Happy New Year!

Parts of the world are already in 2009 and I hear things are going well so far there in the future. Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year before I head out for the night. I'll see you all next year!

That's it. Nothing else. Last post of 2008.

Games of the Year

We at XYBA decided that we couldn't let all the big blog sites have all the fun so we went cagematch style to determine our own games of the year. In the end, after a bout of bloody fighting(Josh fights dirty) we decided to just post all of our picks. Our choices after the jump. (Face, Charlie!)

Game of the Year:

Andy: Fallout 3
Charlie: Gears of War 2
Josh: Gears of War 2

Gears of War 2 gets the coveted XYBA Game of the Year award. Josh and Charlie love the Horde mode and are constantly playing it. Runner-up is Fallout 3.

Casual Game of the Year:

Andy: Scene It? BOS
Charlie: Rock Band 2
Josh: *Declined*

Probably the hardest category for us because we aren't big casual gamers. We're giving the award to Rock Band 2 with Scene It? BOS receiving the runner-up.

Co-op Game of the Year:

Andy: Left 4 Dead
Charlie: Rock Band 2
Josh: Saint's Row 2

A three way split! There were some good co-op games this year, online and off. I went with Left 4 Dead because this is a game that truly requires cooperative play to succeed. I tend to often go lone wolf on a lot of co-op games, but if you do that on Left 4 Dead, you're toast. Josh went with Saint's Row 2 because the co-op on it is so smooth and makes the game ten times more fun. Charlie went with Rock Band 2... no explanation given.

New IP of the Year:

Andy: Left 4 Dead
Charlie: LittleBigPlanet
Josh: Left 4 Dead

Our New IP award goes to Left 4 Dead. Valve did it again with a post-apocalyptic world where an unlikely group of survivors bands together to try and escape the zombie masses. The AI and the "Director" make the game different every time you play it, and the online versus mode guarantees you'll be replaying this game. We can't wait for more DLC or Left 4 Dead 2. Runner-up is LittleBigPlanet.

RPG of the Year:

Andy: Fallout 3
Charlie: Fallout 3
Josh: Locks Quest

Fallout 3 is our RPG of the Year. Bethesda did it again. They took a beloved franchise and changed it without fucking it up. The massive post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 3 is beautiful and deadly. This is a game we spent countless hours on and still went back for more. Runner up is Locks Quest on the DS.

Shooter of the Year:

Andy: Saint's Row 2
Charlie: *Voided*
Josh: Saint's Row 2

Charlie's vote was voided since he picked Call of Duty: Modern Warfare which came out last year. Our Shooter of the Year is Saint's Row 2. I don't know if this won awards from many other organizations, but we love us some Saint's Row 2. This game has what so many games tend to miss: fun! Saint's Row 2 is possibly THE most fun game I played all year. Much of the fun is from co-op, but the game stands without it as well.

Rant: I Hate Game Freezes!

I've had to deal with some game freezing on my Xbox 360 lately. It seems to be certain games and not the Xbox itself(hopefully). But it's very frustrating, especially when playing games without a real save system.

I picked up Call of Duty: World at War on sale at Best Buy last week. I beat the campaign playing split-screen co-op in one sitting. It seemed like it was going to freeze at one point but unfroze after a few seconds. I then played online multiplayer for a few days - no problems. I went back to play the campaign on solo(there's more missions and achievements on solo). The game has frozen on me a few times trying to go solo. So I stopped playing.

I instead moved onto The Incredible Hulk. Sure, it got some bad reviews, but I picked it up from Gamefly for like $9. I found out that I actually enjoy it. It reminds me of Spiderman 3 except that it's fun.

When I'm doing the missions and such, it runs fine. But I'm trying to get an achievement for destroying an entire New York neighborhood. I chose Spanish Harlem. Because it's the smallest neighborhood.

However, it's froze up twice while I've been on a massive rampage. Today I took my score from 900,000 to 2.9 million while on a level 8 rampage and destroying 69% of Spanish Harlem. Just as I was thinking I should start a mission or something before it froze up - it froze. I did get an achievement or two while on my rampage, but all the powers and such I unlocked will be back to locked when I boot it up again.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the XYBA Podcast crew!!!

Gears of War X-mas

Here's a video that we put together over the past weekend. A little tribute to Gears of War during the holiday season. Enjoy.

Tabula Rasa is Now Free

Tabula Rasa is a sci-fi MMO developed by Richard "Lord British" Garriott, the father of MMOs having helped create Ultima Online. Last month was the game's one year anniversary and the announcement that Tabula Rasa would be shutting down at the end of February. At the time, they announced the servers would go free in January. Apparently, they've moved that time up because you can now download and play the game for free.

You can click here to download the game's client. Then you need to go to the Support Page of PlayNC to request a code for Tabula Rasa. And you'll need to use that code on your PlayNC account. When making your account, they will ask for a credit card, but they say you will not be charged.

I always thought this game looked good, and if anyone could have made a good sci-fi MMO, I would think Garriott would be the one. For some reason, I've noticed sci-fi MMOs tend to do worse than others. Plus, this game had a character pose for Playboy! (Go ahead, do a Tabula Rasa Playboy image search on Google, we'll wait.)

I'm going to try to get my PC back up and running just to try out this game. (It hasn't worked since June.) Too bad there's not a Mac version...

Remember the game will go offline February 28th so get your free playing in while there's still time. Or better yet, give the file and code to someone as a Christmas gift!

Rumors: Crackdown 2

Edge has some interesting information about a new Microsoft game developer team being created in Scotland. Apparently the team is made of members who created Crackdown, the sandbox game where you play as a supercop.

