I was going through the Burger King at Redstone Arsenal yesterday and noticed that the BK games were just $0.99 with a combo meal. So, I finished out my collection and bought Sneak King for a buck. Supplies are limited. Read my review of Pocketbike Racer and see why I think the game is worth far more than a dollar.

This game has to be one of the best values you can find. Now for $0.99 with a combo meal, this game has to be one of the best games you can get for the XBOX or XBOX 360. It was released on November 19th, 2006 but can still be found in Burger King's. Don't have an XBOX 360? Don't worry. The same disc works on both platforms.

The game is a racing game in which you drive minibikes around the neighborhood and through people’s frontyard, backyard, and garages. You’ll also race in fantasy stages like a high-rise construction site, a parking lot, a desert ranch, and a lush garden complete with happy little dogs and peacocks. There are four gametypes: race with boosts and power-ups, cone challenge, battle royal, and straight up racing (no boosts). All gametypes are easy to learn and the maps are easy to navigate.

Have you ever unsuccessfully tried to find a friend's game on Xbox Live even though you knew it was there? Have you ever been unable to join a friend's XBL game when he sent you an invite? Have you ever been in a pregame lobby and been unable to hear the voice communications of other players?

I think we've all experienced problems like the ones above. They are frustrating to encounter and even more frustrating to troubleshoot. However, most problems of this nature can be traced to NAT (Network Address Translation).

What is NAT?

From a helpful page on xbox.com: When multiple devices share a single Internet connection (a PC and an Xbox 360 system, for instance), the networked devices typically rely on Network Address Translation (NAT) to prevent information traffic jams. Routers with different NAT settings don't like to talk to each other. Think of this like high school cliques. The most snobbish NAT setting is "strict." Routers with this setting are like Abercrombie and Fitch models. In addition to being unusually thin, they are extremely discerning in whom they talk to, and when a router with a NAT setting of "open" asks to connect, it'll probably get rejected. The "open" NAT setting is the most forgiving.

Think of routers with this setting like a bus station skank. Yeah, it may catch a disease once in a while, but it sees a lot of action. It doesn't reject anybody, and besides its monthly trip to the clinic for free profilactics it's always available for online gaming.

Somewhere in the middle is the NAT setting of "moderate." Routers with this setting are like the kids that live at Hot Topic. These routers are very mysterious and often grow up to produce indie punk rock into their early thirties. Nobody really knows what's going on inside the "moderate" setting. It's more strict than "open" and it's more open than "strict." Exactly what level of noncompliance trips the switch to "moderate" is anybody's guess. Here's a handy chart of what NAT settings can talk to each other.

The bottom line is that if your network uses a router the following is probably true:

1. It needs to use NAT.
2. NAT may cause Xbox Live connectivity problems.
3. You can fix the possible problems by tweaking a few settings.

How do you determine if NAT is the source of the internet gremlins that are stealin' yer voice packets?

A friend introduced me to Battlefield 2142 for the PC this weekend. I have to say, I was glad to be able to use the PC for gaming again, and had some interesting finds about returning to the keyboard and mouse. For starters it looks like, for the mouse, my brain has switched preferences from inverted Y 'Look' to standard. While, for controllers, I use inverted. No clue why, I just know that I preferred inverted when I used to play Quake and Unreal. I had forgotten how much I loved the KB/M setup though.

As far as the game goes, I actually liked it quite a bit. It is a slow paced shooter and you can't run around in turbo mode as you can in some other games.

Is this the latest Duke Nukem Forever screenshot? 3D Realms president, George Broussard, says that the thumbnail-sized screenshot is an "in game shot." I have to say that although it is small, the engine looks impressive. The lighting. The shading. The blur.

DNF is the most famous "vaporware" to ever exist...or not exist. 3D Realms still claims that this game has been in development for over 10 years. In fact, 3D Realms claims to be tweaking and polishing the game right now. The game was announced in April 1997.

Ever since I read an article from one of Mintz's old gaming magazines while I was in Iraq, I have been intrigued by "Too Human." The main character is Baldur, who you might recognize from Norse mythology. If not, give him a wiki (aka "Baldr"). The game is quite lofty, announcing a trilogy a full year before the initial game's release. Like many 360 games this year (Assassin's Creed, Bioshock), it promises to be "revolutionary." Silicon Knights has been slow to deliver solid information and gameplay scenes, but I am still holding out hope that an awesome campaign could deliver this one. Here's some screencaps, artwork, and a recent article from Joystiq:

Only initial shipments of Crackdown will have the HALO 3 beta code. There have been conflicting reports from major gaming news sites. Many sites have given misleading information. I'll say again: only early copies of Crackdown will have the HALO 3 beta code. So, pre-ordering Crackdown is the most certain way to get in the beta. Given that H3 has such a fanbase, Crackdown could sell out on launch.

