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PHOTO 144 - 63 Comments
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I was hoping for something like this! Co-Op play is sweet but split-screen sucks... System Link Co-Op? NINJA SWEET!!
It's nice just seeing the System Link screen at all actually. With all the talk of the Xbox Live mode, fear was mounting over the System Link support. Nice to see it's there AND improved!
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That definitely calls for everyone to have two boxes in their house. How very cool.
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Here's an article Princess pointed me toward. It's worth a read:
Weekly Update: October 15th, 2004
You ever have one of those weeks? You know, the kind of week where you try to start your car, and it explodes in your face because the mob wired it to blow up and hurl your broken body across the street and through the plate glass window of the local acid factory? Well that was kinda like my week this week, but with the following metaphorical caveat ? my broken, glass filled, acid-ruined body became a perfect fertile bed for a glorious, colorful display of flowers.
What is Frankie going on about this time? The horrible leak of the French PAL build of the game, and the impressive, wonderful, heartening reaction from our fans ? who have been closing forum threads, slapping posters on the wrists and even reporting folks who broke the law. Community sites are all over it, and the big sites have been helping too, so a HUGE thanks to all of you guys.
Whoever did this is a criminal, plain and simple, but this isn't a pulpit from which to spew a sermon. Suffice it to say that stealing a traceable, Live Aware video game isn't the smartest thing you could do. But the way our community rallied to our support yesterday and the day before was incredibly gratifying. And a note to otherwise regular folks who might be tempted to download a copy ? don't. It's really not worth the risk. Fines of up to $100,000 and all sorts of other legal remedies can be assessed against even individual downloaders.
You know, we're not Metallica. The cost of this is emotional, not fiscal (jerks would just hack and pirate the game on Nov 9th anyway). Bungie is mostly concerned that this event is going to ruin the plot of the game for the 99.9999999999% of fans who buy the game on November 9th. As you know, we've spent three tortuous years preventing story leaks, hoarding screenshots ? not because we want to ? but because they'll reveal twists and surprises. Now a few jerks have ruined that for everyone. It's one thing to sneakily pirate software ? quite another to yell spoilers from the rooftops. As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "IDIOTS!"
Anyway, I'm making myself vomit with my combination of preachy outrage and quilted two-ply, absorbent love. Back to the matter at hand ? the Bungie locomotive. Let's call it more of a monorail right now, since about 80% of the office is in Hawaii (if they're smart) or in Rainhole, Alaska (if they're married).
This week was another out of the office week. I accompanied ten copies of Halo 2 to San Francisco so that they could be reviewed over a period of nearly a week by gathered luminaries from various gaming, entertainment and technology publications from all over the US.
Everyone who played seemed to have a good time. Everyone had LOTS of questions about plot twists, new characters etc. I had to help out once or twice when people got stuck, but mostly it was eerily quiet, as the journos sat around in our special E3 chairs, with wireless surround headphones on, in front of 30 inch widescreen sets (CRT for maximum awesomeness and maximum Teamster complaints ? since they weigh 200 pounds.) Actually, widescreen is a very cool feature, since the multiplayer game can then split vertically (for two) giving each player a great deal of real estate in co-op or MP.
The event was long enough for people to finish the game on NORMAL difficulty level, but then go back and try HEROIC: "Wow, that was freakin' hard!" And then they tried LEGENDARY: "What is wrong with you people!?" We should note that nobody completed it on LEGENDARY or frankly, more than a couple of levels. LEGENDARY is a whole new sick twist on game difficulty. LEGENDARY includes bizarre stuff like perma-death for co-op players ? meaning that you can't hopscotch like you can on other difficulty levels. Once a player dies on LEGENDARY, both players are hurled back to the last checkpoint. It's brutal. Also, that place where you encountered two grunts and a flowerpot on NORMAL? Well now they're Hunters, high-ranking, sword-carrying Elites, and they're all PMS-ing. Seriously, sticking your head around a corner on level two can get it shot clean off.
Multiplayer was a blast. Like we'd hoped, players spent a long time exploring new modes, and enjoying them. As suspected, Swords is a huge favorite, but we (I was only HELPING!) played a lot of Assault, Territories and Juggernaut. Folks love NinjaNaut ? Juggernaut where the Jug is invisible, has triple overshields and is the only player with a motion detector ? you don't event WANT to find him!
