LIVE FTW has now merged with HearMii

Category: By TheAssailant
LIVE FTW has now officially merged with HearMii. All previous reviews will be reposted there and all new reviews and news regarding LIVE will be posted there as well.

http://www.hearmii.com
 


Games on Demand Coming to GFW-LIVE

Category: By TheAssailant

On December 15, Games for Windows – LIVE will evolve beyond LIVE gaming and include a portal for accessing and downloading your favorite LIVE-enabled titles…courtesy of Games on Demand. Games on Demand for Windows lets you easily purchase and download great titles from the Games for Windows – LIVE library right from your computer, and re-install your games whenever you want, wherever you want. Games for Windows – LIVE now gives you the flexibility to access and play your games where and when you want, all straight from your PC.


“With Games on Demand, we didn’t just want to create a cut-and-paste version of existing digital distribution services,” said Mike Ybarra, general manager of LIVE Engagement Services. “We challenged ourselves to deliver an integrated platform that takes full advantage of the unique capabilities offered by the LIVE service. Our goal has always been to create a seamless online gaming experience for the Windows community, and Games on Demand is a great step toward that end.”

The launch lineup will include recent hits like “Resident Evil 5” (Capcom), “Red Faction: Guerrilla” (THQ), and “Battlestations: Pacific” (Square Enix), as well as new exclusive LIVE-enabled versions of popular digital games such as “World of Goo” and “Osmos,” distributed by Microsoft Game Studios. All games can be purchased either by credit card or with Microsoft Points. Games on Demand for Windows will be available in markets that currently have the Games for Windows – LIVE service. Microsoft is also offering an updated LIVE-enabled version of “Tinker,” formerly an exclusive Windows Vista Ultimate Extra, as a completely free download from the Games for Windows – LIVE client.

“Connected digital experiences are defining the continued growth of Windows as a gaming platform,” said Chuck Osieja, creative director of Games for Windows – LIVE. “Today marks Microsoft’s return to delivering Windows games built on unique LIVE experiences.



Source
 


Marley Inspects the Newer New Xbox Expierence

Category: , By TheAssailant


Just read the title, it explains everything.


Marley kindly sent us in this quick look of the new Dashboard Update. Enjoy!
 


Games for Windows - LIVE v3.0

Category: By TheAssailant


Today Microsoft released the new v3.0 update for Games for Windows - LIVE. This new update adds some protections such as server-side authentication and a promise to be DRM-agnostic (as in the devs choose if they want DRM or not).

Microsoft aims to bring more a 360-like experience to PC gaming, and thus will continue supporting the GFW-LIVE platform

The most prominant part of the update though, is the ability to purchase DLC directly from the game instead of the client. After installing the update that be downloaded seperately here, I booted up Fallout 3 and installed the latest patch for that. Once that was done I was able to log in to LIVE and be greeted with a message about the latest update. I went over to the Downloads portion of Fallout 3 and it had a new link to purchase new content. THis in turn opens up the Dashboard allowing you to purchase directly from the game. Additionally, you can purchase Microsoft Points and change your Gamertag all from within the game.

Hopefully more games will support GFW-LIVE in the future making it easy for me, or anyone else to purchase new DLC, such as Mothership Zeta. You can ask them to put in new features in v4.0 in this thread: http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/6459.aspx (All you need to log in is your Windows Live ID).



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TheAssailant6661 Reviews: Crysis: Maximum Edition

Category: By TheAssailant


Note: I don't own Crysis: Maximum Edition. I bought the games individually. Crysis: Maximum Edition can be picked up for only $40.

In 2002, Crytek debuted their CryEngine to the world. Crytek developed the original Far Cry for PC using the engine. They however didn't develop any of the spin-offs & sequels, Ubisoft did. While Ubisoft was releasing spin-offs and a spiritual sequel to Far Cry (because Jack Carver's not even in it), Crytek worked on their next engine, CryEngine 2. The flagship title for this new engine was Crysis, which boasted the world's best graphics and could barely run on high-end systems. To this day, nothing has been able to compare to Crysis' level of graphical detail.

