More Microsoft Woes…

OK, so continuing on my previous post regarding my cousin’s Xbox 360 repair debacle, I got some things clarified from him.

What I thought originally was that Microsoft had sent him a different consoles (a broken one) than the one he mailed to them.  That would’ve made it Microsoft’s problem.  Turns out, Microsoft told him that when they received the console, it was already missing the faceplate and the serial number was different than the one that he registered.  Which leads me to believe that something happened on the UPS end (like someone stealing 360’s).

Once Microsoft received my cousin’s 360 (which, if my suspicions are correct, technically wasn’t even his) they promptly sent it back, along with a letter.

This is what he got the in mail earlier this week:

What’s really amusing is the letter.  It’s in Spanish.  We haven’t bothered to get it translated yet, but maybe I will.

Microsoft Refuses to Repair Broken Console

I have an issue with Microsoft that I’m hoping someone can help me with. Well, specifically, it’s with a relative of mine that had his Xbox 360 Elite unit repaired.

He purchased an Elite at Radio Shack with an extended warranty. A few weeks ago, the Elite started messing up; I believe it was a ‘No Picture’ issue. After determining it wasn’t the HDMI cable, he decided it was time to call it in and have it repaired. Radio Shack tells him that since the system is still covered by Microsoft’s warranty, he should send it to them first. He did.

A couple of weeks later, he receives the console back. He turns it on, and it runs fine for a few days. Then it Red Ring’d. Frustrated, he contacts Microsoft and sets up another repair with them. The system goes off and then a few days ago he gets word that the console is repaired and is on a UPS truck back to his place.

He received the unit today and, surprise, surprise, it’s broken. Not even remotely fixed. Sucks, too, because of course MW2 just came out and we’ve been talking about it for the past couple of days, buying in to all the hype. So, he contacts Microsoft to complain and set up another repair. They ask for the usual (model, serial, etc), but there’s a problem.

The serial number on the console he got today doesn’t match the one that was sent out previously. He was never notified that the system had changed (all he was told was that his original system had been repaired and was being sent back. Because of the discrepancy, Microsoft is refusing to repair the system and Radio Shack won’t touch it because it’s still, technically, covered by Microsoft.

Anyway, I just thought I’d put this story out there to see if anyone else has had this problem, and to see if anyone had a suggestions as to how to fix this.

Teaser Posters for ‘Prince of Persia’ Movie

Um… I’m not entirely sure these are legit. Mike Newell is directing the film, and his name isn’t listed anywhere on the posters, someone else’s name is. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal is in the title role, his name is also missing.

clipped from www.joystiq.com Posted after the jump are two completely surprising pieces of advertising imagery — movie posters for the Bruckheimer/Gyllenhaal joint, Prince of Persia. Why “surprising?” Because they look completely and utterly fantastic. Yeah, we know. We were just as surprised as you. Don’t get it twisted — the movie won’t be good. It can’t be good. However, its advertising looks very professional, its font choice is delightfully non-cheesy, and its Prince looks very Princely. That’s an achievement in and of itself. Check out both posters after the jump.

The (Good?) Old Days of the Cartridge

This article from Bitmob got me thinking about the old days (ie 1990’s) of gaming.  Remember cartridges?  Those clunky, boxy devices that used to hold entire games?  I do.  Unfortunately, the cartridge format has gotten a bad rep for being small in storage space, expensive to manufacture, and too cumbersome to carry around.  All are valid strikes against it.

But, it has a few pluses over the disc format.

I honestly never had a problem with them.  Meaning, they stood up to some crazy abuse.  Here’s an excerpt from a forum post I left at Bitmob:

Sometime in elementary school (maybe it was 5th grade, too), a friend found a Mortal Kombat SNES cart sitting in his desk. It was probably left there by some kid from a previous class session. Instead of keeping it himself, he decided we should try and mess it up by scratching up the connector piece that protrudes from the space at the bottom. We took pens, pencils, scissors, anything and just ran it along the inside of the cart. A few days later, he grew tired to this and just gave it to me. I took it home, popped it in, and surprisingly it still worked.

Some years later, I did the same thing to a copy of Super Mario Kart 64 another friend had found in his backyard. After attempting to destroy it, I put it in my N64 and that, too, still worked.

In comparison, I recently discovered my copy of Mass Effect was rendered almost unreadable because I left it sitting on my desk, cover-side up, with nothing to protect the disc’s surface from my (supposedly) clean desk surface. It’s a reminder of how fragile the disc medium is.

