Holiday 2005 Message Center

YOU’D EVER WANT TO TURN IT OFF?

Any chance the 360 will have a sleep timer? I’d love to pass out knowing that my new Xbox will shut off in a couple hours, saving me from a huge electric bill.
– Jared Bednar

We say: It’s one thing to fall asleep while you’re sitting on your couch, not moving, only breathing every minute or so, and drooling out of one corner of your mouth. But if you’re falling asleep while trying to frag dataDyne ops in Perfect Dark Zero or slay trolls in Kameo, you’ve got an affl iction far worse than laziness: narcolepsy. To answer your question, though, the 360 does in fact have a sleep timer, but if you feel yourself losing consciousness, you can also just press the Xbox Guide button on your wireless controller, then shut down the system remotely. Problem solved, and sweet dreams!

LOOK, A THREE-HEADED MONKEY!

Retro gaming certainly has its place, but how many times do we need to have these games re-released in different compilations and collections? How many iterations of Dig Dug or Pole Position do I really need? Why doesn’t anybody release other classics you can’t play anymore on current systems? I would absolutely love to replay the original Secret of Monkey Island, take another ride with Ben in Full Throttle, relive King’s Quest, and so on.
– Henning Thiel

We say: A great question with a simple but bad-news answer: copyrights. LucasArts owns Monkey Island and Full Throttle,Sierra controls King’s Quest, etc. So it’s up to each individual publisher to release compilations containing those games. LucasArts has released adventure-game volumes, but only for PC, probably because point-and-click interfaces are kinda hard to carry over to the Xbox controller and still retain any amount of enjoyability. At press time, though, clever homebrew applications (*cough*ScummVM*cough*) have begun popping up that let you play them on the PSP or the Nintendo DS and its adventure game–friendly touch screen.

RESOLUTION RESOLUTION (AGAIN)

Many affordable HDTVs do not support 720p. Yes, they can accept 720p source material, but only because HDTV tuners scale the source material to whatever the native resolution of the TV is (usually 1080i). Sound & Vision Magazine’s “Big Screen Bargains” article from May 2005 lists HDTVs for under $3000 and their native resolutions. Only 30 of the 77 TVs listed support 720p resolution. I am very disappointed that Microsoft chose this resolution for high-def.
– Paul Caliqiuri

We say: The reason we constantly mention 720p is because we prefer it to 1080i in that apples and oranges kind of way. What we haven’t made clear enough, though (we blame our drunken affi nity for 720p), is that every Xbox 360 game also supports 1080i.

PROJECTING YOUR PROBLEMS

I’m in the HDTV market in preparation for 360, and Halo 2 looked awesome on my friend’s InFocus X-1, so I became set on the projector idea. I have pretty much narrowed it down to two models with subtle differences. Also, I want to play in a room that has some natural light. I am also planning on using the projector to watch DVDs and HDTV. So how should I decide which to get?
– Mike Lundgren

We say: We’ve only just begun to dabble in the projector world – all of our staff who’ve upgraded have gone the HDTV route – so the best advice we can give is to educate yourself. A few hours of Internet research can go a long way toward helping you make a sound purchasing decision. There’s a great website called the AVS Forum (www.avsforum.com/avs-vb) with message boards dedicated to all sorts of home-theater stuff. You’ll fi nd some seriously knowledgeable people that post there, and they will have posted their experiences with the products you’re interested in.

Finally, be sure to bring your Xbox (with HD cables) into a store and hook it up to the projectors you’re interested in. Try them out! Don’t worry; they’ll let you do it if they want a sale.

BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR

Having been in sales and marketing for 15 years, I imagine Microsoft would prefer their new system to sell at the $399 price point but was concerned over the approximate $250 jump in price point over the current Xbox. A red fl ag would pop up in most consumers’ minds at $399, initially. But by giving the option to spend $299 – just $150 more than their last system – presto,no red fl ag. At this point, the customer’s brain decides to spend the extra $100 to get the “full value” with little remorse. They then win again because they’ll simply make a higher margin on those consumers who can’t fi nd the sold-out $399 packages and have to buy a bunch of expensive accessories. It’s marketing genius, really.
– Mike Portman

We say: Ding ding ding, Mike! Microsoft didn’t become one of the most successful companies in the world out of good luck. They know exactly what they’re doing.

WE’RE OLD

Happy 50th Issue, OXM! I’ve been on the Xbox bandwagon for a long time now, and I’ve also been subscribing for a long time as well. I have every issue and disc since number four. I even included a picture as proof! Here’s to 50 more issues!
– Sam Kerr

PROOF, MEET PUDDING

Developers are able to almost blur the lines between current-gen and next, minus particles effects, polygons, HD, etc. Just look at Half-Life 2. The Xbox is able to stream in the background with decent textures and few framerate issues. Sure, 360 would be able to run it smoother and with better textures, but $300 better? And Call of Duty 2? There’s no denying it looks astonishing from a technical standpoint – 60fps, super-detailed environments and models, and pure insanity on the battlefi eld with little or no hiccups – but from a gameplay perspective, would Call of Duty 2 for Xbox 1 be that much different? Not to mention Gears of War – also gorgeous, but what about the gameplay?
– Derek

We say: So if vastly higher polygon counts, stunning new particle effects, and almost double the resolution via HDTV (to use your criteria) are not worth a new $300 console, what is? If screenshots and our eyes-on accounts of Project Gotham Racing 3 and Gears of War in motion don’t fl oat your boat, try this experiment when Xbox 360 launches: Find a system and a copy of Call of Duty 2. Then rent Call of Duty 2: Big Red One for Xbox 1. Having played each one, we guarantee you’ll understand what $300 gets you once you experience them both side by side.

