Friday, October 15, 2010

Gaming Today

Gaming Today

How to Clean an Xbox 360

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 03:25 AM PDT

How to Clean an Xbox 360

Game consoles are notorious for their hardware failures. They are computer devices and like PCs they need a lot of air to keep them running cool. Over time the Xbox 360 not only draws in a lot of cooler air, but also accumulates the dust and dirt from the air on its internal fans and optical drive. This dirt accumulation leads to overheating and disk read errors if you’re not vigilant. This how to will show you how to clean an Xbox 360 in a way that won’t violate your warranty

Difficulty: Basic

Tools:

  • Xbox 360
  • Microfiber cloth (found in camera care kits)
  • Vacuum Cleaner w/ small host attachment for detail work

Time to Execute: 15-30 minutes

Table of Contents

Official Disclaimer:

Step 1: Preparations
Many gamers report the Xbox 360 progressively becoming unable to read DVD disks. No matter how tempted you might be, don’t use canned air or a DVD cleaner on the inside of your Xbox 360. These products can actually make flakey drives even worse or damage the delicate optics of the unit. If you are having disk problems, first inspect the DVDs and make sure they are not the issue, then consider calling or paying Microsoft for a repair. If you are out of warranty there are lots of online resources where you can buy replacement DVD drives.

Step 2: Cleaning the Xbox 360 Exterior
Surprisingly keeping the Xbox 360 running is as simple as making sure it is well maintained. Hardware failures aside, properly removing dust or animal hair for the unit intakes is as simple as:

  • Unplugging the Xbox 360
  • Wipe down the exterior of the unit using the microfiber cloth
  • Inspect the area you store the unit and endure it is clear of dust and debris
  • Unplug the Xbox 360
  • Attach a fine nozzle or hose end to your vacuum
  • Carefully run the small hose end over the vents on the unit back and sides to remove dirt
  • Vacuum or dust the area where your console usually rests
  • Reconnect power and test the Xbox 360

Step 3: Vacuuming the Xbox 360
A more thorough cleaning of the Xbox 360 requires a vacuum cleaner and some careful work. We do not advocate opening up your console because of potential damage you could cause. Also sticking Q-Tips into the venthilation holes is a bad practice since those products tend to leave small fibers behind that can actually make the problem worse. Vacuuming your Xbox 360 can help to remove free particles around the vents and fans, but it will not completely clean the unit.
To vacuum clean the unit:

  • Unplug the Xbox 360
  • Attach a fine nozel or hose end to your vacuum
  • Carefully run the small hose end over the vents on the unit back and sides to remove dirt
  • Vacuum or dust the area where your console usually rests
  • Reconnect power and test the Xbox 360

Closing
Electronics will always get dirty, but there are some steps you can take to prolong their working life. Aside from these cleaning tips, remember that the Xbox 360 breathes and it needs a good source of new air. Avoid storing the console in the middle of a non-ventilated media cabinet or on top of other heat and dust producing electronics (like your home stereo system or set-top box).

A good regular wipe down will not only make your 360 run more efficiently, but will impress all your house guests and show them just how much you care for your most important things. The importance of dusting and general housekeeping can’t be oversold unless you like replacing game systems or are happy living alone and friendless.

Halo: Reach Has Sold 3.3 Million Copies in One Country in September

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:47 PM PDT

$200 million was spent all over the world on Halo: Reach on its first day on store shelves, and if you assume every copy was the regular edition, which would be a bad assumption to make, that would be about 3.3 million copies sold. Funny story; this evening, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg this evening tweeted that in the U.S. alone, 3.3 million copies of Halo: Reach were sold in the month of September. Kabam.

That’s a large number right there. Roll Tide, Bungie.

The Move is Really Moving in Europe

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 06:34 PM PDT

The Move is really moving in Europe, SCEE honcho Andrew house told Bloomberg, citing “very significant sales in the first month since launch, somewhere in the region of 1.5 million units for the new controller across just Europe.” Bro was really excited about this, and he went on to say this: “The initial sales response has been so far in excess of our initial plan that we'll probably be looking at accelerating production.”

Wowee, guys. I don’t know exactly how many PS3 have been sold in Europe, but since there are 38 million out there and you’ve got to think most of those are here in the US and in Japan, I’d guess 1.5 million makes a pretty good percentage of European PS3 owners who have taken the plunge on the Move. Good times for Sony, I suppose.

