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The Green Side to XboxFrom A Female Gamer's Perspective.... June 04 Mobile Games: Are They Worth the Money?I bought a new Motorazr V3m phone a couple of weeks ago. I love it! I was excited to see a huge list of mobile games I can download such as Bejeweled 2, Pac-Man, Midnight Bowling, and even Call of Duty 3. However, my excitement turned to disappointment when I saw how much Sprint is charging for these games. Most of the mobile games require a "monthly subscription fee" of anywhere between $2.99-$6.99 per month. Only a handful of games can be purchased for a one-time charge (with no play expiration). I thought my phone would come pre-installed with a couple of FREE full-version games. Instead, all it came with were short-lived demos. A demo that lasts for only 2 minutes is no fun at all! Obviously, Sprint and other mobile carriers make a fortune off of downloaded music, games, and tv channels. I just can't see myself paying a monthly subscription to Zuma when I already have it on my Xbox 360. Too bad there's not a universal mechanism in place where a person can purchase a game through one type of media (such as an console) and then be able to play it for "free" on another type of media (such as a cellular phone or PC). The mobile game technology has improved so much in just the last couple of years. The games look great and are a blast to play. Too bad I'm too cheap to pay a monthly fee for them. -Miss C. June 02 Old School Gaming in LA
Over Memorial Day Weekend, I flew out to Los Angeles to visit my girlfriend and her husband. They were quite surprised to find out I love to play video games. They dusted off an old Dreamcast and original Xbox. We played rounds of Streets of LA and Crazy Taxi 2. (They enjoy racing games just as much as I do.) My girlfriend even owns one of those Namco TV Plug n' Play joysticks. We played rounds of Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mappy, and Xevious. I was excited to see Xevious available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. On Santa Monica Pier, we hung out in the Arcade playing Centipede and Sega car racing games. Hoards of people lingered around this dancing game where people hop around on colored circles. (I can't remember the name of it!) Some of those "dancers" looked ridiculous. I love traditional Arcades. How fun to play old school games. I had a blast in Los Angeles and look forward to going back. My friends wish I'd brought up my Xbox 360 since they don't have one yet. I'm sure gamers tote their consoles with them everywhere, but I can't risk my Xbox 360 getting damaged on an airplane.
May 16 Old Spice Rewards Challenge SurveyHow many gamers out there filled out the Xbox Old Spice Rewards Challenge survey? I always enjoy participating in marketing surveys. When it comes to Microsoft, they are usually short and simple. I wish I had the opportunity to write down complaints about the shotty sign-up process, but I'm sure Xbox is very well aware of the problem. (I still can't believe 400 points didn't count!!)
One thing that struck me as amusing was the very last question. It was obviously geared towards a male challenge participant. The question related to how likely I would use Old Spice products in the future. Of course, since Old Spice is for men the only logical choice was to select I didn't use the products and wasn't planning to use them in the future. To be more politically correct, recognizing females also participated in the challenge, the question should've listed alternative answers like "I'd be willing to buy the product for a friend or relative" or "Not applicable".
Just my two cents worth. The challenge was still fun to participate in!
-Miss C
"Video Games Live" Symphony Tour
According to the official website, Video Games Live is an immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronized lighting, video, live action and audience interacctivity. The first and most successful video game concert tour in the world. Video Games Live Official Website http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Video Games Live Concert Info http://dallassymphony.com/Ticket/ProductionDetail.aspx?perf=1196 What a GREAT way to expose gamers to a real symphony orchestra! -Miss C May 11 Bye-Bye To My Old Xbox 360 GamesThis coming week I will be FINALLY get rid of some 360 games that are just gathering dust on my bookshelf! I'm sure I won't get much trade-in value on these selections, but at least I can free up some more space. There are too many really, really cool new games launching soon that I need to save up Gamestop credit for!
Bye-Bye to the following Xbox 360 game titles. Nice playing once, maybe twice, or finished all together!
King Kong
College Hoops 2K6
MLB 2K6
Hitman Blood Money
Dead Rising
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Kameo
Call of Duty 2 (time to get COD 3!)
Condemned Criminal Origins
I'm debating whether Perfect Dark Zero gets traded as well. Cool game but I haven't played it in months. I probably should only keep the titles that I really enjoy and play the most.
One of the new games I'm most looking forward to is Mass Effect. Can't wait for that one to launch!
