Please......................Wait

Much like Gameov3rs blog posts lately, the Xbox 360 guide has been suffering from some annoying de.......................lays. Usually just a few seconds here and there but enough to be a little annoying at times. To be honest I thought it was just my in.................ternet connection playing up a bit as it's only really been noticeable to me the past month or so. However Major Nelson bought it up in his latest podcast having heard many complaints about precious gaming time being lost due to this very problem. He's assured us that they are doing everything they can to get it sor...........................ted and let you know that it aint just you.

Check out the GAMEOV3R Forum

Multiple Fractures

I recently played through Fracture on the 360 having picked it up for a tenner. It's certainly worth that much and like I do with most games I checked out the achievement list to see what challenges were there for me. A fairly standard list with a smattering of multiplayer ones was the answer. Complete one multiplayer game was one. Hardly an achievement really but why not I thought.

It took a while to find a game which I wasn't that surprised at with the game having been out a while and with multiplayer competing with the likes of Halo and Gears. Eventually a 2 on 2 team deathmatch type affair was begun... soon to become a 2 on 1 team deathmatch with me being the one. I don't blame the guy from dropping out really it wasn't thrilling to be honest. I stuck it out though... achievement unlocked, even though I lost... badly.

Then I spotted that another achievement was to do the above 1500 times. 1500 times?! You can not be serious! I looked around for John McEnroe but like most people on Xbox LIVE he must have been playing something else too. 1500 games of this isn't an achievement it's an endurance test. How on earth did the developers think it would be popular enough for people to reach that one? It left me wondering if anyone actually has this achievement and following on from that, if you do, why?!

Seriously gamers... check out the GAMEOV3R Forum! oops...

Xbox 360 Extended Warranty Covers E74

I've read several small articles regarding the E74 error that seems to be the new RRoD. I hadn't realised it had become quite such a big deal however with Microsoft now making an official announcement to say that the extended warranty has now been extended... more.

"While the majority of Xbox 360 owners continue to have a great experience with their console, we are aware that a very small percentage of our customers have reported receiving an error that displays "E74" on their screen,"

"After investigating the issue, we have determined that the E74 error message can indicate the general hardware failure that is associated with three flashing red lights error on the console. As a result, we have decided to cover repairs related to the E74 error message under our three-year warranty program for certain general hardware failures that was announced in July 2007."

One article suggested that the announcement only covers the US so far but I haven't been able to find anything on the Microsoft website that states that. I can't really see them treating other countries differently having now acknowledged the problem.

Further details

Click the link to see which error message the GAMEOV3R Forum will give you today...

Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage

Fallout 3 was easily the game of 2008 for me. Despite a bit of a slow start it developed into something I couldn't put down and I easily put 70, maybe even 80 hours into it by the time the ending came. I encountered a couple of bugs along the way but rather than spoiling my enjoyment they actually raised a smile. Seeing a Rad Scorpion suddenly fly hundreds of feet into the air for no reason is a sight to behold.

All this puts me in a bit of a dilemma. The recently released DLC called Operation Anchorage seemed like it would be right up my street. More Fallout 3... how can that be a bad thing? Priced at 800 points it's said to provide 4-6 hours of extra play but all the reviews I've been reading of it suggest it's nearer 2-3 with the quest being a pretty linear combat based experience. I'm no longer sure it's really worth the £6.80 asking price which is a shame. Anyone downloaded this and want to share their opinion here or on the forum?

Check out the GAMEOV3R Forum

Probably the best Community Game on Xbox LIVE

Sin Surfing was my favourite community games until I came across Johnny Platform and his biscuit antics.

A game of platforming and puzzling to test your observation and dexterity and there are 50 levels in which to do this. Each level is a static screen that contains enemy robots, these are the guys that want all the biscuits, an exit, that you unlock by destroying the robots, and lots of cups of coffee to collect to boost your lives tally.

