Free MS points! Gotta love that

Looks like the crew over at Microsoft kinda messed up in regards to the GTA 4 pre-order arrangement. The deal was that if you pre-ordered you got 500 MS points when you picked up your game, which most of us got. The problem was that the points that were given out had an expiry date on them (I believe it was June 30), so a lot of people didn't get to spend them (it was only by chance that I was on the MS billing web site and saw mine were going to expire so I went and spent up on a couple of arcade games). Then over the last couple of weeks I have been hearing stories of people getting 500 points from the good people at MS, and everyone was happy - and even happier were the people that already spent those 500 points and still got another lot of 500! I was quite happy to fall into this category, as I got my additional 500 points yesterday ... now I just gotta figure out what to spend them on, I already have too many arcade games that I don't play!

8 guys + 3 Xbox 360's + Plenty of KFC = Good times for all

Yea the title fairly well sums up what I did with my Saturday night, I attended a LAN night with a couple of guys I work with and some of their mates and it was great fun. We started out with some Halo 3, had some GRAW 2 in there, a bit of Guitar Hero 2 & 3, before finishing up with a bit more Halo 3. We also had a bit of a go with Mario Kart on the Wii which was interesting - I didn't fair too well with that, but I think that's because Mario Kart just doesn't feel like Mario Kart to me without the N64 controller :-)

All in all I did OK. I was one of the better in the group at Halo (still no where near the best though), I kinda sucked at GRAW 2 multi-player though, and I ripped up Guitar Hero (having said that I had played it much, much more than anyone else :-P).

Anyway it was fun, looking forward to doing it again sometime!

Features-a-plenty for next 360 update

With E3 now winding down, I figured I should hurry up and get a post about this one up - the next system update for the 360. This one is going to be the biggest update the console has seen, here is a run down of some of the cooler things going into it:

• A full re-make of the dashboard. It will have a new 3D look to it, as well as new easier ways to get to your content, as well as content available through Xbox live
• Avatars - Microsoft's answer to the Mii - now you can create a little person and dress them up and make them look however you want, and this will go with your gamercard - not sure if this will replace the gamer pic, but we will see.
• Full game installs on your HDD - You will be able to install a 360 title on to the HDD of your console and run it from there. The disc will need to be in the tray still (to make sure you haven't just hired a game, ripped it and returned it) but this means your 360's disc drive will last longer, and loading times will drop massively
• You will have access to the marketplace from the web - and if your console is turned on it will download straight to it. This means you can download game content or a movie while you are at work, so it is ready to go when you get home.
• The blade system is now incorporated into the guide - so the new dashboard doesn't get rid of it all together. Now when you hit the guide button you will get a small window that gives you all the same functionality you have on the current dashboard.
• A new LIVE party system - you can group together with up to 8 people and have that group persist through everything you do on your Xbox, from a game, to the dashboard, to watching a movie - you will be in constant contact with your party, no matter what you are doing. Great for a gaming night with a few games on the menu, no more having to find each other in the new game again.
• Xbox Live Primetime is a new type of game being added - think like gameshows (the first will be 1 vs 100) that you can play on your console, with other gamers all interacting in it with you and real prizes up for grabs. So you will see what time each game is on for, and can join in - looks very cool.
• Some new display modes have been addes, like support for 16x10 over VGA and HDMI.

And this is just the beginning we are told - stay tuned for more news closer to the release of the update, which should be in a couple of months.

360 gets a price cut down under

Well it finally happened, the Xbox 360 has taken a price cut in Australia (not quite as big as the rumours were leading us to believe, but still not a bad effort). Here are the new RRP prices:

• Xbox 360 Arcade - $349 (down $50)
• Xbox 360 Premium - $499 (down $80)
• Xbox 360 Elite - $649 (down $80)

This makes the important move of putting a console price below that of the Nintendo Wii, which could prove to be an important selling point coming into the holiday season (especially if the Wii sells out again which, lets face it, is a real possibility - those things walk themselves off the shelves). Also the Elite is now running in at the same price as the bottom level PS3

Of course if you were thinking that would be the end then you might be in for a shock - I don't think that Nintendo or Sony will let this one go unanswered into the holiday season - I would expect to hear similar announcements from both camps before the Christmas shopping spree begins! Watch this space gamers.

