Want to play some Halo 3?

In Microsoft's latest press release, they included some exciting information about Halo 3. Starting December 4th, you can go here and register for an opportunity to play the game. The public beta is only scheduled to start some time in the Spring of 2007, but now is the time to get in on it.

Here's the important part of their press release:

Beginning Monday, Dec. 4, by visiting http://www.halo3.com, gamers in North America will be able to register for the opportunity to be one of the select members to join the unprecedented “Halo 3” public beta program, scheduled to kick off in spring 2007. Today’s announcement confirms the first path of entry for gamers to participate in the beta program and be among the first to experience the most anticipated game of 2007.

One of the major gripes over at the Halo Forums is that the beta is only available to north american gamers. But the everyone from around the world can catch the next bit of Halo 3 media, but Americans with ESPN can still see it first. Tune in to ESPN between 5:50 and 6:20 PST on on December 4th, to catch a 60 second Halo 3 trailer. Then starting at 8pm the trailer will be available at Xbox.com

This is a lot of hype for a game that isn't coming out for at least 6 months.

Desh

Buy a Wii, be a loser.

The greatest thing about the Wii isn't that its fun. It isn't that it's cheap (compared to its competitors anyways). It's the simple fact that it gets people up and off the couch doing something. And the timing couldn't be better. Granted gameplay can be as simple as hitting a virtual ball, or beating the virtual lights out of your friend, but it can really be a lot of work! Approximately 30% of American children are overweight [obesity.org] and with the technology age upon us, perhaps virtual gaming is the solution to this problem, which seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.

If you get into them, the games can actually get so intense that some people have complained of soreness obtained during these "Wii Workouts" [WSJ]. Nintendo has even introduced reminders that appear every 15 minutes in some games to warn users to take frequent breaks, to ensure fatigue doesn't set in.

Whether or not you're a fan of video games, if you're someone who wants to get a family member into shape and off the couch, this holiday season you may want to consider investing in a Wii. It might be an easier way of introducing someone special into an exercise 'routine'.

Street Fighter: The Later Years

A buddy of mine linked me to this video on College Humor. They take an amusing look at the characters of Street Fighter as they would be 10 years later.

Part 1
Part 2

Part 3 pending

Eve Online and the Revelations Expansion

I've been playing Eve Online for almost a year now and it has never ceased to amaze me. The game can be as simple as you want it to be or as complex as you like. For me and my two paid for accounts, I've experienced everything from pvp combat to manufacturing my own weapons/ships and selling them, to going around trying to find new trade routes. I joined when Red Moon Rising was approaching its second major update, and here I am to experience the dawning of the Revelations expansion.

Over the past summer, PVP has gone from intense to insane. Motherships and Titans have been available since RMR, but they were never viable until just recently due to the costs and time involved. These are ships that take weeks of mineral and materials gathering by alliances containing over a thousand people. Going into combat, you can potentially see everything from the lowly frigate, to ships the size of the death star. Unfortunately, the RMR setup of the game was lacking in its ability to handle the massive gang sizes the game is seeing now. It didn't quite live up to everybody's PVP expectations as people in smaller ships were generally 'instapopped' by the guys in the big ones who would ultimately be the primary targets of everyone in the other gang.

The player run markets are huge, but there is a cartel of people manufacturing the top of the line weapons and ships thanks to the mere handful of blueprints that get seeded. Some of these items were seeing price inflation of over 1500% and there we were, spending every last penny on them because they gave that edge in pvp combat.

Now however, the game is on to it's next (and as usual, free) expansion which went live this very morning. Revelations. This expansion seeks to remedy much of this. Players are now given the opportunity to create their own blueprint copies based on items they already have in hopes of creating those elusive and pricey tech 2 items. Combat is seeing a big bump up with a much more military style structure being implemented in game. Players already follow a strict military hierarchy on Teamspeak, but now, fleet commanders are given more power. Combatants have the opportunity to take 'boosters', which are a smart drug which improve your combat abilities for a short period of time. Of course, manufacturers of these will be going to war in the PVP areas trying to get dominance over the resources.

All of this in a minor expansion. There are two more big patches to go till the Revelations expansion is considered complete. Each of them focuses on a different key aspect of the game. Part 1 focuses on creating new functionality, the future ones will focus on bugfixes and major PVP revamps. These will be launched sometime within the year and to be honest, I can't freaking wait.

As far as the new expansion goes, I haven't given it enough time. My industrial account is still not prepared for the new Invention feature and my combat account is currently focussed on different things. Market prices on the new items are astronomical thanks to people who want to capitalize on the current market shortage. Surprisingly, while lag around the major trade centers is downright ridiculous, the current population around there is equally high. I have never seen 600+ people in Jita all at once. The max I've seen anytime has been 300. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come in the lag department since alliance warfare has been notorious for crashing various nodes on the cluster.

Anyone wanting to give the game a shot can grab a 14 day trial from the Eve website

Console Odyssey 3006

No, it's not a typo. With the flood of press articles sensationalizing the line-ups for PS3s and Wiis, the dribble of actual quality reviews on the systems themselves, and the reservoir of news yet to be released to drown us all again, some humourous and informative pieces have snuck through the clogged e-media culvert.

Wired magazine (long time producer of highly acclaimed tech content and news) has teamed up with Penny Arcade to release a direct, informative and highly comical review of the big three new consoles. But did you expect that it comes from the future!

Click Here to view the comic/article

Target your primitive bio-sights to this time-travelling message, and take a break from the online swarm of half-baked opinions. Instead of laughing at your neighbour’s new nunchucks or empty wallet, you can enjoy a good chuckle at no one else’s expense.

