The Full Circle: 360 News Report 07.24.09
Posted by Joe Roche on 07.24.2009
It's Friday and this week we're going to talk a lot about EA Sports and try not to charge you for it, also we've got some DLC news about a game that won't come out for two months, and Battlefield 1943. It's all inside, plus this week the Hot Button is that next week you get to run the show, find out how as we go around The Full Circle.
Like clockwork we've reach another Friday and here I am to bring you the news you need to know about the Xbox 360. Before we get into it lets take a quick trip through the week in gaming.
- Played a lot of Fallout 3: Point Lookout DLC and wrote a review about it. As I spent a decent amount of time writing the review I'll make you read it if you want my thoughts on the content. However, I will add that I've spent additional time wandering about Point Lookout and realizing that there was even more going on then I initially gave the place credit for. This is a really good piece of content, and it has me primed and ready for Mothership Zeta which I anticipate will be equally awesome.
- The other game I've spent a lot of time with over the past week is NCAA Football 10. I'm still undecided about the game, as I like a lot of the new features but something about it just seems a bit off. I love Team-builder, especially because someone out there made an awesome UMass team that I could download (although McGuirk Alumni Stadium could use some work) and bring into Conference USA to make a run at a National Championship. The actual game play looks great, and the movement is pretty fluid so that's a huge thing like I said I haven't put enough time in to come to a final verdict, so we'll give the game an incomplete until further notice.
Other then that it was a pretty low key week on the gaming front so I won't bore you with the details (more then I already have). Without further ado it's time for your favorite weekly time waster as work as you kick the tires and wait for the weekend it's time to go around The Full Circle.
Halo 3: ODST DLC The Xbox Live Marketplace now lists two pieces of FREE DLC for Halo 3: ODST even though the game is two months away from release. The DLC is titled "Something special " and "EN Dolphin Data" respectively.
Well talk about jumping the gun on DLC huh? I realize that EA has been in the habit of releasing DLC immediately upon the release of the game but two months prior to release? That seems a bit much if you ask me. On the bright side it's a super slow news week and this is my lead story so buckle your seatbelts folks it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Tiger Woods DLC EA has announced that Banaff Springs is now available as DLC for Tiger Woods 10. The course will cost you 600 Microsoft points.
Really EA? $7.50 to download ONE course? I understand that EA is trying out some new things to try and squeeze every last penny out of their games but this seems ridiculous. I believe this makes two course DLC packs that have been released for Tiger Woods 10 and each pack comes with ONE piece of DLC. With the number of courses in the country EA could feasibly do this once a week for the rest of the year and not run out of professional quality courses for their game. Is there anyone out there buying this DLC? If you want to get mad at someone for abusing the downloadable content medium I think it's safe to say that EA Sports should top the list.
Madden Demo Now LIVE The demo for Madden NFL 10, not the good demo that you can only get with a pre-order of the game from Gamestop and that has been out for a few days now, but the crappy demo that the rest of the world has been waiting for is now up on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Speaking of EA Sports it's that time of the year again. I admit that last year's version of Madden was a superior game to years before but I am skeptical that EA Sports can improve much this go around. I am especially worried that I'll have to pay for the fourth quarter of every game if I want to play through to the end. "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Roche you wanted to play a full game of Madden? Well that'll be 150 Microsoft points before you switch sides of the field." Hooray for EA Sports, making me snarky and hate video games all at the same time. [Ed. Note: I should mention that my favorite game of the year right now is Fight Night Round 4 does that make me a hypocrite? Who cares, I love that game.]
Battlefield 1943 Leaves a Mark Across both platforms Battlefield 1943 has sold over 600,000 units which overwhelmingly sets the record for the most purchases of a downloadable release.
It's EA (or tangentially related to EA) day today on TFC. I have to confess something I was a huge proponent of Battlefield 1943, I pushed you all to purchase the game, hell a remark that I made was even used (or at least proposed to be used) in a trailer for the game but I have no purchased it yet. I know, I know I'm a terrible person but the fact remains that I've been doing a LOT of writing for 411mania.com lately and I just didn't have the time to purchase and play Battlefield 1943. That doesn't mean that I will not be picking the game up, and as it turns out it appears that I will be the absolute last person to pick the game up. I blame my gold membership running out on my birthday on the delay but I promise this wrong will not go un-righted.
Rockstar Gets Gay Rockstar has announced that they will release the second GTA IV episodic DLC "The Ballad of Gay Tony" on October 29th. There will also be a retail disc of the game bundled with the first episode "The Lost and Damned" for $39.99. Allegedly the disc release of the DLC will run without the retail version of GTA IV.
Rockstar I am intrigued. I no longer have the retail disc of GTA IV (don't ask) but being able to play the two episodic DLC releases without the disc have me thinking that there is a very good chance that I'll wind up playing all of the additional content sooner rather then later. It's been awhile since GTA IV was released and I'm wondering if people are still psyched about "The Ballad of Gay Tony?" I know when "The Lost and Damned" was released I was concerned that the DLC came out too late, and that people had gone soft on GTA IV but it still did reasonably well, so I am wondering how you the TFC nation feel about the upcoming DLC release for GTA IV.
