360 Blues

After 2+ years of owning a 360, I’m no better off than when I didn’t have one. As you’ll see below I’ve all but had it with my 360. I love the games but that box won’t even last one year. After multiple calls to Microsoft, and no responses, I ended up getting angry enough to write this email. Please let me know about your own 360 issues. Who says we have to suffer in silence? Wow I can't believe I've actually owned 11 game platforms, that's just sick. I need some serious help.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter knowing that it will make no difference to Microsoft right now, and will more than likely go unheard. I have been a loyal Xbox owner since the original Xbox was released. When the time came to purchase a 360 I waited about 8 months, only because I had heard that MS was experiencing problems with the 360. I still own my original Xbox, which works perfectly well, and has never been replaced; my 360, well that’s another story. I have gone through no less than 4 Xbox360s. The one I am currently on is now number 5. After two years of ownership I can safely say that I am seriously disappointed and continually aggravated by Microsoft’s quality control and customer service. I have heard on the blogs and various news groups that the newer Pro models have a lower occurrence rate of the red rings, yet I keep getting an older refurbished model, which will ultimately fail.

After this last failure I called in and spoke to a representative and I specifically asked them for a manager on Sunday January 4th. This first manager assured me that I would be getting a call from their repair department on the following Tuesday between the hours of noon and 3. Both Tuesday and Wednesday passed without a phone call. My second call went in on Thursday January 8th. It was then I learned that the original request for repair had never gone through, a box had never been sent, and I would have to wait yet another 3 days to speak to someone in repair, and get my 360 coffin. This next manager did not promise a specific call back date, but did promise to have them call back within 3 business days. Here I sit with my 360 returned to me, and NO PHONE CALL.

The reason I wanted a call back was to try and explain my frustration with your product and support practices, since I was not called back I have no choice but to respond by email. I have owned no less than 11 gaming systems in my lifetime, starting with the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PS1, PS2, PSP, GameBoy, Nintendo DS, Xbox, Xbox 360, and finally now a Wii. I switched from the PS2 to the Xbox because of what I felt were superior graphics. I purchased a 360 for the same reason, but the constant failures have forced me to consider buying a PS3 and continuing with Sony as my primary gaming platform. I have NEVER had to send back any of my other game systems with the exception of my PS2, who’s DVD drive failed after 3 years of constant gaming by both my son and myself. I have friends who own a PS3 and have not had a single problem with them. I’ve known people to own a Wii and not experience the slightest failure, but EVERYONE I know who owns a 360 has had at least 1 repair for the Red Ring issue, and most have had 2 or more “repairs”.

My brother in law is on 360 # 3, my cousin #2, coworker 1 is now on his 4th, and coworker 2 is on his 3rd, a family friend is on #5… I could go on for hours, in fact if I took a poll I’m sure that I’d find many cases just like mine. I honestly have to say that this is one of the worst business decisions Microsoft has ever made. Ignoring the issue does not make the issue go away, it simply puts off the backlash for a few years. In my case, Microsoft has probably spent enough in shipping charges alone to cover the expense of a brand new Elite system. I don’t want that, I simply wanted one of the newer models with the newer CPU, DVD drive, and HDMI, which seem to have a lower occurrence of the red ring issue. This is exactly what I would have told your repair people had they given me the courtesy of a phone call. I simply would like the chance to have a system, which might last a full year, that’s it, just one year of uninterrupted gaming.

In all truth my confidence in the Xbox line has been thoroughly shaken, and I don’t foresee buying the next generation console from Microsoft when it becomes available. I will probably end up switching back and purchasing a PS3 as soon as my Live subscription runs out. While I’ll miss playing with the friends I’ve made and have on Live, I won’t miss having that nagging fear that my 360 could die at any second, or the $50 a year I have to dish out just to play online enabled games. And while I’ll miss Gears of Wars 3, I can always look forward to Resistance 3.

My only advice to Microsoft is this, “learn from the mistakes of others”. You may never recoup the masses of angered Xbox360 owners once they’ve switched.

My Three Top Games

Both Christmas and my anniversary have passed, and I have to say that I'm a happy camper. I got everything I wanted for Christmas, and luckily my anniversary falls right after Thanksgiving, which gave me yet another chance for a gift. So with that said and done, here are my long overdue reviews for each of my recent acquisitions.

Call of Duty 5

I honestly didn't think I'd like this game because I'm not too big on WWII weapons. But after having this since Nov 30th, I have to say that this game rocks. The graphics are just as good, if not somewhat better than COD4. The developers did a great job of improvising and making the weapons react like modern day weapons, without stretching the believability of the game. So far my favorite weapon is the MP40 with the black dot sight. If you’re a fan of the COD franchise, then you’ll love this game just as much as you did the rest. Two of my favorite new features have to do with the ability to revive fallen players and the chance of driving a tank. The last feature reminds me so much of Battlefield 2 that it actually makes me wish that Bad Company had been as good as COD.

