No Dreamcast 2

As you can tell from this article, Sega will almost definitly not be making another console, which for gamers should be bad news, as the Dreamcast was a terrific console that just didn't get the attention it deserved; it was a little too early.
That's all for today,

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

So We've Got A Couple Things

A BioShock update for both the PC and Xbox 360 is out. To find out what's in it go here.

I read this interesting article about the Sega Dreamcast. The Sega Dreamcast is my favorite console out of all past-gen consoles and I really feel for what this guy is saying. If you think the Dreamcast 2 should become a reality then read that article.

That's all for today,

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

The Vii?

Again, this isn't on the Xbox 360 but it's still interesting. The Chinese knock-of version of the Wii is here: and it even has a lame name. The "Vii" looks and plays almost exactly like a Wii, only it's name is worse and the graphics are even cheaper. I'm not even going to keep an eye on this thing, I just thought it was a funny knock-off.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Deputy 360 Is In Town

I found this amusing; the 360 has sided with the law, bringing an impressive 115 criminals to justice.

That was all I could scratch up this late.

I've been very busy lately and I don't think I'll be able to update the blog daily, so I'm going to down-grade the site's commitment to every other day. Atleast that way I can keep up with myself and won't be making promises I can't keep.

Thanks for understanding.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Sorry About The Silence

School can complicate things.

"Michael Pacheco" dropped a comment on the previous post today so I just want to say thanks. He is an editor for The Xbox Domain (in case you can't click on links that's thexboxdomain.net), which is a really cool site I just found out about after he commented. So go check that out and thanks for the support, Michael.

The Fall Update is finally out, and I wouldn't have known had it not been for Major Nelson's blog, seeing as my console is still not back from the repair center.

That's it from me for today and I hope to catch up on all the news I missed from the last couple of days.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

A Challenger Has Appeared! ...I Hope

If this is true, then

1) I'm buying it.

2) The current top 3 consoles will have to make room on the couch for this thing.

One short of a billion is a CRAZY number of games for one system to hold. What would really make this a huge success would be if the price was really low and the games were separated into categories so you don't have to scroll through literally millions of games till you find one you want to play. This thing has may praying it's not a joke. The thing comes with a little pistol so I'm thinking Time Crisis. I'm a huge fan of that game; I'll play it till I have no cash left in my pocket at the arcades- the co-op is insanely fun.

I came across this really interesting review for Assassin's Creed that really sums up how good the game is with a balance of positive and negative. It really shows how cheap the game is at heart, and I have resolved not to buy this game. The guy makes some very strong points about the game's mechanics and how boring the game is. You should take a look- it could save you $60 that you could use to buy something good.

Speaking of that, I think I might have changed my mind about Mass Effect. There's a a chance I'll buy it. Not because it looks good but because I'm curious and I can't find anyone to convince me that it sucks- on the contrary everyone says it's great. I don't believe them but I'll take a look anyways.

Well that wraps it up.
Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

The Forums Are Still There...

There's a link at the top of the sidebar that takes you to the blog's forum. I know it's not an online community waiting to bloom, but it is a good way to post concerns, feedback and other good stuff for me to see. Comments are good too, but posts eventually disappear down the list and I might not even notice them sometimes; but I always check the forums. So if there's any feedback you want to give, the forums is the best place and it's a quick registration process.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Happy Thanksgiving!

And this year, us gamers have alot to be thankful for. We have a couple news stories today.

Sorry I couldn't update the blog for 2 days; I spent time with my family up in the mountains for Thanksgiving and never got a chance to even touch a computer. I don't think I would want to even if I had the chance. I encourage gamers to always turn the box off on holidays. Your family deserves your attention all the time, but even more so on holidays.

The Halo theme music was made a downloadable song for Guitar Hero 3 yesterday, and free. Read up, here.

And Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. Not much is being said about it besides better graphics, new gameplay features and new settings (still in Vegas). Read more here.

That's it from me; thanks for reading.
Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Nevermind!!! This Just In!

It turns out we have a whole lotta shiny new features coming in the Fall Update. This is all rumor, but if this article is true, I hope to god it's all real!

And could your 360 qualify for Microsoft's new ban list? Read this article on how Microsoft is cracking down on modified DVD firmwares and discs.

That last post was so pathetic I had to make one last check on the gamingnews. Good thing I caught these.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Today Was A Drag

Still no 360. I need to buy a spare. Nothing to post on, and I'm tired.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

A Downloadable Halo 3 Map-Pack Headed Our Way

It's says it here. We will have new maps like "Standoff," "Rat's Nest" and "Foundry." Check them out, they'll be 800 MS points ($10), but will be free in Spring 2008. Be sure to get this; I recommend waiting till Spring. You can rest assured that there will be tons of new map packs. Bungie needs something to distract us from the next Halo game, right?

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

More Problems Headed AC's Way?

This is fairly new news; the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed is freezing, making it difficult to play for alot of people. The same has been happening for 360 owners with the game, but in lower numbers. As if this game didn't take a good enough hit with it's 7 on several prominent gaming sites. And this game has been in developement for 4 or 5 years, so how is this even a possibilty? Is Assassin's Creed a failure? Here's an interesting thread on this topic. Check it out.

Oh and while we are on the Assassin's Creed topic, gamers all over are reporting in great numbers that Assassin's Creed is a great, fun and innovative game. So who is right, the gamers or the gaming sites?


Take care and have fun gaming,


-ProjektWikked

Missing My 360

It's been about a week since I mailed my console to Microsoft to get it fixed and I'm really missing it...

Not to sound like a no-lifer or anything but it gets pretty boring around here without it.

I can't find anything worth posting about on the web or in my head, so I guess this is all I have to say today.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Achievements And Why We Love 'Em

I'd like to make a post on achievements. Alot of people I meet and talk with take the Achievement system for granted. They'll say something like "Buying all these games is such a waste of money, you don't get anything out of it. You don't get Microsoft Points for playing games." And then I'll say, "Well you get achievements and they give you a good gamerscore." And the usual response to that would be, "Who cares about Gamerscore? Pfft."
Well Gamerscore is one of the reasons alot of people buy Xbox 360s. A new way to play a game. Deep down it's the feeling that you conquered a game that fuels your want to play video-games. This is natural. But let's say I beat the same game hundreds of times on my PS2. Sure I can brag, but it's only word-of-mouth. I don't have proof; there's no stamp on my forehead saying I beat it. Well the 360 has done that. The Xbox 360 has made it possible to brag without words. A quick glance at a card and a number will tell you how much that person has achieved in their gaming life. And that does have value in my opinion. Well that's really I have to say today. Here's the article I read that made me want to post this. It has some great ideas on how Microsoft can make achievements even more meaningful.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

New DS Model And The Real Deal On The Xbox Originals

I know it's weird to post about the DS on an Xbox 360 blog, but this is important; especially because a huge chunk of Xbox 360 gamers are also DS fans- and I don't blame them. It's a nice piece of hardware and Nintendo has released a lengthy list of third party games for it, along with the Wii and Assassin's Creed is among the games on that list. Yeah, I was surprised too, and hey- it might be better on the DS. So if you haven't got a DS yet I recommend getting this new model that Nintendo has just finished designing. It has some snazzy new features. Check it out here.

Oh, and it turns out that the ability to download Xbox Original games from Marketplace when the Fall Update is released isn't anything to get excited about. If I wasn't turned off enough by the fact that they were $15.oo each (1200 Microsoft Points- I can get these titles used for $8.99 at GameStop), I am now that they aren't being re-vamped with achievements or any Gamerscore value whatsoever. So really, you're at loss if you download these games over buying them used at GameStop. They will max-out your hard drives and they have no advantage over buying the disks, so I would recommend ignoring them; just another money-making ploy by our friends at Microsoft (sounds harsh but it's the truth). More info on Major Nelson's blog.
Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

What's Up With Assassin's Creed?

I heard this first from a friend during school yesterday; that Assassin's Creed received a 7 for a rating by several gaming sites. I couldn't believe it. I had already expected I wouldn't like it, but I also expected I would be the only person that felt that way. Now sites are saying it's top 5 most disappointing games of all time material. IGN is in the spotlight for being the harshest towards the game, and GameSpy and 1Up seem to second their opinion. My fears of Assassin's Creed not living up to the hype it generated at E3 2007 have been confirmed. I, for one, am not getting this game- or atleast not until more reviews come out. This goes to show how you can't always trust a game to live up to it's hype. In the past all it took was a really cool trailer at E3 and emphasis on an awesome new feature to save it a spot on most gamers' Games To Buy lists. But we've seen so many games that were hyped like crazy, only to crash and burn once they were released. Shadowrun, RedSteel for the Wii, and Dirge of Cerberus for instance. All that remains to be seen is the truth on this game and how good it is, now that it's hit retailer shelves. More info here.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

(Thanks to Nick and Covertbike for the comments on the last post. You can read my responses at the forum; my browser isn't letting me post comments. There's a link to the forums in the sidebar of the blog.)

