LIVE Having Problems

Xbox LIVE is experiencing problems to those of you who are lucky enough not to experience them. And the problems are rather big, such as not being able to sign in, problems with matchmaking, and account recovery. While everyone is not affected by this, it is still a widespread problem. Here are the words from Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson:

"You may have noticed that the LIVE service has been having a few issues over the past few days. This includes things like signing in, matchmaking and account recovery. Not everyone has had problems, but I know some of you have and I wanted to give you and update. While the service was never completely offline, problems like this are not acceptable. The entire LIVE team has been working day and night to ensure that you can have a great LIVE experience. While we’re not done yet, I wanted to let you know that things are getting better each hour and that no one on the team is going anywhere until the job is done. Thanks for your patience."

This couldn't occur at a worst time with all the holidays and the millions of people at home wanting to play their games. I first began having trouble the day after Christmas and it has gotten worst since then. I agree that this is totally unacceptable and I hope that somehow they will compensate me and all the others affected by this widespread problem. But what can you expect? Think about all the people trying to log onto LIVE. Millions and millions of them. Just think about what happens to a website when too many people try to access it, it crashes. I expect no different from Xbox LIVE. The thing that upsets me the most is that I can't play any of my .avi files when not connected to Xbox LIVE and I it recongnizes all of my arcade games that I payed for as trials so I can't even play them fully if I'm not connected to Xbox LIVE first.

This Week's VC Update

BUBBLE BOBBLE® (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): BUBBLE BOBBLE's release in 1986 introduced the two bubble dragons, Bub and Bob, and brand new play mechanics, with players defeating enemies by trapping them in bubbles and then popping them. Although the puzzle-action game can be beaten by clearing all 100 rounds, it also contains secret elements such as not being able to get the "true ending" in single-player mode; hidden commands that lead to secret rounds; and a ton of different items. These elements are some of the game's most memorable and important features. Each round even has different air currents that are not visible, so bubbles rise in unpredictable patterns. Aspects like forcing players to understand and utilize these different patterns while playing help make this a revolutionary game that is fun to play anytime.

Light Crusader™ (Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Each day, more good townspeople of Green Row have been mysteriously disappearing, and beleaguered King Weeden summons the knight Sir David to investigate. Armed with his wits and his sword, Sir David must find the cause of this strange evil and save the citizens of Green Row before things get any worse. Take the role of the brave knight in this action RPG and get to the bottom of the mysteries of Green Row as you fight enemies, solve puzzles and use your best combination of brains and brawn to save the kingdom.

TOP HUNTER (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and older-Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): Take on the role of either Roddy or Cathy, bounty hunters in this side-scrolling action game set far in the future when humans have colonized space. But all is not well: Space pirates called the Klaptons are making their way through the galaxies, wiping out peaceful settlements along their path. This disgraceful behavior leads to them having a price on their heads, so now Roddy and Cathy must travel through four distinct worlds on a mission to defeat their leader, Captain Klapton. Both characters have retractable arms-used to grab enemies or other objects in the scenery-that can then be thrown at others to destroy them. Also, be on the lookout for rings or levers to pull, as this might reveal special bonuses. Further adding to the mix, the game uses a unique system where the action happens on two planes, with the player switching between them at will. Can you prove yourself worthy of the Top Hunter name and help save the universe?

New Releases: Week of 12/30

Title	Platform		Genre			Release Date
Classic British Motor Racing	WII		Driving			Dec 31, 2007
Kawasaki 4X4 Quad Bikes	WII		Driving			Dec 31, 2007
Monster Trux: Offroad	WII		Driving			Dec 31, 2007

[From GameSpot]

Today's PSN Update

No new updates for this week's PLAYSTATION Network, obviously it seems that Sony thinks last week's update was enough.

This Week's XBLA Release

Content: SpongeBob Underpants!
Price: 800 Microsoft Points Availability: Canada & United States Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE) COMIC MISCHIEF, MILD CARTOON VIOLENCE] Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-4, Local Multiplayer 2-4, HD (High Definition). SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam! is a fast-paced, side-scrolling multiplayer slapstick collect ‘em-up set deep in the sea. A Royal Laundry shipment of Neptune, Lord of the Sea's undergarments, has been spread across the sea bottom by an incredibly powerful storm current! Neptune has called upon the commonfish to collect his lost undergarments and fix this ‘delicate’ situation. He’s offered a bounteous reward to the sea creature who collects the most bloomers! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/Live/accounts.

