Gamesmaster Quiz

Wipe away those Monday blues with the Gamesmaster quiz...



Gameov3r is a bit touchy about Gamesmaster. He thinks that it is he that should have been on TV and not The Gamesmaster. They used to be friends you see. Long before The Gamesmaster got his face on the TV, they regularly used to go down to the arcades on a Friday evening for hours of gaming. No matter what game they played Gameov3r used to thrash Gamesmaster. One Friday, after Gameov3r whooped Gamesmaster again at Street Fighter 2, Gamesmaster ran off into the night screaming something about M Bison and a teddy bear. The friendship came to an abrupt end after that and Gameov3r never saw him again. Until Gamesmaster appeared in his own videogame TV show that is. Gameov3r has never forgiven him and has never let anyone be his friend since. Ahhhh...

Come and cheer up Gameov3r on the FORUM.
Offerings containing alcohol are most welcome.

Error Code 85010

There are threads on the Gameov3r forum that goes something like this....

"XBox online = YAY!!!"

"Nintendo online = aaaaaaaarghhh!"

Wait! If you're a Nintendo fan sit back down. Put down that large, blunt and heavy object too and let me qualify those statements. The Gameov3r forum is far from biased. But if it is, just a little bit, it leans toward the Wii and the DS more than any other consoles. The “aaaaaaaarghhh!” is an honest “aaaaaaaarghhh!”

The Monday night online DS sessions have caused a headache or two for Gameov3r forumites. Disconnects, not being able to find any friends online and server errors all conspire to spoil the fun. The Wii hasn't faired much better with many gamers experiencing connection problems. Mario Strikers initially had connection issues, so much so that I stopped playing it along with most of Gameov3r. Geometry Wars: Galaxies has the poorest online capabilities I have seen so far. I actually have to go to the trouble of uploading my scores manually! Even then I can’t see my friends in a leaderboard. Medal of Honour Heroes 2 had online teething problems despite EA using their own servers. How simple it would be if I could just look up a friend in my friends list and click to join the game they’re playing. But no, it seems that online play is still included reluctantly, is not given the time or effort needed to make it easy and intuitive to use and more importantly work properly.

The UK doesn’t have Smash Bros Brawl yet but the word from USA based forum member the_corn is not good. Last I heard was he couldn’t get online. At all. He did say that Brawl was awesome nonetheless.

MK Wii is approaching the penultimate hairpin and will soon ripping past the UK release date. With my pessimistic socks pulled right up to my knees, I fully expect to be playing MK Wii on my own when it does.

Online issues have plagued Nintendo forever. From their “we’re not interested in online gaming” stance, to their current, seemingly, incompetent stance. Surely by now Nintendo realise the importance of online gaming and that they must start getting it right.

This is not the first time I’ve moaned about Nintendo online but these issues just won’t go away. Sounds to me like Gameov3r is struggling to make something go away too. I count 4 flushes already. Avoid trap 2 in the cellar on the Gameov3r FORUM

Smashed

I like to smash things. Anyone that's read my posts about playing Half Life 2 will know this. I don't really mind what it is... crates, fences, glass, pretty much anything in fact. All in the spirit of the game I'm playing you understand, I'm not a mindless vandal.

One place I won't be smashing anything up though is in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. I remember all the discussions about the lack of car damage from years ago and they're still happening now and the creators are still saying it's coming soon. The problem is that with each release of Gran Turismo the game gets more and more realistic. Some of the screen shots from this latest version are next to impossible to tell from the real thing... until you see a car hit something. None of the official trailers seem keen on showing this as it shatters the illusion in seconds watching your car bounce off the scenery and other cars. I think they've managed to get away with it in the past but the problem with getting closer and closer to realism is that anything that isn't quite right sticks out like turd in a punch bowl.

With rumours that the full GT5 is still 12 months away is the delay long enough for the 'coming soon' to be included?

What's the weirdest thing you've found in a punch bowl? Let us know on the GAMEOV3R forum

Rock Icon Competition

What would you give to be a rock star? It’s ok, we don’t need your soul, we just want to find someone who has the moves and attitude to embody what Guitar Hero is all about.

We’re gonna fly one uber-talented air guitarist to California to be immortalised as a Rock God or Goddess, appearing in Guitar Hero itself. You need to have a passport and be able to travel to the US before the end of April. Closing date for this prize is midnight (CET) 15th April, so get rocking.

This is what you're up against folks...



Can you do better? Let us know on the GAMEOV3R forum

Easter Bunnies!

This is probably my favourite Easter Egg of all... although I'm partial to a Creme Egg or two!



