David Dreger
Articles by David Dreger
HDMI 360s at Best Buy have their own SKU
X3F Reader and Best Buy employee Zathu hit us up with some sage wisdom for those hunting down HDMI capable Xbox 360s. According to Zathu, his store got a fresh batch of them, and noticed that they have their own SKU and UPC, and anyone can simply ask their local Best Buy if they have SKU 8493838 in stock. He also notes that they should have a seperate price tag denoting the HDMIness of the console for easy pick'ns. That should assist any of you looking to get your hands on one.[Thanks, Zathu]
Don't cut yourself just yet, MCR pack on Guitar Hero II
Major Nelson gives word that Guitar Hero II has another track pack available on Marketplace. This time, though, it's not a rehash of Guitar Hero I songs, but actually a band themed packed full of master tracks. Sounds too good to be true, right? Precisely, as it still costs 500 Microsoft Points, which is not as bad for fresh content, and the band in question is My Chemical Romance. Now, we've had a couple of rants about reader response to anything involving MCR and their 360, and expect to see more of the same here. In any case, the songs in the pack are "Famous Last Words," "This is How I Disappear," and "Teenagers." Now, remember that it's down the road, and not across the street.
Hexic 2 and Ecco twofer on XBLA Wednesday [update 1]
We just got word from Microsoft that this Wednesday we'll be treated to an XBLA twofer, Hexic 2, and Ecco the Dolphin. Hexic 2 will feature new formations, such as "lines" as the Achievements would suggest, new pieces, and a head to head multiplayer mode. Fortunately Alexey Pajitnov, who made the original Hexic, as well as Tetris, had his hand in this sequel, so fans should feel right at home. Ecco will also be available as part of the SEGA Vintage Collection, and will have Leaderboards for "Best Times" for the levels and enhanced sound and graphics. No official announcement on the pricing, but if you wanted our "professional" opinion, Hexic 2 will go for 800 Microsoft Points, and Ecco at half that price. Update: Prices confirmed on Gamerscoreblog.
X3F Achievements 101: Of Ninjas and Darklings
Welcome to another edition of X3F Achievements 101, and this week we touch on some of the builds used in Shadowrun while getting the Achievements for playing 100 matches as each race, and the fun found in being a Katan00b, though scoring bleed outs takes far more skill that just mashing the right trigger on your enemy and hoping for a kill. I also dabbed into the multiplayer portion of The Darkness, and scored some Achievements in that, as well as finally getting some overdue ones in the game's single player story. All of this and more can be found after the break.
Halo 3 Scans from Famitsu magazine
Gamersyde has some scans of Halo 3 from the latest Famitsu magazine. The text is pretty much all in Japanese though we expect few of you to notice as it's surrounded by pretty pictures. Shown across the seven (Ha!) scans are some campaign missions, armor permutations, weapons, equipment, and multiplayer levels. Most of these have been seen before in some form or another, but any Halo 3 news is good Halo 3 news, even if we don't get to play the Epsilon build.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Battlefield: Bad Company Images
Gamersyde has a slew of new images of Battlefield: Bad Company. We haven't heard much on Bad Company short of a few screenshots since the trailer hit Marketplace back in February. These new shots are all pretty slick, showing off the characters, hum-vees, helicopters, weapon models, and some spiffy explosions and destructible environments. It's looking very pretty and we can't wait until we get more details on how well it plays. Check out the screens after the jump. [Thanks, Brian LQbano]
The Titans of Achievements Crash [update 1]
Update: x360a has the pictures for the list in case you're interested.MyGamercard.net got their hands on the Achievement list for Crash of the Titans (which explains the slightly jumbled headline) today. The list seems to point at completing various tasks throughout the story, with some extra stuff thrown in for beating the game on the Hard difficulty and earning Gold Idols on all the levels on hard. Hopefully the Achievements will be retroactive so those who want to tackle those can get the other ones at the same time. There are also 5 secret Achievements which account for 75 Gamerscore. In total there are 47 Achievements for the standard 1000 Gamerscore.
