| Set On Stun |

What do you mean I can't play Fusion Frenzy online anymore?!

For all the folks out where who are still playing  Star Wars Battlefront, and Halo 2 online well, that will end soon.  Come April 15 (tax day) Microsoft is pulling the plug on the online component for their old green machine games. Forget the fact that Halo 2 is still one of the biggest online multiplayer success stories ever the company has deiced that with a new decade comes time for a change. The original machine, almost 10 years old itself still has a lot of titles out and  some of those may still  get a decent amount of online play.

But,  Xbox says, “We’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox V1 games.”  That’s from XBL manager Marc Whitten.

Translation: If you and your two buddies  are planning to do some Halo 2 multiplayer  April 16, then you’re SOL.

Is this a bad thing for Microsoft? Not entirely. The fact that their on demand service, which they offered up last year, let’s you download old Xbox games that may or may not have that live component, then you’re basically stuck with whatever the single player version is. So it’s kind of pointless to make these games available if you remove half a chunk of the usability that you would  get from the online play  like with Halo. What Whitten says makes sense though. If they’re trying to transition to strictly 360 titles then why hang on to the support  for games that go back several years for a system from the last decade?

Who’s Playing These Ancient Games?

The real question to  Microsoft is does it really take that much effort to continue offering live support for original Xbox games? If not then why shut it down? And even more importantly why offer these games as part of your classic library if you’re going to expect gamers to spend $20 or $30 bucks, memory space but then not allow them to  play the game online? It seems a bit … stupid. Solution — don’t offer those games.

Looking at the the current games in the XBL on demand library  you’ll see that most of their downloadable old (Xbox 1) games are primarily games that were single player hits. So essentially for this online gaming element,  we’re talking about folks who have some semblance of a videogame library and still own some of these original box titles or for some reason still use the original Xbox and buy “new” games at bargain bins and Criag’s list. As to how big of a market that is 5 years into the 360’s existence, who knows?

From a customer reputation standpoint they may lose favor with those old school gamers but it looks like Microsoft feels fairly secure that they’re not going to irk that many folks with this decision and they’re still giving them a few months to relive the old game glory days before pulling the plug.

Thanks to people like Shawn Deena, who contributes articles that range from some hard-core retro gaming flashbacks to articles that will piss you off, and Ali Miller, who occasionally gives us a peek into what life is like as a smart & sarcastic girl-gamer,

Set on Stun has just as many comments as we do posts!

This blog is less than a year old and is a labor of love.  With pretty much zero marketing budget, we completely rely on our friends, our social networks, links from other blog owners we’ve met and of course, the Googles to attract visitors to our site.

Right now, we average a couple hundred visitors per day, which spiked (and crashed) when both GamePolitics.com and Kotaku linked to us on the same day.

To everyone who’s commented, thank you.  We thrive on your opinions, we love seeing new ones appear and we hope you keep doing it.  I know that I learn just as much from some of the comments than I do in practical application.

Again, Thank You.

In honor of Black History Month this week’s Flashback will take a look, or try to, at black characters in videogames. Specifically playable characters that weren’t just NPCs or cast members in cut scenes. Guess what? There aren’t that many.

Barrett Wallace — Final Fantasy VII 1997

seriously -- look at me -- would you mess with this?

Did you see his arm? It’s a Gatling gun. C’mon! Former leader of AVALANCHE Mr. Wallace although not a big fan of Cloud decides to fight the good fight anyway. He was an ornery dude.

CJ (a.k.a. Carl Johnson) GTA: San Andreas (2004 — the game was set in 1992)

I dare you to race me -- I will beat you

Not only was San Andreas on of the best of the series, but Carl Johnson was the main character in this GTA set in San Andreas in the early 90s. Fresh out of Liberty City lockup he returns to his beloved hometown only to be thrown right back into the life he left behind.  Actually in terms of games, San Andreas had a primarily black cast. Of course they were gang bangers and criminals but hey a whole game, that’s something right?

Sergeant Johnson: Halo (2001 — 2007 {posthumously 2009})

Don't ever call me Avery -- I will shoot you

Correction: Master Sergeant Avery Johnson. One of the NPCs of the Halo series for all three of the games, Johnson was the gravel-voiced mean green military leader who had some great lines and was was a consistent character throughout the franchise. Unfortunately he met his demise in Halo 3 (sorry for the two people who have never played it) but he then became a playable character last year in Halo: ODST as part of a special pre-order download from retailer Gamestop where you could use him in multiplayer games. Okay so he had to wait 4 games to become a usable character but at least he finally got in the game. No word yet on whether we’ll see him in this year’s other prequel Halo: Reach

Cole Train: Gears of  War 1 & 2 (2006 and 2008)

The gun show isn't in town -- it's here!

Showing up midway through the first Gears of War Augustus “Cole Train” Cole, former Thrashball superstar becomes a COG and starts out on the Alpha team but ultimately joins the fight with Marcus Phoenix. The epitome of a badass Train  is basically that guy you want in any fight (pillows included).

Sheva Alomar: Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Hey Tomb Raider ... Suck on this!

Who? This is the newest entry to the list. The yin to Chris Redfield’s Yang in Resident Evil, this bomb diggity bomb is member of the BSAA South African branch and can head shot zombies like nobody’s business.  Zombies beware, she will kick your ass.

Honorable Mention — Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker

I will moonwalk all over your head

Not just a character, a whole game featuring the late gloved one as the zoot-suit fedora wearing charcter of his Smooth Criminal video. Believe it or not this was an adventure beat ‘em up game. How did you beat people up you ask? Why you kick them of course. And the best part — you got to morph into a robot.

Criminals, badasses, military dudes (and dudettes) and a morphing robot.  How do you like them apples?

