Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
Dear Microsoft, Xbox Live is now 7 years old, which begs the question, why are you still capping the friends list at 100? It’s stupid. My friends list has been full for several months, and I can’t make room for new friends without removing other friends. It’s stupid.
There are a couple of issues that irritate me here. Firstly, Xbox Live is a paid service. I put an annual £40 down for the privilege of using this service, so I feel this issue should have been addressed by now, especially as I’m not the first to raise it. Also your competitor’s alternative is entirely free, so maybe you should be trying harder at justifying the cost and keeping paid subscribers happy. Secondly, despite charging users for Xbox Live, you are clearly investing your time elsewhere. Most likely on creating ludicrous props for our Avatars, which, if we want to take advantage of, we also have to pay for. I still haven’t gotten over that goddam Q-tip. It’s stupid.
Microsoft, please invest your time - for once - into the good of your users, without profit being at the forefront of your agenda. I’m pretty sure no one bought the giant Q-tip. Maybe that time would have been better invested in something useful?
Tags: Avatars, Microsoft, Xbox Live
Posted in Asides, Rants, Xbox Live | 3 Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009
To say I have a love / hate relationship with my Xbox 360 is an understatement. It gives me great pleasure by offering a platform to play amazing exclusives on, not to mention an easy way to connect to friends while playing these amazing exclusives. But it also has a very evil side, which I’ve been discovering on a daily basis recently.
My console refuses to read discs. All discs. Even though there are zero scratches on these discs. My console requires to be booted up three times before the game actually begins, simply because my console enjoys freezing on various parts of the process (the Xbox logo, the dashboard, the game etc). My console prompts for discs to be inserted, despite there already being a disc inside. Give it up, Xbox! Can’t you just work?
I’m on my third Xbox 360, which, given the fact I’ve been gaming on the Xbox for 4 years is a poor, poor figure. Especially as the above symptoms suggest I may well be heading into 4th RRoD territory. This time I’m not going to threaten I’ll jump ship because I now own a PS3, and I certainly won’t be trading anything in for a Wii, but I will be very angry at myself for remaining loyal to Microsoft. I’ll be even angrier towards them for being, well, shit. I dream of the day Apple make gaming consoles (I kid, I kid).
Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, RRoD
Posted in Asides | 12 Comments »
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
It’s too easy to point your finger at Microsoft and criticize, but we do it anyway ‘cos it’s fun (and it’s mostly deserved). Over the course of writing this blog, I’ve aired some opinions in regards to how I feel Xbox Live could improve, of which there are many areas in need of a tweak or two. Xbox Live has come a long way since its inception, but there are still some issues I feel Microsoft should address.
Microsoft Points
Sony have most definitely outdone Microsoft in terms of their console’s currency system. Whilst Sony’s marketplace is disguised as PlayStation Network, it acts in the same way as Xbox Live Marketplace, offering gamers a chance to purchase arcade games and game add-ons. Microsoft charge everything via Marketplace through Microsoft Points, whereas Sony supports whatever your local currency may be. Okay, okay, so it’s pretty typical of Microsoft to not want to make things as simple as possible, therefore something we should come to expect.
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Tags: Games on Demand, Microsoft, Microsoft Points, Sony, Xbox Live
Posted in General Gaming, Rants, Xbox Live | 12 Comments »
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Some kind of Dashboard update was rolled out yesterday. I don’t know, I wasn’t paying too much attention. I have noticed, however, we can now purchase clothes and props for our Avatars. Personally, I’ve never payed much attention to my Avatar (as cute as she is with her red locks and leopard print trousers), but there has been one feature I’ve always yearned for, feeling my Avatar has been somewhat incomplete without it. I’m so glad Microsoft have now taken it into account and appropriately addressed it. ‘It’ being giant cotton buds, of course. What did you think I was talking about?!
Screw the camera prop, screw the guitar prop. Nothing says more about me than an oversized Q-tip. Fact. Unfortunately I’m a bit tight for cash these days, with any pennies going towards my soon-to-launch business. Therefore I couldn’t quite stretch to the 160 Microsoft points asked of me. Damn! I guess my Avatar will just have to settle for dirty ears, though her sailor hat does a good job of covering them up.
