Gettin Jiggy With Dance Central

I'm almost a little embarrassed to write this, almost. I received Dance Central from my mother-in-law for Christmas and was pretty excited to give it a try. Now let me make myself clear; I do not dance. Sure, I may have won a dance competition but that was nearly a decade ago, in Mexico, and I was competing mostly against adults over the age of fifty. The thought of dancing in my house where no one is watching is much more attractive than being "that guy" at a club.

The very first song I "danced" to was Poker Face by Lady Gaga. The dance moves were pretty basic while also being fun. Over the next few days my wife and I enjoyed the game quite a bit but only recently have I discovered the best part of the game; unintentional comedy. "What's that" you ask? Let me explain.

Two out-of-town friends are visiting for new years and tried Dance Central for the first time. What happened next was comedy gold. Ben, who is one of the funniest guys that I know, was performing a song and decided to freestyle. What you are about to see may just be the next big dance craze...



Big thanks to Ben for letting me post this video. Check back soon for more Dance Central and Kinect Adventures videos and hopefully more unintentional comedy!

-BC-

PSP 2 Mock Up...Could This be the Real Deal?

Recently published were these supposed mock-up PSP 2 photos based on a development kit received by VG247 some weeks back.







Not sure what to think about this - it follows suit with the design direction of the PSP Go, however, there seems to be quite a few technical changes.

Dual analog sticks: It would be a huge miss for any next generation hand held to not include dual analog sticks so I'm glad to see that the PSP 2 seems to have them. I'm a bit disappointed to see that they are the same slide pads that we've seen for years and that people have been complaining about since the system launched. The slide pads simply aren't as accurate as the traditional analog stick.

Recessed buttons: This is my first concern. There has never been a hand held , or controller for that matter, with recessed buttons. This was probably done in order to maintain the slim form factor of the device, but this leaves me skeptical. My main concern is that a recessed d-pad and limited space could make fighting games more difficult to play.

Large screen: Not much to say here without seeing the screen specifications but I'm hoping they move toward the brighter LED technology in order to compete with the Apple devices.

Forward facing camera: It looks like there is a small forward facing camera on the right of the unit. This may not be necessary for the majority of games but does bring multi-media capabilities.

Rear facing (multi?) touch panel: Not sure how this would be used - there doesn't seem to be a rear screen to compliment the touch pad. It's possible, although a long shot, that this could be used when connecting the device to a PS3. Think about using a touch pad for browser navigation, in-game inventory management, or menu navigation. There are some big possibilities here.

Rear facing camera: Another nice touch providing for plenty of future capabilities. This seems to once again point towards social and multiple-media applications.

Overall impressions: Based on the limited information I have, the much rumored PSP 2 is really starting to shape up nicely. Overall, I like the design quite a bit and see lots of potential. I'm certainly looking forward to learning more about the touch pad and most importantly, technical and processor specs.

-BC-

Coming Soon...

Santa was good to me this year - he brought me a 250 gig Xbox 360 Kinect bundle, Dance Central, and Fable 3. I've had a chance to spend some time with all of the games and should have some "first impressions" up soon. Stay tuned.

-BC-

Boost Your Brainpower

In a study conducted by Daphne Bavelier, a Professor of Brain and Cognitive Science at the University of Rochester, it was found that children that play "action" games show an increase in vision, attention, speed, accuracy, vision, and multitasking.

"And this is a skill that comes in very handy if you're driving in a fog...Seeing the car ahead of you is determined by your contract sensitivity" said Bavelier.

The findings of this study are certainly not suprising - games are no longer for the intraverted geek that lives in his (yes, not "her") parents basement. 

For more information, you can read the entire article on NPR.

As a "hardcore gamer", I appreciate these articles because it lends even more credit to fact that gaming, although a great hobby, does develop the mind in ways useful in the real world. I've got a big work presentation tomorrow, I'm going to sharpen my mind by playing some Blops. Later.
-BC-

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. I hope you will enjoy spending time with your family, friends, and remember the meaning of what this day brings. Hope to see everyone online with their new toys!