THE GUY WHO KNOWS A GUY

Howdy y’all! In response to the letter in the September issue (“Anvil of mystery,”pg. 94), I just wanted to let y’all know that Digital Anvil is still together. I live in Austin, TX, near the studio, and a friend of mine works for them. He informed me that they are working on a project for the 360, but he wouldn’t say what, except that it is not Brute Force 2. I know there was some concern on the part of other readers, so now you know! Please don’t use my name!
– Mr. X

We say: Is our friend in the Lone Star state legit or has he gotten a little too much hot Texas sun? For now, we’ll have to take his word for it. Brute Force sold well initially, but then dropped off sharply once word got around that, well, the game just wasn’t very good. So we’re willing to go along with our new friend, Mr. Name-Changed- To-Protect-The-Innocent. Keep digging up those scoops!

MOLE CALL

In Issue 50 on page 44, the Rumor Mole lumps Halo in the “smart shooter” genre along with System Shock, Deus Ex, and Thief. Don’t you think that’s blowing Halo’s status a little out of proportion? Halo is a great game. However, it’s not any more a “smart shooter” than Doom 3 or Half-Life 2. Halo has none of the elements that differentiate System Shock from a standard fi re-and-forget first-person shooter.
– Mark Blanco

We say: Rather than defend him ourselves, we decided to grab the Mole by his scruff, yank him out of his burrow, and expose him to the bright afternoon sun until he responded to your letter. Here’s what he had to say: “Okay, I’ll talk! I consider Halo to be ‘smart’ because it’s got a story exponentially superior to 99 percent of all other fi rst-person shooters. So if I was wrong, it was really for calling System Shock a shooter at all. It’s more like an RPG…Ack! Put me down now! Please!” [Ed. note – No moles were harmed in the answering of this letter.]

NUMBERS GAME

I’ve been wondering how game scores get decided. Does the person who writes the review make up the score? Does everyone (excluding Thomas the Intern) get a vote? Does Rob decide?
– Eva Green

We say: It used to be a boring process whereby one editor would play the game and write the review, then we’d all meet to discuss the score and the game to make sure we got it right. Since we changed our scoring system this month, though, we changed the review process too. Now, two editors’ names are randomly drawn from a hat. Those two play the game and then get locked into a sweltering, non-airconditioned room, where they duel handto-hand to defend their scores. Whichever one comes out alive gets their score printed…At least, we were going to do it that way, but then our legal team informed us of a number of potential OSHA workenvironment “issues.”

SOUR GRAPES?

Why does the ESRB exist? They do nothing except make it harder to obtain innocent games such as Halo. They don’t understand that some people are more mature than others at different ages. I know people that are 18 and less mature than a five-year-old. The state of Illinois has even put some of the ESRB’s suggestions into law. It has gotten so bad that you can’t even buy a strategy guide for an M-rated game at Wal-Mart without being asked for ID. The ESRB only makes life difficult for the rest of us.
– Micah Lambert

We say: Correct us if we’re wrong, but we get the feeling you’re under 17 – and thus can’t purchase M-rated games on your own. You think Halo is “innocent?” It’s got humans dying as well as profanity. This is exactly why we feel that stores absolutely should card buyers of Mature games. It should be up to your parents whether or not you should play M-rated titles. If you can handle it, your parents will recognize it and the laws will have no impact on your gaming.

UNLOCKING OUR HOBBY’S POTENTIAL

My eight-year-old son Spencer loves Xbox and his favorite games are Halo 2 and Burnout 3. I’ve even gotten into Burnout – it’s the only game I know how to play – and I really love crashing into things! Because of your November issue raving about Burnout Revenge, Spencer has decided that it is what he wants to get me for my birthday. I am one lucky mom. So come Saturday, November 5th, I’ll be planted in front of the TV unlocking and then smashing all the coolest cars!
– Cynthia Hoyt

We say: Happy Birthday, Cynthia! Your letter is a perfect example of one reason Revenge scored so well with us: it is the very definition of what a videogame should be. It’s simple (but deep if you get into it), easy to pick up and play (gas, brake, turbo, and that’s it), and it appeals to everyone, man, woman, or child. 9.8 and case closed!

MISSING LINKS

What the hell happened to Links 2004? No more downloads, updates, nothing! This was the best golf game ever on the Xbox. It blows the doors off Tiger Woods; it’s more challenging and has more online options.Please, someone! Give us Links 2006 on the Xbox 360!
– Thomas Murray

We say: As we reported many moons ago, 2K Games bought the cream of Microsoft’s first-party sports crop (Links, Top Spin, and Amped), and the latter two are due for an imminent 360 release. Links, however, remains up in the air. Every time we’ve OXM, and asked, we’ve gotten a “no comment.” We’d have to assume – given the Xbox version’s relative success and the series’ remarkable PC heritage – that a new game is in the works. But of course, we all know what assuming does to you and me…

A GOOD GAMING CAUSE

I did it. I bought Psychonauts. I said to myself, “If Rob endorses this game one more time in his Editor’s Letter, I will go out and buy it the same day I receive the issue in the mail. Well, he did, so I bought it. I am happy. I did my part. I put in my $50 donation for the cause and received a fantastic game in return. I did it for the industry. I did it for all of the enlightened, intelligent, conscious gamers who want more than the same game over and over again. Thanks thank you Double Fine.
– Jonathan Lippe