SUPERGHOST's Haunted House of XBOX

 I haven't been posting much lately as I have been hitting the books pretty hard.  Hopefully in a week or so I will be back and posting with some regularity.  Stay tuned!

-SG

Back in December of 2007 Microsoft began delivery of ‘full length’ titles over their Xbox LIVE service with Xbox Originals.  Now, just a mere eighteen months later at E3 2009, Microsoft has announced that they are abandoning their Xbox Originals initiative in favour of a their new focus, Games on Demand.  Games on Demand , like Xbox Originals, will focus on the download delivery of full length retail games.  The difference this time  around is that instead of Xbox titles being available, Xbox 360 games will be the order of the day.  Microsoft has mentioned that one more Xbox title will be made available for purchase via Originals/Games on Demand.  That game is widely believed to be Halo 2.  After that final release that will be the final word on the Xbox backwards compatibility saga that has dogged the Xbox 360 since before its console launch.  But I am not going to belabour the discussion that is next-gen consoles and their backwards compatibility, rather I want to revisit the games that were…and the games that were not with the Xbox Originals.

In all, twenty-nine games were released under the Xbox Originals banner.  Some Originals were awesome, while others were head-scratchers.  Some were blessings that we once again had an opportunity to purchase while others never had an opportunity to shine.  Via a series of ‘Top 5’ list I am going to describe in my opinion what the best, the worst, and opportunities hit and missed by the service.  So to begin lets start with the cream of the crop:

Top 5 Best Xbox Original Titles:

• Black – EA and Criterion’s unique FPS that stands up even amongst early 360 offerings.  A must play!
• Ninja Gaiden: Black – Team Ninja’s masterful action title. One of the finest games of it’s generation.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The biggest and best GTA game of last generation.
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory – Again, the most amazing game of a series games from last generation. The final word in stealth action.
• Halo: Combat Evolved – This list could not be complete without the game that started it all and propelled a console through a generation.

Top 5 Worst Xbox Originals:

• Zapper – Zapper has all the appeal of real-life insects.
• Raze’s Hell – What we wanted to do when they announced this title.
• Intelevision Lives! – Third rate 80’s console equals third rate experience twenty five years later.
• BlowOut – I never even knew this game existed until it was disappointingly announced as an Xbox Original.
• Grabbed by the Goulies – Rare’s signature Xbox failure and made us ask what the $375 million dollars was spent on.

Top 5 Second-Chance Xbox Originals:

• Indigo Prophecy – Before there was Black Rain there was Indigo Prophecy.  Experience the beginnings of a hot new genre in the making .
• Psychonauts – Tim Schafer’s brilliant yet underachieving platformer found new life as an Original.  Before Brutal Legend becomes a household name, experience Schafer’s comedic genius at its best.
• Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse – Stubbs was Zombie before Zombie was cool!  Not easy to find the disc, but it is easy to download.  Also one of the best game soundtracks you will ever hear.
• Sid Meier’s Pirates! – An awesome combination of strategy and action that has few equals.  A remake of a game nearly twenty years old.  One can see that this game was way ahead of its time.
• Dreamfall: The Longest Journey – A unique and difficult to find adventure title lands on its feet as an Xbox Original.

Top 5 Games That Should Have Been Xbox Originals:

• Conker: Live and Reloaded - Instead of Goulies, Conker would have been a better choice, especially with its late arrival in the Xbox’s cycle.  Conker also had a robust multiplayer that would have been fun to revisit.
• Amped 2 - In my opinion the best extreme sports title of the last console cycle.  A great looking game with great multiplayer as well.  I think a lot of people missed out on this excellent snowboarding sim.
• Doom 3  - Co-op gameplay is all the rage the last few years, but Doom 3 was ahead of the curve allowing players to play through the campaign side by side over Xbox LIVE.
• Thief: Deadly Shadows – With the announcement of Thief 4, here lies a wasted opportunity.
• Panzer Dragoon Orta – A personal choice here as I have a huge soft spot for this classic Sega franchise that sports a cult following.  All that aside, Orta is a brilliant rail-shooter.

