Short post

I still have to sit down and write mini-reviews for Cloning Clyde and LoTR:BFME2 but for now chew on this great article from Shacknews regarding piracy on the PC, part of the reason why I think PC gaming is dying.

http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2006/072606_ritual_piracy_1.x

Shack: People have a lot of theories as to why it sometimes seems like the PC industry is slowing down in comparison to the console market. Do you think that this really is one of the factors in that?

Mike Russell: I'd say that piracy is pretty much tied with config problems. On the console, you write it once, you test it once, and it works or doesn't work. On the PC, you have millions of combinations, and testing them is prohibitive. So it's very hard to effectively test a PC title. It's cheaper to test a console title, and there's less piracy. That's why everyone is moving to console.

HD-DVD Blue Ray info

The most recent Major Nelson podcast has some really great info on HD-DVD vs. Blue Ray. Yeah some corporate shilling but still some info worth listening too.

Here is another great article discussing the facts.
Lastly another article discussing the two available HD-TV players.

I'm more than 1/2 way through LoTR:BFME2. I love the game, really glad I bought it. I had a chance to play it this weekend online and had a blast. This is a really great multiplayer game. Once I finish both campaigns I'll write a review.

Upcoming Arcade Titles

NeoGAF was able to provide me with a list of the known/announced upcoming XBox Live Arcade games:

Mad Tracks Load Inc. August 2006 Bar Sports
RoboBlitz Naked Sky Entertainment August 2006 Action Arcade
HoopWorld Streamline Studios 2006 Bar Sports
Novadrome Stainless Games Summer 2006 Action Arcade
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Midway Summer 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Paperboy Midway 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Defender Midway 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Cyberball Midway 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Root Beer Tapper Midway 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Pac-Man Namco August 9th 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Ms. Pac-Man Namco 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Rally-X Namco 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Dig Dug Namco 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Galaga Namco July 26th 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Cloning Clyde NinjaBee July 19th 2006 Action Arcade
Heavy Weapon Popcap Fall 2006 Action Arcade
Sonic the Hedgehog Sega 2006 Action Arcade
Contra Konami 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Time Pilot Konami 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Scramble Konami 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Track & Field Konami 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Lumines Live! Buena Vista Summer 2006 Puzzle and Word
Totem Balls Freeverse 2006 Camera Enabled
Small Arms Gastronaut Summer 2006 Action Arcade
Mutant Storm Empire PomPom 2006 Action Arcade
Super Contra Konami 2006 Coin-Op Classics
Pinball Freeverse 2006 Action Arcade
Darwinia Introversion Software 2006 Strategy

LoTR:BFME2 the longest bloody game title ever

The game is good, a really nice change of pace from all the shooters (and lack of games really).

My biggest beefs are that the framerate does drop, if you build a decent sized army (or are trying to defend against one) the framerate drops significantly and it makes giving orders sometimes tricky.
My other complaint is since they don't give you the ability to click the mini-map to go to or send units to a particular location they should have given the ability to set 'bookmark' locations so you could quickly go to particular locations on the map.

Neither of my issues make the game unplayable, just irritating if the battle is getting hectic. If you haven't played a RTS before or are looking for something new to play this summer I really recommend this game.


I also read these news on NeoGAF:

Quote:

Frogger’, ‘Galaga’, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting’, and Pac-Man make their next-gen debut on Wednesday’s this summer – bringing exciting new retro content to Xbox 360 gamers worldwide

Today, Xbox Live unveils Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays, a new program that will provide a regular launch schedule of new Xbox Live Arcade games for gamers worldwide. Starting today, Xbox Live Arcade games will now go live worldwide on Wednesdays at 0800 GMT (Midnight Pacific) – hitting gamers around the world all on the same day.

Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays kicks off with a blockbuster summer schedule of eagerly anticipated retro titles. Gamers looking for a blast from the past can download ‘Frogger’ – the beloved Konami classic arcade title – today on Xbox Live Arcade. Other Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays titles debuting in the coming weeks include ‘Cloning Clyde’, ‘Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting,’ ‘Galaga’ and ‘Pac-Man.’ To date, Xbox 360 gamers have downloaded more than 5 million Xbox Live Arcade games and the release schedule sizzles all summer long, with the following titles arriving on Xbox Live Arcade:

Ø July 12 – Frogger
Ø July 19 – Cloning Clyde
Ø July 26 – Galaga
Ø August 2 – Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
Ø August 9 – Pac-Man

red lights of death information

Since I wondered if there was a way to get more information about a failing 360 I stumbled on this post at TXB's forums:

--==ERROR Codes==--

If there is a problem with the Xbox360 The LEDs in the ring of light will flash in a particular pattern. The pattern itself leads some insight to the problem. Certain patterns will lead to numbered error codes which will provide further insight to the problem. The numbered error codes are described below their corrosponding LED code.

Please contribute if you know of new codes that are not part of this list.

=============================

Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 are flashing red
- The AV cable cannot be detected
/ \ /

THINGS TO TRY

1. Make sure that the AV cable is correctly connected to the Xbox 360 console.
2. Disconnect the AV cable from the Xbox 360 console, and then reconnect the AV cable to the Xbox 360 console.
3. If the four flashing red lights continue to flash, try wiping the metal area of the AV pack with a dry cloth. The metal area is the end that plugs into the console. Wipe the metal area thoroughly, and then try the AV Pack again.
4. If the AV cable is correctly connected but the four red lights are still flashing, substitute a different AV cable if you have one available.

=============================

Sections 1, 3, and 4 are flashing red
- General Hardware Failure
/ \ /

Check the secondary Error Code per the instructions in the section below

THINGS TO TRY

1. Try restarting the console.
2. If restarting the console does not resolve the behavior, follow these steps:
   • Turn the console off.
   • Unplug all the power and AV cables from the console.
   • Unplug the power cord from the wall socket.
   • Firmly reconnect all the cables.
   • Turn on the console.
3. If these steps do not resolve the behavior, turn the console off, remove the hard drive, and then turn on the console. If the 3x Red LED error light is no longer displayed, turn the console off, re-attach the hard drive, and then turn on the console.
4. Also examine the lights on the power supply. When you turn on the console, the power supply light should illuminate green even if the three lights on the RoL flash red.

=============================

Sections 1, and 3 are flashing red
- Overheating
/ \ /

THINGS TO TRY

1. Let the Xbox 360 console cool.
   Note You may have to wait several hours for the console to cool enough. Do not turn on the console when the console is hot.
2. Verify that the console has sufficient ventilation and that the fan is operating. For more information about ventilation, see the "More Information" section.

PREVENTION SUGGESTIONS
To try to prevent this problem, use the following precautions:

• Do not block any ventilation openings on the Xbox 360 console.
• Do not put the Xbox 360 console on a bed, on a sofa, or on any other soft surface that may block ventilation openings.
• Do not put the Xbox 360 console in a confined space, such as a bookcase, a rack, or a stereo cabinet, unless the space is well-ventilated.
• Do not put the Xbox 360 console near any heat source, such as a radiator, a heat register, a stove, or an amplifier.

DO NOT EVER PUT YOUR CONSOLE IN THE FREEZER OR OUT IN COLD WEATHER
Some people think that doing this might help "fix" an overheating console, in fact doing so could cause even bigger problems. Electronic devices like your console are made to function at and around room temperature, extreme cold temperatures can often cause just as many problems as extreme warm temperatures (such as overheating). Also if the console is located in a dramatically cold area while running, the difference in temperature between the hot console and cold air can create condensation which in turn will short out your console making the situation far worse. Condensation will happen more quickly if your console is overheating due to the greater difference in temperature. In short... DON'T DO IT.

