Shoot 1up

Following on from Decimation X it's another Indie Shmup on XBLA. "Shoot 1Up is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up for everyone." And the developer does mean everyone! Put it on easy and you can joyously waltz your way to the end of game boss seen in the image atop this blog entry. Your eyes do not deceive you. The end of game baddie really is a chick with metal breasts that fire homing rockets in your general direction whilst wearing a smile. If that's too easy then there's more challenge from the Normal setting and if you prefer something more like bullet hell then there's a Serious setting just for you.

Straight into the action and you'll discover that your ship's main weapon is a rapid fire laser. A laser that you can't upgrade. In fact there aren't any weapon upgrades as such. There's something a little different at work here. The trick is to acquire extra lives as you progress! Now that might not sound like the ground breaking game mechanic you were looking for but the difference here is that as soon as you get an extra ship it immediately joins the ones you already have in the battle adding to your on-screen potency. Once you have more than one ship you then have the choice of deploying the extra ships around your central ship to give you a wider and more powerful spread of fire power or being extremely compact so as to sneak through congested areas. It's a nice mechanic that gives a decent level of strategy.

Shoot 1up is an excellent indie game. There are XBLA titles that would be too embarrassed to be seen out with Shoot 1Up on a Saturday evening without an hour or two of cosmetic surgery before hand.

Shoot 1up is another 80 MS point bargain that should not be missed.

Decimation X

Appearances aren't always what they seem and while it might appear to be just another Space Invaders clone Decimation X has character all of it's own.

The most important distinction is that the enemy firepower has been ramped up to truly intense levels and the player or players are issued with an assortment of power ups to even things up.

Once you've collected a few of these power ups the screen becomes awash with player bullets and it's a delight to behold. This might initially sound easy, but factor in defensive shields that don't regenerate between stages and you have a new problem to tackle. Thankfully there are collectables to manage this cover destroying curse but strategies will have to be worked out if you're to defend yourself and reach respectable scores.

Don't be put off by the apparent simplicity as there's a degree of subtlety to be found here. Decimation X is an enjoyable shmup and the perfect game to have a quick play to see if you can beat your previous high score. Apparently online leader boards are on the way. Until then the cock waving will have to wait. Oh and this is only 80MS points. That's 69p in real money. The price of a Mars bar or a packet of Polos if you live in London or the outer Hebrides.

Let the motion gaming battle commence

Motion gaming is hardly a new development. Give Nintendo the credit it deserves. The Wii was very much the Last Chance Saloon for Nintendo, at least as far as releasing full blown consoles go. The company knew that it simply couldn't compete on the same technical level as the other consoles on the market, and Nintendo had to think laterally about where to take their new console.

Behold, one motion controller later and a massive new casual gaming audience tapped into, the rest as they say is history.

Inevitably, Sony and Microsoft have now decided that they fancy a slice of the casual gaming pie. This move will always prompt the familiar fanboy reactions from all camps. Trawling through the numerous gaming forums on the internet shows all of the usual responses to the decision. Wii owners shouting "Sony and Microsoft can't think of anything new", or "they've already chosen which direction to take their console, they should stick with it". The level of anger never ceases to amaze me when gamers try to defend their beloved console.

In truth I find these reactions somewhat bizarre. Why do they feel the need to defend their chosen consoles so vigorously? I can only deduce that it's because they find the other machines as some kind of threat, or are they in denial? On a subconscious level do they actually think that the Wii isn't quite as good as they want to believe? Or maybe it's simply because they've seen the tech that Sony and Microsoft are developing and they're scared that Wii owners are suddenly going to say "wow, Sony have motion controls now and it's in HD!!!! Quick love, get on the internet and bring up eBay, I'm going to sell this bad boy!!". Hardly a realistic assumption is it? On the other hand 360 and PS3 owners alike look down on Wii and try to claim that it's not a real console. It must be hard for these people knowing that the Wii has outsold them all despite it's last generation 480p resolution graphics. Just try claiming to them that graphics aren't everything. WOW!! You'll be shot down in flames in an instant as a "poor, can't afford a real console, casual gaming" moron who doesn't know anything about gaming. Well, I've only been playing for 25 years, what would I know eh?

