Video Game Resolutions 2014

Another year is upon us (I still think it's a ploy by the calendar cartel).  So what do I hope to "achieve" this upcoming year, 2014?

Xbox One: Game DVR Examples (Update 12/30)

So, one of the new features of Xbox One is Game DVR.  Game DVR kicks in a predetermined moments (that the developers wanted) or by saying "record that" (30 seconds).  So, to see if this works, I will be posting a few links from my SkyDrive. 

If, for some reason, you want to see the clips I would suggest opening the link in a new window or tab (the links kind of take you off site). 

Early Xbox One Impressions

I have had the Xbox One (i'll use the term X1 on this "blog") for about a day now.  So what do I think.

My Actual Xbox One Launch Day

Some times things don't exactly go as you expect.  For the most part this one did.  There was walking, a lot of walking - the pedometer said over 16.25 miles. 

My Xbox One Useless Picture Post

So I got my Xbox One yesterday (on launch, but not at midnight - Day One Edition).  So here are so awful pictures I took to commemorate that experience...

You Killed the Controller

What did I do.... ?  Ok, so actually I killed the controller.  Enough pseudo Ferris Bueller references?

I've had my Xbox 360 wired controller since launch.  Let's just say it has seen better days. 

My Xbox One Launch Day Plans

So what will I be doing on the day the Xbox One comes out?  

Street Date: A Part of Console Launches i Could Do Without

I hopefully will be getting my Xbox One soon (they better hold it for at least 24 hours). 
Why do I have to wait for Friday though?  If a store gets in consoles in a week early or so, why should they be forced to sit on them - keeping them in a backroom or warehouse somewhere (when they could quickly move that inventory)? 

In my view, street dating something doesn't really make a ton of sense.  I know logistics can be a nightmare, but couldn't they just ship closer to their stated release date? 

What I'm really getting here is that stores should be allowed to sell something as soon as they get it in stock - not have to wait for some arbitrary deadline.  However, the console companies do like coverage about long lines and stuff like that (there should be a more gradual get to the customers as it comes in thing - it could take some pressure off of the retailers).  True, some console software stuff will still need to be worked out (but can't console makers just block the console from connecting online until launch?)

I also don't really like the midnight launches either.  Why does the console have to launch at 12:01 (midnight is technically the next day anyway) to sell a console on that day?  Why don't all launch areas start selling it the same time.  If it is out already in Australia, why should someone in Seattle be forced to wait that much longer to get their console? 

As I see it, if a console sells in New York City at midnight Eastern it should be available for sale in Seattle at 9PM (different countries, maybe different times / same country not so much).   

Next Generation Coming Soon... My Xbox 360 Backlog Part II

This will be XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade Games).  There are a significant number of these.  Once again, I have beaten some of these on a different account - just not the one I am now using as a main account.

Some XBLA games are no exactly straight forward classifications as far as beating the game goes.  The list may expand if new XBLA arcade games are given away under the Games With Gold Promotion.  It is probable that I cannot beat some of these titles (and highly likely I will never "beat" many of them. In fact, I suck at most of them.  I no longer have my Kinect so I omitted some titles. Here is my current list...

Next Generation Coming Soon... My Xbox 360 Backlog

It seems like most people who have a video game console or play computer games (like Steam) get a backlog after awhile. 

There were two things I wanted to do before this next generation (I doubt I can do a midnight launch, don't screw me over GameStop)... get the Bucket List achievement in Forza 4 and get at least 60,000 Gamescore (I'm hoping for 100K by the end of this next generation).  Well, I finished Bucket List last week (I think) and got over 60,000 cumulative (Xbox 360, Games for Windows Live, Xbox on Windows 8 (Surface) and one web game).

So, what are the games I have yet to finish (or yet to trade-in) on my Xbox 360 (at least on my current primary account, a few of these I have beaten on a different account)?  By finish I mean beat the story (for the most part)

Forza 4: Bucket List... Finally

Like the post says, I finally got the Bucket List achievement on Forza Motorsports 4. 

