Living LIVE 02.21.09 - The TENTH Edition

Posted by Trace Aber on 02.21.2009

Missing Gamertags, Death Tanks, Lost Love, and the Most Pointless Game Ever Made, and more in this week's edition of Living LIVE!



There seems to be some complaints about people losing their Windows Live ID's and Gamertags, and found this article that may be helpful for some people. This is from the Major Nelson blog (which helps me out quite a bit in writing this article), so it's like a semi-official statement.

What happens:
In the rare case that you DO NOT sign in to Xbox.com or another website that uses Windows LIVE ID (like Hotmail) it is possible that your Windows LIVE ID expires (goes dormant.)

An Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles.

Members with dormant Windows Live IDs can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Xbox LIVE Gamertags on their Xbox 360 consoles, including earning Achievements; however, they will not be able to use their expired Windows Live IDs for activities such as account management on Xbox.com.

It is important to note that an Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles.

What you can do to prevent having any problems:
We recommend that people log into their Windows Live ID on Xbox.com or Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web at least once every four months.

What we're doing:
We are actively working on an update that will allow you to link your Gamertag to a new Windows Live ID if one becomes dormant.
If anyone should have an issue regarding their Xbox 360 or Xbox LIVE account should visit xbox.com/support so we can assist you.

Not exactly the best of situations, but, eh, what can you do?

I'm Trace Aber and this is Living LIVE

Game Marketplace - A weekly look at the arcade games, demos, and add-ons released this week.

Death Tank (1200MP)
Death Tank is a wild, free-for-all combat game that requires a bit of luck, skill, and patience to win. Boasting eight-player online co-op or four player co-op locally, Death Tank is a pretty fun strategic action/shooter game that will take up plenty of your time if you are into such games. What is really weird for me is I generally have little to no fun with games such as this, but I enjoyed myself with it. The controls of the game are a little weird at first (the left stick controls the direction and power of your shot, the right stick determines your weapon, and the triggers move the character). One really interesting feature is that the terrain of the game (which features eight different landscapes) react and change accorrding to how you play the game. The level may start out hilly and bumpy but by the end of a game it could be completely flat if you are wreckless enough (and it just so happens that I am).


Finally, a chance to destroy mountains!

The game looks beautiful as you can tell in the above picture, though some landcapes are better than others. The first map, for instance, is pretty drab. The sound is effective and I have no real complaints with it. Death Tank is completely real time, which can get crazy when you have enemies dropping all over the place from above. The 1,200MP may seem like a lot, but the developers did give us a little hidden bonus. If you shoot down a supply plane in the main game, you will unlock the old Sega Saturn version of the game, Death Tank Zwei. I think it's a shame more companies do not add little things like that to arcade remakes.
Recommendation: A fun and frantic shooter that is great to play online. Get it.

Community Games

Celebrate (200MP)
When I loaded up this game, my girlfriend instantly said, "You have to be a total fucking nerd. Like it's your first time getting laid." I feel as though there is an unspoken competition between community game makers to make the most pointless "game" ever. First it was Fireplace, then it was Ocean Scenes, and now it's Celebrate. And, honestly, I think we have a winner in Celebrate. All it is is some cheesy porno music, a heart that is on fire (seems highly dangerous), and some text that says, "Happy Valentine's". You can zoom in on the heart, change the music and I think change the heart to a cake in the full version, but, why would you ever need this? I just simply cannot picturing throwing somebody a surprise birthday party where they enter a dark room and instead of people jumping out and yelling, "SURPRISE!" I just turn on the TV and they see a cake that says, "Happy Birthday."
Recommendation: Unless you are a "fucking nerd," I see no reason. Avoid.

