Ok so I’ve hit you with the Games category in my Starting Lineup and now it’s time for the Accessories that should accompany any purchase of an Xbox 360 this holiday season. In order to capitalize, you must accessorize. I should make that some sort of Xbox 360 Law.
Live Vision Camera - This little device jumped straight to the top of the list rather quickly. I just think it adds so much to the Xbox 360 experience if used properly. I’ve been having a lot of fun just remapping my face in World Series of Poker or just video chatting. Not sure what this is? Try reading the Vision Camera FAQ.
360 Wireless Headset - It’s coming. The design looks great and you can finally put an end to the hassle that was walking around with your headset connected to your controller. Deacon likes. Deacon must be completely wireless.
Quick Charge Kit - Worried about your controller running out of juice? The Play & Charge Kit is okay but it has nothing on the Quick Charge Kit. And that is in both design and convenience. If you’re all about wireless like myself, then having the cable of the Play & Charge just doesn’t cut it. I need to invest in this kit soon and so do you. It will ensure that you have a ready-charged battery pack on tap at all times.
360 Wireless Networking Adapter - If you are like me, then you once had to deal with unplugging your ethernet cable from the computer to your Xbox 360 then again from your Xbox 360 to your computer as you sat juggling Xbox Live and surfing the internet. Well, one day I finally got to getting this device and those days of unplugging are over. It’s easy to set up and it looks great connecting to the 360.
HD-DVD player - Ok. I’m an HDTV guy. I love high definition. I’m also a standalone player kind of guy. And if I’m listing this in my Starting Lineup, then it has to be something worthwhile. This is the first time I’ve considered anything outside of a standalone player. I’ve never used a console for DVD playback but that may soon change once this hits shelves. I suggest any HD person to look into the 360 HD-DVD player this holiday season.
Well that’s my Starting Lineup. But ofcourse as always you need a deep, quality bench to win a game. Racking up minutes off the bench are the 360 Wireless Controller, Play & Charge Kit, 360 Memory Unit and a 360 Faceplate for any quick change up.
The holiday season is fast approaching as well as the end of the year so I thought I’d unveil Unscripted’s Starting Lineup. My ‘Starting Lineup’ in the Games category are the five titles that I think should be in everyone’s starting lineup of games this holiday season…your must-buy games.
I’ll be introducing more of my ‘Starting Lineup’ categories soon. Look for categories dealing with the hottest stories, community shine and others. But first to debut is the Games category. (yes you know I’ll design a fancy image to represent the ‘Starting Lineup’)
Viva Piñata - Is there any surprise that this has made its way to my lineup? You know my mission is to turn you all into Piñatatans! The Xbox 360 has been in need of a solid title to appeal to the young adults and parents alike. I think this is it. Viva Piñata mixes some very colorful environments and characters with a fun theme. It sizzles for sure!
Star Trek: Legacy - I have a mission. To boldly go where no gamer has gone before. This title is ambitious. It combines every Star Trek saga you can think of from TV to film. It has my favorite captains, Picard and Kirk, in it so I’m set for its release. I’ll be in the skies commanding the Enterprise and any of the other ships I can manage to navigate. The only question is, who will I be dominating?
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas - I’ve never been into the Rainbow Six series but having seen what I’ve seen from this game…I’ll be into it now. The squad feel is seemingly back and to top it off, this game features the DigiMask technology so you all will be receiving head shots from the real DeaconBlade and not some default character. What more can I say or ask for?
Gears of War - Does this game need any reason? I didn’t think so. The way that this game has been displayed visually alone warrants an entry into the Starting Lineup.
Fuzion Frenzy 2 - If you were like me with Fuzion Frenzy on the original Xbox, then you know how much fun it was to play the first Fuzion Frenzy with family and friends. I anticipate that Fuzion Frenzy 2 will be just as much fun.
