In the weekly update, Frankie tells us about a variety of things. The most important for halophiles(not organisms that enjoy salty enviroments) is that the multiplayer team at Bungie will be doing something special for Halo players. He didn’t get any real details yet or any specifics, but he does say that it will be worth your while to be on Halo for as much of Halloween as you can. Many people are suspecting they will be giving a temporary armor permutation for that day, maybe something with a halloween theme or maybe even rogue. No one knows, but just get excited and remember to be on in two days ( October 31st).
In a constant struggle between Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Brawl wins. That whole thing is basically just my way of saying how the game just keeps topping itself and getting better when no one thinks it can. And in this latest slew of features developers reveal on the Dojo! blog that they will feature a map editor.
Above is the level editor screen. You can choose a background and even the music on the level. There are some really cool features that allow for some traps like spikes. And then it gets better because you can share your levels with friends and even have Nintendo choose your level (if it is good enough) to send every SSBB player, leaving you to be worshipped by all the gamers know you. Check out some more details at SSBB Blog.
GamersReports.com has released a internal GameStop memo that reports that they will stop selling PRP plans (replacement plans) for used and new Xbox 360 systems. They don’t specifically list the reason in the memo, but most people can put the high failure rates of the console and the cancelling of this plan together. GameStop was obviously losing money on the plans and like any corporation stopped selling them. The X360’s failure rates have been a big probelem and have been estimated anywhere between 30-50%. Microsoft has not really addressed this issue except for extending the warranty, but most people suspect the high failure rates because of bad cooling in the system.
IGN.com has posted a full licensed track list for Rock Band. The game will feature a drum set, microphone, and guitar for $169.99. With Guitar Hero III out today and getting decent reviews (around the 8 – 9) with comments like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” describing the game. Here is the list of 45 licensed songs and 12 unlockable songs.
Two people at halo3forum.com have found a very interesting glitch in campaign, which some may even consider a new vehicle. The Dumpster. In you first scrab fight there are a variety of dumpster like housings lying around and these two have figured out to control and move one in the air. They seem to have this down to an art. After checking out the video above head over to their forum post for the tutitorial.
Most people in the CoD 4 Multiplayer Beta probably enjoyed it. It was a tremendous multiplayer expirence and a great ressurection from CoD 3. But, it doesn’t seem thats the case with the single-player. The buzz words from OXM December(UK) about the game are ” Dense, but short”. The short part means that the campaign will probably only take you 4-6 hours on the normal difficulty. That may not be bad if you aren’t a campaign guy, but if you love single-player in games will this make you not buy the game? Take into consideration that this is on the normal difficulty and playing on harder difficulties could take you up to 10 hours, which is a very respectable campaign for FPSes(plural?).
\Many people have been expecting this update for a while, but Xbox 360 Fanboy seems to have a tipster that has a this service already on his Xbox 360. The story goes like this the tipster, Aaron, told Xbox 360 fanboy that he sent his 360 into repair and got it back with this new mysterious option “[][][][]“, but the description shows:
Use television services.
Live & recorded TV
On-demand movies
Chat while watching TV
That does sound like IPTV, and Microsoft has been dropping the hints in many interviews, so it is finally time for the service. We’ll have to see because there is no official word from Microsoft yet, but we can hope.
Leopard is officially out and it definately lives up to its reputation. While current 10.4 users may not need to upgrade now, it certainly looks great. It packs a whopping 300+ new features over Tiger. However, most these features are just small GUI enhancements like a shiny new dock. Leopard needs a G4, G5 or Intel based processor. So if you are a remaining G3 user, too bad for you. Some people are comparing this to Vista as a revolutionary upgrade. However the actual differences between Tiger and Leopard are not as apparent as those between XP and Vista. But bear in mind, Vista costs about twice as mich. If you have a Mac, you should look at what Leopard has to offer you. For those you using Bootcamp. The beta is over But don’t worry, your current installations will keep working. The differenecs in the drivers are also not that apparent. So Leopard is great for new Mac users, and definately worth considering for current Tiger users.
Mass Effect is undoubtly the next huge game of the year. And that isn’t even beginning to touch on the expectations people have set for this game and now every can rest easy because GameInformer has reviewed the game and give it a 9.75/10. Only.25 points away from a perfect score from the magazine. The review focuses heavily on the storyline of the game and also, confirms that the aspect of choosing a path in the game that BioWare has been flaunting is great and fun and everything we could have hoped for. The game even goes as far as saying that the Mass Effect makes KOTOR and Jade Empire look like test runs, which is a heavy statement. I think this quote from the review sums up their thoughts on the game:
“In fact, I think you’ll agree that Mass Effect is one of video games’ greatest treasures.”
If you have a 360, there is probably no doubt that you have been playing Halo 3 and many have been enjoying the great multiplayer expirence. But, there were some errors in the matchmaking system that Halo 3 uses. But, Bungie seems to be hard at work at fixing these, even with Microsoft breathing down their backs. Bungie released a matchmaking update that fixes some of the major probelems in updates like reducing the amount of times Shotty Snipers shows up in team game types, increasing amount of slayer games in Lone Wolves, vetoing Shotty Snipers will not give you Shotty Snipers again, and a waypoint for VIP in VIP matches.
