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Eets Achievements edibly available
Yesterday, to go along with the announcement of the double header Wednesday with Eets: Chowdown and Pinball FX, the guys over at Xbox 360 Achievements uncovered all the Achievements for Eets: Chowdown, while having had Pinball FX's set for a while now. So go ahead and take a quick peek and what you'll be shooting for in the puzzle game. We're kinda craving a Double Marshoburger ourself. That being said we're kind of curious why "Smoreland" is worth 0 Gamerscore. Anyway, the game looks promising, will you be playing it tomorrow?
TMNT: The new king (Kong) of easy achievement points
Ubisoft's TMNT title learned a couple things from Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, their video game adaptation from last year. First, long names are best left as acronyms (PJKK: TOGotM). Second, spice up a less-than-stellar licensed game with 1000 additional reasons to buy it regardless. Yup, it looks like TMNT is poised to take away the easiest 1000 Xbox 360 achievement points crown from the previous king, err, King Kong.Let's see what the critics have to say about the game's easy points: IGN says "the new king of easy Achievement Points has arrived." GameSpot offers, "There are also achievements to consider, but they also happen to be incredibly easy to acquire, with many of them relegated to points for beating levels and pulling off individual special abilities. Even still, the better graphics and achievements ultimately make the 360 version the best by default." Finally, Team Xbox says, "If there's one good thing about TMNT, it's the fact that the game steals the title of 'Easiest 1000 Achievement Points' from Ubisoft's own King Kong. You'll probably be able to get all 1000 in less than 4 hours." We wonder if achievement points will really be a quantifiable factor in picking which console to buy that multiplatformer on.
Oblivion's new achievements from Shivering Isles
Xbox360Achievements.org posted the achievements to Oblivion's newly hatched first born Shivering Isles. And if you're keen to remember, Oblivion will be the first game to go over the 1000 Gamerscore limit with its Shivering Isles expansion adding an additional 250 Gamerscore points (per Microsoft's new Gamerscore rules). The sad part of all this expansion happiness is that the achievements are rather ... how do we say this ... dull. They lack that creative flair, that personality, and RPG originality. Bethesda must have used up their creativity reserves on the actual game, because they included a rather lame achievement which guarantees a 20 Gamerscore boost just for purchasing the expansion called the "Tourist" achievement. Oh well, a huge expansion offering an additional 250 Gamerscore points ... who could possibly complain?[Via Live Gamer]
Xbox Live hits 6 million users, 4 months earlier than planned
According to Microsoft's John Porcaro, the population of Xbox Live has hit the six million mark. However, being a member of Xbox Live could mean anything from paying for a Gold account to plugging an ethernet cord into your console and giving yourself a Silver account to download demos. At E3 last year, Microsoft was looking to hit the six million mark in June 2007, thus their exuberant remark that they beat their target by four months.Also included on the announcement is a momentum list, for those who love statistical trivia. (Did you know that there are 2 million messages sent over Xbox Live every day?) What we don't see in the momentum list, however, is the number of Gold members and the retention rate of a Gold account. We do know, however, that the average XBL Gold member has 22 friends. Sure, six million is an accomplishment, but we want to know how many premium accounts they're selling. That will be the real test.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Machine used to unlock Xbox 360 Achievement Points
Just 60 of 'em. Yep, $60 for parts and a long day's worth of labor birthed the "xBot," a monstrous lil' bugger that latches onto the Xbox 360 controller and presses 'Start' and 'B' like, well, like a machine. Car mechanic David Harr assembled the xBot to unlock a pair of Perfect Dark Zero Achievements, which require playing 1,000 (offline) multiplayer matches in both Deathmatch and DarkOps modes -- each worth 30 points. Since matches don't need to be completed to register as "played," Harr calculated that it would take him roughly 40 hours to start, exit, and restart enough matches to unlock the Achievements; he would use just ten to assemble his xBot. Muahahahah!While some whine that Harr's 'workaround' is unethical, the Seattle mechanic argues, "This is not playing online on Xbox Live -- it is not playing against other people ... This is a one trick pony, getting you just 60 points. It's not stepping on anyone's toes." We say, let him have his 60 points.
