I've been treating my 360 like the End. Let him sleep. Save some life for the important fights. Need for Speed Carbon should be arriving in the next day or two. We are going to put the pedal to the metal when that arrives. If that doesn't finish off my box, I'm pretty sure Oblivion will.
I had an unexpected windfall of Amazon gift certificates come my way. Just enough, in fact, to purchase Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion. It is the only RPG on the 360, and may well siphon away the last of my life.
We shall see.
Either way, it should be fun.
Donkeljohn Blog
Tenuous at Best
by Donkeljohn on Comments
Okay, so I did get on XBL yesterday. Despite my console's critical condition I risked everything for some retro game time with my friend.
We played some Smash TV, Lego Star War II, and Golden Axe. Even though we finished Smash TV on two-player settings, the achievement was not unlocked. That represents the third time this has happened. My only guess is he was not logged in with an active gamertag. Now I am beginning to think my 360 is out to sabotage my daily achievement goals. Perhaps I work it too hard. Although, according to its blog, all I hear is a desire for more.
Yesterday's dose of Golden Axe reminded me what an awesome game that is. Truly, one of the greatest games of all time. Though the Genesis version pales in comparison to the arcade, it is an impressive delivery for a home console.
Today we celebrate my wife's birthday. No games, no excessive partying, just cake and company.
I'll catch all y'all later.
We played some Smash TV, Lego Star War II, and Golden Axe. Even though we finished Smash TV on two-player settings, the achievement was not unlocked. That represents the third time this has happened. My only guess is he was not logged in with an active gamertag. Now I am beginning to think my 360 is out to sabotage my daily achievement goals. Perhaps I work it too hard. Although, according to its blog, all I hear is a desire for more.
Yesterday's dose of Golden Axe reminded me what an awesome game that is. Truly, one of the greatest games of all time. Though the Genesis version pales in comparison to the arcade, it is an impressive delivery for a home console.
Today we celebrate my wife's birthday. No games, no excessive partying, just cake and company.
I'll catch all y'all later.
Live Gameplay
by Donkeljohn on Comments
Thank you for the live gameplay of World of Warcraft.
I won't be on Xbox Live thanks to a critical-condition 360.
Two Policies for the Price of One.
by Donkeljohn on Comments
Insurance is an odd concept. It is a hedge bet against the thinkable catastrophe. I'm not here to tell you how Geico can save you money on your car insurance. I don't use them or their price comparison service. My wife found us a better deal thanks to our pristine driving records. We did have a rather alarming wake-up call this morning.
I arose from my bed to place baby in her "play" pen to commence my morning ritual of points harvesting while my wife got some additional rest. After a couple races in Burnout Revenge, I heard the disc drive stop spinning, again. After booting back to the main menu I went ahead and shut down. My 360 had been back in the upright position since last night. My Nyko cooler fan had died and I wanted to maximize the airflow around my machine. In order to test whether or not the fan was indeed kaput, I reconnected it, laid the machine down and then powered the 360 back up.
In lieu of the welcoming, green ring of light, I was stopped by a red ring of light. That had marked the end of my father's 360. My heart sank. Was my 360 next to enter the grave yard expressway? I immediately realized I had not opened that extended warranty on my 360. If it really is dead, it may be too late. I disconnected the Nyko cooler and fed more power to the machine. It powered up perfectly. I breathed a sigh of relief, but that dread feeling continued.
Should I buy another Nyko fan? Probably not. That insurance premium didn't last very long. Had I bought the $50 extended warranty when I purchased my 360, it would have been cheaper than two cooling fan attachments. A $50 hedge did not seem to be necessary at the time of purchase. It was the heat of Summer that compelled me to ensure adequate ventilation for my new purchase. Now I wonder.
I must do more research since recent evidence is pointing me in the direction of trouble. You can bet that console is staying off for the rest of the day. It's simply disappointing that I didn't get any points before the harrowing hiccup. I may have to revise my points goals.
I arose from my bed to place baby in her "play" pen to commence my morning ritual of points harvesting while my wife got some additional rest. After a couple races in Burnout Revenge, I heard the disc drive stop spinning, again. After booting back to the main menu I went ahead and shut down. My 360 had been back in the upright position since last night. My Nyko cooler fan had died and I wanted to maximize the airflow around my machine. In order to test whether or not the fan was indeed kaput, I reconnected it, laid the machine down and then powered the 360 back up.