-BC-

First Black Ops DLC Slated for February

On Sunday, Major Nelson broke news on the first BLOPS map pack, "First Strike", which is scheduled to drop on February 1st as a timed exclusive.  The maps are said to include "Discovery", which takes place in Antarctica; "Kowloon", set in the rooftops of Kowloon; "Berlin Wall"; and "Stadium", set in an American hockey rink.  The map pack will also include a new Zombie map, "Ascension".

The pack will sell for $15 (1200 Microsoft Points).

I don't know about you, but these maps can't come soon enough. 

-BC-

Gears of War 3 Early BETA Access

According to Joystiq.com, the "Epic Edition" of Bulletstorm on the 360 will include an early access code for the Gears of War 3 BETA.  In addition, it will also include  25,000 bonus experience points, visual upgrades for your leash, new boots and armor, and the Peace Maker Carbine all for the low, low price of $60!  That's right, a special addition for the same price as the standard retail game.  Gotta love Epic!

Now, bring on those Locust bastards...

-BC-

Land of 10.000 Lakes...and Kinect

As some of you may know, I was recently in Minnesota celbrating an early Christmas with my wife's family. Considering both my wife and I spend nearly 20 years of our life there, we were anxious to see some of the familiar locations. One of the first places we visited was the Mall of America (MoA) and to my delight (or horror, if you saw the look on my wife's face), there was not only a new Microsoft Store, but an Xbox 360 Kinect kiosk.

I didn't spend enough time with the Kinect to form an overly positive or negative opinion, but I did snap a few pics and videos of what I saw (sorry for the resolution - the Droid X doesn't have the best camera). ENJOY!

Yep, that's me playing table tennis on Kinect Sports. There was a slight delay (milliseconds) between my actions and the actions on screen, however, the experience was pretty awesome.

Some of the Xbox Kinect girls having fun - the booth wasn't very busy.

Microsoft spent a pretty penny to put up all of these signs - at least you can't question their dedication to the device.


One of the Xbox Kinect girls gettin' down - a small crowd was starting together to watch the performance.


This was pretty cool to watch - two employees and two shoppers playing Dance Central. It was amazing how quickly the two shoppers, who were obviously not gamers, were able to pick up and start playing the Kinect. Target marketing at it's finest.

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The Microsoft store was pretty damn impressive. It was bright, had tons of hardware and software, and the staff were very friendly. Notice in the pictures that the Microsoft store is located directly, I mean DIRECTLY, across from the Apple store. Even the employees managed to point out that this was done on purpose. I know that Microsoft is the multi-billion dollar corporation, but it does take some brass balls to compete with Apple's storefront.

-BC-

Amazon Trade-In vs. Best Buy Trade-In

If you're like me, you refuse to trade your games into Gamestop.  I always feel cheap - like a hooker - walking out of the store with an extra $15 of trade-in credit when I feel the game was worth at least twice that much.  Then, I'm forced to go back to Gamestop in order to use the credit only to find my trade-in being sold for $54.99.  A business has to make money, I understand that, but as a consumer I have the right to bring my business elsewhere.

A few months ago I found myself with a pile of games that I didn't play and wasn't sure what to do with them.  Should I have a garage sale?  No, garage sales are never worth the effort.  Should I ship them off to my friends?  Nah, I don't really like those guys any way.  So, I went searching for alternatives and found two high profile options - Amazon and Best Buy.

Ease of Use:

It was difficult to find the trade-in section on both the Best Buy and Amazon websites.  On Amazon, you first have to choose "Video Games" from the drop down, select "Go", and then on the far right you'll see a small icon for used games.  Best Buy was equally as challenging.  I couldn't even find the trade-in section, so I instead had to go to www.bestbuy.com/tradein.

          ADVANTAGE: Tie

Shipping:

Once I logged into both websites and submitted my trade, I was given an option to print a prepaid shipping label.  I'm required to use my own box and packaging material, but it was nice that I didn't also have to pay for shipping.