Want a PlayStation 3, why not HACK one?

So you want a PS3? You went for the line-ups, dodged flying bullets and stampeding geeks but still managed to come back empty handed. Fret not, if you are a talented programmer you can score yourself a free PS3 with an upgraded 160GB hard drive and Linux pre-installed. How? Hack it!

You heard me right! As if the console itself hasn't gotten enough of a bad rep the folks at Shimpinomori.net want someone to hack their PS3 running Linux at this url. If you manage to change the picture on that page with another on one located on the PS3, the system is yours and shipping is free.

Oh there is a catch, "You must do a 'clean' hacking job : no DOS, no 'dirty' attack which saturate the internet tubes. Moreover, do not attack other machines located in the same subnetwork."

This contest is only open till the beginning of January 2007. So roll out those 4 Dummies books and get cracking at it.

Upcoming games on the PS3 will KICK ASS!...right?

A lot of people have been complaining about the titles that were released with the launch of the PS3. A few died hard Sony fans however have stood firm, arguing that in a few months, the company will release much better content. I began wondering if these predictions held any merit, and what possible difficulties game companies may be having with releasing content designed for the PS3. After doing a bit of digging, I ran into a great article on hardcoreware.net that talked about game development from a developers perspective. To put it plainly, development for the PS3 is a pain. For starters, developers can use Visual Studio and other popular tools (that have an enormous amount of existing documentation) to create content for the 360. The PS3 however requires the use of a proprietary compiler that is buggy and has little documentation. Needless to say, this slows the process to a crawl. Furthermore, the 360 architecture is much easier to understand (general purpose CPUs) as opposed to the
specialized processors used in the PS3.

So for all you die hard Sony fans, before you shell out $500 for a PS3, there's a few things you should consider. Many of the games for the PS3 will be ports of the xbox versions, and since there is already a large customer base of 360 users, their primary focus may be on xbox customers in the near future (especially since the adoption rate of the console is yet to be determined). It's also important to understand that developers are currently having a hard time creating games using the existing tools, and should they see a lull in sales, they may not see the PS3 as a product that is worth shifting their primary focus towards.

A Wiik in Review.

6:20pm, November 28th, 9 days after Wii release.

My name is Jason, and I am a gamer. I could go into further detail about what gaming history I have experienced, but I feel you will relate regardless of background. Whether your left hand fingers fall on w-s-a-d without thought, or your hands fall limp to the shape of a controller; you are a gamer.

Now that we are past the training level of my article, lets take a look at my initial thoughts of the Nintendo Wii after 9 days of ownership. I will admit now that I was hyped for the Wii, it's something new in the face of gaming. No two-sticked, ergonomic controllers; no relying on hot release titles; no cross-platform bashing; just Nintendo; how it has been for years, and how it always will be.

In an industry where technology is constantly changing, how do you trump the competitor. In the end the answer, I feel, is quite simple. Don't rely so heavily on being technically better, and bring to the table something nobody has tried before. The Nintendo Wii has taken this approach with its controller setup, and overall focus of the system. It was never built to bring you the utmost in technological breakthroughs, it was meant to bring you pleasure. Is that not what gaming is really all about. I won't lie to you, I've been playing Wii Sports more than any other title I own. It's not graphically euphoric nor is it incredibly intense, it's just fun. Don't get me wrong here, I have logged over 30 hours on Zelda and probably equally as much on Red Steel. Thats not even counting virtual console games that we have all come to love. Fun is perhaps an adolescent term for it, but it's quite possibly the best way to describe it.

The gaming industry for the last few years has been a battle of hardware. Who outperforms who? Which system can handle the most realistic looking games on the market at a reasonable cost? What is a reasonable cost? My question to you is who cares? Games have always been about fun. I can play my Wii for hours on end, without even glancing at a clock. It's enthralling. The way the game play itself has changed with motion sensing to the point of no return. Do I still love playing my 360? Of course. Would I choose to play it over my Wii? At times. Would I recommend anything over the Wii when used in a group atmosphere? Nope.

One might say that PS3 too has motion sensing capabilities. You'd be correct. Recently a buddy of mine took his Wii to a reunion of friends, a PS3 showed up as well. Take a wild guess what never got shut off. The Wii. You simply can't beat a party setting with a bunch of friends and interactive gaming. Nintendo has found, copied, and mass produced the 'trump card' of the next generation of gaming. Of course I have no doubt in my mind PS3 will be just as successful, but personally I believe them to be different kinds of gaming. If I want to sit down and play an RPG and get immersed in a story and lose myself in a fantasy world, I'd probably sprawl onto the couch in front of my PS3. However, if I wanted to kick off a party or small gathering of people with a little action, the Wii would dominate the dance floor.

If you haven't already noticed, I'm trying to stay as far away from technical as I can. The PS3 blows Wii hardware away, hands down. Everybody knows that though, so why do we need to talk about it? The simple answer is, we don't. Although it is an exceptional way of comparing systems pre-launch, I personally feel its a poor way of comparing post-launch. I also think if you are looking to compare by sales, you need to wait a year before taking your sample data.

Currently, perhaps you agree and perhaps you do not, I feel that the best way to judge a system is by playing it. Nintendo revolutionized this gaming era with the creativity they possess that we have all come to know and love. It's hard to imagine a company more willing to take a leap off a cliff for gamers than Nintendo, and for that I thank them. The Wii has been one of the more worthwhile investments I have purchased, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. It has brought friends closer (even if they are just here for the games :P ) and a lightened mood to my household. Perhaps you yourself, being a gamer and reading this article, will be disappointed at the lack of gaming content. Or perhaps you will understand what I'm saying, and realize that perhaps a better way to judge the system is how much pleasure you get from it.

