SoupyC's Blog of Wonder and Mystery =): July 2007

Tuesday, 31 July 2007

So much to do...so little time =(

Hey there =)

OK, now I'm going to try to justify why I haven't posted in over a week, and give you a little insight into my life as of late. Please feel free to visit Google now, and search for something more interesting, lol! ;)

Well, as you know from the last post, I had food poisoning two weeks ago. So I spent the majority of last week trying to catch up on work I had missed. So, not only was I doing the work that I was to do when I was sick, but also the work I had to do anyway! In other words, twice the work, half the time. What's new though, eh?

So, I didn't get that much time to play my xbox...well, I did get quite a bit of time (as shown on my 360's blog) but not as much as I would've liked to.

Let me explain something first. I work for a company in a town around 15 or 20 miles from my house. This company has a customer in England, I live in Northern Ireland. I have been assigned to this company to complete 90 days in 6 months on-site. Now, fortunately I quite like the idea of this and so jumped at the chance to do so. So, this is where I currently stand. I travel to England, usually on the Monday morning, and return on the Thursday night. I spend 4 days and 3 nights there, and then another day working at the offices of the company I work for. All this seems good, except I'm without xbox! =( I have got an apartment over there and a car, so I'm pretty settled in. The only thing I needed (before last week) was a 360 to keep me company. I didn't want to leave my current one over there, and didn't want to travel back and forth with it either. So, I bought a new one and now I have 2! OK, so I hardly need 2 xbox 360's when some people don't even have one...but I do need it! I now travel with a few games and my hard disk drive from my original 360, and when I get to England, plug it in and it's just like having my xbox 360 with me! =D

I can't tell you how much I enjoy that I'm able to do that. The only downside turns out to be that I don't have broadband where I'm staying while over here....yet! ;) I'm hoping to get it in relatively soon. Then I'll be able to be on LIVE too. It'll be very very sweet!

Well, now I've explained how much I love my 360...but that doesn't justify a week of non-posting. I've already mentioned that I have an apartment over here. I can say this now, but couldn't have last week. The week has been spent sorting it all out so that the next 6 months will be more comfortable, when I'm away so much of them. I've been super busy with work as it is, what with being off, and people being on holiday so, to be honest, I've just been too busy to post! =( I've barely even stopped by here to make sure all is normal, lol! I'm sorry...but hopefully it will all be sorted out soon, and I can get back to regular, quality posts! =)

On a side note, I visited my local GAME store (chain of stores that sell video games in the UK) and when browsing the Xbox 360 chart I noticed a lack of new games, compared to the last time I'd looked. There doesn't seem to be many big new releases recently...but I can understand why! With the upcoming 'huge holiday line-up' (what holiday is it anyway? I never understood when that was mentioned at E3! Is it an American thing?) my pockets are going to be very empty from August right through to November! Bioshock, Halo 3, GTA IV, COD4: Modern Warfare but to name a few! These are all going to be games that I will buy and, as I said, I'll be left with not a lot of money after! =/

OK, I guess that's enough talk for now. Hopefully I'll get to post again in a couple of days. There's not many exciting 360 news floating around that I can talk about at the moment. Maybe they're waiting for the new games too! ;)

Oh, one last thing. On the aeroplane today I started to read the autobiography of Peter Kay. It's a really REALLY good book (US link) (UK Link) and I think it's the first book I've ever read that I actually lol'd (laughed out loud) at! ;) The embarrassing thing was that I was on the plane at the time...but it was worth it for the humour it gave me! I'm looking forward to reading it some more later on! =D

So, till next time,
Soupy

Monday, 23 July 2007

I'm not dead...honest, lol! =)

Well, sorry for being away for so long guys and gals. I had food poisoning =( and before you ask...no, I don't know how I got it. I ate very similarly to a colleague on the day before and he was fine! I don't understand...but now I'm better and back at work! =D This is going to be a short post however...as being off has the added ability to make you work extra hard to catch-up...so I'm doing that now! In good news however,

Thursday, 12 July 2007

2 days late...my excuse, E3!!

Well, it's finally upon us. E3 is here and got off to a great start with the Microsoft briefing. OK, so I didn't actually see the briefing. I mean, I should have considering it was shown on TV and online from a number of different sites including the offical xbox site! But alas, I live in the UK where we don't get gaming TV channels...yet, and where our time zone means that the briefing starts at 4am...so excuse me if I'm a little off with some of these details, but I'm having to read them online from various sources =( I can feel this is going to be a big post already!

Here's my summary of the Microsoft briefing

Friday, 6 July 2007

Getting good (part 2)

Hey!

EDIT: Just wanted to throw this in when I seen it on Badboy's blog. The release date for Sensible World of Soccer was officially announced as August 29th 2007. It's quite a bit away but at least we know when it is instead of speculating! =)

Ok, a little more time today to post. As you can see from yesterday's post, I didn't quite have time to say all I wanted to, so I'll start straight into it today.