So what about this new motion controller tech? Well, Sony have the Playstation Move. Initial impressions of the device for me are mixed. Let's make one thing clear, it's a bit of a Wiimote clone. They can spin the details as much as they like, they can claim it's "more than a Wiimote", but sticking a couple of glowing balls on the top doesn't make it brand spanking new. An Ann Summers 'toy' yes, but new? Okay, it does feature some enhancements over the Wiimote such as use of the coloured globes to help track movement and height rather than the Wiimotes old fashioned infra-red method. The globes also change colour depending on player's surroundings to ensure that the PS Move is easily seen. This new technology also means that the movement won't be lost should someone walk in front of the TV. Very nice. And from the demos that have been shown so far it looks as though it does transfer player movements brilliantly, but it IS still a Wiimote with some new technology thrown in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, the Wiimote works well and is proven. Fair play to Sony for following suit, just don't dress it up as some sort of revolutionary gaming device because the gaming public aren't stupid, they can see through the PR bulls**t.

Microsoft have taken a rather different approach to the motion gaming/family ethos. Project Natal as it is known doesn't feature a controller at all. "You are the controller" the trailer says. Initial impressions are very impressive with a Natal version of Burnout getting a very positive response, Natal seemingly being able to track even the finest movements. So that's it then, Microsoft have managed the holy grail that is full body motion capture. The gaming world has no limits. Freedom in gaming it seems is a reality. Hold on though, let's take a step back for a second and take a long hard look. There are no buttons on Natal and this surely has to cause some issues. Let's take the game of football as an example. The trailer touches on this genre of game with a penalty shootout. Fair enough, but what happens if you want to play a conventional football game? How do you control it? In a third person view? How do you run? Jogging around your lounge can't be right surely, especially as you will need to be looking at the TV at all times. FPS games are another difficult genre. You can point your imaginary gun at the TV, turn on the spot and shoot (ala Wii), but how do you walk? Stamping your feet? No thanks. It seems to me that whilst Natal seems to offer new found freedom, it also seems to be marred by a new found restriction. It's obviously too early to tell how Microsoft are proposing to overcome such issues and I have no doubt they have something planned. Maybe they are choosing to ignore these genres altogether, instead opting for the conventional controller should a player want to indulge in that kind of game.

Those that know me will also know that I am a 360 and Wii owner and don't really have a bias towards any one console. A good game is a good game, a good peripheral is a good peripheral regardless of the system it is on. To me the PS Move is showing the most potential for the new motion controllers. Rip off or no rip off, the PS Move seems to offer the most flexibility with a balance of motion controls if you want to get active, or the buttons for the times when you want to be a couch potato.

Truth is nobody really knows what impact the new motion controllers will have for the future of all three consoles. God knows, the Wii and it's family friendly nature has made it damn difficult to predict. One thing is for certain though, it's certainly going to be interesting watching it all unfold this Autumn at the proposed release dates.

Just please don't let us drown in games like 'Family House Babysitting Party 13'......please!!

The graphical debate pops it's head up again!!

Ever since the release of the Wii there has been a debate of graphics vs gameplay. The Wii owners will argue that it's the way you play the game that makes the machine relevant, while the 'next gen' contingent claim that graphics help to suck you into the game.

To some extent I agree with both of these statements, but lately I have been pondering this debate more.

Y'see, Codemasters are the source of my musings. I have always loved Codies right from the C64 days of BMX Simulator and the Dizzy series but I have started to get a little disappointed with them of late. The problem comes with this current gen of machines and in particular their Wii releases. The problem started with Dirt 2. As a big Dirt fan on the 360 I was really looking forward to applying some Wii steering wheel loveliness to the hardcore rallying action. Things looked promising as this is a driving game and Codies do some of the best road based games of recent years. Games like TOCA Touring Cars on the original Playstation, Race Driver on PS2 and Grid on 360 have proved that for high speed thrills you can rely on Codemasters to produce the goods.........until now.

