Dare to Play the Game

Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. This will be a weird column this week, I apologize. My internet connection at home was down for all of tuesday night (one little rainstorm and the cable connection goes belly up). I wasted my time playing Viva…Piñata and got 4 more achievements along the way. If you haven’t read my review of Viva Piñata , then please go do so. Unfortunately, this means no normal column with pretty pictures of Morgan Webb or any pictures at all actually. I apologize. Most of you will also be probably seeing this by mid-day at best since I am writing most of this wednesday morning. So let’s check out the news, share a couple of things, and run over the meager releases. Check it out boys n girls (and if you are a girl over 21 and pretty, give me a call!).

No doubt about it, the dirtiest ‘ho-filled videogame on the Xbox 360 is THQ’s thug-romp, Saints Row. With its foul-mouthed dialog and soft-porn escort missions, Volition’s game isn’t for the soft-hearted. Thankfully you can feel good about being a Third Street Saint again with the new free Ho Ho Ho Pack.

Out today on Xbox 360 Marketplace, the Saints Row Ho Ho Ho Pack enables Gold Tier members to download, for free, a Santa Clause ensemble comprising a Santa coat, hat, boots and genuine Santa hair. So, as you hump and then kill prostitutes, run over innocent citizens, steal their cars and kill their grandmothers, and blast your crazy rap music into the air, you can do it with a Santa outfit on. Happy holidays, kids! Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s gonna kill you!

How great is that, I can dress as Santa Claus and get my ho on! Running through the streets, tossing presents to everyone. The present of guns, ammo, and a little thing we call street walker love. The best part of it, its free! Mmmm, free just like the VD you got from Luwana. Oh wait, that cost you $100, what a rip..oh well don the cap and have a merry Christmas.

MGS4 Rumored for Xbox 360

With Microsoft’s one-year-old console gaining a steady install base in North America and Europe, Konami executives have switched their positions on an outright Metal Gear Solid 4-PlayStation 3 exclusive, telling Hideo Kojima to bring the game to Xbox 360, says Electronic Gaming Monthly in its December issue.

One year ago Konami’s Hideo Kojima was quoted as saying that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was technically possible on Xbox 360. Now it’s not only technically possible, it’s perhaps financially feasible as well. EGM’s rumor mill produced the short article and it’s worth noting that no sources were supplied, no quotes were given, and no reasoning was provided behind the alleged move. It’s pure rumor, one that Konami executives have refused to comment on or entertain in public since the game’s announcement on PlayStation 3. When contacted today, Konami officials said “These are just rumors.”

Still, the notion that MGS4 could come to Xbox 360 makes a little more sense today than it did four months ago. Back then, we couldn’t see the state of disarray that Sony was in. Now, with Sony’s rough launch, limited unit numbers and high price tag, perhaps Konami executives are seeing how fiscally prudent an Xbox 360 version would be. That doesn’t mean it is happening. It’s still just a rumor; but one worth mulling over.

The cons of such an argument are many. Sony and Konami are long-time partners. Metal Gear Solid 3 never came to Xbox, as MGS2 sold unimpressive numbers. But MGS4 is a technical showcase and a guaranteed system-mover for Sony. The series has been one of Sony’s biggest weapons since MGS on PlayStation and even more so with MGS2 on PS2. Pundits and industry analysts say that Sony is working with Konami with both technical and financial means to keep the exclusive secure.

But so what? Contracts have limits. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came to Xbox, and GTA4 is coming day and date to Xbox 360 with the PS3 version. Other Japanese publishers are considering the weight of Xbox 360 and are shifting their own once-Sony exclusives to Xbox 360, too. (We’ll have more on that later.) The most likely scenario, if this rumor has any legs to it, is that Konami has signed a contract with Sony restricting its port to another system for some time; as soon as the contract is up, MGS 4 will ship on Xbox 360. Will that be three, six or 12 months? If MGS4 is due for fall release on PS3 (no official date has been released), then count on a minimum of six months. In other words, if the rumor proves true, count on a 2008 release.

Nice, very nice indeed. I really only got back into Metal Gear with the release of the limited edition Subsistence. (thank you EB Games). However, since I made the switch, its nice to see that most likely MGS will make the switch. Metal Gear really is the title that wants to be an exclusive but only gets there in theory. It’s a great game, time in and time out but somewhere along the way Konami decides they have to sell more units. In so, this title will start on the PS3, and then in 6 months count on it for 360. Hopefully there will be some online play, though for this type of game I really don’t think its ultra necessary. Just keep Solid Snake out of any future cute fighting games for the Wii, okay?

December 2006 Back Compatibility titles added/updated:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Burnout 3: Takedown UPDATED
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Dead Or Alive Ultimate
Destroy All Humans!
Dynasty Warriors 4 / Shin Sangokumuso3
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
Ex Chaser (Japan Only)
Family Guy
Far Cry: Instincts
Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy
I-Ninja
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna *** Laude
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
MotoGP
Incredibles/ Mr. Incredible (J)
Muzzle Flash (Japan Only)
MX Unleashed
Open Season
Pariah
Plus Plumb 2 (Japan Only)
Psychonauts
Psyvariar2 Extend Edition (Japan Only)
Rainbow Six: Lockdown
Rapala Pro Fishing
Rent-A-Hero No. 1 (Japan Only)
Scarface
Shark Tale
Shenmue II
Soul Calibur 2 North America only
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tenerezza (Japan Only)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
Ultimate Spider-Man
Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray
Whacked!
Winback 2: Project Poseidon
Xiaolin Showdown

Good, they were well over due for an update. Problem is there are only a few titles worth talking about. I guess there will be a couple of Buffy fans that will be happy :). For me, DOA Ultimate is a must buy now (especially since its a nice double disk package going most places for $15 or under), also of interest to me particularly is Destroy All Humans, Family Guy, Scarface, & Shenmue II. Of interest to others, Evil Dead is a great game (feel free to read my PS2 review), Far Cry Instincts for those who want to use new maps from the Far Cry on 360 on an older game, Mortal Kombat Armageddon, & Ultimate Spiderman all warrant some lookage. Even Soul Calibur 2 since it will be super cheap and include that Spawn exclusive. Lets hope they don’t space the next update 4 months from now. They should really do this 5-6 times a year for a while.

