Xbox 360 Slim Quick Review

Posted by Tiberius Jonez

I was lucky enough to secure an Xbox 360 slim on the Friday following the console's unveiling at E3. My guy at my local Gamestop held one for me until I got off work in the evening, even though they only received five of them and they're not supposed to do holds on merchandise - their policy is first come, first serve. Thanks dude who shall remain unnamed, seriously.

I traded in my 360 Elite with the 20 GB hard drive from my original release date console and so after trade-in credit I paid $177 and some change for the $299 360 Slim.

First impressions:

As soon as I got it out of the box, I was struck by the 360 Slim's aesthetics; it is a beautiful console that will add a touch of class to any entertainment center.

Wow, it's silent. Not just quiet - it is inaudible. And yes, the power is on. ;0-)

The smaller and cooler processor, generous vents and much stronger, yet silent fans, means there should be much less chance of overheating issues and console failure.

The gloss black finish, added USB ports, repositioned optical audio port and touch sensitive buttons are all lovely additions and really raise the overall impression of the console's build quality. While I've always considered the 360 a better overall gaming console than the PS3, the PS3 has always had a distinct advantage in looks, in my opinion. But not anymore. The new 360 Slim looks every bit as good as the old shiny PS3's and considerably better than the new PS3 Slims.

The built-in wireless "N" means I finally have some hardware to show what my new N Router can do. Last but not least, the 250 Gigabit hard drive is my favorite upgrade; no more deleting games to install new ones.

After a week of heavy play, I can say I am thoroughly pleased with my Xbox 360 slim. It has performed perfectly under heavy stress and is a beautiful addition to my electronics menagerie.

The new matte black wireless controller is very cool too - it's size and form factor are unchanged, but the new finish is very "Batman" in design.

If you can get your hands on one, you won't be disappointed with the new Xbox 360 Slim.

Thanks Microsoft. I don't know how you pulled it off - unexpectedly unveiling a completely redesigned console AND having it available on store shelves only 72 hours later, but I'm impressed.

Game on!!

Alpha Protocol - hit or miss?

I can't lie. Alpha Protocol looks extremely overrated, but what do I know? That's why I rely on you, the GameJonez Reader to determine whether or not this game is a diamond in the rough or cubic zirconia. So tell me, is Alpha Protocol legit or illusion? Please comment. THANKS!

UPDATE 5/28/10: Apparently I wasn't far off with my first impression of Alpha Protocol. Gametrailers.com is less than impressed with the game. I doubt I'll even rent this one. RPG games that try to be shooters don't seem to work unless their name is Mass Effect.

Video Games | Alpha Protocol | Review HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

What's wrong with DLC?

by Tiberius Jonez

There's been a lot of debate during this console generation regarding downloadable content, or DLC as it's commonly known. Some people love it, others, not so much. I've always been of the opinion that DLC, like most anything, is great when done properly and useless, even insulting, when done wrong.

DLC falls into three general categories for me. First is expansion packs. To me, an expansion pack is new content that adds significant value to an existing title. New levels or missions in GTA IV or Elder Scrolls: Oblivion are good examples of expansion packs. I would even consider the map packs for Modern Warfare and Gears of War to fall into this category. These kinds of new content add potentially tens or even hundreds of hours to the original game's playtime. At $15 or less, I consider these to be decent to excellent values.

Next is original stand alone games like Shadow Complex from Xbox Live Marketplace or Pixel Junk Shooter on PSN. In fact, these are probably the two best examples I can think of of games that could easily be sold at retail, but are perfectly suited for sale as DLC. Again, at $15 or less, these games represent fantastic value for the gamer and a great source of revenue for publishers who maximize profits by eliminating packaging and all the infrastructure required to get products to brick and mortar retailers. By the way, if you haven't played either of these games, do yourself a favor and check them out - you won't be disappointed. These are two of the 20 or 30 best games to come out in the past two years in any format.

Finally, we have micro-transactions. This last category is where things get more dicey. This includes everything from new outfits for your Xbox Live/PSN avatar or Mii, to individual cars for Forza Motorsports 3 or EA's "unlocks" - such as paying $10 to unlock all the courses and equipment in Tiger Woods Golf without having to play through the game to "earn" them. Some of these, such as the EA unlocks, can represent a significant value. If I want to play Tiger Woods online competitively but don't have the time to invest 40-50 hours of offline playtime to level up my golfer, then the cash to unlock my character's levels and equipment would represent a decent value to me. However, offering me Horse Armor (pictured) for my Oblivion steed for 200 MS points is just silly. EA's offering to sell me the NFL Jersey of my favorite team for my avatar and charging $5 (400 ms points) doesn't represent a good value to me either when I can go to Walmart and buy a real Miami Dolphins shirt on sale for $7.

