3 Random Xbox Thoughts

1. Based on all of the fantastic Gears of War 2 Coverage I have been reading, Gears 2 looks to solve a lot of the issues I had with the first title. The Most important one being the irritating shotgun war that multiplayer became. Gears of War 2 also looks to provide a much more engrossing and intelligent single/co-op experience as well, so that’s good.

2. Whatever happened to Cheat Codes & Game Genies? Video Games used to be chock full of secret button inputs, codes, or simply hacked with devices such as the Game Genie. These days it’s hard finding any sort of Xbox Cheat Codes at all. I guess with all the new games, their save features, etc….cheat codes have just gone the way of the dinosaur.

3. Where’s GTA IV’s Downloadable Content? I specifically bought GTA IV for Xbox because of the DLC promised to come out, but it’s still not here…what’s the deal? By the time the DLC comes out will anyone even care about GTA IV anymore? I definitely got some more fun times out of the game with some of the Grand Theft Auto IV cheats (ok maybe cheat codes aren't dead) using the Cell phone, but I need more. C’mon Rockstar & Microsoft, where’s my exclusive Downloadable Content?

5 reasons why I returned Quake Wars Enemy Territory after ~30minutes

5. Graphics were bad...some original xbox games look better
4. Training taught me....how to fail the first mission
3. I never was a Quake fan...and apparently never will be.
2. Clunky Controls
1. Gameplay sucked...there are sooo many FPS and all are better choices. Even if you like class based soldiers go with Team Fortress 2 over this dud.

5 Thoughts on the Gears of War 2 "Assault" Gameplay Video

5. Is chainsaw dueling really a feature needed in this game? In Gears 1, I always felt the first chainsawer won the battle and didn't really have any problems with it. Dueling is going to work well in multiplayer or make it a button mashing toss-up.

4. Control-wise and gameplay wise it doesn't look like much is changing. Still hold 4 weapons, Y still looks at stuff, aiming/firing mechanic looks the same, and stop-n-pop is still there.

3. Epic's playing it safe, but there's some new stuff in there: Holding a Locust hostage is very Metal Gear-esque and could be REALLY cool in multiplayer. There's also some new weapons in the trailer and the aforementioned chainsaw dueling.

2. Graphics are still very impressive- Yes, everyone in Gears is on Roids or HGH, but this trailer shows a lot going on and really looks to capture the feel of a human-locust war much better than the first Gears of War. Is it just me or is this type of gameplay with all the vehicles very reminiscent of Halo?

1. Campaign looks to be a lot more fleshed out and way better. Even in Cliffy B's intro, there seems to be more depth with the tactics and story surrounding GOW2. Hopefuly the dialogue and story will live up the action in these new scenarios.

Gears of War 2 Official- My 5 thoughts

Watch out Sony, Microsoft may have blown their load of AAA titles early, but they still have some tricks up their sleeves. Gears of War 2 is officially coming to the 360 in November. Here's 5 things I think about the matter:

5. The only thing surprising about this announcement is the fact that the game is scheduled to release this year.

4. Locking Chainsaws would be a cool addition.

3. Gears of War 2 gives Xbox a much needed hyped game. Fable 2 and Halo Wars is not enough against: Metal Gear 4, Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, Resistance Fall of Man 2.

2. Gears of War really needs to step up the Multiplayer Balance in order for me to get excited about it. The game exists as a glitch & bug fest currently.

1. The trailer doesn't reveal anything! The models even look they're from the 1st game.

The 5 Things I think about Playstation 3 after having it a week

5. The SIXAXIS controller if very light, but instantly comfortable and familiar. Not having a battery pack strapped to it is an appreciated feature and the USB charge interface is the same for my Digital camera which means no purchasing of needless accessories.

4. I feel stupid for admitting this, but I do miss Achievements. Then again, achievements have chained me to games that I didn't want to play in the past and for what? a higher Gamerscore? Something happened to me over the past year, Microsoft got me with those damn achievement points! I thought they were stupid when I first got my Xbox...then I liked them...and now I'm just not sure...

3. Not including an HDMI cable (~$50) is really annoying...ok, maybe that would be ok if Sony included another type of HD hookup...nope. I can understand not including an HDMI cable but come on! only a basic video hookup! not even S-video? Really annoying.

