The Full Circle: 360 News Report 07.04.08

Posted by Joe Roche on 07.04.2008

Happy 232nd birthday United States of America. In this Fourth of July spectacular edition of The Full Circle we're closing out the week with our own brand of Microsoft inspired fireworks. We've got news about the upcoming Microsoft price drop, some E3 plans involving Halo, confirmed roster members for Smackdown vs Raw 2009, some free DLC for Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Soul Calibur on Xbox Live, pre-order goodies for our favorite weapon based fighting game, Rock Band news and Ninja Gaiden 2 is getting downloadable content. All of this and some HTML goodness to close out the week with The Full Circle.



Happy Fourth of July!

At this point I'd remind you all to remember why we celebrate this day, and it isn't solely for the mass consumption of alcohol and hamburgers (although that's a pretty sweet benefit). However, while I don't demand that you all listen to Toby Keith this afternoon I do hope that the weather holds out for everyone for their BBQ and fireworks – I'm writing this column on Wednesday night because I've got a simulated Mass. Bar Exam on Thursday and Friday is already being considered a lost day in my neighborhood. With that in mind we'll skip the general sillyness of this column and get right to a jam packed edition to close out the week of the America's Birthday Special Full Circle.

Price Drop Madness



As we move ever closer to E3 the rumors have started to fly about what the green machine has in store for us this year. One of the worst kept secrets in the industry is that the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro is going to see a price reduction ($299). As a matter of fact depending on where you live the price drop has already gone into effect, including an Australian price drop of $50 whatever Australians call money making the 360 Pro cheaper then the Wii.

One of the best rumors floating around is that the $299 price reduction for the 20GB Pro is the first step in a phase out of that machine so that Microsoft can launch the 60GB console heading into the holiday season. I'm going to take it a step further and say that this is all part of a larger plan to drop the price across the board of all Xbox 360 models, a move that we will probably hear more about next week.

Halo Wars at E3



Let the ramp up to E3 begin. Ensemble Studios who previously had mentioned that they would "hopefully" have a playable build of Halo Wars available in San Diego have retracted their original lukewarm approach and instead come out in full hype mode for an absolutely playable build of Halo Wars on the convention floor. According to Bruce Shelley's own blog they will have several demo stations with a playable build of Halo Wars so that many members of the media will be able to get their hands on the game. The blog mentions some other details about the game including the fact that "this is not a strategy game where you don't interact with your opponent for the first 15 to 25 minutes. Many games are over by that point." As never being a huge follower of the Halo series I am sure there are numerous people more qualified then me to talk about this game, but color me interested.

Smackdown vs Raw Roster Updates



Even though much like EA with the Madden franchise, THQ has treated the Smackdown vs Raw yearly update as a chance to squeeze money out of people by providing an updated roster and not much else, I admittedly still wait eagerly to see who will be that updated roster. IGN normally gets the drop on everyone else when it comes to SvR, and this year is no different. As of now we've had twelve superstars announced for this year's game: John Cena, Batista, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Undertaker, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, John Morrison and The Miz.

Seeing that THQ is putting Morrison and The Miz in the game at least backs up their claims that this year will have a more direct focus on tag team wrestling (even though the WWE itself couldn't care less about tag teams). Obviously I think the key to making a successful game is partially on the roster (which to this point looks strong), but most importantly on the career mode possibilities. I could have fun playing a deep career mode with different options as Kenny Dykstra, the biggest problem THQ has had lately is that they've failed to provide any sort of depth or mystery to the career mode. I'll hold out hope until we get closer to the release.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Free DLC



I have a tendency to be a bit negative in this column towards developers and companies who take advantage of their fans good will. This is why I must at least acknowledge that Ubisoft will be releasing a "Fan Pack" of DLC goodness for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (still the 8th most played game on the Xbox Live) for the very reasonable price of free. This DLC will include 99 additional Elite ranks, 100 additional A.C.E.S., a grenade indicator, a more realistic high stakes setting, and much more. In addition to all the game upgrades you'll also get three new maps including the Calypso Casino from Rainbow Six 1 with improved graphics and shading. So for all of you looking for a reason to head back to Vegas expect this DLC to hit the marketplace early this month.