And with that so goes Xbox Originals.  Clearly the addition of Halo 2 would be a lock as one of the best.  It is an exciting prospect that all the Halo titles could reside on your Xbox 360 hard drive.  What games would you include on these lists?  In particular, what games should have made the cut before Microsoft pulled the proverbial plug on the originals.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Even though Originals is gone, the games therein will live on in the Games on Demand section, so they won’t be going anywhere soon.  And so goes the backwards compatibility issue, not with a bang, but a whimper.

Xbox LIVE Marketplace | Games

-SG

I have had an interest in Dead Space for some time now, but due to a plethora of games this past Fall I let the game slide.  Recently there has been a lull in new releases so I decided that it was a good time to invest in Dead Space.

Even though I purchased the game I was not yet ready to play.  Dead Space was set up as a multi-media trilogy.  The first part was the graphic novel, the second an animated movie, and finally the story arc would close out in the game.  So as I am anxious to play the game I spent Monday evening completing the graphic novel.  Its story involves the discovery of a ‘Marker’ on a far-off mining world and the chaos that ensues.  Secondly the motion picture, Dead Space: Downfall, follows the recovery said object and its transport to the mining ship, Ishimura.  Now I want to find out what happens next, for that it will be game time!

So I have herd a lot of good things about the game, but I want to see for myself.  But after watching that movie, I may need to play this game with the lights on!

EA : Dead Space : Age Gate

-SG

I recently repurchased Call of Duty 4 as I had to sacrifice my original to purchase Resident Evil 5.  With all the hype at E3 regarding the game’s sequel, Modern Warfare 2, I thought now would be a good time to revisit CoD4.

After playing this game nightly for the first two months after its release I essentially stopped playing the game for a year and a half,  The only time I did play it was when I bought the map back at a reduced price so I could have a look at them.  The game nearly two years later is still a stunning piece of gaming, though I did find the game to feel dated with its patented CoD enemy spawns from hell.  I really hope that they correct this in the next iteration.  Still, the game is a must play and does garner repeat playthroughs.  I did finish the campaign once again this evening, but with Call of Duty, you stay for the multiplayer.

I started to lose interest in the CoD4 multiplayer around the time I completed most of the challenges.  I was sitting on level 52 or so when I decided to play this multiplayer again once more.  I powered my way through the last few levels up to 55 and flipped the switch on Prestige so I could once again climb the ladder.  I have a goal of hitting level 55 once again (at least) before Modern Warfare 2 arrives this Fall.

So if you want to join me for some hot FPS action this Summer, look for me in the CoD4 multiplayer!

Infinity Ward

-SG

Its funny, out of all the things that could and did capture my imagination at E3 I did not think that Tony Hawk: Ride would have stuck with me the most.  I remember when I first heard about a Tony Hawk reboot with a skateboard peripheral, I wasn't interested in the least.   Now after seeing the Microsoft press conference and Tony Hawk's all too brief presentation of the game and its unique peripheral, it is firmly on my radar, all $120 of it.

Though it has been a few years, I once was heavily into Tony Hawk Pro Skater games.  In fact, even though I have been a gamer for over 30 years, I don't think it would be a stretch for me to say that Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2 were the games that truly ushered me into 'hardcore gamerdom'.  I played and I played those games until I literally hurt from the strain I was placing on myself trying to better my runs.  I hurt, but it hurt so good and I kept coming back for more.  Tony Hawk was owning my gamerspace.  Once the 3rd and 4th iterations hit I found myself loosing interest in the series as the games began to feel less and less like the games I fell in love with.  I had a brief fling with Tony Hawk: American Wasteland on the DS a couple of years ago, but other than that Tony Hawk has been a gaming wasteland for me.

So why Tony Hawk: Ride?  If I am to examine my personal sensibilities towards the series and superfluous peripherals it would seem that I wouldn't give this game a second glance, especially in a year where its later half is choked with must have, must play games.  I do not know how to express my interest other than it looks like fun and I want to play it.  Now that can change if the game comes out and it is a complete dog, but I suspect that will not be the case.  My wish is that Ride will take me back to that place in the late 90's when I discovered how much fun a skateboarding  can be. 

