The Full Circle: 360 News Report 01.23.09

Posted by Joe Roche on 01.23.2009

It's the end of a historic week in American history, what better way to wrap things up then with The Full Circle. As we leave the party in Washington D.C. behind, and prepare for the Royal Rumble, 411's Joe Roche is going to talk about GTA IV DLC, Fallout 3 DLC, Gears 2 getting patched, and a whole lot more, and it's all inside The Full Circle.

Another week has come and gone and we're back to Friday morning and The Full Circle. Quick thanks to everyone who participated in the comments last week, we had a pretty good and interesting discussion. For the sake of making you all feel a part of this column I have included some of the better comments in a Reader Rants section later on down the page.

I was going to use this space to talk about the historic events of Tuesday afternoon, namely the Chief Justice forgetting the Oath of Office, but then every news outlet in the country spent Wednesday talking about that so forget it. Instead I'll talk about the season premier of Lost which was Wednesday night and was a mixed bag for me. I'm taking a wait and see approach to this season because I've invested too much time in Lost to give up now. The end of the two hours was impressive and opened up a lot of storylines for the rest of the season. My biggest problem is that any time a show relies on bending time and space I have a hard time connecting with it. The reveal about Daniel was enough to keep me excited for the islanders who sans Jack, Kate and Benjamin are a pretty boring group but again let's see how they follow up the season premier next week before jumping to any conclusions.

On the gaming front I played quite a bit of The Last Remnant this week trying to soldier through the game so I can write my review. I ran into a bit of a problem where I was bypassing side quests to try and complete the main mission, which ultimately resulted in the enemies I was facing becoming far to powerful for me and my band of misfits. With that in mind most of this week was spent going back over the side missions that I had neglected earlier in the game. Once again expect a full review as soon as I'm done.

Alright enough of that – it's time once again for your eighth favorite weekly news column dedicated solely to the Xbox 360. It's time for The Full Circle.

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New GTA IV Achievements

The Feb. 17th release of GTAIV's DLC episodic pack "The Lost and Damned" will add five new achievements to the game worth 250GS. These achievements will be:

- Get Good Wood (50) – In The Bike Races, whack off 69 bikers with a bat
- Easy Rider (100) – Finish the story
- Full Chat (70) – Your backup are riding at their best
- The Lost Boy (25) – All hail the leader of the Lost
- One Percenter (5) – Billy is back on his bike.

If you only learn one thing from this achievement list let it be this – the guys over at Rockstar are terrible at coming up with descriptions. I'm sorry but getting 50 achievement points for whacking off 69 bikers with a bat is the type of phrase that sends Jack Thompson into orbit. What's the matter they couldn't work in an achievement for shooting guys that would have been described as "blow 5 guys with a handgun"?

In an interesting twist, when this DLC was first announced for Feb. 17th (after being delayed like six months) I thought it was too far from the release of GTA IV for people to care when it dropped. Somehow, the opposite has happened though. It's been so long since I've spent time with GTA IV that I think this DLC is coming out at the exact right time where people will be looking to get back into the game and now *boom* some new content.



Gears of War 2 Patched/New Achievements



On the Wednesday (Jan. 21) morning Title Update 2 went live for Gears of War 2. The patch fixed many of the bugs found in the game, as well as added 175 achievement points.

This is good news for Gears 2 fans (myself included) because Title Update 2 is an extensive update. The biggest updates by far had to do with the ability to melee someone through a wall (gone), and the ability to handle a two handed weapon and a shield simultaneously (gone). Those are two glitches that I will gladly never have to deal with again while playing online. I have included the full list of updates because Gears 2 is one of my favorite games and I'm sure this is interesting to someone. Like I said it's a very lengthy update so you've got some scrolling to do if you don't care about this.

Exploit Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:
• A player could melee or grenade tag through certain walls.
• A player could equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously.
• A player could make their shield invisible.
• A player could become invisible.
• A player could do a "super" mantle or "kung fu flip," flying high into the air.
• A player could gain unlimited ammo with the Lancer Assault Rifle.
• A player could fire while roadie running (also known as "crabwalking").
• A player could pick up a weapon while sliding into cover.
• A player could walk forward while firing a deployed mortar.
• A player could force an opponent to be stuck in the down but not out (DBNO) position.
• A player could prevent other players from picking up a heavy weapon.
• A player could pick up a dropped meatflag without having to knock him down.
• A ragdolled player could be killed without ever going DBNO.
• A player could roadie run while firing the Scorcher Flamethrower.
• A player could get stuck while evading, though they could continue shooting in any direction.
• A player could concuss themselves under the stairs on the River map.

General Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these other issues as well:
• An issue with client-side hit detection of the Gnasher Shotgun. The fix makes the shotgun more reliable in high-latency situations.
• An issue where players could have shotgun or Boomshot rounds fire into the ground when shooting from the hip.
• A split-screen issue where one player transitioning to the death battle camera disrupted input from the other player.
• An issue that could cause players' Look sensitivity to be changed to their Zoom sensitivity while zooming in, zooming out, and firing.
• An issue that could cause players to get stuck if they tried to pick up a heavy weapon while firing the shotgun at the same time.
• An issue where players could become stuck if they kicked over a shield while ragdolled from a smoke grenade.
• An issue where bots were unable to kick over a shield that was planted backward.
• An issue where players who quit during voting didn't show up in the end game stats, which meant other players couldn't easily provide negative feedback on them.
• An issue where players couldn't chainsaw enemy meatshields if the meatshields were already damaged.
• An issue where some players would not see the animation of a meatshield being chainsawed.
• An issue where players could not chainsaw an opposing team meatshield in a game type that doesn't allow respawns (for example, Warzone and Execution).
• An issue where a player partway through the act of raising or lowering the chainsaw did not transition into a duel when attacked from the front with a chainsaw.
• An issue where occasionally a player waiting to respawn could not respawn when repeatedly hitting the left trigger to switch cameras.
• An issue where some teammates couldn't communicate between rounds in games type that don't allow respawns, because dead team members were left in the dead radio channel until the next round started.
• An issue where a DBNO player could be seen as standing if knocked DBNO while reloading the mortar.
• An issue where a player joining a Private Xbox LIVE game in progress from another specific type of game could potentially lose HUD functionality.
• An issue on the Flood map where a player's dying from Imulsion did not trigger a death message or penalize the player as other environmental deaths did.
• An issue with Guardian games where if the leader is the last player killed on a team, the round may not end, due to the respawn timer.
• A campaign issue where the gamer picture would not be awarded when the game is completed on Insane.
• An issue where a player would continue to fire the flamethrower and damage other players if that player was knocked DBNO while firing it.
• An issue that could cause a player to get stuck while moving and quickly attempting to aim the mortar at the same time.
• An issue with Horde games where clients didn't receive the "waiting for host" message after they failed a wave.
• A Horde split-screen issue that could cause a team to get –2 billion in score, which when posted to the leaderboards looked like +2 billion.
• An issue where dead players may not show up in the metadata for multiplayer photos.
• A system link issue where if a multiplayer match and a co-op game were hosted at the same time on the same LAN, neither could be joined.
• Additional miscellaneous bug fixes.

Balancing

Title Update 2 makes these balancing changes:
• Made planted proximity grenade mines much easier to shoot off the surface they're planted on, by giving them 50 percent less health.
• Set grenades to respawn less frequently. When a player picks up grenades from a spawned location, a new set of grenades does not respawn until the previous grenades have been used.
• Increased the penalty to rank for players who quit Public Xbox LIVE matches early.
• Buffed the flamethrower to have stopping power (to slow a charging enemy) and to cause a chainsaw interrupt (to force the opponent to lower a revved chainsaw).
• Removed the ability to instantly shoot coming out of a roadie run.
• Added additional spawn protection to prevent proximity grenade mines and chainsaws from killing a player within 5 seconds after spawning.
• Balanced grenade spawn cycling on the Hail map so that both teams have equal access to both types of grenades.
We continue to test internally and monitor online gameplay to determine what else may need adjusting.

New Stuff

Title Update 2 makes these new improvements:
• Changed Annex games to use execution rules, to prevent players from leaving DBNO opponents on the ground to bleed out.
• Made Horde waves count toward the "Party Like It's 1999" achievement. Each wave is counted as one round.
• Added the ability, during Submission games, to see the flag's final destination by using Tac/Com.
• Increased the frequency of most of the toasts for in-game achievement progression.
• Added achievement progression numbers to the War Journal.
• Added 7 new DLC-based achievements worth 175 points (progress toward them starts after Title Update 2 is applied):
• "Skeletons in Your Closet" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Flashback Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
• "Trial by, and on, Fire" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Combustible Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
• "More Mystery, Less History" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
• "The Roof! The Roof! The Roof..." (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
• "Bound by a Shared Past" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps.
• "Forged in the Fire" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps.
• "Annex: Now with Execution Rules" (75 points): Win an Annex match on each of the Flashback and Combustible Map Pack maps (Public only).