Put simply, Dirt 2 on Wii turned out to be a complete dogs dinner!! Codemasters decided to hand development rights over to Sumo Digital rather than develop in house which didn't exactly go according to plan. Graphically the game was average, and before I hear the cries of "THE WII ISN'T ABOUT GRAPHICS" I agree. The problem is I love using the cockpit view in racing games, I find it the most exciting way to play, so for this game to omit the cockpit view completely is terrible! Just to get this into perspective, TOCA Touring Cars on PS1 managed to have a cockpit view, PS1 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! I have also seen what Sumo can do with Outrun 2 on the original XBox, it's gorgeous! This isn't a case of the Wii having less power, this is a case of developers being lazy! All of this may have been forgiven if the motion controls worked but the steering couldn't keep up with the pace of cornering needed in the race. Overall a massive disappointment.

So now Sumo are at it again, this time with a massive F1 license. This game at least ticks most of the boxes, the steering controls are spot on and it has the cockpit view I wanted. It's fairly smooth and chugs along at a blistering pace. So far so good then, but why are the graphics poor again? Luckily this doesn't seem to detract from the gameplay which is the most important thing, but don't devs think that Wii owners are worth the extra effort? I can't help feeling that after all this time some developers have still got the mental attitude of "Wii owners don't care about visuals because they didn't buy a PS3, let's cut the development budget".

From what I've played I love F1 2009 and I'm certainly going to buy it, but by doing so am I condoning lazy visuals? Am I proving them right? Do we deserve great controls, great games and great visuals all at the same time?

Answers on a postcard...............

Guitar Hero World Tour

I was in Tesco earlier this morning. I’m full of a cold, it’s almost a man-flu but not quite, and I had to go for supplies. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, balsam tissues for my delicate nose, a bottle of Bell’s and a pot of honey to make Hot Toddies, a selection of Sunday papers and game mags, red chillies and 6 large eggs.

Seeing as I was there I thought I’d take a look at the dvd’s and games. I’m not that ill! Just don’t let my wife know.

What caught my eye was this, Tesco are offering Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii, the XBox 360 and PS3 for just £50 including the full size wireless guitar. That is nothing short of a bargain!

According to the Gameov3r forum it’s been at £50 since the middle of November so I wasn’t expecting to still see this offer today. Did I buy it? No. There’s no way I could get it into the house un-noticed! Maybe one day in the week though.

Rock on over to the Gameov3r FORUM

Decisions, decisions! A World at War Review

Forum member and all round dreadlocked good guy Huzzellio has been in a bit of a dilema recently. Huzz, a COD 4 afficionado that had just sampled the delights of COD 5 WaW beta on his 360, faced a problem. Buy World at War for the Wii or for the 360?

What a dilema I've had! In all truth my Wii hasn't done a lot of gaming in the last few weeks, in fact make that the last few months! Since Mario Kart was released I haven't even considered the Wii for my gaming kicks. There just hasn't been anything to really grab my attention.

The 360 has been dominating my gaming time of late, and while I love the 360 I can't help feeling frustrated at my lack of interest in the little white Nintendo box of joy. I want to play it, I want to love it but somehow it always seems to just miss the mark, or fails to capture my imagination. I'm not sure why! Maybe I just prefer the more 'hardcore' type of game (although I do really hate that expression).

Anyway I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah, the dilema. Call of Duty: World at War has been released on my beloved 360 AND the Wii. In my current mindset it would be obvious to go with the big noisy Microsoft red ring of death powerhouse that is the XBox. In fact I'd already been told that I was definitely getting the game on 360 for christmas. Buying the game on Wii as well would be nothing short of madness wouldn't it? But wait....maybe I should give Nintendo another chance? The thing that first attracted me to the Wii was that trailer for Red Steel, y'know the one - that guy sitting in his armchair pointing his Wiimote at the screen like a real gun, getting so into the game he was physically dodging the bullets around his living room!

This could be the Wii's chance to finally shine! So that was it, decision made. I went out, traded Mario Kart (risky move as it was the only game keeping my Wii alive) and bought it.