Another find frm the ESRB website shows that Bomberman Live has just been rated, meaning it should be on XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) before we know it =) I remember playing this a lot a good few years back with friends. It was easily one of my favourite memories of multi-player games, "back in the day" =) It's the same kind of memories that SWOS (Sensible World of Soccer) brings back...which is why I'm so hyped up about these games coming to the 360 via Live Arcade! =)

Thursday, 5 July 2007

I think I'm getting good at this =)

Hi again!

Well, the title is maybe bit misleading (if not a bit intriguing too?) but it's either that I'm getting better, or they are getting worse. That's right, on one of my (now-regular) visits to the ESRB website I notice a few new additions that they've rated. This usually means coming soon, and I like the thought of some of these! =)

First up, it's a game I haven't really heard of...EXIT. It was on the PSP and has now made it to XBLA (or will be shortly anyway). It looks like a fun puzzle game, and since I don't know much about it, here's a video

Wednesday, 4 July 2007

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare info...and Guitar Hero 2 gets new DLC??

Hello again!

So, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. A while ago, I made a post about the reveal trailer for this game. Well, now there's more info, an FAQ and a new video all for you nice people =D

First, some basic info (courtesy of ugo.com):

Release : Fall 2007

Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Infinity Ward

Genre: Multi-Centric Shooters

Players: 1, Online Multiplayer

So, it's multi-platform and should be released later this year. I expected the multi-platform, to be in-line with the rest of the Series, and I'm excited that the release isn't too far off! =)

Now, an FAQ(again, courtesy of ugo.com):

So what's the story?

For Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward opted against simply moving the theater of battle to modern-day Iraq, instead crafting a completely original story and a completely fictitious war for it to unfold within. This time there's a bad guy, and one you'll most likely get to look in the eyes before you put a bullet (or several hundred) through them. A Russian warlord named Zakhaev funds a bloody coup in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. His efforts are actually a brilliant act of misdirection meant to keep prying eyes away from his own rise to power in Russia, the ultimate goal being to restore the Soviet Union. Zakhaev's Middle Eastern contact is a man named Al-Asad. The men, along with two other close associates, are referred to collectively as "the Four Horsemen."

The game's story actually begins in an SAS training warehouse, where Captain Price (a character featured in the first two games, who is probably no longer a captain when this one starts) teaches you the basics of combat. You see, the British SAS have kept close tabs on Zakhaev since his early days as an international arms dealer. The first mission proper begins as you and a three-man SAS team rappel from a helicopter down to a Russian ship in stormy waters at night. The U.S. storyline begins in the unnamed Middle Eastern nation as elite Marine recon forces are arriving to gather intel and, hopefully, derail hostilities before the battle becomes too heated. The two stories unfold parallel to one another, with the U.S. aggressively trying to keep the peace in the Middle East while the Brits, working undercover with Russian loyalists, try to gather incriminating intel on the Zakhaev. Little is known of how the story unfolds beyond that, but with the Americans and British already confirmed, it's probably a safe assumption that the Russian loyalists will comprise another playable faction as well.

Will there be any significant changes to the basic gameplay?

Infinity Ward is back to helming the Call of Duty franchise after Treyarch's solid but rather underwhelming Call of Duty 3. One particular concrete fact which has emerged is that Treyarch's 'battle actions' are being done away with completely. That's right... no more button-pressing, joystick-twirling minigames will pop up when you set a C4 charge. Just place it onto whatever you want to make die, step back and watch those lovely, lovely next-gen fireworks.

The developer is also working at creating a more immersive experience for the player, which first involves minimizing the intrusion of an on-screen HUD. The single player mini-map has been eliminated Weapon switching menus will also only show up on the screen for the briefest of moments before disappearing once the action has been completed. The elimination of the on-screen map could spell trouble for Call of Duty's open-ended missions, but there's always the possibility that a map or radar will be available as a hand-held toy for you to call up at any time (using the D-pad, perhaps).

There will be other new features as well. Infinity Ward is carrying over the mechanic Treyarch introduced of picking up and throwing back nearby grenades. Explosions will also now cause shockwaves which can have an effect on the game's destructible environments. We don't know how destructible the environments will ultimately be, but the thought of ambushing an enemy unit by blasting a hole in the wall they're using for cover is a compelling one. It has been confirmed that weapon ballistics are being modelled after their real-life counterparts, meaning you'll be able to shoot through walls, floors and ceilings provided you have the proper ordnance.

What kinds of missions can we expect to fight our way through in the game?

