Veteran Gamer Heads to the Store, Strikes out

With many sites having buy two get one free sales, I set out to get some games for my shiny new Vita today at lunch.  First, I hit up Target.  Sadly, they didn't have the game I wanted most, Hot Shots Golf.  Knowing that nearby was a Gamestop that was also having the same sale, I begrudgingly headed to the gaming industry's largest parasite. 

When I got there, I picked off the three games I wanted and headed to check out.  On my way there, somebody asked from my periphery what I was getting.  I'd snagged Lumines, Hot Shots, and Rayman as my selections and talked with her for a bit.  As it turns out, this wasn't just any random stranger, it was a Sony rep.  What luck!  So I chatted with her for a while, and relayed my tale of woe regarding the not incredibly up front way that the Launch Bundle was marketed.  While I was checking out, she disappeared for a bit.  Once my total was rung up, after I had to explain to the Gamestop guy what the bundle was that I bought and what happened to raise my ire, (One was on his shelf behind him. *FACEPALM*) I noticed that my total was over $120.  I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa here, this should be buy 2 get one free."  Fine print got me again.  Gamestop's promotion was only for Sony titles.  So I go back and exchange Lumines and Rayman for Uncharted and ModNation Racers.  Get back to the checkout, and then I hear... "Awww, sorry man, the only three we have in the promotion are Hot Shots, Uncharted, and Little Deviants."

I swore.

Yay for swag!

It was in the middle of this that the Sony rep returned with some swag for me, apologizing that the bundle I bought didn't work as I expected it.  It's not much, the cover in the center being the jewel for sure, but it was refreshingly awesome customer service to admit that something probably wasn't very clear, apologize, own it, and give a token of thanks for being a customer despite the issue.  This in the middle of one of the poorer customer experiences I've had in a while.

As she heard the guy explain that it was only Sony titles in the deal, her jaw dropped and as I went to check out what I could get I could hear her say "Isn't the promotion for all games?  I'm pretty sure that's how it's going at other retailers..."  And then when again I couldn't get what I was looking for (I have no desire to get Little Deviants) I could just see her face fall.

It's so lonely!

Gamestop guy tried his best to save a sale and sell me Hot Shots anyhow, but I was kind of insulted that he tried knowing full well that would keep me from getting a discount elsewhere.  I had a choice.  Wait longer, or get something now that I didn't necessarily want.  Patience actually got the best of me, and here I am, still, with nothing to play on my Vita.  This will be remedied after work!

But kudos to the lady from Sony at the Gamesop in Mansfield, Ohio today.  She did a fine job, really knew her product, (I chatted quite a bit with her about the various Vita titles available) and represented her company well today.

Vita 3G Launch Bundle Free Game and Data Pack Require Initial Data Pack Purchase

Well this kinda sucked...

The seemingly awesome deal for Playstation Vita buyers getting the launch bundle lost a bit of its luster as I cracked the box on my new beauty.  There's the small matter of how the bonus items work that seemingly nobody reported on.  While there aren't (and couldn't be) any strings attached to the 8GB memory card that comes with the system, to get the free 250MB data pack and your copy of Super Stardust Delta, you must first purchase a 250MB datapack through AT&T.  While you're still getting $25 worth of free stuff in the deal, having to put out the $15 to get it would have been nice to know ahead of time.

UPDATE - On top of that... you don't get your free game for 30 days.  So if you bought the system thinking you'd have a game to play out of the box, you're sadly mistaken.

Veteran Gamer's Top 5 Games of the Year

Back again!  Sorry for the delay on this article, but hey, I'm only one man.  And just as with last, year, the following disclaimer returns:

There's no way I can play all of the great games that were released this year.  So this is purely my "Top 5 Games I played this year" list, with the system I played it on in parenthesis.  The biggest caveat to this list that should be noted off the top.  I only own the 360 and PS3.  The Wii hasn't held my interest since launch, and I don't have a PC that is beefy enough to run anything worth playing.

Continuing last year's start, I present to you the game I just didn't get last year:

WTF Was This Game So Popular Game of the Year:  Nobody!


Three cheers for the gaming industry and press!  As I looked back at last year, there were NO critically acclaimed games released that I sat wondering why I was playing.  Everything I played was worth playing, and I think that speaks to just how AWESOME a year 2011 was for gaming.

Most Disappointing Game of the Year: Battlefield 3

As awesome as Battlefield Bad Company 2 was last year, Battlefield 3 completely disappointed.  Glitches galore ruin this iteration of 2010's best shooter.  My crew and I still have issues with mics working properly and actually staying in our squads after joining games.  EA shot high with its marketing and unfortunately DICE fell flat in delivery.