What actually bothers me more than the items offered as DLC is the way two of the three console makers price their offerings. Microsoft sells items on Xbox Live using "Microsoft Points", which are offered in 400 point increments. Each 400 MS points is roughly $5 real money. Microsoft recently changed the pricing structure of their DLC in response to complaints from customers. Previously, most items for sale on Xbox Live Marketplace were structured in such a way as to insure you were always short 100 points or had 100 points left over. It was basically a way for MS to force you to either forfeit that extra 100 points or buy 400 more points so that you could buy some other item. Nintendo uses their own "Wii points" price structure similar to Microsoft's points. 400 Wii points is also roughly equivalent to $5 real money. Fortunately, Nintendo does not seem to price items in the same way MS used to.

Why is it Sony is the only console maker with enough sense to simply offer their wares for actual real currency? It is simple, when I add $5 usd to my PSN wallet, I know $5 usd is coming out of my bank account and this simplicity actually seems to have the affect of encouraging me to buy more software rather than less. Plus, they price many of their micro-transactions under $1. I bought a cool hat for my PSN Avatar, and it cost me 38 cents. I thought it was a fair price and gladly paid it without hesitation.

I find the points systems used by Microsoft and Nintendo to be insulting. There's just something about the points systems that makes me feel dirty. I never feel like I know what I'm actually paying for any given item with those pesky points, and honestly, 1200 Microsoft Points just feels like more than $15 dollars to me, which may be part of the reason why I don't buy much add-on content through Xbox Live Marketplace.

As DLC becomes more prevalent, and eventually (a decade or more) all software is purchased via electronic delivery, it would be nice if all three console makers would just get into the mode of offering good values for real money. As the industry continues to expand their customer base, conventions like these "points" systems will only confuse new customers and potentially turn them off from DLC completely.

DLC can be a great tool for publishers and developers to increase revenues and extend the shelf-life of the games they create, while (hopefully) offering gamers more fun experiences at a good value. But, for DLC to reach its potential, console makers need to make the pricing of DLC simple and transparent.

Ubisoft ignoring Assassin's Creed 2 audio problems

by Tiberius Jonez

I was very excited to receive Assassin's Creed 2 last night. Unfortunately, after 5 minutes or so of playing, my excitement quickly turned to irritation and finally, complete disappointment. From the first cut-scene on, I experienced audio issues ranging from skipping dialogue to overlapping dialogue to a complete freeze of the game at one point. No, my disc is not scratched and my Xbox 360 Jasper Elite is working perfectly, thank you very much!

I really wanted to enjoy the game, but after an hour or so, the problem was so bad that it was impossible to follow the plot due to all the lost dialogue. The game is simply broken.

I researched around the net today, and sure enough people are complaining about similar issues with both console versions of the game. On Ubisoft's own forums, people are complaining and apparently Ubisoft's response is simply silence. There is no mention of a fix or upcoming patch to fix the problem. You can complete a work ticket on Ubisoft's forums, but no one has reported any progress or even an acknowledgment of the problem from Ubisoft.

The fact that Ubisoft, one of the most respected game developers in the industry, would release a game as big as AC2 with this kind of severe problem is fuel on the fire of gamer's reticence regarding the industry's move toward more PC-centric game development. Five years into this console generation and we still have game companies releasing games that require patches to correct problems that should have been addressed prior to release.

While I'm sure Ubisoft's board of director's will be happy with their stock prices next quarter, they may be whistling a different tune if the next Assassin's Creed is released to disappointing sales due to their complete disregard for their benefactors - namely us, the gamers.

If you've experienced audio issues with AC2, let us know by commenting.

Tritton AX 720 Gaming Headphones Review

by Tiberius Jonez

“The Unfair Audio Advantage.” That’s what Tritton technology’s website declares on the product page for their AX 720 Gaming Headphones. After using these headphones in Modern Warfare 2, can I honestly say it’s a fair statement? Read on and find out.

There are two major players in the Gaming Headphone space, Turtle Beach and Tritton. Turtle Beach seems to be the better known of the two; likely due to their long-standing availability at Best Buy stores across the land, but Tritton’s products are now also available through Best Buy and other major retailers. This, combined with the quality of Tritton’s product line could be giving Turtle Beach legitimate cause for concern.

