Ducking bullets and returning fire in Modern Warfare 2 has become big business online — but with tons of online players, bugs inevitably crop up.

For all the positives that your yearly Xbox Live gold subscription buys, it comes with one major downfall: the generic Xbox Live asshole. This is not a new phenomenon — Penny Arcade codified the “G.I.F.T.” system more than five years ago — but on two recent major Xbox 360 titles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Forza Motorsport 3, it appears that the Live team is finally taking a strong stance on cheaters.

But is what’s happening in these titles really cheating, and is the tough-guy stance really the appropriate response?

The Wild West

Xbox Live has always been seen by gamers as a walled garden of sorts. From the early days when the service launched on the original Xbox, there were worries from users that any sort of modifications or hacks to a system would get you kicked off the service — for good. Fears of a permanent ban may have diminished (at least they had prior to Microsoft cleaning house earlier in the fall), but for all intents and purposes, Xbox Live has been a digital Wild West. It’s a land of opportunity with plenty of wonderful features to make use of and mine (not the least of which being playing games online, of course), but you have to deal with cheaters, players taking advantage of glitches in games, people meta-gaming the system and all variety of foul language. In short, it’s got its drawbacks.

Forza Motorsport 3 can be a cruel game, and Turn 10 would argue that cheaters manipulating the game makes it even more difficult.

It’s fascinating, then, to see that Microsoft finally appears to be leaning on some of its biggest development teams to actually do something about the mess gamers make online. Both Modern Warfare 2 and Forza 3 have had glitches almost ruin the online experience recently, and — surprisingly — the developers have responded by pushing back against the cheaters.

Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer is huge business — it’s number one on Xbox Live activity according to Major Nelson (note that even the two previous CoD titles — World at War and CoD4 — are still in the top 10!). It makes sense that, with that many people actively engaged in their game’s multiplayer component, Infinity Ward and Activision would want to rein in any cheaters.

It appears that Infinity Ward is being proactive against Xbox Live cheating — the recent “javelin” glitch already has a fix, and other issues (like an infinite ammo glitch that spreads like a virus, and issues relating to accidentally being sent to private matches via the public matchmaking) are being addressed soon.

While Forza 3 has only had one major glitch issue to deal with, it was a big one. Players could manipulate the game to create cars that could be re-sold in the game for hundreds of millions — if not billions — of in-game credits. Those credits, while only good within Forza 3, allow players to buy cars, parts, and — crucially to the ecosystem of the in-game economy Turn 10 created in Forza 3 — items off of the in-game storefront. Not only did a glitched bank account mean access to an unlimited supply of designs and vinyl groups — it also meant the storefront’s auctions were easy to dominate.

A Leg to Stand On?

Along with both developers fixing the bugs and glitches and preventing users from accessing them again, users who exploited those glitches have also been banned from Xbox Live — either temporarily or, in some cases, permanently. Can Microsoft do this? Of course it can. As pointed out by Turn 10 Community Manager Che Chou, it’s in the Xbox Live Terms of Use:

“In using the Service, you may not exploit a bug, or make an unauthorized modification, to any software or data to gain unfair advantage in a game, contest, or promotion.”

So not only are modders, who have traditionally had to be wary of Xbox Live bans, on the run, but now glitchers are too.

While developers might have a legal leg to stand on in this case, do they have a moral one? Many gamers feel that the old EA Sports motto should apply here: If it’s in the game, it’s in the game. If there’s an exploit sitting in the finished game, well, the coders should have fixed it in the QA process and it’s their fault. That’s the stance some gamers took in regard to MW2; however, the problem is that it changes the game. In the case of MW2, it changes from a game where you shoot guns to a game where (in the case of the javelin glitch) you have to avoid the suicide bomber with a giant anti-aircraft missile.

In the case of the Forza credit glitch, gamers on forums have pointed out that the exact same glitch was in Forza 2; indeed, glitched Forza 2 cars were being passed out before Forza 3 came out. It’s a very laissez-faire way to approach glitching in games, and one that’s apparently made even more acceptable by the motto of “ship it and patch it later” in development that goes hand-in-hand with the current console generation.

Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

Of course there have been accidental bans as well. A comment on that Turn 10 blog post linked above was posted by a user who seemingly was wrongfully banned for glitching in Forza 3:

I just logged onto forza and see that my profile has been found to have violated the XBOX Live terms of agreement via a credit exploit.?!?

THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I have never glitched, I don’t even know how, I have about 900,000 credits and I am into season 4, I just race career mode. I haven’t purchased anything on the AH and the only cars I have purchased period are a 2003 350Z, and the GTR from the DLC. All of the cars in my garage are just the ones you get from leveling up.

This is my second game save because I purchased the MW2 elite and had to start over since I don’t have a transfer kit. I am running a triple screen setup, and have enough headaches trying to get that to run properly with my DLC and now this..

I am a 30 year old gamer with no desire to glitch, hack, cheat etc. This is getting out of hand as far as denying my online access when I have done absolutely nothing wrong. I have spent my money on 3plus xboxes, monitors, triple lcd stand, forza 3 LE playseat, and 3 copies of Forza and this happens. I am pretty pissed off right now.

Who do I need to contact about this?

Granted, just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true, but if this guy’s being honest he has a right to be upset.

Interestingly enough, as part of the solution to the problem, Turn 10 ran an amnesty program in December regarding credit glitching:

Starting this evening (Dec. 12) and all through the weekend, we will be putting up Ford Focus RS for 10s and 100s of millions of credits as an amnesty program for glitchers. If you have gotten credits by cheating, we know all about it and have all the numbers. If you don’t want to get banned next week, I encourage you to go and get rid of your credits by purchasing one of these Ford Focus RS put up in the Auction House by Gamertag “TurnTenStudios”. Do not accept imitations or buy a Focus RS for millions of credits from any Gamertag other than “TurnTenStudios”. Purchase the Focus RS that is appropriate to the amount of credits you glitched and your name will be taken off the list for banning next week – but be sure to stay honest because we’re actually running another scan on Monday to see the outcome. Either way, it’s a chance for folks to come clean and start over.

“Come clean and start over.” That’s certainly an interesting choice of words to use for the situation. Turn 10 takes it seriously because it has tried to create an honest-to-god in-game economy for cars, designs, and auctions in Forza 3. They have released “unicorn cars” — race cars sprinkled into the auction house from time to time — but one of the cries they made against glitchers is that they cornered the market and drove up prices for those cars, creating an unequal economic situation. But how much should the developer intervene in a game’s economy? That’s a question that almost taps into one’s socio-economic stance as much as the debate over public healthcare in the United States does.

It can be hard to stay frosty when somebody's running straight at you with an anti-aircraft missile and a deathwish.

The question comes back to what defines a “glitch,” what defines “cheating,” and what defines just plain-old “cheap” tactics in a videogame. A glitch can enable anything between unbalanced play and flat-out cheating, depending on the circumstance. Cheap is something that you have to rein in on a social level; remember four-player deathmatch Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 back in the day? (Of course you do.) Was my group of friends the only one to ban the Oddjob character model from the game because he was so much shorter than everyone else and, therefore, harder to shoot? Doubtful. Was it cheating? Not really; Oddjob was in the game and designed that way. Did it present an unfair advantage? God yes, which is why he was banned by house rules.

My thought is that the Forza 3 credit deal is a glitch that falls under “cheating,” whereas some of the MW2 ones are glitches that fall into being “cheap” — though the infinite ammo virus skirts into cheating, and the lobby one is plain-old wackiness. However, bringing Xbox Live bans into the equation makes you re-think some of these issues and try to think how developers and the Live team are going to defend their slippery slope.

If you start banning Xbox Live users for something that’s in a gray area — like the javelin glitch — then what in other games becomes a ban-able offense? I’m all for anything that can help clean up Xbox Live — I currently play games only with friends for this very reason — but some glitching and buggy cheapness is something that I think falls on the developers, and they can’t ban away their troubles.

