Disk Inserted

If you recall a previous post, I warned everyone about a website that supposedly gives you “5,000 Microsoft Points an hour”. Well, thanks to the help of everyone who reported the site, the site has been permanently taken offline and Firefox has replaced it with this…

Denied! Looks like Mr. “I Work for Microsoft” is going to be “fishing” for a new hobby.

So many people on the internet fall victim to a preventable scam. It’s becoming far too common and out of control. Last night, as I was playing UNO on Xbox Live with a couple of friends, someone brought to my attention that there is a supposed website when one could receive up to “5000 Microsoft Points an hour”. Being skeptical, I visited the site and looked at the page source. After noticing that the script on the page captures your email address and password and then saves it to a publicly available .TXT file on his website, I immediately knew to not do it. Here’s what the site looks like…

Looks innocent enough, right? Wrong, the website claims…

I was recently hired to work at the Microsoft Corporation as a customer support agent.
I was given access to thousands of microsoft point codes and I figure this company is run by the richest man in the world…
So I took about fourty codes with me and I’m offering them out to you guys for free =)

All you have to do is sign in with your windows live ID and password then the points will be loaded onto your account.

Wow, for someone being a Microsoft employee, I would think you’d know to capitalize your company’s name and that the number “40” is spelt forty. A huge giveaway right there!

People’s information is being stolen and what’s even scarier is that they probably don’t even know.

If you look at the website’s page source, you’ll see a link to money.txt which is in fact, the results of the email addresses and passwords captured by the form on the page! Don’t believe me, take a look at this. It’s current as of 8:30 PM EST today. I edited out the passwords and IP address for security reasons. Oh, and the last entry is me just to show you what the functions of the form on the site are able to do.

If you find your email address or any of your credentials on this list, PLEASE change your password IMMEDIATELY. Failure to do so could result in your email account or personal information being compromised.

Zune Marketplace will be undergoing some scheduled maintenance on the 25th of this month. Not much has been said as to why or what’s in store, but according to an official email from Xbox Live…

As part of our continued efforts to improve the Zune Marketplace service on Xbox LIVE, Zune Marketplace will be undergoing scheduled maintenance for up to 24 hours, starting 10:00 P.M. (PT) on January 25, 2010. During that time, you will be unable to rent or purchase video content.

Your existing video library will continue to be available.

We apologize for this temporary inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

The Xbox LIVE Team

We’ll just have to wait and see what Microsoft has in store!

Having not played the original Modern Warfare, or any of the former Call of Duty titles for that matter, I was a bit hesitant to get this game. Sure, I wanted to get in on all the hype and try something other than a futuristic first person shooter like Halo, but I wasn’t sure if a “war” game would interest me. I picked up Modern Warfare 2 back in the beginning of December, and I have yet to be able to put it down. Infinity Ward, you have amazed me with an awesome title for the Xbox 360! Also available for the PC and PlayStation 3, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 takes place five years after the previous installment. The campaign mode is divided between the multinational counter-terrorist group, Task Force 141, which is tasked with eliminating ultranationist Vladimir Makarov, and the U.S. Army Rangers, who are tasked with defending the United States from a Russian invasion. Settings for the game include Afghanistan, Rio de Janeiro, Siberia, and Washington D.C.

Modern Warfare 2 has received highly positive reviews from various gaming websites, attaining a 94% aggregate score on Metacritic, with praise stemming primarily from its in-depth multiplayer component. According to Wikipedia, Upon its release, the game sold approximately 4.7 million copies worldwide in 24 hours!

For more information about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, check out the game’s article on Wikipedia’s website, located here. Now, without further interruptions, on to my review!

