Unlimited it seems. Time and time again, Microsoft do something to shaft their customers, be it releasing new versions of consoles, before the last ones are dead (literally in the case of the 360!), or forcing Epic to make the GOW levels chargable.
How many times does someone have to post that Microsoft is the publisher for GoW, so it's totally not the same thing as the Guitar Hero songs? I don't like that they want us to pay, but it's totally their right as the publisher.
Then they make you buy some crappy game to get on the 3 week Halo 3 beta, and then charge you again to buy the full game!
There were two other ways to get into the Halo 3 Beta. If you spent 60 dollars on a game you didn't want to get the beta, well, that's your fault. Personally, I bought Crackdown because the demo was really fun, and I think it's an incredible game. The fact that it had a beta for Halo 3 was a bonus.
Now it seems when they are not releasing GH2 patches that brick your console, they are ripping of GH2 owners with expensive content...
There's a thread over at Evil Avatar asking if anyone had their consoles bricked. As of this morning, seems everyone's was still working who'd downloaded the patch. As for the price... if you don't like it... don't freaking buy it. Remember when there was an expansion for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter? It was fifteen freaking dollars (or more, I can't remember). I didn't like that either, so I didn't buy it. Problem solved.
I'm still not planning on buying either one of those formats. And I'm normally an early adopter. Even if I bought a PS3 (which I'm not planning on) I still can't see myself buying any Blu-Ray discs until this whole format debacle gets settled.
You may be right. It may suck. I'm taking the wait and see approach myself. But, to the team's credit, they said they didn't have time to come up with a solid demo and finish the game on time.
What happens when you go to the gym and lift weights pretty hard for an hour, and then try to hold you arms up playing a video game for another hour? Do you stop going to the gym in favor of playing video games (which really only will excersize one arm/shoulder), or do you stop playing video games (because doing both could be hard depending on how hard your workout was)? There's the question. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the idea that I'd have to wait a little while for the weakness/lactic acid to work it's way back out of my muscles to sit on the couch and play a game. Should I wait thirty minutes after I eat too?
Actually, they feel just about the same as when I started. Some people do get blisters or sore thumb-tips though, agreed. Personally, I'm just about as concerened about the Wiimote as Peter is. I definitely want to try it out at some point, but I've always considered games as (at least physically) passive entertainment, something I do as a form of relaxation (I work out and run for excercize). Nintendo has turned that idea completely around. I'm just not sure I like it. Yet.
I'm not sure sure this is completely related to the article in question, but it is somewhat similar to the comments. Fact of the matter is that for the most part, when you get older, you start having less and less time to play games. Work, workouts, relationships, responsibilities, errands, etc., all have a tendency to get in the way of sitting on your ass for a couple of hours playing games. So, I've created a pretty simple rule that I try to follow when determining my game purchases, and that is, if you can't just play it for 20-30 minutes at a time, don't buy it.
So, yeah, I pretty much can play a game of football, a few matches or a level of an FPS, a few races in a racing game, and then put it down and go back to things that are actual priorities. I've even gotten a lot more out of some Xbox Live Arcade titles (like Geometry Wars or Marble Blast Ultra) than I ever thought I might, just based on this simple principle, seeing as you can just play for ten or so minutes at a time. I tried to play Oblivion on the 360 (which is definitely a great game), but after about six months, I'd never even gotten started on the main quest, and was a mere level 9 or so, so I just gave up.
"When people over-hype a game they ruin it for themselves. The best example of this is halo2. It was a good game with some bugs, not the best game ever. I enjoyed but i stopped playing after about 12 months, i go back for single player sometimes."
Wow, for a game that was 'over-hyped', and a let down for you, you sure did get your money's worth. My idea of over-hyped is when they say it's going to be totally awesome and you can't stand playing after five minutes. Like Brute Force. Or, what was that boat combat game on the XBOX with all the great water effects? That one sucked too. Oh, and Mech-Assault. Also blew.
