‘As of right now’ Xbox Live Stats
I am ONE achievement away from completing NHL 08 — that’ll give me a clean sweep of the EA Sports Hockey series for Xbox 360! Other than that, I’m just grinding away at Mass Effect in prep for the sequel…
Stevivor’s stats:
| Rep: | 5-Star |
| GamerScore: | 63,123 |
| Zone: | Pro |
| Completed XBLA: | 5 |
| Completed Retail: | 38 |
| GS Completion %: | 63% |
| Unique Achievements Unlocked: | 2,364 |
| Country Rank: | 390 |
| World Rank: | 21,138 |
| Completion Rank: | 10,538 |
100% completed games:
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Gamer’s Roundup – Week One, February 2010
So we’ve been gone for a bit…but fear not, (Cool) Shite readers! The Gamer’s Roundup is back for 2010!
Original Xbox to be removed from Xbox Live service
April 15 will mark the end of Live service to those dedicated (or cheap?) gamers who use an original Xbox for their online matchmaking needs. All Xbox original titles – most notably, Halo 2, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, and Counter-Strike – will lose online capability on that date.
In a notice to Live members, Xbox Live general manager Marc Written said,, “I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly…but after careful consideration, it is clear that this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community.”
Microsoft has stated they will shortly be in contact with those Live gamers who utilise original Xbox titles for online play. If you are one of those gamers, keep an eye on your associated email address or your Xbox messages via the console.
Iron Man 2 tie-in game not to suck. Honest!
Kotaku’s Stephen Totilo was…lucky…enough to sit down with the developers of Iron Man 2 to find out, in Totilo’s words, why “[it] won’t be dreadful.”
Kyle Brink of Interactive Entertainment goes into great detail here about key changes in this title as compared to the original tie-in game. Notably, enhanced controls, a unique story, better environments and destruction effects, and War Machine seem to be the reasons why you won’t want to throw this game through the nearest window.
My favourite bit about the interview? Brink honestly says he tried to make Iron Man’s combat system more like Batman: Arkham Asylum. Let the DC vs Marvel war begin.
To boldly go where one million have gone before…
After less than a week, new MMO Star Trek Online can already boast over one million players.
In related news, the massive multiplayer title is already offering microtransactions: be willing to part with more cash (aside from what you already dropped buying the game AND for your monthly subscription) if you’re looking for a Starfleet officer with a Klingon or Ferengi background.
I personally won’t be delving in to this game, despite my love for Star Trek, as I like games where THERE IS AN ACTUAL ENDING AND/OR POINT. What about you? Have you played it? Do you love it? Let us know.
Sonic 4, please do not suck.
Not a company to be discouraged after several thousand failed attempts at a decent Sonic game, Sega has recently announced they’re trying again…and this game might actually be good!
Abandoning the 3D look and feel of most recent Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be a direct sequel to the GOOD (read: 2D) titles in the series, the last being Sonic and Knuckles in 1994.
Not only is the series going back to its roots, it also promises that Sonic will remain the only playable character in the game.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be available on Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 around July. Logic dictates that further episodes in the sequel will be released at regular intervals thereafter.
Sony stops A-grade downloadable titles for PS3
In a move that Gizmodo’s Mark Wilson calls “Sony’s latest PS3 mistake,” large downloadable titles like Warhawk will no longer be able to be lazily grabbed off of teh interwebs via the PlayStation Network straight to the PS3 console.
While it is believed Sony has made this decision due to ever-shrinking space on the PS3’s internal HDD (as most Blu-ray games require hefty installs to the HDD before they can be played) or large download files (average PS3 games can weigh in at 50GB and would be tough to download), Wilson can’t help but compare Sony’s revised downloadable game model to Microsoft’s and laugh.
“Microsoft has assembled an impressive library of $20 titles on the 360, and they’re intelligently slapping games like, say, Mass Effect on there before Mass Effect 2 comes out. This kind of strategy is good for the game studios, sure, but more importantly, it’s convenient for the consumer,” Wilson said.
Sony’s ‘The Tester’ is way cooler on paper
Sony ’s new original PlayStation Network reality series, called “The Tester,” debuts on February 18. Eleven gamers will compete over 8 episodes to become an actual PlayStation game tester and pick up a $5000 signing bonus in the process. Sound good? Those in the industry think not.