Doodleman (200MP)
I am really torn on this game. On one hand, it is a quirky, but extremely fun game. On the other hand, it has a lifespan of about ten minutes, at most. Doodleman is a fighting game where you (or a friend) fight endless hordes of doodles that fall from the sky, err...top of the paper. The A button jumps and the X button attacks, while the left stick moves and that's the controls. I encountered two powerups, one that gave me an Italian guy who shot lasers and another one that causes a giant cookie to roll onto the screen and explode. I also encounted a few enemies, your standard stick figures, giant stick figures, and tiny blocks that are super fast. The graphics are nothing special, but they fit with the theme (doodles), while the audio is a guy making noises with his mouth, with the tempo of the music increasing with the difficulty. But, the problem with all of this is that this game would serve much better as a free flash game as opposed to a community game you have to pay for. There's just not enough there to justify a purchase, no matter how drunk or high you are. Eventually, you will just end up playing Streets of Rage.
Recommendation: Unless you have 200MP to waste, ignore it.

Corsair (400MP)
I have been playing video games for the majority of my life and I like to think that, for the most part, I can get the basic understanding of any video game down pretty quickly. With that said, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in the game. Based off the description, you decide to either be the defender of the nine worlds of the Camariam Consortium (something I have always wanted to be) or the besieging Valaxus Empire with their planet oblierating Decimators. That sounds awesome, especially when you add the five game play types, multiplayer, and versus modes. Not to mention you get PLANET OBLITERATING DECIMATORS. The only problem that when you start up the game (and can get past the obnoxiously loud music), the screen gives you no clue as to who or what in the hell you are. There is a big ship (that looks nothing like what I chose), a bunch of bullets and missiles flying in the air, and some tiny things that I can only presume to be bugs. And everything was constantly shooting and moving, so there was no way to tell where I was, not to mention the screen is framed, making it even smaller. So, perhaps this game is good, and it may very well be based off the description. But, as it is, I cannot really say anything about it.
Recommendation: N/A

The Factory (400MP)
Every now and then you get one of those unique and rare puzzle games in which it is completely different and almost redefines the genre. Well, The Factory isn't quite that good, but it does show hints of greatness. This game reminds me of a mixture of Portal and The Incredible Machine, both of which happen to be two of my favorite puzzle games. In The Factory, you are trying to guide a robot (named KC-001) through the world's tallest and widest factory ever to keep him from becoming an industrial prisoner. It's a noble cause, indeed.


Looks pretty roomy for a prison cell, if I do say so myself.

The game requires more critical thinking than action skills, as most of the game is spent pressing the A button at the right time. Thankfully, the puzzles are challenging enough to keep you entertained throughout this button pressing. KC-001 never stops moving, which adds another layer of challenge to the game as you have to make sure you can keep him on the right path without accidentally destroying it. The programmers did a great job of KC's AI as he never does anything he should not, which is hard to find in a community game. All in all, this is a fun little game that has a fair price attached to it.
Recommendation: Get it.

2win Ghost (200MP)
2win Ghost is one of those games where it seems decent enough when you hear of the concept and even play the first level. But then it just gets ridiculous. The basic story of the game is that two ghosts have lost one another on the way to heaven and only you can reunite them and rekindle their love. Ok, it isn't the most fascinating story ever, but we can deal. I mean, it is all about gameplay, right? You control one ghost with the left stick and the other with the right stick, so you are controlling them at the same time. So, it's going to be a little tricky, but who cares? It's good to have a challenge. Except the first level is almost impossible to beat as you are surrounded by things you cannot touch and it would be hard enough just controlling one ghost as the level design gives you almost no room for error...and when you are controlling two characters at once you need room for error. This game could be fun, even despite the silly story. But it is simply too hard and not hard in the good way like Mega Man. Just hard and not fun.
Recommendation: Avoid.

Snax Lite (Cooking Arcade) (400MP)
Finally, Cooking Mama' comes to the 360. Actually, I have no idea if these two games are similar in the slightest. Anyways, you run a local BBQ joint and you need to serve your customers because they are all dying to get their mouth around your meat! The game is kind of hard to figure out because the "How-To" text is so small, even being right next to the TV makes a difficult read. What makes this problem even worse is that they used half of the "How-To" screen a picture of the main game and serves no real purpose. Thankfully, the game is not all that hard to figure out. Each guest has likes and dislikes and it is up to you to get the guests what they like and keep their most hated food away from them. This is similar to a lot of flash games you can find outside, though none of them have a pulsating techno beat quite like this one. The game features six levels of play and an 80 (not a typo) minute marathon mode, which to me seems a little too ridiculous. I do think the price is a little high and feel like 200MP would be a much better deal. As it is, I am not completely sold.