Johnny presents an addictive and challenging game that's a lot of fun to play. There’s a solid learning curve and, thankfully, some save points too. It plays extremely well, with a perfect sense of momentum as you double jump around the screen and it's all very nicely presented.

200 Microsoft Points, that’s £1.70, and it’s yours. Try the demo and you can play the first 20 levels. This will give you a flavour of what’s on offer.

At £1.70 you can’t really go wrong with Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp and the fact is that this is a superb game that will keep you entertained for hours.

You could of course go to the Ishisoft website and download the game for free. Johnny was first developed for the Nintendo DS and I’d imagine that it’s playable with an M3, an R4 or via emulation. Still, I’d heartily recommend that you spend the £1.70, the game is more than worth it, and help support a new game designer.


Hands up if you haven’t even tried out a community game. Come on don’t be shy. Right, now stand up, slap yourself around the back of the head and go and have a look at Johnny Platform’s biscuit Romp. Oh and check out Sin Surfing while you’re at it. After that get on the Gameov3r FORUM and tell us what you think.

In DEAD SPACE no one can hear you scream...

I didn’t see anything particularly new as I ploughed my way through the marauding aliens that infest the USG Ishimura. I did see elements of Bioshock, Half Life 2, Prey and Doom intertwined into the Dead Space canvas and while these weren’t subtly hidden they seamlessly became part of Dead Space’s fabric feeling as fresh as they did when you first encountered them.

So, to say Dead Space is ground breaking would be a lie but to call it a copy of these games is an injustice of equal measure. With it’s many virtues Dead Space is one of this years surprise successes. It’s so well constructed and polished that you cannot fail to be impressed.

You play as Isaac Clarke, an Interstellar Engineer, and you’ve been assigned to a team that have been sent to investigate a distress call from the deep space vessel the USG Ishimura. Once you arrive at the Ishimura you really won’t have much time to worry about repairing anything before you and your colleagues are attacked by gruesome looking aliens. Thankfully you’re not unarmed. In fact Isaac’s weapons are inspired. Using the tools of his trade - flame thrower, a levitating buzz saw, the plasma cutter, ore cutter, force gun, contact Beam and a Space Marine’s Pulse Rifle, which is effective but far less interesting to use, you’re options for disposing of the alien hoard are plentiful. All the weapons work exceptionally well and you can level them up which is key to aiding your progress. It is impossible to level up all you weapons fully in one play through which I found a little bit annoying. It’s ok if you’re going to play though the game again but with so many great games to get through at the moment is anyone going to have the time?

Dead Space looks utterly stunning. The USG Ishimura is beautifully crafted and believable. The interior of the ship varies considerably and the lighting is always first rate and is used to create some extremely eerie spaces. Animation is fluid and in the looks department the aliens would break mirrors faster than Man Widdicombe, (Thanks Captain) but only just. The aliens actually don’t vary that much throughout the game but despite their ugly similarities despatching them never gets boring. This is thanks to Isaac’s weapons as I mentioned above and also the facts that to stop the aliens quickly requires a sharp eye and lots of shooting off limbs.

If only Dead Space had included some choices. A couple of points where the game forced you to make a decision that would impact in someway on Isaac’s fight for survival thereby effecting the ultimate outcome of the story. Then Dead Space would have stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the best games of the year.

Dead Space is a quality FPS title. It is a simple, spectacular and gut-wrenching experience. It impresses with Isaac’s every step. It’s graphics, sound, suspense and action create a tangible atmosphere and the game never does the same thing over and over to the point of frustration.

If it wasn’t for the lure of Fable II, Fallout 3, Gears 2, Mirrors Edge …. and … and …. I would play through Dead Space again. Maybe I will at some point.

Did I mention that Dead Space will make you jump? It will. I was warned and I still had to peel myself off the ceiling on more than one occasion.

There are things equally frightening on the Gameov3r FORUM. There are things that are far, far smellier too.

Who Will You Become?