Being Christmas time, I was given $100 to buy something for myself and I’ve been in the market for some decent gaming headphones for a while. I couldn’t stand the idea of buying another crappy Microsoft headset or some other junk from Madcatz or Nyko, so I started researching. What I found initially was that Turtle Beach is well-reviewed around the internet, with only sparse mention of Tritton. So, I ended up buying a set of X31’s from Turtle Beach for $99.99 plus tax.

I chose the Turtle Beach product because for $100, the X31’s are wireless and are supposed to do a decent job of mimicking surround sound with a stereo headphone. I got the X31’s home and at first glance, they seemed kind of cheaply made to me. They were light, which is normally a good thing in headphones, but they seemed a little TOO light – like they’d break easily under any kind of strain or abuse. I’m a hardcore gamer, so whatever I buy is going to take some abuse – there is simply no way to avoid it.

Once I got the X31’s setup and running, my impressions were mixed. On one hand I thought they were comfortable and the ability to adjust your chat volume independently of game audio was a very nice feature (the Tritton AX 720's also have this feature). Unfortunately I found the “surround” capabilities of the X31’s to be sorely lacking. While playing Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360 I could hear that enemies were somewhere near me, but I had no idea what direction they were coming from. Worse yet, I experienced severe popping noises whenever either end of the cord attaching the headphones to the controller got jostled. For $100, I was very disappointed.

So, I headed back to Best Buy to exchange them for a pair of Tritton’s AX 720’s. At $129.99, the AX 720’s are $30 more than the X31’s and they are not wireless, but I had read a few reviews that gave the Tritton’s extremely high praise for their sound quality – which is always better with a wired product VS a wireless one. Unpacking the AX 720’s, the first thing I noticed is the build quality – these things just feel well made. They are larger and a quite a bit heavier than the X31’s but they look really nice and feel very sturdy.

Setting up the AX 720’s is a bit of a process. The unit comes with its own Dolby 5.1 amplifier that connects to your Xbox 360 Elite via the optical input. The amplifier is quite small and should easily fit in most peoples setups. The amplifier has it’s own power supply, so you’ll need to have a free outlet available on your power strip. Xbox 360 owners must have an Elite model to take advantage of Dolby 5.1, as it requires the optical input. By the way, the AX 720’s can be used for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and will work great with any BluRay/DVD player or other audio/video component with the requisite optical output. PC users can use the included standard 3.5 MM connection for stereo sound as well, but you will miss out on the surround sound goodness. The cord running from the headphones to the amplifier is 12 feet long and should be sufficient for the vast majority of players.

I did have one hitch with the setup. The manual is less than comprehensive, and at first I had other players in my game complaining about a very irritating buzzing sound coming from my mic. My wife and I searched the internet for a solution and nothing suggested fixed the problem. Then I started messing with settings on the AX 720’s amplifier and stumbled on the answer. For Xbox 360 users, make sure you select 5.1 Dolby, headphone mode, and game mode. Setting it like this eliminated the buzzing being heard by other players. Now it was time to get to fragging.

Before I even started a game, I noticed the sound quality difference over the Turtle Beach X31’s. I have my dashboard set to the water effect. Low and behold when I turned on my 360 I heard water sounds and at first couldn’t figure out where it was coming from – then it hit me – it was the dashboard effect. I had never even heard it with the X31’s or from my TV's speakers.

So, I joined a game of Modern Warfare 2. I took a couple of seconds to adjust my chat volume and game volume to a nicely balanced level. This is accomplished with an inline volume control on the cord running from the headphones with independent volume controls for chat and game audio. There is also a mute button so you can speak to someone in the real world without annoying other players in the game.

Once the game started, I was instantly blown away. I heard a chopper fly in from behind me and then I started taking in all the ambient sounds in the game; bullets whizzing by, explosions near and far, and people scurrying about. I could not only hear all these sounds, but I could tell exactly where they were coming from – both the direction and distance. Explosions were full and powerful and every sound in the game was crystal clear and beautifully recreated.

What you want to know is, did wearing these things make me a better player? Normally, I'm a solid player in MW2, but I absolutely dominated with these things on. It was so easy to find a comfy camping spot and just listen for enemies to approach. This was especially effective inside of doorways. I would simply setup inside a doorway and wait for someone to approach, then just as they were about to enter the door I’d leap out and knife them.

