50 Achievements

Not much to report on Rock Band - I got the Jet by doing Expert Guitar/Easy Vocals myself. However, my brother came over this bank holiday so we could go after the Endless Setlist (he can do expert bass, I've done expert guitar). We got upto the PR Firm, and we need another 200 stars to get into the Hall of Fame, then another 300 stars to get to the setlist (or something like that). Anyway he'll be back late September, so I'm hoping to get some more achs then.

The Simpsons™ Game

75 -> 185 of 1000
14 of 44 Achievements

It looks like a lot of people have the full 1k in The Simpsons Game, so I bought it to spend some time on it. I've only played a little so far, but I'm well on the way to completing the story mode. Will get back to you when I do!

WCP All In

0 -> 10 of 1000
1 of 39 Achievements

My brother bought this game, so while he was here we popped it in and I got the achievement for playing a year of career mode. This meant skipping 52 weeks. Easy GS, though the game could look better. I'll borrow this off him and play it more some other time.

Fable® II Pub Games

200 of 200
11 of 12 Achievements

I've never played the original Fable. But apparently I missed out. Like I should be put in front of a firing squad sort of missed out. So in order to get into the mood, I got the Pub Games, an XBLA game so people can try and get gold for their character in the main game before it comes out. Or, they could put their character in debt. Either way, the Pub Games consist of 3 games of chance, and a myriad of easy achievements if you've got a turbo pad. Seriously, for most of them, hold down A and bet away! Eventually, some skill is required, like the 'get a jackpot on each game' achievements. THe only one that was hard was the Keystone jackpot, which took 4 hours to get. I haven't completed it yet - still one achievement related to linking the game to a Fable 2 character. I'll get that soon when the game comes out :)

Beijing 2008

0 -> 300 of 1000
15 of 50 Achievements

I traded in a load (about 8) DS games for some credit, and with it I got Beijing 2008, Bully and The Simpsons. As a fan of Olympic style games, I was wanting to love Beijing. After playing it, yeah I like it, but the developers could have done it in a much nicer way. There are lots of events, but the control system is terrible, and the starting system in races is poor. The achievements are really hard (as in you need a perfect to get them) and they really could have looked at older track and field type games and thought 'what could we improve' rather than 'what could we screw up'. Wait until its a tenner, then buy it. A borandi top tip!

skate.

170 -> 390 of 1000
20 of 44 Achievements

I decided the other day to go take the task of getting all the games from my MGC.net profile, and get them 'above average' GS. Well skate. was the closest game which I own, so I went online. The easiest achievements seemed to be the online ones - get 600EXP in trick events and 600EXP in races. I was already 300/300, but it took 4 or so hours to play ~60 events to get 600/600. Though to be honest, it was fun. It's a shame single player mode is bit gay (but the control system is nice).

Devil May Cry 4

0 -> 20 of 1000
2 of 46 Achievements

DMC4 is supposedly a great game worth playing. Well I got it from LoveFilm, and I find it a bit meh. Most of the game is unlocked as you play (so it's not pick up and play), and generally requires 3 or 4 playthroughs. Each playthough is ~21 stages, each 10-20 minutes long. Well, I have a thing against games with those long stages if you can't save in the middle. It's a hack and slash type game revolving around stylistic fighting with a theme towards the dark and dreary. Maybe I just need to play it more - I'm upto stage 5.

Braid

0 -> 80 of 200
7 of 12 Achievements

Braid has been the centre of some controversy in the XBLA market. Some people hate games that cost 1200 MSPs (like Braid) purely based on price. Others say it's too short. The rest say its a pure masterpiece and worth every penny. Overall, the game lasts 4-5 hours and is a brilliantly made 2D platformer that is visually stunning as well as innovative to the genre. 1200MSPs = ~$10 for 4 hours play? That's a bargain compared to going to see a film. Try the demo, make up your own decision. I love it.