December was Good to 3rd Party Devs

Microsoft announced that third party developers pulled in $504 million in December, well above the $283 million earned in November. Microsoft also said that the Xbox 360 has generated more third party sales then the PS3 and Wii combined.

Microsoft never misses an opportunity to puff out their own chest, but this is a well earned pat on the back if I do say so myself (and yes I understand I'm mixing metaphors). The ability of third party developers to succeed on the Xbox 360 is a major reason why the console is doing so well during this generation. Face the facts, I have a Wii and I even enjoy the Wii (mainly for VC and WiiWare), but for developers not named Nintendo the console isn't really a prime destination. That leaves the PS3 and Xbox 360 fighting for exclusives and the rest of the third party market. When Microsoft is able to roll out figures like these, it helps them when they approach companies like Square Enix about releasing Final Fantasy 13 on their console. If you're the console of choice for third party developers then that can only be beneficial to you during this generation right?

What I think is most important for Microsoft moving forward is that even games that are cross platform perform better on the 360. Of course Sony will point to the install base as the reason for that, and I wouldn't even argue the point. What I would argue is that if the 360 is in more homes, and you can sell more product to that console doesn't it make all the sense in the world to do that? Don't give me the statistical breakdown that for console in home/product moves the PS3 is doing just as well as the 360, because the bottom line is that third party developers are moving more product on the 360 plain and simple, and that my friends is a good thing for 360 fans like myself.



Wheelman Dated w/ Demo

Midway has announced that Wheelman will ship to retail on March 21st, with a demo to be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace sometime before then.

Apparently when Midway promises a Q1 2009 release date they follow through. I have to admit to knowing almost nothing about the movie that this game is based on. I know that Vin Diesel stars in the movie (which explains why I'm not calling it a film), and I can only imagine that it's about a driver of cars. I'd like to say other derogatory things about this game, but honestly Vin Diesel has a pretty good track record with video games, and the screen shots look pretty good. Consider me intrigued Midway, and I hope that demo can deliver.



I Am Alive is…Alive

Ubisoft hs announced that their mysterious survival title "I Am Alive" will ship by the end of March 2009. Originally scheduled for a Q2 2009 release the game was developed by Cold Fear developers Darkworks. The game takes place after an earthquake devastates the city of Chicago. It's a more realistic take on the survival genre, showing in first person how one man survives a catastrophic event that could indeed happen.

Just from that short description I can say that I'm very interested in this game. I think to add a little piece of reality to the entire thing the game should start in Game 7 of the World Series, the Cubs are leading 3-1 in the Top of the 9th with 2 outs and nobody on base, the ball is hit, high fly ball to the center fielder and them BLAMMO the entire city is thrown into chaos before the final out is recorded. You pick up after the rubble, Chicago is in ruins and you're trying to survive…brilliant.

I'm surprised that this game has been pushed up a little because there has not been a whole lot of information released other then what I just provided above. From the short synopsis of the game, and the fact that it's developed by Ubisoft, a company that I have immense love and respect for though I have very high hopes. If the game is a true survival game that forces you as a player to make the best of a bad situation without providing too many - open this cabinet and find food x10 – moments then it might be worth picking up. I love the idea of trying to survive after a catastrophic event like this in a more reality based setting, although I worry that there won't be enough to actually do other then run around looking for a Twinkie Factory where you can rebuild civilization.



Fallout 3 DLC Achievements

Xbox.com revealed the new achievements for the Fallout 3 Operation Anchorage DLC which is due out next week. The new achievements will add an additional 100 gamerscore points to Fallout 3.

Good news for your achievement hounds as it turns out the Operation Anchorage DLC will come bundled with 100 new achievement points to horde. The new achievements are:

- Aiding the Outcasts (20) – Completed "Aiding the Outcasts"
- The Guns of Anchorage (20) – Completed "The Guns of Anchorage"
- Paving the Way (20) – Completed "Paving the Way"
- Operation: Anchorage (40) – Completed "Operation: Anchorage"

Not a whole lot of new information to be taken from those achievements other then the fact that the 4-5 hour pack will contain three or four "missions" that make up the Operation: Anchorage DLC. The DLC is schedule to go live on Jan. 27th for 800 Microsoft points.

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Reader Rants:

Had a couple of good comments last week so I thought I'd give them their proper due.

Tubby put himself in the drivers seat for TFC Commenter of the Year with his take on the All-in-One entertainment unit Hot Topic: All in one entertainment system is convenient in the sense that "Hey, I can do this, this , and this on one machine". But what happens if it breaks? You just lost everything fun in your living room. Not to mention you've paid more for one machine than it would have cost you to buy everything separately.

