XBox Gaming Blog

Your Achievement Resolutions

My name is Nelson, and I have an achievement problem.  When I started working for the community team here at Microsoft I was tickled to find that my gamercard would be prominently displayed on the right-hand side of an official Microsoft blog.  It’s like getting a star on the walk of fame, except it’s not permanent and never has chewing gum stuck to it. 

My blood froze on day one when I realized the gamercards are listed in gamerscore order.  You may not see my gamercard unless you scroll down.  Yeah… keep scrolling.  It’s heart breaking.

This brings me to TMNT.  The latest Ninja Turtle game, released earlier in the year, has a fun and quirky art style, and a difficulty level right in my comfort zone.  It is also labeled “one of those games” that spill achievement points like chocolate from a fountain in Willy Wonka’s factory.  Had I not been desperate for points, I may not have given TMNT a try.  Believe me or not, I am rather enjoying TMNT, much in the way I enjoyed Conan - another fun game, though less generous with gamerscore.

At the end of the day, if achievement hunting gets me to play a game I didn’t know I would enjoy, then maybe gamerscore obsession isn’t so bad.  My New Year’s resolutions are legion, but on the list are “get more points” and “stop snickering at people who play games just for points.”

What are your achievement resolutions?  Get only difficult ones?  Get only multiplayer ones?  Start a new gamertag and give up on points completely?  Before you start typing “achievements are stupid, I hate them” consider adding “stop being a troll” to your resolution list.  And to the rest of you who relish points as a fun side-bet, or a guided tour through a game, or a lure to suck you into a title you might have skipped, watch your back.  I’m on the rise.

Community Choice Awards

I heard somewhere that the gaming community can be very vocal.  We like, it seems, telling other people exactly what we think about games and gaming.  Do you feel like you just haven’t had your voice heard enough this year?  You have a few days left to get your vote in on the Xbox Community Choice Awards,  Our friends and colleagues at Xbox.com have put together a list of nominees in categories like “Best Game”, “Best New IP”, and “Toughest Achievement”.  Check out the entire list, and instructions on how to vote at:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/events/communitychoiceawards/default.htm

Vote early and vote often.

Xbox LIVE down temporarily

Just wanted to post a note to let everyone know that we are aware of some issues with folks trying to connect to Xbox LIVE.  Our operations team is fully engaged and as soon as we have an ETA or update we will let you know.  Thanks for your patience.

I’m Baaaack!

Ok boys and girls, I know you’ve missed me a great deal. You’ve missed my caring, loving attitude and my sugar-coated posting style. ANYWAY, these guys had me locked in a basement for a couple of months to try and “fix” me but gave up after I ate the flowers off the wallpaper, tore up the pink comforter and threw Chris’ copy of  Barbie Horse Adventures through the tiny window. I do, however, still have a thing for my little pink controller so maybe it did crack me just a tiny bit.

My mom and I drove six gruelling days to get over here to Washington from New Jersey just so that I could again be the ray of sunshine on my team. Let me tell you, it was quite an experience. I slept with my Xbox so that nobody would steal it and my controller was always in my purse by my side - True story.

I drove through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho - I may have hit Nebraska - It’s all a blur. Here are a couple of pieces of advice:

• Learn BEFOREHAND how to engage the 4WD on your car
  
• Don’t eat fast food for weeks before leaving
  
• Take 3 weeks to make the trip and don’t do it during winter.
  
• When your BLT comes with no mayo, don’t yell at the person in the car with you - it’s not their fault even though they asked for it that way…
  
• Mount Rushmore is too far away from Rapid City to fit into a speed trip - Plan accordingly
  
• DO stop at the Corn Palace - Its “Ear-chitecture” is “a-Maize-ing”. It’s just not right. When your local HS teams are called the “Kernels” you have to stop and wonder…
  
• Take air freshener. One of the hotel rooms I stayed in smelled like a rhino’s backside.
  
• Don’t follow a truck on a gravel road. You will lose your windshield (or pieces of it)
  
• Trying to drive through Montana in the middle of winter, at night, through 80mph gusts and on icy roads is like letting your 106 year old granny get on the Death Plunge ride at the local amusement park. There’s a high probability that someone might die. Just don’t do it.

A nice little photo set of this momentous time will follow shortly. It’s good to be back!

