Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Mole: Smell ya later



Mac Daddy - Apple and EA recently announced that games will be coming onto the Mac platform starting in July with the release of "Battlefield 2142", "Command and Conquer 3", "Need for Speed Carbon", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". "Tiger Woods 08" and "Madden 08" will come out in the fall. id Software has developed a new gaming engine that supports OS X, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The new engine, called id Tech 5, will be on display at E3.
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Sony reaches out - Finally starting to get with the program, Sony recently released its Playstation blog. Available at http://blog.us.playstation.com/ it offers news and updates. Like most things Sony does, its a bit cold and and not quite as community friendly as the Xbox site but if you're a PS3 gamer, its worth a look.
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Grand Theft Auto trailer - For those of us diehard fans who salivated over the first GTA IV trailer and wanted more, there's good news. A new trailer titled "Looking for the Someone Special" will be available for download on the Rockstar website June 28th.
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Did someone say Achievement Points? - Here are the 49 ways to boost your gamerscore in Halo 3.
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1. Landfall - Finish the first mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 points
2. Holdout - Finish the second mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 points
3. The Road - Finish the third mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 20 points
4. Assault - Finish the fourth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 points
5. Cleansing - Finish the fifth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 points
6. Refuge - Finish the sixth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 30 points
7. Last Stand - Finish the seventh mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 40 points
8. The Key - Finish the eighth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 40 points
9. Return - Finish the final mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary. 50 points
10. Campaign Complete: Normal - Finish the Campaign on Normal. 125 points
11. Campaign Complete: Heroic - Finish the Campaign on Heroic (unlocks achievement for Normal, if not earned). 125 points
12. Campaign Complete: Legendary - Finish the Campaign on Legendary (unlocks achievements for Normal and Heroic, if not earned). 125 points
13. Iron - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
14. Black Eye - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
15. Tough Luck - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
16. Catch - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
17. Fog - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
18. Famine - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
19. Thunderstorm - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
20. Tilt - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
21. Mythic - Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull. 10 points
22. Spartan Program Recruit - Win your first game in matchmaking to sign up for the Spartan Program (Online). 10 points
23. UNSC Spartan - Earn your Sergeant rating to be recognized as a true Spartan (Online). 15 points
24. Spartan Officer - Advance to the Spartan Officer ranks (Online). 25 points
25. Two for One - Score a Double Kill with a single spartan laser shot in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
26. Too Close to the Sun - Destroy an enemy banshee with the spartan laser or missile pod in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 points
27. Triple Kill - Kill 3 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
28. Overkill - Kill 4 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
29. Lee R Wilson Memorial - Score 5 grenade sticks in any ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
30. We’re in for some Chop - Destroy an enemy vehicle with equipment in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 points
31. Killing Frenzy - Kill 10 enemies without dying in any ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
32. Steppin' Razor - Score a Triple Kill with the sword in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
33. Mongoose Mowdown - Splatter an enemy with the mongoose in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
34. Up Close and Personal - Kill 5 enemies by melee or assassination in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
35. Fear the Pink Mist - Kill 5 enemies with the needler in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign. 5 points
36. Headshot Honcho - Kill 10 enemies with headshots in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign. 5 points
37. Used Car Salesman - Destroy a vehicle that has three enemies in it in a ranked playlist or in campaign. 5 points
38. Marathon Man - Locate and access all Terminals in the Campaign. 40 points
39. MVP - Earn the MVP in any ranked playlist (Online). 5 points
40. Maybe Next Time Buddy - Board the same vehicle within 10 seconds after being boarded in any free for all playlist (Online). 5 points
41. Demon - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the second mission. 10 points
42. Guerilla - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the first mission. 10 points
43. Cavalier - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the third mission. 10 points
44. Askar - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the fourth mission. 10 points
45. Exterminator -Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the fifth mission. 10 points
46. Ranger - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the sixth mission. 10 points
47. Vanguard - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the seventh mission. 10 points
48. Orpheus - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on eighth mission. 10 points
49. Reclaimer - Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the final mission. 10 points
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Smell ya later? - So what the heck does the title of this post have to do with anything? Well, I don't know how to sugarcoat it so here it is - I recently resigned as the Gazette's video game columnist. To be honest its been a long time coming. No disrespect to the paper or any of the friends I still have there but I just didn't feel like it was taking my writing career where I wanted it to go. I left on my own (and good) terms so the decision to leave was completely mine and I'm happy with it.
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Now I'm a freelancer with increased writing opportunities. The Gazette doesn't allow you to write for anyone else, but now that I'm "single" I can persue other outlets I couldn't before. I'll still be doing this blog, the podcast, going out to E3 and giving you the latest gaming news and reviews. I'm also looking to do some freelance work for the Independent and my name is in the mix at a couple of national gaming sites/mags so I have some jobs in the works. I'm bummed that I'm no longer affiliated with a reputable paper but if I want to play with the big boys, some risks have to be taken. Wish me luck as I take the next step in my career and don't go anywhere. If you've enjoyed what you've read over the last 2 years, it should only get better now that I'm not as restricted when it comes to content or style. I'm not turning into a different writer, just being a little less conservative. Stick around.
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2 comments:

Eli the Mad Man said...

You're leaving the Gaz? In the words of Homer Simpson... "DOH!"

Ub3rn00b said...

I remember a while back getting a notice that the Gazette was getting rid of the gaming column and Terry was trying to get people to write the editor or somethin' to get them to reverse the decision. I don't get the Gazette at home and the only time I read it is at work when someone brings it in and I don't work Saturdays. Once in awhile, I come in on Monday and nobody has thrown out the Saturday or Sunday paper yet and I read it. It's been awhile though so honestly I never really read the column. Not that I'm not a supporter of having a gaming column in the paper. If they had any insight into the needs and wants of the younger reader, they would definitely keep a column in there. However; I can honestly say that at least 90 percent of my friends my age or younger that play video games don't read the paper either. I read Game Informer or whatever it's called that I get for like a dollar per year thanks to Gamestop. The idea is if they flood you with information on games coming out you're more likely to go to Gamestop to buy them however, interestly enough, I looked on Walmart.com to see if Pirates 3 was out for the Wii and it was at a price of something like 39.82 so I went to Gamestop because it's closer to my house and it was 49.99 there. I asked the guy "WTF yo" and he said "sorry our prices aren't better" and that was it. So I spent 10 bux in gas to get to the Walmart to buy the game there instead. I also looked at how much DiRT is and it's 5 bux cheaper at Walmart. Couple that with the fact that Gamestop has VERY poor trade in values for games, and I really can't find a good reason to ever go back there unless I'm looking for some old used game that I need TODAY because no doubt the prices on Ebay would be better and that's where I've been turning to to sell my used 360 games as well. That and craigslist. What was this post about again?
Anyway I look forward to your less conservative posts. Maybe we can get some real gaming in once in awhile on XBL :D