Shack PSA: Skyrim 1.4 update on Xbox 360, PS3 today
Robot Unicorn Attack Evolution launches on Facebook
Kung Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise announced for Xbox 360
Super Meat Boy 'prototype' for touch devices in development
Skyrim dragon mounts made in Bethesda 'game jam' experiments
DICE 2012: Skyrim PC players average 75 hours in game; Designer Todd Howard explains why
New Double Fine adventure game funded by fans; Psychonauts 2 talks underway
Daily Filter: Ridge Racer Unbounded, Battleship
DICE 2012: Analysts agree publishers broken, not the system
Xbox 360 MLB/NBA 2K12 'Combo Pack' announced
Evening Reading: Goodbye Original Xbox Live
by Garnett Lee, Feb 05, 2010 6:00pm PSTMicrosoft wrote a fitting coda to its first game console today. On April 15 they plan to turn off Live access for the original Xbox. New games stopped coming to the system a long while ago but the persistence of online play stands as probably the strongest indication of just how well the service ultimately hit the mark.
When Live launched on only the first anniversary of the Xbox, November 15, 2002, no one knew quite what to make of it. In a world where most relied on dial-up connections to the Net, it required broadband access. And despite only supporting a handful of titles, it asked users for an annual subscription fee. The inclusion of a headset and support for voice chat across all games topped things off. I remember our reactions were along the lines of "what are they thinking? Consoles are for single-player games. That's what they need to take on the PS2," and "everyone who wants to play online plays on PC and it's free."
Yet Live never once looked back. It certainly paid off. All those things that seemed like a gamble at the time we take for granted today. Sony and Nintendo both countered with online adapters but they floundered without a corresponding service on which to anchor support. They took steps to recover that lost ground in the current generation but Live continuously pushed forwards as well turning gamers into gamerscore slaves, revamping the service with the "new Xbox experience," and making the 360 into a conduit for NetFlix, LastFM, Twitter, and Facebook. For this move to end original Xbox access to be seen as a part of the Live success story it must spur the next evolution of the service -- and that's more than just expanding the friends list beyond the 100 member cap (though that's a good start).
So goodbye original Xbox Live. I haven't seen you in a long time but we had many good times together. I put Crimson Skies up there as probably my most fond memories from the service but obviously Halo 2 will be dominant in the eyes of many. And lest Shoe track me down who can forget the tense Spies vs. Mercs Splinter Cell matches? Yes, I've moved on but for anyone wanting to relive these and any other Xbox moments online the clock has started ticking. 68 days remain until the servers shut down and the Xbox book comes to a final close.
We covered some other stories around the Shack today as well:
- AvP Marine trailer
- L.A. Noire a PS3 exclusive no more, coming to Xbox 360 as well
- PS3 sales up in 2009
- Dino vs. Mech action coming in 'Primal Carnage'
- Just Cause 2 trailer
In preparation for Super Bowk weekend, New Orleans send Miami a 'Get Ready' letter
Spend enough time measuring and you'd still be hard pressed to match the tape measure ninja
A work of art that takes here today, gone tomorrow seriously: this sculpture connects to the Net and starts auctioning itself on eBay the moment you get it hooked up
Anyone get a bug where I had scopes on weapons that werent supposed to? At least I dont think Ive unlocked them. Now its gone :[
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 56 replies.
Me? I did the responsible thing and paid off $1,500 of credit card debt :[
Mofos.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 52 replies.
The move to Windows 7 has claimed its first casualty in my house. It's caused me to leave behind my Epson Photo 870 which had served me so well for so many years, but since Epson has decided to not bother updating their Windows drivers for it since 2001 (that's like one year after it came out, what the fuck is up with that?), I apparently can't use it in Win7.
I'm looking for something in the $250-$300 range, but really have no clue what I can get or what I should get since I haven't had to bother to look for about 10 years. Are there printers that can connect to my wireless network in that price range? Should I bother with laser or stick to inkjet? Straight up photo printing isn't really important to me, but being able to print decent coloured pages now and then would be nice. Most of my printing is still black and white.
