Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 239 of 260)

      Bungie Isn’t Talking “Reach” Just Yet

      September 7, 2009 /

      Halo: Reach.It’s hard not to think of Halo 3:ODST as the expansion it was first billed as. Sure they’ve added a load of features, and there’s even a mini-game now. But the game is really just an extension of a story that’s already been finished, a tale with an ending. Bungie’s committed to the title – in fact, they’re not even willing to talk about Halo:Reach.

      Bungie’s community leader Brian Jarrard spoke at PAX this year regarding both releases. “Obviously right now what we’re excited about is the impending launch of ODST, so we don’t want to totally start talking about next year’s model before this one’s even off the assembly line.” Alright, so he doesn’t sound that committed to the current title, does he?

      I don’t blame the guy. I realize Halo:Reach has the same problem I mentioned above – a story that’s already done – but it’s far enough removed from what I consider a trilogy’s timeline that it’s also entirely different.

      Previews, Xbox 360

      Commodore 64 Emulator App Gets Approved

      September 7, 2009 /

      C64 iPhone app.The latest in Apple’s string of backtracking and approving formerly rejected apps comes to us in the form of the officially licensed Commodore 64 emulator app. I’m sure you’ll remember the app making headlines for being initially rejected because it contained its own executable runtimes for the ROMs of classic C64 games.

      Well Apple has given the app another chance, and its already live in the App Store for just $5. The reason for the approval is that the 3.0 SDK makes allowances for in-app purchases, which probably means there’s now an infrastructure in place that keeps the ROMs and the app in the same location, one that doesn’t require access to any other parts of the phone. Purchase of the app includes Dragons Den, Le Mans, Jupiter Lander, Arctic Shipwreck, and Jack Attack.

      Mobile Gaming, News

      Halo 3:ODST Gets A Mini-Game From The ilovebees Developer

      September 6, 2009 /

      ilovebees page.We haven’t heard much lately from 42 Entertainment, the company beyond the viral Halo 2 marketing game, “ilovebees.” It looks like some of their former team members have new work, though, and it’s back with Bungie. Fourth Wall Studios, which is made up of some former 42E folks, is developing a mini-game for Halo 3:ODST called Sadie’s Story.

      The game takes place in New Mombassa, after the Covenant invasion but before the arrival of the ODSTs. As the name implies, the story follows Sadie, a resident of New Mombassa, and her adventures in a new city. The mini-game is meant to augment the main story-line, but unfortunately Bungie won’t say much else.

      All signs indicate the mini-game will be available on release, so no DLC here. As I’m sure you’ve already marked on your calendars, ODST hits stores September 22nd.

      Previews, Xbox 360

      Ben Heck Makes An Accessible 360 Controller

      September 5, 2009 /

      Ben Heck's accessible controllerBen Heck spends most of his free time making mind-boggling mods of popular game console hardware. He’s the guy responsible for the 360 in a box, that Microsoft console with an attached screen inside a briefcase. He doesn’t just work for fun, though. This past week Ben hacked together a controller to do some good – a controller that would allow people who would otherwise find it difficult to play to be able to play with one hand.

      As you can see in the picture above, Ben’s mod involves swapping the D-Pad out with the ABXY button set, allowing one-handed control of just about any game. He’s also switched the triggers, so the right-handed trigger, the one used for most primary functions like shooting, is on the left with the controls. As you can imagine, he could probably make one for right-hand folks too. For the truly hardcore of the one-handed contingent, Heck’s also added smaller ABXY controls to the back of the unit, allowing you to keep that thumb on the control stick as while you melee someone in the back.

      Head over to his blog for the complete set of pics and contact info regarding customization.

      News, Websites, Xbox 360

      Xbox 360 Fails 8 Times As Often As The Wii

      September 5, 2009 /

      The RROD.A new study from SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider, compiled failure information for 16,000 consoles and determined the Xbox 360 was the worst of the bunch. In the first two years of ownership, 23.7% of Xbox owners reported failure, compared to 10% of PS3 owners and just 2.7% of Wii owners. The more powerful systems reported failures with video output and disc read errors while the Wii’s problems were mostly related to power and controller failure.

      As you might expect, though, the biggest problem for the Xbox 360 was the famous Red Ring of Death, E74. In fact, if you take E74 out of the equation, 360 failure rate drops down to 11.7%, still more than 3 times the Wii failure rate but much closer to that of the PS3.

      According to a Game Informer report from earlier this year, 360 failure rates only go up past 2 years. Their survey of over 5,000 console owners concluded the 360 failed more than 50% of the time, though only 3% of consumers would never buy another console. As these stories continue to make headlines, it seems Microsoft is doing little to correct the problem. Most statements from Redmond cite their industry-best warranty, rather than addressing the continued and widespread failure.

      News, Xbox 360

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