I wanted to round out my Stating Lineup with some quality reserves who are key coming off the bench to add to your holiday lists. Every Starting Lineup needs key players coming off the bench to fill in for the starters from time to time. They include Superman Returns, Call of Duty 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance and FIFA Soccer 07.
There you have it. Unscripted’s Starting Lineup and a few bench players as well to hopefully give you an enjoyable holiday season. Stay tuned for more!
Yes that’s right…I have more ammo in my quest to make you all Piñatatans! You can head out to the Xbox Live Marketplace and download an interactive video for Viva Piñata. Are you ready to dive into Piñata land this November? I know that I am!
Thanks greekGeek for the head’s up on this as I’m sure he knows I’m a certified Piñatatan. Are you?
Sorry about the late showing of #18 but hey the Cowboys were playing. I’ll try and get the next one up earlier for you early sleepers out there. One thing to note from the show is the Community Guests. I’ll be picking people straight from the Xbox 360 community to be guests on the show from time to time. These aren’t just any guests but rather those I feel are doing something positive in the Xbox 360 community. That may be with blogs, websites or just posting. I figured to give something to those who are truly helpful in the community and allow them a chance to speak to the listeners of Unscripted 360…share their story. Thanks to Brutal Roth for the reminder on this.
Enjoy the show!
Format:
40:58, 18.7MB, mp3
Show files:
mp3 - Get the show in mp3!
WMA - Get the show in wma!
iTunes - Subscribe to Unscripted 360 in iTunes
First I’d like to say thank you to Rob Aoki, Community Manager w/ Electronic Arts, and the entire FIFA 07 team for having me and the rest of the crew out to EA Canada last week for this event. The event went really well and the hand’s on time with FIFA Soccer 07 was incredible.
The event started on Thursday late in the afternoon when other fellow Xbox 360 community members arrived at the Sutton Hotel in downtown Vancouver. There were members representing a variety of Xbox and Xbox 360 websites like Xbox Solution, Xbox365, The Gaming Truth, and Xbox Users Group among others. I won’t detail the stuff outside of the game so be sure to listen to Episode #18 for more on the event if you want more than just my opinions about FIFA 07.
So we met up with Clive Gorman, Product Manager for FIFA 07, on Friday and headed out to EA Canada for an entire day with FIFA 07. We were met in a conference room by Haroon Qureshi (Inverse Kinematics/Ball Physics), Matt Jones (Art Direction), Simon Humber (Online/Performance Tracking/Database), and Kaz Makita (Gameplay/AI). They each gave a presentation that explained more of what the game was and its new direction. And now a bit of what you all were waiting for…hand’s on reports.
I loved it. It was as visually impressive as any title I’ve seen on the Xbox 360 so far. And the new direction with the AI and physics seem like an impressive redirection for the franchise. I’m not a football fan and to be honest, before FIFA 07 I’d only ever played one football (soccer) game, FIFA 06. But this one was really impressive. It left me wanting more. The new direction of having the player and the ball be two separate forces gave a much improved feel to the game. You no longer feel attached to the ball. Each motion or action you take can create a new movement between the player and the ball. The control just felt more natural and I was excited to see the new system coming along as well as it has. I applaud Haroon for what he’s managed to do with the physics in the game. You’ll have to think like a real player this time around as you won’t be cradled in your moves.
The one thing that I was disappointed in was the fact that there are no weather effects in the game so you won’t get to experience the game in any elements. Yes I know about the leagues and the lack of them but I understand the decision to exclude them. Previous players of the FIFA franchise will no doubt find it challenging and requiring some time to get used to. But I think it will be worth it. I think they have a very solid foundation to build upon for future FIFA titles. I’m looking forward to next week when this game hits store shelves, October 31.
I would usually do a Midweek Marketplace on Wednesdays but after Los Daddie’s suggestion, I’ll recap a bit on this Monday that includes some things just recently released.