A l D w l a G m s O M N G m s (<- 50% Off All Download Games On MSN Games)

Okay, so here’s the scenario: you’re sitting at home, patting yourself on the back for completing your holiday shopping before the last-minute rush, and possibly even contemplating a nice weekend of Guitar Hero, winter ale, and tree-shaped cookies.  And then, with a sinking feeling of mortal dread… you remember.  Aunt Mildred.  Or your old college roommate.  Or your sister’s new fiancee.  Someone has been overlooked!  A cold sweat breaks out across your brow as you contemplate the horrors that now await you: finding parking at the mall… battling a ravening and desperate crowd for the leftover scraps of gift-worthy merchandise… shelling out an eye-popping sum for overnight shipping… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

MSN Games.  Holiday Blowout Sale.  50% off all PC download games.  ‘Nuff said.

Have a wonderful year-end holiday of your choice!

Frankie Explains the Recently Released Halo 3 Maps

Our very own Chris
Paladino had a quick chat with Frankie from
Bungie at the Spike TV Video Game Awards. Frankie talked about how it
feels to win, and also gave us some details on the new Halo 3 maps,
and the special armor Bungie has been giving to VIPs.  If you’re curious, we’re not on the list.

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Spongebob Squarepants on Xbox LIVE Arcade

For those of you that don’t know how awesome SpongeBob SquarePants is, look no further than this video on YouTube. Seriously, how can a “kids” cartoon be so rad?

But, I digress. The real story here is that the new SpogeBob game, SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam! is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade on Wednesday the 26th. The game is an exclusive to Xbox LIVE and features a single player adventure, multiplayer over LIVE, and single-console multiplayer for only 800 points.

From the media alert:

THQ ’s “SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam!,”  based on Nickelodeon’s wildly popular animated series, stars SpongeBob himself as he guides the way with his “Bikini Bottom” pals: Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Sandy Cheeks and Plankton in this side-scrolling slap-happy extravaganza. King Neptune has misplaced an entire load of laundry after a massive underwater storm current and it’s up to eager SpongeBob fans to collect them all by searching the kitchens of the Krusty Krab, the cargo hold of the Flying Dutchman’s ship and even the Treasure Room of Atlantis. Collect 99 pairs of Neptune’s bloomers to complete the game in Quest Mode or beat the clock in Time Attack Mode.

Players can also join up to three other friends over Xbox LIVE, play single couch multiplayer Slam Mode, or try to avoid being “it” at Bikini Bottom in Tag Mode. The game will be available in North America for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
• For more details on “SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam!” please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/spongebob/default.htm 

Kristen Bell Talks Gaming and Assassin’s Creed

I’ve always wanted to use the words “lovely and talented” in the execution of my job.  I nearly had the chance once when writing about community guru John Porcaro, but in a fit of humility, John pulled it from the blog post.  Today nothing will stand in my way.

The lovely and talented Kristen Bell spoke to us on camera while we were backstage at the Spike TV Video Game Awards.  Though Kristen, a star in the show Heroes, is far from a hardcore gamer, she enjoys an occasional game, and really likes being a character in games like Assassin’s Creed.  Observe the video to find out more:

Wireless Racing Wheel Now $30 Cheaper

Ho ho ho!

Just in time for you last minute holiday shoppers, we have just lowered the price on the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel. The price has dropped $30 to an MSRP of $99. The wheel is compatible with all of the most popular racing games on the system, including:

• Forza Motorsport 2
• Project Gotham Racing 4
• Project Gotham Racing 3
• Test Drive Unlimited
• Need for Speed Carbon
• DiRT
• Nascar 08

I can tell you from personal experience that using the wheel with games like DiRT and Forza 2 is nothing short of incredible, and I would highly recommend picking one up if you get the chance. The price reduction is already reflected on most shopping sites on the interwebs and at fine retailers near you.

For more info you can read the media alert.

SWOS Being Fixed

If you are a fan of soccer games, you might not be feeling very sensible right about now.  In fact, you might be nearing hooligan status, because this week’s XBLA release, Sensible World of Soccer is in the shop for repairs.  Please don’t turn over any cars or assault any of your fellow soccer fans.  The problem is being worked on as we speak.

According to the Major: “This game has been pulled… In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available you’ll be able to downloaded it again (at no charge if you purchased it.) While you do that, I’ll go yell at some folks for letting this happen.”

We know this kind of trouble with a game you’ve been looking forward to can really steam your bean, but please understand there are people working wildly to get it fixed.