If you didn't know,  Bucket List is a pain in the neck achievement where you have to win every event on the list (like Forza 3's Solid Gold - yes, I have that one too).  Thankfully, the Porsche add-on glitched this achievement so you only have to beat 98.1% of the events.

Still, this achievement took me about 152 hours.  Please Turn 10, do not have another one of these in Forza 5. 

BioShock Infinite: Another Game I'll Probably Never Beat

I played BioShock Infinite for much of the day today (better than second, but not as good as first one).  It was going ok until I hit the stupid last boss fight (or wave fight).

Xbox One Launch Window (and 2014 Games)

Well, the Xbox One releases into the unsuspecting world less than 11 days.  So, what games for launch window (and later currently announced) interest me.

My Plan for Game Buying Next Generation

I have been looking over some numbers and things like that.  My attach rate on the Xbox 360 was around 70 retail titles (many on sale later in the generation) and probably about 100 XBLA games.  I've decided that I probably can't afford that many games this generation.  So what did I decide?

Just for Fun: Estimating Xbox One Pre-Orders

In this post you will see why my career as a financial analyst never took off (or got within 100 miles of the launch pad). 

I decided that I would try to estimate the number of Xbox One pre-orders based off of the Xbox 360 pre-orders (or the best I could find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_launch).  Are you ready, here goes (using point estimates for some reason)....

The Ghost of Xbox Launches Past: Part 4, Kinect

The much maligned Kinect...

Well, I had a little experience with the Xbox Vision Camera and wanted to see if a camera could be an input device for video games - the vision camera didn't work that well.  Along came Project Natal, which interested me greatly.  You see, I was getting a little bit tired of the gaming scene and wanted something new/different.  For the most part, Kinect worked.  I didn't really notice the lag everyone else did.  One of the problems I had with Kinect is that I would get sore almost every time after using it.   

The Kinect seemed like an interesting first step.  Yes, I am (if you believe the internet) one of the few people actually looking forward to Kinect 2.0 (and want it). 

The Ghost of Xbox Launches Past: Part 3, XBLA

Xbox Live Arcade... This was kind of like a revelation to me.  Xbox Live Arcade started off as a bunch of smaller non-retail downloadable games.  The games were either $5 or $10.  As the generation went on, file sizes and prices increased and the games seemed to change their focus to more of a games on demand focus (instead of quick pick up and play games). 

The Ghost of Xbox Launches Past: Part 2, Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is another one of my favorite consoles of all time.  I had an alleged sister who worked at Target and I would bug her about looking for a console (since I couldn't find one at launch and the GameStop I pre-ordered it from didn't get many consoles in).  I would change some of the lyrics to Xmas songs and replace them with Xbox.  I purchased a bunch of games (both retail and digitally, but I also trade in a bunch of games - and bought numerous games for less than $20).  I also got a bunch of games as gifts

The Ghosts of Xbox Launches Past: Part One, Xbox

The launch of the Xbox One is looming (less than 18 days now).  This caused me to reflect back on previous Xboxes.  What were my launch titles, etc.  How is it possible that this will be my third different MSFT console - I will have purchased all three consoles in different states (in fact, different time zones)?

What i Expect From This Next Generation

So, i'm getting an Xbox One in a little less than a month (I hope so, as it is already fully paid off)

What do I expect from this generation?  Not as much as you might think...

Well, My Xbox Credits Didn't Last Long

It turns out that I could not, in fact, save up enough in Xbox Credits to purchase Zoo Tycoon.  I was at about $48 at one point, now I am down to $5 (with a Bing $3 credit yet to be redeemed).  I guess I could win the Bing $500 Xbox credit sweepstakes (yeah right).  My last expenditures were on The Walking Dead 400 Days and Forza Horizon (Games on Demand). 

