1 vs. 100 Beta

So I finally got to play the 1 vs. 100 Beta tonight. I played for the entire two hour long show. Overall, I like it.

It's a little confusing at first. There were over 100,000 people playing and at first I thought I was in the Mob. But I was actually in the Crowd (which is where most people play).

In the Crowd, you can have a party of four or the game will assign you into a party of four total. This way you have a little competition within your group and it's not too overwhelming.

I actually found most of the questions pretty easy, sometimes ridiculously so. I never got to be the One or the Mob tonight, but I hear it's based on weekly stats of how much you play, your response time and percent of correct answers. Playing the Extended Play shows during the week is supposed to help increase your chance of being the One or the Mob. It seemed to me that the One was usually in the Mob right before being chosen.

For the most part, only the One or the Mob can actually win prizes(although no prizes are being awarded during the Beta(even though it looks like they are because they need to test all that stuff too)). The Crowd plays for fun and prestige.

Once Beta is over, there are supposed to be restrictions - you can only be the One once per season, you can only be in the Mob once per episode.

If you are in the Mob, you get eliminated when you answer a question incorrectly. You still answer until the end of the game but you are ineligible for any prizes.

As the One, your prizes increase for every ten Mob members eliminated. You can then at certain points choose to walk away with your prize(microsoft points) or keep playing. If you answer a question wrong, the prize gets split amongst all remaining Mob members.

The top three players in the whole game (Crowd and Mob) also get prizes.

This game is free to play for all Xbox Live Gold Members.

My PS3 Experience

Okay, so I finally got a PS3 a few weeks ago(I had planned on getting one when inFamous came out). I've been playing it since then - first Uncharted and then inFamous(I'm doing my second playthrough on evil). Overall, I enjoy it. Here are some of the things I've seen and you can tell me if I'm right or missing something.

First, the graphics and sound are great. Which was expected.

Other than a small adjustment to the different controller(I kept pressing the square when it told me to press X and the bumpers/triggers took an adjustment), the gameplay has been smooth. The controllers are smaller and lighter than the Xbox 360's. Although the recharge cord that comes with the controller is pretty freaking short. What's up with that?

I like having a system that's been out for a while. There are a lot of games I can pick up for fairly cheap.

The Blu-Ray player is nice. Of course, I don't plan on replacing my DVD collection or even buying a lot of Blu-Ray DVDs, but it's good to have.

The Wi-Fi connection is great. I haven't noticed any lag (although I've only played the Uncharted 2 beta multiplayer). And not paying for PSN is wonderful.

Things I don't like or am misunderstanding:

Not all games(especially older ones) have trophies. That's disappointing. I know some trophies were added in for some games later(like Uncharted) but other games still have no trophies (like Haze).

Playstation Home seems boring. What am I doing? Just running around, looking at things?

My PS3 didn't come with a headset so if I want to actually talk to anyone on PSN I need to buy a headset.

The Playstation website is horrible compared to xbox.com. I can't look at my friends' trophies or send them an instant message. Navigation on the site is not as quick or simple.

Overall, I like the PS3. However, I will be sticking mainly with the 360. I mean, my gamerscore on the 360 is ridiculous. And I have a lot more friends on Xbox Live. But I'll stick use the PS3 for some sweet PS3 exclusives.

Project Natal - The Next Big Thing?

Microsoft unveiled Project Natal at E3 this week. It is a set of motion sensor cameras used for the 360 to detect the gamer's movements, controlling actions in the game. There's a lot of excitement surrounding this innovation.

Personally, I think it's a good thing. I've been waiting for something like this ever since I first played a motion sensing boxing arcade game(MoCap Boxing) years ago. A few more arcade games came out using the same technology(I remember a cop game), but overall it didn't seem to take off like I had hoped it would.

I can tell you one thing - those games were tiring. The boxing game made you sweat and the cop game hurt my legs from crouching so much. But I really liked the games and didn't mind the physical toil(in fact it's a nice workout).