-Miss C May 03 Guitar Hero II Rocks!WOW! I think Guitar Hero II is one of the best games of the year! I've played it virtually non-stop since the week it came out. I paid expedited shipping on EBGames.com to get the game delivered the next business day. ALL of my Xbox gamer friends were playing it and having a blast. I wanted to join in the fun. I've completed the Easy and Medium levels. I'm now trying to earn all five stars on Medium, buy all the bonus songs, and beat them all! I haven't tackled any of the co-op play yet. Hopefully I'll get to that soon. Not so sure I will EVER get through Hard or Expert levels. Those are killer! Evidently I must've been kicking butt on the Leaderboards for a while because a couple of gamer buddies text me to say how high up I was on their friends lists. I always make the top of the Leaderboards for a while when a game is new, but as it becomes more popular others beat me. More competition.... One of my co-workers recently bought GH II for his two young boys. He says his kids play it so much that he never gets a chance to practice. Another co-worker tried the game out a Wal-Mart after waiting in a huge long line. She thought it was a trip. This game tailors to not only the young but the older crowd, too! I placed stickers on my guitar just like a pre-teen! My co-worker found a cool "wireless" GH II guitar available for the Playstation 2 console. (Don't know if one's available for the 360...) This game is absolutely perfect for a party with friends and/or families. I can see how fun it would be hooked up to a huge High Definition television set with surround sound stereo speakers! Whammying & Strummin' away Miss Cabernet! ;) -J. Old Spice Rewards Challenge SuccessSorry, I haven't blogged in a while! As you can see from my gamertag pic, I successfully completed Old Spice Rewards Challenge. I earned all 1,500 achievement points at the Level 2 tier back on April 18th. I would've earned the points much, much sooner if I hadn't experienced major glitches in the sign up process. I earned about 400 achievement points between February and March. None of the points counted because the system didn't recognize my Windows Live ID as a registered user. EEK! Thank goodness I logged in to check my progress! It was really weird because my Xbox Live ID showed up in the general Xbox Rewards site but not signed-up under the Old Spice Challenge. I'm sure other gamers experienced similiar problems with the website registration. I started to panic a little thinking to myself, "How the hell am I going earn 1,500 points in less than a month? Holy crapola!" I inventoried through all of my Xbox boxed games and Live Arcade titles. I discovered I never downloaded New Rally X. (I thought I owned all of the Arcade games...) Great game to earn easy achievements in a short time frame. The releases of Luxor 2, Jetpac Refuelled, Boom Boom Rocket, and Guitar Hero II helped me boost up achievement points quickly, too. From Wal-Mart I found a $14.99 copy of College Hoops 2K6. This gave me 850 points within a couple of hours. A two hour online session of Paperboy helped me complete the challenge! :) I look forward to future Xbox Reward promotions. -Miss C April 06 Live Arcade Reaches 50 GamesWOW! This week Xbox Live Arcade has reached 50 games! I've downloaded ALL of them. Only about 7 games I did not purchase the full-version. I thought they were too lame to waste my Microsoft points on. The new releases Jetpac Refuelled and Luxor 2 are superb. I'm already up to level 8 on "Easy" mode in Luxor 2. This game reminds me so much of Zuma. I'm sure I'll shoot at chains of balls throughout the Easter holiday weekend. (I played this game so much Wednesday night that I was seeing color balls whenever I closed me eyes...LOL!) Looks like it will take me much, much longer to get through all of the levels. (By the way, I'm still stuck on Level 12 of Zuma. I've given up on it for now!) As for Jetpac Refuelled, this is a tough game but very fun. I've made it up to Level 10 but can't seem to make it without dying. The 250K score achievement is killing me as well. I guess I need more practice and patience. What's interesting is the original 1983 version is even harder than the remake! A trick I've found: I can kill the enemy when carrying one of the fuel packs by landing on top of it without losing a life. One thing I still can't get used to in this game is being able to go through one side of the screen to the other side. It's cool shooting at one side and seeing the laser fire spread out on the other side of the screen. However, I'm prone to running into an enemy if I transport from right to left or vice-versa. :( Jetpac Refuelled and Luxor 2 are must downloads for all Live Arcade Junkies out there! ;) Of course, along with the 50 Live Arcade games are a host of available extension packs, display pics, and other goodies through MS points. -Miss C March 30 No Xbox Live for the Past 4 Days! :(I've been an irritable mess the last four days! NO XBOX LIVE GAMING FOR MISS C! :_( My