2. While PSN is not nearly as robust as Live Marketplace, the caliber of downloadable games is fantastic. Not having a size limit certainly opens things up. Calling All Cars and Everyday Shooter are among the best downloadable games I've played. While the store interface sucks compared to Xbox Live...It's Freaking FREE! and you don't have to buy points...you can just pay for things exactly...Thanks Sony. Did I forget to mention the PS3's built in wireless? Great!

1. The Graphics on PS3 PWN Xbox and Wii. You really don't apprecaite the power of a Playstation 3 until you get your HDMI cable and hook it up on an HD set....WOW! First Party Games make Gears look generic. Bravo Cell Processor

What are the next big games out there? Here are the 5 games to watch...

Now obviously I could include Halo 3 in this list, but everyone is already watching out for that or playing the Beta as we speak, plus everyone knows it'll sell millions of copies. I'm going to leave out GTA IV as well since again, it's already a guaranteed hit so I'm going to leave some big titles out in order to delve into some others. I probably should leave all sequels but every sequel I include will have some factor why it may not be a "guaranteed" hit despite that it will surely be a great game.





1. Metal Gear Solid 4 (ps3)
This guy is going to be amazing looking and will absolutely showcase the PS3's power. The big question is will anyone have a PS3 to enjoy it. Sony is surely hoping that MGS4 sells some PS3s but the title is rumored to come out sometime after Xmas in 2008. That delay is not going to help sell PS3s, plus there's a rumor (which is gathering steam) that it's being developed for Xbox 360 as well. Metal Gear is a great franchise and I'm glad Kojima is not rushing it, but it has got to be pissing Sony off that this game is taking so long.




2. Assassin's Creed (xbox 360 / ps3)
This game looks incredible, plus it looks to have some cool new game mechanics / stealth elements(crowd pushing/pick pocketing, etc). The fighting (the worst part of Prince of Persia) seems to be vastly improved as well and actually looks...dare I say it...fun...plus the whole concept is cool. Sneak up and kill your target and then escape by running, jumping and bounding around ancient cities. Sick.





3. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
In the spirit of covering several different consoles, I think this is the best pick as a game to watch because expectations are really high. If Brawl goes all Wii-mote on people, the hardcore smash fans will be really upset...and that's probably an understatement. If it is not broke don't fix it.

4. Band of Bugs (XBOX LIVE ARCADE)
Hopefully this game will be the first to be released on this list. It has been in the works for awhile and was previewed as a coming Spring 07 release along with Catan, Eets, and all the other games that have recently come out. I'm sure it will be worth the wait though since this game will feature a complete campaign mode, intense strategic multiplayer battles, a level editor, and a cool new celshaded look. The only questoin is when? Hopefully next Wednesday.



5. Mass Effect (XBOX 360)
I tried to look at PSP, DS, etc for something but mentioning the DS Zelda, or next big Nintendo sequel didn't seem right. There's a ton of stuff coming late summer and fall (Mercenaries 2, Too Human, Bioshock, Dirt) but I felt Mass Effect was the best choice. My guess is that Mass Effect will overshadow the incredibly popular (in Japan) Blue Dragon due to its more Western friendly action/RPG feel. Plus it is a Bioware release, looks gorgeous and has tremendous freedom.

so there's my 5 games for now (though I cheated and mentioned a lot more). Only time will tell how good these games actually end up being.

5 Things I think about the Halo 3 Beta after my initial play session

1. Halo 3 is going to be a damn good game- I think the graphics are a huge improvement over Halo 2 and Yes, it doesn't look like Gears of War, but it's only a Beta and there is a lot more going on in a bigger area.

2. That using RB to pick up weapons and reload is going to take quite awhile to get used to. I have had a couple stumbles by pressing X....most of this revolved around dropping the powerdrain equipment onto myself.

3. Equipment is a genius idea that makes combat all the more dynamic. This morning I stormed into a battle against 3 enemies who were ganging up on one of my own mates. My teammate severely damaged 2 and I was able to finish 1 off quickly before the other 2 turned on me. Luckily, I had a bubble shield, killed 1 of the 2 and then dropped it...thus saving my life. The final opponent chucked all his grenades at me to no avail and just as he entered my shield, I left him a brute grenade and backed away- BANG a 3-1 team slayer point exchange. Equipment is great! I only hope there's more.