I don't know if Project Natal games will be as tiring. But I think that if the games are fun people will play them. We already know from Wii Fit that gamers will buy games that give them a workout. It's a little less sure if gamers will keep playing them.

Project Natal will be included in all Xbox 360 bundles in the near future and Microsoft will be selling Project Natal seperately as well for all of us who already have an Xbox 360.

We're Back!

Sorry for the lack of updates last month, but we've been dealing with a lot of issues lately - both professional and personal. We also used the time to clean up the interface some. You should experience less delay and faster load times.

In some personal news, Josh and I are in final talks to do some work for CW17 in Jacksonville. If all goes as plan, we will start producing monthly video game review videos. We plan on starting with one a month and grow from there.

In other news, I finally bought a PS3 and am enjoying it overall. (And my Wii apparently died like six months ago but it took months before I found out since I never play it.)

June Game Releases

Summer is upon us at last. The students are getting out for the summer and family’s are taking vacations. Did the game developers finally listen to my many letters demanding that they should treat summer as a big gaming season just like the Hollywood studios do? Let’s find out.

 

DS Titles
June 2
• Knights in the Nightmare

June 8
• The Legendary Starfy

June 9
• Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• LEGO Battles!
• Miami Law

June 15
• Sushi Academy

June 16
• Animal Paradise Wild
• Anno: Create a New World
• C.O.R.E.
• Flower, Sun and Rain
• Ghostbusters
• Hurry Up Hedgehog!
• Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward
• Roogoo: Attack

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 18
• Blood Bowl

June 19
• My Sims Racing

June 23
• Little League World Series Baseball 2009
• Overlord: Minions
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
• Sudoku Ball – Detective

June 30
• My Dress Up
• My Make-Up
• Treasure World

PC Titles
June 2
• The Sims 3

June 4
• Light of Altair

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Ghostbusters

June 17
• America’s Army 3.0
• Luna Online

June 23
• ArmA 2
• Fuel
• Overlord II
• Spore: Galactic Adventures
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 30
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• CID the Dummy
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• The Orb and the Oracle
• Street Fighter IV

PS2 Titles
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

June 16
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

PS3 Titles
June 2
• Fuel
• Red Faction: Guerrilla
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 4
• Star Trek: D.A.C.

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Overlord II
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

June 30
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Fight Night Round 4
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

PSP
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Class of Heroes
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• Rock Band Unplugged

June 15
• Mytran Wars

June 23
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 26
• Pangya: Fantasy Golf

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament

Wii
June 1
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

June 2
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Go Play Circus Star
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream

June 16
• Anno: Create a New World
• EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits
• Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward
• Let’s Tap
• Roogoo Twisted Towers

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 19
• My Sims Racing

June 23
• The Conduit
• Little King’s Story
• Little League World Series Baseball 2009
• Resident Evil: Archives
• Sudoku Ball – Detective

June 26
• Overlord: Dark Legend

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Xbox 360
June 2
• Fuel
• Red Faction: Guerrilla
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Overlord II
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

June 30
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Fight Night Round 4
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• Infernal: Hells Vengeance
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008

Psst! Sam Fisher is Getting Released

Hey, buddy. Word around the cell block is Sam Fisher isn't dead. He's been in the hole for a while now and rumor had been that he had gotten himself shanked. But a little birdy told me he's still alive and actually getting released from prison. He may look a little different. I hear he might have had reconstructive surgery, but everyone's pretty sure he's alive.

Splinter Cell Conviction is back on the gaming radar, despite numerous delays and rumors of cancellations. A new report from Ubisoft indicates that Splinter Cell Conviction will be released in time for Christmas 2009.

3 Year Warranty Extended to E-74 Error

Microsoft's three year warranty for the Xbox 360 now includes Xboxes that die from the dreaded E-74 error as well as the Red Ring of Death. This was revealed somewhat quietly by Microsoft who has seen an increase in the number of E-74 errors reported. Owners who paid for a repair during their first three years for an E-74 error problem should receive a refund.

