Spring Update Hoopla

You smell it in the air? Yes, spring is upon us and the weather is finally behaving accordingly. The windows in my apartment are being left open longer each day, the shorts and t-shirts are getting more play, and all the parks and beaches are looking a lot less deserted. The hotties are also crawling out of the woodwork, eagerly exposing their skin, so long been shielded during the harsh winter months. If you live in a city where young women walk their toy dogs through the beach, brazenly touting but the skimpiest of bikinis, then you know this spring time feeling very well.

But hey, shapely beach beetches aren't the only ones shedding their skins this spring. Why, your very own Xbox 360 just put on a new look and is only to eager to strut her stuff in front of you.

The much-anticipated Dashboard update hit the airwaves early today and it's been a rather uneventful, painless transition. I was a little concerned last night when a guy on my friend's list (should I just call him "my friend"?) spammed out a distressed tirade about the update after it had bricked his system. Yikesy. To err on the side of caution, I didn't fire up my Xbox until about noon today, making sure to monitor the blogosphere for signs of trouble. Well, the bricking pandemic did not happen and the update turned out to be a pretty anti-climactic 15 second download.

S'more details on this here story after the jump...

The cosmetic and functional changes caused by the update are too numerous to count. If you've yet to get the update, you can easily find a quick summary or more detailed FAQs that explain just how your gaming life will change FOREVER. I'll highlight a few changes worth noting in the short time I've spent with the new Dashboard.

First, the Windows Live Messenger service. Setup was a snap and I'm mildly excited at the idea of using the upcoming thumb keyboard attachment to quickly text peeps on both my buddy list and my MSN friends list. Their one major oversight, however, is not giving you the option of separating those two contact lists from each other. I have a ton of MSN contacts, so scrolling through the combined list of names is unwieldy at best, but mostly just plain annoying.

Achievement notifications have been souped up, so you no longer have to press the guide button to find out what the details are of that achievement you just unlocked. Nice. They've also made the disc tray icon more informative, showing you what game you have currently loaded as well as a snapshot of your recent achievements and gamerscore for that title.

Oh yes, and how could I forget the Marketplace blade? It is now the first in line, to the left of the Xbox Live blade and features all the handy-dandy information previously squirreled away in the Xbox Live > Marketplace sub-screen. This change was a no-brainer and it surprised me how long it took for them to frame the importance of Marketplace in the overall eco-system of the Xbox Live service. My one niggling point with the new blade is that stupid promotions box, which occupies the top-right portion of the blade. Because you can highlight this box, moving from the Marketplace blade menu options back to the Xbox Live blade takes flicks of the thumbstick instead of the usual one flick, since your "cursor" needs to traverse over the promotions box first. Hey, call me finnicky, but the devil is in the details.

And last, but not least, I noticed a very welcome change to the way my video media is organized:

Yes, it finally recognizes the folders I've shared out on my computer, thus allowing me to separate the naughty shows from the nice ones. Kudos, Microsoft, kudos...

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TMNT Half-Shell Lag Fest

Heero and I reunited last night for a long overdue gaming session. We decided to put the "new" TMNT Xbox Live Arcade game through its paces. I had been holding off on unlocking the full game until I had a chance to do some co-op. Based on the initial demo level, I could tell nostalgia alone was not going to make me fall in love with this game all over again. Still at only 400 points and the promise of solid, old-fashioned co-op turtle goodness, I knew I could still get some enjoyment out of this dated game.

Let me start and end this by saying a review of TMNT is impossible due to the ludicrous lag we experienced during our session. How much lag you ask? How about getting an intrusive "WAITING" icon plastered across the screen every, oh, 3-5 seconds. There were already reports of bad lag but I did not expect such a poor performance, considering that our in-game latency bars were both showing as green and healthy. Bollocks, as they say.

When a "technically intensive" game like Crackdown can run silky smooth in co-op, I don't quite understand how an 8-bit, 2D side-scrolling beat'em up from 1989 can't run without acting like a stuttering slideshow. This is likely some sloppy netcode combined with Xbox Live issues and clearly, some kind of patching will be required. The lag in TMNT is laughable.