Crysis puts you into the shoes of First Lieutenant Jake "Nomad" Dunn. You're a member of the elite US Army Delta Force unit, Raptor Team. The team is racially diverse. Major Laurence "Prophet" Barnes is your Black commander, Martin "Jester" Hawker who is also Black, Harold "Aztec" Cortez who is Hispanic, and Sergeant Michael "Psycho" Sykes who used to be a British SAS Op who looks eerily similar to Jason Statham.

Your team is sent into the Lingshan Islands to investigate the take-over by the North Korean People's Army. Your primary mission objective is to locate hostages and neutralize the enemy, while your secondary objective is to uncover why the KPA are there to begin with.

Your team eventually comes across a frozen ship, stranded deep in the middle of the jungle. You soon find that there are also aliens on the island with the ability to freeze things that are emerging from the middle of the island. I won't spoil the whole story (that's what Youtube's for), but I will say it's a bit compelling.

What makes your team special and sets it apart from the other teams in the Army, is the secretive Nanosuit. The suit can make you harder, better, faster, & stronger. Armor mode can stop bullets and quickly regenerate your health. Speed mode can make you run much quicker for a short period of time. Strength mode can allow you to jump higher, throw farther, and it can also reduce recoil when using firearms. Cloak mode refracts light away from the suit, making you appear invisible but can emit noise that can be heard by young children and those trained.

The nanosuit is a game element like no other. It allows you to make a choice between running into a base Rambo style, or sneak in Metal Gear style. The HUD's mini map will even provide the alertness level of the enemy, but it all boils down to Veni, vidi, vici, unless you decide to sneak past the enemy all together.

If you find that a bit unfair for the Koreans, you'll be glad to know that the KPA have their own nanosuits. They're extremely annoying as they have the same abilities as you and more likely than not out number you, making a rushed, all-out attack nearly impossible. I have spent 2-3 hours in one level sneaking around trying to find the ideal area to take out the 3 remaining nanosuits who were in high areas.

2/3rds of the way through the game and everything changes. After leaving the alien space ship, the aliens unleash a large orb which engulfs half the island and freeze everything instantly. Not only is there a completely new environment, but there are now completely new enemies to worry about. There are Troopers who can take quite a few bullets. Then there are larger Scouts. These require a lot of bullets as well. Then, there is the Alien Hunters, large alien exosuits that require quite a few RPGs to take out.

Crysis may not be a groundbreaking FPS, but that's not to say it isn't unique. The Nanosuits, graphical detail and real-time weapons modification set Crysis apart from the competition. Although some mods make no sense, such as the ability to put a scope onto a shotgun, but the fact you can do that makes it better. Weapons can even be set to Automatic to Manual (for example the SCAR and SMG), or from single-fire to double-fire (pistols), or even change the burst in the shotgun.

In Crysis Warhead, you assume the role of Jason Statham Psycho on his solo mission that takes place elsewhere on the island. His job is to find out what the KPA is secretly shipping and why is it such a secret. The story is much shorter than Crysis, comparable to Halo 3's single player. When I bought it was cheaper than Crysis and came with Crysis Wars. You don't need Crysis to play it either, as it is a standalone expansion.

Crysis Warhead is more action-packed than the original and is a bit harder with tougher aliens, and more Alien Hunters to boot.

Crysis Warhead presents various fixes to the original. It not only looks better, but with tweaks to the engine, it even runs better than Crysis.

Crysis Wars is the online component to Crysis Warhead and is much improved over the Multiplayer of Crysis. Crytek has recently opened up Crysis Wars to modding, allowing for possible implementation of a Single Player mode if they really needed one.

The Crysis series has a pretty large modding and map making community at http://www.crymod.com. This is where PC games shine, allowing for infinite replayability through custom maps anyone with enough knowledge can make by installing the Sandbox 2 Editor found on the Crysis disc.

The music is composed my famed composer Inon Zur, who hgas made music for various large titles, such as Fallout 3, Prince of Persia & Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.

Overall, the Crysis series can and has provided plenty of entertainment and near endless creativity. The games are fun and I enjoyed them.

9.0/10
 


TheAssailant6661 Reviews: Mirror's Edge

Category: By TheAssailant


Mirror's Edge is a First Person Platforming game for 360 and PC. It is developed by EA DICE, the same creators of the Battlefield series of games. The game bases its gameplay off of Parkour (Pronounced Park-or), which is a form of discipline of moving from one place to another as quickly and efficiently as possible. The game takes place in a dystopian city where the totalitarian government monitors all information which forces people to use runners to deliver information from rooftop to rooftop.

