What to Get Me: 2006 Edition

Here it is, the annual What To Get Me post.

Each year, I make the effort to create an online Amazon wishlist to help out those who just want to get me something but don't want to actually have to go through the trouble of being creative. Have no fear; 2006 is not forgotten. You still have time to get in an order in time for Christmas, but you better hurry.

What to Get Me: 2006 Christmas List (Amazon Edition)

So I've Been AFK For Awhile

This marks the third straight post I've made about, well, not making posts. It's just been, well, crazy this last couple of weeks. I've been flying back and forth, writing papers, and taking finals. That leaves very little time for witting on a blog that I;m not sure anyone even bothers to read.

However, that being said, I am back home until the 2nd, so I might be blogging a bit more.

Also, I will keep up the yearly traditions that the blog holds for the month of December, and that means my Christmas list and the 3rd Annual STAR Awards. Stay tuned for more info on both coming latter today.

In Xbox gaming news, I'm still hooked on GoW, which is probably the best game out for the 360 to date. I've signed up for he Halo 3 beta, and can not wait to be picked. I think my room might just overfill with UCD Halo nerds if I get in. Also, check out this YouTube piece, done by none other than yours truly, on mashing the Megadeath "Gears of War" song ad the new Halo TV ad. Fits, as I say, "oddly nicely."

I'm also on the hunt for a Wii. And I've had no luck so far. When I say "on the hunt" I mean I look for one at every store I go into, so I'm not really going out of my way. Eventually, I'll find one, but I just don't see the point in going crazy over the thing yet.

Where Have I Been?

That's a good question. It's been close to two months... and the only thing thats changed on this blog is the constantly updating played games list. In fact, as of late, my Xbox 360 is doing more blogging than I am.

The answer, of course, is I've been busy. College just doesn't leave much time for blogging. It does, however, seem to lead to a lot of reading, writing and bike trips up and down campus. And the occasional GoW game with my dorm mates.

Yes, I am officially hooked on Gow now. It rocks. Possibly more than Halo does...although that is still to be determined. For me, the appeal of Halo is the fact that I can still log on, more than 2 years latter, and feel like I am playing a great game that is different than I ever have played before. The fact that we are getting new maps sometime next year surly only adds to this fact.

So, my point of writing this is a post of uncertainty. My life hasn't exactly fallen apart once I stopped blogging. And I don't see any posts on Engadget or Joystiq begging me to come back. If I do, I surly will. Until than...I'm simply not sure. Is this something I want to continue? Sorta. In a weird way I do...but I don't know. Maybe. Possibly. But don't count on it. Maybe cross your fingers, but you may forced to uncross them eventually because you find something more productive to do.

It' Been Awhile

It's been a long, long time since I've last posted on this blog. No, No, I'm NOT dead, just been busy. What's happened since my last post more than a month ago? The world has truely gone crazy, that's what.

• TGS and X'06: TGS is a bust, X06 a blast. Halo Wars annouced, shown.
  
• DOOM surprsied the world and is placed on marketplace
• Vision is released, but not available on any store shelves.
• Guitar Hero 2 coming the 360.
• Lego Star Wars II Released; DLC Characters Released. Game Rocks!
• Test Drive: Unlimited Releases. Game is OK.
• Tons of demos released: FEAR, Fuzion Frenzy 2, Sonic, and others
• Sony tries to blow up the world with batteries
• Resident Evil 5 coming to 360
• Oblivion going to PS3
• Tons and tons of other stuff

So, I'm not quite sure why I stopped blogging. I just started playing Dead Rising non-stop, and than never picked it up again.

But this blog is far from dead. Very, very far.

For the past week, I've been making my transistion to college life. I'm up at UC Davis, which means three things: there's hella cows, and it's hella cold. Oh, and everybody uses "hella" all the time. Very, very odd.

This blog will serve new functions as a place for me to vent about the upcoming struggles of college life, just as it did during my high school years. Without a doubt, expect many updates about how it's gong and what's up.

That brings me to my next point: updates. Now that I'm in college, my shcedule is, well, crazy. Expect updates to be, well, crazy.

Dead Rising Review Up

For the past week I've done nothing but play Dead Rising. My review is now up over at TeamXbox, and yes, I did beat the end with the "ture" ending!

LINK

XBL Arcade Wednesdays: Part TWO!

Confirming what some alreadly belived, MS extended Arcade Wednesday today, to include three new gamesa and some actually good content. Here's the full list:

• August 16--Cloning Clyde Pic Packs (100 Points)
• August 16-- Uno Theme Deck, PGR3 (100 Points)
• August 23-- Texas Hold 'Em (Free for 48 hours; 800 points after)
• August 30--Time Pilot (400 Points)
• September 6--Scramble (400 Points)

The only thing that changed from the "rumors" was a week push back all around (no one geussed the Pic Packs or UNO Theme) and thus, the fact that Lumines Live! isn't out on the 6th, or even in the list. Perhaps it will come on Wednesdays Part 3?

Anyway, very good news to hear that Poker is finally on its way, and for free. Cool!

(BTW--This is the 500th post on CR!)

Happy 2 B-day!

Happy Birthday Continual Randomness! Today you turn 2 years old. It's hard to belive it, but it's true. It was two years ago that I sat down and created a Blogger accouant and started doing whatever this is. Since than, it's, well, been a hell of a ride.

This last year brought with it many surprises, most notably the launch of Xbox 360 and my final year at high school. This blog chronicaled it all, and proved to be one of the best places to get accurate and breaking news in the tech sector. Overall, this year has been pretty good. I think we can all agree that the 360 rocks the video game world, and on a personal note, I can't wait to head off to college latter in September.

Now, to kick off another tradition. Last year, I posted several items that this blog would focus on. Here they are:

• My Senoir Year at YHS, including college stuff and graduation.
• The Launch of Xbox 360, PS3, and the Nintendo Revolution.
• The (maybe) release of Bungie's next game.
• Windows Vista and its new wave of crappyness.
• More globe trotting
• Harry Potter #7 build up
• Star Wars Day 05, release of ROTS DVD and BF 2
• More Xbox Live attachment

Now, let's review the year, and see how they stacked up. First off, my Senior year at high school. Yep, this one was covered at least once a month, from the first day of school, homecoming, 9-11 rememberance, and more. Next, the launch of Xbox 360, PS3 and Revolution. I got one of the three right. Looks like the PS3 will be another goal; as for the Revolution-it got a new name. However, CR was the place to get all the info on the two consoles before they launch this fall.

The next one I was even hsitant in 2005-the next Bungie game. However, the world now knows that Halo 3 is coming, and in 2007. Another goal for next year. On that note, Vista and Harry Potter #7 both failed to see the light of day this year, but they probably will next year.

Star Wars Day 05 definatly came, and was covered by CR. We were left with one of the best SW video games yet to date, save KOTOR and a classic on DVD. Star Wars Day 06 is coming this year, and CR will be on it on September 12, 2006.

Globe trotting is an interesting one. I did do some, although not exactly global. I did make that random call from Vegas back in June, and did head up to San Fran twice in the same week. Crazy, but fun.

So, on to this years, Year Three (which, haha, begins right now) predictions:

• The release of the PS3 and the Wii. Complete coverage of both launches
• Windows Vista--maybe
• Halo 3 and the new era of gaming, if it's out before Fall
• The new E3- Is it CES? GDC? Leipieg? Who knows, but the CR will be there to sort it out to get all of the news that matters most.
• Harry Potter #7-may not come out this year, but the build-up (like titles and date) more than likely will.
• Big Xbox 360 titles: Army of Two, Mass Effect, Bio Shock, and many more
• Star Wars Day 06- the release of the true originals and Lego Star Wars II
• My College experiance at UC Davis. Expect full updates on my freshman year
• The release of Halo: The Lost Man (Yes...it's still coming!)
• More political news--I care too much about the world to let it all fall apart!
• And more!

So, that's some of the stuff that might happen in '06-'07, and CR will be there to cover it all. Now, last year I made a pledge, to go right to the heart of Continual Randomness, with more posts about random things (Get it? Continual + Randomness?). I think I made OK on that goal. I am, of course, renewing it for this Thrid Year, but I'm also adding something new: Challenge.

I want to challenge the world with this blog. Starting right now, expect more of it. I can't go into details, as it's just hard to explain, but your start to see what I mean. These will be both mentally and physically. The STARD Tourny will be a part of this, and it will be great.

So, thanks for sharing this year with me. It's been great. I hope your continue to make CR your stop on the Blog list for all of the news that matters.

Untill next time,

star

Special ALB: Happy B-day Blog!

Date first appeared: August 14, 2005
Special Note: Post to honor 1st B-day of this blog



It's offical: this blog is exactly one year old. It was this day last year when I registared for a Blogger accountant and posted my very first entry into "Continual Randomness". Since then, the blog has changed over the months, gone days without updates, and then dozens of updates in one day.

At the start, the blog was desgined for my Black Arrow days. Then it morphed into antipatication for "Star Wars Day 2004", then into a singing coutdown for Halo 2. Since November 9, it served as mostly a Halo 2 fan page...before morphing into just an all-around everything blog that it is now.

What does the future hold for Continual Randomness? I geuss whatever my future holds. Hopefully, this year maybe I'll get serious about blogging, desgin some HTML and maybe even do a PodCast with the blog. Expect more updates about better stuff, and lots more pictures and links of "random" things. This year, I'm heading right to the roots of the blog..."Continual" meaning a lot more posts, and "Randomness" meaning stuff about everything. Some of next years, which starts right now, highlights include:

• My Senoir Year at YHS, including college stuff and graduation.
• The Launch of Xbox 360, PS3, and the Nintendo Revolution.
• The (maybe) release of Bungie's next game.
• Windows Vista and its new wave of crappyness.
• More globe trotting
• Harry Potter #7 build up
• Star Wars Day 05, release of ROTS DVD and BF 2
• More Xbox Live attachments
• And more...