SEGA Superstars Tennis

0 -> 290 of 1000
16 of 45 Achievements

This game has been out a while, so I was glad to get it for 15GBP from GAME. It's a brilliant tennis game mixed with every fabulous SEGA franchise under the sun - Jet Set Radio, Channel 5... all with real tennis and real minigames. A great game in single player, and superb for versus mode.

Summer Athletics

0 -> 1000 of 1000
37 of 37 Achievements

After Beijing being a little disappointing, I was glad to hear that Summer Athletics' achievements would be a lot easier. Well, suffice to say, they were. As a vet of these type of games, this was easy, though some people over at x360a are having problems. Using the x360a guide (and helping add to it a little), the achievements fell. Overall, the game is lower quality than Beijing and could seriously take some hints. I'd suggest people buy Beijing over this. However, Game Complete!

Bully Scholarship Ed.

0 -> 150 of 1000
7 of 38 Achievements

Bully is a game I've been wanting to play for ages - if not just for the 'Kiss 20 boys' achievement. It's been out on the PS2 a while, and came to the 360 (with some extras) about 5 months ago. I found a copy cheap, and it's a brilliant game. Rockstar have excelled themselves again, and I should really play this more. BRB...

25th August: GS Update (2)

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:04:00 +0000

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

0 -> 570 of 1000
30 of 49 Achievements

With my love of guitar games, I just had to get GH:A. Well, that and my old GH3 guitar is a little worse for wear (the buttons stick). I got it with the guitar, and it's great. I completed GH:A on expert with no trouble whatsoever - If I recall correctly, I passed every track first time. Though looking at the achievements, I know there is one I wont get - 325k on Train Kept A Rollin'. I can get 230k, but I'm nowhere near that good.

Lost Odyssey

360 -> 980 of 1100
35 of 42 Achievements

With so much time offline, I blitzed Lost Odyssey. Using my Prima Guide, I got all but one achievement of the original 1000 GS. Unfortunately the final achievement is 'collect all pickups' around the world - which the guide doesnt cater for. Bastards. Though even with the guide, I found Lost Odyssey one of THE BEST games available for the 360. Go buy it - buy it now!

ET: QUAKE Wars

0 -> 240 of 1000
17 of 50 Achievements

ETQW was on offer on Play-Asia, and after playing the PC version, I thought I had a good feel to what the 360 should play like. In the end, I prefer the 360 version - a lot more pick up and play friendly, even if online there aren't many people. It's your standard team FPS objective style fare - either build this or hack that, or if you're on the other team, defend against the others. Achievement wise, you have the difficulty achievements (complete easy, med and hard), get 3* on all classes on each difficulty, win all maps offline as both sides, play a lot online. I got the play offline ones, done easy on campaign, and one match online. An easy enough 1000 I reckon, just needs some time and effort.

Civilization Revolut'n

855 -> 1000 of 1000
50 of 50 Achievements

I'm glad Civ Rev came to the 360 - this is the sort of game the 360 should have. The final achievements I needed were fairly straightforward with a little help from the x360a forums for the best way of going about it. Though the 'get the unique people' achievement took me about 8 or 9 games of culture farming. The final guy came on the last turn of a game. Lucky or what. 10/10!! Game Complete.

EarthDefenseForce 2017

0 -> 150 of 1000
2 of 6 Achievements

I just blitzed EDF. Easy and Normal difficulties just required some power shooting and fell quite easy. I've been able to play some levels on the 2nd hardest difficulty, and as a result get some strong weapons that I can use on the easier difficulties. It's great. Still more fun on co-op though.

NFS Most Wanted

265 -> 1000 of 1000
15 of 15 Achievements

NFS: MW, in retrospect, was an easy game. Just races from A to B, no real big difficulty when you get the best cars in the game. I found a way to gain bounty other than my previous method which involves driving around the motorway in the bottom left of the map. What was great though, I got the final achievement, but that isnt the end of the game - you have to escape some extreme police. Well I did, got to the final jump... and then my 360 froze up. Haha. Game Complete.