"Sequels are in" - GoW 2 and Saints Row 2 videos

Over the weekend a couple of very cool videos got released with some exclusive footage fo two of this years biggest sequels - Gears of War 2 and Saints Row 2 (if only there  was a decent Fable 2 video this weekend, it would have made one hell of a hat-trick, but I digress).

First of all, the Gears video was all about the new multiplayer stuff in the game this time round, and it looks fantastic! (Sorry about the crappy ads in this one though)

Online Videos by Veoh.com

The second video is for Saints Row 2 - which I have to admit with all the hype of GTA 4 I had kinda thought "meh" about this game, but having finished the first one and then to see where the story line is being taken with this one, you really do just wanna go and get it because it looks awesome!

New DRM tool makes it debut

Well it looks like the rumours on this one were true, MS have just released a new tool that will let you transfer the licenses for all your downloaded content from one console to another. So if you fell victim to the RROD or had to get a new console for some other reason, then this is definitely something you need to check out.

For those who don't know, DRM (digital right management) is a way of locking your downloaded content to the console and gamertag that you downloaded it with. So this means that anyone who signs on to the console it was downloaded to can use it, or the gamertag that downloaded it can use it on any console, as long as they are signed in to Xbox Live. This meant that if you got a new console, only your gamertag could use the arcade games etc. that you downloaded (any other profiles on the console would just see the trial versions) and you had to be signed in to do it.

Now with the help of this tool, you can transfer the licenses to your new console. There are a couple of catches - the main one is that you can only do it once every 12 months. Also you can't transfer licenses for movie rentals (not that we have the video marketplace here in Australia, so I don'e care about that one). And lastly (and this is an important one if you are outside the US) to get to the tool on xbox.com if you are not in the US, go to https://live.xbox.com/signup/UIPStartPage.aspx?appid=ConsoleLicenseTransfer instead of www.xbox.com/drm, otherwise you will get a page not found error (Found this fix in the comments about the tool on Major Nelsons blog, Litheon posted it).

For more information, check out the FAQ on Xbox.com (use the link above) or Major Nelson's blog.

My new PC

I recently got into playing some Halo 2 on my PC, and quite quickly discovered that my PC was not exactly up to scratch on the gaming front. So with my birthday being yesterday, my other half and her family put in to buy me all the parts I needed to build a new PC! I am so happy with it too, this thing just flies! Here is a run down of the specs:

• AMD Phenom x4 9500 CPU (Quad core 2.2GHz)
• 4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM
• Gigabyte GA-MA770-DS3 motherboard (AMD 770 chipset)
• Sapphire ATI HD 3850 512MB video card
• 2x Samsung 500GB SATA2 hard disks
• 2x Leadtek DTV1000T digital TV tuners
• Antec Sonata III case with 500w power supply
• Pioneer 20x DVD burner with lightscribe

I did a 3D Mark 06 test on it yesterday, while it was streaming live TV to my Xbox and it scored 7600 or so, I'll do another test when its not wasting resources on TV to see how it goes!

World of Wifecraft

Saw this video recently and I had to share it - if you are a WoW player and you are in a relationship, you have gotta watch this!

Sitting on top of the world

For those who don't know, the demo of civilisation revolution was put up on the Xbox Live Marketplace yesterday, and my first impression is "wow".

The game has been changed pretty dramatically from previous civ games, but at the same time it is very much the same. The biggest difference is in the speed of the game - no more games that last you weeks in this one, I reckon you could get through an average size game in a few hours. This is a good thing in my opinion, and will help the game be adopted well on the consoles (I suspect PC gamers might feel a little ripped off though).

The visuals have been changed to reflect a more cartoon-ish look, which isn't at all out of place as it is done well. The demo plays incredibly well, so if you can spare the 1.25GB of space on your hard drive it is well worth checking out.

