LIVEBLOGGING: XBox 360 Preview Party
Posted by: kmikeym
7:48 pm
Mike: We're here at Cabel's where we're checking out the new XBox 360... it's totally EXTREME! The controllers are blinking and Cabel has been working back behind the TV for like 30 minutes. He says there are too many cords.
Steve: A- on the box. The box is a huge improvement. Smaller. But the power supply brick is a disaster. It's the biggest thing I've ever seen in my life. F for the power supply. So many dudes playing Mario Kart. Not enough dudes inspecting Xbox 360 cables and connectors.
7:52pm
Cabel: Unpacking the Xbox 360 was a magical experience. By far the most interesting part of the packaging is a flip-open cardboard flap on the side, allowing the retailer to scan the unit's serial number without requiring the box to be opened. I've seen transparent open holes before, but never a flip-open cardboard flap -- that's innovation. 100%, Microsoft, innovation. The power supply, on the other hand, is as big, as a Manatee.
7:54
Mike: We're ordering pizza now. With nine of us here we figure three large pizza huts will be good to go... One pepperoni, one Hawaiian, and one chicken and red onion, plus bread sticks and cinnamon sticks. Nothing tastes better with an XBox than some Mt. Dew and Pizza Hut pizza.
8:00
Mike: We have three games to preview tonight: Kameo, Call of Duty 2, and Perfect Dark Zero. Word on the street is that Perfect Dark Zero was sent to manufacturing before it was certified, so if they found bugs they were going to have to recall like hundreds of thousands of copies!!!
8:09
Mike: WE HAVE PICTURES!
8:17
Josh: So far, I like the XBox. We haven't fired it up yet, but I like it. Mostly because I like any alternative to getting my butt kicked over and over again in Mario Kart DS. Last place: It sucks.
Also, the XBox is shiny and white. Also, its controllers are nicer than the husky big boy controllers they gave us last time. Holy crap, those are some bad controllers. XBox should have failed entirely just based on that. Why would they be so big? What did they have in them that was so Xtreme?!
Oh, Cabel's gonna turn on the XBox Three Sixty! I'm out.
8:28
Waiting... waiting...
Video input...
Oh god!! It's a big globe! SO WHITE! It's like an albino whale cresting over a mountain of vanilla ice cream.
We missed sound... trying again. The men are restless. There it is... WHHHHHOOOOOOSSSHHHHH! GREEN NOW. So Green. Ian says the interface is great, everyone laughs... We are in the master...
"You are about to enter a new world of amazing games and digital entertainment" is says... Confusion reigns as we attempt to get past the menus. Language settings... hott.
Brushed metal! Entering gamer tag, IE your totally awesome nickname! Now set your gamer picture.... Cabel asks, "Who drew these piece of shits?" Cabel chooses the scary man icon.
Setting hi def settings... 1080i... the men are still restless... boredom is setting in and the caffeine form the MDX is causing catcalls and rowdy behavior. Belches and grumblings... I think we're in for a long night.
First game has been launched: HEXIC! It's like tetris but a puzzle game on your phone... Why are we playing cell phone games? Group consenses is that HEXIC is lame, except for Alex, who says, THAT GAME WAS HOTTER THAN PARIS HILTON EATING A BURGER ON A HOOD OF A FAST CAR.
8:32
Mike: FIRST REAL GAME: PERFECT DARK ZERO.
the electronic music and hot ladies of perfect dark really set the tone for this system! It's extreme like a techno remix of a a james bond movie and a euro dance hit.
We are confused by the "samsung" logo in the top right pf the game.
Someone says they are dissapointed by the breast size of the players. It is totally NOT EXTREME.
Mike: Cabel is shooting a metal spider. WE ARE IN AN UNDERWATER WORLD. It is totally next gen! It looks like 20,000 leagues under the sea at Disney. Dave doesn't like the caustics.... Cabel shoots the computers, steals ammo, and is now climbing some stairs after going under a tripwire.