Naruto Rise Of A Ninja

0 -> 360 of 1075
11 of 37 Achievements

I love Naruto, but I'm not fond of fighting games. But I like platformers. Naruto is the ultimate mix of the lot - Platform style for story missions, but fighting mode for encounters. I jumped into it with fervor, and completed the story line (some battles I won by the skin of my teeth). Now the problem is that most of the achievements are now online, and I suck at online play, especially when you need 5 wins in a row with each character. Meh.

CM 2007

365 -> 375 of 1000
17 of 42 Achievements

Only one achievement of note - managed to sign a player for half his value. Didn't really play this much otherwise.

Stuntman: Ignition

100 -> 225 of 1000
14 of 50 Achievements

Last time I played this was from BlockBuster, but HMV are doing this cheap so I picked up a copy. It's a 'meh' game - it could be fun but it's not my sort of thing. Trying to do a succession of stunts, and thus the achievements are dead hard. I got some related to being a tard, and some story mode ones.

FlatOut UC

135 -> 185 of 1000
10 of 45 Achievements

I last played this as a rental from BlockBuster, but now HMV are doing it cheap as well. Now last time I played, I almost broke controllers due to one mission on career mode (one mission out of like 120) which was the last one for me to do, and I couldn't even get the bronze medal. Well I picked it up and on my second go, got the silver! So I got the complete career achievement. Excellent :)

Guitar Hero II

700 -> 760 of 1000
42 of 50 Achievements

Yep, I completed Expert career. A great achievement in my eyes after all the effort I've put in. Free Bird wasn't too hard - I had more trouble on Hanger 18 and it required some practice. Along with this, I also got the 400k achievement - I used Monkey Wrench on Expert. It's an easy track, but when the max possible is 454k you have to be right on the ball. I got 400232 points, with the last chord on a 4x, so basically only got it on the last note. Awesome.

80 -> 100 of 200
7 of 12 Achievements

Now E4 has a decent achievement guide, I decided to go after an achievement or two. I did, the 2000 beats one. The rest could be a bit tricky, and there's an online one left as well.

ACE COMBAT 6

10 -> 40 of 1000
4 of 49 Achievements

AC6 has been on my list of games to get for a while. So I rented it from LoveFilm again and played the next few missions. This game is well worth getting IMO, so I sent it back after a couple of missions with a good mind to buy it soon!

DMMM:Elements

0 -> 20 of 1000
2 of 49 Achievements

I've played Dark Messiah on PC, and the 360 port is done quite well. Imagine Half-Life 2 with a medieval theme. I didnt play this one long. The best bit of these ports from the Source engine is the interaction with the scenery and kicking enemies off ledges. Fun times =D

Conflict: Denied Ops

0 -> 10 of 1000
1 of 44 Achievements

Another short wonder, and to be honest I can't remember much. I have a distinct feeling that the first mission was weird and sent it back to LoveFilm.

F.E.A.R. Files

0 of 1000
0 of 41 Achievements

I had FEAR for a night, played one 20 minute mission, wherein I died after 15 minutes and had to restart. The controls were poor on the 360 - I've played the original on the PC and loved it.

SHReK the THiRD

590 -> 1000 of 1000
22 of 22 Achievements

Rented Shrek from LoveFilm to get the final GS I didn't get the first time round. Just a couple of playthroughs on hard and easy, then a couple of collection achievements. Easy. Game Complete!

==================

GamerScore:	99,889 -> 106569
Zone:	Pro

Completed XBLA:	25 -> 26 / 62
Completed Retail:	49 -> 53 / 214
GS Completion %:	46.34% -> 46.49%

Country Rank:	71 -> 66
World Rank:	523 -> 504
Completion Rank:	990 -> 1,049

Play-Asia

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:40:00 +0000

A website I've been using for a while to get cheap games is Play-Asia. I recently got Quake Wars for £15/$30 there on their weekly deals. Downside is delivery takes a week (to the UK) and import fees, which you dodge under $200 or £18. I've imported £35 without paying fees because they were just games - I had to pay fees on my turbo pad. But games like Lost Odyssey I got the better Asian release (all in english) where the box is bigger and better protected and nicer artwork. You can also get region unlocked games there for games that might not be available or before they go on sale in your in your region.