XBL's 5th Birthday Is Good For All Of Us - And A Fall Update Secret Revealed

This is the latest news on Xbox Live- it just came out today. For 48 hours after 12:01 a.m. EST on Nov. 15th, Carcassone will be available to download for free. And if you live in Korea you get Hexic 2.

Plus Microsoft announced that with the Fall Update, Xbox Original games will be available for download on Marketplace for 1200 points ($15) each. Among these titles, Microsoft has confirmed the following:
Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies and Fable.
Plus there have been reports saying Indigo Prophecy, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex and Burnout 3 will be available as well.
Halo is definitely on my list.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

I Was Reluctant To Give My Input On This...

...But I guess this is a big deal, even if I don't care about Mass Effect.

If you can't wait for Mass Effect, there's a chance you could get one early. Call your local Kmart and see if they have any copies of Mass Effect in stock. And try online at Toys R Us, NewEgg and Walmart; they all list the game as in-stock! More info here.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

(Shoutout & thank you to GamertagRadio for hooking me up with a free copy of Beautiful Katamari, which I can't play.)

Safety Cones: How Safe Are They?

If you take a look at the aramdon's page on Bungie.net, and scroll down to the bottom of the list of weapons he used to kill other players, you will notice an innocent looking traffic cone at the bottom. It's hilarious that this background item has proved itself lethal. Here's a video showing how dangerous a cone can be.

This has been a ridiculously short post by,

-ProjektWikked

(Take care and have fun gaming.)

"Will you be my teammate for life?" (and a cure for the lefty flip- thank god!)

So while my internet connection was being repaired for the umpteenth time (it's still acting up so I have no idea if I can consistently post again yet) a pretty big pile of gaming news piled up. So much, in fact, that I don't think I'll have much room for my own doomsday and/or sarcastic wisecracks.

An Xbox 360 gamer by the gamertag "Moviesign" proposed to his girlfriend "furtive penguin"- over a Halo 3 match! He got her to play a two on two match with him on a map he edited with Forge., and then pretended to lead her to the location of an energy sword. What she found was his proposal: "MARRY ME?" written in weapons on the ground. Alot of people commented on this saying it was lame and that they should "get a life." Well a guy can propose to a girl any way he wants, and seeing as they're both gamers this was totally appropriate. I think it was original of Moviesign and I'm sure furtive penguin loved it. Anyone who hates on them about this is just stupid. Congratz to Moviesign and furtive penguin. Click here for more on this.

Oh, just throwing this out to anyone that cares: Check out how much I'm enjoying my 360, as of recently!

Alot of people (not all) are complaining about how the whole lefty flip deal on Guitar Hero 3 is too much to ask, and shouldn't be required to get all the GH3 achievements. Alot of people have a hard time using ther other hand and asking someone to complete all the songs this way is a bit much. Luckily, if you don't want to you don't have to. And here's how. I think it's a good quick fix. Props to the guys at HijiNKS ENSUE that figured this out and thanks for sharing.

As weird as this sounds, I'm not getting Assassin's Creed. But I don't want to rain on everyone else's parade and will continue to pretend I love this game and think everyone should go buy it. So along those lines, I have double the Assassin's Creed love for the readers. New screenshots from Assassin's Creed are out and ripe for the drooling-upon, so check them out here.
And a review is already out at GamePro.com, and they are very optimistic about it. Check out what they have to say about this highly anticipated game right here.

We are currently living in the messy aftermath of the "console wars." And I must say the Wii schooled Microsoft and yes- they did learn something: appealing to the family is a good thing after all! Who would have known??? So to make up for lost customers, a new SKU- or "bundle" of the Xbox 360 console has been released. I'm sure everyone knows this already but I'm putting this out there for those that don't, or just want to hear it from me (yeah, that was a joke). The new bundle, called "Xbox 360 Arcade" will be replacing the "Core" bundle. It will include:

• An Xbox 360 Arcade console
• A wireless controller
• An HDMI port (no cable)
• A 256 MB memory unit
• A disk containing 5 full Xbox Live Arcade games including PAC-MAN Championship Edition, Uno, Luxor 2, Boom Boom Rocket and Feeding Frenzy

All five of those games are the real thing, not demos. And they are all included to appeal to casual gamers and families. I think this a solid step in a new direction for Microsoft. And I'm glad. I believe the Xbox 360 has alot of potential for attracting everyday people to the gaming world.

Well, that's all from me for now, thanks for reading. Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Making it to Microsoft

A new thing has been happening in the gaming community. Companies like Microsoft and Sony are opening the gates of heaven so that the regular gamers like myself, that have original and interesting ideas for good games, can voice their ideas and see their plans come to fruition. Microsoft has provided people with XNA- the tool to create Windows and Xbox 360 games. One thing I've always dreamed of is creating Xbox Live Arcade games. The simple but incredibly original kind that become huge hits. Like Geometry Wars, Hexic or Alien Hominid. Everyone who believes they have an idea that would make a really great game, I encourage them to take steps toward making it a reality. Microsoft has given us the tools. Depriving the world of your game would be a moral crime.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Something to blog about...

Well, again the gaming scene is too a bit too quiet to post on anything important so I'll just talk about a game I played.

I finally found time to play Saint's Row, and I must say it's too much like GTA- only the missions are alot lamer. I mean, the Snatch missions are just stupid. You kill ridiculous caricatures of pimps and then run around with their prostitutes, taking them to a friend's brothel. As I watched myself perform these tasks, I felt lame just for doing them. The cops are totally useless, the cut-scenes are corny. The game is over-all a sad and phony depiction of gang lifestyle. It was probably made by people who only know the stereotypical version of gang life, iconized by the words "crib" and "turf." GTA is a much better way to go, with a much more accurate and realistic gang-life experience.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Nothing On The Horizon

Readers of the blog know that I like to write about whatever is going on in the gaming industry, and then mix it up with my own opinions. But for a while now nothing interesting has come up on the radar. So I'm going to take this opportunity where there are no big headlines to drown out my input to guive two quick announcements.



1) I have switched from Rockband supporter to Guitar Hero 3 supporter. Here's why. During the holiday season, Rockband instruments are coming bundled. So forget how you wanted to concentrate on one instrument and join together with other friends that play the other instruments so they can make a "band" where each person pays for their own, single instrument so everyone saves money? Forget that, now everyone has to buy the whole set, pik one and leave the rest to collect dust. Waste of money. Plus, I don't even think that a game like Rockband should be made. Games keep getting more and more realistic to the point where you're paying big bucks to do something you could do in real life for less. Like learning a real instrument and being in a real band with skill.

Guitar Hero 3 is more of a casual guitar imitating game, no huge costs, no trying to form a band of people with equally non-existant skill. It's all about fun. Guitar Hero 3 may charge around $2 bucks per extra song, but the game comes with 70 songs, and that's plenty for me, I won't buy the extra song packs.


2) Because of school and other responsibilities, I won't always be able to post once a day. I try to, but it's not always possible. So if once every few weeks I skip a day, please don't hold it against me, things pop-up and get in the way.

All that being said, take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Kid B-Buttons His Own Mom! And other headlines.

Major Nelson posted this article on his blog an I would like t say that I completely agree and support what he has to say, and to make sure the message gets out, I'm going to post this for all to see on my blog as well.

"I have mentioned this a couple of times on my podcasts, but I want to make sure those that don't listen to the show get the message. Specifically, don't share your account information. If you run into that person in Halo 3 who claims if they could have your LIVE ID name and password to recover your Xbox LIVE account to their Xbox and they'll rank you up or find you all the hidden skulls in Halo 3, I urge you not to fall to temptation. While it may be appealing, in addition to violating the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use it can also result in you permanently losing your account. If that 'friend' of yours decides not return your account and buys a bunch of Arcade titles and movies on your account, there is nothing we can do except cancel the account since you willingly shared your information.
Cancelled.
As in you can never get it back.
In addition to losing your Gamertag, you'll also lose your Gamerscore, saved games and any points you have on the account.
While I am on the subject of things you should not do, I strongly urge you not to tamper with your Gamerscore and Achievements. If you decide to employ some nefarious techniques to artificially increase your Gamerscore or obtain achievements by manipulating the Xbox software without playing the game, bad things will happen. What type of bad things? For one thing we may remove the entire Gamerscore for an account that contains manipulated gamerscore. Let me be more clear: If you use tampered gamesaves to boost your Achievements and Gamerscore, you may sign in to Xbox LIVE one day and discover that we have removed your Gamerscore. Once we do that, you will never be able to re-earn those achievements on that account. Even worse, you might have your account and/or console banned from Xbox Live.
As you can imagine, we know how to find out if you do this and we do take action. And we'll continue to do so.
The best way to increase your Gamerscore or gain that Achievement is to earn it like a real gamer; play the game. Then you can rightly be proud of your Gamerscore as you earned it yourself and not have to worry about anything. I imagine that the majority of you earn your Gamerscore honorably, but I know there are some people out there are may not be as honest. In short: Don't do it. It's not worth it."

