We all feel that sense of dread when we have to call customer service to try and troubleshoot a malfunctioning product. You have to wait while a computer routes you to a disinterested associate who may or may not solve your problem and may or may not be polite to you. Some dude named Jason has figure out how to get to escalate your problem quickly to someone who is a bit more skilled than your typical call center specialist.
Check out the super simple procedure over at Jason's blog.
Even the back of the box tells us that this game is trying too hard to be something its not - a third-person shooter with profundity. The Club, Sega's latest foray into attempted gaming relevancy, is a title that has some potential. It could be a fast-paced, run and gun arcade-style extravaganza. Instead, it's a frustrating, self-absorbed traipse of a time-trial through a world that shouldn't exist, not even in a game programmer's imagination.
posted by Chris on January 7, 2008 5:57 PM in Podcast
One day Google Image Search will stop giving me quality podcast images. That will be a sad day indeed. Don't be fooled by the random image generated by typing "Beef Comparisons" into Google, this is The Weekly Geek! This week, Qais, Chris and Mack sit down to have a lovely and civil discussion about the Consumer Electronics Show, the Ultimate Xbox 360, digital downloads and new media, the controversy surrounding controversy and, as always, beer pong. Download the podcast here or subscribe to our feed and get it automatically every week! Show notes and contest info after the jump.
posted by Chris on January 3, 2008 8:28 AM in Games, Rant
The oft-rumored "360 Ultimate" has been recently "profiled" in the "magazine" entitled "Stuff", Kotaku brings to our attention this week. The system is supposed to cram all sorts of amazing junk into one box, in order to more fully compete with Sony's PLAYSTATION 3. To echo the almighty house of Crecente:
The Xbox 360 Ultimate, Stuff writes, will be hitting store shelves by this autumn and feature "1080p HDMI output, built-in Wi-Fi, hi-def audio output, cooler 65nm hardware architecture and a near-silent fan." On top of all that, the IPTV service that MS touted at last year's CES will be good to go.
Microsoft is a fan of making money, so as long as they can turn a profit on the hardware, this rumor sounds slightly reasonable. Readers of the site will know that I don't usually post articles about hardware rumors, or newly posted specs about a system. Usually, I just don't care. Sure, it's neat that eventually I can replace my clunky hd-dvd player drive hanging off of my Xbox 360 like a remora, but the best part of this article is the comments section on Kotaku. I've been a commenter there for a while, yet I hardly use the ability to comment there. Why? Ridiculous statements by ill-informed children such as this:
BY CHINEZEPANDA AT 04:43 PM
Never going to happen.
Even if it does..
SONY WILL OFFICIALLY HAVE THE UPPER HAND.
And by that I mean.. Microsoft will be acting in an act of desperation... and my 360 will be going on Ebay.
I love the use of the phrase "Microsoft will be acting in an act of desperation" so dramatic! So final! SO EXCITING. Conjures images of the stunning beauty Microsoft being strapped to train rails by the dastardly Sony, who now has the UPPER HAND! This one is classic, too. And they go on for a couple hundred comments of ridiculousness!
BY CAPT_BIRDSEYE AT 01/02/08 05:42 PM
You have all been Riped off by Microsoft, BTW that reminds me microsoft can't think of thire own ideas.
Now it gose to show why microsoft want a new console the so called "Xbox Ultimate" let me gess Sony have the upper hand? thire tryied with the core, premuim and the elite and now the ultimate. But sony have only made 4 versions of playstaion 3, 20gb, 40gb, 60gb and 80gb now in terms of that thire have only added more harddrive space and removing ps2 BC from most of thire modles. Micro$oft umm money crabbing creedy mofos if u ask me.
Ok, so making fun of this guy's spelling is a bit of a low blow, but come on. It's a company that wants to make money. That's what companies exist for. Microsoft is not some sort of happy shiny non-profit game company who just wants to give you exactly what you want. They want to make a bunch of fantastic games for you SO YOU WILL BUY THEM. It's pretty transparent. All this knee-jerking and fanboyism is really ridiculous. Can't you just say "hey, neat. Hope that comes out and is reasonably priced." and leave it at that? Not everyone is an analyst. Heck, I am not even an analyst. So quit thinking that you are. Or, at least, learn to spell. It's embarrassing.
posted by Qais on December 17, 2007 3:08 PM in Games
Have a look-see at the recently released game play video for Ninja Gaiden 2. Itagaki's notoriously difficult sequel to the 360's Ninja Gaiden looks to be gruesomely violent, something we here at Chez Geek are all fans of. However, the obvious violence present in the game play video begs the question why are some games singled out as exceptionally violent (Manhunt 2) where others are often ignored?
posted by Qais on December 11, 2007 12:23 PM in Games
Warm up those sneers and put on your best ripped denim and leopard print vest, geeks! Today brings us Rockband's Punk Pack. The 440 point punk pack includes "I Fought the Law" by The Clash, "Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones, and "Ever Fallen in Love" as made famous by Buzzcocks. Of course, each song will be available for individual download, another way in which Rockband is rapidly proving itself superior to it's precursor, Guitar Hero. Individual tracks are available at 160 points each.
