Xbox 360 Game News, Reviews, and Columns - XboxFocus

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The Xbox Guy

As the great Reggie of Nintendo would say "Hey, my name is Steve. I like kicking asses."

In case you didn't know, my name is Steve Wysowski, and my job is to run this site to the best of my ability, but my other job is also to maintain this column for your enjoyment. Here I will share my inner most thoughts about this wonderful world of gaming every few days; and hopefully give you all a few laughs as well. Besides my usual updating, once a week I'll throw you some links, some podcasts, and some other bits of information that I know you're gonna like. I'll also run review blogs as I'm reviewing a game, giving you some information for those specific games that you simply can't wait for a review to get some info on.

If you want to add/message me on XBL or you want to give me a news tip; hit me up on xAD Steve. Also, remember to check up the forums, I'll be there 24/7. See you on the battlefield soldier.

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Columns List

• My E3 Hopes and Dreams

  by Steve Wysowski July 12th 2008 11:04 PM CDT4 Comments

  Last year's Microsoft E3 Press Conference left me with two meditations: 1 - Every one of G4's staff members should receive the “Last King of Scotland” treatment and then have their mutilated corpses hung to dry (except Olivia Munn, there's a spot on my mattress reserved for her). 2- That's it?
  
  While Microsoft's presentation was wrapped in an edgy presentation hosted by Benedict Arnold- err… Peter Moore, the content that the conference boasted was eerily shallow. The company seemingly transformed what is meant to be an annual showcase of titles veiled under cloaks of mystery into one bloated commercial for games we already knew everything about. It was like me showing you a year-old teaser trailer for The Dark Knight and then expected you to go apeshit over it.
  
  I'm not sure why Microsoft chose to advertise their games at such an event like E3. I say this in light of the fact that the only people actually watching the conference are either:
  
  A) People working in the industry either through media coverage or game development.
  B) Financial cunts.
  C) People who check the gaming blogosphere more often than Paris Hilton goes to the gynecologist to check for new STDs.
  
  The only substantiated unveilings that came out of last year's charade were some oh-so-minor news about the Halo franchise’s future (through some live-action featurettes that served the same purpose as a sedative) and a short (apparently racist) Resident Evil 5 trailer. Even though by my standards the latter shouldn't even be there, because A) we heard about the game a year prior and B) it has an ETA of "hopefully sometime before you die".
  
  The upcoming 2007 lineup was clearly clogging Microsoft's attention span at the time (can't blame them: Halo 3, Bioshock, and Mass Effect were all on the way), and while every year's holiday season is something we all wanted to delve into during the show, the opening press conference should have focused on 2008 and beyond. Now that 2008 is half over, and another E3 just on the other side of the horizon, millions of gamers are wondering just what the hell to expect in 2009. Even though I have a Masters degree in omniscience, I can't tell you that: only Microsoft can. However, here's what I'm hoping for out of Microsoft's 2008 Press Conference:
• Stop Overhyping Games

  by Steve Wysowski June 25th 2008 12:37 AM CDT3 Comments

  The anticipation level amongst gamers leading up to the release of Halo 3 can be compared to the spectacle of seeing a pack of wild dogs salivate over a caged slice of filet mignon.
  
  Invariably drooling over the slab of beef at hand, even those who might prefer chicken over steak were so taken astray by the other dogs' slobbering that they too decided to join the orgy of augury. However, when the cage's lock busted open, and the canines dove into the outer crust of the meat teeth-first as if they were owned by Michael Vick, they soon comprehended that the meat tasted less like a tender, juicy cut of filet and more like the feces that is excreted from their own asses (or colloquially known as dog shit).
  
  Most of the canines realized that perhaps the brawn wasn't as luscious as expected, and chose to move on, gaining some valuable life lessons in the process. Some however, chose to ignore the taste impacted on their tongues and just go with their rudimentary instinct based around their original level of anticipation, and have chosen to lie to themselves everyday by eating their own excrement. These dogs can be translated as Halo fanboys, and any plans of assimilating them to everyday society is as hopeless as trying to get them to stop screaming into my microphone on Xbox LIVE.
  
  My point is that Halo 3 didn't quite live up to the expectations we all had for it. Actually, saying that Halo 3 just didn't live up to expectations is like saying Jamie Lynn Spears turned out to be what every guy over 18 hoped she would be (a hotter, saner version of her freakishly fat sister). It was a colossal flop (except to those who eat their own feces).
  