She is sneezing! No, wait, that is her "grunt". There are CRATES! WE HAVE CREATES IN THE GAME! Shiny game!!! SMASH DA CRATE!!! BEST GAME EVER!!!
8:37
Mike: Those crates don't stand a chance against Cabel's viscious mean melee attack. Now thru a sensor filed.... Push "left bumber"... oops! AUTOMATIC GUNS SHOOTING THE SHIT OUT OF US. He made it thru my rolling past the guns. They must be controlled by motion detectors.
Alex saw dust in a column of light. NEXT GEN DUST PARTICLES.
Cabel says this PD:0 character looks like Mary Kate.
BAD GUYS! They have guns. They are shooting! HE SAID "BITCH!" THAT IS EXTREME.
Cabel has to hack the gibson now... he has a "hacking tool" that is like HEXIC. NICE WORK! Ian says it's like in Swordfish, but w/o Halle Berry's boobs.
8:45
Steve: OH NO!!! Cabel just turned into a floating camera. He has to go blow up a computers. The camspy mode in perfect dark zero makes the screen look like an xbox360 green circle ad. deeper branding.
i don't really love espionage hot lady underwater games. games should get more shenmue and less halo. personal call. pizza time. PIZZA BREAK YA'LL!!
9:09
Mike: More pictures! This time from Steve!
Mike: It turns out the first mission, as expected, is just a "simulation". EFF THIS, time for multiplayer action!!!
9:24
Mike: Multiplayer PD0 seems so EXTREME. The controllers aren't working? Why won't the other controllers work? The manual has to consulted... you have to push a button on the XBOX, which makes things dance, then registers the controller... ugh.. I hate reading.
Wade says there is a lot of lag... Well, it's not lag exactly, it's just the weird motion of the camera. Everything is still VERY SHINY. There is no jump, but if you hit the L dongle you can do somersaults.
The first match is over, let's see what Cabel has to say...
Cabel: I enjoyed using the hands only for a while. I had a difficult time moving. I tried hiding but people would shoot me. Wade shot me. There were sounds of guns. I hit a tire with my bare hands. I tried to go up a ladder, but I just hid at the base of it, which was not effective cover. Also fists.
9:30
Mike: Time for some CALL OF DUTY 2.
9:34
Alex: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I guess I have been instructed to LIVEBLOG EXTREME STYLE OMG THIS LIVEBLOGGING IS SORT OF LIKE BLOGGING INSIDE OF SOME KIND OF A SWEET ASSED BASEBALL CAP INSIDE SIGMA KAPPA GAMMA! We are approaching the glowing mannequin, this is fantastic!!
Mike: Alex isn't allowed to liveblog anymore.
9:43
Mike: The graphics on this game look much better.
So much for training... You start with teddy bears and potatoes and pretty sure you are a brutal evil man!!Cabel just gunned down five people as they got out of a truck! That dude just got shot in the FACE!
SCARY MASK MAN!!! Oh shit!
Oh, he kicked that table over!!!
9:45
Steve: Dudes are freaking out and screaming and saying "THIS IS AWESOME," and other stuff like "WHOA!!" There are lot of explosions and lots of smoke. LOTS OF SMOKE. The smoke looks really cool.
9:48
Cabel: OK. That was totally an awesome game. The sound -- the graphics -- the Nazis -- holy smokes. The word "visceral" is pretty sucky, so I'm not going to use it here. But it was totally visceral -- seriously. That was a great first level -- throwing you right in the middle of all sorts of madness. Truly enjoyable -- smoother, prettier, louder than PD0, thus far. Which game will have more longevity? Time will tell.
9:53
Steve: Quotes I am hearing from people playing "multiplayer deathmatch" in Call of Duty 2 and some other people playing Mario Kart DS.
"Who's doing the sexy breathing?"
"So far this is the must own."
"oh oh oh oh oh killcam is cool."
"no girls allowed"
9:57
Mike: NEW PICS FOR CALL OF DOODIE 2!!
