Living LIVE News Report 10.31.11
Posted by Trace Aber on 10.31.2011
News and thoughts on the release date for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, the failure of multiplayer in Battlefield 3 and NBA 2k12, new information on the next Rainbow Six game, the upcoming release of Forza 4's DLC pack and more!
REPLY POSTED
In a continuation of our conversation about the FIFA 12 hackers, ‘lol' had one final thing to say.
They're not really targeting one game, they're targeting the audience for that game since they've shown they're willing to pay for an advantage. If the Ultimate Team for NHL/Madden were to take off the same way they'd be after that next.
Posted By: lol (Guest) on October 24, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Wii60 has dreams of a day when instead of retail HD collections we'd have downloadable HD collections.
I wish this HD remake trend would move towards an Xbox Live release rather than redo and repackage for sale at retail stores. I don't need updated graphics, just release the original versions as a Live title. These publishers have a ton of back catalog games that they could make available, how hard is it to port some of these games for the current systems?
At least Blitz is coming back!
Posted By: Wii60 (Guest) on October 24, 2011 at 10:46 AM
There are more and more "remakes" creeping into XBLA, with Daytona USA being the most recent one (I'll have a review of that up later in the week). I think the main difference between what is a retail release and what goes on XBLA or PSN is whether or not they were big titles. Sure, Daytona USA has a cult following, but it's doubtful you'll see it on anybody's top five of all time lists. Devil May Cry or Metal Gear Solid, on the other hand, are more influential and people will be willing to pay the full price for a retail version. And besides, does any of this matter when Blitz is coming out soon?
Welcome everyone to another issue of the Living LIVE News Report, and as always, I'm your host for the evening, Trace Aber.
Battlefield 3 Has a Rough Start
According to the official Battlefield 3 Twitter account, many Xbox 360 players were experiencing server issues, and at one point the servers were completely down. This persisted from launch until press time, giving the game promising to take down the Call of Duty juggernaut a rough start. The Twitter is being constantly updated, trying to tend to individual problems as well as the bigger problems in general as well. The network issues seem to be focused on PC and 360 versions of the game, with no large outcry from PS3 fans (that I could find).
Typical issues, for those who could even connect to the server, included lag and being kicked out midgame for no apparent reason. This comes off the heels of, according to some people, NBA2k12 having plenty of online connection problems. It's interesting that two big releases (albeit in completely difference genres) would have similar problems so close to one another.
So what's the problem here? Is it lazy coding and testing? Is it simply developers not anticipating so many people wanting to play online? Or is it a limitation of current hardware that can't handle the amount of traffic these kind of games generate? I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know the answer to these questions, but one does have to wonder why so many blockbuster releases experience so many launch day problems.
Another interesting thing is that these problems tend to occur during peak hours, meaning one of two things: either the servers really can't handle the stress being put on them or the problems are happening to only a relatively small percentage of players that gets exaggerated due to more people playing and more people having online access to post their experiences. I think it's a bit of both, to be honest.
I have been pretty lucky in my video game life, rarely experiencing any serious glitches or bugs that completely ruin a game for me. Not in Oblivion, Black Ops, Dead Island, or even Fallout: New Vegas, which was supposed to be the holy grail of games. But it seemed like you couldn't take four steps in any of those games without experiencing something like horrible lag or a glitch that not only broke your game, but also killed your dog. It turns out that it was just the internet amplifying the severity of these problems, which, while present, were not occurring in every single copy of the game.
On the other hand, the servers present for today's blockbuster games clearly aren't up to snuff. Especially in FPS and sports games, players tend to pick them up for the online portion. You never hear anybody talk about how they're looking forward to playing Battlefield 3's campaign – they only want to shoot virtual representations of living, breathing people. Yet companies don't seem to anticipate that the game they've been promoting for the last year, that people have been clamoring for and fighting with non-fans for the last year, that people will want to hop on those servers the minute they pop that game in their console (and after they install the optional, but damn-near mandatory HD texture pack).
So who's the real culprit here? I don't know, and pointing fingers isn't going to help anything. But I do think major companies need to better prepare for their online components, especially when they're the main selling point. It doesn't make sense that in 2011 we still haven't figured this out. Sure, most problems tend to get fixed by a month or two after release – but why should we have to wait that long? Why should somebody who's waited a year or two for a game to come out have to wait another month or two for the version promised to them? Just doesn't seem right.
Has anybody here been experiencing problems with either Battlefield 3 or NBA 2k12? If so, let me know in the comments below and if you have found anything that helps alleviate those problems.
Next Rainbow Six Game to be More Patriotic
For those of you who like their shooters a little more realistic, you'll be happy to know there's finally some more information about the otherwise quiet Rainbow Six game. According to Fusible, it looks like the next game is going to be called Rainbow Six: Patriots.
According to the report, Rainbow6Patriots.com and RainbowsixPatriots.com were both registered by Ubisoft just a few days ago. And according to one NeoGAF member, all of this will be announced in next month's Xbox World Magazine:
Last night I got home with the assets; logos, arts, the covers and rendered game screens from a buddy that I know in marketing. I will not going to show anything for the moment as I will let the mag do his work, but what I can tell is that the logo is 6 with the pistol that replace the bottom circle. The arts backgrounds are with the New York in fire and the renders characters are very similiar to Homefront, yet the clothes are still based with police rainbow six gears. What I understood the plot will go between a large group of revolutionary terrorists and of course the police.