In lieu of the welcoming, green ring of light, I was stopped by a red ring of light. That had marked the end of my father's 360. My heart sank. Was my 360 next to enter the grave yard expressway? I immediately realized I had not opened that extended warranty on my 360. If it really is dead, it may be too late. I disconnected the Nyko cooler and fed more power to the machine. It powered up perfectly. I breathed a sigh of relief, but that dread feeling continued.
Should I buy another Nyko fan? Probably not. That insurance premium didn't last very long. Had I bought the $50 extended warranty when I purchased my 360, it would have been cheaper than two cooling fan attachments. A $50 hedge did not seem to be necessary at the time of purchase. It was the heat of Summer that compelled me to ensure adequate ventilation for my new purchase. Now I wonder.
I must do more research since recent evidence is pointing me in the direction of trouble. You can bet that console is staying off for the rest of the day. It's simply disappointing that I didn't get any points before the harrowing hiccup. I may have to revise my points goals.
K. Flood is a Jerk
by Donkeljohn on Comments
I don't know if your name is Karl, Kevin, Kirit, or even Karen. All I know is Bizarre Creations has done you a disservice. While it would not surprise me if most people who really knew you thought you were a decent guy (or gal), the artificial intelligence programmed to be like you is a terrible driver.
When I was repeatedly facing off against you in the Shinjuku Street Cup you took every opportunity to push, nudge, slam, or bully me into barriers. While the frustration was immense, I did my best to not drag your name through the dirt too often. You'll have to forgive me since I did think of a certain place I would like to see you cast.
Now that I have finally defeated you and claimed the ShinStreeCup for myself, maybe we should go out for some drinks. I can remind you what a mess I made of your banana-yellow Viper.
When I was repeatedly facing off against you in the Shinjuku Street Cup you took every opportunity to push, nudge, slam, or bully me into barriers. While the frustration was immense, I did my best to not drag your name through the dirt too often. You'll have to forgive me since I did think of a certain place I would like to see you cast.
Now that I have finally defeated you and claimed the ShinStreeCup for myself, maybe we should go out for some drinks. I can remind you what a mess I made of your banana-yellow Viper.
Hard to Find Good Help
by Donkeljohn on Comments
The latest in a series of 360 freezes has reminded me of why Lego Star Wars II is not better than the first. . . or even deserving of a 9-caliber rating.
Why am I so harsh on a game I have confessed to eagerly anticipating?
The last two times I've been playing through the continuous Return of the Jedi challenge, the 360 freezes up. It is the annoying, crash-so-hard-I-have-to-restart-my-360 crash. Despite troubleshooting in this and other games, I have not been able to discover the problem. The RotJ challenge is the last of the offerings within the game left for me to conquer. Theoretically, all I have to do is get through this one hour challenge and I will unlock the 100% complete achievement.
The problem with the challenge is not merely the freezing, but also the two kinds of cut scenes. The most common types are the story sequences between chapters. They are funny and pretty well rendered. However, after I have seen the scenes three or more times, I would like to be able to skip through them. Unfortunately, Traveler's Tales did not build that functionality in. Thus I have to sit through one, two, or even three of the cinematics between gameplay spurts. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the other kinds of cut scenes.
In some levels you are shown approaching enemies or devices powering up. During each of these 5-10 shots, the challenge clock keeps ticking. I have found no way to bypass these interludes. During my first attempt at the Empire Strikes Back challenge the first Hoth level cost me 15 seconds that I ended up needing to have later to finish the final level. When playing casually I don't necessarily mind the visual transition, but when the unforgiving timer is counting, nothing short of gameplay better be running.
The gameplay is fun if you can get a decent player to join you. Unfortunately, I have been left to only have the AI as my assistant, and the intelligence is certainly lacking. The computer-controlled character can shoot, strike, and slash all day against enemies, but they will never inflict any meaningful damage. That means when a whole cadre of stormtroopers or packs of Gamorrian guards have spawned, I have to take my attention away from whatever puzzle I am trying to solve and dispatch them. It is annoying during the first two Episodes, but Return of the Jedi is simply punishing without some efficacious assistance.
I suppose the evidence I have presented can only confirm that the honeymoon is over and a long hard look at a game I had eagerly anticipated has left me feeling empty. Only Burnout has been of any consolation. Since I have completed the majority of offline achievements, my only place to gather points is online. If you'd like to play, let me know.