Tell us about your favourite Easter Egg, chocolate or otherwise, on the Gameov3r FORUM.

Happy Easter!

“Who [still] wants some?”

Duke Nukem Forever. Let me rephrase that. Duke Nukem is taking Forever. It’s almost 10 years since we last saw Duke tackling alien scum and his chart rival the Space Marine. Ten years too long.

Thankfully there’s an official 3DRealms trailer that’s been doing the rounds lately suggesting that Duke is well and truly on the way and will be released soon. Or soon’ish. Or something. Anyway, the trailer shows Duke lifting a bar bell, puffing on his signature cigar, while all around him alien creatures get increasingly angry. As the trailer fades to black Duke can be heard saying, “I’m looking for some alien toilet to park my bricks, who’s first?” The original Duke is well known for his cheesy one-liners and the trailer alludes to that same sense of humour. Hmm … I don’t know about you but I’m struggling to get excited by Duke Nukem Forever.

While I wait, forever, for Duke Nukem Forever it looks like 360 owners will be getting the chance to replay the original PC game Duke Nukem 3D. Scott Miller, top man over at 3D Realms, has confirmed that Duke’s seminal PC classic is coming XBLA. Apparently the discussions to get Duke a Marketplace Green Card began last August. I’m not sure if I think 3DRealms just move extremely s l o w l y or whether Duke is constipated and couldn’t force himself to use an alien as a toilet even if he wanted to. And I'm sure he does.

Duke will definitely be on our screens again sometime and it’ll probably be an XBLA appearance first. Forever really is a long time you know.

Trailer

Whoops! Sorry, wrong one!

Here’s the official trailer. Have a listen to his voice at the end of the trailer…

Is it me or does Duke’s voice sound, well, a little, erm, not quite as manly as he used to? Sounds almost like he has a kazoo lodged at the back of his throat.

It's time to kick ass, chew bubble gum and check out the Duke Nukem thread on the Gameov3r FORUM.

Mine's Bigger Than Yours

Think your gaming setup could do with some improvements? Take a look at this article over at geekabout.com and maybe you can turn those little ideas into something... huge!

Join the GAMEOV3R forum

LiVEcence to Kill

There have been rumours that Bond, James Bond is coming to XBLA. Thankfully Domark and EA are nowhere to be seen. The rumours are of course about RARE's epoch-making first-person shooter, Goldeneye.

Unlike some game rumours this one carries a lot of weight in the same way that a wet paper bag doesn't. Those driving the rumour claim that the game is just a couple of months away from completion but sadly the last of the rumours, so far, states that the game has now been shelved because Microsoft and Nintendo could not come to an agreement over money. Someone somewhere is possibly overlooking the fact that Activision currently own the 007 licence and would also want a slice any remakes of Goldenpie.

Remarkably Microsoft have been drawn into commenting on the speculation adding further weight to the rumours. They said, "We don't comment on rumours and speculation." Bah! Thanks for sharing that Bill! More interesting though, and fanning the smoke that's hiding the flames, Microsoft then added that, "While the games community's response to this rumour is extremely flattering, we don't have anything to announce at this time." At this time!

The fact that Goldeneye is constantly discussed by gamers, on every forum I've ever visited, and has been the most requested game since Xbox Live launched must mean that Goldeneye will, eventually, arrive. It just has to be a question of when, not if.

There is something you can do to help. Oh yes! Pile the pressure onto those miserable corporate types that just want to spoil our fun by signing the Goldeneye re-release petition HERE. 22,196 gamers have already signed.

We want Goldeneye! Sign, sign, sign, SIGN!! Oh, and visit the Gameov3r FORUM too.

Remember these Bond "classics"? ... ... They might be amongst the Wii C64 re-releases soon!

Will Freeloader Survive New Firmware?

Despite the initial bravado from Datel on their Wii Freeloaders recent release, it seems Codejunkies don't quite share the same confidence in the product remaining functional. Datel have been quoted as saying that future Wii firmware updates would not break the functionality of the Freeloader but the latest response from Codejunkies goes more like this:

Q. What if Nintendo release a firmware update which affects the usage of the Wii Freeloader ?

A. No guarantee can be given of compatibility with future firmware releases so if online updates are performed on your console this may prevent Freeloader from Functioning correctly

We recommend that you consider the benefits of any online upgrade against the possible loss of compatibility with Freeloader and its functions.

A bit of a wait and see what happens when the next firmware update arrives then.