Thats just a list of someof the stuff I know will happen in the rest of 05 and 06. I'm sure there will be plenty of more stuff to talk about...and maybe I few surprises I know about but can't yet say.

Also, I may try to either regroup or start a new blog for this year, as the links on the side are getting kinda long.

Maybe latter I'll set up a special B-day Poll...cheek back here latter and vote.

Lastly, thanks readers. Without you, no one would read. Heres to another year just as good as this one.

StarDrummer

Special ALB: Welcome-- To me and You

Date first appeared: August 14, 2004
Special Note: VERY first post, ever.

Hey, somehow you managed to find this. Props to you. Welcome to my blog. I am new to this whole thing, so, yeah, it kinda sucks compared to some others. Anyway, I'll keep this as up-to-date as I can. It seems everyone is doing this blog thing, so I geuss I'll do it to.

Eventually I post a little more about me, but for now, my name is StarDrummer on Xbox Live, and I plan on using that here as well. So, you can call me Star. Or StarD. Or the whole thing. No cares here.

And That Was A Look Back

Thanks for joining me in my time machine, as we relived the best moments in this blog's history. We saw the birth of Battlefront, Halo 2, Battlefront 2, Xbox 360, ROTS and my final day of school. We also relived some important moments in my personal history, like first days of Jr and Sr years, as well as the infamous "Sniper or Rocket" debate.

It seems like it's been only a few days since I've started blogging, but I was amazed at how many favorite posts I truely had. Don;t forget to vote on your own favorite on the right.

ALB: Final Day of School

Date first appeared: June 13, 2006
Special Note: Last day of public schooling, ever

Tomorrow, June 13, 2006, is my final day of school. 12 long years since I began my journey, I am now finally able to call it quits, and exit with my head held high. I offically graduate on June15; however, Wednesday and Thursday are simply rehersal days and such.

At thuis point, I'm not sure what to think My time at YHS has been great, and for that I am eternally greateful. I know that I have been bleased to have been surrounded by the best techers and the best of the best freinds. At the same time, I'm ready to move on with the next chapter in my life. I feel ready to head of to college. Sure, a part of me is sad that I will never see about 90% of these people ever again, and, if I do, everything will be deferant. But a large part of me right now thinks that that's OK.

So, as I sit here, waiting for the begining of the end, I can't help but think, "Bring it on." The past has been great...but I have higher hopes for the future.

Again, CR will serve to function as recording of my life. As such, events in my senior year are posted as I see fit. Stay tuned for daily graduation coverage.

ALB: Reactions to ROTS

Date first Appeared: May 19, 2005
Special Note: Thoughts on SW: Episode III after a midnight showing

(Note: Contains Spoliers)

Best. Star Wars. Ever.

As you can guess, I loved ROTS. By far, it is the best SW movie ever. There was just so much action...every moment was good. Sure the acting sucks. Sure the lines are corny at best, sickening at worst, but man, the fight scenes are cool.

The Dooku scene rocks.

Mace Windo was awsome.

I love Yoda and the Wokkies.

Seeing Anakin kill "Younglings" was great.

Anakin getting his ass kicked was priceless.

And Yoda losing too.

Every fight seemed monumentus...and the saga now blends perfectly. Everything that should have happened, happened. And it happened right.

And for those tuck on the Qui-gon thing at the end, heres what it means. Remeber in V and VI Obi-wan talks to Luke right? How does he do that since he's dead? Qui-gon teaches him on Tatooine. It's the reason Obi-wan gave up fighting so easily in IV. The book makes this more clear, as Qui-gon talks to Yoda several times.

But where were these scenes?
-Mon Momtha? (action figure)
-Padma as an Egyptian (Poster)
-The Ackbar guys?
-Panaka scene w/ Palpy

ALB: Working on Halo: The Lost Man

Date first appeared: October 19, 2005
Special Note: The forgotten promise is born.

I've started work on The Lost Man, the current codename/devlopment title of my text-based RPG. It's loosly based on the Halo storyline, but you don't play as the Master. Instead, the game has you as a common Marine solider in battle for Earth.

You start out in the cliche' RPG-way of having no clue who you are (you even have to open your eyes) and than discover what's going on. The Cehif does show up towards the middle of the game, and helps play out some the early battles...but other than that, your on your own.

The real plot of the game involves you searching for the reason behind the Covenant attack on Earth, after the battle of New Mombasa in Halo 2. In your search, you find clues to a hidden relic on Earth...and dsicover your true identity and how it is intrictly linked to the Halo uinverse.

Just so were clear, this is a school-based, non-profit fan-fiction game that is in no endorsed, sponswered or in any way affilated with Bungie, Microsoft, Xbox, or any of the things related to those companies. I belive this dosn't violate any legal issues, as I don't plan on making a penny on this, it's just an AP Computer Science (Java) project.

If I can, I will give the world access to the game by November 22, 2005. I expect to have the final, version 1.03.06, released by January 12, 2006. Don't count on the early version to be completly great or completly finsihed for that matter. But be sure to cheek it out, as so far, after only a week of actual hardcore coding, its coming along pretty nicely.

Also, the program will be open-source based, but I will NOT be able to release the code untill June 11, 2006, after the course is over for school reasons.

ALB: Xbox 360 Is Here

Date First Appeared: November 23, 2005
Special Note: Post of Xbox 360 first thoughts

The era of next-gen gaming is here, and I am a part of it. After a long 21 hours outside of my local Best Buy...I managed to score the hottest gaming system in history. And yes, it is everything it is cracked out to be. The graphics are just something tobe hold. Currently, I have three 360 games--Call of Duty 2, Madden '06 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

I posted my GamerCard here before, and I will try to get it as a permanate feature of this blog via HTML. Stay tuned for more news and info as I get a second to tear myself away from the 360.

ALB: Less Than 24 Hours

Date First Appeared: November 21, 2005
Special Note: Last post before Xbox 360

Less than 24 hours before the US release of the Xbox 360...and I'm about to embark on a quest to find one. No, I did not pre-order one...and now I will seek one out using stealth, charm and smarts.

My first stop is Wal-Mart, who has about 150 available for sale at 12:01 tonight. I plan to head over there in about an hour and wait in line.

If I am not successful there, I shall head to Best Buy, which opens at 9 AM to get one there. If I run out of luck, Costco and Circuit City are next.

Expect audio updates here on the progress of my journey. It's gonna be a long day...

Final Week in 2006 Fantasy B-Ball

This week is the final week for 2006 Fantasy Baseball. I've had a rather rough year this year, and may or may not make it to the playoffs. It all comes down to this final week. If I can pull out a win, and other teams lose, than I should make it with a Wildcard, but I think this is no hope for winning the division.

Carp, I need more wins!!

Wii Launch Titles List

Nintendo's Wii has quite a growing list of titles scheduled for launch, whenever that happens to be. Much more, I think, than the PS3 currently is offering. The titles are not quite "blockbusters" (save Zelda, but, that's not really Wii) but there are some notables, inculsing "Wii Sports", "Red Steel" and "Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam"

LINK

Poll: Favorite All-Time Post

There's a new poll posted to the right. Vote for your favorite moments from the last two years.

A Look Back (the old posts I've been reposting this week) continue tomorrow with my last five favorite moments, and be sure to catch the special 2 Year B-day post on Monday.

OPM Editor: "No PS3 For Me!"

An OPM Editor has "gone to the dark side" and will noit be getting a PS3 this fall. The reasons? Just about the same as everybody esle. Too expensive, lack of key exclusive launch titles, and who the hell cares about Blu Ray?

From her blog:

But when I know that a console's direct competitors cost two-thirds or half of that price, it becomes harder for me to justify shelling out that kind of money. $600 might be worth it if there were several huge titles on the near horizon that were PS3-exclusive. But for the first year at least, there are very few big titles that are PS3 exclusive. GTA4 and Assassins will be available for the 360 at the same time.

The other big reason for people to shell out $600, BluRay, is frankly something I don't care about. So ultimately, I can't justify it. $600 is a lot of money, especially when I can get what -- for me at least -- will be a very similar experience for $400. I would like to own a PS3, and I hope that the price drops soon so I can consider it.

LINK

Play COD3...If Your Good

Activision is giving gamers a chance to play the new COD3 game...if they can win a tourny set up to choose the best players across the world. Do you have what it takes (I now that I don't!)? Click the link for more info.

LINK

CES the New E3?

According to teamXbox, it just might be. I say, rock on, Vegas to is still closer to me than Germany!

LINK

Halo Movie Direcotr Revealed

A slight mishap in PR has revealed the direcotr for the Halo movie. It will be (drumroll, please)... Neill Blomkamp! Yeah, I've never heard of him either, but here's what TeamXbox has to say about him:

A native of South Africa, Blomkamp directed the acclaimed 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg, that depicted a future in which extraterrestrials have become refugees. Last year, Blomkamp also received three Clio Awards and a Visual Effects Society Award for his television commercial Citroen-Alive with Technology.

In 2004, Blomkamp was recognized as "One of the Top Five Directors to Watch" at the First Boards Awards and was a featured artist at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes. He has also been nominated for an Emmy award for his work on an episode of James Cameron's Dark Angel.

LINK

ALB: Thoughts on the Week

Date First Appered: August 26, 2005
Special Note: First week of school, senior year.

Ahhh...the first weeks of school. The last first week of school for me. Monday was the first day of my senior year in high school. I wanted/planned to blog during the week...but with homework and band, and then Blogger not working right on Wednesday...I just didn't.

So, anyway...the week went by prettty smootly. First period I have Honors Computer Science (Java) which is cool. So far 've learned some basic system.out.println(" My Name is Chris "); codes, and a cool temperature converter. Second is Trig...nothing more should I have to say. Third is A.P. Gov, which is a cool class but a hell of lot of work. It's basically a full years worth of stuff (a full 400 pagen textbook) crammed into a 9-week course. Then it's band.