And now on to the headline story:

A kid that was playing too much Halo 3 had his wireless network adaptor confiscated. His response was to punch his mother in the face, after searching for it. The local authorities were called and had to arrest the juvenile, who had locked himself in his room. One of the officers was also punched. This is a bad case of addiction and I'm sorry for the kid, the parents and the police officer that was attacked. I doubt we will see this guy on XBL anymore...

Alot of people look at me in surprise when I tell them that a Halo movie is on the way. So just to make sure all the readers know, it is on the way, just be patient. Microsoft, as of now, is getting the movie's production back on its feet. I will definitly be watching this.

That's it from me. Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Success!

Xbox.com's customer support finally came through for me. After speaking with three specialists I finally squeezed that download code out of them (I made an earlier post about this issue)! As I'm typing this I'm downloading Hexic HD it right now. If anyone else contacted the Xbox Support hotline for any reason and didn't get results, the key is to keep pestering them till they hand over the goods.

Take care and have as much fun as I'm about to with Hexic,

-ProjektWikked

Three New/Old Games

Today I went to Target and picked up three titles for my 360 that I wanted to play before the holiday engulfs us all in awesome new games. Kind of like a "last chance" to play some games that will be obsolete in a matter of months. I picked up Fight Night Round 3, Call of Duty 3 and Saints Row.

I've currently played only one of them, and that's Fight Night, a boxing game by EA Sports. This game is crazy fun, and unlike my initial beliefs, I'm actually pretty good. After only an hour of playing I'm capable of knocking someone out in the first round. So yeah, lots of fun to be had. I like the smooth and easy-to-get-used-to controls. The punching is alot like Skate, where you perform tricks by moving the right stick up and down in measured angles. I also like how the achievements are simple, few and have high point-value.

Tomorrow I'll be playing the other two, and have no idea on what I'll think of them, although I have a feeling that I'm going to like Saints Row. It looks alot like GTA...

Thanks for reading the blog, take and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Some Rockband songs and Halo 3 Easter Eggs

Alot of people are curious as to what songs will be playable in the game Rockband. So here's a list.

1960s
Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter”

1970s
Aerosmith “Train Kept a Rollin’”*
The Who “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Boston “Foreplay/Long Time”
Mountain “Mississippi Queen” (cover)
The Police “Next to You”
David Bowie “Suffragette City”
Black Sabbath “Paranoid” (cover)
Blue Oyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop”
Deep Purple “Highway Star”
KISS “Detroit Rock City”
Molly Hatchet “Flirtin’ With Disaster”
The Outlaws “Green Grass & High Tides” (cover)
Sweet “Ballroom Blitz” (cover)

1980s
Rush “Tom Sawyer”*
Bon Jovi “Wanted Dead or Alive”
The Clash “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
Faith No More “Epic”
R.E.M. “Orange Crush”
Iron Maiden “Run to the Hills” (cover)

1990s
Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly”
Metallica “Enter Sandman”
Nirvana “In Bloom”
Stone Temple Pilots “Vasoline”
Weezer “Say It Ain’t So”
Smashing Pumpkins “Cherub Rock”
Radiohead “Creep”
Beastie Boys “Sabotage”
Hole “Celebrity Skin”
Garbage “I Think I’m Paranoid”
Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun”

2000s
The Hives “Main Offender”
Queens of the Stone Age “Go With the Flow”
The Strokes “Reptilia”
Jet “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
OK Go “Here It Goes Again”
Nine Inch Nails “The Hand That Feeds”
Pixies “Wave of Mutilation”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California”
Coheed & Cambria “Welcome Home”
Fallout Boy “Dead on Arrival”
The Killers “When You Were Young”
New Pornographers “Electric Version”

Unlockable Tracks
Bang Camaro “Pleasure (Pleasure)” -plus 12 more we don't know about yet.

Downloadable Content
The Who “Who’s Next” (entire album)
Metallica “One”
The Grateful Dead (eighteen songs)

Gamers are discovering alot of easter eggs in Halo 3, most of them were on the beta. But the two I chose to share are both accessible in the retail version of the game.

The first requires you to leave the in-game boundaries of Sandtrap with Forge, Theatre or a combination of the two. I'm not sure which. Floating next to one of the big grey towers that encircle the map is a multi-color, egg-looking object, covered in letters of the alphabet. So literally, an easter egg.

The second one is pretty funny. The largest and definitly heaviest vehicle in Halo 3 is the Elephant, a huge base on caterpillar wheels. It can hold vehicles in its hull and serves as a storage for weapons as well. This can only be found in Sandtrap and to my greatest disappointment, cannot be placed on a map in Forge. But back on subject; if you manage to detonate enough explosives underneath the Elephant and it lands upside down, you will be able to flip it like any other vehicle. To do this, of course, you press the Right Bumper. A message will always appear on the top-right area of your screen saying "Press [RB) to flip (vehicle)." In the case of the Elephant, the message will read as follows: "Press [RB) to flip...wait, what? How did you do that?" I think that's pretty funny an a perfect easter egg for that particular situation. Good one, Bungie.

That's it from me today, have fun pursuing these easter eggs if you bother to,

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

I got my Orange Box, did you?

I hope so. Today I swung by GameStop with my mom (I just turned 16 and the game is M rated) and snagged a copy. I had an hour of hands-on time with Portal to get myself hungry for more, then forced myself to shut down the console. Why? Orange Box is so awesome, I want to dedicate the whole day to it tomorrow, not just buzz through it during the night, tired as hell, like I did with Lost Planet. If you really want to enjoy a game, this is what you should do. Play a bit one night and all night you'll be dying to play it. The next day you'll wake up and say "Yes! I can finally play it!" And it's like Christmas morning when you run to the tree to open your presents. This is better than playing it all night because when you play through it all night, you gradually grow tired, your appreciation for the game diminishes over time and is replaced with frustration and disinterest; leaving you reluctant to play it much anymore. That's what I did with Lost Planet. Sure I got all the achievements, but did I have any fun? Almost none.

I urge everyone who owns an Xbox 360 to buy this game. Valve deserves our support. They took a risk giving us this awesome deal: 5 top-of-the-line games on one disk for the price of one good game. They deserve a pat-on-the-back, in hard cash. Plus the game is totally awesome, you'll have tons of fun I assure you. The Half Life story is great, tons of fun to play. A match for Halo. So you have Half Life 2, Half Life 2 Episode 1 and Episode 2. Then you have a first-person puzzle game; Portal, which is so original and witty you just have to play it first. Ask anyone (make sure you catch the beautiful ending song that plays during the credits). And then Team Fortress 2, which is an online-only strategy/shooter game where you pick a class (like sharp-shooter, heavy gunner, mechanic or medic) and play as that character in a match to capture territories or other objectives, depending on the map. This a very intelligent multiplayer master-piece and I'm sure people will be playing this for years and years to come.

So over-all, loving the Orange Box and again, you really should get this game, point finish.
Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

P.S. I'd also like to apologize for not posting on Thursday and Friday for personal reasons. I'll make sure that doesn't happen frequently.

Rockband Achievements, Xbox 360 Arcade and what's going to happen to all those Halo 3 bad-boys (and girls, but what are the odds?)

I'd like to remind people that I'm boycotting Guitar Hero 3 because of it's over-priced song packs and lack of originality, and if you want a musical videogame of the same type, go with Rockband. You can play with your friends simultaneously (no more passing the guitar around the room) and play all four of the major instruments that compile a rock band. So to start a little hype around Rockband, I'm going to give you a look at all 49 achievements in the game.

