Gaming

360 gets beefed up

Michael Grove

What was just a rumor yesterday has been confirmed, Microsoft will be releasing the XBOX 360 Elite version (but only in limited stock format ~100 000 units).

So what makes the 360 Elite so special from its premium partner; well the 120 gigabyte hard drive (as opposed to the normal 20 gig), and the HDMI enabled output and connectivity, and the cherry on the top: the 360 Elite is Black!

Early guestimates are indicating that this will upset some of the early adopters of the current 360 models, but with only limited numbers, I foresee great difficulty for most people to get one even if they can afford the $479 price tag.

Xbox 360 Black gaming console and controller

[Originally spotted at Engadget]

Auto Gamer

Michael Grove

I have heard of people using scripts and key mapping to get the upper hand in games, not cheats, just little tools to give them that last little edge over their competitor or the game AI.

This little trick on the other hand seems to be taking tools to a whole new level. US gamer (and car mechanic) David Harr decided to build a machine that would start and re-start Perfect Dark Zero (Xbox 360) and by doing so would gain him the required 60 points to unlock his next skill level.

Simple, and effective.. but is it cheating?

[Original article BBC News]

Sony not looking back

Michael Grove

Sony in an effort to get the award for most mistakes made in releasing a new product ever, is planning on releasing a slightly different version of its new console, the PS3, in Europe this March.

The Euro version of the PS3 “will not play as many old games as American and Japanese models,” says the Japanese corporation.

This issue on its own would not be a large problem, but combined with the other setbacks (late releases, large price tag and bad publicity) that have plagued this console, I think it is just one setback too many for this console NOT to damage Sony… Badly.

Extreme Makeover gone bad – Sega style.

It seems companies trying to revive old games do so in the wrong way. In the case of Sega recently releasing it’s Sega’s Classics Collection for the PlayStation 2.

Rather than making the older games compatible with the PS2 and allowing for the nostalgia to flow from gamers, Sega altered the games in other aspects, such as attempting to ad 3D look to some of the old 2D games.

This may have sounded like a good idea on the drawing board, but it turns out this nostalgic trip turned into a complete disaster. Goes to show, not all games need a facelift to fit in our modern time. Maybe some companies will learn from this, who knows.

Original Story: BBC News

A Piece of Gaming Pie

[This post was originally written as an entry into the NAG Magazine freelance writers competition]

I want to have a piece of pie, a large piece of the gaming development industry pie to be a bit more to the point.

I am one of those people that wish to make it big in life; big as in huge house, fast car, loads of fame (well a little doesn’t hurt) and a hefty fortune. But like everything in life wishing will not get me from small time system development to large scale game production and distribution, now will it.

Placing my great big wishes aside for the moment, there is one obvious reason that I want to make it big and it may be deciphered by reading the second paragraph again. No idea yet?
I want to make it big because I really, really like money, this is not really a surprise, many people want to make loads of cash, but why particularly in the gaming development industry? There are a few reasons:

One of the reasons that I have selected the gaming development industry is the fact that it is growing, and growing very fast.
Some of you may remember the June 2005 episode of M-Net’s Carte Blanche reporting that the gaming industry is making (at the time) 30 billion dollars a year and that the figure (and industry as a whole) is growing. Looking at an industry as big as this, and what it has to offer, I think to myself, this industry may just have enough space to accommodate me and my dreams in its large pie.

Another reason I want to make it big in the gaming development industry is the closeness the industry shares with my current qualifications.
This is more a reason of convenience over a serious necessity, but looking at the business world, and especially the cut-throat and competitive gaming industry, you can use all the training and all the extra help you can get.

The final reason, and maybe the most important reason I have chosen the gaming development industry over other similar high revenue making industries, is my passion for it.
Just short of being maniacal, I live, play and even occasionally sleep gaming. The passion that I have, the joy that I feel for what I do in life, that steady feed of happiness is defiantly a requirement to push me through the hardships and the tough times that this industry (and many others for that matter) can dish out.

Having written the above three important reasons down on hard cardboard, and tacking them to my bedroom ceiling and the back of my bathroom door, I grab my ever handy keyboard and start to type my business plan for the future, I steadily start to document requirements and further my research into the industry that I want to make a difference in.