Saturday 23 August 2008

Just what are Bungie up to?

As anybody who frequents Bungie.net will know, there's been alot (read: A HELL OF A LOT) of speculation over Bungie's new project...

"It's a Halo game..."
"It's Marathon..."
"It's Myth..."
"The superintendent is gonna have his own game..."
"I CAN HAZ RECONZZZ?!1!!?"

It's been the same thing for the last month or so...but what are they really up to?

I want it to be a new Halo game, I really do...but maybe a new IP would be better for Bungie, a way of sealing the split from Microsoft? I'm personally not sure, but I'll bet the index finger on my left hand that Bungie will release some info extremely soon...but not before they've played with the fans...

Also, something to consider...this may be something to consider...I, personally, think it's a load of rubbish, as if you ping the domain, you realise it's a yahoo thing...and not actually registered to Bungie...but Bungie know that fans will go to these lengths to find out things, so maybe it's a double bluff? Who knows?

I'll keep you posted here...so check back for an update tomorrow...

Until then, KEEP IT CLEAN...

Hello snake, it's been a while...

Wow, it's really been ages since I last 'blogged'! I guess I was just so annoyed with Microsoft that I actually refused to write about them and their console...but guess what...I'M BACK!

Yes, yes, stop the cheering, I know all my readers missed me (yes, all two of you!) and I'm back to doing my thing...so woooo...keep checking back for regular updates!

It's good to be back...

Friday 11 April 2008

UPDATE: ANGRY

OMG...it's all I can say...I thought Microsoft were okay, but actually...well, they're not!

I ring them up to complain because of the amount of 360's I have had (that have broken) and guess what they say to me?

"I'm sorry, but we only have record of one 360 having been repaired..."

They've lost records of 2 Xbox 360's, and the other 2 I took back to Game (who only keep records of that sort of thing for a year!) so I have absolutely no proof whatsoever of my broken 360's! It's pathetic, because I feel that I deserve some sort of compensation for this...I bought a 360 on launch day (was officially the 1st person in Somerset to have bought one (not counting the people who get free ones and who work there)) and yet have not had one for a block of 9 months yet! And it makes no sense, as my mate sent his 1st one back and got a free game!

So yeah, a bit miffed...

Sunday 6 April 2008

Taking a hit where it hurts!

My 360 broke...AGAIN!

Yes, again...this was my 6th 360 and it left me for a better place...I guess it wanted to go back to daddy (think his names Bill...)

So I now have nothing to do...I'm crying, I'm bored and I'm awaiting its return!

What isn't helping is this sort of thing: "Now Alex, want to bake a cake?"

Do I want to bake a cake?! No I bloody well don't! I'm depressed here!!!

Anyway, check back tomorrow to see how I'm coping (note: Probably not very well!)

I'm just hoping I get it back before the 15th (Halo 3 map pack's released!)

v__v

Friday 4 April 2008

New Call of Duty 4 Maps

So the new maps were released today, with Infinity Ward hoping this will take the attention off Halo 3 and their new maps for a second or two...did it work? Not really...

Why? Well, most of CoD 4 online is camping, camping and...guess what? Camping...with a side helping of camping...Seriously, this game isn't THAT fun online, and on that rare occasion it is, it's because of something random happening that you didn't expect! Okay, I'm not totally biased toward Halo 3 or anything (ahem) but I really don't think a map pack is going to save this game online! The only type of map that could do that would be one that changed the type of play from camping to actually playing tactically...and these maps don't!

In my mind, it's a pathetic attempt to keep a game going that actually, if we're honest, is on its way out...just look at the number of people playing the game...the number's dwindling faster than the number of pies at a weight watchers meeting!

SO my advice? Don't waste £6.80 on this map pack...it's not worth a quid!

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Halo 3 new playlist: My verdict

So, the new Halo 3 playlist went live on the 28th March 2008, and what do I think? Awesome...

That night, there was an extremely heated debate on Bungie.net, with people moaning about how MLG isn't the playlist we need...they're more interested in SWAT and Infection (how the hell Infection would work as a playlist I don't know!) but what they have to understand is that tonnes of people (myself included) have been playing MLG Customs for ages now as, without meaning to sound cocky, Matchmaking is just too easy...