[From Major Nelson]

This Week's VC Update

BLADES OF STEEL™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): With stick in hand and confidence brimming, you are looking to bring home the cup, win the MVP award, get on the covers of major sports magazines and date a beautiful model (not necessarily in that order). But soon you will learn that, in this league, nothing is ever given to you, and before you can reach your goals, you'll have to put the puck in the net and score some. You'll need both the artful skills of a finesse player and the bone-crushing brutality of an enforcer. Defend your own goal against unrelenting power plays, or put the pressure on your opponent's goalie and try a slap shot of your own. Don't forget to defend yourself when anger flares because the gloves come off and fists start flying. So strap on blades of steel and prepare to either make a name for yourself or be put on ice.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Revisit Donkey Kong Island and join the Kong family for their latest adventure. The Kremlings have a mysterious new leader named KAOS and are up to their usual mischief, even capturing Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. Now it's up to Dixie Kong and the newest Kong, a giant infant named Kiddy, to rescue the two missing apes. They'll travel across previously unseen parts of the island in their search, and even take to the skies in a rocket at one point. Lucky for them, Dixie and Kiddy's powers complement each other (including Kiddy's talent for rolling like a barrel), so they form a powerful team capable of major Kremling damage. They're not completely on their own, either, since returning favorites like Funky Kong and Enguarde the swordfish provide help along the way. And in a series known for its abundance of secrets and high replay value, this entry doesn't disappoint, with enough hours of game play to satisfy Donkey Kong himself. Anyone else have a sudden urge for some bananas?

Rolling Thunder™ 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone-Violence, 800 Wii Points): In this follow-up to the original classic, you are once again a member of Interpol's Rolling Thunder task force, and it's up to you to stop the return of the evil Geldra organization. Now known as Neo-Geldra and led by a newcomer named Gimdo, the bad guys are bent on destroying several valuable outer-space satellites. In this one- or two-player game, you can play as Leila or Albatross-both characters from the original-as you venture through several different levels, trying to put a stop to the nefarious efforts of Gimdo and the rest of Neo-Geldra. Use your bullets wisely and make Rolling Thunder proud.

Hilarious TF2 Video (NSFW)

Here is a hilarious video that some people made from The Orange Box's Team Fortress 2. Warning it does contain STRONG language. Fast forward to about 4 min in to really get to the funny stuff. Yeah, I know the people doing this are a bunch of douches, but it is still funny as long as it doesn't happen to you I suppose.

New Releases: Week of 12/23

With all the holidays around there is NO new releases this week. Everyone have a great holiday and catch back up with all the pre-holiday video game boom.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Details

After seeing that disappointing trailer at the Spike VGA's we finally have some details about the game other than it is obviously in Vegas. From the Official Press Release:

• More Multiplayer - The highly acclaimed multiplayer mode in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas has been upgraded to include 13 new maps with more intense face-offs, two new adversarial modes, more rewards, and easier access to matches using the improved and intuitive matchmaking system.

• Unprecedented Customizable Experience - Create your own identity that persists through both the single player and multiplayer modes and progresses along with you. Reap the benefits of your single player rewards in multiplayer and vice versa.

• Vastly Improved Co-op Mode - Turn single player mode into co-op mode at any time, just by jumping into the game. Now you and a friend can jump into a single player game and assist without any change to the story. The single player maps and storyline were created with co-op in mind, meaning every map has multiple entry points and the story is unaffected.

• Challenging AI - The AI is more challenging than ever. Now, the terrorists are equipped with thermal vision, night vision, and shields - not to mention a multitude of varying tactics - all of which are guaranteed to give you a new playing experience every time you go into battle. As you progress within the game, you'll be able to outsmart your enemies by taking advantage of intelligence opportunities, such as thermal scanning.

• New Weapons and Armor - Take down the terrorists more effectively using 11 new weapons. New camouflage, clothing and gear allow for the ultimate customizations.

• More Vegas - Sin City is back and bigger than before. Explore all new Vegas hot spots and the gritty back streets creating a visual experience that is as challenging as it is breathtaking.

You can expect Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 in stores March of 2008.

Microsoft & Viacom Bringing More to 360

Microsoft and Viacom have announced an advertising and content sharing deal estimated at over a half-billion dollars that will bring even more content from MTV, MTV 2, VH1, Comedy Central, and Spike. The content specifically in question is MTV's "Cribs".

[From CNN]

Holiday Deals Galore!

