Ask X3F: grammar lesson edition
Welcome to the biggest edition of Ask X3F yet. This week, we've got so many questions and comments it's ridiculous. Seriously, we're just waiting for all the ridicule to head our way. There's nothing that can be done about it, really. With that in mind, we'd best just get on with it and answer some questions. You can find them all situated neatly after the break.
If you've got a question you'd like to ask us, or just something special you'd like to share, hit us up at: ask [at] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
X3F,
Just wondering what ever happened to that extra writer you guys were looking for? Were none of the apps up to par or what? I know a lot of people, including myself, were interested in that. Thanks.
AnOffday
We're still working on getting a new writer, yes. Long story short, it took a while to sort through the applications. Then the holidays hit, and, well, here we are. We should have some good news in the next month or so.
Dear X3F,
Please, Please, Please tell me that Microsoft is working on a Private party chat!
I love being able to just talk 1 on 1 with whoever is on my team, but hate when I have my other friends party with me which makes me turn off my private chat. Then I have to hear everyone talk instead of just the people I want to hear from.
So does microsoft have plans to make a private party chat where I can talk to anyone in party so I don't have to hear other people in the game just the ones I want to talk to instead of just the 1 on 1 like they have right now?
We asked Major Nelson. His response: "We're always looking into ways to make the console better." In other words: not anytime soon. We do have a (snarky) solution for your problem though: stick to playing with people you want to talk to. Mute the rest.
Hi,
We hear news of new arcade games all the time. However, most seem to never see the light of day again. Today's rumor is the GoldenEye port to arcade which although may interest some people, isn't my thing.
Do we have any idea if Ikaruga is coming or has it been lost forever? I've tried finding any resources for XBL Arcade release information and so far failed.
Have you heard anything?
Cheers
Graeme
Unless it's been canceled, Ikaruga is definitely coming to XBLA. It was confirmed a long time ago, actually. When it's coming is anyone's guess. It was recently sighted on PartnerNet (Microsoft's developer and media online network) again, so it may be sooner than you think. We can only hope so.
I hate looking for game videos and not knowing which ones were loaded recently. There is a check listed beside the media I've already viewed however I need more! Space exists below a video's name to insert the date that it was added to the Marketplace. That would help me determine if I had the most recent video, game content, music, show listed. A simple date stamp would make my world much better. Shout out to Richard and the Oklahoma connection. I'm in OKC. Keep the shows coming.
--
Larry Asberry, Jr.
Master of Business Administration
An excellent point, Larry. It's not as good as a listed date, but you can also avoid some of the older video content by sticking to the "New Arrivals" sections on XBLM. Still, content stays in New Arrivals for a long time, and if you're sorting through all the media options, it can get confusing. So come on, Microsoft, how 'bout a nice little date stamp for Larry?
With Burnout Paradise [out now] I was reminded that the online servers for Burnout Revenge will be taken offline. What is going to happen to the online only achievements when they go down?
Ummm, we're all out of luck? That's our guess.
This is probably going to sound like a completely pointless question, but I was wondering if Xbox had a vowel sound. Do i use a Xbox or an Xbox. I remembered from elementary school that you use an before a vowel, that's when I realized that I had been saying an Xbox. I pondered for a while if my grammar was correct, thing that most nouns that begin with an "x" sound start with ex. For a couple days now I
have shrugged the though off but it keeps coming to haunt me in my dreams..... :( So could you please give me some closure?
-Slothosaurus
Slothosarus, as anyone in the writing field will tell you, grammar is never pointless! This becomes very apparent to lowly bloggers like us as we scan through hundreds of user comments every week. Also, we are not immune to bad grammar either (and our errors are quickly pointed out by those same user comments). In the case of "a" or "an," the usage generally depends on the beginning sound of the word. If it begins with a vowel sound, use "an." So, Xbox (eks-boks) should be preceded with "an."
Also, just for the record: it's biased, people. You can't be bias. You are biased. You can have a bias, but you can't be it. That is, of course, unless you've found some magical way to transform yourself into the concept of bias. In the off chance this happens to be the case, our apologies.