For now it is all speculation that the team will be working on Crackdown 2. It stands to reason that Crackdown will have a sequel since the first one was well received after players realized the game was tons of fun and not just a source to get the Halo 3 beta. And since Realtime Worlds is busy working on APB, which should be awesome, there is a need for another team to work on the sequel in order to get it out sooner.

I'm hoping this rumor is true because I love Crackdown. I would like to see them improve it by fixing the driving controls and maybe come up with some cool fighting combos, so I can really beat the crap out of people. I say steal the grab and throw mechanic from Saints Row II.

Free Avatar

Microsoft released an interesting little toy on xbox.com - Free Your Avatar. It allows anyone to make various pictures with Xbox Live avatars.

You type in someone's gamertag and it pulls up their avatar. You then drag the avatar into the picture where you can move it around and/or resize it. You can even drag in multiple avatars. You can also add in a background and a line of text.

But you can only add one line of text(in black or white). If you want to add other lines, you'll have to do it with a picture editor after exporting the image.



The weird thing about it is that you can use anyone's avatar. So you can make pictures with griefers and people you have problems with on Xbox Live.

Review: The Video Game Awards Show

I can't remember if I've ever watched an awards show before, but I watched Spike TV's Video Game Awards Show tonight. Some of it was entertaining, but a lot of it seemed stilted and vaguely uncomfortable like the actors had never seen their lines before.

Most of the musical guests were fine, but when the announcers and actors would be talking with each other nobody seemed to know what was going on. Jack Black did well most of the time, but there were bits when he also seemed confused. I like how Neil Patrick Harris had no idea who the winner of his award was. Awkward...

And who let crazy Mike Tyson come on with his crazy face tattoo?

Gears 2 Combustible Map Pack Available Tomorrow

It had been rumored before, but it was just confirmed on Spike TV's Video Game Awards - a new Gears of War 2 map pack will be available for download on Xbox Live tomorrow(technically midnight PST).

The Combustible Map Pack will include three new maps for use in multiplayer.

Flood is a map filled with imulsion which rises throughout your game, causing the safe areas to shift. Fuel Station takes place around a gas station. Gold Rush seems to have a lot of high ground/low ground.

No official word about the price of these maps, but rumor prices it at 800 Microsoft points.

Mercenaries 2 DLC Coming Tuesday

EA and Pandemic Studios are releasing a DLC pack for Mercenaries 2 on December 16th. One great thing about this content? It's free for the month of December!

The Blow It Up Again content pack contains four additional game modes and a few "patriotic characters."

I'm not exactly sure what the patriotic characters, but I'm definitely downloading this. Of course, it's free. But it will also motivate me to finally beat the game. I had a lot of fun when I first got the game but then got distracted by some other games...

Update: Apparently, this DLC is already live on the Playstation Network so if you have Mercenaries 2 on your PS3, go ahead and get to downloading!

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Video Doc #1

Bioware has released their first community update email that includes a link to the first documentary about the upcoming game Star Wars: The Old Republic.

I've heard game journalist mention that they thought the game looked like garbage, but I think it looks good. They are definitely going with a cartoon look, but it looks clean and consistent. I loved KOTOR and KOTOR2, so I'm really looking forward to this. I just hope the rumors aren't true that I will have to pay an extra monthly fee to play the game online.

Wii Sold 2 Million in November

Nintendo is rolling in the dough and finally shipping more units to consumers. The NPD is reporting that the Wii hardware sales for November reached past 2 million units.

2nd place is held by Nintendo's very own DS hardware, which brought in 1.5 million units during November. No other company came close to even reaching half of the Nintendo Wii sales.

GTA IV DLC Release Date Confirmed

Microsoft has confirmed the rumors that the new DLC "The Lost and Damned" for Grand Theft Auto IV will be available on the Xbox Live marketplace beginning February 17th.

This addition will allow players to play the character of Johnny Klebitz, a member of the motorcycle gang The Lost. It will also introduce new multiplayer modes, vehicles, weapons and music.

No official word yet on the price for this DLC, but I wouldn't expect it to be cheap.

The DLC will be exclusive(at least for a time) to the Xbox 360. DLC is expected for the PS3 in the future, but it may not be the same. Microsoft paid to get the first DLC for GTA IV.

Rumor: Splinter Cell Release Date?

I ran across this release date the other week on Gamestop's website, but apparently it's starting to appear with other retailers as well. Splinter Cell: Conviction is being listed with a February 2nd release date.

Personally, I don't put much stock into this. I think there would have been a much bigger to do about the official release. And it doesn't fit with Ubisoft's fiscal plans. So I wouldn't bet on this rumor.

... Unless the game is beyond salvage and Ubisoft is going to quietly release it just to get it over with.

Opinion: Xbox 360's Avatars

I like the New Xbox Experience (NXE). It's slick and interesting. But I really like the Avatars. I don't know why I like them, but I do. I mess with my Avatar all the time.

Reactions to the Avatars have been interesting. Critics decry them as simply rip-offs of Miis. And they definitely are influenced by Miis. But they're so much more.

First off, the option of changing the clothing and having different clothes and such to choose from is one of the biggest improvements. People complain that in the future Microsoft will make money in microtransactions from selling clothing items and outfits on Xbox Live. And believe me, that will be coming. But if you don't like it, don't buy it! It's that simple. There's plenty of free clothes available and more on the way. (They just released some winter clothes as modeled by my Avatar.)

I, personally, will spend some money on such things if I find something I like, but that's what I do - spend money needlessly in order to help the economy.

I can also see the Avatars helping companies with pre-orders or limited edition sales. Include a code to download limited clothing items that pertain to the game? That would sell. Believe me, having my Avatar be able to wear a Gears of War outfit would be much cooler than a gold lancer(sorry, Charlie).