Not many people know this but I have two wives... or I should say had two wives. One of them divorced me yesterday taking my little baby boy with her and the other isn't too happy with me either. The fact that they lived just around the corner from one another I think may have contributed to this awful turn of events. Some may say it was stupid but I thought not trying to hide it was a good way to go. Maybe they would understand and I could have breakfast with one and dinner with the other, like a time share kind of arrangement. It wasn't to be.

Returning home from a lengthy adventure I was told in no uncertain terms that she was leaving town. I tried to run after her performing all of my best expressions that I know she used to love, but no amount of heroic poses, victory arm pumps or extended farting could fix this one.

This morning I'm starting to get over it and thinking about making a fresh start later on today. A number of gypsies seem uncontrollably attracted to my new tattoos so offers are coming thick and fast. Maybe I'll try to take things a little slower this time.

Life certainly moves fast in the Fable 2 world though.

Take life slowly on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Xbox 360 Suffocates To Death!

Just a warning to people that although the weather is getting colder, if you're going to leave your Xbox in an enclosed space, leave a small gap in the window so it can still breathe...



Get a warm welcome on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Xbox Experience Noise Test

Of all the things the new Xbox experience is going to bring, one of the best things for me is the ability to install games to the hard drive. Not only will they load quicker but also cut the amount of noise the thing makes. Even with a newer Xbox the sound it makes when the DVD drive is spinning is a little ridiculous compared to the Wii or PS3. So exactly how much quieter will it be? Watch this...



Peace, love and respect... but mostly PEACE!

Make some noise on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Endurance Test

I've been going through my game case recently trying to actually finish off all those games I keep saying I'm going to finish off... one day. So far I'm doing quite well with another one finally complete (Conan on the 360) after not touching it for around 8 or 9 months. One of the biggest problems I find is that if I put a game down for a length of time I can rarely be bothered to relearn the controls again. Often it's not as difficult as I think it'll be it's just this mental block I create. The thing is I'd left Conan with only the final boss left to fight, so why hadn't I just done it and traded it in for something else months a go?

Within around 15 minutes of asking this question the answer arrived with a resounding thud... the kind of thud sound that banging your head repeatedly against a wall would create. This boss wasn't a test of skill, it was a test of endurance. Six bloody stages of endurance to be precise. Each time I got his energy bar down to zero I thought that's it, I've done it, but the game had other ideas. The thing transformed into something else and I had to do the same again... and again... and again. I realised I wasn't actually even enjoying playing it anymore, which is a shame as whilst not a fantastic game the rest of it had been lots of fun. It was only my stubbornness of not wanting it to get the better of me that carried me through. There was no joy having got there though, just relief. I could finally get rid of it knowing I beat it, and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough! So 85% of games go unfinished? Someone tell the developers of this in case they make a second one please!

There are no endurance tests to join the GAMEOV3R Forum, just some unpleasant jobs for the newest member...

Seven Trials?

I finished Prey on the 360 last night. Quite an old game now but available very cheap. It's not bad but a little disorientating when the floor can suddenly become the ceiling. None of the puzzles are actually that difficult but it can sometimes be hard to actually see where you're supposed to be going.

Anyway that's not really what I'm writing about... the bit that confused me more is a short level right near the end where you meet up with your spirit Grandpa. In it he tells me I must complete seven trials but strangely I never found these, neither were they ever mentioned again. In fact within around half an hour of being told about this I'd finished the game. Maybe the game was intended to be longer and these trials didn't make the final version? Maybe the developers thought I wouldn't notice? Anyone know what the old fool was on about?

"Earth's savior doesn't want the job." There are worse jobs on the GAMEOV3R Forum believe me...

Xbox 360 Memory Upgrade Offer

Update to the post regarding those Arcade Xbox 360 console owners without enough free space for the 'new experience' arriving on November 19th.

Go to this web page to see if you are eligible for the upgrade offer. Apparently you'll be offered either a free 512MB memory unit or a discounted refurbished 20GB hard drive. Not a bad deal at all really.

Join the GAMEOV3R FORUM

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!