So the time had come, I fired up my dusty Wii and inserted the disc.

First impressions were positive. The menu screen looked similar to the 360 beta that I'd played to death. So I went straight to multiplayer to mix it up on my favourite mode 'Free for All'. It searched for a match and found one in good time, easily as quick as the 360 equivalent. So far so good! First map - Makin!

Now I should explain, I know Makin very well. It was on the beta and is the home to my one and only 19 kill streak. I was viewing this as the perfect opportunity to show Wii owners how we do it in Huzz town!

The map loaded quickly and then I was faced with it. I could see it was Makin, it looked like Makin yet somehow it looked different. A low res version of the map I've played a million times. Then I moved.......a lower frame rate. Where as the 360 was silky smooth, the Wii was packing around half the frames. And then I tried to navigate my way around. Suddenly I was walking into walls, looking up at the sky, looking down at the floor, spraying bullets like they were going out of fashion......I COULDN'T PLAY PROPERLY!!!!! It's a weird thing, it was like I was playing CoD 5 but in some strange parallel universe.

So there it was, a low res, less smooth, hard to control version of a game I thought I knew very well.

So I made a huge mistake in forking out for this game, trading my copy of MK in the process right? Are you kidding? I LOVED EVERY SECOND!!

Hold on....rewind a moment. Remember how I said I fell in love with the Wii because of the Red Steel trailers? That was my dream and until now no FPS had gripped me. Okay the graphics are worse than the 360 but did I expect anything else? NO! They are worse but they are very GOOD Wii graphics. The game isn't as smooth, did this come as a surprise? NO!! The frame rate IS lower but they never seem to stutter and it is very consistant. The game is hard to control compared to the 360, am I bothered? NO!! I'm not twiddling two sticks, I'm pointing a gun at the screen for crying out loud! Of course it's harder!!

The fact is the Wii version offers a very different feeling to it's higher powered cousins. As I've mentioned in other posts, the 360 and PS3 versions feel like 'CoD 4.5: World War 2 Edition'. It's not a bad thing, I love CoD 4, but it still feels like an expansion pack. But the Wii feels like a fresh game. Yes I'm struggling with the controls (at the moment) but I'm loving the challenge of trying to master them.

I know they've stripped out some game modes, and no doubt people will always gripe about it, but the gameplay itself makes up for it.

This is the first game where I believe owning both version is the correct thing to do. Treyarch have taken a great game and added the Wii dynamic to the gameplay, the dynamic that I dreamed about since the days of the Red Steel trailer.

So has the Wii finally come out of retirement for Private Huzzellio? SIR YES SIR! But if you come across me on the battlefield, go easy on me. I still can't get to grips with the controls!!

Thanks for that Huzz. Now I've read your review and also General Hillyjo's relentless recruiting on the forum, ready for his first skirmish, I am sorely tempted to get WaW for my Wii. I'm also beginning to wonder if you and Hilly have perfected Jedi mind control!

More reviews, opinion, Jedi mind tricks, and moist patches on the Gameov3rFORUM. Best to avoid the moist patches.

SBK08 Review

Okay, I bought this game a couple of days ago on recommendation from a friend so thought I’d have a bash at a bit of unbiased reviewing so here goes……

SBK 08: Superbike World Championship 2008 is a new motorcycling game from Milestone and the first for the developer on the 360. Milestone appear to have quite a history of making these games, even producing the first EA Sports superbike game on the PC.

The first thing that strikes you about SBK is the amount of options you are greeted with on the front end - there’s loads. Options include the usual quick race and single race options as well as the championship mode, but also includes things like a challenge mode for you to beat certain scenarios and a time attack mode as well.

SBK also features a comprehensive control tweaking system so you can adjust how forgiving you want the game to be. You have ‘basic’, ‘arcade’, ‘simulation’ and ‘extreme’. As well as these you can also create a custom setup which is very useful.

Now I feel it’s only fair to point out that this game is a proper simulator. Even with the arcade control setting switched on this game is tough and I mean very tough! This effectively means that if you’re the sort of person who likes their racing thrills arcadey or on four wheels you will probably hate this in all honesty. However I personally like a tough challenge and the unforgiving nature of the game just makes hitting the perfect apex of a corner all the more satisfying!