Demos
Tony Hawk Project 8
Rainbow Six Vegas - NOT in the US, Mexico or Canada (sucks I know)
Xbox Live Arcade
Ultimate Mortal Kombat - 800 Microsoft Points
Lumines Live - 1200 Microsoft Points (you should know this)
Picture Packs
Call of Duty 3 - 80 Microsoft Points
Themes
Call of Duty 3 - 150 Microsoft Points
I’m back from Canada for those who didn’t know. The trip was amazing minus the cold weather and bits of rain. Vancouver though is now officially one of my favorite places to visit. The only thing they have to do now is fix the journey out of Canada. Everytime I’ve visited, I’ve had a rough time leaving because of the joke called customs and the constant flight delays. But oh well…the trip was great especially after meeting some cool people. Coola, DJ, Rich…and not to mention the FIFA 07 team…were all amazing people.
I’ll be posting my recap of the event today as well as posting episode #18. I need a moment to readjust myself so I can’t go over any hot topics just yet outside of Splinter Cell Double Agent releasing and the Gears of War Gamestop/EB event.
Tonight is Monday Night Football. Cowboys vs Giants. Do I need to say who I’m going for? I’ll miss the first hour because of Heroes on NBC but hey…I’ll flip the channels as best as I can. Well it’s good to be back. Let’s get this week started!
Space. The final frontier. It’s time to boldly go where no man has gone before. Bethesda Softworks and Mad Doc Software have teamed up to bring something that quitely frankly hasn’t been done before. And that is giving Trekkies a game that covers the entire Star Trek universe all in one offering from TV to film with Star Trek: Legacy. I had a chance to ask Gary Conti, Associate Producer at Mad Doc Software, some questions about the upcoming Xbox 360 title, Star Trek: Legacy.
First off I’d like to thank you for taking some time to sit down for the Q&A. Can you tell the readers who you are and what you do as it pertains to Star Trek: Legacy?
Hi I’m Gary Conti, I’m an Associate Producer at Mad Doc Software, the developer of Legacy. I am involved in all aspects of production, with a focus on managing development.
I know you’re asking…what happened to Day 2? Well, it’s Canada and sometimes you lose days…I think. At any rate, it’s a little before 8AM and we’re getting ready to get some hands on with FIFA 07 throughout the day. This is the meat and potatoes of the event. I have all the questions you guys posted and emailed so I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to get them all answered.
We all had a blast last night eating at Earl’s Restaurant talking games and watching the Mets vs Cardinals with a few of the people from the FIFA 07 team, including Clive Owen. After dinner Deejay Knight, from GamingTruth, Coola, from Xbox365, and I had a really fun time laughing and joking until a little past midnight in my room. Those are two of the rare good guys you’ll ever meet. Just don’t ask what the Pillow Group is.
Well I’m headed off now to EA Canada. I’ll post more if I can before I wrap up and head back home. One note, expect the long anticipated Star Trek: Legacy interview when I get back. (okay Intangible 360)
Well I’ve touched down in Vancouver. It’s midnight. I’m tired but up giving you guys a ‘tag along’ I suppose. I have some photos up of where I am…I almost forgot how EA takes such good care of you when you’re visiting them on one of these events. I arrived earlier than the rest of the crew to tend to some business but what I hear is that fellow Xbox MVP, Coola, will be headed up tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting up with him.
Each time I’ve visited with EA here, I’ve seen some celebs. And this time is no different. Pam Grier and that one guy from Freddy vs Jason so far. I just ordered a $20 burger/fries combo. Don’t even get me started…I can’t even believe it but I’m hungry and well let’s just say I’m taking the plate with me.
I have my wireless connection going with my Alienware but the connection is so ‘off and on’ it’s crazy. It looks like the Xbox.com message boards are back up (you can all breathe again lol)
Hope everything is going okay in U360 land. I’ll have more during my stay here. No cameras or laptops are being allowed when we get to the studio so I don’t know how much of the actual event I’ll be able to grab.