Are you a freeloader? Let us know on the GAMEOV3R forum

Vick's Monday Blues (I Am The Walrus)

I'm not really sure whether the poor Walrus is being exploited, or if he really does enjoy dancing along to Mr. Jackson's back catalouge!



And now for something truly frightening... the real Mario...



I am the walrus, koo-koo ka-choo! Try the GAMEOV3R Forum

:) Vick :)

Round Up

Another little news round up for you today starting with some new FREE tracks for Guitar Hero III that are now available to celebrate St Patrick's day. The Dropkick Murphy’s Track Pack contains "Famous for Nothing", "Flannigan's Ball" and "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya". I tried these last night and can report that apart from one of these (can't remember which) they are just a touch repetitive and uninteresting to play. Still, at least they're free.

The Xbox 360 officially drops in price today with a premium version now costing just £189.99 on Amazon.co.uk and the Elite at £249.99. Having been outsold by the PS3 in both January and February, Sony have had something to gloat over. So then, a considered move from Microsoft or is the excessive heat from their console starting to make them sweat?

Nintendo has been briefing studios on what it says is the increased flexibility of WiiWare (or Wii Software as it will be known here), from cheaper development through to more flexible pricing compared to the Xbox LIVE Arcade. One WiiWare developer who surprisingly wished to remain anonymous said, "Frankly, we're not looking at making games for Xbox Live Arcade because the service is full of shit," and pointed towards the service's number of retro remakes. I'd love to see what game this guy is actually producing and I'd like to suggest creating something non shit shaped. If the XBLA really is drowning beneath this torrent of feces, a game of the quality you say you're producing should go faster than shit off a shovel were it released on the XBLA, which is handy as according to this guy we'll be needing something to dig ourselves out with. Incidentally why do us Europeans need the name change from WiiWare to Wii Software? Do Nintendo think we're more easily confused over here and need it spelling out?

Talking about the Xbox LIVE Arcade you may have heard that Capcom were struggling to fit both Street Fighter II HD Remix and Bionic Commando into the 150Mb limit set by Microsoft. Both of these games have now been given the go ahead to be released without the file size constraint meaning the game will be identical on all formats.

European Nintendo VC releases this week are:
Super R-Type - SNES - 800 Wii Points (good but very very difficult)
Operation Wolf - NES - 500 Wii Points (you can only play this with the pad making it a pretty dire version)

Like shovelling shit? Gameov3r's cat needs its tray changing on the GAMEOV3R forum

Thank You For Playing!!

It seems Square Enix is trying to crack down on devices such as the M3 and R4 for the Nintendo DS. Their recent release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in the US contains a new copy protection method that allows you to play completely normally for around 20 minutes and then you're greeted with a "Thank you for playing!!" screen and the game than quits. No doubt the pirates will only be one step behind but interesting all the same.

In not so good news for Nintendo, complaints are rolling in after the US release of Smash Bros. Brawl. It seems Nintendo Wifi is proving to be as reliable as ever at giving you a decent online experience. So what's Nintendos response? Well, they are looking into it but it seems the solution currently on offer is to wait until less people want to play online or just give up trying, whichever comes first. Still haven't quite got this online thing have you Nintendo?

Massive GTA 4 news just in!... apart from a slightly warmer colour pallet the game will look and run identically on the PS3 and Xbox 360! Anyone care about GTA anymore? Anyone still reading more to the point? It's a game that's being put forward as crucial to the console sales war with Microsoft splashing out huge sums of money to secure exclusive downloadable content, but I'm strangely about as interested in this game as I am in the slight colour difference between the two.

After that slightly warmer feeling on a forum? Gameov3r awaits...

Club Nintendo Never So Good

But not in Europe.

We always get the shitty end of the stick. Even after the launch of the new Nintendo website and the arrival of Stars to Wii Points, the Stars Catalogue is still full of crap. If it's not crap, there has been the odd thing worth getting, then it's out of stock. Permanently. We get crap stuff! It's probably the stuff that Club Nintendo Japan laughed at during a board meeting and tossed into the bin only for the cleaner to come along and say, "Hey, why not get rid of this stuff in Europe and America! They'll love it. They love all our stuff." Well we don't. We want the good stuff.

I heard a while back that Nintendo would be releasing Wii compatible SNES Pads. OMG! I remember thinking. I WANT ONE! Finally I could play SFII on the VC just like I used to on my SNES. It's an inspired idea by Nintendo. There can be no SNES playing Wii owner that wouldn't want one. The release date is April 4th 2008 but of course the SNES Pad is only available from Club Nintendo Japan. You can cast a weepy glance at Nintendo of Japan's Club Nintendo site here.