Nobody would tell us what they thought, so I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks.
Special props to Mister X ? who, having only 24 hours to visit, played the game as a speed run, and pulled in the fastest completion time ? though he missed about half the game doing that, and Mister Z ? who, being hardcore as all getout, completed it on Heroic ? and in a pretty respectable time. Epic, considering that was his first time playing.
Anyhoo, this week was short (game is done folks) and a downer, sorry, so here's a sad picture to make you feel even worse
http://www.rampancy.net/
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MTV: Music Television today announced that ?Making the Video Game: Halo 2? will premiere on MTV on Friday, November 5th at 11:00pm ET/PT, and MTV2 on Saturday, November 6th at 9:00pm ET. The special will give viewers an unprecedented inside look at the most anticipated video game of 2004.
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Well, Halo 2 finally is available at midnight. Who's gettin' it? Or are we all a bunch of assholes?
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I'm going to get it. Not at midnight, I don't know when I'll get it but I will definitely get it.
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I might be an asshole.
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It's the first game we've played on game night that hasn't left people saying: "It's no Halo. Let's play Halo." Regular Halo can be put to rest for a while. Viva Halo 2!
By the way, Saturday night is gaming at Zilla's! My basement's not done yet so we'll be gaming on the main floor. Bells is in! Any chance of a showing, Bert? No leaving early to see a movie though this time!
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Got it. No asshole here.
Got the Special Edition Halo 2 at CompUSA while making my weekly harddrive purchase (160 gig for $60 after rebates). It was $54.99 - $10 Mail-in Rebate. I got home and of course went STRAIGHT to... the "Making Of" video! Kind of interesting to watch as a diehard Halo-ist. I can't believe that after 3 years of development they STILL felt rushed and everyone whined about wanting more time. I think someone needs to better manage their time.
Speaking of which, I better go sell some comics!
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Speaking as someone who develops software for a living, I have no problem at all believing that the developers at Bungie felt rushed with three years to make it. A game like Halo takes TONS of time not only to create, but more importantly to test and get all the weightings of the weapons, vehicles, maps and other features just right. This simply can't be done quickly, no matter how many people you have working on the project.
Plus coming through for everyone's huge expectations is no small feat.
That said, developing platform games is still easier than doing PC games. While xbox games are essentially PC games, the difference is that PC developers have to worry about myriad hardware configurations and test on tons of different combinations.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for those guys at Bungie.
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Wonder if there's any truth to this email I just got from one of the xbox sites:
Hi friends.
There are more and more reports around that Microsoft has
found a possibility to check out if your console is modded.
We have information that dozen of Halo2-XBL-Gamers were
banned although their modchip was inactive.
If you have a modchip in your XBOX please don't go live
directly. We'll see if these romours are right and will
inform you.
Greetz, Amby
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Probably. They keep updating Xbox Live and it seems reasonable that they would EXAMINE the content of the hdd to see if there's "evoxdash" or other such nonsense on there. I've been telling people that if they want to do Live, figure on having a second "virgin" xbox dedicated to that.
No big woop.
Halo on Live is supposed to be pretty sweet. If they start offering downloadable content (i.e. new levels) I would be greatly tempted. As is, I prefer to play with friends. How do you do a victory couch humping online?
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So, has anyone else gotten Halo 2? Bone? Creeko?
I have one gripe about it and it has to do with my ZillaTron 3000. Halo 2 splits WIDESCREEN TVs vertically for 2-player games. When I heard about that in previews it sounded sweet. But in actual gameplay it sucks. It way cuts down on your peripheral vision -- totally unacceptable. There is NO in-game toggle to switch to the old horizontal split either! I did find a workaround though: In the dashboard, I just turn off the widescreen toggle. That's hardly an elegant solution however, as most other times I want that option ON.
Other than that? Halo 2 is sweet!
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I just found out it launches today! and my brohair is also coming to visit today with a bunch of games! I might have to rethink my strategy.
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I won't be able to make it to GR until Thanksgiving. But it looks like I will have 2 xboxes with me to be modded! One guy has his and the other guy will be getting his soon, and then they'll get their drives.