Drew Robbins:I'm still playing Madden 09 and I haven't touched a college game since 2006, so I guess that answers your question.
And, obligatory statement, Patriots suck :P
This is the year of the Rams...right? Riggght? Please?!
Don't hate the Patriots because the Rams have been run into the ground while the Patriots continue to thrive. And to answer you question Drew, no no it is not the year of the Rams, sorry.
Rey:since the games cost 60 bones, i flip flop every year by only getting one or the other. Odd years madden, even years, college football.
my only gripe about the most recent installment of NCAA, it was too realistic. i would use smaller, lesser name schools, go 12-0, blowing out every team by 30 for 5 straight years and then have ZERO SHOT at a national title.
I have a similar feeling Rey, in that you do run up against the difficult glass ceiling of college football, but I actually love the reality of that situation. I believe in 2007 I spent about 10 years at UCF and finally got to the point where I could get them into a National Championship, but that was only after being asked to join the SEC. I am about 80% through my first year at UMass (teambuilder is awesome), so let's see if I can bring that proud franchise to the top of the college football ranks.
TWilliams: College for me to. I like being recruited to a low ranked team as QB or RB and seeing if I can make them National Champions.
I haven't given the Heisman, or Road to whatever they call it with Erin Andrews mode a try yet, but I also love seeing how well I can do with a low rated team in the college game.
Guest#3832:Fuck Madden 10, Black College Football Experience - The Doug Williams Edition is coming out next week
oh yeah
This is actually true, and I'm interested to see how this game does talk about appealing to a niche audience. I'm not saying anything negative about black colleges, or their sports I just wonder how the whole culture that surrounding the "black college football experience" will translate into a video game.
S. Masters: I love steamrolling the NFL with my beloved Jags. I ended Brady's career in the past three games on franchise mode and look to do it again this year.
But on a whole, I do like the feel of NCAA better. It's like a Saturday with the boys, BBQ'n and drinking out back with the game on inside. Madden is like the wife that doesn't sleep with you because you forgot to pay the cell phone bill.
If I was Bill Simmons this is the point where I'd say these are my readers and then end the column. Instead I will give out the gold star for comment that made me simultaneously laugh out loud and be sad to S. Masters for this one, bravo my friend.
stronelis: "But my real question is whether or not there are actually people out there who will bypass the game at $60, spend the extra $90 to get the "Prestige Edition" and prance around their living room with night vision goggles over their head?"
Never underestimate the stupidity of nerds with money.
Apparently you're right stronelis as rumor has it the "Prestige Edition" is selling better then all other Modern Warfare 2 editions in pre-orders online. Sometime in the very far off future aliens will dig up the remains of our society and find a landfill full of night vision goggles with the Modern Warfare logo on the side.
Matt Young: I've always preferred Madden to NCAA. I care much more about the pro game. Madden09 was my favorite of the series, but it's had the shortest shelf life for me solely because I've bought so many more games since its release.
NCAA and its online dynasty got me to buy last year's edition, but its constant crashes and dated gameplay compared to Madden 09 led to me getting rid of it. Now Madden has online franchise, so that will satisfy me.
You make some valid points Matt, and I absolutely agree that Madden 09 was the best game of the series. I also think that last year's online dynasty mode was a big draw for me and wound up being a pretty big let down. I've yet to start an NCAA 10 online dynasty although once I have more time with the game I will be able to comment that a little better.
Wyatt Beougher: Of the EA games, I prefer NCAA better, just because there's a legitimate chance every year to have a decent starting team with my alma mater (Penn State), whereas the Bengals pretty much suck, year in and year out (even after the playoff appearance of 2005, they still sucked because of questions about Palmer's knee when the game came out).
Of course, that could just be bias talking, because I never played a college game regularly until the 360, and Madden the first year (06, was it?) sucked balls. Of course, Madden still sucks compared to the greatest pro football game of all time, NFL 2k5.
Once again Wyatt brings some great stuff to the table, and I have a very hard time coming up with anything to argue with. I also fall into that category of people who loved NFL 2k5 and still yearn for the days when we will have competition in sports video games once again. Also you're right the Bengals will always suck, as a matter of fact you'd be better off with Penn State in Madden.
Jaxorz90: Madden 09 all the way will definitely pick up Madden 10
Go Cowboys!
I just wanted to post this comment because Cowboy fans always make me laugh.
Dman: I would like to know how people feel about NCAA 10 guerrilla micro-transactions. Such as "upgrade pitch or offers by pressing a button" then screen pops up offering you a purchase. What a joke. We all know that the next thing for EA is paying for downloaded roster updates throughout college and pro seasons....especially if people pay for these "upgrades"!! That's what a monopoly gets us!
I'll let Rod Oracheski touch on this first: Yeah, the 'buy this now' stuff is out of control. NCAA 10 has it, Tiger Woods has it for every single piece of equipment - Madden is going to have it as well, no doubt about it.
