Hushed Casket News

Halo: Reach

Mintz — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:13:53 +0000

I didn't know anything about Halo: Reach other than its existence until I saw this.

And now I actually care about Halo again.

Battlefield Bad Company 2. Discuss.

rapture — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:53:35 +0000

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an upcoming first-person shooter video game in development by EA Digital Illusions CE and to be published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game is a direct sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and was announced at one of Electronic Arts' earnings conferences and was showcased for the first time at E3 2009. The game is scheduled for release on March 2, 2010 in North America and March 5, 2010 in Europe, as announced at the EA press conference at Gamescom.

Gameplay -- Gameplay in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 resembles that of the original and is set in various environments from around the world, including the mountainous regions along the borders of Russia. Like its predecessor, Bad Company 2 features destructible environments. The system is dubbed "Destruction 2.0," and the level of destruction is extended — players can now completely collapse a building as opposed to only blowing out walls. Along with Battlefield Vietnam, Bad Company 2 is one of only two games in the Battlefield series to have blood without third-party modification.

Similar to Battlefield 1943, the health system from the previous "Bad Company" is replaced with regenerative health. There will be new vehicles in Bad Company 2, such as the UH-60, a quad bike, a two-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, an AA-gun mounted on a light tank, and a UAV helicopter controlled via laptop.

Single-player -- On January 22, 2010, it was revealed by senior producer Patrick Bach during an interview that the single player campaign will be about ten hours in length. Right before the close of the show, executive producer Karl Magnus Troedsson stated that the team wants to "give away a good bit of stuff for free," but they also have plans for paid downloadable content as well. He also went on to say that they would like to do additional weapons, among other things that fans want to see.

In a separate trailer released on January 21, the single player campaign was detailed, featuring the return of Private Preston Marlow, Private Terrance Sweetwater, Private George Gordon Haggard Jr., and Sergeant Samuel D. Redford as the main characters of the game, hunting a fictional unknown weapon made in South America.

Multiplayer -- The "Gold Rush" mode in the original Bad Company is referred to simply as "Rush" in Bad Company 2. The format is similar in that an attacking team must detonate explosives on a defending team's crates. The attacking team succeeds by eliminating all the crates on the map, and the defending team succeeds if the attackers are not able to eliminate the crates in the active area before their tickets are depleted. Making use of the Destruction 2.0 system, it is also possible to eliminate some of the crates by collapsing the building they are in on top of them. A lower scale mode called "Squad Rush" was confirmed that has only two opposing teams of four players battle against each other with one existing crate stash.

Multiplayer will allow players to choose from a set of weapon kits before each spawn, the number of which has been further reduced from Bad Company's five down to four: Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Medic (with the Specialist kit being the one removed). In addition to the hand grenades and sidearms standard for all classes, each class also has an initial primary weapon and a pair of gadgets unique to that class. A customizable weapon selection menu is also new to the Bad Company series (similar to unlocks in Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142). Gaining experience points allows a player to unlock and use different weapons and gadgets, some only useable by a given class and some available to any class that player uses. There are also unlockable items that can modify the game's firearms, such as ACOGs, reflex sights, and short or long barrel grenade launchers. If the game is pre-ordered at GameStop, EB Games in Canada, or Amazon in the United Kingdom, the AKS-74U will be immediately unlocked for use.

The experience points used to unlock the above items will be awarded for performing actions conducive to the goals of the player's team, such as eliminating enemy players, healing teammates, or capturing or defending points of interest. Bonuses to the base number of points can be awarded under certain circumstances (such as achieving a headshot in the process of eliminating an enemy player). A dog tag system as seen in Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield: Bad Company returns, awarding players trophies of sorts in the form of opponents' dog tags when they defeat the opponent with a melee attack.

On October 19, 2009, game developer DICE posted a Twitter announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would not support dedicated servers. Players will also be able to use party chat for each game mode.

