OXM Message Center (September 2007)

THE WIENER'S CIRCLE
I’ve noticed that while Microsoft Points for buying Xbox Live content are sold only in 500-point increments, Xbox Live Arcade games (the first and probably most popular use of points) are priced in 400-point increments. Is this like hot dogs coming in packs of 10 while the buns come in packs of eight — meaning, you gotta buy another eight buns to use the two extra hot dogs, leaving you with six buns and so on...? Or does Microsoft just hope I’ll waste that leftover 80 points on a Larry the Cable Guy theme?
— Jonathan Walker

We say: Well, there’s more to buy on Marketplace than just Live Arcade games, and 500 is a nice round number. It’s interesting that the prepaid cards you can buy do come in 400-point increments (1,600 and 4,000); it’s just the points you buy on Live using a credit card that come in 500s.
    We asked, and Microsoft had no official answer for us on this one. Still, think about the gift-certificate model: You can buy a $25 gift card at a lot of stores, but that doesn’t mean all the stuff they sell is exactly $25. Microsoft didn’t exactly invent this clever bit of marketing. Meanwhile, the hot dogs–and-buns thing? Definitely a conspiracy.

ICONS THAT ROCK!
Does EA have any intention of doing a rock-’n’-roll version of their Def Jam fighting series? Three reasons why a title like this would sell...
1. There are quite a few notable (read: recognizable) rock personalities: Ozzy Osbourne (maybe as the kingpin), Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper…
2. The possible soundtrack would absolutely kill.
3. Some rockers just deserve to have their butts kicked over and over again (e.g., Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, and Kid “I used to” Rock).
Plus, it could have a Legends game or bonus level, “The Fight for Heaven and Hell,” where you’d play as a famous dead rocker. Who hasn’t always wanted to see who’d win a fight between Jimi Hendrix (his fatality move could be hitting someone with a flaming guitar) and Mama Cass (who could sit on someone, or eat them like a ham sandwich)?
— Henry

We say: Let’s not forget a flannel-wearing Kurt Cobain or Buddy Holly’s nerdtastic assault attacks. But seriously? We’d play your game, and the Guitar Hero franchise has proven that rock is not dead. There’s no real reason it wouldn’t work, in concept. But will EA wanna rock? Hold your lighter aloft!

SUMMER WINNERS, SUMMER NOT
On the July 2007 cover, you have a line about “the best racer on the 360.” I initially thought “Oh, that must be Forza Motorsport 2,” but to my surprise, it was Dirt. Now, don’t get me wrong — I loved the Dirt demo, but the game’s release date was mid-June, whereas Forza 2’s was May 29.
    I thought you guys reviewed games chronologically based on release dates. Having no Forza 2 review in your July issue really disappointed me, so I’m hoping you guys had a good reason, like an exclusive review next issue. I base my game decisions on your ratings, which I trust, but buying Forza 2 was a blind decision for me.
— RedneckReloaded

We say: Well, we’re glad you trust us, Red, and we’re sorry we didn’t deliver in the clutch — but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We requested Forza 2 and Shadowrun review copies even before Microsoft announced that the games went gold (meaning they were done and ready for production). Unfortunately, we didn’t get Forza 2 for review until about a week before its release. For Shadowrun, it was even later: we bought it when it came out in stores. We’re always pushing to get games as soon as they’re ready, but we can only beg, kick, and scream on a daily basis.
    We get just as worried when finished games are announced as ready but then inexplicably not delivered in time for our deadlines. You have to ask yourself: What’s the publisher trying to hide?

CONTROLLING THE DARK SIDE
I really enjoyed the Xbox 360 Elite “Curse of the Black Pearl” article in your June 2007 issue. It helped me realize that it isn’t worth replacing my current Xbox 360 for HDMI. However, I am very intrigued by the new Elite controller, and I can’t find much info on it.
    I hear that it’s more comfortable — something about the triggers. Is this controller better or more precise, and does it warrant replacing my current one? Also, your November 2006 Inbox section mentioned word of an “advanced” controller. Is this it? If not, do you have any new details on that? Thanks.
— J.D.

We say: Funny you should mention that, J.D. In late May, Bill Gates made some cryptic comments about new input methods for gaming machines that could be what the Rumor Mole was hinting at. In an on-stage interview at the D5 executive conference in Carlsbad, California, Gates said that using the Wii remote to play Wii Sports isn’t the same as swinging a real tennis racket. “You can’t sit there with your friends and do those natural things,” he said. “That’s a 3D positional device. This is video recognition. This is a camera seeing what’s going on.”
    So, was Totem Ball a test case for a 360 gesture-based control scheme? We’ll see. As for the new black controller that comes with the Elite, the digital D-pad feels a little tighter and more precise to us than the one on our original white controllers, but the triggers felt about the same to our hands. Maybe that’s just us, or maybe it’s that the new controller doesn’t have the “broken in” feel that our older white ones do.

