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X3F Live invades Battlefield, update on features [Update]
Update: After playing a single online game, EA's servers booted us right out of play and wouldn't allow us to reconnect. We'll reschedule a real event soon.You may have noticed some of our regular features have been MIA in recent weeks. In order to prepare for E3 and make time (and room) for special features, some of our content has been put on a temporary hiatus. Until the madness that is E3 subsides we're putting a hold on Community Content, Would You Rather and Points>Life -- technically, just Xav. You may see random special editions of our content during the event as special bonuses, but we're just giving you the heads up incase you were wondering where your favorite feature is.As you may be aware, if you listened to the latest X3F Fancast -- Richard, Dustin and Alexander will be bringing the show on the road with special podcasts as E3 progresses. It's another way we're keeping everyone at home up to date while allowing the home crew to recharge the batteries. One thing we can't put on hold for now is X3F Live and considering the popularity of Battlefield: Bad Company on our friends list we're going to be game hunting later tonight (again, just Xav). So tonight from 9 to 10 PM EST watch out for Gamertag: Snypz and hopefully we can cause some mayhem together. This isn't an organized event, but Xav is looking for some game time before the craziness takes over!
Would You Rather ... One to Rule Them All Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week for Would You Rather we have a question in response to something we experience (and some participate in) everyday, the console war.With companies merging to create larger studios, hardware manufactuers losing billions of dollars to maintain market awareness by undercutting consoles and exclusive games staying out of some hands because of our system selections where does it end? Are we heading into a one console future? Probably not. Or maybe. Well, it isn't our idea to judge -- it's yours! So this week we wonder, would you prefer a one console future and enjoy all games or do you crave the smell of napalm in the morning in this, the console war? Discuss.%Poll-16013%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump!
Would You Rather ... XBLA Future Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week in a late-night (oooh, sexy) edition of Would You Rather we're talking XBLA games. We've asked you in the past if you'd prefer smaller or larger games but this week we're looking at it from a different angle. In the beginning Xbox Live Arcade was hailed as a great gateway to your favorite arcade titles (when it launched as a disc based service on the Xbox), but then something interesting happened--independent developers looked at the platform as a new source of output. With the introduction of the Xbox 360 and relaunching of the service built into the console, independent developers were met with great success for their titles.Sure, corporate companies released arcade hits as well but no one took the service as serioulsy as the independent teams did. Today, as XBLA has proven itself to be a strong platform, more corporate companies are releasing titles for the service while independent companies lobby for their games to make it online. In Would You Rather this week we ask, who do you want to see more of a focus from on the XBLA front? Corporate companies with the money and licenses or independent companies with a fresh outlook on game design? Discuss. Vote. Ask for a third option in the comments. Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... come in and check it out for free!
Would You Rather ... Reviews Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week in Would You Rather we tackle the subject of game reviews. It isn't often that we review games here at X3F and when we do, we don't incorporate a number score at the end of it. All too often people focus on the number a game is given rather than the text review itself, and in the most recent case of Metal Gear Solid 4 getting an 8/10 from Edge Magazine [via Joystiq] ordinarily the number overshadows everything.So, while kicking around the X3F office we wondered what you thought. If you could only have one or the other, which would you prefer. A review that was detailed and in depth without a final score at the end or a review that focused on the number with very few bullet points as to why a game received the score it did. Basically, we're trying to figure out if the text even matters to you or if you just check reviews for the final grade. Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... come in and check it out for free!
Would You Rather ... Future Ninja Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?With his recent departure from Tecmo (well, technically he still works there until July 1), Tomonobu Itagaki has created the last Ninja Gaiden title of his career. It now appears to be obvious that his talk of Ninja Gaiden 2 being the last in the series stemmed from the knowledge of his future plans (aka quitting and suing parent company Tecmo). So, another Ninja Gaiden title is probably going to happen because franchises that make money don't disappear. The question is, do you think the folks at Team Ninja can do it without Itagaki?We're sure they can, but ... would you want them to? So this week in WUR--a new Ninja Gaiden hits stores without Itagaki. What do you do soldier? What do you do? (Shooting a hostage is not an option). Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... come in and check it out for free!