Will there be cries to fix things that straddle the line between glitch and cheap in the name of game balance? Of course — that’s the developers’ jobs. With online play, a rising number of increasingly complicated games and so many people playing games like MW2 online with an almost religious devotion, it’s going to stress even the toughest multiplayer game engine. The most rigorous online testing teams can’t playtest a game enough to uncover every possible bug before release. But glitches and bug still need to be found and eradicated — especially ones as egregious as the javelin glitch in MW2, or the money glitch in Forza — or else everybody loses out.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

With December and its myriad holidays out of the way, everybody’s got something to keep them busy. Doug’s back to work on his master’s program, Aaron has transformed into a job-applying machine, and I’ve thankfully found a job once again. Unfortunately, that means we all have a whole lot less time to be playing games, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to turn a blind eye to our sacred obligation to Silicon Sasquatch. Don’t worry! We’ve got a couple great articles that are almost ready for publication, and we’re anticipating a full run of content next week.

In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with.

Aaron wouldn't say 'I ain't afraid of no ghosts': he has much less bravado toward specters than you might think.

Aaron:

Now, the game I actually have something say about is Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Maybe it’s because I only paid a meager $12.99 at GameFly’s used game store (with free shipping), but I can’t help but like what I’ve seen. I’m perhaps halfway though the story now, and while the camera and controls are a bit rough around the edges, Ghostbusters is pure fun for fans of the movies. It’s by no means perfect, and that’s fine. The humor is there, the attention to detail in the firehouse headquarters is there, the proton packs are spot-on and the thrill of catching a ghost in a trap still makes me giggle just like my 6-year-old self used to with my toy Nerf proton pack and authentic jumpsuit. Ghostbusters is simple fun layered over a strong IP, and I truly hope Atari gives Terminal Reality another shot in future sequel. Maybe when the third movie finally (maybe) sees release next year, a tie-in game could coincide with the film’s debut.

In case you'd like some added context, here's what's happening. Man on the left: "Colonel! What have you been hiding from me!?" Man in giant robot: "Snaaaaaaaaaaake!"

Doug:

Much like Aaron, I’m just going to list out most of what I played over our holiday break because, being a degenerate graduate student, I had almost nothing productive to do between Thanksgiving and this week, when classes re-started up in earnest. Because that means a lot of time to play games, I’m just going to cut the fat and go list-happy.

I finished Brütal Legend (which seemed like it lost its storytelling steam a bit at the very end) and am close to finishing Batman: Arkham Asylum (trap-laden gargoyles are my kryptonite right now). I almost have what the gentlemen at Giant Bomb would term an “S-rank” (or 1000/1000 achievement score) on Forza Motorsport 3, which I also did a lot of online racing on during the break. I was definitely happy to hit Level 50 in that game and get the last gifted car.

The only game really worth the meagre Xbox Live sale over the holiday break was Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which was marked down to almost 60 percent off the regular list price and is worth every penny. Better than arcade-perfect, with every character unlocked from the start and online multiplayer capable? Yes, please. I also received a kind gift in the form of Shadow Complex, which scratches my Metroid-vania itch in so many ways. Definitely one of the best Xbox 360-only games of last year.

Lastly, my sports game fix has come in two forms — first, as part of multiple trips to downtown Portland old-school arcade Ground Kontrol, I’ve fulfilled my basketball jones by playing a bunch of NBA Jam. Nick and I (and friend of the site Andrew) went to GK on New Year’s Eve, and besides crushing the X-Men 6-player arcade game, the most fun had was running the two-man game with the Blazers on NBA Jam. The other sports game I picked up was, finally, Pro Evo Soccer 2010…which definitely lives up to the expectations I had for it based off my playtime with the demo. It may not be as pretty as FIFA 10, but it provides a much more challenging and fulfilling soccer experience. Crank the difficulty all the way up and enjoy smart AI in a sports game for once.

The story of a witch, her hair, and gratuitous almost-nudity. This is gonna be awkward.

Nick:

As a test to see who’s interested in the blog, I offered up a vote on our Facebook page to ask people which game they’d rather see me purchase and review first: Demon’s Souls or Bayonetta. Although there was support for both, Bayonetta got the nod and I picked up a copy last night. While I’ve only had time to play about ten minutes of the game, those ten minutes were extraordinarily promising. I just hope the game’s rampant, bizarre sexuality doesn’t weird out my friends and loved ones.