Discontinuation of Xbox LIVE for Original Xbox and Games

rapture — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:48:52 +0000

MICROSOFT PRESS RELEASE (source: http://gamerscoreblog.com/press/archive/2010/02/05/gh789.aspx)

A LETTER FROM MARC WHITTEN: DISCONTINUATION OF XBOX LIVE FOR ORIGINAL XBOX GAMES
Dear Xbox LIVE Members,

On April 15 we will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox v1 games playable on Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals. I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.

Seven years ago we laid out our vision for the connected console when we launched Xbox LIVE. We believed then that the power of the Internet to connect people would revolutionize living room entertainment. It started with amazing multiplayer games, and we’ve since seen that bet pay off again and again with the launches of Xbox 360, Marketplace, Netflix and powerful social features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. None of this would have been possible without the success of LIVE as a multiplayer gaming network.

There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox LIVE community than the “Halo” franchise. “Halo 2” has had an amazing run on LIVE, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the “Halo” franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST” and soon “Halo: Reach” on Xbox 360.

Your Xbox LIVE community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process.

We’ll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE. I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE. The LIVE community is the driving force behind everything we do, and it’s because of the community that ground-breaking experiences on Xbox continue to be possible.

See you on LIVE,

Marc Whitten

YouTube - Infinity Ward has made Super Soldiers

rapture — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:02:58 +0000

Top 10 Xbox Live Indie Games

Xray — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:48:42 +0000

Today I am going to list my top 10 Xna games. These games are in no specific order.

Number 10, Plucky's 3d adventure
80 msp (1 dollar)

Most of the time in the xna section 3d games suck. But this new release is a very good Super Mario clone. It features 4 worlds with several levels in each. It has some of the best 3d graphics on the XBLIG section and only costs a dollar.

Number 9 ZP2K9
200 msp (1.50)

ZP2K9 is a 2d multiplayer sidescroller shooter, which is made by James Silva, the guy that brought us The Dishwasher:Dead Samurai. This was my 1st XBLIG purchase and for good reason. The main reason is the online multiplayer, which is awesome because it has 13 weapons, several maps, and supports 10 people online. Even without anyone online anymore, it is still worth the purchase.

Number 8 Weapon of choice
240 (3.00)

Weapon of choice is a 2d sidescroller much like contra. It features 8 characters, tons of levels, and throughout the levels some choice on which way to go. The main attraction for this game is the gameplay. It is very similair to contra but fleshed out. Also the graphics are amazing for an indie game. And it was IGN's XBLIG of the year last year.

Number 7 I Made A Game With Zombies In It
80 msp (1 dollar)

Possibly the most popular XBLIG out there, I made a game with zombies in it made thousands of people realise there are some gems in the Indie Games section. IMGWZ was the first really popular indie game because it featured 4 player dual stick shooting, much like geometry wars, and the most addicting song in a video game that will be in your head for days.

Number 6 Groov
80 msp (1 dollar)

Another twin stick shooter, groov has many graphical similarities to geometry wars, but the main attraction is its blend with gameplay and music. Its techno-ish music is driven by gameplay with every shot making a note, and every hit or kill making a different not. If you have a 360 get the trial and listen to the awesome music

Number 5 Pixel Boarder
240 msp (3.00)

Much like trials hd, pixel boarder is a physics based 2d game, in which the player controls the character with the analog sticks. It's awesome art style combines the classic 32 bit graphics with modern 3d graphics, much like rocket riot. Just be warned this game is rediculously hard (Did i spell that right?) and it also lacks global leaderboards, and a track editor.

Number 4 Creed Arena
400 msp (5.00)

Coming in at 4 is Creed Arena. This is a 3d game in which you have to shoot and kill numerous amounts of different kinds of monsters or other humans. This is the first 3d shooter on the XBLIG section done right. It has nice lighting effects and nice textures. It also has online multiplayer, and the option to play at a top down perspective.

Number 3 Avatar Golf
400 msp (5.00)

I personally don't like golf, but avatar golf is definately one of the best indie games. It features probably the best 3d graphics, Avatar support, all of the standard online feature including multiplayer, and some good fun.
Simply put it is the best downloadable golf game on any system to date.

