Category: Gaming

Backorder Bonus: Win Gears of War 2 Flashback Map Pack!

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When Gears of War 2 launched, the pre-order hungry gamers got a few extra multiplayer maps for free. The maps were then released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 MSPoints. The map pack included five maps for an astonishingly reasonable price. Some people hated the idea that they were just “remake” maps, but Epic recognized that and made the maps essentially $1 each. The remade levels from Gears of War 1 multiplayer in this map pack are: Gridlock, Subway, Canals, Mansion, and Tyro Station.

Maybe you didn’t pre-order your game, maybe you bought the game used, and maybe you just have no intention of paying for old maps! Either way, if you still don’t have this map pack and you’re interested, here’s your chance!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this thread between now and 12:00 NOON EDT on Friday, April 9th. A comment will be chosen at random and then sent a code. If you leave your gamertag, I can easily send you the code over Xbox Live. If you do not leave a gamertag, I will only be able to contact you if you are a registered user of WinBreak.com.

Sony's Webmaster Insulting you, or PlayStation.com hacked?

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Visitors to this URL (http://us.playstation.com/PS3/dearplaystation/) today have been greeted with a the above message, insulting your computer comprehension.

The message, telling you to “stop wasting [the webmaster’s] time,” shows up whether you have javascript and/or flash enabled or installed, respectively, contrary to the error message itself. The message is extremey blunt, rather than a helpful message intructing you on how to fix the issue, or linking you to the Adobe Flash website, the message simply insults visitors.

At first I began to think a self righteous webmaster is tired of troubleshooting other people’s problems. Based on that train of thought, I’m sure it was thought that the message would never be seen by Sony’s customers, but after all of the problems they’ve been having with the PSN this weekend, this just seems like the wrong time to be offending the people visiting your website for information.

Then I looked at the web address, and the message… “Dear Playstation, get flash and/or enable javascript and stop wasting my time.” The message could have been left by someone else. But if that’s the case, that means it was left by a website hacker. Even if it was done with some basic script hacking, SQL injections, whatever – it makes you question the security of Sony’s website – and therefore the security of your information. Sony prides themselves on their regular currency transactions, but that may of course mean you have your credit card on file with the PSN. How do you feel, now?

Potential data (trophy) corruption, PlayStation network being down and causing problems with games, and now a hacker loose on PlayStation.com? Bad form, Sony. Bad form.

[update 2] Halo Legends Sweepstakes (sorta) has achievements!

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The following is essentially an unpaid commercial for something I think is pretty sweet.

Update 2: I have decided I will continue to update the code list day to day, at least until I complete all of my sets, look to the BOTTOM of the post for the latest!

Have you been following the news about the Halo Legends DVD and Blu-Ray coming soon? I’m a huge sucker for a good story, I love single player video games and their campaigns, I do enjoy the backstory of the Halo universe. In the new tradition, popularized by The Animatrix, Halo Legends will fill in a great deal of Halo lore via anime short films. To celebrate the release on February 16th, 343Industries is putting on a contest, hosted as a Facebook App. You could win everything from an Xbox 360 to copies of the movie, and Grand Prize even gets a trip for two to see 343 Industries HQ (the new home of all things Halo). To sign up, you can just visit HLSweeps.com.

To earn sweepstakes entries, all you need to do is enter the daily codes – doing so can also unlock some very hi-resolution artwork and a trailer for the Halo Legends DVD & Blu-Ray. You earn these nice little achievement bonuses by collecting the “cards” given to you with each code entered. 1 sweepstakes entry & 2 “cards” per code. If the left side of the sweepstakes page doesn’t reflect 32 entries when you’re done with what’s below, you missed something, so try a few more! Get started entering codes on the Facebook app page, and visit HLSweeps.com each day to continue entering them!

To get you on your way faster, I’ve compiled a list of codes from all participating sources. Dating from February 5th, 2010 backwards:

Codes from MySpace:
Daily Code for 02/05/10: JP9MJ9
Daily Code for 02/04/10: RCZJKG
Daily Code for 02/03/10: V9EJNE
Daily Code for 02/02/10: K7VS38
Daily Code for 02/01/10: 29PEJ8
Daily Code for 01/31/10: XB8UF3
Daily Code for 01/30/10: QJFPHP
Daily Code for 01/29/10: 5JSQ87