The guests at your BBQ joint are among the creepiest people in town

Recommendation: At 400MP it is hard to recommend this game. If they lower it to 200MP, however, I think it would be a nice addition if you're into pizza-puzzle games.

Game Add-Ons

Guitar Hero: World Tour
"Jet" by Wings (160MP)
"Hi, Hi, Hi" by Wings (160MP)
"Junior's Farm" by Wings (160MP)
Wings Track Pack (440MP)

The Maw: Deleted Scene - Brute Force (100MP)
In this "deleted scene" from The Maw, the Bounty Hunters have sent in members from their new elite strike force, the Brutes, to stop Frank and Maw. The two must use powers from the Beetull and Gastro creatures to avoid capture. This part of the story occurs between the Bulb Valley and Chaindown levels.

Burnout Paradise 1.7 (Free)
This update brings the latest game changing enhancements to your copy of Burnout™ Paradise direct from Criterion Games.

Mirror's Edge - Pure Time Trials (800MP)
Mirror's Edge gameplay distilled down to its purest form and its purest vision in nine races across seven all-new and totally redesigned Time Trial maps. No cops, no guns, no city. Pure aesthetics, agility and flow that will challenge any Runner.

Skate 2 - Dyrdek's Fantasy Plaza Pack (400MP)
Skate the inspiration for the new show Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, including the surrounding area located in downtown LA.

Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and the Damned (1,600)
Johnny is a veteran member of The Lost, a notorious biker gang. Johnny has been creating business opportunities for The Lost in Liberty City, but his first loyalty must be to the patch he wears on his back and to Billy Grey, the club's President. However, when Billy returns from rehab hell-bent on bloodshed and debauchery, Johnny finds himself in the middle of a vicious turf war with rival gangs for control of a city torn apart by violence and corruption. Can the brotherhood survive?

Avatar
Guys:
Rocker Jacket
Pixie Boots
Grunge Pants
Metal Combats
Top Hat
Skull Ring
Leather Biker Gloves
Left Feather Earring
Right Feather Earring

Girls:
Punk Tee
Black 60's Boots
Leopard Print Leggings
Biker Jacket
Biker Gloves
Skull Wrist Band
Left Feather Earring
Right Feather Earring

LIVE Activity for week of February 9th
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1 Call of Duty: WaW
2 Halo 3
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 Halo Wars Demo
6 GTA IV
7 Left 4 Dead
8 Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X: Rio Demo
9 FIFA 09
10 RESIDENT EVIL 5 Demo

Top Arcade Titles
1 3 on 3 NHL(TM) Arcade
2 Castle Crashers
3 Worms
4 R-Type Dimensions
5 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
6 UNO
7 A Kingdom for Keflings
8 Minesweeper Flags
9 The Maw
10 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU's)
1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Counter-Strike
4 Fable
5 Street Fighter Anniv.
6 Splinter Cell Chaos
7 Conker: Live Reloaded
8 Splinter Cell Chaos
9 Doom 3
10 Call of Duty 3

Top Community Games
1 RC-AirSim
2 Rumble Massage
3 Miner Dig Deep
4 Bowling X
5 Golden Royal Blackjack
6 Remote Masseuse
7 Simply HangMan
8 Air Legends
9 A Game of Tennis
10 Ocean Scenes

Video Marketplace

Humboldt County (480MP, 320MP)
A disillusioned medical student is stranded for a summer in a remote community of counterculture pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagined he would discover himself.

The Bodyguard (NA, 240MP)
A professional bodyguard who failed to protect his client, a successful businessman, is fired by his employer's son. The son inherits his father's company, but is then targeted by assassins who want to gain control of the estate, while the bodyguard is pursued by a gang of clumsy hitmen.

The Man Who Wasn't There
The Coen Brothers are back with a dark and twisted film noir unlike anything you've ever seen. Set in a small 1949 California town, this is the story of a seemingly simple barber, who turns to blackmail and revenge to escape his achingly dull life. But in the tradition of classic noir, nothing goes as planned and nothing is as it seems. And as the barber's plot unravels, the delicious surprises, stunning revelations and just plain strange occurrences will disturb and delight you long after the film has ended.