  However, most of the blame for Halo 3 shouldn't be thrown directly at Bungie or Microsoft, for they aren't entirely at fault. When you look back at the game now, you can easily substantiate that were it not for the large amount of hype hrown onto the Halo 3's shoulders (that made its knees snap in twain), the game may have been much more enjoyable. Would we enjoy the original Halo if we all expected it to be the best thing ever since sliced bread? I don't think so, and for that matter, I don't think we could enjoy anything in life if we had such expectations of grandeur for it. I'd rather have something good surprise me than have something great merely satisfy me any day.
• Your 360's Summer of Dreams

  by Steve Wysowski June 1st 2008 9:14 PM CDT15 Comments

  Since virtually the Big Bang, game publishers have feared releasing video games during the summer as much as this little girl fears coaster attractions:
  
  
  
  
  While summer has invariably appeared to me as an integral time for gaming (most gamers occupy their entire summers lying dormant in their cave-like rooms as everyone else basks and wallows in the beautiful weather outside), developers seem to believe that theories like mine can go piss off. I presume that there is too much of a gap between now and Christmas for a developer to release anything worthwhile, and what we are usually left with is a game that can fit into one of the following three categories:
  
  A) Absolute clusterfucks which produce the same effect as would having your pubes shaved with a machete.
  
  B) Games that developers aren't too certain with, and are too apprehensive to release them during the holiday season. The game inevitably ends in either category A or gets infinite "diamond in the rough" (i.e. The Darkness).
  
  C) Bioshock.
  
  Needless to say, I planned to go into this summer with my rudimentary train of thought as I have had every year. But yesterday, as I went scouring through IGN's release date page (which is in dire need of an update) like a drug detecting dog digging through Ricky Williams' pockets, an epiphany of sorts materialized to me: this summer is going to fucking rock!
• Gears of War 2 Multiplayer Thoughts

  by Steve Wysowski May 26th 2008 1:57 AM CDT12 Comments

  Gears of War 2 articles have been dominating my column lately, and I know some of you guys may be getting a bit sick of it, but what am I going to do? It's just how the cookie has been crumblin' lately, and with the recent leak of information regarding the game's multiplayer it only seems necessary to chime in with my opinions. What has been taken from the magazine isn't too detailed, but a lot of information has trickled in. I've jotted down ten or so points about what I've seen thus far, and I'm getting pretty damned excited for this game. Be warned though: love, hate, fears, and a crap load of congestion (my nostrils feel like they just got raped by this bug I've come down with) awaits all who enter.
  
  Oh, and I've scattered some high-res scans of Gears 2 from the magazine all across the article for your viewing pleasure. Aren't I the best Xbox Guy of all time?
• The Xbox Links: Part Uno

  by Steve Wysowski May 21st 2008 12:50 AM CDT3 Comments

  Once a week, The Xbox Guy will present The Xbox Links; a showcase of links, videos, podcasts, and whatever else he can find that can help satisfy your Xbox gaming needs. What is included can vary from some cheats, glitches, achievement tutorials, some cool videos, captures, funny clips, and anything else he believes is worth your time. So in a nutshell: expect the unexpected.
  
  So I've had a rough month as far as my real life is concerned, which has effectively put this feature I had planned for quite some time on the backburner. Now that I have finally found some room to fit this into my schedule, I'd like to say welcome to The Xbox Links: Part Uno. I think you're going to enjoy this feature, as like most of you, I too aimlessly surf the internet, hoping to find some diamonds in the rough that can offer me some entertainment or information. So as the caption above states; once a week I'll bring you some interesting links and videos from across the web; offering the tips, shocks, and laughs that may be going around the Xbox community. Hope you enjoy, and I'll try to bring you some rather varied crap over the course of feature's life span.
• A Call of Duty 4 Wishlist

  by Steve Wysowski May 20th 2008 12:40 AM CDT2 Comments

  Since the game's release in November, Call of Duty 4 has taken up a good portion of my life. In my personal view, the game is the epitome of a modern shooter, and is currently the most enjoyable game to play with a group of friends online; and that is across all genres and platforms. While it may lack some of social networking features Halo 3 brought to the table last September, it has made up for it with some of the industry's best gameplay. That is why the game effectively did what we all considered to be the impossible at one point or another; it stole away Halo 3's top spot on the Xbox LIVE rankings. And the game fully deserved it.