We'll see if all of this proves to be correct next month. Either way, I'll keep you updated.
Forza 4 DLC Pack Hitting November 1
If the hundreds of cars already found in Forza 4 are boring you somehow, you'll be happy to know that that come tomorrow, you'll be able to download 10 new cars. Below you can find the official description of each car. All in all, you'll be spending 560MP, or about $7.
• 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4: The newest Bull in the Lamborghini stable has arrived: fans can take it for a spin in "Forza Motorsport 4" and experience what it's like to whip past rivals at 200 miles per hour.
• 2012 Aston Martin Virage: Aston Martin's newest coupe features a barking V12 that balances a perfect ratio of horsepower to torque to propel the Virage down the open road.
• 2011 #2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15++ TDI: The final version of the Audi R15, the R15 "Plus Plus," celebrated the R15s final race at the 2011 Sebring 12 Hours.
• 2011 Audi RS3 Sportback: The newest member of the Audi RennSport line boasts the same 2.5-liter turbocharged direct-injection five-cylinder found in the TT-RS, propelling it from 0 to 60 in only 4.6 seconds.
• 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air: A true automotive icon, the "57 Chevy" gained notoriety as a hot rod and is now one of the most recognizable American cars of all time.
• 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8: The 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 is a serious performance machine with a 470-hp 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that responds to throttle inputs with no hesitation.
• 2011 Ferrari #62 Risi Competizione F458 Italia: Matched only by the legendary heritage of Ferrari, the Risi Competizione team has won two Le Mans championships and achieved 29 podium finishes.
• 2013 Ford Focus ST: Debuting with the same 250-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine that the much larger Ford Explorer SUV uses, the new Ford Focus ST packs a serious punch.
• 1992 GMC Typhoon: The 280 horses on tap in the GMC Typhoon allow it to do things unthinkable for an SUV before its introduction.
• 2011 Volkswagen Scirocco R: The Scirocco R serves as the platform for race cars in the Scirocco R-Cup, which brings world famous drivers to the Hockenheim track each year.
Release Dates for Two Capcom Games Announced
Two upcoming Capcom games have finally received their release dates. Asura's Wrath will be released on February 21, 2012, while Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will land on March 20, 2012. Anybody who preorders RE: ORC at Gamestop, Amazon, or Best Buy will receive a unique (to each store) costume for each of the game's six characters. Those pro-ordering the special edition will also get exclusive art, patches, and eight bonus weapons.
Play Sonic 1 in Sonic Generations
The upcoming Sonic Generations is already chocked full with classic hedgehog gaming, but Sega is going to sweeten the pot for the four of you who don't own a copy of it already – Sonic the Hedgehog, the game that started it all, is officially confirmed as an unlockable in the upcoming game. You'll unlock it by earning points at the end of each level to spend in the Skill Shop…and if you aren't all that good at the game you can even unlock infinite lives!
The Digital Downloads Arcade Games
Daytona USA (800MP)
The War of Worlds (800MP)
Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone (800MP)
Games on Demand
Rio ($59.99)
Saw II ($39.99)
Blood Drive ($49.99)
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!
For me, the best way to get on Battlefield has been to go on the server list and pick a room that is 3/4 full. I usually get on that way. However, I'm still having the lag issue
Posted By: Steve (Guest) on October 30, 2011 at 11:48 PM
"Yet companies don't seem to anticipate that the game they've been promoting for the last year, that people have been clamoring for and fighting with non-fans for the last year, that people will want to hop on those servers the minute they pop that game in their console (and after they install the optional, but damn-near mandatory HD texture pack)."
Didn't they make you pay for an online pass to play on their "dedicated" servers? Sounds like a EPIC fail to me.
Hey yo, say hello to the bad guy, but i've never had problems on COD. Just saying.
Posted By: MadLib (Guest) on October 31, 2011 at 11:47 AM
Thanks for the tip, Steve. According to reports most of the problems have been solved on the PC/PS3 side, and the 360 side should be fixed pretty soon.
And to MadLib, I did have some launch day problems with Black Ops, but they were smoothed out by the next day. Again, maybe we're just lucky. The online pass doesn't bother me that much in this situation. Most of the problems arise within the opening week or two of the game and are smoothed out by the time it becomes feasible to purchase a used copy and the $10 online pass. That being said, it doesn't excuse them for having ill-prepared servers that people still paid $60 to play on.
Posted By: TraceAber (Registered) on October 31, 2011 at 03:39 PM
BF3 had a rough 1st couple days but it did get better and is now perfect, easily the best multiplayer around today easily boasting some of the best graphics, physics, sound, & animation in any shooter this gen... not to mention it has the most depth with unlocks etc...
as far as why they had a rough start... its simple... they had no clue so many people would by the game day 1... this game out sold all the previous battlefield games on consol in the 1st day... its definitly a hit...
BF4 will have a legit shot to take cods sales, especially after the very average outdated cod mw 2.5...
hell, if the next ghost recon is great and has a good showing the military shooter space could get really crowded with top selling shooters... even crysis has a shot to improve a take a piece, even though their part scifi...
Posted By: Guest#5727 (Guest) on November 12, 2011 at 05:47 AM
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