If BioShock had been Developed by Valve...

Over the years, I've done a lot of Valve slamming on Half-Life 2. Simply do a search on this blog for Half-Life 2, and you'll come across a dozen posts were I really call out its many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many flaws (did I mention it has a flaw or two?).

Of course, the fanboys that you are, many of you have slammed me right back, stating that Valve and Half-Life 2 are works of genius, sophisticated storytelling, quintessential gameplay, etc.

Well, I'm now going to present you with another look at why Valve simply _doesn't_ "Raise the Bar." Gabe Newell has stated that he loves BioShock, and that he thinks 2K Games did a spectacular job with it and copies of BioShock were going to be given to his employees for successful completion of The Orange Box (sorry, I don't have a link to this quote. Do a search you lazy bums).

Most of you, as well as the press, also agree that BioShock is an amazing game, one of the best titles released this year and beyond. And with that in mind, with how much everyone loves BioShock and also Valve, I'm putting it to you "What if Valve had developed BioShock?"

I'll tell you what would have happened had Valve developed BioShock:

- The game's intro plane crash would never have been explained.
- You'd be forced to use Telekinesis about every 5 minutes.
- There would be no audio logs, and you'd be expected to figure out the back story without them.
- There would be no Vending Machines, Inventing, or even Hacking.
- You'd have spent several battles fighting with random, AI controlled allies who would only serve to get in your way and block your progress. Think that Little Sister at the end only much worse and much more often.
- Characters would try and talk _with_ you and not _to_ you. I can't stress how important this one is being a mute character lead.
- The game would only have been about 10 hours long, or broken up into several episodic releases and still having lengthy development times.
- BioShock would still be in development.
- The game wouldn't have Vita Chambers, as even on Hard the game's enemy AI would be so poor, BioShock's own major flaw would have been made obsolete.

There's more I could list, but I think that's enough. If Valve had developed BioShock, if Valve had made it like they make their Half-Life titles, BioShock would have been a stripped down shell of what it is with generic gameplay and a muddled, unengaging storyline. It would certainly _not_ have been a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, and would have been tossed aside as another mundane shooter with a few "magic" powers thrown in.

Now I'm sure most of you are already in an uproar for my audacity to slam the developers of The Orange Box, and I'm sorry you think that, and while there's no question as to the influence that Valve has had over the development industry, they are sorely overrated as developers and thinking about what BioShock would have been had they touched it only re-enforces my belief.

Flame away.

Halo 3 Completed on Heroic

Early last week, I completed Halo 3 for the second time, this time on Heroic and finding all the Gold and Silver Skulls, as well as nabbing all the minor Single Player Achievements.

While I enjoyed this playthrough for the most part, there were some sections of the game, specifically early on (Can I just saw how horribly designed the first Chapter is?), that seriously pissed me off, though those were greatly amplified by the fact that I wasn't just playing the game, I was also trying to do specific things to nab some Achievements.

Generally speaking, Halo 3 is a solid title and I'll certainly playthrough it again (need to do the Meta Campaign Achievements), but its not the second coming of Christ that everyone made it out to be.

Some of the storyline issues still irked me, and I really don't understand why Bungie couldn't allow a) Controller remapping and b) a real save-game system to accompany the Checkpoint system. It is the 21st century after all.

While the game certainly packs in some great battles and intense moments, it really makes me sigh when I think of what Halo 3 could have been, and how the trilogy could have ended. Perhaps my expectations where too high, or perhaps I'm just thinking far clearer than the development team who was also bogged down by corporate marketing politics forcing them to do things a certain way and at a certain speed so Microsoft could turn a huge profit and secure some market share for Christmas.

Spider-Man 3 (Xbox 360) New Goblin Downloadable Content

Late last week, Treyarch released the New Goblin as a playable character for Spider-Man 3 via the Xbox Live Marketplace for 240 Microsoft Points.

You can select the New Goblin from the Playable Characters menu _after_ you defeat him in game as Spider-Man, and from what I understand, there's no new Missions or Achievements, and you can pretty much only use him for random city missions and races.

Considering the lack of new content to go with New Goblin, and the fact that his controls are needlessly difficult, I'd say pass and just play around as Black-Suited Spider-Man.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Platinum Hits

As I was browsing through Best Buy yesterday (and I still can't find a single copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360) anywhere save on HMV's web site), I found a Platinum Hits version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the Xbox 360.

I had heard that it was admitted to the Platinum Hits ranks, but this is the first visual confirmation I've had, with the silver case and different box art and all.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) now retails for $39.99. I'd still say buy the Game of the Year Edition over it, but otherwise it's quite a bargain for a title with such lengthy play value.

Halo: Landfall Download - UPDATED

In today's Weekly Update, Bungie has released in multiple formats and several resolutions the complete compilation of Halo: Landfall, originally 3 live action shorts directed by the ill-fated Halo film's director, Neill Blomkamp.

"Director Neill Blomkamp explores the lives of Marines and ODSTs on a last, desperate mission in a post-invasion Earth – a mission that may secure the salvation, or usher the destruction of the entire galaxy. Edited together as a standalone piece for the first time, these three shorts are the first glimpse at what a live-action Halo could look like and a must-see for Halo fans of every stripe."