I also find the Avatars interesting because most people work hard to make their Avatar look like themselves. But some people just work to make their Avatar look like a freak. One thing I found odd about the Avatars is that you can't really make them that fat. My Avatar is as fat as they get, and he's not that fat.

I also like the way that you can take various pictures of your Avatar and use that as your Gamerpic. Of course, this makes the vast majority of the Gamerpics I've accumulated over the years worthless. Maybe they could make an option where I could put a cool Gamerpic on a T-shirt for my Avatar...

   

December Game Releases

It's been an avalanche of games the last couple months, but now that the weather's getting colder and Santa's looking over his lists, the games have begun to slow. But let's see what stocking stuffers we might find...
 

DS Titles
December 1
• Emma at the Farm
December 2
• Animal Boxing
• Dreamer: Puppy Trainer
• Mushroom Men - Rise of the Fungi
• My Fun Facts Coach
• Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
• Slingo Quest
• The Tale of Despereaux
• Winter Sports 2: The Next Challenge
December 9
• Cate West: The Vanishing Files
• Drivers Ed Portable
December 16
• Candace Kane's Candy Factory
• C.O.R.E.
• Peggle
December 18
• Left Brain Right Brain 2
December 21
• Master of the Monster Lair
December 23
• Bigfoot: Collision Course
• Paint by DS
December 29
• Secret Files: Tunguska

PC Titles
December 1
• DQ Tycoon
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure
December 2
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Shaun White Snowboarding
• The Tale of Despereaux
• A Vampyre Story
December 5
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
December 9
• Prince of Persia Prodigy
• Runes of Magic
December 16
• Rise of the Argonauts

PS2 Titles
December 2
• Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
• SingStar ABBA
• The Tale of Despereaux
December 9
• Persona 4
December 22
• Rock Band 2
December 31
• Fun Park

PS3 Titles
December 2
• Prince of Persia Prodigy
• SingStar ABBA
December 4
• Soldner-X: Himmelssturmer
December 9
• Sonic Unleashed
December 16
• Rise of the Argonauts

PSP Titles
December 9
• Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War

Wii Titles
December 1
• Space Invaders Get Even
December 2
• Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun
• Family Party: 30 Great Games
• My Fitness Coach
• Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars
• Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek
• The Tale of Despereaux
December 3
• SPRay
December 9
• Bigfoot: Collision Course
• Fun Park
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure
• Rygar: The Battle of Argus
• Six Flags Fun Park
December 15
• Deadly Creatures
• Ultimate Shooting Collection
December 16
• WordJong Party
December 22
• Rock Band 2
December 29
• Secret Files: Tunguska
December 30
• Deal or No Deal
December 31
• Puzzle Kingdoms

Xbox 360 Titles
December 1
• Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
December 2
• Prince of Persia Prodigy
• The Tale of Despereaux
December 3
• Banjo-Kazooie
December 16
• Rise of the Argonauts

I'm a (short-lived) Xbox Live Celeb!

So, Josh and I spent like 50 hours playing Saint's Row 2 together. It's a great game and if I ever get time from playing Fable 2 and Fallout 3, I'll probably write about it. Anyway, the last few days I keep getting random messages from gamers that I don't know. Today I found out why - I'm a short-lived Saint's Row 2 celebrity.

The first message was masterfully written as "HOW DID U THROW SUM 1 SO FAR??????"

After a second, I realized that he was talking about Saint's Row 2. I ignored it but meant to write back later. I just thought he was trying to get the achievement for throwing someone in the game.

Today I got a bunch of other messages from strangers asking about the same thing. When I finally figured out why, I looked at the leaderboard for Saint's Row 2. Some of the early messages make me think that I was number one on the Throwing leaderboard for a while. When I looked at it, I was number 3 and I'm currently number 4 because one of the guys I told how to do it got it down enough to capture second place.

There's my celebrity status. Throwing people 6,971 feet in Saint's Row 2. :-P

Call of Duty: World at War Beta

I haven't been gaming much lately. I've been really busy in my personal and professional life(hence the lack of updates on the site). The other weekend I actually played LEGO Indiana Jones most of the weekend. I was cleaning out my e-mail the other day and what did I find? A beta code for Call of Duty: World at War.

I participated a lot in the Call of Duty 4 site and beta so I must have gotten the beta code through that. I did sign up on the World at War site when it first started, but I haven't been active at all on the site so the beta code was a bit of a surprise.

The beta clocks in at a little under 900 MB. It is a lot like Call of Duty 4. It has Perks, Classes, Challenges and Levels. The beta right now caps players at Level 11 and it doesn't take too long to reach that level.

A few things are different. Of course, first of all, the series has returned to World War II so the weapons are a little older(reloading seems to take longer). The four different armies are Russian, Germany, Japan and the US.

There are also vehicles in this game. I don't know what all are available, but I have driven a tank around. Another interesting change is dogs! Get enough kills in a row without dying and you can unleash the hounds upon the enemy. Attack dogs will run around for a minute, attacking the enemy. You can kill the dogs, but these dogs tend to swarm and can do some good damage. When I unleashed a pack today, they killed three enemies during their minute long rampage.

Welcome Back 50 Cent!

50 Cent: Blood in the Sand has been brought back to life. The game was originally dropped when Activision and Blizzard merged. Now THQ has announced that they have picked the game up and will publish it.

Nothing like playing a rapper who fights extremists in the Middle East. Extremists who stole his crystal skull that he got as payment for a benefit concert?

October Game Releases

October’s here. The weather’s getting colder, and we need more activities inside. What games can the publishers scare up for us?