Bigger, Faster, Stronger (NA, 240MP)
When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes? From the producers of Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 comes a powerful documentary that unflinchingly explores steroid use in the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world: America.

Dyanmite Warrior (NA, 240MP)
After seeing his parents viciously murdered by a mysterious, tattoo-covered killer, a grieving young man named Zieng vows to avenge their tragic deaths in this action-packed martial arts extravaganza produced by Ong-Bak's Prachya Pinkaew and featuring stunts by Panna Rittikrai.

Body of Lies (480MP, 320MP)
Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best man U.S. Intelligence has on the ground, in places where human life is worth no more than the information it can get you. In operations that take him around the globe, Ferris' next breath often depends on the voice at the other end of a secure phone line--CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe). Strategizing from a laptop in the suburbs, Hoffman is on the trail of an emerging terrorist leader who has orchestrated a campaign of bombings while eluding the most sophisticated intelligence network in the world. To lure the terrorist out into the open, Ferris will have to penetrate his murky world, but the closer Ferris gets to the target, the more he discovers that trust is both a dangerous commodity and the only one that will get him out alive.

Changeling (480MP, 320MP)
Clint Eastwood directs Oscar® winner Angelina Jolie and Oscar® nominee John Malkovich in a riveting and unforgettable true story. Los Angeles, 1928. When single mother Christine Collins (Jolie) leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. Five months later, the police reunite mother and son; but he isn't her boy. Driven by one woman's relentless quest for the truth, the case exposes a world of corruption, captivates the public and changes LA forever.

Saw V (480MP, 320MP)
In the fifth installment of the SAW franchise, Detective Hoffman is seemingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends.

Flash of Genius (480MP, 320MP)
Academy Award® nominee Greg Kinnear stars in this inspiring true story about an ordinary man and his extraordinary fight against one of the most powerful corporations in the country. Dr. Robert Kearns (Kinnear) and his family are on their way to achieving the American Dream when he invents a device that can be used in every car in the world. But when an auto giant steals his idea, Robert does the unthinkable: He takes on the corporate titan in a battle nobody thinks he can win.

Alien Raider (480MP, 320MP)
It's the end of yet another night at Hastings Supermarket, an idyllic family grocery store in Buck Lake, Arizona. But the normal monotony of rounding up shopping carts and settling out the cash drawers is broken at 11:07pm, just before closing when a group of masked and armed-to-the-teeth militants invades the store, immediately killing several of the employees and shoppers and holding the rest hostage. Though the hostage-takers at first appear to be robbers or terrorists, they reveal themselves to be a cadre of rogue scientists that has discovered and tracked an alien infestation to THIS STORE on THIS NIGHT, and they are determined to find out which of the survivors are extraterrestrials and end the invasion at any cost.

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (360MP, 240MP)
America's funniest family is back for seconds! Eddie Murphy is hilarious, starring as the entire Klump family in this enormous comedy blockbuster. The hilarity begins when professor Sherman Klump finds romance with fellow DNA specialist Denise Gaines (Janet Jackson) and discovers a brilliant formula that reverses aging. But Sherman's thin and obnoxious alter ego, Buddy Love, wants out... and a big piece of the action. And when Buddy gets loose, things get seriously nutty. Now it's up to Mama, Papa, Ernie and Granny Klump to throw their weight around and save the day in this whopping, gut-busting comedy.

National Lampoon Present Stoned Age (480MP, 320MP)
In the sexiest caveman comedy since Encino Man, featuring a prehistoric renaissance man who yearns to know the meaning of existence and the love of a good cavewoman. Written/directed by and starring Adam Rifkin, the writer-director of He-Man and the scribe of Underdog, this laugh-out-loud comedy features stand-out performances by David Carradine (Kill Bill 2), Tom Arnold (Roseanne, True Lies), Talia Shire (Rocky), Gary Busey (Breaking Point), Carol Alt (Baywatch Nights) and Ali Larter (Heroes).