Why am I so harsh on a game I have confessed to eagerly anticipating?
The last two times I've been playing through the continuous Return of the Jedi challenge, the 360 freezes up. It is the annoying, crash-so-hard-I-have-to-restart-my-360 crash. Despite troubleshooting in this and other games, I have not been able to discover the problem. The RotJ challenge is the last of the offerings within the game left for me to conquer. Theoretically, all I have to do is get through this one hour challenge and I will unlock the 100% complete achievement.
The problem with the challenge is not merely the freezing, but also the two kinds of cut scenes. The most common types are the story sequences between chapters. They are funny and pretty well rendered. However, after I have seen the scenes three or more times, I would like to be able to skip through them. Unfortunately, Traveler's Tales did not build that functionality in. Thus I have to sit through one, two, or even three of the cinematics between gameplay spurts. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the other kinds of cut scenes.
In some levels you are shown approaching enemies or devices powering up. During each of these 5-10 shots, the challenge clock keeps ticking. I have found no way to bypass these interludes. During my first attempt at the Empire Strikes Back challenge the first Hoth level cost me 15 seconds that I ended up needing to have later to finish the final level. When playing casually I don't necessarily mind the visual transition, but when the unforgiving timer is counting, nothing short of gameplay better be running.
The gameplay is fun if you can get a decent player to join you. Unfortunately, I have been left to only have the AI as my assistant, and the intelligence is certainly lacking. The computer-controlled character can shoot, strike, and slash all day against enemies, but they will never inflict any meaningful damage. That means when a whole cadre of stormtroopers or packs of Gamorrian guards have spawned, I have to take my attention away from whatever puzzle I am trying to solve and dispatch them. It is annoying during the first two Episodes, but Return of the Jedi is simply punishing without some efficacious assistance.
I suppose the evidence I have presented can only confirm that the honeymoon is over and a long hard look at a game I had eagerly anticipated has left me feeling empty. Only Burnout has been of any consolation. Since I have completed the majority of offline achievements, my only place to gather points is online. If you'd like to play, let me know.
Much Ado About a Video Blog
by Donkeljohn on Comments
Despite technical errors that had been plaguing my posting attempts, the video blog I recorded the night before After Hours has finally been posted.
[video=IHNixTCo5bgOvDbe]
Sorry about the audio, but I couldn't boost the gain any more than it is already boosted. If you want to hear it, you'll just have to turn up the volume.
. . .and yes, the incorrect spelling of haggard was intentional. It was just part of my dark humor.
[video=IHNixTCo5bgOvDbe]
Sorry about the audio, but I couldn't boost the gain any more than it is already boosted. If you want to hear it, you'll just have to turn up the volume.
. . .and yes, the incorrect spelling of haggard was intentional. It was just part of my dark humor.
Need for Speed: Recombinant RPG Innovation
by Donkeljohn on Comments
As I await the return of Need for Speed in a Carbon form, I have been pondering what a common racing game has become. After some evaluation, I discovered Need for Speed has been polymorphing into an RPG. Since this change could not have come overnight, the process seems to have been incremental but somewhat conventional.
Need for Speed Carbon may be a weaponless version of Car Wars or an automotive Final Fantasy. Suspend your disbelief for a moment and indulge my exploration of a possible improvement to be credited to EA.
The Characters
Need for Speed Most Wanted had some attractive, curvaceous, eccentric, and sometimes repulsive characters, but you were the protagonist. Despite memorable performances by Derek Hamilton and Josie Maran, the main characters of the game were the cars. You could customize the look with different items and equipment. The customizing being offered in Carbon isn’t too different from the character customization in EA’s sports games or any pen-and-paper role-playing enthusiast’s sketchbook.
In Carbon, each car has a class. Muscles, Imports, and Tuners aren’t too different from Fighters, Deckers, or Juicers. Regardless of class, you can customize the appearance of some stock models. These models improve as you progress through the story. The cars could improve their attributes with money won by completing quests, trading items, and defeating foes. How is that any different from buying a new Buster Sword or equipping a cloak of invisibility?
Curiously, the currency in Need for Speed Most Wanted is more of a confluence of experience and money. In an RPG you increase your stats by gathering experience, in Most Wanted you buy upgrades to improve your stats and adjust the attributes of your cars.