 

DS Titles

October 13
* Bratz: Girls Really Rock
* Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2
* Prey the Stars
* Tak: Mojo Mistake

October 14
* Battle of the Giants: Dinosaurs
* Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer
* FIFA Soccer 2009
* Littlest Pet Shop: Garden
* Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle
* Littlest Pet Shop: Winter
* Lovely Lisa
* My Japanese Coach
* Naruto: Path of Ninja 2
* Rock Revolution
* Smart Girls Party Games

October 20
* Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?: Make the Grade
* Back at the Barnyard: Slop Bucket Games
* Pass the Pigs
* Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band
* SpongeBob: Nicktoons Globs of Doom

October 21
* Away Shuffle Dungeon
* Backyard Football 2009
* Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
* Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
* Dancing with the Stars: Get Your Dance On!
* Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell
* Ener-G: Dance Squad
* Ener-G: Gym Rockets
* Ener-G: Horse Rider
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance
* The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
* Master of the Monster Lair
* Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
* Theresia
* Tornado
* Transformers Animated
* What's Cooking? Jamie Oliver

October 27
* Go Diego Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
* MechanicMaster
* The Wonder Pets: Save the Animals

October 28
* Bella Sara
* Ben 10: Alien Force
* Goosebumps HorrorLand
* Jagged Alliance
* Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ
* Monster Jam: Urban Assault
* My Sims Kingdom
* Ninjatown
* Petz Rescue Ocean Patrol
* Petz Rescue Wildlife Vet
* Rubik's World
* Shrek's Carnival Craze
* Six Flags Fun Park
* Zenses - Oceans
* Zenses - Rainforest

PC Titles

October

PS2 Titles

October 13
* Avatar - The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno
* Bratz: Girls Really Rock
* Tak: Guardians of Gross

October 14
* Dokapon Kingdom
* FIFA Soccer 2009

October 17
* Cake Mania Baker's Challenge

October 20
* Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition
* NHL 09
* Rock University Presents: The Naked Brothers Band
* SpongeBob: Nicktoons Globs of Doom

October 21
* Backyard Football 2009
* Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp
* Disney Sing It
* The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
* Onimusha: The Essentials
* Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
* Think Fast Bundle

October 26
* Guitar Hero World Tour

October 27
* Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess
* Go Diego Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue

October 28
* Baja 1000: Score International
* Ben 10: Alien Force
* Goosebumps HorrorLand
* Mana Khemia: Alchemist of Al-Revis
* Monster Jam: Urban Assault
* Moto GP '08
* Pro Bull Riders: Out of the Chute
* Shrek's Carnival Craze
* SingStar Country
* SingStar Lengends

PS3 Titles

October 13
* Blitz, The League II

October 14
* Dead Space
* FIFA Soccer 2009
* Golden Axe: Beast Rider
* Rock Band 2
* Rock Revolution
* Saints Row 2
* SOCOM: Confrontation

October 20
* Midnight Club: Los Angeles
* Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition

October 21
* Bioshock
* Disney Sing It
* Eternal Sonata
* Far Cry 2
* The Legend of Spryo: Dawn of the Dragon
* Legendary
* LittleBigPlanet
* Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

October 26
* Guitar Hero World Tour

October 28
* Baja 1000: Score International
* Fallout 3
* Moto GP '08
* MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
* SingStar Vol 2

PSP

October

Wii

October

Xbox 360

October 7
• Crash: Mind over Mutant
• Fracture
• Guilty Gear: Overture
• NBA 2K9
• NBA Live 2009

October 13
• Blitz, The League II
• Legend of Spyro: Dawn of Dragon OSG

October 14
• Dead Space
• Deer Hunter Tournament
• FIFA Soccer 2009
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider
• Rock Revolution
• Saints Row 2

October 19
• Rock Band 2 Special Edition Bundle

October 20
• Midnight Club: Los Angeles
• Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition

October 21
• Dance Dance Revolution: Universe 3
• Disney Sing It Bundle
* Fable 2
* Far Cry 2
• The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
• Legendary
• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

October 26
* Guitar Hero World Tour

October 28
* Baja 1000: Score International
* Fallout 3
* High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance
* Moto GP '08
* Scene It? 2

Rant: I Hate Boosters!

I hate boosters. I can understand where they're coming from: achievements are addictive and awesome. But don't ruin my game with your boosting. I hate those boosters the most.

I've played some Halo 3 this weekend to take advantage of the Double XP weekend and to check out some of the 1.2 goodness. It's been a while since I played.

I hadn't even realized that the total achievements you could get in Halo 3 were now at 79 achievements for 1750 gamerscore. That made my 920 look small. So I set about to play.

However, none of my friends were playing. Josh's disc is scratched. I don't know where Alana is. Roger's probably working. And they're the only ones who would really be playing anymore.

I played a little yesterday and finally got my Mongoose Mowdown. I'd been trying to get that forever. Before now, every time I hit someone with a Mongoose it doesn't kill them, it just knocks them out of the way.

I played some today, and in the pregame lobby, there were kids trying to get others to boost with them. The main achievement they were trying to boost? Came... From... Behind... which is assassinate 3 times in a ranked or social match. Any achievement that can be boosted in a social match should be so it's not disturbing the real gamers.

These kids kept getting pissed when I would kill them. "Stop shooting us, Jester!" That's the point of the game! A couple even left me negative feedback of "Unsporting" because I killed them while they were trying to boost in a public, ranked game.

Ridiculous.

Fable 2: The Patch - Coming Soon!

Fable 2 may have already gone gold and should be available to gamers October 21st. However, expect a patch (hopefully) soon after its release. Not all features will be available out the door with the released version.

What will be missing? Online co-op. You'll still see the orbs where your friends are in their games and you'll be able to chat and trade items with them, but you will not be able to actually join their game and adventure with them. Developers say the patch will be released within a week of the game's official release, but we'll see.

