360 controller i can dig!

Finally!

XBL: Total Rip-off

Woah now, so last night saw the launch of some DLC (due for today, but we wont persecute MS's timekeeping). This DLC included the much anticipated additional Katamari content... with a hefty price tag. Each "new" zone to create a Katamari in was either 200 or 300 MS points, couple this with the new cousins and accessories. Each of the new zones is 384kb, for the non technologically savvy, there is no way that 384kb can be new content, it is simply a wee file that unlocks content that already exists on the disk. All in all this "new" content will set you back over 2000 MS Points (Nearly £20). Shocking.

Also on XBL last nigh the Muse Guitar Pack was up, costing 500 MS Points for a meaty 60mb download including 3 muse tracks. Much better.

Luv n' Hugs,

Richie X

Microsoft: Logic

Right so, I tried logging on to Xbox Live last night, but couldn't as, I have got a new credit card since then...

So I check my mail: and I have this in my inbox:

To update your credit card information:
1. Select your gamer card.
2. Select Account Management.
3. Select Memberships.
4. Select the membership you want to update.
For more info, go to www.xbox.com/support or call Xbox Customer Support at 0800 587 1102.
If you have already resolved this issue, please disregard this notice and accept our thanks.

Thank you for using Microsoft Online Services.

The Xbox Live team.

FAIL at step 2.!!

The moment you select Account management, it then says "you must be signed in to Xbox live", -.-

Caught in a viscous circle where Microsoft wont let me give them my money...

To be honest, I'm not actually that surprised, to think that this kind of stuff would be a painless procedure is just wishful thinking.

Maybe catch you kids on Live, Maybe.

Luv n hugs,

Richie

HCI my heartstrings

Ugh, so I was playing Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Terrorist Hunt) the other day as I was playing it I was finding myself more and more frustrated about the positioning of the analogue sticks on the 360 controller. To the point where I decided to have a look into third party controllers that have the analogue sticks in the "correct" positions. But to no avail. It seems as though the entire gaming community has become enamoured with the layout of the 360 joypad. I found myself (dual)shocked by this, the Playstation controller is staple in my mind, I'm pretty sure when I die and rigor mortis sets in my hands will clamp up on my chest in the exact position to hold a Dualshock 2. Yeah, so I was (dual)shocked that there were no Madcatz, or whatever third party controllers, that had decided rip off the Dualshock design and create a controller for the 360. I even went as far as to check if there were some crazy mod sites out there that maybe did it, then I find that thay have actually done the opposite, and put a PS controller in a 360 controller:

What the hell?!?? Now I'm not going to making any claims that the Playstation controller was perfect, but it was a damn-site better than the 360 controller. Even the Wii-mote looks less childish than the 360 controller. My griefs don't just lie in the analogue stick positioning, the D-Pad is a joke, everyone at some point had owned a "gaypad" and I am eternally reminded of them when using the 360 D-Pad, the original Playstation made up for this with making them feel like individual up/down/left/right buttons, rather than one hefty lump of kinder-surprise plastic. Thankfully most of the games on the 360 only use the D-Pad sparingly, for maybe switching weapons etc. heaven forbid trying to use it for the retro live arcade games, Sonic was painful and Streetfighter was impossible.

Secondly, the bumper buttons, AKA "R1" and "L1", they enrage me, not only are they badly positioned, in gaming terms it feels like a mile to jump from the trigger to the bumper button*, but they are also crap at being buttons, their singular use! Let's take Devil May Cry 4 as an example (surprise) the Right Bumper is the button, by default, that you use for locking on to enemies, however holding that awkwardly placed button down whilst pulling of rapid button is not fun, I often find that I lose the target despite the button being pressed. I dunno if it is just my controller(s) but the button is not a button, its more like a light switch. flawed.

This is one of the first things that has made me feel like an old gamer. Though the Dualshock is only a few years old I have become accustomed to it, and everyone is flapping on about the 360 being the superior pad. Am I missing something? Apparently the arrangement of the analogue sticks is meant to differentiate the player controls and the camera controls akin to WASD and mouse controls, that's a maybe, I never had an issue with it in the past with the Dualshock, and it certainly doesn't let me forgive the pads other flaws.

Campaign: Dualshock 3 on Xbox 360 starts today.

Luv n' Hugs

Richie X

*and don't give me that pish about using your middle finger for the trigger button, its a trigger button -.-

Under the Radar

Woah! The game based on Lost (360/PC/PS3) is out at the end of this week. When did that happen? Last I heard about it was that it was being made... and now it's being released. From what I have seen it looks pretty snazzy, though it doesn't have the original voice cast, which may end up being quite jarring. The reviews have all been quite positive. Still can't believe this one escaped me...

Also due out this week:

Lost Oddesey (Note: Pre-order this bad-boy from HMV)
Beautiful Katamari

Bye bye Paycheck -.-

Laters,

Richie X