For real two wheel addicts it’s all here – you can control front and rear brakes, shift your riders weight, tuck him behind the screen (which you can see in helmet cam for the real purist) and make him sit up for braking. There are 7 different viewpoints for you to choose from although I always choose the riders eye view for extra thrills. The bikes are also fully adjustable in the pits with nearly every aspect of the bike setup being available for your tweaking.

Graphically the frame rate is smooth and while the tracks are solid they never really blow you away. The bikes (all of the bikes from the SBK season) however look great, adding to the immersion.

A particular mention must go to the sound. There may not be an awful lot of sound (the usual are all present with crowd noises etc) but the engine noises are spot on, exactly as they should be!

The game features all 12 of the circuits from the SBK season including tracks such as Donington, Brands Hatch and Phillip Island.

The multiplayer service runs well with very little to no lag so far and supports 8 player racing.

It seems this game will be massively overlooked though which is a shame. This is the closest game I have played to the feel of a real motorcycle and for that reason Milestone should be applauded. It may be for the hardcore but it really deserves some recognition. If you love bikes and love racing you will be more than satisfied with this game and is already available at a knock down price despite only being available for a few weeks. It is now available from shopto.net for £27.99 delivered. Well worth the money.

Graphics 7 / 10
Sound 7.5 / 10
Presentation 7 / 10
Gameplay 8.5 / 10
Longevity 9 / 10

Overall 9 / 10

Many thanks Huzz.

Want to race? Check out the Forum for SBK, Forza 2, Mario Kart Wii and more!

Assault Heroes - Why didn't I play this earlier??

I'd played the Assault Heroes demo way back when it was released and enjoyed it until I found myself face to face with a mechanical spider about halfway through the first level. I could not beat this metallic arachnid beast down, no matter how I tried. Consequently I didn't download the full version even though Lee raved about the game.

Last week, finding myself unusually stuck for a game to play, I decided to download the Assault Wars demo again. This time though I had a quick read of the control information. Ahh, so there are weapons you can cycle through and you can get out of your vehicle and your vehicle regenerates! Arachnid beast? What arachnid beast!? Some well place shots and this eight legged mechanical hell spawn was crawling back into it's hole wishing it had never been born. Or perhaps wishing I'd never been born.

I unlocked the full version and spent the next few days playing whenever I had the chance. It is a whirlwind of a game that doesn't ease off at all. If you've ever played classic Ikari Warriors or Commando then you'll feel at home with Assault Heroes. Assault Heroes takes these games, improves every aspect but retains a retro feel. It never once forgets challenge and the fun.

The enemies range from the weak, to the tough, to the insane, to the almost unstoppable. The stages take place on both land and water and you have the choice of driving or walking and, in the water, using a speed boat or a jet ski. There are machine guns, heavy canon, flamethrower, grenades and nukes all for your selection. These choices give you a varied range of tactical choices adding to appeal and longevity.

The sound is acceptable and I thought the graphics for an older XBLA game were of a very high standard. Sure there are rough edges but overall it looks rich and colourful. The water alone, lapping at the shore of stage one, is quite mesmerising. There are weather effects, day turns to night and the vehicles and animations are very convincing.

Four underground zones challenge you to get to the end without dying. Fail and you're kicked back up to the surface. No extra life and no achievement for you! Completing all four under ground zones in one game rewards you with Gamer Points though I forget how many. 20 maybe? It's something I've not managed yet. You even get a co-op mode. This game is full to the brim.

Full but short. Once you get the hang of it one and a half hours should see you through from start to finish but you'll have a blast the whole way through and considering this now costs 400 MS Points in the Classic XBLA Selection you should not ignore this game.

For more up to the minute gaming with Gameov3r check out the Forum. We always have our finger on the video gaming pulse. Though it's sometimes a bit difficult for Gameov3r's members to locate their own pulse. It's an age thing.

We don't do this for a living. We do it for fun!