I originally bought Forza Horizon on Black Friday for $15, I traded it in to GameStop for $22 and repurchased it for $15.  So, I essentially bought the game for $8.  Now if only the stupid Rally Pack would finally go on sale ($20 after a year or so is too high, especially with all the $15 sales last year).  Hopefully my Forza Rewards stuff is still downloadable for that game. 

Maybe I should just go looking for Zoo Tycoon at Walmart if I go there again on Black Friday (possible).

So, in non-Xbox news (well Xbox on Windows 8), Xbox/MSFT Credit is now one of the purchase options in Windows 8.1.  Finally.......

That means you can now use Xbox point cards (that will be made into MSFT credits) and pay for Windows Store Apps.  It is about time. 

Xbox One: 35 Days Away

Barring any unforeseen circumstances I will be getting my Xbox One on November 22nd (it is paid off).  That seems like a long time away (I would like to get a certain achievement in Forza 4 before launch).

Much has been made about the "more" powerful and less expensive PS4.  But I never really cared about that (I would have pre-ordered one the day after the E3 announcements if they didn't have any Xbox One pre-orders).  Yes, the Xbox One was more expensive than I would have liked (but I offset that nicely with $420 in store credit).  I think I only paid something like $85 out of pocket for the console. 

Zoo Tycoon: My First Downloadable Xbox One Title

Recently, the Game Stop Black Friday ad leaked.  This answered a couple of questions for me about one of my four most anticipated Xbox One launch titles

1) Why can't I pre-order Zoo Tycoon:
 - It looks like in the US, Zoo Tycoon will only be available as a downloadable title (GameStop outs the price at $59.99)

2) Will Zoo Tycoon be bundled in the US:
  - I never thought it would, I really hoped though (as I thought it made the most sense).

Now we'll see how long this game will take to download (and how much Xbox credit I can get for free before then, come on Bing - i'm down to $24).  Some of the Games With Gold titles take 2-4 hours.     

Edit: I hadn't seen this before (disc exclusive at Walmart in US)...

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/18/zoo-tycoon-for-xbox-one-is-a-timed-retailer-exclusive

What Have i Been Up to Recently

So, what have I been doing recently on my Xbox 360? Let's see...

Purchases (I was saving credit for Zoo Tycoon, oops):
- BioShock Infinite (Haven't played yet)
- Terraria (still don't know what i'm doing in that game)
- Minecraft (someday I will open that game)
- Zeno Clash UE (it was $1, i'm not sure what i'm doing in that game either, can't figure out beating the first big guy)
- Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (free, Games with Gold, Haven't played yet)
- Tom Clancy Rainbow 6 Vegas (free, games with Gold, Haven't played yet)

Finally Beat (story)
- Crackdown (I could really do without all the stupid driving garbage or minigames)
- Ascend: hand of Kul

Played Here and there (or trudging away on):
-Forza 4 (by my estimates only 295 more races to go on the Bucket list, would've 1,000ed this, stupid Porsche add-on).  This is taking for ever. 
- Happy Wars (though not much recently)

Current Estimate on Value of Gold Membership (I think it runs through September or October 2014):
- Halo 3: $0.00 I already had it  (paid $9.99 for it several months ago)
- Ascend/Happy Wars/WSOP Full House/Spartacus: $20-ish
- Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes: $5
- Rainbow 6 Vegas: $15
- Magic the Gathering: $5
- Dead Rising 2 (with Case Zero): $15
- Crackdown: $10
- Assassin's Creed 2: $10 (replaced a trade-in to GameStop)

So far, about $75 value.  Games With Gold Extended - awesome, could I get something in a nice Forza Horizon please.

Game Finished (for now): Ascend: Hand of Kul (revisited)

Well, it took me three days, but I finally finished Ascend: Hand of Kul (Ascend: New Gods was a better title).  Well, since it is a free-to-play that will be adding things as time goes on... I finished the first part serving the Dark god.

It pretty much stayed in line with my "impressions post".  This would probably have been an ok $10-15 dollar game (definitely not a $60 game in its current state) without the questionable online stuff.