Xbox LIVE Summer of Arcade

It's been quite a while since I purchased an Xbox LIVE Arcade title. There was a time I'd quite look forward to seeing what games would come out each Wednesday and try out the demo. A string of disappointing releases has gradually worn that away. They haven't all been awful, just a lot of very average games and I have more than enough games to not need average ones. This looks like it could all be set to change starting today with Geometry Wars 2 and the Xbox LIVE Summer of arcade.

By playing either the demos or full versions of the games below between the dates specified you'll also get entered into a sweepstake where you could win Microsoft points, an Elite console or a Gold subscription to LIVE. You can find all of the details here.

July 30 – August 5

The latest version of this great retro shooter.

August 6 – August 12

A mind-bending and artistic puzzle-platformer in which you manipulate the flow of time in strange and unusual ways... as opposed to completely normal and common ways.

August 13 – August 19

The classic eight-bit side-scroller reports back for duty in this HD remake.

August 20 – August 26

A reimagining of the classic arcade shooter created by the team behind the bestselling “PAC-MAN Championship Edition”

August 27 – September 2

An adventure featuring hand-drawn characters and an array of weapons to choose from as you defend your kingdom.

Check out the GAMEOV3R Forum

Installation Notes (Read First!)

One of the new additions coming to the Xbox 360 will be the ability to load your games from the DVD onto the hard drive to speed up load times. You'll still need the original disc in the drive to prove you actually own the game though.

For me the improved loading times come secondary to the fact that I won't have to see that message about the disc being unreadable and being thrown back to the dashboard again (something I seem to suffer badly with on Rock Band) and top of the list the noise my Xbox makes will be halved during loading times! Of course there will still be the jet fans blasting away on my aging premium but I guess you can't have everything.

Please join the GAMEOV3R Forum before proceeding with the installation

Xbox 360 DRM Tool

Finally the issue of Xbox 360 owners being stuffed by DRM issues when they replace their console for whatever reason is no more. Microsoft came in for a lot of stick over their draconian DRM solution and rightly so. The problem being that once a gamer replaced their console or had it replaced under warranty, the games and content they had bought would only work while they were online and logged in with the gamertag that purchased it.

The Content License Transfer Tool announced last month is now available to use right here. If your console is replaced by Microsoft your licences should already be transferred for you and it should be noted that you can only use this tool once every 12 months, so you can't use it to constantly move content between consoles.

Join the Gameov3r FORUM today and log in as many times as you like over the next 12 months

Short Changed?

When Halo 3 was released there was such an uproar on the internet about the fact that it only runs at 640p and not what is regarded as a minimum for HD, 720p. The reason given for this by Bungie is that they made a trade off on the resolution to incorporate full range HDR lighting. Sounds like a bit of a cop out is what seemed to be the general opinion. Some comments suggested it's not a true next generation game because of it. Suddenly every man and his dog knew about developing a game and called Bungie lazy and untalented for short changing them 80p.

Having never played a Halo game before I didn't get swept up in the hype and kept clear of all the arguments... until last week. Being available for around £15 - £20 now I finally decided to pick up a copy and I'm glad I did. While it was a short run through in single player I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and I was very impressed with the graphics. What makes it look so good? The lighting. Simple as that. It reacts absolutely perfectly and gives everything a believable solid feeling the likes of which I've felt in very few games. It seems maybe, just maybe, the developers really do know what they're doing. So for those still feeling like they're owed 80p here's my 2 penneth towards it (and this goes for any game using similar techniques)... try just enjoying the game and stop worrying that somebody with too much time on their hands decided to count the pixels.

Visit the GAMEOV3R Forum in full HD although sadly fancy lighting effects are not included

Lasting Impressions?

I finally caved in and got GTA 4 on the 360 even though I've never really taken to the series before. The number of perfect scores meant the curiosity level was just too much to bare.

Now I've only played it for maybe an hour and a half and a fair bit of that has been cut scenes to get you involved in the story, but so far the niggles I've encountered have outweighed the fun.

