The benefits of Gold are small to some and very small to others so I’m not sure how this bit of news will help. Silver members on Xbox Live will have to wait a week to download any free content including demos from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Content marked with a red circle and slash is content that falls under this new restriction. (image courtesy of Major Nelson)
Gold members naturally have immediate access to the new content but if you’re only sporting a Silver account, then you’ll have to wait. I know some of you know about this as it was implemented with the latest system update but I figured I’d let the rest of the world know as well. It just dawned on me after the Frontlines: Fuels of War demo was released.
So Gold members enjoy and Silver members find something else to do for a week. (smile)
Projects - B
During 2007 Electronic Arts kept fans talking about their titles by releasing over a dozen throughout the year. There was hardly a time when a new EA title wasn’t being talked about. From sports to action to shooters, EA seemingly had something for everyone to play. Tiger Woods, Madden and their NHL series were tops in their genre this year. And I can’t forget to mention the addition of former Microsoft executive Peter Moore to their sports division making an already strong division even stronger.
The quality and delivery of their titles range from average to excellent with average games like Need For Speed ProStreet to excellent titles like skate, The Orange Box and Crysis. Some say the frequency and number of titles is a bad thing but I submit to those people that it sure beats having nothing to play. It helps serving as both a publisher and developer. This gives you the ability to populate shelves moreso than many other companies.
It also helps your Projects grade when you obtain quality development studios at the pace EA has over the years. It shows that they’re willing to get the help needed to grade high or rather they’re on a “win at all costs” ego trip which in either case helps. It also helps when you establish new IPs that turn out better than anyone expected in their 2007 titles, skate and Rock Band. Although most of their titles were existing franchises, the effort behind the majority of them coupled with a few newbies gets Electronic Arts a B grade here.
Halo 3 has some new goodies available for download today. You know you’re still playing it so now is the time to decide if it’s good enough to dish out more $ on. The map pack has 3 new maps. (Standoff, Rat’s Nest and Foundry)
How much: 800 Microsoft Points
Tis the season to be jolly especially when you bring home good grades to your parents and score some good presents from Santa. Since so many kids are going to be playing hours and hours of video games this holiday season, I figured it made perfect sense to see what the U360 Report Card says about the companies who make these games.
I’ll take a look and see exactly how these publishers and developers out there graded to determine whether they’ve been naughty or nice. Let’s see which company deserves some milk and cookies or a gift of purchase this season.
The first company to stand in front of the class for their grade will be Electronic Arts. The report card for the mighty EA will be turned in tomorrow. Be sure to be here to see their grade. I’ll also have report cards on Microsoft, Activision, Vivendi, 2K and others in the days ahead.
Here’s how I’ll grade each of them.
Projects
How many titles have they released this year? Were they of good quality? Were they original or sequels?
Community
How were they in dealing with their fan base? Did they host any events to promote their titles? How accessible did they make information about their title with websites, advertising, etc? How accessible are they to the fans?
Extra Credit
How have they extended the life of their titles in the Xbox Live Marketplace? Did they develop any extra content and if so, was the price reasonable?
It’s time to double up once again for Arcade Wednesday as GripShift and Arkadian Warriors come calling in the early hours tomorrow.
GripShift Info
“GripShift” combines automotive and puzzle solving skills across 120 challenging levels, 25 rubber burning race tracks and 20 deadly deathmatch arenas across four themed worlds. Zoom to victory with four players over Xbox LIVE or race solo, all while enjoying a customizable music experience!
When: Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST)
How much: 800 Microsoft Points
Arkadian Warriors Info
Three heroic shape-shifting warriors fight to release the Land of Arkadia from the evil Gorgon’s stony gaze. In the uniquely expansive “Arkadian Warriors,” randomly generated dungeons and cooperative multiplayer hack & slash action enhances a deep single-player campaign. The robust cooperative multiplayer mode is available for two players both locally and over Xbox LIVE.
When: Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST)
How much: 800 Microsoft Points
Okay so there’s at least a few more thing interesting about the Spike VGA awards beyond the painted girls. Midway gave wrestling fans another trailer for its upcoming TNA iMPACT! video game. The game, based on the highly rated TV show, is scheduled for release in spring 2008.
There was some good that came out of the VGA’s on Spike last night. 2K Games released a trailer for an upcoming game called Borderlands. Borderlands is the new franchise from award-winning developer Gearbox Software. Blending the frenetic action found in popular console FPS games with the character customization and procedurally generated items and enemies found in successful action RPGs, Borderlands offers a never-before-seen gaming experience.
Borderlands allows four players to share the same game experience simultaneously online. Players can freely join or leave each other’s game at anytime, or choose to play in the full single-player mode. Borderlands features life-like character animations, impressive real-time physics and customizable vehicles. You can check out the trailer for Borderlands by clicking here.
It’s such a long, long way from releasing (holiday 2008) but I was impressed with the trailer.
There’s no exclusive agreement with boxers is there? Ok, so we should see some of today’s top boxers in the latest announcement from 2K Sports, Don King Presents: Prizefighter. I know what you’re thinking. What the hell is Don King doing headlining a video game? We’ll have to wait and see.
“The combination of real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics will set this title apart from the competition,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most engaging and realistic titles, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter will exceed these expectations. Based on the game’s innovative features and high-profile fighters, this title will be a ‘must have’ for any sports gamer.”
“In all my years working in professional boxing, I have never seen anything come as close to recreating the thrill, the intensity, the courage and the spectacle of the sport,” said legendary boxing promoter Don King. “Don King Presents: Prizefighter is more than a game — it is a glimpse at what life is like in and out of the ring for these incredible athletes.”
Detroit Lions fans you look really good with those Dallas Cowboys gamer pics. You almost pulled it off but almost doesn’t count in the NFL. With that said, welcome to another Monday Morning Scripted. I’m happy today after seeing Tony Romo pull off the win.
The weekend didn’t bring any new movies. I passed on the Golden Compass but I did get to see some painted girls and I guess that’s always a treat. This is the first Monday of my Heroes withdrawal. I’m still ticked off at losing close to 10 episodes because of this ridiculous writer’s strike. I’ll get over it I suppose but I’d surely like to be watching a new episode of Heroes tonight.
A new medal was unlocked this weekend for those of you who are international fans. If you’re from the UK, Italy, Holland or some other cool place outside of North America then you successfully unlocked a new medal. 
It’s the least I could do I guess after Ricky Hatton got knocked out.
The X Scavenger Hunt is over today and reports of people actually winning are beginning to surface. Letters are being delivered to homes supposedly so watch your mail. It’s strange that they’re not using the email route but that’s why I say ’supposedly’. If you’re a daily, weekly or grand prize winner, let me know.
This has been your Monday Morning Scripted of a few things going on in the community. See ya in the usual places!
It was pretty clever of Spike to resort to the fancy painted girl trick in order to wow the crowd. That’s much better than keeping it about the games I say and it always works. Who wants it just about games anyway right?
How many of you watched the Spike Video Game Awards? I love Samuel Jackson but these awards do no justice to video games. However, there were painted girls and I guess that makes it all better. In fact, it was the best part about the show. Rainbow Six Vegas 2? Meh. Kid Rock? Double Meh. That doesn’t say much about the show I know but at least there were painted girls. I have a sudden urge to play Rock Band, don’t you? Click here for the video of the painted VGA girls.
yeah i know lol
*HUGZ*