If you've ever wanted to play online with your humble Weekly Geek staff as well as all your pals from the forums, but you've been too intimidated by the sheer number of accounts you'd have to add, then have we got a surprise for you! Now, by adding the gamertag TheWeeklyGeek to your friends and then using the "View Friends" option included in the last update you'll be mere moments from online gaming bliss.
It couldn't be that simple but it is! Call now! Supplies are limited! Limit one per account!
We seem to be kind of migrating away from the traditional format of reviews and so I think I'll just go with this one as it flows. Call of Duty 4 is the latest installment from Activision's popular war-based FPS series. Deciding that they've done enough of World War II, they have moved to a modern, current day setting. Rather than fighting around Europe, you'll be shooting people in Generic Middle Eastern Country.
Guitar Hero is the story of a franchise in the process of being brutally milked for all its worth. It's what they call a phenomenon, reaching official meme status now with its appearance on South Park, and tournaments now being held in Hot Topic stores around the nation. The original two titles in the series were much loved, and then when the third game was announced without stellar developer Harmonix attached, we got a bit worried. Harmonix moved on to bigger and better things (Rock Band being at the very least bigger) and left Activision's Neversoft studios at the reins. Neversoft is better known as the Tony Hawk developer, which caused even more worry. Were they going to water down Guitar Hero and make it as stale as the Tony Hawk series is now? Neversoft even had to remake the game engine since Harmonix owned the rights. Lucky for us, all our fears were completely unfounded: Guitar Hero III is the best in the series, and some of the most fun you can ever have with a fake plastic guitar. The strange pseudo-rivalry going on between Guitar Hero and Rock Band is even starting to feel a bit silly; the games are completely different. They are no longer trodding on the same territory, and the avid gamer can feel good about owning both games, and getting value out of each.
Guitar Hero III, in my opinion, has the best song selection in the series yet. In what I assume was an effort to match the quality of the song list in Rock Band, Activision has really stepped up the licensing to bring tons of master tracks and really high quality songs to Guitar Hero. Not only are tracks like Guns n Roses' Welcome to the Jungle and Muse's Knights of Cydonia completely rad, but all the songs feel more fun to play somehow. It's like they perfected the art of mapping the buttons in a manner that makes you feel more like you are actually influencing the course of the song. Hitting the notes is slightly more forgiving than previous titles in the series as well, with hammer-ons and pull-offs simplified. Don't let that fool you, however. This game is hard. Guitar Hero III has a serious vendetta against your wrists, and after playing a couple songs even on medium difficulty you'll know what I mean.
The inexplicable trio of Microsoft, the PTA, and Jerry Rice have teamed up to confirm the rumors of the Xbox 360 Family Timer, a device which would allow parents to set limitations on playing time for their brood on a daily or weekly basis. Gone are the days of huddling over a television set at the wee hours of the morning, volume set to levels that only a dog (and apparently all parents) could hear, playing until highly trained ears hear the all too familiar click of a parent's door and the mad scramble to shut everything down and get the hell out of dodge and back into bed ensues.
The Family Timer is designed to buttress the PTA's PACT campaign (family contracts intended to spur family discussion) and Microsoft's "Is Your Family Set?" campaign. Granted, I and many of my cohorts were the type to huddle over TVs playing games at times explicitly forbidden so a device like this may actually be a little necessary. But I can't help but feel like earning the trust and respect of your children, and relaxing a little in the process, might not benefit both parents and children rather than relying on Microsoft to take the role of fun police.
