PAX East 2010: The Link Dump
So I went to Boston for PAX East as part of my gig at Joystiq and, man, it was super fun. Getting to meet some fans of the site (I'm floored anytime somebody knows who the hell I am) and, even better, fans of the X3F podcast and JPAG-ers (all super nice dudes, believe me) -- it's just crazy to me. Hugging strangers after the live Joystiq Podcast panel was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life. It's an affirmation that humanity may not be so doomed after all.
Of course, I can't neglect my Joystiq coworkers. To give you an idea of how close we all are, you can't escape seeing anyone from staff without a hug. This is the first job I've ever had like that, where I was not some number on a piece of paper but an actual person. God bless those dudes!
Anyway, I just wanted to put up this post as a thanks and also use it to dump links to Joystiq stuff I wrote and participated in over the last week. That's pretty much the underlying tone of this site 'O mine, after all.
Racist Avatar in 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live
So me and coworker Alexander Sliwinski were playing the live show of 1 vs 100 on Tuesday night and this fine young individual above ended up being the 1. Now, I know the new deal is that the 1 is chosen based on score, so the more you play, the better your chances at being in the mob or the 1 are. Still, are there no screeners? Nobody looks at the Avatars before they go on? Come on -- a blackface Avatar is not appropriate!
Note: Sorry for the crummy pic. I had to use my Pre and I was snapping from a projector, so it's not the brightest. But you get the idea!
[Via @DaveHinkle]
Quick ‘n Dirty Review: South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! (XBLA)
South Park Let's Go Tower Defense is quite the surprise. Developed by Doublesix Games, it's not a revelation in the tower defense genre, but it uses its license well and combines it with solid design to create a fun experience that is easy to pick up and play -- doubly so for even a mild South Park fan.
My Xbox 360 keeps forgetting who I am
Earlier today, I tweeted about something that's turned into a daily scare: My Xbox keeps forgetting who I am. Now, while the box knows my Gamertag and will log me in and show my list of friends, it forgets all of my Avatar data and, more importantly, my Gamerscore. I'm not as crazy about my Gamerscore as I used to be (I don't play craptastic games just for the score anymore), but when you have over 66K and you turn on your Xbox and see four years of work down the drain, it takes a toll.
Mind you, I have fixed it by recovering my Gamertag a few times, while other times it'll just kick in automatically, but the point is it's scary as hell! A couple coworkers at The Stiq confirmed they'd had this happen to them on occasion, but it's at least once a day for me. What's the deal?
Gears of War 2 ‘Dark Corners’ features for Joystiq
I did a pair of features for Joystiq on Gears of War 2's 'Dark Corners' DLC, which is set to drop on Xbox Live next week. There's a review of Road to Ruin -- a deleted scene from the campaign -- and a video tour of the new multiplayer maps. Check 'em out!
5 fun things to do in Fable 2
If you read my blog, uh, ever, then you probably know I'm deeply in love with Fable 2 right now. I'm just getting a kick out of every little bit of that game, squeezing it like a wet rag so I can get all of the precious liquid out. Well, I've noticed that there have been 5 things I do every now and then in the game that give me such a kick. Call them diversions or whatever, but they're great fun if your character is super evil like mine is.
Going corrupt in Fable 2
I first wrote off Fable 2 because, well, the first game failed to deliver on promises and I expected as much of the second game. However, the more I saw people on my friends' list playing it, the more I got curious. Then I saw it pop up as Joystiq's Game of the Year and my interest was piqued enough. I chatted up Ludwig about it and he kind of brought me down off the fence. So I've been playing it for almost a week now.
First of all, my guy is incredibly corrupt. Like, I killed an entire village corrupt. He's gigantic, covered in scars, and has huge horns. I guess when you drive up the rent on every property you own, it catches up with you.
Finally, some beautiful Kingdom Under Fire II eye candy
One of the lesser known things about me is that the first two Kingdom Under Fire games are among my most favorite titles ever. Don't believe me? Peep my reviews of each of the first two games right here.
So, that image above? That's totally in-game. I just hope that Kingdom Under Fire II toes the line between RTS and hack-and-slash like the first two games in the series did so well. Want to see some video and more screens? Check out this post over at Joystiq.
Quick bio:Hi! I'm David Hinkle, Contributing Editor for Joystiq, former Lead of DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy and co-host on the Xbox 360 Fancast. Basically, I write about games, talk about games and play games -- all the time.
This place is mainly a dumping ground for random thoughts, but you can also find links to all of my reviews and my contact info. Email me by clicking on this link.
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twitter.com/DaveHinkle
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