Verizon Internet connection has been on the fritz. First it was slow as molasses. Then the damn modem was flashing, no connection! I tried resetting my router which didn't do anything. I kept calling my ISP incessantly. All they could tell me was wait: Evidently Texas was experiencing a major outage due to recent service upgrades. I made two requests for a technician to come to my apartment to check things out. (Still having issues even after the state-wide problem was fixed..) Unfortunately, even with written and verbal permission, my apartment management never allowed Verizon to enter my apartment. Boy was I pissed off! FINALLY this afternoon after another 20 minute chat with the Verizon people, throwing mini f-bombs at my horrible experience, the technician walked me through an alternative way to get me back online. IT WORKED! :)
Now I plan to spend all weekend gaming and gaming and more gaming! Only a few more weeks until the Xbox Old Spice Challenge ends. I've got like 1000 more achievement points to go. (Uh, I'm such a slouch!) Most likely I won't meet the goal, but I can have fun trying. I really want to get a handle on Crackdown. This is such a fun game. Not so hard-core as GOW even though I enjoy that, too. (Need to at least get a few more levels accomplished on Single Player GOW. I've been too shy to play on Live!) Of course, there's always oodles of Arcade games to play.....
Miss C is an Xbox Live Arcade Queen! ;)
Happy Gaming, Xboxers!
-Miss C March 26 Gaming & SurgeryI read an interesting article on the chicagotribune.com website today titled "Video Gamers Stand Out in the Operating Room". A study done by a Professor Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University concluded that laparoscopic surgeons who played video games performed exceptionally better at surgical procedures than non-gamers. According to the article, "surgeons who played three or more hours a week in the past were 27 percent faster and made 37 percent fewer errors than those who did not.....Video game talent was a better predictor of surgical success than how many years training each surgeon had or how many surgeries they had performed." Professor Gentile says video games could possibly be used to train surgeons just like flight simulators train airline pilots.
This is a very interesting study in that it concludes something I've thought all along: Playing video games enhances hand and eye coordination as well as muscle control, reflexes, and brain/motor skills. Such "precision techniques" are essential to a good surgeon.
Very interesting research!
-Miss C. March 17 Xbox 360 Video ProblemsAll day today I've been playing my Xbox 360. I noticed my Dashboard was sluggish and freezing up. The video looked hazy. "@##%!" I thought to myself. "My Xbox is dying!" I turned off the unit, replugged in all of the cords, and booted her back up. Nothing happened. Total black screen. Thank goodness there wasn't any sign of the dreaded "red ring of light" or a red light on my power block. I thought it could be one of two things: The power button connector was shot internally or my AV cable was fried.
I called Xbox Tech Support and spent god only knows how long trying to navigated through the voice menu. I had to say "Customer service" like freaking 10 times before I got a live person on the phone. I explained my problem to the lady. (I also noted my CD drive wasn't ejecting properly.) She told me that my warranty was expired and that I would have to pay $139.90 to repair the console. EEK! For some reason, I misunderstood the extended warranty thing thinking it was still valid, but it expired back in January 2007. I really didn't want to go through the hassle of shipping my system back. I recorded down the support reference number and told the customer support lady I'd think about my options.
I was very tempted to chunk the old Xbox 360 and shell out another $400 for a new one! I had heard horror stories of gamers sending back their old consoles and getting refurbished crap back, sometimes without their original HDs. (I was going to remove mine prior to shipping as a precaution. I can't loose 47 arcade games!) Then an idea struck me, "Why not buy another AV cable and check to see if maybe that's the problem. $40 is much cheaper than $400!" I drove over to Target to check out their X360 accessories section. How lucky I was to find a Madcatz fully-compatible S-Video AV cable for only $14.99! (My television set isn't high definition.) I plugged the cable into my Xbox console. Voila! It worked once again! Turns out the original component HD AV cable was completely fried. Nice to know I saved myself a fortune just buying the "generic brand" version. If I do get an HD/VGA television one of these days, I will definitely remember the Madcatz brand! :)
Now Miss Cabernet is all excited to have her Xbox working properly again. Oh, and she did figure out a work-around the CD/DVD eject issue. Just place the console on its horizontal position instead of vertically. Now the CD/DVD rom works fine.
