Xbox360Focus

Frontlines: Fuel of War Demo Impressions

Tom Roche — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:35:25 GMT

I downloaded all 1.69 GB of the Frontlines: Fuel of War demo the other day and gave it a little run through. I'm going to come right out an say it, this game can't compete with the other big names in its genre. I know I only played a demo and I really can't pass ultimate judgment now, but the combat just wasn't tight and satisfying like in COD4 or even to a lesser extent Mass Effect (which isn't even in its genre). The control layout was clunky and I had a hard time switching between weapons and doing other basic actions. Shooting was inconsistent, it would take a single burst to take some guys out yet other enemies required entire clips. You would think that in the future they would have caseless rounds or something that would damper recoil, yet the assault rifle you are given has some of the worst recoil I have seen in any game (it made shooting unfun in a shooter). Drones are one of the things that this game may have going for it but even they had some glaring flaws. The first drone you are given is like an exploding RC car and it was extremely difficult to maneuver around. I ended up hitting the same wall two or three times with different drones because the controls were so out of whack. The helicopter drone that you get to try out a little later in the demo has similar control problems that are exacerbated by the missiles you are trying to shoot from it. I thought I would be aiming in the right place, yet time after time my missiles would harmlessly explode right next to a bad guy, seemingly doing little harm. The main premise of the game seems to be capturing certain enemy points on a map to advance the "frontlines" which is actually a pretty cool concept (but could that eventually become a chore?). This game does have potential, graphics are decent and the drones are a welcome break from the run of the mill shooting. But, as the game stands right now it is not going to steal many gamers away from the more established games that have come out this holiday season.

More Details on COD4 Update

Tom Roche — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:44:46 GMT

Fourzerotwo has released some new details on the upcoming patch for Call of Duty 4 on his blog. There are a lot more updates and fixes than originally thought which is pretty awesome. Some cool additions include a new playlist called Mercenary Team Deathmatch that doesn't allow clans or parties to play together. Maps are added to playlist rotations that weren't previously available in that game mode. There is now separate Hardcore Team Deathmatch and Hardcore Search and Destroy game modes. A bunch of new kill cams (not just helicopter and claymores) will be available including RPGs and C4 packs. At least 9 new spawn points will be added to each maps to curb spawn camping. All these updates are sure to improve an already strong COD4 multiplayer experience. Hopefully this update will pop up as a nice Christmas present from the good people at Infinity Ward.

Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway Delayed......Again

Tom Roche — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 01:21:03 GMT

While Ubisoft was gloating about Assassins Creeds amazing sales they managed to reveal some other, more crushing news. After what seems to be about five delays and 15 years (at least from holiday 07 to early 2008 to the current delay), Ubisoft revealed that Gearbox's Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway was delayed once again. The game is moving from the fourth quarter of 2007-2008 to the first quarter of 2008-2009 (Tom Clancy's Endwar and Far Cry 2 were also pushed back to the same time-frame). This means that the earliest the game can come out is April, 2008. I have really been looking forward to this game for awhile, and it is very disappointing to see this game delayed time and again. They keep saying that the reason for the delay is to create a more polished game but there comes a point when a game has to be released into the wild at some point. Maybe Ubisoft is trying to strengthen the 2008-2009 fiscal year with some strong released. Either way, I am mad. Although I guess Holland is nice in April (like this game would ever come out in April, HAR!).

2.5 Million Altairs Running Around

Tom Roche — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:56:25 GMT

After Microsoft announced that Mass Effect had sold a cool million, Ubisoft had to release some sales results for their memory bending assassin saga. According to Ubisoft, 2.5 million copies of Assassins Creed has managed to fall off the shelves and into the hands of consumers in four weeks. This is quite unexpected for Ubisoft that expected to sell 3 million copies total of the game, but now hopes to sell 5 million copies over the next year. They even go so far as to say that Assassins Creed is now, "the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property ever in the U.S." Looks like we've got a franchise (as if we didn't know that before).

