With lots of people home for the holidays right now, there couldn't be a worse time for Xbox Live to be down. Gamers in North America have discovered that since Saturday, December 22 that they have been unable to sign in to Xbox Live, recovery their accounts or access match making in game.
Major Nelson's blog has comfirmed that there is a wide spread problem with the servers and that Microsoft have their people working on getting the system back up and running smoothly as we speak.
Gamers are not impressed with the problem and are now asking if Microsoft will be compensating members with at least enough Xbox Live time to cover the days everyone has missed playing online.
I agree that everyone should be getting some free Xbox Live time, especially when the servers have been down for almost 2 weeks now and there are probably a lot of disappointed gamers that got a new Xbox 360 for Christmas and haven't been able to test out their gold membership yet.
Come on Microsoft computer geeks! We're counting on you to bring in the new year with problem free Xbox Live.
Whether its a bunch of tabletop Dungeons and Dragons players or a bunch of extreme Guild War MMORPG players, role players are generally just nuts. Have you seen the costumes people wear at Blizzcon? I mean talk about mom's basement scary.
So no one should ever release them on a Christmas Nativity scene, unless they want some scary cosplay to happen. Matt Burnett and Ben Levin from For Tax Reasons knew this already and created a role-playing themed cartoon for the holiday season that spells out the disaster that is public theater and LARP players.
Look for the Final Fantasy and the Army of Darkness references.
Can I just say the one thing I love the most about Final Fantasy games is watching these amazing cut scenes from the games. There are so powerful and moving. These games have made me cry on more than one occasion and I love them for it.
This is kind of an ongoing review because this game is so huge that it will take time for me to fully explore the game.
I've never played an MMO before. Never. No WoW, no Guild Wars ... nothing. So jumping into Final Fantasy XI Online was a huge step for me and well, let's just say I was not prepared. This game is massive and very complex. For a newb like me, its overwhelming and very scary to try and play.
I get this game and the first thing I do is read the instruction manual which is something I never do unless I get stuck on a game, so you know right off the bat I'm lost when it comes to online gaming worlds. The instructions seem pretty straight forward on how to install the game, so I first make some room on my 20 GB hard drive cause this game take like 8 or 9 GB to install.
Yes, you will need to install this game on your Xbox 360 hard drive, so get rid of all those dumb, little trial games or upgrade your Xbox 360 to an Elite. Also make sure you have an entire day to install this game because you will need a few or 8 hours to install it, register it, watch the opening cinematic, install the patch, register again and then create a character.
It took me 2 hours to install the game, another hour to register because I didn't know that the game had glitch where you couldn't type in the registration code for the free trial month with lower case letters like the instruction manual tells you to. Apparently I discovered after reading a few forums that you can type the code in Upper case letters and it will work. That took me half an hour to figure out.
Then my credit card wouldn't work, so I had to try my boyfriend's and finally I got the game registered. I then stopped the game, because by this time it was 2:00am and I needed sleep. The next day I started the game and watched a really cool cinematic that just rips at your heart strings. You can watch it on the video below.
After the video, you get to install the patch which takes another 3 hours. Again I turned the system off for a while and restarted it to register the game. See first you register on the Play Online network and then you register for FFXI. Fun, huh? Its better without the use of a keyboard. Finally I created a Black Mage Cat Person with red hair and a real need to roll around a lot.
This is where the game gets complicated ... There is no tutorial and the game manual tells you nothing about how to get rolling in the game. You learn how to move, fight and such, but the menus are so complex and the game doesn't tell you where to go to start leveling up. There are so many NPCs to talk to, so many players running around who don't want to talk and I was totally lost.
I ran around, talk to guards named after playing cards, got 50 gil from a robot guide, bought grass for clothing, killed a little monster and then died in another monster fight. Worst of all, typing is so annoying without a USB keyboard or the typing board for the controller.
I plan to sit back down and try this game again, but honestly I'm lost. This game is complex and I'm such a newb when it comes to MMOs that this is more like work than fun for me. I hate to say it but I think I actually don't like a Final Fantasy game for once. I never thought it would happen. I mean I liked Final Fantasy X-2 and hardly anyone liked that Charlie's Angels wannabe.
I'm not giving up yet, so stay tuned for a part two to this review. I would suggest this as a buy for expert MMO players though. This isn't a game for beginners.
Ubisoft made a music video for their Rabbids single, Making Fun of Everyday Life. Wait ... what? They made a single for the Rabbids 2 game ... and where the hell was my email? I admit I haven't picked up the game yet. I still have to finish the other game first and then I plan to grab the new game.