This is my 'link'. Please use it :) It'll probably go up on this site in due course.

A LoL I founded

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:07:00 +0000

Courtesy of TheDailyWTF.com:

Yes, thats a speed ticket for going 4800kph. Mach 4, anyone?

In Case You Hadn't Seen It

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:45:00 +0000

A little ditty, courtesy of Major Nelson:

I am playing the Fable II Pub Games...but I have a little problem

Out of the three pub games, which is your favorite? I’ve run into a very unique situation. I left the game on in my office at home, and I came back in an hour later to find my wife playing the games. Now, she’s not a gamer unless I put the controller in her hand, so this was a bit surprising. What happened next was even more surprising.

Here is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi..what are you doing?
Her (staring at the screen playing Keystone): (no answer)

Me: Hello? What are you doing?
Her: Playing

Me: Why?
Her: I saw these games, and they looked interesting. I’m not very good at them though.

At this point, I am a bit panicked, since the gold you win (or lose) will transfer to Fable II

Me (getting nervous): Umm…are you winning?
Her: No. I think I’ve lost about 3000. 3000 things.

Me (getting more nervous): What do you mean things?

Her: I don’t know…is this Dollars? Cents? Euros?
Me: It’s Gold.
Her: Ok. Gold. (Switches to Fortune’s Tower)

At this point I am trying to get the controller away from her.

Me: Why don’t you let me play?
Her: I like these games. I’m not very good….but they’re fun.

Me: Well, we have a little problem.
Her: What?

Me: Well, you know that game you liked on the original Xbox? Fable?
Her: The one where you could kick chickens? This music reminds me of that one.

Me: Well this game should remind you of that one since these games are from the sequel coming out this fall called Fable II.
Her (now 3400 in debt): Are you going to play it?

Me : Well. That’s where we have a problem.
Her: What’s the problem?

Me: Well, any gold you win in the game you can transfer to the game when it comes out.
Her: Cool. (pause)

Her: Wait. (now playing Spinnerbox) What about the gold you lose?
Me: You mean the gold YOU lost?

Her: Yea. the gold we lost?
Me: No…you lost.

Her: Yea, the gold we lost.
Me (sigh): Yes, the gold you lost. That’s where we have the problem. I’ll now start Fable II in debt. As in poor. As in owing money.

Her (turning to look at me for the first time since I walked in): Wow. That sucks. (she put the controller down and walks out of the room)
Her: I hope you can pay off that debt before the game comes out. I am going out, see you later.
All totaled, as I post this, I am about 3650 in debt. I have some work to before the game releases in October. So if you have any Pub Game tips feel free to post them in the comments.

Oh, and don’t leave your Gamertag signed in to Xbox LIVE playing the Fable Pub Games, as you may suffer the same fate I have.

It made me laugh!

After an Elite

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:20:00 +0000

I've been toying with the idea of getting an Elite for a while now. For two main reasons:

a) The Hard Drive. I currently have a 20gb model, which is full. I have ~50 arcade games, and so many retail games with saves, DLC and additional content that my HDD is full. MS take 7GB as a cache to begin with, only leaving 13. But I now do not have enough space for another arcade game. And now, with the Autumnal Update on the horizon having the opportunity to download a disc to the HDD so it loads quicker, a larger 120GB HDD seems a more worthwhile investment.

b) The Latest Chipset. My current UK pro-console is a repairee. This one has been sent back once. Still works fine, but a new console will have less chance of breakage and a brand new warranty. And I need a new wireless controller - all my current ones have problems - a X button that's hard to depress (thanks to Cola spillage), or an LB button that requires force to use (angry day on CoD4).

And there's the oppertunity to get a deal. i.e. GAME are doing an offer where with an elite, you can pay 25 squids for any new/future game, upto a max of 3. So if I get the Fable 2 Special Edition, Fallout 3 Special Edition and Infinite Discovery (RRP at Game for 150) for 75 squids. Seems like a good deal.

