Xbox 360 Features

The Retirement Club: 5 Old Games You May Have Missed

Now that this generation is well and truly in full swing, there are loads of old titles that now reside in the bargain bin in your local game store. With how obsessed the industry has become with the day one sales and marketing their games relentlessly, you could be missing out on some real hidden gems. But which ones are worth buying? It’s safe to assume that you may not have heard many details about these older titles, but fear not, I have that info right here!

Crackdown  

Odds are, you’ve heard a fare amount about Crackdown 2. However, the original was largely over-shadowed by the fact that it included an invite to the Halo 3 beta. The original Crackdown is largely similar to the sequel that came out last year, this one has a far better structure. Crackdown 2 does away with a lot of that and seems to lack a core objective. The original Crackdown is a super fun open world game that serves as an early example of one that used the power of a next gen console to enhance gameplay rather than just graphics. If you haven’t played any Crackdown yet, or only the sequel, this game deserves a spin in your 360.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. Duke Nukem Mashup

The new Duke Nukem Forever trailer is pretty badass, and so is Scott Pilgrim. What happens when you combine the two is magic beyond your wildest dreams. The mashup is made by Youtube user Crocodude and is easily the best Duke Nukem crossover I’ve ever seen. 

 Here’s the awesome video:

The Future of DLC

If you’ve bought a new game within the last couple of years, odds are you’ve been miffed by the almost instantaneous announcement of DLC that is priced at one sixth of the game you just bought. Due to the way games are made nowadays is largely the reason for the surge of DLC being released so soon after the release of a game. We’ve all heard the official statements that state x section of x game was developed by a different team and therefore was held back, or certain parts were developed under a separate budget. Both of which are true in some cases but it’s simply the price of the DLC that carries the sting. When you’ve gone out and paid £40/$60 for a game and then content that is already on the disc is announced as DLC, customers have a right to be annoyed. How would you feel if you bought a car and then found out you had to pay for your doors separately?

The rules for DLC have changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Pricing has always been roughly the same, but in the beginning you were actually paying for new content, not something that was simply locked at the release of the game. Now it’s almost expected that a game will release some sort of DLC to try and milk more money out of the people that bought the game at full price. Surely companies should be thinking of ways to reward people for buying their games on launch day, not thinking up ways to rip them off. This will simply eliminate any desire to buy a game at launch, when you can just wait a few months and pick up a used copy and then buy the DLC anyway. By that time, you’re paying what you normally would at launch.

Mass Effect 2 Vs. My Pile of Shame

A lot of great games came out in 2010, apparently. I wouldn’t know because I was replaying, replaying, then once more replaying Mass Effect 2. Every time a new game came out, I always end up putting it to the side in favor of Bioware’s sci-fi sequel. Earlier this week – while removing a barely-touched Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood from my 360 – I realized that ME2 came out a year ago and I’m still playing it. Taking this as a cue, I though I’d dive into some of my backlog to at least experience all those other games I’ve been hearing so much about.

Xbox 360 Games To Expect In February

I played the first Rearmed and it was perfectly fine, but I didn’t understand all the hype surrounding it. Maybe it was the lack of attachment to the original product or maybe it was just the fact that it had its own nagging problems? 

““Radd” Spencer will make use of his trademark tool – his bionic grappling hook – to grab, swing and leap through series of lush new environments. This won’t be an easy mission as he’ll be met by General Sabio’s gun-toting soldiers, attack-droids, and plenty of other threats along the way. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 improves upon the visual achievements of its predecessor with the addition of more detailed character models, textures, and vibrant colors. New in-game mechanics such as customizable bionic arm components and upgrades will take “Radd” Spencer’s abilities to the next level!”

Game Utopia: How Gaming Could Be In the (Near) Future

Sometimes I stay up at night and fantasize about how awesome my current consoles could be. I’m not talking about adding pinstripes and superfluous flames; I’m talking more about features and functionality. Plus taking the time to put flames on your console means that you have a severe lack of friends and an overabundance of time and idiocy. We rarely take the time to think about how restricted consoles are when compared to PCs. After all, when it really comes down to it, consoles are highly specialized PCs tasked with rendering the game in the tray. I’ve had several ideas of what awesome things we might see soon on consoles. I’ve also had the brilliant idea to put them into list form, because everyone loves lists.

Does Violence Make Games More Entertaining?

Before I get started, just think of your favourite violent game. Got it? Right, now imagine the game with all the violence taken out of it. Would it be as enjoyable? It’s pretty safe to say that the answer would be no. Does this mean (let’s just say you’re agreeing with me for now) that the game in question relies on the violence for it to be entertaining and not through the actual mechanics of the game. I would have to say no, because most games that use gratuitous violence use it in a way to enhance the mechanics of the game. For example, in a game like Gears of War, pulling off a headshot with the sniper rifle from half the map away is satisfying because the mechanics make it a challenging task. The skull explosion and spurt of blood just enhance the feeling you get for pulling it off, just like the ragdoll physics in an action game.

Violence has always been present in games in one way or another. It’s just that with the recent enhancement in graphics technology it has become possible to make it more realistic. Now realistic is certainly not the word I would chose to describe most of the violence in modern games. The reason I’m using it, is because I think people too often confuse the word realistic with exaggerated. For example, calling the violence in Gears of War or Ninja Gaiden 2 realistic is just plain ridiculous.

What Longer Console Lifespans Mean for the Industry

The Xbox 360, the first console of this generation, recently reached its 5^th birthday while the Wii and Playstation 3 have both hit their 4^th. Console lifespans normally last 4 to 5 years, and consoles are, of course, lauded and hyped well beforehand. This cycle of death and rebirth cost millions of dollars to the individual companies and exponentially more to their fans; such is the sacrifice to get the latest and greatest in gaming technology.

Franchises that Need to Make A Comeback

There sure are a lot of sequels out there in the current market and even if they’re not, they might as well be. Some games might not bear the same name as others, but the market has become ever so slightly stale in past couple of years. This got me thinking what games I would love to see get revived and be given another go. Some didn’t die out exactly and some finished strong, however, all of them are good enough to warrant a return.

Crash Bandicoot

It’s a shame that Naughty Dog had to move on from this series. Crash Bandicoot 2 will always be one of the greatest platformers ever and I would love for them to revisit this franchise. Wrath of Cortex was certainly the last decent entry in the series, but it’s clear that Naughty Dog kept the special ingredient to themselves. With the success of Uncharted, the odds of seeing another Crash game from them is unlikely, however, one can hope.

The Death of the Disc

So I’m sitting here wondering why on earth people keep harassing me at work, the bosses telling me to ask customers “if they want help?” Surely, if you go into a game shop (or any shop come to think of it) you don’t want to be harassed by a member of staff. If you need help you can ask someone but why would you want someone to be hired just to bother YOU? Is this how all game shops are, or is it just the bad ones?

Other things are playing on my mind, like what is the future of gaming; I have read a brief article (more of an open letter to the public) asking whether the next generation of gaming consoles will kill the disc. A good question, but it won’t happen, and if it does it will not be cool. Take for example games which you can download already on the xbox dashboard. They charge the full retail price as though it was a box on a shelf. Now £24.99 for Alan Wake may be well priced but why is it not cheaper then the disc variant??