Is anyone up for a gaming night maybe Friday or Saturday night that weekend?
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Bert - Gaming Thanksgiving weekend is a DEFINATE possibility! Oh, and don't worry, plenty of chips in stock!
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I did use it to play a few games a while back - I played against Fatty in Rainbow Six 3 in fact. I would love to fire up Halo 2 on it, but not on Xbox Live, obviously. :)
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Well, I just completed Halo 2. It was very good however, I was suprised at how short it was. I blazed through it in under 10 hrs solo. It seemed you play the Elite role more than the Master Chief. I actually prefered playing as the Elite since he could cloak his ass long enough to perform some hit and run tactics on the Brutes. Also, the ending seemed a little wierd to me. Overall I enjoyed it though. I wish it were at least twice as long.
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I agree - it ended abrubtly and I was eager for more. I can only hope that Bungie pulls a "Splinter Cell" and churns out the next one with a quickness. I actually regret that Roche and I didn't play it on the harder difficulty setting as many reviews I read said that you should do that if you're playing cooperatively. I guess I can get my money's worth and go back and play it that way, though.
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Halo 2 Expansion Pack Revealed!
An updated listing at EBGames.com has confirmed the existence of a planned Halo 2 Expansion Pack, first mentioned on the Korean official Xbox website. Today, EBGames.com has updated its records with the following info:
"The Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack is a collection of nine multiplayer maps, as well as non-playable video content (a cinematic and a mini-documentary). Delivered on a standard Xbox DVD disc, the multiplayer content can be used by gamers on Xbox Live as well as those who play multiplayer via System Link or via Split-screen (on one Xbox)."
http://www.xbox-scene.com
Yippee skippy! We've been going back and forth between Halo 1, 2 and 2.5: Zilla's Revenge (featuring hacked levels) the last couple weeks at ZAGNUT. I'm ready for some new levels!
When're you coming to town, Bert? Once Fatty is back you know we gotta have a showdown!
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Yeah, I'm considering one sometime in April. If not, I'll be there in May for a co-ed wedding shower my mom is throwing Heather and I (and all you Michigan types are invited, check for invites soon) so at the very least by then we can get our game on.
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Don't expect any Fatty skills of yore, but more a virgin-type Fatty suitable for Deep D&*king. Great, just what I am looking forward too - Zilla-cackles. But, I know if I play enough I can look forward to the day when I regain my former skills and silence the cackle. Zill's silence will echo his thoughts of his lost glory, that he no longer reigns, and he will reflect on how far he has fallen - To the Fatstation . I await that day. Mu hahahahahahah!
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Um. Yeah. Good luck with that, Fats.
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Halo 2 Multiplayer Maps Addon: the official story
>> From bungie.net:
Last week, a couple of incorrect dates appeared on a retail website, and more tellingly, Microsoft's own Xbox.com site in Korea. What it revealed was that we apparently had a multiplayer add-on planned for Halo 2, and that it would be for sale in stores. Of course, like a lot of internet stuff, it was partly true. The dates were off, and subsequent rumor mongering went off on all kinds of tangents - some frighteningly accurate, some way off.
Bungie was caught off guard - we were waiting to tell you the whole plan when the powers that be (which is now) were ready. That put us in the unfortunate position of being forced to clam up until it was safe to talk!
The official press release from MS can be found over at Xbox.com HERE. For those averse to press releases or simply needing clarification, we'll break it down for you:
So the basic details for the new map release plan go like this:
* We're releasing a total of nine new multiplayer maps.
* All nine maps will eventually be available as Live downloads and as a normal boxed game disc - available at retail for $19.99 (US).
* The release on Live will be staggered, some paid, some free!
* The first two maps are free and coming in a few short weeks. (late April)
* The same day the 2 free maps are released, 2 additional maps will be available for purchase.
* The remaining 5 maps will be made available as a paid download on the same day the retail package goes on sale.
* The retail disc will contain extras, including a documentary, a cool project from our cinematic and animation team, every Halo 2 update released so far and possily one or two other little treats.
* By late summer, ALL the maps will be available for free.
Read the whole story on:
http://www.bungie.net
(with presentation of the first 4 maps).
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It's worth checking out the bungie.net link... pics and description of the first four maps. They sound sweet! We may end up with them just in time for our late-April/early-May FATTY FRAG FEST! Bert - Clear a weekend!