For those of you seeking more game content, give me another 5 days to finish Zelda: Twilight Princess and post a lengthy review with my impressions of the game. For the rest of you, whether you own a Wii or not, remember that at one time a gamer was someone who simply played games. They did it for the sheer joy of participating in what they felt to be a really good waste of a lot of their time. I feel this way about the Wii. It is most definitely one of the most time consuming monstrosities in my life, and I love it to bits for it. (:

Jason out.

IGN's Matt Casamassina Talks About Secret Wii Title

Thats right, a Wii title from a major publisher is currently in the making and Matt will have the chance to play it next month. According to Matt nobody even knows this game is in the making. I'm sure there is tons of speculation around the interweb as to what it may be. I know lots of folks are hoping for a Wii Star Wars game, however at comic-con a LucasArts rep confirmed that such a game is already in the making. Personally I'm waiting for a bit more dirt on the story to surface before I hazard a guess as to what it is. Perhaps a revamped version of Chef from the Atari where I actually have to flip burgers and cut onions. Oh the possibilities -_-

Jason out.

PS3 Vs. Wii Vs. 360

They are the big three, the holy trinity of gaming consoles if you will, and over the last year we have seen each of their newest incarnations. They have taken a chance, leaving their former shells to gather dust in closets around the globe, to be reborn as the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony PS3.

The Xbox really had a head start on the Wii and the Playstation, coming out almost exactly 1 year prior to the other consoles, though the public wasn’t quite sure what to think. Was it just a super-charged Xbox? Did the games have powerful new visuals? At first gamers might have been sceptical, but the overall performance of the launch titles (courtesy of 1up.com) proved that the Xbox was a hit. However, many people may have forgotten the shortages that were experienced during the holiday season of 2005. Stores all across North America disappointed avid fans when they were unable to fulfill pre-order promises.

Now we fast-forward to the holiday season in 2006, where gamers are reeling from the massive shortages for the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. The PS3’s launch titles have been described as weak and unimpressive, though surprisingly the PS3 did not have the worst launch title scores on record. Looking back at the original Playstation’s launch titles, we can see the difference between then and now. Without a doubt it was the original Playstation that had the least impressive launch titles in 1995, but that console was a revolution in the gaming industry. That kind of lasting impression may be exactly what Sony is looking to reproduce.

Last, but not least, we have our black sheep of the console war, the Nintendo Wii. With its strange controls and distinct lack of high-definition graphical support, the Wii has come into play with a fair amount of scepticism. However, Nintendo has taken a new approach to this international competition, searching for a market using the “Blue Ocean Strategy”. Where the Xbox360 and Playstation 3 both have advances in the processing power and visual performance of the console, the Wii has taken the couch potato gamer, and tried to influence some change. With this healthy approach to gaming, and a motion sensitive controller, the Wii offers a lot of change that may come out of nowhere and win the hearts of gamers everywhere.

One thing is for certain though, Microsoft may be benefiting right now from its ample stock of Xboxes, but after the dust settles for this holiday battle there will still be a war to win and the victor is yet undetermined. So place your bets, and may the best console win.

-JRW

Sony sales figures; More PS3s coming by airfreight

Buoyed by the sales of their, now officially, last-gen console, the PS2, and the PSP handheld, Sony PR man Dave Karraker reports that week-over-week sales of PS2 hardware rose by 116.5%, and PSP hardware rose a whopping 280.5% at the top 5 North American retailers for the period ending November 26th.

For those of us who already have a PSP, or no longer give a hoot about the last-gen, Sony adds, "[We've] been airlifting additional shipments of PlayStation 3 systems into the North American market since the launch on November 17. We were able to get a fresh supply of PS3s in the hands of retailers prior to Black Friday, along with games and peripherals.

"We will continue to utilize airfreight delivery for the PlayStation 3 to assure a steady stream of systems for North American consumers through the end of the year. Our goal remains to have one million units in the pipeline by December 31, 2006."

As if you didn't know already, Sony also stated that they sold every PS3 shipped to America in the past week.

It should be comforting to know that, for now, SCEA can still make a buck somewhere because we know they're really hurtin' with every PlayStation 3 they make and sell.

[Gamasutra]

In depth, Freudian Analysis of the Halo 3 Screenshots

Are you guys tired of talking about Halo 3? I know I'm not tired of talking about Halo 3, and Bungie isn't tired of talking about Halo 3 either! Halo 3.

Up on the official website, they posted a Screenshot Dissection which has more detail than some coroner reports. The article goes very in depth, and discusses some interesting additions to the game. Things like degrees of vehicle damage, new weapons, new vehicles, and flags that wave " with tiny little ripples."

One of the most interesting things about the article for me was an insight into how the Bungie team designs map. They discuss placing weapons, turrets, and vehicles, and the thought process ensured to make the map balanced for both teams. So far the game looks fantastic, and I can't wait to be running back to my base, with the flags tiny little ripples flowing behind me.

HMV giving away chance to buy a Wii or PS3

It's as if god himself opened the stairway to heaven for us gamers. After the launch of the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii many poor souls were left unsatisfied and miserable, it was as if part of their soul was missing, something was definitely wrong. Well my sappy friends, cheer up because HMV is determined to rescue you from yourself and possibly satisfy all your gaming needs.