          ADVANTAGE:  Tie

Value For Games:

I searched both sites for new and old games, which included the following:

1. Madden 11
2. Madden 10
3. NBA 2k9
4. Fable 2
5. Mass Effect 1
6. Mass Effect 2
7. Left for Dead
8. Left 4 Dead 2
9. Splinter Cell: Conviction
10. Halo Reach
11. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
12. Call of Duty: World at War
13. Nintendo DS Titanium
14. New Super Mario Brothers
15. Brain Age

In all but one case, Amazon was the better deal.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

Trade-In Payment Method:

This is more personal preference than anything, but I would prefer to have a tangible Best Buy gift card than an Amazon credit.

          ADVANTAGE:  Best Buy

Speediness of Payment:

Here's where the gap begins to widen.  Within one week of shipment to Amazon, I received an email notifying me that the games had been received and my account was credited.  It was as easy as that, but I wish I could say the same for Best Buy.  Without going into too much detail, it ended up taking 29 days between the time I shipped the games to the time a gift card was received.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

Customer Service:  

On my second order to Amazon, I was told that they never received the Nintendo DS Titanium.  After a quick phone call to Amazon, the customer service representative immediately credited my account $20, which was $3 more than the value quoted.  

Once again, Best Buy failed when it mattered most.  After two weeks of hearing nothing from Best Buy, I decided to call their customer service center.  After waiting on hold for about 5 minutes, the rep told me that I would receive the gift card by the end of the week.  Needless to say, I didn't receive the card and had to call again.  This time, I was told by a different rep that the card now wouldn't arrive for another week.  Two weeks later, I finally received the card.

          ADVANTAGE:  Amazon

------------------------------------------------------

And the winner is...Amazon!  All in all, Amazon provided a much better experience as well as more value per game.   

-BC-

Gearbox Community Manager

I noticed a few weeks ago that Gearbox posted a new Community Manager position.  Given my love for the industry and my vast marketing, sales, and customer management experience, I decided to apply for the job.  The question was, how can I stand out when Gearbox will receive thousands of resumes?

Well, I thought I found the answer - I spent the next couple of weeks putting together a video resume.  This was sure to stand out from the crowd, right?  Well,  much to my chagrin, it seems that the job has been filled and I didn't get so much as an email or phone call.

I haven't shared my video resume with anyone outside of my family and sending it to Gearbox - thought I would share it in my blog.

Let me know what you think.  ENJOY!



-BC-

Visit to Gearbox Software

Last Thursday I was invited to Gearbox Software, in Plano Texas, to play test one of their unannounced titles.  As you can probably guess, I can't talk about the game, but I CAN talk about my overall experience.

This was my first time in the office of a game developer so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I was greeted by a receptionist that had to be no older than 25 years old with bleach blond hair and a Monroe piercing.  Almost everyone in the office was wearing jeans and were pretty friendly. 

I was ushered into a break room where there was another room full of all types of candy/snacks and an equally large refrigerator with everything from soda, sports drinks, and energy drinks.  This couldn't have started out any better.

I was then brought into a room where there were at least 10 flat screen TV's and dev Xbox 360's.  I've heard through the grapevine that most cross-platform games are developed on the 360 and ported to the PS3/PC, and this was made even more obvious when talking to some folks at Gearbox.

I spent about 3 hours playing game X, giving feedback, playing more game X, giving more feedback, and then eventually participated in a a group discussion with the three main developers. 

When all was said and done, I was given a bag with some Gearbox swag - I was hoping for a t-shirt or a CL4P-TP action figure but settled on a Borderlands keychain and Brothers in Arms mug.  Overall, I had a great time at Gearbox and look forward to more testing in the future.

-BC-

Alan Wake: The Writer - Review

If you haven't played through Alan Wake and The Signal (free DLC), stop reading and go play the damn game.  Seriously.

Alan Wake is one of the most mesmerizing games I've played in recent memory.  The only thing I can compare it to is Eternal Darkness, which by most accounts, is one of the greatest video games ever made.  My jaw was on the ground when I finished my retail copy so naturally I've been anxiously awaiting the next DLC, which hit Xbox Live on Tuesday, October 12th.

If you are hoping The Writer will answer things such as where is Sara, who is Mr. Scratch, what's with the FBI agent, and where is Alan, then you may be disappointed.  But if you're wondering why Alan went bat-shit crazy, then you're in luck!