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.<<<<<

It was going to happen sometime

Now as far as I know this has happened to only one other Gameov3r member but sooner or later it was going to happen again.

We read all about it on gaming websites and in magazines. Wii fans mock, but, while they do, they wonder if their little white box of joy will make a few more of those clunky noises and then melt beneath a fuzzy, electric blue, cloud of static. 360 owners talk about it in hushed whispers wondering if they'll be next. Sony fan boys join the Wii fans in the mockery but they forget that it is unwise to throw stones if you have a glass console.

Surprisingly I didn't greet the red glow, that was beaming at me from the front of my 360, with a torrent of foul language. It was more of a “oh well, I guess I better phone Xbox Support then.” And even then I only thought it. I was not annoyed or distressed in the slightest. I didn't feel a thing. Well actually, I did feel a bit disappointed. I’d always assumed that I’d be beside myself with rage, jumping up and down and making indecipherable bleeping noises, should my 360 eye me like it was possessed. But it all felt a bit flat.

I phoned Microsoft to complain. No hats required this time. The guy at the call centre checked my details and, after confirming that the problem was a general hardware failure, he booked my 360 in for repair . I was told that this would all be done under the Extended 3 Year Warranty, so would cost me nothing, and that it would take between 2 and 3 weeks. That's not all. To sweeten the situation Microsoft will add an extra month to my gold membership to cover the repair time.

A UPS packing slip arrived in my inbox a few hours after I made the phone call. All I have to do now is phone and arrange collection and then wait. I'll let you know how the whole process works out when I get my repaired 360 back. Full marks so far Microsoft.

So another 360 bites the dust and it's made me curious to know how many of you Gameov3r blog readers and Forum members have experienced the RROD? Comments below, join the Forum or email me. I want to know!

Blu Ray Of Hope

I've recently started to have a little bit of an interest in owning some form of HD movie player. The cheapest way for me to do this would be to buy the Xbox 360 HD DVD add on drive. With Warner Bros. and New Line both announcing they are going Blu Ray exclusive after May 2008 and rumours that Universal may stop releasing films exclusively on HD DVD it seems the end of the format war may be nearing an end. Couple this with the amount of noise the 360 makes while it's on and it doesn't seem the most attractive option.

The best buy as far as Blu Ray goes seems to be the PS3 with stand alone players still not far off the cost of the 40Gb version. This is still a substantial sum of money though when as a gaming platform so far I don't see Sony offering much I can't get with the 360.

If I'm thinking about this though, I'm probably not the only one and I wonder if Sony's risk in putting a Blu Ray drive in to the PS3 will now start to really pay off. Will 2008 be the year that Sony fight back?

Tell us what you think on the GAMEOV3R Forum or just leave us a comment right here

SWOS AWOL

Today finally for hundreds of fans and months of waiting Sensible Soccer made it's way onto the Xbox LIVE Arcade. Originally set to be released on a date way back in August, it was held back due to concerns over the quality and in particular the online play.

So after all this time things should be absolutely perfect right?!... Wrong.

Although the game was available to download earlier on today it has since been pulled with the following having been posted on Major Nelsons blog.

"This game has been pulled. I’ll post an update when it is available again. In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available you’ll be able to downloaded it again (at no charge if you purchased it.) While you do that, I’ll go yell at some folks for letting this happen. Apologies and the moment the proper version is available I’ll update this post."

After the mess up with the new video download store things appear to be going a little pear shaped down at Microsoft. If it was any other game it'd be more understandable but to still not have it right for whatever the reason doesn't exactly instill much confidence in the final version does it? Did anyone actually manage to download this earlier and find out what the problem is?

UPDATE: This version incorrectly disconnected users that attempted to connect to Xbox LIVE.

The official Microsoft announcement states that an incorrect version was made available. If that is the case I'm a bit unsure as to why it's still being worked on now.

UPDATE 2: 21.12.07 The fixed version is now available.