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Tags: Avatars, CandyStoreRock, Microsoft, Xbox Live
Posted in Rants, Xbox Live | 4 Comments »
Monday, March 16th, 2009
Following on from my blog post regarding a possible age filter for Xbox Live, Major Nelson contacted me via Xbox Live to say he was sharing the post with his team. Dave Moran mentioned in the comments that Microsoft has a massive team working on this kind of thing, and it looks like he was bang on. Major Nelson also said to get in touch with him if I had any more feedback/comments regarding Xbox Live.
You know, for all the cursing I do about Microsoft, I think it’s fantastic they’re willing to communicate with their audience to improve the overall Xbox experience in such an effective way. It’s reassuring to know they’re listening to what those of us who spend a chunk of our time playing Xbox have to say. Microsoft, you’ve earned some kudos with me. The next time my 360 freezes on me - which will probably be tonight - I’ll think twice before condemning you.
Tags: Major Nelson, Microsoft, Xbox Live
Posted in Asides | 5 Comments »
Monday, January 26th, 2009
I actually stole this from my friend, Mr Havros. I’m sure he won’t mind what with him being a generous chap and all. Anyway, sometimes people come across my site by searching for a specific answer via Google. I’m sure they rarely get the answer they’re looking for from my site, and being the helpful little lady I am, well I figured I’d respond in a much more targeted manner here.
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Tags: Fable II, Fallout 3, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III, Mass Effect, Microsoft, Rock Band, Video Marketplace
Posted in General Gaming | 10 Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
I raved about Microsoft’s Video Marketplace on the Xbox 360 several months ago when I popped my cherry with The Nanny Diaries.
Two nights ago I had a group of friends visiting, all of us in the mood for a few scares (watching The Descent the previous night should have put me off). With the closest Blockbuster having recently been closed down, probably due to this inconvenient recession we’re finding ourselves in, Video Marketplace was my only option for anything outside of my own DVD collection.
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Tags: Microsoft, Video Marketplace, Xbox Live
Posted in Rants, Xbox Live | 7 Comments »
Monday, December 15th, 2008
I don’t usually find myself watching The HipHopGamer Show, mainly because hip hop isn’t my scene. Now if it was called The SillySkaDancingGamer Show, I might tune in a little more often. Regardless, their latest episode caught my eye because of the title ‘Microsoft Slowing Down? Sony Stays Hardcore While Xbox Test The Casual Market‘. It’s something I’ve found occupying my mind a little recently, so much so that a friend and I had a rather interesting discussion about it the other day.
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Tags: Alan Wake, Avatars, Grand Theft Auto IV, Halo Wars, Microsoft, Nintendo Wii, RRoD
Posted in Rants | 7 Comments »
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Can anyone believe it’s been a whole year since, well, last year? I remember having my doubts that 2008 would top 2007, seeing as the latter was so rich with stellar 360 releases. Truthfully, I feel I can’t even pass judgement about whether games were better this year seeing as I’ve currently missed out on a bunch of the big triple-A releases with my one-game-only-at-a-time ethic. But what I am entitled to do at this time of the year is share with you what I hope 2009 brings us in regards to gaming.
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Tags: Alan Wake, Army of Two, Blu-Ray, HD DVD, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4, Microsoft, Playstation 3, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Sony
Posted in General Gaming | 7 Comments »
Friday, October 10th, 2008
I know it’s unfair to condemn something before it’s even made its way to our 360s. After all, as my post regarding my hatred of sci-fi and my consequent love of Mass Effect proved, you can’t judge a book by its cover. But what you can do is develop initial impressions then rant about them on your blog!
Everywhere I look at the moment, various updated screenshots of the New Xbox Experience are being published onto the internets, yet friends of mine and readers of this blog have been fairly quiet on what their initial impressions on it are. From the moment this new-look and dramatic overhaul of the dashboard was revealed at E3 this year, I’ve been anti-NXE, mainly spouting much abuse towards the ridiculous Avatars we have to adopt.
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Tags: Avatars, GamerPicture, Microsoft, New Xbox Experience, Nintendo Wii, NXE, Playstation 3, Theme, Viva Pinata
Posted in Rants | 9 Comments »
After playing Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware’s latest Role Playing Game, for just under a month, I’m only 30% odd complete. There’s sex, there’s violence, there’s a question of morals, there’s a meaty story. With real-time gory combat and big swords, it’s what every action RPG fan wants, right?