Yet another friend of mine told me of a time his younger brother attempted to flush a bunch of NES carts down a toilet from some reason.  From what I understand, those games still work.

Discs require special treatment.  I can’t just toss a disc in my bag and take it with me someplace, I need to have a special case to carry it in, lest the readable side gets all scratched up.  Sure, most adult gamers remember blowing into the bottom of cartridges to get them to work sometimes, but from my own experience, that’s all it took.  These days, I’ve had to do the toothpaste method of cleaning scratched discs that got that way by accidentally being slid a few inches across my desk.

The cart itself is your memory card.  You don’t have to worry about running out of memory space to save a game; the cart automatically comes with enough to save your progress.  Yes, I know, there’s a downside to this: you lose the game, you lose your save.  The N64 had a somewhat cumbersome workaround for this which required a secondary memory card in addition to the save capabilities of the game cart itself.  But, for the most part, it worked.

Another thing: when the PlayStation came out, it had slots for memory cards, which were required to do any game saving.  The problem, and I know this is a minor issue, was that if the card was corrupted, chances are all the files will be affected.  I remember playing the original Driver for the PS1 and getting pretty far into it, only to have the save file corrupted somehow.  A day or so later, none of my saves from any of my games on that particular card would load.  Needless to say, I never finished Driver.

Anyone that owned an original PSP, or even the newer models, will attest to some long load times.  Kinda defeats the purpose of a portable gaming system if you have to spend half your commute waiting for the damn thing to load.  Nintendo’s venerable DS/DSi handheld, while technologically inferior to the PSP, has a major advantage in significantly reduced or completely eliminated load times.  I wouldn’t even think of bringing my PSP with me for the 30 minute commute to school (the PSP is actually collecting dust in a drawer somewhere in the house).

Now, I’m not poo pooing all over the disc format (that is an argument reserved for an internet forum back in 1997).  I understand the pros and cons and why the industry has moved toward this medium.  I also don’t think the industry should go back to it (with the exception of handhelds; if portable gaming needs a physical medium before completely jumping to digital distribution, let it be the cartridge).  I just think us gamers should have at least a modicum of respect for the format that brought us some of the greatest gaming experiences ever.

On a side note: I remember overhearing a younger gamer talking about ‘old school gaming’ as being the PS1 era.

*Sigh*

Young people . . .

(images from The Old School Game Vault, Amazon.com, eHow.com)

Review: “EA Sports Active”

Attempting to cash in on the Wii Fit craze, Electronic Arts released its own gym-in-a-game, EA Sports Active, a couple of weeks ago.  Having spent that time with the game, working out about 4 times a week, I feel comfortable enough to give my own opinion. Right off the bat, I can say that if you want to get chiseled biceps and rock-hard abs, this is not the game for you.  In fact, there probably isn’t a game out there, you just need to get your ass to a gym and start lifting weights.  But, if you’re like me and just want to lose a few pounds without having to pay for a monthly gym membership, EA Sports Active might be up your alley.

I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with Wii Fit, so I’m not here to compare the two in all aspects.  What I can say is that, after an hour with Active, I was sweating harder than I did with my few hours of Wii Fit.  It’s due to the amount of cardio exercises built into the game: you run, jump, lunge, play rudimentary versions of popular sports, all within a carefully programmed set of workouts designed to make you ‘have fun’ while getting your heart going and your muscles burning.  The game starts you off by inputing certain information like weight and height, then moves on to select your workout program.  I chose the 30 Day Challenge, which is designed to help you lose weight by following a set of workouts over the course of 30 days, with about  4-5 workouts a week.  To assist you in the challenge, the game comes with a leg strap for the Wii Nunchuck and a resistance band for some light resistance training.

Here’s my where issues come in.  I watches all the introductory videos, and even some other videos online where someone, like a personal trainer, demonstrates how to use the strap.  The very first workout I did, I was already experiencing issues.  The damn strap just wouldn’t stay on!  However, I realized this may have been due to the material my workout shorts were made out of, and since then I haven’t experience nearly the same amount of frustration as I did that first day.  BUT, I have yet to do a workout where the strap wasn’t slowly sliding off my leg at least once.  If you strap it too tight, you cut off circulation to your leg, and too loose, well, then it’ll fall off.  What EA should’ve done was make some kind of leg strap/belt combo that would keep the strap from falling off entirely while still allowing you a pouch to place the Nunchuck for some of the workouts.