Codes from Twitter:
ZYMSZJ
KA9FGP
YRX22P
6BJ23J
VBCAWU
RTT75C
VK2W9D
38JCG7

Codes from HaloLegendsDVD.com:
KZJY36
QDWQ5G
HB845A
ZRUNMN
AZU2HH
QN55UN
S833B7
FHPA83

Codes from Facebook:
Daily Code for 02/05/10: 97ZA96
Daily Code for 02/04/10: MC9SPB
Daily Code for 02/03/10: FYMK4U
Daily Code for 02/02/10: 52UN9B
Daily Code for 02/01/10: B8TE96
Daily Code for 01/31/10: JUSY4U
Daily Code for 01/30/10: KSJZWA
Daily Code for 01/29/10: QT4C7T

The gaming element of the page will also reflect cards which you have “multiples” of – if you want to unlock the high resolution art or the preview video by collecting these cards, you can trade with other “collectors.” To send a card to a friend, just click the “SEND” button beneath a picture – a window will open asking you to begin typing your friend’s name and you can send away – the person must be on your friends list to send or receive cards from them. I happen to need 5 cards to complete my set: 2, 29, 30, 40, and 48 – feel free to help me out by adding me as your Facebook friend! So start entering those codes on HLSweeps.com!

Update 1: 2/6/10:
Facebook: F29Z7V
Twitter: DMAB9E
MySpace: XUQNGP
HaloLegendsDVD.com: PG9V6W

Update 2: 2/10/10:
Myspace from 2/7-2/10:
Daily Code for 02/10/10: QCE2XQ
Daily Code for 02/09/10: DRFYZF
Daily Code for 02/08/10: ZBF9JH
Daily Code for 02/07/10: RDGYM2

Facebook 2/7-2/10:
Daily Code for 02/10/10: G49DZE
Daily Code for 02/09/10: D8J5U4
Daily Code for 02/08/10: 8R3WKN
Daily Code for 02/07/10: ZE6GX3

Twitter 2/7-2/10:
2XY979
YHK4ST
SFH7YT
EYFG26

HaloLegendsDVD.com 2/7-2/10:
77XMR3
ZFKWAG
RRQ2D9
2XY979

DLC: Now or Later? Be heard!

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The new industry standard: Downloadable Content (DLC). When PC gaming was in its prime, Expansion Packs for games were all the rage. For the price you paid, typically half the cost of the original game, you could nearly double the content and expand the life of your game.

Not many people minded, we were excited to see more things for our favorite games. Something to tide us over until a sequel arrived. Then came the era of DLC, and downloadable add-ons being annonced before a game was released.

When announced too soon (such as before the game is released), or when underwhelming (for instance, unlocking new costumes which were actually included on the disc for $4), peopple tend to complain. The biggest argument, and sometimes valid, is this: if the content is finished when the game is shipped – why isn’t it on the game disc? Other games release it so soon that it was obviously under development when the game was released – so why wasn’t it released as a free add on, or why wasn’t the game delayed?

After nearly 100%-ing Assassin’s Creed 2’s Xbox Live Achievements, I’m left wanting more. The game shows parts on the map which are inaccessable, and where most of the edges of the game’s map say “area not available” these say “area not available yet.” Try heading to the south of Florence – the other side of the bridge from the exact spot where the game starts. Pay close attention, you’ll notice that “yet” when it’s warning you of Desynchronizing. So there, we know it’s coming, it’s just a matter of time. Meanwhile, the developers are too busy in the process of pretending like it doesn’t exist, so as not to upset the “too sooners.”

Unfortunately for developers, there is practically no happy medium of knowing the time frame to make gamers happy, when it comes to DLC. When RockStar Games released the first expansion for Grand Theft Auto IV, nearly 10 months after the game was released, they obviously took their time, after the game itself was released, to work on something worthwhile. Still, the hype had gone from the game, and while the Lost and the Damned was well reviewed, the sales were admittedly a bit lackluster.

So what is a development studio to do? Too soon, or too obviously planned, and we the gamers ask why it wasn’t part of the retail package. Too late, and the company may not even make back some of the money they put in to the additional content. We know that DLC is a part of our gaming landscape, from this moment on, and companies will spend this next decade getting their timing down and milking us for more money. I don’t mind thinking of DLC as a mid-way point before a sequel, but even I can’t offer the solution as to “when” DLC should be released.

So what say you? When do you want your DLC? Sooner rather than later? Or does new DLC for an “old” game make you go back and play it again? Do you get angered when DLC is offered very near the game’s retail release date? I’m interested in seeing your feedback!