You can download this cool video from Bungie's Weekly Update here.

UPDATE: The Halo: Landfall video is also available for download via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Mass Effect - Limited Collector's Edition Availability

I did some forum trolling tonight, trying to find any details on the availability of the Mass Effect - Limited Edition here in Canada, and found them I have right from the official source.

The Limited Collector's Edition of Mass Effect will be available in Canada as an online only purchase through select retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, and EB Games.

The only catch thus far is that both Best Buy and Amazon make no mention of it, and EB Games does not allow online orders via their Canadian site. Right now, the only place I can see that we can get it from is through the American EB Games site.

Another interesting point to think about is what kind of metal case will the game come in, and if it comes in the exact same kind as what the Halo 3: Limited Edition came in, what will we do with those scratched discs if we can't exchange them in store?

Somewhat of a frustrating situation for those of us who like to collect a little extra with our games.

Gears of War (PC) has Gone Gold

A bit of old news, but I was waiting for the official announcement: Gears of War (PC) has gone gold, and it will hit retailers on November 6th.

You can find the release on the official site's main page here, and more details regarding the game, including system requirements, can be found on the official PC page here.

My system meets or exceeds all of the recommended requirements, so I'll probably pick this up as a gift for my father for Christmas. I'll get to go through the extra content at some point then.

StarCraft II - Sensor Tower and New Artwork Added

Blizzard Entertainment has added a new Terran Structure to their StarCraft II site, the Sensor Tower.

They've also added several new pieces of artwork that you can check out here.

Xbox 360 Arcade Officially Announced

Earlier this week, Microsoft officially announced the replacement to their Xbox 360 Core console, the Xbox 360 Arcade.

It's the same console as the former Core unit, except it comes with a Wireless Controller, a 256 MB Memory Unit, and the Xbox Live Arcade Compilation Disc which contains 5 Xbox Live Arcade games.

You can check out its happy fun details here.

For the same cost, it is a much better buy than the Core was, however the Xbox 360 Pro is still a better buy for any real gamer. Should your Xbox 360 crap out though, and you're past your warranty period, this would be the system to go with if you want a new replacement.

Get a Free Copy of Halo 3 by Signing Up for Sympatico

Until November 30th, if you sign up for Bell Sympatico's Total Internet Performance Package you can get an Xbox 360 Elite, as well as a free copy of Halo 3.

The cost is $59.95/month, which includes the net connection and the cost of the Xbox 360 Elite (read the fine print for the breakdown here). Looks like you need to wait about a week for shipping after you place the order, but if your looking for a net connection or were thinking of getting an Xbox 360, this might be the deal for you.

Full details can be found here.

Mass Effect Limited Collector's Edition Officially Revealed, Bonus Disc for US Pre-Order

Today, Microsoft Game Studios and BioWare officially unveiled the Limited Collector's Edition of Mass Effect, as well as an Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus Disc (US Only).

No word on the actual cost or which retailers are participating, but I'd imagine the usual suspects would be in.

You can check out all the details here.

Transformers (Single Disc Edition) DVD Review

There's not much I can say about the Single Disc Edition of Transformers, as it just contains the film itself with no special features what-so-ever. This isn't a bad thing at all though, considering Transformers is my favourite film of the summer, chalk full of cheesy retro-'80's themed memories. In fact, you're better off reading my original detailed review of the film here.

It does come in a nice translucent DVD case with a sleeve, and there's an entry card for a sweepstakes to win a Bumblebee themed Camaro, though it won't come equipped with energy weapons or transform into an 18' tall robot. The disclaimer says so. Lousy disclaimer.

Oh, and the DVD itself has pretty menus and Megan Fox's cleavage is still wicked fictitious.

Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 Sold

Decided to clear some shelf space today and went to sell a few things to Deja Vu Discs. They were only able to accept one item, Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 which came with my Xbox 360, so it didn't cost me a thing and I made $4.95 off it.

Considering the only game on that disc I ever played was Texas Hold'em, it wasn't a great loss at all.

Mass Effect Character Spotlight Video #3 and Character Profile

We're exactly one month away from the release of Mass Effect, Bioware's highly anticipated RPG for the Xbox 360.

This week, the third Character Spotlight video was released, showcasing many characters whom I believe can be your party members. You can view the video at TeamXbox here.

The official site also has a new character profile up, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. You can check it out here.

The strange thing about Mass Effect is that I know I've seen coverage of a collector's edition, yet I can't find a single store that says they'll be carrying it. Weird.

Canadian Retailers Beginning to Lower Prices

As many of my Canadian readers no doubt know, the Canadian dollar has been doing amazing lately, and is presently valued more than the US dollar. According to the Bank of Canada at the time of this posting, $1.00 (Can) is the equivalent of $1.0376 (US), and every Canadian's biggest gripe is that retailers were not matching/lowering prices, and we've essentially been getting ripped off.

In today's Saturday Star newspaper, the front page has an article entitled "Retailers put a price on parity," and in it, the article describes that both Zellers and Wal-Mart are lowering and matching prices. While Zellers has lowered costs on everything from diapers to digital cameras, more than 250 items, Wal-Mart has higher profile items, like video games, priced at US cost or less.