I'll start with the auto-centreing camera. It's a little annoying and I think it's this that makes Nico feel a bit odd to control. In an enclosed space like the apartment or when you go shopping for clothes it's clumsy. It's hard to put my finger on exactly but something doesn't feel quite right, although maybe in time it's something you adjust to. Why don't you get analogue control either? No matter how much you move the stick Nico walks...slowly, meaning you have to hold 'A' to run.

Secondly the cars seem to have worse handling than a shopping trolley. They have faulty brakes too! Once you do build up some speed they suffer from massive understeer and using the handbrake usually results in you continuing to travel in the same direction... but sideways. Maybe I need to drive them in a more realistic way (slower) but that doesn't seem fun.

Thirdly I've had one date with a girl called Michelle which to be honest involved a pretty uninspired mini bowling game, and lastly the amount of swearing feels a bit forced. Now I know this is GTA so what did I expect right? Used well, swearing can really add to a script and be funny too (and sometimes it was), but often it left me feeling like it was added for the sake of it with no attention to how effective it would be, and dare I say in a slightly immature way.

I'm fully aware that I need to play this a lot more to form a complete opinion and I'm hoping these very early impressions get completely turned around once I've given the game the amount of time it deserves, but I wondered if anyone else felt any of these things initially?

The GAMEOV3R Forum awaits you...

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

Down on your knees and...

...PREY?

If you have a 360, like FPS games, and have yet to experience PREY, where have you been? You may have been in the same place I was. I was on Planet Yysiab. No that's not one of the planets from Geometry Wars Galaxies, it's Planet Yea Yea Seen It All Before. I was so completely nonplussed by 3D Realms offering that despite buying it because it was cheap I still didn't play it. That is until about 4 weeks ago when, inspired by a returning interested in FPS games, I decided to give it some of my attention.

If Venom Games decided that PREY was going to get into training for the Beijing Olympic Games it's chosen event would be high diving. PREY would go straight for the highest board and it's first attempt at a flying forward one-and-a-half somersaults pike would earn it straight 9's. Easily.

Vertigo is not something that PREY has a problem with. Prey prefers to stand at great heights, play with gravity and generally mess with your head. I was in awe of this game's use of gravity when I first walked up a wall and then stood on the ceiling firing round after round at the alien invaders. Certain large rooms contain new born planets, very Magrathea, and once you get yourself onto one the gravity changes, relative to the size of the sphere you're on. It's very elegant and seeing the main chamber from all angles while you run around the baby planet blasting aliens is a lot of fun.

The main character, Tommy, has the special ability to Spirit Walk and to visit the Spirit World. He is a Cherokee after all. Ok, so it's a bit cheesy but it works incredibly well and adds a fresh element to the game. When Spirit walking you are separated from Tommy's body and can go where Tommy normally couldn't go. This adds plenty of opportunity for puzzles and little bit of thinking outside the box for the player. If Tommy loses all his energy he's returned to the spirit world where you play a mini game shooting red and blue spirit wraiths to try to return your health and spirit levels before returning to the real world. This all keeps the story flowing along nicely and I personally enjoyed it far more that just restarting at the last check point.

Built on Unreal technology the levels are both gorgeous to look at and superbly designed. If you've ever looked at one of M.C. Escher's' impossible pictures you'll know what to expect with PREY's levels. The only difference is that there are more aliens that you have to destroy in Prey.

PREY isn't particularly challenging if you're into FPS games but it's a gaming experience well worth playing. The only area that seems to cause players difficulty is the cube puzzle on level 16. I can honestly say I was out of the cube and back to adventuring and blasting within minutes. It's really not difficult at all and just requires a bit of spatial awareness.

There are moments in this game so awesome that you will stop playing and stare goggle eyed at what's happening on screen. The rest of the time you'll be adventuring and blasting and loving every minute.

I've seen PREY in Gamestation for £7.99 so, while you wait for GEARS 2, do yourself a favour and walk the spirit walk. You won't regret it.