I was so fearful I'd be one of the thousands of Xbox owners getting a new Xbox 360 after only a year!
-Miss C This Week at the 2007 Microsoft MVP SummitThis week I was in Seattle attending the 2007 Microsoft MVP Summit. It was a blast! I met so many cool people from all over the world including several Xbox MVPs. My main technology emphasis is Windows Live products. However, I attended a few information sessions about Xbox and Games for Windows.
One of the highlights of the Summit was attending the Peter Moore's executive presentation on Interactive Entertainment. We got a sneak peek at some amazing stuff coming to Xbox as well as participate in a general Q&A session. Also, I went to a talk about Games for Windows and the introduction of the new "Games for Windows Live" service. This will be an "Xbox Live" online service for Windows PC gamers. Halo 2 for Vista will be one of the first games available for multiplay on both the PC and the Xbox 360.
During the Summit, we participated in several social events. The Xbox group set-up Xbox 360 lounges where participants could play Crackdown, Gears of War, PGR 3, and Viva Pinata. I chatted with Xbox MVPs AceAttorney, WiseGuy, Fatty Chubs, and Rainmaker along with Microsoft Xbox Dirty Diva and Bastelyon. Even PMS Kitty hung out in the Americas Dinner lounge to demonstrate her shooting skills in Crackdown. It was great meeting so many fellow gamers at The Summit!
I look forward to the exciting games, hardware, and online services coming to Xbox and the PC in the near future.
-Miss C March 09 Wanna Work for the Microsoft Xbox Marketing Team?I was checking out the Microsoft Careers Website and stumbled upon a job posting (3/9/07) for a Product Manager-Marketing Department at Xbox! Wow, very cool. More details here:
Requirements as highlighted on the site:
"Xbox is seeking a highly motivated and entrepreneurial person to help make our gaming platforms more compelling for customers and more profitable for Microsoft and our partners by optimizing an emerging trend. Consumers are increasingly using their leisure time to play video games (in lieu of TV), and advertisers have taken note of this trend and are attempting to reach consumers in and around video games. "
"The ideal candidate will have 6+ years of experience in building and/or marketing software or services, 3+ years of international business experience, and candidates possess a solid understanding of the gaming and advertising/branded entertainment business. A BA/BS degree is required, MBA is preferred. Candidates must possess energy, a drive for results, team orientation, and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Position will require international travel, and will be based in EMEA."
This sounds like an incredible opportunity to work with Xbox Team at an international level. Sometimes I wish I'd studied Marketing in college. Advertisements, sales trends, innovative product package, consumer surveys, and the high level of energy and creativity that goes along with a marketer has always been an interest. I so wish I was qualified for this position! I wouldn't mind moving overseas. :)
-Miss C. March 08 Happy Birthday to The Green Side To Xbox!WOW! As of March 8th, 2007, I'm celebrating the 1 Year Anniversary of The Green Side to Xbox blog! Amazing how time has flown by. So much has changed in the world of Xbox and Xbox Live. Amazing games, amazing promotions, and amazing number of individuals joining Xbox Live. Microsoft has done a fantastic job keeping the Xbox community constantly "entertained" and excited about the world of gaming. Here are highlights of some of the BEST changes to Xbox 360 and Xbox Live since last year: -The introduction of new hardware including the HD-DVD player, Live Vision camera, and multi-chargers. -Improvements to the Xbox 360 dashboard including more downloadable content ranging from free demos to high definition movies. -Introduction of Community programs including the Xbox Ambassadors and GamerChix. -Promotions and Tournaments such as the PGR 3 Racing Tournament & the Old Spice Experience Rewards Challenge. (Now achievement points can be worth something!) -The creation of "Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays" with available games reaching 50! Xbox increased the game size to 150 MB which will allow developers to create even more stunning "mini-games". -Even better boxed games available in the marketplace. Just in a year it's amazing how much developers have enhanced the capabilities of the Xbox 360. First release games are NOTHING compared to what's available now and what will be available in the future. The list goes on and on. What will be in store for the Xbox 360 in another year? Can't wait to find out! -Miss C February 10 Thanks to Dig DugYEAH!!! Thanks to the EASY achievements in the XBL Arcade's Dig Dug I've finally earned over 5,000 achievements points. Whoopee! Old Spice Rewards Challenge here I come. ;) Totemball was getting on my nerves so much I couldn't waste time for only 35 more points. Gotta admit the Namco arcade games are fairly easy in terms of achievements. They always throw in maybe two or three difficult ones. Overall, I normally earn at least 100 points on their games.