The Writer starts where The Signal left off - Alan is floating between sanity and insanity and may be teetering over the edge.  The "shine-your-flashlight-at-the-words" mechanic is still strongly at play and feels as fresh as ever.  This feels like the perfect extension (and ending) to Wake.  

[SIDEBAR ON]
Were you disappointed by The Signal?  So was I.  It didn't "feel" like Alan Wake.  Too much focus was placed on combat, it wasn't very creepy, and it didn't really advance the story much.  It felt like The Matrix: Revolutions; kind of confusing, the worst of the series, and probably could have done without.
[SIDEBAR OFF]

There are some huge set pieces that trump anything the retail game and first DLC pack have to offer.  The ferris wheel of death is one of many standout moments that in itself makes the DLC worth the $7 price tag.  There are plenty more "holy shit" moments, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

It took me right around 2 hours to complete, however, I didn't spend much time exploring.  The story was clear and targeted, answered one of the main mysteries, and introduced a few new ones.  Don't take that the wrong way, Alan Wake and The Writer are no Lost.  Everything feels like a perfectly executed plan with an end in mind.

With the underwhelming sales figures of Alan Wake, my only worry is that Remedy won't be given the opportunity to finish what is one of the best video game stories of all time.  If you liked Alan Wake, The Writer is a must have.

I give Alan Wake: The Writer 9 flashlights out of 10.

-BC-

Zero Hour

Back in 2004 before the Xbox 360 released, Microsoft hosted a contest called Zero Hour (Zero Hour) (Zero Hour #2).  The rules were simple - work individually or in a group of five to create a video/picture of something that's out of the ordinary.  Out of all of the submissions, a total of 360 videos/pictures were chosen by a panel of experts and the winners were given an all expense paid trip to California for the Xbox 360 launch event.  Oh, did I mention that all of the winners would be sent 360's along with 3 games?   Yea, pretty sweet.

My journey began when a friend and I found out about the contest - at the time were were both working in downtown Minneapolis and we decided to get together over lunch and brainstorm some ideas.  After meeting for an hour, one comment stuck with us; "we have access to SIX wiener dogs, how can we NOT take advantage of that??".

My idea revolved around the T3000 from Terminator 2.  What if a wiener dog had a flashback of war, and then started chasing people through the streets similar to the way T3000 chased Jon Conner?  This is certainly something "out of the ordinary".

We had the perfect combination of talent - I'm the idea generating Marketing guy and we also had a graphic designer, graphic animator, local actor, and two others.  We ended up doing all the filming on a Saturday morning/afternoon on the streets of a suburb in Minneapolis.  Long story short, we were one of a few teams that won the contest.

When we arrived at LAX, we were greeted by a Microsoft representative who guided us to a bus that would bring us to a nearby hotel.  Once we got to the hotel, we were once again greeted by Microsoft staff and given $20 for dinner and was told to be outside the following morning.  The next morning, we got onto a bus and were driven to another hotel in the Mohave desert where we were asked to quickly check into the room, get back onto the bus, and were brought to what appeared to be an abandoned airplane hanger.  

By this time, it was beginning to get dark and I was really starting to wonder what the hell was going on.  Just then, the airplane hanger doors were illuminated with a green Xbox 360 logo and a group of people wearing all white starting playing drums.

After a short speech by a Microsoft executive, the airplane hanger doors opened.  What I saw was, in a word, amazing.  Over 200 flat screen TV's, over 200 Xbox 360's, and over 200 games that have never been played by the public.  The next 48 hours was a blur - playing game after game - meeting some Mark Rein and Cliffy B, and probably most exciting, seeing Gears of War in person.

Mark Rein and I - really cool and down to earth guy

Marcus Fenix - AWESOME

Cliffy B and Mark Rein

I had the opportunity to get on stage and shoot the breeze with Cliffy B.  Also got him to sign my 360 memory card.

Me

Adam

Brendan - have to give him a lot of credit for winning the contest.  Fantastic animator.