The second match I played was on Karachi. Here I didn't camp, and I can't tell you how many times I avoided a death because I heard someone approaching from behind and was able to wheel around and take them out – much to their chagrin. Once the dust settled I was the top player in the match by a large margin. going 25-4; my best single match score ever. Oh my, the sweet gaming goodness. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

A significant side affect of using these is that it seems to make the game's graphics better. That's not to say the graphics are literally improved but it is astounding how much easier it is to spot enemies – especially distant ones, when you have audio cues pinpointing the direction you should be looking in.

This is truly something that cannot be adequately explained – you simply have to experience it for yourself to appreciate the added sense of immersion true surround sound adds to your gaming enjoyment. Not once did I find myself wondering where a shot or approaching footfalls were coming from – it really lent a sense of confidence to my playing that I would never give up now.

To be plain – if you enjoy first-person shooter games and don’t mind ponying up the $130, you will not regret buying the Tritton AX 720’s. I give them my highest recommendation.

Deal of the Day (Nov. 17th)

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Video Game Deal of the Day (Nov. 15th)

Video Game Deal of the Day

Need for Speed Shift for PS3 or XBOX360
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Madden 2010 - The best mobile game ever?

by Tiberius Jonez

I recently got a new phone; an LG Dare. I decided to buy a game to see what it could do, and after scouring the entire library of available games on the Verizon network (and reading some reviews) I settled on Madden 2010. At $10, Madden is one of the more expensive games on the Verizon network. Is it worth it? Read on.

After quickly downloading the game, it was installed and I was looking at the menu screen. There are three pretty standard modes of play; Play Now, Exhibition and Season. They are all exactly what you'd expect.

What you might not expect is just how fun and satisfying a football game can be on a touch screen phone.

When the initial kickoff takes flight, you are immediately struck by the graphics - Madden 2010 is essentially a N64 game squeezed into a cell phone. The motion is very smooth for the most part and the animations are quite good. The hit and tackle animations in particular are exceptional. Of course, Madden is fully licensed so all 32 NFL teams are represented.

The control scheme is a combination of a standard 8-direction digital pad located on the lower-left corner of the touch screen (directional toggle on non touch screens) and an "OK" circle that becomes visible in the lower-right anytime an action is available.

So here's how it plays out:

Touch the screen and the ball is snapped. The QB automatically drops back and starts surveying the field. Circles pop up on screen to represent your receivers and the "OK" circle is visible in the lower-right. The circles representing your receivers change colors depending on the action on screen. The colors are: green for uncovered, yellow for partly covered, and red for completely covered.

As a receiver comes open, you tap the "OK" circle, followed by the icon of the receiver you wish to throw to; on this play it was Adrian Peterson. A.P. catches the ball and starts up field. The "OK" icon pops up again, Tap it and the action freezes (actually slows down to a near stop) and a series of icons pop up representing different moves available to your ball carrier, such as spin move, hurdle, dive, change of direction, speed burst, stiff arm and others. I select spin move and Peterson spins, splitting two defenders and continuing up field.

As the "OK" circle refills another defender approaches from the side. The "OK" button fills up...I tap it and select stiff arm. A.P. sticks his hand in the defenseless defender's face and knocks him to the ground. As he resumes his upfield assault, the "OK" meter fills up again - I select celebrate inside the 10 yard line and A.P. holds the ball out behind him, taunting the defense as he struts into the endzone for six.

The controls are very well designed and give the action a very cohesive feel that is rare in mobile games. I have played nothing but this game for three straight days. If a cell phone game can keep me away from my Xbox 360 or PC, it must be pretty damn good.

One of the game's best features is the save system. If you exit the game for any reason - to take a call, text message or because you need to stop playing, your game progress is automatically saved at the moment following your last completed play. This save feature makes it very convenient for playing in short bursts.

Madden 2010 mobile is a fantastic game - the best I've ever played on a mobile device. It is fun, deep, and offers super tight controls. If you love football or just good games, you can't go wrong with this one. Pick it up.

PS3 Slim is a game changer?

by Tiberius Jonez

The worst kept secret in gaming is now officially outed. Sony announced the PS3 Slim to day; a smaller, lighter, more efficient and cooler PS3 with all the same features as it's predecessor. Using a third less power is a good thing, let's hope they improved the blu ray drive's reliability.

Does a smaller box and a much needed price drop make this a game changer for Sony? I doubt it. It certainly will boost sales this year, especially during the all-important holiday shopping season.