Rather than limiting the times and what their children are playing I'd like to see parents sitting down with their kids to play. I know those controllers, what with all their confusing knobs and buttons, look daunting but parents may find that actually playing with their kids may lead to a greater understanding of the little goblins than simply limiting the fun they can have and when they can have it.
posted by Chris on November 5, 2007 2:42 PM in Games
We're completely in love with the Xbox 360's Live Arcade here at The Weekly Geek, its system of delivering a weekly dose of (usually) fantastic new titles combined with the seamless integration of Live make it the ultimate social arcade-style gaming experience. Remember the feeling of hanging out at an arcade with friends? You see a game you all want to play and you walk over and play it for a little bit, and then move on to the next one? The vast variety and ability to share games with your friends was a feeling unmatched by home systems until now. We have polled every staff member and asked them what their top 5 XBLA games are, and the results were a surprising mix. Proof that the Live Arcade has a little bit of something awesome for everyone. Hit the jump for The Weekly Geek's list of Top 5 XBLA Games and then post your own Top 5 in the comments.
And now we announce the grand prize winner for our Legendary Photo Mission Tuesday. The votes were counted and then thrown in the fireplace because this contest was completely subjective based on my own personal tastes, ha! Remember, our theme for this mission was "FLAG CAPTURED!" and we had some spiffy pictures come in all vying for the prize. With no further ado, here is your winner!
Congratulations to Chris Policastro! You win! Shredder has never looked more...uh...flag capturey. Chris will be receiving the awesomely huge Halo 3 Legendary Edition for Xbox 360. And to continue onward with prize giving, here we have the runner-up picture!
Huzzah for Danton Domike, also known as Classybot. You will be receiving a special code for a free download of Geon: Emotions from the Xbox Live Arcade. But the fun doesn't end here. We've got a few more pictures for everyone to see after the jump. Check out the pictures that just barely got edged out for winning stuff!
There is no way in hell I can come even close to describing Every Extend Extra Extreme (or E4) as well as Tycho did today, but I will try my best. When I first tried Mizuguchi's Every Extend Extra for the PSP, I was a bit confused. Turned on to the game by its curious cover art (which features a minimalist style with the contours of a woman's face being traced by dripping rainbow strands) and pedigree (Q? Entertainment being the house behind Rez) I was eager to understand its strange, abstract concept. It was presented as a sort of top down space shooter would, like Asteroids or even Geometry Wars. I didn't seem to grasp the idea that there was a sort of rhythm game component, and its lack of a tutorial mode made things even worse. Instead of shooting at enemies, you destroy yourself, your explosive death cascading into passing baddies (I guess they aren't evil per sé, more neutral. Neuties?) which in turn explode and affect things around them. The goal is to get bonuses which extend the ever-counting down timer, and rack up a high chain score.
The Xbox Live Arcade version features the same style of game play, remixed, honed and perfected in gorgeous HD and eargasm inducing 5.1 surround. Remember the first time you played Geometry Wars? Yeah, it feels like that. The experience of the visuals matched with the thumping bass and rumbling controller, with the beat-based combo multipliers and trippy concept is so immersive it feels like a drug trip. One of the good ones. It feels like a game that a scientist would have subjects play while he was dosing a new form of MDMA, with tubes and nodules stick to their faces, their never-blinking eyes watering.
I still don't ultimately understand it. The game play relies on feelings and interpretation more than anything. I am beginning to understand why they avoided a tutorial, because so much of the experience feels like a learning process. It's intensely abstract but not boringly so. There is a classic arcade-style game beneath the artistic flair, one that I know is going to get a lot of play from me. E4 is available on XBLA now, and I highly recommend it. I was really looking forward to being able to play Rez for the first time when it comes out for XBLA, but now I can't wait.
While Portal is just 1/5th of Valve's excellent Orange Box, I am reviewing it separately because it deserves it. I am also shaking up the normal review formula we use here at The Weekly Geek because Portal shakes up the way we think about video games. So there.
It's difficult to discuss Portal in any fashion that doesn't reveal spoilers. So I am saying to you right now, don't read this if you haven't played it. If you haven't played it, go pick it up. I am going to say right here in the beginning of the article that it is probably the game of the year. Yes, even over Bioshock. This is a must-own game for anyone who is a fan of fun. It's genuinely hilarious, challenging without being frustrating, and so well-designed and polished I literally cannot come up with any flaws to harp on. Yes, it's that good. Go get it. Got it? Played through it? Good. Hit the jump for my review.
We at Chez Geek are unabashed fans of Goozex and while most of the rational, frontal lobe equipped set are as well, there are still a few holdouts I'm sure. If the square trade system isn't enough to make your tingle equipped bits tingle then their latest promotion almost certainly will.