#5:  Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)


Surprise, surprise, surprise.  For the first time in forever, a Mortal Kombat game was worth playing for me.  Chucking the 3D gameplay that strayed so far from what made the series great at it's inception, NetherRealm went all nostalgia on us and FREAKING NAILED IT.  But it's not just nostalgia running the show here.  The game includes a real story mode that is the most entertaining in any one on one fighting game I've ever played.  I've sunk 11 hours in this game and still haven't finished the story.  If you've ever been a fan of the series, you'll find the newest iteration well worth your money.

#4:  Uncharted 3 (PS3)


Uncharted 3 was equal parts frustrating, equal parts mesmerizing in my experience.  Game controls were frustrating in many parts, from inadvertently jumping to my death many times, to everyone's favorite thing, instant fail sequences.  But the parts where it fell short were minimal compared to the fantastic visuals and engaging story, which is why despite my frustration, Uncharted 3 reaches my top 5.

#3:  The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360)


It just couldn't live completely up to the hype for me.  Add in a month period where the game was unplayable due to an elemental bug introduced after a patch, and Skyrim fell out of the GOTY perch for me.  However, this is still an outstanding game.  I've barely scratched the surface in my 16 hours of play, and love this fact.  This is of course a detriment to several high quality games sitting on my shelf, some of which I've not even touched, but they'll get their due.  Eventually.

#2:  Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)


The Gears trilogy finishes strong.  Another great single player experience, and a lot more splattering grubs and glowies.  Though I don't get the competitive multiplayer at all in this series, Horde 2.0 and the new Beast modes shine.  The tower defense style in Horde 2.0 improves on an already addicting formula.  And of course, the ability to play as the Locust in Beast mode is a neat new addition.  In another year, this could have been the GOTY... but it's most certainly the shooter of the year!

Before I get to #1, here are some honorable mentions...

Honorable Mention:  Forza Motorsport 4 (Xbox 360)


Everyone's favorite version of car porn probably would have made my list had I just had some more time to play it.  Sadly, with only 3 hours played, I couldn't in good conscience put it into my top 5.  That said, I've had a blast with what I've played of what is easily the most beautiful racing game on a console.

Honorable Mention:  Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360)


God of War like in it's gameplay, but a 3rd person shooter in reality.  Throw in copious amounts of gore and bullet time sequences and you've got... well... what this game is.  This is a really hard game to describe, and yet in the short time I played it (less than an hour) I was having a lot of fun.  If you like shooters and want something different, you won't be disappointed.

Honorable Mention:  Once Upon a Monster (Xbox 360)


Holy crap, a Kinect game made this list!  But it's because it's an unbelievable experience if you also happen to have young children.  I've played eight hours of this game with my son, and he's just loved it to death.  I can't thank Double Fine enough for giving me my first gaming experience with my son and making it great.

And now, Veteran Gamer's Game of the Year is...

Game of the Year:  Portal 2 (PS3)


I could wax poetic about this game.  I devoured the single player in this game, leapt into the multiplayer via couch co-op with a friend, and was disappointed to finally reach the end.  The puzzles were brilliant, the humor was some of the best ever in a video game, and the gameplay was near perfection.  I'm not sure how Valve will deliver us a Portal 3 after the ending, but here's hoping they find a way, because a world without GladOS is a world I don't want to live in.

Thus closes my year in gaming for 2011.  Can 2012 possibly top 2011 and even 2010 before it?  Like last year, the games I didn't get to which certainly could have been contenders for my top five were numerous.  A few that would certainly have been in the running were Batman Arkham City, Saint's Row the Third, Dark Souls, LA Noire, and certainly more.  As with last year, thanks to everyone who's sticking with my tiny little blog.  I hope to improve more for this year!

Playstation Vita 3G Launch Bundle

As reported by IGN today, Sony has created the Playstation Vita 3G Launch Bundle.  This bundle scores you all of the following for the same $299 that was announced at E3 for just the 3G unit:

• Playstation Vita 3G model
• 8GB memory card
• PSN title to be named later
• 1 free month of AT&T 250MB data service

Both Amazon and Gamestop have listed these bundles for sale, and as soon as I heard about it, I plunked down my pre-order money at Amazon.  How about you guys?  Is this enough to persuade you to buy a Vita?

Editorial: Microsoft Misses the Boat

Tomorrow marks the launch of the latest update of the Xbox user interface, the first such makeover since the NXE was launched.  Having been a member of the Preview Program, I can assure you it's worth updating to, especially if you own Kinect.

One of the features most touted during its announcement was the addition of live TV to the Xbox.  With partners like ESPN, HBO, Verizon, and many more, Microsoft proclaimed themselves the herald of a new generation of TV.  That may be what they said, but the reality is that they're simply propagating the current stranglehold of restrictions on video content that already exist.