Burnout Paradise Demo Speeds onto XBLM

Tom Roche — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:38:47 GMT

The anticipated Burnout Paradise demo has been released on the XBLM. The demo weighs 835 MB which isn't too bad for a slice of Paradise City. So go download, cruise, and stunt all over the place.

Yahtzee Shreds Guitar Hero III

Tom Roche — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:11:55 GMT

Every Wednesday, Yahtzee from Zero Puncuation finds new and hilarious ways to rip apart the games we all both love and hate. If you love Guitar Hero III and thought that Yahtzee would have similar feelings then you would be quite mistaken. Although he did enjoy the first two games, he doesn't share the same feeling for the third installment . Check out the review and if you haven't realized by now these reviews are NSFW! Enjoy.

Afro Samurai Trailer

Tom Roche — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:46:22 GMT

I love Samuel L. Jackson, he needs to be in every video game. That is why I was very happy when I saw the trailer of one of his new games while he was hosting Spike TV's VGAs. Although the trailer shows absolutely no gameplay, it's Samuel L. Jackson so Im excited.

Frontlines: Fuel or War Demo Up on XBLM

Tom Roche — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:34:18 GMT

A demo for Frontlines: Fuel of War has been made available for your downloading pleasure. The demo weighs a whopping 1.69 GB, full of futuristic warfare. I have been pretty interested in this game for awhile, so we'll see if this demo proves that Fuel of War deserves a place in my library. Go advance the frontlines at your local Xbox 360 today.

Shellshock Sequel Coming From Rebellion

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:10:41 GMT

Rebellion are developing a sequel to their third-person Vietnam game. Jason Kingsley, CEO or Rebellion, told gameindustry.biz that, "It's very much a mature product, it's a bit like Jacob's Ladder or Apocalypse Now in movie terms. It's troubling - deliberately so - it's meant to be challenging the nature of war, the horror and why people do these horrific things to each other." A Vietnam shooter is uncharted ground for the 360, so this news is pretty exciting. Hopefully a decent Vietnam game can be made for once. Expect more details in the coming weeks.

Lost Odyssey Coming February 12th

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:54:20 GMT

Lost Odyssey, developed by Mistwalker, will release on Feburary 12th. The 360 exclusive RPG covers four discs (four disks!) and supposedly offers 50 hours of game play. If you pre-order you will receive a code for an unlockable mission and weapon that will eventually become available to everyone.

Bizarre Working on 007 Game?

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:41:23 GMT

It looks like their is a good possibility that Bizarre, makers of the PGR series and upcoming The Club, are working on a new James Bond game for Activision Blizzard. The game will supposedly be heavy on the racing. This is pretty interesting because there is a "secret agent" achievement in PGR4 for parking outside a casino named Casino Royale. Was their more to that achievement than meets the eye. If they can make the driving like PGR (me like Aston Martins) and actually make a good 007 game again then this may be just what the matchup the franchise needs. Hopefully we will hear some confirmation soon.

Time Magazine Says Halo 3 is GOTY

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:17:52 GMT

A lot of publications are going to release their game of the year awards pretty soon. Time Magazine recently released what they thought were the best games of 2007, and I have to disagree with their top choice. They thought Halo 3 was the greatest game to come out this year even in competition with games such as Bioshock (#5 on their list) and Mass Effect (#8) that were both stunners. I just feel that Time saying Halo 3 is the best game while snubbing the better original IPs is just another example of how the mass media over simplifies gaming. They pick Halo 3 because more people know what it is or because it sold the most. I feel like they don't look at the true merits of the game. Maybe this is all personal preference and I don't by any means hate Halo 3, but I can think of three or four games that deserve the top spot that don't include Master Chief. Halo 3 is a great game, and it does deserve a place in the top 10 but it is by no means the best game that has come out this year and I think a lot of true gaming publications will agree once their GOTY lists are released.