Someone please help me before I break out my Etch A Sketch and just carry that around with me everywhere instead.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 38 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 7 replies.
Shacknews, I think it's time we laid some Teamspeak etiquette ground rules.
TURN OFF VOICE DETECTION AND USE PUSH TO TALK!
Just got through with some Bad Company 2, but I think this applies to all games. We do not want to hear you constantly (CONSTANTLY) running your goddamn mouth to your friend who is watching you play the game. And when we ask you to turn on push to talk and you refuse? Yeah, fuck you asshole.
And before some hippy says "But ArcKnight, why don't you just mute them?" I say "Why don't you sit on a pole and rotate?" why should everyone else in the channel have to mute your dumb ass instead of you not being a goddamn fucktard?
Jesus Fucking Christ.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 31 replies.
THIS GUY!
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 6 replies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r2txD68qnw&NR=1
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 37 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 8 replies.
What does the iPad have over this: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/02/05/joojoo-enters-production-ships-this-month/
Cause that looks pretty sexy.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 89 replies.
haven't done much gaming yet, other than a quick run of L4D2. I formatted my PC last night (somehow, while very fucking drunk) and I'm trying to get everything set up before I put some quality time into gaming. I can't believe how obscenely fast L4D2 runs at maximum details! My 8800GT would stutter a bit when things got crazy, but this thing just handles everything I can throw at it...
...except Crysis DX10 mode! all of my "very high" options are greyed out! what does this guy need to do to enable DX10 mode in Crysis (Steam version)??
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 7 replies.
What kind of device would come with a USB cable with the flat A connectors on both ends?
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 11 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 21 replies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6135TD20100204
Some say summer ice could be gone by 2013. With the snowpocalypse you have to think that something is afoot.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 2 replies.
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/act/1588134465.html
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 9 replies.
Does your dog ever bark in his sleep? I've been recording footage of my dog while he is sleeping and sleepbarking.
I have more but I threw this together real quick to give you an example if you've never seen it before.
This happens every night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsa7eMrsB58
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 30 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 7 replies.
Then my son discovered LEGO and the rest is history.
He lives for lego 24/7 and I needed some new stuff to break up the monotony.
Well luckily there is a demo for Lego Star Wars for PC and Mac. There are also demos on Live for LEGO Batman and Indiana Jones. I was totally wrong. These are fun games and the ability for two people to play co-op off one keyboard is genius. Sure they may be too simple for Joe Pro but for a trog like me its a fun romp with nice, easy puzzles and lots of lego parts.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 27 replies.
Replaying with what build?
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 46 replies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Fpj-tmRiE&
I love AMV Hells, Idiot Box, Trigger Happy TV quickies... Surely there's gotta be a name for it.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 9 replies.
9.5 Presentation
A focused storyline, strong characters, clear moral choice mechanics, great story delivery, and a well-implemented overall cohesion of theme throughout the entire product.
9.0 Graphics
Not as impressive as the first game, but the unmistakable art style prevails, making Rapture one of the visually dense and interesting settings around.
9.0 Sound
The effects, music, and voice acting are all top notch and effectively reinforce the mood and feel of the world.
9.0 Gameplay
A host of refinements and tweaks, from hacking to the way weapons and plasmids work, to enhance the flow of gameplay and keep you rooted in the action. A great experience from start to finish.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
A top tier single-player mode that's entertaining the whole way through and a surprisingly fun multiplayer suite with plenty of unlocks and reasons to keep playing.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 2 replies.
Cue Apple apologists in 3...2...1...
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 29 replies.
Melkore made his moves but didn't finish his turn :(
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 10 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 23 replies.
Just so happens I'm out of cheese for today's pizza and would like to know what others suggest!
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 17 replies.