You've seen it already.  The ESPN app on the Xbox only works if you already have a cable/satellite subscription, and it's on a provider that supports watchespn.com.  The new apps are no different.  HBO Go?  Gotta have a subscription.  Verizon FIOS?  Subscription.  Maybe I'm missing something, but can someone please explain to me why the ability to watch the same channels you already pay for, on the same TV you already own, but via the Xbox instead of a cable/satellite box is a big deal?  And before anyone says "You won't need to own a cable/satellite box now!" remember that A) You can't get all of your provider's channels, and B) There's no way in the world that you won't be charged a fee of some sort for this "privilege".  There's no way the company will give up the box rental revenue.

Microsoft seriously missed the boat here.  They could have changed video content distribution forever by making this offering "rogue".  What do I mean?  Give me the ability to say: "Hey ESPN, I'll buy your channel for $4.95/month.  HBO, I'll pay for your channel too.  Verizon FIOS offering?  Sure, I'll take that as well.  By the way, I'm a Time Warner Cable Internet subscriber, and you're going to stream your stuff to me on their network without me subscribing to their video offering."

Now THAT would have been revolutionary.  To break free of the traditional mold and let the content live wherever someone wants it.  I'm not trying to be a pirate about it, you still have to pay for the content.  The idea that I can just pay the content provider directly rather than the middle man is the key.  And Microsoft could have done this!  Let's look at this objectively.  The only value add for existing subscribers is that now they could pair Kinect with the video offering.  While that's nice and all, it's nothing most people would pay extra for, as is rumored with the Verizon FIOS offering.  Since the service Microsoft is offering isn't doing anything different, they could have approached content providers from the standpoint that Apple approached the music industry.  This pitch could have went something like this:

"The times, they are a changin boys.  You can either be in on the revolution or swept under by it.  We're planning to begin a new service that will deliver subscription video content via the Xbox Live service and we want you in on it.  This will give you access to an installed base of 55 million consoles worldwide, and 35 million current (as of June 3rd, 2011 according to Xbox Live's Larry Hyrb) Xbox Live subscribers.  You win because subscription fees go directly to you, we do not control any price, and you get to eliminate the middle man and make more profit.  Our subscribers win because they get access to the content they want, don't have to subsidize content they don't want, and aren't tied to a specific provider in order to get it.  We win because we feel this will drive more desire to own an Xbox with a Live subscription.  Whadda ya say guys?"

And I think at first, there would be resistance for sure among the big content providers.  But what you would see immediately is the little guys JUMPING at this opportunity.  Content providers such as G4 that recently got dealt a huge blow last year by not being renewed by DirecTV (the largest US Satellite provider) could give them the middle finger and get to far more households (35 million versus 18 million as of the research done for this article) than DirecTV could hope to give them.  Content providers wanting to get in the game that could never hope to even get past negotiations with content delivery networks could ply their wares to millions without ever having to negotiate a contract.  Then at some point, one of the big boys finally sees the market they're missing out on, and the rest fall like dominoes.

This will happen eventually.  It's just a matter of time.  It's unfortunate that Microsoft with both the power and opportunity to effect change wasted both.  The new Xbox Live experience will certainly carry a lot of positives, but it sadly fell short of the revolutionary offering that it could have been.

Review: Uncharted 3

The Uncharted series is probably most known for being absolutely gorgeous, as well as modernizing the Indiana Jones style exploration genre.  Uncharted 3 is no exception.  Come on in and let me tell you a tale of a game that could have been an absolute masterpiece.

The story:

The story gives us a peek at Drake's history with Sully, showing us their relationship at its genesis in Columbia.  This is integral to the game's overall story, as it also introduces you to the game's main villain in the process.  The filling in of the back story with Nate and Sully is awesome.  As a fan of the series, it was really neat to see how they met and the tie between them.

Equally riveting is the story between Nate and Elena.  You open the game in a mission with Sully, Chloe, and a new character, Cutter.  Elena is nowhere to be found at the beginning of the game, and you're given a somewhat vague story of why throughout the game.

The main story this time around revolves around the cause of Sir Francis Drake spending way more time than he should have in one spot for one of his expeditions.  You open trying to sell Nate's ring that he's had since the first game, sending us on this whole adventure to start with.  The buyer tries to use use counterfeit money to get the ring, and in typical Drake and Sully fashion, it ends up in a brawl.