10:03
Stevenf: Kameo - This game is going to be full of furries. It's going to be non-stop rainbows, faeries, dinosaurs, and unicorn all with terrible Scottish accents. It's what we've come to expect from Rare.
10:07
Steve: So far this game is that that one part in Shrek 1 where Shrek saves the princess from the scary fiery castle. Not enough Dunkey though. THAT DUDE IS FUNNY FOR REALS!!!! The real deal is that you keep changing forms for different sections. First he was a lady, then a weird plant, then a weird ball that was like Metroid Prime. It's sorta silly looking. Cabel really likes the music and he is a video game music aficionado. I mean looks pretty cool, just the character design is pretty dumb. He's being a mean plant again.
10:16
Josh: Cameo: It's like when you're in a movie, but only cause you're famous, but you don't really have to rehearse!
What it has to do with this game, I have no idea.
Cabel keeps changing! He's a fairy! He's an abominable snowman! He's plant-creature! He just threw a troll up through a stained glass window! It's a signature Brutal Carnage move!
It's trying to be Lord of the Rings-esque, and I guess it does that. Epic music, but the sets are pure video game.
What I want to know is why are all the games on this system so SHINY! The wood crates in Perfect Dark looked like they were lacquered right before they released the game.
Cabel just realized he's an elf, and I think he found that depressing. He'll be immersed in Everquest in no time. Whoever makes Everquest for XBox 360 is going to be rich and famous.
He turns into this ball, and rides around on Tony Hawk-style ramps. He fights other ball-characters. His motivation is unclear. Kill balls?
I'm out.
10:23
Steve: Great call about the lacquer shininess, Josh. It's like Xbox has some sort of deal with Minwax. VARNISH TO THE EXTREME!!! The shininess is sorta bugging me. Too much shiny.
10:28
Mike: In game pics of Kameo:
Definition of NEXT GENERATION GAMING: Killing a Dragon *with* an ogre!! (shouldn't it be called 'this generation' gaming?)
10:38
Steve: Cabel is setting up an Xbox Live account, because now we are out of games. The Xbox says it is 6:39am. You have to fill so many things out. PHONE NUMBER!?!?!? He's been inputting information for a solid 15 minutes. Every one is getting mega bored. Xbox Live Gamer Zone - Choose the Xbox Live Gamer Zone that fits your gaming style. Edit your profile to change zones anytime. RECREATION, PRO, FAMILY, UNDERGROUND. I don't think you are exactly "underground" if you are telling XBOX that you are Underground.
10:52
CS: I like Rare games. I'm the only person on earth who completed Donkey Kong 64, AND collected 100% of the items -- bananas, donkeys, monkeys, barrels, tic-tacs, stars, trees, satsuma oranges -- everything. So, I'm excited when a new RARE game comes out. And therefore, I'm exctied about Kameo. Unsurprisingly, the production values look great -- the music (recorded with a live orchestra in Prague) is amazing, the background are filled to the brim with particules, fire, dragons, etc., likely the result of a Gamecube game upgraded to X360 with a heck of a lot of processing power left over. The character designs, unfortunately, are classic RARE -- i.e., pretty ugly. But, you know, the game looks like fun -- four different kind of creatures, that you can switch between, and accomplish different tasks with, with some basic puzzle solving within. I obviously haven't played it much beyond the first 25 minutes, but I have a feeling I'll enjoy -- and, that I may be the only X360 player who will enjoy it, because, come on, the game stars a faerie. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything to collect -- so what's the point? Unless I only have 99% of the Yorkshire Puddings laying around the level, and I'm searching for that remaining 1%, it's not a RARE game now, is it?
