Living LIVE News Report 04.18.11
Posted by Trace Aber on 04.18.2011
The latest news on the arcade edition of Super Street Fighter IV, the F.E.A.R. multiplayer, how to get into the Gears of War 3 beta, controversy over potential Xbox LIVE Ratings fraud while one of the first big games on XLBA gets delisted, Cecil Jenkins: Notebook Adventure takes the spotlight and more!
Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I'm your host for the evening, Trace Aber. My collection of retro video games continues to grow, as I picked up Super Mario RPG, Super James Pond, Ren and Stimpy's Veediots, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the awesome side-scrolling game), Road Rash 3D and WWF In Your House over the weekend. I've found myself playing these older games more than my PS3, 360 or Wii, and even having more fun. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that you can easily pick these games up and play them whenever, where with a lot of newer games I feel like I have to be committed to play. Then again, it could just be that I've had an extremely busy week with little time to play games. Either way, I'm loving it. We have some news to go through tonight, so let's get underway.
Some Company Wants Access to 5,000 Xbox LIVE Silver Accounts
An odd story came up the other day, first noted by Bill Steinberg of Zeboyd Games posted on his Twitter about a peculiar site on ScriptLance.com expressing a need for 5,000 Xbo LIVE Accounts to be created. The full post reads as below:
We need a talented quick team to create 5,000 valid xbox live accounts. They do not need to be made from valid email addresses, but the accounts must be saved and valid.
Must provide CSV with email/usernames and passwords for all accounts.
Note: We have a script that will validate all accounts provided before final payment is released."
NOTE: We need FREE Xbox accounts set up, not the paid accounts. This is the URL that will be used: https://live.xbox.com/en-US/Signin/Signup?cbcxt=0-aHR0cDovL2xpdmUueGJveC5jb20vZW4tVVMvTXlYYm940
According to Steinberg, the firm might be looking to cheat the Xbox LIVE Indie Games rating system, allowing for games to get quickly voted as the top rated game. Steinberg has been very vocal about the voting system implemented in the channel, particularly against cheating systems just like this. Just a couple of weeks ago he accused indie game FortressCraft, which has received thousands of ratings averaging out at 4 stars, all thanks to a YouTube video urging viewers to vote 5 stars for the game. Steinberg noted that "Pandora's Box has officially been opened. Doesn't look like it's ever going to be closed." Perhaps these two stories are related, as the job was contracted out last March to a company called Flourish Technology Solution, located in Channai, TN, India. They released a short snippet of the project:
C# Web 2.0 Automation
Description:
The main objective of the project is to create automated accounts for web 2.0 sites. The project has two parts:
Part 1 Have the following facilities
1. Solve Caphas
2. Dynamic username, password, email and user details.
3. Auto email verification
Part 2 have the following facilities
1. Auto login to the created accounts
2. Post dynamic content for an each account
Something seems extremely fishy with the rating system as of late, with games quickly plummeting and skyrocketing up and down the charts. Then again, perhaps the channel has a very fickle audience that is ever growing. Being able to post dynamic content for fake accounts seems like it would be a violation of Microsoft's Terms of Service, which means there could be some legal ramifications down the road.
F.E.A.R. 3's Multiplayer Will Make Sure you Fucking Run
The F.E.A.R. franchise has been known for its creepy gameplay, and the latest one isn't going to be any less frightening. In fact, even the game's new multiplayer modes will be more haunting then before, particularly the mode entitled "Fucking Run." You team takes on an unyielding group of enemies while Alma's Wall of Death constantly chases you. The aptly named wall of fog will kill all players who make contact with it, and when all members are dead it's game over.
Another new mode is Contractions, where a team must endure waves of enemies, with a fog bank rolling out new ones each wave. If you make it far enough you'll even take on Alma. Of course, taking on the increasingly difficult waves of enemies if no laughing matter either. Expect to face creepier monsters than ever before. Then there's Soul King, where Spectres possess AI enemies and taking the souls of anybody they kill. The player with the most souls is King. It's an interesting concept that will hinge on how developed the AI is.
The most promising one to me is Soul Survivor mode. Based on Thirty Days of Nights by Steve Niles, one player starts as the infected and is tasked with making his teammates the same way. Once the infected has gotten all but one, it's up to the survivor to, well, survive.
These modes definitely have me considering picking up F.E.A.R. 3 when it becomes available on May 24 on the 360, PS3 and PC.
Kinect Support for Netflix Arrives, Disappoints
One of the cool futuristic promises of Kinect was the ability to swipe your hands in the air and pick what movie you wanted to watch with Netflix. And when you were ready, you would be able to yell out your commands…and it would work perfectly. Well, Kinect support has been added, but it really sucks.
The problem with the support is that it's extremely limited support. Limited to only one channel, the automated Suggestions for You engine. So, if you don't want to use the controller for Netflix, you are only allowed to watch was Netflix feels like you should watch. You can still use voice commands like "pause" and "forward," but the potential is far from completely realized.