Plus I'll have a second power supply, so I can set the current Pro and US consoles at a different TV and swapped as necessary (it's a palava changing between UK and US consoles on my current TV).

So all I need now is £330. Anyone? :) If only I owned the Nintendo franchise...

(bottom image from Ctrl-Alt-Del)

I can has internetz????

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:23:00 +0000

I CAN HAS INTERNETZ????

Success comes in small lumps. Today, I am writing to you from the comfort of my own laptop in my own home, where a BT Home Hub is slowly chugging away providing me with access to the world outside my 2 mile bubble. It's been a long hard slog, and people at 360voice complained the moment I signed in, but the gaming updatez are (going to) begin again!!! The SQUIRREL is my friend!!

I will have Internet!

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:42:00 +0000

August 11th. That's the date set by BT when I phoned them yesterday. Apparently our last order got cancelled, and they couldn't be arsed to tell us - I was told that the online system is a shambles and not to use it. Whether that's a ploy to get more people to phone so they reach targets I don't know, but I've been faffed around so much with it.

Now, games. This week, I have some new ones, thanks to some trading in of DS games. We have, in the blue corner, Beijing 2008 (which doesn't like my turbo controller), The Simpsons Game, Bully (which is quite fun) and ET: Quake Wars (was 15 squids from Play-Asia; bargain!). Along with that I'm frustrated with GH2: I went after the 400k acheivement with Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench, and got 398.5k. ARRGHH!!!!

Still more misery, but an upside

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:20:00 +0000

Yes, still no internet yet. I'm having to use my work breaks to write these news posts (and do anything else online) now. Those idiots at BT are still acting like devolved monkeys. I might just cancel everything with them and move somewhere else. Bastards.

On the plus side, I managed a spectacular achievement last night - completed GH2 on expert! Take that Free Bird!! The GHA guitar is working wonders and I think my skill level has improved a little. Now out of the 4 guitar related games on the market, I only have GH3 left to do on expert - and I'm stuck on Cult of Personality. Well I haven't played it since my new guitar got here, so I'll try and destroy that tune.

Fingers crossed internet arrives soon,

borandi

BT Phone Home?

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Yes, BT are up their own backsides. Apparently I can have a phone line straight away, but regarding the internet, as I haven't lived in my new place for 2 years, they need me to send various ID to show I live there, including bills showing the address. Hello - I've been living there for a short amount of time AND I'm already paying you for the phone line. Gah.

On the bright side, I now have a University Contract = pay time soon (hopefully) = get back on track with gaming. I bought GH: Aerosmith this week (after seeing Rican get the full 1000 - git) and the new guitar is great. I'm getting through solos now I thought I'd never get through. 4 tracks or so left on GH2 as well.

Still after one person on Civ for the 1k, not touched Lost Odyssey again yet though. I stand at 102k GS or thereabouts.

Hope to be back soon, then I can start checking forums again.

More no update nonsense

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Well I graduated yesterday, resulting in 3/4 days of no 360 to play on, and I start my D. Phil. (a Ph.D. to non-Oxford graduates) today and I've already got a ton of work. On the upside, I should have the internet this evening, meaning a gaming update and a swing back into the 360 world this weekend.

=D

Still no internetz

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:29:00 +0000

No internet yet, but I've a broadband package on the way! Got the BT Broadband Anywhere, as it comes with a mobile (my old Nokia has given up on life), and I get 40 simoleans back from Quidco. Max 8MB/s line (though BT tests show a max 4.5MB/s) with unlimited limits, the usual stuff like that. Should be here middle of next week.

Regardless, I've been gaming somewhat. Lots of Lost Odyssey (might have completed it by next week) and some more EDF 2017. Update in a couple of weeks then =D

July 08 Games List

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:43:00 +0000

From time to time, it's hard to keep track of whats new in the land of the 360. I reckon at least 20 new games are coming out each month now, and to keep track of them, let alone play them all, is a bit hectic.