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I think I might bring Fatty back the weekend of the 15th if we can get a gaming night together (plus you need to do a box for that coworker of mine). Does that work?
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LET'S DO IT! Drop the hdd off the 15th -- Game night (and xbox pickup) Saturday the 16th ? (I'm out at 5).
I'm ALL OVER SplinterCell co-op! Plus we'll have some new Ghost Recon 2 levels, Rainbow Six, TimeSplitters 3...
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Sounds like I am coming home during the Golden Days of Xbox. I won't know where to start! My job will definately be delayed so I can save the world from all the virtual enemies. A hero's work is never done.
Zills, make a place for me that night. AND I want breakfast the next morning! Oh, can I get a ride to my dads?
Not only is it a new age for Xbox, it is a new day for Fatty! Soon to introduce - BumFatty! See how he lives off his parents, be astounded at his lenth of unemployment, wonder at his ability to invite himself over for dinner.
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Sam Fisher will be arriving at my house in approximately 41 hrs. Fight Night Rd 2 is going to have to get in the backseat.
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Oh Fuck! My XBOX is dead as fucking fried chicken. Last night I fired it up to play a little Punisher and the drive started making fucked up noises. I get no screen and the eject light flashes.
I'm going to crack it open and see if the chip slipped but for some reaon it seems a little more serious.
Just as I have Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory ready to upload. Son of a bitch!
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The harddrive was making noises or disc drive? No xbox logo at all? It could be the chip is loose -- If the harddrive died it seems like you'd still get the xbox logo.
This is no time for a fried chicken box! Doom 3 is out too!
Good luck!
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I hope you don't have a Your Screwed Box. I think Jack is right - If no logo, it is the chip. The noises concern me..... Your next vacation might be to GR for an Xbox repair and a long gaming session.
Not a terrible alternative. Since I have no house, you can stay at the Roche Flying Circus.
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I cracked her open and the light on the chip was blinking red and green. I spent 45 mins trying to re-set it with no luck. Usually this process takes me less than 2 mins.
I flipped the little switches to position 2 and it blinked red. Tried aligning it again with no luck. Flipped one switch to pos 1 and the other to 2 - got a solid green very quickly. However I got the display that my xbox was farmed up.
I then repositioned the switches both to pos 1 (the way they were when I opened he box) and they were flashing re/green again.
The noise was coming from the disk drive. Like it was spinning up then down, then back up again. I'm not sure, it didn't sound right.
I'm out of troubleshooting skills.
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Bone - You got a display? So the xbox logo pops up -- like the chip is working? You don't get the flubber animation do you (chip not working)? If the chip works and you get an error message it may be your harddrive is bad. What's the error message say? Any error code displayed?
I plan on playing SplinterCell 3 and Doom 3 tonight! I picked up the SIN CITY SNEAK PEEK DVD from Best Buy today (along with Beck's new cd). I'm off to watch SIN CITY! Then it's a HOT POCKET and OFF TO WORK!
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Originally I got nothing at all. After fucking around - I now get the"Your XBOX requires service" display in mulitple languages.
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Dr. Box says:
If the chip IS working, that message probably indicates a farked harddrive.
If the chip IS NOT working, that message is popping up because your retail bios can't read from your upgraded harddive. Solution: Fix the chip.
So when you coming to GR, Bone?
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Any spare no-solder matrix chips lying around already flashed?
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'Fraid not, Bone. Just solder doohickeys. Figuring it's your chip then?
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I seem to remeber that you had problems with your chip before. I can't remember if we replaced it. Is this the same chip with the bad pogo pin?
IF you think the chip is bad, you can still buy solderless chips. I think they still cost $50 or so. Putting the Bios might take some work, but is well within your abilities. Actually it is not that hard, just burning it to a disk.
If it is just aligning the Matrix Chip, Jack perfected a one wire solder that fixes the problem for good.
If it is your drive, well that is the easiest to fix. We (meaning Jack for now) buy you a new one and fill er up. That way you can have the latest and most embarassing loading screens.
You my friend have to find the problem. Is it the chip, is it the drive? What about the bear?