How you may ask? HMV is giving away a chance to purchase the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii at their Canadian stores. Avoid the line-ups and disappointments and call your aunt or uncle up north, be extra nice this time. There are 20 PS3s and 20 Wiis that the good folks at HMV are willing to let you buy off them, one per person.

One of twenty (20) Sony Playstation® 3 console (UPC # 0 00 71171 98001 0 / 20GB Hard Drive version console) or one of twenty (20) Nintendo® Wii console (UPC # 0 00 45496 88001 9 / Include Wii console, Wii Sports, a sensor bar, an AV cable, a Wii stand, a Wii Remote, and a Nunchuk controller)

Why are they doing this, because they want to ease your pain and also because they want you to know that they now carry games and consoles. Good Move!

My only hope is to win a Wii and that not many people read this post.

Emulation now legal in the US! Sorta.

For years now, fans of older consoles have created emulators that let them play old favorites without trying to buy a console that's been obsolete for 10 years, and then trying to get it to work. If you look hard enough, you can find emulators for every major, minor, and obscure console out there. If you want, you can even get emulators that run in your iPod. As large as this community has been, it has always been illegal - until now.

The US Copyright Office has issued a few Copyright Exemptions which are effective today. There's a lot of junk involving unlocking cellphones, and copying DVD's for educational uses, but there's one important section that will concern us gamers. In an attempt to deal with "Computer Obsolescence", and software that was built to run on a system that is now obsolete can have it's copy protection circumvented. That's right, you can hack it. Legally.

Well, maybe not. The current batch of console contain built in emulators that let you run games originally designed for another console. That darn Wii covers 5 consoles by itself. So how will these built in emulators effect this new law? I guess we'll find out the next time someone tries to shut down an emulator site.

$1000+ PS3s; $4000+ PS3 shoes

As a self-professed sneakerhead, I just had to blog about this one pair of ultra expensive, PS3-themed shoes.

This (in case you're interested) size 10 pair of hybrid Nike Air Max 360/90 kicks has hologram swooshes (apparently a Nike first), interchangeable red and black laces, and the PS3 launch day (For the record, it's "11.17.06" in case sleep deprivation and BB-gun pellets made you forget the fateful date you were in line until) embossed on the back of the shoe. The kicker (ahem...) is the inside of the shoe, which has mechanical drawings of the console (cool!); the insole even says "Play B3yond".

If you've got $4000 or so burning a hole in your wallet, why not have a go at bidding on them? They'd make an excellent Christmas gift for the PlayStation 3/sneaker-afficiando on your list, and all proceeds go to charity.

One more thing; since the PS3 is in such short supply this holiday season, I thought I might add that there are only 24 of these shoes in the entire world. That's nearly as scarce a resource as the consoles themselves.

Happy bidding!

[Thanks Joystiq.]

100" Home Video Arcade Center for $4499!

Forget the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 for a moment. This holiday season why not go back in time, way back in time, and grab yourself a 100" projected home video arcade center? Imagine the pixel choppy classic games you could play on there all night long. Arcade titles from Atari, Midway, Namco, and Capcom are available (see list).

How much is it? Not very cheap, $4499. And you thought the PlayStation 3 was too much. But for emptying out your wallet you get a DLP projector with a 2000:1 contrast ratio and a decent 1024x768 native resolution. A removable control panel, programmable Ultimarc card and AMD Athlon 64 3200+ PC is also included.

If you really think you can cough over that much cash to go back a generation, click here for more info. What would I do? Get a few Nintendo Wii's instead.

Halo 3 is HERE, with 1600 Xbox Live Points

This is the holiest of all that is holy, the holy grail for the Xbox 360 gamer. This is Halo 3, the most anticipated, most long-awaited, most "OMG I'm gonna dump my girlfriend to play this" game ever brought into existence. Well at least for a plenty some.

Don't get your pants wet and soggy just yet, the game isn't out and the wait is still going to be long and extremely painful. Until then just sink yourself into the recently released Gears of War.

If you really REALLY want this game, so bad that you would skip your high school prom or your own wedding to get it then consider pre-ordering it at Best Buy. Yes Best Buy the nicer and friendlier version of Future Shop. They are holding a special offer to pre-order Halo 3 simply because they know how bad you want it. Even though you won't get to touch the game for a year you can feel at ease knowing your copy is secure.

Yes I know it sounds stupid and beyond all reason, insane! But the real incentive is that you get to buy a card loaded with 1600 Xbox Live points for only $4.99 if you pre-order right now. It's a great deal and it may even pay off later if you hold onto those points. I'm sure there will be Halo 3 goodies that those points could be used towards.

Go pre-order now! Have 60 bucks ready...

Found via Xbox 360 Fanboy

Watch Out Parents, LeetSpeak is DANGEROUS!

I just have to laugh at this. I was cruising www.digg.com earlier today and caught this article while it was hot. (Direct link to the video can be found here) Its amazing what people believe is dangerous in our time. The world has become a very unstable place when parents and 'internet safety experts' are concerned about me using 3's for E's, better watch out.

For starters, it's not meant to be covert conversation. Its just people typing things and it's really not that difficult to translate. You just look at the entire word, and low and behold, it's right there in front of you. Kind of like, uh, reading! The clip goes on to talk about online translators and dictionaries. My god people, this isn't the plague or some terrorist organization. It's your kids, and they are just talking.

I remember when I was a young buck, I'd replace E's with 3's when I wanted to pretend I was being nerdy. It's not like I'm trying to secretly converse with my fellow trouble makers in a devious plot to take over the world or anything. I could see it being interesting to some psychologists or maybe even sociologists, but as far as danger goes, leetspeak ranks up there with living in your parents basement for eternity. I wouldn't worry too much.