If you don't want these to be spoiled for you, for any reason, don't read past this line. ↓

---

• Top Artist - Unlock an Arena in Solo Tour on Medium, Hard or Expert - 10 Points
  
• Score Duel Streak - Win 5 Score Duel ranked matches in a row - 20 Points
  
• Got Wheels - Unlock the Van in Band World Tour - 20 Points
  
• Killer Performance - Five Star a song on Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert - 10 Points
  
• Hot Artist - Unlock a Theatre in Solo Tour on Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert - 10 Points
  
• Breakthrough Act - Unlock a Big Club in Solo Tour on Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert - 10 Points
  
• String Shredder - Finish Guitar Solo Tour on Easy - 20 Points
  
• Fret Ripper - Finish Guitar Solo Tour on Medium - 30 Points
  
• Axe Assassin - Finish Guitar Solo Tour on Hard - 40 Points
  
• Lord of the Strings - Finish Guitar Solo Tour on Expert - 50 Points
  
• Rhythm Rocker - Finish Drum Solo Tour on Easy - 20 Points
  
• Groove Technician - Finish Drum Solo Tour on Medium - 30 Points
  
• Heavy Hitter - Finish Drum Solo Tour on Hard - 40 Points
  
• AN-I-MAL!!! - Finish Drum Solo Tour on Expert - 50 Points
  
• Howler - Finish Vocal Solo Tour on Easy - 20 Points
  
• Screamer - Finish Vocal Solo Tour on Medium - 30 Points
  
• Crooner - Finish Vocal Solo Tour on Hard - 40 Points
  
• Virtuoso - Finish Vocal Solo Tour on Expert - 50 Points
  
• Open Road - Unlock the Bus in Band World Tour - 20 Points
  
• Jet Setter - Unlock the Jet in Band World Tour - 20 Points
  
• One Million Fans - Reach 1 million fans in Band World Tour - 10 Points
  
• Hall of Fame Inductee - Finish the Hall of Fame Induction in Band World Tour - 100 Points
  
• Vinyl Artist - Finish the Endless Setlist in Band World Tour in Medium - 10 Points
  
• Gold Artist - Finish the Endless Setlist in Band World Tour on Hard - 20 Points
  
• Platinum Artist - Finish the Endless Setlist in Band World Tour on Expert - 25 Points
  
• Big in London - Finish the last remaining gig in London (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Paris - Finish the last remaining gig in Paris (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Amsterdam - Finish the last remaining gig in Amsterdam (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Stockholm - Finish the last remaining gig in Stockholm (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Rome - Finish the last remaining gig in Rome (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Boston - Finish the last remaining gig in Boston(Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in NYC - Finish the last remaining gig in NYC (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Chicago - Finish the last remaining gig in Chicago (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in LA- Finish the last remaining gig in LA (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Seattle - Finish the last remaining gig in Seattle (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in San Francisco - Finish the last remaining gig in San Francisco (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Japan - Finish the last remaining gig in Japan (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Sydney- Finish the last remaining gig in Sydney (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Reykjavik - Finish the last remaining gig in Reykjavik (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Rio De Janeiro - Finish the last remaining gig in Rio De Janeiro (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Big in Moscow - Finish the last remaining gig in Moscow (Band World Tour) - 10 Points
  
• Tug of War Champ - Win 20 Tug of War ranked matches - 30 Points
  
• Tug of War Streak - Win 5 Tug of War ranked matches in a row - 20 Points
  
• Score Duel Streak - Win 20 Score Duel ranked matches - 30 Points
  
• Flawless Groove - Score 100% notes hit as bassist, up-strums only, on Expert - 10 Points
  
• Flawless Drumming - Score 100% notes hit as a drummer on Expert - 10 Points
  
• Flawless Fretwork - Score 100% notes as a guitarist on Expert - 10 Points
  
• Flawless Singing - Score a 100% rating as a vocalist on Expert - 10 Points
  
• Riding on Coattails - Play with a “Platinum Artist” - 5 Points

---

And there you have it.

Microsoft is replacing the Core SKU with a new one, called Xbox 360 Arcade. It will cost $280 and will include a console, a 256 MB memory unit, an HDMI port, a wireless controller and a disk with 5 arcade games:

• Boom Boom Rocket
• Feeding Frenzy
• Luxor 2
• Pac-man Championship Edition
• Uno

Bungie is beginning its crackdown on Halo 3 crimes. Check out what they said here, and hopefully none of you readers have been cheating.

So that's the latest news, no rants or lectures from me today. I'm going to go try and nail a campaign scoring achievement in Halo 3.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Microsoft Has Me On Hold

As I'm typing this (with one hand). I'm currently on hold. I called the Customer Support Hotline so I could get a download code to get Hexic HD back- I lost it because I had to re-format my hard drive.

For those of you that don't know, Hexic HD is a special Xbox Live Arcade game. It's special because
1) It's freaking fun.

and...

2) You can't download it.

(At this point the call just dropped. I wonder why...)

It comes in your hard drive. A freebie from Microsoft saying, "Thanks for buying our product. Since we will now charge you hundreds of more dollars to get the rest of the stuff, we threw in a free arcade game so you can have something to do while saving up all that extra cash you'll have to pony up sooner or later. We prefer sooner. $$$"

The game is seriously fun to play. For a puzzle game it gives an un-expected feeling of accomplishment everytime you see the screen start going off like a mine-field. To find out more about this great game, click on its name in the Good Games List and it will take you to the game's detail page on xbox.com.

So basically, I wanted my Hexic HD back. So I call customer support. I spend about 7 minutes on hold at a time. Three times. That's about 20 minutes of my life wasted listening to elevator music with my phone pressed against my ear.

Scratch out what I said two posts ago about Microsoft's customer service. I checked the forum on getting the download code for Hexic HD. People have reported being told to wait two days to be called back with their code. They waited the two days. They pushed it to five days. Still no call. Eight days, still no call. Only one guy on the topic ever got that code. And I'm assuming that only because that guy was the topic starter. He never said he did.

What the hell, Microsoft? I wanna play Hexic!

Take care and have fun gaming (especially if that game is Hexic HD. Have EXTRA fun with that, for those of us that can't),

-ProjektWikked

Alien Hominid HD and Aegis Wing

I'd like to type up an article on two of the best games I've played from Xbox Live Arcade.

Alien Hominid HD

This game is about an alien that has crash-landed on Earth and is being hunted down by the FBI. It offer 4 player co-op over Live or on the same Xbox 360 and multiplayer versus. There is no HP in the story-mode; almost anything can kill you, but you have a big advantage over your enemies: you're an acrobatic, super-weapon wielding alien that causes mass destruction wherever he goes. There are lots of interesting enemies and almost epic fights. The true fun comes from the co-op though. When playing with a friend (who looks exactly like you except he wears a red hat), you can beat up the bad guys with double the mayhem, and work as a team to take down the big bosses. There are many types of levels from blasting through waves of baddies through a city or hopping from car to car on a busy, high-speed freeway while evading (and destroying) helicopters, high-tailing it through the Russian winter while being attacked by Communists, and even dogfights in the sky. But it's not just the places your battles will take place that make the game awesome. There are so many vehicles and weapons you will come across in the levels, plus an interesting and unique boss at the end of every level, not to mention mini-bosses here and there. You will learn the attack pattern of each boss within 30 seconds of fighting it, so you won't be button mashing in frustration at any point. You can commandeer cars, spaceships, snowmobiles and even a Yeti; your gun can be equipped with all kinds of crazy power-ups like a laser beam shooter, shotgun pellets, freezing gas, poison gas and a flamethrower, plus you can use a melee attack on your enemies with the knife-like edge of your gun and even jump on their shopulders and bite off their head. The storyline is really good, especially for a game of this type, and once you complete it, there are a bunch of unlockable mini games for you, so you'll never get bored. All the fun that is packed into this awesome arcade shooter/beat-'em-up left me 100% satisfied. I reccomend this game.

Aegis Wing

This game also supports four player over Live or on the same Xbox 360, and is an overhead space shooter. You control a spaceship that can link up with other spaceships to combine fire-power. When all four players are connected like this, one player controls the movement of all the spaceships while all four concentrate their fire on one target or shoot in other directions for maximum overall damage. Waves and waves of enemy spaceships go up against you, obstacles force you to drive carefully while evading enemy fire. Bosses await you at the end of each level. Destroyed enemies drop power ups like rockets, shield and what I call "black holes", because I don't know what they're really called (this allows you to create a small area of suction that sucks up your enemies). Overall this game is really fun to play with friends, it's good for competeing for high-scores. I reccomend downloading this game- especially because it's totally free.

Hope you try out these games and enjoy them as much as I did.

NPD: Numbers, Profits and Dummies

• NPD reported that in the US, Xbox 360 was the #1 console for the month; outselling PS3 5:1
  
• Xbox 360 sales built upon its growth from last month, showing a 50 percent increase for the month of September selling an average of 105,600 consoles per week. Total sales were more than 528,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold, compared to 501,000 for Wii and 119,000 for PS3.
  