Medal of Honor PS3 Requires Latest Firmware

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 06:19 PM PDT

You a fan of PSJailbreak? Or, perhaps, have you not updated your PS3′s firmware in a while because you aren’t a fan of the updates for whatever reason? Tough s**t, because if you want to play Medal of Honor, you’ll have to update to firmware 3.50, the most recent version. The game helpfully comes with the firmware update on-disc for those not connected to the onlines.

This is all about piracy. The newest firmware includes decryptions keys and whatever that software exploits like PSJailbreak can’t read, and while there are legitimate and legally acceptable reasons for using them, they do enable piracy too. Please don’t go comparing this to draconian DRM, because that’s just stupid.

More at the link below.

via Digital Foundry

Undead Nightmare Coming On a Standalone Disc Too

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 05:33 PM PDT

Today, Rockstar announced what we already knew, that Red Dead’s Undead Nightmare DLC (trailer!) will be coming to Xbox Live and the Playstation Network on October 26 for $10. But they also announced that, “soon,” Undead Nightmare will head to stores on a standalone disc that will also include the Outlaws to the End Co-op Pack, the Liars and Cheats pack, the Legends and Killers pack and online free roam. That’ll run you $30 if you choose to buy, and you won’t need Red Dead Redemption itself to make use of all that. Again, that’s “coming soon,” so no date yet.

Oh, and we also got a more detailed description of Undead Nightmare itself. Here you go.

Undead Nightmare introduces hours of a new single-player storyline and brand new multiplayer content. Seemingly overnight, a zombie plague ravages the once bountiful frontier, decimating the landscape and reawakening the dead. In towns, settlements and outposts throughout the world, the uninfected citizens are left to fight for survival against waves of the undead. John Marston must ride out into the vast and terrifying world and survive long enough to find a cure.

Four zombie classes enter the fray, each possessing unique characteristics, attacks, and defenses. Mythical creatures roam the frontier, alongside zombie cougars, bears, wolves and many more. Taking down the undead requires non-traditional weaponry, including the new Blunderbuss, which can be loaded with looted remains of fallen zombies. The deadly Tomahawk and the Explosive Rifle make a triumphant comeback and will be available exclusively for those who downloaded the Legends and Killers Pack and the Liars and Cheats Pack.

The all new single-player narrative features new challenges, quests, and ambient events, including Missing Persons, where the player must find a missing survivor lost amongst the throngs of undead. New competitive multiplayer and multiplayer free roam content includes Undead Overrun, a brand new multiplayer survival mode where waves of infected attack and players must work together to stay alive against increasingly difficult odds.

S**t. Yeah, I’m pretty much all the way into this. Let’s do it.

Vague Press Release Says Medal of Honor is Selling Well

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 04:21 PM PDT

I get a ton of press releases every day, and most of them contain some sort of concreted information about something. For example, every Tuesday I get a bunch that tell me that games have been released. That’s actual, solid data right there. You can buy a game now! WOOOO!

And, sometimes, I get press releases like the one I got from EA today about Medal of Honor. It has a headline that reads, “EA'S MEDAL OF HONOR SCORES AT RETAIL.” That’s interesting enough. Let’s take a look inside, shall we?

Electronic Arts Inc. today announced great Medal of Honor™ day one sales and that the game is well in position for an outstanding holiday. Co-developed by EA's Danger Close™ Studio in Los Angeles and DICE in Stockholm, Medal of Honor launched yesterday with strong momentum and early internal indicators show that the game is off to a great commercial start. In the U.S., retail response has been overwhelmingly positive with midnight launch events at nearly all Gamestop locations nationwide and with major mass merchandising retail chains already exceeding their Day 1 forecasts.

‘We anticipate Medal of Honor to be one of the biggest video game titles launched this year,’ said Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising at GameStop.  ’This underscores how video gaming has emerged as mainstream entertainment.’

Something’s missing. Oh yeah, numbers. EA sent out a press release to tell everyone that Medal of Honor is selling really well but without telling everyone how much it sold. Looks like more spin control over the huge not-disaster that is the game getting favorable reviews (speaking of which: our review).

Mods to Watch: Fallout 3 – Project Brazil

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 04:15 PM PDT

Just in time to cure your radiation sickness comes Fallout 3: Project Brazil, an upcoming Fallout 3 mod that adds an entirely new campaign to the already gigantic post-nuclear RPG. No, not as in the beautiful South American nation full of insanely attractive women and delicious food, but as in the classic Terry Gilliam film. And no, it’s not an adaptaion: Project Brazil is mera working title intended to get across the tone of the mod, which we take to mean labrynthine corporate bureacracy, status obsession-induced conformity and gradual crushing of the human spirit. But in a good way.