11:30
Stevenf: It doesn't seem all THAT next-genny yet, but hey, it's still early. They sure do make a money-grab the second you get onto Live. At least I got a free Mountain Dew totally extreme t-shirt.
wade: First gen games look a lot like current Xbox games. The controls in Perfect Dark Zero are jacked. Kameo was the surprise of the evening, all I can say is "poly count"? Backgrounds were particularly good. Call of Duty 2 looked real good and was pretty fun. Dashboard was vastly improved, but lost some simplicity in the process. And someone should tell MS that metal is totally out.
ian: Not very impressive. Totally happier watching South Park than playing launch titles for the 360. Also Mario Kart was a good distraction. With no good titles on the horizon it looks like we'll be playing an awful lot of Call of Duty 2 and Game Boy DS. Perhaps Quake 4 will be MS's saving grace. Not holding my breath. Oh and WTF was with the XBox Live setup (Gotten worse and more complicated since the original XBox)?!?!?
Josh: Rippin'!!! ... Um, I mean...
I don't really care about the XBox 365. It just doesn't seem that fun, you know? The online thing really bummed me out. So many pages! The same thing over and over again. "What's your name?" "Thank you. Now that we've got that, would you please give me your name?" "Excellent. And your name?"
During all this, we got on our Nintendo DS handhelds and were in a networked game of Mario Kart DS within 30 seconds. Says it all.
Alex: Rare games! One good and one not as good. Call of Duty 2 was great, some amazing stuff. Xbox Live is 50/50, I really like the idea that tiny developers can make little arcade games and sell them for $5 -- especially when the current game development environment pretty much requires you to spend 18 gazillion dollars on voice acting, mocap, etc. Some interesting little games are sure to come.
Final verdict - Rare games are enough for me, really! But I'm a Rare nerd, so whatcha gonna do.
Dave: I brough salami and brie and crackers, but it turns out we were ordering Pizza Hut. I drank my first Mountain Dew in ten years and had some dill flavored potato chips and cheddar Sun Chips. Then the pizza came, so we ate it. It was not very good. I didn't have any of the bread sticks. I drank one of the beers I brought, and then I drank another. Then I brought out the Tofutti I brought and everyone had one. They seemed to like it.
Oh, and we played some video games, too.
Cabel: Interesting experience! First, the "blades" based UI interface was a good idea on paper -- mirroring the "inhale" form factor of the console in an graphical way. Unfortunately, there's a lot of jankyness to the menus that doesn't make the process as free-flowing as it should be -- sometimes drawers fly open, sometimes the screens replace, sometimes the blades stay, sometimes they go away. Second, don't be fooled -- the console is huge, and the much talked about power supply is as big as a fat baby. Third, watching us have to resort to a manual to get four controllers working was an eye-opener -- I'd blame it on us, but I'm pretty sure that's the system. People Don't Read Manuals. Still, the overall design of the system, and the UI, is significantly less for the XJocks, which is nice. Finally, the games -- they look nice. And I've no doubt they'll be fun. But they're not going to change the world -- yet. Is there anything interesting on the horizon? Or is this the PSP all over agin? Unless you're a RARE nerd -- as I am, and probably Alex is as well -- you can safely wait for some good cames to come out before buying. That said, THANKS MOUNTAIN DEW AND MICROSOFT FOR GIVING ME AN XBOX THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME and I don't deserve to be negative in any way. Hooray!
THE END - THANKS FOR WATCHING
Virtual Soccer Champion
Posted by: kmikeym
Saturday, November 19th, a day when most people think of the historic first meeting of President Reagan and Gorbachev in 1985, now has a new meeting. This day shall now be remembered as the day Gene Merrill invited eight friends over for an epic single elimination tournament of virtual soccer. Eight men played, but only three walked away with prizes.
Round One
Round one started off with a match between Jona Bechtolt and Josh Berezin. Josh's go-ahead offense created many chances, but it was ultimately a defensive battle that enabled jona to pull ahead. With the benefit of several referee's decisions in Jona's favor, a 1 goal nudge ahead was enough to give the victory to the young Norwegian. (Final Score: Jona 1, Josh 0) Unfortunately, Jona was disqualified when he tested positive for performance enhancing substances.