The glorious bastards at Goozex are giving away Xbox 360s, and not just any 360, no they're giving away Halo 360s. That's right, now while you scream obscenities at people you'll never meet you can rest easy in the knowledge that you are the penultimate Halo fan, either that or you won an Xbox 360, either way a resounding success in whole.
Go check out the contest here and while you're there trade some games without getting completely raped by corporate America.
posted by Chris on September 19, 2007 2:40 PM in Games
Apparently not even games that are fresh and innovative can escape the temptation of downloadable content equivalent to a cheat code. New DLC announced today on Major Nelson's blog shows that even Chopin can get dirty like Woods.
Title: Eternal Sonata
Content: Piano Music Key Price: 80 Microsoft Points Availability: Only in Canada, United States Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) FANTASY VIOLENCE,MILD LANGUAGE,USE OF ALCOHOL] Don't want to play through the entire game to get the music? Download this key to unlock all the Chopin piano pieces in the game. Note: All music that can be unlocked by this key can also be unlocked by progressing the game. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Although this is a pay-for-cheat code sort of deal, the thing you unlock is a bit more innocuous than a maxed out player character. Still, does this rob the player of the experience of playing the game? Or is this more of an easy way for Namco to feature the amazing music of Eternal Sonata?
One in a recent series of Vintage Sega Classics brought back to the Xbox 360, Ecco The Dolphin may give you the pleasure of sonar shooting and dashing-attacking the sea crap out of anything that swims, but it may not stack up against the likes of its old school cousins Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe. Hit the jump to find out why.
There really hasn't been a solid RPG on the Xbox 360 yet (yes, yes besides Oblivion I know ok I know) and Blue Dragon seemed like it would be some sort of oasis in a sea of first person shooters. It sounds so good on paper: Mistwalker studios features Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy, anyone?), Nobuo Uematsu on music duty (Final Fantasy, anyone?) and Akira Toriyama on art (Chrono Trigger, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Quest 8, etc etc etc). While I could do without Toriyama's art, the other stuff seemed a solid lock for a great game. Blue Dragon is formulated perfectly to sell Xbox 360s to Japan. It's a classic Japanese RPG which does very little to change the formula. Is this a good or a bad thing?
posted by Chris on August 22, 2007 9:07 AM in Games
Posted over on XBox360Achievements .org today (via X3F) is the full Guitar Hero III list of unlockable goodness. Here at The Weekly Geek we tend to be a bit more in the Rock Band camp, but Guitar Hero III is still getting a little anticipation love. Now, I'm big into achievements. I am not so much interested in my gamerscore going up as I am in hearing that little blip and seeing my sort of badge area get filled up. I love having added goals besides just completing a game, it's something I do in games anyway. For me, they promote exploring these worlds the game creators spent so much time on, as opposed to just speeding through to the end credits. In Guitar Hero II for the 360 we saw your basic achievements, beat the game on hard difficulty, beat the game on expert, unlock all the songs, unlock all the guitars - but Guitar Hero III is amping up the craziness with achievements like "Meet Your Maker" which requires you to "Beat one of the creators of Guitar Hero 3 at their own game". What does it mean?! Are you supposed to somehow encounter a GH3 dev on Live and then somehow be better at the game than them? If so, why is it only 20 points and not something like 100?
There are some other fun achievements, like "Tone Deaf" which requires you to play through a song with the in-game volume turned down to zero, and "Whammy Mania" which has you using the whammy bar for every long note in a certain song. Rad. Check out the full list at the site.
Arguably one of the most anticipated titles of the year finally hits the Xbox 360 and PC this week: Bioshock. Whereas other first person shooters have been focusing on multiplayer fragfests, capture the flag and other competitive testosterone-fueled madness, Bioshock perfects the single player formula making the most significant impact on gaming since Half Life 2. I had the privilege of playing the game early, spending my entire weekend probing the inner depths of the underwater city of Rapture. It's a fantastic, mysterious, spooky place - but it's not without its flaws (both metaphorically and physically). We've gushed about Bioshock for months now here at The Weekly Geek, and personally I haven't looked forward to a game this much since the original Metroid Prime on the Gamecube. Simply put Bioshock is one of the few hyper-anticipated games that actually lives up to the hype. I'll try to keep the spoilers low in my gushing review.
Overview:
Marathon Durandal is actually the sequel to the original Marathon game released by fan favorite Bungie back in 1994. Marathon 2: Durandal (with the 2 removed for the XBLA version) was released in 1995 as a follow up to the popular Mac FPS. It introduced a few innovations in gameplay and options that have become almost standard among the FPS genre.