Xbox.com describes an E-74 error as a graphics hardware problem.

Sadly, this announcement comes a little too late for me. My first two Xbox 360s both died from E-74, not RROD.

My very first 360 got the E-74 error from time to time but a quick reboot would usually make it go away. Then one day the graphics went weird(after an update to Orange Box). It returned to normal, but it wasn't soon after that my 360 went E-74 for good. It would only go to that error screen.

This happened after my 360 was out of its one year warranty. Microsoft didn't recognize the E-74 as a serious problem then. In fact, the person I talked to on the phone didn't understand what an E-74 error was.

I decided not to send it in and pay for repairs. Instead, I went out and bought an Xbox Arcade system and used my old harddrive and controllers. (I also didn't want to wait for repairs which at the time were a bit longer.)

My Arcade system died from an E-74 error within the first six months. This one I sent in since it was still under its year long warranty.

I am glad to see Microsoft taking the E-74 error seriously.

April 2009 Game Releases

No April Fools trickery, developers! Give me some good games or I'll go read a book or something...
 

DS Titles
April 5
• Rhythm Heaven

April 7
• Garfield Gets Real
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 14
• C.O.R.E.
• The Dark Spire
• Dokapon Journey
• Flower, Sun and Rain
• Puchi Puchi Virus
• Puzzle Kingdoms

April 21
• Jagged Alliance DS
• Steal Princess

April 24
• Gauntlet

April 28
• Elite Forces: Unit 77
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure

April 29
• Desktop Tower Defense

PC Titles
April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• Digital Combat Simulator: Black Shark
• Elven Legacy
• Flock
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movie
• X3: Terran Conflict

April 10
• Braid

April 14
• Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
• Demigod
• Velvet Assassin

April 15
• Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
• Still Life 2

April 21
• Zeno Clash

April 28
• The Humans

PS2 Titles
April 7
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 28
• Backyard Baseball 2010

PS3 Titles
April 2
• Comet Crash

April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 9
• Flock
• Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic

April 16
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

PSP Titles
April 7
• Class of Heroes
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
• Hammerin' Hero

April 21
• DT Carnage

April 28
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Wii Titles
April 2
• Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves

April 7
• Garfield Gets Real
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 14
• Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity

April 20
• Excitebots: Trick Racing

April 21
• Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball

April 28
• Puzzle Kingdoms

Xbox 360 Titles
April 1
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movies
• Ninja Blade

April 8
• Flock

April 14
• Velvet Assassin

April 15
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 25
• Shop City: In the World of Zellians

Halo Wars: First Impressions

I've been looking forward to Halo Wars for a couple of years now and wasn't too happy as they consistently pushed it back further and further. But now the game is finally here and I have to say that this game is fun.

Campaign
For those of us who played the demo you really get a sense of how the campaign plays out. Right now I'm only on Mission 4 and it's starting to ramp up as far as difficulty (I'm playing Heroic difficulty). The first ACT was a breeze, but now I'm actually failing missions from the get go. The controls are simple enough, I do keep forgetting whether D-Pad Down takes me to my base of if it's D-Pad Left, I think it's D-Pad Left, but other than that it's been simplified for the console. I never played RTS games on the PC, unless you count Dune back in the mid-90's, so my ignorance is a blessing here. I think it plays fine, then again I think Command & Conquer plays fine on the 360 as well.

The scenarios that I have encountered so far have been pretty fun. There are small battles, large battles, and then scenes where I just destroy enemies with Scorpions.

The only really disappointing part is the graphics for the Elites. To me it looks like they are wearing a one piece swim suite and there is very little detail to some of the enemies and sometimes my allies. Also the cut scenes are really compressed poorly. I can see the compression artifacts big time.