Microsoft needs to get Project Natal named and released sooner rather than later. From what I've read and seen, Natal is legit and if used properly, it could render the Wii obsolete overnight; at least in the minds of those gamers falling into the "XBox or PS3 for sure, and a Wii if it was a gift" crowd.

Blu Ray is becoming less of a draw for Sony as standalone Blu Ray players continue to come down in price. There have been no announcements of release dates for any Natal titles but all indications point towards a late 2010 release - holidays 2010?

If that is the case, Sony needs this year to prove most fruitful for PS3 sales. They could fuel that success by releasing more games designed to draw on the 360's success like Mag and Infamous.

I've been pondering a new PS3. This makes it more likely I'll have it sooner rather than later. I am super excited about Project Natal and a slew of good games coming to stores over the next 12 months. Next up, Forza Motorsports 3 and Modern Warfare 2.

This next year is going to be a good one for gamers everywhere.

A salty Brit's take on E3

by Brendan Rose

With E3 wrapping up, I thought I'd talk about some of the new games I think looked cool, as well as the games I think seem crap or that I'm indifferent towards as well as the new motion controls for the PS3 and Xbox.

Okay first up, Mass Effect 2, now I think this looks really cool. You can bring your old character over to the new game, and if you die you don't get to bring them over into the third game. It's supposed to be darker than the first Mass Effect, which is cool because it was kind of lame. I just sat around waiting the entire game for the lesbian sex scene with the blue alien girl, but it was a lot of fun, and I really liked the psychic powers. They've revamped the graphics and the combat, and you can now wound and cripple the enemy. It looks cool

Alright next we've got Bioshock 2, it seems really neat from the footage I've seen. Everybody knows this time around you get to play as a big daddy, with the proper drill. Slower this time, more lumbering, more powerful, and they've got the big sisters there to set up some good dynamics. It looks ok.

Heavy Rain, seems really cool. It's got the branching plot lines. If you die as one character you just switch to one of the others and the plot adjusts, and it just looks like it's got a lot of potential. I'm not a fan of those stupid quick-time events where you have to press a certain button fast enough to keep the scene going. I hate that. But it seems interesting enough for that not to matter.

Dead Rising 2 is going to be awesome. God of War III seems pretty good from the footage I saw. Everyone's pretty hyped about that game. I never played the God of War games, but I'll definitely try it out. Then there's Final Fantasy XIII and now XIV which will be online. Not much to say about that. I like the look of the new game, and VS sounds awesome.

Flashpoint 2 seems to be rolling along well and looks cool, if they ever release it. Left 4 Dead 2, looks exactly like the first game, which isn't exactly bad, I'll buy it, and some new maps would be fun. Then there's Halo ODST, I'd like to play another Halo. Looks ok.

Assassin's creed 2 seems neat with some new features, better assassinations. It looks like it could be fun. Brutal Legend seems kind of funny. Jack Black... Probably a stupid game, but I'll buy it just to have a look. New AVP, could be fun, if they get it right. Batman Archam Asylum is something I will take a look at later along with Crackdown 2.

Now moving onto the intermediate games there's MAG which seems interesting with 250 or so players. Dark Void just keeps floating around. Some Knights of the old republic game, others liked the earlier one. And then Lost Planet 2 which has fancy graphics and lots of neat action and open areas and big scary monsters to fight but I just look at it and I feel nothing. I feel dead inside.

Then the games that just look like festering shit. First, Uncharted 2. My god, can someone please kill the hype surrounding this miserable looking tomb raider thing. It looks so boring and stupid it makes me want to barf on a child. Modern Warfare 2, I have no interest in...none. I understand people love the first Modern Warfare, but I've never understood it. So, go ahead and let the flaming begin.

The Beatles Rockband will probably sell a lot of copies, but not to me. No way in Hell. And then there's some fucking Metal Gear thing going on... Some stupid shit... Looks like Metal Gear on Xbox. I really don't care

Then finally, these new motion controls, which I hope will strangle the last gulps of life out of the Wii like a boa constrictor on a stray duckling. First the PS3 has a motion controller set for 2010 release that looks at least as good as the Wii motion plus. And then the Xbox has this.... Magic thing....Project Natal. They just showed a weird trailer. If it lives up to the trailer it could be cool. No controller required. It scans your body with two cameras and tracks your movements in 3D, and it responds to voice commands. Could be cool if it works I guess. So the Wii has no power and no games at all, and whatever the Wii control once offered, is now available on a better system with real graphics, If they get it right.

So anyway that's what I thought of E3. Kind of cool. Like a nerd mecca.