Xbox Fanatics

 

I was in Game today pre-ordering Crackdown 2 and there was about six people in the queue in front of me. Every single one of them, was putting deposits down for the new Xbox 360 Slim. This isn’t necessarily an odd occurance, it’s just that every single one of them was trading in all their old Xboxes to pay for it, and only getting a third of the asking price of the new one. This one guy was trading in an original 360, two controllers AND 19 games in order to pay for it. “These are all my games!” he said laughing. What the hell is he expecting to play on the damn thing when he gets it?

It made me realise that with Xbox Live, Xbox exclusives like Halo and new stuff like the Xbox 360 Slim,  Microsoft has created a devout following of gamers. Literally. Xbox is a cult, a cult of fanatics. The kind of people who queue up to buy Halo Wars, and who have never missed a payment of Xbox Live since it’s release. The worst thing is the fanboyism. Like it or not, Xbox owners are the worst kind of gamers (second only to those who make those kind of comments… like me). They’ll argue to high heaven about how Gears of War is so much better than LittleBigPlanet even though they’re two completely different formulas, and PS3 owners don’t even try to retaliate, even though I know you will do so with humour , because they will point their fingers and call you a fag.

Personally I like to act as a middleman.

And argue with myself.

Ramblog

You know what I haven’t done in ages? A blog where I just ramble on about what I’ve been doing. ‘Suppose I haven’t really had much to ramble about lately.

So, most importantly my PS3 broke today. Disc readers just gone, and it’s going to cost me £130 to get it replaced. £130, which I don’t have. So that’s me PS3 less for a few months. May as well get used to playing on my Xbox. Maybe I’ll even get round to finished Mass Effect! Who knows.

Bought Timesplitters the other day and haven’t had a chance to play it yet, so me and Emma decided it was about time to give it a go so we booted it up on Co-Op. The music was funky, the levels were simple but surprisingly VERY fun and the graphics weren’t really THAT bad. So we played through the campaign and… erm… finished it in half an hour. In all honesty, some of the levels took under a minute to complete. It was… ridiculous. Still, we had fun and I only payed £2 for it overall so it wasn’t too much of a loss. I was gutted that there was no arcade league on it though. I mean, what’s that all about?

And finally, my lovely girlfriend has actually started her own blog about being a girl gamer.  Now, you’ll get our Timesplitters from two sources. It’s like two commentators. One talks about the graphics, the other talks about the waists. Make sure to check her out here, and trust me you’re in for a treat.

Aww , Come on Sony. Don't Be Like That.

"Sony is considering offering a premium PlayStation Network subscription in the future," the survey says. "The subscription offering would provide new premium features you could choose to pay for and are in addition to the features currently available for free such as access to online multiplayer gaming (current features would remain free)."

Premium users would also have access to Cloud Storage Space for Games, which would allow players to save their game online rather than on their hard disk, loyalty reward programs, automatic updates, member-exclusive Facebook Connectivity, an online music service and music video service, Hulu TV catch-ups, member-only game content, discounts, demo-sharing (sharing exclusive member-only demos from your full games with friends), and Netflix without a disc.

The chart on this page details four potential plans; three costing $69.99 a year or $9.99 a month and one running $4.99 a month and $29.99 a year."

*clears throat*

Nyrehhhh. NYREHHH. Does this mean I'm going to have to pay TWO subscriptions Sony? Does it?

Because unfortunately, It's going to be the Xbox I'll pay for. Not out of spite, but because I prefer playing online on that one. Yet now I'm going to be left out of the SOny camp because of this. Also, you're giving loyalty awards only to paying customers?

*sighs*

... But.... I mean.... What?

"It's all fun and games until the battery dies, Unlike its competitors, which use replaceable AA batteries, the PS3's remote control is glued shut. When the battery goes, Sony customers have to blow $55 on a new controller."

._.

That's from a Christmas gaming guide by Yahoo.com. Yahoo said that for God's sake!

What are these people? Simpletons??!?!

New Resi 5 Stuff and Ps3 Update!

New Resi 5 DLC looks sweeeeet. Back to the Mansion. I'm looking forward to it already! I should really get round to playing Resi 5 again...

Also, the new PS3 update came out. Facebook features are a pleasant addition. The fact that my card got denied so I couldn't get Metal Gear Solid is just typical.

It's The Revolution!

Is it just me, or has the PS3 just sky rocketed in popularity since the launch of the slim? I remember reading somewhere that it's had something like a 200% increase in sales in the past few weeks, and that the BBC has claimed that 10% of all iPlayer users are now PS3 users as well as major publishers reporting a massive increase in sales for the system.

Now, I'd like to sit here and brag about how the PS3 is finally going to "Win the console war" and then there'll be a parade or something, but there's a more reasonable point to be considered.

I just think Sony have altered the price at the right time.

Let's face it, who doesn't have a Xbox these days? Pretty much everyone who just wants a games console goes for the Xbox, because it's cheaper and let's face it, everyone has one. Now however, with the Playstation offering a wider variety of games and applications, and with a brand new cheaper price tag it's looking more accessible then ever. It's all been about timing, and with Christmas coming up and the Xbox gouing through a bit of a dry spell for exclusives Sony couldn't have done this at a better time.

Or, it could just be because the Playstation's better. But I wouldn't be one to comment.

