How many times have you turned down the volume on your headset, or fumbled to find the mute button in the middle of a match when you’ve got a foul-mouthed 10 year old babbling incoherently into your match of Halo? Have you found that playing with pre-teens is one of the major detriments of playing on Xbox Live? I certainly have had my fair share of these experiences, and typically play without my headset even on my head anymore.

Mark Wilson of Kotaku asks a simple question: Why doesn’t Xbox Live use age when forming matchmaking groups? As Microsoft repositions Xbox Live into a more community-based service, with Friends-of-Friends and online bio pages, it would seem logical that moving towards an environment where fostering friendship would be a good idea. With several hundred thousand players in a system like Halo, forming groups where the younger players typically played together, and the older players played together, would keep the two maturity levels from clashing.

Although, I might miss out on some of the entertainment. A couple weeks ago I was treated to an entire round of Halo where all I could hear on my headset was Akon’s “Sorry, Blame it on Me” sung by a little kid who replaced “You can put the blame on me” with “You can blame the Halo 3″. It was actually kind of funny.  Kind of.

Sohmer and Lars of Looking for Group and Least I Could Do, two hilarious web comics which the former is being made into a feature length animated film and the latter into a animated tv series have recently released a pack of 20 gamer pics on Xbox Live Marketplace. They can be found under Blind Ferret Entertainment in the marketplace for 200pts.

If your not familiar with the series then I highly recommend reading it from the very beginning.
Looking For Group

[Via Sohmer's Blog]

Atari releases yet another one of it’s classic franchises to the Arcade with not one but 2 games. Asteroids and it’s pseudo-sequel Asteroids Deluxe. Is it still classic? Without a doubt, but are the additions to the game good? I can undoubtedly say no.

Graphics: 59/100
You get to choose between playing the game in it’s original untampered form in glorious old school vectors or an “evolved” form with colorful backgrounds, a tinge of psychedelic colors and alot of unnecessary special effects.. the special effects ruin the game. Whenever you destroy an asteroid it splits into more pieces, but in the evolved version of the game you also get a huge explosion of bright sparks, their pretty but they also cover up everything on screen so half the time you can’t see that chunk of asteroid plowing right into you. Is the same aesthetic of the original intact? Yes, but your gonna wish harm upon the developers for the light show screwing up your game.

Sound: 60/100
Evolved has brand spanking new sounds, their not bad but not spectacular. Another feature included in this rendition is music, the original never had music so it’s a nice touch but it’s typical techno and nothing really exciting or original.

Gameplay: 77/100
It’s Asteroids, it forever will be a classic, it’s simple yet addicting when you play it in classic mode though the aforementioned problems in Evolved mode make enjoying the game a chore as you’ll find yourself getting game overs rather quickly.

Replay: 60/100
This being a spruced up port their really isn’t much else to do, they didn’t add any sort of multiplayer (though would you want it? I doubt it since the screen gets crowded enough in higher levels as is) and no real new additions to the Evolved mode other then the visual aesthetic makes it take a hit. The overly zealous use of special effects makes Evolved teeth gratingly hard to play so it also takes a hit there as well. If your a retro gamer you’ll love the classic modes.

While the new Atari has been trying hard to bring the classics back, they just don’t seem to be getting how to do it. Back when Atari had the Jaguar, their 2000 series was great because it not only included the original, an enhanced version of the game but also a brand new version with brand new game play. If Atari could look back at that example maybe the XBLA titles would hold out better. Other then that if your an old school gamer like me and enjoy the oldies then it really isn’t a bad use of 400pts regardless of some of the more glaring flaws.

I know this game came out quite awhile ago but I finally decided to transition from the Trial phase to the Full version so now I present my review of this classic in the MK series.

Back when Mortal Kombat 3 came out many were disappointed with what was essentially an upgrade from the superb Mortal Kombat II. With better graphics and a ton of new characters though it was lacking a lot that gave the series it’s charm, particularly fan favorites such as Scorpion and well.. all of the palette swap ninjas were gone. So to answer the cries of it’s fans, Midway released the Ultimate patch for MK3 upgrading it to Ultimate MK3 with the missing characters, new moves and a bunch of fixes. This was the quintessential 2D Mortal Kombat to come out since MKII and the fans were pleased..