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Live Worms: The Duel

I was pretty bagged last night but I still "forced" myself to play a round of Live Arcade games, including the very recent Worms HD. I was feeling pretty good about my worming skills and decided to hop onto Live for my first match against some strangers.

I stumbled into a 1-on-1 match. My opponent: Snoopaloop1981. My mission: Kick some worm booty. We said our hellos and my host fired up the randomly generated map. It was a simple layout... relatively flat, rolling terrain and with very few nooks and crannies in which to hide.

I was selected to start things off and surprised myself with an impressively accurate grenade lob. Unfortunately, that would be my last pretty shot for a long time. It became readily apparent that my opponent was a lot more versed in the ways of the worm soldier. Right off the bat, he showed me just how cool and effective the Ninja Rope is, swinging his worm into combat range and dropping off an explosive payload that eliminated the first of my worms from the match. Ninja Rope = Awesome. Duly noted...

As it happens, I was obviously outmatched but the game was not up. That's the charming (and maddening) thing about Worms HD: the tide of battle can change when you least expect it and no matter how dominant you think you are in a match, it can all go to hell at a moment's notice. I held my own against Snoopaloop1981 for several rounds, dreadfully waiting for my inevitable defeat. Then it happened. I suspect my foe got his X and A buttons crossed (see my previous post) and detonated one of his worms into oblivion. Lucky break, I thought, lucky break.

I kept fighting, scoring a couple more decent shots, but still unable to do enough damage to any one worm to take it out of the battle. My luck had definitely run out, or so I thought. Again, the worm gods smiled upon me as my opponent botched a Cluster Bomb attack, dropping the package at his own worm's doorstep and doing himself grave damage.

I made some pretty embarrassing boo-boo's myself. Near the end, too nervous to use the Ninja Rope to Tarzan-swing my way cross the map, I ran out my Jetpack fuel and went crashing to the ground, forfeiting my attack and doing myself unnecessary damage. Another time, I missed a plum point-blank range Bazooka shot.

The match was almost over and Snoopaloop1981 had me dead to rights. Outnumbered 2 worms to 1, I braced myself for the coup de gras. Snoopaloop1981 pulled out his Ninja Rope once again and attempted a very ambitious move. With his supply of dynamite and mines exhausted, he tried blasting me with his Bazooka while still swinging by his rope. That's what it looked like to me, as it happened all too quickly. One moment he was up in the air above my worm, the next moment his worm was dropping to ground, past me and towards his other remaining worm. An explosion erupted between them and both his worms toppled into the newly formed crater. I watched in amazement as his worms did their sayonara self-destruct animations. Victory was mine!

I have to give big credit to Snoopaloop1981 for being a good sport. He must have shot himself in the foot about 4 times during the match and he still kept his cool. He also introduced me to the wonders of the Ninja Rope, which you can be sure I will be using in lieu of the Jetpack and Teleporter for many more situations.

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A Night at the Arcade: Heavy Weapon

When I think of the Xbox 360, I think "next-generation" and "cutting-edge". I do not conjure up images of dinky casual games that you can play for free on your web browser. Yet why do I find myself regularly checking the new downloads on the Xbox Live Marketplace? And why, just a mere week after bringing my 360 home, did I spend several late nights exploding gems in between psychedelic interludes in Bejeweled 2?

I continue to ask myself this question after happily downloading the full version of Heavy Weapon, from PopCap Games. While I begrudgingly accepted the fact I would eventually be buying those nefarious Microsoft Points, I didn't expect to succumb so soon. I was really holding out for the XBL version of Double Dragon, which was recently confirmed for release but no specific date has been set aside from "2007".