Alotta things happened this week in the outside world actually. Google launced an IM client that looks cool, but I havn't had a chance to play around with it yet...The PSP 2.0 update was released which is very cool...and Leo is back on TV with "Call For Help." Perhaps there is a God after all. Now...if the show could just get moved to a time when I'm actually home...oh wait, thats what TiVo is for...thank you!

Prey DLC Coming "Soon"

New maps and characters for Prey are coming soon to Xbox Live Marketplace. No word yet on cost or actual dates, bute here's just my geuss: Late September, and they will cost money, probably around 800 MS points.

LINK

ALB: Current TV?

Date First Appeared: August 10, 2005

Special Note: Discovery of my favorite channel: Current.

Last night I just found Current, the new Al Gore TV channel thing. I watched it probably for about 2 hours or so...and its pretty good. Different, but good.

Current dosn't have shows...it has pods. Little seven minute video things, mostly made by amatures. In between are some cool Google stats )Popular searches with "symtoms') and one commerical at a time. The channel also has old news footage from historical days, but I only saw one on the LA Riots...not to sure what else is included.

It seems like a cool channel that can keep you really hooked...but two drawbacks: No Tivo (Its listed as just one 6 hour long block) and it could get old fast

ALB: The End of an Era

Date First Appeared: April 1, 2005
Special Note: Fake post for April Fool's Day

The End of an Era

Today marks the last day I will blog. This is the last entry I shall ever post on this blog.

It has been a great ride, but I feel it is time now to step off. The blog just isn't going anywhere. I've already down everything I can think of. I think it's better to end now, at the top of my game, then to whiddle away.

I wish to thank everyone who has made my blog the success that it is. For that, I thank about two people.

Thanks for the memories.

chris

ALB: Rocket or Sniper?

Date First Appeared: December 9, 2004
Special Note: There is till mystery to this post, and do not intend to clearify it now. Rest assured, however; this post is one of my favorites in the blog history.

Situations in life may need you to look at your options in differant ways. Which is better, to pick up a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher to get an enemy a considerable distant away that has a small area of weakness.

The rocket launcher would for sure do the job, but maybe too much so (splash damage). But the sniper may not work if your no good enough.

I chose the

ALB: The Final Hours

Date Oringaly Posted: November 8, 2004 (2 hours before the release of Halo2)
Special Note: Final Post before I played Halo 2.

Almost forgot to post today!

Hope you all liked my 12 days of Halo. I missed Bloging through...and I really am glad I get to go back to it.

3 Hours are left untill Halo 2 is released in the West. In New York, the first copy has alreadly sold.

3 Hours left until history is made. 3 Hours left untill the Golden Disk is placed in my Green Wonder.

A few final reminders:

• Dont watch the Bonus DVD first...major spoliers.
• Its just a game
• Its Halo 2
• Stats can be obtained through bungie.net
• Get the clan name first!
• Its NOT Halo. Its Halo 2.
• Always jump!

My Blog schedule:

• About 1 AM 11/9 Posting of first thoughts, Pics
• About 12 PM 11/9 Update on SP campaign
• About 3 PM Hopefully done with SP, log onto XBL to play
• About 6 PM 11/9 Stats should be up for me
• About 9 PM 11/9 My reveiw
• About 6 AM 11/10 More stats up
• About 9 PM 11/10 More stats up
• About 12-8 11/11 My LAN party (Join for great fun, on XBL!)
• About 12-12 11/12 My XBL Feista!
• About 12-12 11/13 My Feista Part Dous
• About 12-8 11/14 My XBL thoughts on Blog

(All times and dates tentaive)

Please send any and all Halo2 FR to: StarDrummer.

LAN party FR sent to StarDrummer2

See 'ya online in 2 hours, 51 minutes!

ALB: Twelve Days of Halo2

Date Origninally Posted: November 7, 2004
Special Note: Final day of twelve consecutive days posting new verses to "The 12 Days of Halo 2." Each day, a new line was added, as well as a new link to a Halo-related item at EB Games. The links have stopped working now, but the song remains the same.
Twelefth Day of Halo
And with one final note, the wait is over

On the tweleft day of Halo, Bungie gave to me,
Tweleve Halo2 Ultimate Sets
Eleven MasterCheifs
Ten Halo Somethings
Nine Halo Totebabgs
Eight Prima Strat Guides
Seven Halo Halo T-shirts
Six halo Soundtracks
Five Halo 2s!
Four Platonics headsets
Three Warthogs
Two Frist Strike novels
And the orginal Best FPS

May it go down in history as Star's Song on Halo, in G flat

ALB: Star Wars Day 2004

Date Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2004
Special Note: Posts from the first "Star Wars Day" 2004, on the release of Battlefront (1) and the Original Trilogy on DVD.
Star Wars DVDs

These are really awesome. Ive watched ESB and ROTJ so far, and a few bonus features. The quality is amazing. Maybe over the weekend, once I watch the rest, Ill post a better reveiw. maybe.

Date Posted: Thursday, September 23, 2004
Battlefront Reveiws

This is the forth reveiw of the month
IGN.com Score: 8.5
TeamXbox.com Score: 8.6
Gamespot.com Score: 8.2

Graphics
+Nice, detailed
+ Nice explosions/blasts
-Bad, BAD framerate

Controls
+ Both thrid and first person
+ Fully custumizable
- Horrible control
- How do you fly a vechile with this thing?

Sound
+ Full SW Glory
- Could use a little more, creats dead spots

Gamplay
+ Feels like a war
+ A lot people
+Full veichle support
- Stupid AI
- Menus are pretty bad

Live
+Live aware
+ 24 people
- Optimatch isnt working
- Lag, lag, LAG!!!!
-No DLC,
-No Scoreboards (and why does PS2 have them?)
- Did I say lag?
-LAG!

Virdect
Its a Lucasart's game...what did you expect. The online is fun, but needs to get better. Lucasarts states a pacth is coming soon, but why? Why couldn't they put it in the real version?Offline is nice--but it gets kinda boring. I hope they fix this game. With that in mind, I give it a...My Score: 9/10

Date Posted: Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Give Me a Second

Really busy with both the DVDs and Battlefront...both are very goood.I'll post latter with the offical reveiws, but I like 'em both.

Date Posted: Monday, September 20, 2004
By the Next Post, Geuss What I'll Have

BattleFront!!!SW on DVD!!!I can't wait, the day is finaly here, after months and months of waiting, its here.Now all I have to do is make it through one day of school.

ALB: First Day of School

Date First Appeared: Monday, August 16, 2004
Special Note: First day of school, Junior Year

First Day of School
Well, just got back from my first day back at High School, this year as a Jr. I've got some pretty rough courses, including two A.P. classes, seems most of my teachers are still being Mocho on their first day. Teachers like to do that sometimes. Prove that they are tough. Give us HW on the first day, yeah right.

Also, this is the first day without Band in my life. But I still hung out with them. really, thats all I know.

Spanish was by far the oddest of them though. Thats going to be a very differant class.

2 Years: A Look Back

Continual Randomness is nearing it's second birthday. Next Monday, on August 14, 2006, the blog turns 2. For the next week, every day I'll be posting a look back on the first two years of the blog. We'll take a walk down memory lane, from the Black Arrow days, the Pre-Hal0 2 days, the launch of Halo 2, post-Halo 2 days, Star Wars Days 2004 and 2005, and all the rest. These will be my "personal" favorite entries from the last two years. There not in any particular order; they all are special to me from the past years.

There will be other posts in between, including Dead Rising thoughts, but be sure to cheek out the blog every day for look-backs. Hey, maybe even twice a day!

Dead Rising Demo ROCKS!

I just got done from playing the Dead Rising demo for about 200 times. It is really fun, and just great to play. I only have one problem: the game sucks in SDTV. I hope, and prey that this is justa fault in the demo, because it could really hold the game back.

But other than that, Dead Rising is a definate 5/5!

Demo-Dead Rising

A demo of the coolest game yet to be released on the 360 is now out on the marketplace. Dead Rising looks like it could be the first great game since launch. This game just looks fun. I'm downloading the demo now, and will post impressions once I'm done.

In other demo news, I'm liking the Saints Row demo more and more. I'm actually thinking of buying this game now. It's another game that's quite fun.

"Out of Mind" Is Very Cool

The new Red V. Blue episodes, called "Out of Mind" are really cool. They're not your usual Red and Blue, but a whole new story line involving Tex, AI and lockpicking. Whats great is how the make use of all of the Halo enviroments. It's great to see some locations besides Bl- I mean Coagulation-and even some single player spots make it in the cut.

Best part of all, all three current episodes are free!

Worst Movie of the Year (So Far)

By far, the worst movie of the year so far is You, Me and Dupree. I really have no idea why I went and saw that movie. 2 hours of absolutly nothing, and than it's over. I don't understand why it's so hard to cange something!

Emergance Day Is Coming

Today, Microsoft and Gears of War creators revealed the big surprise: the date of Emergance Day 06.

Yes, Gears of War finally has a release date: November 12, 2006.

IGN's predictions for the year are coming shockingly close to true. Remember, they said that GoW would come out to battle with the PS3, and that Halo 3 would release sometime in 2007. They just earned a lot of credability in my book.

SF II Sucks

I'm not one to usually complain...but man, SF II sucks. I'm glad I wasn't as excited as some people over the release of this game. It's just impossible to win a match. I
ve gotten close once, but than died anyway. This game is harder than even DOA4, and I didn't think that was possible after facing off with the Blue Boss Chick.

Here's to Pac-Man next week, and to hoping that this Arcade Wednesdays gets extended!

Biggest Game of the Year--Now Out

That's right folks, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting is now out on the Marketplace. This is a historic moment, so lets take a look at what other are saying while mine downloads.