That the XBOX 360 version will be delayed as well, which is fine, because there is a fairly good selection of titles coming out for it this holiday season (Splinter cell, Rainbow six, F.E.A.R.). For those that don't know, the upcoming XBOX 360 version ships with Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, all on the same disc. That's a pretty good deal for 59 bucks if you ask me.
I might be slightly off about whether it applies to this patch, or one that was also sent out last week, but it also messed up XP's ability to deal with compressed/zipped folders if you're running SP1, like we are at my work. You can create a zip file fine, but you cannot rename or open it through explorer. You can't get to the right-click menu at all (to copy/rename/delete etc.). It's totally been screwing with me all week. Also, you can't access the My Documents icon on your desktop, although it still works fine through Explorer and from the start menu.
I think maybe you just need to play with the battle rifle more. All those things you mention are pretty easy with a battle rifle. Sure, it takes more skill than the pistol, and a little bit longer, but it's not that hard to take out someone with a sword if you back up while firing and get headshots, or taking on someone with a rocket launcher if they're using it properly, trying to get splash damage on the ground, you can do some timely jumping and firing to dodge two rockets. The battle rifle is easily the best, and most versatile, weapon in the game.
The same situation applies to the shotgun. I'd rather have a shotgun than a sword any day of the week, because nine times out of ten, assuming you have good timing, you can just stand there, wait for the sword lunge, on pop them once right in the face right when they're about to run you through. Plus, their reaction is always classic.
Don't get me wrong, I used to agree with you that Halo 1 was better, but then a bunch of us tried to go back and play it after months of Halo 2, and it just seemed boring, and that using anything other than a pistol was a almost a complete waste of time.
P.S. There aren't any fuel rod cannons in Halo 2 multiplayer.
What? You can dodge rockets once they're locked on, in a banshee anyway. One of my friends is soo good with a Banshee, that you MUST lock on and fire two rockets in quick succession because he's guarenteed going to dodge the first one, assuming he knows it's coming. That way, the second rocket tracks into where he rolls, and boom! It's also pretty easy to avoid rockets in ground vehicles if you use the terrain to your advantage, staying in low spots and close to obstacles, which the rockets will likely hit.
I'll still never get why, a.) everyone wants the pistol back after it being so unbalanced in Halo 1, and b.) why people don't realize that the battle rifle is an adequate replacement. You shouldn't be able to kill someone from half a map away with three pistol shots. Conversely, you can kill someone with three pulls of the trigger with a battle rifle if they're all headshots, although it simply takes a bit longer since each pull is a three shot burst. Sure, the pistol is almost useless as a weapon by itelf in Halo 2, but then again, it's a freaking pistol. But yeah, the assault rifle needs to come back, replacing the almost useless SMG.
I predict that XBox360's camera will not be heavily used by most users but will be viewed as a novelty. Will users be able to use their own photographs as avatars? It seems silly that something being billed in part as a media device would refuse to import photographs into games.
Yes. You can use the camera to not only create a custom gamer picture (that only your 'friends' see to cut down on abuse) but also some games allow you to map your face into them to use for the multiplayer component. Examples includes World Series Poker and Rainbow Six: Vegas, the latter of which is also rumored to include gesture recognition via the camera to communicate with your AI teammates using hand signals. Rainbow Six 3 (and Black Arrow) on the XBOX also used voice recognition via the microphone to command them as well, which is supposed to be carried over into the new version.
But yeah, the major selling feature (for me anyway) is the ability to put yourself in the game in virual form.
You can plug in a USB keyboard to use for messages and navigation, and whatnot. Pretty much anything that may involve typing, but not for gameplay. No mouse support at all.
Perhaps they should talk to UBISoft, because, if I'm not mistaken, both Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and Rainbow Six: Vegas run on the Unreal engine on the 360.
Slashdot Mirror
Unlimited it seems. Time and time again, Microsoft do something to shaft their customers, be it releasing new versions of consoles, before the last ones are dead (literally in the case of the 360!), or forcing Epic to make the GOW levels chargable.
How many times does someone have to post that Microsoft is the publisher for GoW, so it's totally not the same thing as the Guitar Hero songs? I don't like that they want us to pay, but it's totally their right as the publisher.