I absolutely hate these micro-transactions things in the college game, especially because I have to look at them throughout the game. It'd be one thing if you got a one time question, or a sub-menu that you could access away from the main game play screen but every time I go to my recruitment screen I have to see all these tiny little micro-transactions that I could purchase to "improve" my chance of landing some recruits. I will say this though when it's late at night I do wind up thinking that I should just pick them up for the 150 or whatever, and then I realize that maybe EA is money hungry and a bit evil, but they're not stupid. Just avoid these things like the plague and if nobody uses them then EA won't spend the resources putting them in the game the next time around (of course there are a bunch of people out there I am sure who have already purchased enough of these to make EA money).
The Hot Button
Sorry guys I had some computer trouble this week and wasn't able to do a Hot Button so instead of asking you a question I'm opening up the floor. Next week (if there is enough interest) I will answer YOUR questions about anything that is on your mind, so ask away (I am sure I am going to regret this).
Wow, Joe, it's not bad enough I'm a Bengals fan, you have to rub salt in the wound, too? I haven't picked up NCAA yet, but I intend to tomorrow after work so I can get some gaming in this weekend (because my work entails so much travel, I'm on the road every other weekend, which is when I do a lot of my gaming). Alas, no matter how good NCAA is, I'll eventually get mad at not being able to run between the tackles and start running the option with Penn State, even though they've only done that with any regularity in 2 of JoePa's 200 years as head coach.
That's probably my biggest complaint with any EA games - the power rushing game just isn't there. Without pressing a million buttons, it's next to impossible to break a good, long run on the higher difficulty settings (especially when the Madden Skills test in 09 puts you on All-Madden level if you can essentially breathe without difficulty). Not only did 2k5 have the awesome training features (take the position group and assign them to different tasks each day, but don't go over your daily budget of hours - oh, yeah, and improvements actually stick from week to week!), there was just something much more poetic about the Sega's rushing system. And even lighting up the old guys with Ickey Woods in All-Pro wasn't enough to keep me interested in that game. I just hope the NFL opts not to stick with EA exclusivity when this contract is up.
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 12:38 AM
I don't mind picking up the Banff Springs course. It's the first time it's been in the game, and I've actually golfed on it a few times. At least you get something for this purchase, not like the many 'unlock this using Points, not time' stuff.
Posted By: Rod Oracheski (Registered) on July 24, 2009 at 02:11 AM
As a fellow Bengals fan, I must agree with Wyatt; why ya gotta kick us while we're done, eh? Ah well, the team's looking good this year so maybe we'll surprise some folks.
I think I only played a NCAA game once, back on the PS2. I rented '04 I believe and enjoyed building a dynasty. I fondly remember playing some extra weak team and my kick/punt returner/halfback amassed like 600 all-purpose yards in one game and won the Heisman based on that one game. Good times. But yeah, other than that one time, I've been a Madden guy, except the year I played NFL 2k5. I miss the post-game recaps and being able to mash the X button to power out of tackles. It actually allowed my running back to get some decent stats, unlike in Madden where 12 attempts for 25 yards was not uncommon at all for me.
Also, as a Black, college-age young man, I didn't know that Black College Football even -had- an Experience. Go fig.
Posted By: AlaskanHero (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 02:23 AM
'I am especially worried that I'll have to pay for the fourth quarter of every game if I want to play through to the end. "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Roche you wanted to play a full game of Madden? Well that'll be 150 Microsoft points before you switch sides of the field."
Wait...What? Can you elaborate? I think I may have missed something...
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on July 24, 2009 at 09:50 AM
Here's a thought I just had - remember when games had a highlight feature that let you watch highlights of other games? Which game/franchise was that? For some reason I remember post game shows that included highlights of games that I wasn't involved in -- man those were great, and if that was the 2k series I'm back on board.
Posted By: Joe Roche (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Very smart move by Rockstar but I would hope that they would charge a premium to play a standalone version of the DLC for GTA IV. Or simply charge a little less for owners of the main game. Why not expand the buying audience for any add-on as much as possible? I still think it's screwing over copy holders a bit, but why do I expect a big publisher to be nice to me anyway?
Posted By: Wii60 (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Roche the game with highlights was 2K5...can't remember if 2K4 had it or not, but I do know that they are apparently bringing it to Madden this year.
Posted By: Drew Robbins (Registered) on July 24, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I may go for the standalone GTAIV dlc disc if it in fact can run without the real GTAIV game. I traded that crap off about a month after release because I couldn't get into the story & could give a shit less about Nico and Roman. Lame
Saints Row was a lot more fun & I'm finally ready to open Saints Row 2. GTA Lost & Damned looked pretty cool, but I didn't want to have to buy the main game to play it. I guess it will depend on what type of feedback & reviews Gay Tony's DLC gets to see if it justifies by that combo disc
Posted By: Byzdalmyt (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 02:21 PM
I though the Madden demo was meh. I found a large number bugs in it. It frustrated me a bit. I may pick it up, but I hope it is not as sloppy as the demo version.
Posted By: David (Guest) on July 25, 2009 at 09:26 AM
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