There seems to be several deals out there today just in time for yourself or that special someone for the holidays. Here is a list of several (click the links to visit the page):

ALL PopCap Games on Sale 50% Off

Microsoft Racing Wheel $99

Amazon Save up to 50% Sale

I highly recommend you check these sites out, there is a lot of great deals out there. Any other gaming deals you know of? Leave a comment or send me an E-mail.

Today's PSN Update

Games
Toy Home ($9.99)
Snakeball ($9.99)
Snakeball Demo (free)
Trials of Topoq ($4.99) - requires the PlayStation Eye
Mesmerize: Distort ($1.99)
BlackSite: Area 51 Demo (free)

Expansions and Add-ons
Warhawk: Omega Dawn ($7.99)
Folklore Holiday Add-On (free)
MotorStorm Holiday Skin (free)
Guitar Hero III Add-On (free) - Contains "We Three Kings"
High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition Add-On 1 (free) - Adds three game types: Omaha, Pineapple and Crazy Pineapple
High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition Add-On 2 (free) - Adds two game types: 5 Card Draw and 7 Card Stud
Rock Band Add-Ons ($1.99 each) - "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders, "Buddy Holly" by Weezer" and "My Iron Lung" by Radiohead

Game Videos
Devil May Cry 4 "Final" Trailer
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Trailer
PlayStation 3 "Universe of Entertainment"
PlayStation 3 "Only On"
PSP "Features"
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground "Mike V's Skater Story" Trailer
Turok - Gameplay Vignette #3 Dino Mauling
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune "Facial Animation"
Warhawk Omega Dawn Trailer

Movie Trailers
Strange Wilderness
Shakira Oral Fixation Tour (Blu-ray)

Themes and Wallpapers
Warhawk Theme
PAIN Cookie Theme
PAIN Santa Theme
High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition Wallpaper

[From Kotaku]

This Week's XBLA Release

Content: TEMPEST
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE)] Single Player, HD (High Definition). The blaster is back! There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/Live/accounts.

Content: Sensible World of Soccer
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Japan
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE)] Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 1-2, Local Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). Sensible World of Soccer is the classic 90’s football game reborn with enhanced graphics! Take on your friends online now in this fantastic pick up and play football game. Play a quick game, or manage your team over a full season with a fully immersive tactics editor.This game uses technology of Massive Incorporated ("Massive") that enables in-game advertising. Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other anonymous information for the purposes of transmitting and measuring in-game advertising. Massive does not store or use this information for discovering your identity. Please see Massive's privacy policy: http://www.massiveincorporated.com/site_network/privacy.htm. Trademarks and copyrighted material in in-game advertising are the property of the respective owners. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/Live/accounts.

Edit: This game has been pulled. I’ll post an update when it is available again. In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available you’ll be able to downloaded it again (at no charge if you purchased it.) While you do that, I’ll go yell at some folks for letting this happen. Apologies and the moment the proper version is available I’ll update this post.

[From Major Nelson]

PS3/ PSP Update Brings Much More

The latest PS3 firmware 2.10 adds many features to the PS3 :

Voice Changer

The Voice Changer feature has been added to the voice/video chat. This feature will allow you to change your tone of voice through the microphone. High and low-pitched tones can be adjusted to five preset levels.



Video

DivX and VC-1 (WMV) have been added to the types of files that can be played. In order to play WMV files, you'll need to access Settings/System Settings/ and then enable EMA playback. Copyright-protected files or files that were encoded by using DivX 3.11 cannot be played. Also, files that are 2GB or more cannot be played.

It also appears that you can play AVI files by simply renaming it from .AVI to .divx on the file. This is simple and very easy.

Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 is now supported. This will allow for new features such as playback of two videos at the same time with 1.1 compatible BluRay discs. This feature will vary pending the BluRay disc.

BD Data Utility has been added.



Music
PS3 owners can now select [Type 3] as an option under Settings/ Music Settings/ Bitmapping. This upgrade will allow for enhanced audio playback.

But combined with the latest PSP Update, 3.80, creates something very very cool . Remember that remote play thing Sony added months ago? And thinking why would I want to access my PS3 on my PSP? Well here is the answer. With the latest firmware 3.80 on the PSP you will be able to play PS One games via Remote Play. This will work with PS One downloaded games and disc games. For a list of everything you can and can't do with PSP Remote Play check out the Playstation Message Boards.