You are a nameless, faceless security officer. Durandal, the onboard AI of your ship has transported you to the homeworld of the S’pht (an alien slave race) to find something capable of stopping the Pfhor (the race that had enslaved the S’pht) from invading and/or destroying Earth.
posted by Colette on August 14, 2007 6:46 PM in Games
Spoilers? You betcha. After playing the demo the first three times, my awe has finally fallen to a manageable level. What's the next logical step (beyond going to stand in front of a game retailer until the day 2K's masterpiece is finally available)? Why, to scrutinize every bit of the demo for bits and pieces of minutia, clues to the story, and of course things we were too excited to notice the first time.
Before I get into the blow by blow, let me mention that if you are able to watch the title screen for a few minutes, you will actually see a preview for the game that is well worth watching in terms of atmosphere and overall feel for the adventure about to come. As we pan down into our first glimpses of Rapture, the charismatic voice of Andrew Ryan speaks to us for the first time:
"A man has a choice. I chose the impossible. I built a city where the aristt would not fear the censor, where the great would not be constrained by the small, where a scientist would not be bound by petty gravity. I chose to build....Rapture. But my city was betrayed by the weak. So I ask you, my friend...if your life's price was to kill the innocent, would you sacrifice your humanity? We all make choices...but in the end, our choices make us."
Hit the jump if you're ready for more. Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS WITHIN.
posted by Chris on August 13, 2007 6:58 PM in Podcast
The release of Bioshock is only a week away, and here at Geek HQ we can't be any more excited. Literally, we are so excited we are peeing your pants. Today Chris, Colette and special guest Flynn DeMarco talk about the recently released Bioshock demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The art, the atmosphere, the gameplay, everything about this game is amazing. If you wanna hear three geeks gush about the game of the decade, you've come to the right place. Hit the jump for some show notes and some cool Bioshock links and goodies.
It's well documented how I feel about the Xbox 360 and the two painful red ring incidents I've been suffocated with. I won't rehash that. After all, my pals at the Microsoft Customer Service Team have been more than adequate in their dealings with me and every other 360 owner encountering this problem.
My question is: When does is stop becoming about how Microsoft has treated us (extended warranties and such) and start becoming about how much gaming time we're losing to multiple console failures? My coffin is on the way for my second broken machine and the estimated time it'll take for my third box to reach me, with the current influx of dead machines barraging Microsoft, will be 4 to 6 weeks.
With games like Bioshock, Mass Effect, Eternal Sonata, and Blue Dragon on the horizon, having my console gone for upwards of a month is just crippling. And what happens when i get a hard lock in the middle of one of these upcoming titles? Can I keep trusting these shoddily refurbished models and throwing away more time I could be playing these drooltastic games?
I ventured, in jest, that my console will get back just in time to break again before Bioshock. I really hope I'm wrong.
posted by Chris on July 13, 2007 11:47 AM in Games
I can say without hyperbole that Eternal Sonata is the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It reminds me a bit of Secret of Mana for the SNES, something so lush and detailed for its generation that it blows your mind to look at it. Not only are the graphics impeccable, the depth of field stunning and the character design fantastic, but the music is incredible. Someone told me there's already a demo out on Xbox Live (update: THAT PERSON IS A LIAR. A DAMN FILTHY LIAR WHO MADE ME ALL EXCITED ABOUT GOING HOME AND DOWNLOADING THE DEMO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME EVER MADE BUT THEN CRUSHING MY SPIRITS LIKE A CLOWN POOPING ON ICE CREAM AND SERVING IT TO HOBO CHILDREN), but seeing it on the fancy HD tvs on the E3 floor was an experience all in itself. I believe the portion of the game I played was the same bit offered on Xbox Live. You play as a little girl walking through a town, fighting a couple baddies along the way. The battle system is pretty unique, merging real time action with turn based strategy. My only qualm is that the voice acting is a bit cheesy. But as long as that's the only thing wrong with this game, I see it taking up a ton of my time when it is finally released in a few months. If you haven't checked out the demo on live yet, DO IT. This is definitely going to be a classic.