Events

Monday: Music Monday - Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore

Tuesday: Family Game Night - Disney Sing It

Wednesday: GamerchiX Ladies Night - Halo 3

Thursday: Co-Op Night - Universe at War: Earth Assault

Friday: Gamers 4 Giving Charity Tournament (Halo 3)

Weekend: Community Playdate: The Entertainment Consumers Association

Top Ten Xbox-Live Arcade Games Everyone Should Own
I love playing the random, quirky, and classic games that Xbox Live has to offer. Obviously, like everyone else, I have my own quirks about me that form the types of videogames I like. So, each week, I will be revealing a new game to my list of XBLA games that everyone should own. Or, at the very least, try out. These are in no particular order, by the way.

Week 6: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (800MP)
The original Geometry Wars was first introduced as a mini-game in the 2003 Project Gotham Racing 2 and garnered quite a cult following. Bizarre Creations saw the potential in this and released an updated version of the mini-game and it quickly became one of the most popular games on the Xbox LIVE service. Three years later they released Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, featuring five new modes of play, multi-player mode, and a bunch of new enemies to avoid, destroy, and get frustrated over.



The game introduces a new way to increase your multipliers by collecting geoms. In the first Geometry Wars, your multiplier seemed to increase at will, leaving you curious as to why your multiplier increased. This game fixes the problem by having you collect the geoms. With each geom collected, your multiplier will rise. This may seem like an arduous task at first, trying to achieve a multiplier over 500, but trust me - you will be collecting them without even noticing it. Along with the geoms, the game introduces six total game modes. Deadline gives you three minutes to earn as many points as possible, King requires you to hide out in circles to shoot enemies while being completely exposed outside of the circles (and without weapons), while Evolved mode is exactly the same as the mode of play found in the first game. The other three game modes are: Pacifism, where you spend your time not shooting, but destroying enemies by passing through exploding gates; Waves, which requires you to constantly defeat waves of enemie ships; and finally Sequence. Sequence is different from the other modes as you have twenty "levels" with each level consisting of a predetermined pattern of enemies. Every level starts out the same, however, with four enemies surrounding you. Once you kill those, you are bombarded with countless swarms of enemy shapes. You are given a time limit of thirty seconds on each level, which is generally enough time.

All of these modes can be played with up to four people locally in either co-op or competitive. When you have four people playing, things can become crazy quickly. When playing against one-another, the game drops power-ups which may make you move faster or have geoms attracted to you, or one may even be a bomb (otherwise not found in multiplayer). These add another dimension to co-op play as you will find yourself racing for power-ups, which may cost you a life if you're not looking around in all directions.

The graphics have been updated for this new release and the explosions come off beautifully. There is never any slowdown (even when using the speed power-up) and the game runs smoothly. The generic techno music is back, though it fits perfectly into the game. The explosion and audio cues are also great as you can hear every single one of them without the sounds overlapping and after a few games you'll know what every sound means. You'll even begin to fear certain sounds when certain enemies appear. Geometry Wars is known for its simplistic control scheme and this game follows that trend. Your left stick moves while the right one shoots. The trigger buttons on the back are your bombs, and that's about it.


This is what Sequence mode looks like. Constantly.

This game will last exactly how long you want it to. If you simply fly through the modes to unlock them all, this game will last you thirty minutes at best. If you try to get high scores and achievements, however, this game will last you for months (I should know). While I am usually not a fan of most achievements in video games, Retro Evolved 2 manages to present some interesting game play ideas for the sake of points. One will have you attempting to survive eight lines of enemies in waves without firing a single shot while another one will have you attempting to make it through thirty safe zones in King without firing a shot or destroying enemies. In addition, any time you have some friends over, this game will always be there to kill a few minutes, or even maybe an hour or more if you get competitive enough.

In short, there's no reason not to own this game.

Closing
And that closes our TENTH edition of Living LIVE. Hope everyone has a great week. I do have a question for the readers out there - How is the new Grand Theft Auto IV DLC? I'm thinking about getting it but not sure if I should wait for it to drop or not. And, as always, any questions or comments are welcomed!

Screenshots
All 10 Living LIVE Screenshots