So I'm running this feature every few months or so. It's similar to my easy games lis t, but it lists all the western (i.e. non Japanese) retail games available from the 360s release in an easy to use .doc format (Word 97-2003 compatible). Easy enough to print out and keep beside your 360 when browsing for online deals or wondering what to buy next.

Download the 3MB file here.

I take my games list from x360a.org, and they're usually on the ball.

Review: A-Train HX

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Sim City started the revolution. I have fond memories as a youngster wiling away hours upon hours, on my father’s Atari 512 STE, playing this 2D classic. Since then, simulation type games have become addictive to the masses, absorbing many hours that could have been dedicated to family, friends, or significant hobbies.

As encapsulating as these games are, A-Train HX is the first to grace the Xbox 360, eighteen months after the 360s release*. This game is the next incantation of the A-Train series (none of which I have played), involving the manipulation of railway services to build a prosperous city.

I say ‘a prosperous city’, which in A-Train correlates to ‘allow the AI to build it’ around your creation. By and large, the A-Train HX dynamics can and will confuse – even the most hardcore simulation game fan will become unstuck at some point. As the Fat Controller, you decide where the train stations and tracks go. You have ultimate control of which trains to put on the tracks – ranging from short freight to large 2000-seater fast trains, or tube trains permeating underneath the ground. In order for the AI to kick in, ‘materials’ need to be transported to stations via freight trains from either outside the cities of factories on your map. When the population starts to build, commuter trains help populate the area and more materials result in a larger set of flats or high rise buildings.

At least this is the gist of the game I get. Even after completing the game and writing a quick start guide for a popular achievement website, I couldn’t tell you much else. There is no tutorial regarding the gameplay, let alone the controls. Oh, the controls! As unintuitive as they are frustrating. Many, many times I hit the right button, but I wasn’t selecting the appropriate item to perform the function I intended – it’s not obvious just which item is selected.

Gameplay wise, there is no story mode often associated with modern simulation games. However, provided are eight default maps on an increasing scale of difficulty, ranging from flat plains to mountains and archipelago. Also provided are the tools to create your own maps, to distribute and challenge your friends. If they have the game, which they probably wont.

A-Train HX is easy on the eye, and on the ear. The only visual hiccup worth noting is the camera manipulation near the end of the map, but all the sounds aid the simulation experience.

Ages 3-15 are not recommended ages for this game. I’m not even sure 16+ is appropriate. In fact, I’d recommend it solely to those who either enjoy their trains, or their simulation games. Also for achievement hunters – a simple achievement set for those that can get to grips with the gameplay and controls. A-Train rewards completing certain tasks, but fifteen hours or less is all that is needed for the gamerscore.

I enjoyed A-Train HX, but I like simulation games. And achievements.

borandi

* In English in Europe – in Japan A-Train HX was released a year earlier, and at time of writing, has not been encouraged to approach US shores.

No gaming update

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:34:00 +0000

Yeha no gaming update last week, as I'm currently in flux as to where I'm living at the minute! I've moved to Oxford, but still need to get internet and phone set up and everything. While waiting I have been doing some gaming - mainly EDF2017 and NFS: Most Wanted, but they'll be in my next update. Hoping to get everything sorted in the next couple of weeks, so keep watching this space!

Madden 09 Achievements

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Well, I've played my Maddens. 06, 07 and 08 are all complete, and to keep the streak going, the Madden 09 achievement list is now out, thanks to 360sync. It's a nice list, I hope to complete it soon!

