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If you need a reason to Tivo this week's South Park, how about a World of Warcraft storyline complete with machinima clips from the game voiced by Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny? If you still need convincing, here's a clip. The show airs Wednesday night on Comedy Central. True geeks will have a tuner card that can display the show while they chat about it in their WOW sessions...
Burger King may be putting a little too much stock in its brand character. It's actually releasing games for Xbox and Xbox 360 that feature the creepy mascot. There's the King hunched over a miniature bike in Pocketbike Racer, on a bumper car in Big Bumpin and hiding in barrels to avoid detection in Sneak King (get it?!). Seriously, check the calendar - it's not even April! The kicker is that the games will cost $4 apiece on top of the price of a so-called Value Meal. It's an advergame, and we have to pay for it?! Wonder if there's a 360 achievement for Biggest Marketing Tool. Wait, has anyone even eaten at a Burger King since they changed the fries...
Sony may have an inkling of how Microsoft feels most days. An analyst noted that some PlayStation 3 systems shown at the Tokyo Game Show locked up, apparently due to overheating. Since the console is so close to shipping, this could be a harbinger of big problems ahead. Or, as it was with the first run of Xbox 360s, an opportunity for peripheral manufacturers to sell mostly unnecessary fan stands to paranoid consumers. If this rumor proves true, PS3 support staff will snag some lucrative overtime this holiday while most gamers still won't be able get their hands on one...
No doubt timed to coincide with the World of Warcraft appearance on South Park, Blizzard announced the contents of The Burning Crusade expansion Collector's Edition:
If you have a lapsed City of Heroes account, you can play for free this weekend. Just login and your account should be active until midnight Eastern on Sunday night...
Microsoft wimped out on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday again, this time releasing TotemBall - a game that's free but requires the Xbox 360 Camera. More than likely, someone missed the deadline to pack it into the box and now you'll need access to Xbox Live if you want it. (Yes, the camera does have some limited function without a 'Net connection).
Other notable marketplace additions:
In a Nutshell: Cook recipes (mostly Japanese fare with a few Western dishes thrown in) by playing mini-games that simulate each preparation step. Measure water and rice, bread meats, butter frying pans and cook items Dance Dance Revolution-style with a meter that marks a short opportunity to perform an action. Cooking Mama doesn't offer any real world recipes that you could make with the game's guidance. In fact, some of the steps are pure game balancing: Do you really need to repeatedly blow on boiling vegetables and adjust the stovetop temperature three times to create a perfect potato salad? Then again, it's a lot more fun than real cooking. The only downside is that the game offers no save slots or player profiles, so you can't really share the game with other family members without them contributing to your game progress. There is a wireless demo feature if you have more than one DS and your family is happy to only sample the game. Otherwise, your only choices are to get more than one copy, or clear the save file when you're done with it.
Family Factor: The rating is E with a warning about alcohol use, but the only booze is cooking sherry. The most shocking parts include burning your hand with a hot potato or hitting it with a mallet while pounding rice. It's done in a cartoon style that's less frightening than pretty much anything you'd see on Saturday morning television. If junior takes a peek, there shouldn't be any mental scarring.
Buy, Rent or Skip? It's short, so rent it if you can find a place that offers DS games rentals (if all else fails, sign up for GameFly.com). If you really love cooking and mini-games, you may want to buy. It's only $20, and you might be able to score a used copy for less.
RedOctane has revealed the final track lineup for Guitar Hero II, not counting bonus unlockables and the inevitable premium download packs via Xbox Live Marketplace:
I was laid off Tuesday from my dream job at Big Fish Games. After 5 years of coordinated effort, I had landed as the community manager for online games and, by all accounts, was doing a bang-up job, There's a lot of rumor and conjecture about what's happening with Big Fish, but the bottom line is: I'm looking for work. I'm also planning to revamp this site. So expect big changes in coming weeks...