From the Xbox Forums:

Kingpin of New York:

At last, I can feel come sense of relief, SF2 has arrived

Time to unleash my assault of cheezy combo!!!!

Ripfactor:

46% ...painfully slow

From Major Nelson.com:

Xbox Live members can now download the highly anticipated Arcade title 'Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting' from the Marketplace. This arcade title is 800 points and is available in all Xbox Live regions except Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore or Taiwan.
You can review a complete list of features for this game at Xbox.com.

From TeamXbox:

One of the most anticipated games of the summer, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ is now available for download for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Marketplace. The old-school classic from Capcom stays true to its roots with an amazing retro feel, and brings multiplayer action to the classic title for the first time. ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ melds the best of retro arcade gaming with the preeminent next-gen features that only Xbox 360 and Xbox Live can offer.

As a true tribute to this critically acclaimed arcade fighting game, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’ delivers the game in original form but also includes all new content specifically designed for Xbox Live Arcade. High definition video resolution, Achievements, Leaderboards, and online multiplayer combat over Xbox Live including the all new innovative "Quarter Match" takes this classic franchise phenom to next generation levels.

My downloads just about done...see you online!

Saints Row-Impressions

I just finished playing about an hour or so of the Saints Row demo. I like the game, and it seems like it would be fun to play. That said, I just think I fit into the whole "Gangster/Thug" mentality to buy this game. It was fun finding hoes and stealing them from other pimps, but I don't think thats a subject I want to replay again.

All in all, GTA lovers will probably find much to love in this game, and at the same time, Hillary Clinton will find much to hate.

New 'Red V. Blue" Video

The second part of the ongoing "Out of Mind" series on the Marketplace for Red V. Blue is now out. I'll get to watch it as soon as this Saints Row demo is finished.

SF II Tomorrow (Or Tonight)

The "Summer of Arcade" continues with SF II coming out at 1 AM tonight (or, really, tomorrow). I'm probably actually not going to buy this game; it's just not my cup of tea. I'll download the free demo, sure, but I just are not into fighters (esp. "hardcore" ones like this) that much. However, I get the feeling that there are tons of others wating for this one. I'm quite happy with Cloning Clyde and Galaga.

Saint's Row Demo-OUT

The demo for Saints Row is now out in the market place. I'm still downloading it, and will post some personal thoughts when I actually get to play (which, knowing how fast demos download, might be a few hours from now!)

Dead Rising--Looks Good

I've been looking at some of the mdeia for Dead Rsing, and I must say, it looks like it could be a really fun game to play. I'm looking foward to it's August 8 release date, but I've got some work to do before than. I MUST finish Prey and Far Cry.

However, taking a lawn mower, giant teddy bear and lightsaber to a zombie all within minutes of each other earns a stampt of "Just F'in Cool" in my book.

Xbox 360 Voice Down

Looks like the Xbox 360 Voice service is currently down. When this happens, the code for the left side of the page gets messed up for some viewers. Don't sweat it; Voice will come back up latter. I'm not going to take the code out of the site just for a few seconds; be patient and all will be fine eventually.

Xbox Live "Runing" Gaming?

Found this interesting post over from the TeamXbox forums. You can read it for yourself; I'm too lazy to paraphrase it for you.

I see where this guy is coming from. I've had many LAN parties, and they are funner than playing on Xbox Live. Something about being there, with greesy fingres and watching your opponet from across the room. When Halo 2 first came out, I had a larger LAN party that lasted for hours. I'm not sure if I've ever had so much fun in Halo 2 since.

However, I also love Xbox Live. Xbox simply would not be whre it is today without it. Playng across the country with long lost friends is a blast.

So, perhaps the blame should really be shifted in a unique posistion (actually, the author of the post did discuss this towards the end). Developers and publishers are really at blame here for taking out support from Spiltscreen and System Link capabilites. More games now support only 1 player per box in a System Link game instead of the usuall four, making games much harder to play in a LAN. All multiplayer games should be given the "Halo" treatment, and not the "UBISoft" treatment (The Tom Clancy games are famous for their lack of System Link support).

LINK TO POST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

E3 Cancelled?

"It's like they're taking away Christmas. Is that possible?"

Yes, indeed, it seems all too possible. What is sure to be the big tech news story this week, E# is "cancelled." You can read the full story here.

In a nut shell, the ESA (the guys who run E3) simply feel the convention has gotten too big. The money that publishers pay to get they're game shown just isn't giving them enough in return. E3 has gotten "too big."

What will replace E3? At the moment, smaller trade shows around the world, and the Big Three's own gaming shows. And GDC will step up to the plate for a bigger showing, and ultimatly more importance. However, Joystiq predicts that by 2009 or 2010 a new E3 will be in place, just not by the ESA, not called E3, and not in LA.

What does this mean? Well, without E3, May does look a lot more boring. And instead of getting machine gun feed information for three days, we're likly to get small pistol flares throughout the whole year.

I, for one, feel upset about the whole thing. I could see a revisioning of E3, making it smaller and less chaotic, but to do away with the whole thing is just a disservice to the gaming community.

I must add this in here: this is a developing sotry. Stay tuned here for more information as it develops.

Back!

Not only am I back from vacation, and back to playing Xbox, but the blog is also back to normal!

I can only hope that what ever happened last time dosn't happen again. I'm still not sure what happened, but from what I can gather, the site where the layout I used was pulled from ran over it's limit for CSS using.

For now, we are back to our "Theme." Hope you enjoyed the brief flashback! The new layout also now includes a "Search" function that kinda works. I didn't do it (it came with this theme), so don't complain to me about it's problems!

Where Am I?

As I continue my week long vacation down my the beach, I thought I'd update with a sort of virtual tour of where I've been. So, without getting in your car, lets head out to the beach and take a tour...

Friday, Day One
Today we head out. Cheek into Villas. Walk around Fashion Island. Eat at CA Pizza Kitchen.

Saturday, Day Two
Go to Crystal Cove Beach.

Sunday, Day Three
Out on rented boat. Balboa Fun Zone.

Monday, Day Four
Hang out around pool

Tuesday, Day Five
Aquarim of the Pacific in Long Beach. Joe's Crab Shack.

Wednesday, Day Six
Whale Watching off the coast. Dinner on beach.

Thursday, Day Seven
Not sure yet...

Friday, Day Eight
Return home. Play Galaga!

Away at the Beach

Ahhh, life is good. I'm blogging this while sitting in a nice, cool room overlooking the beautful Pacific Ocean. And I'm here all week. Sure, I'll miss the release of my favorite retro game of all time (Galaga) and will have to wait to finish Prey and Far Cry (the second story)...but alas, life is good.

On a side note, Prey is a lot more, different? That's not really the right word...but it's not exactly what I was expecting. However, it's "hella" cool.

On another side note, "hella" is a word I learned while at Davis. Apparently, "hella" is a word craze sweeping Northen Califorina right now, and the five or so guys I hung around with all said it, just about as much as So-Cals so "like". Odd. Funny, annyoing, and odd.

Anyway, there might be fewer updates this week, unless of course I get board, in which case there may be more.

Not Sure What's Wrong

I'm not sure what prompted the blog to go crazy during the last few days. I was away at UCD doing Summer Advising, and when I returned, the blog had suddenly rearranged itself into...well, some crappy layout.

Let me be clear: the changes you saw yesterday were not meant to happen. For the life of me, I'm not sure what the hell is going on. So, for the time being, I've reset the blog back to the "Classic" Style of Minima Black. Hopefully this well just be for a few days until I can get the code fixed. However, I leave for a week long vacation on July 21, so I don't have much time.

Until than, enjoy Frogger, because I am! Also, there is a rumor that an NCAA demo will go uo today or tomorrow; however, the two teams they picked suck, so not much to talk about here (Somewhere from some southern state called Florida...where the heck is that? Never heard of it before :) )

Summer Time Blues

It seems like the world has steped into a doldrum for this summer, and I'm getting pretty boared. Not a single Arcade game in 60 days, and the last game I bought was Far Cry...and tht was back in March! Prey is coming in a week, so that should help give us something to do, but still, where the hell is everyone?

In other news, I will be gone for most of the remainder of the month. On Saturday I leave for a 4 day trip up to visit Davis, and then that Friday I'm off to the beach for a week long stay. Luckily, I doubt I'll be missing much on the video game front.

Finally, as far as Halo: The Lost Man, I think I'll be uploading the JAVA version sometime this week, and the full source code shortly after. Stay Tuned, as if you care.

BTW...The Prey demo rocked, and anyone else who says differently is a complete fool who dosn't know what awsome is. I fully intend on getting this game the day I come back from Davis. I'm even thinking of pre-ordering it, but thats just not by style. Besides, what would I really do with a little pewter alien? No clue.

Until next time, which might be for a while (besides the aformentioned TLM Updates, and Audio),

star

AP Grades Are In

UC Davis just posted my AP grades (or, I just found my AP grades, might have been there before). Here's what I had hoped for (Posted back in May):

APCS: 3
Lit: 2/3 (Does not really matter for my college)
Gov: 5/4
Econ: 3

And here is what I got:
APCS: 4
Lit: 3
Gov: 5
Macro: 5

I am pretty schocked about all this. Mostly the 4 in APCS. I figured maybe a 3 might sneak by, but a 4 means, well, I geuss I actually knew something about what I was talking about. The Double 5's are also re-assuring. Poli Sci Major here I come!

Where's the Prey Demo?

Where is it? I have no clue...and apparently neither does 3D Realms:

"Again. If we knew something, we'd tell you. We're as much in the dark as you are, and we're not terribly happy about it. What the heck more do you want us to say? Do you think we're sitting on our asses doing nothing waiting to hear news? We're trying to find out, constantly. We're not getting any info."

Chromohounds Demo: NOT in US

A new demo of Chromohounds is up on the Marketplace; however, not in the greatest country in the world. Oh, well...don't want to play this piece of shit anyway!