My favourite ACTUAL piece of reality about the show comes from Tycho of Penny Arcade fame, who describes what the show’s winner could look forward to:
“We know a lot of testers. Testing is an umbrella term in the gaming industry, and isn’t entirely sufficient as a descriptor. My friend Clinton did “testing” at Microsoft on the original Xbox, and this testing involved him opening and closing the system’s drive tray all day. He just got back from Iraq, but if I were to ask him what the most unrelenting and psyche abrading job he ever held was, I know he’d have to pause a moment before answering.”
Here’s hoping “The Tester” gets to preview…I mean, test…Resistance 3 or something as opposed to Barbie’s Horse Adventures 4: The Clydesdale!
Bits and bobs
Microsoft confirms Game Room rating ceiling — Joystiq
250GB Xbox HDD headed to Japan in March – Joystiq
Online Multiplayer Assassin’s Creed 2 Coming to the iPhone – Kotaku
Kojima considers Japanese Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker delay a “crime” — Joystiq
This week’s notable releases
Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii)
Data East Arcade Classics (Wii)
Bioshock 2 (PC/Mac, Xbox 360, PS3)
Scene It? Twilight (DS)
Dante’s Inferno (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP)
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3)
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll (Wii)
Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy (PC)
Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)
World Cup of Pool (DS)
Stargate Resistance (PC)
The fine print
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire week’s news. All stories are chosen for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important, chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.
Hockey Night in Melbourne – February 12
End of December Xbox Live stats
I’m back in Saskatoon, SK and spamming easy NTSC games. Sue me. 
I’ll easily be in the 60,000s by the time I’m back in Australia.
Stevivor’s stats:
| Rep: | 5-Star |
| GamerScore: | 59,468 |
| Zone: | Pro |
| Completed XBLA: | 5 |
| Completed Retail: | 36 |
| GS Completion %: | 62% |
| Unique Achievements Unlocked: | 2,246 |
| Country Rank: | 543 |
| World Rank: | 22,854 |
| Completion Rank: | 12,201 |
100% completed games:
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I met Steve Yzerman!
Oh yeah, life is good. As Saskatoon is saying, “Come for the Hockey, stay for the Party!” — I think I’ll change that to “Come for the Finn, stay for the meeting of one of your idols!”.
Why type out the story when a video post from 2010juniors.com can do the same?
Categories: general blog Tags: familyStevivor.com’s “Top 5″ Video Games of 2009
Picking the top 5 movies of 2009? Easy. You’re pulling from one source; two if you count direct to video as something glaringly different than the traditional “starts at the cinema” model. Try picking 5 games – do you stick to the Xbox 360 and the PS3? What about the Wii? Or the PSP, or DS? Don’t forget about PC…
So, rather than applying some sort of scientific process to set all consoles and games on a level playing field, we’re splitting it up this year; say hello to your top games of 2009, plus a ton more notable runners-up!
Best Multiplatform game of 2009
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Runners Up: Assassin’s Creed 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Resident Evil 5
Big loser: Terminator: Salvation – The Video Game
Batman: Arkham Asylum almost lost this very close race for game of the year. In 20 years of gaming, this title holds the distinct honour of being the only game I’ve ever had a save file go corrupt on. Needless to say, my first thought when considering the game was how I was forced to replay a game after getting through 79% of it beforehand.
My second thought? I barely noticed I’d played through most of the sequences before! Two words on why: Mark Hamill. Or, Kevin Conroy. How about Arleen Sorkin? Or simply, “HOLY NOSTALGIA, (Batman!)”.
The plot is stellar, the voice actors are literally ripped from our childhood – come on, you know Batman: The Animated Series is a total classic – and…finally…it’s a Batman game that actually makes you feel like Batman. Moreover, it’s a superhero game finally done right. With a sequel recently announced, Batman fans cannot be happier right now.
Arkham Asylum narrowly beat out Assassin’s Creed 2, though the two share strong plots and simple controls that are easy to learn and hard to master, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game which relied on a ton of nostalgia itself. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was almost up there due to addictive multiplayer modes and a non-stop (though short) single-player campaign. Dragon Age: Origins gets a nod purely for its gay sex option* in my book, and since I’m being biased, Resident Evil 5 also gets tipped for finally tying together all the series’ loose plot threads. Mostly.