Move forward to October 21, 2006. Midway releases UMK3 to the Xbox 360 fans in all it’s original glory with the addition of Online play (which only those who had the luck of playing a Wavenet machine back in it’s Arcade days got to enjoy), unlockable achievements, leaderboards and optimized for 4:3 and 16:9.

Is it a perfect transition? Not quite sadly… the game is an emulation not a port so theirs bound to be some bugs here and there.

Graphics: 85/100
Graphically, The most noticeable is when the game transitions from game screens, theirs a jumbled mess of scrambled graphics for a split second, does it interfere with gameplay? No, but it just makes the game look unfinished. Other then that the game looks great, not much to say about the subject because.. well.. it’s an emulation.

Sound: 100/100
The sound is perfect, all the grunts, groans, screams, gurgles and all the other brutal sounds are all intact and in stereo for you gamers with surround systems. The last time I played UMK3 at home with sound this good was back when it deputed at home on the Sega Saturn. Nothing is more satisfying then perfect sound in an arcade translation.

Gameplay: 80/100
The gameplay is all there in it’s entirety including the same cheap AI and the nearly impossible to beat Motoro and Shao Kahn. Once again the 360’s controller gets in the way though, the analog stick isn’t the best for the 2D action and the D-Pad isn’t much of an improvement.

The online play is a very nice feature BUT my only gripe with it is there is no skill setting so half of the time you may get paired up with a player who is far superior to you, pulling off 15-hit combos and leaving you feeling really embarrassed at losing to an opponent in a matter of seconds and they having won a flawless victory.

Replay: 90/100
It’s one of the best 2D MK games since MKII so you can’t beat it. While the AI is cheap and dirty it’s still fun to see the blood fly and send your enemy to his death as only MK can do.

Is it worth the 800pts? Yes, it is even if your not a huge fan of the series it is still a great fighting game.

At first glance this game may not have seemed like much of a game, but after giving it a try I have to say it is a fun and entertaining little strategy game. The game itself is a video game revisualization of a popular board game of the same name that originated from Germany and it looks like they translated it quite nicely.

Graphics: 69/100
The game is nicely illustrated with some decent texture mapped polygons that make up the field of play though it’s nothing to write home about it still has it’s charm. As the game progresses the field of view will zoom out to accommodate the ever growing play field. If you have a really large board going then it gets a little hard to see whats going on, luckily they included a zoom function for when you need a little precision.

Sound: 70/100
The sound is pretty good for this game, you have the typical sounds for when your moving and rotating a tile, though when you finish a city you get to hear your followers cheer and if you have finished a rather large city you get roars of cheers and fireworks which are a nice touch. The monastery tiles give you a nice Gregorian chant when finished, a rather satisfying sound I’ll explain later in this review.

The music is period music from the time period the game takes place in and it is very authentic and calming, nothing ear grating or annoying at all.

Gameplay: 78/100
The game is hard to pick up at first, it’s a game of strategy where you are given a tile at random (either a road, piece of a city wall, intersection, or a monastary.) It’s not simply a matter of placing land but finishing it only getting points if you have placed a follower on the tile.There are several pieces to put into play each with their own rules for example the Monastery tiles have to be surrounded on every side to finish it but they are worth 9 points each so finishing one is something you want to do. Thus, learning the best way to use each tile is the best way to win. The computer can be down right stupid or rather clever depending on the difficulty you have it set to, from personal experience on Easy the computer would never place followers on Farmland though on Medium and higher they did. Farmland can be a trump card if you know how to use it with a win being only a matter of a point or two.

The Multiplayer feature is a great touch as playing against the computer can get alittle boring particualrly when the AI isn’t at it’s best. You also have the option to play with upto 4 friends for an all out battle of the brains.