I know 5K points is a small feat compared with the 10K, 15K, 20K achievement "whores" out there. But, for a casual gamer it's not too shabby. There are several games I haven't touched yet, so the potential for boosting up my gamerscore in the next 60 days is pretty good.
I'm very tempted to purchase Lost Planet, FEAR, and Crackdown. Well, I guess it's best to rent these games first. I've got way too many $60 games gathering dust on the shelf. It's kind of cool when people come over to my bachelorette pad and see all my Xbox 360 games. "Wow, look at all those games! ...And you're a girl! Pretty cool!"
-Miss C February 09 Tumblin' Around TotemballI hooked up my new Live Vision camera for the first time tonight. It's pretty cool! I noticed immediately a full image of my face in the background of the Xbox 360 menu screen. EEK! I guess this is made by design or just because the camera is fairly close to my television set. It just looked WEIRD. Something I'll get used to. Maybe some adjustments can be made to minimize the effect....
I've had Totemball downloaded on my HD since it first came out last year, waiting to play it on the Vision Camera. This game is difficult! :( I spent nearly 45 minutes just trying to get that silly ball creature thing to move straight and not backwards or into the water. I had no problems putting the game on "pause" over and over and over by mistake! The camera seems to be ultra-sensitive to any movement. Grrr....The most difficult is turning and moving forward. I guess I'll get the hang of this game. I hope I can earn the 35 more achievements points needed for the Old Spice Rewards Challenge qualification! I should be able to hop up and down on the water 100 times and play 20 minutes without resting. LOL... Honestly, this game is really lame. I can totally see why OXM gave it a 3.0. Decent game idea but lousy, lousy camera movement control.
Looking forward to playing a game of Uno on the camera!
-Miss C Can I Earn 5,000+ Achievement Points in the Next 48 Hours???WOW! I just read on the Gamerscore Blog (post dated 2/6/07) about the upcoming Xbox 360 Old Spice Rewards Challenge! Here's the scoop:
"Xbox 360 is teaming up with Old Spice to bring the first Rewards Challenge to Xbox Live. Gamers will be charged with increasing their gamerscore by 1,500 between February 12 and April 12, 2007. That’s 60 days to bring your overall gamerscore up by 1,500 for the chance to earn a bounty of rewards. In order to participate, you need to have a valid Windows Live™ ID with your Xbox LIVE® gamercard linked, be a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia (expect future challenges to be global in scope) and at least thirteen years-old.
Reward Package Qualifications
Think you can do it? With more than $500,000 in total rewards, such as Microsoft Points and Xbox 360 games, it is time to tackle those unbeaten games and start unlocking Achievements, because this Spring the rewards go beyond just having an impressive gamerscore.
Be sure to log on to www.xbox.com/rewards on February 12 to sign up for participation. Reward quantities are limited so gamers who reach the set goal will be awarded on a first come, first served basis only." I'm definitely interested in participating in this upcoming contest! The stickler is as of today I'm not quite over the 5,000 achievement point requirement for the "Level 2" Reward package qualification. OUCH! (My own damn fault. I haven't gamed nearly as much in the last 6 months. I should be in the 10K achievement club by now. I've been way too busy with other responsibilities. My poor Xbox has missed me!) Miss C wants one of those contest t-shirts!!!!..... ;) My goal within the next 48 hours is to earn 5000 achievement points! I'm very, very close. As of 4pm this afternoon I was only 55 points away. Now I'm only 35 points thanks to completing the "Prison Breakout" achievement in Gears of War and then the "Totem Trainer" achievement in Live Arcade'sTotemball. I think I can make my goal with no problems! :) Happy Gaming & Achievement "Whoring"! (LOL!) -Miss C February 02 My Xbox Live Vision Camera is on the Way! :)
