Facebook/Twitter/Zune/Last.fm

For the last while I have been talking about the upcoming update. As of Tuesday, the update went live and of course I made sure to tweet from my xbox almost right away. After that? Well, it might be safe to say that the novelty wore off fairly quickly.

Facebook
One of the first things I noticed when I logged on to Facebook is the news feeds on the home page. I think that being able to see my friends' status updates would have been FAR more exciting back before social gaming. More than half of what pops up in my news feed is that so-and-so has used Farmville, Yoville, etc. Being the Zynga game addict that I am, I am glad to see that my friends are playing too, but these are not the updates that will improve my game. There is no option of seeing that there is an ugly duckling up for adoption or rewards for ribbons available. I understand that I would not be able to get these items, but at least I might know that they are there and rush off to a computer. Now, I also know that not everyone plays these games, so there is really no reason why these types of messages should pop up on my xbox at all.

One thing that I really do like is being able to see my pictures in slideshow format. What can I say? I look awesome on the tv! Ok, back to reality. While I do like this option I do not think it is really needed. With Windows Media Center I can do right from files on my PC which tends to be more up to date. Of course there is a possibility that you might want to pull up your friends' pictures on your television and watch a slideshow, but even though I really love my friends I can't really see that happening outside of a wedding or some other really awesome party.

The one thing I was really looking forward to is under the friends section. The ability to be able to find friends that are also on Live is an exciting feature for me. Unfortunately, so far I am very disappointed. Out of over 700 friends at only tells me I have 3 friends on Live and one more that I do not have on my Live friends list. On launch day I was pretty disappointed and figured it was because people are still at work or class and figured that it would improve in a couple of days. Well, it is now Friday and no such luck. I am sure this will change as more people start using Facebook on Live, but it makes me wonder if people are even interested in doing so.

Overall, I think using Facebook is pretty pointless. Finding Facebook friends on Live could become helpful, but has not been for me so far. Not being able to access my Facebook games is a major drawback for me. I understand not wanting to promote these games, but at least give us something exclusive. Exclusive games that can only be played on xbox Live and stats that are automatically placed in Facebook status updates. Or, at the very least make it so our feeds update when we play a game or unlock achievements!

Twitter
Ah Twitter. So simple and so addictive. Well, until the novelty wears off. I honestly think that I would have LOVED this feature a year ago. I started using Twitter August of 2008 and was addicted within a couple of months. Even before I had my iPhone I was tweeting an insane amount throughout my day. Now I am pretty much over it. I no longer use twitter to get my news and I hardly ever update twitter with the exception of this blog. There is a possibility that I will use Twitter more now that it is on xbox, but I honestly feel that my television can be of better use such as gaming or watching any number of television shows.

One of the things that I think could have made this more useful is pretty much the same as what I said about Facebook. If Twitter automatically updated when I played a game (which I already do through a third party website) or when unlocking achievements, I would be very excited! I do like that there is an option to retweet, but that is about it. Twitter is just too accessible in other ways to make this at all useful.

Zune
I will admit that I had never looked at the Zune website before finding out that it would be part of the update. Unlike the first two features I talked about, I think this one could be really awesome for a lot of people! With Zune on xbox you can rent and/or buy movies, tv shows, music, or music videos and you don't need a credit card to do it since it uses Microsoft Points. The reason why I say this is good for some is that while buying movies is not expensive it might be higher than buying single disk versions at a store or on Amazon.com. I personally am a fan of two-disk copies of movies which are generally more expensive and so I am a little torn on what I will do in the future. The good side of this is that if you purchase a game on your xbox you will be able to also download it on your computer. Also, movies that have been purchased on the computer will be available on the xbox through your home network.

I am also divided on the idea of renting movies. I have stated in the past that I am disappointed with the collection of streaming movies on Netflix. I also seem to keep the movies I get in the mail for long periods of time. If I only watch four movies a month I would probably save money buy renting from Zune over Netflix, but the issue of selection still comes into play. While it appears that Zune has more recent movies available for rental, several of the movies I would have chosen where only available for purchase and at least one of them (Star Trek) is on my "two-disk + digital copy" to buy list. Even with that being the case I will seriously consider stopping my Netflix and going with Zune at least until summer when I tend to watch more movies.