Most likely, you'll get a code with the game and go to the "redeem code" section of the XBOX Live Marketplace menu. You'll submit the code and it will take you to the HALO 3 beta download.

How's the Crackdown demo working out for you?

http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?link=rawr

Excerpt from long-term, in-field interview with the soldiers of E2-BAG/1/7.

Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade

Official designation: Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade
Length (o/a): 91.4 cm (36 in.)
Weight: 1.93 kg (4.25 lbs)
Filler: Unknown
Killing radius: 3 meters (10 ft)
Casualty radius¹: 11 meters (36 ft)
Unit Replacement cost: N/A

Description:

The Type-2 is the standard antipersonnel fragmentation grenade of the Covenant heavy infantry. It resembles the early 20th century Model 24 Stielhandgranate superficially, which has lead to it being called “potato masher�. It has also acquired the monikers “spike grenade�, “table leg�, and “nail bomb�.

Get to know Shadowrun:

Two enemies use their gliders to reach the top of the structure

Disclosure: The following information was taken from information already in the public domain. Below is my attempt to rally that wealth of information together to share with you. This game has not yet been released so it is still in development and everything is subject to change.

(Be sure to watch the Gametrailers.com gameplay footage after you read this article.)

Shadowrun is a first-person shooter coming soon to the XBOX 360 and Windows Vista gaming platforms. It will feature the Live Anywhere service allowing PC and XBOX 360 players to play in the same game. This game is multiplayer-online and supports up to 16 players in a match.

I downloaded the Crackdown demo yesterday,
and I gotta say,
this game is a blast to play.

I went to Gamestop to preorder Halo 3,
The lady behind the counter warned me,
"If you want Crackdown with the beta,
You must preorder, don't wait for lata."

I looked at her in disbelief.
This will surely cause much grief!
If you don't preorder Crackdown early
You chances of getting the beta aren't nearly
so good.

The morale of the story is, you see
preorders have priority

After the public release of Windows Vista, Microsoft will soon start shipping PC games that are Live enabled. The XBOX Live service will then been known as just one part of a larger system (think XBOX, XBOX 360, PC, Windows Mobile devices like cellphones, and the Zune). PC games that are Live enabled will use a service called "Live for Windows" which will work a lot like XBOX Live. You'll have one global "gamertag" on all systems. You can even add to your gamerscore by unlocking achievements on PC games. HALO 2 for Vista will be the first such game. From an article at Next Generation:

"A key feature of Live for Windows titles will be a unified Gamertag across all platforms and the introduction of the popular Xbox Live “Achievements� into Games for Windows titles. Achievements earned in both Xbox Live and Live for Windows titles will all count toward a player’s single Gamerscore. Microsoft’s Vista-reliant version of Halo 2 will be the first game to support Achievements on the Windows platform."

This news comes from a meeting with Games for Windows executives in San Fransisco, yesterday. It is the first confirmation that I've seen that unlocking achievements on a PC game will contribute to your gamerscore.

Sidenote: I predict that Microsoft will soon increase the number of friends that we can have on our Live buddylists. For one, I think it's almost needed now. Gears of War is a huge online success. I've got a nice chunk of my buddlylist that is dedicated to GoW users. Another part of my buddylist is hardcore HALO 2 players. Then I've got friends that play a variety of games that I also play on occasion. What if ANOTHER hit title was released that was Live aware? I would surely find a handful of new gamers to add to my buddylist. Yet, my buddylist is maxed out as it is. When HALO 2 for Vista launches I could easily add 40 gamers to my list.

Just logged on and was required to download an update when starting GoW. No clue what it contained at this time.

UPDATE: rap's got some info below.

The following is a release from the halo3.com website. Post a comment here if you are in.

Greetings Halo® Nation and thanks for your interest in participating in the Halo 3 multiplayer public beta.

The Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of Halo 3, is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on Xbox 360. This beta also represents an opportunity for gamers to give information that will help in the development of Halo 3. Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further refine and hone the end result of the game.

In a recent interview with Edge magazine showing an inside look at Bungie, Chris Butcher (technical lead at Bungie) said that they messed up the schedule and didn't have a "polishing" time with HALO 2. He said that he hates to play HALO 2 multi-player because of this. He says that HALO 3 is going to be polished and it's going to be much better than HALO 2. Woot! His quote:

"One of the things that stuns me when I think about it, and I can't believe this is true - we had [no time to polish] for Halo 2. Take that polish period and completely get rid of it. We miscalculated, we screwed up, we came down to the wire and we just lost all of that. So Halo 2 is far less than it could and should be in many ways because of that. It kills me to think of it. Even the multiplayer experience for Halo 2 is a pale shadow of what it could and should have been if we had gotten the timing of our schedule right. It's astounding to me. I f***ing cannot play Halo 2 multiplayer. I cannot do it. And that's why I know Halo 3 is going to be so much better."

Bungie has released details on the new-and-improved "MA5C Individual Combat Weapon System" which is better known as simply, the Assault Rifle. The AR (version MA5B) was a popular spawn weapon in Halo, but mysteriously disappeared in Halo 2. By popular demand (or b/c the SMG was terrible), it is making a comeback in Halo 3. This is not the same AR that you had to immediately "press Y" to switch from, upon spawning, in Halo. It appears that "AR n00bs", who were the focus of much ridicule and many a 3-shot, back in the Alpha Halo days, may not be nubs at all in Halo 3. Modifications to range, accuracy, magazine capacity, et. al., have all been implemented. Read on for more details courtesy of Bungie.net and Robt McLees.

The weapons in Gears of War are diverse and have many different utilities. From beams of energy raining down from an orbiting satellite, to pistol with a high rate of fire, to a powerful shotgun, there are certain times to use certain weapons. The different weapons also cater to different styles of play for different types of gamers. If gamers like to sit back and snipe, the Longshot and Torque Bow are valid options. If gamers like close-quarters combat, the Gnasher shotgun is the best weapon to have. For the roles of fire support and assaulting, the Lancer, Hammerburst, and pistols are more practical options. For weapons with a lot of fire power, the Boom Shot and Hammer of Dawn will vibrate a few controllers.

For a small sliver of time during the monstrous JANLAN 2007, eight THXers committed sacrilege and cranked up Gears of War in the middle of a perfectly good Halo 1 LAN. Yeah, it was risky. It turned out to be a nice change of pace from Halo 1, and we all enjoyed it, but we soon reverted to 3-shot sweet-ness (well...maybe 4-shot).

(New schoolers in action)

The roster was Old School vs New School. Mintz, PooBerry, Myth, and Phoenix took on Midnight, Oculus, Reverend, and JDogg/Disavowed. We all played on identical 32" Westinghouse LCD HDTVs capable of 720p. Four Xbox 360s displayed Gear of War in local multiplayer splitscreen for eight players.

The Grim Wiiper Claims Life.

Although the Nintendo Wii has only been out a couple of months, it has managed to garner a tremendous amount of attention for the large number of injuries/accidents surrounding the console. The website Wii Have a Problem has taken it upon itself to document many of these accounts of property damage and bodily injury. Up to this point, however, most of these instances have been limited to bumps, scratches, black eyes, broken controllers - ya know, stuff you won't care about in a matter of weeks/months. Unfortunately, one California woman recently fared much worse. While participating in a radio show contest to see how long one could "hold their wee", while consuming water at regular intervals, she apparently gave herself water intoxication. She reported having a really bad headache, but did make it to her home where she was later found dead. She was trying to win the popular Nintendo gaming console for her 3 children.

UPDATE: Frankie says "Those photos are of the prototype. The real thing looks waaaaay better, more detailed and has much fancier textures. (not texturemaps)"

Finally we see what the HALO 3 Legendary Edition bundle will look like. thanks to a listing at Walmart.com. Check out that helmet! Wal-Mart also suggests October 1st, 2007 at the shipping date. However, November was the month in which Bungie and Microsoft shipped HALO and HALO 2. There is no official release date for HALO 3 since Bungie hasn't announced one yet. Digg this story here.

It's time for a late night geek out.

I've been thinking a lot lately about Xbox Live... not about playing on it, I've been doing enough of that for the past couple months to burn a hole my modem. But about how it works, how they built it, what does it take to keep it going. I ran into this article at console.hardocp.com where Steve Lynch details his experiences inside the heart of XBL headquarters.

One of my favorite excerpts is about the actual building XBL is controlled from.

It was a bumpy road, but Midnight, FoulBreed, Sparda, and I (Oculus) emerged victorious in a 3 game sweep in THX's first MLG Gears of War Tournament match this Thursday. Our opponent, The Shadow Corporation, had to play a man down due to an internal human resources error. But even with a man down, SC managed to pull off wins in 5 rounds. The final tally came to 15-5 rounds going to the hairy men of The Hushed Casket. THX played as the away team, therefore we hosted 1 round; SC hosted the other 2. There were a couple of times that our 1 man advantage came into play, but overall, THX dominated the matches through superior communication and solid tactics. GG guys.