Achievements	Gamerscore
2 TD Kickoff Returns in a game Return 2 Kickoffs for a TD in a game (non co-op)	75
Shut out Rival in a Franchise Shut out Rival in a Franchise game (non co-op)	50
Kick a FG for over 50 yards Kick a FG for over 50 yards in a Franchise game (non co-op)	15
Complete a game without an INT Complete a game without an interception, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op)	30
6 Rush TDs with the Dolphins 6 Rush TDs in a game with the Dolphins (non co-op)	50
Catch 10 passes in a game Catch 10 passes in a game with one receiver (non co-op)	50
Complete game without fumbling Complete a game without fumbling, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op)	25
2 TD Punt Returns in a game 2 TD Punt Returns in a game (non co-op)	65
Intercept 6 passes in a game Intercept 6 passes in a game (non co-op)	50
Hold a Rival to under 300 yards Hold a Rival to under 300 yards total offense in a game (non co-op)	50
Score 60 points in a Rival game Score 60 points in a Rival game (non co-op)	30
Score 40 points in a Rival game Score 40 points in a Rival game (non co-op)	20
Record 12 sacks in a game Record 12 sacks in a game (non co-op)	50
6 sacks with 1 player in a game 6 sacks with 1 player in a game (non co-op)	50
80% completion for a game 80% pass completion in a Franchise game, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op)	50
7 Pass TDs with the Falcons Throw 7 pass TDs in a game with the Falcons (non co-op)	50
550 Pass Yds with the Titans 550 Pass Yds in a game with the Titans (non co-op)	50
300 Rush Yds with the Jets 300 Rush Yds in a game with the Jets (non co-op)	10
Hold a Rival to under 20 points Hold a Rival team to under 20 points in a game (non co-op)	10
Midway Monster Create a legendary player from the past.	50
Can You Believe These Seats?! Celebrate a touchdown in a wall hotspot	30
Steal Their Thunder Steal an opposing player’s touchdown celebration	30
Slam Dunk All-Star Dunk the ball over the goalpost (or at least attempt to) after a touchdown	30
Shine In The Spotlight Celebrate a touchdown in an endzone hotspot	30
Secret Achievement Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.	50

Review: Fifa Street 3

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:49:00 +0000

Repetative and no longevity. These two characteristics sum up the majority of ‘Street’ type games in what is slowly becoming a quagmire of a genre. So enter the latest football entrée into the bog of foreboding.

My first experience of the game pitted my team of 4* players against a similarly ugly looking bunch of 3* players. Pleasantries were not exchanged and the myriad of football balancing skills ensued. With enough skills performed under my belt, followed by a deflected shot, I had achieved my ‘gamebreaker’ – a special power, which on my next possession I activated, gave a goal on the first shot. I regained possession quickly after the goal kick and subsequently scored again – and again. Here we are, 3-0 up, and only 30 seconds played. What manner of madness is this?

OK, I’m a sore loser. Easy difficulty or lower is my best friend. The next hour of me vs. CPU games resulted in an entire clean sheet. Even a quick foray into the challenge mode yielded little resistive powers behind the three CPUs powering this Microsoft console. Team after team, challenge after challenge, all fall under my spell of apathy, despite all the players being of the same level.

I see many games like this recently – they insist on a five star rating system bt refuse to let anything have only one or two stars. Where are the crap players? Where is the team I can fob off to friends in local multiplayer?

Despite all of this, EA can yield some small home comforts – the menu system in this sports game incantation is clear and easy to navigate (unlike other EA regular outings), and the sounds in game are appropriate – not stellar, just appropriate.

Multiplayer on Xbox Live is very empty – little in the way of players online (just watch, EA will close this server too), and thus games with a friend are mostly what you’ll get. I was getting no lag with UK to US games. The five minute time limit on ranked games is also a downside, as it makes one Xbox 360 achievement a jolly waste of time.

As for the achievements themselves – a visit to an achievement website will quickly net you all but 2 ‘offline’ achievements and the online ones. But do not despair! The 2 offline ones to which I refer involve playing with certain teams you can unlock in challenge mode. Should one wish to not soil their boots by treading through challenge mode, find an online friend who has, have a game of Playground Picks, with them hosting the game and picking the relevant teams for the achievements. The online achievements require only a friend or gaming buddy, but each player will need 25 ranked wins * 5 minutes a game = 50 games total, or 250 minutes plus loading screens.

On the DLC front, 300MSPs gets a pack with teams to unlock and 3 new stadiums. Also, easy achievements.