Number 2 Kodu Game Lab
400 msp (5.00)

Possibly the most ambitous and creative game out there, Kodu game lab is only as good as you make it. It is a game making language that is targeted at kids, so its crazy easy to make games. You can make any type of game from a casual puzzle game to a hardcore 1st person shooter. The only flaw I see is you can only share your creations with friends so sad face to that :(

Number 1 Colleseum
240 msp (3.00)

One of the first Indie games, Colleseum is a cel shaded, 3d action adventure game similair to Too Human. Now I know what your thinking Too human sucked, but Colleseum made the controls better by letting you pull off combos. This isn't the best game on this list but it is definately worth the purchace.

That concludes my list, but there are a ton more great Indie games that I wish I could have added. But the game I think you should buy no matter what is I made a game with zombies in it. So please comment telling me if you disagree, agree, if you think I suck, or whatever.

Walmart: Xbox 360 Arcade + $100 Gift Card = Free CoD: MW2, extra 2 year warranty, extras.

rapture — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:32:38 +0000

It has been over just 8 months since I got my Xbox 360 Elite back from repair at Microsoft so you know what that means! Hardware failure time! I must be my 6th or 7th hardware failure with my console; I'm experiencing the "Open Tray" error again.

But I also have a new console.

Walmart, until this weekend, is running a deal where you get a free $100 gift card when you buy an Xbox 360 Arcade for $199. So, now I've got a console that works. Works so that I can play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Of course I used the $100 gift card to buy MW2. I also got a Chat Pad for my Xbox 360 Controller and, to my liking, an EXTRA 2 YEAR WARRANTY. That gave my Arcade console the 1-year Microsoft warranty plus the 2-year Walmart warranty for a total of a 3-year warranty.

I estimate that near 80% of all Xbox 360 consoles that my friends and I have break. And at $100 a pop for repairs, the $20 2-year warranty will pay for itself.

Subscribe to Xbox LIVE? Heck, I feel like I'm subscribing to Xbox console hardware.

Thank you Walmart.

Modern Warfare 2. Discuss.

rapture — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:46:16 +0000

• unlock and personalize your killstreak loadout
• AC130 gunning run is one of the killstreak unlocks
• some weapons seem futuristic
• "heat syncing" missile tracks to AC130 but the plane drops flares to counter
• looks like there's a lot of arcade-style scoring
• particle systems and destructible environments look more advanced

Other thoughts?

IW Pulls Unbelievable Move and Removes Dedicated Servers and Mods From MW2 (PC)

Oculus — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:35:47 +0000

http://games.on.net/article/7188/Modern_Warfare_2_shock_No_servers_or_mods_for_PC_version

I don't participate in boycotts for the sake of boycotting, but when the big players in the industry start to all push in a direction that is directly contrary to what the consumer demands, I may at least take another look at what the competition has to offer. I also have a strong feeling that IW will reverse their stance on this sometime after launch, and after they've sold a lot of copies on the 360 and PS3.

Game companies lately are under strong influence to degrade the PC release's functionality and resort to staggered launches to thwart day 1 piracy and encourage purchase of console games. PC gamers have felt the sting lately in a few titles due to intrusive DRM, bad console ports, 360 style matchmaking, disabled LAN play (...Blizzard, ahem), and a few other upper management type of game design decisions.

360 owners, don't think that this doesn't affect you. If PC gaming is nerfed to the point of no competition, expect to see your wallet drained in coming top publisher releases in the years to come and expect less competitiveness in the market overall as a whole. Ever wondered why we haven't seen 40 person dedicated servers available for the 360 or why Microsoft has actively blocked console MMO's from going forward?

What do you think of Infinity Wards decision?

Borderlands (RPG + FPS) Discussion

Oculus — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:52:21 +0000

It will have 4 player coop
RPG + FPS gameplay
Coop matchmaking
Downloadable content: Zombies announced

I plan on picking it up tomorrow at lunchtime.