Interplay's Back!

Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, Interplay has re-emerged onto the gaming scene with the official relaunch of their website. But with their relaunch comes news that they have still been working on their Fallout MMO (currently entitled "Project V13") that they talked about in the past.

Interplay had sold the rights to the Fallout franchise to Bethesda when they encountered financial troubles, but they kept the rights to an online Fallout game.

Interplay started in 1983 and is responsible for many games over the years including Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Earthworm Jim and Clayfighter.

Rumor: L.A. Noire to the Xbox 360?

When L.A. Noire was first announced in 2004, it was announced as an exclusive game for the PS3. But more and more rumors have surfaced this year that the game will also be coming to the Xbox 360. The newest information seems to give this rumor validity.

The president of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia, Tom Crago, mentioned at CG Asia 2008 that the game would be released on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. This is the closest to an official statement so far. The website for the game continues to state that the platform is "to be announced."

L.A. Noire takes place in the late 1940's Los Angeles landscape and players will be required to solve a series of murders in a sandbox styled detective game. The game is styled after the film noir genre of movies and is in black and white. The release date is 2009.

Fable 2 - Great for Boosters!

Boosters all around the world are probably rejoicing. Lionhead Studios has released the official achievement list for Fable 2. But these achievements are definitely different than most achievements. You can get an achievement simply by seeing another player complete the achievement!

This seems lame to me. I don't have to do anything to get the achievement? I just join a friend's game and follow them around and get achievements not by actually doing the thing? Lame!

Fallout 3 Now Edited for Everyone!

Remember when Australia banned Fallout 3? And then Bethesda edited the game so it could be played by gamers Down Under? Well, now that version is the only version that will be released.

It sounds worse than it is. The main problem Australia had with the original Fallout 3 was the drug use in the game. There have ALWAYS been drugs in Fallout. Your character can get addicted to drugs. And getting addicted to drugs in Fallout really, really sucks.

But apparently, the problem Australia had was that Fallout 3 referenced real world drugs. The edited version has changed the drug names to fictional names. This doesn't sound that bad to me. I don't really remember any real world drugs in the other Fallouts. There were drugs like Jet, Mentats, and Stim-Paks.

As long as these are the only real changes, it's no skin off my back. (Besides, I'll pretty much buy this game no matter what. Hell, I owned Brotherhood of Steel. I'm hardcore!)

Ensemble Studios to Close

Microsoft Studios has announced that they are closing Ensemble Studios after the release of Halo Wars. Some of the staff of Ensemble Studios have already announced that they will be forming their own game company. And Microsoft has promised to try to place many of the staff who do not move on to the new company.

The newly formed company will still be working with Microsoft and will be responsible for any Halo Wars updates or patches.

Ensemble Studios is the company that brought gamers other RTS games like the Age of Empires series and Age of Mythology. Microsoft purchased Ensemble Studios in 2001.

Jester013's Briefs: Mercenaries 2

Since I've been so busy and because I know more and more people have short attention spans(anything over 1 minute on Youtube is usually criticized as too long), I'm going to start doing brief reports on games instead of in-depth reviews. My first one is on Mercenaries 2.

Game: Mercenaries 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Plays Like: An updated and better version of Lost Cause
Fun?: Yes
Multiplayer: Online co-op exists, but I haven't played it yet
Graphics: Decent but not great
Bugs: Not too many so far other than my helicopter pilot thinking he's getting shot sometimes when he's not and if your guy falls down a big hill, he just keeps rag doll sliding until he's not moving anymore which can take a while
Weird Things: It was released in stores on a Sunday for some reason. And it's kind of hard to get killed in the game.
Worth Full Price: Unsure as of yet. I like it, but it seems like it might be a short game...


Other Notes: The theme song from the commercial "Oh No, You Didn't" is awesome. I saw the same commercial once with just some classical music playing. It was definitely not as good.

September Game Releases

School's back in session and everyone needs something to do other than their homework. Maybe something with Force powers...
 

DS Titles

September 2
• Picto Image

September 7
• Spore Creatures

September 8
• Lock's Quest
• Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
• Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

September 9
• Bratz Ponyz 2
• Hell's Kitchen
• Mazes of Fate
• The Price is Right

September 15
• Dragon Quest IV

September 16
• Igor
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• My Secret World
• Pony Friends: Mini Breeds Edition
• Red Bull BC One
• Slingo Quest
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

September 22
• Brain Quest Grades 3 & 4
• Brain Quest Grades 5 & 6
• Di-Gata Defenders
• Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
• Drop Cast
• Kirby: Super Star Ultra
• My Little Pony Pinkie Pie's Party
• Nancy Drew: Hidden Staircase
• Sim City Creator

September 23
• Barbie Fashion Show: Eye for Style
• Dinosaur King
• Disgaea DS
• Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge
• LEGO Batman
• Margot's Word Brain
• My Japanese Coach
• My SAT Coach: Princeton Review
• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
• Shaun the Sheep
• Time Hollow

September 30
• Army Men 'Soldiers of Misfortune'
• Paint by DS
• Pop Cutie: Street Fashion Simulation
• Princess Debut
• Rollin' Rascals
• Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood
• Tornado

PC Titles

September 2
• Baseball Mogul 2009
• FlatOut: Head On
• Ford Racing Offroad
• GTR Evolution

September 3
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

September 7
• Spore

September 9
• Cabela's Big Game Hunter: Legendary Adventure
• Cooking Academy
• CSI: Super Pack
• Hell's Kitchen
• The Price is Right

September 15
• Naked Brothers Band
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