Crysis is probably the best-looking game to be coming out this year and that can definetly be seen in these insane system specs that the game recommends. But, the good news is that if you recently got your PC, you should be able to play the game. And without further ado here they are: Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: 2.8 GHz or faster (XP) or 3.2 GHz or faster (Vista)
Memory: 1.0 GB RAM (XP) or 1.5 GB RAM (Vista)
Video Card: 256 MB
Hard Drive: 12GB
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
Real Recommended System Requirements
OS: Windows XP / Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory: 2.0 GB RAM
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar
Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (3.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, Intel Core 2.0 GHz (2.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, AMD Athlon 2800+ (3200+ for Vista) or faster.
Supported chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Radeon X800 Pro for Vista) or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Integrated chipsets are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.
Looks like the rumors were true. Bungie and Microsoft have announced this morning that they have reached an agreement which will allow Bungie to become an independent developer, while still keeping many of its ties with Microsoft Game Studios. While Microsoft will retain the rights to the Halo name, Bungie will have a long term publishing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios when it comes to Halo titles, which guarantees that we will not see Master Chief in a RARE game any time soon. Bungie also made it clear that they will continue to focus on Microsoft platforms when it comes to the development of other game franchises as well, and that MGS will get first licks at publishing new Bungie IPs.
Bungie basically summed all this up by saying,
We’ll continue to make Xbox 360 games, and we’ll continue to make amazing games for MGS. In that regard, nothing has changed. All that has changed is that now Bungie Studios is once again, the property of the folks of Bungie Studios. Microsoft is and will continue to be, a brilliant, inventive and creatively collaborative publishing partner. Practically speaking, nothing has changed and you guys won’t see much, if any difference, for a while unless you come to work for us, that is – we’re hiring at http://www.bungie.net/inside/jobs.aspx
So don’t expect to see too much of a change in Bungie’s relationship with MGS, at least as far as Halo is concerned
Good news for people who don’t have Xbox 360’s (and who doesn’t ?) and are planning on buying one this holiday season! Apparently the Core Xbox 360 is being phased out and a new SKU is being released, dubbed “Arcade.” Both Toys “R” Us and Amazon are pricing it at $279.99. It will include an hdmi port, wireless controller, 256 MB memory card, and 5 Xbox LIVE Arcade games. This will be an interesting holiday season, especially with the new PS3 SKU.
There have been rumors circulating all around the web about Bungie leaving Microsoft. The rumor states that Bungie has actually already left Microsoft and Microsoft is not annoucing it till the October 6th because that is when the quarter ends. This is a huge blow to Microsoft because Bungie has been making them literally billions of dollars through game sales and Xbox Live subscriptions. The reason Bungie left is cited as Microsoft being over-bearing over their games and also because they apparently had planned Bungie to be making Halo games for their natural lives. After that rumor others began to elaborate that disclosed some clauses in the deal, where Microsoft has first publishing rights on any games and Microsoft also will retain the rights to the Halo franchise. Everything is still unsure about the story at the moment and there is no explanation to why Microsoft would even let Bungie get away, the publishers that made the game, which made the Xbox a sucessful console.
This is a real blow to my fellow PS3 owners. Unreal Tournament 3 for the PS3 has been delayed until early 2008, while the PC version is still hitting its November release date.
Here are some more details on Snake in SSBB and they come from the post today on the Smash Bros. Dojo! blog. The coolest part of the post was the video which gives a MGS feel entrance into the game and then it shows off some fighting with Snake.
O.K., a while back Matt Casamassina posted a post on his IGN blog about a game. This game was/is no ordinary game (mainly because it isn’t one) and the game in question is ‘Halo DS’. Yes, a Halo game for the DS, mind you the Nintendo DS. Now, you may be thinking that Matt Casamassina may have lost his mind, drunk, or even under the influence of drugs while making the post, but today he has posted a video of the game. Remember, the game is Halo DS. Now on to the video, which does not look bad and it looks fun. And really, you are not going to get RickyRoll’d. There are actual(maybe) video of the game.
Guitar Hero 3 may be one of the most anticipated games for this year. Well, here at Digital Life 07, we have had a chance to play the game, and so far it is not meeting my expectations. It has the same exact gameplay as the last two games, so there are no new surprises, and it really seems like more of an expansion than a whole new game. I am not going to review the game since I have not had enough time with the game, but expect more of the same-old.
While most of us at DigitalLife were wondering why Sony was not there, we couldn’t help but notice Sony’s ghost lurking about the show floor. There was a huge Blu-ray poster in the main lobby that really no one could explain. Maybe the monsterous HD-DVD truc took care of the opposition as they clearly dominated HD media at the show. Where were you Sony?
Lucas is a character from the Mother series and the character that replaced Ness in Mother 3. On the Smash Bros. Dojo! blog today, it was annouced that he would be joining the cast and basically be a Ness counterpart like many of the other characters in the Super Smash series. There aren’t many details on him yet, but it just adds to the already very impressive roster in the SSBB game.
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But don’t worry, your current installations will keep working. The differenecs in the drivers are also not that apparent. So Leopard is great for new Mac users, and definately worth considering for current Tiger users.