To its credit, I must admit that Heavy Weapon has been a fine introduction to Downloadable Content (DLC) on Xbox Live Marketplace. The game is an unabashed throw-back to the hectic, arcade shooters of the 1980s, complete with cheeky humour and bright, attractive cartoon graphics. At 800 MS Points (roughly $10 USD), it isn't the cheapest, value-packed casual game around but it more than makes up for it with the additional play modes, coupled with 2-4 player offline and online co-op.

What ultimately sold me on Heavy Weapon was its basic similarity to Geometry Wars, minus the insanely brisk ramp up in difficulty! You are only attacked from an 180 degree range of angles, as opposed to Geometry's 360 degress of twitch-reflex madness. It's a fun, quick game to jump into and it provides that nice, light snack in between my regular, hefty servings of Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas.

Credit also goes to Microsoft for making it so devilishly easy to purchase more MS Points the next time you find yourself tempted by more retro arcade diversions.

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Xbox and Old Spice, Together at Last

So it's official: Microsoft has announced a cross-promotional rewards program in conjunction with Old Spice deodorant available to American Xbox Live gamers.

The details don't bear repeating much since I'm a Canadian resident, so I'll let Joystiq do the talkin'.

Overall, I think it's a smart, logical next step in the evolution of the Live service. Rewards, incentives, contests and prize giveaways have long been staples of building customer loyalty. This kind of promotional chicanery only pulls Live ahead of competing online games services even more. I do, however, mostly agree with commentor #6, AirIntake, who points out the amount of gaming and game-buying required to be eligible for these rewards. The system does favour long-time Live customers as well as seriously hardcore players. Oh, to be in high school and living with my parents again...

Hey Microsoft, if this program does well, how about a North American rewards deal next time around? As addicted as I am to my Box, I'd probably never get close to winning anything. It would still be nice to have the option to make an excuse to go on a game-buying spree...

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Your Gamerscore and You - Part Deux

I was probably supposed to follow up on my gamerscore post about, oh, 9 or 10 entries ago. Frankly, I've lost the gusto to continue on much more on that topic. I broke the 1000-point mark in my gamerscore weeks ago, so it's hardly newsworthy anymore... not that it would've been a banner headline if I blogged about it right away either. Well, let's see where this ramble takes us...

It's clear that the achievements concept has become a big hit and if the rumours are to bear any fruit, gamers will have even more reason to obsess over their gamerscores. Aside from bragging rights and personal pride, attachment to one's gamerscore does serve a more practical function, at least from the perspective of Microsoft and, more specifically, their departments responsible for monitoring codes of conduct. The latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine features a revealing article about the life of an Xbox Live community watchdog, known only as "Chris". Part of the rather amusing story focused on an OXM editor's experiment to try and get himself banned from Live. He set up a dummy Live account and went about harassing teammates, griefing Uno opponents and generally acting like an obnoxious ass, all in the attempt to find out how far one has to push it before the powers that be take action.

It turns out he never got banned, even after a 4-day period of sending curse-laden voice messages and webcam-ming his crotch for all to see. It was later revealed on the weekly OXM podcast that although his account was not suspended, the editor indeed caught the attention of "Chris" and his fellow community watchdogs and had been put on a high-priority "to watch" list.

In the end, if you are someone who is intent on disrupting the experience on Live, you will find a way to do it by constantly changing up accounts. I think a large deterrent for doing that, of course, is the loss of gamerscore. Losing all those hard-won achievements just so you can continue to be an Ass, is simply not worth it for the overwhelming majority of gamers, even from the hardcore griefer set.

Gamerscore: addictive meta-points grind and invaluable EULA enforcement tool!

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Your Gamerscore and You - Part Uno

My gamerscore is sitting pretty at 1200 points roughly one month after buying my Xbox 360. The whole idea of achievements and points seemed rather trivial even during that week I was weighing the pros and cons of grabbing a 360. It was a superficial premise, to rewarding players for doing something they would do anyway, which is to play their games. I perhaps thought that there would be material motivation for raising your gamerscore: special offers, discounts on new games, free downloads in the Marketplace or something tangible for gaining achievements.