Real Time Worlds has MS raise total Achievement limit
When David Jones of Real Time Worlds was looking at the ideas for Achievements for Crackdown, they had at around 200 or so to choose from. Jones said he wanted to just reward gamers for doing what they do best, having fun. When Microsoft told them they were allowing a total of 50, David felt that would cripple the whole concept of how they were going to approach the game's Achievements. So, when Microsoft recently altered their policy on Gamerscore, they also moved the total Achievements to 80 at Real Time Worlds' request. This gave Crackdown some breathing room with the upcoming 100 and potential 250 Gamerscore add-ons. Hopefully with proper feedback, their new content will be as fun and fulfilling as the current list. What Achievements would you want to see on top of the current set in Crackdown?
Xbox Rewards Revamped [update 1]
Due to issues with the servers overloading at the Xbox Rewards site, the guys at GamerscoreBlog announced that they would be extending the Old Spice Challenge to April 15th. This gives you an extra month three days to rack up your Gamerscore by 1,500 and they even added supply to the rewards so that more gamers can win. When we got word that the policy had been updated, there were brief hopes of broadening the access to the program, but given how much traffic they're getting, that obviously was not the case. Still, they say the site will be back up and running within the next 48 hours. If you haven't gotten in already, are you going to try now that the rules have been amended?[Thanks PacoDG]Update: Barbie says "Math is hard."
Stuttering start for Microsoft Rewards program
The Xbox Rewards program remains deadlocked today, following yesterday's launch, which apparently drew more prospective registrants than anticipated. If you've yet to register -- perhaps planning to leisurely earn your 'rewards' during the allotted month -- you've likely already missed out. 'Cause guess what? All those rewards are limited to finite numbers; paltry numbers when compared to Xbox Live's user base.This isn't an 'Old Spice Challenge,' it's a Competition -- and no doubt there are enough registered players teens already racing to gobble up those prizes. If you're lucky, you might score (possibly another) copy of Contra, since 70,000 download codes will be handed out. But even the '100 Microsoft Points' prize (limited to 6,000 winners) could be gone by week's end. Bah, who wanted Fusion Frenzy 2 anyway?Hint: Try this link.
Fans to decide missing Crackdown points
Some time ago, we reported that Crackdown will ship with only 900 gamerscore points available. It was later revealed that Crackdown's missing 100 points would be made available via downloadable content. This week, Major Nelson's blogcast reveals the way in which those points will be doled out. During an interview with Aaron Greenberg, it was revealed that Realtime Worlds, developer of Crackdown, will be monitoring what people do while playing the game. They'll be keeping track of the most popular achievements to see what players are doing in Crackdown. Realtime Worlds will then create new achievements based on what they observe. For example, if everyone playing Crackdown is going for the rocket launcher juggling achievements, Realtime Worlds may add another achievement that expands on that. We love the idea of adding achievements based on how people play the game. It would be interesting to see other developers take this approach as well. Are there any Achievements you'd like to see added to Crackdown?[Via DarkZero. Thanks, SoonerBill]
New at MGC.net: are you a completionist?
For 360 users, gamerscore is the ultimate metric. It's a quick, easily referenced and categorized example of what kind of gamer you are. At least, it used to be. Gamerscore is great as a generalization of your skills, but it doesn't tell a story. Introducing the completion leaderboard on MyGamerCard.net. Sure, you might have a high gamerscore, but how did you get it? Did you buy 10 games and complete them all, or did you rent 20 and only play them halfway? The completion leaderboard takes your gamerscore and multiplies it by your overall completion percentage. The result is an adjusted score that reflects your skill and your dedication (my adjusted score sits at a literarily relevant 1984). Think of it as the Gamerscore equivalent of the ever popular KPD (kills-per-death) ratio.So, gamerscore kings could potentially be brought down to earth, giving a boost to more modest and persistent gamers. How does your gamerscore hold up when you run it through the completion ringer?
Shivering Isles adds 250 Gamerscore points to Oblivion
It looks like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be the first to take advantage of Microsoft's recently-amended Achievement points policy and push past that 1000-point gate of old. Speaking to Gaming Bits, Oblivion developer Bethesda has confirmed that the upcoming expansion Shivering Isles will have 250 Gamerscore points, divided amongst 10 achievements, to unlock.According to the new Achievement point policy, up to 250 points can be added to a disc-based Xbox 360 title via premium downloadable content, which means Oblivion has maxed out its Gamerscore potential.Shivering Isles is set for release via Xbox Live this Spring; it will also be available for PC and PS3. No word on if it will be released before Microsoft's Xbox Rewards contest ending April 12, so plan on augmenting your Gamerscore elsewhere.