Neil - he's my brainstorm buddy.  If it wasn't for Neil, I wouldn't have found out about Zero Hour.  He looks like a mad scientist in this picture.

-BC-

Top 10 Games I Wish I Would Have Played But Didn't

How about THAT for a title?  Don't we all have those games where you were excited after reading an article or playing a demo but, for whatever reason, you never got around to playing the full retail game?  Maybe it was because you were busy playing the most recent Call of Duty or God of War game.  Or maybe you were between jobs and didn't want to spend the money.  Either way, something kept you from enjoying what was probably a decent game.  Here's a little shout out to all those games that I wish I would have played, and hopefully still might.

1) Prey
2) Heavy Rain
3) Stranglehold
4) Halo 3: ODST
5) Crackdown 2
6) Too Human
7) Enslaved
8) Brutal Legend
9) The Darkness
10) Time Shift

Are there any games YOU wish you would have played but didn't? 

-BC-

Another Top 10 List? WHY NOT!

I may be in the minority here, but I love reading Top 10 lists.  Mostly because I enjoy the argument that ultimately follows - "Why isn't ____ on the list?", "___ should be higher than ___", "This list sucks!", etc. 

I'll do something a little different - I'm only including games from the current generation of consoles.  You won't see Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PS1, PS2, Gamecube, or hand held games on this list.

Without further ado, here is my official Top 10!

1) Mass Effect 2
2) Gears of War
3) Borderlands
4) Alan Wake
5) Halo: Reach
6) Uncharted 2
7) Fable II
8) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
9) Gears of War 2
10) Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

Did I say Top 10?  I meant Top 15...

11) Call of Duty: World at War
12) Batman Arkham Asylum
13) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
14) Bioshock
15) Crackdown

WORTHY MENTION - Halo Wars

-BC-

Gearbox Softare Survey

Stumbled across a quick survey on the Gearbox forums - thought I'd pass it along.  The survey focuses on competitive multiplayer.  Here's to hoping Gearbox is working on Halo 4!

They also plans to give away swag to ten (10) random survey participants.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HPKFNWJ

-BC-

First Impressions - Halo Reach

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a Halo-haulic.  I haven't read any of the Halo books, I didn't buy the Halo comic book, I haven't signed up for Halo Waypoint, and I don't ask my wife to dress up like Cortana in the bedroom (although that may not be a horrible idea).  Have I enjoyed the Halo franchise?  Sure, I loved Halo 2, but was so disappointed by Halo 3 that I didn't pick up ODST and was on the fence about Reach.  I've played through two thirds of the campaign and have sunk about 8 hours into multi player and I can say that, without a doubt, Halo Reach is the best game in the series.

Lets start with the campaign.  Maybe I've been spoiled recently by playing Alan Wake, StarCraft 2, and Mass Effect 2, but the campaign seems ho-hum.  It's better than Halo 3's campaign, but that isn't saying much.  I don't want to spoil the story, but I feel like I've played all of this before. I've heard that the story improves towards the end and I'm sure it would be a better experience if I was playing on a harder difficulty setting.

Pros:
- As with all past Halo games, the gameplay is spot-on
- Smart enemy AI
- Very good presentation
- Addition of earning credits that allow you to upgrade armor is a welcome addition
- Story seems to get better as the campaign progresses

Cons:
- Battles seem small in scale
- Cut scenes and voice acting is not on par with some of the other high-profile games

Now on to the multi player.  I was pretty excited to try Horde...er...I mean, Firefight.  For the most part, I think it's overrated.  This game type is more suited for a smaller arena and slower gameplay, a la Gears of War's Horde.  It just feels all to similar to battles in the campaign.  I really started enjoying myself once I got a few buddies online and we played Team Slayer.  I'm not sure that any game (and this includes you CoD) can hang with Halo online.  The sheer number of game types, map variety, and "oh shit" moments keep me coming back for more.

Pros:
- Matchmaking system if fast
- Maps, new and old, are great
- Armor abilities introduce an entirely new (good) dynamic

Cons:
- Maps tend to take a while to load
- The maps that are includes are great, but why so few?

Overall I'm loving Halo Reach.  Check back soon for my "Second Impressions".
-BC-