Also, and this may be a fault of the hardware more so than the software, but the game has some issues when reading the movements of the controllers with a select few exercises.  For example, my least favorite exercise are the kick-ups, which is like running, by instead you kick you heels back and up towards your butt.  Think of how cheerleaders prance and run around all peppy during a performance.  The game sometimes requires you to do these slowly on a virtual track, which works just fine.  Then  it may speed it up, asking you to move at a faster pace, at which point the game fails to recognize my movements and tells me I’m doing it too slowly.  I’m damn near running by now and the game’s trainer (your choice of a male or female) is telling me I’m moving to slow!  I’ve gotten so fed up with this exercise that every time it comes up, I whole the controllers in my hand and just swing them around while I do the exercise properly.

Now, the Wiimote and Nunchuck already pose a problem: the cord that tethers the two devices together.  Many of the exercises require you to raise the controls near or above your head.  These usually involve me hitting myself in the face with he cord.  I know there are wireless Nunchucks you can by, and I’m tempted to get one just to use with this game, but using the stock controllers causes some annoyance because of that damn cord.

I’ve also heard reports of the resistance band breaking after only a few uses; I can’t attest to this as my band hasn’t broken yet.  The band itself does an admirable job of mimicking weights, but for some you might want to go ahead and get a tighter band, or find some way to use real weights as the pack-in band may not be enough.  Oh, and some of the exercises are really lame, like the dancing.  I also didn’t get a chance to try out the game with the Balance Board, as I don’t own one,  but I’m sure many of the exercises might be improved when used with this peripheral.

Here’s what I do like about the game: you sweat.  Personally, I don’t feel like I’m getting a workout unless I’m sweating profusely, and this game will make you sweat.  Even on the ‘light intensity’ mode you’ll probably workout up a light sweat by the end.  Also, the varied exercises keep things fun, for the most part, until EA releases the just-announced expansion.  The shoulder workouts really work your shoulders and I can tell that by the end fo the 30 days, I’m going to see results.  Not to sound like a press release, but this game really is made for people looking to fit in a quick workout if they can’t get to the gym.  You get a nice, basic workout (minus any ab exercises) that gets your heart rate up and your muscles burning.  Also, the including journal, which helps track your sugar intake, sleep, food, etc. does a decent job at accountability, making sure that you’re getting rest and a decent diet alongside the workouts.

Another thing to keep in mind: the game advertises that you can get a good workout in 30 minutes a day.  The exercises themselves run about 30 minutes or less (you can set them for any time up to an hour), but expect to be running the game for anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour on every session.  This is due to the (optional) videos and short breaks as the game is prepping you for the next exercise.  But, there is a timer that monitors how long you play, and each workout generally runs at about half an hour of actual exercising.

EA Sports Active is another step in the right direction for the burgeoning workout-at-home market of the video game industry.  While many ‘hardcore’ gamers dismiss these games as silly, you have to look at it from the point of view of the game’s target audience: adults with families that may not have time or money to invest in a gym membership.  If that’s the case, this game is for you.  Keep in mind that the game isn’t without its issues, but the workouts, coupled with a healthy diet, should provide results in the end.

7.5/10

Electronic Gaming Monthly Rises from the Dead

Wow, I honestly thought I’d never see the magazine again. As soon as they make it official, I’m re-subscribing. LONG LIVE SUSHI-X!

clipped from www.egmnow.com BEVERLY HILLS, CA, May 29, 2009 — Steve Harris, founder of “Electronic Gaming Monthly” magazine, announced today that he has entered into an agreement with Ziff Davis Media to re-acquire certain assets, including trademarks and publishing rights, with plans to re-launch EGM in the second half of 2009. “The re-launch of Electronic Gaming Monthly represents a welcome opportunity to continue delivering quality content to gaming enthusiasts,” said Harris. “I feel honored to once again be associated with this respected magazine. The talented writers and designers who built upon EGM’s original vision have left behind a publication that is uniquely positioned to be successful.” Additional details and future announcements will be made during the upcoming E3 expo and posted on the magazine’s official website at www.EGMNOW.com or via the official EGM Twitter account at www.twitter.com/EGMNOW .

Revew: “House of the Dead: Overkill”

When the Wii was first announced, a crazy concept video was released to show what the Wii could be capable of.  There was lots of jumping around and aiming at the screen, and although there have been a few lightgun-style games released already, not too many have been worth writing about.

