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Top 10 awful achievements
Let's face it, some 360 achievements are pretty difficult to get. Others are pretty easy. However, there are some that are too easy or too hard. And of course there are those that are just stupid (here's looking at you Kong). GamersReports has taken our distaste for crappy achievements and combined them with our love of easily digestible lists of information. The product of this peanut butter/chocolate creation? A top ten list of the worst achievements on the Xbox 360, of course! Even better, Joystiq went to the trouble of recreating this list, which we will delicately lift for our own personal gain. It's the American way. Behold: Mini-Games (Enter the Mini-Games mode); Madden 2007 Pyromaniac (Jack used fire to scare off enemies and get out of harm's way); King Kong The Graduate (Earn the highest score on every drill in Training Mode); Rockstar Table Tennis Tactical Instructor (Top marks in every Story Mode mission); Chromehounds Play Some Online (Compete in each of the online game modes at least once); Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 Food Bank; Feeding Frenzy Game Master (Finish the entire game without continuing while using default settings); Smash TV Complete 99 Stages (standard mode); Bomberman: Act Zero Transmissionary (Answer all calls from Otis); Dead Rising World Champion (Multiplayer: Climb to the top of the universal leaderboard); GRAW Do you agree with this list? Any others you'd care to throw up there?[Via Joystiq]
Sunday at X360F: GRAW aftermath
The results of last Sunday's GRAW poll are in. A full 26% percent of those polled have already downloaded the new GRAW content. While a majority of those players seem to be happy with the purchase, just over a quarter feel that the content wasn't worth the money. Comparing those who've already purchased it with those who'd only get it for free, it's pretty close with 575 votes and 509 votes respectively. Looking at the overall results, it seems that the sweetspot for content downloads is somewhere between free and $5 US. Still, a quarter of GRAW players are willing to shell out 15 bucks, and another third are willing to pay 5 or 10. That means 60% of those polled are willing to pay something. That's a pretty clear message for would be content providers. Remember folks, you vote with your dollars...er...points. Judging by these results, Ubisoft didn't quite hit the nail on the head, but they made out pretty well. What do you think?
Sunday at X360F Poll: Who's got GRAW content? [update 1]
Some of you may have noticed the rather vocal response to the news that new Ghost Recon content costs 1200 points. Most responses went to the tune of "Kiss my ass." Some have bitched and moaned, others gladly opened their wallets, and one person actually burst into flames. So, now that the content has hit, bringing with it the first signs of the apocalypse, the question is: did you get it? We'll take a look at these numbers next week. Who's got GRAW content? I got it. It's GRAWsome. I got it, but it's not worth 1200 points. 15 bucks? No way. I'd buy it for 800. I'd buy it for 400. I'd only get it if it was free. Basic poll stuff: don't vote if you don't have XBL and a copy of GRAW. And yes, you could spam the poll and throw off the results, but then you'd be a stupid jerk. You're not a stupid jerk, are you? Update 1: this poll is now closed. Check out the results here.
GRAW backlash: "1200 MS Points? Kiss my ass"
That low, droning whine you hear is the predictable response to the price of the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter's Chapter 2 Expansion pack, now available for download on Marketplace. Here's what you get for 1200 MS Points: Continuation of the multiplayer Co-op campaign with 4 all-new missions in Chapter 2 8 revisited, relit multiplayer Adversarial maps 2 all-new game types with 1 new game mode – Team Battle 2 new camouflage patterns 4 new character customization faces 5 new weapons Holy crap! 1200 MS Points! That's 171.75 Pesos, 576.453 Thai Baht or $15 American Dollars, the most expensive downloadable content we've seen so far. I think your level of acceptance/disgust with Ubisoft's Ghost gouging depends on whether you convince yourself this content is a true expansion pack ( the kind you used to pay $20 or $30 on an old-fashioned disc) or glorified horse armour. Team Xbox's hands-on will help you make up your mind. Of course, some people over at Major Nelson's complaint repository already have. Sample quote: "1200 MS Points? Kiss my ass." How many people will be shelling out for this relatively expensive expansion? Also, can somebody tell me what the PC people are getting for free? [Thanks Andy]
GRAW downloadable content up for 1200 MS bux
The much-anticipated downloadable content for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is finally here. Dubbed Chapter 2, this 724Mb download promises new weapons, new game types, and new missions, all for the low, low price of 1200 Microsoft points ... ... wait, 1200 Microsoft points? That's $15 in the US! That means a fully-loaded Xbox 360 version of GRAW is going to run you $75. Granted, that $75 nets you one of the best looking next-gen games along with an absolute crapload of downloadable content. Check out Team Xbox's hands-on to see what your $15 nets you or read this concise list and start making assumptions over whether or not it's worth it: Continuation of the multiplayer Co-op campaign with 4 all-new missions in Chapter 2 8 revisited, relit multiplayer Adversarial maps 2 all-new game types with 1 new game mode – Team Battle 2 new camouflage patterns 4 new character customization faces 5 new weapons [Thanks, Scott and X Budd]
Sneak Peek at GRAW DLC [update 1]
Xboxyde has scored a handful of screenshots from the upcoming GRAW XBL content. The screens feature some of the new co-op campaign maps as well as some new equipment. The content will be released later this month and features "12 additional maps designed for Live multiplayer play, four new missions that extend the co-op campaign through Nicaragua, new game types (Team Blind Siege and Team Battle), more camouflage customisation options and five new weapons." Xboxyde also mentions that they are accepting questions for an upcoming interview with the GRAW team. If you have any burning questions for the team, you may submit them in the Xboxyde forum. If anything else is burning, I'd suggest you see a doctor. If -- on the other hand -- you'd like to see more screens, click the read link below. [update: removed (sic) from 'customisation' on account of it being the Queen's English.]