If you wanted to preorder a PlayStation 3, well, you missed out. Without warning, EB/ GameStop offered a limited window earlier this week at its retail locations - and it's already closed. But a similar preorder event is reportedly happening for the Nintendo Wii on Friday, Oct. 13 - so you might want to get in line at your local EB or GameStop tonight or first thing tomorrow (they're opening at the regular time). Then again, there haven't been any online preorders yet, and the Wii is expected to ship in much greater quantities than the PS3. Your call...
There's a free Phantasy Star Universe beta on Xbox 360, but there are a few catches. You need to download the nearly 1GB client software and then you can play only through Tuesday, Oct. 17. You must have a paid Xbox Live Gold account. And you may get blocked or booted from the game, which has very limited server capacity for the beta. Also, you might need to create your character more than once if the server boots you while on the creation screen. And the tutorial is pointless and the game may freeze. That said, it's still easier to setup than the Final Fantasy XI beta was...
Once upon a time, cheat codes were free ways to milk extra fun from a game that was kicking your butt. Now EA has figured out a way to milk extra money from those who want them. Now if you want a leg up in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Xbox 360, just open your wallet. Unlocking all golfers or all courses, or maxing your stats to 110% costs you only $2.50 per cheat. Get access to all pro shop items for just $3.75. All of these can be earned by playing the game well, but it only costs you $11.25 to earn them without playing at all. Too bad there's not an Get All Achievements offer - then you could pretend you beat the game...
Xbox Live is down today - all day. As usual, there's no word on what is actually being done. It seems Microsoft wants to wait and see which updates are successful before announcing them. (Not a bad strategy, actually.) Some of the changes will add support for features to be added with the November dashboard update. Others will be announced tomorrow. Guess this means you won't be able to enjoy the last 24 hours of the Phantasy Star Universe online demo. Or try the new Splinter Cell: Double Agent multiplayer demo. Or buy Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 cheat codes - you'll just have to see what you can unlock for yourself in a day...
Microsoft went a bit long on its 24-hour downtime to update Xbox Live. The My Xbox section of Xbox.com is still down almost 48 hours later, which means Gamercards are dark all over the Web. When complete, the update will enable more parental controls. Basically, you can designate accounts for your kids and control their contacts with more settings to block online communication and content. The other big news is that Lumines Live! launched for $15. A planned $7.50 bonus pack was held back at the last minute, which is a shame since it appears that much of the full game was omitted. Among the cuts: Versus CPU mode, which would offer helpful practice to players before they go up against real online multiplayer opponents. There's a one level Versus CPU demo in the "full" game, as well as a placeholder for the omitted Advance Pack levels. Also absent are the music videos shown in previous demos - no doubt, they'll cost you even more later...
UPDATE: Microsoft released the Advance Pack, with 22 more Challenge Mode skins to unlock (beyond the 12 in the base game). There are also announcements about future add-on packs (though no prices yet):
As if Sony's PlayStation 3 wasn't overpriced already, now there's news that extra SIXAXIS controllers will cost $50, the Blu-Ray remote (not included) will be $25 and if you want to use your earlier PlayStation memory cards with backward-compatible titles, you'll need a $15 adapter - actually, an improvement over Microsoft's stategy of orphaning Xbox save games and making players start them over on the 360. The other silver lining is that the first 500,000 units will include a Blu-Ray movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby...
Here's the official launch line-up for the PlayStation 3:
For a moment, it seemed like the Halo movie was in trouble. Both Fox and Universal announced they had dumped the project, citing an out-of-control budget and a fledgling director they lacked faith in. Now Bungie is saying this is really good news and that Peter Jackson and some Microsoft "biz guys" are busy finalizing a better deal. "Hopefully we can share excellent news with you in the next few weeks," they stated in their official post. "When you do finally get to see the stuff [Jackson's effects house] WETA has already made, you will probably pee a little." Better stock up on Depends...