Penny Aracade Rips UBI a New One

Here's something that will make you smile for today: Penn Aracade once again going after UBI, this time for the over-priced GRAW content.

LINK

And they should. I will NOT be paying $15 for this crap they call "New" Content. I'm not stupid UBI, so don't count on me falling in the same trap as other, less-educated, Live members have. I have better things to do with my money!

COD2 Map Pack This Thursday

The final COD2 map pack will hit the marketplace eariler than expected, and for less. The pack will consist of five NEW maps (not "re-lit" shit a la GRAW) and will go for only 800 MS Points. The content is supposed to hit the Marketplace sometime this Thursday, June 29, 2006.

In other news...Xbox Live will be down tomorrow morning from 2 AM to 6 AM PST for server updates.

Audio Post From Vegas

"Click" Review

Today I caught a showing of the new Sandler flick called "Click." Luckily, I don't agree with all of this. The movie was actually very funney, and I thought it did a good job of keeping me entertained. Sure, this is no Wonderful Life (which it tries to re-do), but I've certainly seen worse flims lately in the box office (Spanglish is one of them!).

Overall, it's a Sandler movie...so go in expecting that. If fart jokes and gential size worries are that big of a set-back for you, than this probably isn't the movie for you. The comdey here isn;t of the level of Sideways but more of Spongebob. But hey, it's still fun, no matter the age expectations.

If your looking to go see a move this weekend, and have alreadly exhausted Cars (which, on a side note, is not much better than this flick) than this is the one to go see. Sure, the man in red and blue will take over next week (I pre-ordered my tickets today for it!) as well as a devil in fashonable shoes...but for now, it works, and it works damn well.

Score: 3/5

GRAW Content Now Up

Chapter 2 content is now up on the Marketplace. It costs a whooping 1200 MP (that's $15). I'm not sure if the content is really worth it. On paper it seems like alot...but basically it is 4 new maps and 5 new weapons. Sure, there are new "faces" (who the hell cares) and 8 new "re-lit" maps (THESE ARE NOT NEW!!!)

UBI has a pretty made history of dealing with premium content, and that reputation has earned them the Worst Developer of the Year STAR award in the past. So far, they are of to a great start to reclaiming their award this year.

In other news, I've added a new counter on the top of the site that counts every day that has gone by since a new arcade game has came out. Today, it's at 44 days....and it only looks like it will grow. The last game to come out was UNO on May 9, 2006, so that makes 44 long days.

Let's all join in one huge, load corus of:

WHERE THE F*** IS SF2!?!?!?!?!

'Prey' Demo Slated for Tomorrow

The five level demo of Prey is slated to be released tomorrow on the Marketplace. Here's something interesting though: 3D Realms has gone on record stating that any hold up is entirly Microsoft's fault. So, in the likely event that it gets held up, all blame can be fowarded to one place.

I'm taking bets for the probability of a release tomorrow: 25:1 odds that it will hit before midnight tomorrow. I geuss we'll have to wait and see.

But on that note, I'm getting tired of waiting. the last aracde game to hit was UNO back in May, and before that, it was well into April that a title showed up. So much for the 2-3 a month talk, eh? I geuss Microsoft just wan't good enough. I sure hope they step it up, a handful of PC flashports won't be able to contend with the pormised Nintendo Network. Forget Street Fighter II...where are some orginal games to hit the aracade? So far, I can not think of one game that is exclusive to XBLA. That's just sad.

Sony To Rockstar: We Don't Need You

In yet another chapter of Crazy VideoGame Idiots, a Sony exec recently said that GTA has not helped sell Playstations "at all." Actually, it's much funnier if you read what exactly came from his own mouth:

From Team Xbox:

The interviewer asked Tretton if not having an exclusive on the next installment of the GTA franchise could hurt the PlayStation 3. Here is what Tretton said:

There's no question that having the Grand Theft Auto franchise helped us a lot and helped us sell some units, but I don't think the battle would be any different with or without Grand Theft Auto.

Just like you, the editor didn’t believe Tretton’s words and asked explicitly if Sony thinks that not having an exclusive on Grand Theft Auto doesn't hurt the PS3 at all; to what Tretton responded:

No, I don't think it hurts us. No, I really don't.

Back Compat Update

MSFT releaed a small Back Compat update today, which now allows Doom 3 and Lego Star wars to play on the Xbox 360. 19 other titles are also now back compat; however, MSFT managed to yet again find even more titles that no one cares about. And you said they couldn't do it.

TOP FIVE XBOX GAMES WANTED TO MAKE BACK COMPAT*:
5) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
4) Finding Nemo
3) Cars
2) Nick Party Blast
1) Shrek SuperSlam

*as seen by Xbox 360 Back Compat Dev team

With any luck, one or two of these great titles may become back compat within your lifetime! Yeah, BC!!!

BOTTOM FIVE FOR BC*
5) Forza
4) Conker Live and Reloaded
3) Counter-Strike
2) JSRF
1) RTCW

**again, as seen by MSFT dev team.

It's unlikely that any of these titles will ever become BC, because we, at this time, do not see the deamnd for an update. Besides, who cares about BC anyway?

Grad Day One: Final Day of School

Tomorrow, June 13, 2006, is my final day of school. 12 long years since I began my journey, I am now finally able to call it quits, and exit with my head held high. I offically graduate on June15; however, Wednesday and Thursday are simply rehersal days and such.

At thuis point, I'm not sure what to think My time at YHS has been great, and for that I am eternally greateful. I know that I have been bleased to have been surrounded by the best techers and the best of the best freinds. At the same time, I'm ready to move on with the next chapter in my life. I feel ready to head of to college. Sure, a part of me is sad that I will never see about 90% of these people ever again, and, if I do, everything will be deferant. But a large part of me right now thinks that that's OK.

So, as I sit here, waiting for the begining of the end, I can't help but think, "Bring it on." The past has been great...but I have higher hopes for the future.

Again, CR will serve to function as recording of my life. As such, events in my senior year are posted as I see fit. Stay tuned for daily graduation coverage.

Halo: The Lost Man Update

Here's an update from the fabled Halo: The Lost Man project.

Coming July 1, 2006, you will be able to download a demo of the full game. At this time, the demo will contain most of the full game, however, with some features missing.

The full game will be coming shortly therafter. In truth, this is more of a "beta" test, however, some fetures will be left out on purpose. The full game looks like it will be out four sure by July 31/August 1.

The hold up? The game right now is very, very, very close to being done, however, it is coded in Java. I think C++ will make everyone much happier (or at least me...it's too hard to code Java for open source, i.e. to run on everyone's PC. C++, on the other hand, automatically makes all files a .exe, so all I have to do is upload it). Right now, I'm simply transfering the code back and forth, which is pretty much a simply switch from:
System.out.println("Halo: The Lost Man.");
to
cout <<"Halo: The Lost Man\n";

Xbox 360 Dash Update Coming Soon

Several forums users found a few articles over at the main Microsoft help page that explains features of the new auto-update to the dash. The highlights:

• Update was supposed to go out May 23. Geuss that didn't happen.
• Update allows for downloading to take place in background. Will suspend download while online playing.
• Update allows to start-up right to dash, even with a game or DVD inside. This feature can be toggled off or on.
• DVD updates, including the above boot to dash. May include more, not postive.

Hitman: Blood Money Demo Now Up

There's a new demo up for "Hitman: Blood Money". It's pretty nice; it's of the first level of the game and serves as a training mission/ I'm now looking foward to this game with a little more "umph."

I think the game comes out May 30, 2006...but that's not offical.

Great E3 Story

Her'es a great E3 story that I'm not so sure will be told on to future generations, unless as a warning.

LINK

Rode "Tatsu" Yesterday

Yesterday I took a trip out to Six Flags Magic Mountain and rode the new coster "Tatsu." This thing is one crazy ride. First off, you get in a seat that resembles one of the likes of X or Scream, except for a double strap that goes over your chest (one soft and cushiony, the other solid steel) and a "holder" of sort for your feet. The seat is very comfortable, probably the best coaster seat I've ever been on. Fits perfectly. Then, right before the ride takes off, the entire sit rotates a full 90 degres, so that your head and cheast are nor hoovering above ground

You stay that way for the entire ride; however, it does not feel like your blood is rushing to your head or that your chest is under immense pressure. Instead, there's a feeling of flight, just like you would imagine Superman or batman must (or would, whatever) feel during their flights. The ride goes up pretty high (fear of heights: Do not ride) but there are no step falls, a la Golaith. Instead, there is a huge signature loop-type inversion that really puts pressure on your whole body. As my freinds remakred while waiting, it's hard to scream, and thus, the sound falls mute from riders during the big loop.

The ride is 'hella fun, and of pure coaster fun. This is my kind of ride. I'm not one into the big "thrill" type rides, such as the suspense of De ja vu. I'm much more into the 100 MPH coaster scene, with drops, inversions and barral rolls. Tatsu is sitted at the top of my list for favorite rollercoasters ever. It's hard to give exact numbers, but it's at the same point as X, Scream and Space Moutain.

If you head out to go ride, here's a tip: ride it early (run to start of line) and get in the front. The wind experiance, and the wide open view is well worth it.

Prey Demo Dated

The demo for Prey has been given a date of June 22, 2006. That basically means that by July 1, a demo will be out, give or take. The demo consists of both multiplayer and single player missions, 5 in total. No other information is currently known.

The game itself has a street date of July 10, 2006. I'm actually looking foward to this game, and it might be the only summer 360 game I buy. Seriously, what the hell else is being released? Battle for Middle Earth 2? Over G Fighters? Geuss I'll have to wait for September for hits like Splinter Cell and Viva Pinata to come out.

Console Prices

Amid reports of the high price for the PS3, some Sony fan boy created the above graph of all real prices of video games consoles (adjusted for inflation, which, by the way, he calls "relative"--now a real economic term).

