Posts Tagged ‘Xbox Live’
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Final Fantasy XIII is a matter of weeks away, which means those of us lucky enough to own both an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have a difficult decision to make. Okay, so you know the technicalities behind why the PS3’s superior Blu-Ray format pwns the 360’s sub-standard DVD, right? The jist of it is; Blu-Ray single layer capacity = 25GB. DVD single layer capacity = 4.7GB. A significant difference, huh? What this then leave us with, is the fact that Final Fantasy XIII will look hotter running on the PlayStation 3.
This is where tricky decisions come in, the kind of choices that change lives, people! I’ve said from day one of buying my PlayStation 3, which I rarely play, that it would only serve as a Blu-Ray player and for exclusives my 360 fangirlism otherwise wouldn’t see. The rule was simple; any multi-platform releases would involuntary be bought for the Xbox.
Personally, I’m faced with this decision for the first time, as the sheer detail of Final Fantasy XIII means that, while the experience is somewhat preserved on the Xbox 360 by shipping the game on 3 discs, CG has been compressed, and environment/character detail is lower. Basically, it’s not going to look as good on my Xbox as it will on my PlayStation. Therefore the choice should be simple, right? But factor into that my love of Achievements, my gripes with the PlayStation, and the simple fact that gaming without Xbox Live leaves me feeling limbless, I’ve got to weigh things up.
I can experience the full beauty of the Final Fantasy universe on my PlayStation 3, but I’ll feel 100% disconnected and solitary when I do so. I can’t invite a friend who’s also playing into chat with me to talk about our experiences, where we’re at in the game, or keep one another company through some of the inevitably tedious parts JRPGs always posses. I won’t feel the petty delight of an Achievement pinging up and boosting my overall GamerScore I’ve honed for two years. And these, my friends, are important things to me.
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Tags: Final Fantasy XIII, Playstation 3, Xbox Live
Posted in General Gaming | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Okay, so I shell out £40 a year for my Xbox Live Gold subscription, yet I admittedly don’t use it to its full potential. Most of my time on Xbox Live is spent in party chat, or tackling Spec Ops and other co-op based missions with friends. Racism, cursing, tea-bagging, and sexual slurs are not appealing to me. At all. When people find out I’m not a big Multiplayer gamer, especially with Call of Duty 4/Modern Warfare 2, they respond in such a way that suggests that’s what these games are all about. Whilst I’d agree Multiplayer is a big part of these game’s appeal and longevity, I’m one of those gamers who finds the story mode holds so much more weight. That isn’t the only reason why you won’t find me whizzing about the favela in Team Deathmatch, and that’s precisely what this post is about.
I’m no stranger to the lobby. I used to play in a clan. I used to be the captain of the Rainbow Six: Vegas division of a clan. Captain Rockers Delight! Even though I’m not a competitive gamer in the slightest, it was great to be a part of a group that played a game I loved regularly, and I got pretty good at Vegas as a result. For a girl 
Indeed, those days were undoubtedly some of the most fun I’ve had as a gamer.
Perhaps spending so much time with Vegas was a double edged sword. In one respect, I became so confident with Vegas I was able to dive into Multiplayer and secure a spot in one of the top two positions on the leaderboard every time. It was devoid of that ‘n00b’ feeling I had when playing Gears of War, unable to master the ’shotgun and roll’ tactic that so often saw me killed. On the other hand, I now have the slow paced nature typically associated with Vegas etched into my brain, and I seem to be unable to familiarise myself with anything else. My kill to death ratio in Call of Duty is embarrassing.
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Tags: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Multiplayer, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Xbox Live
Posted in Xbox Live | 15 Comments »
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 »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Los Havros and I recently had an in-depth chat about the social aspects both the 360 and PlayStation 3 possess; a conversation spurred by my recent purchase of a PlayStation 3, and a few negative Tweets directed at the social features it seems to lack. Hopefully we’ve pulled off a nicely done debate, steering clear of any fanboyism (and fangirlism).
