The 360 demos

First a general observation on the demos downloadable on Xbox Live: it feels counter-intuitive that you can't download full versions of full-size games. Yes, you couldn't fit too many on the 20GB HD, but it would be a natural thing to do after the Marketplace having taught us to do so in the case of, well, smaller games. And I do understand that the retailers wouldn't much like it. Still, it's fairly easy to say that fully downloadable console games are certainly the future. I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft released a bigger HD and the possibility of downloading at least their firstparty titles - during the life cycle of the 360.

Next: it is great to download playable demos of the expensive games you're thinking about buying. The demos are hosted on very fast servers and you don't have to eye the expensive official magazines just for demo discs. I only have one full 360 game bought, yet I've played hours and hours of new stuff and made several decisions to purchase while doing so.

So what sort of impact did the demos make? Basically, they're better than I expected. Only one let me down in any way and for the most part I was blown away by the visuals. Gameplay's all right, too, but Ghost Recon is always Ghost Recon and Burnout is always Burnout. You know what you like; a generation shift isn't going to make you like a genre.

The biggest graphical treat is clearly Fight Night Round 3. I don't care about boxing, but it's just hard to fathom that you're looking at a videogame. There are so few breaks to the illusion - mostly the upperbody stance shifts while blocking. The perfect title to show that your loud box is better than your old box. I need to play the demo more, as I'm not sure if I'm into the gameplay or not.

Experience-wise I was enthralled by Lost Planet. It's very basic third person run and gun, but the graphics are really something else and the gameplay feels very solid. In the demo's parking lot you can witness quite likely the best explosions seen in a videogame to date. Extra points for making the protagonist's feet always touch ground in a most convincing way. No rotating on an invisible disc when looking behind your back, here. Also, I'm a sucker for mecha, and Lost Planet features very tasty walkers. Which can step on aliens. Definitely on the shopping list.

Moving on to even more traditional ground, Call Of Duty 2 is a World War II first-person shooter. I haven't played any WWII shooters at any length (really!), so it feels like a fresh experience to me. I remember cringing at the jagged outlines at a 360 demopod, but I can't see them in my CRT TV. Looks very good, sounds very good, plays very well... I can imagine buying this at a good price, sometime. Probably low on replay value, though.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was on the top of my want list initially, but the demo feels like very common business, being a Ghost Recon veteran, myself. It does look splendid and plays well, but I reckon the meat would be in the multiplayer. It's like Ghost Recon with lots of make-up; familiar, but still good.

I was always very interested in Climax's official MotoGP franchise, but I never got around to playing it. The MotoGP 06 demo is intriguing. It doesn't look nearly as good as the titles above, but it does play well. Presentation-wise the MotoGP feel isn't quite there, at least in the demo. I'm not sure if I'm up to the challenge; just staying on the track feels very tricky, let alone winning anything. I played some 20 rounds and the best I could manage was seventh. I have yet to try out the multiplayer, which could very well be addictive.

The Next Generation

Last night I hooked up an Xbox 360. It worked on my DSL router automagically. Signing up for Live (Silver) was a pain, though, must've taken over an hour with all the patching and already reserved Gamertags and whatnot.



The console downloaded three patches and Oblivion installed one before we could get down to business. We had to restart once, because it wouldn't install a downloaded patch.

I've now played a couple of hours of Oblivion. It really is so cool, truly "nextgen". I played a lot of Morrowind some years ago, and Oblivion is precisely the game I dreamed about back then.

On the whole, the 360 really feels like the entertainment of tomorrow, compared to the old Xbox. The wireless pad is just a pleasure to use, so much better than the old, fine Controller S. The Xbox dashboard, available straight from any game, any time, is a tad confusing to use, but aesthetically pleasing and it's just so convenient to be able to download demos, queue downloads and so on.

I was thrilled to download and play Geometry Wars - Retro Evolved (and am going to buy the full version for sure): tried and true arcade action with absolutely killer presentation, which wouldn't've been achievable on the hardware of yesterday.

As for bad stuff, the Live headset feels and looks cheap. The DVD drive makes a hell of a lot of noise. I had one dirty disc error (crash) half an hour into Oblivion. The hard drive ought to be larger: it's 20 GB, but I've downloaded one demo (and the GRAW MP demo is small) and I'm already down to 12 GB. The power brick is humongous, rather ugly and handily hidden behind the TV. It reminds me of the C=64's ol' radiator.