In case you don't know, MLG (Major League Gaming) run competitive tournaments (and have been doing so since the first Halo) and, for those tournaments, use their own gametypes and Maps. When I say new maps, I mean new weapon layouts within the default maps, with a couple of levels having things added and blocked off (MLG The Pit V4 is a good example of this...). The main difference is that all of the inconsistent (and some might say, host-friendly) weapons, like the Sword, Hammer, Shotgun etc, and also the weapons that take no skill to use, like the Needler, AR, Brute Shot etc, have been taken out completely! This ensures a fair game throughout...

Here are the basic changes to the Base Player Traits:
110% speed
110% damage
90% recharge

Basically this makes the BR feel more powerful (like in Halo 2)

But yeah, the MLG playlist is awesome fun, something alot of us have wanted for ages, and it's really good to see Bungie is listening to its fans, and providing too...they could easily sit back and rest on their laurels...they've fulfilled their end of the deal by making the game..we bought the game vanilla (no extras), so they don't have to do all this! And people moan about paying for map packs?! Pathetic...

Just a tip: If you go into the MLG playlist and find yourself getting owned, stop for a bit, play a few MLG customs (download the Maps and Gametypes from MLG Gametypes File Share as this will let you get to grips with any changes) and also let you learn the new weapon placements and respawn times...

Talking of respawn times, it's worth noting that the weapons are on a drop spawn (well, the power weapons at least)...this means that when the weapons spawn, they do so in the air. This simulates the dropping of the weapon, meaning that it will disappear after exactly 1 minute...what this does is keep the weapons on a constant timer...here's an example for you:

You're playing Matchmaking, default settings (no drop spawn), and you go to find the Sniper Rifle...but oh no, it's not there! However, you don't know when it will respawn, as you don't know when it was picked up, because the Sniper spawns about 3 minutes after pickup...he could have picked it up a second ago, or 2 minutes ago...you just don't know! He does though, so he has sniper control!

In MLG, this problem is eliminated....because it drops, it will respawn every 3 minutes, regardless of when somebody picks it up, because the game thinks the weapon's been picked up! This way, if you go to find the Sniper Rifle, and it's gone, you can look at the game timer and think well, 3 minutes are almost up, it'll be back in a sec...

This creates an overall fairer game, and as such is my (and alot of other players) favourite way to play the game.

MLG = The future of Halo

Tuesday 25 March 2008

New releases: Dark Sector

Yes, that's right, Dark Sector was released today!

I really like the look of this game as it's got quite a few original concepts...the Glaive being one of them! It's an awesome weapon that promises to change the way you play this sort of game, and is a refreshing break from standard guns (seriously, if I see one more frickin' Desert Eagle, I'll cry!)! The fact that the Glaive is also a part of his body gets rid of the whole "Well if he'd thrown that in real-life, he'd never have got it back" argument...

However, that's not where the originality ends...Hayden Tenno (the main character) suffers from a disease call Congenital Analgia...this illness is not fictional, but quite rare, and it means he cannot feel pain! A highly original concept that I've never seen before in a game, and it should lend itself extremely well to the game's backstory!

Digital Extremes also got in a pretty decent voice for Hayden....Michael Rosenbaum, who I remember as Kip from Kickin' It Old Skool...most of you will know him as Lex Luthor from Smallville...let's face it, he plays a blinder in both! Having a decent voice actor for the lead role is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in a game. I'm not sure why, I just don't think I'd enjoy running around as this awesome character, and then having a this really terrible voice come out of it's mouth...it'd just ruin the game (for me anyway)! More on Voice Acting in games soon...

So yeah, Dark Sector out today, may be picking it up later on...who knows? If it's awesome, we could have a good series on our hands...if not? Well then today's a glaive, glaive day in 360-land (I'm sorry)

Monday 24 March 2008

Stupid Achievements

They say opinions are like armpits - everybody has them...well here's mine!