The big loser of the year? Terminator: Salvation – The Video Game. Hands down. If you want to learn how to very loosely tie a game to a film franchise, and then rush it out the door so quickly a first-year game developer could have done a better job, look no further. Avoid it all costs unless you’re looking for some relatively achievements/trophies.
Best Xbox 360 exclusive game of 2009
Halo 3: ODST
Runners Up: 1 vs 100, Forza Motorsport 3, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, Shadow Complex, Trials HD
Big loser: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
The problem with console-exclusive awards this year is that there weren’t too many exclusives. THAT IS A GOOD THING. Still, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all need their exclusives, so let’s start the awarding. From the Microsoft camp, Halo 3: ODST gets the gong. It’s another Halo; not particularly innovative in its single player campaign, but still a lot of fun. The multiplayer, however, is why this award is being issued; if you haven’t played the Firefight mode yet, you’re missing out. It’s fun with a partner, and even better as 4-player co-op. Throwing Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, and Adam Baldwin (all from Firefly), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), and Nolan North (every single video game on the planet, it seems – most notably Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, and Prince of Persia) into the mix surely didn’t hurt either. The star power and replayability just put it past the post when compared to Forza Motorsport 3.
The Xbox Live Arcade beats the PlayStation Network and its offerings hands down. The best of the crop this year? 1 vs 100 looks like a hoot; it’s shame Australians don’t get to find out, first-hand. Trials HD is another easy to learn, hard to master puzzle game – you’ll lose hours on it before you realise – and Shadow Complex is an old gamer’s side-scroller brought into the present. On the DLC front, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is literally a standalone game and shouldn’t just be considered DLC; hopefully we’ll see more of that type of content rather than extra costume packs and other money-wasters.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts was the big loser; a celebrated game series simultaneously reintroduced and brought back fifteen steps. A decent start was crushed by a crap 3D world and the unnecessary inclusion of VEHICLES (yay, vehicles!) and shows you just how wrong Rare got it.
Best Sony PS3 exclusive game of 2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Runners Up: inFamous, Killzone 2, God of War Collection, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Big loser: EyePet
If only Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was handled by Naughty Dog; we might have gotten something closer to what Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was and less (spoiler alert!) aliens.
The gameplay is solid, there’s a very rich multiplayer mode that doesn’t feel tacked on, and we have a chauvinistic, cocky, pigheaded bastard of a main hero…who you will LOVE. As a fellow reviewer has pointed out, “Uncharted 2 is a 10/10 game after two minutes of the first level.” Much like Modern Warfare 2, you’re constantly running, jumping, and fighting with zero let up; it’s an action movie that you get the privilege of controlling.
To summarise: this is the game that makes me want to buy (or at least borrow) a PS3. No other game will ever make me say that.
inFamous was solid, but releasing it at the same time as Prototype drew too many comparisons to make this a contender for Sony’s exclusive prize. Killzone 2 is a solid shooter, and Sony’s answer to Halo; well worth picking up. Hitting up that familiar (especially this year!) sense of nostalgia, the God of War collection is worth a purchase if you’re new to the series and getting drawn-in by the marketing for God of War III; the updated graphics make it appealing to old fans as well. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time delivers another solid sequel the addictively fun series.
I know the Blonde Lusty Team loves it, but the big loser for Sony is EyePet. Imagine what that game could have been if released with Sony’s motion controller/camera bundle, codenamed Gem, next year…
Best Nintendo Wii exclusive game of 2009
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Runners Up: House of the Dead: Overkill, Mad World, Dead Space: Extraction
Big loser: Nintendo in general. Can we move on now?
I’ve already admitted to being biased, so I’ll flat out say it: the Wii is useless. An SD console in this day and age is enough to warrant that claim; the introduction of Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s Gem systems next year is the icing on that cake. The amount of party games and other shovelware is beyond ridiculous and Nintendo’s ever-slipping market share is starting to show that consumers are clueing into that fact.
That gripe aside, a lot of games are riding the nostalgia wave this year, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the most unashamedly so. This is Super Mario Bros. 3, but with 4-player multiplayer!