There is a glimmer of hope for the rest of us though. A small chance that you can get yourself your very own SuperWiiNES Pad. Play Asia are going to be taking pre-orders very soon.

If Club Nintendo Japan is The Emperor then Club Nintendo Europe is the beggar. It's not fair [/stamping feet]. Why can't we have this cool stuff over here!? We want it! Envious much? Come and moan on the GameOv3r Forum.

Dancing Drake

Show us your dance moves on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Bully: Bugged Edition

Talking of bugs...

It seems the recently released Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 is experiencing some problems. Rockstar have issued an official statement concerning this.

We have just become aware of the issues people are having with Bully Scholarship Edition on Xbox 360. It appears that some older 360s are experiencing framerate issues, freezes and other problems. You have our word that we never experienced any of this in QA - in any of our offices or at Microsoft. I am horrified, and we are now working around the clock to rectify this situation. Thanks to Neo-Gaf for bringing this matter to our attention. We love our games and put a huge amount of energy and care into making them all that they can be. We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will. We apologise to everyone affected for the inconvenience. Respectfully, Sam Houser.

The interesting bit there for me is where he says 'older 360s'. Why would this somehow be connected only to older models? We all know that older 360s are more likely to suffer from the RROD but surely technically they are all the same as far as running games goes?

Update:
A download to fix these problems is now due within the next week.

"We will be releasing a title update through Xbox Live within the next week that we are confident will rectify the problem," noted PR spokesperson Darlan Monterisi.

Anyone got this and experiencing problems? Do you have an old or new 360? Let us know on the GAMEOV3R Forum

BUG

Bugs.

They’re a programmer’s nightmare and can be a Gamer’s headache. While some bugs are used by players to gain an unfair advantage, players “in the know” have been known to gain massive scores or even become invincible using bugs, there are other, more damaging bugs. These bugs can can do things like cause hardware to reset or force the player to restart the game, but probably worst bugs of all are the ones that mean a player can never complete a game.

Early versions of Asteroids in the arcades allowed players to "park" their craft in the score field making themselves invincible. Final Fantasy on the NES had an invisible woman character that, if you could find her, would converse with you. Arcade Tempest had a magical score that unlocked 40 extra lives. Impossible Mission lived up to it’s name on the Atari 7800. This game could not be completed thanks to some of the code pieces, required to solve the end puzzle, were placed under the computer terminals that your agent cannot search. Jet Set Willy is well known for it's bugs and is another example of a game that can't be finished thanks to the Attic Bug.

This week while I’ve been playing Just Cause on my 360 I've discovered quite a few bugs. I’ve seen my character, Rico Rodriguez, walk through a solid steel silo. He's look through solid objects and he’s suffered some dodgy collision detection - you know those moments when your character meets his maker and you just don’t know what went wrong. Very annoying! The worst bug I’ve experienced in Just Cause was when, by chance, I managed to lodge Rico on top of a wire fence. Despite much button pressing, analogue stick waggling and Rico's butch image he was stuck. Like a statue. On a fence. I was at the point of resetting the machine when I noticed that Rico was moving. Very slowly he was sort of sliding, pixel by slippery pixel, to the right and the edge of the fence. I sat and watched. I sat and willed Rico on. Eventually he dropped to the ground. I regained control ad Rico was able to carry on liberating the country.

There were a few other sticky moments in Just Cause but none as bad as the wire fence bug. But wait a minute, why are these faults called bugs? I mean in Scotland we know bugs as those evil, blood sucking, midgies or as a way to describe having the latest bout of sickness. Does a game bug suggest that the game is ill? Well, no it doesn’t. Apparently the story of the bug goes something like this; Grace Murray Hopper was working at Harvard University on the Mark II computer when she found a dead moth jammed into a relay. She removed the moth, wrote down what happened to the computer in the logbook, and glued the moth next to her written explanation of the bug that stopped the Mark II working. Since then, whenever the machine stopped working, the technicians would say that the computer needed to be "debugged." The page of the logbook, with the moth still on it, is preserved at the Smithsonian Institution.

So there you go then, the “real” reason that video game and computer bugs are called just that. Sounds almost too fanciful to be true eh? Ah looks, it’s Thomas Edison! Hello Mr Edison! Now tell me, what is it about these Gremlins that get into machinery?

Come and learn the truth about bugs, Gremlins and everything on the Gameov3r forum.