Gears of War 2

To be honest I haven’t had as much time to play this as I’d like to have. I just got it last week, but I’ve been addicted to Fallout 3, so my gaming has been concentrated there. Graphically, it’s just as good if not better that GOW. The game play is where this game just shines. One of my favorite new abilities is the human shield feature. The concept of having someone else take bullets meant for me just makes my day. In addition they’ve added the ability to duel it out with the chainsaw, which just rocks. I’ve managed to win 2 out of 3 of these duels with some pretty gory results.

Fallout 3

I’ve never played a Fallout game before, so imagine my surprise when I got to try this out. This game just screams fun. Graphically the game is impressive, but it’s true strength lies in it’s game play. The game plays out like most role playing games, giving you options as you go along, but it adds a twist. Fallout 3 allows the user to choose between typical role playing and first person shooter, which just adds to the whole feel of the game.

The missions are almost as involved as the imaginary world you inhabit. The ability to walk anywhere, and have various things change, allows you to keep playing, while never getting bored. This game has quickly become my favorite taking up most if not all of my gaming time.

World At War

This is by no means a full review, since I haven't purchased the game yet, but I have played the beta / demo. To be honest, I'm probably not the right person to be writing this, as I really don't get into WWII era games, but I did love and play the heck out of COD4.

Playing the multi player demo was so much like playing COD4. It had the same menu system, the same types of rewards for leveling up, and even some similar perks for kill counts. What sets this game apart from COD4 are the maps. The maps for COD5 seem to be much more grand than those found in COD4. They offer more nooks for snipers to hide out and take their shots on unsuspecting victims, and in addition COD5 offers the ability to control certain vehicles. Finally one of the coolest features is the ability to revive a player who has found themselves in last stand mode.

Being a fan of Battlefield2 on the PC, and Battlefield Bad Company, I love the ability to jump into a tank and start blowing things up. While this game lacks the totally destructive gameplay as Battlefield Bad Company, and some of the cooler vehicles like a chopper, adding vehicles is definetly a step in the right direction.

Now for the bad news. Like most WWII games COD5 is limited by the typical era weapons. Like I stated I've never been a huge fan of WWII games, and this is my main reason. I prefer the modern semiautomatic weapons like the M4 and the G36C. I also prefer the cool add ons like grenade launchers, silencers and scopes. For some reason looking down the antiquated barrel of a Thomson isn't my idea of a good time. I do plan on buying COD5, but only after I've had a chance to finish my current batch of games, as well as purchased and finished Gears of War 2. Until then have fun shooting at Nazi's, if the full version is anything like the demo, this game will be around long after I've found the time to play it.

Left for Dead

Release Date: 18/19th Nov U.S, 21st Nov Everywhere else

Demo Release: Nov 11th (demo already in progress for those that pre-ordered)

Left 4 Dead is a multiplayer co-op survival horror first-person shooter which attempts to blend the narrative and atmosphere of a single player game with the social entertainment and replayability of a multiplayer game.


Left 4 Dead pits four human playable or AI controlled survivors of an apocalyptic pandemic against hordes of zombie-like, aggressive "Infected". The Survivors' goal is to help each other make it through various scenarios to safety.

As well as the hook of 4 player co-op the game also features an AI known as the director which controls pacing, music, dramatics, health, enemy spawn locations and difficulty, dynamically, each time the game is played resulting in a different and unique experience each play through of the four so called "movies". Even the story provides incentive for continual play throughs with the 4 survivors revealing more about themselves and the world around them, each time the game is played.


It will also feature a 4 vs. 4 mode, where you have the option to play as either the human survivors or four unique “boss” zombies, with the two teams competing against each other through each of the maps. This mode is supposedly far more frantic then the co-op campaign.


360 Gameplay part 1

360 Gameplay part 2

360 Gameplay part 3

360 Gameplay part 4

Versus Gameplay part 1

Versus Gameplay part 2

More Gears of War 2 goodness!!!

Prepare yourselves. Gears of War 2 comes out this weekend (ships 11/7, but for those desperate enough, Best Buy will have a midnight launch).
Early reviews are coming out and as expected, GoW2 looks to be another hit.

Review
Team Xbox - 9.8

Fallout 3

Fallout 3....or shall we say "do we really need family and friends?" is finally out this week. The journey has been a long one seeing as the original Fallout hit the shelves 11 years ago in 1997 and the wait appears to be well worth it.