Halo 3: ODST. Discuss.

rapture — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:52:14 +0000

Halo 3: ODST is here. Your thoughts on this game?

PayPal now works with Xbox LIVE

rapture — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:59:58 +0000

If you are in the United States, you can now use PayPal as a method of payment for the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

You can use PayPal to buy Microsoft Points without having to associate your credit card information to your Xbox LIVE account. Sign in to Xbox.com and head to the account summary page. From there choose “Manage Payment Options” (from the left navigation menu) then click “Add a new PayPal Account.” Follow the instructions and you’ll be set up in no time.

A couple of things to point out:

PayPal is currently supported for Xbox LIVE users in the U.S. only.
PayPal can only be used to purchase Microsoft Points on Xbox.com.
PayPal accounts are not available for purchasing Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 console.

You can associate multiple Pay Pal accounts with your Xbox LIVE account.

Halo themed RISK boardgame $30. Trailer.

rapture — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:46:54 +0000

The classic boardgame RISK gets a new Halo version. It is selling for $25 to $40 in various shops online: http://www.google.com/products?q=halo%20risk

Here is the product page on Amazon.com.

Der Riese gameplay footage. CoD: World at War Map Pack 3 zombie map.

rapture — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:22:55 +0000

Released August 6th.

* set in a secret Nazi research facility
* featuring the Pack-a-Punch machine, a device capable of upgrading weapons at the touch of a button
* teleporters to escape
* Perk machines and electric fences return
* New weapon: Monkey Bomb - a monkey takes a bomb to the zombies and explodes
* New weapon: Bowie Knife - 3000 points. Larger and wider. One-hit-kill until Level 16.
* 10 new Achievements/Trophies

Achievements/Trophies:
* Elevate Your Senses - Activate the Fly Trap.
* Locksmith - Open all the doors in the map.
* 40 Knives - Kill 40 zombies using the Bowie knife (a special, new weapon that will cost 3000 off the wall)
* Der Electrician - Link all teleport pads before Round 7.
* Frequent Flyer - Use the teleporter 8 times.
* Wacker Packer - Upgrade any weapon using the Pack-a-Punch machine.
* The Might of the Monkey - Use the Monkey Bomb.
* Perkaholics Anomynous - Survive until Round 20 without buying a single perk.
* Acquire Waffle Weapons - Obtain the Ray Gun, Wunderwaffe DG-2 and the Monkey Bomb at the same time in a game.
* Pack Addict - Upgrade 5 weapons at the Pack-a-Punch Machine .

Trailer for Der Riese:

Total list of changes coming in next Xbox LIVE Update

rapture — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:54:50 +0000

Parties - (Available Now, US Only)

Everyone loves to Party! Check out the new and improved party reconnections and streamlined party invites.

Party Reconnections - If a user is disconnected from a party inadvertently, they will be automatically reconnected to the party without any user interaction
Streamlined Party Invites - Invites are now just a click away! Never again will you have to navigate through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Account Management- (Available Now, All Regions)

Been an Xbox LIVE member for a while? Check out some of the new features we've added just for you.

Gold Member Veterans - Been here long? Show it off! Anyone looking at your gamer card will now know how long you’ve been an Xbox LIVE Gold member. And who knows, there might be other perks for you, too. Thanks for sticking around!
Subscription Notification - If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE. No more surprises the next time you hop in to frag your friends.
Fixing Invalid WLID's - If the Winodws Live ID (WLID) you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE. (This feature coming later in the Preview)

Account Recovery - (Available Now, All Regions)

Many changes have gone into the account recovery process to speed it up and to increase reliability.

Avatars - (Available Now, All Regions)

Avatars have seen lots of love! Check out the new Marketplace and Avatar Props.

Avatar Props - You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.
Avatar Marketplace - Reflect your sense of style with the new Avatar Marketplace. Download and purchase premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games.