Nintendo Replaces Wii Wrist Strap

Hot on the heels of some complaints from Wii owners that their wrist straps broke as they were playing — sometimes resulting in damaged hardware or worse, personal injuries — Nintendo today announced that it is improving the quality of its strap for future controllers and offering free replacements to customers.

The thickness of the Wii wrist strap was initially set at 0.6 millimeters. However, all future versions of the controller, whether packed with the console or sold separately, will feature thicker 1-millimeter wrist straps.

Nintendo Co. Ltd. out of Japan started offering users who bought original Wii consoles and controllers the option to exchange their wrist straps for free starting today. The company is also stressing that the wrist strap is designed as a secondary safety device and that users should not let go of the controller when they are playing Wii software.

Well thank goodness Nintendo woke up. Great idea, but people were probably killing random Plasmas and LCDs all over the place. I thought Nintendo didn’t like violence (unless Super Smash Bros were involved). But Nintendo has had great sales despite this. I wish that they would put out more virtual console stuff too and with better pricing. On final judgement, a simple rom dump should cost no more than $5 for any system not just the old NES.

A couple of fridays ago I went to my mailbox, to be honest I wasn’t expecting a thing. I thought, oh some bills, maybe one of my rebates will finally come back in (especially the $100 for the 360 from Microcenter), maybe a christmas card that isn’t addressed to my ex. (those get really depressing after a while). I looked inside and saw a package. Its from upcomingdiscs.com. I blink for a moment, did I enter a contest and forget? Hrmm, I get back in my car and drive back to the house where I can open it. Inside is a copy of Viva Piñata for XBOX 360. I think I stood there in shock for a good 10 minutes. Furthermore, included was a letter from the people @ RARE/Microsoft sent to reviewers to help them with the product. The neatest however was an additional cd which had screenshots, videos, and everything a reviewer would need to put it up on a website. A media toolkit if you will. I’m sure not every game company would be this thoughtful but it is so appreciated. Sure I still had to play the game 8-10 hours before I could give a good review; but this made posting so easy, took half the time it usually does with one of my own games. It was also a full copy of the game, with cover and casing and everything. Much appreciated when I know a lot of reviewers get games that are half done at best. My impressions of the game are in the review. It was a pleasurable experience and I honestly hope that it is not the last one I will see. This is really a side job that I do enjoy and it is a calling if you will.

Christmas this year is weird for me; it’s the first one I will not spend with my ex wife in 6 years. Even when we did split up about 4 years ago as bf/gf; we still spent christmas together that year as good friends. Even though we are on speaking terms, for obvious reasons it will not be the case this year. So, I am alone on christmas for the first time in years, I mean even before my ex wife…I usually spent christmas with a girlfriend or somebody besides my parents since I got out of college 8 years ago. My parents and me there isn’t much chemistry, no real tradition, its just lets give some gifts, lets receive some. I never really feel at home. That’s why when most kids go back home after they get out of college, I went to live off by myself and never looked back. Sure I moved closer to them after a few years but there isn’t a real bond. I had more of a bond with my ex in-laws to be frankly honest. Truth be told, its not my parents fault entirely…I was an only child and we were isolated since my dad did move around some. Problem is that has extended into my adult life and I have a very hard time socially. Think about it, I work in a position where I’m a computer adminstrator, my interface with people is really limited. My hobby, video games, more sitting in front of a computer. I want to ask a girl out and I am fairly attractive but you could not get me to say two words to her. So this christmas, I say to all of you who read this column, be good to your loved ones…treat them right and karma will come your way. There are a lot of people who have less emotionally and financially this christmas, if possible take a couple of them into your heart whether it would be a small donation, some time spent, or a simple merry christmas. I’m not really speaking about myself for there are people ten times worse off than I could ever imagine, I’m just speaking for the general populace. Merry Christmas to all, and hopefully there will be a good night.

PSP

Bubble Bobble Evolution

XBox 360

Rapala Trophies

Lets see, this week is a choice between dinosaurs that can blow bubbles or catching fish and throwing them back. Lets call it a draw and move on. This is a crazy slow time of the year for games anyhow, and some things are just better left unsaid.

I am still waiting as some of you know for my plasma to be hooked up. Only a couple of days away. I actually moved the box to my old game room just so I wouldn’t have to look at it constantly. I’ve thought about it less and less to be honest. Of course it helps when you have things to do too. I’ve got a question for those of you who stayed until the end of the column this week. There is this girl at work I have a huge crush on, she’s really cute, she’s really different from anybody who works here. She’s certainly unique (the kinda girl I jones for)..and I want to ask her out. Anybody have any real clue (short of some sexual harassment suit) of how would be best to go about it? Questions, comments, and answers would be appreciated. Take care and thank you for reading.

As Always,
Kedrix of Aldrianian
(*The Forgotten One*)