Overall, a sub-par repetitive football game with no longevity. But easy achievements.

borandi

(NSFW) Zero Punctuation - Haze

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:41:00 +0000

ZP examines the next generic FPS to hit the market.

Review: Bionicle Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:34:00 +0000

I didn’t know anything about Bionicle Heroes when it first passed my eyes. All I saw was a LEGO symbol – a symbol synonymous with one sort of game: no voice acting, stupidly long linear levels and multiple plays of the same level. After playing BH, it holds up to this branding well.

As far as is ascertainable without investigating the Bionicle world, you play an androgynous ‘freak’. This ‘freak’ can switch persona with a simple change of its LEGO head giving it different powers – but this freak is pissed. Pissed at some random ‘dude’ who can create minions. This ‘dude’ hasn’t stolen the protagonist’s significant other, or an exceptional amount of wealth from some evil caper worth stealing. Thanks to the no voice acting or written story, this tale offers a mind fuck not worth thinking about.

Nevertheless, the game itself acts like a third person shooter. Each level consists of going from point A to point F via points B, C, D and E in typical LEGO sequential fashion. At each point, your goal is gain LEGO pieces by collecting or shooting enough ‘bad guys’ to fill a special meter. This power is unleashed and you proceed to the next point. Each level offers either a level or collectable to finish. Repeat 25 times, ‘story’ complete.

To be honest, the controls are the big let down here. I play the odd FPS/Third-PS, and you should get the normal forward/back/turn/strafe combo with the analog sticks. No such luck in BH, which only strafes if RT is held down. But wait, isn’t that meant to be the fire button? Alas, that is reserved for the myriad of options by ABYX. This combined with the level length and the lack if an apparent story constitutes the main flaws of BH.

On the bright side, the visuals are a credit to the game. When considering the target audience of ages 3-15, the children will like the highly coloured scenery and the responsive sounds BH offers. Unfortunately, not much comfort for hardcore players.

As a game, I can’t recommend BH. It’s dull, boring, and has no ‘yay’ factor after completing a task. In my case, due to the appalling save system the game uses, my save file corrupted at around 80% into the game. Unfortunately, looking at online forums, this problem is common. Nevertheless, with persistence (and another 8 months), I was able to complete the games achievements, totalled around 20hrs play altogether.

On the achievements side, BH is an easy completion in the grand schema of Xbox gaming. Finish the game, kill X amount of each monster and get 5 million coins – these achievements are all straight forward. The main achievement basically requires 100% completion – thus needing every level to be played again (once all the upgrades have been obtained) to get every special item in each level (~9/level), and finish the level with a gold medal (all special items, lots of LEGO pieces). This type of collection achievement is also detriment to the LEGO games.

Bionicle Heroes – one for the kids.

borandi

(NSFW) Zero Punctuation: Oblivion

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:33:00 +0000

During the summer lull of new games, ZP reviews a game revered by many.

99999 (point 99999999)

noreply@blogger.com (borandi) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Well, here it is. The big 99999. My first achievement was on January 2nd, 2007 on Hexic HD - 539 days ago. That's 186.6GS/day on average, or 7.03 achievements per day. Along the way, I've completed 49 retail games, 25 arcade games, and PSU 1k GS, NHL 2k7 950 GS. My favourite genre should be the RPG, but my most played genre is the Music one. My favourite and worst games in various genres so far is are:

RPG: Lost Odyssey, Arcadian Warriors
Film: Surf's Up, Eragon
Race: Forza 2/Burnout Paradise, Fatal Inertia
FPS: COD 4, R6: Vegas
Music: GH3, DDR Universe
Sandbox: GTA IV, Assassins Creed
Sports: PES 08, Any Fifa game

My top three favourites are:

Lost Odyssey
Guitar Hero 3
GTA IV

Bottom three:

Eragon
Sonic (Retail)
Fusion Frenzy 2

According to MGC, I'm 525th in the world. That means at least 524 have the magical 100k!