* Just a fair WARNING, the Campaign section of my review contains loads of spoilers! *

The game’s controls are quite simple to pick up, especially for me. I hate games that require memorizing the manual to get all the controls and button layouts down pat. By default the controls are as follows:

A – Jump up/over obstacles
B – Crouch; Press again to prone (lie down)
X – Reload/Use
Y – Switch Weapons
RT – Fire
RB – Frag Grenade
LT – Aim
LB – Special Grenade
RS – Look/Aim; Click to melee
LS – Move; Click to sprint
D-Pad – Inventory
START – Pause
BACK – Multiplayer scoreboard

Multiplayer

To be completely honest, It’s quite easy to level up in the game. Remember, I picked up the game around the second week of December and have been playing it everyday since and at this current time, I am a Level 43 Major. That means I don’t suck! Okay, okay… I do…

Leveling up requires XP or “experience points” which are usually granted for kills, assists and completing objectives. Even if you only get one kill throughout the entire match, don’t worry; chances are you’ll still get XP though it’ll be a small amount. There are multiple varieties of multiplayer modes like Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch, Domination, etc. You’ll have to explore your personal tastes and see which one is best for either your comfort or “pwn” zone.

Free-for-all is just that… an every man for himself fight for the most kills. First time and/or novice players, avoid this game type until you are comfortable taking on trash talking high school kids with no life other than school, homework and video games. Most players don’t care if you’re a new comer or a veteran to the game, they’ll still find ways to kill you and look cheap doing it. If you’re going to give this game type a shot, take my advice… being a “back stabber” via melee or the Tactical Knife will save you in close encounters with your enemy… especially on smaller maps like Rust and Highrise. Lock-on launchers are a must on bigger maps like Afghan and Wasteland where airstrikes are common and helicopters have free roam of the open, unobstructed skies. Experienced players (and campers) like to guard the hallways and the airplane cabin on Terminal. Take a quick shortcut through the bookstore and take your time peaking around the corners. A simple smoke, stun or flash grenade will be sure to surprise the snipers waiting for you at the end of the hallway.

In Modern Warfare 2 they took custom ability to a whole new level. There is so much you can do to make your class new and unique! Along with the classes are the Callsign and Kill Streaks which you can choose from and customize.

Custom Classes

In Modern Warfare 2 the custom class set ups are a bit different than past Call of Duty games. You get to choose one primary weapon (with one attachment unless you have Bling), one secondary weapon (with one attachment unless you have Bling Pro), one equipment, one special grenade, one death streak, and three perks. To make the best custom class available, you need to think about what type of person you want to be. Each class can have it’s strengths and weaknesses which you can try to enhance and cover up.

Campaign

So basically, a private went undercover (chosen by General Shepherd) in a massacre in Russia with a man named Makarov. Makarov knew he was an American undercover so he killed him and left the body at the scene. The Russians then believed it was the Americans that planned the Massacre and invaded the U.S. with super steal planes. Task Force 141 (the English) went working with the Rangers (the Americans) to get all of it straight. They found the bullet Makarov used to kill the Private in the massacre and traced it to Brazil where they went after some people for intel. After that, Task Force 141 infiltrates an oil rig to gain access to a fortress known as the Gulag where they try to find a prisoner Makarov is after. The prisoner turns out to be Captain Price.

Meanwhile, the Rangers (Led by General Shepherd) are still fighting the Russians in the U.S. Task Force 141 infiltrates a Submarine Base as a contingency plan for the U.S. He sets off a 6 megaton nuclear missile in the atmosphere which causes an EMP to occur right over the U.S. Nobody dies but all the electronics are gone. The Rangers were out numbered but the EMP helped them retake DC. The U.S. campaign ends there saying they’ll be heading to Moscow soon and burn the place down.

General Shepherd gives Task Force 141 intel that there may be one of two places Makarov can be. They split up and head to both places at once. Roach is with Ghost and Price is with Soap. Roach and Ghost gather lots of intel from Makarov’s Estate but don’t find Makarov. They head to the extraction area where General Shepherd is. There the General betray and kills them. Price and Soap find out and try and warn them but they’re too late. Shepherd was working with Makarov from the start. The General’s thought was to become a world wide hero through this world wide disaster. So they find where the General is hiding by convincing Makarov he’s just being used like they were. This became apparent to Makarov because the Rangers started attacking Makarov’s men while Price and Soap were in the middle of it sneaking past them. They go to take him out but get injured in the process. They kill him and escape with Nikolai to a safe house, and the game ends.