Heroic Map Pack Now Available For Halo 3

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:38:38 GMT

Halo 3 gets three new maps (Foundry, Rats Nest, and Standoff) in the form of the Heroic Map Pack that released today. The pack of maps is available for 800 Microsoft points on the XBLM. Halo 3 needed a few more maps, so its good that there will be a little more variety in playlists now. So get out there and get downloading (and then playing).

Mass Effect Sells One Million in First Three Weeks

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:09:11 GMT

The incredibly enjoyable space opera that is Mass Effect is enjoying quite the sales surge in its first three weeks out on store shelves. Microsoft confirms that the game from Bioware has sold over a million copies globally in the short time it has been available. I thought this game had kind of a slow start, but I guess not. The game has managed to triple its expected sales of November that were set at 328,000 copies sold. I guess the planned trilogy was a good idea after all. Could this be the next huge exclusive hit and system seller for the 360 thats breathing down the necks of Halo 3 or Gears of War? Well now that EA owns Bioware and therefore Mass Effect, Microsoft is going to have to start making some deals fast. Either way I am glad that this game has been as successful as it has because it really deserves to sell well and I really hope it stays a 360 exclusive (doubtful when EA is involved). If you haven't gone out and bought Mass Effect, then you need to follow in a million of your fellow 360 gamer's footsteps and head out to your nearest retailer (you wont be disappointed).

Don King Presents Don King Presents: Prizefighter

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:15:05 GMT

I think of big hair and Mike Tyson when I think of Don King. Now we can all think of him as someone who puts their name to a game. 2K Sports announced Don King Presents: Prizefighter as the new boxing game on the block. The game is being developed by Venom Games and supposedly has a "documentary style" that should give boxing fans a new experience. “The combination of real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics will set this title apart from the competition,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most engaging and realistic titles, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter will exceed these expectations. Based on the game’s innovative features and high-profile fighters, this title will be a ‘must have’ for any sports gamer.” It looks like the game encompasses the full life of the boxer as you will have to endure of training, promotion, and temptations to win the title belt. Will this game be enough to knockout Fight Night Round 3 as the champion of boxing titles? Only time will tell. Expect Prizefighter on the Xbox 360 and Wii Spring 2008.

Borderlands Trailer

Tom Roche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:29:23 GMT

I feel like we haven't heard a lot about Borderlands recently (maybe because it doesn't ship for another year) but there was a pretty cool trailer of the game shown during last nights VGA's. Borderlands is set on the tumultuous planet of Pandora, where crazed bandits and ferocious creatures roam the land. It looks like a Madmax film with dinosaurs and is being developed by Gearbox (the guys that have been delaying Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway for what seems like years). It's a first-person shooter with deeper complexities such as RPG elements, with lots of upgrading such as weapons and vehicles. And if you want weapon choice in your games, try this: 500,000 different guns. Thats a half million different weapons that are there for you to deal destruction and death, a symbol of the ambition that this game is shooting for. The game supports up to four player co-op where friends can come or go as they please. Check out the trailer and look for Borderlands in 2008.

Spike TV VGA's Dominated by the 360

Tom Roche — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:58:26 GMT

I watched the VGA's last night on Spike TV and couldn't help but think that 360 games were getting a lot of mentions. Just look at the game of year nominees, until this week every one of those games was only available on the 360 or PC (Orange Box is being released for PS3 this week). In total, six of the categories (game of the year, best RPG, best 360 game, best original score, best multiplayer, most addictive) were won by Xbox 360 exclusives and those games received a total of 20 nominations between them (not including The Orange Box). The PS3 only managed to have one exclusive win a category and that was best PS3 game (so its almost like they won no categories). The Wii didn't fair much better with Super Mario Galaxy winning their only two categories (best action game, best Wii game). Going by those numbers, it really does look like the 360 games lay the smack down on the other next-gen consoles. Are 360 games really so dominating? A game award show really cant be trusted but as other publications release their games of the year, we are going to see a lot of Bioshock and Mass Effect at the top of the lists. These are the games that people really want to play and its showing in things like the VGA awards and on the sales charts. Even though the VGA's made some questionable decisions (where was COD4 for game of the year?) I was glad to see that the 360 games were getting the accolades they deserve (I cant wait for Afro Samurai).