EA giving FREE game to Broken Rock Band Owners

Are you one of the many people who had to send in your only Rock Band guitar because the strum button broke? Well EA would like to send out its deepest apologizes for preventing you from getting your rock on by giving you a FREE game. To take advantage of this offer you must send in your pick by Jan. 11, 2008. Here is the list of games: (click to enlarge)

Saint's Row 2 Details Emerge

The GTA copy cat is becoming more and more of a threat to the GTA franchise. Saint's Row 2 will include new vehicles such as airplanes, helicopters, motorbikes, jet skis, and speed boats that will include upgrades for most. The city will also include interiors to many of the buildings and is 45% larger than the previous Saint's Row game. There will also be tons of customization options so you can make your character look like who you want them to be. You will be able to dual wield guns, use hostages as "human shields", and rip items from the environment. The game will also feature an online co-op mode similar to Crackdown where both players can interact and complete missions and side quests together. No word on the release date, but is thought to be late 2008.

[From Gameplayer]

E3 Coming Back to L.A.

Yes, it is confirmed E3 will no longer take place in Santa Monica, but instead back to L.A. where it was originally. This comes after there were many complaints of walking long distances to make appointments by the press. Next year's event will take place on July 15-17 in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Don't get too happy, this is by no means the "old" E3 there will still be NO booth babes and will be invitation ONLY.

[From Kotaku]

This Week's VC Update

Cybernator (SNES, 1 player, rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): It is the near future. Resources are dwindling, and the major powers of the world are in dispute over territory. Pilot the Cybernator G5-E for the 95th brigade of the mechanized marines and throw yourself into the war. Get briefed before each mission to confirm your targets, and then do your best to clear each of the seven stages, freely using the suit's equipped tools and four types of weaponry. By collecting the "power chips" left by defeated enemies, it is also possible to reinforce each weapon up to a maximum of three levels. It is left to your judgment as to whether to reinforce a specific weapon or to power up all weapons simultaneously, adding a bit of strategy to the nonstop action. The powerful background music, military-like atmosphere (look for bullet marks on the walls and the strained communication during combat) and intense story development combine to give the world of Cybernator a gritty, sci-fi feel that you won't soon forget.

Alien Storm� (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Shape-shifting aliens have infiltrated the city, creating chaos and panic! Fortunately, a trio of heroes called the Alien Busters has agreed to wipe out the invading creatures. The members of the team wield their own special attacks, and they unload a world of hurt on the Martian menaces from the city streets to the mother ship. Gordon, a tough guy with a bazooka, has a special gunship attack, while Karla has a flamethrower for alien crisping, though she prefers to use her special ballistic-missile attack. Finally, Slammer the robot can self-destruct at will and attacks the intruders with an electric whip and other devices. Take the aliens by storm and save your city.

Monster Lair (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone - Mild Cartoon Violence, 800 Wii Points): Join young Adam and Laura as they embark on a fantastic adventure in this comical action/shooting game. Featuring beautiful music brought to life by the power of the CD-ROM, the game consists of 14 rounds packed with cute monster enemies. Players can either play alone as Adam (or play with a friend controlling Laura) as they battle their way through round after round. The first half of each round is the action scene, where players must avoid obstacles and pits. Use your Power Boost weapons against enemies and restore your Life Force with food as you head for the gate at the end. The second half is the exhilarating shooting scene, where players must shoot down flying enemies. Take out the boss at the end to clear the round and move to the next one.

Comments/Suggestions Page

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New Releases: Week of 12/16

Title	Platform	Genre	Release Date
Atari Classics Evolved	PSP	Action	Dec 18, 2007
Carrier Strike Force	PC	Simulation	Dec 17, 2007
Dai Senryaku VII: Exceed	PS2	Strategy	Dec 17, 2007
Draft Day Sports: College Basketball	PC	Simulation	Dec 18, 2007
Indianapolis 500 Legends	DS	Driving	Dec 19, 2007
Legends of Norrath: Forsworn	PC	Puzzle	Dec 18, 2007
Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge	DS	Puzzle	Dec 18, 2007
Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge	PSP	Puzzle	Dec 18, 2007
MX vs. ATV Untamed	DS	Driving	Dec 17, 2007
MX vs. ATV Untamed	PS3	Driving	Dec 17, 2007
MX vs. ATV Untamed	X360	Driving	Dec 17, 2007
MX vs. ATV Untamed	PS2	Driving	Dec 17, 2007
MX vs. ATV Untamed	PSP	Driving	Dec 17, 2007
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum	PS2	Action	Dec 17, 2007
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams	WII	Action	Dec 18, 2007
Rock Band	PS2	Puzzle	Dec 18, 2007
Sensible World of Soccer	X360	Sports	Dec 19, 2007
Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command	DS	Strategy	Dec 17, 2007

[From Gamespot]