Call of Duty MW2 - Eerie after the update.

Well the update for the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty MW2 finally hit our screens this week. It was warmly welcomed by myself and many many others who were tired of the constant glitching taking place from game to game.

The funny thing i had noticed after the update however was the eerie quietness in comparison to before. No more could we hear the constant sound of helicopters flying overhead, nor could we hear that grizzled Brit telling us that there was an enemy care package incoming for the gazillionth time in a match.

Its as if the glitch has left some sort of resonance in my mind, toying with me... I think... i... need the glitch back.... Heeellllppp!

Anyway, if you haven't heard through the grapevine about the update, then get on it my lovelies.

As the tumbleweed rolls on by...

I'm wondering if anyone, other than the five friends i have pestered relentlessly, has actually viewed my blog.

If you have, even in passing, please leave a message or some sort of feedback. It would be great to actually get this blog out there...

I will have a short review of Bioshock 2 up this week also. I've spent most of my time on this quality sequel.

The Joys of Sky Player on your 360.

I'm currently up late watching the Superbowl via the sky player. Being able to do things like this has highlighted to me the range of uses my 360 has developed over the years.

I was recently able to upgrade my sky account to allow sky player to function on my Xbox 360. The set up was easy and to be honest i've been impressed with it. I think they definately need a few more channels for the live tv side of it. For UK users how about Sky1?? But on the whole, i thought it was worth mentioning that the move with Sky was a good one.

Thinking into the future, will we maybe see the ability for the 360 to record live shows like a Sky Plus box?? Heres hoping...

No More Support for Original Xbox Games on Xbox Live.

As of the 15th April 2010, there will no longer be a service for original Xbox games on Xbox Live.

For some this may come as a bit of a shock, with a large percentage probably being the dedicated Halo 2 users. However i think that the fact Microsoft have spent the last few years still supporting an out of date console should be appreciated, regardless if it was still some form of income for them.

Also, if this news means that more improvements can be made to the 360 then i think the decision must have been made easier.

Lets see what this will bring us in the coming year...

Deal of the Week: Portal: Still Alive. Jan. 25th

Well this weeks deal on Xbox Live is the honestly incredible Portal:Still Alive.

This, another genius release from those guys over at Valve, is a game that will test your mental capabilities and maybe your tolerance levels at times as you get on to the harder levels. It involves you progressing through stage by stage in a facility with a portal creating/gravity gun thingy that can fire portals allowing you to travel through the levels, aswell as being able to pick stuff up etc. with the gravity side of it. The puzzles get harder as you go on, but they also become more satisfying when completed. It is something that i have never come across before in gaming and is something truly worth trying as you may never see something like this again.The game also mentions something about a cake?? Well you'll have to look into that one yourselves. The game has been reduced on the marketplace to 800Msp from 1200 so it is a sort of bargain.

I have never played the arcade release, as i got the original with the release of the Orange Box collection but i'm assuming the two are pretty similar. This deal definitely gets the thumbs up from me and so if you've never played it... you should.

Left 4 Dead 2: Dizzy Highs, Bonecrushing Lows!

Over the past few weeks i have dedicated alot of my free time to the relative new release of Left4Dead2.

This game has had alot of publicity, both good and bad prior to its release, however for me despite good reviews, moaning gamers bothered by the relatively quick release of a sequel and any other comments, this game was always on my hit list of games over the christmas period.

Like the first one, this game has got everything you need to have fun with mates. It is one of the true co-operative games on the market that requires real camaraderie.

However, despite the good times you can have on this beast of a game, the lows are really low. I mentioned before about teamwork and friends... well both of those words may cease to exist after a bad run on this game. I can't actually count the number of times my blood pressure has risen on this game, the amount of times i've told my mates that our friendship might well be over, and the amount of times i have just switched my console off in rage and tried to suffocate myself with the nearest pillow!

The true success therefore in this game, must be the fact that despite the rage and abuse, i will continuously come back to play it. Just hoping that we'll be able to finally complete another campaign on expert, or complete an achievement i've been striving to get for weeks...

To be honest, the game itself is a work of art, with fantastic levels, great additions to the special infected zombies and an interesting new cast of survivors. My only real gripe is the lack of team work i've found online even compared to the first game, with people quitting constantly and lack of communication. However once again i keep coming back to it...

For anyone who hasn't played this game yet anyways, at least play the demo on XBL. It is a fantastic game and in all honesty i have only made two trips to the docs for the blood pressure thing... so yeah GET IT!!

Snow Days

Well currently the weather all over the UK is pretty bad by our standards. There is a lot of snow, and as per usual, our infrastructure has fallen to pieces. This means, for some, that they will be taking these days off of work, potentially to "work from home". What this really means, for the rest of us, is "gaming day!".