Hooray! More Katamari! I demoed the Xbox 360 version of Beautiful Katamari, and it is indeed beautiful running in 1080p on these here E3 flat screens. The art style remains the same as previous iterations, it just looks a bit sharper. The play controls on the Xbox feel like they could get a little crampy after a while, with the two analog sticks slightly offset, unlike the Playstation dual analog, which is side by side. The soundtrack is supposed to be comprised of 80's-sounding J-Pop, which I found kind of disheartening. I loved the original Katamari soundtrack for its diversity, and the We <3 Katamari soundtrack kind of felt like it was trying too hard. The soundtrack is really important to the series, people! I was informed that there are online battle modes, but no online co-op, only offline. WHYYYYYY. Co-op in We <3 Katamari was OK, but online co-op would have been much better. Oh well. We will see what happens when it is finally released sometime in the near future.
posted by Chris on June 4, 2007 5:55 AM in Podcast
Surprisingly, for all the talk of Mr. Rogers, this episode of The Weekly Geek contains massive amounts of profanity! Because both White Mage and Colette were out sick this week, you get to hear Chris and The Geek yell at people for liking Shrek, yell at people for not liking Mr. Rogers, and yell at Pirates for being so awesome. Or something. We've got movie news, a couple video game overviews, and some red rings of death sadness. Check it!
The Xbox Live Arcade is a haven for casual gamers. With games like Uno, Catan, Bejeweled and now Sotrilo Solitaire, it is almost worth it to pay the full price for the system in order to play these games. There's been a lot of hate on Sotrilo by the games journalism community since it's release because of the awkward play controls and high price, but when it comes down to it Sotrilo Solitaire is actually a really high quality game.
Some of the points made were that it's a fancier version of a game that ships free with basically any PC. Sure. That's a valid point, however Sotrilo offers pretty much every Solitaire game ever made. There's like 20 in there, including a very interesting story mode where you can unlock new card themes. It looks great in HD with lots of neat little animations and visual effects. They really did put a ton of effort into this game in order to make it worth the 800 Microsoft points. Because you can just go out and buy a deck of cards, or an old Windows 95 PC and play Solitaire whenever you want to.
Pros: Sotrilo has pleasing graphics, all the Solitaire games you can ever want, a neat story mode, fun themed decks, achievements, online multiplayer (!). Cons: The music's kinda boring and repetitive, controls are awkward but should be familiar for people who have played the iPod version of solitaire, 800 points is a lot for solitaire, the more obscure games have very basic instructions and the learning curve is really really steep. Should you pick it up? If you're really into the live arcade and that's all you play, why not? It's an enjoyable game. It's not a killer app, but it's not something to get all fussy about. Just play fun games, people!
So, let's see - my new refurbished 360 lasted from April 14th to May 20th. One month and six days. I'm fairly certain their repair factory consists of two piles, broken and unbroken machines, and one extremely fast Japanese solderer in between. Two guys stand on either side of the piles shoveling machines in and out of boxes.
Time to call my buddy Leo at Microsoft's Repair Department!
So like a number of privileged geeks in the world, I too today received a Halo 3 beta key for download. Now I am in no way a Halo fan per se, but I appreciate it for what it did to sell Xboxen. I am HORRIBLE at the game and loathe the frat boy mentality and rampant homophobia and racism that comes from its players. That said, I was still excited to be in the beta.
First impressions are just that, mind. Graphics are great (why wouldn't they be) and there are a variety of maps for us to explore and shoot each other in. So far I have played in a level much like Blood Gulch with nifty water effects and trees and junk, a desert stone sort of level, and a snow level. The snow level was pretty cool, because when you are in the system of tunnels and someone is above you, a bit of snow falls down to indicate it. Nice touch. Controls are exactly what you would expect for a Halo game, except for the addition of the accessories button (X) which deploys bubble shields, power drainers and other items as you obtain them. Also you can easily mute people by pressing the back button and selecting them with X. Now you don't have to endure the long string of epithets that you usually have to listen to during a Halo match.
The game types showcased seem to be pretty full. There is standard deathmatch, a king of the hill (named crazy king, which is indeed quite crazy) and Oddball, where you have to maintain control of a skull for a certain amount of time. It's like reverse hot potato. Also showcased is a couple of vehicles, including the new mongoose atv.
The interface is familiar yet updated, matchmaking seems strong and solid, and the ability to create save films of your performances is going to fill up YouTube faster than you can say "what's a puma".
Bungie seems to be providing the ultimate fan service with this Halo iteration, even going as far as putting the words "Halo 3 Beta Love, Bungie" in the loading screen. Hooray. I wouldn't say the beta has so far made me a fan of Halo (or even really that impressed) but we will see as I give it more time. First impressions and all.
Sometimes good things can come from G4, honest! XPlay did a preview of Bioshock the other day, and if you weren't already excited for this game, this movie will definitely sell you on it.
All I can do is sit here and stare at my Bioshock Dashboard theme and bounce up and down, waiting for Bioshock like a kid on Christmas Eve.
