Xcast Episode # 14

Xcast Episode #14 - Happy New Year

-The people from waterjets.org decided to have a little fun with their malfunctioning Xbox and Xbox 360... I wonder if they knew Microsoft extended the warranty on the Xbox 360?

-Wiimotes are still flying, a lawsuit was filed against Nintendo due to the broken straps.

-XBL matchmaking down 12/27/06

-Are Sony's PS3's still in demand, because I was able to find one for sale

-I went over a few lists that were given out due to the end of the year

-I went over Marketplace content, reviewed Rainbow Six Vegas (9/10), I gave everyone a review of the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset as well and whatever else I decided to throw in last minute

Download Episode #14 here!

Please post your reviews on the Itunes Music Store. (Link will open Itunes)





Listener Call In Line:1-206-339-4661 (not toll free)
Email: frank@theman661.com


Links to things mentioned in the show:

http://www.time.com/time/topten/2006/full_list.html
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/30/2006-top-xbox-live-games.aspx
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelessheadset/default.htm
http://www.waterjets.org/
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163421.html
http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/21/xbox-xbox-360-taken-to-console-heaven-by-water-jet-cutter/
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/30/2006-top-xbox-live-games.aspx
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/27/yup-we-know.aspx
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163586.html?msg_sort=1
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/tomclancyrainbowsixvegas/

Xbox Live is back up and running!

Finally after I played a couple levels of Gears on Insane and fell asleep, I woke up to Xbox Live Matchmaking working again. Thanks Microsoft for fixing the problem rather quickly although I do have to say I just renewed my XBL subscription a day or two ago so I was not thrilled when this happened. Anyway everything is working again, so I will see you all in the Gears lobbies!

Xbox Live Not Working.....Microsoft Knows, But I dont know what to do!

Yeah yeah I know XBL matchmaking is down, its late here on the East Coast and I was getting pumped to play some Gears with a guest and with my friends over at Planet Xbox 360, but I guess that cant happen. Private Chat and all other XBL features are working except matchmaking. I just got off Private Chat with Nelson from Planet Xbox 360 and they were about to play some Gears with a bunch of listeners, then this happened!! Major Nelson says that they are working on it, so we shall see. What should I do with my life! Just kidding, but this is pretty frustrating when these things happen. I just renewed my XBL subscription for 13 more months. Hopefully Microsoft will get this worked out and all and I can play some Gears. Anyway I'm out for now, I'm definitely talking about this on the show this week.

Xcast Episode #13

I know I am a little late in delivering this one again, but I am going to try and stay on top of things from now on.

Xcast Episode 13

-I had special guest host Garrett on the show with me, whose gamertag is GJK 2256

-We talked about all the headlines that I have posted on the site, plus the list of the top 25 people of the next generation released by next-gen.biz.

-Talked about the new backwards compatibility list

-We gave you some Gears news, an update on a few patches and informed you on the latest marketplace content.

-Lastly we played the first piece of Xcast listener mail to be recieved from Arizona Jedi.

Download Xcast Episode #13 here.

Please post your reviews on the Itunes Music Store. (Link will open Itunes)

Links Mentioned In The Show:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163269.html?tag=latestnews;title;2
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163240.html
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm
http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/xna/gse/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/xna/creators/
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4395&Itemid=2&limit=1&limitstart=6
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061215/ap_on_hi_te/japan_nintendo_recall
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/21/crackdown-demo-details.aspx
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/16/major-nelson-is-otg.aspx
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/12/18/major-is-back-on-the-grid.aspx
http://splintercell.us.ubi.com/newspost.php?news_id=4278
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=152171?cid=otc-rss&attr=cvg-general-rss&skip=yes
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2006/1222-xbox360warrantyextended.htm
http://forums.xbox.com/8976537/ShowPost.aspx
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3156063
http://maps.live.com


Thanks for Listening

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)



Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Microsoft has extended Xbox 360 warranties for another year!

Wow this one surprised me. Microsoft has extended the Xbox 360 standard warranty on all new products and for people (like me) that are within their first year of ownership of a 360. I was jumping for joy when I heard this one because I did not buy an extended warranty when I purchased my 360. I still hope it applies to me and it sounds like it should even though I did not purchase the extended warranty.

Splinter Cell Double Agent Auto Update

Finally Ubisoft has released an update for Splinter Cell DA, here is what it does:


Connection Issues:
Some instances of “the host has ended the session”.
Disconnections in the lobby.
Once the lobby reaches 5 or 6 people, random players drop.
After kicking the 6th player from a team, the leader couldn't invite another player
Group leader hangs in the "joining session" screen if the host quits while he is joining.
Improvement of the server selection so that the server is more reactive.
If a player leaves a session immediately when he arrives and they have some packet loss (he is in a resolving state), the resolving time out is not reset and in the next session he will kick all the players as soon as he arrives !!!!
Only 1 disconnect function to each peer when resolving is timed out.