Would You Rather ... Shipping Now Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week in Would You Rather we're taking a look back at Microsoft Game Studios' 2008 Yearbook and wishing for a miracle. For a miracle to come. While the lineup looks rad, we're upset at the lack of info (or date!) for Alan Wake and Peter Jackson's mysterious Halo project.So we got to thinking, if you had to pick one of them to hit store shelves this year which would you choose? The brand new IP from Remedy, Alan Wake or the "revolutionary" Peter Jackson Halo game?Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... come in and check it out for free!
Would You Rather ... Ahh! Real Downloads! Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week in WUR we're tackling today's hot button issue. With downloadable games evolving we're wondering which titles you think should be the future of the service. While shorter (in terms of features and development time), smaller titles have been the lifeblood of Xbox Live Arcade since the origin of the service, larger more substantial games are gaining steam. But, as larger games ask a steeper price should developers shy away from a service with, seemingly, set price-points or hope they make an entertaining enough experience that the price won't be as big a factor?Or, from a different perspective on the question, are developers wasting time creating larger games if the title demands a higher price and should they only focus on smaller titles, which is what some believe the service was bred for? Vote. Discuss. Or, you know, ignore.%Poll-14555%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... take a look!
Would You Rather ... Demo Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week in WUR we're taking a different approach. With so many demos playable at Mircosoft's press event for upcoming Xbox 360 titles, we wanted to know which one you craved the most.If Microsoft was to release only one demo today for you to play, which one would it be? Remember, this list only includes items that were playable at Microsoft's San Fransisco event so Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 aren't options. While Ninja Gaiden 2 might be the favorite, we wonder who out there is anticipating more hot Piñata action.Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... take a look!
Would You Rather ... Episodic Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?This week for WUR we're talking episodic content. With games like Penny Arcade: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness on the horizon for XBLA we're wondering what your opinion is on distribution and pricing.Assuming that when it's all said and done you'd spend the same amount on an entire season of content, which would you prefer? Purchase an entire season of content for a final total price and download each episode when they are available (akin to one of the purchase models of Sam & Max from GameTap) or purchase each episode/content pack separately like the current Xbox Live Marketplace model?Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... steal this info!
Would You Rather ... The Other Guys Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?Now that we got that other game out of our system, we look to the future of sandbox adventures. Two titles stick out in our minds as potential GTA-killers but we're torn on which one to grab. Pretending you'd only get one of the following titles, would you go for the sequel to a pretty solid GTA-clone from look, feel and execution in Saints Row 2 or the sequel of a more original GTA-clone in the form of 1940s based Mafia II? %Poll-13525%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... steal this info!
Would You Rather ... Mode Select Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?Grand Theft Auto IV. Maybe you've heard of it. The title that has the gaming world in a frenzy is days away and we've decided to pull a WUR out of our hat in celebration. Read this one carefully.Let's say for the first 24 hours you owned Grand Theft Auto IV you were only able to play either single-player or multiplayer. Which one would you spend that first day with? Enough of this "neither" or "both" nonsense kids, we're going for broke. Which one is captivating your attention in that first 24 hours? Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... hop to it!
Would You Rather ... Bad Decisions Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?In lieu of the recent decision from EA and DICE to give away, previously premium weapons, for free as long as gamers are willing to sign up for marketing programs we bring you this weeks Would You Rather.Let's pretend that you actually want these free weapons to complete your weapon options in Battlefield: Bad Company would you rather pay a few dollars more for those weapons, or sign up for various programs in order to acquire the new weaponry. Let us assume that these programs will require your name, email and other information you wouldn't ordinarily give away voluntarily would you rather pay for these weapons? %Poll-12801%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... click for your retro look!
Would You Rather ... The New Hotness Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for? The recent comments from the N+ leaders have had us thinking? What's more beneficial to the XBLA brand? New IPs or remakes of classic arcade titles? While arguments can be made from both sides it only take a few moments of nostalgia to think of a half dozen titles we'd like to see thrown on the platform in downloadable bite-sized form. Well here's this weeks tough question. If you had to choose, one of the other (without sitting on the fence for once!) which would it be? Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... click here to go back to the past!