• PS3 sales posted an average weekly decline of 27 percent.
  
• Xbox 360 software revenue at retail outsold PS3’s software portfolio 8:1 and Wii’s 4:1, selling 3 times more than both platforms combined.
  
• For the month of September according to NPD, Xbox 360 software represented 74 percent of total software sales for the next generation market compared to 17 percent for Wii and 9 percent for PS3. Even without the sales of “Halo 3” the Xbox 360 portfolio outsold the PS3 portfolio 2:1.
  
• Additionally, Xbox 360 is home to the best-selling games with the top-rated next-generation titles. According to the world-wide authority in entertainment reviews, Metacritic, Xbox 360 has 80 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher compared to just 31 for PS3 and 11 for Wii.
  
• Newly released title “The Orange Box” (Valve) and the highly anticipated title “Mass Effect” (Microsoft Game Studios) have both generated rankings of 97 and higher according to Metacritic. And not to forget “BioShock” (2KGames) which remains one of the year’s highest rated games.

I thought I should post this, a snippet I took from Major Nelson's site displaying the NPD numbers on Xbox 360 hardware and software sales during September 2007. It turns out the Xbox 360 is outselling the Wii, which was leading console sales so far. Now alot of people responded to this by saying Microsoft was trying to brag about how much money it made and that they only made a big deal about it on the month of September because they weren't doing well during the past months. Well frankly I don't know how to put this intellectually. Microsoft is happy because its console is selling better than the Wii, so it's showing everyone how the Xbox 360 is selling better than the Wii... because it's happy. Why wouldn't Microsoft want to make a big deal about it? The Xbox 360 has been lacking buyers for a while now and suddenly with all these great games coming out for the platform, people are buying more Xbox 360s. The fact is, people like to give Microsoft a hard time because it's Microsoft. It's successful, it does a good job at what it does and people just want to bag on it. The Three Red Quadrants is a problem, I know and maybe the Xbox 360 is the least reliable console, but that's a hardware failure. A fully functioning Xbox 360 is by far the best console for the hardcore gamer, and Microsoft is doing what it can to fix the problem. I say these people start learning to appreciate Microsoft for the customer-supportive company it is and realize that no one at Microsoft is a god that is perfect and can fix anything with a snap of their fingers. We all make mistakes, and Microsoft's mistakes aren't so terrible that should be held against them to this extreme. Atleast the Three Red Quadrants aren't costing people money. Microsoft is repairing all affected consoles for free. All you have to do is hope you don't die from being apart from your Xbox 360 for a month.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

November Game Flood: Brace Yourselves- Or Start Saving

This is what my Games To Get list looks like:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Halo Wars
• Assassin's Creed
• Borderlands
• Army of Two
• Orange Box

And assuming that each of those games will cost $60, my holiday spendings will coincidentally sum up to $360.

The event is still going on. Monday is the dead-line, so anyone who's interested should get those emails in. Read the post under this one for the info on the event if you didn't read it yesterday.

I'd like to give a thank you to everyone who has supported the blog by giving me suggestions and feedback since I started. This is post #21, and I've already gathered a decent number of readers and subscribers. The forums are not in use, and I encourage all readers to register an account on the forum; it's a great way to make sure I get your feedback. Anything else can be emailed to me at vegaszfinest@hotmail.com.

Thanks again, take care, and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Xblox 360 Community Event

So yesterday I posted this on a few forums here and there and I thought I should inform the people that read the blog as well (I should have done this first, but oh well).

To help develope a stronger community and give the readers of the blog a variety of posts to read, I've announced the first Xblox 360 Community Event, in which 3 random readers will be allowed access to post on the blog as official blog writers and staff. I'm glad I'm doing this because although I have alot to say, I'm sure the readers would like to hear from someone else.
So here's what you do.

1) Make a Blogger account at http://blogger.com/ (skip this step if you already have a Blogger account)

2) Send me an email at vegaszfinest@hotmail.com with XBLOX 360 EVENT as the subject and you Blogger username and the email address you use to log in to Blogger in the message (DO NOT INCLUDE ANY PASSWORDS).

3) On MONDAY the 22nd I will choose 3 email messages at random and the 3 chosen readers will be notified and given access to the blog's posting function.

Good luck, and be sure to enter unless giving your opinon on a blog for others to read doesn't appeal to you. Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Update On The Blog

I've been attracting readers at a slow but steady pace. If anyone knows of a way I could advertise the blog without breaking any rules, please tell me at the forum. Thanks to all the readers that have given my blog their time so far.

The forum is a useful tool that I'd like people to pay more attention to. Although you post your feedback in the comment section of every post, the forum would allow the readers to discuss and debate more freely. I will be moderating the forums every day and will check to see what the community is saying and bring it to the attention of all readers. Remember, I'm a strong believer in community. I'm not doing this blog for myself. I want to be able to connect with my readers as well and let them be active in the blog and voice their opinions and concerns.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Banned

Lately I've been promoting my site on the xbox.com forums. It turns out that advertising a website or forum on the xbox.com forums is not allowed. Alot of people told me about this but I thought they were just trying to silence me out of annoyance. So I persisted. I'm now three quarters through a 24 hour ban from the xbox.com forums.

Just thought I'd give the readers a laugh at my expense.

Take care, have fun gaming, and do not advertise your sites on xbox.com,

-ProjektWikked

Console > PC

That short title should portray what most of this post will be about.

I used to be a PC gamer. I would play whatever I managed to beg my PC to play. I just barely got Counter Strike: Source to run. One thing I was used to, though, was getting SOME kind of obstacle keeping me from the playing the game. I would pop a CD in and expect it to run. No, I need a better video card. I need to re-install the game because files are missing (I do so. Nothing changes). I need more free disk space. "Random error that cannot be fixed." Game won't load. Something is out-dated; you can download an update from here: site doesn't exist. Game just plain won't start. Freezes. Crashes. The list of absolutely ridiculous excuses goes on and on. Bottom line: PCs are the gaming platforms of the past. To successfully play a game on one you need to spend large amounts of money to buy a teched-out hunk of hardware that will be technology of the Stone Age the moment a new game comes out. Why should anyone bother to wrestle with expensive hunks of scrap metal to play games when they can get a video-game console? There is no updating and random errors and buying new video cards and getting more space and problem after stupid problem. I stand firm behind what I am about to say: I condemn PC gaming. I believe it is a waste of money and time. It has achieved nothing that console gaming can't do better, with the exception of MMOs. You pop in your disk. You play. No installing, buying new gadgets, checking if your PC can support game, and that frustration one gets when the computer plain refuses to run the game. The PC should be for the internet and internet related applications. Basic stuff like Photoshop and Microsoft Office programs. It's easy to see that PC games are becoming less popular. Games for Windows is trying to bring it back, but why spend big bucks on a high-tech PC that can run a game, when you can play it on an Xbox 360 for less than half the money and much less than half the burden?

Games like Far Cry 2, Crysis and the PC version of Gears of War, are all ways to bring back PC gaming which used to be one of Microsoft's strongest points and biggest money maker. They give you Halo 2 only on Vista so you spend that extra money to get Vista. Gears of War on the PC will have all those special new chapters and battles. Why? So those that have it for the Xbox 360 will now want to pay Microsoft cash to make sure their PCs are tough enough to handle Gears of War. Crysis will undoubtedly require people to invest in video cards and other PC upgrades, which Microsoft will obviously sell full price.

Is it worth it? An HD TV and an Xbox 360 are all you need to enjoy that game in the comfort of your livingroom, instead of sitting at your computer desk. And with a bigger, better screen to play it on, without errors being thrown in your face while you're playing and all the other crap that you have to put up with to play the same thing on the PC. By all means boycott Games For Windows. It is a waste of money for something you can enjoy much more on a 360 for less than half of what you'd pay to play on a PC.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

A Change Of Heart

A while ago I made a post on the blog about how expensive an Xbox 360 gaming lifestyle can be, called "Micro-monopoly-soft." It's still on the blog so you can go see it if you haven't. It got a lot of views on xbox.com. Alot of what I said got taken out of context, so I need to clear a few things up for everyone.

First of all, I don't actually think Microsoft is a monopoly. It was an exageration and an "eye-catcher." No one would even read the post if it had been called "Why I think Microsoft creates needless expenses for its customers."

The second thing is, the main body of the post wasn't me complaining about prices. I've been seeing how whenever people say anything against Microsoft's prices, they are promptly shunned and silenced by the community. I thought I should look into it and found alot of points that actually make sense, like a $100 wireless network adaptor that any console that considers itself "next-gen" should already be equipped with.