Call of Duty 4 will apparently mix things up by adding new types of missions and mission objectives previously unseen in the series. Some of these confirmed new objectives include stealth/spy missions in Russia (complete with camouflage), squad-based tactical engagements with helicopter support, on-rails vehicle gunner sequences (okay, that's not a new one), escort missions and even a back-story mission which flashes back 15 years. The inclusion of this flashback mission also further suggests that we'll see a more involved story this time around (in case that wasn't already apparent).

Are there any details on the multiplayer portion of the game?

We know a little bit about Call of Duty 4's multiplayer component thus far. Infinity Ward is implementing an experience system for online play. Strong in-match performances are rewarded with unlocks which can include new cosmetic features, better weapons and the like. Another unlockable, referred to as 'perks,' will provide more than additional fire-power to support your character. Perks will improve abilities, firing accuracy with a particular weapon being just one example. In addition, players will be able to select their own equipment loadout before entering battle. Think that Desert Eagle is too loud? No problem... supplement your BAR with a silenced pistol instead. Some gameplay footage shown has also revealed a player calling in an airstrike, though how that will be implemented in multiplayer is still an unknown at this point. Perhaps these airstrikes will tie into the perks system.

Another new element to the multiplayer portion of Call of Duty 4 is the introduction of challenges. Challenges, much like Xbox Achievements, will set specific goals for you to achieve in a given match. A successfully completed challenge offers more substantial rewards than Achievements do, in the form of an experience bonus. It has also been suggested that certain challenges will be tied to unique unlockables. Infinity Ward has also stated that they're working at making connecting with friends for online play an easier process, though no specific details have been offered concerning how they intend to do it.

When is the game going to be released?

There's been no concrete release date announced for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, though some sources are suggesting the possibility of a Q3 2007 release.

So, while the Fall 2007 release isn't 'concrete', I'm still optimistic =) So far this is quite a long post, and there's still so much more to say!

Now, the fun part, a nice new video of the game (courtesy of gametrailers.com):

EDIT: I know the video is a little over the sidebar but it's worth it as it looks worse when I reduce the size! I'm not a design freak anyway ;)

OK, so shooting through walls! Frickin awesome!! =D lol! And that was clearly multi-player footage which is cool, I look forward to it even more now! =)

And finally, today I found this topic, posted on 15th June, where a member of the Official Guitar Hero forums, named rodth, who happens to be staff at Red Octane, states "While nothing's been formally announced, look for something to come down the pipeline around the July timeframe :)". He says this with regard to DLC (which you'll find out by reading the whole topic) Now, today is the 4th July (oh, Happy Independence Day (or maybe it's just called 4th July holiday now) to all you Americans!) which means we're in July...which means, DLC for Guitar Hero 2 this month? I certainly hope so! =) Now, the only other thing I notice is Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s is released July 24th for the Playstation 2. Could it be that the DLC us 360 users will be able to receive, will in fact be some of (or all of) the songs from this game? I guess it would be kind of cool if that was the case, as it would mean we wouldn't miss out from there not being a 360 release of the game. But the only concern I have would be the pricing! The final list, as announced by gamespy, of songs in the game tally to 30. Each song in the existing song packs is currently around £1.40 each. That means £42 for every song in the new Rock the 80s game. Now, considering the game will be retailing around £30...I'm seeing a major difference, considering we're getting an add-on, and the PS2 owners will be getting a whole new game =( I just hope Red Octane deliver good DLC at a reasonable price this time. Some 360 exclusive DLC would be nice ;)

Well anyway, that's the end of my info blast and rant. Hopefully there'll be more exiting news in the world of 360 for me to talk about next time =)

Soupy

Monday, 2 July 2007

Back...but not soon enough

Hello!

Finally, I make it back to my blog home, though I feel I've been away longer than I anticipated. Well, I don't want to bore you all with my holiday stories (unless you'd like to hear, in which case comment and ask, lol!) but basically I left Tuesday 20th June at 4am, spent 7 really good days in Magalluf, Mallorca...and returned around 7pm Tuesday 27th June. Now, I was without proper internet access until late Thursday 29th June, due to also moving house during this time. Now when I think about it, quite a stressful week one might say.

So now, back to reality. No more holidays, work as usual (if not busier) and the desire to play my 360 more than I get to is ever increasing! Though, I have a plan for that...so watch this space ;)

In actual news, that you may find exciting, I noticed

SoupyC's Blog of Wonder and Mystery =)

Tuesday, 31 July 2007

So much to do...so little time =(

Monday, 23 July 2007

I'm not dead...honest, lol! =)

Thursday, 12 July 2007

2 days late...my excuse, E3!!

Friday, 6 July 2007

Getting good (part 2)

Thursday, 5 July 2007

I think I'm getting good at this =)

Wednesday, 4 July 2007

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare info...and Guitar Hero 2 gets new DLC??

Monday, 2 July 2007

Back...but not soon enough

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