You play as Faith, a female runner. You begin with a simple delivery after being out of commission for a while. On the way to deliver, you come across the Police who usually don't bother with Runners but decide to make a special case for Faith. As the story progresses, Faith's sister ends up being framed for their father's death. Faith must then set out to uncover the truth, which she does by the end of the game.

Playing Mirror's Edge is like one of those "Easy to play, hard to master" set ups, although the difficulty bar is set slightly higher than usual. I found myself easily controlling Faith as she jumps around from rooftop to rooftop with the good ol' keyboard and mouse. I did find myself remapping the 180 button to Mouse 3 as Q is just slightly out of reach for me, but you will get frustrated when you can't get your timing down and you keep dying. At times like these I found it best to throw my mouse around and scream into a pillow.

Mirror's Edge is not based on combat. You can disarm Police and Militia and take their guns, but you can't actually holster the weapon and keep running. You have to discard it. That doesn't mean there aren't parts with combat, but if you buy Mirror's Edge thinking it's a First Person Shooter you'll be quite disappointed.

The game does have an Online Component, but it's simply just Time Trials and Ghost Challenges. A fantasy I have with this game is if they could've possibly added a sort of Tag game using Parkour, but I could see how the game could be limited in such a way that makes this impossible. The game does however have DLC for all the supported platforms (as of writing both 360 and PC, along with PS3). Also, although the PC version isn't Games For Windows at all, I still recommend it as it comes with the Mirror's Edge Remix CD for a price of $50 new. The CD has remixes from famous techno artists such as Benny Benassi, Paul van Dyk, and more.

Overall, the game is extremely satisfying and fun to play, by yourself or even with people to laugh at your miserable fail. If you're looking for a Platformer that breaks away from tradition, this is your game. If you're just looking for a First Person Shooter, don't expect this to satisfy that need.


8.5/10
 


Fact Check: LIVE FTW

Category: , By TheAssailant


So many of you may be puzzled as to what LIVE FTW actually is or why it started.

My friends and I started LIVE FTW to help get our names out there. We all love games and therefore found it great to make a site about them. LIVE FTW was then born from an I idea I got when Drknessfall came over my house to play some Brawl. I turned to him and go "Hey, maybe we should start a site about LIVE and have related stuff." The idea then grew on me and a couple weeks later here we are.

LIVE FTW has a very general, yet specific target audience and a very specific goal. That goal is to get all our names into the spotlight (along with the names of affiliates PHEDIA and Hear Mii, after all, that is what affiliation is for).

Just a few days after launch I have people criticizing me, saying I'm being selfish. Some of which if not for me would just be a regular old Hear Mii forum visitor. Games are my passion and I therefore thought of making anew site different from Hear Mii to try some new ideas out, such as a podcast where all members sit in the same room which, in theory increases the chemistry between the members of the podcast and various other things that get lost in translation over Skype (be it not being able to see them or actual packet loss). I also had aspirations that this site would help cut down some yellow journalism despite the name (simply because I don't own a 360 and prefer the Wii over any console).

So yeah, welcome to LIVE FTW, here to strive for perfection and bring some of the best exclusive and original content the web has ever seen. This includes a Podcast, video reviews of LIVE products, a forum community, and achievement tips for those who have no idea how to do a certain achievement.
 


Welcome to LIVE FTW!

Category: By TheAssailant


Hello everyone and welcome to LIVE FTW. Some of you smart asses can tell that this site is all about LIVE, but maybe that's a bit too vague. Simply put, LIVE FTW is a site for all Windows Live relateed services including, but not limited to XBOX LIVE, Games for Windows - LIVE, Zune and Windows Live.

We are here to strive for perfection and bring some of the best exclusive and original content the web has ever seen. This includes a Podcast, video reviews of LIVE products, a forum community, and achievement tips for those who have no idea how to do a certain achievement.

We hope you all become regular visitors and maybe even share some of your tips with us for such achievement vids. We will of course source you as our info ;).

Alright, I think that's good enough for an introduction. Just one more thing:

BAM! There it is!