The next match was a reminder of the epic 30 game tournament of 2003 with Steve Schroeder and J. John Afryl facing off. We saw plenty of chances from creative midfield action from John, but the first leg saw no goals because of Steve's excellent defensive play. Coming down to the wire, these two excellently matched opponents threw everything forward for the win. Two extra time periods elapsed, and it was on to the shootout, where John dispatched steve in three ably taken shots. (Steve 0, John 3)
The hosts first game of the night, Gene Merrill made full use of his home field advantage to pepper Erik Mork with plenty of shots on goal on the first leg, resulting in a 2-0 advantage for the 2nd. Erik switched to a offensive formation but it backfired, resulting in a win for Gene three to nil. (Gene: 5, Erik 0)
The final game of the first round saw Mike Merrill use the Metrostars' fabled bad luck cursed soccer expert Ryan Wise in a defensive battle with little chances. Ultimately, the supper club's 2005 squad in white defeated the red shirted version in a short-lived penalty shootout. ("Jonnie Walker can eat it. It's no wonder he was traded to the f'in crew!" -Ryan W.) (Wise 1, Mike 3)
Round Two
Host Gene Merrill demoralizes Josh Berezin with two early points in the first half. Josh, fueled mostly by anger, manages to hold off Gene's punishing assault for a bit. The anger mounts with Josh's keeper being unable to hold onto any hard-hit shots. Midfield possession becomes the name of the game, as Josh tries to break free to get on the board, but Gene's defensive ends all of his opportunities. Two-Nil is the final score--the players shake hands but Josh is forced to hide behind his fancy mustache in defeat. (Gene 2, Josh 0)
The two mustachioed men of the Hott Denn faced off in their head to head match. Crisp, one-touch passing was the name of the game for John. Mike attempted to counter with athletic runs through the middle. John Afryl began the second half with a blistering run through Mike's defense, but the finish was lacking. Later, Mike stymied the midfield and was fouled at 20 yards out. The resulting free kick was well parried by John's keeper. On the counter attack, John dribbled in and scored on the rebound. Two minutes later, a brilliant run was finished into the upper corner to increase his lead to two. A valiant comeback effort was eventually denied, and John was through to the final. (John 2, Mike 0)
Battle To Place For Third
With the bitter taste of a round two defeat in his mouth, Josh approached this game with fierce determination. The opening minutes were a battle in the midfield, with Mike finally coming on strong in the early 30th minutes but forced his shots from too far out of the box. Still, his defense refused to give any ground, keeping the ball out of the hands of Josh's strikers until well into the 2nd half. In the 70th minute Josh sent a fantastic cross into the box and connected with the forward's foot, but the chance past when the ball was fired into the crowd. Mike responded by forcing the keeper to save twice near the 80th minute but the game went into extra time despite these late game heroics.
Mike gave Josh a good scare in the 96th but his shot was too soft to find the net, Josh immediately responded with a sparkling run down the length of the field and a shot to the upper left corner that put Mike's keeper at a full stretch.
The second batch of extra time began with some sloppy play by the tired midfielders, and settled into rough tackling as neither team wished to give up such a hard fought battle this late in the game.
The shootout was a psychological battle, with the kicks going center before finally aiming for the corners. Josh took the early lead 2-1, but Mike kept himself alive with a shot followed by a great save. But his next shot sailed over the bar and Josh's next two shots were fired home with authority for the win.
FINAL MATCH
We now go live to Josh Berezin for a play by play:
Josh Berezin here, liveblogging the finals match. I'm coming off my penalty kick victory over Mikey for 3rd place and a gallon of gatorade, so I'm on a natural high. It looks like the players have agreed on a rules change for the final match. They're going to 8 minute halves. I expect this change benefits the home team, as he's had the most time on this game and system. I'm going to make an early prediction for Gene here.
They're playing as Arsenal. Afryl's going with a standard 4-4-2 set. Afryl's knowledge of the Arsenal roster certainly gives him an air of confidence.
And play has begun! Both teams have some early struggles holding onto the ball, with a couple of takeaways, as well as a very awkward pass right out of bounds by John. Gene gets the first shot off in the 6th minute, which is easily handled by John's keeper.
