This week's news about the Xbox 360 dashboard replacement (aka New Live Experience) hitting Nov. 19 was punctuated with an odd reveal that the mandatory update will require 128MB storage, more than some Xbox 360 owners who lack a hard drive may have. Microsoft promised an as-yet unspecified "storage solution" for "the Xbox Live community." Hm. The mention of Xbox Live suggests possibly an online server-based solution, but what would happen to your dashboard if Live were down or you're playing offline? Then again, surely they aren't going to mail every 360 owner a tiny hard drive or memory card, right? Intriguing, but we're just going to have to wait and see what all this means.
In the meantime, here's all the new stuff you can find on Marketplace:
In the meantime, here's all the new stuff you can find on Marketplace:
- Arcade: Beat'n Groovy ($8), MLB Stickball ($8) and Shadow Assault/Tenchu ($8), plus Mega Man 9 Endless Attack Mode ($3) and Protoman Mode ($2)
- Civilization Revolution Brave New Worlds Map Pack (free) and Victory Pack scenarios ($1.25)
- Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Offspring Pack 01 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Gone Away," "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" and "Self Esteem" and tracks ($2 each) "Stop!" by Against Me, "All Right Now" by Free, "Cream and Bastards Rise" by Harvey Danger, "Nearly Lost You" by Screaming Trees, "Push It" by Static-X and "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood
- NBA Live 09 Oklahoma City Pack (free) adds the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise and NBA Live 365 ($20), a subscription to daily updates that's free if you buy the game new but will cost you if you get it secondhand
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 Spyglass Hill Golf Course ($7.50)
- Tales of Vesperia Battle Support Item Pack and Customize Pack: Repede ($2.50 each) and 300,000 Gald ($3.75)
- Game Videos: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Bionic Commando, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space, FIFA 09, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Halo 3: Recon, Halo Wars, The Last Remnant, Legendary, Mercenaries 2, Mirror's Edge, NHL 09, Ninja Blade, Prince of Persia, Quantum of Solace, Resident Evil 5, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, StormRise, Street Fighter 4 and Tekken 6
- Themes: The Last Remnant, Star Ocean 4, Children's Miracle Network, Saw V and Stride (all free) plus Mass Effect and Rock Band 2 ($1.88 each)
- Pictures: Rock Band 2 ($1), Tom Clancy's End War ($1), Children's Miracle Network (free), Rock the Vote (free), Saw V (free) and Stride (free, plus sweepstakes entry)
Another Tiger Woods course to pay for that was included free in all other versions of the game. I would love it they sold non-PGA tour courses for around 2 or 3 dollars. But this is unacceptable. What happened to the days when I loved EA? Getting 100% completion on 007 Nightfire and developing multiple guys for NBA Street Vol. 2 and NFL Street 2. So I take it if you buy NBA Live you get a redemption code in the box, but if you don't it is 20 bucks for 365? Gamefly just sent live in for 360 and while the menus aren't too great the gameplay and graphics appear to be solid. IGN.com ripped Live and hailed 2k9 I will have to check that out as well.
The days that I truly loved EA? Pinball Construction Set, Racing Destruction Set and M.U.L.E. Yeah, that kind of dates me - I was a teenager with a Commodore 64!
These days they are very hit and miss in my eyes. On the one hand, they published the Rock Band series, but you get the feeling that the Harmonix folks keep them honest. Much of the time they are trying to nickel and dime gamers with these pay-for-cheats and overpriced expansions. Or cheat them with sloppy ports, like many of their PSP sports games the past few years that are inevitably recalled for being too buggy to even enjoy.
I recall there were a few years where I just didn't buy any EA games - not intentionally, I just went through my collection one day and noted the lack of their logo anywhere. And then a couple years ago I unofficially boycotted them for some reason I can't even recall, breaking my self-imposted embargo only to pick up the last Oddworld game.
Nowadays I don't go out of my way to avoid an EA game, but I do think twice when I see their logo on the box.