There’s something about zombie games that instantly get me conflicted.  I love them, I love playing them and I love talking about them.  However, it’s getting to the point where the zombie fad has lost its bloody sheen and is starting to smell a bit ripe.

But goddammit, I love me some zombie games, even though my own internal conflict wont prevent me from buying I MAED A GAM3 WITH ZOMBIES IN 1T!!!1 or for that matter, trying out a wicked cool online browser based zombie MMO “Dead Frontier” from Jagged Blade Games.  While I’m usually not a fan of online browser games in general, this one has every element I like about zombie games.  Survival horror gameplay, good weapons, hyper-active community and of course…

SHIT LIKE THIS!

This has been pulled from my nightmares! (very big image)

One of the things that I like about the evolution of good games that have fostered an active and thriving community is that that effort into building a good game and a good community is that the people who play the game are more than happy to do your marketing for you.

This is the fanbase, your loyal customers that you want to keep happy, playing and engaged.  When you give them the tools to spread your game, and they’re having fun, the community you build will happily do it.  This is what I’ve been impressed with with a relatively unknown game like Dead Frontier.

Check out this beta trailer… it’s very cool.

While the game is still in beta, at its dripping, rotting core is  an addictive and fun game that’s a throwback to some of the old school top level shooter/ strategy games with some cool interactive MMO socialization elements.

While it seems that so many big companies are hogging the limelight, such as Dante’s Inferno buying a Super Bowl ad or Mass Effect 2 sponsoring parts of the playoffs.  This team has  just launched a blog that informs the community about the updates involved, the process (and some of the hitches that will happen) as it goes into a 3D game.

While it may sound like I’m gushing over the game – (they’re not paying me to do this) – I wanted to give them some props for actively reaching out to the community to let them know whats going on.  I think that more independent game companies out there are doing it right, on a small scale, because they’re a part of the community that they’ve built too.  They know that there are people like me who’ve made friends who I talk to on a near daily basis who’ve I’ve never met IRL.  They know that MMO communities are brutal and loyal.

If they continue adding new and cool things to the blog, if they keep talking to the community, if they engage them and at times, bring them into the process, what they’re doing is engendering a loyalty that no ad campaign can ever do.  They’re creating shared and relatable experiences for gamers.  These experiences are the things that gamers love to talk about, love to spread and they keep playing.

Great job Dead Frontier, I’m looking forward to seeing how the game evolves over the year.

Apparently, Set on Stun and every other blog on the planet has been writing (and writhing) furiously about the Apple iPad announcement.  In the past few days, my partner Shawn and I have produced a few of those articles as well.

While I’m hesitant to add yet another article in the current cacophony of critical and complimentary yet credible connoisseurs of computing culture, I feel that I have yet to put my finger on why I simultaneously love and hate the Apple iPad.  I hate it because of what it is, yet I love it for what it could potentially be.

Why I Love the Apple iPad:

As my friend, mentor and former boss Thom Kozik noted in a past article, about my skepticism towards the Apple iPad, the revolution of the iPhone was not in the technology, the same could be said (and is being said) about the iPad.  He makes the point that

There’s an old adage in product design & marketing that the mass market will never recognize they need and thus will not demand, truly innovative products. I would challenge anyone to argue that they would have specified in some 2006 survey or focus group that what they *really* wanted was the kind of capabilities/functionality an iPhone user takes for granted (nay, is *addicted to*) on a daily basis. Design by committee doesn’t work here.

He goes on to describe the nearly imperceptible learning curve and its ability to “just work”.  In a sense, he described the brilliance of the Apple strategy.  They make products that they control to give people technology that fits the way they consume media (games, blogs, the internet, music, movies and more).  With the nit-picking of the iPad due to its lack of GPS, media outlets, Adobe Flash capabilities and many more, I realized that in my mind, I am looking at this device with the perception of a media creator.  I create things all day long, analyses, spreadsheets, articles and more.  I sit at my PC and I think, I work and I create.  With those lenses, I have judged the iPad and found it wanting.

However, after a brief IM with Thom and reading his response, I took a look at how I use my badly damaged iPhone and realized that the things I create with my iPhone is minimal.  The emails, texts, tweets and updates are minimal.  However, the media that I consume compared to what I create is staggering.

I sent 12 emails via my phone yesterday, read 12 blog posts, viewed 20 pictures, played 6 games, listened to music for 7 hours and watched over 10 videos.  The iPad would allow me to do that, and more (multitasking aside).

The iPad as a Media Consumption Product is Amazing.

As a content consumption device, it has flaws, but what I think Apple has figured out is not just what people consume on a mobile device, but how they consume media on that device.  The iPad version 1 will always be a test, it will find out what works and what doesn’t.  Patches will be added to update and upgrade the firmware, apps will be created to supplement and work around some of the idiosyncrasies.  Don’t even start talking to me about hating the iPad because of the “walled garden”  each gaming console is itself a walled garden.  I agree in principle, but the reality is that every popular manufacturer of content consumption (games, ebooks, music and movies) have some level of that baked into their process.

Why I Hate the Apple iPad

Simply put, for me, it’s superfluous.  I have consoles, both mobile and static… I have an iPhone, I have a laptop and the iPad is just one more piece of beautiful technology that doesn’t replace any of these items, doesn’t really do anything that these things do significantly better and has some drawbacks that I just don’t have to live with in the context of my current digitally mobile life.  I hate it because I’m attracted to it.  I want it… I want to play games, experience what I’m sure will be a new way to perceive and experience games.

That’s the crux.  All I see now is potential, the iPad is a platform that has a beautiful, yet flawed architecture that holds an incredible potential.  I can see that potential and I can see how Apple has designed this product to be iterative, to blend in with digitally mobile lifestyle and I can see how good it can be.