Got all that? Great…

Special Ops

The Special Operations mode is either a single player or two player split screen or online. Two missions MUST be done with two players. You cannot search for partners but only invite people. Missions are unlocked by earning stars, which are acquired by playing levels at certain difficulties. Regular difficulty earns one star, hardened earns two, and veteran earns three. Missions will be divided by groups called Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo, with the latter being the hardest.

If you play two players with one person on a different/lower difficulty than the other person, the stars earned will not be as high as it could be. If one person is playing on Veteran and the other is playing on Hardened, than the highest amount of stars that person can get is two stars instead of three stars for completing the mission. If one person goes down than they go into Last Stand unless they get shot even more than they’re just down and cannot shoot. The partner can revive them, but if both partners are down than the mission is failed. On certain missions where the partners can’t revive each other, the mission will end once one of the teammates dies; he will not go into Last Stand.

A few cons, nonetheless, but nothing to cry about. It’s mainly about timing and tactics.

In Conclusion

So, you still think you have what it takes to grab the game and get going with leveling up and completing the Campaign and Special Ops missions? Give it a go! You won’t be disappointed with this game nor will you be able to put it down. Mark and myself (and soon to be Mike) usually play Team Deathmatch on Xbox Live. If you think you’re main enough (or woman enough) to challenge us, our gamertags are PhishShticks, IBraineater and HrubixCube.

For more information on Callsigns and how to obtain them, visit this link. (Thanks, Mark)

Hello my fellow gamers! Just checking in once again, and apologizing for not posting anything in a while. I recently have set up my Xbox Live account and have been somewhat addicted since my last post. For those of you that would like to add me, my gamertag is HrubixCube. If you forget, just ask Jon.

Anyway, what I have come to write to all of you about is a review of two levels I have recently downloaded for Tomb Raider Underworld- Beneath the Ashes, and Lara’s Shadow. For 800 Microsoft points each, I must say I was disappointed by the length of both of these levels. I would have liked to have had more time playing as Lara’s doppelganger and a more involved story involving her double- but first, those of you that are not familiar with the plot behind both of these levels, Lara’s shadow allows you to play as the doppelganger of Lara- the one that killed Alister in the game- and use its powers to overcome challenges Lara couldn’t otherwise pass.- on that subject, Lara’s double possesses what is known as “Shadow power” which gives her increased speed, agility, sharper aiming, and basically the “Lara on steroids” approach to the game. The thing I did not like about this level, firstly is that Lara’s shadow is actually the SAME LEVEL split into two parts. The level it takes place in is the remains of the Yggdrasil ruins after Lara kills Natla. The double is entrusted with activating a machine to keep Natla alive, then destroying the machine at the end of the game, which means you essentially visit the same area twice. Another thing I dislike about Lara’s shadow is that if you download this level, be prepared to face thralls over and over and over again. tons of them. After a while, I got sick of constantly fighting thralls and wanted an actual enemy I could shoot. The thralls seem to be immune to Shadow Lara’s bullets, and even if you use her enhanced firing ability, you’ll go through an entire clip before the thralls actually die. Lara’s double can also perform hand-to-hand combat against her enemies, the designers didn’t vary her combos. Her Shadow blast is effective as a knockback attack, but initially that’s all it’s good for. you’d have to significantly damage an enemy before it kills them. The same result occurs if you shadow strike your enemy on the first hit.

With Beneath the Ashes, the plot seems disconnected from Lara’s Shadow- Lara returns to Croft Manor to examine the Eitr stone, which can not only create thralls, but when she learns the phrase “Akeshiva” at the end of the game, she can control them. All Beneath the Ashes consists of is a level that is supposed to be a dungeon beneath Croft Manor that Lara ventures into in search of this thing. A lot of unanswered questions remain- What happens after the doppelganger kills Natla again? Does Lara create any Thralls using the Eitr stone? the levels were too short to really answer these in depth, and had it not been for the six new uniforms that Lara can wear for these new levels, and her double’s “Shadow combat” I probably wouldn’t have downloaded them.

I’d give these a 4 at best.