Jericho and Madden Trailers and Rumble Roses DLC
In today's Marketplace Roundup, we've got a couple trailers for you. First off, for Madden NFL 08, EA Sports Producer David Ortiz gives a demonstration of "Hit Stick 2.0", which should be interesting for those into 26% of the 360's retail library. Next up, Clive Barker's Jericho also has a trailer available for your viewing pleasure which isn't available in Asia. Finally, a slew of downloadable costumes are available for Rumble Roses XX, each set costing you 80 Microsoft Points. Oh Joy.
22% of 360's good titles are shooters
In response to our article about the percentage of shooter games for the Xbox 360, X3F reader Crazed Geek took it upon himself to see how many good games on the 360 are in the shooter genre. His method of weeding out the less than stellar games involved removing any game that scored under 80 on Metacritic, and produced the above pie chart. So, with TPS and FPS combined, they come in at 22% of the good 360 games, moving up to second behind the Sports genre which continues to lead the pack. So there's some more food for thought, and good shooters still only take up slightly more than a fifth of the better titles available. Crazed Geek also has a nifty Google Spreadsheet with all the games and their metacritic score.
X3F Meetup Recap, next stop Seattle (PAX '07) [update 1]
So the X3F Meetup in Vancouver was a moderate success, in total we had 9 others show up, so it was a cool get together. Nick King showed up, but alas, was unable to give out any exclusive details on Wolfenstein, though he did say that after the NDAs cool down, that I'd be able to get a preview on the Multiplayer aspect over at Threewave Software. To make up for the lack of details, he did give out 6 keys for the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Beta 2. More details on the turn out, and the next X3F Meetup after the break.%Gallery-5806%
Condemned 2 movie tie-in still underway
The nerds over at Sega ... Nerds unearthed some details on the upcoming tie-in movie to Condemned 2: Bloodshot, The Forgotten. According to scriptwriter Kurt Sutter, a director is now attached to the project, though we have to wait until Warner makes the official announcement. Sutter also mentioned that he is doing another big rewrite of the script. As for the storyline, Kurt couldn't give any new info, but said that their technique for not falling into the "crappy game movie" trap was pretty cool, as they screenwriter and devs were each given a 15 page outline of the character and world, and told to make a great script and game, respectively, on their own. So rather than one being based on the other, they're both inspired by the same core concept. We'll be sure to keep you informed on any new developments for the game or film.
Only 17% of 360 titles are shooters
Think that the Xbox 360 is unjustly accused a "shooters only" platform? Well, the guys over at FPS Source thought so, and cataloged the current 137 titles available for the 360 into their respective genres and showed what's the most common on the system, and we met them halfway and generated this nifty pie chart for easy consumption. FPS take up 11% and Third Person Shooters take up 6%. The most common genres are either Sports titles, and Action/Adventure games. So, next time someone comments on there not being enough selection outside of the shoot 'em up style, set the record straight.
X3F Meetup: Red Robin tonight, with special guest!
So, initial response to our X3F meetup at Red Robin tonight has been good, but we've got some great news for those of you coming, and those of you on the fence. Nick King from Threewave Software shot us an email saying that he'll be showing up, and got the go ahead from his CEO to give exclusive details on the multiplayer component of their upcoming Wolfenstein game. We told him that if he had any swag lying around the office, that he's more than welcome to bring it along. The Red Robin in question has been informed of our attendance and we have a reservation under "X3F" and scored the patio. The weather is cloudy, right now, so we'll gauge whether we take the festivities indoors or not later this evening. Again, feel free to RSVP in the comments section, or by shooting me an email at david [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com, with the subject "Red Robin" to confirm your attendance. Bottomless Fries FTW!When: 7:00 PM, Tonight (August 8th)Where: Red Robin at Broadway & Oak in Vancouver, BC, CanadaWhat: Good food, times, giveaways, and Wolfy detailsWho: Full RSVP list after the breakNote: We're going to be bumping this story up throughout the day so that those in the Lower Mainland will have a chance to see it and perhaps make some last minute plans.