Xbox live port forwarding

I'm posting this just because I'm sick of using Google to find it every time I go looking for it. If you test your Xbox Live connection on your 360 and the NAT status is "moderate" or "strict" this means you need to forward some ports in your router to your Xbox. You will need to get the exact instructions for forwarding ports from your router's manufacturer, but here is this gist of the whole process:

1. Assign your Xbox a fixed IP address on your network (like 192.168.1.10)
2. Log in to your router, and look for the port forwarding section
3. Forward these ports to the IP address you assigned the Xbox in step 1:
1. TCP 88
2. UDP 3074
3. TCP 3074

Once this is done, repeat the connection test on your console (best to reboot the console first to be sure everything is reset) and then you should see "open" in the NAT status.

It's also worth noting that you will need an open NAT status to be able to play some games correctly online (Halo 3's match making and I'm pretty sure Gears of War are two that come to mind off the top of my head) so its worth sorting this one out.

More info from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908874.

Nintendo improving the worlds fitness and doing a good job

Nintendo hit a fantastic new market when they released the Wii last year, and now they have added a great new gadget to their line up - the Wii balance board, and the WiiFit game. 

WiiFit uses the new balance board to provide an interactive way to exercise, and I gotta say it does a bloody good job of it. The game will track your weight, let you set goals, and then provide practical advice on how to reach your fitness goals.

The game provides yoga exercises, muscle workouts, aerobic exercises and balance games. Each activity in the game will give you feedback on how you are doing, based on your your distribution of weight across the balance board. Things like holding a yoga pose will let you know how you are doing by tracking your centre of gravity to make sure it stays centred. Or when you are doing rowing squats it will make sure your centre of gravity moves far enough back on each one to ensure you are doing it right. It's like having your own personal trainer of sorts.

Personally I think this is fantastic. It is helping me get my 30 minutes a day of exercise and I enjoy doing it. I usually get in a few minutes of yoga to warm up and stretch, do a few muscle workouts, an aerobic exercise or two and then finish up with some of the fun balance games. This one has breathed some new life into my seldom used Wii, and I think it will help me to keep turning it on at least a few times a week. Top stuff Nintendo.

Dear humanity, we regret being alien bastards ...

... we regret coming to earth, and we most definitely regret the corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet! No matter how often I hear that line, it still brings a smile to my face, and its a moment I just got to relive in a slightly different fashion. If your a big Halo fan like myself (and also a sucker, like myself) then you may have picked yourself up a copy of Halo 2 for Windows Vista, despite owning a copy of Halo 2 for your Xbox. I (finally) now have my piece of crap PC running the game with all the visual settings dialled down, which although it is disappointing, the game still looks respectable (not as nice as the Xbox version, and not as nice as if I had a decent PC as this release had some beefed up graphics, although I can't comment on how it looks).

Rather than talk about how great Halo 2 is though, I thought I would talk about the "Games for Windows" integration in the game. Games for Windows is the desktop extension of Xbox Live. You sign in using the same gamer tag, you still have achievements and gamer score, and you share a unified friends list - pretty cool huh? It definitely starts to bridge the gap between PC and console games, and users who have traditionally stuck to consoles because they fear that using a PC will cause their heads to explode while they try to work it out, may find themselves a lot more comfortable with this set up. To add to the console like set up, the game also supports a nice MS feature called "Tray and Play". This means you can put the DVD into your PC and start playing immediately, no waiting for the game to install. What it will actually do is install the files while you are playing from the disc. Sounds like a nice touch, but given how crap my PC is I waited for the full install before playing the game, so I can't comment on how well it works (or doesn't). Also I don't think this is a mandatory thing for all Games for Windows games, it just happens to be included with this one.

If you have an Xbox controller that you can connect to your PC (either a corded one, or you are using the wireless receiver), then you will feel more at home, with the Xbox Guide button still working as you would expect it to, brining up the PC version of the guide where you access all the same stuff you would expect to see. I can even send messages to and from people on Xbox's which I thought was kinda cool.