I played some Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter multiplayer demo, too. I got spawncamped around 30 times, otherwise killed 10+ times and managed 3 kills myself. Average life expectancy 11 seconds. That was a tad frustrating, yes. Teams weren't balanced, either. Maybe I'll do better once I get some singleplayer GRAW under my belt and, for instance, learn the controls.

Launch

I just placed an order for an Xbox 360. The complete edition, thank you very much. I really don't see who's buying the Core System edition, seeing that you don't get the wireless pad, the headset, the proper A/V cable, or the hard drive and you still need something to save your games on. No patches, no downloadable content, no Live Arcade - where's the next generation in that? Some more polygons? No thank you. It just bugs me out that we have to suffer through increased loading times compared to the original Xbox, which just baffles me. And the Core System buyers are getting a raw deal anyhow, since the bundled goodies in the complete ("premium", "pro", whatever they're calling it) set are dirt cheap, but very expensive to buy separately.

Live seems to be the big revolution to me. I never got into the original Xbox Live, but online rankings, plenty of downloadable demos and trailers without a monthly fee sounds like a desirable thing. I do think I'll be getting the paid-for Live membership to be able to play online, though.

I believe that XBLA will be the venue for tiny-budget games in the future, what with stuff like Geometry Wars and Mutant Storm already available, and Introversion's guys negotiating about the release of their upcoming nuclear game. Small developers like Jeff Minter must see this for the goldmine it is - provided that Microsoft keeps a tight leash on quality control, as they have done up to this day. I'd like the micropayments to be lower still: around 10€ is real money, not micromoney. The difference of course being that I think twice about spending a tenner and not at all about spending, say, two euro. Anyway, all of this makes this an exciting time to jump on the Live bandwagon.

I haven't been enthusiastic about the HD generation before. Fact is, I still am not. We're going to plug the 360 into our old standard-definition 28" CRT. I reckon I'll be happy anyway, if the games are good. As a matter of fact, we're buying the thing mainly because my wife wants to play Oblivion. I'm more interested in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and XBLA. I am interested to check out how the 360 would look on a 19" CRT monitor, though. Ought to be crisp.

This is the first console I've bought at launch - well, at least going by how Microsoft defines the launch window. I wasn't that interested in the 360 initially, but Microsoft have been doing things well over the past half a year and things are looking good. Certainly moreso than in Sony's camp, where the PS3 is looking bleaker day by day.

In game journal news, I've kept at Advance Wars Dual Strike despite finishing the campaign. Last weekend I played two long sessions of Jade Empire, which is absolutely ace. It's actually much better than my previous RPG favorite Knights Of The Old Republic, from the same team. Jade Empire always leaves you wanting more, never stretching the content past its welcome. In contrast, I've played maybe one fifth of KOTOR II: The Sith Lords. It's a good game, but there's a lot of backtracking and tedious corridor shootouts, which never seem to go anywhere. If I ever finish it, it's because I'm bored with other stuff, not because I feel an urge to see what's next. Jade Empire excels in this, among other things. It's also lovely to look at and mostly a joy to play. Needless to say, I'm excited about Bioware's next console RPG, Mass Effect (on the 360).

Rated E for Everyone

I've been reading Gamers With Jobs' Pass The Press lately. They picked up a recent Penny Arcade topic, regarding ESRB, the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

I was considered an adult by the time a ratings system for videogames reached Finland, so it never really affected me. I've been thinking about the issue over the years, seeing more and more anti-videogames stories in mainstream media.

Fact: Grand Theft Auto or the Hitman series are not meant for children. Fact: they are played by children. Most parents don't seem to care, yet are eager to join in on the blame game.

My parents did check out what kinds of games I played and I had to explain what I was doing in them and why (yes, my mother was interested in my alter-ego's motivation). They also said when they disapproved and explained why, although I was never banned from playing a game. Then again, this was back in the 8-bit days, the Commodore 64 being my platform of choice (well, C=128D, to be specific). I reckon that if I was a kid these days, I wouldn't be allowed to play Hitman or the like, with highly realistic violence.

Most gamers seem to not understand why the ESRB is targeting gamers via the Penny Arcade campaign. It looks like the ESRB has sort of given up on the parents. Grownups seem to be either of the "anything goes" or the "ban the sick filth" school of moderation. Maybe if the little gamers themselves (say, under 16 years of age) understood that the ratings are there to protect them, their parents would also get it.

I firmly believe that a child shouldn't play Counter-Strike all day. It makes you obsessive and aggressive. Kids shouldn't discuss the best way to murder an unwitting man (or how to achieve it with a golf club). But this is just common sense. The ratings absolutely cannot achieve this, no matter how strictly implemented they are at the retail level. Parents must take an interest in what their children are playing - and why, and how. Better yet, they should play the games with their children.