New GRAW content deploying this month
Ubisoft has released details of the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter premium content bundle planned for release this month on Xbox Live Marketplace. The package will include four new co-op missions, which also double as general multiplayer maps. In addition, Ubisoft is offering these four new maps, plus four original maps, for play in different times of the day (i.e. altered map lighting).The download will also feature five new weapons: the SR-25 SD sniper, M468 carbine, M468/M320 grenade-launcher mod, AK-47 LMG, and SCAR-H SV. Players will also have access to Canadian CADPAT and British DPM camouflage patterns, in addition to 4 new avatar faces. Ubisoft has not yet specified a price for the content bundle.
Havok vs AGEIA: the physics/PhysX showdown
We recently covered the hot topic of physics acceleration, and FiringSquad has gone one further, pitting AGEIA and Havok against each other in an interesting debate. As competitors are wont to do, the companies directly attack each other to a certain extent, but in other ways the arguments exemplify the CPU-GPU/PPU battle.A user comment sums it up: "Developers are unlikely to make gameplay dependent on the presence of a PPU until it's widely adopted. Until then it'll probably be limited to effects (and taking the gameplay physics load off the CPU)." As PPU adoption becomes more widespread, developers may embrace it, but we need developer support to make the case for adoption -- it's a vicious circle that AGEIA will have to break.To further fan the flames around physics acceleration, a source close to the DirectX steering committee has told Joystiq that Microsoft's DirectPhysics API may not be going ahead after all. Instead, Microsoft may approach a laissez-faire attitude and snap up whichever acceleration solution emerges as the winner.[Thanks, John]
GRAWsome! Ghost Recon: AW demo in the wild
Sure, the Battlefield 2 demo was nice, but this is the big one, the one we are were all waiting for! The demo for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warrior has finally been released! It was a long time coming, we were teased by reviews, sold out signs, and demo false alarms, but it's all over now. If you haven't picked this up already (all three of you) then get downloading and let us know how it stacks up to the effusive praise. Read all of our GR:AW coverage here.
Ageia PhysX card makes explosions look pretty
Ageia has posted two videos comparing an explosion in the PC version of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on machines with and without the company's $300 hardware PhysX physics card. It's clear to see that the explosion is much more impressive on the PC with a PhysX card--the shrapnel and massive smoke cloud is entirely absent on the normal machine. However, there's some inconsistency in terms of the explosion's effect on the gameplay. In the video without the PhysX card the screen doesn't shake and a nearby soldier is unaffected by the blast. In the video with the PhysX card the screen shakes relatively violently and the soldier dies (although he's slightly closer to the blast). Of course its possible that the second video could have been tweaked to further differentiate the two machines' explosions, but if simple effects like a screen shake requires $250-300 worth of hardware it's not hard to envision a lot of pissed off gamers.[Update: fixed grammar error (moved over an apostrophe, added an "s")]
Metareview - G.R.A.W. (Xbox)
We thought we'd drop in on Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox and see how the 360 version's bastard little brother is being received by critics. Turns out, it ain't pretty. Somewhere along the line, the port from next-gen to current-gen lost the "Advanced" concept, making GRAW the first real reason to upgrade. Team Xbox (69/100) - "The "advanced warfighter" concept is a good one, but it is one that is truly fit for the next generation of consoles." Cheat Code Central (62/100) - "It's almost as though this game was made poorly on purpose so that the superiority of 360 would be felt like a kick to the head with a spiked boot." GameSpot (59/100) - "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox continues the disturbing trend of releasing games on different platforms that have the same name but offer vastly different gaming experiences." [Compare to: GRAW (Xbox 360)]
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - the fastest selling UK Xbox 360 title
The worldwide release of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter last Friday has done wonders for the game in the UK market. Entering the chart at number 2 (second only to a multiplatform FIFA release: FIFA Street 2), the Xbox 360 exclusive title is now officially the fastest selling Xbox 360 title in the UK. This is a testament to the value of simultaneous worldwide releases if they're done right (ie: no shortages thank you very much). Other interesting tidbits from this week's UK games chart: The Xbox 360 version of Fight Night: Round 3 outsold the PS2 version by a factor of 2:1 -- evidence that high def sweat, blood and tears really does sell games. Seven out of the top ten games were EA published titles. Alongside GRAW, there were two new entries: Lemmings on the PSP (No.12) and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max (No.22) Will Ghost Recon be able to take the number one spot next week with the release of the original Xbox version, or will the release of 24: The Game, Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360, and Commandos Strike Force mess it all up for Ubisoft? [Thanks, JamesO]
Metareview - G.R.A.W. (Xbox 360)
Any haters in the house? The early consensus (8 reviews, all 90% or above) suggests that Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360 is going to become a prime target for Xbox-loathing fanboys who still think the 360 isn't next-gen. Will they find a kink in the armor? Or did the four-month delay allow Ubi to reach perfection? Here's a glimpse of the praise so far: GameSpot (92/100) - "Advanced Warfighter is the best-looking game to date on the Xbox 360, and it offers exceptional tactical shooting action to back up those great visuals." IGN (92/100) - "You'll be impressed with the stunning single-player game, and when you're done, you'll finally get to play long sessions on Xbox Live with an online game that's fully equipped to deliver a next-gen package. My advice, get this game..." Stuff (90/100) - "Advanced Warfighter on the 360 is so beautiful, we actually dry-humped our conference room TV set."
Ghost Recon: AW demo headed for the XBLM
According to the official blog for Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (that's GRAW to you soldier) a playable demo will be coming to the Xbox Live Marketplace (and that's XBLM). When asked, in a Q&A posted yesterday, if there would be a demo coming to the XBLM they responded, "Yes there is, we are putting something special together as we speak which will be out soon." When is soon? [Thanks, Ludwig]