Replay: 75/100
This game isn’t for everybody and requires some patience in learning the rules and formulating a good strategy when your playing. Though its Multiplayer feature will keep you coming back for more along with expansions adding new tiles that have never been used in the original board game incarnation (though at 300pts for a pack of 12 tiles, its a little steep..) bringing new ways to play. If you missed out on the free Download during the 5th year anniversary of Live I still suggest dishing out the 800pts for this gem if not try the demo and see if its for you.

Ah, the joy of Pinball. It was one genre that Xbox Live Arcade was missing, but now Zen Studios has brought us Pinball FX, a three table pinball game with high def graphics and great sound.

Graphics: 80/100
The visuals are really nice in this game, and the high def graphics really give it polish. The themed tables are great, with all the gimmicks and tricks we all remember from the good old days of pinball. The only thing that is a real issue is that there is a lot going on in game. The flashing lights and other visual delights can sometimes distract you from paying attention to your ball though it’s not that much of an issue when you get use to all that is going on.

Sound: 90/100
The sounds are great especially if you have a 5.1 stereo system hooked up, you will really get the impression your playing a real pinball machine as the sounds are exactly what you would expect to hear in the heat of a game. The sounds of the ball hitting the bumpers and the themed sound effects will really draw you in and the music is quite nice as well.

Gameplay: 70/100
The gameplay is without a doubt solid, and the controls are great with the perfect placement of the left and right triggers on the controller for the bumpers. Also the game supports a tilt function if your ball should get stuck via the d-pad, also like a real machine over do it and you will tilt the game costing you a ball, adds to the realism quite nicely. As with most Pinball machines this game also suffers from the cheap placement of some objects on the boards, so you’ll have those moments where one ball will bounce off of a barrier and down between your bumpers for a Ball Out. In particular the Hardcore board has the worst setup of the 3 boards included with a rather large section where you’ll find your ball getting stuck most of the time. Otherwise the game plays great and the minor annoyances can be overlooked.

Replay: 68/100
The game is like any other Pinball game in the way it plays, there is not necessarily anything new added to the formula but thats not necessarily a bad thing either. The genre has passed the test of time and doesn’t need to be changed but a little originality in the themes and layout of the tables is always a welcome factor in a great pinball game and Pinball FX meets that requirement in my opinion. The lack of more tables though does put a hamper on the replay value of this game in the long run though the new table Buccaneers was released and for free and I must say the board is fantastic! If Zen gives us more tables then this game will not get old as fast.

Overall this game is a must have if your looking for a Pinball game for your 360, though it only having 3 boards knocked it down a bit but with the release of the great Buccaneer table adds to the overall replay value of this game.

Ya know, I was just thinking the other day that what Xbox Live needed was more teamkilling.

If you’ve ever played a first person shooter online you’ve surely run into team killers, and it probably ticked you off. Well the upcoming sequel in the Turok franchise is essentially promoting the practice on Xbox Live, by offering up an achievement for killing yourself, an opponent, a teammate and a creature in a public match. I can see the fun in doing this, but also the frustration at not being able to trust even your own teammates unless you’ve all already got the achievement.

Why is Microsoft allowing this type of play to be promoted?

[via Xbox360Fanboy]

According to Gamesindustry.biz, Best Buy will be sponsoring 3 days of free Xbox Live Gold following the release of Halo 3, from September 25th through the 27th. They also note that 10,000 retailers will be opening at midnight for the release party.

Yes you heard me! The Messenger Kit with the slick new keyboard attachment is slated to be released on the 4th of this month. The device itself as we all know having seen official images attaches to the bottom of the controller, how does this effect headset connectivity? Well.. unfortunately you can not use your standard headset with it BUT the device comes with a new compatible headset that has the volume and mute functions on the cord. I know I’ll be getting one when they hit the shelves.

Gear Live got the opportunity to get their hands on a pre-release and has posted a nice gallery of the whole package. Check it out!

Stumbled upon this fun little website, you register with your gamertag and your 360 will write blogs about what you do while on live, it’s hard to describe really so go check it out.

360Voice