The Party
With all of the different classes available in Need for Speed Carbon, it only makes sense to round out a party with which to go adventuring. Gauntlet taught game players what D&D parties already knew, you need four members of varying classes to clear any dungeon. Carbon takes that party mentality and tosses it into a high-stakes racing scene. You battle on the streets and wind your way through treacherous canyons with individuals who are loyal to you and have special skills and abilities. Though you don’t control them as you would Tifa, Vivi, or any of the 108 Stars, you can issue orders and depend on their assistance to get you through some tough scraps. If you come out victorious, everybody shares the spoils and the progression.
Boss Fights
Strategy and determination are required components for any good RPG boss fight. While I can’t speak to the Underground entries into the Need for Speed franchise, Most Wanted created an open world that allowed you to explore, level up, unlock bits of story, and ultimately draw ever nearer to confronting 15 of the most notorious bosses in the realm of Rockport. Though you defeat Sonny, Taz, Ronnie, and Baron, Razor looms large at the end. As you play the machinations of Sgt Cross frequently influences the course of the game. And what of the enigmatic Mia? So many factions swirl about you; the quest to retrieve the BMW will surely not be an easy ride.
Exposition
As with any RPG wrought within the last 10 years, cut scenes are a necessary break from the harrowing action and a reward for all of the rote level grinding. Unlocking the spectacular full-motion video cut scenes of Most Wanted was almost reward enough for playing. Without spoiling the twist ending, the final cut scene proved the game is not over until Razor says it is over. The additions of the cinematics and character exchanges throughout the questing provided not only a continual reminder of the goal, but also dramatic transitions to the next chapters.
I’ve never played a racing game with so many role-playing elements to it. Though it was not purely high fantasy, the Need for Speed series is incrementally innovating its way closer and closer to be a role-playing game than any mere racer. Hopefully EA will continue to expand the customization options and perhaps provide some powerful summons to defeat the demons of the driveways. I don't think a Smokey and the Bandit style call into a semi-driving friend would be too far out of scope to satisfy that checkbox.
Need for Speed Carbon may be a weaponless version of Car Wars or an automotive Final Fantasy. Suspend your disbelief for a moment and indulge my exploration of a possible improvement to be credited to EA.
The Characters
Need for Speed Most Wanted had some attractive, curvaceous, eccentric, and sometimes repulsive characters, but you were the protagonist. Despite memorable performances by Derek Hamilton and Josie Maran, the main characters of the game were the cars. You could customize the look with different items and equipment. The customizing being offered in Carbon isn’t too different from the character customization in EA’s sports games or any pen-and-paper role-playing enthusiast’s sketchbook.
In Carbon, each car has a class. Muscles, Imports, and Tuners aren’t too different from Fighters, Deckers, or Juicers. Regardless of class, you can customize the appearance of some stock models. These models improve as you progress through the story. The cars could improve their attributes with money won by completing quests, trading items, and defeating foes. How is that any different from buying a new Buster Sword or equipping a cloak of invisibility?
Curiously, the currency in Need for Speed Most Wanted is more of a confluence of experience and money. In an RPG you increase your stats by gathering experience, in Most Wanted you buy upgrades to improve your stats and adjust the attributes of your cars.
The Party
With all of the different classes available in Need for Speed Carbon, it only makes sense to round out a party with which to go adventuring. Gauntlet taught game players what D&D parties already knew, you need four members of varying classes to clear any dungeon. Carbon takes that party mentality and tosses it into a high-stakes racing scene. You battle on the streets and wind your way through treacherous canyons with individuals who are loyal to you and have special skills and abilities. Though you don’t control them as you would Tifa, Vivi, or any of the 108 Stars, you can issue orders and depend on their assistance to get you through some tough scraps. If you come out victorious, everybody shares the spoils and the progression.
Boss Fights
Strategy and determination are required components for any good RPG boss fight. While I can’t speak to the Underground entries into the Need for Speed franchise, Most Wanted created an open world that allowed you to explore, level up, unlock bits of story, and ultimately draw ever nearer to confronting 15 of the most notorious bosses in the realm of Rockport. Though you defeat Sonny, Taz, Ronnie, and Baron, Razor looms large at the end. As you play the machinations of Sgt Cross frequently influences the course of the game. And what of the enigmatic Mia? So many factions swirl about you; the quest to retrieve the BMW will surely not be an easy ride.
