Greetings humans, Monki here with the final wrap-up of 2006. Did everyone get what they wanted for Christmas? Did that large box under your tree turn out to be a shiny new PS3? Or perhaps a Wii is now occupying a special place in your heart and your entertainment center?
I've had some time now with all three systems and all have their strengths and weaknesses. I won't make a final judgement until I get more time with the PS3 and Wii, but I have to say, this new generation of video games will be pretty damn awesome. 2007 is going to be an amazing year for gamers. Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, L.A. Noir, Spore, Def Jam: Icon...a lot to be looking forward to.
Also this year we'll see the new E3 version 2.0, all new awesomely inept legislation from Jack Thompson and fresh video game scapegoating from all over the country.
What are you most looking forward to this new year?
Real quick before I jump into the meat of the article, I just want to point out something that bugs me a little bit. Over on Target's website you can already pre-order your copy of Grand Theft Auto 4. This game is schedule to come out October 27th assuming no snafus with the launch. Why the hell would Target do that?
For that matter, why do the larger big-box stores (Best Buy, Target, Circuit City) even take pre-orders? Every time I've gone to pick up a major title there have been tons of them up on the shelf. Did anyone have trouble grabbing Gears of War on Emergence day? I can understand why the smaller stores would need to take pre-orders in order to figure out their ordering quantity but without offering some crazy special offers, why take a pre-order? At least give me a shirt if I'm going to put money down on a game almost a year before it launches!
Press Releases of the Week!
So, the biggest news of the week isn't about some dictator swinging from the end of a rope. Nope. The big news is Microsoft has begrudgingly done the right thing and extended the 360's warranty to an entire year. This means all of those systems that got bricked during the Fall Update are now under the new warranty umbrella. (Assuming of course it happened within a year of purchase.) For those of you who had to drop $150 to get your system fixed, expect to receive a reimbursement from Microsoft.
Xbox 360 Warranty Announcement
Effective December 22, 2006, the Xbox 360 console warranty has been extended to one year from the date of purchase. The extended warranty applies to new customers and existing Xbox 360 owners.
If you experience hardware issues with your Xbox 360 console within one year of purchase, your console will be repaired at no cost*. For those who already paid for repairs within their first year of ownership you can expect reimbursement checks for the amount of the console hardware repair in approximately 10 weeks. These will be automatically distributed. You do not need to contact Microsoft.
To find out more information on the Xbox 360 warranty change, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support. Should you have questions regarding this policy change or experience any hardware issues, you can also visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/contact/ or call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX and speak with an agent.
Now, that's a holiday gift, indeed. Play with confidence and enjoy the best of next generation gaming. Celebrate the holiday season with a catalog of over 160 high-definition games, the freedom of wireless accessories, and the online entertainment you can experience with your friends on Xbox Live.
Remember to register your Xbox 360 console and sign up for more great information from Xbox at My Xbox!
Spread the holiday cheer and let your friends know about this important announcement.
* (standard warranty exclusions still apply)
Well done Microsoft, I just wish it didn't take a class-action lawsuit to get a fire started under their ass and get this in motion.
This next bit isn't a press release, but I just wanted to point out this great piece of work from the guys over at Kotaku. They ran a feature this week exploring the declining "grey market" of PS3s.
I personally know one guy who returned a 20 gig PS3 due to lack of interest on eBay. I can't express to you how happy that makes me. Hopefully for the next system launch these eBay geniuses will leave the game systems for the gamers, but I have a feeling that won't be the case.
Anyway, check out their great feature by clicking here.
Pretty Images of the Week!
One of my favorite games on the Dreamcast was Virtua Tennis and coming soon is the third installment of that series for the PS3 and 360. I'd love to see a game like this for the Wii, a bit like Wii Sports but much more detailed.
Why not go for the Virtua double dip today with a gameplay montage from Virtua Fighter 5? I remember the line up of fighters at my local arcade. You were defined by which you chose. Mortal Kombat 3, Virtua Fighter 2, Tekken 3 (or Tag), Killer Instinct...okay, not Killer Instinct, but I love any game that includes a finishing in which a woman flashes her opponent. Awesome.
Looks pretty.
Monki's Favorite Games of the Year of the Week!
I'm going to go over what are my absolute favorite games of this year in no particular order here.
New Super Mario Bros.
Earlier this year Nintendo showed us all that a side-scroller can still be a hell of a lot of fun. Minor tweaks to the classic controls add some flavor to this new classic.
Gears of War
What can I say about this title that hasn't already been said? Great graphics, quality story, fun multiplayer make for a top game.
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Project 8 has reinvigorated a franchise that was falling into the same pattern that a lot of franchises are. With a new title just came new characters and new stages to skate on. Instead of following that pattern, Project 8 was built from scratch and EA has a very tall bar to get over with their competing title "SKATE" coming out in a few months.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The amount of depth to this game is just ridiculous. I'm not a huge fan of RPGs, but I got sucked into this one and spent too many hours playing it. Also right now there is a free download available on XBox Live Marketplace to squeeze some more gameplay out of this one. Get it while it lasts.
Uno
Who would have believed me if I said Uno was going to make a top games list? This game proves once and for all that anonymity plus a microphone equals annoying fuckbag. Granny can talk some shit!
Feel free to tell me how horribly wrong I am, or what games I missed. A shitload of games have come out this year and I've tried to get my hands on as many as possible, these are just my favorites based on nothing in particular, just how much I enjoyed them.
Stupid Wrap-Up of the Year of the Week!
With this wraps up our AICN:Games 2006 coverage. This snowball has started rolling and is starting to catch some steam. Stay tuned in the next couple of months for some really cool stuff coming from the games side of the site. I'm working on a few interviews, giveaways and a special treat for you local gamers here pretty soon. And now, a special treat to wrap up the year. A musical tribute to video game glitches in Saint's Row. Enjoy.
Thanks for all the love, until next year, back up the tree I go!