Last.fm
If you have used and liked Pandora you will like Last.fm. This is by far my favorite feature that was added during the update. If there is anything I am willing to not watch television or play games for it is music. There are so many times that I am doing something in my living room other than watching tv, but I want something to listen to. This generally ends up being hours of local and national news which is probably the most depressing thing to listen to in any given day. Now sure I could listen to music on my computer, but the truth is that my computer speakers are really not the greatest. The other thing that I enjoy is that I am not only listening to music that I already own and with that comes that possibility of discovering something new. Stations are based on an artist that you already like. For instance, I picked one of the stations that was listed as popular and ended up hearing music that I never before would have considered listening to. I probably still would not buy some of the music, but it was by no means unenjoyable. On the other hand, I also heard a band that I absolutely loved back in the day and will now probably try to see if I still have the CD I bought way back when. Premade stations range from classical to country to metal to emo.


The latest update sure has its flops, but the additions of Zune and Last.fm will probably make up for Microsoft jumping on the Twitter/Facebook band wagon. This all days make me curious about what they will do next!

Not an xbox Live Gold member? Buy a 12 month subscription here:
Xbox 360 12 Month Live Gold Card

Need Microsoft Points?
Xbox 360 Live 1600 Points [Online Game Code]
Xbox 360 Live 4000 Points [Online Game Code] 

A Good Week for Nintendo

If you have not already heard, New Super Mario Brothers was released last Sunday making it a good week for me. This is one of those games I have been waiting years for and I am sure that I am not the only one. I guess the real question is, is it everything I hoped it would be?

One of the things that really bothered me about past Mario games was that in order to play with friends you had to take turns. Looking back, I really feel sorry for all my friends that I forced to play Mario who did not have a Nintendo at home. I am pretty sure they did not have all that much fun watching me complete most of the levels. Not to mention I knew where all the hidden items were. Not fun for all, but fun for me;-) Now we can play with our friends in co-op play. Not only that, but you can work together or be a little more competitive. I personally find the game more fun when playing with someone else. That is not to say the game is not fun when played solo, but, in my opinion, I find the game more enjoyable in co-op. The best part is that you can add and remove players while you play. So, you don't have to start a new game because you have friends over!

Another aspect that I enjoyed about the game is something that I really liked about Super Mario 3 and that is the map screen. I like being able to see where you have been, being able to replay boards, and the special Toad huts where you can earn special items. I remember being really excited by that back on my NES and am glad that it has continued.

One of the things that I found difficult about the game is that movement has a different feel to me. You know when you watch someone else playing a previous Mario game and you fingers tap or your head bobs because you instinctively now the timing of the game? Well, that might not happen for you here. For those of us that have been playing for the last 20 years or so and have a good sense of "Mario timing" this game might throw you off a bit. This might be because of the "waggle factor." I know the game is on Wii and all, but it is hard to break 20 years of, well lets call it training. When I play Mario, "waggle" is not instinctive for me, unlike in Mario Kart. Not to say this isn't something that can be overcome, but I really did expect more of the same feel and timing that I am used to.

Oh, and did I mention that Bowser's kids are back? Overall, I really like this game and it was worth the wait. Now, Nintendo just has to make sure that the upcoming Mario Galaxy 2 lives up!

New Super Mario Bros
Wii Boss Dual Pack - Red/Green
Wii Boss Dual Pack - Pink/Blue 

Luigi Makes it Look Easy

I am obviously very excited about New Super Mario Brothers Wii coming out and I thought this video is a great example of teamwork within the game. This version of Mario is supposed to be fairly difficult and it will be interesting to see if teamwork makes it easier for players or if it is just as hard as playing solo. Either way, this is going to be fun!

New Super Mario Bros

Update is Coming!

Didn't make it into the preview and dying to access your Facebook/Twitter/etc on your 360? Well, the wait is almost over. The update is coming and will be available on Tuesday, Nov 17. I don't think this will be life changing for anyone. Including myself and I am WAY too addicted to Facebook. Let me play Farmville/Fishville/Cafe World on Facebook through my 360 and I would probably be a little more excited, but then again...can't I just use my computer and my 360 at the same time?

Halo Waypoint

Halo Waypoint went live today on 360 (even if you are not in the preview program) and so I thought I would check to see what it is all about. The first thing that popped up was that I got an avatar reward. So far so good!

Waypoint is, "the central location for exclusive Halo screenshots, articles, and videos." This includes Halo: Legends an anime anthology that is premiering exclusively on Waypoint.

The "career" section checks your achievements in Halo and then tells you what "Career Milestone" you have reached. I have reached Career Milestone 3, which means that if you have played more than an hour of Halo yours should be higher than mine! If you ever wanted to coordinate your achievements from all things Halo (Halo 3, ODST, DLCs, etc.) into super achievements then this area might be your first stop. Getting these achievements will not increase you gamerscore, however, you have to increase your gamerscore to get these "achievements."

The "Intel" section of Waypoint appears to be where you will find all the latest news on Halo. There are videos, interviews, images, tips and tricks, etc. They say that this area will be updated everyday, so there should almost always be something new and interesting to see. There is also a "Welcome to Halo Waypoint" video that shows viewers the ins and outs and what to expect.

I have to admit that I think this is a really cool idea. Halo really might not be my thing, but for those who are big fans of the game I can see how this would keep them interested and entertained. If they did this for every game, it could easily get out of hand, but I think it would be interesting if there were more features like this for other games.

Xbox 360 12 Month Live Gold Card
Halo 3 
Halo Wars 
Halo 3: ODST

Halo Reach  

Netlfix Discs

It seems that e-mails have been sent out notifying some PS3 users that their Netflix discs are shipping and should be received as early as tomorrow. These discs are required to stream Netflix movies on PS3, but should be a temporary annoyance. So, now that you will be able to stream movies what do you plan on watching?

Alert: Rock Band 2 Price Drop

Been waiting to get your hands on Rock Band 2 for even less than the August price drop? Well, good news is here. Now at select retailers (including Amazon) Rock Band 2 Special Edition is $99.

Track List:
* Abnormality - "Visions"
* AC/DC - "Let There Be Rock"
* AFI - "Girl's Not Grey"
* Alanis Morissette - "You Oughta Know"
* Alice in Chains - "Man in the Box"
* Allman Brothers - "Ramblin' Man"
* Anarchy Club - "Get Clean"
* Avenged Sevenfold - "Almost Easy"
* Bad Company - "Shooting Star"
* Bang Camaro - "Night Lies"
* Beastie Boys - "So Watcha Want"
* Beck - "E-pro"
* Bikini Kill - "Rebel Girl"
* Billy Idol - "White Wedding Pt. I "
* Blondie - "One Way or Another"
* Bob Dylan - "Tangled Up in Blue"
* Bon Jovi - "Livin' on a Prayer"
* Breaking Wheel - "Shoulder to the Plow"
* Cheap Trick - "Hello There"
* Devo - "Uncontrollable Urge"
* Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel the Pain"
* Disturbed - "Down with the Sickness"
* Dream Theater - "Panic Attack "
* Duran Duran - "Hungry Like the Wolf"
* Elvis Costello - "Pump it Up"
* Fleetwood Mac - "Go Your Own Way"
* Foo Fighters - "Everlong "
* Guns N' Roses - "Shackler's Revenge"
* Interpol - "PDA"
* Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song"
* Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
* Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
* Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"
* Journey - "Anyway You Want It"
* Judas Priest - "Painkiller"
* Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
* L7 - "Pretend We're Dead"
* Lacuna Coil - "Our Truth"
* Libyans - "Neighborhood"
* Linkin Park - "One Step Closer"
* Lit - "My Own Worst Enemy"
* Lush - "De-Luxe"
* Mastodon - "Colony of Birchmen"
* Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
* Metallica - "Battery"
* Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "Where'd You Go"
* Modest Mouse - "Float On"
* Motorhead - "Ace of Spades "
* Nirvana - "Drain You"
* Norman Greenbaum - "Spirit in the Sky "
* Panic at the Disco - "Nine in the Afternoon"
* Paramore - "That's What You Get"
* Pearl Jam - "Alive"
* Presidents of the United States of America - "Lump"
* Rage Against the Machine - "Testify"
* Ratt - "Round & Round"
* Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give it Away "
* Rise Against - "Give it All"
* Rush - "The Trees"
* Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye"
* Smashing Pumpkins - "Today"
* Social Distortion - "I Was Wrong"
* Sonic Youth - "Teenage Riot"
* Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
* Speck - "Conventional Lover"
* Squeeze - "Cool for Cats"
* Steely Dan - "Bodhitsattva"
* Steve Miller Band - "Rock'n Me"
* Survivor - "Eye of the Tiger"
* System of a Down - "Chop Suey "
* Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
* Tenacious D - "Master Exploder"
* Testament - "Souls of Black"
* That Handsome Devil - "Rob the Prez-o-Dent"
* The Donnas - "New Kid in School"
* The Go-Go's - "We Got the Beat"
* The Grateful Dead - "Alabama Getaway"
* The Guess Who - "American Woman"
* The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"
* The Muffs - "Kids in America "
* The Offspring - "Come Out & Play"
* The Replacements - "Alex Chilton"
* The Sterns - "Supreme Girl"
* The Who - "Pinball Wizard "

Xbox 360 Rock Band 2 Special Edition 
Playstation 3 Rock Band 2 Special Edition