The ratings are there just to inform the parents of the general level of, say, harmfulness of a game so that they can easily make a decision to purchase or not. They should understand that buying their kids a kid-safe game is not a permit for them to not care what their kids are playing. They should care, if only because the games are important to the children and thus they should be of interest to their parents.

Rest and relaxation

It's been a hard couple of weeks at work. I haven't had time to play games, really, and I've been so tired that the brain hadn't really worked for the last day at work. However, I took last weekend out of the schedule and just laid down on the sofa for two days, watching bad movies and playing videogames. It was sweet.

I played some single-player Flatout, Halo 2, Gladius and Advance Wars DS. I completed the Advance Wars campaign. I can't applaud the game enough, it's very good indeed. The difficulty was just about perfect, even though the AI does not convince. I don't see how I could've beaten some of the harder missions against a human player.

I've mentioned Flatout before, but now I got down to playing it solo. It's just very enjoyable, although the difficulty is a bit too high. Not devastatingly so, but enough to probably frustrate quite a few people. I'd prefer all games to be like Burnout 3, where any beginner with a pad can complete the races, but it takes effort to score well. Still, the physics-powered racing with beat-up cars in really atmospheric, run-down tracks is something of a unique experience. Much of it is down to the handling model, which differs considerably from the car game norm, but I'd say it's for the best.

I haven't played Halo 2's singleplayer campaign until now. I played it in co-op for a couple of days, which didn't quite convince me to buy the game. The single-player fares a little better, but I'm afraid it just doesn't get up to the sublime levels of the original game. Part of it is down to the inconsistent technical quality: there's pop-up, flickering, disappearing models, missing textures, shaky physics and so on. Bumpmaps are overused. Then there's level design: the environments are somewhat cluttered. They don't feel like the finely crafted arenas of the first game. Then there's the story - while I'm nowhere near finished with it, I really dislike its dual-nature, especially regarding the protagonist.

Regardless, it's a blast, but not as much as Halo was. The third instalment is eagerly awaited, make no mistake, and there have been plenty of really standout moments already. The actual grind of the moment-to-moment gameplay just doesn't feel as satisfactory.

The weekend's real champion comes in the guise of Gladius. It was little noted when it came out, despite scoring a respectable 80% on Metacritic. I'm into tactical battles and Gladius really rubs me in a good way. Good production values don't hurt, and it looks like the game also puts up a fight. Still, progress could be faster; now it feels like an hour's worth of playing doesn't do much to your fighter school's progress. The 3D models, animation and texturing aren't anything noteworthy, but it's all solid and the overall feel is elevated greatly by the careful animation of the character's faces. The actual combat is a little slow and the menus are cumbersome. Otherwise a great experience so far, and highly recommended to all attracted to, well, turn-based gladiatorial combat! I know it grabbed my wife for the whole of Sunday. She hasn't gamed six hours straight since last summer. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not, but it was great to see her really get into a game.

The Sisters Of Mercy

I was a teenage goth. I stopped painting my face and dyeing (sp?) my hair right after high school and cut the hair for college. It's been over a decade since my best/worst days. But the music lives on! I never even dreamed of getting to see one of the big ones live, but now The Sisters Of Mercy is coming to the local metal festival, Tuska (translates to PAIN in English, for what it's worth).

It'll be an interesting weekend. The Sisters on Friday, and Billy Idol on Sunday. Considering I go to concerts maybe once in two years.

UPDATE: Gee, now my other long-time favorite is coming over, too. It's been only a year or so since I last saw Paradise Lost, but this year's set lists seem cool enough. And right in the middle of summer, too, in my home city. Now if I only managed to catch Type O Negative and System Of A Down some time. I missed TON a couple of years back.

UPDATE 2: Paradise Lost was mighty fine - not as excellent as the last time, but good nonetheless. Billy Idol did kick butt, I was thoroughly entertained.

Sisters Of Mercy was something of a letdown because there was lots of trouble with the sound, but they did get it together before embarking on the biggest hits. All in all it was all right, but the biggest gripe I have with is volume. They've had to pipe it down in the downtown Helsinki festival and as things stand, I don't see much point going over there when I can listen to music at work louder.

I also put up a couple of snapshots from the Sisters Of Mercy gig, late as they are, since people seem to come to this post from search engines, looking for SOM info.

