The Skyrim Christmas Bubble

I think we all know of the mega hot Skyrim price plummet that ended not too long ago.

It was so big that even a skeptic like myself who still loves gaming related bargains, dipped in for a second copy of the game. What harm could a spare copy do? You could easily flip it for a bit of pocket money for Christmas to brighten up a little kid's holidays.

But what people didn't bank on was the shear quantity of bulk stock that was distributed

The Season Pass Conspiracy

Microsoft has already begun employing the Season Pass DLC philosophy across a host of games.

Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport and Mortal Kombat already have this 'pay up front' tactic successfully implemented. And while it's key advertising pull is to essentially save a lump sum from the total DLC cost in the long run, there are factors that you need to consider before you dive in and sign up to this up and coming DLC marketing strategy.

Can Skyrim Be Too Easy At Times?

Small observation here from my time with the game thus far.

I've done many quests so far in Skyrim. Already well into 100 hours and think I have a fair scope of the game to start judging it.

It was after one particular quest relating to a Daedric artifact (that shall remain unnamed), that my eyes were opened to something I just did not like.

Workaround For Skyrim 1.2 Patch Bookshelves Problem

Since I recently acquired a house in Solitude as a result of my ongoing adventures in Skyrim, I thought it appropriate to do a little bookshelf testing.

As previously noted, bookshelves seem to glitch as a result of Bethesda's second title update for Skyrim. The shelves can swallow whatever books you just placed in them and then become unusable. I have found a workaround for it.

Skyrim's 1.2 Patch Breaks Resistances and Bookshelves

The next patch from Bethesda has gone live for a few days and seems to have broken more than it fixed. Thankfully, they have actually fixed the texture problem so the game can finally be enjoyed to its fullest from the hard drive install.

However, I've noticed 2 new problems induced by the patch.

Skyrim's 360 HDD Install Texture Problem

I have been looking forward to this game for a good chunk of the last 3-4 years and now that it's here, I am blown away by the advances Bethesda have made from Oblivion (and Fallout). The interface, the design and even the storytelling is already going from strength to strength.

But what really left a sour taste in my mouth from the start were the graphics.

A Badass Gears of War 3 Desktop Wallpaper

Epic designer Quinn Delhoyo's twitter has a pretty badass background that makes for a great wallpaper.

Although, it isn't too easy on the eyes for me.

I've taken the liberty of toning down the color saturation and brightness as well as resizing to 1080p for those 16:9 monitor users out there.

Edited version HERE for you to save and use.

Leaked Skyrim Map Reveals Inspiration From A Game of Thrones

The highly anticipated Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's game map has been leaked, revealing key layouts and locations within the game's expansive world.

Upon further scrutiny, I did instantly garner a hint of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire in at least one prime location.

DICE Reward Camping In Battlefield 3 Open Beta

The BF3 Open Beta is open to incredibly mixed impressions.

In an effort to quell the rather insane "pre-order cancelled" mantra some foolish individuals have been parading, DICE have released an incomplete preliminary changelog to emphasise just how much the final game will differ to this Beta.

Amongst the changes, one particular item stood out to me the most:

Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Tips

Here are some tips I thought I would share that will help you improve the way you play Gears of War 3. Gears 3 is the most accessible Gears yet, but that doesn't mean that newcomers won't have a hard time fitting in and nabbing those good scores.

Getting pummeled game after game ruins the enjoyment from this game. I really think Gears is one of the deepest shooters out there and has a lot to offer.

I'll try to keep these tips more general and not applicable to only one setup or only one game mode. Here we go...

Jay-Z Does Battlefield 3

In a new teaser, Jay-Z's 99 Problems track is seen to play over a 20 second clip showing some quick Battlefield 3 footage. The larger trailer is due to come soon apparently.

The choice of music is not really ideal. It reeks too much of an attempt to mimic the equally horrid Eminem appearance on some Call of Duty: Black Ops footage.

EA should be distinguishing itself with Battlefield from the competition, offering something new.