Good afternoon to all my fellow gamers and gamerettes out there. In case you were wondering why I have not posted anything in the last few weeks, my Xbox was sitting in a repair depot in The Lone Star State, being fixed for the red ring of death. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the red ring of death and your 360, I will enlighten all of you on the particulars. Usually, the red ring of death on your 360 signifies a hardware problem of some type, whether it be the X-clamp cracking and needing to be re-soldered, your console overheating, or any other numerous problems, the causes of the ring of death are many and varied. You will usually need to send your console out for repair if this should occur. Unfortunately, the closest repair station happens to be in Texas, so you’ll be Xbox-less for a few weeks.

First, allow me to share with all of you my experience in dealing with the ring of death, as this was my first time encountering this problem on my system.  I was watching one of my favorite movies,  The Waterboy, to be exact, when, in the middle of the movie the screen froze. I had watched this movie a lot of other times and never had this problem. As I had taken the DVD out to check it for scratches, I thought the CD was bad. It turned out there wasn’t a scratch on it. I then tried to see if National Treasure 2 would work. No luck. It was then that the upper left, lower left, and lower right quadrants on the 360 flashed red. I thought to myself  “well, that does it. I’ve been cursed with the red ring of death.”

After looking for the number for the Microsoft repair center for about fifteen minutes, I placed a call to Texas and after being on hold for ten minutes, wound up talking to a middle-eastern guy named Andrew (I doubt that was actually his real name) who informed me that the ring is a problem often associated with the 360 that could be fixed, and that thankfully, my system was still under warranty. Just as an aside, the ring of death was so common when the 360 was first released, that Microsoft had to place an extension on the RRoD warranty that came with the console. When you call the service techs, they will tell you to give them the serial number on the back of the console, and your email address.

They will then send you an email with instructions that include a shipping label for you to tape to a box to mail to Texas. When you send it out, firstly make sure you use a box with no writing on it whatsoever. you will also need to remove any games or movies inside the system, as well as disconnect the hard drive and remove any custom faceplates if you have them on there. BE WARNED THAT MICROSOFT CANNOT RETURN THOSE ITEMS TO YOU SHOULD YOU ACCIDENTALLY MAIL THEM! Along with the emailed shipping label, will be a tracking number. You can go to the Xbox support website and track the status of your console repair.

For more about how to prevent and fix the ring of death, click here.

Jonathan says: If you’re console is still under warranty, you’re crazy to try to fix it yourself. Send it in!

This post is a little bit about Capcom’s remake of Street Fighter 4. I played this game at MicroCenter the other day, and firstly, I must say that Capcom did an excellent job with re-making the graphics engine. The high-def monitor that the game was being demoed on only added to the impressiveness. The sharp 3-D graphics engine applies to the backgrounds as well, which have been brilliantly done for this remake.

All of your favorite classic Street Fighters are back, such as Cammie, Chun Li, Ken, Vega, Dhalsim, Balrog, M. Bison, E. Honda, and the other originals, as well as some additional new fighters: Dan, El Fuerte, Fei Long, Gen, Gouken, and more. In addition, in Arcade mode, each character has sort of an “Anime” cutscene involving them joining the street fighter tournament. Even though this is a Japanese game, as much as I dislike anime, I find these cutscenes to be very well done and smoothly added into the game.

Character gameplay is very smoothly edited and each character’s moves are seamless in transition. I was using Vega for the game demo, and I will be the first to admit, even though I am not good at fighting games, Konami could have gone with more of a Mortal Kombat control system to pull off combos. I found myself pulling off combos out of sheer luck and button mashing instead of accuracy in button pressing. there are also “Ultra” and “Super” combos for each character, which deal massive damage, but some of which are quite hard to execute. I managed to pull off Vega’s super by sheer luck. He jumps in the air, and flips over and pancakes the opponent about three times… not really impressive, but different characters have different supers.

Overall, Street Fighter 4 is good with graphics, but I didn’t find the combos to follow any coherent string. It was all button-mashing and moving the joystick wildly with the hope that you’ll get lucky and pull off something that’s actually good. Other than that, if you’re good at fighting games of any type, you can’t go wrong with this. I’ll give it 7/10

TIP: