Is Next-Gen Gaming Bad for Gamers?

A great article, more after the jump:

The list of broken promises is as long as a spoiled kid's Christmas list: no load times, more features, more innovative games, user-created content. But let's go down that list carefully. Whoever promised the elimination of loading must've been half dog and had no sense of time. The Xbox 360 version of Splinter Cell Double Agent is a prime example: There's a loading screen when you go from the intro screen to the game menu. A loading screen when you click on "single-player" or "multiplayer" to get to the appropriate mode's menu. An excruciating load time when you actually fire-up your single-player progress. And then, depending on the size of the level, a mid-mission loading screen as you get the latest checkpoint. And this is a second-generation Xbox 360 game.

Don't think it's just the Xbox 360, though; the PS3 will have more than its share of load times. With all that data on those much-touted Blu-Ray Disks, something will have to give, and I highly doubt it's going to be content. What's ironic is that the only thing to deliver on the next-gen promise of no load times is Xbox Live Arcade. And forgive me for pointing out that Microsoft probably didn't have Frogger in mind when it talked about a world without delay.

Halo 3 News

Via a sweedish magazine comes some Halo 3 information:

Weapons
Spiker - a new Brute weapon
Spartan laser - a laser that tears vehicles apart
Nail Grenade - sticks into walls and sends nails everywhere

Vehicles
The Mongoose is in! This is the ATV that was cut from Halo 2. It seats two and has no weapons. Designed from recon and quick travel.

Multiplayer goodies
The "Man Cannon" - Spartans do their best Human Bullet impersonations for some extremely rapid transport. Players can still shoot in the air, and can be shot down.

Controls
The X button has a new, still secret feature. Reloading has now been allocated to the bumper buttons. Right bumper reloads the right weapon, and the left bumper reloads the left. Genius.

Miscellaneous
You can now see your secondary weapon when it's not in use. In other words, it's actually slung over your shoulder instead of magically appearing out of thin air. Also, a 4 DVD "Legendary" edition is planned that will have material from Red Vs. Blue, documentaries, and a collection of all cut scenes from the game (possibly the whole series?).

Where does the time go?

My deepest appologies for the lack of updates, I recently moved (as in last weekend) and had a lot of cordinating to do. Doesn't help that the wife is pregnant either. Ah, real life...won't you ever stop being annoying! Anywhoo... i'm working on a podcast review of gears of war, so that should be pretty swanky. Hang tight folks!

Mega Gears of War Post

Multiplayer Footage Compilation:
http://www.jeux-france.com/downloads6660_mov1_video-gears-of-war.html

Co-op Footage:
http://www.jeux-france.com/downloads6626_video-gears-of-war.html

Great Screenshot:
http://images.xboxyde.com/gallery/public/4052/786_0001.jpg

9 Multiplayer Videos from an event:
http://leech.thewopples.com/gow/

Great video interview with Cliffy B:
http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/6688

Gears of War will ship with 10 MP maps :
http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=552954

Not really Gears related but it was a very cool 360 commercial:
http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/2275FA37-F255-4BE8-B814-05AF5D7B34E0/0/vidcopsnrobbersHi.asx

Burned Out By Gaming?

Are you burned out by gaming? Are you tired of the endless "console wars"? Are you jaded by what the "next generation" has to offer? TELL US ABOUT IT!

Please write it to my email address silentwolf@gmail.com, or leave a comment on the website. We look forward to hearing your complaints!

Homogenized - Rant # 1

It doesn’t matter what dance you show up to these days, your still going to have the same ball. During the X06 event I realized during my incessant web surfing for news, that it doesn’t really matter which website I go to for content, I’m getting the same exact thing.

IGN, Gamespy, Gamespot, Gamevideos.com, Gametrailers.com it’s all the same. In a way it’s eerily similar to CSI: Miami, Las Vegas, and everything else I hate about TV. The same content displayed in a different glass in and endless cycle of mediocrity. Naturally it’s unfair to criticize capitalism upon something that is clearly mass appeal, after all it’s hook line and sinkered me for years, the beef I have about being “hooked” as it were is that it all feels so utterly pointless, and undoubtly uninspired.

Unfortunately on the whole, the industry’s stab at setting themselves apart from the rest of the crowd end up immature, contrived, and decidedly nerdy. The lack of professionalism in this version of journalism simmers the stench to a fine boil, especially in the contrast of the well oiled machine which is the business end of making and publishing videogames.

Do I have a better way to do it? Not yet. Do you? I hope so, and by all means share it with me. Ideas, that’s one thing this industry doesn’t seem to have much of.

Gears of War in HD

Part 1:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=mov&id=13653

Part 2:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=mov&id=13655

Part 3:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?type=mov&id=13657