New Releases This Week: Sports is Spanish

Tom Roche — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:53:43 GMT

Another week of disappointing releases. This week our Spanish speaking community members will be able to enjoy Madden 08 En Espanol. NCAA March Maddness is also releasing to quench any thirst you may have for college basketball. So, if you speak Spanish and don't care that the NFL season is almost over then this may be a good week for you.

GRAW 3 Coming

Tom Roche — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:38:39 GMT

I was a huge fan of the first GRAW that came along and showed everyone the 360's potential. I became a bigger fan when GRAW 2 released with a new story and polish that made for a much tighter game. Now it looks like we should be expecting GRAW 3 with even more features to launch the franchise into the stratosphere. The third installation in the GRAW series will be built with an entirely new engine but continue the Mexican terrorist story line the first two games established. This story is supposed to wrap up the events in Mexico as well as tie into Tom Clancy's Endwar story line (you can control Ghost and Slinter Cell units in Endwar). Multiplayer and the single player campaign are expected to be built by the same team so there wont be the usuall glaring differences between the two components (maybe there will be a cover system in multiplayer now). The first two GRAW's released a year apart, so if that precedent holds for the third game get ready to step in Captain Mitchell well worn combat boots around March 2008.

Why Doesn't Everything Come Out For the 360?

Tom Roche — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:07:00 GMT

To be perfectly honest, we 360 gamers have been pretty spoiled with exclusives. It didn't help that for a solid year, 360 games were entirely exclusive because there was no next-gen competition out. Even after the PS3 was released we've still been greeted with great games that they cant have such as Gears of War, Viva Pinata (it is a great game!), Crackdown, Forza 2, Bioshock, Halo 3, and Mass Effect. All these great exclusive titles have had an effect on me. Its coming to the point where I expect every game to be released on the 360. I feel that the 360 deserves to house every title. I was reading an article about Haze (delayed by the way) and even though I don't know if it is going to be a good game, I still wish it was on the 360. I look at MGS 4 and Killzone 2 and even though I am not looking forward to these titles at all, I still would like the option of playing these games on my beautiful white box.

Am I just so incredibly selfish that I want to keep all of my 360 exclusives exclusive while taking away the few and precious titles the PS3 holds exclusively. Well, its already happened with some games. Grand Theft Auto IV will be released at the same time on a Microsoft and Sony console for the first time in the history of the franchise. The Ace Combat franchise did GTA one better by switching from a Sony exclusive to a 360 exclusive for Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Not to mention other big games such as Devil May Cry 4 and Ninja Gaiden. Could this be the first steps to making my wishes come true. Developers are feeling a pinch when making a game for the PS3, besides the bevy of delays that play murder on production costs, they are realizing just how hard it is going to be to turn a profit with the PS3. MGS4 has to sell a million copies on its release day if a profit is going to be made from it. Is it only a matter of time before all developers ditch the PS3 for greener pastures? Some have already taken the leap and others may be very tempted to follow.

Sony is losing the exclusivity fight right now and 360 gamers are reaping the rewards with games we never saw on the Xbox. Exclusivity is a big key to selling consoles, and Sony is going to find it harder and harder to move consoles if it doesn't release some big guns soon. The truth is, I can repress my need for all games on the 360 because I would honestly rather have two competing consoles that drive down costs and keep the companies honest (so they never come out with a $600 console, oh wait). If that means that I cant play every title that comes out ever on my 360 then so be it. The industry may not be moving in that direction, and at some point we really may no longer see exclusives at all (or maybe just one major system), until then I'll go enjoy Mass Effect while PS3 owners can "enjoy" Motorstorm or Lair. Although I do wonder what Super Mario Galaxy would play like on a 360.