September 16
• Crysis: Warhead
• Discovery
• Everlight
• Igor
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• Nancy Drew Ultimate Bundle
• Operation Mania
• Pure
• The Settlers VI Gold
• Warhammer Mark of Chaos/Battle March Bundle
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
• The Witcher Enhanced

September 22
• Command & Conquer 3
• Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

September 23
• Battlelord: King's Bounty
• Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
• LEGO Batman
• Nostradamus

September 25
• Guild Wars Trilogy

September 30
• Can You See What I See
• Etch A Sketch
• Hardy Boys: The Hidden Thief
• Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate

PS2 Titles

September 8
• NHL 2K9

September 9
• Cabela's Legendary Adventures
• Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
• TNA Impact!
• Yakuza 2

September 16
• Dance Dance Revolution: X
• Namco Classic Fighter Collection
• Naruto Ultimate Collection
• Pac-Man Power Pack
• Speed Racer
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

September 23
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
• LEGO Batman
• Warrior's Orochi 2

September 29
• Mortal Kombat Kollection

PS3 Titles

September 2
• Rapala Fishing Frenzy
• Vampire Rain: Altered Species

September 3
• FaceBreaker
• NFL Head Coach 2009

September 8
• NHL 2K9

September 9
• NHL 2009
• TNA Impact!

September 16
• Armored Core: For Answer
• Pure
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

September 22
• Baja: Edge of Control

September 23
• Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
• Buzz Quiz TV
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
• LEGO Batman

September 30
• Legendary
• Silent Hill Homecoming

PSP Titles

September 9
• Cabela's Legendary Adventures

September 16
• B-Boy
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Yggdra Union

September 23
• Buzz Master Quiz
• LEGO Batman
• My Spanish Coach

Wii Titles

September 2
• Rapala Fishing Frenzy

September 8
• NHL 2K9

September 9
• Active Life Outdoor Challenge
• Cabela's Legendary Adventures
• Hell's Kitchen
• The Price is Right

September 12
• Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2

September 16
• Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
• Igor
• Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf
• Rebel Raiders
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

September 22
• de Blob
• Sim City Creator
• Wario Land: Shake It

September 23
• Battle Rage
• Brothers in Arms: Double Time
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
• Circus Games
• LEGO Batman
• Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked
• Margot's Word Brain
• Pitfall: The Big Adventure
• Samba De Amigo
• Twin Strike: Operation Thunder

September 30
• Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune
• North American Hunting Extravaganza
• We Cheer

Xbox 360 Titles

September 2
• Infinite Undiscovery
• Rapala Fishing Frenzy
• Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
• Warhammer: Battle March

September 3
• FaceBreaker
• NFL Head Coach 2009

September 8
• NHL 2K9

September 9
• NHL 2009
• TNA Impact!
• Zoids Assault

September 14
• Rock Band 2

September 16
• Armored Core: For Answer
• Battle Fantasia
• Pure
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

September 22
• Baja: Edge of Control

September 23
• Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
• LEGO Batman
• Warriors Orochi 2

September 30
• Guilty Gear 2: Overture
• Legendary
• Silent Hill Homecoming

Gamers Bill of Rights

Edge Online is running an article about a Gamers Bill of Rights created by Stardock and Gas Powered Games. The article says that it's a PC Gamers Bill of Rights, but with this gen of consoles featuring online play and updates a lot of these apply to every gamer.

We the Gamers of the world, in order to ensure a more enjoyable experience, establish equality between players and publishers, and promote the general welfare of our industry hereby call for the following:


1. Gamers shall have the right to return games that don't work with their computers for a full refund.
2. Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
3. Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game's release.
4. Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
5. Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will adequately play on that computer.
6. Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won't install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their express consent.
7. Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
8. Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
9. Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
10. Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

I have to say that I'm impressed by how in-touch Stardock is with most gamers and how progressive this Bill of Rights is. The thing I like is that it is very customer centric with rights such as 2 and 8. With so many games coming out almost finished not only pisses of consumers, but also hurts the game developers in the long run.

Lets face it, gamers are a different type of consumer and it is a different type of industry. If a developer treats it's customers right, then those customers turn into fans and those fans will support that developer. The potential goes beyond the game itself and stretches into gaming merchandise, developer merchandise, and just the general hype that fans can bring, which is free advertising for the developers next project.

Sure not every game can be a Mario, Halo, or Metal Gear, but developers can still snag a smaller level of fans/customers and the best way to do that is by starting with the Gamers Bill of Rights. The next move will be to have a Gamers Bill of Rights for the console. Number one shall be that we have the right to a console that doesn't red ring.

Download Red Alert for Free

On Sunday, EA will allow gamers to download the original Red Alert for the PC for free from the official site in celebration of the upcoming Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Red Alert's over ten years old but a good RTS game nonetheless.

It's not really clear if this is a one day only giveaway or if August 31st is just the first day you can download. EA is also letting gamers download Red Alert 2 if you pre-order Red Alert 3.

Sunday is the 13th anniversary of Command & Conquer.

Left 4 Dead Online Details

Valve just announced that their upcoming zombie survival thriller Left 4 Dead will be on dedicated servers for anyone who plays online no matter the platform. They also announced that the Xbox 360 version would include two person splitscreen mode for online play and the splitscreen can be horizontal or vertical - your choice!

Dedicated servers are always a great idea since it means less lag and no host advantage. All games should implement dedicated servers.

And I am also always a fan of splitscreen co-op. Too many games have moved away from this feature.

Overall, I was already extremely excited for this game, but this makes it look that much better. Keep it up, Valve!

Rumor: GTA IV DLC

The current rumor on the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content is that it will be released on Xbox Live in October or November and cost 1600 Microsoft Points($20).

What exactly the DLC will entail has never actually been confirmed, but most believe it will be very big like an expansion.