I have yet to play Campaign in Co-op, but from what I hear from a friend, it is awesome. I really enjoy collecting the skulls, black boxes, and trying to meet the optional objectives, like kill 100 Grunts.

Multiplayer
I tried out 3v3 last night with some friends. We teamed up to go against strangers online and I have to say that it was tons of fun. We lost most of the matches before we finally figured out the strategy that everyone was using, so when we won it was great to know that it was through strategy and not luck.

I didn't think I would really enjoy the MP aspect of it, but I think I will be visiting this portion of the game more often than I thought. Teamwork is vital in surviving these game types and I hope to get better at it.

Everything about Halo Wars feels like Halo 3, from the look of the menus to the ranking system. HaloWars.com even has a stats section, though it's not as cool as Bungie.net's stats.

If you are a Halo fan, like myself, then you will definitely enjoy this, just for the fact that it is so familiar. I think that's what really draws me in. When I'm told to protect a Spartan, I know what that is immediately. Sure there are some new vehicles, but they are pretty easy to learn and I already know the other vehicles, so there is less to remember.

If you are a hardcore RTS fan, then this might be a little dumbed down from what I hear on the forums and podcast. So try the demo for sure to get a handle on how it plays.

Hopefully Microsoft will support this game for years to come because it has the potential to have long legs. I would like to see new maps and skins for vehicles as well as some new gametypes for MP.

Another cool feature the game has is a timeline for the Halo universe. Some of the dates are locked, which have to be unlocked through gameplay, but it really gives the players a nice sense of where this story starts and the other Halo stories begin.

March Game Releases

"In like a lion, out like a lamb" - Is that only the saying for the weather in March or does it work for video games too?
 

DS Titles
March 3
• Littlest Pet Shop Spring

March 9
• My Pet Shop

March 10
• Avalon Code
• Boing! Docomodake DS
• MySims Party
• Zubo

March 16
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

March 17
• C.O.R.E.
• Grey's Anatomy
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
• Scrabble
• Suikoden Tierkreis
• TrackMania DS

March 22
• Pokemon Platinum

March 24
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Time
• Lux-Pain
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Pimp My Ride 2

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

March 31
• Don King Presents: Prizefighter

PC Titles
March 3
• Empire: Total War

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 17
• Grand Ages: Rome
• Grey's Anatomy
• Spore: Galactic Adventures
• Strike Force Red Cell

March 20
• World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

March 23
• Battleforge
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising

March 24
• Dungeon Hero
• The Last Remnant
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 30
• Armed Assault 2
• Dawn of Fantasy
• Elven Legacy
• The Humans
• Imperium Romanum II
• King Arthur
• Penumbra Collection
• Troll & Armor

PS2 Titles
March 3
• The King of Fighters'98 Ultimate Match
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Tomb Raider: Underworld

March 10
• Samurai Shodown Anthology
• Trivial Pursuit

March 24
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Pimp My Ride 2
• Ultimate Ninja 4: Naruto Shippuden

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

PS3 Titles
March 3
• Brain Challenge Deluxe
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 23
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

March 24
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Legends of WrestleMania
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Burn Zombie Burn
• The Tale of Despereaux

PSP Titles
March 3
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Phantasy Star Portable

March 10
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Samurai Shodown Anthology

March 17
• Resistance Retribution
• Scrabble

March 24
• DT Carnage
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

Wii Titles
March 3
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• Sonic & The Black Knight

March 9
• Mario Power Tennis
• Pikmin

March 10
• MadWorld
• MySims Party
• Samurai Shodown Anthology
• Trivial Pursuit

March 17
• Grey's Anatomy
• Marble Saga: Kororinpa
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
• Ready 2 Rumble
• Rune Factory Frontier

March 24
• Broken Sword: Director'sCut
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Time
• Major Minor's Majestic March
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• MotoGP 08

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Last Flight
• Lawn Games

Xbox 360 Titles
March 3
• Halo Wars
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
• Major League Basketball 2K9
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh(XBLA)

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 17
• Strike Force Red Cell

March 24
• Dungeon Hero
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Legends of WrestleMania
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 27
• PopCap Arcade Vol. 2

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Deer Hunter Tournament
• OutRun Online Arcade

GTA IV DLC: First Impressions

I downloaded The Lost and the Damned GTA IV DLC today. It clocks in at 1.78 GB but only took about 45 minutes to download. It costs 1600 Microsoft Points($20). I've only played a few missions(I'm apparently 8.6% done), but I thought I'd give my initial impressions.