…and that’s all I got. I don’t need to sell this game, do I? You’ve already bought it.
Our runners up? House of the Dead: Overkill is perfectly tongue-in-cheek and extremely fun and funny to play. Mad World seemed to get lost amongst party games and didn’t get the respect it deserved (try putting it out for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Sega!), and Dead Space Extraction is another solid on-rails shooter that has spectacular graphics; forget you’re spazzing out with motion controls for a second and you might think you’re playing an HD console.
The big loser? I think we’ve already covered that. To conclude: Nintendo, this isn’t 2006. A vitality sensor isn’t an innovation, it’s pointless. How about an HD console in the very near future, and less gimmicks in general?
Best handheld game of 2009
Scribblenauts
Runners Up: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Canabalt, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Big loser: Every single app on Facebook that doubles as a game.
For all the loathing I focus on Nintendo for the Wii, I’ll throw them praise for their handheld ventures; the DS is actually pretty cool. Most of our handheld entries come from that console, but Scribblenauts takes the prize this year very easily. Sure, it might be a bit rough around the edges at times, but the concept is unbeatable. Just try to find a word in the dictionary that doesn’t have an in-game model. You won’t. Fans of puzzle games and those with great imagination will lose themselves in this game.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars gets a mention purely because any game that gives you an updated version of Drug Wars is a-ok in my book. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story gets a nod for its creative setup, as does Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.
If you can’t tell, by this point of our proceedings, I’m (i)Phoning it in, so the last nod goes to Canabalt – go grab it from the App Store and you will not be sorry. It’s simple, but hilariously fun – check it out online first if you don’t believe me (and Merry Christmas! Don’t say I didn’t get you anything.).
The big loser? Technically not a handheld device, but accessible on mobiles, I’m lumping together every single “game” on Facebook and giving it one huge raspberry. I’m looking specifically at you, Farmville!
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So that’s it for 2009. I’m by no means an expert when it comes to Nintendo or Sony, or arguably Microsoft or video games in general, so if you thought I got it wrong (or right!), let’s hear why in the comments. I’m also very keen to see your own personal top 5 and bottom 5 games for the year, so what are you waiting for? Put ‘em up!
*And nope, I wasn’t kidding. Here’s Jimmy Kimmel to explain and provide you with yet another Christmas pressie — probably NSFW, but not too bad.
Gamer’s Roundup – Week Three, December 2009
EA CEO turning Pirates into business
From top: Massive EA logo, Riccitiello.
You gotta hand it to John Riccitiello, head of Electronic Arts: he gets pirating and how to work with it.
Rather than flat out shun those who pirate EA games, Riccitiello is acknowledging it happens and trying to incorporate that into his business plan, all via post-release downloadable content (DLC).
“They can steal the disc, but they can’t steal the DLC,” he said. “There’s a sizable pirate market…and we want to try to generate revenue in that marketplace.”
Games that include bonus retail purchase DLC include Sims 3, which offers a new town, or recent game The Saboteur, which gives you the chance to see CGI breasts.
EA has also highlighted post-release DLC purchases of Dragon Age: Origins hit over one million downloads its first week of availability.
“The consumer wants more, and when you give them more or sell them more it seems to be extremely well received,” Riccitiello said.
He continued by stating the music industry had made the mistake of “demonizing” its consumers rather than attempting to work them into their business models. He believes that EA can embrace pirates by making it enticing for people to play games legitimately, through services like EA Sports’ community hub or the BioWare social site that links into Dragon Age.
I’m interested in reader comments on this story: were you recently part of the Xbox 360 ban wave? Were or are you a game Pirate, but a big-spender when it came to DLC? Has Microsoft’s banhammer wave discouraged you from gaming, or turned you legit? What about PC users? Let us know!
Get your English Gran Turismo 5 fix soonish
Ah, localisation – I hate you! It’s your fault that the Japanese will get games like Final Fantasy XIII and Gran Turismo 5 so early, and we English folk so late.
If you’ve got a PS3 and you don’t speak Japanese, you can look (very far) forward to a North American (and I’d assume PAL as well) release around June 2010.
Star Trek geeks destined to buy 15 copies of Star Trek Online
See this pretty ship? It's not exclusive pre-order content. Yet.