The rumored release time seems about right to me because that's when Saint's Row 2 will be coming out, and everyone knows there's no love lost between the games.

Comic: God of War?

Obviously this comic is a little different than my normal ones. My tablet pen ran out of batteries while I was working so I found some screenshots that were similar to what I was thinking and used them. I'll try to finish the drawn version when I get some AAA batteries. I wouldn't want to deprive you of art like this:



Anyway, I've been playing Too Human since its release Wednesday. The first mission is pretty easy and you kick some ass. After that, I tend to die... A lot! And it seems weird since I'm supposedly a god. It's also annoying because you can't skip the little scene of the Valkyrie coming to get you or speed it up. It's a nice visual, but after you've seen it 20 times, it gets old.

Guitar Hero Dropout

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but with work and this current tropical storm/hurricane Fay going through the area, I've been kinda busy. This news item hit the presses over the weekend, and I had to post about it. A 16-year-old in Raleigh, NC(Blake Peebles) has convinced his parents to let him drop out of high school so he can concentrate on Guitar Hero.

I believe this is where the phrase "WTF?!?" was originally invented to go. Why would his parents allow such a thing? They say they were sick of his complaining. He's 16! He's a teenager! He will complain, no matter what!

Fortunately, it's not a simple dropout situation. He is basically being home schooled by a tutor so he's not just sitting there playing Guitar Hero non-stop with no learning. But what is this mythical career in Guitar Hero that he believes he will pursue? In the news report, there are vague talks about tournaments and competitions, but most of their information about how much professional gamers can make are from leagues like Major League Gaming which competes in first person and third person shooters.

So far, Peebles has made about $1,000 in his Guitar Hero career. That's not $1,000 cash, though. Much of it is in the form of prizes like free meals from Chik-Fil-A and other some material goods.

This just seems like a terrible parenting decision. Good luck, Blake Peebles.... you'll need it.

Bad Company Conquest Tomorrow

Remember when DICE and EA released Battlefield: Bad Company and promised they would eventually release other multiplayer modes other than Gold Rush? Well, that day is tomorrow when Conquest goes live on Xbox Live.

Conquest is a territories type multiplayer game where players capture and control flags. You can spawn from any flag your team controls.

As promised from the beginning, Conquest will be free.

Fallout 3, Now With Over 500 Endings...

That's the word from a recent interview with Bethesda's Peter Hines. There are over 500 different variations at the end of the game.

Now, sadly most of my so-called "gamer" friends have never played Fallout or Fallout 2 so they might not understand what this means. Does this mean there are over 500 individual endings? No. There are variations.

See, in Fallout and Fallout 2, at the end of the main quest, they do a little ending. In this ending, they tell you what happens to the various factions, groups and settlements in the game. Some of them are destroyed, some prosper. It all all depends on how your character interacted within that group or if you encountered them at all. In the first two, I believe there could have been as many as four endings for each faction(and some only had two) and I wouldn't say there were more than ten factions(the Brotherhood, Enclave, various towns, etc.) so 500 is still an impressive number.

I'm also enjoying all the Fallout 3 information that is pouring out. Bethesda actually did their reporter previews right. They let them play the game for 30 minutes. They don't force them to go on any particular quests or anything. Most of the articles I read the reporters simply head out into the wastelands and start exploring. Since it's a totally open world, you get a lot of different things from the different reporters. Good job, Bethesda! I've been looking forward to this game for a long time.

Play Red Faction: Guerilla Beta... for a Price

THQ is currently holding a Red Faction: Guerilla beta for the Xbox 360. However, there is a catch. You must be a Gold Xbox Live member and a member of FilePlanet or IGN Insider.

I went to FilePlanet and activated a month's membership for $6.95. I was able to get an activation key and download the beta with no problem after filling out the questionaire. But be warned that there are supposed to be a limited amount of slots in the beta.

Red Faction: Guerilla is being developed by Volition and takes place on Mars 50 years after the first Red Faction. There are two factions, the re-established Red Faction and the oppressive Earth Defense Force. The single player campaign will have the player helping the Red Faction fight against the EDF. The game will be released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in fiscal 2009.

The beta is around 640 MB in size and is only limited Multiplayer of the game.

There is no tutorial for the beta so in the beginning, you'll have to deal with some trial and error and ask your teammates any questions.

The most common game is usually a type of territories. There are three "territories" that your team can control. There is a machine on each of these territories when a team has control of it. You must destroy any enemy machines there and then build your own. You get a point every second or two per machine(maximum one per territory). The first team to 400 points wins.

Your starting equipment varies from game to game, but I think you always start with at least an assault rifle, a sledgehammer and a repair gun thing. There are also modules around that give you a backpack which gives you special abilities.

The Concussion power knocks enemies off their feet(good to then go in and smash their face with your sledgehammer as they're getting up). The Rhino power lets you tear through barriers(and enemies). The Fleetfoot power lets you run really fast. The Firepower power allows you to increase your damage.

Every once in a while in the beta you play a simple team deathmatch, but so far I've only seen one map.

Bungie Update Makes Individual Exp Per Playlist

So Bungie announced that their new update to the Halo 3 Matchmaking Playlist will include individual experience points and ranks per Playlist. So players will now see that some players are Generals in Lone Wolfs, but a Sgt in Team Slayer Social.

I think this is cool. I've noticed that some Generals and Brigadiers aren't that good in Big Team Social. This should give players a better understanding of how experienced a player is in certain game types rather than the broad ranking and experience system that is currently in place.

If Shane and I join up in Rocket Race, then we'll be Generals in no time. For those that don't know, we are pretty good at Rocket Race.

Also there will be some Banhammer updates since people are abusing the file share system. It's amazing how people figured out to upload nudy pictures to their Halo file share for others to enjoy.

