Jun/090
Thank you Microsoft! 1 vs. 100 is Crack!
Alarms were set, Agenda’s cleared. I had plans for a sat night and not one of them included going out. Last year Microsoft announced the new Xbox Primetime service. The service would be included for free to all Gold subscribers. After missing my opportunity for the first US beta on June 1st I would not forget this one.
It was 8:45 when I heard that friendly chime coming from my TV. It was the reminder that the game was about to begin. I quickly wrapped up whatever trivial things I was doing on my PC, refilled my Tea, made a quick run to the restroom and kitchen for snacks and began what would be the quickest 3 hours I have ever spent answering trivia questions.
The first round was pretty straight forward. Some chap was picked to be the 1 and 100 people were chosen for the Mob. I was not one of the lucky ones. I was a little skeptical going into this if i would enjoy it or not. As soon as I was informed that I would be part of the crowd I was matched up with 3 other random players. We quickly introduced ourselves and had a nice little chat while the formalities were taking place. I thought to myself. This is it, time to prove myself.
The questions began to roll in and I was on a roll. I was racking up points right and left and constantly at the heels of the top 10 list. It was a few moments later that I was invited into a private party with some of my Friends. The 6 of us were all helping each other out trying to get any one of us into the top 10 as well as yelling uniformly into the headset when the one would miss what we considered an easy question, and thus awarding the entire mob with a prize. Of course because this is just a beta there were no actual prizes.
The questions themselves were not entirely too difficult. But it seemed nearly impossible to get into the top 10. It seems that even half a second could mean all the difference when bidding for the top spot. Personally I’m convinced its the delay using the Wireless controller that Is killing me. Next show I will use the wired controller, after all anything for an edge right?
The interface was very smooth and seeing our avatars interacting with each other was humorous to say the least. There were a few moments where it felt like someone should be talking to us. And the commercials made for an excellent excuse to take a piss.
After the main event we were awarded with another two hours of free-for-all extended play. In extended play mode you compete with the entire crowd and there is no one. Of course your total score, streaks, and other bonuses still carry over and the questions can prove to be pretty difficult.
The only prizes I have seen so far have been dividends of Microsoft Points. These points can be used to buy live arcade games, or in the future full Xbox games. No word yet on if they will incorporate bigger prizes. There is however a sweepstakes. Each question answered gives you an entry into the larger sweepstakes. They are giving away a samsung entertainment system, a Laptop, and I think a Zune. Also, achievement whores should fear not. Each season of primetime games will include unique sets of achievements.
I really think that Microsoft has the right Idea when it comes to the future of gaming. The highest number of players I remember seeing during the extended play was just under 100k players. This number may not seem very large when you compare it to MMO games like world of warcrack. But for a casual primetime game. It’s very impressive. I cannot wait to see what other games Microsoft is planning to unveil for us. I am also curious to see what the future will hold for the game. Right now rumor has it that the game will be Friday and Saturday nights.
All in all I think that the beta alone has proven the game to be a huge hit. If this was/is just a testing ground for future possibilities. I would like to think that the amazingly huge turnout tonight is an indicator that, yes, even hardcore gamers will enjoy the casual-friendly side of things.
*EDIT I was unable to get a recording of our session. But I did stumble across these people who did record the game. This should give you an Idea of what to expect. Our conversations were not much different 
Dec/080
X3 Terran Conflict Review
Set in the endless depth of space X3 Terran conflict is filled with many interesting possibilities. You are given the opportunity to get behind the helm of a space fighter or should you choose to take the slower route, pilot a lumbering freighter. Depending on your temperament you can lead an action packed adventure of dogfighting and survival or nerd it up in a world of exploration and trade. X3 is a dark world filled with with human and alien civilizations each with their own personalities. To make matters worse a deadly technology has once again been unleashed upon the universe.
While the plot itself is fairly cliché the game play is open ended and the environments are gigantic. A powerful artificial intelligence has once again been unleashed onto the galaxy. This action sparks a conflict between those who outlawed the use of artificial intelligence and those who intended to use it. A conflict breaks out between both sides and the people of earth are forced to fight off the artificial intelligence and its creators. This conflict is to be known as the Terran Conflict.
The biggest drawback for the game is the very steep learning curve. Many who are new to the X3 series will constantly find themselves frustrated with the overly complex controls and the volume of information dumped into their laps. However, once you have spent a significant amount of time learning the interface and the mechanics of the engine the game slowly begins to open up.
Most of the ships controls are centralized around the WASD keys and the mouse is used for most all of the combat controls. This is another area that I feel the game really could have improved upon. The keyboard and mouse controls are just horrible by default. While you can spend hours remapping them to your liking it is much easier to just plug in a joystick.
The game itself is essentially a giant sandbox. However in an attempt to add a little more structure you are given the option to choose between a small handful of characters. Each character has his/her own strengths and weaknesses. Beginners to the game will find it a lot easier to play as one of the merchant characters, while those more familiar with the game may choose to play as an assassin or fighter pilot.
Terran Conflict manages to provide a very stunning visual experience for those who have the hardware to handle it. On the highest settings the game is spectacular and very engaging. However, those without the hardware will find the lower settings a little less appealing. Unfortunately even the most powerful system will find itself grinding to a halt as hundreds or thousands of units display on the screen during large firefights or busier areas. Medium settings offer a pretty good balance of performance and detail even on more powerful systems.
Egosofts' X3 saga continues to add to the complexity of space combat simulation games. The game features a very in-depth economic system and plenty of room for exploration and discoveries. The story in the game is mission based so fans of games such as Eve-Online will feel right at home. The attention to detail is staggering and it is obvious to anyone that this series is very much a product of years of dedication and passion from the developers.