Pay a visit to the GAMEOV3R Forum or just leave us a comment right here

New Releases

• Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
  
• Golden Compass (DS, Wii, PS2, PS3, 360)
• Winter Sports 2008 (Wii)
  
• Stranglehold (PS3)
  
• Blacksite: Area 51 (360, PC)
  
• Boogie (DS, PS2)
  
• Jenga (DS)
  

Spinning a Yarn and Dynamite Designs

On the basis that nothing remotely interesting happened to me over the last few days and the fact that I can't even decide on one title for today's blog entry I bring you a gaming news update! Actually that's not entirely true... I'm still playing The Orange Box but following on from my Obsessive-Compulsive post last week all of a sudden my enjoyment of throwing objects around and smashing them up has withered away.

Did I just get bored of it far too easily? Have I become a reformed character that likes things neat and tidy and all in one piece? Possibly. I've now taken to stacking crates, exploding barrels and boxes neatly in each room and standing back to admire my handy work. It's surprisingly therapeutic in a Tetris type way only it never gets any faster and it helps me to wind down after a rubbish day at work. I know what you're thinking... I've gone soft, I'm not worthy of being called a gamer anymore. I should start buying 'Creative Knitting' each month, maybe make myself some nice warm mittens for the winter that could also help protect my hands from any splinters from stacking all those crates. I could even change my washing up liquid to Fairy as my hands start to soften from a lack of frantic joypad use. I could put their claims to the test and see if hands that do dishes really can feel as soft as your face, with mild green Fairy Liquid. I'd put money on most of you that read that went back and sang it in your head. This could be a complete new me...

Don't be daft!!! You can keep your pointy sticks with wool on! I won't be paying a visit to Crochet World any time soon either, 25th anniversary or not! I don't want to make a fabulous reversible rug or a beautiful butterfly doily! The washing up can pile up in the bowl, neatly of course just like my crates as I'm now a man... with a gravity gun! Having made my mountain of objects I can now suck up the nearest exploding barrel, throw it with immense force into my creation and stand back and watch the fireworks! Sounds like a good solution for the washing up too. Funny what makes you smile :)

Oh yeah, I was about to bring you some gaming news wasn't I? Maybe next time eh.

Like knitting? Crochet? How about dominoes or bingo? The GAMEOV3R Forum may not be for you

Guitar Hero III Demo Leaked

The Guitar Hero III demo that I'm told comes with Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and the latest issue of OXM seems to have made it onto download sites before becoming available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Nothing too unusual in itself I guess but apparently if you burn it to a regular blank CD or DVD it will work on any Xbox 360 (accessed from the demos list), no dodgy firmware hacks or chips required. I haven't tested this and I have no idea whether it'll get Microsoft's knickers in a twist so GAMEOV3R in no way recommends doing this but will you resist?

The track list is below:

• "Hit me with your best shot" - Pat Benetar
• "Lay down" - Priestess
• "Even flow" - Pearl Jam
• "Rock you like a hurricane" - Scorpions
• "The metal" - Tenacious D

The GAMEOV3R Forum rocks so what are you still doing reading this? Click the link and prove me wrong

Bring The Noise

I've read a few articles in the gaming news lately about a couple of motherboard revisions that the Xbox 360 will receive to reduce costs, combat the ring of death problem and I hope, reduce the noise level a little!

When you first experience a 360 and power it up it's one of the very first things you'll notice I guarantee. Now I'm no console designer but if I created something that made as much noise as the 360 just trying to keep cool I think alarm bells would have started ringing fairly quickly. Is it really any wonder the ring of death has been such a huge problem for Microsoft?

For anyone that hasn't had the pleasure I'll try to describe it. The 360 sounds like playing while someone vacuums around you, only without the annoying bit where you get asked to lift your feet up while they obscure your view of the screen. I haven't heard something make so much noise trying to cool down since I had that vindaloo!

Here's a highly scientific experiment I thought I'd share with you to prove my point...


Join the GAMEOV3R Forum but please don't make too much noise, I think I'm getting a headache

Power Corrupts and Gamer Points are evil

Microsoft have got it all wrong. Creating Gamer Points as an integral part of the XBL experience is detrimental to gaming and corrupts the minds of pure gamers. Some of these gamers already have corrupt minds but the pressure on pure gamers to conform is massive. Now don’t get your knickers in knot. Show some restraint and let me finish. I promise I won't even mention the Gamer Point cheats.