I quickly realized there was no system in place to "cash in" points from you gamerscore. Aww poo, then what good is it? As a gamer I could understand the inherent joy of racking up a lot of points and comparing yourself alongside other hardcore gamers. Even that mode of enjoyment, however, is deeply flawed. There is theoretically no limit to your gamerscore. It does not reflect with much accuracy your overall skill or dedication as a 360 gamer, as it is an amalgamation of all the games you have ever played and how much progress you have actually made in each game.

So I concluded, rather prematurely, that the whole notion of achievements and points was a gimmick. It still wasn't a potent enough reason to not buy a 360. Once I had plugged in my new game console at home, it was only the games that I cared for. Live was still but a glimmer in my gamer's eye. It sounded like a slick online matchmaking system, but nothing more. I knew I would get around to it eventually, but I was in no rush.

How things change. Four and a half weeks later I cannot even imagine using my 360 without Live and I always have my eye trained on my gamerscore. It crawls higher, ever so slowly, but I'm watching it. My eyes brightern every time I hear that telltale "BLIP" during gameplay and the "Achievement Unlocked" icon flashes onto my screen. The questions begin rolling in: I wonder which achievement that was? How was is it worth? How many more do I need to unlock to get them all?

For all their superficiality, the achievements system taps into a very pure desire of all gamers, if not all people and does it with remarkable simplicity. In my next post, I'll also get into how it ties into a more practical side of the overall Xbox Live experience.

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Help Xbox Help You

Andre Vrignaud (Gamertag: Ozymandias) from the Xbox team has published an official call for feedback regarding all things Xbox Live. The online service has undergone tremendous changes since its inception shortly after the release of Xbox 1. According to Vrignaud, the future path of Live points towards an increased emphasis on digital distribution and media integration (Zune, TV, IPTV, mobile, etc.). He called upon the Xbox fan community to submit their suggestions and ideas to further enhance Live and continue to make it the greatest online gaming platform.

He stressed the desire for grand, long-term ideas:

"What do you want to see? Think big here - ideally, think about what you want to see over a five-year period, and how your ideas evolve over that time. What's the crawl step for your idea? The walk? The run?"

I've been using XBL for all of two weeks but still felt compelled to offer up some improvements. In hindsight my suggestions were hardly grand or visionary but it looks like I wasn't alone in taking this rare opportunity to sound off on anything Xbox, whether it be the games, hardware, accessories or Live. As they say, the devil is in the details, and XBL has only reached the it's currently impressive state after a few years of evolution.

Here's what I threw into the fray:

• Ability to group friends in friends list. Be able to send one message to a group of friends.
• Conference chats with friends
• Streamlined access to shared music files from Dashboard. Maybe a "Recent Playlist" hot list.
• Simplified keyboard GUI for writing messages on XBL. I resort to using "internet speak" anyway, so why not allow users to switch to an internet speak-friendly keyboard? Sort of like T9 predictive texting in cell phones.
• Dedicated servers for popular (or all) online games
• Support for more video formats other than .wmv
• Allow for downloading of podcasts and video podcasts
• More power conservation/auto shut-off settings. Six hours is too long.
• Reduce XBL subscription fee (hey, worth a try!)

Not the loftiest wish list, I know. I'm definitely in the honeymoon stage with XBL so it was still strenuous to come up with all that. I'll probably dedicate a gushing post to it in the near future but for now I'll just say that I am amazed it works as well as it does. Given more time to familiarize myself with Live, I think I could come up with a dozen more ideas that go beyond piddly things like auto shut-off settings. I mean, who needs to let their Xbox idle for 6 hours? (there's probably some grist for another topic)

Every corporation out there plays lip service to having top-notch customer service and caring about customer feedback. If the Xbox team and Microsoft actually make good on the best, most feasible customer ideas, it will go a long way to not only taking Live to the next level, but also establishing Xbox as the game console that listens to The People.

Head on over to Ozymandias' blog and leave a comment with your own brilliant ideas for Xbox Live!

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