One of the points I brought up in the "final frenzy" of the post was the infamous statement, "Xbox Live should be free." At the moment it sounded reasonable, especially in comparison with all the other expenses I had brought to the attention of the reader. But I took the time to look at the counter-arguments to this point and realized that to make Xbox Live free would be its downfall.

The two points that make the most sense are that if Xbox Live were free, a person could get back on Live within 5 minutes of being banned, by making a new account. The second point is that Microsoft wouldn't maintain a service that doesn't make them money, so we would be playing on laggy, out-of-date servers. If we are paying $50 a year, we expect excellent service, which we get.

I still believe there are certain expenses that could be done without, but Live should remain a pay-to-play service.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Everyone Loves Feedback

Lately alot of people have been noticing my mostly over-looked posts on xbox.com and other gaming sites that support the Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 games. A quick thank you to amoney_3 and oi envy p io for their suggestions and comments, which you can view by clicking on the "comments" link under the "From Rumor to Truth" post.
So yeah, thanks for the comments and I hope to see many more in the future.
Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

From Rumor to Truth

Well, news has reached me that the final expansion of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, one of the best games of 2005, will be available for download for free during its first week on Marketplace! So any owners of this great game, make sure you snag this deal! The expansion consists of the "Fighter's Stroghold," the fourth themed domicile of the game (the other three were Vile Lair, Thieves Den and Wizard's Tower).

There's been a rumor in the air that there will be DS version of Assassin's Creed. This rumor is now confirmed. In February, Assassin's Creed will be released for the DS along with many other third party games for the Wii and DS (Nintendo has been lacking in third party support so this is probably what Nintendo system owners have been waiting for). I'm just surprised that it didn't come out for the Wii as well, it would make sense, as the Wii's controls would accomodate the gameplay style of Assassin's Creed.

Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Nothing New.

I just finished the Halo 3 campaign on Heroic with a friend (it wasn't my first time). This is one game that is always fun to play over again in campaign. Alot of people buy a game and play through the campaign in 6 hours and then coast on the multiplayer until a sequel comes out. The Halo 3 experience is basically the same whether you're playing Campaign, Matchmaking or Forge: incredible. I really must applaud Bungie again on this game.

I'm hearing alot about fanatic Halo fans defending Halo 3's name and flaming anyone who dares give it anything but adoration, let alone a bad review. To these people I only have one thing to say. Your enthusiasm is put to a good cause, but this is an unneccessary extreme. People will see games differently and certain things may or not appeal to them. Other people will trash on a game for attention or to be different and not join the countless Halo fanatic masses. Regardless of reason, let's just let people say what they want, there's no need for flaming and abuse over a game. You'll never get a date that way.

Well, I have just managed to fill another post full of nothing but Halo 3 love, so I'll end this before I get carried away. Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

EA developing nuclear weapons?

That's what it sounds like, as EA has announced that they have bought BioWare and Pandemic Studios. It seems alot of development teams have been switching ownerships and such these past few weeks, with this and the buying of Bizarre Creations (makers of the Project Gotham Racing series) by Activision and Bungie becoming its own company apart from Microsoft. But I believe I express the opinions of many gamers on this subject when I say, "As long as the games keep coming, all's good."

BioWare is the developer of the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series and the seemingly highly anticipated Mass Effect (which readers of the blog know I'm not that interested in).

Pandemic Studios developed the Mercenaries, Destroy All Humans! and Star Wars: Battle Front series (I'm a Star Wars: Battle Front II fan, but not obsessed).

It makes sense for EA to buy both teams, as they are a package deal. So in case anyone was wondering why both were bought, it's because BioWare and Pandemic Studios are merged. They kept their identity, but they teamed up in November of 2005, funded by Elevation Partners.

Let's hope that both BioWare and Pandemic both benefit from this transaction. Because when they do, we get games.

I'm going to go play some Halo 3 so take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

What to blog about?

I'm sitting here, and I'm stumped. Because I have absolutely nothing to blog about. And one of my policies that I established when I first started this blog was that where I can't find something to say, the community should fill in for me; I mean, what's a blog without readers, and what's a good blog without readers that contribute? By all means, after you read this, send me a comment that requests my input on . A game you want a review on; my opinion on a bit of news- anything. Thanks.

-ProjektWikked

Gaming News

This "era" of gaming history has experienced some very "far-fetched" news stories. Peter Moore leaving Microsoft, and the threat of Bungie and Microsoft breaking up their profitable alliance, for example. I think it's because gaming is becoming more and more accepted as a form of entertainment. 10 years ago it was only the geeks that would run over to the arcade to play Donkey Kong, or House of the Dead. Now, in the 7th generation of console gaming, hardly anyone hasn't played SOME form of gaming. It's taking its place beside books, movies and music. It's even reached a wax museum (A 7'2" tall statue of Master Chief was added to Madame Tussaud's wax museum in Las Vegas. That place is for celebrities only, so that's saying something for Halo). It's like a force that's gone ignored for ages and now is revealing itself as a super-power; a multi-billion dollar industry that affects the world more than people know or admit.

A few quick updates:

There's been alot of talk about how Bungie and Microsoft were breaking ties, and it shocked me at first, but it has now been confirmed that this will not happen and Bungie will continue to develope exclusively for the Xbox 360 console (they will, however, expand their staff so they can develop multiple games at a time). I'm not trying to sound like the know-it-all, but I had a feeling they wouldn't go through with it. Bungie needs the financial support of Microsoft, and Microsoft needs Xbox 360 sales, point finish. Alot more people have Xbox 360s now because of Halo 3's release. Speaking of which, the Xbox 360 is now out-selling the Wii. Applause for Microsoft.

It turns out Bungie IS developing a new Halo title, NOT Halo 4, as I guessed in a previous post. There's alot of "static" on what this title is going to be, but we have the fact that the Halo series is not dead confirmed. And I'm glad. Halo Wars looks good too, I'll definitly be picking that up soon.

So that's a quick summarized and to-the-point update on the gaming industry's latest news, as far as Microsoft is concerned. I've been getting alot of feedback about how my posts are too long, and I agree, I should make less intimidating posts, so sorry about that and I'll try to keep it to a short novel, like today's post or shorter. Thanks to all my readers (few, but still readers) and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

Once Again, Sorry

My modem wasn't properly fixed and I've been having unstable connection since yesterday. I'm posting this from school, so it's going to be short. I'll put up a real post later in the afternoon, till then this is a quick explanation for my lack of posts. Thanks, take care and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

Back Online

I'd like to apologize to my readers about Saturday. My modem, for some weird reason, decided to stop connecting me to the internet. My repair guy said it had a problem with the DNS server, so it couldn't connect. I'm not that tech-savvy so I'm not sure what that meant. Anyhow AT&T set me up with a new one for free, so I'm back online. The worst part was not just that I couldn't post, but I had a co-op match on Halo 3 scheduled, and I missed that too. Today's post is short since I haven''t had time to catch up on the gaming industry's news, but tomorrow I promise a nice long post on something. Take care and have fun gaming,

-ProjektWikked

Halo 4 Nonsense, Devil May Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed

Well, let's start off today's post with "Halo 4" and why it's absolute nonsense. First of all, the team at Bungie never actually used the words Halo 4 at all. The events that fueled this whole Halo 4 misconception/rumor was restricted by Bungie's limitations on what they could say about their new project. And you'll soon realize that when that happens [when game developers can't talk aboput what they are working on], members of the gaming community will start acting like it's up to them to fill in the blanks for everyone. And what they fill said blanks with is totally up to them. The people at Bungie couldn't talk about their newest project for a reason and when they are ready to tell the communty more, they will. What certain folks erroneously christened "Halo 4" is probably not even in the same universe as Halo 4. My belief that I will now share with my readers (but do not claim to be fact or even a "best bet") is that Bungie, now having a reputation for making quality titles, is going to start a new series of titles with a new story. Either that, or they will ride the Halo train till it hits the very end of its journey, and by that time another epic game will have captured the attention of the gaming community and Bungie's fame will be of the past. A final word is just that Halo 3 is only what, 10 days old as of today? Let's enjoy what we have because it will last us a VERY long time. Just look at Halo 2. The only reason it went out of style was because of Halo 3's release. Oh, an the fact that Halo 3 earned $170 million on day one of its release and a whopping $300 during its first week is expected, but a manical sum all the same. Applause and well done for Bungie.