Impromptu X3F Meetup: Red Robin in Vancouver on 8th
Hopefully the short notice isn't too much of a bad thing, but if you live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, X3F (myself) will be wining and dining at the Red Robin in Vancouver (Broadway & Oak) tomorrow, Wednesday the 8th, at 7:00 PM PDT. As an added bonus, there will be a couple Rock Band shirts that'll be given away, the sizes of which are XL, along with some other goodies leftover from E3. Directions can be found here, as well as contact info for the restaurant itself here. Use the comments section as a form of RSVP, or shoot me an email at david [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com, with the subject line Red Robin. Based on response, I'll shoot a reservation to the Double R under X3F. Depending on the weather, we may stake out the patio overlooking downtown. If you're in the area, we hope you can make it down.
Summer XBLA titles announced
Following the announcement of Track & Field yesterday, Microsoft gave us a sneak peak at the Arcade titles coming this month and in the coming weeks. They announced that this month we'll be seeing Ecco The Dolphin, which we caught on the ESRB a while back, Hexic 2, and War Worlds. Outside of August, or potentially on the tail end as a twofer, we have Geon: Emotions, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Streets of Rage 2, Space Giraffe, and of course, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Out of that line up, what are you most stoked for?
X3F Achievements 101: The Return [update 1]
After a small hiatus following the craziness that is E3, X3F Achievements 101 is back with a variety of subjects worth covering. In case some of you have forgotten how this column works, this a space devoted to Achievement Whores around the world, and gives me the opportunity to chronicle my continuing conquest of Gamerscore, on a daily basis. This week, we cover a little bit of a backlog, as there's the survival of my Achievement streak during E3, my hitting of a couple Gamerscore Milestones, and the completion of a couple more 1000 GS rentals, TMNT and Cars.
Track & Field leaps into Live Arcade
We just got the release informing us that this week's Xbox Live Arcade title will be the 1983 classic, Track & Field. As a retro title, it will run you (Nyuk!) 400 Microsoft Points, and will feature all the XBLA standards, like Achievements Leaderboards, and also has 4 player local and online multiplayer over Xbox Live, which is a nice touch. The main menu, pictured above, looks pretty snazzy, with a familiar red, white and blue motif. While it's not a twofer, it's still a nice retro title for the week.
GTAIV delayed until 2008's second quarter
Take 2 Interactive just announced that Grand Theft Auto IV will be delayed until 2008's second fiscal quarter, to compensate for some development processes that have taken longer than anticipated. The release confirms that this is taking place for both consoles, so it should be expected than when a new firm date is announced, that the 360's will mirror the PS3's. There has been no word of what this means for the episodic content under development for the 360 version of the game, as it was initially scheduled for a second quarter release in 2008. While we are saddened that we won't be experiencing Rockstar North's grand opus this holiday, our wallets definitely feel the pressure being lifted, if only slightly. We'll have to wait and see how this affects Microsoft's projected game sales this holiday, as 2004 may still remain top dog with the absence of GTAIV in October.[Via Joystiq]
Capcom community decides SSFIITHDR Achievements
Capcom Digital came forth with some very interesting news about the Achievements for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, as they are leaving the ideas up to the community. Suggestions posted in the comments section of Capcom Digital's (read: not X3F) post will be compiled, "weeded out internally," then their top ten will be posted in the forums for users to vote on. So, it sounds like there will only be one winner, though some of the common sense suggestions will possibly make it in anyway, as well as Capcom using this as feedback on general guidelines for SSFIITHDR's Achievement requirements. What are you waiting for? Go put in your two cents!
Videos: Burnout Paradise from GameTrailers
While we didn't get a chance to get hands on here at X3F, you're welcome to check out Joystiq's outlook on Burnout Paradise. In the meantime though, we have a bunch of video from GameTrailers. The first of which is a gameplay trailer that shows what some readers complained that the teaser lacked: crashes. The game runs silky smooth and on top of that eye candy we have a trifecta of videos for you after the break. The first is more gameplay, followed by a developer interview that covers a new feature: "Road Rules". The last one goes over the open world of Paradise City. Enjoy.