First off, maybe there should be a little onscreen tutorial or hints as to how to play because I have apparently forgotten how to control my character in GTA IV. I died a few times in the first gunfight because I had to relearn how to do things in the game.

Secondly, my character seems extremely slow. Even when I hold down the run button. Was Nico this slow? He didn't seem to be, but maybe Saint's Row 2 spoiled me.

I also seem to have a problem being in a gang. My problem being that all the bikers look the same to me so when I'm in gang warfare, I sometimes shoot my own guys or I don't shoot the enemy because I think they're in my gang. I'm a lone wolf, baby! I can't handle this gang life! (And when I spend time looking for the red carrots above enemies I tend to get shot a lot more.)

The bikes seem to control better in the DLC than the game so my character isn't flying off every two seconds. You can still get thrown pretty far, but I think the handling for bikes has improved.

So far, it does have a pretty good GTA IV feel to it. The areas are the same. I have contacts. I have a base of operation. When I sleep, it saves my game and advances the timeline six hours. I can watch TV or surf the web.

I think I'll like it when I play more, but the beginning definitely didn't suck me in.

E3 Welcomes Back Booth Babes!

A couple of weeks ago, I got an invite and a code from the ESA for this year's E3. E3 will be June 2-4 in California. I'm still torn as to if I'm going. I've got my real job plus cost of the flight, hotel, food, etc. (Not to mention the slight manipulation of the system.) But the ESA has announced one thing today that has swayed me towards going- Booth Babes are back!

The ESA wants E3 to return to the glamor and glitz of the old days with lots of razzle-dazzle, mobs and massive consumerism. Now, they aren't requiring booth babes. They are leaving it up to the companies which will probably mean everyone will have booth babes once again! Yay!

I personally think this will be the economic stimulus we've been looking for. Now booth babe jobs will be saved and more will be created!

Halo Wars Impressions

So, the Halo Wars demo came out on Xbox Live(at 1.4 GB) today. I've had some doubts about this game for a while now. One of my main problems is simply that RTS games don't hold my interest for long. But I booted up the Xbox and downloaded the demo anyway.

Halo Wars takes place 20 years before Halo. It's a time of great battles between the humans and the Covenant.

I played the Basic tutorial and the first two missions on campaign. I'm not sure how much more is included in the demo. That's just where I stopped.

It's not a bad game. It's fairly fun for an RTS, and the controls aren't bad. I did have a problem for a little while where I was selecting every unit on the map instead of just on my screen, but the game let me know what I was doing wrong with helpful little reminders in the left hand corner.

I beat the two missions without too much problem. My hero did go down during one fierce battle, but then he later got back up when I had another unit stand near him for a while. I earned Silver on the first mission and Bronze on the second.

Is it put together well? Seems to be. I don't have to worry about peons or workers or what have you to collect my resources. I simply build Supply Pads and supplies are shipped to me. There are also crates of supplies scattered around the map that my troops can pick up. They don't even have to bring the supplies back to my base. They just pick them up and they appear in my coffers. So that's nice(although die-hard RTS players may dislike this).

Apparently there are also skulls hidden on some of the levels, but I didn't find any.

I do, for the most part, like that when you group your troops together they all travel at the same speed(which would be the speed of your slowest unit). This, of course, is annoying since it slows down some of your troops, but it's good for combat because I don't have to worry that my Warthogs are way ahead of my Scorpion or Infantry. The only time I really don't like this is when I'm running away from enemies. (Although even when fleeing, the Warthog's gunner still shoots at the enemies.)