Jason out.

Is Sony mired by their own inventiveness?

Do you remember the Betamax format? It's okay if you're not familiar with it; I wasn't even born when Sony released this videocassette format back in 1975. Technically superior to the VHS, Beta just never caught on, and that's why VHS became the choice medium for videotaping your most embarrassing childhood memories, and subsequently, playing them back in front of your present-day boy/girlfriend.

How about the MiniDisc? Another Sony-pioneered format launched in 1992 with ambitions to take over the portable music player market. That didn't happen either. Portable CD players won that game, and the introduction of the MP3 player made the MD a thing of the past--now only used by reporters trying to catch the next big soundbite.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that Sony has trouble with winning format wars.

An article in the UK's Independent caught my attention. Heading into the holiday season, Sony is really pushing to get their new PlayStation 3 under as many trees as possible. But once again, Sony is being held back by the technology they've developed. The Independent reports that the Blu-ray is in part, responsible for the PS3 shortages, citing problems with the Blu-ray laser diodes as restricting production of the scarce black boxes.

Microsoft has recently released an HD DVD player add-on for their Xbox 360 console. The bigwigs at MS are also insisting that HD DVD-games are not in the works--a good thing for Xbox 360 owners who don't see the need to tack on a superfluous HD DVD player to their console. What this also means is that Microsoft isn't throwing the 360 headfirst into this format war--this may be a good decision.

This brings up another question. Are we ready for Blu-ray, or even HD DVD for that matter? Blu-ray boasts its higher data capacity, but HD DVD players are ostensibly cheaper than Blu-ray players. But we might be getting ahead of ourselves--I know I still haven't chucked my DVD player out yet.

The High-Definition medium format war has yet to play out, but will HD DVD's victory mark the downfall of the Blu-ray format, and subsequently, the Blu-ray-equipped PS3? Conversely, will Blu-ray, championed by the PlayStation 3, lead Sony out of the format war-doghouse and into millions, or perhaps billions of homes worldwide? Only time will tell.

What we do know now is that Blu-ray technology is holding Sony back from bursting out of the gates in this generation of the Console Wars. And that can't be good news.

North American PS3 Auctions?

The initial launch of the PS3 saw scalpers rush out and get as many machines as they could get their hands on - and sell them online for ridiculous prices. I can't help but wonder why Sony didn't take this opportunity, and auction off systems themselves (like they did in Japan). It's quite obvious that those who had the money were willing to dish out ridiculous amounts of cash to get their hands on a system. Sony could have easily cut out the middle man and cashed in on this. Better yet, they could easily continue selling systems online even after the initial demand dies down. When the demand decreases, so can the price, and with a bit of planning, they can rake in roughly the same profits, while at the same time pushing bluray to more users worldwide.

Many reports (USAtoday) claim that in Japan, most large amounts posted on auction sites are fakes, and the systems auctioned off in Japan are actually going for bargain prices. Because of the high demand and low supply of systems in North America, Sony can be sure there will be a large market willing to pay whatever they need to in order to get their hands on a system. Even when prices begin to fall, at the very least, the systems will be selling for the maximum amount people are willing to pay for them, and Sony will also be putting a bluray player in every home that purchases a PS3.

Rockstar Ads Removed from Portland Public Transit

The Portland Transit Authority has removed ads for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Portland cited rider complaints as the main reason for the removal of the ads, they also said that they do not accept ads which “promote or encourage illegal activity". While the shooting, killing, carjacking, and drug dealing present in the GTA titles is definitely illegal, this once again raises the argument whether or not playing lots of video games will turn you into a killer. This of course leads to a much bigger argument, which won't really be covered here. A similar situation occurred in Boston, but the ads were kept up because the contract was already set. Now the Portland Transit Authority may have to pay as much as $71 000 for breaking it's contract, and Rockstar gets lots of FREE advertising all over the interweb through of blog posts like these.

Battlefield 2142 Patch V1.05 Released

For any of you FPS fans out there you probably already know about the addictive war simulator that is Battlefield 2142. If you have the game you may also know that a new patch came out, but you may not be aware of the important fixes, and minor tweaks that have changed the gameplay.

The bugs and exploits have been a major focus for this update, and EA is assuring the competitive players out there that accounts are being banned for abusing exploits and showing false scores.

Aside from an ego boost, these hackers really haven't done anything to change the game. The gameplay is still fantastic, and any squad working like a well oiled machine will easily gun down the fools that need to cheat to unlock all the little trinkets.

Check out the full list of fixes and updates here (Click Here)

...and a little Ctrl-Alt-Delete humour for those soldiers on the run is available here (Click Here)

-Happy Hunting.

Twilight Princess -UPDATE-

So I'm playing furiously through the game in attempts to write a review for all you kind readers out there, but I find myself at a roadblock and you must aid me through this troubled time.

I REQUIRE THE SINKING LURE

Now I know they wouldnt have left this beauty out of the game but alas, I can not find it. If anyone has any idea where it is, or even a hint, please dear god email it to me at jason@bytesector.com and I will reward you with some of the goodies I have found to date on my Wii.

Jason Out.

"Gears of War" sold 1 million copies in two weeks

When I first layed eyes on Gears of War at X'06 Canada I nearly pissed my pants. The game looked so incredible in detail on the Xbox 360 and the gameplay was very impressive. I tend to play very few first-person shooters, Halo 2 being the last one I was very hooked on. Gears of War is one title in a long while that I think has a lot to offer to the player in a very fresh way that would bring back the "Halo" experience and ease the wait time for Halo 3.