There are some seriously stupid achievements out there, but there's just one that's really got my goat! I'm all for a tongue-in-cheek kind of achievement (The Simpsons Game's 'Press Start' springs to mind!) as these can be entertaining and don't really harm anybody...hell, EA are basically taking the piss out of their bad (read: terrible) track record with these things! No, it's not games like The Simpsons Game, with their tongue-in-cheek achievements, that've got my goat...it's games like Turok...

You may or may not be aware of the 'Grab Bag' achievement that the game features, but let me tell you this...it's a new low for achievements! The 'Grab Bag' achievement requires you to kill at least 1 creature, 1 enemy, 1 team-mate and yourself in the same round of a public match...

1 team-mate?! This game is rewarding you 10G for team-killing...well that's just great...

As if team-killing wasn't bad enough...it happens all the time in games like Halo 3 and COD 4, games that don't reward you for team-killing...but no, Propaganda (developers) took it upon themselves to increase the number of team-killing incidents...who knows why? Maybe they didn't think it happened enough? Seriously, this is the last thing online 360 gamers need! We all know what some will do for gamerpoints anyway...if there are people willing to get every single costume and shop item in Rumble Roses XX, then they'll sure as hell stab you in the back (maybe even literally)! It's the sort of thing that we shouldn't even be ALLOWED to do, let alone ENCOURAGED!

I may be overreacting, I don't know (let me know your thoughts!), but what I do know is this: That's one achievement that will never be on my list...

GTA 4: New screenshots:

10 brand new screenshots from GTA 4!

Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Pic 5

Pic 6 Pic 7 Pic 8 Pic 9 Pic 10

They look really good...am seriously looking forward to this game now!

Resi 5 this Autumn?

There have been many rumours circulating lately that Resident Evil 5 could be released as early as this October...

"Now for those who are fans of the zombie-infested horror game franchise, Resident Evil, this tidbit of a rumor might just make you smile all the way across the universe.If you're eager to know when this multi-platform game will be released for all you guys to sink your teeth into, well, rumor has it that this game will be released during fall this year. In fact, October's the month to be watched out for."

Hmmm...

OMG, just checked Amazon, and apparently it's being released on the 30th March 2008?!
Surely this is a typo, yes? If not, then we could have a riot on our hands (I guess)
Seriously though, check it out:
Resident Evil 5 on Amazon

Very strange...

New releases: Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

So, this was released today on the PC...and it looks pretty good!

"The most badass RTS villain's return is highlighted by 13 new missions and an extensive look at the Tiberium War which spans across 20 years. Six sub-factions such as the Brotherhood of Nod and Scrin will be introduced, consequently dropping a plethora of new units, structures, and powers to all forces."

Am I the only person who wants this on the 360? To me, this looks like an awesome opportunity for EA to release a really good piece of DLC (let's face it, it's about time!), but alas, the chances of that are extremely slim...which sucks to be honest, as I want to like EA, I really do, but when they keep missing opportunities like this, it's pretty hard! Ah well...

Annoyed? Yes
End of the world? Nah

A strange turn of events!

Now don't ask me why, because I don't know, but I've recently found a new love for Dynasty Warriors 5...

You may be thinking (as I am) that this is very odd, when you consider the fact that so many awesome games have been released lately! No doubt most of you will be sinking your teeth into your third, maybe fourth playthrough of Mass Effect, tackling Halo 3 on Legendary with a mate, playing through Portal, discovering that the cake is, indeed, a lie...this is normal! What isn't normal, however, is casting aside these games and instead playing a game that was released two years ago (almost to the day!) and isn't even that good!

I can't explain it...some may pity me, whilst other's will simply look at me in disgust, wanting nothing more than to kill me, right there on the spot...

All I know is, I'm loving the game right now and urge you all to give it another chance!

Hello

Well, well, well...this is my first Blog...EVER!

I'm not EXACTLY sure what I'm supposed to write, but hey, I'll give it a go!

This Blog will be primarily about videogames (especially Xbox 360, but also some other consoles aswell) so if you want to know what's going on in the videogame world, you should be able to find it here!

Woohoo, first post ever! Go me ^__^