He claims that the graph supports his theory that $500 and $600 are not high prices for a game system, however, anyone with half a brian can see otherwise. 9 consoles have lunched at $600 or above. 5 Of those 9, 5 of them were before the crash of '83, and were, in a lot of ways, responsible for the crash itself. 2 of them were the infamous neoGeo and 3DO, and we all know how well those turned out.

So, in other words, history proves that a $600 console is NOT a good idea.

Introducing: Wii60

In a response to both E3; as gamers take sides against the true evil, Sony; and to the recent comments by Peter Moore and some PS3 guy about buying both a 360 and a Wii, or a PS3 and a Wii, a new internet craze seems to have caught on, and it's creating some damn funny Photoshop images, like the one seen above.

Cheek out the site www.wii60.com for more pics and details. I for one totally support this movement of the two great consoles to band together and defeat the evil monoleth that is Sony and the PlayStation.

360 Voice Down

The website www.360voice.com is currently down. Eariler, it was disrupting the flow of the right side of my blog. I have since removed the coding from the blog to resotre full functionality. Hopefully, the guys over there can get the problems worked out, and I'll promptly put the code back in.

BTW--the creators of the site really are very cool. They did some nice work with their project, and continue to add new stuff to it. When the site goes back up, be sure to cheek it out. There will be a link to the right in my 360's Blog space.

EDIT: It's back up.

First Post

...and here we are.

This is the very first post on the new system. As you can see, the system looks newer, cleaner, and just plain better than the old one. I was also able to implement my GamerCard and Xbox 360's blog on the right hand side, without messing up the site style.

If you miss the old layout...don't fret. In the future, you'll be able to switch between blog themes on your own accord. Idealy, you should be able to press on button one time, and than forever on view CR the way you want to see it. Currently, I just have the "old" layour, this "new" layout, and a plain text view, ideal for cell phones. All this is coming soon, probably in time for the 2nd Birthday of this blog in August.

Everything else about this blog will remain the same, however. I still be the same person, and I will still blog along the same "randomness" that I also have. And, of course, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Halo will continue to dominate the posts in the blog.

The only thing that will change is the layout of the site. Just so we're clear, this is still open to change, and I'll be playing around with for the rest of the week. However, unless I find a cool 360 theme, this one will probably be semi-close to final.

Last Post

This will be the last post for this blog under the current system. Within a few hours, a new theme and motif will become the new look for the site.

So, get your valuables packed and ready, becuase it's time for a change.

A little history for you...Continual Randomness started in August of 2004, a few months after Major Nelson.com went up. From then on, it has been running on a standard Blogger theme, Minima Black. Since that time, Major has swithed themes three times, an entire new system has been released, and over 300 Xbox games have came and went.

The new look and blog should be up by 5:00 PM PST today.

Odd Happenings

The blog is currently experiencing some "growing pains" as I attempt to add and change some of the posting settings. Most notibly, the text size in almost all browsers are too large.

Stay tuned, and I hope to have all the issues worked out by next week. Untill than, posts may be fewer than normal...as I spend more time on working behind the scenes.

Finished AP Testing

As of today, I offically am finished with AP testing forever. I took my very last one, MacroEconomics today. It was more difficult for me than Gov was, but no where near as hard as Computer Science. Here's my hopeful grades:

APCS: 3
Lit: 2/3 (Does not really matter for my college)
Gov: 5/4
Econ: 3

E306: New COD2 Maps

Four new maps are available to download for Call of Duty 2 over the marketplace. One set of two is free, and the other costs 400 MS points.

There was also a slew of trailer releases this morning, including three compilation trailers for Windows gaming, 360 games, and 360 Aracade titles.

E306: Other MS Things

Here's a short list of some of the stuff talked about during the press conference. Note these are all off the top of my head...so names and details may change. I'll post a better, more collected list tonight.

1. UNO game added to XBLA
2. Trailer for Gears of War up
3. GTA IV coming to Xbox 360, maybe ahead of PS3
4. Fable 2 trailer, annouced
5. Forza 2 trailer, annouced
6. Wndows Live/Local--like an Xbox 360 on your PC
7. Play XBLA titles on your phone
8. Camera shown, new section on Martketplace
9. New demo of Dark Planet (the Mech game)
10. More games... cheek out Martketplace or GameSpot for full details of event.

E306: Finish the Fight in 2007

E306: Microsoft press conference.

Halo 3. Its true.I said it. Its coming. its here.

The trailer for Halo 3 is now up on the Xbox Live Martketplace. So is a theme and some gamer pics.

Bungie.net has changed to accomedate the new game.

2007 can't come fast enough.

MS has won the console war. Its. over. Period.

E306: PS3 Copies 360; Wii

E306: Sony Press Conference

During the Sony pres conference, the following was revealed about the next gen of Sony toys:

1. PSP titles will have a new "Greatest Hits" category
2. PSP will work with PS3 simultanously... shown as a rear view mirror for drving game
3. PSP will play emulated PS1 games
4. PS3 will lunch November 11 in Japan, Novemer 17 in US
5. Will cost $499 for 20 GB HDD, &599 for 60 GB HDD
6. Controler will have "motion capturing" abilites (JUST LIKE WII!!!!!)
7. Many games shown, including new EyeToy card game that I perosnally think is very cool. Many games are hack and slash, or driving games. One cool FPS set in UK after WWII (but, it didn't happen)
8. A Marketplace like system, like the 360s. (This is ironic, becuase, as Sony yells on and on about their system, I'm using my 360 to download a new demo of test drive.)

In essence, not a very orginal confernce, to say the least. If I was Nintendo, I'd be violently pissed off at Sony. Violently.

I'm rooting for Nintendo now. Sony will have a hell of time getting me to fork out 500 bucks for a copy cat system that offers NOTHING orignal.

I will continue to offer updates from E3 throughout the week. Nintendo's confernce is tomorrow morning, and Microsoft's is in the afternoon. I won't be able to post immediate thoughts on Nintenos (like this one, this post was started before the show was over :) ) as I'll be in the middle of AP Gov, but, I'll be front and center for the BIG show: Microsoft.

I'm rooting for Nintendo and Microsoft to shove it down Sony's face. Come on guys, show us the true next generation.

It's Coming

The next project from Bungie is coming. In what could be the shortest update ever, Bungie also released the most important news since, well, the new maps. Here's the most telling part:

It's really making progress in an exciting and fascinating way. And I can't wait to share that with you properly. The level of secrecy is every bit as oppressive and confining for us as it is for you. Much, much bigger update next week. See you then!

E3 starts next week. I offically can wait no longer. I must know. Do you think driving a semi through the convention sotry would count as illegal? (J/k....I know, I know, illegal. Please no cops at my door tomorrow)

Star Wars Day 2006

For the third stright year, we are going to have a Star Wars day.

This year, Septemeber 12, 2006 will mark the release of the orginal Star Wars on DVD. Each will be sold as its own special 2-Disc set, that will include both orginal and special editions.

Also on 9/12, Lego Star Wars II will come out, and it has been revealed that the game will be available on the 360.

Also annouced today...The Sopranos Videogame, devleoped by THQ. Should be cool, even if it's just to hear the theme song during the menu scene.

Remember to stay at CR for "Continual" (and maybe "Random") updates from E3 06.

Oblivion Rating Changed to 'M'

The ESRB has changed the rating for Oblivion from 'T' to 'M' today, after a response to the "Nude Mod" for the PC. The rating was also changed for the the Xbox 360 version, because of what looks like more violence and blood was found to be in the game.

This marks the second time in less than a year that the ESRB has reversed ratings on a game alreadly released. The first, of course, was the infamous GTA:SA, for the "Hot Coffe" mod over last summer.

AP Tests 2006

There were be even fewer posts than normal this week, to to my intense work on four AP Exams. This year, it's AP Computer Science A, which I took yesterday (can't comment on it untill tomorrow), English Lit, Government and Politics, and MacroEcon.

In other news this week...
PopCap annouces Heavy Weapon will debut on the Xbox 360 (Very cool game)
Verizion to offer free week of Live next week
UNO game coming sometime next week
Still nothing on SF 2, but I'd be shcoked if it doesn;t come out this week or next.

I'll be here on may 9th, however, to cover all of the glory of E3. Remember, CR is your best spot on the 'Net to get a round-up of whats happening on the show floor, from someone who isn't there.

My 360 Can Blog

This is kinda weird, but very cool. There's this site (www.360voice.com) that provides a blog that your 360 writes. Apparently, it looks at your GamerScore and games played to "blog" about your experience. Now that's some cool Java programming!

Here's a link to my 360's blog, however, it says it takes 2 days for it to gather enough info.

I Hate This Strikes Back

Time again for another installment of I Hate This. It's been awhile since I've made any posts in this category...but today I got pissed off so much, well, I had to blog about it.

I hate people that stop right in the middle of your walking path. You know what I'm talking about. Your walking along, going with the flow and trying to reach your destination, hwne the person in front of you just stops, usually to join some other group and chat. Your left with either making a quick turn to avoid them, which usually involves you bumping into someone else, or stop short and re-plan your main route.

I hate people that stop short, right in front of me.

Introducing: Wii

This is soooo funny, I don't even know where to start. I geuss the offical press release is good:
Introducing... Wii.
As in "we."

While the code-name Revolution expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that seperates videogame players from everybody else. Wii will put people more in touch with their games... and each other. But you're probably asking: What does the name mean?

Wii sounds like "we," which emphasizes the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.

Wii has a distinctive "ii" spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people playing it. And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of videogames that sets it apart from the crowd.
So that's Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because it's really not about you or me. It's about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything.