Soul Calibur Live



This Wednesday saw the official release of the original Dreamcast classic Soul Calibur on the Xbox Live Marketplace (800 MS points). The updated release brings the game in all its HD glory, with achievements, online leader boards and NO online multiplayer. I understand the rationale behind not having the online multiplayer because it wasn't in the original game, but that's like saying professional baseball shouldn't allow minorities to play because that's not how it was when the game started. Even with the lack of online support though the chance to play this game again, with all 19 original playable characters is enough to get me throw down the 800 points, so I guess I'm the sucker.

In some related Soul Calibur news all you UK fans have a new reason to be excited to pre-order Soul Calibur IV. According to Ubisoft if you pre-order the game from UK retailer Play.com you will receive a free Soul Calibur faceplate. If you'd rather have a pretty sweet looking metal case, with art book and bonus DVD then make sure you get your pre-order at GAME stores. Either way you look at it though free stuff for dropping a few bucks on a pre-order is always enticing if you're intending on getting the game anyways.

Harmonix and The Who



It was announced one year ago, and when I'm celebrating my birthday you can all be celebrating that it's finally available because we are about to see the official release of The Who DLC for Rock Band. Harmonix has slated the pack for a July 15th release date. The Best of The Who: Rock Band Edition will include twelve tracks including Baba O'Riley, My Generation and American Journey. Apparently one of the major stumbling blocks for the release has been just tracking down the master tracks of these songs (which have since become very hard to fine). However, it's all said and done now and it will be available a week from this coming Tuesday.

Ninja Gaiden 2 DLC



Looks like Ninja Gaiden II is going to get some worthwhile DLC in the not to distant future, and no I'm not talking about the 200 MS Points a piece costume changes that are currently available. Apparently some eagle eyed Xbox Live Marketplace dwellers noticed the above graphic which pretty plainly states that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be receiving a new mission mode on July 25th. Most people who ate up the previous installment of the Ninja Gaiden series remember the DLC mission modes and the pure battle orientated game play that came with them – so this announcement should be a welcome surprise for those of you who want to spend more money on NG2 but don't care much whether Ryu is wearing a liquid metallic looking costume when you're kicking asses.

The Hot Button

I was going to spend this week talking about the PS3, but kicking a huge multimillion dollar corporation when they're down just isn't my style. Frankly, I'm going to do my part to rise above the petty bickering that goes on in the comments sections and on the forums so I'll do my best to restrain myself right now. Admittedly I'm not the best person to take the higher ground as me and Mark constantly jab at one another (although at least from my end it's always in good fun) and that might make people think that I do honestly have something against the PS3, or Sony (which I do not). However, I will take this moment to talk about the utterly helpless feeling that comes over us as gamers when our console suddenly – doesn't work.

When Jacob Lopez posted the news item that Sony was having major difficulties with their firmware 2.40 update to the point where they pulled the update there were some interesting comments made, including this one from Ronald: "My PS3 controller was rendered useless. I asked why and my question was deleted. The second time I asked I was also told they would close my account and they did. They don't want people talking or replying to threads. Sony seems to be hiding a lot of issues regarding there ability to bring the PS3 up to speed. I am frustrated as I can't get a hold of Sony and its obvious they are trying to cover it up."

Does that sound familiar? If you're a 360 owner it should because this was the same type of treatment we were subjected to when our consoles started blinking that dreaded sequence of red rings back at us from across the room the first time. Over the months the Microsoft customer service started to get better to the point where they handle the RRoD like seasoned professionals at this point, but that doesn't change the fact that initially us as consumers/gamers freaked out, and the people we turned to for help turned the other way and tried to ignore the problem.