This game is doing so well that Microsoft has reported 1 million units being sold in it's first 2 weeks since release. According to a press release, this game is "the fastest-selling title of 2006 and fastest-selling original Xbox game of all time. " That's incredible! But that's not it,

On top of being the #1 title on Xbox Live, "Gears of War" has also driven new members to the network, as paid registrations per day have skyrocketed more than 50 per cent since the game's launch.

All this has happened as the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii came out which shows that support for the Xbox 360 is holding strong.

Gears of War has received an overall score of 95% from various publications, damn I have to buy am Xbox 360 and get me this game.

"Bomberman 93" and "Bonk's Adventure" now on Wii Virtual Console

This just dropped in my e-mail a second ago from Hudson Entertaiment. They have announced that two of their classic games originally developed for the TurboGrafx-16 have now been released on Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii; Bomberman 93 and Bonk’s Adventure. These two releases were apparently delayed and were originally scheduled to be released for launch day.

Other titles that were previously announced will roll out over the next few weeks, including "Super Star Soldier," "Victory Run," and "Dungeon Explorer."

Gotta love the classics...

An in-depth review of the PlayStation 3

Only days after release and there has been more coverage on this console than the war in Iraq in almost every medium...I'm sure. Ars Technica has a fantastic in-depth review of the PlayStation 3 from unpacking it to playing the initial games. The overall opinion of the writer is very balanced and unbiased. The bad is clearly pointed out and it must be obvious to many by now and the good is well highlighted. This is a great review to look at if you have an open mind on the system and won't cough over and die if something bad is said about it.

The PS3 doesn't have any grand ideas; Sony wanted something high-tech, so they started from scratch with the processor and GPU, but what does it get them? Very little so far.

Read the full review

"Small Arms" Hits Xbox Live for 800 points

This Wednesday Nov 22nd at 1 am PST you can download Small Arms developed by Gastronaut Studios from the Xbox Live Arcade. From the screen shot above (courtesy of Gamespot) this game looks like a free-for-all smashing battle that can be played with up to 4 players. Here's a press release tid-but,

"In Small Arms, up to four players can join in the battles across many dynamic and richly detailed levels. Gamers can choose from a cast of outrageous fighters like the cyborg tabby cat, assassin truffle pig and mutant chimney sweep. While jumping from platform to platform shooting with 360° aim, gamers of all skill levels will be able to pick up and play this innovative side-scrolling action title."

A list of game features:

• 12 characters, each with their own weapon
• 8 unique levels
• 12 Achievements, including the innovative “Six Degrees of Small Arms” viral achievement
• Up to 4-player multiplayer offline and on Xbox Live
• Local Multiplayer / Xbox Live Swap – allows players to swap out a local friend with a friend over Live without leaving the game!
• Three single player game modes (Story, Challenge, and Shooting Range)
• Colorful 3D graphics with classic side-scrolling run and gun action
• Expect premium downloadable content for this title in the future – providing new game play elements and unique challenges for Small Arms fans

Download Small Arms beginning Wednesday, November 22, at 1 a.m. PST on Xbox Live Arcade

Read Gamespot preview | More Screen-shots here

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Trailer for PS3

Here is a new Marvel: Ultimate Alliance trailer released today specifically for the PlayStation 3 version. The trailer is a sort of documentary with some cool cut-scenes and information from the developers. From the video, what I could gather was that the PS3 version had two exclusive characters and 5 bonus villains. The names ran by so fast I couldn't make out anything but the name "Colossus". hopefully you will have better luck.

They also brag about how great it looks on the PS3 over other platforms.

New Vanguard: Saga of Heroes trailer

New footage for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes has surfaced today. Our friends at Kohnke Communication were kind enough to send us the latest trailer of this upcoming online role-playing game set to be released Q1 of 2007. A tid-bit from the press release,

"The footage features just a few of the low level creatures in the vast world of Telon that beginning players must battle using an arsenal of weaponry and magical spells. Slicing through massive armies of fearsome denizens, players will explore three enormous continents and advance their characters along the path of their choosing. Lush environments reminiscent of oil paintings will immerse players in a highly-detailed seamless world filled with mystery and intrigue."

View High-def trailer at GameTrailers | View YouTube version

Mid-Sumthin' Elections

Alright, we'd like you to help decide on the title of this Blog. So please take a second and tell us what you think.

Goodbye Social Life, You'll Be Missed.

So last night a friend and I camped Walmart to ensure acquisition of a Nintendo Wii. The night began travelling after work via the #1 Highway to Swift Current; roughly 100km from my residence, it is in fact the nearest place that will have the Wii available. Equipped with the 360, a power inverter, and a T.V. we are officially set for the night. A few energy drinks and countless hours of Splinter Cell: Double Agent later and its time for us to actually 'camp' it. My co-worker and I wander up to the Walmart front doors armed with sleeping bags, lawn chairs, Maxim's and Nintendo Power mags; and so we wait. After a few hours of waiting around bored out of my mind, the night shift manager opens the doors to come out to talk to us. Apparently this guy is like a god amongst men, and offers to leave the front door open so that we can SLEEP IN THE WALMART. Can you say first in line? Because I sure can. Wake up to some noise and the room is filled with a throng of nintendo fan-boys; however, my sleeping bag dominates the front door. An hour or two later and I'm #1 in line, and the doors are opening.