Better still for those of us living in Pacific time, it’s set in LA, and features a lot of our local consumerist prisons paradises buried deep under radioactive rubble. Take that, 3rd street promenade. Promised features include:

An Alternate Start
A new Childhood Story
The Los Angeles coastline in ruins (particularly Santa Monica!)
A Crowded Merchant Quarter full of shops and bazaars
A Middle Class Apartment Complex with diner and pool
A Crowded Prison and Reeducation Camp
A Nuclear Reactor Area
Pirate Radio
Time Travel

And a bunch of other stuff that sounds pretty awesome. No official trailer is up, but you can watch a development diary of sorts in this screenshot video:


Videos & Audio – - Fallout 3 – Project Brazil Mod for Fallout 3 – Mod DB

The official release is due “Q1, 2011″, which means any time from now to January, but you can download a very incomplete version here. No dialogue and no scripts, but you’ll be able to wander around the huge environment and see where the magic, assuming it’s magical, will actually happen. We’ll keep you posted on development.

In the meantime, consider using FileFront’s own time machine and checkout some other fallout 3 mods, like this Dr. Who based scenario, and this full conversion based on Warhammer.

Pachter Says Steam Is “Supposedly” Going To Offer Game License Trades Then Says, “Nevermind”

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 03:55 PM PDT

This is just weird. Let’s cut straight to the chase, because I’m frankly just baffled by this. Here is what NowGamer says uberanalyst Michael Pachter told them:

Steam gives gamers enough other stuff so that they don't resent the fact they can't trade in their games. And you know, name all the Steam games that you've purchased that you've traded back in to somebody else for credit. Steam's about to let you do that supposedly, you know like trade and exchange, but they're going to take a fee from it.

That’s pretty much nonsense, and it doesn’t make any sense. Steam has no physical inventory, and so it is not in their best financial interest to do anything like this. And that whole paragraph is just a mess. Gamespot also thought this was pretty weird, so they asked Pachter about it, and he made this equally confusing statement:

I saw the headlines today, and honestly don’t remember saying that Steam would sponsor trade-ins. I can only surmise that the reporter asked the question that way (‘Steam is rumored to be considering taking digital trade-ins’) and asked me what I thought. I have NOT heard this from anybody, and think it had to be the way the question was phrased.

When I said ‘supposedly,’ it’s because the question was posed that way, and is an acknowledgement that I’ve never heard it before. For the record, I don’t know anything about Steam’s plans to sponsor credits for games purchased in the past.

What the hell, man? That makes absolutely no sense at all. First you “surmise” that the reporter asked the question a certain way, and then you say he for sure asked the question a certain way.

On the other hand, looking at that NowGamer quote I can see how it could have been taken out of context to say what they want it to say.

On the third hand, maybe Pachter was raging drunk when he did the interview.

NBA Jam Review

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 01:52 PM PDT

NBA Jam is one of those games that knows how to grab anyone. You don’t need to be a basketball fan, you don’t need to know who the players on the court are or even if they’re expertly simulated. This is a gamer’s game; a sports game so approachable that anyone can pick up a controller and play. The history of the series began with Midway’s arcade game.

NBA Jam the arcade game was a frantic, fun four player arcade game with over-the-top presentation, boisterous sound and vibrant visuals. Hours and hours of fun to be had here as players mixed and matched their on-screen ballers in a head-on two-man team dunk and slam fest. Trash talking, ball-stealing competition set Jam apart from other casual arcade sports titles of the arcade era.

EA’s resurrection of the series for the casual oriented Nintendo Wii was a wise move. While it’s unfortunate the title is not coming to other platforms at the moment (PS3 and 360 versions are scheduled for November), this is a Wii game to own. NBA Jam still features an over-the-top presentation. Players are colorful and exaggerated. They sport the familiar big heads and expressive faces while performing aerobatics their real-world counterparts could only dream about. The courts are built for speed as well, with each featuring distinct models of real NBA arenas. Jam really pushes its surreal nature to the front.

Gameplay is king and NBA Jam is all about a quick run/pass/dunk attack game full of pump-fakes and turbo boosts. Basketball strategists should check out now, this is a fun game and it’s not meant to simulate anything. Since this is a Wii title, you should expect the usual gimmicky motion controls that are apparently required on the console. Players use both Wii Remote and Nunchuck to control their athletes. You have a few flick or swing motions to Alley-Oop and to respond to rebounds and putbacks. If you’d prefer though you can play the game using a classic controller.