Netflix - (Available Now, US Only)

Now you can watch movies with your friends and find new movies to add to your Instant Queue without leaving your seat.

Party Watch - Catch a show with your friends! You can now bring your party into Netflix and watch a movie or TV show together.
Find Content Faster - You can now browse through New Releases and other genre lists based on the types of shows you’ve previously watched, all from the comfort of your couch.
Improved Playback Experience - Improvements have been made to ensure a better experience when adapting to changing network conditions.
Improved Presence -Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are watching.

Video Display Options – (Available Now, All Regions)

Various improvements have been made to make it easier for you to see your game in the highest resolution possible when using an HDMI connection.

Display Discovery - This feature allows you to override audio and/or video formats independent of the display's capabilities.
How it works - By default, the console uses the information provided by the display (via its EDID) to determine the audio and video capabilities of the device. However, often the data is invalid or malformed, hence compatibility issues are encountered. When disabling display discovery, the EDID of the display is ignored, thereby, enabling the audio and video settings to be overridden with the desired format regardless of display support.
Who should use it? - The Display Discovery feature is available for DVI and HDMI connections in the Display settings section of System Settings in the dashboard. Please note that Display Discovery should only be disabled if audio and/or video related compatibility issues are encountered - otherwise, the output quality may be compromised.
Monitor Support - Additional monitor resolutions are now available for HDMI connections.

User Ratings – (Available Now, All Regions)

User ratings help you find content that other people think is awesome!

How it works - Every piece of game content on Marketplace can now be rated using a 5-star system. Just open up the details on what you want to rate and chose the Rate button. Each time you press the Rate button, you add one star to your personal rating.
Sort by Ratings - Now you can easily find great games that you might have missed out on. Just visit Browse All in either the Games or Video Marketplace and twist over to the Top Rated games to see what everyone’s been talking about.

Games on Demand – (Coming later in the Xbox LIVE Update Preview, All regions)

Enjoy the convenience of finding and buying new games right from your couch. You can now download full Xbox 360 games over Xbox LIVE.

Purchase - You can purchase a game through the Game Marketplace and download it directly to your console. This purchase is also stored in your purchase history so you can delete it and download it again if you run out of space.
Manuals - Game manuals will be available for these games on Xbox.com so that you will still have access to the full manual that comes with the boxed version of the game.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) - Games on Demand titles follow the same licensing rights as all other forms of downloadable content. Users are granted a user license that will allow the purchasing Gamertag to play the game on any console, and a console license that will allow anyone to play on the console that the content was originally downloaded to. No physical disc is required to play these games!

UI Improvements – (Available Now, All Regions)

Some parts of the dashboard have been slightly re-organized to make it easier to find the things you’re looking for.

Indie Games - We listened to our community and have decided to change Xbox LIVE Community Games to Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles. User ratings are also available for Indie Games, which will allow you to share your rating for a game and use ratings from others to find new content. We hope these changes will help people discover more games they love.
Achievement Browser - You can now launch a game directly from the Achievement browser making it even easier for you to max out your Gamerscore.
Achievement Tracking - A new All Games view inside the Profile panel includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played and shows off all your completed games.
Achievements - Check out the changes to the Achievement browser while playing a game. It’s now much easier to read through all the achievements so you can rack up the Gamerscore faster.
Streamlined Navigation - New entry points in the Dashboard for Active Downloads, Redeem Code, Auto Sign-In (via Profile), Create Profile, and Recover Gamer Tag, so that these features are much easier to find.
Voice Messages - When recording a voice message, a warning is now displayed if no audio is detected so you don’t accidentally send blank messages to your friends.

Console Settings – (Available Now, All Regions)
We’ve reorganized the Console Settings menu with fewer, more intuitive categories.

Memory - Time stamps now appear in the Memory Area. This is particularly handy when managing saved games.
Friends List Sorting - It’s now much easier to find your friends! Sort your friends list by Activity, Gamertag, or Online Status (default). Just press the Y button while you’re viewing the friends list in the Guide to change the sorting order.