For example, Halo 3, originally selling for $69.99, is now selling for $59.83, slightly cheaper than the US cost of $59.99. I visited a Wal-Mart today and confirmed that the Saturday Star's article is indeed correct.

This is great news as more stores will ultimately be forced to drop prices to compete, and we, the Canadian consumer, will be able to purchase great products for even less, which will in turn mean that we're all richer than we thought!

PlayStation 3 80 GB HDD on Sale - Actually a Price a Normal Human Can Afford! - UPDATED

As most of you know, I am _not_ a fan of Sony and certainly not of their PlayStation 3 console, thus the fact that I never post any PlayStation 3 news; however this was so suitably shocking that I had to post it right now, at work:

Best Buy is selling the PlayStation 3 80 GB HDD with MotorStorm for $499.99! That's the same cost as the Xbox 360 Elite, and Best Buy is presently selling the PlayStation 3 60 GB HDD for more, $549.99.

If you're a Sony fanboy and always wanted a PlayStation 3 but could never afford the ridiculous cost, this is a deal you won't want to miss. I have no idea how much stock they have or how long this sale will last for, so hurry-hurry!


UPDATE: Future Shop is also selling the PlayStation 3 80 GB HDD with Motor Storm for $499.99, and they're also throwing in a free copy of Enchanted Arms with it. This sale lasts until Thurs. Oct. 25th.

They're also selling the PlayStation 3 60 GB HDD for $479.99 until Mon. Oct. 22nd, however for only $20.00 more, the 80 GB HDD deal is the better one. Future Shop certainly has the leg up on their parent company here.

EB Games, a Bunch of Thieves - UPDATED

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was going to go to EB Games, trade in some old games and DVDs, and pre-order The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360) which is coming out this Tuesday.

Thieves. EB Games is full of thieves and there's a reason I've gone on about how crappy their establishment is.

The American EB Games web site shows The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles retailing for $29.99 (US). With Canadian currency stronger than American currency now, a straight conversion would place it at $29.21 (Can), however no retailer is properly matching prices on anything and everything we Canadians buy we're now ripped off on. That being said, I'd expect it to retail for about $34.99 (Can).

The clerk at EB Games told me it was selling for $49.99 (Can), and then suggested I just buy The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition which retailed for around $20.00 more. So The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles is selling for $49.99, nearly $21.00 over it's actual worth. I can't blame this particular instance on the clerk, as he's simply informing me of the cost laid out by his head office, but of course I'm not going to buy it for that cost when I can purchase it via the Xbox Live Marketplace for significantly less.

What I did decide to try, however, was going to a second EB Games just to see if their cost was the same, and guess what, it wasn't! Instead, they were selling it for more!

The clerk at the second EB Games first denied any existence of the retail version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, and tried to get me to buy The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition. Finally he agreed to check and found The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles in his release binder, but again tried to convince me to buy The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition. Once I refused again and pressed a little more, he told me the retail price for The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles was $59.99, $10.00 more than the first store I visited, and he again told me to just buy The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition.

Thieves. I'm going to wait until this coming weekend, and then I'll check my local Best Buy. Odds are I'll find it at the most for $39.99 there, and even if I don't, I'll download it for 2400 Microsoft Points when I feel like it.

EB Games has really, really fallen from it's high place as an electronic entertainment retailer, and unless there's some exclusive deal where I need to visit them to get a product, I'm renewing my pledge to not provide them with any of my business. There's many other competitive establishments out there.


UPDATE: Bingo. HMV is selling The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles for $34.99, which means I'll find it for the same price at Best Buy or Future Shop. Take that EB Games. $49.99 to $59.99 my ass.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360) Retail Disc Release Date

According to EB Games, the retail version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360) will be released this coming Tues. Oct. 16th. Since I consider The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to be the best game available on the Xbox 360, I'm actually quite psyched about playing through its expansion the more I think about it.

I've also been looking to clear out some space on my shelf, and I have some old games and DVDs that I've been looking to dump, so I think I'm going to go to a nearby EB Games, trade in some titles, and pre-order the game.

I'll tackle the new content with a new character, I'm thinking a male Orc. Who knows, maybe I'll also do one of the two remaining Guild Quest Lines while I'm at it, but I think I'll save them for a female Argonian character.

I don't expect to play through the Knights of the Nine content right away, might save that for a character to do in conjunction with the new Fighter's Stronghold content being released for free tomorrow.

Free $10.00 at Best Buy!

On Sept. 25th, in addition to my pre-order of Halo 3, I ordered it a second time for an in-store pick up in case my online pre-order didn't ship in time. My second order cost me nothing, but because I was expected to spend over "X" amount of dollars, Best Buy rewarded me with a $10.00 gift card that came this past Friday.

So basically, since I canceled the order, Best Buy gave me a $10.00 Gift Card for free. Score!

Mass Effect Alien Races Profiled

TeamXbox has an article up that profiles and provides some new screenshots on many of the alien races that will be featured in Mass Effect.

You can read it all here.