The game:


Nothing much has changed since the first two games here.  Hand to hand combat is still mostly mashing square with a dash of triangle thrown in.  Stealth kills haven't changed either, just get near the enemy undetected and tap square and finish them.  The only thing really new is that we now have the ability to chuck grenades back at the enemy by timing a press of the triangle button just right.  This isn't anything to knock the game for, as the system is certainly fun.  What's frustrating to no end that also hasn't changed since the first game, is the clunky controls for controlling Nate during the platforming and climbing sections of the game.  Many a time I jumped to my death while seemingly pointed exactly where I wanted to go.  Also needing to go away are the all too frequent instant fail sections.  Several times you're asked to pursue someone or run away from something and if you're not quick enough or go the wrong way, it's time to restart.  This is compounded worse by the fact that on more than one occasion you're running toward the camera and cannot see ahead of you.  Note to all developers:  This is just cheap.  It's annoying and completely luck based, and there's no need for it in the 21st century of gaming.  Pile that on top of the sections of the game where you're not really gaming, and it just gets a bit old.  I do realize they're using this for effect in the story, but in practice, it's just a cut scene that requires you to hold in a direction to advance it.  They'd have been better off simply making it a true cut scene and being done with it, as there's no reason for the player to have control in these instances.

The verdict:

All that said, it's still a great game.  It's beautiful, and tells an awesome story.  Unfortunately, Uncharted 3 is a frustrating mix of this great story, beautiful scenery, and botched game mechanics.  In the end, a game is just that, a game.  If the game part is weak, you can't ignore this.  It's very much worth playing, but in deciding the final score of this game, the weaknesses in the actual game prevent it from being a must own.

Pros:

• Probably the most beautiful game you'll see on a console
• Smart story, constantly keeps you guessing

Cons:

• Way too many instant fail sequences
• Controls just aren't that strong

Score: 4 out of 5 stars - Worth Owning

Review System - PS3

Time Played - 16 hours, all single player

Completion: Finished the single player game.  Obtained 31 of 55 trophies

Want My SWTOR Beta Key? Just Ask!

I couldn't come up with anything creative to give away my Star Wars: The Old Republic beta key.  So instead, the first of my Twitter followers to simply ASK will get it!  I put this out yesterday and have yet to get a response...

SWTOR Beta Key to Give Away

So, I've got this shiny SWTOR beta key here in my hands.  The problem for me, is that I don't own a PC to play this thing on.  So how exactly should I give this thing away to you, my wonderful readers?

Want Some Free Battlefield 3 Custom Dogtags?

If so, easy task for you.  A new movie scheduled for release in February next year called "Act of Valor" has partnered with EA to hook you up with some dogtags for watching their pretty BA trailer.  Click here to see the preview of what looks to be a pretty awesome movie and score your loot.

Early Play - What's the Big Deal?

It appears that a few retailers have jumped the gun and began selling Modern Warfare 3 just a *tad* early.  Those that have been able to take advantage of this, of course, started playing.  Yesterday, Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse tweeted the following:

Stepto: clarification: dblchk'd with Activision. Mw3 pre-release play not authorized. So pls be patient. Playing early may impact your account! (link to tweet)

Two things are at question here.  First, it has been Microsoft's policy in the past that if you've legitimately obtained a game prior to its official release, go nuts.  This even came from Toulouse himself earlier in the day tweeting:

Stepto: For those asking about MW3 pre-release play: If your copy is legit and obtained legitly, have fun. It's a great game. (link to tweet)

So why the reversal?  Is Activision now dictating to Microsoft what its policy should be?  Moreover, if they're really that concerned about people playing it before release, here's a novel thought.  Turn off the multiplayer servers until release.  That'll teach those bastards to pay you money before they're supposed to!

And that brings me to point number two.  Why does it really matter?  These people are not pirates.  They're paying customers.  I could totally understand if these were leaked copies of the game being spread far and wide across the Internet.  This is not the case.  Here, you're punishing your most rabid fans for legitimately obtaining the game early.  You want to take it out on someone?  Find the retailer that sold it early and tell them they don't get the game next time.  Or if it was really that severe in your eyes, blacklist them from getting other games published from your company.  Don't punish the consumer, they're innocent in this scenario.  Who of us *wouldn't* take that opportunity?

The conspiracy theorist in me isn't entirely sure this hasn't been orchestrated since Battlefield 3 is enjoying some pretty ridiculous sales numbers with no opposition and Activision can't have it.  This could be the *wink wink, nudge nudge* "Now you're not supposed to be doing this yet guys!" in order to get some free publicity and to undercut the competition.

It's moderate level d-baggery at its worst, and crappy publicity stunt at its best.  Either way, the consumer that did no wrong ends up standing to lose the most.

Update - Toulouse later went on to say that nobody would see retribution for early play but to "wait til Tuesday to play with everybody", whatever that meant.