If it comes down to a chip, you can buy one and we will walk you through the install and get you the right files. You are just going to have a lot of free time in the meanwhile.
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I've flashed the chip before no pronlem. I really can't say what the problem is.
I don't think it's the HDD, I''m leaning toward the chip since it flashes red/green simulaneously. Anyone know what color it flashes when it's not aligned? I thought it was red only.
Could it be problem with the CD drive? That bitch makes a wierd whizzing sound upon startup then seems like it gets choked up. It's hard to describe but I'm pretty sure it's not normal.
If it doesn't magically fix itself - Fatty has his first job. I'll mail that bitch over and you can either (A) Fix it or (B) part it out for your other projects and build a whole new motherfucker for me, $$$ provided from me of course
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I just got the new Official Xbox Mag and it has pics of the first two new Halo 2 multi-player maps. They look sweet! One is a giant, snow level (in the same league as Halo 1 Sidewinder) and the other "Elongation" is basically Halo 1's "Longest" (MFin' YAY!!!) with conveyer belts and crates going down both parallel halls. I'm pumped for new maps!
Unfortunately, these two new ones come out late April (too late for the Fatty FragFest next Sat).
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Jade Empire - who's on it? IGN gave it a 9.9! According to them, it leaves KOTOR in diapers.
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I have a nice big paperweight.
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It's coming!
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Well, I got my new Halo 2 maps off of Xbox Live this morning! Can't wait to play 'em... they look pretty sweet. Now I just gotta get 'em onto my modded boxes for System Link play.
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The new maps are SWEET!
Turf - Awesome in close and personal level in the Chill Out style with the addition of city streets and a vehicle. Great medium size level for slayer.
Ruins - Lots of ramps and slabs of rock to hide around.
Containment - giant snow level similar to Sidewinder in Halo 1 but much cooler. Harder to snipe, and lots of vehicles, including Tanks, hogs and the birds. Big middle area for vehicle battle plus two bases, large enough to drive vehicles into and cave tunnels.
Warlock - is an updated Wizard from Halo 1.
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Well, the new Halo 2 maps are definately keepers. That along with the Halo 2 tweaking (making it more Halo 1 like) even has Johnny-Bells liking Halo 2 now. He's been coming over all week!
Bone - Got your box in the mail today. It'll probably go under the knife tonight. Pray for it.
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GTA SAN ANDREAS coming to XBOX June 7:
"Rockstar Games today officially told IGN the first concrete details of the Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which features upgraded visuals, audio, and special features not found in the PlayStation 2 version.
"Due to release on Xbox Tuesday, June 7, 2005 in North America, and Friday, June 10, in Europe, the Xbox version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, like the updated Double Pack of Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, features upgraded graphics, with 480p and 16:9 Progressive Scan support, higher resolution textures, new lighting and shading models, and increased draw distance."
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/608/608722p1.html
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Thanks, I fucked with that chip for farkin hours.
I'm all about a hdd upgrade. At least on par with Roche's. I got grips of dollars but look for deal as usual.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick her up. I got ideas a brewin though.
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Hey Fatty: I got your voicemail about the article the Press did on LAN parties... didn't mean to ignore you, just thought it would be easier to post the text from the article here. It had a little box referring people to www.grlanparty.com, www.edengaming.com and www.theultimatelanexperience.com.
******Here's the main story:
At a LAN party, you have to walk gingerly.
The power cables and computer cords snaking across the floor probably carry enough voltage to light a small country. One wrong step could pull a plug, resulting in a lot of blank screens and some angry "Half Life 2" enthusiasts.
A decade ago, this never would have been a concern, since computer gaming mostly was the territory of basement-dwelling shut-ins.
But today, advancing technology has enhanced the social lives of computer junkies, who are gathering regularly to play the newest games, hang out with friends and show off their computers.
That's the purpose of a LAN (local area network) party, a communal gaming event in which players -- ranging from a handful to several hundred -- meet, hook up their machines and play to their hearts' content.
"When I go home and go to sleep after one of these things, I close my eyes and see a crosshairs and a guy I'm supposed to kill," avid gamer Dan Wells said of the mental effects of playing "Battlefield Vietnam," a first-person shooter game, for extended periods.
