Posts Tagged ‘Xbox 360’

This morning, Major Nelson announced a pricing increase for the Xbox Live! Gold service. These increases affect all packages, including 1 month, 3 month, and 12 month packages both in the US as well as abroad.

The service has not seen a price increase since its inception in 2002, and with all of the additional content provided over the years, Microsoft decided it was time to change the price structure. The new pricing that goes into effect November 1st looks like this:

• 1 Month membership – $2 increase from $7.99 to $9.99
• 3 Month membership – $5 increase from $19.99 to $24.99
• 12 Month membership – $10 increase from $49.99 to $59.99

Overall, the price increases are not terrible, however it would be nice to see some better protection against game hackers and system abusers if we’re paying even more for the service. Better response and policing via user complaints would be a nice way to see this extra money spent.

That said, I cannot remember paying even close to $50 for a year’s worth of Gold membership as long as I have owned my Xbox. Truth be told, I have only spent around $39 for 12 or 13-month membership cards in the past, so I don’t see the new pricing scheme hurting me all that much. It really pays to shop around and look for specials – if you look hard enough, I think you will be able to find 12-month membership cards for around $49.99 or less once the new pricing scheme takes effect.

[Majornelson.com via Forbes.com]

[EDIT]

It seems that Microsoft is allowing people to “lock in” an additional year of Live! service for $39.99 if they renew now at Xbox.com. If I were really desperate to save money, I suppose I would just buy a handful of subscription codes for the same price at Amazon and then stash them away until I needed them.

I’m not here to harp on the reporting style of this major news network.  Though if I wanted to, I could easily be biased against them.  It is no secret that occasionally they can get things wrong just like the rest of the networks, but all I am asking of them is to please, please stay away from video games.  Honestly, It’s just embarrassing.  Here’s the video I’m talking about, “Fox News Gamers Weekly: Crackdown 2 Review”.

Continue reading “Why Fox News Shouldn’t Review Games” »

First things first.  Watch this video.

Next, react to said video.


Now, read our reactions to previously stated video, and perhaps add some thoughts of your own:

Mike: That is pretty awesome!

Matt: Wow, that is incredibly huge.

Mike: That sort of map making and the ability to share is badass.

Matt: What’s up with the flying flock of mongeese?

Mike: I suppose my worry with a map that large is that 16 people will make for a pretty sparse game. I suppose you can build a large wall or structure to hold people in one area if you wanted.

Matt: Imagine maps with all the new loadouts and gametypes.  Invasion across a giant map!  I wonder if they’ll let us customize invasion maps, this one would be killer in so many different ways!

Mike: Well they said you can do all kinds of crazy stuff.  King of the hill where the hill is a vehicle and all that. It would be great to create a huge air-suspended tower in the middle of the map, with the new “fixed” feature, that spirals way into the sky, with the “hill” at the top.  Jet packs required, for sure!

Matt: Yeah, now imagine some “King of the Warthog” with nothing but fixed man-cannons!  Chasing it around mid-air!  This really, really makes me want to start forging.  I never really tried because I couldn’t get the hang of placing things, but the new system seems to make it really easy.

Mike
Outside of my conversation with Matt, I had some additional thoughts regarding Forge World. The effort the devs have put into this is clearly immense. It extends the replay value of Reach far beyond what any other game on the Xbox has even considered possible.

Any additional game content is always welcome. Free game content even more so. Additional, Free, user-generated game content is the crown jewel of replay value in my eyes. Sure Forge isn’t exactly new, but the level of accessibility now built in like the additional geometry “states” and geometry snapping makes it far more likely that we will see far more superbly executed maps and custom games in no time.

The only piece of the puzzle that I would say is missing would be the ability to play public games on Forge maps. I’m not suggesting that games on Forge maps should be ranked, but it would be awesome to see a public lobby that allows users to play matches against strangers. Bungie could allow users to vote on maps, and rotate through the top 10-15 user-generated maps to create an always-fluctuating playlist with years of replayability.

Regardless, this will no doubt be a game I pick up the day it is released.

I made a recent Woot.com purchase of this headset simply for the fact that it was a Xbox 360  accessory and it was very, very inexpensive.  It was so cheap, at a price of $3.99, that I felt the need to buy two just to justify the $5.00 shipping.  I don’t think I even stopped to really read the description or even the picture.

I eventually received both headsets, or this article obviously would not exist and you would not be reading it.  Upon opening the box I became like a kid at the candy store at Christmas time in Disney Land/World.  I lifted the hefty packages out of the box, I do mean hefty as these seem to be very durable, and proceeded to parade my goodies around the house whenever a room-mate arrived home.