Lag-related issues:
In-game freezing: treats a limited number of Unreal packets per frame to avoid freezes in some specific conditions.
Increased network thread priority over Sound thread that can reduce lag issues.
Fix the case when a player got flashbanged while lagging as a mercenary; the player can remain permanently flashbanged until the player reboot the game.
Fix FPS loss due to a sound problem.

Others issues :
A new Game Version to avoid LAN matches between master and update versions
The loading video was always the same, now it's changed at random
Fixed a bug on the score calculation of the Max Percent challenge.
Challenge Best score is wrong if the player has just beaten it.
Improved checks to avoid accessing an invalid leaderboard
Allows to write leaderboards of live challenges

Maybe I can actually play on XBL with this update!

Looking for blog authors!

I am now in the process of looking for people to write and post articles, reviews and all things involving the gaming on my blog. The criteria is as follows:

1. You must have some knowledge of the gaming industry and own a major console.
(Xbox 360,PS3,Wii, etc...)(Since this is a blog mainly about Xbox 360 and Microsoft I will be leaning towards entrees who own an Xbox 360)

2. Have to have a well rounded view on the gaming industry.

3. Lastly it would be great if you had some prior experience posting on a blog or writing for a website. (If not you can still apply, but it would help)

When applying please include: your name, gamertag (if you have one), email address to which I can write back to you and the country that you live in.

Please send all entries to frank@theman661.com.

I will try and respond to all entries within 2 days of receiving the application.

Computer Problems....Just Great!

Just to let all of you know I am unable to produce Episode #13 on time. I believe I should be able to do it this weekend. My AC Adapter for my Dell Latitude 110L laptop stopped working so I had to order a replacement part in from Dell and on top of that my battery is dead and I cant even access any of my files. Sorry for the delay, I am looking forward to giving you Episode #13.


Edit: I have received my AC charger and my laptop is back up and running.

Play Gears Of War with the Artist of the Month Tenacious D!

Your Artist of the Month Tenacious D will be playing Gears Of War. To have a chance to play with the band you have to register at this link http://tenaciousd.com/xbox/. Please read all contest rules and regulations to see if you can enter.

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)

Gears Downloadable Content to be Free?

Wow I was amazed when I heard this one. It is true, the title of this post is for real! This surprised me that Epic may give us FREE downloadable content for one of the hottest titles released this year. I don't even care if its just a theme or gamerpicture its FREE. I guess I'm not used to this. I know EA started giving out some FREE downloadable content but of course I didn't have the game :( So if this starts happening, this may change my view on the marketplace in general.

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)

Challenge Kevin (Gamertag: Waffle05)!

A good friend of mine Kevin (Gamertag: Waffle05) has asked me to find him a challenge for Halo 2, he says he needs a good challenge because right now he is unbeatable. So send him a challenge and/or friend request. He is playing on a regular Xbox (The Big Black Beast) so you do not have the wrong Gamertag when you see it is an original Xbox Gamertag. Kevin will be coming on the show sometime hopefully Episode 13 and he will be telling us some scores from his last games. He will most likely be a frequent poster on the blog. His AIM Screen Name is New0005.

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)

Xcast Episode #12

Here it is, the long awaited Xcast Episode #12!

This episode I had Special Guest Host Paul on the show, his gamertag is PaulisaPler. We talked about the Halo series and told you how to enlist in the Halo 3 beta. I gave you a review of Superman Returns (just rent it!) and Viva Pinata (pretty cool). We talked news going around the gaming industry as well. I completely forgot during the show but I would like to throw a shout out to APK Jester who is a great sport and he knows how to deal with me on Gears when I am not doing that well and Arizona Jedi who just started listening to the show. More Interviews to come soon! Thanks Paul for coming on the show.

Download Episode #12 here!

Listener Call In Line: 1-206-339-4661 (not toll free)

Email: frank@theman661.com

Thanks for listening!

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)

Things Mentioned In the Show:
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3155393
www.halo3.com
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/11/28/xbox-live-security.aspx
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/11/28/arcade-heads-up.aspx
http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2006/11/30/dashboard-update-aka-the-1080p-fix.aspx
http://www.planetxbox360.com
http://www.teemorris.com
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx

Xcast Episode #12 Delayed Until Next Week

Hey everyone,

Xcast Episode #12 is going to have to be delayed until later on this week or until next week due to some family matters. I will try and get it done sometime this week, but later on than I expected. I have tons of notes and things to share with you for Episode #12 so get ready for a packed episode.

Thank you for your patience,

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)

Delay of Xcast Episode #12

Hey everyone,

Im away from my recording studio this weekend and will not be able to produce Episode 12 this weekend. I will be recording the episode on Monday (12/4/06) and it will hopefully be out Monday or Tuesday.

-Frank (Gamertag: TheMan661)