TONY HAWK: RIDE

-SG

I have been away from my blog post over the last few weeks, and being in the middle of my personal X-mas (E3) I really should be more focused on those events.  Instead I am going to talk about a couple of the cheap, cheap games I saw on my excursion to the mall last week.

While rooting through a discount bin at my local Wal-Mart I uncovered this little gem.  While it is a brand new title, it also comes in at under $20 in price.  Raiden Fighters Aces is a great package for old-school 'shumps' fans.  The disc contains 3 full games in the series as well as a bevy of options to tailor your experience to your liking.  Being under $20 and in the mood to buy a game I thought why not give this game a try.  While I just spent one evening with it so far, it is a good little experience.  And with most XBLA titles of the same calibre being worth up to 1,200 points each, RFA is a great value.  So if you are in the mood for something a little different, why not test your reflexes with this 'shump' package.

Same night as I found the above I went into the EB in the same mall as was the Wal-Mart.  In their I found Condemned 2: Bloodshot on sale for $15!  What a steal!  I love both Condemned games and the fact that a year later this game is only fetching $15 is a crime.  If you have not had the pleasure of playing either game and are interested in survival horror or perhaps an FPS with a different hook, C2 is the game you have to play.  At that price I should have almost bought a second copy!  In all seriousness this is a fantastic game.

From what I have seen at E3 though I am going to have so many games to play this Fall that it will make my head spin.  Owning an Xbox console is kin of like Wrestlemania, every year it is the best ever, except in the case of the 360, it is.

Raiden Fighters Aces - Valcon Games

-SG

The Nuka-Cola Challenge
Completed "The Nuka-Cola Challenge"

Gamerscore = 20   Acquired 20/5/2009

My dillegence has only spiralled me deaper into my Fallout 3 obsession.  In fact the other night I found myself trapped my super-powered ghouls in the sewers, I got lost because I was so tired, I just wanted out so I could sleep!  So I finally got out, went to bed, and when I got up I went straight back to the game.  Good times in the DC wasteland.  Makes me want to play Oblivion again!

-SG

The Dead Pool
Defeated Weapon 11 (Deadpool)

Gamerscore = 50    Acquired 9/5/2009

The surprise game of the year thus far reached its climax for me last week when I took down Deadpool to earn the above achievement and complete this awesome game.  All would have been perfect and more achievements would have been earned had I not  inadvertently erased my game data by starting a new game.

As disappointing as erasing the game was I am still extremely happy with my experience.  I encourage anyone who is looking for a very proficient beat' em up to give this game a try.  Once you try the demo ob Xbox LIVE you will be hooked, and that demo just scratches the surface.

I will likely be trading this game in this weekend, but I would definitely pick it up again when it hits the bargain bin.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Official Video Game Site

-SG

What an inflammatory title, but around my house there is a ring of truth to it.  I have been a vocal Chronicles of Riddick supporter since it was released 5 years ago on the original Xbox.  Ever since the announcement of the remake/sequel was made for the Xbox 360, I have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.  A couple of weeks ago I picked up the game and was enjoying it.  Recently  my gaming time has been diminished,  so once I started along the point in the game where there are several 'fetch-n-fight' quests punctuated by load screen after load screen, my interest started to wane in the face diminished returns.  I actually was feeling a little stressed at the prospect of completing the missions that I started as weird as that may sound.

A funny thing happened that I did not quite expect.  After a dreary session of load screens in Butcher's Bay, I realized that I had downloaded the X-Men Origins: Wolverine demo off of the Marketplace.  Once I started playing I knew that this was the cure for what ailed me.  Instant action, instant gratification, and the feeling of being a total bad-ass that I have not felt since Too Human.  So on Friday I did what I often loathe to do, I traded in Riddick to help pay for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  Friday night I took my son to the movie, that evening I started my adventure, and the rest is history.

It has ben an odd gaming year for me, often dictated by time and what my group of friends are playing.  In purchasing Wolverine, a game that I would normally shy away from, I am having as much gaming-therapy as I am fun.  If you are a Marvel Comics fanboy from way back, or you are just looking for some crazy fun, Wolverine is a great gaming tonic.  Now just because I traded in Riddick, it doesn't mean we are through, just think of it as a little cryo-stasis, I will wake you when I am ready.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Official Video Game Site

-SG