This friend is a huge problem.

I jumped over to the Sony message boards to check on how people were reacting to this issue and it was a strange mix. There were those who weren't feeling the effects of the firmware update issue, and they thought that those who were complaining about the issue were insiders or Xbox fanboys trying to start trouble. You do understand how insane that is right? How far this whole Xbox vs PS3 fanboy mentality has gone that people can't even ask for help when their console won't function properly because there is this imaginary turf war going on throughout the internet gaming community? However, if what Ronald said is true that is even more of a concern for me because it shows that Sony is actually taking affirmative steps to cover up the issue to keep any negative publicity down even if it comes at the expense of their own loyal customers.

Kotaku sent word to Sony about the problem after they pulled the firmware update down and they responded that they were "looking into it." "It" being the problem that is causing their customer base to stare at a blank black screen while their controllers remain completely lifeless.

I by no means want this to be taken as a slight on only the PS3 or Sony because these same issues existed when the Xbox 360 was going through the initial phase of the RRoD problem. The boards, and the community did the best that they could in trying to come up with solutions (attn PS3 owners: swap out the HD with a different PS3, format, then reinstall/reformat in your machine), including posting YouTube videos with quick fixes (remember the towel trick 360 owners?) but shouldn't the company who we paid a relatively large amount of money to be quicker to come to our aid then some janitor from Des Moines with too much time on his hands?

I also understand that these companies go into panic mode just as quickly as their customers do. As soon as the first problem was reported the guys at Sony probably froze, and I'm sure Microsoft immediately recognized what was going on with the RRoD and they started to launch into DEFCON 5. However, I'm not so naïve to think that the guy answering my phone is also the lead programmer on the machine that I'm trying to get fixed. When a problem is reported there has to be a better job of the customer relations people to handle the problem with some level of competency (and this goes for message board moderators as well). If you don't know what the problem is, then just say that. Tell people to keep up to date with the ongoing process through your website, or just admit that you're unsure of the problem and tell the people to send their console in for repairs. But you've got to tell them something, because as consumers we've put our faith in your product the least you can do is show us some sort of compassion when something goes wrong. Imagine in your own life if someone asked you a question and instead of answering them, or passing them off to someone who might know the answer you just tell that person that not only will you not be helping them but if they ask you another question about it you'll never speak to them again.

So was there a point to THB this week? Maybe not, but as someone who has gone through the horror of watching my video game console shit the bed there is a certain horror/anger that comes over people when they're watching an investment that they made stare back at them blankly and I think these companies should do more to address the issue in a more consumer friendly manner. It might just be something that I am more attuned to then others but now that two of the three major console companies have faced at least a somewhat series hardware issue I think Xbox 360 and PS3 owners alike have some common ground when it comes to having to deal with uncooperative customer relations people. So hey we might not agree on much but at least we can appreciate the sensitivity that comes with having something out of your control leave you console less if even for a short period of time.


Happy Fourth of July from Boston!

Punching Out

Beyond The Report by Mark Salmela. Hey Mark, what is worse, waiting for MGS4 cut scenes to end? Or killing time until Sony sends back your PS3 after the firmware 2.40 update killed it?

Nintendophiles by Theo Frasier. If you've ever wanted to read a story about Bioshock and Carnival Games: Mini Golf then Theo is the man to see.

The PC Centric Extravaganza by Chris Evans. Any truth to the rumor that message boards don't like Chris' use of bright colors?

The 10th Hour by Derek Robbins. Derek's list of the top video game villains is fantastic, but I am still waiting for an answer on why Bowser keeps kidnapping Princess Peach. You'd think he'd have moved on to a different harlot to steal after those plumbers kept foiling his plan.

The Hall of Shameby Vincent Chiucchi. I'll be honest, until I read this column I didn't even know there was a Home Improvement video game, and apparently I didn't miss much.