As anyone that has played the Devil May Cry series for the Ps2 knows, Devil May Cry is a popular and successful series. It was intially intended to be a part of the Resident Evil family, but as it was a leap in a new direction for the developers, it was given its own little universe. I'm positive that a majority of the Xbox 360 community is happy to hear that Devil May Cry 4, the latest addition the series, will be coming out on the Xbox 360; the first DMC title to ever be relased on a Microsoft console. I believe that this is a step in the right direction for Capcom, as the Xbox 360 gives game developers a new, powerful setup to build their games on. It's true. More and more developers are seeing the benefits of developing for the Xbox 360. Capcom has some new screenshots of DMC4 and I must say, they look spectacular. I believe that screenshots are important for a game. Alot of the time, when I'm undecided about purchasing a game, I'll look at its website or on the back of it case to see screenshots. If what I see in the screenshot looks like something I want to play or gives you the feel that it's a good, quality game, chances are high that I will end up buying it. So here are a few of the screenshots and if you want to see more, go to the link under the screenshots.




http://www.msxbox-world.com/xbox360/screenshots/screenshots/357/Devil-May-Cry-4.html

A quick update on Assassin's Creed (Don't forget it comes out his November! Pre-order!), Ubisoft released a new devloper's diary (a video clip by the deveopers that talks about the progess of the game and the cool features it has). Always watch the developer's diaries and I encourage development teams to always create some form of a developer's diary. People want to know about how a game that they are waiting for is doing so far. And people should want to know. Assassin's Creed might be that game that will re-define the standards of its genre and along with countless other I'm sure, I'm looking forward to its November release.

So that's today's post, I hope that any readers I've managed to attract are happy with what I'm doing and if anyone has any form of feedback for me, please let it be heard; I'm interested in anything you have to say. A blog is nothing without readers and I hope to have many of those. Thank you, take care, and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

So it's pretty late in the afternoon,

And I just got back from an interesting get-together with a group of friends. Guess what we were playing. Halo 2. Now I know that 9/24/07 was the last day Halo 2 would ever be cool. But I've got to say, after playing through Halo 3 multiple times, it kind of feels good to go back and play it. I had to re-adjust myself to the old button setup which is really awkward in comparison with Halo 3's.

Anyhow, I've been playing alot of Crackdown and I thought it would be good to put out a Crackdown review, just in case someone hasn't bought it and is wondering if they should.

Crackdown is a game about a gang-infested city that is going through a "crackdown" on crime. You can play as a "super-cop" that can jump higher, run faster, shoot more accurately and take more damage than a regular human being. A few points I really enjoy about this game:

• By simply performing actions like jumping, shooting, hitting and driving, you improve those skills and can then perform them more effectively.
• Achievements are interesting. You're not doing anything stupidly easy or insanely hard.
• It plays like GTA San Andreas, with the open world/city and lots of non main quest oriented activities to do. You can start on the main objectives and goals and then let them sit indefinitly while you have fun "cleaning" or trashing the city. Then you can come back and pick up where you left off.
• Orbs, whether they are hidden orbs or agility orbs, are fun to search for and collect.
• The world makes sense. If you get in a car, the radio plays. Depending on what kind of person was driving the car, the music type will differ. This is an example of the realism of the Crackdown environment.

Things that could have been improved:

• The way the other officers shoot at you for killing citizens or other police officers. The AI should have been able to judge if it was accidental or purposeful. For example, if the street had been flooded with enemies and I accidentally killed a police officer, the AI should label that event as 'accident' and let it slide. If there were no enemies around and I picked up a car and fling it at a random bunch of pedestrians, the AI should label the event as 'purposeful' and come after me. Basically, the computer should factor in the elements of the event (the type of weapon I used, what aiming type I used, how many enemies were in sight, what the gangster/police officer ratio was on my screen) and determine whether I meant to break the rules or not. The game clearly states that I may use "any means I see fit" (direct quote) to fight crime. Casualties are invitable sometimes.
• The actual killing of a boss after you get to them is too simple and easy. They are heavily guarded and placed in strategical positions, but once you've vaulted those obstacles, they are really just your average enemy with more HP. It's too easy to punch and kick them to death on the floor before they even get a chance to fire. In my opinion, they should have been given distinct fighting styles depending on their role in the gang. For instance, if they were in charge of providing explosives, they should use explosives to fight and the battle should take place in an explosive environment.

Altogether, this game makes it on my Good Games list, number two under Halo 3, which I still haven't found anything wrong with. If anyone wants to talk some more about likes/dislikes or anything at all concerning Crackdown or (and here comes a real challenge) anything that could have been improved in Halo 3, please, by all means, voice it here at the blog, and I'll be sure to put it in the spotlight. Thanks. Take care and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

Micro-monopoly-soft

Here's a "short" post I put on the xbox.com's forums today. It's a summed up version of what I;ve been hearing from alot of sources concerning the true expenses of the Xbox 360 system. It's a bit heated at some points, but remember that I love the Xbox 360, Live and its community. I'm just voicing some opinions on the price to pay in the end.

"Deep down everyone knows neither Sony or Nintendo can deliver the powerful gaming experience that Microsoft can with the Xbox 360. And because Microsoft knows this, I think they are ripping us off. Think about it.
To get started, you need to buy the console.
$280 for Core
$350 for Premium.
If you got Core, you're going to have to buy a hard drive to actually get something out of your Xbox 360. $100, is as cheap as they come.
An Xbox 360 will come with one controller. But to atleast enjoy 2 player co-op you need a second. $50.

You then discover that this system isn't like the $250 Wii that has a wireless adapter built in, but instead requires you to pay another $100 for a separate part that allows you to connect to your home router. Your only other option: if you don't have a router, hope to god your PC and modem setup is close enough to your TV that you can run a wire to it. No one likes wires stretching through rooms, so I'll assume you have the router setup, which most American households have.

Microsoft is so far the only system I know of that charges you money for online play. I could start an online match on my DS whenever I pleased, never paying the $50 a year (that's aproximately a dollar per week) that Microsoft then has the nerve to charge after all these expenses.

You need games for your 360, so you get some good titles. The cost of a game is the cost of the game, and if it's good, I see no problem in forking over $60 for it. But then to really enjoy it, Microsoft nickles and dimes me to death so I can download all those leftovers. Like "missing pieces in the story" and "special features" the game should have included anyways! You could end up spending around $20 just buying all the missing parts for your game you already paid big cash on to enjoy.

You would think Microsoft would have a heart and respect the money gamers slap on the counter for their systems and games. Instead they charge more. In the hundreds of dollars. I can't believe that all this is necessary.

Look at the numbers. After all these expenses you probably spent about $460 just getting set up with your Core, or $520 if you went Premium for the real deal. And those two figures don't factor in how much you end up paying for Live. Quality doesn't come cheap. But it sure as hell should come cheaper than THAT. Next time you hear someone crying about how the Xbox 360 should be leading console sales instead of the Wii (which is doing incredibly well, along with the DS), remember that it doesn't come at people charging all this money to play games (the world is still realizing what an impact games have on everyday life and don't see it as an equal to music and movies yet, like gamers do), it comes with a reasonable price and no funny-business later.
I'm not saying Microsoft should cut the price on its consoles. Those are fine. It needs to make the other after-purchase-purchases you'll inevitably make less intimidating. From a logical point of view, what would you rather buy? A system that costs $250 that includes a wireless adapter, or a $350 system that will then charge $100 later for the same wirless adapter? The adapter should have been included in the system, micro-transactions should only be for Xbox Live Arcade, Gamer Pictures and themes should be free, LIVE SHOULD BE FREE- there is really no excuse for that one. But I know Microsoft is fond of the billions it makes a year at our expense, and will not part with any of it. I by all means congratulate them on standing by their product in light of the "red quadrants of death" problem, and believe that if they had not, the only people still playing a 360 today would be those that were not affected."

Opinions definitly wanted.

-ProjektWikked

Random (But On-Topic) Thoughts

So this is my fourth post and lately I've been trying to attract the attention of the gaming community by posting requests for feedback on sites like xbox.com and gamefaqs.com. I've been getting a good deal of constructive criticism and very helpful suggestions from the thriving xbox.com community (In my first post on xbox.com's active forums I conveniently forgot to link to my blog. Thanks to the gamer that brought that fatal error to my attention. And another helpful tip from a member of the forums was to add a link to my blog to my signature. Thanks for that too). I had absolutely no success at attracting any attention on gamefaqs, as its message boards are almost chat rooms (my posts disappeared under pleas for help getting achievements or discussions on why a game was awesome or terrible).