The game includes the classic 2-on-2 game as well as Remix challenges like the half-court elimination game mode. There are six new game modes in Remix and a Tour which offers challenges aside from the traditional bracket/campaign game. Oh, and did I mention Boss Battles are part of the mix as well? Once a foe is beaten in Remix Tour mode you can single them out for one-on-one play in Boss Battle. I found all of the game modes equally challenging and fun, especially when playing with other human players.

If you’re a Wii system owner and you’re tired of countless mini-game titles like Wii Party, this is a great party title that is fun alone, but even better when played with friends.

PROS:

  • Classic NBA Jam fun
  • Lots of new game modes
  • Ability to play with 4 players

CONS:

  • Waiting for the PS3 and Xbox 360 version in November

The Verdict: 95/100

Medal of Honor Frontline Teaser Trailer

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:49 AM PDT

If you’ve got Medal of Honor on PlayStation 3, you also got your hands on Medal of Honor: Frontline. Originally released on PlayStation 2 way back in 2002, Frontline puts you in the shoes of OSS Lt. Jimmy Patterson as he fights across Europe into Nazi Germany during World War II.

Now EA has rolled out a teaser trailer from Frontline, comparing the newest Medal of Honor title with the 2002 classic.

We’ve got the trailer for you to check out in the embed below, or you can download it from our fast, free servers.

Halo: Reach Map Pack Coming in November

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 10:25 AM PDT

Halo: Reach has been just as huge as we all knew it would, and Bungie isn’t letting up. Reach players will be excited to learn that next month, Bungie will be releasing three new maps for their online pleasure.

It’s called the Noble Map Pack, and it will hit XBox Live on November 30th, and will run you 800 Microsoft Points ($10). You may think that’s expensive, but just think how much better this feels than paying $15 for a Modern Warfare 2 map pack!

Here’s the official descriptions of the three maps included in the pack:

  • Tempest: “Though we may never fully understand these devices, it is not our nature to leave ancient stones unturned.” This abandoned shoreline facility bends both sea and sky to an unnatural purpose, but the ground itself has quickly become another all too familiar battlefield. Though the two opposing symmetrical bases may never reveal their ancient purpose, both now offer makeshift shelter and access to strategic routes perfectly suited for small and large scale skirmishes alike. Tempest supports 8 – 16 players and offers a variety of modes including Free for All, Team Slayer, Team Objective and Big Team Battle. Tempest also provides players with a huge Forge palette, allowing them to create new custom map variants that can be shared with the community-at-large.
  • Anchor 9: “Orbital dockyards provide rapid refueling and repairs for a variety of UNSC vessels.” Within the confines of this low orbit dry-dock, UNSC craft undergo rapid repair and rearmament in support of the enduring war effort. But for the small squads of infantry who now fight over the mirrored interior hallways and open central hangar bay, this platform no longer provides any safe harbor – whether the close quarters combat is occurring inside or out of its artificial gravitational field. Anchor 9 allows 2-8 players to face off in game variants including Free for All, Team Slayer and Team Objective.
  • Breakpoint: “ONI officials believe the data buried within this artifact is key to our survival.” Atop this icy precipice, the Invasion continues. These modular archaeological labs were never intended to withstand such a large scale onslaught of Covenant military power, but the information being extracted here may prove vital to humanity's survival. In response to the imminent Covenant threat, UNSC ground and air assets have been deployed to bolster entrenched Spartan countermeasures. This dig site must yield salvation, or it will become a grave. Breakpoint offers multiplayer mayhem for 8-16 players, and supports the Invasion and Big Team Battle game variants.

    • More info is available over at Bungie’s official site.

    These Are Some Amusing Video Game Deaths

    Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:26 AM PDT

    Everyone dies while playing video games. Sometimes people around you in the game die. In many cases, these deaths are (intentionally or not) freaking hilarious.

    Our friends over at Ranker.com have a list of the 13 video games deaths that they found the funniest. It’s totally worth a read, so head on over and check it out.


    Read the 13 Funniest Video Game Deaths of All Time here!

    PS3 Netflix Goes Disk Free and High Def Next Week

    Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:22 AM PDT

    Today, Sony and Netflix revealed that the days of being tied to a DVD to watch Netflix streaming content on the PS3 is over. Beginning next week an update will install the new NEtflix software into the PS3 XMB and users will be able to stream directly. Also content that supports 1080i video and 5.2 surround sound will become an option on the system.

    Along with the insstallation Netflix and Sony redesigned the software to enable faster browsing and search away from the frustrating embedded player interface the system had been using.

    Win! Win! Win!
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