Free is always good, and in this case, it should have been free from the start. Microsoft announced it would dropping the price of Games for Windows LIVE from $50 a year to $0. Good call. Asking PC gamers to pony up money for online play when they don’t have to anywhere else is a bad idea.
To go along with the price drop, Microsoft announced that this Fall, they’ll be releasing a Marketplace for PC games that utilize Games for Windows LIVE. Pretty good idea. I have a feeling more games will take advantage of LIVE on PC since it’s free now. Could make for a strong opponent to Steam. PC gaming is making a strong comeback, people. Are you ready?
If you had to sum up the entire E3 2008 with one word or one picture what would it be? Would you have different ones for each presenter i.e. Sony, MS and Nintendo?
Here is my picture to sum up the overall E3 experience for me.
The one word I would use would have to be disappointing.
Since I just got my 10th Xbox 360, I decided I’d use the new DRM fix tool that Microsoft released last month. I fired up the website and went through the steps as outlined, then it was time to re-download everything. I had a whopping 665 items in my download list to reclaim. My jaw dropped a bit.
I sat there for an hour and a half going through my download list and grabbing the licenses for everything. There were a couple hitches along the way, aside from the tunnel vision and boredom. A couple XBLA games re-downloaded completely as if they weren’t there. Now I have 2 copies on my system. I have to delete both (since there’s no way to tell which one has the new license) and download them again. I couple videos (specifically the free South Park episode in HD and the free Code Monkeys episode) couldn’t be re-downloaded for some strange reason. Hopefully I’ll never have the need to watch them when I don’t have a Live connection.
Am I happy Microsoft released this fix and solved the issue? Hell yes. Do I wish they made it much easier? Hell yes. I’m glad I have all my licenses back, but I wish Microsoft would find a way to make this a bit more streamlined. Maybe scan the system and patch all the DRM in one fell swoop? I wouldn’t care if it took the same amount of time, as long as I wouldn’t have to sit there and re-download each one manually.
Have any of you used the DRM fix tool? What are your experiences?
Many of us never thought that FFXII would make its way to the Xbox 360. Have that being said, people need to stop acting like the world is coming to an end. MGS4 stands very little chance of being ported to MS. Sony has been adamant that the game is and will stay exclusive. The game designer, Hideo Kojima has insisted it will never happen. If he does, his credibility will suffer. Furthermore, what about all the people who bought the PS3 just to play this game? They are going to be insanely pissed.
Games like Mass Effect and Bioshock were awesome games, but were never viewed as console movers let alone a flagship title of the Xbox 360. They are also made by studios that have a rapport with both companies. Since when did Kojima do much of anything for MS? Halo is owned by MS, so that debate will never start, thank God.
It’s okay to have exclusives. That’s why I spent the money on both systems. Sony gets Metal Gear; its sort of their thing. Why would the franchise, which has gone out on the highest of all highs, sully their name by “going to the dark side”? They won’t. Despite the many “inside tips” and “trusted industry sources”, this is one of those fanboy fantasies that just won’t come true.
Our good buddy Majornelson gives a wrap-up of what many are calling the best press conference at E3. Aside from the Netflix addition, major dashboard changes, awesome trailers, and oh yeah, Final Fantasy XIII coming, MS showed why they are at the top of the next gen pyramid. With Nintendo and Sony showing nothing worth mentioning, MS is making its bid to be the frontrunner for the immediate future.
If there were an award for giving a game manufacturer the cold shoulder, Square Enix would win hands down. Actually they would win a few times. Let me elaborate…
Square Enix first shunned Nintendo back in the 90’s when it decided to move over to the Sony Playstation format after having a long standing relationship with Nintendo and it’s many FF titles. Now it is switching sides again and jumping on the Microsoft bandwagon with the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. But no sooner do they hug Microsoft with one arm than stab them in the back with the other by announcing that there will be no 360 version in Japan. Read More »
Time to upgrade that Xbox 360 hard drive. According to a letter from Marc Whitten, you’re going to be able to copy your disc-based games to your hard drive and reduce load times even further after the Fall Update.
Play from hard drive. Copy your games from the game disc and play directly from the hard drive. Not only will the drive not spin, but load times are quicker, as well. Of course, you will still need the disc in the tray to prove you own the game.
What an insanely cool feature! Microsoft, you stepped it up big time. Kudos!
Avatars were announced today, even though everyone pretty much knew they were coming. You’ll be out to customize your look online with clothes and accessories after you make it look like yourself as best as possible. But just how much is this going to cost?
We already know how much things cost for gamer pictures and themes and we know Sony will be selling wardrobe additions in Home, so it’s only logicial that Avatar customization won’t be completely free.
Like other things, it’s impossible to get in touch with Microsoft PR today, so we can’t confirm anything. My bet is they haven’t set pricing yet. We’ll keep you posted.
I found it very interesting that we got no mention of anything in the Halo universe at Microsoft E3 press conference. While they did drop a few bombshells, I fully expected to hear some details on Halo Wars, Peter Jackson’s Halo Chronicles games, and maybe even a new Halo game from Bungie. It appears that’s not the case.
The Bungie website is shut down with a service message. There’s a timer that’s counting down until around 10am July 16th. Will we hear about their next project then? Will Microsoft have Halo Wars details later in the week? Considering Gears of War 2 didn’t get as much face time as many expected, I figured Microsoft would have more in store for Halo fans since we know there is a lot already in the pipeline.
We’ll see what happens as E3 continues to roll. Stay tuned.
Don Mattrick took the stage first in the Microsoft E3 press conference and talked about some sales data of the Xbox 360 and its software attachment rate. Pretty convincing and good numbers. They then moved into some cool new hardcore games coming to the system.
Fallout 3 was first, with a playable demo shown. There will be DLC exclusive to 360 and Games for Windows. The game has lot’s of choice and lot’s of weapons and will offer 100+ hours of gameplay set in post nuclear Washington, DC.
We're like Spaceballs... we're making Loot Ninja everything. Coming soon we'll have hats, shirts, hoodies, possibly banana hammocks if one Editor has his way...
Check out the shirt prototypes here and the hats here