So what exactly is Fallout? Is it a shooter? Is it a RPG? Well, it’s actually a bit of both. Fallout 3 departs from the original Fallouts as the game no longer utilizes a sprite based top down view of the game. Instead, Fallout 3 uses the same engine that was used for Oblivion. The game has shooter elements but the game is a RPG through and through. Without giving anything away, you play a character in the future that lives in a “vault” designed as a long term shelter to house inhabitants after the world is decimated by a nuclear war. You start the game immediately from birth (yes, the game begins from the view of you coming out of your mother’s vaginal cavity) with your father (voice acted by Liam Neeson) as the first thing you see along with the vault’s doctors.

From the minute I started out the game, I knew I was in for wild adventure. Sure, it’s only a single player game…but it’s a massive single player game. You definitely get your money’s worth seeing as this is a game that you’ll probably still be playing a year from now. The strategy guide (sold separately) is about 500 pages long. That alone tells you how much the game has to offer. Just imagine a game where you can look out into the distance and see destroyed buildings far away and being able to walk there all in real time. The game is large. Massive. Your standard shooter does not offer that.

So now the important questions are:
1. Is it any good? – Yes, it is good. No, scratch that…it’s great, it’s fantastic, it’s the next best thing since Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.

2. Is it Oblivion with guns? – Absolutely not. Yes, it does use the same engine. Yes, the character models look similar to oblivion (even down to your character creation) but that is where the similarities end. Saying Fallout 3 is like Oblivion with guns is no different that saying Halo 3 is CoD 4 in space. Fallout 3 is everything that Fallout would have been had it used a FPS engine.

3. Will my wife divorce me? – Possibly. Fallout 3 will bring out your inner geek, and nothing sets back things in the bedroom than hours of playing Fallout 3 with Dorito dust on your finger tips (well, don’t go blaming Fallout 3 on your personal hygiene).

Anyway, there’s not much else to say about the game that hasn’t been said by others. The following reviews provide a much better insight as to what you will expect once you leave the confines of your vault.

If you are on the fence for Fallout 3, rest assured, it’s an awesome experience. Buy it. Play it. Say goodbye to your family and friends and welcome to the wasteland vault dweller.

Fallout information to bring you up to speed:
Fallout 1
Fallout 2
Fallout history

Fallout 3 Reviews:
IGN – 9.6/10
Teamxbox – 9.4/10
Gamespy – 5/5
1UP – A
Eurogamer – 10/10
Xplay – 5/5
Gamesradar – 9/10
OXM – 10/10

GOW II

After seeing several reviews, and some screen shots I have to say that the game I look most forward to playing is Gears of War 2. The first GOW was nothing short of spectacular. In my mind GOW's graphics remain one of the best on the Xbox360. The game play, though violent, was probably one of the most involved that I had played since FEAR. It's no wonder I look forward to the sequal.

Blockbuster A Gamers Paradise

For years I've resisted going to EBGames / GameStop to trade in my old games. I just couldn't see spending $60 per game only to get back $5 when I traded it in. Well this year my cousin let me in on a little secret. Blockbuster Video give more money per game. I didn't actually believe this until I went in an tried it for myself. Rainbow6 1 is several years old, but they gave me $15 for it, and Gears of War, also several years old, well I got back $25 for it. I ended up taking in all of my son's old games which were really really old and got back enough to buy Rainbow6 2 and a Microsoft Points card. Now Blockbuster will only buy back games at a good price if there's a shortage of games out there, so that slightly used copy of GTA4 is probably just going to get you about $10 but the more hard to find games will get you more money. Just a bit of news I thought I'd pass on.

The Games I Play

One of the things I love to do during my down time is play on my 360. I tend to favor the Military First Person Shooters than the run and gun type games like Halo. I also try my hardest to finish each game in single player before starting the multiplayer mode or even starting a new game. Unfortunatly this year I got several games within a few weeks of each other so I'm now playing about 3 games regularly.

Rainbow6 Vegas 2 - This game consumes much more time than it should. I'm playing it on the hardest level, while still testing my metal in multiplayer mode. 9 times out of 10 you'll find me playing this online.

Call of Duty 4 - I've kind of fallen off with this one, but I still love it and occasionally play it online. I beat the single player and loved it. It's probably my favorite game so far.

Grand Theft Auto 4 -To be honest I only bought this because I like to drive the cars. I played GTA Vice City for months without ever completing one mission. This game plays out like a really cool tv show. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's vulgar as all get out, so I can only play late at night or when my kids are not around.

Battlefield Bad Company - I bought this because I loved BF2, but this isn't BF2 by any means. I do like the game play, but I don't care much for the graphics, and the limited amount of maps. I also like the PC version of BF2, which allows for several more players per game.

Anyway hope to see you online.

My New Blog

Ok I started blogging about a month ago, and I must say this is really addictive. I've found an outlet for my creative side, besides web design, that I can truly exploit.