Exposition
As with any RPG wrought within the last 10 years, cut scenes are a necessary break from the harrowing action and a reward for all of the rote level grinding. Unlocking the spectacular full-motion video cut scenes of Most Wanted was almost reward enough for playing. Without spoiling the twist ending, the final cut scene proved the game is not over until Razor says it is over. The additions of the cinematics and character exchanges throughout the questing provided not only a continual reminder of the goal, but also dramatic transitions to the next chapters.
I’ve never played a racing game with so many role-playing elements to it. Though it was not purely high fantasy, the Need for Speed series is incrementally innovating its way closer and closer to be a role-playing game than any mere racer. Hopefully EA will continue to expand the customization options and perhaps provide some powerful summons to defeat the demons of the driveways. I don't think a Smokey and the Bandit style call into a semi-driving friend would be too far out of scope to satisfy that checkbox.
Reservation Prices
by Donkeljohn on Comments
I should have seen it coming. Lumines Live! has evidently been posted to the Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200 Microsoft Points (the purchasing kind).
The economists and pricing experts within Microsoft have gotten together to post one of the highest prices for an Xbox Live Arcade game. This pricing comes in opposition to the free games of Poker and TotemBall. Rich, Jeff, and the HotSpot crew bandied about speculation as to what the pricing gurus were up to with free offerings, but this is some other twisted experiment. The only problem is this isn't an experiment.
I would like to look down my nose at a $15 Lumines price, but I have already paid a significantly higher price for that tempting game. Last year I bought a PSP and Lumines solely for the Lumines experience. That means I paid $300.00 just to play Lumines. Granted, I was hoping to amortize the hardware experience over time and across multiple titles, but time has told me I bought it solely for Lumines.
Economists (whether they work for Microsoft or not) call the most money you are willing to spend for a good or service a reservation price. My reservation price for Lumines was definitely more than $15 for the first psychadelic experience. The question being asked now is whether I value Lumines with points and pop music extensibility for more than $14.99. The short answer is no. My marketplace valuations have been significantly more conservative than my retail purchases.
If Q Entertainment, Microsoft, or even Ubisoft were to publish Lumines Live! on a disk, I would happily pay $15. However, a tenuous download stored upon my 360 HDD is not worth the current asking price. What is it about packaging Lumines as a stand-alone game that makes the cost so much more tolerable? Since I don't read instruction manuals and I have too many cases in the house as it is, the packaging is not enticing. The added value comes in the form of the disc. I want to free up the scarce real estate on the HDD and have it on a disc from which to run the game. Microsoft has bundled XBLA titles before. Doing so with Lumines Live! just might be a tantalizing option in the future.
As of this writing Xbox Live is still not up, so I can't test whether the reservation price is below or above the $15 threshhold. If my current measure of temptation is any indicator, I believe my price is well below Microsoft's price. So, what is that price?
Proabably somewhere around $7.50.
The initial, After After Hours Post
by Donkeljohn on Comments
Highlights of the evening included (but were not limited to). . . Chatting it up with Brian Eckberg over the course of the evening. My wife and I probably spent more than an hour discussing everything from games to the difficulties of writing about technical specifications that have no bearing on our core interests. We celebrate with Brian in being able to now write about something he loves. Chilling with Jeff and Alex until Ryan Davis said show was on. The track suits were fly and the discussion off the cuff. Bomberman: Act Zero. I was disappointed Jeff and I couldn't play multiplayer, but we've got plans. The game is really an aberration of the great Bomberman legacy. Who would have thought of taking imprisoned cyborgs, giving them explosives, and dropping them into an industrial facility to blow one another to pieces? Lost Planet Multiplayer Demo with a few friends. Eight people on eight 360s shooting each other in the snow. That was a great game, with a somewhat daunting control scheme, to play. I was in first a couple of times, but I took my losses with everyone else. I'm looking forward to seeing it next year. Perhaps I may even purchase it. . . who knows. Winning VIP. The only thing I can possibly attribute that one to was the fact the other competitors in the lead did not come up to the stage. Caro was beside herself as to whether or not to come up. I tried to get her to come up. My wife was encouraging her. Thanks to everyone who voted for me. Caro, I voted for you. Shirts, shirts, shirts. I think I have a new wardrobe. With all of the After Hours shirts we got, and the other wearables I received, I can now probably wear a different shirt every day of the work week. The GS Staff hooked me up with some Guitar Hero II pins. I'll gladly share them with the Union, I'm just going to have to find a good way of doing that. I'll provide more later. Hopefully within the next couple of days I can upload some video blogs about After Hours.
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