And pretty much every unit has a secondary attack. Warthogs can run over enemies. Infantry can throw grenades.

Will it do well? Hmmm.... I don't think it will. I know that some game executives think that simply putting the name Halo on anything will make it sell. But Halo 1-3 are first person shooter games. They may have helped revolutionize or revitalize the FPS, but they were still first person shooters.

Most FPS gamers aren't RTS gamers and vice versa. When I was playing the Halo Wars demo, it actually made me want to play Halo 3 so that I could get in there and shoot some Covenant instead of just clicking on units and letting my troops battle.

I also have problems really distinguishing what the various Covenant troops are. I know there were Grunts, Elites, Jackals, Hunters, Ghosts and ... those Covenant transport ships. But most of them look pretty much the same from way up high. There were a number of times when I'd have Hunters on me, but I'd be concentrating on the Grunts.

In the end, this game may sell because of the Halo name. But I don't think it will truly be popular.

Capcom Reports Major Losses

More economic bad news in the gaming industry - Capcom has reported that their net income has dropped a whopping 95 percent since last year.

Personally, I don't really understand how their net income dropped so far since their net sales are only down 13.4 percent.

All of these gaming companies posting such losses recently could be bad news for gamers. With profits down, companies tend to be less willing to try new IPs which means more sequels and more franchise games.

EA Delays February Game Releases

Electronic Arts announced that they are delaying the release of Godfather II and The Sims 3, both of which were supposed to be released this month.

No official word was given as to the reason for the delay, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the massive quarterly loss EA also just announced.

These games, along with Dragon Age: Origins (a game previously delayed by EA), are now expected to be released in the fourth quarter. The Sims 3 now has a June 3rd release date with the other two not having confirmed release dates.

EA Loses Money

Electronic Arts has posted a significant loss for their third Quarter - $641 million! Last year, EA posted a $33 million loss in their third quarter.

With the loss, EA plans to lay off 1,100 workers(11% of its employees) and close 12 of its facilities.

Analysts say that EA actually made more money this year than last, but they had predicted a much bigger gain and had increased their spending as well - leading to the loss.

February Game Releases

Not a lot of game releases so far in 2009, but maybe this month developers will show gamers some love. After all, it is the month of Valentine's Day!
 

DS Titles
February 3
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
• My World, My Way

February 10
• Retro Game Challenge
• Rollin' Rascals
• USA Today Puzzle Craze

February 15
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

February 17
• Brave: Shaman's Challenge
• Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
• Dragon Quest V
• Roogoo

February 24
• Avalon Code
• Blue Dragon Plus
• C.O.R.E.
• Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 28
• Gauntlet

PC Titles
February 2
• Prisontale 2: The Second Enigma

February 5
• Burnout Paradise

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Perimeter II: New Earth
• Warfare
• X-Blades

February 13
• Celetania

February 18
• Drakensang: The Dark Eye

February 19
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2

February 20
• The Sims 3

February 24
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 25
• Age of Booty
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• East India Company

PS2 Titles
• Nothing. Seriously.

PS3 Titles
February 5
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 12
• Flower

February 17
• Street Fighter IV

February 19
• Noby Noby Boy

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 26
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• Killzone 2

PSP Titles
February 10
• LocoRoco 2

February 17
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Wii Titles
February 3
• Battle Rage: The Robot Wars
• Tenchu: Shadow Assassin

February 9
• Deadly Creatures

February 10
• The House of the Dead: Overkill
• NASCAR Kart Racing
• Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers

February 17
• Roogoo
• RoogooTwisted Towers

February 24
• Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop

Xbox 360 Titles
February 4
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 17
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
• RACE Pro
• Street Fighter IV

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Stoked

Neversoft Quits Tony Hawk

After running the Tony Hawk series into the ground, Neversoft has said they will not make any more Tony Hawk games. Instead, they will be focusing their efforts into running the Guitar Hero series into the ground. The Tony Hawk series is not dead, however. Another developer will be taking over the series.