Playstation Slim

Initial opinion:

Good lord is that a Playstation? Looks like someone sat on the damn thing and then got a five year old to redesign the logo. It has no additional features, is EXACTLY the same bar some techno - Eco friendly bullshit that means that your saving the planet but who really gives a toss and is only good for those with smaller TV stands and Sony fan boys who'll buy it regardless of the fact they own all the original models ever produced.

On second thoughts:

Well... it is... sort of... nice... looking...? Actually no, fuck it. It's still ugly, still has no PS2 playback and still costs too much :(

Although....

It does look more.... new?

Categories Reveal Interesting (And Rather Scary) Results

I got up early this morning, and as I was getting ready I was having a look at my Game collection. As Christmas is getting near (9 Days! Sorry, had to mention it somewhere) I was thinking of the games I was getting and I came up with a rather odd conclusion. I only have 7 PS3 games at the moment, but all 7 of them involve Guns. In fact, LittleBigPlanet is the only game I’m getting this Christmas that doesn't have guns in it…

 

When I came in tonight, I was having a look at my other collections and realised the same thing was present. Being the sad boy I am, I categorized all my gaming collection by console. The results offer a vague insight into not only what Games I’m interested in, but basically an insight into what Games are primarily present on consoles (Or at least, what key themes run throughout)

PS3

Out of the 7 games I own, 2 are First Person Shooters, 5 are Third Person Shooters, 1 is a Free Roaming Game and all 7 involve guns. But it is the PS3, so it is aiming at a more adult audience.

 

Wii

Out of the 19 games on my shelf (My sister plays with them more than me, so God knows where most have them gone), only 4 contain realistic guns (I didn’t count Eledees or Metroid 3), 3 of which are First Person Shooters, 2 are “Sports” titles, 2 are Fighters (Smash Bros and Mortal Kombat), 7  are party games (Wii Play being the most obvious), 1 is a Rhythm Game and 2 are adventure games.

 

This surprised me actually, as I realised just how tame the Wii is. Compared to my Gamecube, where titles such as Resident Evil 0, Killer 7 and Eternal Darkness were always present it’s quite a shock to see Nintendo reduced to this level. Well, I already knew that but what really surprised me was that I own a lot of titles I would never have bought normally. It’s quite worrying.

 

That’s all I looked at, I did look at PC but it’s all FPS’s and MMO’s  (and one I decided to class as a “Racing, Music, Puzzle Thing”)

 

A bit of a sad blog post I know, but I was interested in the stark differences between my collection. It’s rather odd.

 

Just me? Fair enough

A Dream Come True!

Bioshock Challange Rooms

This is probably the first time I’ve ever been genuinely shocked by a Playstation store update since I bought my PS3. Additional Bioshock content? *Swoons*

 

Oh they look so purty. They don’t try to create a new story, it’s just additional challenges for you to try and complete. There probably overpriced at over £6 but who cares! There beautifully created. You can believe that they’d be present in Rapture. One of the flaws of Bioshock was that you didn’t get to explore Rapture enough as you wanted to. This additional content lets you see that little bit more!

 

Now I need to get Bioshock on PS3….

A Intriguing Accusation

If the Ps3 has taught me one thing, it's this. Controllers don't need rumble. At all. Ever. Honestly.

There was a time when I mocked the Sixaxis's lack of force feedback. I literally bent over double, crying with laughter. Each guffaw filled with mockery. Now, I couldn't care less. It's actually quite nice. Now my hands are silky smooth (because rumble controllers make your skin flaky. You heard it here first) thanks to Sony. God bless Japan!

Always a believer

I never thought online games could work on consoles. 

Yes I know what your thinking. Of course they can. With the possibilites of the internet today, online gaming is the norm. If a game dosn't have online features, it's often shunned from the publics eye. But up until four weeks ago, I didn't believe it could happen. 

You see I'm a PC gamer at heart. I played Team Fortress 2, Half Life 2 Deathmatch and Unreal Tournament online and considered it the closest thing you can have to a religious experience without seeing Jesus. I honestly thought that those "console" types would never know an experience like this, with those "Controllers" I thought It would be too slow. 

I was an idiot, basically. 

Then one day, I saw the light. I played Call Of Duty 4  on a mates Xbox and fell in love. The matchmaking! The gameplay! The stunning HD graphics! The controller! 

So I got a PS3 a month ago, with a copy of COD4 and well.... I'm in love. I really am. You see, there are  main differences between console gaming and PC gaming. With PC gaming you step into a world of the hardcore and often hit the gorund running. It's confusing, especially on VALVE games. I remeber trying to play Counter Strike Source when I first got Half Life 2, and ended up joining server consisting of God and his associates. I got my arse wupped, and consequently didn't return. Ever. 

With COD 4 though (and pretty much every Online game I've played so far on Consoles) it's all down to matchmaking. Oh so your a noob? Cool, well here's 8 other noobs to play with. Your a cyborg anteater with controllers for limbs? Well here's a badger with teething problems, an elephant that kills and a 14 year old boy from alabama with a headset. Enjoy.

So yea. I thought this would be a good starting post :p Every day, a different rant. A stroke of genious. A youtube video. A picture of mario eating a bagel. As long as it's game related, I'll talk about it.