Then they make you buy some crappy game to get on the 3 week Halo 3 beta, and then charge you again to buy the full game!
There were two other ways to get into the Halo 3 Beta. If you spent 60 dollars on a game you didn't want to get the beta, well, that's your fault. Personally, I bought Crackdown because the demo was really fun, and I think it's an incredible game. The fact that it had a beta for Halo 3 was a bonus.
Now it seems when they are not releasing GH2 patches that brick your console, they are ripping of GH2 owners with expensive content...
There's a thread over at Evil Avatar asking if anyone had their consoles bricked. As of this morning, seems everyone's was still working who'd downloaded the patch. As for the price... if you don't like it... don't freaking buy it. Remember when there was an expansion for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter? It was fifteen freaking dollars (or more, I can't remember). I didn't like that either, so I didn't buy it. Problem solved.
I'm still not planning on buying either one of those formats. And I'm normally an early adopter. Even if I bought a PS3 (which I'm not planning on) I still can't see myself buying any Blu-Ray discs until this whole format debacle gets settled.
Wow, you definitely put a lot of effort into that rant though. Good job.
Yes, they are a French company, with different development houses throughout the world. UBISoft Shanghai and UBISoft Montreal come to mind.
You may be right. It may suck. I'm taking the wait and see approach myself. But, to the team's credit, they said they didn't have time to come up with a solid demo and finish the game on time.
What happens when you go to the gym and lift weights pretty hard for an hour, and then try to hold you arms up playing a video game for another hour? Do you stop going to the gym in favor of playing video games (which really only will excersize one arm/shoulder), or do you stop playing video games (because doing both could be hard depending on how hard your workout was)? There's the question. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the idea that I'd have to wait a little while for the weakness/lactic acid to work it's way back out of my muscles to sit on the couch and play a game. Should I wait thirty minutes after I eat too?
Actually, they feel just about the same as when I started. Some people do get blisters or sore thumb-tips though, agreed. Personally, I'm just about as concerened about the Wiimote as Peter is. I definitely want to try it out at some point, but I've always considered games as (at least physically) passive entertainment, something I do as a form of relaxation (I work out and run for excercize). Nintendo has turned that idea completely around. I'm just not sure I like it. Yet.
There's a trailer on the XBOX Live marketplace that prominently features the Hulk.
I think the answer you're looking for can be found in the trailer. Troops, aliens, weapons, vehicles, spacecraft, battles.. all accounted for.
That's probably because X06 is a Microsoft event only, if I'm not mistaken.
I'm not sure sure this is completely related to the article in question, but it is somewhat similar to the comments. Fact of the matter is that for the most part, when you get older, you start having less and less time to play games. Work, workouts, relationships, responsibilities, errands, etc., all have a tendency to get in the way of sitting on your ass for a couple of hours playing games. So, I've created a pretty simple rule that I try to follow when determining my game purchases, and that is, if you can't just play it for 20-30 minutes at a time, don't buy it.
So, yeah, I pretty much can play a game of football, a few matches or a level of an FPS, a few races in a racing game, and then put it down and go back to things that are actual priorities. I've even gotten a lot more out of some Xbox Live Arcade titles (like Geometry Wars or Marble Blast Ultra) than I ever thought I might, just based on this simple principle, seeing as you can just play for ten or so minutes at a time. I tried to play Oblivion on the 360 (which is definitely a great game), but after about six months, I'd never even gotten started on the main quest, and was a mere level 9 or so, so I just gave up.
"When people over-hype a game they ruin it for themselves. The best example of this is halo2. It was a good game with some bugs, not the best game ever. I enjoyed but i stopped playing after about 12 months, i go back for single player sometimes."
Wow, for a game that was 'over-hyped', and a let down for you, you sure did get your money's worth. My idea of over-hyped is when they say it's going to be totally awesome and you can't stand playing after five minutes. Like Brute Force. Or, what was that boat combat game on the XBOX with all the great water effects? That one sucked too. Oh, and Mech-Assault. Also blew.