NO RUNNING!
I demand a full page with steps and pictures on the easiest way to get the Xbox microphone out of the package. I’m on my fifth one; there has to be a much less stressful way to get it out. I’ve beaten Fable quicker than it takes to open the package. Nothing in life should cause this much pain. I demand a solution! Thank you!
— M. Quaglietta

We say:

RIDDICKULOUS?
So the original Chronicles of Riddick is definitely not going to be backward-compatible (July 2007, We Heart Xbox). This tells the 360 community that (a) not all games will be back-compat; (b) companies can tell Microsoft (or pay them?) to leave their games off the backward-compatibility list; and (c) the new game won’t be that good.
    If Sierra was going to make the remake great, it wouldn’t be scared of competition from the original. But as I see it, the company’s going to stick in a few new textures, Achievements, and a couple of new levels and expect the 360 community to just be happy, wag our tails, and purchase the new game.
    To me, it’s obvious that the new one won’t be that much better, and that Sierra asked Microsoft not to make the old one BC because they don’t want competition from their old title. When companies aren’t afraid of their own previous work outdoing their new, they allow the game to be BC. Look at Mercenaries.
I certainly won’t be purchasing this “new” Riddick, no matter what it’s like, simply as a statement that it’s B.S. that they won’t make the old one compatible.
— ToothlessFrog

We say: We passed your suspicions and allegations on to Sierra, and it pleads innocent to all your charges — the company tells us that Riddick’s not back-compat because its complex code doesn’t translate. Remember, backward-compatibility isn’t just flipping a switch: the two Xbox systems have totally different graphics hardware, and software emulation can do only so much to fake it. No doubt, the original game employed a bit of clever coding — in this case, maybe too clever for its own survival. So it’s not that someone won’t make the old one compatible; it’s that they simply can’t. That’s the story from the source. Believe it or not.

RED, WHITE, AND AT THE MOMENT, BLUE
I’m in the military and stationed overseas in Japan. A few minutes ago my worst fear became reality. No, it isn’t Kim Jong Il launching missiles or Godzilla rising from the sea that has me scribbling this desperate cry for help — it’s Xbox Live Marketplace!
    I’d heard that Microsoft would be limiting access to its North American content, but imagine my surprise that I can’t download a single thing! Everything is listed as “not available in your area.” I have always listed my billing address as an APO military overseas address, and for all intents and purposes an APO zip code is considered U.S. territory. I know that other military members stationed all over the world love the Xbox 360, and we especially love being able to watch TV shows as they air weekly, instead of waiting a year to buy last season’s DVD. It was a taste of home for us; Marketplace was like a tiny Bob Hope inside our game consoles bringing entertainment to the boys overseas.
    Anyway, let’s recap: I am a U.S. citizen with a U.S. Xbox, on (technically) U.S. territory...so what’s the problem? Can Microsoft include APO zip codes in their “U.S. territory” definition? What am I supposed to do with my 360 until this issue is resolved — play games? Ninja, please, that’s so PS3…
    I’m anxiously awaiting your reply, as are over 10,000 men and women in the Armed Forces stationed overseas.
— Thomas Vanderhyde

We say: You’re caught between worlds, Thomas. We contacted Microsoft to get an explanation: “Our contracts and agreements with content partners, particularly in the area of entertainment, typically restrict which territories we may make certain content available in,” says the company. “Various countries may have content regulations governing what content is acceptable for distribution to their residents. As a digital distributor of content, it is our responsibility to comply with applicable government regulations and our contractual relationships.” Microsoft points out that anything you download in the U.S. and store to the hard drive can be taken with you.
    Uh…okay, but wouldn’t the content be locked to the hard drive regardless of where you downloaded it? If it’s any consolation, Thomas, we also got a letter from Airman 1st Class Sean Anderson, stationed in Germany, who says he can’t even buy Microsoft Points because of his APO billing address. Even pre-paid points cards are considered to be “electronics” by most retailers, and thus not eligible for shipment overseas. Until a policy changes, it looks like you guys have only one option: Bring your 360 on leave.

THE NEW STYLE
I appreciate your newly added “3X Power-Up” section to help me suck less in my favorite games, and your June 2007 article from Frank O’Connor shed light on how to fix problems with Xbox Live. But the best improvement has to be your “Back Button” section, because you review so many games and a hand-picked batch of the best helps me make good quick decisions without searching through five months’ worth of magazines. Thanks again, and keep up the good work.
— John R. Paine

We say: Thanks, John. We’re mainly printing your letter because we want to encourage other people to write in and let us know what they think about various parts of the mag. We’ve added a lot of new segments and sections in the last few issues (“TechnoBabble,” “Xbox Nerd Corps,” “2,000 Pennies or Less”), and we’re eager to hear if you like them. For instance, purely due to reader feedback, you’ll soon see the return of the OXM release calendar; many people spoke up and said they missed it, so we’re bringing it back. Also, we’ll be rotating Frank’s “The Tao of Xbox” column and Chris Morris’ “The Business of Xbox” with one-shot guest columns from people with fresh perspectives on Xbox games and culture. Bottom line: Stagnation sucks. When you see something good or bad in OXM, we really do want to hear about it.