I think SC took the loss kind of hard. There was an occasion of one of their teammates accusing me of the "roadie shooting" glitch, when in actuality, he simply had his lunch handed to him (If I do say so myself). But other than that, I think they were appreciative when we informed them that they still had a chance to proceed in the tournament with the 5 rounds that they won. As usual, Midnight offers to have a scrimmage with them some other day, but they politely refused... or stayed silent, I can't remember which. And no, they did not want to scrimmage us afterwards. In the end, THX seemed more prepared, and I think it led to our victory.

I bought Ms. Pacman off of the XBOX Live Marketplace last night after I got home from work. Less than one hour later, I had unlocked all of the achievements and gotten a perfect 200/200 points. As a matter of fact, I got 90 points (including the hard-to-get “Perfect� achievement) in the first level. For you information, the “Perfect� achievement is the one where you have to eat all four ghosts four times in one stage. I still haven’t done this in Pacman.

I bought Pacman when it first came out on the arcade a few weeks ago. I played the demo and it brought back memories of watching my parents play this game on an old Atari. However, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I recalled that I was actually just playing the same level over and over. So, I bought Ms. Pacman. It had different levels or stages and I knew this is what I really wanted to play.

During the first round I got the “Cherry�, “Strawberry�, “Orange� and “Pretzel� achievements right off the bat. Noticing that Ms. Pacman seemed to move a little faster than Pacmac did in his game, I decided to go for chomping all four ghosts with one pellet (something I still haven't done in Pacman). I simply maneuvered around the stage until all the ghosts, which were following me, were near a pellet. I ate the pellet and ate one, two, three, and four ghosts. I then knew that eating four ghosts in Ms. Pacman was a lot easier than eating them in Pacman. So, I went to the other three pellets and did the same thing: maneuver around the stage until the ghosts are near each other and following me toward a pellet. In the first stage and without dying, I got this achievement. I got 90 points and 7/12 achievements in just a few minutes.

(Note: The “Perfect� achievement must be gotten on the same level. You must eat all four ghosts after eating each of the four power pellets.)

I then spent the next 40 minutes getting the rest of the achievements, the hardest one now being “Clear Round 21�. Since Ms. Pacman (and Pacman) allows you to start your game over at the last level you completed, getting to level 21 was a matter of restarting some of the harder stages from scratch when I ran out of lives.

If you are wondering if you should buy Ms. Pacman or Pacman, I recommend getting Ms. Pacman. There really isn’t a reason to get Pacman over Ms. Pacman in my opinion since Pacman is really only one stage.

Ms. Pacman at XBOX.com - (link)
My gamercard at XBOX.com - (link)

Bungie has officially introduced it's latest vehicle addition to the Halo universe. "The M274 Ultra-light All-terrain Vehicle provides an alternate means of transporting messages, documents, and light cargo between units. It may also be used to transport forward observers, reconnaissance personnel and sniper teams. Its proven versatility has made it a vital asset to field commanders when used as an alternate means of communication." Check it out at Bungie.

I downloaded and installed the Gears of War patch last night and played with 8-10 people on my friends list. The game seemed to play differently than expected. I noticed these differences both on another player's host and on my host. The biggest differences: The Longshot sniper rifle seems to fire a second shot without reloading, the Gnasher shotgun seemed slightly more powerful (possibly just host advantage), and the Chainsaw seemed to have a longer “reach� (possibly just host advantage).

When I joined up to FoulBreed's host, I joined into a game on War Machine. As a round was starting I immediately noticed that I could hear everyone, even the players on the team that won the round. As it turns out, in the lobby, everyone can hear everyone now. It used to be that only the players that died during the round could be heard. Of course, people joining up mid-game also be heard; a welcome fix.

Link dump:
Mintz's already wrote about the LAN: http://hushedcasket.com/node/1628/
Midnight blogged about it: http://midnight.hushedcasket.com/2007/01/16/gears-of-war-halo-1-lan-at-raptures/
70 photos from the LAN: at Flickr.com

THX'ers gather around for 3-shot lessons

This past Saturday the Hushed Casket held its first epic HALO LAN of 2007 in Huntsville, Alabama.  It was massive (over 30 gamers), starting on Saturday morning at 11 AM and lasting until 6 AM on Sunday.  That’s 19 hours of hi-def gaming.  Travelers made their way to the event by flying in from as far away as California and Philadelphia.  Others made the drive from the Auburn and Birmingham areas.  While we’ve hosted LANs with more people in attendance in the past, the local Casket community brought the gear, making it the most high-tech and playable LAN to-date.  We had nearly two dozen original XBOX and XBOX 360 consoles at the event along with 10 hi-def displays and copious standard-definition displays scattered throughout the home, including a 95” LCD projector display (image).