I'll give you an update in a while, but currently I've already played Twilight Princess for roughly 8 hours, and it is definitely not going to disappoint. Not that I ever thought it would. Also picked up a few controllers and Red Steel. Keep your eye out for some reviews in the near future.

I also want to give props to Wii Sports, which is fighting the obesity epidemic one gamer at a time, and is an amazingly fun party type environment.

Jason Out.

A Collection of Inter-Wii Coverage

I have been sifting through the crazy amount of Wii related coverage this afternoon. Some of it is really funny. I have gathered the interesting stuff and listed it here for your viewing pleasure.

• Video - First Wii Owner gets his Wii
• Photos - The Wii taken apart and looked at piece by piece.
• Photos - Coverage of Wii Launch in New York
• Article - Zelda gets a horrible review
• Video - A Wii Prank
• Video - Wii guy pissing off PS3 line
• Video - One guy plays his Wii games for a week LIVE! Nov: 19th-26th
• Video - CNN compares PS3 to Wii side by side
• Photos/Video - Nintendo Wii Smashed to bits in front of fans
• Article - Engadget's FAQ on the Nintendo Wii, many questions answered
  

If you find more interesting stuff please add it in the comments below.

(Cover Photo: Engadget)

Canadian PlayStation 3 Launch Event

Higher uptown in Toronto yesterday, Sony held a press launch event for their PlayStation 3 console which was packed with media personnel. The event took place at the very classy looking Six Degrees night club. Security was tight and bouncers were guarding the gates heightening our anticipation of what awaited inside. Of course you had to be recognizable enough as media to receive this classy invite, the presence of bouncers proved just how serious Sony was. Luckily, we got in and saw the goods.

Sony’s Ian Jackson addressed the press with some good news regarding the PlayStation 3, Sony is promising a backup supply of units to arrive next week “in-case” gamers don't get their hands on a PS3 on launch day. Exact numbers were not provided and a date was not mentioned.

I have been to Xbox 360 events, the Wii Launch, and finally Sony's PlayStation 3. It was disappointing to see there were the same third party titles everywhere and very few exclusive titles dedicated to the PlayStation 3 alone. One reporter I bumped into had this to say, “These games are already out on the Xbox 360 why would I buy a PlayStation for them?” I'm sure the dedicated Sony fan-boy would immediately say, “Duh! Coz they're like 100x better looking...” Umm, yes they might look a bit better but nothing the Xbox 360 was not already close to displaying, at least the first set of titles didn’t seem graphically superior to the Xbox 360 versions, some were slightly sharper but that was essentially the only difference noted.

The only first party titles being released on launch day are Resistance: Fall of Man, NBA 07, and Genji: Days of the Blade. All three were on the event floor. For initial impressions: NBA 07 showed intense realism and texture detail through realistic reflections and refractions. Genji was a major disappointment in gameplay. Sure it looked beautiful as all games did but I found myself just running around in the game continuously hacking and slashing away, nothing next-gen about that. The characters also appeared as if they were sliding across the floor as they ran, it totally threw off any experience of realism. Resistance: Fall of Man was a well looking FPS game although some explosions sort of looked like poorly generated volume clouds. Once again, it looked great but nothing felt different about it from any other FPS game. Xbox 360’s Gears of War definitely takes precedence over Resistance: Fall of Man in challenging and enjoyable gameplay. Of course these were Sony’s first attempts for launch, I’m sure they will use more potential of the PS3 on upcoming titles.

Some of the third party titles that I saw at X’06 were here as well. Such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Call of Duty 3. Overall I felt they looked sharper on the PS3 compared to their Xbox 360 versions but aside from that I saw no other difference. Some reporters on the event floor saw no difference between the titles on either console.

Sadly there was no demonstration of movie playback using the Blu-ray technology or any of the other features on the PS3. None of the games seemed to have been set-up using the wireless controller's motion sensitivity feature so it was impossible to experience the SIXAXIS controller completely.

Nonetheless, Sony has released a promising console but it has definitely been over hyped. It will stand in great competition with the Xbox 360 as long as Sony brings out some exclusive innovative games that make great use of the technology onboard the PS3.

Canadian Nintendo Wii Launch Event

As promised I did attend the Canadian launch event for the Nintendo Wii console yesterday with my fellow blogger eMadman. It was held at Ontario Place, in downtown Toronto secretly tucked away at the end of a long tunnel. We managed to arrive thirty minutes before the official launch time and were forced to stand outside with a massive statue of Link. We even took a few photos with our buddy Link; he didn’t seem to mind.

As we entered the event floor at 10:00 am we saw around twenty-eight Nintendo Wii consoles just sitting there crying out to be played, “Play Wiiiiii…” is all I could hear. Of course we were held back till a speech was given about how great the Wii was and will be blah blah blah…as if the hype wasn’t killing us already. The best news for fans we could gather was Nintendo's dedication to release ten Wii titles each month starting in 2007.

I ran across the event floor as soon as the TVs were turned on, stumbling and bumping into other media personnel, I was venturing towards the crowd lining up to play Call of Duty 3, and yes Zelda was there too. First off, don't expect mind blowing graphics the Wii isn't a super hyper-realism graphics machine like its competitors; it’s a “fun” machine for a larger audience. I stood at a bit over a meter's distance from the Sharp LCD TV and grabbed the Wii nunchuck in my left hand and the Wii remote in my right. I was immediately thrown into a battle against the Germans. The Wii remote was configured to such great sensitivity that whenever I moved it I did a 360 degree dance in the game. I quickly got the hang of it as the Wii representative there told me to only twitch the remote a little to look to the left or right. All forward and backward movements were controlled from the Wii nunchuck, moving the Wii nunchuck to the left let me swap through my weapon inventory and that was a very cool experience.