Gaming till midnight
Wells is a leader of GRLan Party, the area's largest and oldest LAN organization. Its most recent event took place Jan. 15 at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Ada. Between 7 a.m. and midnight, some 60 game aficionados from across the state came and went as they pleased, ate meatball sandwiches, competed for prizes furnished by sponsors and played as much or as little as they wanted.
"These people will all be here till midnight," Megan Schoenherr said around noon, gesturing to the gamers filling the lodge's main room, a mostly male crowd of various ages.
Schoenherr handles publicity for the group, which, since its inception in 2000, has expanded from tiny gatherings in hotel conference rooms to large-scale, convention-style events, the biggest of which drew 90 players.
A LAN party can involve as few or as many people willing to meet, set up their computers and play. The computers are linked into a local area network to maximize the exchange of information. Depending on the number of players, a separate computer is necessary to act as a server, which hosts the game. The advantage of LAN gaming -- as opposed to, say, online gaming -- is a local area network can operate at speeds much greater than a broadband Internet connection.
Get a socal life
Two local businesses are capitalizing on the growing popularity of LAN gaming. The Ultimate LAN Experience, which opened in late 2004, and eDEN Gaming and Repair, which opened over the summer, are seeking to bridge the gap between playing computer games and having a social life.
"That's the stigma of gaming, that it's just a guy in his basement with a bag of Cheetos who's been there for 12 hours. It can be a very social experience," said Shane Empie, 24, who founded eDEN, 5365 Plainfield Ave. NE, with three friends from Cedar Springs.
Empie described eDEN's operation as a "pre-existing LAN party" that provides all the camaraderie of a LAN event without the logistical difficulties.
"We'd have to carry our computers to our friends' houses, and it was kind of a hassle," he said. "We took that idea and said, 'Why not have a place where we can come and do this?'"
Both eDEN and Ultimate LAN Experience (ULX) operate networks of top-notch computers, which are used solely for in-house gaming, and both businesses feature a variety of first-person-shooter and real-time-strategy games, as well as physical-activity games, such as "Dance Dance Revolution."
ULX is a regular sponsor of GRLan Party events. Like eDEN, ULX sells memberships and charges players hourly rates. Both businesses rent out their facilities for private events, typically at night, and schedule tournaments for specific games. Sam Reynolds, who co-owns ULX with two friends from his church, said a LAN gaming facility's advantage over a less-formal LAN party is its convenience.
"LAN parties ... are great, but I've gone to so many where I've sat down and said, 'Oh, I forgot my power cord," Reynolds said. "Basically, we provide everything for a game. You can walk in, sit down, put in a user name and password and play games. You don't need (to bring) a computer."
But for some LANers, nothing will beat the spontaneity and kinship of an informal LAN party.
"Competitive is an understatement. It gets extremely intense," said Jeff Curths, an avid gamer and one of GRLan Party's leaders.
Whether it's playing at a business, in a friend's basement or at a large-scale LAN party, Chris Van't Hof, 33, a network technician from Traverse City who attended the recent event, is glad to be out supporting the cause and making some new friends in the process.
"Actually being able to see the people you've been playing online with is nice," Van't Hof said.
******And here's an info box that ran with it:
This communal computer-gaming event allows players to network their machines for multiplayer action
How do you find out about a party? Join a LAN group, such as GRLan Party, which schedules regular events and provides information and access to fellow gamers.
Do you have to register?
Not usually, but larger events or those with cash-prize tournaments generally require it.
How much do they cost?
Parties hosted by larger organizations usually will require an admission fee for overhead costs. GRLan Party charges $10 to $15 for admission to its parties.
Where are they held?
Anywhere with enough space for computer equipment and enough power capability. Parties take place in homes, hotel conference rooms, fraternal lodges, etc.
Is there an age limit?
Depends on the organization or business. GRLan Party requires parental consent for gamers younger than 14. Ultimate LAN Experience, for example, requires a parental release for customers younger than 16.
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Back when I lived in Maryland, a buddy and I almost opened up a place much like eDEN... I used to go to LAN parties all the time out there and I still believe it's an up-and-coming business model. I've never actually gone to a pay-to-play type place, but I probably would if it was well-run and got enough people interested in gaming.
I'm telling you guys, Xbox is great - but nothing beats a mouse-and-keyboard first person shooter.
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