The majority of my free time has been spent on — yeah, you guessed it — Dragon Age: Origins. I keep thinking I’m getting close to the end, and then another 15-hour sequence of quests pops up. I’m absolutely enamored with the game, so I think I won’t have any complaints if it turns out the game just never ends.

Thanksgiving provides you with plenty of time to dust off the classics.

Oh, lordy, we have a lot to talk about this week.

As promised, the Thanksgiving break provided plenty of time for us to get our proverbial, collective game on. From holiday smash hits like Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2, to tried-and-true games and classics…lots of titles this week. LOTS. Let’s cut the garbage and just get to the breakdown…

This is probably where you expect me to pull out an Ahnold reference and say, "Get to dee choppa!" Well, you'd be right.

Aaron

Two weeks after the last Backlog, and what do I have to share? Aside from me eating Thanksgiving leftovers for a week and a half, I finally finished a few games that remained on my more metaphorical plate.

Modern Warfare 2 has been my most-played title lately, and it was given to me as an early Christmas present by a dear friend. I have him to blame for the two-and-a-half days spent on it so far.

Though I was extremely skeptical of what another Modern Warfare title had to offer (as the trailers made it look like the first, but with “Extra BIG Explosions!! ®”), I’m pleased to say it’s more than exceeded my non-existent expectations. I’ll save the highs and lows for my review next week, but Infinity Ward has done three things I didn’t think were possible for the Call of Duty franchise: re-tooled multiplayer to be fun again, provided a shorter and sweeter (though flawed) campaign, and created another amazing co-op mode that is unique to the series. Now if they can ban the Javelin missle trick exploiters, I’ll be pleased.

Outside of frat boy gaming favorites, I took the time to complete both The Ballad of Gay Tony and Brütal Legend. A review of Gay Tony will be going up this week, but I’ll say here that it’s a nice bookend to the Grand Theft Auto IV universe. Rockstar’s latest DLC has a few quirks I’m not too fond of — namely the new post-mission Rockstar Social Club score card — yet the team brought their A-game to showcase a new set of protagonists that are the best Grand Theft Auto characters I’ve ever seen. GTA IV had a fantastic script to begin with, but Gay Tony’s cast is infinitely easier to relate to. It’s a big step for the series’ character development.

Brütal Legend was good. Honestly, that’s all I feel like writing about it.

I do feel disappointed, as the game was one of our most anticipated titles for awhile now. It’s certainly not bad or broken in my opinion (yes, even considering the “RTS” elements), but it just feels like it fell short of its massive potential. Overall, this was an interesting game to play through. I loved it one minute, loathed it the next, and then eventually came to rest on a metaphysical plane of indifference toward it.

I hope Tim Schafer isn’t upset at me now.

Machinarium marries a beautiful, hand-painted art style with adventure gaming, two rarities in modern gaming.

Nick

Life teaches us that every time a door closes, another one opens.

Well, it turns out that when you slam the door on a game, a bunch of great ones you’ve forgotten about spring back and scold you for ignoring them. I learned this upon completing Ubisoft’s excellent Assassin’s Creed 2, the sequel to one of modern gaming’s most controversial titles — and a personal favorite of mine. By resolving so many of its predecessor’s problems (repetition, occasionally flat storytelling) and illuminating its strengths (a novel approach to historical fiction, fantastically rendered cities), Assassin’s Creed 2 is a massive and hugely gratifying experience. It was so engaging, in fact, that I earned every achievement over the course of 25 solid hours of gameplay — without a single frustrating sequence or major design flaw to dampen my impressions of the game.

With Assassin’s Creed 2 put to rest, I dove into a couple of unassuming but deviously creative independent adventure games. The first, Windosill, is free to play online or download at windosill.com…until you reach the halfway point. The game then asks for three dollars to complete the experience, which amounts to a mere pittance for the sheer amount of ingenuity packed into the game. To describe the experience would spoil it, but seeing as it’s free to try you might as well pop it open in another browser tab and save it for later. Many big-budget retail games are less inspired than this little Flash-based toy, which I’d recommend to anyone who can appreciate an artistic puzzle.