That the XBOX 360 version will be delayed as well, which is fine, because there is a fairly good selection of titles coming out for it this holiday season (Splinter cell, Rainbow six, F.E.A.R.). For those that don't know, the upcoming XBOX 360 version ships with Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, all on the same disc. That's a pretty good deal for 59 bucks if you ask me.
I might be slightly off about whether it applies to this patch, or one that was also sent out last week, but it also messed up XP's ability to deal with compressed/zipped folders if you're running SP1, like we are at my work. You can create a zip file fine, but you cannot rename or open it through explorer. You can't get to the right-click menu at all (to copy/rename/delete etc.). It's totally been screwing with me all week. Also, you can't access the My Documents icon on your desktop, although it still works fine through Explorer and from the start menu.
I think maybe you just need to play with the battle rifle more. All those things you mention are pretty easy with a battle rifle. Sure, it takes more skill than the pistol, and a little bit longer, but it's not that hard to take out someone with a sword if you back up while firing and get headshots, or taking on someone with a rocket launcher if they're using it properly, trying to get splash damage on the ground, you can do some timely jumping and firing to dodge two rockets. The battle rifle is easily the best, and most versatile, weapon in the game.
The same situation applies to the shotgun. I'd rather have a shotgun than a sword any day of the week, because nine times out of ten, assuming you have good timing, you can just stand there, wait for the sword lunge, on pop them once right in the face right when they're about to run you through. Plus, their reaction is always classic.
Don't get me wrong, I used to agree with you that Halo 1 was better, but then a bunch of us tried to go back and play it after months of Halo 2, and it just seemed boring, and that using anything other than a pistol was a almost a complete waste of time.
P.S. There aren't any fuel rod cannons in Halo 2 multiplayer.
What? You can dodge rockets once they're locked on, in a banshee anyway. One of my friends is soo good with a Banshee, that you MUST lock on and fire two rockets in quick succession because he's guarenteed going to dodge the first one, assuming he knows it's coming. That way, the second rocket tracks into where he rolls, and boom! It's also pretty easy to avoid rockets in ground vehicles if you use the terrain to your advantage, staying in low spots and close to obstacles, which the rockets will likely hit.
Why climb when you can just jump?
I'll still never get why, a.) everyone wants the pistol back after it being so unbalanced in Halo 1, and b.) why people don't realize that the battle rifle is an adequate replacement. You shouldn't be able to kill someone from half a map away with three pistol shots. Conversely, you can kill someone with three pulls of the trigger with a battle rifle if they're all headshots, although it simply takes a bit longer since each pull is a three shot burst. Sure, the pistol is almost useless as a weapon by itelf in Halo 2, but then again, it's a freaking pistol. But yeah, the assault rifle needs to come back, replacing the almost useless SMG.
According to something I read, it does autodetect hair. Or hair color anyway.
I predict that XBox360's camera will not be heavily used by most users but will be viewed as a novelty. Will users be able to use their own photographs as avatars? It seems silly that something being billed in part as a media device would refuse to import photographs into games.
Yes. You can use the camera to not only create a custom gamer picture (that only your 'friends' see to cut down on abuse) but also some games allow you to map your face into them to use for the multiplayer component. Examples includes World Series Poker and Rainbow Six: Vegas, the latter of which is also rumored to include gesture recognition via the camera to communicate with your AI teammates using hand signals. Rainbow Six 3 (and Black Arrow) on the XBOX also used voice recognition via the microphone to command them as well, which is supposed to be carried over into the new version.
But yeah, the major selling feature (for me anyway) is the ability to put yourself in the game in virual form.
You can plug in a USB keyboard to use for messages and navigation, and whatnot. Pretty much anything that may involve typing, but not for gameplay. No mouse support at all.
Hey, I've lived in Atlanta all my life, and I'm even impressed the GA was the first to go this route.
Perhaps they should talk to UBISoft, because, if I'm not mistaken, both Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and Rainbow Six: Vegas run on the Unreal engine on the 360.
They published Half Life 2 on the XBOX about a week or two before the 360 came out. Not the best time to be publishing a game.
It is online. People can watch you fight too, and queue up to fight the winner with the new 'Quarters' mode.