=============================

Section 4 is flashing red
- Hardware Failure
/ \ /

The Specific Type of hardware failure can be determined by the error code displayed on the screen.
If the screen is blank or you would like additional information follow the instructions for determining the secondary error code in the section below

E65: DVD Drive Error.... DVD Timeout, Wrong firmware, dvd is without f/w chip, etc.

E67: Hard Drive Error... It could be a problem with the Hard Drive itself or a problem with the internal connection to the hard drive, Try removing the hard drive and playing without it

E68: Hard Drive Error... It could be a problem with the Hard Drive itself or a problem with the internal connection to the hard drive, Try removing the hard drive and playing without it, This can also be caused by a Hard Drive Eprom Error.

E69: Hard Drive Error... It could be a problem with the Hard Drive itself or a problem with the internal connection to the hard drive, Try removing the hard drive and playing without it

E74: AV cable error... There is a problem with the AV cable, try using a different AV cable.

=============================

--==SECONDARY ERROR CODES==-

The specific type of hardware failure can be determined by a "hidden" error code

• Turn the xbox 360 on, and wait till the 3 red lights are flashing.
• Press and hold the sync up button (the small white one), while holding that button press the eject button.
• The LEDs will now blink the first number in the code (as described below).
• Release the eject button and press it again.
• The LEDs will now blink the second number of the code.
• Release the eject button and press it again.
• The LEDs will now blink the third number of the code.
• Release the eject button and press it again.
• The LEDs will now blink the forth number of the code.
• Release the eject button and press it again.
• The LEDs will go back to the 3 red flashing lights.

You should be able to determine the difference between the 3 flashing lights and the error code lights by the rate in which they flash.

Here is how you interpret the LEDs to get the code number:

• All four lights flashing - 0
• One light flashing - 1
• Two Lights flashing - 2
• Three lights flashing - 3

0001 power supply problem
0002 power supply problem
0003 (not yet known)
...
0010 over heating
0011 over heating
0012 over heating
0013 over heating
...
0020 (Not yet known, possibly overheating)
...
0022 GPU Error / GPU Overheating
...
0102 unknown error - littereally means the console does not know what is wrong. possibly a short or cold solder joint somewhere (2 reports of people repairing this, one was removing moisture build up inside the console, the other used a hot-air rework to reflow the BGA Ram chips)
...
0110 Memory Error / Memory Overheating
...
1010 Hard Drive Error, Can be caused buy a currupt or missing Eprom.
...
1022 (Not yet known)

=============================


--==Sending in your Console for Repair==--

If none of the above suggestions work, contact MS customer support get get a support ticket started. If your console is still under warranty DO NOT attempt to open it and fix it yourself. MS will fix it promptly and for free and if you open it you loose the free support.

Check the documentation that came with your Xbox 360 for contact information.

In the US Customer Support can be reached at 1-800-4-MY-XBOX (1-800-469-9269)

=============================

summer=hawt

Not much new to add, I'm still trying to work in time to finish Halo2 since I bought it dirt cheap from Ebay ($12 for a new unboxed copy). For the most part it plays well with only the occasional "overlay image burn in" that is fixed by visiting the main menu and reloading where you left off.
The game looks great in HD and looks better than some native 360 titles.

I was planning on buying Prey (probably because I'm tired of my current 360 titles) but after playing the demo for a bit I just can't consider it yet. The single player is pretty good, I really like the voice acting and storyline but it just didn't draw me in and make me want to finish the demo. The multiplayer while interesting just felt "off" and again after a few matches didn't make me want to continue playing. I don't really like the Doom3 engine, I really hate games that use tons of darkness and the main characters look like plastic. I liked Quake4 but not enough to actually purchase the game, similar to Prey I guess.


Thankfully LoTR:BFME2 (yes that is the game's name) comes out this week and I'm pretty confident I'll be buying it. I really want to play RTS games on the 360.
Chromehounds too appears on the 360 shortly but I just didn't like the demo enough to warrant buying it. (Good Japanese games for the 360 seem pretty hard to find.