Modern Warfare 2 War at Home Edition

rapture — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:10:19 +0000

Left 4 Dead 2 gameplay footage

rapture — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:58:25 +0000

The sequel to the 2008 Multiplayer Game of the Year, Left 4 Dead 2 is due out November 17 on Microsoft Windows PC and Xbox 360. Value is making the PC version while Certain Affinity is handling the port on the XBOX 360.

In L4D2 the AI Director has been improved to encourage more participation by players, forcing players through difficult gauntlets to reach the extraction point, and the ability to alter elements of the level such as placement of walls, lighting, or weather conditions. The AI Director will also be improved to reward players for taking longer or more difficult paths through each episode by providing more useful equipment, such as incendiary ammo, along these riskier paths, and even alter elements of the levels to create varied paths based on the choice of these paths.

Players will have access to more and improved weapons, including new melee weapons such as a frying pan, an axe, baseball bat, cricket bat, and chainsaw, and improved guns such as a silenced sub-machine gun, and a more-precise assault rifle. Also, totally new weapons like a grenade launcher and an AK-47. While the players will mostly encounter normal infected foes, there are "special infected" foes that possess unique abilities that require unique tactics to defeat or avoid. In addition to those introduced in the first game, Left 4 Dead 2 includes the Charger, a larger creature that can move fast but with low health that can leave a player helpless, and the Spitter, which spews a ball of mutated phlegm which covers an area of ground and eats away at survivor's health for every second they are in it. Existing specials will also be adjusted; for example, the infected Witch, fixed to a single spot in Left 4 Dead, will be able to roam during daytime levels, a featured referred to by Valve representatives as the "Wandering Witch".

Who played the original Left 4 Dead? Are you getting L4D2 and on what platform?

Where has this game been? Nazi Imperial Zombies in Call of Duty: World at War.

rapture — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:07:21 +0000

Where has this game been? THXers have been having a blast playing a separate cooperative mode in Call of Duty: World at War called Nazi Zombies.

While CoD's version of Zombies is fairly scripted and doesn't have the sophisticated "AI Director" found in Left 4 Dead, each game offers a slightly different experience based on the random events that happen; mainly the type of weapons that come out of the Mystery Box.

The game consists of up to two players locally or up to four players online working together battling against an unlimited number of waves of Nazi zombies. Players gain points by either killing the zombies or repairing boarded-up windows, which are used to remove blockages such as couches or doors inside the bunker. These points can be used to gain access to more powerful weapons than the starting handgun. Guns are bought from outlines on the walls or the Mystery Box, which gives weapons at random. Zombies continually break the boards on the windows or certain walls to gain entrance and to find and kill the players; when all players die, the game is over. Downed players can survive if another player revives them or will respawn at the end of a round with only a handgun. The game mode originally had to be unlocked upon completion of the campaign mode, but was later made available without this prerequisite.

Map Pack 2 was released on June 11th. The third map pack will be released in August 09.

Getting through the levels of Nazi Zombies is very challenging. If you don't play the game's economy, you won't make it past the early rounds because you have limited ammo and guns cost points.

The game has been a refreshing blast in a time while we are heading down the homestretch waiting for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Halo: ODST, and Left for Dead 2.

If you are like me, you were excited about World at War and then put it down after nobody on your buddy list continued to play it. I liked the World at War beta because it had the same game mechanics as CoD4: Modern Warfare. The biggest difference was the styling (WWII genre items in dark gritty maps in the Pacific). The game came out and no one played. I guess Gears of War 2 stole the show. It was released a weak prior. And let's be honest. CoD titles made by any studio other than Infinity Ward just don't get the same following.

Zombies has been a great; especially playing with THXers like Nearsight, Midnight, Reverend, FoulBreed, The Prey, Shyzza, Brick, and Celery.

Admittedly, the only reason I will continue to play the game is because I want to keep getting to higher levels. Once I've gotten to a level that's quinched my thirst for achievement, I'll probably put this game back in the drawer.