Holiday shopping just got a little easier for some. Just fill out a IOU card and you're done - if the gamer in your life was dying for The Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft, Assassin's Creed or Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway. All have been delayed until 2007. And don't think you'll make up for it with a stocking stuffer from Lik-Sang. The popular game importer is hanging it up after too many lawsuits from Sony over shipment of Asian PSP and PS2 hardware to Europe. Don't worry, if you have credits or pending repairs, Lik-Sang says it will make sure its customers are taken care of...
Steam has become quite the powerhouse lately, growing well beyond its Half-Life roots. Recent additions Activision, PopCap and Majesco are now joined by Ubisoft and 2K Games in Valve's master plan to eliminate the need for retail distribution. New titles include:
Better enjoy this game before the lawyers get it pulled. Super Smash Flash is a Flash-based online knock-off of Super Smash Bros. complete with adventure, stadium, training and Vs. modes. It even saves your progress! Alas, the author used actual Nintendo, Capcom and Sega trademarked characters such as Link, Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Pikachu, Megaman and Samus - so it's only a matter of time before the cease-and-desist letters start flying. But you can cut the developer some slack since he's only 16...
Microsoft revealed that the Xbox 360 dashboard update is due to hit on Halloween morning. New features are mainly support for new hardware (HD-DVD Player, Wireless Headset, Wireless Racing Wheel), but there are some other notable improvements as well:
Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.
Busy Gamer Review-
Tomb Raider: Legend
Reviewed On: Xbox 360. Versions also available for GameCube, PS2, PC, PSP and original Xbox. Versions on the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS are significantly different. 
In a Nutshell: Run around as Lara Croft. Jump, shoot, swing and slide. Pick up treasures. Try not to get killed. Unlock slinky costumes. Unfurl a well-acted, somewhat interesting story that explore Lara's troubled past.
This game is actually quite enjoyable, if you can forgive some minor quirks and confusing puzzles. You'll most likely be running to Gamefaqs.com in search of your next step or a hard-to-get treasure at least a half a dozen times over the course of the game. Motorcycle levels are a nice diversion, though pretty unchallenging. Levels are thoughtfully arranged and include fun diversions such as climbing a Yakuza skyscraper in Japan and rooting around a cheesy, rundown King Arthur museum in England. Small sections of the game require quick button presses in response to onscreen cues - with the penalty of a long reload if you miss a step. The boss battles are remarkably easy to figure out (well, except for one) though most are challenging and fun - except for the final boss, who is embarrassingly simple to dispatch.
Overall, the fun parts outweigh the frustrating parts.
Learning Curve: In-game help will ramp you up on Lara's moves slowly over the first few levels, but it's mastery of these core skills that will get you good enough to beat the game. You'll want to replay the earlier levels once you know your way around - they're actually much more fun when you're not constantly falling to your death!
The Save Game: You can save progress only after reaching a checkpoint. Most checkpoints aren't too far apart, but you may have to sacrifice some advancement (including rewards found since the last checkpoint) if a little one wanders into the room or needs you attention. Once you beat the game, you can replay levels and save rewards as you go.
Family Factor: The rating is T for Teen with warnings about blood, violence, language and suggestive themes. Basically, your standard action adventure fare - if your kids' entertainment includes shooting bad guys and very light swearing, you're OK. In fact, older kids might even help you figure out some of the harder puzzles! The Croft Manor playground section is tame enough that even young ones can watch - you do use guns to blast open a few secret areas, but otherwise there's nothing to disturb a toddler.
Buy, Rent or Skip? This game is a borderline buy. If you find it for less than $30, snap it up. Otherwise, rent unless you're a die-hard Lara Croft fan or you adore time trials and like to earn every unlockable item. The main game can be beat in 10-12 hours easily on standard difficulty, but replaying it at the hardest level and knocking out the timed runs will give you another 10 hours or so of play.
This page contains all entries posted to Busy Gamer News in October 2006. They are listed from oldest to newest.
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