Spoil the illusion>>>>>Before the Mark II computer, the term "bug" was used by radar operators, during WWII, to describe technical problems. Further back, the OED has records dating back to 1889 describing a bug as “a defect or fault in a machine, plan, or the like”. In the same year, the Pall Mall Gazette (March 11) reported that "Mr. Edison...had been up the two previous nights discovering a 'bug' in his phonograph--an expression for solving a difficulty, and implying that some imaginary insect has secreted itself inside and is causing all the trouble." I still prefer the Mark II story.<<<<<

Blu-ray Too Small

It's been widely reported lately that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima struggled to fit number 4 in the series onto a 50Gb Blu-ray disc. Apparently he's had to compress and even edit bits to make it fit onto the disc.

Reading through some of the many comments this of course means that the game is 'absolutely huge and action packed'. All other games are now insignificant and this is what next gen gaming is all about.

My prediction is slightly different and perhaps a little pessimistic. I don't doubt the production values of this game, it will look and probably sound stunning.... but will there be much playing? You know, as in gameplay? That thing we actually buy games for.

I played through Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 and quite enjoyed most of it. Well, the 3 or 4 hours I got to do stuff in anyway. The endless cut scenes and conversations almost ruined it for me but I persevered. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty I can't say the same. I wanted to enjoy it, I even felt I should be having read many reviews, but I couldn't. The story line was utter nonsense and if I wanted to sit and watch a cut scene for over half an hour I'd probably have rented a film instead. With a much better story line!

I never did bother with 3 and find the hype for number 4 completely passing me by. The bursting at the seams Blu-ray disc gives me more cause for concern than excitement. I fear there may be more people 'watching' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the PS3 than playing it come June. I hope I'm proved wrong.

GAMEOV3R is ready to discuss this with you now over on the Forum

Salt and Vineger on that?

The One Chip MSX. Never heard of it? Neither had I until earlier today.

This machine has sold so well in Japan that it's getting a European release.

Briefly, MSX was an attempt to standardise 8 bit computing, much like Microsoft did with Windows for PC's, and incidentally it was Microsoft behind the MSX proposition, by allowing any manufacturer to build computers with MSX architecture. Toshiba, Phillips and Sony have all created MSX computers.

Although never hugely popular or successful in the UK the MSX did enjoy some popularity during the 8bit heyday and boasted some great and exclusive games including the first Metal Gear. Surprisingly MSX has remained popular and continued to be supported by hardcore fans, bedroom coders and even commercial developers. The MSX format just wouldn't lie down and die like so many 8 bit computers. 2001 saw a major revival with the creation of a perfect emulator, MSXPLAYer, supported by a decent amount of commercial games that could be downloaded from the internet. The commercial success of MSXPLAYer has meant more and more games being created. This has all contributed to the creation of the One Chip MSX.

There isn't a lot to see at the Offical Home Page of the One Chip MSX. Nothing more than the picture at the top of this blog entry in fact but the European One Chip MSX is being manufactured by a Netherlands based electronics company called Bazix and they have a lot more for you to read and look at.

From the Bazix website, "Back to basics, yet ready for the future: The One Chip MSX. Out of the box, this computer is compatible with the MSX1 and MSX2 standard, for which many classic games were released since its introduction to the consumer market in 1983. You will enjoy hours of gameplay with this machine for which new software is regularly released, even today.

The One Chip MSX is a lot more than just an MSX computer. The core of the One Chip MSX is an Altera Cyclone EP1C12Q240C8N FPGA chip, which is a Programmable Logic Device. This means that the functionality of the chip can be altered partially, or even completely, at any time, using a programming language called VHDL. This opens a wide range of possibilities, such as extending the MSX standard with new features, or even implementing your favorite classic computer or console in the FPGA chip. So, without making any physical hardware modifications, you can gain control over what the One Chip MSX actually does." Click HERE for more.

I'm sorry to say that if you want one you're too late. I'm dangling a carrot that you're never going to reach. Showing you the stable that the horse already bolted from. Believe it or not Bazixs have sold all of the first batch of machines before they're even built and are taking no more pre-orders. There's no word of a second batch but you can bet they'll make more if the demand continues. There's a newsletter you can sign up to if you'd like to get your hands on one from the second batch.

Gameov3r has a Toshiba MSX in the cellar. It's a cool piece of retro hardware. He has some cool cartridge games for it too but he won't let any of us use it. He keeps it all to himself the miserable old..... Anyway, I'm not sure I'd want to buy a retro MSX never mind a new One... Chip MSX. Would you?

One In A Million

You know when you trip up and try to make it look like you meant it by breaking into a little jog or something? This takes it a step further...



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