Peter Jackson's Halo game vaporware. New Halo anime series announced.

rapture — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:56:14 +0000

*******

Peter Jackson says that nothing is happening with the Halo movie that he was supposed to be involved with. Internal politics have shut that movie down. The Halo game that he was working on, Halo Chronicles, is also dead.

*******

Halo Legends was announced. It's a new anime series set in the Haloverse and will include some of the maps we've seen in the video game series. Five production houses in Japan (Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio4 C, and Toei Animation) are making the series for Microsoft. A preview of the series can be found below or on XBOX Live. I'm guessing we'll have to pay x00 Microsoft Points to watch each new episode. Cash cow.

*******

Halo Wars downloadable content (800 points) is now available. It includes 4 new maps and 4 new achievements:

MAPS
* Barrens (1v1 Map): Difficult terrain channels units into killing zones. The side that controls the Forerunner artifacts will have the advantage.
* Blood River (1v1 Map): Secure base locations on nearby cliffs overlook this naturally red-tinged river. The soldiers that fought over its two narrow crossings gave the river its name, which has since taken on a greater meaning.
* Glacial Ravine (3v3 Map): A snow-topped mountain range forms a natural barrier that cuts this region in half. Control of the two energy walls at the narrow central pass often determines the outcome of the battle, though clever use of the Sentinel Factories may play a role as well.
* Memorial Basin (2v2 Map): The high ground in the middle offers good cover for infantry, while the generally open terrain transforms organized battle plans into bloodbaths.

ACHIEVEMENTS
* Tour Coming Through: Hot drop 50 squads to your Covenant Leader in a single game on Memorial Basin (30 points)
* Never Leave a Man Behind: Finish a game with 5000 net resources contributed to your teammates on Barrens (15 points)
* Drain Cleaner: Kill 20 enemy squads with a continuous Covenant Leader Power on Memorial Basin (30 points)
* Killjoy: Disrupt 5 active Leader Powers in a single game on Blood River (25 points)

*******

Microsoft has filed for a trademarking of 343 Industries and we don't know what that means. It obviously seems Halo-related. US Pat Office

*******

Microsoft has many Halo job openings. Microsoft has many Natal job openings. Microsoft is working on Halo Reach. Halo Reach may include some Natal support.

Microsoft job offerings

*******

Microsoft will roll out the Halo Waypoint this fall on XBOX Live. It will be a portal for all things Halo. To me, this is proof that the XBOX Marketplace is hard to navigate. However, I'm sure they'll be some exclusive content in the Waypoint and like many other Halo titles have done, Waypoint will blaze a trail for other brands and games.

Battlefield 1943 Review (Xbox 360)

rapture — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:45:05 +0000

Battlefield 1943 was released on July 4th as a digital download for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The 4-map 24-player ggme costs 1200 points ($15) on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and weighs in at about 600 MB. It is set in the Pacific Theater on WW2 (US versus Japan) on maps with plenty of land, air, and sea to be explored. The game has gotten an average score of 85 out of 100 in critical reviews and 30 man-years of gameplay was performed on the day the game launched.

At first, I thought Battlefield 1943 was an unwise purchase given that Battlefield: Heroes is absolutely free to play on the PC and has similar features. But in the last week, the game has grown on me. Battlefield 2 on the PC was one of my most memorable first-person shooters; a game that was even deeper than our beloved Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Battlefield 1943 doesn’t offer the scale of BF2 or even CoD4, but for a 1200 point Xbox LIVE Arcade game, it certainly offers many hours of entertainment. Having played the same 4 maps for the last week, those maps have not yet gotten old. This is because the whole Battlefield series doesn’t just offer a first-person shooter experience, but an experience of being on the battlefield. Battlefield was the perfect name for this series as the whole game revolves around battlefield play; not just localized first-person shooter perspectives found in the Call of Duty series.