4. If the plasma sword does not return, I will be severely disappointed. Shotguns are good and all, but I loved the dynamic of having a shotgun and fighting a sword. The pistol is also missing, but I am pretty sure that will be in the game, so I only hope that the sword will make it as well.

5. Matchmaking is still the best damn way to play an online game and it's only better in this game. It makes searching for ranked matches in other multiplayer games all the more annoying and will make it extremely hard to revert back to come June 10th (oh yeah did I mention they extended the beta timeframe as a result of the Crackdown delay...thank you Bungie!).

Best 5 Live Arcade games- Follow-up

A reader posted a comment yesterday about the below 5 xbox Live Arcade games wanting to know why I was looking forward to them or thought they looked like promising titles. The fact that this comment came from a fellow game developer just made it so I couldn't refuse. So what makes these 5 games the most promising? Well first of all, most of the games are ORIGINAL games and new IPs made specifically for Live Arcade. I love getting a new game tailored to Xbox Arcade over a nostalgic rehash of an older game (unless it's castlevania SotN of course). It's more exciting to play a Brand New game than play one you played years ago. Most of these 5 games have these features, but let's delve into what makes some even more exciting than the others.

1. Castle Crashers- This game IS what Live Arcade should be about- taking old school gameplay (4 player Arcade beatemups) and fusing it with unique visuals, humor, and excellent animation. Watch this game in motion and tell me you don't want to play it with your friends. This game has the nostalgic classic pick up and play gameplay with updated visuals, new characters, etc. It's Golden Axe or Streets of Rage with online multiplayer and without the pixelated visuals of the 80s/90s...brilliant.


2. Band of Bugs- I'm mainly looking forward to this game because I have loved every NinjaBee game so far and don't see why the newest release wouldn't live up to my expectations. Ninjabee is really good at taking really complicated PC game genres and simplifing them into more enjoyable experiences that are easier to approach. Outpost Kaloki X is a simplified RTS, but still maintains depth in its gameplay. It's a tough balance and I think Ninjabee does it well. Band of Bugs looks to be better since it takes a genre I've always liked more than RTS's and simplifies it, and gives us a map editor and online multiplayer. I hope this one comes out soon.


3. Undertow- first off it is set in a future where Earth has been submerged by Water (hopefully that's where the similarities to 'Waterworld' end). It's offering a full campaign mode with co-op as well as intense multiplayer...so it's full featured just like many of the $60 games out there. Gameplay is Battlefield meets Geometry Wars. You move with one stick and shoot with the other, while you fight to capture control points. Plus the graphics look pretty good.


4. Eets- So these next 2 are lower on the list because they are not quite as unique. Eets is a port of a great Indie PC game so...I really wish I didn't get an error last night when I tried to download and play it. Hopefully, MS will have it all fixed up by this evening.


5. Wing Commander Arena- On paper this game had me really excited because it was Wing Commander! on Xbox with multiplayer. The video got me less excited because it looks like they're simplifying and messing with both the WC gameplay and graphics/view. We'll see, but it still remains an interesting and promising project.

Hope that helps and enjoy the videos/trailers below...

The 5 Xbox Live Arcade Games that I think are the most promising (ranked for your convenience):

1. Castle Crashers

2. Band of Bugs











3. Undertow

4. Eets: Chowdown

5. Wing Commander: Arena

5 Video Game Things I think...

1. That Castle Crashers (http://www.thebehemoth.com) will be the greatest Xbox Live Arcade game ever. Now when the hell does it come out? I've heard not till 2008...d'oh! Microsoft will you please tell us the Arcade Release schedule. Telling us on Monday which game is coming out Wednesday isn't good enough.
2. That Playstation 2 has seen its last great game in God of War 2 and that God of War 3 would really help the PS3 out.
3. That the Shotgun in Gears of War is WAY too powerful now and that there is a dominating Host advantage with the weapon, thus diminishing GOW's online multiplayer significantly. Vegas anyone?
4. That the new bungie.net is quite possibly the best integration of webpage and game that I have ever seen and that they have taken stat tracking and game strategy to a whole new level. BTW where the hell is the Halo 3 Beta...man is that taking too long.
5. That Nintendo DS hasn't seen a good game come out since the Holiday season and Pokemon Pearl and Diamond (or whatever) are not what is going to make me dust the DS off. Where is Zelda Phantom Hourglass? How bout a Metroid Fusion 2? I need some games to look forward to here.