Note: If I had actually researched the product before buying, I would have discovered that these are made to replicate the feel of being on the sidelines of an official NFL Football game.  Do I care though?  No!  Although I do enjoy watching football, I do enjoy playing the official NFL video game also known as Madden.   I am in fact liable to de-brand the headset of its NFL and EA Sports stickers because I certainly don’t want to be in THAT game.

So the headset itself is durable feeling as it is very well built.  The earpiece cups the ear providing an exceptional feel.  The top and side padding are also very comfortable.  I myself did not feel like the headset was too tight, but I have now seen Amazon reviews of those who did.

The big question, How well does it work?  Exceptionally Well, Thank you for asking.  The headset seems to be powered, seeing that it plugs into the 360 controller via a blade connectors, and had a quick switch for the mute and nice volume control.  This does make the headset have a wide range of volume and to be honest, I did not have to crank mine to max what-so-ever.  The cupping of the headset provides less audio leakage and provides more of it directly into my ear which also may attribute to the excellent volume control.

The audio cable that plugs into the blade dongle may occasionally start to come loose, as I have also found on regular headsets, and may crackle when rotate as lots of other things do.  An additional item to note is that during my research (admittedly after my purchase) I found that the mic seems to be noise canceling.  Needless to say, BONUS!

This was a great headset purchase and can still be found for cheap around the ‘net if you’d like one yourself.  My final words are “A+++ Purchase, Would buy again!”

I’m not sure why everyone is so impressed by Halo Reach, but I’ll do my best to cover it fairly.

Controls:

The controls are very simplified for this.  However I had major difficulty controlling it with my left hand.  I would zig zag all over the place and miss my intended target.  My solution to this was to use only my right hand.  This made me steadier and precise. Keeping a firm grip seems to be the key to success with this.

Appearance:

I have to admit that fresh out of the case, it looks very, very shiny.  However, the colors seem a little drab.  The edges are nice and rounded out though to give a great overall effect.  I could use something with a little more color to it though, they really stayed with some basics on this one.

Performance:

This is a sleek and well designed product.  The people that made this really know the right angles to get things done.  Overall, it’s hard to find something that really fits the niche that this was designed for.  It’s nice that I control how fast it goes.  Really, all the performance depends on me.  One quick note here, you do have to have the proper accessories for this to really work.  A quick trip back to the store will set you right.

Continue reading “Halo Reach Review” »

I’m a big fan of using re-chargeable batteries and an even bigger fan of specially made re-chargeable batteries for my consoles’ controllers.  So without further ado,  I present to you the Nyko Charge Base 360, specially made by Nyko to keep your Xbox 360 controllers charged and ready to go.

Features:

• Drop-in design allows for easy and rapid recharging of wireless controllers
• 2 custom NiMH rechargeable batteries supply up to 25 hours of play time
• Rapid recharge base stores two wireless controllers
• Plugs into any wall outlet for a faster charge than USB
• LED charge indicator lights
• Design matches the décor of the Xbox 360 console and controllers

Pros:

• Setting the controllers in is really easy.
• Indicator lights display whether your controller is charging or fully charged with different colors
• Indicator lights do not stay lit when controllers are not on base
• 2 hour charge time per controller

Cons:

• Doesn’t allow for battery only charging, needs to have battery in a controller
• Bright indicator lights (only bad if you like dark rooms or don’t have an out of the way spot for it)
• 4 hour charge time for 2 controllers, wish it would charge one and then the other.

The pros for this device really do out-weigh the cons.  If you’ve got two controllers that need charging, this is a great way to always keep them ready to go.  I really, really appreciate the fact that the indicator lights don’t stay lit all the time.  During charging the lights can be bright, so if I were a person who preferred a darker room I would place this somewhere where the lights wouldn’t be intrusive.  You are almost better of charging one controller first, and then the other controller.  Sure, it is still 4 hours total charge time, but at least 1 would be ready after 2 hours.  Over all though, this is a great charger and I feel that is comes at a great price as well.

I made a decision a couple weekends ago that I would finally pull a title that I have not played yet off my shelf of games and pop it in.  I settled on Enchanted Arms for the Xbox 360.

When I started, I didn’t know much about Enchanted Arms.  I had traded for it a while ago on a whim.  I did know that it was an RPG and from what I had seen about it, to me it seemed very similar to Final Fantasy.  (Or at least what I associate Final Fantasy to be like since I have never actually played it myself.)