Ascend: Hand Of Kul: Early Impressions

On Wednesday, Ascend: Hand of Kul (previously Ascend: New Gods) was released on the Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade) as a free to play game.  Like all free-to-play games on the Xbox 360, it has its issues (though it is probably on of the better F2P there).  There is a store where you can use the in-game currency of souls (you can also purchase souls with real money).  I'm not sure why it is rated M (yes there is a little blood, but so far not that much and it's mostly monsters/animals). 

If i had 100 Million Dollars

It seems as though the Powerball jackpot cruelly decided to go over $400 million again.  I hate it when it does that (and I don't win).  You know what one of the worst parts of dreaming is?  ... You eventually have to wake up.   

Game Room Report: The Final One (Probably)

I know it has been a while, but for once I checked and the Game Room high score servers were actually working (it's been a while).  I'm not sure where my notes from last time were (was it in March?) so I cannot tell what increased since the last check... but here's what I will do.  I will post the current (or current-ish) leaderboard scores for all of the ranked games (that is a lot of asterisks, since my links to SkyDrive are not working how I would like them too).

My Top 10 Xbox 360 Exclusive XBLA Games

You know the drill... another useless list (in no particular order) on what I thought some of the best downloadable games were for the Xbox 360.  I've played a bunch of games overall, but there are many I haven't played.  I don't "disqualify exclusive titles" because they might be released on Steam/PC or. 

Mutant League Football Kickstarter

Apparently today, there was a Kickstarter campaign launched for a new Mutant League Football game targeting the Xbox Live Arcade.  The $750K they are seeking for this game, that seems a little much. There is a link below, if you are so inclined. 

Mutant League Football was a game released originally on the Sega Genesis (under EA) that was sort of football, sort of dismembering your opponents so they would have to forfeit.  Many of the character and team names were named more violent/gross versions of real names (like the Slaycity Slayers, the holders of the decibel record at a sporting event). There was also a Mutant League Hockey game and, briefly an animated series (sadly, Mutant League Basketball was never released). 

Let's say that I would buy this at $10.  I can't help fund its development, but I would definitely buy it.  Speaking of Kickstarter... I could use a turn-based Lunar prequel. 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mendheim/mutant-football-league?ref=live

Gamerscore Coincidence

Today is still Friday the 13th here (I kind of like Friday the 13ths, the day not so much the movies)

Well anyway, I checked my Gamerscore today.  Well, it is 58013

Creepy huh? The first number is 5 for the fifth day of the week and it ends in 13.  I guess the 80 was for the 1980s (the best decade ever).  Or maybe it was for the $80 million I should win in a lottery someday. 

Bing Rewards: Now With Xbox Credit, Less Value

Recently, the Xbox 360 has undergone its "Fall Update" that started the phase out of MSFT points.  i'm really going to miss you points - in favor of semi-real currency.  Still no pre-paid for Window 8/RT, what is up with that? 

Well, Bing Rewards had to change.  What they did was to change the two tiers of MSFT points 100 and 400.  To one available "reward"/digital gift card of $3.00.  [It should be noted that the "Digital Gift Card" from Bing Rewards will expire 365 days after activation. The code expires 12/31/14 if not redeemed to MSFT account.] 

The "costs" of the rewards changed a little (maybe they'll add another level) :

Before: 400 points ($5.00) was 475 credits (with a Gold search discount)

Now: $3.00 for 360 credits (with a 15 credit Gold search discount)

It used to be 95 search credits per dollar of value, now it is 120 search credit per dollar.

Xbox 360: Free to Play Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Ok, so I got a gold subscription and have been trying out the sparse collection of free-to-play games currently on the Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 seems to embrace the Free to Play (F2P) model that the Xbox on Windows 8 free-to-play games use, and it is one i'm perfectly fine with.  It is basically a system where you can advance your progress/competitiveness by paying real money for in-game items.  Some of the games will give you in game credits for coming back every so often.  However, if you don't want to you can get everything by grinding it out - without paying anything at all.  

Ok, So i Kind of Went Gold

Why does a person (or facsimile of one like me) purchase an Xbox Gold subscription when they don't really like, I think they are called, other people or online gaming in general?  My philosophy is that I can't win online games so why try.   

Well, the reason was twofold:
* The main reason was to experience the Xbox One more fully: basically get access to free-to-play games and the like (since I won't have nearly as much to spend on games this generation, unless something unexpected happens, I really hope it does).  It sucks that free-to-play are behind a pay-wall, but that's just the way it goes. 
* The justification reason: games with gold and sales.  If somehow I could get "value" for the subscription (ending in September 2014), then I could better justify it.  So far I have got a couple of retail games (Dead Rising 2, Crackdown) - I view that as a $20 value (at least $30 value if you include the two arcade games).
* The tangential tertiary (and lesser) reason: pick up a few achievements and Gamerscore going into the next generation.    

Xbox One: Regional Difference in Price, Free Games, Etc

Recently, it has come to light that the Xbox One will be bundled with a free game (FIFA 14 or Forza 5) in some countries.  This has lead to some amount of discussion on how countries like the UK and the EU deserve a pack-in game more than the US - I have my doubts.

My Top 10 Xbox 360 Retail Games

Recently, Gametrailers.com had a list of their top 5 exclusive titles for the Xbox 360.  So, I thought I would do my own (or several) - this edition is retail games.  For my purposes, PC/Steam availability does not matter (console exclusive if you will).  In no particular order (other than when I thought of them)

Xbox Game With Gold: Horrible Guesses

In case you had an Xbox 360 and a gold account, MSFT is "giving away" free game downloads on the 1st and 16th of every month for the rest of the year (for 15 days or so each).

Dead Rising 2 Kind of Sucks, Let Me Count the Ways

So, I recently (ok, August 15th) downloaded Dead Rising 2.  I knew it was a zombie slaying game with light crafting elements.  However there were a couple of things I didn't know (never playing a Dead Rising game before). 

Xbox One: Or i Would Walk 500 Miles for a Console (and trade-in a bunch of games)

I kind of pre-ordered the Xbox One the day after E3.  I just paid it off in late July (along with Ryse).  It helped that I had $420 trade-in credit from GameStop.  When the Xbox 360 was up for pre-order, I traded in all my Xbox games (and my console) - this time I did not (just most of my games and none of my consoles).  Hopefully, unlike the Xbox 360, I will actually be able to get this at launch. 

So, why did I say that "I would walk 500 miles for a console"?  Well, when I was deciding whether or not to buy a console, I decided that it needed to be less than $300 out of pocket expense.  One of my alleged sisters offered to give me a few bucks for every "peak" I would "climb" on a thing at americaonthemove.org (Flat 14ers).  It was basically a thing where you entered daily steps taken with a pedometer and it would compare that to the estimated steps it would take to actually climb the "peaks" (or something like that, but it probably isn't exactly accurate). 

Well, much to my surprise, I finished the trail.  It took me a little over 2 months and was actually 531 miles (that is a lot of walking).

Now i just have to figure out how i am going to get the console.  Is it safe to walk with a console 1.6 miles back from Gamestop?

Xbox One: Part One: Launch

The launch titles have been announced at Gamescom and are as follows (sadly no date yet, my guess is November 15th):

Dropping the Pretense: Site "Content"

So, I have been thinking about this for a while... what exactly do I want to post (when/if I actually do post anything going forward)? 

It dawned on me that where I spend the vast majority of my time is on Microsoft platforms (Xbox 360, Surface RT and soon Xbox One).  So I guess my sporadic posting will cover only that.

It dawns on me that I have no real interest anymore in what is going on in the worlds of Sony, Nintendo, PC, iOS and Android (I still view it as a cell phone OS).

Of course this could change a little bit if I were to win the lottery (I would pick up a PS3 12 GB and a bunch of games).  The PS4 and Wii U really don't interest me.   

Sony's E3: My Impressions

I can honestly say that I have never watched a more boring E3 conference than Sony's.  It started about 17 minutes late, the presenters had the charisma of wet paint, it was too long, and it really dragged.  It was nice when Assassin's Creed 4 froze multiple times.  To be honest, I quit watching it at about the 1 hour 20 minute mark, because I couldn't take it anymore (I got to the Elder Scrolls online part).

Microsoft's E3: The Xbox One: My Impressions

Well, that was probably the most crushingly disappointing E3 conference I have ever seen.  Don't get me wrong, the games they showed were mostly OK.  What killed this conference for me was about 30 seconds.

$499 at launch (or $499 in many other currencies).  There is only one way I would purchase one now (winning the lottery).  I would have pre-ordered one at $399.  I don't see a price drop happening until 2015 at the earliest either.  I guess that suggests that Sony's machine is probably in the same ballpark (have competing consoles ever got together and fixed launch prices?)   

For the first time in a while, maybe i'll watch the Sony conference. 

Pre-E3 2013: Will i Go Next Gen?

So, I have been thinking about this a little more lately.  I was not planning on going "next gen" (Xbox One, PS4).  But lately I have been more and more tempted (especially since I just got $140 for trading in some games at Gamestop, and will probably trade in some more before then).  I still have to come up with a way to get an additional $150-250 funding for it. 

There are currently 3 options:

Xbox One: My View of a Good "Used Games" Policy

Well, the Xbox One launch/DRM details has kind of met with negative response.  The misguided "consumer rights" people are out in force. No, you don't own anything (except maybe the video game hardware - and then you are licensing the software running it), you are just licensing it.  People seem to grasp that concept with Steam and iOS/Android.  The Xbox One is actually going to be an online system more like those (I wouldn't be surprised to see the disk version of some games phased out after 3-5 years, digital only). 

Sure some of the stuff is more on the obtuse side (I think 24 hours is a little too frequent to check, though I kind of doubt it would completely "brick" a game, regardless of what they might say).

This post really isn't about DRM, it is about my idea for a "used game" system on the Xbox One.  That's right, I said on the Xbox One (it should get its own digital used game store, all downloadable).  It is a bit of a misnomer because it would more likely be just digital copies of games. I don't know if this kind of thing is actually possible, but here goes....

More Thoughts on the Xbox One Reveal

Well, here we are again.  I have been noticing the vitriolic (I love that word) response on message boards about the Xbox One reveal.  Nothing they revealed was really that shocking (considering general trends).  So here are some of my thought - some may not be so nice.  Some of these may be about the industry as a whole.

The Cost of Next Gen (for me)

i have been thinking about what it would take for me to go next gen.  How much would it cost?  For me the answer is somewhat simple (based off of several things I believe might be true)

Xbox One

So I just finished watching the next generation Xbox reveal on my console (only had to buffer once).  So, what were my impressions (from what I saw in that conference)?

Random Post and What If i Won the Powerball Jackpot

So, no posts for a while, what have I been doing....

Second account stuff (formerly primary account).  I am playing through some game so that if I get the inclination to trade them in, I can (playing through to get 1,000/1,000 or whatever that is with DLC).  I completed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Lego: Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Xbox Next: What Would Make Me Think of Getting One

I am planning for this to be my last generation of video game consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, etc).  What could make me change my mind?

Game Room Report Q1 2013

I know Q1 (Jan, Feb, March) isn't quite over yet, but I did another check on the Game Room leaderboards.  This was made more difficult by the leaderboard/servers being somewhat unstable. 

My rule for continuing to do these "reports" is that at least 5 games have to show leaderboard increases during the period.  I guess there will be another "report" maybe in late May or Early June. 

My Month in Video Games (February)

Another month has come and gone, like months tend to do (for some odd reason)

So anyway, what have I been up to?