Games that I'm excited about

So E3 came and went. This year it was much, much easier to get your hands on the juicy trailers and information, and keynote speeches and whatnot. Nice, that. Some games stood out, but before I go into those, I really must wonder at the lack of enthusiasm towards the Playstation 3.

I mean, nobody seems to care. Sure, it's coming, but nobody's gawking at the trailers, nobody's asking when they can get their hands on one, everybody's saying that $600 is way too much. I for one will not pay $600 for a console. (Well, according to Sony it's not actually a gaming machine.) Nothing we've seen is better than what's on offer on the 360 and the developers are all saying that the machines are so near identical that the games will be exactly the same on both platforms. We'll see how it plays out, but for now it seems that Microsoft has really played their cards so much better than Sony, who's bound to lose some market space to their competitor.

I'll give Sony this much: the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer was cool, especially with the final scene of old Snake. We haven't seen ageing heroes in too many games. Also, points for bringing back Raiden despite the ridiculous fanboy backlash to MGS2's protagonist.

Speaking of things you just don't see in videogames: Assassin's Creed. I've played Hitman quite a bit, so I wasn't that interested in another assassination franchise. But at the time of Crusades? In Jerusalem? As an Arab, killing Christian knights? In broad daylight, amidst real crowds? The trailer was really something, breaking a bunch of boundaries I wouldn't expect to be approached with a launch game for a mainstream platform.

Chrome Hounds: I've proclaimed my love for the mecha genre before. The Armored Core series is one of its cornerstones, so I am thrilled to see it coming to the 360, even if the trailer doesn't show anything spectacular.

Gears Of War: So call me gullible. I've been unenthusiastic about this 360 heavy hitter, but Penny Arcade's slack-jawed reaction to it has me excited. I've been waiting for games to reach a sense of solidity, of real physical mass, and early reports indicate that GOW may have achieved just that.

Recent games

I've been wanting to post about Beyond Good & Evil for some time now. I've put it off because I wanted to get further in the game before getting all vocal about it, but what the hell. Chances are you've already played BG&E. Good for you. But if you haven't, I very strongly urge you to do so right away. It's been out for something like three years.

I knew it was supposed to be good, but this good, never. It really feels like you've walked into an animated adventure, complete with great pacing, acting, art and music. The character design is really very good, although the world could be perhaps a little more engaging. It's written well, and the central gameplay is solid. The camera can be a pain, though.

It's interesting how taking photographs of the bad guys is much more exciting than fighting them. I wouldn't mind more games about photographers. The photography in Metal Gear Solid 2 was one of that game's standout moments, too.

Another cool older game I've been at recently is FlatOut on the Xbox. We've played it with a couple of friends - going at the singleplayer, taking turns to get through the really rather challenging races. It's good fun. I wonder when mere physics cease to be fun, but that day is certainly not here yet.

There are the physics-based, driver-flinging minigames, too, but I really prefer the singleplayer experience. Well, make that "communal", perhaps... As a bit of trivia, I was on a Nile cruise with a guy working on the game some years ago. (He wasn't at Bugbear back then, though.) I hope the soon to come sequel all the best, although I'm a little worried about the addition of explosions. The original was fine without them, suitably down to Earth, yet over the top.

And yes, I'm still playing Advance Wars DS. It's just really very good.

A note on advertising

You might have noticed the Google AdSense banner on the page. It's there just to test the system, as I want to know how it works. Unless I suddenly begin to get thousands of hits instead of the handful I'm seeing now, there's no money in it for me. The blog is just serving as a professional (as well as creative and personal) playground for me.

Going pro

I became a search engine marketing guy. Today I got my Google certification to show for it.

The more I study Google AdWords, the better the whole system seems. It's easy to use it all wrong, effectively burning money on zero-value contacts, and effective use does necessitate forethrought, planning, upkeep and general knowhow. I'm not saying it's some arcane art which takes months to understand - indeed, the basics are very easy to grasp, just that it's complicated enough to warrant the use of a professional to handle it for you.

Enough shop talk. What's relative (AdWords pun, I am so sorry) is that proficiency with professional tools means more money to spend on games. And games-front, it's been exclusively Advance Wars Dual Strike for me. I'm on the second planet of Knights Of The Old Republic II, but really the lure of Nintendo's strategy goodness is much stronger than the Force. Yesterday, I was thrilled to have to try a mission four times before finally overcoming it.

I've tried to participate in my wife's Animal Crossing Wild World mischiefs (by digging hidden holes and stomping on neighbor's flowers), but even my King Tut mask (which is awesome) can't put up a fight.