Continue reading “Enchanted Arms Review” »

I recently had the privilege of playing the Blur Beta on Xbox 360 thanks to snorkle256 being generous enough to pass a beta invite my way. All I can say is wow, is this game fun!

After playing for a few hours, I feel that it is a really nice melding of two great games: Need for Speed and Mario Kart.

Need for Speed has always had fast & flashy cars, cool terrains, and good graphics. Not to mention the need for the player to suspend disbelief when it came to plowing full-throttle into a brick wall and walking away relatively unscathed.

Mario Kart on the other hand has always been more laid back and fun, somewhat rudimentary, but always entertaining. The use of power ups was always the biggest draw in this game – there is nothing more fun than zapping the player in 1st place with lightning, or flinging a red, exploding shell at a nearby opponent. The formula was simple and fun, which paid of well in terms of replay value.

Blur has combined the best elements from these two games into one fantastic package. Filled to the brim with new, sporty cars such as a track version of the VW Scirocco, a Ford Focus RS, BMW M3, a Corvette ZR1, and many more, this game has something for everyone.

On top of the bevvy of cars, the game features six different power ups that the player can use to force other racers off track, to block attacks from other racers, or to repair the player’s car. These power ups range from homing bombs that flip over the opponent’s car to a “Barge” attack that pushes other nearby players off-course. This is where the game departs enough from Mario Kart to be unique – the power ups are always located in the same place on the track, and they regenerate quite quickly. Around each turn, you know if a power up is coming your way so you can use this predictability to help advance through the ranks.

The graphics are sharp and colorful – not at the same level as a Forza 3 or Gran Turismo – but you don’t need that sort of polish and detail here. You are buzzing around the tracks at such a ridiculous speed, with a flurry of obstacles flying at your car, that you wouldn’t even notice the difference. That is not to say that the game is visually lacking in any way – on the contrary, it’s quite the visual treat!

All in all, I have had a ton of fun playing the beta. There are some great multi-player features, such as voting between two possible tracks for each and every race, that really take into consideration what players want, and what other games have been lacking.

If you get the opportunity, get in on the beta – if you miss it, be sure to pick up the game when it is released, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

If you are having a hard time getting your Xbox 360 DVD drive to open and close, odds are the drive belt is the problem.  It seems that due to heat and general usage, the drive belt that is responsible for opening and closing the drive will stretch or accumulate enough dirt that it starts slipping.

One way to remedy this is to open your drive and clean the belt, but more often than not the problem will recur relatively quickly.  After scouring the web, I have found what seems to be the consensus as far as which belt you can use to replace your existing drive belt.  Most people opt to purchase a replacement that is smaller than the existing belt in order to ensure that there is sustainable tension for the long run.  The replacement belt of choice has a 19mm internal diameter and is 1.2mm thick.

You can purchase a new belt at any of the locations below:

SBS2.6 Belt @ Studio Sound Electronics

FD36P Belt @ Maplin (UK)

SCX2.6 Belt @ Unicorn Electronics

To do the repair, simply open your DVD drive, undo the belt connecting the two points highlighted below, and then reattach the new belt in its place.  You will likely need to use a small screwdriver or needle-nose pliers to attach the new belt as it will fit quite a bit more snug than the old belt.  You may also want to limit the amount that you touch the inside of the belt surface as to reduce the likelihood of depositing residual finger oils on the rubber which may result in future slippage.

[Picture courtesy of Llama - www.llama.com]

It’s nothing new, but it is quite a convenience. If you have ever been stuck typing a message on Xbox Live letter by letter with the controller, you know how frustrating it is and how long it takes.

Enter the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit:

This kit has been around awhile, but I just picked it up recently as I needed a new headset for my 360. The headset by itself runs $20, but the headset with the chat pad can be found for only $10 more!

I picked mine up at Microcenter since I was in the neighborhood, but it can be had for a few dollars cheaper online.  Depending on where you shop, the cheaper price will probably merely offset shipping costs, but your mileage may vary.

The headset is Microsoft’s standard fare, but is just fine for chatting on Live.  I could have sprung for the wireless headset but the convenience just didn’t seem to justify the cost.

The chat pad itself snaps on to the bottom of any controller, wireless or wired, and fits pretty snugly.  It was somewhat difficult to get on the first time, but that’s a good thing – you are pretty much guaranteed that it will never come off during play.

The chat pad is similar to a Blackberry keyboard, but just a touch bigger. The keys are easy to find, and for international users, there are plenty of options for foreign characters.  All in all, it’s a good thing, and I like it!