Baseless Xbox Rumors (Made Up)

So, the next generation of Xbox should be announced in the next couple of months.  There are numerous rumors surfacing (some leak, some conjecture, etc).  What those rumors have is too much credibility.  What people really need is a rumor that has no source and very little chance of actually happening.  So here goes....

Name: Xbox (simply Xbox nothing else.  Of the rumors, I prefer Next or Infinity)
OS: Heavily modified Windows RT

Xbox Family - Newish Fake Rumor: Tablet
* Name: Xbox Touch (Surface)
* 7-8.9" tablet
* 16 GB
* Released on November 8th, 2013
* OS: Windows RT
* Price: $299.99 (comes with $25 app voucher or several installed apps)
* Does not come with Office Home and Student

Right now I am basically viewing my Surface RT as a portable Xbox system (for Xbox Live Arcade games featuring touch controls, though you can plug a wired controller into it).  This is completely made up based off of existing rumors.

Batman Arkham Assylum (Xbox 360)

Have you ever played one of those highly rated/regarded games and it left you unimpressed?  Well, Batman Arkham Asylum GOTY of the year was one of these for me. 

What I was ok with:
* "puzzles" (though many of them were the same thing over and over)
* Exploration
* Upgrading equipment

What I didn't like so much:
* Part of the game that mimics what happens before one of my past Xbox 360s red ringed (color, pixilation, etc).  I thought my system was having graphical issues. It took me 2-3 times of that scene before I let it go all the way through 
* The Scarecrow levels: I hate these
* The combat:
* The Camera
* Indirect "boss fights"  (I wish "action" games would limit this)
* Sometimes the controls seem "floaty" or not as responsive as I would like

Played:
* Difficulty: Easy
* Died: a bunch of times
* Achievements: 590/1,000 Gamerscore
* Collectibles/Riddles: All
* Challenges: none (I tried 1 or 2, but it was some of the worst parts of the game, to me, like combat)

My Month in Video Games

So what have I been playing since I last checked in?  Games, apparently

my Gamerscore is currently at 52,013.  Odd, huh (thank Mortal Kombat, XBLA for that non-0 or 5 ending)

Let's see I have been playing
* Darksiders 2 (beat on easy, i'll do a collectible run someday)
* Forza 3 - finally finished "Solid Gold" achievement
* Forza Horizon - finally finished the "story" on easy and all single player achievements except the one for doing all PR stunts.  Why would someone pay $20 for the Rally add-on/expansion, when many people got the game for $30 or less? 
* Forza 4: there is a "Bucket List" achievement, nooooooooo!  We'll see if I get my first Unicorn car this month.  This is going to take a while (50+ hours and only 31% done).  I wish the career and event list would have synched better (or at all). 
* Red Dead Redemption: has anyone else in the history of gaming got stuck in the first horse race section.  I keep "falling off of the path" by bridges.  I can't move both sticks at the same time and the fire markers aren't exactly really easy to see.  Has there been a single game this generation where the camera hasn't sucked?  I can't think of one.  And I really wanted the Snidely Whiplash achievement in this game.  Maybe later. 
* Midway Arcade Origins: it is no Game Room.  It is ok to have a retro games compilation, but I really miss the medals and the leveling up system.  That is probably why many of these arcade compilations seem so flat to me now. 
* Gunpowder: I found this to be an interesting game on Windows 8/RT (I have it on my surface).  You essentially draw lines of gunpowder and place explosive barrels so you can blow a safe.  I just wish it would be a little easier.  I have only completed the first chapter so far. 
* Viva Pinata: finally finished the retail version 50 hour achievement.  I think it is at 250 game days.  I tried to finish up the Games for Windows version, but for some reason it won't load (conflict with display settings?)

What games am I looking forward to this month?
* Capcom Arcade Cabinet:  it is a little expensive.  So maybe just the "trial/400 point version.

Retail:
Nothing for a while.  No to BioShock Infinite (BioShock 2 was disappointing), I have no interest in Tomb Raider or Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, Gears of War Judgment (wait until inevitable $20 price tag later in the year, though I am not big on shooters). 

I am pretty sure that I will not be going "next-gen" unless I were to win the lottery.

The only retail game I was interested in was South Park: The Stick of Truth - and that got kind of pushed back with the THQ situation. 
 

Dview: Forza Horizon (Xbox 360)

The Bottom Line:
Forza Horizon is a spin-off of the Forza series.  As opposed to a more simulation based game (like the Forzas seem) this is more of an open world game where you drive around and do certain events (culminating in a very long last race).  You can also drive around looking for discount signs (which are not all easy to find) and pulling off tricks like drifting or narrowly missing traffic.  These trick may earn you credits or unlock events (like racing against a balloon, plane or helicopter) and will "level" you up.

Forza Horizon is Annoying

Ok, so I have been playing Forza Horizon recently.  Some of the events are pretty easy and hard to lose.  Lately, I have been doing some of the stupid street races.   I hate Late Night @ Highway 29.

I don't know if my wired controller will survive the game (I doubt it will, but the left bumper was already broke - if store only sold the wired controller anymore, I dislike the battery bump on the wireless controller).  I've already spiked it hard at least twice. 

This game is annoying.  It takes the worst of Forza 4 (perpetually starting you in the back of the race and upgrading the opponent's cars - I wish it wouldn't).  Easy should be just that - easy (a cakewalk)

It is really annoying how much the cars over-react to everything and try to go into drifting without any provocation.  Any little bump is over exaggerated.   

Then they decided to use horrific lighting in night and early daytime races (I wish they would block out the sun).  I also dislike the focus on "stunts" in this game - it wouldn't be as bad if you wouldn't lose any progress on runs if you hit something (or more annoyingly something hits you).   It is so nice to have to deal with idiot non-racing traffic too. 

Video Game Resolution #1 Complete, 50K

Well, I finally got my Gamerscore up to 50K on my new current primary account.  My old has 37K.  I think I had about 46.6K before new years.  If you are wondering, I got it on Viva Piñata (got about 800 Gamerscore in the last 2 days on that game).  If I were adventurous, I might go for 100K between the two this year (but that would be about 13K more)

Game Room: 2 Years Later

It has been a loooong two years since Game Room graced the world with Game Pack 013 (sadly, the last one released).  Games like Midway Arcade Origins make me miss Game Room more.  i would have preferred those games in Game Room format.  So, what is the current state of leaderboards.  If you are lucky, maybe i'll even eventually add graphs/charts - later, much later. 

As of December 27, 2012, Game Room has some of the following stats.
* Total Leaderboard Number (Ranked Games): 495,388 (pretty safe bet to say overall it did 500K)
* Estimated Sales (at 87.5% of Leaderboard): 433,464
* Estimated Sales By Publisher (Ranked Games):
     - Atari: 168,177
     - Activision: 50,644
     - Intellivision: 28,334
     - Konami: 186,220
* Estimated Sales By Platform (Ranked Games)
     - Arcade: 326,200
     - Atari 2600: 78,841
     - Intellivision: 28,334
* Predicted Gross Revenue For Game Room (Range - Ranked Games):
     - $1.3 to $1.48.  I guess it would be a fairly safe bet to say Game Room did $1.5 million in sales. 

Year to Year Changes in Leaderboards:
- Apparently I only used charts, not data tables - that is unfortunate


Linkage to my SkyDrive Numbers: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=c67fdccca0fc034e#!/edit.aspx?cid=C67FDCCCA0FC034E&resid=C67FDCCCA0FC034E%21683&app=Excel

Video Game Resolution #2 Complete, 20 games

Well, I finally completed my #2 video game resolution for 2013 (the first one is 50K cumulative Gamerscore)

Yes, I currently have 20 games on the list of my Xbox 360.  The games with "*" will turn into uncompleted games the next time I run them (new DLC).  All of these were completed in 2011 or later.  They are (in reverse order of completion):