Although I only got 4 minutes of playing time with the game since other media hogs wanted to get in on it, I discovered that it was going to take great skill and practice to use the Wii remote for an fps game. When I first started playing I assumed an extended arm position as if I was holding a gun, after a while that started to hurt my shoulder and I had to experiment to find a comfortable position.

I searched for eMadman and found him boxing with the Wii, literally! eMadman and I decided to go for a round in the virtual ring in Wii Sports’ Boxing game. I was really impressed at how easy it was to discover the basic moves; my mom could have easily done this! I grabbed the Wii nunchuck and Wii remote and brought it up to my face, to assume a defensive position against my opponent. I even tried shifting my feet to the left and right and my character moved along with me, it was incredible even with a lacking photorealistic character on screen. I swung my left then my right then my left again, and let eMadman have a piece of my Wii powered fury. Once again I only had 4 minutes and discovered that the character could not swing past a certain speed, if I tried to punch really fast or hard he would still move slower, so I was forced to match his average speed.

Next I decided to move onto Marvel: Ultimate Alliance for the Wii. Playing MAU wasn't as rewarding of an experience with the Wii remote. I almost felt as if the use of the remote technology was forced onto the game. I still wanted to see what the wireless gestures would make me do in-game. Unfortunately I was not so impressed: tilting the Wii remote up, down, left and right made me produce different moves, I came to a point where just twirling the remote clockwise easily cycled through the 4 basic moves, it felt sort of cheap.

As the crowd died down we jumped over to the Wii Sports’ Tennis game. This game, even though simple in function still proved to be fun, more enjoyable than MAU. I was forced to actually serve a ball and do a backhand on a return shot. I’ve played “real tennis” regularly, playing it on the Wii made me forget it was virtual as I tried to dive to the right to return a serve. Suddenly it dawned on me that my character automatically moved regardless of where I positioned myself and I had made a fool of myself. This was a great disappointment as the experience could have been taken so much farther if the character on screen moved relatively to my real-world position.

I moved onto Rayman Raving Rabbids, a game that made great use of the Wii remote. I had the chance to sample two short mini games within this game. One forced me to rapidly move my arms and shoulders holding the Wii nunchuck and Wii remote to simulate running action. My objective was to deliver a present from point A to B as fast as I could, and how fast I “pretended” to run reflected my speed in the game. The second mini game I tried involved throwing a cow. The cow was lassoed and I had to use the Wii remote and twirl it as if I was going to twirl a real cow around my body. Believe me this was difficult; I couldn't twirl it fast enough to gain enough virtual momentum. My timing was also off; I now know I suck at throwing cows.

My concluding thoughts…
I couldn’t sample everything and 4 minutes per game is hardly enough time to enjoy a game fully especially with so many people walking the event floor. From the games I tested, I did not like using the Wii remote for cross platform games that were not designed specifically for the Wii such as CoD3 and MUA. I felt that those games would stay best played with a controller. The Wii really showed its full potential with the Rayman and Wii Sports games, I can see where Nintendo is headed with the remote technology in those titles and I hope to see even more innovative titles designed specifically for the Wii. Cross-platform games I don’t see doing so well from what I sampled.

Stay tuned for my Canadian PlayStation 3 launch event coverage this Friday. Until then I leave you with our buddy Link.

Halo 3 public beta, a first for Xbox!

According to a Bungie press release today, the insanely anticipated Halo 3 sequel to the best selling Halo 2 game on Xbox will be made available to the public in beta form on Xbox Live spring of 2007. This holiday season "Starting on December 15th, the special high-definition, 60-second "Halo 3" advertising spot will start running on 765 cinema screens across Canada." This ad spot may show us another side of Master Chief "Huraaa!" and the beautifully crafted Halo universe.

What to expect, "Next-generation high-definition visuals; enhanced artificial intelligence; an advanced real-time lighting engine; and new weapons, characters and challenges are just a few examples of the evolution of design and technology in "Halo 3." These improvements are designed to give gamers an unparalleled experience and tell an even more compelling and engrossing story. Working in concert with Xbox Live on Xbox 360, "Halo 3" builds on the unique social multiplayer experience of "Halo 2" and promises to expand the innovative and evolving online gameplay and community of "Halo 2" on Xbox Live. In this third chapter of the "Halo" trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax."

An additional treat from Bungie, next spring we can also expect new Halo 2 multiplayer maps for download via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The wait is so painfully long...

Wii and PS3 launch this week in Canada...well for press!

Yeah damn straight you should be jealous. After all, you want that Wii weally weally badly or the bigger bad boy, PlayStation 3. But you still can't have either unless you are in Japan. So you sit there and cry in agony hoping that time doesn't come to a stand still, as if it isn't slow enough to begin with. We'll I'm going to shatter your dreams and piss you off because unlike you I have been invited to the Canadian preview/launch events for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 both held in Toronto this week. I don't know what exactly will be at the events but they are a few hours long and from experience that means the press will have the chance to sample some initial launch titles and ask questions. So to make your wait even more painful and impatient I am going to post some initial coverage of each event this week right after I attend it, and if you are a true die hard fan you will come back here to see the outcome.

A New Startup!

Hey,

This is an experimental start-up gaming blog where I hope a few talented writers in the field of gaming will contribute to its growth by experimenting with gaming content. This is non-profit (for now) and a free for all on posting anything gaming related. Only invited bloggers can post here. Let's get the gaming engines rolling...