So it's not as bad as I originally thought. The trick to enjoying is actually playing with a controller, it allows for much smoother movement and execution of attacks. Plus, I find sprawling along walls as an Alien much more fluid when using a controller versus mouse and keyboard due to the right trigger (if I remember correctly) being the transition button. As the months go by, I'm finding a mouse and keyboard to be very cumbersome and find myself fumbling with the keys :(
And after playing a few more rounds over XBL, it's not as unbalanced as I thought. Once you learn how to play each species, you'll have no problem. I'd imagine all the other multiplayer modes will be 10x more fun than just simple deathmatch and the singleplayer will probably rock as well.
Another game I prefer on a console. It's a whole new world.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 18 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 5 replies.
Life is a hideous and cruel bitchwhore.
it is this TV http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN55B650-55-Inch-1080p-Touch/dp/B001WHICF0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265464053&sr=8-1
I hope Fry's has it :(
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 50 replies.
So I drove to Arlington and back today to pick up a new toy.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/580886/Arms/IMG_2404.JPG
An Arsenal SGL20, decked out in NATO length plum furniture. This is actually the first non-rimfire rifle I've ever bought. I'm a stickler for quality, so I went with the Arsenal Saiga. I wasn't really sure I would like the purple furniture, but it's a very very deep purple and actually looks really fucking cool. Much better than OD green or black, in my opinion.
I was also happy to see that Arsenal doesn't skimp on mags and includes a Bulgarian waffle mag... Now I need to go grab a couple more.
The rifle itself is very well-made and everything fits very well. The only thing that I noticed was the lower handguard has a little bit of play back and forth. I have an idea to fix this pretty easily, I just need to take the time to do it.
I also want to get rid of that pretty bland barrel nut. Any suggestions for 24x1.5 RH threaded muzzle devices?
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 25 replies.
Finally, a reality TV show that has some intelligence behind it.
I find that my wife and I often discuss the deals that were made after and disagree a lot on whether or not we feel the person made the right deal.
Great show, I suggest scheduling it on your DVR for Friday evenings.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 5 replies.
Little critters are leaving shit in my engine bay like an apple core I found a few weeks ago and some little nuts or acorn or something a few days ago and coincidentally my crank case breather filter had come detached.
After I repaired the filter and drove around my god damn check engine light came on!
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 7 replies.
(repost once again)
I built a new gaming PC for my brother as his Christmas present. He can't stay out of trouble though. His loss, your gain.
$475 + I will pay up to $25 to have it shipped
Windows 7 x64 with product key (legit copy)
AMD Phenom II X4 940 (3.0ghz) overclocked to 3.6 ghz 100% stable (quad core CPU)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Heatsink/Fan for CPU
4 GB DDR2 1066 (2x 2 gigs) CAS 5 RAM (G.Skill)
Gigabyte 785G Motherboard AM3/AM2+ w/integrated Radeon HD 4200 graphics
500 gig Seagate Hard Drive, 7200 RPM Barracuda
600 Watt OCZ StealthXtreme Power supply, SLI/Crossfire Ready
24X DVD/CD Rewriteable Drive, Sony
Antec 300 Case with an additional two 120mm silverstone case fans installed (4 case fans total)
$475 + I will pay up to $25 to have it shipped
Everything except the Power supply was bought in December and is under the factory warranty.
Keyboard and mouse not included. I can send pictures/videos of it up and running Prime95 and/or game benchmarks if you want.
I have a factory overclocked Nvidia GTX 260 216 that is negotiable only with the PC.
I also have a brand new, unopened 1680x1050 22" monitor that is also negotiable.
Shack message me if interested. I have gotten plenty of people messaging me saying they're interested and then I never hear from them again. ??? Shack message me if you are interested, I will give you my number and we can talk over the phone.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 8 replies.
Also, just got my linksys. Tomato?
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 12 replies.
Someone here must know why they cant simply release the high def cinema footage of the recent movies as 1080p releases on Bluray?
Would it be something silly like they want to get ep 4 - 6 done in high def renders first?
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 10 replies.