Shivering Isles to get 250 Gamerscore boost
Last week the policy for Gamerscore and Achievements was standardized to make sure that gamers got a full 1000 points per retail game, with downloadable content able to bring in an extra 250 points. In Episode 2 of our podcast we mentioned Shivering Isles being a fine example of giving Achievements on top of the game's original 1000. Well, now it's official, Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion will have an additional 10 Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore bringing it to a total of 1250. This marks the first game to have more than 1000 available Gamerscore, and hopefully will set the proper standard for other developers to follow. So, with the promise of more Achievements, are you more interested in getting the Shivering Isles expansion, or does it even matter?[Via Digg]
Xbox Rewards announced
Last week we gave word about a rumor regarding rewards for getting Achievements. Now xbox.com has the full details. Starting on February 12th, U.S. Residents will get the opportunity to get some free swag for increasing their Gamerscore by 1,500 points within a month in the "Old Spice Experience Challenge". Also, to make the deal sweeter for those who already have been actively unlocking Achievements, they have three tiers of prizes, based on your annual Gamerscore increase. Less than 5000 Gamerscore will be Level 1, where you can win Contra, a gamer pic, and a level upgrade. The second tier is for gamers with 5000 to 9999 Gamerscore, and will net the same rewards as Level 1 as well as 100 Microsoft Points. Those of you who have 10,000 annual Gamerscore or more are part of the third and final Level, and can win the aforementioned prizes, as well as an Old Spice T-shirt, 200 total Microsoft Points and a copy of Fuzion Frenzy 2. Not bad for beating one-and-a-half games, especially if you have just over 10,000 Gamerscore. If you're looking for some ideas on how to maximize your efficiency, you don't have to look hard. So, are you going to sign up? And for those of us who can't join due to being geographically impaired, when do you think your locale will be added into the mix?[Thanks, Darksaviour69]
Join 1,000 NBA Live players, boost your Gamerscore
The objective is simple: unlock NBA Live 07's "Online with 1,000 people" Xbox 360 Achievement. To do so, Achieve360Points.com is asking all would-be b-ballers to get online Saturday night (8-9 pm EST). You don't even need to play. Simply stream ESPN radio (via Xbox Live) and go about your business; making this arguably the easiest 100 Achievement points you'll ever earn.Needless to say, NBA Live 07 does not rank among the top titles played by Xbox Live users. The most difficult part of Saturday's task might be locating the game for cheap. Anyone wanna loan us a copy?Xbox 360 Fanboy astutely notes that Achieve360 has apparently hijacked the idea for this community effort from competitor Xbox360Achievements.org, which is hosting a similar initiative on the 25th; though digging around on Achieve360 turns up this evidence, which suggests the NBA Live feat was attempted (and failed) in late January. So props to both sites -- we hope to see both forthcoming efforts succeed!
Xbox 360 Achievements policy amended
Microsoft has revised its Xbox 360 Achievements rule book, agreeing to allow publishers to add an additional 250 Gamerscore points to disc-based games through add-on content. The content could be either free or paid. Xbox Live Arcade games can also receive a boost, as publishers are now allowed to add 50 additional points (to the required 200) via downloadable content, which could be similarly free or paid.Each disc-based game must include 1,000 points that are accessible for free (excluding price paid to obtain game), but not necessarily included on the game disc; Crackdown, for example, will only ship with 900 unlockable points, while the remaining 100 will arrive built into a free content update. Microsoft admits that there have been "inconsistencies" in the past, but hopes that the new, supposedly clear policy will regulate publisher's Achievements.
New gamerscore policy just makes sense
BIGVIP over at the Gamerscore Blog wrote up an article discussing what they've done for the gamerscore system on the 360. Microsoft has talked with developers and set clear rules pertaining to a game's gamerscore. All games here on out will be required to offer 1,000 gamerscore and all arcade games need 200. No part of the gamerscore can come from purchased XBLM content, but free downloadable content is fine. Also, any new expansion packs or new downloadable content can offer an additional 250 gamerscore for normal games and an additional 50 for arcade games.Most Xbox 360 games have stuck to the 1,000 gamerscore rule, but some have ventured away from it like Microsoft's yet to be released Crackdown. It only offers a 900 gamerscore ... come on Microsoft, can't you follow your own rules? But you'll be happy to know that they will offer an extra 100 gamerscore for Crackdown via a separate download or additional free content. And now to you, what do you think about this new standardization of the gamerscore?
Aquazone publisher fishing for MS Points, 5000 MS Points!