Neversoft created the first Tony Hawk game in 1999 and has gone on to release at least nine games in the series. (It gets a little confusing since there's lots of remakes for various systems.)

A new Tony Hawk game, Tony Hawk Adrenaline, is scheduled to be released in Fall 2009. Rumor has it that the new developer Robomodo will be making the series now.

Fallout 3 Level Cap Increase Coming

Bethesda released some new screenshots from the upcoming DLC, Operation Anchorage, for Fallout 3(winner of the XYBA RPG of the Year award). But with the screenshots came information about another DLC coming in March and bringing with it a level cap increase from 20 to 30.

The game currently limits players to a maximum level of 20 so 150% increase is pretty substantial.

The increase will come with a DLC pack called Broken Steel.

I'm excited about both of these DLCs. Anything to add to Fallout 3 is good in my book.

Fable 2 DLC Next Week

Official word has come down today that Fable 2's first downloadable content, Knot's Island, will be available on January 13th for 800 Microsoft points($10). The DLC had been delayed by Microsoft certification.

Lionhead Studios will also be releasing a patch for Fable 2 on the same day.

I guess I should get around to beating Fable 2 before I play the DLC.

Tabula Rasa Code Request

After Andy posted that Tabula Rasa was free for everyone, I decided I would check the game out. I've never played a MMO game and figured this looked like a cool game to cut my teeth on. Well setting up accounts and downloading the game were the easy part. Getting the code for the game is a different story.

For several days I did as the instructions asked me to. Start an account on PlayNC: checked, download the game: checked, acquire code from support: where do I do that at.

Each time I clicked the link on their instructions page I was taken to the PlayNC sites sign in page. I would then sign in and a new page would say something about the information requested has been removed. So I did some searching around their site and couldn't find a way to acquire the code needed to actually play the game. So yesterday I decided to email their support staff and this is what they replied back:

Thank you for your interest in Tabula Rasa.

I am escalating this request to the appropriate team for further assistance. They will reply to you again as soon as possible. Because of the high volume of Tabula Rasa code requests we are receiving at this time, please be aware that it may take up to 7 business days for your request to be proceeded.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work to resolve this issue for you.

Well that stinks. I guess there are a bunch of cheap bastards out there, like me, who wanted to play this game after it was free and that tied up their system. Hopefully the game will be really good and generate a lot of buzz and cause the game to stay available. We shall see.

January Game Releases

The new year has begun. After seeing what 2008 brought to the gaming table, will 2009 measure up?
 

DS Titles
January 6
• Jumble Madness
• Moon

January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 20
• Big Bang Mini

January 27
• The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity
• Coraline

January 30
• Peggle: Dual Shot

PC Titles
January 5
• Saints Row 2

January 12
• Fusion Fall

January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
• Mirror's Edge

January 20
• Commander in Chief

January 22
• Darkfall

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

PS2 Titles
January 6
• CID the Dummy

January 15
• Tomb Raider: Underworld

January 20
• Ar Tonelico II
• AR Tonelico 2: Melody of MetaFalicia
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008

January 27
• Coraline
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
• Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle

PS3 Titles
January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 19
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

January 20
• Skate 2

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

January 27
• Afro Samurai

PSP Titles
January 6
• CID the Dummy

January 20
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008
• Star Ocean: Second Evolution

January 27
• DJ Max Fever

Wii Titles
January 5
• Rock Band 2

January 6
• Fishing Master World Tour

January 12
• Neighborhood Games

January 13
• Deal or No Deal
• Deer Drive
• MotoGP 08

January 20
• Dead Rising: Chop
• Ultimate Shooting Collection

January 27
• Coraline

Xbox 360 Titles
January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 19
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

January 20
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008
• Skate 2
• Stoked

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

January 27
• Afro Samurai