Onlive is a relatively new concept based on video streaming and cloud computing. At a minimum, it will require fast broadband if it is to be effective. The idea is simple, you play games which are run on remotely hosted servers and the graphics are rendered for you on super fast computers and streamed to you over the internet. This means you only need the ability to view video to have amazing graphics and sounds without having to pay for the expensive hardware used in conventional consoles such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. You can use any pc or mac, or even just your TV with the help of a cheap device provided by Onlive.
Sound too good to be true? Well the sceptics, me included, believe that this just is not doable with today’s technology. I’m not so concerned about bandwidth, but rather latency – the fraction of a second delay between button press, the data being sent via your system to a cloud network and back again as video. Online games have often suffered with lag issues and I believe Onlive is likely to be hit more than most.
The Onlive system
Additionally, depending on the speed of your broadband the video may need various amounts of compression reducing both image and sound quality. With broadband speeds getting faster and faster this is becoming less of a problem, however internet costs may rise for those with capped usage allowances. A heavy games player will certainly need large limits if not unlimited broadband.
Saying all of that – I love the very idea. It sounds like something out of Star Trek and part of me wants it to succeed, I am just sceptical that it will.
With no new games jumping out at me I decided to check out a couple of classics I missed first time round. Firstly I decided to get the critically acclaimed flop, Mirrors Edge. Based on the concept of wall-running or Parkour, the game has a great feel to it: a simplicity that is often missing from current-gen games. Secondly I ordered Overlord , one of those games that you will either love or hate. Personally I think its fabulous – your role is to control a handful minions and create havoc and destructions. Awesome fun!
I managed to get both games second-hand with free shipping from the Gamestation website for less than £9 GBP, but you should be able to get them for comparable prices in any decent high-street store.
Just ordered myself a Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Round 2. I actually ordered the Zangief one, as for some reason he was a lot cheaper! He is also one of my favourites characters, along with Dhalsim, E Honda and Dan who has to be the most underrated character in the game. I can’t wait to try it out as frankly, using the standard analogue stick for Street Fighter just doesn’t cut it for me any more. All of my online friends seem to be using one of the £100 arcade sticks which seems a little excessive to me, so this is a happy compromise at a mere £20
Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Round 2 FightPad - Zangief
Wow. What a fabulous and completely over the top game. I will write a full review soon, but my initial impressions are that it’s a truly fun arcade game, reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, but I would argue better. Although it’s only single player I have already racked up hours on the thing. Love so much about this game.
I was watching some video clips on my Xbox 360 when I noticed some startling facts about the upcoming Halo games. For a start off, there will be no new multilayer game on Halo ODST. In stead you will essentially have a cut down version of Halo 3 on a separate disk – the multilayer aspect only with a couple of extra maps.
What about Halo Reach I hear you ask. In Halo ODST there will be a menu option that wil be inactive until the game comes out – basically Microsoft (The people that own Bungie) want you to buy ODST first.
These aren’t the only signs that the Halo franchise is becoming greedy. I tried to play a game of team slayer on Halo 3 with a friend the other day only to find out that he couldn’t join without purchasing some new maps. All of the ranked matches except Lone Wolves were locked out for him. That is pathetic.
You have probably heard about Microsoft’s latest feature that was announced at this years E3 Expo, but if you haven’t then your in for a surprise. Apparently soon we are all going to be using our Xbox’s without any controllers, frantically making crazy body gestures that interact with the game play. Sound familiar? Yes it’s clear to say that Microsoft is following a similar route to Nintendo and is trying to make an experience that will appeal to the whole family.
You can hardly blame them. Nintendo showed that with clever hardware and a lot of expensive advertising you can get whole family to buy into games consoles. People that once scoffed as such activities are right now jumping about on Wii boards and punching invisible opponents. A friend of mine that works in a game store told me of a lady in her 80′s that brought back a Wii fit game claiming it didn’t work, she was surprised to hear that you needed to buy a game system with it! This whole thing reminds me of computer giant Apple. In the late 90′s I thought I was “different” owning a mac. Hardly anyone knew what it was or had even seen one let alone uses OS7! Now everyone has an iMac, iPod and iPhone. Apple is the latest cultural icon that people just have to buy into. The only way to be different now is to not own one!
It will be interesting to see how Project Natal will develop, I just hope it’s not just a Pr stunt and that it will become a reality.
I love Fight Night Round 3 and I play it often. It’s a great game that you can pick up for next to nothing. It’s one of those games that you invest a lot of physical and emotional energy into and get a great feeling when things are going your way. You also feel the pain when you are losing!
I downloaded the demo of FNR4 hoping for great things, but sadly I feel disappointed. The game seems too fast, less controlled and more of a button masher. It could be that you only get to try out one of two lightweight fighters. Maybe the heavyweights are better, all I know is it just didn’t feel quite as good. I’ll keep you updated.
Well I received my game on the 20th as promised by Sendit.com. I excitedly opened the case and put it into my xbox. I spent the next 5 hours playing on the various game modes, trying out all my old moves. What can I say about this version of Street Fighter? It’s great! Probably one of the best versions I have played. Graphically of course it is the most pleasing to look at. The characters have a slightly stranger style than I was expecting. They all look very muscular, but some of them just seem a bit odd to me. An example of this is Chun Li. Maybe it’s just me.
The gameplay is solid and similar to EX Plus Alpha from what I remember of it. I’m not too keen on the new characters that have been introduced. There’s a big fat man called Rufus who looks like a morbidly obese version of Bruce Lee. He’s quite funny, but I didn’t find him very playable, truth be told.
With Capcom’s failure to sort out the leaderboard bugs on the Xbox Live version of this game, I was keen to see how they handled the ranking system here. I was not disappointed. Statistics are recorded faithfully, although there are a few thinks that I think they have missed. Firstly, its impossible (as far as I can see) to work out if an opponent you are about to play is at your level or not. There are custom titles that you earn as you progress up the ranks that are intended to give some indication of skill, but all to often you start to play a self proclaimed beginner only to find out it was all a ruse and they are a Street Fighter mater of the higher order. Within 20 seconds you have lost your rank and are vaguely aware of your own shouting at the television screen. I guess its a good game that gets you so involved, it means the game is doing its job and affecting you. Still, it’s rather annoying. Secondly, scores between friends aren’t saved after you leave the session. This is a shame because it’s good to be able to compare your win percentage with people you play often. Other games like Dead or Alive 4 have this.
The online play is great fun. I have only had a few games that are laggy. You really get into the game and I would say it’s much more fun than arcade mode, which is also fun in it’s own way. One criticism of the the online play is the fact that lobbies can only contain 2 people. Even the XBLA version of Street Fighter which I have talked so much about in the past has mutiple players as well as an online tournament match. Still, I guess maybe this reduces the overall lag in the game which is a good thing.
All in all this is a great game. If you enjoy games such as Dead or Alive 4, Soul Calibre 4 and Virtual fighter 5 then you will not be disappointed with this. If you have never played any of the aforementioned games, but are a street Fighter fan and own an Xbox then you would be silly not to pick up a copy.
Already reordered my copy, can’t wait, just a few more days now. But I tell you one thing, I bet those guys at Capcom don’t fix the annoying glitches on the XBLA HDR version before then. It’s been over 3 weeks since they announced the patch, and still nothing has been released. I understand they may be busy building the new game, but maybe a good idea for future games is is to finish one before starting another one! Ok, I’m probably being naive here, but Jesus the leaderboard bug annoys the hell out of me! It makes the game incomplete, so give me a bloody refund you Zangief loving knob jockeys!