As it stands, mimicking even advertising campaigns is just not boding well for EA's strategies.

Gears of War 3: The Reviews That Stick Out Get Hammered

The reviews have been flooding in for this anticipated blockbuster as reviewers receive their review copies. As of writing this, the game is sitting on a '91' on Metacritic. Good, right? Yes, the game is looking like a critical success.

Critical sites such as Gamespot have given the game no less than 9.5/10, where they would not shy from giving games 5, 6 or even 7 out of 10 where deserved.

Review scores aren't really going to sway the vast majority of potential game buyers, especially those who've decided on Gears 3 ever since the beta was open. However, that really isn't the issue that bothers me. Looking at the review scores on Metacritic, what immediately stick out are the set of reviews found at the way bottom, the '80' scores.

Allow me to entertain you with my collective semi-rant about this, seeing as though it has garnered serious interwebz activity the past few days.

Short Term Break, Please Stand By

I have been busy the last week or so and will continue to be so for another week.

I have a lot of things I want to talk about so stay tuned. That and I need to synthesise a proper background for my blog.

All in good time.

Peace.

Review: Mayflash Xbox 360/PC VGA Switch

The Mayflash Xbox 360 and PC VGA switch is a product designed for people who share a PC monitor between their PC and their Xbox 360.

It was something I was in desperate need for as my monitor only had one VGA connection and there was no way in hell i was going to be reaching over to unscrew and switch PC cables every time I wanted to use one or the other.

So I placed my order and received the product in the mail after some time...

Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection Is A Dire Disappointment

Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection has finally arrived on XBLA (click to queue to your Xbox).

With my nostalgia goggles equipped, I gleefully load up the international treasures Ed Boon has resurrected. What I was met with was an absolute travesty of a port for Mortal Kombat...

Unnecessary Confusion Arises Over Gears of War 3's 'Season Pass' Details

Epic have detailed a new 'Season Pass' purchasable at the price of 2400 microsoft points starting from the launch of their AAA title Gears of War 3. The season pass guarantees free access to the first 4 chunks of released DLCs that are believed to cost a total of 3600 microsoft points when bought individually upon their release. Included with this pass is a set of exclusive Liquid Metal gun skins (pictured above). Nice!

This is great news for Gearheads who know they will be snapping up every piece of DLC on offer in the future. A saving of 1200 microsoft points and a free set of exclusive skins. Simple right?

If comments sections of articles on popular websites like Trueachievements, x360a and even Epic's own Blog are anything to go by, this is the hardest news to comprehend since the introductory class of Nuclear Physics 101. Here are some hilarious comprehension fails plucked from such sites:

Modern Warfare 3 Deals A Blow To Its Competitors With Rumored 32 Players

Unofficial sources have revealed that MW3 will include game modes with player counts up to 32 players in one lobby. More focus on medium to long range combat engagements support the rumors of the increased max player count.

If indeed this appears to be the case, alongside 60fps gameplay, MW3 has a real king of console shooters this fall and I believe that this will truly give EA and DICE the backseat this holiday season in the FPS genre.

Kinect Based Achievement Has Completionists In Its Scope With Forza Motorsport 4

With the recent release of the Forza Motorsport 4 Achievement List, pockets of gaming communities have erupted in outrage over a particular achievement.

"Look Ma, No Controller" will require you to make use of the Kinect prephiral to unlock it, which comes at a shock for many achievement enthusiasts and completionists. But is there more to this story and its implications across the gamer-verse than meets the eye? Hit the jump to find out.

Battlefield Fanboys Are The Worst

Battlefield fanboys. Also known as DICE fanboys.

They are to the FPS genre divide what PS3 fanboys have been to the console "war".

The come in various shapes or forms.

They may give incredulous praise to DICE as benevolent game developers who have done and can do no wrong.

They may rabidly foam at the mouth at the mere mention of Call of Duty. Sometimes, extending their vitriol to any pages about a Call of Duty topic around the web.

Here's Why The Nintendo 3DS Hardware Sales Slump Is Not Surprising

Recent reports have shown that the Nintendo 3DS's hardware sales have been disappointing to say the least. Nintendo have been forced to slash the price down as a result, with a second price reduction rumored to surface in the next month.

The 3DS just hasn't quite hit the mark to put it bluntly.

Let's start with the basics and see why this appears to be the case.

How to Attain the Top Multiplayer Rank in Split/Second: Velocity

Split/Second (drop the 'Velocity' part for now) is a nice little arcade racing game by the now defunct Black Rock Studio, a Disney Interactive studio. I am sorry to see this studio go as I genuinely believe it had talent and people who made games passionately.

I like Split/Second. It reminded me of a time where people could casually enjoy the thrill of driving at blistering speeds in surreal settings. In particular, it reminded of the early days of Burnout and what made the Burnout series such a success.

I did acquire the maximum 1000 gamerscore from this game because I enjoyed it that much. The multiplayer was tricky though; I could barely muster the ability to win a single race let alone display consistency in staying amongst the top half of the racing board to reach Rank 1. All that changed though...

The Ghillie Suit Snipers

The ghillie suit. Hallmark of stealth ops and military reconaissance. Venturing into the foray of first person shooter video games, it has mainfested itself hand in hand with the Recon/Sniper class setup. Irreplaceably effective at maintaining a low profile during tactical operations, relaying enemy positions and scouting targets for soldiers on the frontline.

In the virtual world, it is particulary appealing to young excitable players who enjoy the fabled mystique of being the lone sniper, picking off valuable assets from a distance, sees all yet remains unseen etc. All the kids want to be the next Vassili Zaitsev and earn the praise of nations as the kill hundreds for their country.

Popular shooter games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield have embraced the aesthetic value of the Ghillie suit to compliment its real life purpose.

The suit however does tend to distinguish itself a little too much compared to its neighbouring class appearances.

The Plague of Corner Camping

Corner camping.

We all know what it is. We all sense what type of player does it. We've ALL suffered from it.

As the FPS genre grows in size, more and more gamers and casuals will fill their free time with playing Call of Duty, Battlefield, Crysis etc. However, there seems to be two distinct types of first person gamers.

1) Those who play to have fun and know they are playing a game

2) Those who are so feeble minded that they become immersed into the game so much, they think it's real life

Its category 2 that are ruining the enjoyment of anyone with the misfortune of playing in the same lobby as them.

Why Battlefield 3 Should Wait Till The Next Generation (for consoles)

With more and more info pouring in about DICE's latest adventure into the Battlefield franchise, it is more and more obvious even to the most casual of gamers that today's consoles just wont cut it.
We got our first taste of console footage for this next generation military FPS on the Jimmy Fallon not too long ago and to say that the response was exuberant would be a tad too generous. The colours were slightly off, textures seemed muddier than previously seen on the PC side of things and the overall look just didnt seem right. All things aside, another glimmer of information surfaced confirming the frame rate of the title to be at an expectant 30 frames per second. Ok, fine, not a problem right?

Wrong.

One thing that I know COD got right was its 60 frames per second "smooth" gameplay. If I were to attribute the Call of Duty franchise's success to one thing, it would be precisely that. We know that given the design direction of a game like Battlefield 3, console gamers can continue to dream about higher resolutions, let alone higher frame rates. Coupled with other drawbacks including the inevitably poorer graphics and reduced multiplayer player counts (24 for consoles, 64 for PC), I cant help but wonder if DICE were doomed to disappoint someone somehow at the end of all of it.

My proposal from the start has been to continue with the Bad Company series for consoles as far as this generation is concerned, and give PC gamers what they want (and quite frankly should've gotten a while ago). I dont want a game like BF3 to end up becoming outdated once the looming next generation arrives; I'd like to see it as a fun, enjoyable and intelligent long term game as previous Battlefield games were.

Nevertheless, it is still too early to speculate; we will see how BF3 pans out.