The Full Circle: 360 News Report 08.25.07
Posted by Mike Minotti on 08.25.2007
There are a ton of new 360 releases coming next week, so check out what's coming and when it'll be available for your greedy little hands. Also, thoughts on the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta.
I have been enjoying much gaming goodness.
After declaring my hatred for the FPS genre, it's a bit ironic that I spent my week playing two excellent FPSs in BioShock and the Call of Duty 4 beta (which I talk about in greater detail below).
There are a lot of releases this week, so be sure to check that out further down the column.
And before we get things started, I wanted to let you all know that I know have my own gaming podcast, The Exploding Barrel Podcast. I record it with my brother, Ajguy, and in it we discuss the weekly gaming news, releases, debate which game is the best FPS shooter, and talk about my ongoing quest to beat every Final Fantasy game.
If you'd like to check it out, I'd greatly appreciate it:
You can right-click the above picture to save the mp3. Check out the podcast's site here. Please leave some feedback if you give it a listen.
News
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic demo coming to XBL.
This is a fantasy FPS that was originally released on the PC. The game initially looked promising, but garnered mostly negative reviews. Hopefully they can fix up the 360 version. The demo will include both single and multiplayer elements.
Borderlands to require hard drive.
Besides Final Fanatasy XI, this will be the first 360 game to require a hard drive. I think it was a mistake on Microsoft's part to ever make the hard drive an option for the 360. It wasn't an option for the original Xbox, and no one complain. Besides, I doubt Borderlands will be the only game to have this requirement. What if a big game, like GTA4, requires the hard drive? There will be a lot of angry Core owners.
No PS3 BioShock.
Granted, this is more PS3 news, but it's relevant since BioShock being a 360 console exclusive is a pretty big deal. This news come courtesy from a interview Joystiq had with 2K Boston's Ked Levine:
""I promise you, there is no secret plan about the PS3 that we're keeping from people. There's no PS3 development going on that we're hiding. There's lots of stuff that gets into game code, plans change over time and we got an exclusive deal with Microsoft ... that's not a Rosetta Stone discovery."
BioShock Soundtrack available for free.
Yep, the game's score is available at 2K Game's site. Here's a direct link: http://downloads.2kgames.com/bioshock/BioShock_Score.zip
Pretty sweet stuff, and you can't beat the price.
XBL Arcade Demo Reviews
Space Giraffe - 400 points
It's funny how many games have adopted Geometry Wars simplistic design/bright neon colors style. Still, I don't think there's a game out there that has taken as far as Space Giraffe does. It's a bizarre shooting game somewhat similar to Tempest. You're pretty much moving left and right and shooting things. The interesting part is that the levels can look pretty unique. One is a simple straight line, another a half-pipe, another the shape of a crescent moon. My biggest problem with the game is that the screen is a bit busy. All of the neon sort of blends together, so it's hard to see what's going. This is especially true of the bullets, which often killed me without my noticing. Still, the game is so bizarre it's worth checking out at least once.
Rating: Try it.
Street Trace: NYC - 800 points
This is a hover board game that is part Twisted Metal and part SSX. There are deathmatch and racing elements, is what I'm getting at. While many of the design choices in the game are pretty uninspired and derivative, the controls and mechanics do work pretty well. I found the game to be surprisingly fun. Maybe you'll enjoy it as well.
Rating: Try it.
Weekly Releases
Pretty busy week.
Stranglehold – 8/27
I've been meaning to try the demo, but haven't gotten around to it. This game is supposedly Max Payne-ish, so it could be cool.
Blue Dragon – 8/28
I'm having a pretty hard time embracing this game's design, but maybe there's an awesome RPG battle system behind it.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 – 8/28
I actually enjoy this series a good bit. Here's hoping that 08 will be a good addition.
Stuntman Ignition – 8/28
The demo for this game was insanely cool. I may have to pick this one up. Very flashy sort of game, but it's undeniably awesome.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam – 8/28
That's certainly an interesting combination.
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix – 8/29
Geez, that's a pretty intense game title. Anyways, this will be on Xbox Live Arcade, and will probably be worth checking it out. I'll take a look at the demo for next week's column.
Weekly Poll
Last week's results:
You picking up BioShock this week?
Yes, on launch day. 38%
Yes, sometime this week. 28%
No, not this week. 21
I'll never get BioShock. 13%
Total Votes: 53
Yes, my minions. Buy!
Weekly Trailer
Hopefully this will show you why I think Stuntman Ignition is cool.
Target Topic: Call of Duty 4 rocks my socks.
So I've had the chance to play the Call of Duty 4 beta, and I'm really impressed with it. The core game play hasn't changed too much from CoD2, meaning that the shooting mechanics are still similar. Which is good, because a lot of the mechanics in CoD2 worked rather well.
The stuff that's new is pretty awesome. Like in the Halo 3 beta, you have a rank that can increase according to how well you perform. However, unlike in Halo 3, this rank isn't just for player matching. Higher ranks can open up new classes, abilities, weapons, and even game modes. It's like an achievements system with actual rewards.
Personal achievements are greatly rewarded, actually. If you can get three straight kills without dying, you can activate a better radar for a short period of time. If you get five kills, you can call in an air strike. Seven kills lets you bring in a friendly helicopter than can do big damage to your foes.
The levels included in the beta encourage different play styles. One level has a lot of brush and grass, encouraging some sneaking and stealth. Another level has a lot of roof tops for snipers. Another level has no high ground to speak off, so players are forced into close quarters combat.
If you can get into the public beta, I definitely recommend trying the game out. It's shaping up to be something pretty special.
The Other Guys
Nintendophiles' Theo Fraser has new Smash Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy information for you.