Would You Rather ... In Your Mind's Eye Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for? This week's WUR was a user submitted question that really made us think, especially coming back from our local gaming store. At 1,200 MS points a pop, the Xbox Originals platform seems like a steep entry into the "classic" prev-gen titles. While many of the games can be found for a lot less than their digital counterpart, some of the recent additions are going to a premium price if they can be found. What we hear from the community is that the pricing structure of the XBO program is out of wack for the most part. This week we want you to forget about the price in the equation and consider the content only. How important is physical media to you in the wake of the increasingly digital age? Do you prefer to stack your games to line your room like a protective castle wall, or are you fed up with hard copies of the game and wish you could get everything digitally? Let's pretend we're made of money this week, if only for a moment, and ask yourself when it comes to those Xbox Originals... %Poll-12129%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... click here to download those results!
Would You Rather ... Just Testing Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?While we sit and wait for the Condemned 2: Bloodshot demo to hit Xbox Live (yeah, we know the game is out) and we boot up our beta version of Battlefield: Bad Company we got to thinking - do we prefer single player or multiplayer demos? It seems that ever since the Halo 3 beta, most online games are allowing players to play test their upcoming releases in multiplayer form rather than traditional single player demos. Shooters like Call of Duty 4 to fighting games like Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, it looks like developers would rather put us to work to test their upcoming releases. There's always the rub with a beta that it could be a buggy mess and developers are able to throw their hands in the air and say "Oh, you knew it was a test so don't cry Sally." Traditional demos on the other hand are usually very polished, and game tested clips from a final game in order to showcase what makes it special. Considering devs have claimed single player demos can chew-up development time it appears multiplayer betas are becoming the new norm. So, we ask you in this week's WUR - which do you prefer a single demo or multiplayer beta (demo)?Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... quick test out these sweet links!
Would You Rather ... Laggy Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?It's the eternal question and a mainstay in the argument during the silly console war. Which is better? Dedicated servers or peer-to-peer connection? Sounds silly to even ask but let us examine our experiences.While peer-to-peer has powered the vast majority of Xbox Live titles, some games have seen dedicated love. But how are the results? EA primarily uses their own servers to power their games, but have had issues. Frontlines: Fuel of War runs off a dedicated server farm, but it's been plagued with reports of lag too. Peer-to-peer has treated us well so far, but insane situations like XBLA titles running poorly, Team Fortress 2's virtual unplayability and issues stemming from the host migration in Call of Duty 4 makes this week's WUR a tough one. So X3F Army, tell us...Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... and stop breathing heavily into the mic!
Would You Rather ... Takeover Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?Consolidation. The word sounds so ... dirty. Yet, companies seem to be piling on top of each other to stay afloat as rising costs of game creation threaten to ruin the little guys. Sometimes, like in the case of this week's WUR, larger companies decide they should absorb their competition having some gamers scream MONOPOLY! Speaking of Monopoly, this week's WUR is all about EA and their recent bids to gobble up competitors Ubisoft and Take Two Interactive. Well X3F Army, which would you rather join Team EA?Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... and bid!
Would You Rather ... Hi-def Hadouken Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?It's undeniable. The Street Fighter flu has been swirling around Fanboy Towers since the first hi-res shots of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (seriously, long enough?) has been shown. Since then, Street Fighter 4 has been all the rage putting our original temptation in the shadows. For the sake of this week's installment of WUR let's pretend you could only have one of the two. Would you go new hotness (SF4) or retro remix (SSFIITHDR, sheesh)?Can't decide, you say? Shoryuken! (Can't take credit for this lame joke)%Poll-10801%Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... aaaand fight!
Would You Rather ... Connecting the Gears Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?You may have heard that a little game called Gears of War is getting a sequel this November, so in the spirit of that shocking announcement we're going WUR Gears-style! This week's question is all about the connected experience. Gears of War had a great co-op mode and a solid online multiplayer, but some people bashed Gears for a shoddy matchmaking system and wondered why Gears didn't adopt the Halo 2 play list formula. So, with that in mind, if you had to pick one of these features for Gears of War 2 which would it be?Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks WUR results can be find after the jump ... Ensign!
Would You Rather ... Spartans! Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?In week two of WUR we ask you to decide between a true sequel to Halo in the form of Halo 4 or a Halo first-person massively multiplayer online title. So, putting the Halo storyline aside, we want to know:Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks surprising results can be find after the jump ... Engage!