I love this song though. I want it on my iPod now!!!
The Newest Entry in the Timeless Franchise Takes Video Gaming to a New Level of Fun and Interaction
LOS ANGELES (December 10, 2007) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that DRAGON QUEST® SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors™, the newest entry in the renowned franchise, is set to slice its way to North American retailers on February 26, 2008.
Developed exclusively for the Wii™, DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors fully utilizes the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii Remote™ to place a mighty blade, protective shield and special attacks all in the palm of your hand. The latest installment of the premiere RPG franchise that has shipped over 43 million units worldwide brings the colorful world of DRAGON QUEST to life, enhancing your action-adventure experience with added levels of fun and interaction. Story
Five years have passed since the defeat of the Deathbringer, and the kingdom of Avalonia joyously celebrates what seems to be an everlasting era of peace. However, a closer look reveals that things are amiss. Calamity arises within the kingdom, as unfamiliar and powerful monsters invade the outskirts of town. With the Deathbringer gone, what explanation is there for the onset of these monsters? And what of the queen, who has come to hide her face behind a strange mask? Make your way through the perilous journey, solve the baffling mysteries and return order to Avalonia.
Features
* Delve into an unforgettable gaming experience, created by the “big three” – a team comprised of series creator Yuji Horii, legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama and renowned composer Koichi Sugiyama. * Show off your swordsmanship, block enemy attacks, and use special skills, all through the simple and intuitive use of the Wii Remote! * Combine materials to personalize your sword, allowing you to engage in battles unique to your customized abilities and powers. * Experience an epic adventure in the world of DRAGON QUEST, rendered through stunning visuals and a powerful soundtrack delivered by famed game music composers Manami Matsumae and Koichi Sugiyama. * Take on the challenges presented by all-new features for the North American release, including a “Payback Mode” and four hidden bosses!
DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.com for more information about ratings. DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $49.99(USD).
Video Games Live was so well received in the great white north that they're heading back for a second helping of beaver tails, Tim Horton's coffee and the CFL.
Starting in February 8th, 2008, VGL will be kicking off its tour of Canada in Montreal, Quebec at the St. Denis Theatre. From there, VGL will head to Toronto, Ontario on February 9th to play at Massey Hall. Tickets are still available through Tel-Spec.com for Montreal and through Massey Hall.com for Toronto.
VGL will also be in Edmonton, Alberta on February 17th, 2008 at the Alberta Jubilee and Vancouver, British Columbia on October 29th at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are not yet available for these venues as of yet.
I personally will be at the Toronto concert and I hope to see all my local readers in attendance. I went last year in September and it was an amazing show, so don't miss out! Also check out the Toronto show gallery on the official VGL Website to see some of my terrible photography skills near the end.
Today it came to light that a Gamespot reviewer, Jeff Gerstmann was fired because of a 6.0 review given to Eidos' Kane and Lynch game. See Eidos is paying Gamespot to plaster the site with Kane and Lynch advertising and they weren't too happy to see such a crappy review score.
So the rumor is that Gamespot fired Jeff because the advertisers were threatening to pull their advertising money and go throw it at some other site pussy whipped site. Another example of journalist integrity going to the highest bidder.
I admit that free videogames, swag and a job that pays you to play videogame sounds sweet and I would probably cut off a limb to get a job like that, but reviewing games based on how happy you want to make the company that produced it because they gave you some free hookers and some blow is not how games should be reviewed.
When I review a game I do my best to review a game with an honest opinion. I'll tell you if I like it, if it sucks or if I'm too dumb to figure the bloody game out. I would hope that a game company would want honest reviews, so that if the game does suck, they can improve upon it. All game reviewers' opinions aside, most gamer still buy games based on playing demos, renting it first or asking their friends. Demos can lie, but friends and rentals don't.
Plus sucky games don't add up to mass sales. They just end up in the sea of the bargain bin at EB Games and Walmart or in the vast regions of eBay listed for $0.99. I've bought crappy games before based on good reviews and have been pissed in the end. Funny thing was that review was on Gamespot. Bastards!!!!
Worst of all, I would never want to tell someone to buy a game based on the fact I don't want to lose the game maker's love, money and freebies, to only have them waste their time and money on a terrible game. How can I review games if I don't have a legion of adoring fans to read my reviews? I won't if I steer them wrong.
So for all gaming journalists out there ... don't drink the kool-aid. You won't like where it takes you.