So you say you want to join the awesomeness that is hundreds upon hundreds of games of Catan with The Weekly Geek? Well then enter this contest and you can win your very own copy for the Xbox Live Arcade!
How cool is it that while Nintendo is sitting there shoveling old games that they have already made money from into our Wii Virtual Consoles that Microsoft is putting out shiny new titles like Catan? I mean, it's a freaking BOARD GAME. A really good one, at that. Equal parts Monopoly, Risk and Civilization, Catan is the brand new Xbox Live Arcade title based on the popular (in Germany!) board game Settlers of Catan. The premise is this: there is an island and you are trying to colonize it before your opponents do. You must be the first to reach a set amount of victory points (10 is default) and pretty much everything you do in the game gives you points. It's laid out in a hex pattern and each space counts for a resource (either wool, lumber, brick, wheat or ore). Every turn someone rolls the dice and whatever number is rolled "activates" a space that corresponds to that number. If you have a settlement (kind of like Monopoly houses) that is adjacent to that space, you get one of that resource.
Resources are important because they allow you to build more settlements, roads, cities (like a hotel in Monopoly) or draw a card. An opponent have a resource you need? Every turn has a trading round where you can exchange resource cards.
Sound complicated? It is at first. It took me at least three rounds before I wasn't completely confused. After that it was incredibly addictive. Read on for the full review.
posted by Chris on April 30, 2007 9:52 AM in Games
Well, maybe 2 and a half games. Still quite impressive! Microsoft just announced that this Wednesday not only will you be able to download the classic arcade goodness that is Centipede and Millipede, but Catan as well! If you aren't familiar with Catan it's a board game from Europe which is apparently quite addicting.
With Nintendo and Sony's often anemic offerings with their download services, it's quite cool to see some really unique stuff coming to the Xbox Live Arcade. I mean, obscure German board games?! Fantastic. Any of you Geekateers going to grab up these delicious nuggets of gaming?
In the realm of completely awesome things Microsoft is doing these days (except Vista cuz it sux lol), the big M is sponsoring a television pilot contest. From the press release:
Microsoft Corp. and the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) today announced the Xbox LIVE® Originals contest, granting aspiring television producers the opportunity to create a pilot that could be chosen for the first original series developed specifically for the Xbox LIVE online gaming and entertainment network. Microsoft will award the winning entrant a $100,000 budget and an opportunity for a six-episode commitment to air the television series on Xbox LIVE, the largest social network in the living room. The pilot episode of the winning series is scheduled to debut this fall at the third annual NYTVF, the industry’s first showcase for independent television, before being featured exclusively on Xbox LIVE, home to a community of more than 6 million people worldwide. This marks the first time that user-created entertainment content will be available worldwide for download exclusively on Xbox LIVE.
It's in line with what we have all been saying these companies like Nintendo and Microsoft should be doing with their online networks - open them up for independent content. While I am sure they are going to have to wade through some poop, I would love to see what people come up with and what they finally choose. Will they pick a cheesy sitcom? Tetris Machinima? A Jackass-style show with IN GAME STUNTS? Don't touch that dial, tune in to this station to find out.
I realize it's entirely too premature to post a positive follow-up article announcing the "success" of my Xbox 360 repair. However, I did find a few interesting pieces of informative ammunition during my process with Microsoft's Support Team.
So to fill in the gaps: I posted my Ring of Death Rant. Our friends at Joystiq relayed my post and raked in 189 comments from other plagued Microsoft patrons. A few days later, I sent a polite plea to Arne at Microsoft's Marketing Unit who explained to me that it was their policy to help members of press have operable machines- warranty or no warranty. He also notified me that they've upped their standard warranty length from 90 days to 1 Year.
Overview: You know it, you love it. It's Guitar Hero. Now for the Xbox 360, this version features an all-new X-Plorer controller and 70 tracks (some of which aren't on the PS2 version). Also featuring downloadable content, this is the definitive version of Guitar Hero II. It's fun and difficult, the multiplayer is solid and the achievements come steadily. But how is the controller? Song selection? How does it look? Do you still get that weird optical illusion where everything is slowly moving upward after a song? The answer to most of these questions and the rest of the review after the jump.
posted by Chris on April 11, 2007 9:18 AM in Games
Aww yeah. From the creators of the super excellent Geometry Wars comes Boom Boom Rocket, released today on the Xbox Live Arcade. Boom Boom Rocket is described as DDR for your fingers and if the published screens and videos are any indication, it's going to be just as addictive as DDR and Geometry Wars combined. Pick it up on XBLA today for 800 points ($10).
posted by Chris on April 9, 2007 12:10 PM in Games
Everybody's favorite chainsaw bayoneting game gets a big content update today! At 4:00 PM PST, Gears of War gets a brand new king of the hill-style multiplayer mode called "Annex". Also included in the update are a few general maintenance things, such as not accidentally taking cover so much during a roadie run. Unfortunately the update did not include some sort of "douchebag" filter to help you weed out the awful people you will eventually encounter online.