In the eyes of big, bad Bill you need Gamer Points to prove that you’re a great gamer. You might think you’re a legend on Call of Duty but if you don’t have all the Gamer Points before you shoot someone in the head from 1000 metres just forget it. You’re nothing. But ask yourself why you need to show anyone anyway? You got 10,000 online kills in Gears of War and gained all 1250 Gamer Points. That's great, well done you, but who'd you do it for? What motivated you? I doubt that the answer will be that it was for the fun of it.

I’m willing to bet that most 360 gamers have played at least one game to within an inch of its life just to get all the Gamer Points. Did you enjoy the games more? No. The Gamer Point philosophy completely contradicts the main reason that video games were created in the first place.

What’s worse is that Sony are very definitely working toward some kind of Gamer Point system. This means that 2 of the big 3 players in video games think that Gamer Points are the way to go. And they are. For them anyway, because it means keeping gamers locked into their brand, and paying out their hard earned cash so they can slavishly continue feeding that insatiable points tally.

Will Nintendo follow suit? Now, you can say Nintendo can barely get online gaming up to a satisfactory level but that’s missing the point. Nintendo don’t offer any form of inter-gaming, inter-gamer one-upmanship. Nintendo make it much more personal. If you've completed Resident Evil 4 on the Wii then you’ll be beaming from ear to ear with self-satisfaction. Sure, you can go and tell your friends about how great it was and how you could look up Ashley's skirt but that information isn't plastered all over the internet. Thank goodness and yes I did. Ok, so gamers can still exaggerate about scores or the games they've completed but it isn't the same as trying desperately to prove you're the best because you did x, y and z in a game AND you have the achievements AND the points to prove it. Probably got the T shirt too! See what I did there?

Nintendo’s philosophy is clearly all about fun. It always has been. They leave it to the gamers to fully explore and experience games to a level where each individual gamer is happy. Microsoft, and soon Sony, place huge signposts with Gamer Points attached to entice you to do particular things and play the games the way they want you to.

Out of the big 3 video game companies it is Nintendo that are not considering Gamer Points. It is also Nintendo that have the gaming world at their feet. So, forget Bill, stand up for your own enjoyment and play the games for the reason that they were created in the first place, for fun. Oh, and I told you I wouldn’t mention the cheats.

To have Gamer Points or not to have Gamer Points? That is the question. Or is the answer somewhere in the middle? Tell us on the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Sunday Night Insomnia

Why do I always find it hard to get to sleep on a Sunday night? Am I worrying about Monday morning? Am I too relaxed or even over tired? Is it denial because I wish it were still Saturday night?

I went to bed last night at around 1am. I thought I was tired but I found myself staring at the blackness that was swirling around the ceiling while my mind raced hand in hand with nothing in particular. I tried to count sheep but it didn’t help. I’d been playing Space Giraffe earlier in the evening and that freaky psychedelic sheep kept appearing in my minds eye. So, I did the only thing I could and decided I was going to get up. I went downstairs, made a cup of camomile tea, turned on the 360 and loaded up Sonic the Hedgehog. In my sleepless yet tired state I found the blue spiky one quite relaxing. My blurry eyes helping the new HD visuals look extra special. That I didn’t need 30 fingers to play it certainly helped me and this simple gameplay meant I was soon racing through the Green Hill Zone and on to the Marble Zone. 03.50 arrived and with only 4 hours until I’d have to get up for work I had to put Sonic down (not like a vet does!) and go back to bed. A few minutes after climbing into bed I must’ve drifted off because the next thing I know it was time to get my weary self out of bed.

I still don’t know if it was the Camomile tea, the fact I stayed up until nearly 4am or a game of Sonic that helped me to finally get some sleep but whatever it was it hasn’t helped me through the day. I'm shattered!

Do you suffer from Sunday night or any night insomnia? Do you have a cure? Please tell me on the FORUM.