1 vs. 100 Beta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My PS3 Experience

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

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

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

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

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

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

Things I don't like or am misunderstanding:

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

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

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

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

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

Project Natal - The Next Big Thing?

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

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

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

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

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

We're Back!

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

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

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

June Game Releases

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

 

DS Titles
June 2
• Knights in the Nightmare

June 8
• The Legendary Starfy

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

June 15
• Sushi Academy

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

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 18
• Blood Bowl

June 19
• My Sims Racing

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

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

PC Titles
June 2
• The Sims 3

June 4
• Light of Altair

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Ghostbusters

June 17
• America’s Army 3.0
• Luna Online

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

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

PS2 Titles
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

June 16
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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

June 4
• Star Trek: D.A.C.

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

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

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

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

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

PSP
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

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

June 15
• Mytran Wars

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

June 26
• Pangya: Fantasy Golf

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

Wii
June 1
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

June 2
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

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

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

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 19
• My Sims Racing

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

June 26
• Overlord: Dark Legend

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

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

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

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

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

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

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

Psst! Sam Fisher is Getting Released

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

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

3 Year Warranty Extended to E-74 Error

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 2009 Game Releases

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

DS Titles
April 5
• Rhythm Heaven

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

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

April 21
• Jagged Alliance DS
• Steal Princess

April 24
• Gauntlet

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

April 29
• Desktop Tower Defense

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

April 10
• Braid

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

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

April 21
• Zeno Clash

April 28
• The Humans

PS2 Titles
April 7
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 28
• Backyard Baseball 2010

PS3 Titles
April 2
• Comet Crash

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

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

April 16
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

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

April 21
• DT Carnage

April 28
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Wii Titles
April 2
• Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves

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

April 14
• Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity

April 20
• Excitebots: Trick Racing

April 21
• Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball

April 28
• Puzzle Kingdoms

Xbox 360 Titles
April 1
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

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

April 8
• Flock

April 14
• Velvet Assassin

April 15
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 25
• Shop City: In the World of Zellians

Halo Wars: First Impressions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March Game Releases

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

DS Titles
March 3
• Littlest Pet Shop Spring

March 9
• My Pet Shop

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

March 16
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

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

March 22
• Pokemon Platinum

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

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

March 31
• Don King Presents: Prizefighter

PC Titles
March 3
• Empire: Total War

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

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

March 20
• World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

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

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

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

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

March 10
• Samurai Shodown Anthology
• Trivial Pursuit

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

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

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

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 23
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

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

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Burn Zombie Burn
• The Tale of Despereaux

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

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

March 17
• Resistance Retribution
• Scrabble

March 24
• DT Carnage
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

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

March 9
• Mario Power Tennis
• Pikmin

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

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

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

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Last Flight
• Lawn Games

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

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

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 17
• Strike Force Red Cell

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

March 27
• PopCap Arcade Vol. 2

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Deer Hunter Tournament
• OutRun Online Arcade