Pre-orders bonuses. Would you like a liberated Borg (read: a blonde hottie in a catsuit, perhaps?) on your Star Trek MMO bridge? How about the Constitution class U.S.S. Enterprise? That’s two copies you’ll need to buy, right there.
In what is becoming common practice, major retailers are competing for your Star Trek Online purchase by using exclusive pre-order content; as a result, you ultimately lose out.
Pre-order bonuses (granted, mostly in North America) include:
- GameStop: Exclusive ship: The classic U.S.S. Enterprise
- Best Buy: Pet Tribble or Targ (based on faction)
- Amazon: “Liberated Borg” Bridge Officer with “unique nanotechnology augmentations”
- Direct2Drive: Multi-Spatial Personal Shield (regenerates itself and player health)
- Wal-mart: Bonus Skill Points (bestows additional skill points)
- Target: TR-116 ground weapon (micro-transporter beams projectiles to target, no line of sight required)
- Steam: Chromodynamic Armor, improves critical hits and damage of energy weapons
Kinda makes you reminiscent of the old days, when you actually got a FULL game when you bought it, eh?
More kinda-cool, kinda-lame Alien vs. Predator news
The kinda-cool bits? Lance Henriksen is reprising his role as Bishop in Rebellion’s Alien vs. Predator game. Says Henriksen about his inclusion, “I might score from this game!”
The kinda-lame bits? It’s not the awesome, milky-blood spewing android Bishop from Aliens (and, technically, Alien3), but the lame, quasi-canon co-founder of the Weland-Yutani corporation, Charles Bishop Weyland. Or his descendant. Or something. It was all in the AVP series of films.
Human Bishop, in all his...glory.
Australia doesn’t get the game anyway. Pardon me while I go pout some more.
Screen Actors’ Guild versus video game makers
This week saw SAG reject a voice acting contract with major video game publishers (over 70 of ‘em, in fact) largely due to what’s been classified as “atmospheric” work.
The new work classification, “atmospheric voices,” means that one voice actor could be responsible for up to 20 incidental characters – all for a fee of $800 for 4 hours.
The SAG, largely due to union vote, shot down the new contract over fears that actors would have far greater “vocal stress.” The potential stress is due actors being required to come up with so many different voices in such a short period of time.
The Los Angeles Times has a full story on this issue, which you can read here.
At the moment, members of SAG account for 25 percent of all video game voice acting.
Spike VGA winners…and losers
It’s hard to take the VGAs seriously; I mean, they made special categories, “Best Performance by a Human Male” and “Human Female” in some weird attempt to try to lure celebrities to their function. I wasn’t aware that those poor SAG voice actors weren’t considered human unless they had appeared in a feature film like Hugh Jackman or Megan Fox. Even then, Jack Black was still lumped with the common voice actors and not the big famous movie-makers…he must be crying into his big piles of cash right now.
Nonetheless, the big winners of the VGAs were as follows:
- Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Studio of the Year: Rocksteady Studios
- Best Independent Game: Flower
- Best Xbox 360 Game: Left 4 Dead 2
- Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Best Wii Game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Best PC Game: Dragon Age: Origins
- Best Handheld Game: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter IV
- Best Action Adventure Game: Assassin’s Creed II
- Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
- Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Best Individual Sports Game: UFC 2009 Undisputed
- Best Team Sports Game: NHL 10
- Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 3
- Best Music Game: The Beatles: Rock Band
- Best Soundtrack: DJ Hero
- Best Original Score: Halo 3: ODST
- Best Graphics: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show: South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
- Best Performance By A Human Female: Megan Fox (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
- Best Performance By A Human Male: Hugh Jackman (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
- Best Cast: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- Best Voice: Jack Black (Brütal Legend)
- Best Downloadable Game: Shadow Complex
- Best DLC: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
- Most Anticipated Game of 2010: God of War III
Game reveals at the VGAs
We had some good ones, folks! Why talk about them when their trailers can do so much more?
Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Tron: Evolution (Xbox 360, PS3)
True Crime: Hong Kong (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
This week’s notable new releases
- MX vs. ATV Reflex (PS3, PSP, Xbox 360)
- Tekken 6 (PSP)
The fine print
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire week’s news. All stories are chosen for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important, chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.