But really, PS3 loses this war for two main reason. Quality and quantity of games. Sony has a history of starting slow when it comes to games, and then usually catches up near the end of the consoles life. Not the best thing for someone shelling out around $600 for a system. Microsoft however pumps games out like crazy. That's why you always hear 360 say "No, I haven't tried that yet cause I'm playing (insert game title here)". But when you ask a PS3 owner if they played it, the answer is "Yep, there's really nothing else out right now to grab". And gameplay itself, we all know 360 wins. Sure, PS3 may look much nicer (I say may because grass should not look like tiny green swords, Madden fans will get that) but 360 kills in every other category. Every game I have tried on 360 and PS3, the 360's just performs better overall.

People use the PS3 like they do cell phones these days. They will use it for everything but their main purpose.

So it's preference to whether you would like to shell out a lot more money now for a system that will catch up in games in maybe 3 years (PS2 is proof) but has other cool things, or buy a cheaper system that has all the games now, and will continue to keep up at a good pace, but doesn't have as many features as stabby grass or a blu-ray player. I'm not telling you how to live your life, but use your options.

Use the machine what it was meant for. Everything else is trivial. That's what myself, and majority of the gaming community do.

But it's up to you.

I like the comparison of the PS3 to a cell phone for the all-in-one features and I wish I had thought of it. I'm the type of person who wants his phone to make phone calls, receive texts and occasionally let me check my email in a jam. If your phone to do more then that I can understand it, just don't keep telling me how superior your phone is to mine because it has GPS and you can check Hubble telescope pictures of your house.

One of the consistently best writers on this site Rod Oracheski provides another reason why I'm skeptical about the advantages of blu-ray:

I have some Blu Ray movies, but there's no way I'm switching the majority of my movie buying to Blu Ray until the price drops drastically. A new movie is $15 on DVD and $30-35 on Blu Ray...it makes no sense at all.

To me the price of blu-ray DVDs is still WAY to high to justify investing in a blu-ray player. This isn't like the VHS to DVD transition because everything still comes out on regular format DVD. The standard features are always present on regular DVD, and I've never heard anyone say it was worth twice the money for a blu-ray movie that includes an interactive behind the scenes tour of the set. When Blu-Ray movies are selling for $15 I'll start thinking about switching my system.

My former arch nemesis Mark Salmela has a request for my sign off:

Please please pleeease start signed off on your columns the same way you do on your emails:

Mr. Joseph Roche Esq.

I think if I started doing this, or adding the disclaimer that accompanies all of my emails to the end of this column nobody would read these. If you're really curious as to see what it's like to get an email from a lawyer who would rather be writing about video game drop me a line and I'll be happy to respond.

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The Hot Button

This Week's Topic: Missed Classics

The column is super long today so I'm going to be short and sweet. Earlier in the week on the message boards someone (I think Nemesis) made a passing comment about the game Prey calling it a "masterpiece." Now I never got a chance to play Prey, but I have seen it at Walmart for like $10 and have always thought about picking it up. Now that I've heard someone call it a "masterpiece" how could I possible turn it down for that price? Of course ever since I started looking for the game it's nowhere to be found so I'll probably wind up never finding out if Nemesis is full of crap or not.

My reason for bringing this up is because I think there are a lot of games out there that get passed over unfairly. I'm talking about games that are currently selling at your local store for under $25 - $30 dollars (basically half price). I know recently I've seen games like Dark Sector, and Alone in the Dark selling for discount prices and I wonder if those games are any good. I know there are a lot of you out there who love to bargain shop so you'd be the best people to bring this up to.

My question this week is – what games would you suggest as bargain bin classics that we might have passed over? I don't just want you to shout out a game and move on either, give some insight; tell me why the game is so good and why I should pick up a copy. If someone can give me a passionate argument in favor of a game I will pick it up, play it through and give my review in this space next month. This is your chance to be either praised in one of the top 100 columns on 411Mania, or torn apart for having horrible taste in games.

So once again – what is your choice for bargain bin classic?

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Punching Out

Working Title by Jordan Williams

What I Hate About You by John De Large

What If? by Greg Bruno

The Release List by Tommy Coloma

Living LIVE by Trace Aber

Working Title by Rod Oracheski

The 10th Hour by Derek Robbins

Nintendophiles by Theo Fraser

B3yond the Report by Derek Robbins

The PC Spotlight by Chris Vicari

Achievement Unlocked by Rod Oracheski