Gears of War 3 Beta Info
Just a reminder that the Gears of War 3 beta has officially begun. Purchasers of the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm (check out the game's soundtrack for free by clicking here) can join in on April 13, while pre-order owners can get some practice in starting April 25. The biggest attraction to Gears 3 multiplayer is the addition of ranks, medals and weapons that must be earned.
There are a few exlusive unlocks to the beta, a full list of which can be found below:
Flaming Hammerburst — Complete one match by Sunday, April 24 to permanently unlock. Flaming Lancer — Complete one match during the week of April 25 to permanently unlock. Flaming Sawed-Off Shotgun — Complete one match during the week of May 2 to permanently unlock. Flaming Gnasher Shotgun — Complete one match during the week of May 9 to permanently unlock. Beta Tester Medal — Wear it proudly, Gear. Complete one match in the Beta to permanently unlock. Thrashball Cole — Unlock Thrashball Cole to play as Augustus Cole as he was before Emergence Day — a legendary Thrashball athlete known for his ferocious, flamboyant style. Complete 50 matches in any game type to unlock for the Beta period. To permanently unlock, complete 10 matches as Thrashball Cole during the Beta period.
Gold-Plated Retro Lancer — Before the chainsaw bayonet was deployed at the beginning of the Locust-Human War, the original Lancer assault rifle had a large fixed blade. Complete 90 matches in any game type to unlock for the Beta period. To permanently unlock, score 100 kills with the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer during the Beta period.
Marble Blast Ultra Delisted
In the early days of Xbox LIVE, there were few big titles to hit the arcade, though one of the first happened to be Marble Blast Ultra, selling over 700,000 copies during its lifespan. The only way of obtaining it now is through purchasing online codes to download the title, though they may not work due to the delisting. The released DLC is still up, but may be taken down at any moment.
Community Manager of GarageGames, developer of the title, David Montgomery-Blake, explained the situation to XBLAFans.com. GG was eventually changed to Instant Action, with the promise of bringing bulkier games to browsers. After lasting for a year, the company announced its closure. This led to the reincarnation of GarageGames, but unfortunately many of the IPs had been sold during its downtime. Marble Blast Ultra was one of those titles.
It's pretty odd to me that nobody knows who purchased the rights to Marble Blast Ultra, or even when the rights were sold. Until that is figured out, it's unlikely we'll see the game brought back soon. Now might be the time to pick up some older arcade titles, just in case something like this happens again.
More Info on the Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
As reported last week, the latest edition of Street Fighter IV will feature four new characters in Evil Ryu, Oni, Yun and Yang. It will add the Elite Channel in spectator mode, allowing you to view the best of fighters, as well as follow five users and watch their matches. Other small changes include being able to view the battle rank and points of your opponent.
The latest expansion is set to release June 7 for $15 on the 360, PS3 and PC. Also, if you don't feel like buying another version of SFIV, Capcom is making it so that owners of all disks can still fight one another.
The Digital Downloads Arcade Games
Yar's Revenge (800MP)
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (1200MP)
Games on Demand
Toy Story 3 ($29.99)
Raven Squad ($19.99)
Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing ($29.99)
2K Sports MLB 2K9 ($29.99)
Cecil Jenkins: Notebook Adventures (80MP)
Notebook Adventures is an interesting title that doesn't live up to its potential due to some shoddy controls and uninspired level design. A platformer set in a world drawn from a notebook is a clever idea, but the execution kills it. There isn't anything you haven't seen a million times before, nor is there ever an end to that god-awful music.
What kills this adventure more than anything are the controls. They're just dreadful. Avoiding nearly any obstacle is a chore since the slightest push of the analog stick will send Jenkins into the closest spikes possible. Seriously, the man has a damn death wish and I'm more than happy to fulfill it. The frustration you experience isn't at all worth it, as the levels consist of your standard rope climbing, pitfall jumping and spike avoiding adventure. You collect the key, build up some cash (why is never explained), and find the lock to open the next level. There are forty levels, but they each seem pretty shallow and basic.
It all begins here? What does that even mean?
Don't even get me started on the music. I don't think it's my TV, as every other sound comes in great, but the music has some weird static sound that plays every now and then. At first you try to ignore it, but a few levels in it grows old. Honestly, the only redeeming factor to this game is the dorky little pose Jenkins makes after he completes a level, almost as saying, "Hey man, I know this sucks, but just fake it, alright?" Rating: 4.5
Signing Out
That does it for me this week. Be sure to check back next week as we discuss all of the latest Xbox 360 news, including releases, rumors and reviews! Also, don't forget to bookmark 411Mania! And a note to all of the Indie Game developers out there – if you have an upcoming title that's going to be released soon drop me a line at traceaber@gmail.com and let me know. I'll write a full review of your game to be posted on 411Mania.com, which is a great way to get your game promoted!
I'm looking forward to the Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition DLC. I really don't care about the Elite Channel, but I am excited about everything else.
Posted By: Guest#3670 (Guest) on April 18, 2011 at 02:48 PM
Copyright (c) 2011 411mania.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
Click here for our privacy policy. Please help us serve you better, fill out our survey.
Use of this site signifies your agreement to our terms of use.