Still hearing alot of positive words on Halo 3, which I recently discovered some helpful tips on. First of all, an easter egg has been un-covered (In case anyone isn't familiar with "easter eggs, in the gaming community an easter egg is something interesting that is hidden in a game by its designers. For example, an ad for the sequel of the game could be hidden somewhere in the virtual city or something unusual that could have a hidden meaning). I had found this out earlier while I played through the campaign of Halo 3 and didn't think much of it till I started seeing other forums making a big deal about it. There is a family of humanoid apes hiding out near the end of the Sierra 117 mission, before you find the crashed Pelican. One of them is holding a teddy-bear. You can shoot them, but they don't have any real function in the game. I'm not sure why Bungie put these in; could they be a statement or a joke? I'm not really that concerened or curious and can't figure out why they are there. If anyone knows please comment on it.

I'll also include a quick guide to unlocking a piece of the Hyabusa armor. If you have played through the Covenant mission, you'll see some bright white rings. Jumping through them will activate a sound. Jumping through them in a way that makes them play the Halo theme music will unlock the armor piece on that level. In case you don't want to figure out what rings play which note, I'll give you the numeric order in which to jump through the rings. 4 5 6 5 7 6 5 4 1 2 3 2 7 2 1 1 3 4 6 7 5 4 6 5 4 5 3 4. Then cross the bridge and claim your skull. If anyone has found anything interesting while playing through Halo 3, please comment about it here and share it with the rest of the community.

So everyone, I'm sure, knows about BioWare's new game coming out; Mass Effect, and I must say, it looks interesting (I won't say any more than that as it hasn't come out yet). It doesn't appeal to me personally, but I can't deny that the realism of the conversations and gripping gameplay are all something to look forward to for more RPG savvy gamers. Mass Effect will be part of an intended trilogy of games by BioWare. A game very similar to Mass Effect is being developed by Gearbox Software, called Borderlands. I've seen lots of pictures and read alot of commentary, and this game strikes me as something from the same family tree as Mass Effect, but with a better feel to it. A crazy feature that I know I'm going to love about this game is that the system randomly generates weapons by mixing up their components. For example, a pistol could fire rockets and a rifle could fire homing darts. It will support 4 player co-op like Halo 3 and will even have customizable vehicles for vehicle combat, which I'm really looking forward to in co-op. This game is coming out in 2008, so we'll have a bit of a wait till then.

Well, I've ran out of things to post so please leave your comments with anything you want the community to read, I will be posting on feedback I recieve from the gaming community that I find interesting or on-topic. Take care and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

A Better Look at Halo 3

So Halo 3 has been out since the 25th of September and I haven't heard any complaints; in fact I've heard alot of Halo love going around. I beat the game alone in normal (I'm not feeling confident enough to take on Heroic alone yet), and I was really impressed with alot of the features that make this game the masterpiece that it is.

• For one thing, Master Chief's arch-enemy the Arbiter is playing alongside you now as an ally. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but it's a good feeling when you have the "Master Chief" of the Covenant fighting alongside you. He's also the kind of ally that doesn't just follow you around. He's in the action, taking out enemies where you're not. Which flows right into my next point.
• The AI. AI, in case any readers out there don't know, means artificial intelligence. Computer-controlled. Anything that isn't being controlled by an actual player, is an AI. And in Halo 3, the AI might as well be an actual player. They have no difficulty utilizing the diverse weapons and using them well, which is just as crucial for a game. Bubble shields, energy shields, and even the environment, are all accounted for by the computer as it positions the enemy troops. I appreciate a game that doesn't see the environment as a stage for the battle. It should be a part of the battle. A key factor in the outcome (another game that uses this concept heavily is BioShock, which I won't get into).
• The story-line is a big part too. And to be even more particular, the ending. I'm not going to go into the ending so that I won't spoil it for anyone, which is something that I would hate to do. But I will go into what I think of the ending without divulging its content. So if you don't even want to know what someone thinks about the ending because it could influence what you believe the ending to be, I understand, and will warn you not to read past this line. ↓

---

The ending was alot better than Halo 2's. And it wasn't your corny, fairy-tale ending where everyone's happy. It was a bitter sweet ending in my opinion, very ironic and unexpected, yet very fitting and well-done over-all. So yeah, I give it 5 stars. Oh, and by the ending, I mean the one after the credits; People, always wait through the credits of a game. Secret endings are often put at the end of the credits to reward those that show respect to the people that worked hard on the game. Not watching the clip after the Halo 3 credits will cause you to gravely mis-interpret the immediate "ending" to Halo 3. Be sure to watch that. And if you're playing co-op over Live in someone else's party, be sure to tell them that because they might skip it.

• The places in which you fight are also key to the feel of the game. THIS SECTION WILL DISCUSS LEVELS IN THE GAME. IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE GAME I URGE YOU SKIP THIS SECTION! Africa just seems to be a fitting place for the first few missions in Halo 3. I don't know why, but an African jungle is just right, if you know what I mean. If I could change that one location, I wouldn't, because it's just the one, perfect setting that Bungie just nailed right in the center.The desert levels were also good. But what I really appreciated was the final level before the ending clips started rolling. Driving through the exploding Halo was phenonemal. I have never played a level in any video-game that comes close to delivering an experience like this one (and I mean in co-op. It's still good in single-player but co-op really delivers the goods, because there are other people sharing the fun with you, and that kind of changes the feel, atleast for myself). One thing, though, I would have changed. Instead of Warthogs, I say Bungie should have let us shred that level on Mongooses (or Mongeese? What is the plural for Mongoose?). It would have sped things up a bit, adding to the tense excitement. Plus, the Mongoose really beats the Warthog, I must say. We've been riding Warthogs since the first Halo. Let's end the game with something new. But nevertheless, that level is the best I've played in any video game (the only competition would be certain levels from Gears of War played on co-op).

That's all I can think of to ramble on about right now, although I've typed a pretty lengthy post already. But hey, when I can't think of anything to say, the gaming community needs to give me feedback. I'd like to hear other people's likes- and even dislikes (if they can find any), concerning Halo 3. Just leave a comment. That's all for this post, take care all and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked

Microsoft's 2007 Holiday Line-up: What we're looking forward to.

So, at E3 Peter Moore announced a load of games coming out during the holiday hype, stressing on how they were all coming out "right here, right now." You've gotta hand it to Microsoft; they know their customers. We're being handed everything. RPGs, First Person Shooters, Racing games, etc. What I want is some feedback from the gaming community concerning what games people are most looking forward too. I'll give you my list right now:

1) Assassin's Creed (I have mine pre-ordered) (November)
2) GTA IV (February-April 2008)
3) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (10/30/07)
4)Borderlands (2008)
5)Dynasty Warriors 6 (2008)

Assassin's Creed looks like a game that will re-define its genre. A stealth game, you will be playing as master assassin Altaïr, which I believe means "eagle" in arabic (Altair's actions and killing style will be based on an eagle's movement or view when hunting its prey), that has been demoted from the highest rank of the Hashshashin sect, assassins that quietly sabotage the third crusade. By taking out 9 important figures that influence the third crusade, Altaïr must regain his prestigious position. Traveling and fighting through three key cities of the time period (Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus) you will follow his story line while also experienceing an open world freedom within the walls of the cities. One thing I appreciate that Ubisoft is incorporating into the game is a combat system based on well timed counter-attacks. A refreshing way to break off from the tedious hack-and-slash combat system we have grown accustom to in action adventures. I've been listening to interviews with the Ubisoft Montreal team that is working on this revolutionary title, and I picked up bits and pieces about the way you interact with the environment. You won't have your buttons mapped out for you. You have your arm button, leg button, and head button. Each button decides how you interact with the environment with that particular body part. For example, leg button will control running, vaulting, kicking and other leg-related movements. Arms will control slashing, climbing, and such. The head button is the most innovative feature in my opinion, because it will give you a first person point of view that also color codes the people you see based on their function. Examples: enemy, helper, goal. Another interesting feature is that the people you see in the cities will speak in their native toungue. But when you use your head button, their languages will be translated into English, and what you hear could help you on your mission. New, original features combined with stunning graphics, intelligent storyline and an open world makes nothing less than a triple A title that us a MUST for all Xbox 360 owners.

Well, I didn't expect to type so much on one game, and I was hoping to write about Borderlands, but I know so little about the game, except that it's going to be a very exciting experience for Xbox 360 and PS3 owners. I will definitly fork over $60 for this title, as it is being compared to a Diablo 2 and first person shooter/adventure cross.

Well, I guess that's it for my second post. I'm eagerly awaiting any form of feedback from the gaming community and will appreciate reviews, criticism, suggestions, etc. Take care and have fun gaming.

-ProjektWikked