Rock Band For U2?

U2 is considering following in The Beatles by having their own edition of the ‘Rock Band’ video game. Initial discussions with the game’s makers fell through. Bono and band had talks last year with the makers of the game, MTV Games and Electronic Arts, but they couldn’t come to a deal because of what bassist Adam Clayton called “compromises” they wouldn’t agree to. Now, since the release of ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’, Clayton says the U2 game could still jam out.

“We definitely would like to be in there,” he said. “But we felt some of the compromises weren’t what we wanted. That could change. I love the idea that that’s where people are getting music and we’d love to be in that world. We’ll figure something out.” The bassist confirmed that it was playing The Beatles’ game that renewed his enthusiasm for a possible U2 version. “What The Beatles have done, where the animation is much more representative of them, is what we’re interested in, rather than the one-size-fits-all animation,” he said. “We didn’t want to be caricatured.”

Did you know that most gaming incorporates advertising within the game? It is hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Targeting children with subliminal advertising is probably a bad thing. Not all games are for children, though. Advertising can help offset the price of the game (making it more affordable for the poor. *note: some economists say gaming is the best entertainment value!)

If you have played Rock Band or Guitar Hero, it is easy to spot advertisers. It is actually pretty clever how they integrate them into a microcosm of the real world. For instance, Ernie Ball guitar strings (a real company that makes really good guitar strings) can sponsor your make-believe band just like they do for real bands. Someone interested in a music career can learn through this lifelike simulation.

Now, advertisers want to know how effective this marketing technique is on you. Are they getting a good bang for the buck?

An advertising orginization, The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), is accepting public comment at www.iab.net/in-game. Let them know what you think.

In order to encourage market growth, the IAB Games Committee worked with key industry stakeholders to develop a single methodology for in-game advertising measurement. The IAB’s proposed new guidelines cover dynamic, in-game advertisements that appear in PC or console-based games and:

* Establish a common methodology for counting impressions, thus making it easier to buy and sell in-game advertising
* Provide key measurement definitions to help marketers better understand and quantify the value of advertising exposure within the gaming environment

Read the whole press release: “In-Game Advertising Measurement”

Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) is a Bungie.net set to be released September 22, 2009.

Halo 3: ODST (previously known as Halo 3: Recon) is a standalone expansion for the first-person shooter (FPS) video game Halo 3. Players take on the roles of human UNSC soldiers called, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, during the time period before Halo 3. Some people think it is similar to the Star Wars ordering of releases… go back in time midway through the series.

According to XBox Live, you can pre-order and get a token to unlock Sgt. Johnson. “Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson is a tough as nails career Maine that has been in more life or death battles than you’ve had hot meals. He has survived more infectious Flood outbreaks, greased more Covenant bad guys, and kicks more ass than any other twenty soldiers. And now you get to walk a mile in his shoes.”

Microsoft has unveiled a new project that allows a gamer to interact with the game console — “No Strings (or Controllers) Attached.”

“Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.”

A horizontal bar device is connected to an Xbox 360. Unlike the Wii wand, the Xbox device uses 3-D cameras and microphones to detect a player’s voice and motion.

Perhaps one of the more recent first-person-shooters (FPS) to be released is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game came out about the same time as Halo 3 but sales for what people are now calling COD outshone the successful franchise that is Halo. Now the best selling shooter of all time, COD has a massive following. Call of Duty 5 took us back from modern warfare to the days of WWII where you can brandish a dinky M1 Garand. The M1 is a famous gun that would only be consider “dinky” when compared to the .50 caliber sniper rifle or the Desert Eagle. COD4 was so successful that many faithful fans have still remained behind, through the release of a new game, to continue its reign as leading FPS. The only game anticipated to overthrow this award winning game is what I have deemed COD4.2. Activision, COD’s publisher, just released the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Seeing COD5 flop they went back to what they did best.

COD4 has several key qualities that make it an outstanding success. The first is the graphic display. It is the first thing you notice when you play a game. If it looks like a 5-year-old drew it, then it’ll play like a 5-year-old made it. The box says, “The most realistic game we’ve seen in years,” and it’s right. With the exception of Final Fantasy, which is in a completely different genre of games, there isn’t a game that can compete graphically.

Second, is the game play. Sure it has its faults. My roommate will be the first to say how loud I curse when I die, but its pro’s outweigh its con’s. There is both hardcore and normal play depending on your preferences. There are king of the hill, search and destroy, or old school game types. This game was crafted to fit every player. The online ranking system gives you something to keep playing towards even after you’ve reached the highest level (referred to as a 55 gold cross) as very few people have golden weapons. Only by achieving every weapon challenge can one gain access to the famed golden camouflage.

That’s just the multiplayer. The campaign mode is exhilarating as the players travel through the Middle East and into the Russian Bloc. The storyline is fascinating and gives people an idea of what it looks like over in Iraq. The portrayal of loss and success shows the daily ups and downs of a soldier’s life.

Currently this is the best FPS on the market. If you want a “good buy” this is it. I’ve gotten days of playtime, and I’m not a hardcore gamer. I don’t see another game dethroning COD4 until maybe COD4.2… and even then it will be a challenge for Activision to outdo themselves.

Every Monday for two and a half years, Nintendo has introduced new downloadable games and applications for the Wii console. Today marks a milestone for the Virtual Console section of the Wii Shop Channel, home of some of the greatest titles in video game history. The classic The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask becomes the 300th Virtual Console title available for download. It’s one of the highest-rated Nintendo 64 games of all time, and its three-day time cycle and deeper, darker storyline offer players a different experience than a traditional Zelda game. People who played it years ago can relive their gaming roots, while those who never picked it up can discover its fun and charm for the first time.

Though we have not tried the new Zelda, we can recommend the original game. It is an action packed role playing video game.

The worldwide community of gamers is like a nebula. Unlike the physical world, the gamers world is not well defined. Following are some examples of gamer communities.

From Wikipedia
A multiplayer game is a game which is played by several players. The players might be independent opponents, formed into teams or be just a single team pitted against the game. Games with many independent players are difficult to analyse formally in a game-theoretical way as the players may form coalitions.

World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft takes place within the Warcraft world of Azeroth, two years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard’s previous Warcraft release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2, 2001. The game was released on November 23, 2004, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise.

The first expansion set of the game, The Burning Crusade, was released on January 16, 2007. The second expansion set, Wrath of the Lich King, was released on November 13, 2008.

With more than 11.5 million monthly subscribers, World of Warcraft is currently the world’s largest MMORPG in those terms, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG. In April 2008, World of Warcraft was estimated to hold 62% of the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) market.

What Is XBox Live?
Xbox LIVE is the premier online gaming and entertainment service. It’s a worldwide community of gamers connected through Xbox 360 and a high-speed Internet connection. And it’s a way to experience all kinds of new gaming and entertainment content without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.

Xbox LIVE lets you play games against other online players, as well as download free demos, trailers, and more in Xbox LIVE Marketplace. You can use Microsoft Points to download full games from Xbox LIVE Arcade, or extras for your favorite games, such as new levels, vehicles, weapons, and lots more. You’ll also find movies, TV shows, and original content created just for Xbox LIVE members.

Xbox LIVE members can use friends lists to keep in touch with real-life friends or new people you meet online, create online parties and join games with friends, and create an online persona with a unique Avatar.

There are two levels of service for Xbox LIVE. The Silver level is free and lets you download content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, chat with friends, and share your gamer profile and achievements with other users. The Gold Level is a paid service with all of the Silver level benefits, plus with the ability to play multiplayer games online against other members of the Xbox LIVE community, create parties and join games with friends, and, if you’re a Netflix member, even watch streaming movies right on your Xbox 360. Join Xbox LIVE now!

Sony Playstation Network
* Go multiplayer with free online gaming
* Keep track of what games your friends are playing with Friend’s List
* Show off your Portable ID on your favorite social networks

Wii Online
Wii doesn’t only play games, it also connects wirelessly to the Internet to bring you the latest news, weather reports and game downloads; plus you can send text messages and swap data with other Wii owners online.
*Even when Wii is off, it’s on. Wii can remain connected to the Internet in a low power state, to download new content for your games while you sleep.
*Check the latest headlines and local weather reports, organise your digital photos, and even surf the Web – all from the comfort of your sofa.
*With Nintendo’s free and fun online service, you can directly play games with other Wii owners – even if they are miles away!

Probably the most played on-line game is Halo 3. It is an FPS (First Person Shooter) game. As you play the game, it is through the eyes of your player. There are a variety of matches to choose from, but the objective is usually the same — kill your oppenent.

Before entering Matchmaking, you choose from a menu as to whether you want ranked or social matches. Next, you choose the type of match, such as, Lone Wolves (6 playes “every man for himself), Slaye (4 against 4), Big Team, etc. Then, you enter Matchmaking where the computer server matches up the teams.

Microsoft describes the game:

A HERO MUST RISE. BELIEVE.
The epic saga continues with Halo® 3, the third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

Halo 3 represents the third chapter in the Halo trilogy—an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.5 million units worldwide, logging more than 650 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE®, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation, and more.

Bungie
Halo was developed by Bungie. A website has been devoted to the Halo series at http://www.bungie.net/. Viewers can read forums, make comments or check out real-time statistics.

by mootmute

Fun? What is fun? Perhaps all people do not view fun the same way. But, most people consider games fun. And, most people consider music fun.

I’ve always found playing the music business game to be fun. For much of my life, the industry was untouchable to most people. The “corporate suits” had a monopoly over the supply chain. You had to get signed to a label in order to get distribution. The process of getting signed amounted to enslavement. Cost was another limiting factor for most people. To rent studio time or buy your own equipment was cost prohibitive.

In the 1990’s, things really started to change. I helped write and distribute some of the first albums made for the world wide web. Shortly thereafter, the MP3 became available to the masses for free. It became possible for a poor fool, such as myself, to make high fidelity recordings and distribute them all over the world… for next to nothing.

Now, it is possible to do it on a much higher level of multimedia that includes photos, moving pictures and interactive gaming. For a while, I invented ways to do this using primitive tools that I created. The rest of the world was also doing their fare share of creating.

Low and behold, along come games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Though at first I was a skeptical musician, I quickly became a convert. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any sweeter, Guitar Hero incorporates a multi-track recording studio into the game. So, anyone… anywhere… that already plays video games can get a free hi-fi recording set up included with the game. You can write and record original music then publish it as a game song for the rest of the world to play!

Also See: A Mess

The XBox 360 is a game console made by Microsoft. It can connect to the Internet using an ethernet cable or using a wireless wi-fi connection; however, an XBox Live account must first be established at a cost of $100 / year. Once you have an account, you can download game upgrades, movies and other software. Usually there is an additional charge for downloads. Sometimes downloads are free like with certain Halo 3 maps or select Rock Band and Guitar Hero songs.

Benefits
The benefits of purchasing the XBox 360 over other game consoles include the large number of users. When playing games on-line, it helps make team selection faster and more interesting having many players.

Costs
The problems with the XBox 360 include: hidden costs, overheating, disc destruction and problems with the hard drive storage device.

Microsoft does not make it cheap or easy to game on-line. Unlike some game consoles, they charge a yearly fee for Internet play. With some games, such as Halo 3, they force you to buy new maps. Then, when you go to the “Marketplace”, they don’t tell you what package you need (forcing you to make random purchases until you download the correct upgrade.)

The XBox is notorious for having overheating problems. When the console gets hot, the solder melts causing the unit to fail. Xboxers refer to this as “The Red Ring Of Death” due to the red ring displayed on the front of the unit. Another hardware problem has to do with vibration destroying game discs. If there is any movement to the console while there is disc in the unit, a circle get burned onto the disc rendering it useless.

Not only is the hard drive expensive, but it also has problems remembering. For instance, when you move the hard drive to a different console, it won’t recognize certain previous downloads. This is common with Halo 3 maps. An error will be displayed saying “player doesn’t have maps”. You have to log your user out of the game and re-download the necessary maps at the Marketplace.