Probably the first game I'll play is Totemball and then Uno. Friends tell me Totemball on the cam is pretty crazy stuff. Looking forward to snapping a picture of myself and showing my friends what I really look like. (Well, for the friends who haven't read my blog yet!) I'm really tired of the Kameo pic. Time to change it! I do have one concern about the Live Vision camera and its potential for abuse. Last month, one of my XBL friends text me saying a gamer "exposed" himself while his young daughter was playing a game of Uno! I don't know all of the details, but my gamer friend yelled an obcenity at the guy. (Probably not the best judgment!) Offended, the pervert filed a complaint against my gamer friend. Ouch! I'm sure there is more to this story than what was written in the text message. This still makes me weary of how people will use their cameras. I certainly don't want to see male private parts, middle fingers, or mooning while playing on Xbox Live! I already noticed one gamer friend with a camera picture of a bare-breasted woman! With the gamer pic came a text message saying, "I love vaginas!" That is certainly not something I want to read in my Xbox Live message box! (I have no clue what game this could've been a part of, but I certainly don't want to play it!) I figure if this XBL friend ever sends me a message like that again I'll need to remove him from my list. Heck, I only have about 5 more spots available on my friends list. Space is filling up fast! I get at least one new person every week or so. :) I should receive the camera sometime early next week. Look forward to playing with it! Happy Gaming! -Miss C February 01 Heavy Weapon - Bombs Away!Xbox Live Arcade just keep getting better and better! I absolutely love the recently released Heavy Weapon (800 Microsoft points). I totally agree with the OXM's score of an 8.5 for this non-retro arcade game (February 2007). Of the dozen or so games that have released in the past few months, this is definitely one of my favorites....
The graphics are pretty good and the game play intense. I kinda like the opening theme song played during the start-up screen. I've learned to conserve my lives for the big "Boss" at the end of each Mission.
The one weapon I enjoy using the most is the MegaLaser! I don't know what it is about that thing, but it makes me giggle everytime I use it. The atomic bomb planes just about whip me to shreads in Mission 7. That's where I'm currently stuck. This game is definitely requires excellent hand and eye coordination! (Don't play this after a few beers. Aiming gets a little bit off....)
I need to try the co-op mode soon. I'm just trying to get through single player! This game will take a while to work my way through.
Miss C's Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10
-Miss C
January 14 Xbox 360 Hardware Issues Still Loom...Most all Xbox 360 owners received an email explaining warranties are being extended for an additional year as of December 2006. This is extremely nice of Microsoft to do this. :) I've been on my original Xbox 360 since January 22nd, 2006. The only real issues I've experienced are occasional freeze-ups with the disks themselves . Furthermore, the unit doesn't always want to turn on when it's cold in my apartment. (Just turn it on and off once usually gets it working again...) I never expected my box to run 100% perfect. Every piece of electrical hardware has its glitches. I've been able to deal with it without too much grief. I hope my Xbox 360 continues to run ok.... About four gamers on my friends lists have text me complaining about their Xbox totally dying on them. Some gamers are on their second, third, or even fourth unit! What is going on here? I don't quite understand how anybody could have three or four faulty boxes all within a year! Are they gaming non-stop? Overheating the boxes? Not following instructions on how to set-up the unit and keep air properly circulating through it? I've read on forums many people think "cheap" materials have a lot to do with so many messed up units. I wonder if the original Xbox experienced issues like this when it was first released! Nintendo's Wii and PlayStation3 are battling hardware issues themselves. None of the gaming units are immuned from glitches and technical issues! -Miss C Ms. Pac-Man on XBL Arcade
How fun to see the original Arcade classics from the 80s on XBL Arcade. Hopefully Paperboy will be out soon! -Miss C. January 11 XBL Arcade Marathon in 2007?Last year I made plans to have an Xbox 360 24-Hour Marathon. This was going to encompass not only boxed games but also arcade games. However, due to time constraints I just couldn't pull it off! Sometime in 2007 I'd like to put together an Xbox Live Arcade Marathon. Since there are over 41 Arcade games on Live now, and many more coming out soon, I'm sure I can rotate the games throughout the course of the 24 hours, even using the Live Vision Camera. (I'm still in the process of getting one....) There are still a slew of achievements I have yet to complete. What's even better about the arcade-games exclusive is I won't have to fool with loading/unloading DVDs. Just pull them straight off the hard drive. One of my favorite children's charities is St. Jude's Research Hospital. I was thinking of donating a certain amount per every hour that I play games continuously. Supporting a children's charity was one of my original Marathon ideas