Burnout Paradise City Update Crashes Onto Xbox Live Monday

The newest Burnout Paradise City update, named Cagney, will be available for gamers on Xbox Live August 4th for free. Criterion continues to add more and more to this game with even more promised on the way. This update will add three new freeburn game modes(Road Rage, Stunt Run and Marked Man), 70 new challenges, two new cars and five new liveries as well as some changes to the game itself.

Most of the game changes affect the multiplayer aspect of the game only, but there are some changes to the single player game as well. One of the changes("Boost chaining no longer possible by drifting in open areas") means that getting the Boosting Around the World(Got a 20x Boost Chain) achievement will be a lot harder!

Criterion's next update for the game will be in September. And the next update should introduce motorcycles to the game!

Wii Sports Not As Good For You as Real Sports

File this one under "well, duh," but a new study has determined how many calories the various games in Wii Sports burn compared to actually playing the real sport. Shockingly, playing the actual sport burns more calories than the virtual one.

Here are the calorie burning per minute breakdowns from the study. The first number is the Wii Sports number, the second is the real sport number.

Baseball - 4.5/7.3

Bowling - 3.6/7.2

Boxing - 3.0/10.2

Golf - 0.8/3.9

Tennis - 2.8/8.1

So according to the study, baseball burns the most calories. Of course, I think the study is misleading since they brake it down as calories burned per minute. Some of these games don't have activity that lasts even a minute straight. Therefore, while bowling seems to burn calories the second fastest, it doesn't pan out since bowling doesn't have constant activity.

Also, most of the time the real sport involves holding a heavier object - be it a bowling ball, tennis racket or baseball bat. So that's going to help burn more calories.

XYBA Podcast Ep 20

XYBA Podcast Crew is Andy, Eric, Josh, and Marco. This is Marco's final episode. We talk about some E3 stuff and of course the usual topics. Guitrollers FTW!

0:00 - Opening with Andy, Eric, Josh, and Marco
0:55 - Games We're Playing :|: Civilization DS and 360, Wii Fit, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Rockband
19:05 - Gaming News :|: E3 stuff
36:07 - Rountable Discussion :|: New XBOX 360 Upcoming Updates
42:19 - Games We're Looking Forward to :|: Prototype, APB, Saints Row II, Infamous, Gears of War II, Fallout 3, Little Big Planet, Left 4 Dead, Rockband 2, Resistance 2, and Ghostbusters
1:01:05 - Rants :|: Corrupted files on Xbox harddrive
1:03:18 - Shoutouts :|: Good luck Marco



Download XYBA Podcast Ep 20

Xbox 360 Repairs: Day Twelve

My replacement Xbox 360 arrived from the Repair Center today around 1 pm. They had put it in a real box instead of the fake box I had created to send it off. I transferred over all of my licenses and everything seems to work fine.

I was glad to see that the 360 Arcade they sent to replace the one I sent in still had an HDMI output. It seems to make a slight hum that my old one didn't, but it's not really that noticeable.

And while transferring over my licenses, I figured out that I never had from my first one to my second so the licenses from both are now transferred onto my replacement. I don't think it makes that big of a difference since I was always using the same harddrive so everything was there anyway, but it's good if you need to re-download something.

Now it's time for some gaming!

August Game Releases

It's the end of the summer and more importantly, my birthday. What wonderful games do developers have for me to celebrate the fact that I survived another year? And in what I hope becomes a trend, Microsoft actually announced some of their Xbox Live Arcade games that would be released in August so I included those.
 

DS Titles

August 5
• The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom
• GRiD
• Little League World Series
• Professor Brainium
• Puzzler Collection
• Quick Yoga Training
• Rock Blast

August 12
• Bangai O Spirits
• Bratz Ponyz 2
• Imagine: Teacher
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• Madden NFL 09
• N+

August 19
• Commando Steel Disaster

August 25
• MLB Power Pros 2008

August 26
• Digimon World Championship
• Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
• From the Abyss
• Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness
• My Chinese Coach
• Picto Image
• The Sims 2 Apartment Pets

PC Titles

August 1
• Legend: Hand of God

August 5
• Murder in the Abbey
• Wildlife Zoo Deluxe

August 11
• Silent Hunter 4 Gold

August 12
• Dracula 3: Path of the Dragon
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• Sinking Island
• Space Siege

August 18
• Adventure Anthology

August 19
• Two Worlds Epic Edition

August 26
• FlatOut: Head On
• The Sims 2 Apartment Life

August 29
• Prison Tycoon 4: SuperMax

August 31
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

PS2 Titles

August 5
• B-Boy
• Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour

August 12
• Madden NFL 09

August 26
• Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
• Tiger Woods 09

August 31
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

PS3 Titles

August 5
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger

August 12
• Madden NFL 09

August 26
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
• Ferrari Challenge
• Tiger Woods 09
• Vampire Rain: Altered Species

August 31
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

PSP Titles

August 12
• Madden NFL 09
• N+

August 26
• B-Boy
• Tiger Woods 09

Wii Titles

August 5
• Little League World Series

August 12
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• Madden NFL 09

August 19
• Rebel Raiders

August 25
• Mario Super Sluggers

August 26
• Ferrari Challenge
• Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
• Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf
• Tiger Woods 09

Xbox 360 Titles

August 6
• Braid (XBLA)

August 12
• Madden NFL 09

August 13
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed (XBLA)
• Fable 2 Pub Games (XBLA)

August 19
• Too Human
• Smash Court Tennis 3

August 20
• Galaga Legions (XBLA)

August 26
• Tales of Vesperia
• Tiger Woods 09

August 27
• Castle Crashers (XBLA)

August 31
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames