Antalize this: Former Thumbstick Warrior’s and personal gamer-friends QuickBuckShot and TormentX have risen from the podcast ashes and have re-launched with an all-new Xbox-centric show by titled Xbox Vision.  In tow with the original podcasters is another of my gamer-friends, a Robin-like sidekick figure by the name of xR1CKST3Rx (Rickster) has joined the team as well.

Having just listened to Episode one I can say that they have benefitted from the break from Thumbstick Warriors.  Gone are the dead-weight hosts that disrupted the flow of the original ‘cast and in are a focused group of Xbox gamers that are not strict X-Bots, but rather are game appreciators who just happen to have an Xbox-focused podcast (but I do know truly where their heart is, hence the title of the show.)

Technically, they have never sounded better.  I have busted BuckShot’s chops for his Xbox LIVE play-by-play, but is a natural host and kept the show flowing, even when TormentX sounded like he needed to sleep.   TormentX again brings the knowledge and opinion and Rickster brings the comic relief.  He was the only component of the cast who did not come through crystal clear, perhaps they can work on that in the near future.

My two cents.  Show is better than ever, gone are the dead weight and technical issues, and in is a new and improved fresh product. The show also benefits by coming in at about an hour as opposed to the 4.5 hour epics is a benefit as well.  The tighter focus ensures these guys stay on top of things and allows the listener to listen to other podcasts that week as well.

I killed the last podcast.  The show where I was going to special guest star was the show that never came to pass.  I hope to remedy that situation and provide some of my own Xbox vision in the future…that is if this podcast freight train will have me.   Great first outing guys! 

ps. Get TormentX a tissue next show.

Xbox Vision Podcast | Digital Gaming Underground

-SG

Unidentified Flying Object – Shot down 10 UFOs in ranked mode

Gamerscore = 30     Unlocked on 2/11/2012

Fortunately not all is lost.  When I recently acquired my Windows Phone 7, I also gained access to its games, several of which are married to the stats with the Xbox Game Room itself!  One of the WP7 Game Room games is Asteroids Deluxe, which is probably my favourite and most-played game from this service.  When I purchased it I earned 3 WP7 Xbox LIVE achievements just based on my pre-history with the game.  Now while playing with touch controls and on such a small screen can be a challenge all by itself, it actually stays fairly true to the original and translates well to the medium.  I enjoyed this initial experience so much I had to try for more.

Exterminator – Defeated 10 spiders, fleas or scorpions in a single Ranked game

Gamerscore = 30     Unlocked on 2/20/2012

While there has not been a huge WP7 Game Room push that I have seen so far with only four titles on the service, I am hoping for more so I can perhaps fulfill my quest of earning the elusive 1,000 Gamerscore for Game Room.  Most of all I guess I am most excited that I have a new excuse to continue within the Game Room.  Now it is time to put some quarters up!

Game Room – Xbox.com

-SG

Perhaps it is due to my lifestyle as of late but I am really starting to appreciate the bite-sized games experience.  Lately my gaming has consisted of a race here and there in Forza, or perhaps a few rounds of Halo: Reach multiplayer.  Two of the games I was looking forward to the most this past Fall, Assassin’s Creed and Skyrim, have fallen of the radar for me due to the commitment they pose.  While this is distressing, at the same time it is liberating not being confined to an experience for long periods of time.

As you may already know I am a huge fan of Alan Wake.  Alan Wake may be one of my favourite game experiences of this generation, so when American Nightmare was announced I was ecstatic that the story would continue.   As American Nightmare is coming in the form of an Xbox Live Arcade title it fits nicely into this unfocused gaming situation I find myself in as of late.  I like the idea of taking the Alan Wake combat and playing a round of Fight Till Dawn as a way to pass by the time. Perhaps boning up on the combat will prepare me for my completion of my Alan Wake Nightmare run I am currently in.

Furthering the Alan Wake storyline is a big draw for me as well.  I want to see where this game takes us, and perhaps where we are heading to next.  I have been avoiding most media behind this game because I want my experience to be as fresh as it can.

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare will be available for download tomorrow.  You know where I will be tomorrow night…in Night Springs!

Alan Wake

-SG

Big shoes to fill.

One of the first Xbox LIVE titles made available for the service at its launch was MechAssault.  Set in the BattleTech universe made popular by its pen-and-paper board games and series of novels, MechAssault brought the action to the consoles with a full campaign as well as taking control of several of the mechs from the series with simplified console controls. 

While all this was very exciting, the meat of MechAssault resided in its online multiplayer.  I spent many an hour fighting in Mech vs Mech battles, tromping through and destroying cities, and leading my team to victory.  I can honestly say I was a pretty decent player, but as other multiplayer games started to steel MA’s thunder, plus its sequel MechAssault 2 hitting with a thud, MechAssault slowly drifted into obscurity.  With LIVE no longer available for the original Xbox, MechAssault is now not much more than a memory, but a strong memory it is and it looks like people are waking up to this memory.

While there is no formal announcement the fact that the video at the start of the post which appears on Day 1 Studios’ web site, the original developers behind MechAssault, strongly suggests that another Mech based game is in the works, and gamers from those original Xbox LIVE days are salivating in anticipation for the return of one of their beloved franchises.  I for one know of a friend that will go absolutely ballistic when he hears what I think they will announce.

I am surprized that nearly 10 years from its original release that I would be doing a MechAssault post that is a look forward rather than a look back.  Surprised, but very excited.  MechAssault had fantastic gameplay and MechAssault 2 introduced a lot of fantastic ideas to the mix.  I can’t wait to see what the current generation’s technology can add.  Destruction and combat on an epic scale for sure.  Looking forward to that formal announcement!

Storm Warning | Day 1 Studios

-SG

If you are a follower of gaming news and media one of the hottest stories out there right now is the runaway success that has been game studio Double Fine’s Kickstarter campaign to raise money to develop an old-school point and click adventure.  While I could go on at length and regurgitate the story, how tens of thousands have responded to this effort and pledging their money as a show of support for the work that Tim Shafer, and his game studio Double Fine, I am not going to do that.  Instead I am going to tell you why I have become a backer of this endevour and why I am excited for the fruits of their labour.

In the past here I have blogged about my love for the classic LucasArts point-and-click adventure games Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken.  These two games were some of my most favourite and influential gaming experiences of my formative years.  The two of these games were created by the most associated for creating this genre, Ron Gilbert.  Tim Schafer existed on the periphery of these games, working on the NES port of Maniac Mansion as well as one of the men behind the SCUMM engine of which these games were built upon.  Schafer skills and experiences, as well as Gilbert’s influence, translated into Tim creating some of the most beloved adventure games of all time: Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango.

So for reasons of nostalgia and appreciation of their craft I became a backer of this project.  While Double Fine was only looking to raise $400,000 in a month for the proposed Ron Gilbert developed adventure game and corresponding documentary they have already received nearly $2,000,000 in commitments.  I am sure many of those dollars were from people like me who have enjoyed these gentlemen’s past works.  Many pledges I am sure are votes of confidence for the company’s recent critical darlings such ad Iron Brigade, Stacking, and Costume quest.

I am looking forward to this Double Fine Adventure.  In anticipation I would like to go back and revisit Zak and Maniac and see if that genre still has it for me.  Even if it did not, Double Fine Adventure is a project worth backing, and I am glad I did so!

Double Fine Adventure by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions — Kickstarter

-SG

Split it! – Blue bird unlocked

Gamerscore = 5     Unlocked on 05/02/2012

While I am not going to tell anybody anything new about Angry Birds in this post, the significance of this achievement spotlight is that the featured achievement is the first one that I have earned via a mobile device, in particular, my new Windows Phone 7.

While I am far from the worlds most prolific mobile gamer (I have tried in the past with mixed results, mostly myself abandoning it in short order) the thrill of the achievement hunt should keep me coming back for more of this style of gaming.  I have already earned several achievements via this format, and will be featuring some more in a future post, so stay tuned.

For me, bite-sized gaming on the go on a device I will be carrying with me is more than enough to scratch that itch, and the promise of increasing my Gamerscore will definitely keep me coming back for more.  Pigs look out!  Angry Birds are coming through!

Angry Birds

-SG

Iron man (Quick mission) – You have finished a mission without being hit

Gamerscore = 30     Unlocked on 08/02/2012

With the recent release of the brand-new Ghost Recon Future Soldier trailer I once again started to get that Ghost Recon itch.  As I own every Xbox and Xbox 360 version of Ghost Recon (minus the inferior Xbox GRAW port) I went to my favourite in the series, and its most recent release, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. 

It has been nearly five years since his game was released, but other than some quirky and dated control schemes, GRAW 2 holds its own ground, even amongst of FPS military shooters that are available today.  GRAW 2 is a much more methodical experiences, plus it reaches back into the series’ roots by allowing you to order your squad, or support vehicles, around the battlefield in real-time in order to assist you in the mission.  GRAW 2 is also a looker, offering the gamer a realistic war-time experience.

This week I took the opportunity to start a new campaign.  While I still have a lot of rust on me for this series, I am enjoying my experience.  I also took some time to collect some stray ‘cheevos I left on the table.  In doing one 5 minute mission in order to secure the above Iron Man achievement I managed to collect 3 in total!

Predator (Quick mission) – You have finished a mission with all fights engaged by you                                                                                                                 Gamerscore = 30     Unlocked on 08/02/2012

So I may be retired from earning GRAW 2 achievements (maybe I will try to snag one or two more), but in the meantime I will continue my campaign which should lead nicely into the GRFS beta which is due in the next several weeks (unless they push the game back again).  The new game is shaping up nicely and I cannot wait to play it!

Ghost Recon Future Soldier

-SG

As I was flipping through my social media streams this morning I came across this story which announced the passing of of Concept Artist, Adam Adamowicz.  While I did not recognize the name, I did know his most recent works through and through as I am a huge fan of Fallout 3 and Skrim, both of these games he had a huge part in the look of the worlds, their characters, and technologies.

While I cannot speak to the man that Adam was as I never knew him, I can speak to his art which spoke to me like very few artist did before.  I fell in love (a much I guess as you can love a game) with Fallout 3 and could not get enough of it.  I would play and explore the D.C. Wasteland for hours, all the while admiring the faux-50’s future tech, the ruins, and the creatures that inhabited this alien, and at the same time realistic, world.  I would devour all the content and DLC that this game had to offer to where I felt as I saw it all, and done it all.  After approximately 170 hours, it was time to go to New Vegas.

As much as I enjoyed these games, I also enjoyed the guides for the games which featured much of Adam’s artwork.  Clearly he was a fantastically skilled artist with an imagination that could not fail.  While I can express that his work blew me away, the link below which I sourced my information from, does a much better tribute to Adam, and I implore all of you to read it.

Adam was still a young man who was taken away from this world far too early.  We are left with the legacy that was his work.  Think of him as you enjoy Bethesda’s great games and that what you see, Adam likely had a major part in. RIP.

Awesome Robo!: Farewell Adam Adamowicz : The Visual Mind Behind Fallout 3

Adam’s Blog

-SG

While on a recent business trip the fact that I did not yet have a smart phone really hit home.  I could have used the internet, GPS, and other features on several occasions.  I was at the mercy of my co-worker who was carrying one, and it helped me out immensely.  

Face it, in today’s fast paced society you need all the tools at your disposal, and if you are not using them, you are likely falling behind.  When I got back from my trip I was closer to the edge on acquiring a phone, but I wanted to wait until the next-generation of Windows phone were to be available, but last weekend my brother brought to my attention a deal I simply could not refuse!

Last weekend Telus had a 72 hour sale.  I took advantage of this by acquiring the above pictured phone, the LG Optimus 7, which in my opinion is a great little phone.  I was able to get the phone for free ($500 value), only had to commit to a 1-year contract, and they also waved the sign-up fee.  While this phone may not be the best Windows phone on the market, it does everything I need it to do and more, and when my contract is up in a year who knows what type of phone will be available!

I am very excited about this phone.  Firstly, it is my first real phone, and secondly it really opens up my gaming, social media, calendar, and internet options.  Where before I was very dependent on my laptop, now I have access to nearly all my connections, sites, utilities, and documents on the go.

So with the coming of the WP7, you can expect more on my phone, and the especially the games and aps within on my blog.  So stay tuned to the ‘Haunted House’ for some WP7 goodies!

Windows Phone 7

-SG

Golden Gloves – Scored 100 or more in the Super Saver Football mini-game

Gamerscore = 25     Unlocked on 28/01/2012

Yesterday my Kinect Sports play session was approximately an hour and fifteen minutes and I was dripping sweat.  While I played several activities, the one that got to me the most was for the achievement above, Golden Gloves, where I had to make 100 saves before running out of lives.  It took me several attempts, but I was eventually able to do it!  Now re-attempting this is not like restarting a try in another video game, eventually you will exhaust yourself with this, then a break will be required.  I was almost to my breaking point, but I was so close I knew I could to it!

I managed a solid 130 Gamerscore from my session yesterday, but more importantly I got some much needed exercise.  Now if you will excuse me, I am going back for some more punishment!

Kinect Sports

-SG