EA could learn a thing or two from Frontier Works. The publisher of Aquazone released its Japanese aquarium sim with only 480 unlockable Achievement Points. To get the rest, players need to hit Xbox Live Marketplace and start paying.Recently, an additional 400 points were made available through the purchase of 18 new fish. Anyone willing to take the bait would end up forking over an alleged 5,000 Microsoft Points ($62.50).Suspiciously, each fish weighs a mere 108KB, suggesting that purchasers aren't actually downloading new content, but simply buying code that unlocks the relevant data on the game disc. This would explain how Frontier dodged Microsoft's requirement, which demands that all Xbox 360 titles include 1,000 Achievement Points (Xbox Live Arcade games must contain 200 points). Aquazone does offer 1,000 points to add to your Gamerscore; but it costs more than your playing time to unlock them. Scandalous.[Via GameLife]
Rumor: Achievements Unlocking Rewards for Gamers?
Deacon Blade of Unscripted360 broke a very interesting story this morning. Apparently, he and some fellow MVPs came across at "torn document" that contained intriguing ideas for the future of the Xbox 360, and more importantly, its Achievement and gamerscore system. According to Deacon, Xbox is working alongside sponsors to initiate a program in February to reward gamers for their Achievements. Participation is free of charge, and the number of prizes are limited, although you will need to register to get in. We don't know if this will be limited to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, or open to Silver as well, but don't be surprised if only paying customers are eligible. Gamesaving was also brought up on the document as a "top priority", and will supposedly be taken care of.All in all, the release of this information seems a little fishy. It's very likely that Microsoft gave the go ahead for its high ranking community members to give a few tidbits of information without revealing much more than the concept. Deacon, and the others at the event probably know more than they're letting on regarding the program, and just want to leave people wanting more and thus building hype. Well, it's working. We're excited about this opportunity for casual and hardcore gamers alike to get free stuff for playing games, what about you? And how do you expect Microsoft to circumvent the current, albeit neutered, gamesaving from exploiting the idea of rewards?
Gamerscore: rewards points for "nerd cred"
GameDaily has an interesting article up about Gamerscore. Speaking to Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg and CliffyB, GameDaily's Paul Hyman discusses the unexpectedly huge reception of Gamerscore from consumers. Greenberg -- who knows about cred -- admits that Gamerscore has become much bigger than the 360 team originally imagined it would, as Gamerscore has become a mark of pride among many 360 owners. The article notes the unusual nature of Gamerscore, in that the points cannot be redeemed in any way and are purely for bragging rights. As CliffyB puts it, "It's nerd cred, man!" We have to admit, Gamerscore has changed the way we play games. We spend more time with games than we would before (damn you, LEGO Star Wars II!) and in some cases play games we wouldn't have played otherwise. Even bad games have a bright side now: "at least I'll get some Achievements."We certainly aren't Gamerscore whores, but Achievements act as a nice incentive to play. In fact, Gamerscore even dissuades us from playing backwards compatible games (and games for other consoles) because it seems less productive. What about you, does Gamerscore dictate your playing habits?[Via Joystq]
Games for Windows Vista: how the new brand & OS will change PC gaming [update 1]
We recently sat down with Games for Windows (GFW) Marketing Director Kevin Unangst and PR Manager Michael Wolf for a brief pre-launch tour of gaming on Vista. Admittedly, the implementation hasn't changed much since we first previewed Vista nearly a year ago. Even so, from a GUI-perspective, Vista features a user-friendly central location for cataloging, accessing, and tweaking (settings, parental controls, updating, etc.) GFW-branded games -- non-GFW games won't necessarily be excluded, but they won't feature many of the required functionalities built into the branded titles.Games for Windows is still very much a vision. The first priority, a retail initiative, is currently underway. By employing marketing strategies used by console makers, namely platform-branding, Microsoft hopes that PC gaming (under the 'Games for Windows' banner) will become less intimidating to mainstream consumers -- no longer will the PC games isle be a cluttered mess of disparate titles. Computer Gaming World was also renamed as Games For Windows to help drive Microsoft's new brand. Aside from retail consolidation, this branding will ensure certain requirements are met by games' publishers. To earn the GFW brand, a title must comply with certain Microsoft-tested specifications, including widescreen support, compatibility with the Xbox 360 controller, parental control features, and simple installation. GFW games will also begin to carry a system rating, based on a 5-point scale. Vista will assess the value of your PC's gaming abilities and assign a rating (or "WinSAT"), say 4.5. You can then weigh that rating against a game's recommended rating (example: 5.0) and its required rating (example: 3.5) before purchasing. Update: The scale will begin at five points, but is designed to grow as newer technologies enter the market.