And, of course, here's the immediate reaction that can only truly happen on forums. Here you have the intial WTF, the "I don't care" and the "wait...this could be cool." Here's an excerpt from the very first posts on the name from TeamXbox.com:


Apr. 27th, 2006 9:55 am
anthone
holy **** they just named it Wii and it has no definition. Talk about spelling "WE" in different letteres. HAHAhahaah This is funny . WEEEEEEEEEEE~!

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:55 am
rikkel
WORST NAME!!!!!!!!!!1 peridod

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:54 am
black metal
I like the 360 name; it is much better than X2 or Xnext..even though I hated it at first..

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:53 am
ebm62980
I dont care for the name either, it makes it sound like it's being dedicated to the Japanese market. I think they put too much thought into a name when it just needs to be something simple and not have complex meanings. Even the rumored "Go" name was better (not by much though).

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:52 am
black metal
Revoluti was much better imho

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:51 am
Water_Flea
Wii?... Wyy?

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:50 am
Dragon123561
someone please slap me and tell me I'm dreaming, I can't believe what I'm seeing, tell me this is just a joke right?

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:50 am
SarumantheWhite
in retrospect, do you guys still think 360 is a bad name?I think it's great. No one says "xbox 360", it's just "Check out this game for the 360" or "When's Halo for the 360 coming out?"I think xbox 360 sounded dumb at the time, but it is certainly better than xbox2 or Xbox Next, and I think the name has taken on an identity of it's own. It's "the 360"...so, you guys still think 360 is a stupid name?

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:49 am
XboxEmo
yeah...that name does suck. What are you going to do, be like,.."hey guys, i'm gonna go play with my wii" that would suck.

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:48 am
SarumantheWhite
the codename was better, but I'm betting that Eastern markets will love the name...remember, Nintendo is, at heart, a company for kid's games. The kids will get this name, they will remember this name. It is what it is. Would Revolution have been better for the Western Markets (specifically the 18-34 year old male demographic?) Yes. But for the kid markets, Wii will work very well.All the same, let the perverted jokes begin...

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:48 am
BadVermin
WORST NAME EVER. It will be the butt of jokes for years."Want to play with my Wii?""My Wii knows when you move it up and down""Mom! Kimmy wont stop playing with my Wii!!!"

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:48 am
Shockwave
I think I'll pronouce Wii as "Why?"

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:47 am
Dragon123561
what the hell that is the most stupid name for a game console ever and everyone thought xbox360 was stupid.

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:45 am
Frosty22
yikes... just yikes.

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:44 am
boaman88
Should have stuck with the codename. I'm not impressed no matter how easy it is to remember or forget.

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:44 am
ness
Wow they couldn't come up with something better than that? 360 and Wii are both crap names.

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:44 am
Oxygen52
Thats great..Wiipdii doo.anyways just read this at another zdnet"The main culprit is the game division, which Sony said would rack up an operating loss of $871.8 million this business year as it gears up to launch the PS3 in November, overshadowing an expected recovery by its core electronics unit.Sony said it expected to sell 6 million PS3 units by March.AND THE KICKER ----"We believe that we can lower costs dramatically (on the PS3) through chip shrinkage and by cutting the number of parts, but there is no way to avoid high costs in the first year," Sony Senior Vice President Takao Yuhara told a news conference."Cutting the number of parts....hmm...lets see...blueray...1 hdmi port....hard drive....what else....oh maybe they will make the ethernet port an addon accessory again!

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:43 am
chawboo
that name is as flacid as a three year olds wee wee

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:43 am
XboxEmo
that's a cute poem. But it reminds me of pee wee,...and that's not a bad thing. He's a pimp and i want pee wee's playhouse back on the air!!!

Apr. 27th, 2006 9:41 am
FreeParking
Whee! and awesome.

Now, as far as what I think: I think it's actually pretty cool. It's odd, yes, but I like it, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's becuase it's different, and I'm sick of seeing so much of the same boringness that videogames have become lately. Sure, you can go ahead and make fun of Nintendo for picking a name that rhymes with both pee and wee, but, can you really not appluad them for taking a risk at being orginal?

Wait...Looks Like I'm Not Alone

I must have been part of the "mass" that recieved the Diamond Card e-mail. So much for being an individual!

LINK

Far Cry is One Long Game

These last couple of weeks I've been going through Far Cry Instincts, and man, it's a pretty long game. It's good, and mildly entertaining for a FPS, but it has some serious flaws. In fact, out of the current FPSs on the 360, I'd say it has the most. And the biggest.

Cheif of my complaints is the gernade kills. They are impossible to avoid, and just plain suck. You ca be one kill from clearing a tough area, when all of sudden your laying dow on the floor, dead. There is no way to see them and move out of the way. You just die.

Another thing is how so much of the game is just searching for a blue dot. I'm serious, the game is set up so that for hours on end, your only real goal is reaching one place. It just gets boring after awhile.

And don't even get me started on the controls.

From this post, you might gather that I don't like Far Cry, but that's not entirly true. It's just not "as good" as I might have hoped.

Expect a review to come probably around May 1...by than I should be finsihed with both stories.

Late, But I'll Take It

I just got my e-mail confirming my Live card is on the way. It's been alot longer than 6-8 weeks... but I'll still take the thing anyway. Actually, it's been 16 weeks since I signed up for it, wayyyyyy back in December. If this is any indication, expect SF 2 sometime around July.

Here's the e-mail they sent me:
Welcome to the Xbox Live Diamond Card!Congratulations! This email confirms that your Xbox Live DiamondCard registration was accepted and that your card is now beingprinted. You will receive your personalized Xbox Live Diamond Cardin the mail within the next 2 - 3 weeks.Once your Diamond Card arrives, logon to www.xboxlivediamond.comto check out the cool discounts, view the complete list ofparticipating retailers and additional program information. To startenjoying the discounts, all you have to do is present your DiamondCard with the appropriate printable coupon (found onwww.xboxlivediamond.com) when shopping in person, or use the checkoutcode provided on the website when shopping online.LIVE. PLAY. COMPETE. CONNECT.Bring your game online. - The Xbox Live Team

GRAW Review Up

Youd can now read my full final review of GRAW over at TeamXbox, or by clicking here.

Anyone Miss the "Old" Major Nelson?

Recently, I've grown rather boared of Major Nelson's blog. When it first came out, in May 2004, the blog was more than a shopping list of DLC for the Xbox. In fact, it was more than just "insider" MS news. Remember the Vasaline story? That was interesting.

Ever since the site switch, and the release of the 360, Major Nelson.com has become less of a real blog and more of informational site.

Don't get me wrong--I like the Marketplace updates. They definatly are handy, and I don't know where else I would find the info. However, shouldn't the blog be alittle more than just updates to the martketplace.

If you don't see the problem, here some stats for you. In the last 3 weeks, 26 of the 54 posts were about Marketplace contents. 6 of those posts, by the way, we're the weekly Live stats and blogcats. Taking those out of consideation, that means that 54% of the posts have been solely about new content on the martketplace.

On the other side, there were only 3 or 4 rel "non-Xbox insider" news, depending on how you look at it. Thats only 8% of the total posts. As far as I'm concerned, that's too low to be considered a "blog".

Perhaps Major needs to rethink the way his blog works. I'm not saying he should take out the Marketplace updates, but perhaps he should try to post about some more random things. His blog is called Random Thoughts, after all.

Too Bad It Will Suck

EA releases the cover for Superman Returns today. In the words of the now infamous PKG (of teamXbox.com foum fame)... EA + Superman = Suck. And I'd have to say I'd agree. Plus, the recent target images are far from impressive. I suppose there is some hope, becuase as long as the game features the famous Williams soundtrack, the audio will rock.

The movie, on the other hand, looks great. I personally can't wait for this summer to roll around for all of the great movies coming out. As far as games go...the only gem hanging out there pre-E3 is Gears of War.

Final Push

Today begins the final push towards the end of my high school career. Just back from spring break 2K6, there are just 9 weeks left untill Grad Night. I'm really getting pretty excited.

Again, I've been accepted to UC Davis and will probably be going there. A few more weeks left, we're into the final push.

I'm Back

OK, so I'm back from my double San Francisco trip. First off, heres a recap of events in my life. From Thursday to Sunday, I was on "Band" Trip up to the bay area. We stopped off at Paramount's Great America, which has some pretty awsome rides for the size of the park, and Pier 39. Than, the next day (Monday) I turned around and headed right back up there to cheek out Cal and UC Davis. I liked the Davis campus a whole lot more, and I'm probably going to end up going there.

While I was gone, here's some of the news in the tech world:

• Oblivion content goes up, people revoult
• Tomb Raider: Legends demo comes out
• Price of PS3 leaked in Euro land: around $600 USD
• MS buys out "Big Mouth" Stuidios, aka Lionhead Studios
• Battlefield 2 demo comes out
• Kameo Online Co-Op pack released
• Apple OKs new Intel Macs to run Windows XP

Finished GR:AW

I finished the single player mode of GR:AW last night. It rocks! Expect a full review to come, probably latter (today...man it's late).

Not sure how many posts I'll have for the remainder of the week...I'm leaving Thursday for a San Francisco trip and I won't be "home" untill Sunday, only to leave and head back up there untill Wednesday. It's crazy, I know...but I'm actually looking foward to it. Unless the hotels have Wi-Fi, my posting over the next week will be skethcy. That said, I may try to do some uber-rare audio updates from my cell phone, but, I always feel retarded when I do them. So, maybe. Possibly.

In other news, I'm getting Far Cry for the 360 this week, although I, for the reasons above, won't have much time to play it. There were some big PS3 and Revoultion annoucments made last week, but none of them peeked my interest enough to post.

Oh, and I was wrong once again on a demo date, but this time it really wasn;t my fault. EA has gone on record stating it's all MS...so there. I still belive there will be wave of content out this week. There better be, if MS wants to save any face from this horrid Q1. In my entire life of videogames, I have never seen such a dull and lackluster quater. MS better get its head in the game before Novemeber if it wants to bet out Spony before 2010.