Nov/080
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 Review
For those of you who do not know the history behind the Red Alert series, allow me to recap. In the first game, Albert Einstein constructed a time machine so that he could travel back in time to murder Adolf Hitler, and as a result prevented World War II. An unexpected outcome of this action was the battle between the Allied Nations and the USSR, though the end the Allies won and the USSR became a vassal state. In the second game, the USSR is hell-bent on reclaiming its former status. To make a long story short, they fail to do so. The third installment begins as Premier Romanov is captured by the Allies and two of his leading officers decide to use their own version of the Allies time travel technology. They travel back to the 1920's and kill Dr. Einstein, meaning the events of the previous two games never happened. Hitler could not die because Dr. Einstein could not kill him. If World War II were to have gone on as normal without Einstein, there also may not have been an atomic bomb, so it comes as no surprise that the Japanese became the third superpower in the Red Alert universe.
When you begin your campaign you are given the option to play one of three factions. However, the game discourages playing them out of order and doing so will only serve to confuse anyone interested in the story. Once the campaign begins it becomes obvious to anyone who has played Command and Conquer 3 that the tactics and mechanics are for the most part the same. The addition of naval units is by far the games strongest new feature, adding an entire new style of play. There are also more missions where you are forced to work with a limited number of units to achieve a specific goal. While this forces the player to become familiar with each unit and its abilities, it can become a little annoying. Each unit in the game has multiple abilities and you will find yourself creating an endless amount of hot keys to fully utilize them. While Ea has managed to provide several different ways to control the units the controls still feel a little archaic.
Graphically the game is every bit as impressive as Command and Conquer 3. EA has kept true to the bright and colorful nature of the franchise with Red Alert 3. The water is superbly rendered and by far the best that I have seen in any RTS games. The units are brightly colored and easy to differentiate and the explosions, and the missiles and lighting are impressive as well. Graphically speaking, the game sets the bar high for RTS games and likely won’t be surpassed until blizzard unveils Starcraft 2.
Almost all of the story telling in Red Alert 3 is portrayed through live-action cut scenes. EA spared no expense on the actors this time around. The game features a talented cast that includes George Takei, Peter Stormare and Jenny McCarthy. The majority of the male roles are goofy stereotypes of the respective faction, while the female roles seem to only serve one purpose. That’s right: eye candy. That’s not to say that the women are not just as stereotypical as the men, because they are -- they just do it with their shirts slightly unbuttoned.
For fans of the RTS genre Red Alert 3 will keep you coming back. The game is built on a co-op mechanic allowing you to play online with a buddy or with an AI opponent. Also included are the standard Skirmish modes, as well as LAN play. Unfortunately EA dropped the ball when it comes to co-op LAN support. The ability to play through the single player campaign with a friend is limited to the horrible Gamespy interface and was often more of a headache than useful from my experience.
Red Alert 3 features an in-depth story line as well as three unique factions complete with unique abilities. While I am very pleased to see Red Alert make a comeback it does have its flaws. While the game does introduce some new mechanics little has actually changed from Command and Conquer 3. Also with the exclusion of co-op in LAN I can't help but feel that EA rushed this one out the door.
Apr/070
Civilization 4 Review
Everyone has his/her game, For most its shooters, for many others role-playing, and for a brave few it's all about turn based strategy. Civilization 4 is definitely not everyones game. The game is slow paced, and possibly to the average gamer a complete bore fest. I have spent quite a few hours playing shooters, and role playing games, so I thought it was time for a change of pace. What else is there to do but try out the latest Civilization game? I had been hooked on the series since I played CivII on one of my first computers. The gameplay is addicting, and at times utterly frustrating.
For the longest time Civ III held one of the highest honors in my personal favorites list, to me it had reached its pinnacle, so to be honest i was a bit skeptical that civ 4 would do anymore than ruin the series. The graphics have been revamped, and now look silky smooth. Fortunately for the player the game play has not been butchered to any real extent. This is not to say that there aren't some changes in the series, because there are quite a few.
Religion now plays a major part of game play mechanics. It is a useful tool for persuading neighboring civilizations to remain peacefully as well as can benefit trade. Another aspect of the game that has changed is how combat units are utilized. They are primarily the same as in the past games, however, you are now given the chance to promote, or if you will upgrade the units.
Windmills, Water-mills, Lumber Mills, and cottages offer a balance between production, gold, and food. This was simply not possible in Civ III. This adds to the customization of each city, as well as allowing you to Taylor your cities economy how you see fit. Constructive units such as a settler or a worker will no longer take away from the population of the home city, in exchange for the the growth of the city is stopped during production of these units.
Perhaps the most important and largest additions to Civ 4 is Great people, and Culture. This adds a whole new demension to the game play. You have a leader trait that will increase or decrease the birth rate of great people depending on how great of a leader you are. Great people act as a stat modifier to the cities they are housed in, or can be exchanged for hurry production, or other bonuses. The technology tree has been altered slightly allowing you more freedom over technology as it is no longer constricted to ages.
Overall the game focuses on the quality of the cities, not the shear number of cities. The best strategy i have found is to focus on a few cities, as financial wealth is power, and power is success. If you expand to quickly you will find yourself in financial trouble and probably playing catchup most of the game. Having given you a general idea of what the game is like. I think its time for me to put a few more hours into it. I cannot comment on the multi-player, as i have not had a chance to experience it in its full glory. If your a fan of the Civ series, or a turn based strategy geek, you will probably love this game.
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