February 2009 was the last time we had this sort of weather, and i remember when i was off then, i started with Left 4 Dead on Expert at around half past 8 in the morning with a few mates, and it felt even better than usual to play games.

I'm just wondering what games people have been playing over the last few days while the weather has taken a turn for the worst??

I've been playing:

COD:MW2 online
Forza 3
Left 4 Dead 2.

xDevilsR3JECTx: Call of Duty Psycho Killer!

Well its been long enough, i can't go on any longer without mentioning my good friend Dan aka xDevilsR3JECTx to all of you.

Some of you may have had the pleasure of being slaughtered by this psychopath on COD:MW2, chances are probably...

If your lucky enough to be on the same side as this mentalist during a match, then you have more than likely won the match, regardless of how good/terrible you are. He just seems to have such a fetish for guns and slaughter that i have yet to come across anyone who slays like he slays. Maybe he needs to get out more?? I don't know, that's for you to decide. All i know is, this man/freak seems to love nothing more than sunbathing in Tactical Nukes, laying human cement with the use of a Pavelow/Chopper Gunner and generally picking off the weak and feeble.

In all fairness, he hasn't actually put that much time into this game, and if you look at his, shall we say, 'soft' looking avatar (see above) you wouldn't think anything of him. You will however be very much mistaken.

He won't let on to what his secret for Call of Duty success is, and in all honesty i don't think he has one. All i think he goes on, is bad mouthing Americans, and wiping the drool from either side of his massive grin as finishes a match 30 odd kills to 1/2 deaths.

Dan, you are our friend (maybe), but deep down everyone has a little hatred towards you over this. You make me sick.

End of rant...

True Achievements

Well, i knew from the off that i wanted to make a post about the wonderful website that is TrueAchievements when i started this blog.

For anyone who doesn't know what this site is all about click the link and see for yourself. Its basically a website that compiles the achievements you have gained on your Xbox 360 and works out the true value of those achievements based on how many people have actually achieved them (hope that makes sense). This not only makes your Gamerscore look better than before (unless all you have played is the game Avatar), but it shows how well you have done on certain games if you are part of a small percentage of people to have won certain achievements in those games.

This is not TrueAchievements only success however. It also has a great community that i myself have seen build up from its first year of creation. People post guides to help others gain achievements they need help on, they also have decent forums for discussion, you can track your friends achievements and they have set dates were people in the community can come together to help each other boost to gain achievements.

The site has also recently had a revamp, which i think is a major improvement compared to before.

So as you can see, all in all its a great site, and one that is definately worth checking out if your into your achievements!

The Deal of the Week January 4th 2010: Kingdom for Keflings

Well the deal of the week on XBLA this week isn't a game that interested me massively when it first hit the marketplace. Admittedly i have only played the demo and so i may be missing something with the full game download.



However with it now being Deal of the Week, Kingdom for Keflings is now valued at a measly 400 points which is pretty good for anyone who wanted to give it a go but didn't want to fork out the full price. Maybe i should pick it up as i've heard its quite a relaxing game to play, and i don't have many of them... I'm looking at you Modern Warfare 2!!

Major Nelson: Deal of the Week

No Time for Single Player.

I just thought I'd add an entry about how much online gaming has taken over my gaming time as a whole.

I have in my possession, Borderlands and Forza 3 to start, Operation Flashpoint, Mirrors Edge, Modern Warfare 2 to finish, and a bunch of others that i would like to mop achievements up with.

The problem is, the time i spend gaming now a days is with friends whom i don't see as much in person anymore. Getting online is the only real opportunity we have to catch up regularly and so i normally end up playing Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead online religiously.

This isn't obviously a bad thing, however i do miss a solemn single player session, like i used to with Fallout 3 for example. Ahh the good ol' days...

Anticipation for the New Year.

With 2009 truly behind us now, I am beginning to look forward to what 2010 will bring with regards games.

Here is my shortlist of wanted games:

Bioshock 2

Mass Effect 2

Aliens Vs. Predator

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

I thought i would also point out that i still have a ton of games to complete from the previous year, and i assume there are others like me in a similar position. This is normally the case for me though, as by the end of the year i make around 5 or 6 purchases in the space of about a month! This means that i don't have enough to time to devote to them all.

Hmm maybe i should chill out on the buying this year?? Maybe it should be my resolution...

Le Ripper Blogging!

Well, this is my first blog. I guess I have created this as a means of practicing/honing my writing skills, and what better practice than writing a blog about gaming.

There are obviously tons of gaming blogs/websites etc. out there, but heres hoping that this one can provide something different.

I will be providing my own mini reviews, opinions and general discussions about gaming, mainly focusing around the Xbox 360 platform.

Here's hoping people will enjoy this blog as much as i hopefully will...