I know…this blog looks like it’s turning into the Halo blog. But damn…can you blame me?
I arrived home yesterday to find a nice surprise on my doorstep, one of those new swanky Halo 3 Zunes.
The packaging is all decked out Halo style, and the Zune itself is packed nicely in it’s little box. I haven’t seen a packaging set-up this nice since my iPod. The Zune itself comes with a pair of headphones, case, usb cable and install CD. This special edition one comes preloaded with tons of Halo content including: 10 Halo related videos including Episodes of Red vs. Blue, all 3 Halo soundtracks, and over 100 Halo related images and concept art. In fact, it looks like some of the concept art might give away some clues as to what is going to happen in Halo 3.
The Zune software and marketplace seems solid. One really great thing is for those of us with an XBox Live account, you can simply sign in with this account and associate your Gamertag to your Zunetag (sorry..no Achievement points…yet). You can then use any MS Points from XBox Live to purchase songs and download alblums.
Of course the defining feature of Zune is the ability to transfer songs wirelessly between Zunes. Unfortuantely I wasn’t able to test that out as I don’t know anyone WITH a Zune. There are rumors that the newest firmware will allow you to hit up the Zune marketplace wirelessly from various hotspots which would make it a much more attractive feature.
Build quality is solid and the screen is gorgeous. The headphones out of the box lack some punch, but paired with a set of quality headphones that audio quality is noticeably better than an iPod, and just about equal with my Creative Zen Vision:M. The software works well, and one nice feature is the ability to transcode your videos on sync to the size and format needed for the Zune.
Any Halo fan looking for a new music/all-in-one player should look no further than the H3 Zune. The Limited Edition Halo 3 Zune goes on sale exclusively at Gamestop/EB Games on June 15th for $249.99.
An interesting thing happens when reviewing a two and a half-year old game. The first thing you realize is two and a half years isn’t quite long enough for that game to fall into the retro category. The second thing you realize is that two and a half years is a long time in terms of gaming and graphics.
Halo 2 for Windows Vista is such a game. Microsoft’s 10 million copy seller makes it’s way to the PC, or more specifically makes it’s way to Windows Vista almost 30 months after the XBox release.
So what have I been playing? Well I’m about halfway through Bulletwitch, which I did a review of for Evil Avatar. It’s very average, but does have some redeeming qualities. Be sure to check out the review if you are interested.
Of course I’m still playing Crackdown. I’m only progressing through the story when I get to play Co-Op with a buddy, and even then half the time is spent screwing around the city. I just obtained the Firefly (heat seaking rocket launcher) and it’s added a whole new element to the game. I managed to body jugle a corpse in the air for a full 30 seconds.
I’m renting The History Channel Presents: The Civil War from GamezNFlix. It’s a pretty average shooter, but it’s in a fresh setting. On top of that I played the Battle of Little Roundtop (Gettysburg) last night. Living only an hour and a half from Gettysburg I’ve been there a handful of a times and the developers did a great job with the level design. It looks very authentic, and in a sense it matches exactly how I envisioned some of the skirmishes playing out.
Finally I’ve been playing the Command and Conquer 3 demo on the PC. The game feels like a return to the C&C roots the franchise deserves complete with cheesey FMVs (BILLY DEE!) and great one liners. The ion cannon effect is particularly impressive. I’m really looking forward to this title now.
So a week later (more if you count the demo) and I’m still playing Crackdown like a crazy penguin fool. The game has seriously taken over multiple aspects of my life. I’ve even gone as far as to discuss actual happenings in Pacific City with my Co-Workers and friends as if they were real. The game simply is the best sandbox game to come out in a long time.
On another note I was reading Ozy’s blog today and noticed he mentioned how he got to a certain point in Zelda and just stopped. I can echo is sediment, as myself as well stopped playing Zelda as soon as my broken 360 returned. Since then I haven’t gone back and gamed on the Wii much at all in fact. It’s really a shame, because the Wii is a solid little system; but for whatever reason it just isn’t for me. Sure there are certain games and experiences that I find enjoyable on it, but when I compare my feelings for it to what some of these people on the Internet think about it, I often wonder…what am I missing?
On a side note, I played some of the PS3 demo kiosk this weekend and I can honestly say I’m glad I did. I’ve been on edge about getting a PS3 for a month or so now, and was really close to pulling the trigger a few times. After playing the kiosk I can honestly say I’m not missing anything, and don’t see myself missing anything for at least a few months. Motorstorm was simply not all its cracked up to be. It’s basically ATV Offroad fury with trucks and buggies and bikes. There’s nothing innovative about the racer at all IMO. Yes the graphics are solid. Why is that? They have an amazing texture artist and a fairly easy terrain palette to work with. Is it better looking than say something like Gears of War? I don’t think so, maybe on the same level, but artistically not even close.
I love Physics. I really love the Physics in Crackdown. I think that’s what makes the game so great. Sure it’s a great sandbox style game. But it’s the physics and the character interaction with those physics that make it such a blast to play.