Thierry Henry gets a gorgeous shot off for Gene's squad, sliding past the keeper, but also slightly outside the post. Gene regroups and fires another hard shot at goal in the 14th minute.
John finally gets a solid possession in the 15th minute, makes an amazing dribbling move, and then squanders his advantage with an ill-advised shot. Gene gets a shot that I thought would have been impossible to block, but it's handled and Gene collects the rebound. After a couple of more tries at it, John gets the ball with the whole field in front of him, and quickly returns possession to Gene, who gets yet another shot, narrowly missing again. I have to say Gene is looking like the stronger side at this point.
We're in the 29th minute, and I've seen very few hard defensive challenges. These teams are going to need to play some harder-nosed defense and take some risks if they're going to score.
John is clearly plagued by his unfamiliarity with the XBox controller, repeatedly making button-pressing mistakes. It must be very frustrating for him.
Gene gets the keeper one-on-one and somehow can't get the ball into goal, but it rebounds, and he shoots it right back at the keeper, but he hadn't quite recovered yet from the first shot, and it ends up in the back of the net, for a one-nil lead.
The spectators present are trying to keep Afryl's spirits high as he is now playing at a deficit.
Both players have realized that they can afford a couple of calls going against them, and it's worth risking a yellow card to break up a dangerous play. We've seen a number of hard tackles. John picks up a yellow card just outside the box in the 45th minute, and Gene puts the resulting direct kick perfectly in the top left corner of the net, to run the score up to 2-0. There are only moments left before the end of the half, and John gets a desperation shot off, but the last seconds tick off without event.
As the second half begins, John tries to stay loose, and he has control early. But after giving up possession, Gene is awarded an indirect kick above the box, lays it off, and buries it in the exact same spot as his previous goal. Three to nil now, and it's looking like first and second place are determined.
In the 53rd minute, Gene gets still another beautiful chance, with no one but the keeper in front of his striker, but doesn't put enough mustard on the shot, and it's handled. Afryl drives upfield and puts a hard shot off the keeper's hands for a corner kick. This chance results in nothing, however, as the keeper snatches it out of the air.
Afryl has not given up! He brings the ball upfield again and shoots across from right to left, but misses the far post by a couple of feet. On the resulting possession, Gene brings it up and Afryl again presses the wrong button, slide tackling when he meant to just play straight up defense. This time, Gene's free kick from just outside the box glances off the wall and over the endline.
Afryl gets a shot off from all the way on the endline, which curves up and in front of the goal, but glances off the crossbar harmlessly and into open space.
Gene's attacks are relentless! Repeatedly driving right up the center, he gets shot after shot off, but he lacks the finesse to elude the keeper. Finally, on his third or fourth attempt, he takes it easy, and instead of powering a shot into the keeper, he drops it softly into the back of the net in the 75th minute. Now it's 4-0! There's no question any more who's taking home the gold medal, but I know Afryl would feel good about scoring at least a single goal in this match.
The players seem to be reading each other's playbooks, and Afryl drives directly up the center of the field, gets a hard shot off, but it ricochets hard off the crossbar, and he fires the rebound up into the stands. That was probably his best chance of the match so far.
Afryl regains possession and plays with patience, but puts a cross into the arms of the keeper, and he has to hope Gene makes a mistake to give it back quickly.
No more scoring or serious chances come for either player, and the players shake hands as their teams walk off the pitch.
It was a one-sided match, but it clearly motivated John to learn the game better in the future, and there are rumblings of an ongoing FIFA league. We've not seen the last of either of these players.
Josh Berezin, signing off.
Thanks Josh! And that there is why November 19th will be long remembered as an epic day in virtual sports history. Gene takes home the $25 gift certificate for the CD/DVD Game Exchange, John walks away with a silver Adidas soccer ball, and Josh drinks his weight in Gatorade with a gallon of Fruit Punch.
(additional reporting by Ryan Wise and Josh Berezin)
