My 360 Replacement Experiance.

It only took a week, but i got my 360 back. i must admit i'm impressed with the speed it took, only a week. it would've been here yesterday but UPS were delayed a day.
of course this may not be the same for everyone, thinking about it the main reason for such speed would be that my console had no repairs. it was a very early model and i doubt that the parts for it exist, and they probably decided that it would be simpler just to sent me a new one.
i have to say that i do no have one of the new chipsets. i'm a little disappointed, but i understand why; the 360 i sent was a original one, which means that i have a original power brick, the new chipsets use a different power brick...and unfortunately older bricks do not work with the newer models, which means it's cheaper to send me a a newer version of the original model.

getting it replaced was a interesting experience. it's all done online now, even trying to phone in tells you to go to the website. the website relies on you being online, with a live account and being registered, which thankfully i am which made it very simple, fill in the boxes, say whats wrong. if you have a RROD, the site automatically adds 3 years of warranty which should make the process free. the emails are a little confusing, they cover all bases by sending a email with all the information possible which can make it difficult to pick out your own info, and you have to provide your won box. thats the only issues i have, everything else went smoothly.
i'm impressed, but i guess they have had alot of experience, it was smooth, didn't take long, and relatively out of my hands. i'd say good overall.

Zero Puncuation - Reisdent Evil 5

Ah, back on form with this great review of Resident Evil 5. whilst he's known for making exaggerated negative comments towards a game, today's episode has echoed alot amongst the gaming community...this just makes it funny... "Capcoms not racist...they're just idiots"

GDC - 2 New Consoles enter the market?!?!?

it's early days at the moment at GDC, mostly it's been new trailers, like Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 but there was suprise news as two new consoles have been announced!

The first is "OnLive". This could singlehandly change the future of gaming. i know it's a bold statement. it may be a bold statement, but there is nothing like it and it could bring gaming to everyone with a phone line. comparisons to youtube are just, all the games, processing, are done online.

for those without a PC, this box is all you need. as all the work is done online, a console sized box is not needed, all it needs to do is connect to a controller, a tv, and the internet. for those with a PC, they offer a in broswer experiance (much like the new quake online) requireing only a small download.
You internet connection is the only limitation for the device. the slower it is, the lower the resolution you'll see.

it is a subscription based service, but the list of publishers already linned up for the service is impressive. EA, Take-Two, Ubisoft, Eidos, Codemasters, Epic, Atari, WB and 2D Boy to start, and it takes very little effort to add more.
More on this will come later, read Joystiq or IGN articles for more information.

The second console is Zeebo. whilst not as revolutionary as OnLive, is still a important announcement. it's not going against the Wii, 360 or PS3, but it is aimed at the emerging/poorer markets.

the console is less powerful than the Wii, but like the Wii it's a descision which keeps the cost of the console low, and makes it less complicated. it's a download only serive, games being downloaded over the 3G network in a bid to reduce piracey. brazil is the first market to see the Zeebo, at a price around a third less than the Wii ($199 compared to $1000) before beind released India, eastern Europe and China (by 2011).
so far around 300 games are planned for the console, costing between $5 to $15, coming from a vairty of publishers big and small.
for more infor, Gamasutra has a indepth article and engadget has a brief overview.

What Have You Played This Week?

So what have you been playing this week?

Killzone 2 - PS3 - i finally leveled up all the way. i haven't got all the medals yet, but it's great playing really long matches being able to try out all the different classes. still no played single player!

Football Manager 09 - PC - got AFC Wimbledon promoted from conference south to conference premier. still having fun, it's a great game to play in the background whilst doing other things.

Shadow Of The Colossus - PS2 - finally got a chance to play the PS2 classic, the must own game, and i'm not disappointed. the graphics are lush, the gameplay interesting, intuitive, and different. i'm enjoying playing something new and different, just a shame i couldn't play it when it came out.

not played much this week, been busy with other things, but looking forward to my 360 being returned, and resistance retribution finally being sent (thankyou play.com!)

Twitter Issues

Apologises for the lack of Twitter news yesterday.
i use a program called AlertThingy, it's a small program that has usually been reliable. however, yesterday it decided to play up and it now looks like the majority of the twitter messages i sent from it never made it.
i'll keep an eye on it today, and if there's problems with it i'll try another program to make sure the issues won't last for long.
if you've got a program you can recommend (it needs to be able to sent tweets and convert URL's, with a program like TinyUrl, into something much smaller) please leave a message in the comments

UK PSN Update 19/03/09

Today's PSN Update was quite late today, but it brings some interesting changes, the most obvious being that PSP and PS1 games are now separate from the list. you can access them by clicking on the respective icons.

PS3 Games
Street Fighter IV - Shadaloo Pack [£3.19]
High Velocity Bowling - Jill's Totally Straight [Free]
Little Big Planet - Killzone 2 Costume Kit [£2.39]
Midnight Club Los Angeles - South Central Premium Upgrade [£7.99]
Midnight Club Los Angeles - South Central Map Expansion [Free]
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team English [Free]
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team French [Free]
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team Italian [Free]
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team German [Free]
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team Spanish [Free]
Call Of Duty: World At War - Map Pack 1 [£7.99]
Power Up Forever [£6.29]
SOCOM: Confrontation [£19.99]

Demo's
NONE

Guitar Hero - World Tour
"Carolina" by M-Clan [£1.59]
"Hier Kommt Alex" by Die Tolten Hosen [£1.59]
"What Have You Done" by Within Temptation [£1.59]
All Songs Above, European Track Pack 04 [£4.39]
Jimi Hendrix Track Pack 02 [£4.39]

Rock Band
"All The Things That go To Heaven And Earth" by The New Pornographers [£0.99]
"Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine Pt1" by James Brown [£0.99]
"Last Resort" by Papa Roach [£0.99]
"lifeline" by Papa Roach [£0.99]
"Pick Up The Pieces" by Average White Band [£0.99]
"Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire [£0.99]
"Thrash Unreal" by Against Me! [£0.99]
"Use It" by The New Pornographers [£0.99]
Get The Funk Out Pack 1 - Average White Band, James Brown, and Earth, Wind & Fire [£2.49]

Videos
Midnight Club Los Angeles - south Central Trailer
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team Tutorial
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team Trailer
God Of War III - Launch Trailer

Wallpaper
Crash Commando - Battle Wallpaper

Theme
Motorstorm Pacific Ridge - Festival Theme
Motorstorm Pacific Ridge - Islan Theme
Fifa 09 - Ultimate Team Theme

PS1 Classic
Silent Hill [£3.99]

PSP
Resistance: Retribution [£24.99]
SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo [£14.99]
Twisted Metal: Head On [£14.99]
Splinter Cell Essentials [£15.99]
Everybodys Golf [£14.99]
Ratchet And Clank: Size Matters [£14.99]
Spinout [£7.99]

Interestingly, the second part of the Unreal III Titan pack was absent from the Shop.
Some big PSP love this week, looks like the trend releasing PSP games new and old on the PSN could make the rumours of a UMD drive less PSP true.

New Zero Punctuation: 50 Cent Bood On The Sand

New Zero Puncuation this week...and he's gone for 50Cent!