  The simple gist is this: Call of Duty 4 iwas last year's largest surprise, and is in my opinion, the most complete shooter that I have come across this generation. Still, there is no such thing as a perfect game (unless that game is called the "Ocarina of Time") and there are some features that I wish Call of Duty 4 would have boasted. It may be hard to ask for more to possibly come out of such a complete package, but after playing the game to death, I'm starting to run out of fuel in the tank.
• A closer look into Halo Wars

  by Steve Wysowski May 18th 2008 11:17 PM CDT1 Comments

  Ever since the game's announcement at X06, Halo Wars has had a large amount of hype surround it (after all, it has the word "Halo" in its title). If you look at 2008's lineup, Halo Wars is undoubtedly this year's most desired real-time strategy game, despite of the lack of information or media shown to us. This is the first time that the Halo franchise has gone into a genre that wasn't a first-person shooter, and because of that, there are some lofty expectations for this game.
  
  But Halo Wars is emitting a rather "standard" feeling for me thus far. There doesn't seem to be any groundbreaking features that would separate the game from the rest of the console-RTS games, and we all know that those games aren't that great to begin with. There is a lot to work with from the Halo franchise, but from what I've seen, it doesn't look like Ensemble Studios is using all of it in the best of ways.
  
  
  
• An Xbox 360 Wiitmote is a bad idea

  by Steve Wysowski May 15th 2008 1:25 AM CDT3 Comments

  When Nintendo first revealed the Wii alongside its revolutionary controls and odd-sounding name (funny to think the word "Wii" is a household name in this society), the gaming community were all thinking the same thing: "what the hell is Nintendo smoking?". I remember quite vividly my thought process at the time:
  
  "Nintendo has just jumped the shark, grabbed it by it's fin, and punched it right in the nose. No next-generation graphics? No HD support? Not even a hard drive! Does Nintendo honestly expects to capture the globe with a sleeker version of the power glove? They don't even have one techincal leg to stand on! This is the dumbest decision Nintendo has made since giving Animation Magic the rights to produce the Wand of Gamelon. That Miyamoto poster on my wall is so out of here."
  
  When I look back at myself, I realize how much of a naive idiot I can be sometimes. I didn't realize it then, but Nintendo was the perfect company to make such a leap into this "new" generation of video games as I am calling it. If there ever was a company who has strived at gaming innovation; it's Nintendo. If there ever was a company that could convert the casual fans by the millions; it's Nintendo. If there was a company that could possibly break the social barriers created by the industry in the past two decades; it's Nintendo. So far, their plan is working, effectively flipping the bird to everyone who doubted them two years ago.
• Don't Worry About Nuts & Bolts

  by Steve Wysowski May 13th 2008 11:14 PM CDT2 Comments

  Why is it that gamers are so terrified of change? In every other entertainment industry (whether it be television, movies, books etc.), change is almost always welcomed, despite of the inherent risks that can emanate from it. Yet for one reason or another, gamers can't seem to grasp the concept of change when it involves any kind of alteration that can affect one of their favorite franchises, consoles, or companies. Whether it is due to the amount of reliability a gamer may have placed onto a speific series, or if it is the fact that gamers are becoming a little too close to their favorite franchises; it doesn't matter. It's time to realize that sometimes change can be for the better, and can only help progress the industry as a whole.
  
  I mention this in response to the tsunami of Banjo Kazooie 3 (well, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts) media, rumors, and leaks that have ravaged the blogosphere this week. As the information in regards to Rare's upcoming platformer started leaking bit by bit, a gradual wave of paranoia started sweeping the gaming community. Complaints, rants, tangents, and messages to Rare entitled "it r tiem dai!" have been surfacing all across the net. It is time to calm down, and truly analyze what is actually happening with the series before we jump to any conclusions pertaining to the possibility that Banjo and Rare may have finally "jumped the shark".
• Stop Overhyping Gears of War 2!

  by Steve Wysowski May 13th 2008 12:26 AM CDT4 Comments

  So; what did it take to temporarily steal GTAIV's two-week longer thunder? Why some Gears of War 2 footage, of course! And everyone knows what comes about when the media gets a wiff of Gears of War 2: so much hype that you may forget that there are other games besides it.
  
  So many journalists have been weighing in with their personal opinions on last week's Gears 2 exclusive that it's hard to not crown Epic's upcoming shooter as the pinnacle of civilized man. While by no means is it not wonderful to see an Xbox exclusive receive so much hype, I do believe some people are touting this game light years away from any sense of proportion. How long was Saturday night's video? One and a half minutes long? Two minutes, tops? If the game is suppose to be this multi-hour epic adventure, you really think that is substantial enough footage to come up with some solid opinions?

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