Metroid Pinball - Nintendo DS Review

With all the Xbox 360 excitement in the past couple of weeks I haven't stopped to check out some other titles... until now (since my Xbox 360 is in for repair).

This is an awesome little title for the Nintendo DS that shows very clearly why Nintendo is kicking Sony's ass in the handheld market. High quality for the platform - Fun gameplay - Innovation -Reasonable price. That's the recipe for gaming success.

First of all, what a great collection of characters, environments and sounds from the Gamecube Metroid games. This pinball game really brings you the feel and atmosphere of Metroid Prime. Top notch. The pinball physics are right on target with clever table design and fun (mostly) mini-game tables. They also include a nice rumble pack that goes in the GBA cartridge port. This is the most fun I've had since Alien and Devil's Crush on TG16. The big N nailed it!

There are a few weird things like using the touch-pad to nudge, but the game makes up for that with multiple flipper options. You can pick this up and play instantly. They omitted using a plunger which at first I thought sucked - but ultimately is just fine. There are not as many tables as I'd like, but there are no stinkers either. I look forward to a sequel.

Another fine Nintendo DS title for $30 bucks that I can play for much longer than 1 1/2 hours even with a rumble pack!

4 impossible to navigate tunnels out of 5!

Rare Xbox 360 Faceplates

Xbox 360 Faceplates seem to be a hot item on eBay these days. Here are some photos that a private collector allowed us to take of his favorite collectable 360 faceplates:

Project Gotham Racing 3 - Limited run signed by the entire development team
E32005 - #1 out of 5000 limited run.
X05 Amsterdam - Signed by J Allard (only one in existence)
X05 Canada - Very limited run





















Update: This collector has allowed us to photograph more of his Xbox collection! Some neat items!

...The Saga Continues

Ever wonder what it looks like when you have a defective Xbox 360 and you have to send it back to Microsoft? Here's a sneak peek inside my world!



Well a very special cardboard box to send my broken Xbox 360 to Microsoft arrived today. It was sad to disconnect everything and pack it up. I had to include the monolithic power brick and video cables.


It included a valuable page of instructions in case someone was completely inept and could not figure out how to put a box inside another box.

Additionally, there is a pre-paid DHL shipping label and a very high-tech circular clear sticker to seal the outer box.


So far the Microsoft response has been pretty good. I'll keep you posted on how long it takes to get a replacement/repair.

XBox 360 UK Count Down

You lucky Americans with your shiny 360 consoles, have a heart for us poor foreigners who are still waiting for the 360 to drop in their home territories.

See I live in a small town in the Cotswold’s a rural area of the south west of England, with out the internet and picking up a magazine you’d wouldn’t know that in less then 3 days time the next generation console war kicks off on our very own doorstep.

The day was August 17th the day the 360 pricing and details were announced the day I made my pre order, I have never ever pre ordered a games console, always taking the import route and ignoring PAL console launches all together, but this time it was different, a 10 day wait between the USA and UK, I can wait that cant I?

Today is Tuesday, it’s snowing, the roads are being closed the weather forecast is more snow and ice!

I’m not worried my console won’t ship out on time to me any more, I’m now battling my first 360 game against Mother Nature.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4481232.stm

360 Status: Your order has been dispatched.
PGR3 Status: I have it in my hand :)
PDZ Status: I have it in my hand :)
Tyke Status: Cant take it any more, ARRRGHHHHHHHH!

*****UPDATE *****

Well 2 of my games arrived today in the post.

News reports from around the country suggest that hopeful customers are queuing at supermarkets 14 hours before launch tonight, I’m kind of glad I’m not one of them but may go and join in and take some pictures and try grab a spare 360 at the same time.

Today is going so slooooowwwwww, not sure how im gonna sleep tonight, any ideas on the back of a postcard please.

XBox 360 Live! Arcade Review

Like many of you, I tried out Live! Arcade on the original Xbox with mixed feelings. Kind of a cool idea, but bloated and WAAAYYY overpriced.

I've been checking out the new Xbox 360 Live! Arcade and have found out that it is well.... awesome! They really did a bang-up job giving Arcade a much needed facelift!

All Live! Arcade games offer demo downloads which can be easily transformed into full versions later on if desired. The games average about 25-30 MB in size and just take a few minutes to download. You've never seen such beautiful looking versions of your favorite Internet and Arcade classics! HD at it's finest! Here is the rundown of what I have played so far:

Bejeweled 2 - Aside from Zookeeper on the DS, this is my favorite rendition of this classic. So crisp and colorful you'll be mesmerized!

Bankshot Billiards 2 – Another beautiful game. Several fun modes to play.

Hexic - Included Free on the Premium Pack Hard Drive. This is pretty fun. Not the best puzzle game, but will kill some time.

Gauntlet - This is a good multi-player game. I would have preferred Gauntlet 2 instead. This was a little bit of a letdown.

Geometry Wars Evolved – Left stick move, right stick shoot – this is a common theme of the games on Live! Arcade. The “Evolved” version includes the original old-skool version as well as a souped up HD kick-ass version. Addicting! Buy it!

Joust – This is where things got a little weird for me. Why not just use the original roms? They tried to re-create the original game, but it’s… off a bit. Just not right. If you were a fan of the original like me, you’ll immediately feel the difference. Joust goes to wacky land. Not so good.

Mutant Storm Reloaded – Another fantastic left stick move / right stick shooter. I really liked the HD visuals in this awesome game. Hours of fun – worth the points!

Smash TV – Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! They kept this just as it should be. You’ll swear you’re back at the bowling alley!

Zuma – Nice looking, but I can’t get into the game really. Weird controls.


This new Live! Arcade service shows LOTS of promise. Pick yourself up a few pre-paid point cards and have some fun!

XBox 360 Already Busted!!!

Word to the wise - use the Xbox 360 Dashboard to power down your console!

Oh the pain!!! My 10 year old was whomping on the ring-of-light like a hyper-active monkey and BOOM! the box was toast! 3 of the 4 quadrands were lit red.

I called 1-800-myXbox and they told me that the dash menus were half loaded / half not. The guy had me unplug everything then showed me how to reset it. I had to wait 30 seconds with the power unplugged, then put the hard drive back in and finally turn the unit on -then immediately turn it off and then back on again.

This worked... the first time. Turning it on later gave me the 3 red quadrants on the ring of light again. I called them back and they are sending me a box to send the unit back for repairs. AAAaaaahhhh!!!! Not even a week and the thing is toast! I had a talk with my 10 year old about how to power down using the Xbox 360 using the menus instead of the ring-of-light.

For now, I can get it back on with a couple of resets - but what a monumental pain in the ass!!!! So sad. So very sad...

UPDATE: Found a MS Support item for this gem: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907534/