Sega and Headstrong Games have rectified this with the release of House of the Dead: Overkill.  Done in a 70’s grindhouse style, Overkill is way over-the-top in terms of presentation and style.  The entire game is done with a filter of film grain, as well as 70’s style music, tons of swearing, gore, and plenty of multiplayer options.  In short, a fantastic game that may unfairly be overlooked by the hardcore Wii crowd.

They'll rip your muthaf***ing balls off

The single-player game is good, but short.  You can breeze through the game in an afternoon, as with most lightgun games.  Where this game is really at is co-op.  Grab a friend, and a second Wiimote, and blast away zombies (er…’mutants’ as they are called here) until the cows come home.  My girlfriend and I blasted our way through the inital story in about 3 hours.  That opens up a Director’s Cut mode that features the same levels, albeit longer and slightly more challenging.  Also, each mission is available with a ‘More Mutants’ mode, that adds, well, more mutants.

There’s also upgrade options for the weapons, allowing you to purchase different guns and upgrade stats like reload time, increased clip size, firing rate, etc.  Scattered throughout the levels are brains which unlock bonus stuff like concept art, posters, music tracks, etc.

One of the most addictive elements of the game is the ability to pull off combos.  All this means is being able to kill mutants without missing.  You don’t have to kill in one shot, just not miss whenever you fire. If you string enough combos together, you activate ‘Goregasm Mode’, which doesn’t really do anything except enhance your score, but a bigger score means more money for upgrades.

One of my few complaints about the game is, when playing in co-op, the aiming reticles look very similar.  One has two circles, another has one.  I think different shapes or colors would’ve been more efficient, like Player 1 having a red circle, and Player 2 using a green triangle.  Also, the mutants occasionally have the tendency to ‘glitch’ and screw with your combos.  For example, you shoot a mutant and he’s still standing.  You fire again, but the mutant now magically appears on the ground and you ‘miss’ and mess up your combo.

I wish the game were a bit cheaper.  $50 is a lot to ask for a game that you can beat in a day, even with the extra modes.  $40 is a better price point, but for those only mildly interest, rent it and make sure you play the game in co-op.  Overall, it’s a very well-packaged game with style, humor, and gameplay to back it all up.  Recommended for lightgun fans who miss playing these games at the arcade.

8.5/10

Ju-On: The Game Coming to Wii

The recently-released trailer for the upcoming first-person horror game has been quickly making the rounds around the Net.  It looks good, and hopefully will play just as good.  I’m always up for a good scare-me-till-I-cry game (haven’t been scared of a game since Silent Hill).

Konami Axes “Six Days”

I’m honestly not surprised this happened, and I’m sure this was a possibility that ran through the brains of many Konami execs. The question now is, will a new publisher be sought out?

clipped from videogames.yahoo.com Mere weeks after its unveiling, contentious war game “Six Days in Fallujah” has reportedly been abandoned by game publisher, Konami. “After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it,” a Konami PR rep told Asahi.com. “We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.” Revealed to the press earlier this month, “Six Days in Fallujah” focuses on the Second Battle of Fallujah, a grim 2004 conflict that claimed the lives of over 2,000 civilians, soldiers, and insurgents. Despite (or perhaps due to) the game’s authentic bend, military veterans, peace groups and bereaved families immediately condemned the title for its touchy subject matter, claiming it was both insensitive and tasteless. “Six Days” developer, Atomic Games, has yet to announce if it will continue to pursue the game’s release.

‘Bioshock’ Budget Balloons, Movie On Hold

Well, good luck to them. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the last ‘Pirates’ movie, I think one of its problems was that the visuals got in the way of (what there was of) a story. And it’s probably a good thing they got a new director for ‘Pirates 4′, giving Verbinksi time to really focus on ‘Bioshock’.

clipped from www.variety.com Universal Pictures has put the brakes on “Bioshock,” the Gore Verbinski-directed live action adaptation of the bestselling Take-Two Interactive vidgame. Sources said that the John Logan-scripted picture was gearing up to shoot in Los Angeles, but that changed when the budget rose to the vicinity of $160 million. U and Verbinski are looking at alternatives like shooting in London as a way to pare costs. “We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit,” Verbinski said. “We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do. In the meantime, the film is in a holding pattern.” Verbinski and sources at the studio say they are determined to make the pic. All parties vow that “Bioshock” will not become another “Halo,” the live action adaptation of the Microsoft game that was going to be turned into a film by U and Fox until both studios got cold feet and cancelled the deal over budget fears.