Quake IV Review Up

Cheek out my review of Quake IV over at TeamXbox today.

The game scores an 8/10 (OGS 80)

Burnout Revenge Demo Out

There's a new demo for Burnout Revenge out on the martketplace today. I think there's also a new GRAW theme and The Outfit gamerpics as well.

Expect to see the fabled GRAW demo out either this Thursday, or next Friday for the Free Live Weekend Deal. Also, expect Street Fight II and Texas Hold 'Em to come out "around" there.

GR:AW First Thoughts

While the game has been out for awhile, I haven't had a chance yet to get more than a few hours into it, so these really are my opening thoughts.

First off, the single player. This style of gameplay just isn't for me, but I can live with it. The graphics are nice, and the story is interesting. The controls are alittle cluncky, however. I'm just not sure if I'm going to end up liking this SP experiance.

The multiplayer, however, is great. Really great. Best Live experiance for 360 so far, maybe even best Live since Halo 2.No lag, tons of options, and great maps make this a sure-fire win.

Overall, my opening thoughts score is a 3/5. I'm impressed by the multiplayer, but a little put off by the single.

Prethoughts: 4/5
Opening Thoughts: 3/5
Clsoing Thoughts: Coming Soon

Battlefield 2 Demo 3/24

The demo for the EA game "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat" will go live on the Xbox MartketPlace on Friday, March 24, 2005. This has been confirmed by EA. However, the demo may not be release untill the following Monday, as seems to be common practice for MS.

Beware the Ides of March

No, don't take warning becuase of Ceasar's death; take warning because you might jyst be overwhelemed with all of the new info out today. Lucky for you, here's a Best Of Round Up, with nothing to fear:

• The Biggie: PS3 to launch Early November (11/11/06) in a worldwide manner. I wonder were they got that idea from. Blu Ray specs held it back.
• More Talk on the PS3 Online service. Only Talk.
• Viva Pinata Project Revealed: Rare's next crazy project for the 360. Has a TV tie-in. Think: Animal Crossing with pinatas.
• Feeding Frezeny out on Marketplace. Great download.
• Burnout Pics on Marketplace
• Top Spin 2 Trailer

Finished Quake 4

I just managed to finish off Quake 4 last Sunday night. Overall, it was pretty nice game. Some obvious flaws that I think most poeple have alreadly picked up on, but a good, immersive FPS nonetheless.

The odd thing about Quake 4 was the amount of walking invloved in it. Sure, there was plenty of Strogg to kill around most corners, but there was pletny of walking as well. To be fair, I played the game of "Nomal" level, so maybe there is less in the harder levels, but still, I found the amount of empty rooms and hallways a little odd. I'm not complaining, just commenting.

Expect a full review to be posted over at TeamXbox sometime this week.

Posted Before Major Nelson!

There is a new demo of Ridge Racer 6 available for download through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Yeah for beating the insider!

Get GR:AW With a Two/1 Deal

/* Begin GameStop plug

OK, so usually I don't give out free advertising for game companies, but this deal is worth mentioning. Right now, GameStops across the country are offering a Two for 1 Deal with Xbox 360 games. It's simple...trade in two Xbox 360 games for 1 new 360 game. There appear to be some limits on the deal (No Pre-orders), but it's the perfect oppurtunity to get GR:AW, the highest rated Xbox 360 game so far.

Enf Plug */

DOA 4 Patch

A patch has been released for DOA 4 over Xbox Live today. No word yet as to what it fixes.

Look for a demo of The Outfit latter on today.

CR Scoring System Revealed

There seems to be some confusion as to how CR (this blog) scores the games it reviews. Here's how it all works.

• Reviews are spilt into three catergories.
• The first catergory is Pre-Thoughts. This is usually posted along the same time that the game goes gold. Basically, this explains why I am going to purchase the game, or why I am not. These graded on a 5 star scale. A 1 represents no interest at all, a 2 represents possible rent, 3 a possible gift/purchase, 4 a definite purchase, and 5 a pre-order. These scores are converted, as shown below.
• The second category is Opening-Thoughts. This is usually posted the day I buy the game, after playing for around 90-120 minutes, or unlocking 200 GamerScore, whichever is first. These thoughts are often focused on just raw emotion, and what my opinion is while I'm in the game. It too is graded on a 5 star scale. A 1 represents returning right now, a 2 represents a trade-in, 3 a let down, 4 a good game, and 5 a must keep in collection.
• The final step is the Closing Review. All closing reviews are posted on TeamXbox.com, with a link provided here. This is the closest part to a "normal" review, and takes a look at the game once I have completed it. Complettion standards are as follows: complete finish with Single Player on medium level, minium of 2 hours on-line play (if available), minium 200 GS. These part is rated out of 10, however, this score itself is never revealed. Parts of it are, and those parts do make an average score, but it is impossible to determine this actual score.
• The final score shown on the bottom of the TeamXbox review is the final score, taking into accoutant all 3 parts of the review. Star reviews are converted in the following: 5 Star = 100, 4 Star = 85, 3 Star = 75, 2 Star = 55, 1 Star = 15. The final score is a sum of the adjusted Pre-thoughts score, adjusted Opening Thoughts score, and double the Closing thoughts score. Thus, the Pre/Opening thoughts each accoutant for 1/4 of the final score, while the closing score counts for 1/2 the score. This sum, refered to as The Games Score, is than averaged (divided by 4) to get a score out of 100 (known as Games Offical Score). The decimal is moved over to convert to an out of ten score (known as Standard Score), however, this is just to fit on TeamXbox. The offical score is the one out of 100.
• These rules only apply to games released since 11/22/2005. Different scoring systems were used before that, and scores can not be compared between the two eras.

GR:AW Gone Gold

Probably the most anticpated Xbox 360 game to date, Tom Clancy's GR:AW has gone gold today. Expcet the title to arrive in stores 3/8/2006.

The demo for this game, as reported by CR itself, was supposed to go Live on Monday. Theres no offical word yet as to the delay, but it is likely that (once again) MS is holding the demo back.

The title itself looks to live up to the expectations presented to it. So far, I've been impressed by the media releases and the way the game looks. It has managed to score a "Buy" from me in the pre-weeks, earing a respectful 4/5 from me.

Remember, this score does go into my final review. See this post for clarification.

MS Portable Sorta Unvield

An update to a viral wbesite shows a new, year-old viedo of project code-named Origami. This very well could be the Xbox Portable. Sorta. More like Windows Portable, featuring Xbox. Not much is known, yet, but it looks like more may surface on Thursday. Here's the only pic from the video that gamers care about. Yes, thats a Covy shield, and a battle riffle.

The Response

I posted before about my angry email to MS Support. Here's the email I sent:

I have a concern over the Xbox Live Diamond Card program. I signed up on December 22, 2005 and provided complete information needed. The offer stated the card would arrive within 6-8 weeks. It has now been beyond 8 weeks, and I am worried about where my card might be. Please respond as soon as possible. Microsoft should be aware that these frequent delays are rather annyoing and hard on the consumer.

And, heres the response I got back:

Hello -----------,

Thank you for writing Xbox Customer CareWe deeply apologize for the inconvenience. It sounds like this has been a very frustrating experience for you. After careful review of your issue, we have determined that it is best that you call the Xbox Customer Support number for better assistance;United States and Canada : 1-800-4MY-XBOX (1-800-469-9269) International direct dial to US : 1- 425-635-7180Our phone representatives will assist you 7 days a week from 9:00AM -12:00 MN CST (Central Standard Time). Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,

Rb
Xbox Customer Care Team

If the card dosn't come this week, and others start posting that they gt theirs, than I guess I'll have to call. But talk about poor customer service---what's the phone call going to do that this email can't. Wait a minute, heres a cool idea- call the number, and repeat the email exatly. Than we could see the real difference...

The Death of Next-Gen DVD

Here is the exact reason why next-gen DVD (both Blu ray and HD-DVD) will fail.

No, the HDMI requirments aren't the exact reason why it will fail--it's the movie studios new found protection war that will. This time, they have gone way to far. They need to remember that, in the end, they are trying to please us, the consumer. Without us, they loss their jobs and houses. The movie studios are in a critical point in history right now, and if they continual to pull crap like this, they are done, over. Gone. The music industry faced the same problem about 3-4 years ago, and they managed to get out of it alive, with alittle help from iTunes. If the movie industry can't pull off the same feat...than I expect a new wave of media by 2008.

This is sad news for everyone. HDTV owners now have lost hope for real HD Movies. PS3 fans may just have to worry about Blu-Ray. Movie fans have already lost the war.

At least the world can still take some comfort in the thought that DVD quality, as it is now, aint that bad at all.

8 Weeks and Still No Card

Well, it is now official: MS has let us down, yet again. The diamond card program was supposed to ship within 6-8 weeks from sign up. Geuss what? It was 8 weeks since I signed up last Wednesday. I have yet to recieve my card.

These delays are really, REALLY starting to piss me off. First, it's not like MS is open at all about revieilng any info to begin with. Than, whatever they do state turns out wrong. Take a look at the three phantom XBLA games to come out: Feeding Frezny, AstroPop and Jewl Quest. Each had a date of February 2006, yet each now is pushed back into March. Whats up with that? And, I don't buy the lie that the games are having probelms. garage Games was very open about their game, and showed the world that it was MS who held up the game FOR NO REASON. None of these games have problems, because none of them are really new. The hold up is al MS own idea: to spread out content so it seems like there is more of it. The reality is that right now, the 360 is in a really dead spot. March can't come soon enough for some REAL games (Yes, I'm talking to you COD2. Don't get too high on your great attachment numbers: it's only becuase you were the best of the worst. Once some real games hit, it's all over. GRAW should show Activison how a real multiplayer game is made).

Anyway, I emailed customer support at 6 PM PST 2/24/2006. I'll post back as soon as I get a real answer.