I will be online later to check out the brand new mode (like everyone else. Here's to hoping there's no lag!). So if you'd like to test out Annex with me, add Frodeaux to your list.
Ahh Spring. The time when a young man's fancy turns to... ignoring his girlfriend and playing video games. It's been in the rumor bin for a while, but finally we get to find out what is in store for us with the BIG XBOX LIVE SPRING UPDATE. On May 7th, Live users will be treated to more in-game distractions with the integration of Windows Messenger and Xbox Live. Yes, that's right. Full integration of IM and chat, right in your console, further blurring the line between PC and video game system.
In addition to being annoyed by your friends even more than you already are, Microsoft announced that the update will actually show what achievement you unlock as it happens. Some games already sort of support this, but it will be nice to not have to go to the menu and check the achievements list to see what you just got.
Also this summer they promise a QWERTY input device that connects directly to your controller, so no more clunky USB keyboards for you! Other things were announced as well, so why don't you just hit the jump to find out what they were?
posted by Chris on April 9, 2007 6:15 AM in Podcast
This week The Geek and Frodo (now known by the clever Internet moniker "Chris Furniss") rant about why April Fool's Day sucks, the virtues of Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 (and why unlocking things is excellent), Super Paper Mario, Red vs. Blue ending, Subway and the bullshit obesity epidemic, Steven Colbert's ice cream, using Mitch Hedburg quotes in real life, and then finally in the end Chris sells out. Download the podcast now or subscribe in your favorite reader. You do have a favorite reader, don't you? Click the thing for show notes.
Groundbreaking machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles is set to end at episode 100, a recent Rooster Teeth forum post states. The round number does seem like a good time to end it, and if you haven't checked out Red vs. Blue before, now is a great time! It is surprisingly funny, even if you don't play Halo like the rest of the world.
EA, MTV and Harmonix took a moment from their insipid love fest to announce something incredibly cool and exciting. Rock Band! It is apparently going to be using guitar, bass, drum and microphone peripherals and will span all genres with master recordings of most of the songs. An official website has been launched which you can see here.
This seems to go hand in hand with EA's announcement of more music partnerships, and is the big secret project we have all been waiting for from the creators of Guitar Hero. Hopefully EA doesn't crap it up. More details as they come to us. Maybe we will see a playable version at E3?
Unfortunately for the Wii, it's only for PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360. Another nail in the coffin. Full release after the jump.
We all feel that sense of dread when we have to call customer service to try and troubleshoot a malfunctioning product. You have to wait while a computer routes you to a disinterested associate who may or may not solve your problem and may or may not be polite to you. Some dude named Jason has figure out how to get to escalate your problem quickly to someone who is a bit more skilled than your typical call center specialist. 
Posted over on 
Arguably one of the most anticipated titles of the year finally hits the Xbox 360 and PC this week: Bioshock. Whereas other first person shooters have been focusing on multiplayer fragfests, capture the flag and other competitive testosterone-fueled madness, Bioshock perfects the single player formula making the most significant impact on gaming since Half Life 2. I had the privilege of playing the game early, spending my entire weekend probing the inner depths of the underwater city of Rapture. It's a fantastic, mysterious, spooky place - but it's not without its flaws (both metaphorically and physically). We've gushed about Bioshock for months now here at The Weekly Geek, and personally I haven't looked forward to a game this much since the original Metroid Prime on the Gamecube. Simply put Bioshock is one of the few hyper-anticipated games that actually lives up to the hype. I'll try to keep the spoilers low in my gushing review. 
Groundbreaking machinima series Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles is set to end at episode 100, a recent Rooster Teeth forum post states. The round number does seem like a good time to end it, and if you haven't checked out 
EA, MTV and Harmonix took a moment from their insipid love fest to announce something incredibly cool and exciting. Rock Band! It is apparently going to be using guitar, bass, drum and microphone peripherals and will span all genres with master recordings of most of the songs. An official website has been launched which you can see