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Just moved into a new place, here's a few snaps. To answer some questions about my previous setup: The picture is random Chinese characters on rice paper, the green stand is ikea, the rug is from some rug shop (sorry) and the TV (which has since been upgraded to a 120hz 10-bit 46A750) was an LN-T4661. Picked up a gaystation for LBP and a Wii for god knows what.
I spent a sunny Canadian afternoon in Toronto, Ontario checking out Microsoft's latest and greatest at X'07 hosted by Maro, a gorgeous restaurant & nightclub in Toronto's studio district. The prerequisite booze which flowed freely thanks to Microsoft was worth the trip alone, but the games, that is why I came. And came I did!
Before I get to some of the highlights of the show, it's worth noting that before I arrived some jackhole smashed his car into a hydro pole on the same block as the show, power went out and a huge-ass generator was trailered to the location to fuel the army of Samsung LCDs and Xbox 360s in attendance, however about a quarter of all kiosks were shut down including Project Gotham Racing 4 and the restaurant's lights were off (not to mention the sensor-activated bathroom taps). No big deal, all things considered. I was half plastered anyway...Onto the games!
Halo 3: Awesome. 8 player LAN setup, custom game modes (zombie infection!), bunch of new multiplayer maps (Snowbound, High Ground, Valhalla, Last Resort, Epitaph, and Sandtrap) and a gentleman demoing the crazy new features including Forge and saved films on "Jub Jub." The graphics have been improved since the beta, especially particle effects, explosions, lighting and reflections. I managed to pilot some Brute Choppers that have an oversized manual lawnmower on the front and side shooting rockets. Fun. I also managed to drive the "Elephant", a base/spawn point on treads, armed with turrets, and vehicles that spawn inside the roaving giant. Enough said.
Rock Band: Take me, I'm yours. I can't justify almost $300 worth of plastic instruments, but man, is this not the greatest thing ever? A bunch of kids in attendance picked up the drums right away, kicking it to Weezer, The Ramones, Foghorn, Alice Cooper, and a bunch of other A-List tracks. You'll know soon enough about the pure joy of rockin' faces off online and having virtual groupies. Guitar Hero 3 was also playable but had a "booth babe" half-assed playing most of the time when she wasn't busy checkin' her Blackberry.
Call of Duty 4: As good as they say it is, and looks better than you thought. It is still Call of Duty at heart, but has been tweaked quite substantially in terms of gameplay balance, adding a sprint function among other new features.
The Simpsons Game: Looked hot, played well, great themed missions. Woot? Of course, it's a Simpsons game!
Devil May Cry 4: This was a surprise for me, such a crisp, clean look. Fluid, fast, gorgeous. And yes, still full of that melodramatic cheese that the DMC franchise is known for, story-wise.
Turok: I have a stifled hatred for NeoGAF and it's terrible community. As such, I will bite my tongue and say Turok was basically an Unreal 3 meets Jurassic Park tech demo. The only thing reminiscent from previous Turok titles was the way the character bobbed while running, and the obligatory dinosaurs.
Need for Speed Pro Street: Fast. And somewhat furious. Looks to be a refreshing spin on the NFS series, while giving homage to it's Hot Pursuit roots. Overall not bad for an EA racer.
Beautiful Katamari: Excellent, if not a little dated. Looks nice, has a few new twists such as rolling up hot items to increase your katamari's temperature, instead of size during some missions. Co-Op and online multiplayer should be a blast.
Had a great time, big thanks to Jade and the Microsoft Canada team, looking forward to next year! read more
The recent Grand Theft Auto IV delay has been attributed to everything from the 360's lack of a standard hard drive for data caching to the PS3's immature dev tools. Want some speculation? Of course you do:
Rockstar has contractual obligations to any company that is paying their bills, obviously. Word is that Sony stipulates that GTA IV must be day and date on both systems, and Microsoft was lucky to get even that allowance, albeit with a price (and not the $50 Million for the episodic DLC either)...
In my opinion the PS3 is the cause for the delay, R* always have shown the 360 version in public, never a mention of Cell-based drive-by shootings. Now Sony and R* apparently have an unnamed PS3 exclusive in the works and probably a timed exclusive on LA Noire. Okay, okay I'm getting to my point:
If Rockstar released GTA on time for Xbox 360 but delayed the PS3 version, it would be all over but the crying for Sony this holiday, with Microsoft having GTA, Halo, Bioshock, Assassin's Creed, Katamari, Madden, etc. And all for a much lower price. Sony would have...um...Lair?
And the big finish: This would cannibalize GTA IV on PS3, but more importantly the PS3 exclusives Rockstar is working on... Can't sell software if there is no install base, can't get an install base without GTA. (unless you're Nintendo, natch).
Rockstar could have released the 360 version and hit the same amount of GTA sales or more this holiday (by selling cheaper 360's to the next-gen stragglers) without a PS3 version since the 360 install base and software attach rate is high but it would've screwed over their Sony exclusives in the future, AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. GTA would sell on ANY system if it were the only system to have Rockstar's cash-cow... New franchises on a poor selling PS3? Not so much.
Sony can actually thank Rockstar for the delay, a 6 month GTA IV exclusive on Xbox 360 (for whatever reason) right before Christmas may have been GAME OVER for Sony and at the very least, Rockstar's new PS3 exclusives. read more
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's David Reeves stated that the 60GB PS3 is going the way of the 20GB model and being discontinued in late July in favor of the 80GB version, meaning that the console is still $599 American.
But that is only half of the story here. I have a very good source within a major Canadian retailer that guarantees that despite the lack of a cut at E3 this week, the Xbox 360 will drop $100 Canadian across all SKU's. When? Sooner than you think. AUGUST 1ST.
If true, Microsoft is definitely turning up the heat this holiday.
UPDATE: So very, very true. Although I was a week off, all the Digg haters can suck my nadz! Much love to Electro Lemon for the benefit of the doubt. read more