I’m sure Los Havros would like you to chime in with further discussion just as much as I do. It’s an interesting area of debate, and it’s great hearing from both sides of the argument. Even more so from gamers who have experience with both consoles. Discuss!
Tags: Los Havros, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Posted in Asides | 6 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 »
Friday, August 21st, 2009
I didn’t see this coming, but one of my favourite games (and a bit of an older title), Mass Effect, has just had 150 G’s added to the total, bringing it up to 1200. Considering how long Mass Effect has been out, it feels the news of impending DLC is completely out of the blue. Having said that, I figured it was always odd having the total ME Achievements sitting at 1050 G’s.
Funnily enough, I’ve been pestering myself to go back to Mass Effect; I think that’s one game I’ll never get bored of, considering every playthrough unfolds differently. Referring to my recent rant about DLC Achievements, this is one game I welcome any new missions on. It’s just so freakin’ awesome!
And on that note, if you’ve yet to hop aboard the Normandy, now seems the perfect time to do so. New missions coupled with Mass Effect hitting Games on Demand? No excuse not to.
Tags: Achievements, DLC, Mass Effect, Xbox Live
Posted in Asides, Xbox Live | 4 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, July 27th, 2009
I don’t own Halo 3, but if I did I’d have 1750 GamerPoints to chase. I thought Fallout 3’s 1450 worth of Achievements were bad, but no, Halo takes the hardcore biscuit. Remember when retail games capped at 1000? Arcade games at 200? It seems this was only to be the case in the 360’s infancy, back when gamers payed little notice to the fruitless digits tagging alongside their GamerTag.
Now developers deliver additional Achievements, usually in the form of Downloadable Content (DLC). Whatever the case, it’s to keep gamers coming back, to give us a bit of replay value for what we pay (though, more often than not, we also have to pay for the DLC). However, there’s also a degree of agitation, for me at least, that comes with each increase in cap.
You see, gaming can be an expensive hobby, and I don’t always feel comfortable spending significant amounts of money on it. Especially right now, I’m watching every spare penny, with any pocket money being invested into my business. For that reason I’ve found it useful trading/selling games I’ve completed and am no longer needing. In fact, I believe the pre-owned market is what makes high street retailer, GameStation, the most money, and is - on the flip side - the biggest cause of concern for developers.
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Tags: Achievements, Beneath The Ashes, DLC, Fable II, Fallout 3, Halo 3, Tomb Raider Underworld, Xbox Live
Posted in Rants, Xbox Live | 19 Comments »
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Two weeks have passed since I purchased an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4 and an anorexic controller. In case you haven’t noticed, and were one of the many people to assume, I haven’t given up on my 360. In fact, that’s all I’ve been playing lately. Why? Not because the PlayStation 3 has left me bored or failed to live up to any expectations. It’s because I’m unashamedly addicted to Lego Batman.
But back to the PlayStation 3… This is the first time I’ve ever had any hands-on time with the PS3 (and this is the first time I’ve ever owned two of the current gen consoles). I’ve never stopped off at HMV to give it a whirl at the PS3 booth, despite the console and HDTV combo looking mighty fine. None of my friends are big into gaming, so mainly they own Wii’s or last generation consoles, if anything at all. It’s crazy to think that 2 years down the line, I still hadn’t tried one of the many great PlayStation exclusives.
That changed when I bought Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Choosing what PS3 exclusive to go with was a tough choice (all multi-platform releases will be bought for the 360), with a toss-up between that, Killzone 2, Resistance: Fall of Man, and LittleBigPlanet. Oh, and inFamous. With my love for Tomb Raider showing no sign of fading, I opted for the Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft character, Nate Drake. And I’m glad I did - I think it’s been a fantastic introduction to the PlayStation 3, with strong story development, amazing chemistry and dialogue between characters, and, of course, gorgeous graphics and stunning scenery.
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Tags: Playstation 3, PlayStation Network, Uncharted - Drake's Fortune, Xbox Live
Posted in General Gaming | 14 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?