The second game is Machinarium. Created by indie developer Amanita Design, Machinarium is a charming game about a little robot’s journey to find something in the big city. Beautiful, distinctive backgrounds and a haunting musical score combine to make one of the most memorable games I’ve ever encountered. Every character is animated with endearing exaggeration, making for a game that manages to say quite a lot without a single written or spoken word. Machinarium is also free to try online here — make sure you take a look.

And finally, I succumbed to the siren song of slashed prices and picked up a brand new copy of DJ Hero, FreeStyleGames’ turntable-based rhythm game. After the lackluster evolution of the Guitar Hero series in Neversoft’s hands and the inexplicable existence of Band Hero, it’s wonderful to see a new franchise debut on such a high note. The game and peripheral are both rock-solid at their core, combining to create a music game that doesn’t play like anything else on the market. (Move over, Beatmania — you’ve got nothing on this game.) Even as an expert Rock Band musician, I found myself forced to start out on Hard before just recently bumping up to expert. Fortunately there’s no punishment for ambition — you can’t ever fail out of a song. That’s good news if you, like me, get a little carried away with some of the catchier mixes in the game. Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” mixed with Blondie’s “Atomic”? “Bittersweet Symphony” with 2Pac’s “All Eyes on Me”? Yeah. It’s rad.

Why oh why did I wait so long to finally dig into Super Metroid?

Doug

Here it is – the quiet after the storm. Not only for the fall release Armageddon, but also in my school term. This means, of course, more time for gaming! And that’s a very good thing.

Subject number one is, easily, Forza 3. I’m still loving the experience of playing through the single-player, and I wish I could find more time to hop online and race with my friends on Xbox Live. I love the race cars in the game — the sounds, the sensation of speed, the feel of the grip and aerodynamics…hell, you can even feel the engines struggling to gasp for air against their inlet restrictors from time to time (this is realistic and makes me happy). That the game recognizes the racing series-mandated restrictors is one thing; that you can pay to remove them is another, and shows the care that Turn 10 paid to this game. And the feel of the restrictors on engine performance is icing on the realism cake, so to speak.

I’ve also been back on the NCAA 10 bandwagon. It still has its faults, and I would pay good Microsoft spacebucks for DLC that updated the uniforms with Oregon’s real ones for this year, but the offensive gameplanning and gameplay is still pretty sweet. Defense isn’t so bad, either. It’s candy for my brain, and I enjoy it.

While I want to spend more time on Brütal Legend (and likely will this weekend), I did get the chance to put time into another single-player game: Super Metroid. I’m becoming a big fan of this style of game design (hello, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night!), and haven’t played this one yet, so I fired up the ol’ emulator and took it to task. And I also got far enough in the game to frustratingly die and lose an hour’s worth of progress. Definitely digging the ambience and mood behind the game as well — I want to play it with headphones on to get the full audio experience.

We were called back to life by the gods of Olympus to fight through a terrible side-scrolling action game "classic". Let death be quick and merciful.

Welcome back to the show, everyone! We’ve been absent for a couple months, but the whole gang is eager to start producing shows on a more regular basis.

Because we’ve been negligent in recording over such a critical period of time for major game releases, this episode features us playing catch-up on the infamous fourth quarter onslaught of top-tier blockbuster games — and it doesn’t even cover all the bases.

Initially, we’d planned on a show with three thirty-minute segments:

1. Reflections on the games of the past few months
2. A debrief on the controversies surrounding Modern Warfare 2 (“No Russian,” lack of dedicated server support on PC)
3. A look ahead at the major releases waiting in the first quarter of 2010

After more than two hours of discussion, we only made it through part two. That was when we decided it was best to call it a night and give people a chance to actually listen to this episode.

We’re hoping to get together and record the final portion of this discussion soon, but this hefty hunk of Sasquatch-y goodness ought to provide you plenty of entertainment and keep you warm at night. Let us know what you think, and thanks for listening!