My only gripes with all this is that no matter how hard MS (or anyone for that matter) works, they are really pushing the envelope to make PC gaming get to be as streamlined as console gaming (and no I'm not looking to start the PC vs console argument, I know there are pros and cons both ways). For example, when you sign in to Live you get the 'this game needs a patch' message, and it downloads but then throws you out of the game as it runs through a normal setup program. Also, you have to be connected to Live to earn achievements. For those without an Internet connection (they exist somewhere, I'm sure of it) this sucks. Having said that, these really are minor problems I have, and if I had only ever seen Live on a Windows PC then I would be happy enough with how they work.

All in all, the Games for Windows platform is looking pretty solid, and offers a nice cross over for console gaming fans who are looking to use their PCs for something other than email and Facebook. If you see a game that carries the Games for Windows branding, you can be sure that it will have all this, so keep it in mind when you purchase your PC games.

Gears of War 2 Gameplay Trailer

This one got announced a week or two ago, but I thought I would share my thoughts on it - Gears of War 2. Epic revealed the title officially with this gameplay footage.

So, straight up let me say this - wow. I mean really, wow. If you can get a higher resolution copy of this video, then do it (its on the Xbox Live Marketplace) because the visuals here are stunning. Straight off the bat this shows us some cool things that have been added to the game - my favourite is using a dead enemy as a human (if you can call the locust that) shield. Next the chainsaw duel thing looks to be a nice add in (although I can see my controller being wrecked by insane button bashing!).

Also I have heard there are some big improvements to the multiplayer this time round - and yes, for those of you who hated that when someone was cutting another player up with the chainsaw they were invincible, you will be pleased to know this has been 'addressed' :-)

The story line looks to be solid, following on from where the original GoW leaves off. Basically humanity is even more screwed than they were in the first game, so they do what any species does when it is backed into a corner - it fights its way out. This time we are taking the fight to the locust and I can't wait.

Keep an eye out for this one later this year folks, its gonna be a ripper and a must have for fans of action games.

Settling in to Liberty City

Lately I have been spending a lot of time with my most recent game purchase, GTA 4. Before I got any further, if you do not own this game yet, seriously consider going out and grabbing a copy because this is easily one of the best games out there.

I'm progressing through the game at an alright pace (with the little time I have for gaming lately anyway) and I really am enjoying it. The open ended style game play lets you pick and choose what you feel like doing at the time. For example today I might want to do some missions, tomorrow I'll go and steal some cars, then I could go and socialise with others in the game (which will usually unlock more missions), or even just go for a cruise around the city (which will usually end up with me stealing a fast car and then seeing how many cops I can piss off in the process). The game really does leave you feeling in control of where you want to take it next. I know that previous GTA games have been like this, but GTA 4 take this to a whole new level.

But the thing I like most about this game so far is the attention to detail, lots of little things that show that Rockstar really have put a lot of thought into this game. Like you can put new ringtones and wallpaper on to your phone, which also takes pictures that you can share. Your cars will get dirty after a while, so you can take them to a car wash to get cleaned (always a good idea to have a clean car before you go on a date). Most cars on the street are now locked, so Niko will break into them and hotwire them before he can tear off into the sunset with the new ride. Its just lots of these types of little things that I really find make this game "great". It just feels very polished and finished.

So far the only things that have bugged me are the motorbikes (anyone who has done a mission where you are chasing down someone on a bike trying to shoot them will feel my pain here), they really are hard to ride. And when you drive some of the cars you will feel that there has been a lot of thought go into the way they handle, the bikes though didn't get the same love in my opinion. Also a pet hate of mine is that fact that to sprint we are still button bashing the 'A' button. Why on earth are we doing this when we have a controller with a pretty precise control stick - if you push the stick a little you walk, push it all the way to run. Still these are only minor dents in what is a nearly flawless game.

I'll continue to make posts about cool stuff I find in the game as I progress, but really GTA4 is one of those games that just had me at hello.

Blog re-launch: I'm back!

A while back I let my gaming blog die off, and then when I started my new job replaced it with my SharePoint blog (http://pointstoshare.spaces.live.com for anyone interested). But after a few months of no gaming blog, I found myself with a bit of an empty space to fill - so I've decided, why not do both! So here it is, my new gaming blog. Here I hope to share news on gaming (in particular stuff related to the Xbox 360) as well as some of my opinions and experiences. So stay tuned kiddies, more to come very soon!