The physics in the game are good. The destructible environments add depth while the graphics which seem bold yet simple. Mounted machine guns can mow down brush and trees. Tanks can plow through buildings and walls. Grenades can blast holes through chain linked fences or sides of buildings. Weapon fire can explode gas tanks and storage barrels. The destructible environments are well done, add value to the gameplay, and seem to occur in a way that doesn’t happen too often or too easy, yet is always available when you need it.

The conquest gametype (think multiple areas of king of the hill) offers a gameplay experience that scales to a wide array of gamers: the competitive gun aimer who will want to shoot the rifles or the sniper rifles, to the submachine gunning cowboy who wants to charge out on his own and blow things up, to the prop plane flight simulator lovers who want to have air to air or air to ground combat. Gamers are able to scale the match into a game of team slayer, king of the hill, or dog fighting.

While we all hated vehicle play in Call of Duty 3, that’s not the case in BF1943. In BF1943, the vehicles are not over powering and not always the preferred way to get to another part of the map. And because of the availability of explosives in each class and of the anti-air artillery guns scattered around the map, vehicles can be defeated by one person with a seemingly small time investment. Vehicles available in the game are a jeep with mounted machine gun, a tank with mounted machine gun, Corsair and Zero airplanes, and troop carrier boats launched from the side of an aircraft carrier or on docks on the shorelines.

The troop carrier boat is one that is very memorable. To start a map, both sides begin on their respective aircraft carrier. From there they must make their way to the island to capture territories. Along with 2 airplanes that spawn on the deck of the aircraft carrier, 4 troop carrying boats spawn on the sides of the aircraft carrier. They can carry up to 6 players and have 2 mounted machine guns. Hitting the Left Trigger button drops the boat from the side of the aircraft carrier into the water below. The driver can them drive to boat to shore; usually somewhere near an enemy or unoccupied territory. The trooper carrier boats were done very well.

The physics in the game make driving the jeep fun. And the classic Battlefield move of attaching explosives to the side of a jeep, driving the jeep toward the enemy, and remote detonating the explosives is a very useful move in BF1943.

The airplanes, equipped with a machine gun and boms, are a lot of fun to fly in the airspace over the maps. All players still have their parachute so they can fly a plane behind enemy lines and parachute down to a strategic spot. I have not found a comfortable control scheme for the airplanes yet which makes the dog fight map more challenging than it should be. Unlike other titles in the Battlefield series, including BF: Heroes, you can not transport other players on the airplanes.

Periodically throughout the game, teams will have the opportunity to call in an air raid, which is a group of 3 large bomber planes that will drop a small amount of bombs on an area of the map. The person that calls in the air raid will have their camera view move to the view from the 3 bombers. The person is able to fly the bombers left or right across the battlefield; not change their altitude. Once the pilot is ready, they can release the bombs on board to hopefully drop on or near enemy assets. Anti-artillery guns stations around the map and on the aircraft carriers can shoot down the bombers.

There are 3 classes of warfighers: the Sniper, the Rifleman, and the Infantryman. The weapons are responsive and inflict enough damage to kill two or three persons between reloads. The Sniper rifle has a noticeable delay to get to scoped mode with even a short blackout between between carrying the weapons and scoping in an enemy. This prevents a lot of twitch shots. Yet with a small adjustment, headshots will be possible for sniper rifle lovers.

The Infantryman submachine gun is good a close range, but his M9 Bazooka is a great defense against enemy vehicles. Infantryman can also use their Wrench to repair friendly vehicles.

The Rifleman is my favorite class as the semi-auto rifle is good at hitting targets at long range as well as good for pulling off no-scope head shots. Reloads do not get in the way of inflicting a lot of damage into the enemy. Because the Rifleman is so good at killing the other team’s troops, they don’t have a great defense against enemy vehicles. The rifle grenades aren’t enough to take out a tank.

Battlefield 1943 is no doubt the most advanced first person shooter in the XBOX Live Arcade. It will no doubt make more money than any other Arcade game. I think the game is well worth the $15 price.

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Oculus — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:14:00 +0000

Man what a game. Check out that alpha teabag on the hilltop at 1:53!