Hey guys,
A co-worker of mine recently got The Orange Box for the PC. I have it for the 360 and I was wondering if I could play him in some Team Fortress 2? I tried a little digging myself and found some things that said it might be in the works, but nothing definite.
Thanks,
Ben
Gamertag: ObiBen8
It's funny you should mention cross-platform play in Team Fortress 2, as internal development builds of the game did have cross-platform play. Apparently it wasn't worth the trouble, and Valve even noted that they would only implement cross-platform play in a game that was designed to support it from the beginning. In other words, no cross-platform love for you. Sorry.
Hey guys, love the site and all that. A little while ago Dustin made a pretty good video of the new Halo maps and put it up. I recently had the itch to make my own Halo video and apparently the video card I have is garbage when it comes to capturing input. I was just wondering what kind of capture card he used and what software he used his mad editing skillz in to produce such quality videos.
Thanks,
Adam
GT: HalfAznGuy
An example of Dustin's handiwork
The answer is actually surprisingly low tech, Adam. You'll need three things: a PC, a TV, and a video capturing device, in Dustin's case the Dazzle Video Creator 150 from Pinnacle Systems. Your 360 will input to the device, which will connect to the PC and output to the TV. Videos will be recorded to the PC where you can edit them with whatever program you wish, Windows Movie Maker in Dustin's case. Pinnacle also makes a video capture device for Mac, if that's your thing. The nice thing about these devices is that they have onboard encoders, so you don't need a beefy PC or a nice video card. The downside is they cost in excess of $100 and they aren't HD. Still, they're more than adequate for home projects, especially if you're planning on streaming them on the web anyway.
Dear X3F,
Awesome site, love it, read it everyday at work. I think this question will apply to a good amount of people who have both GH3 and Rock Band. So we all know the GH controller works for rock band and thus gives you a full set of instruments. We all also know that the Rock Band controller doesn't work for GH3. Are there any plans for releasing a patch to allow the Rock Band guitar to work on GH3? That would make too much sense, wouldn't it? But they would be cutting themselves out of some possible $$ from people buying a second GH3 guitar (which isn't even available as a stand-alone yet). So yea, are there any plans for a patch, and would it even be possible considering hardware issues.
Thanks, Josh
Gamertag: polojal
The short (albeit speculative) answer is no. Activision has made its stance on Guitar Hero peripherals very clear. Lest you haven't been keeping up with the GHIII / Rock Band squabble (and we wouldn't blame you), Guitar Hero III controllers for the PS3 do not work with the PS3 version of Rock Band. When confronted, Activision said that Harmonix (i.e. EA and MTV Games) would have to pay to use the technology before they could issue a patch (a patch, incidentally, that Harmonix had already developed). In other words, Activision wants people to buy more Activision guitars. We're just guessing here, but we imagine that goes both ways, so we don't expect Activision to go out of its way to make Rock Band guitars compatible with GHIII.
long time reader and tipper, first time asker.
Firstly, I seem to remember after the Dec 4 "Fall" update, there was a twist navigation section for "Free stuff"... and now it seems to by mysteriously gone? Were people downloading too much free stuff and now they have to find it on their own?
secondly, you guys used to "file" news under the games... but you've seemingly stopped doing that but still have a laundry list of old obscure games over on the right hand side bar. would you consider starting to file under games again, at least for the most anticipated titles such as GTA 4?
With warmest regards,
-xenocidic
The Free Stuff section is still there. You can find it under the Spotlight section of Marketplace.
As for our categorization system. It is outdated. It became apparent that we couldn't simply create a category for each and every game that was released. While X3F has received modular upgrades in the last year or so (new comment system, image galleries, etc.), we're due for a total redesign eventually. We'll probably move to a different system then, something more along genre lines, like Joystiq. In the meantime, it's actually very easy to search for news about one game using our tag system. For instance, if you want news about GTAIV, put this in your browser: "http://www.joystiq.com/tag/gtaiv". You can search for any game or keyword in this way. Just append "/tag/keywordhere" to our address. For multiple word tags like "Rock Band," put a hyphen between words: "/tag/rock-band". You'll also find relevant tags at the bottom of every post. Just click them and they'll open up related articles. Nifty, eh?