back last year. I'm still in the "thinking" process with this idea. All will depend on TIME and commitment which I seem to have so little of these days. I absolutely LOVE Xbox Live Arcade and would love to see how long I can go playing all the games available. :) -Miss C Miss C's Picks for the Best Xbox 360 Games of 2006HAPPY NEW YEAR, XBOXERS! Thought I'd post a listing of my favorite Xbox 360 games for 2006. This listing is based on the games that I own or demoed. I've listed them according to categories. Out of the whole list, I really enjoyed Prey and Zuma the most! They may be considered some of the "easier" games, but for a casual gamer like me they were perfect. :) Boxed Games FPS: Prey & Gears of War Action: Perfect Dark Zero Racing: Project Gotham Racing 3 Fighting: Dead or Alive 4 Role Playing: Oblivion Adventure: Viva Pinata XBL Arcade Action: Geometry Wars, Marble Blast Ultra Camera Enabled/Card Games: Uno Coin-Up Classics: Frogger, Time Pilot, Pac-Man Puzzle & Word: Zuma, Hexic HD I'm looking forward to all of the new and exciting games released for Xbox 360 in 2007! I just bought Gears of War and Ninety Nine Nights for Christmas. I've demoed but have not played full versions yet. I look forward to them along with all of the exciting new releases coming soon! :) -Miss C December 14 Miss C is Back!Hello To My Fellow Blog Readers! Apologies for the infrequency of new blog posts. I haven't had time to play hardly any Xbox this month. With the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays, travel plans, and family activities, it's difficult for me to get even an hour of 360 play time. :(
One thing I have remembered to do is download the new Xbox Live Arcade demos including: Assault Heros, Contra, RoboBlitz, and Small Arms. Not too sure if I particularly like these games or not. Need more time to practice. The graphics for Assault Heros and RoboBlitz are pretty amazing.
As for Viva Pinata, I've only taken it out of the box one time for a spin in the CD/DVD ROM. I hope over the next couple of weeks I'll dive in deeper into that game and then post a brief review. So far the game is very cutesy and fun.
My Xbox Live Gold subscription ends in January! I need make sure that my credit card information is up-to-date on the console. I don't want to be one of those folks who gets cut off of XBL for not paying the renewal fee on time. I take the risk of my gamer tag getting taken by somebody else if my account becomes inactive!!!
Anyway, I'll keep posting random bits of gamer info as the month progresses. To be honest, I haven't conjured up any interesting blog topics in the last month or so. I don't like to rehash what's already being talked about on Xbox.com or other popular game forums. This is the first day in a while I've thought of some topics. ;)
Stay tuned!
-Miss C
November 19 Finally, A Zuma Deluxe Breakthrough!Ok, I have been playing the XBL Arcade game ZUMA Deluxe over and over for the last six months. The last three months I've been stuck on Stage 9. Well, this weekend I FINALLY made it past Stage 9 and now I'm on Stage 11 of the "Secret Shrine of Zuma". YES! You won't believe how ANNOYING it's been stuck on this level for weeks at a time. I knew eventually I'd make it through; however, I didn't think it would take this long. This game is too addictive to stop playing. Kind of sad I rather play ZUMA than one of the popular $60 box games. :P
Here's a trick I discovered for getting through this tough Stage. Firstly, I played Gauntlet Mode for the levels that gave me fits. This way I could "practice" seeing how the balls move along. After hours of Gauntlet Mode, Adventure mode didn't seem too bad. (I'm still stuck on the Son of Sun stage in Gauntlet Mode for just about every level/maze. EEK!) What eventually got me through Stage 9 was going back to Stage 4 and starting from there. After two hours, I was able to collect 8 lives by the time I reached Stage 9. From there, I quickly completed all the levels of Stage 9 without problems. (Many of the mazes repeat over and over, but the speed of the balls and color variation change.) I was amazed how easy Stage 9 was to get through after replaying Stages 4-8! Now I'm battling Stage 11 which is another bugger one. My goal is to try and complete ZUMA by the end of the year! I'm up to 100 achievement points. I think I'll be able to earn all of them except for the one involving completing a level in 5 seconds or less. Has anybody been able to get that one??? That just seems impossible.
I know many gamers out there probably think ZUMA is a stupid kiddie game to play. On the contrary, I think it's brillant. ZUMA Deluxe is my pick for one of the most addictive Xbox 360 games to date. :)
-Miss C
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