The Holidays approach. For some that means quality time with family members not seen for a year — maybe more. Others, well…can I get a “what what” if at some point during your life you hid away in the midst of celebrations to finish Earthbound (or, insert other game reference here). However, my adult years have made me more personable when it comes to the holidays; I’m now infinitely more interested in the going-ons of my kin.

Still, I won’t lie that this year I’d prefer to mow down more of Left 4 Dead 2′s cajunized zombies with a giant plate of delicious turkey and fixins on my lap. I’m thankful for me.

We’re back on track for backlogs, and this week is mega-sized to make up for our absence. To summarize: Nick informs us he essentially played everything ever released this month, Doug gushes about his beloved Forza 3 between study sessions, and I write about why two wonderful November-born titles should be played on the PC.

Do the Mario!

Nick:

Life served up a particularly hellish week for me, so it was fortunate that I had a slew of excellent games to escape with.

I spent a few fantastic hours in New Super Mario Bros. Wii in its fantastic cooperative/competitive mode earlier this week. What Jerry Holkins said about this game’s debilitating effects on a relationship is true, to a point; while we were able to help each other out for the most part, there were times where my attempts to “take the lead” or “get us through this tough spot” often led to one or both of us being killed, prompting my girlfriend to say some things about me that are rarely included in the same sentences used to talk about a Mario game. But it was all in good fun — something this game has in ample supply. It’s Mario in his best form ever, and anyone who grew up playing these games should purchase it without hesitation.

This week also brought another sequel to a game I adored: Assassin’s Creed 2. Transporting the game to Renaissance Italy is perhaps the most significant shift in story and setting that I’ve seen in a franchise in quite some time, and Ubisoft Montreal deserves some commendation for crafting an incredible sequel to an already ambitious debut title. There’s so much I could say about how things were improved — combat, economy, actions and consequences, exploration, story — but I’ll lay it out like this instead. If you loved Assassin’s Creed, you’ll love Assassin’s Creed 2. And if you hated the original? You’ll probably love Assassin’s Creed 2 anyway.

Having completed all five campaigns in Left 4 Dead 2, I’m happy to pronounce myself an official fan of the series. Although I bought the first game and had my fair share of fun with it, I always felt a little uneasy playing it. And it wasn’t because of the game’s tension, or horror-film veneer, or anything like that; it was just that the game sent a constant message that your survival was entirely at the game director’s mercy. In the sequel, the tone has changed significantly for the better. If Left 4 Dead was Valve’s attempt to make an interactive zombie movie like Dawn of the Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 is Valve making a balls-out Zombieland-style game. Melee weapons encourage close combat, lending a sense of strength and confidence to the survivors that was sorely missing from the first. All four of the characters in the sequel have stronger personalities than the first game’s survivors, and their determination on getting to New Orleans to be rescued encourages the player to keep slogging it out through hell and high water. It’s one of the most improved sequels of the year, without a doubt.

And when you consider that Left 4 Dead 2 was developed in just one year, it’s disappointing that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 didn’t shape up to be more substantial. To be fair, Infinity Ward’s last game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, not only reinvented the series — it raised the bar significantly for what an online multiplayer experience can be. I sank a “mere” 40 hours into COD4′s multiplayer mode, which pales in comparison to most of the people on my friends list. Multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2 is technically just as good as COD4′s, but after a solid six hours online in a variety of modes I’m struggling to stay interested. The mantra in developing this sequel seems to have been “more options in every aspect of play,” which is a good thing, but the core sensation of Call of Duty 4 has dulled for me. I was hoping lightning would strike twice, and I suppose it did, but I was hoping for a more risky and adventurous update to multiplayer — not a mere iteration. If I wanted that, I’d have bought last year’s Call of Duty: World at War. If there is one area that received a substantial improvement, though, it’s the single player. Rather than attempt to keep things within the bounds of reality, Infinity Ward opted to create an over-the-top global conflict that was flawlessly paced from start to finish. It’s ludicrous, but it’s so, so much fun. At about six hours to complete, it’s shorter than COD4′s — but considering how tedious replaying that game’s campaign was for me, I’m much happier with the new game’s approach.

I’m still slogging through Dragon Age: Origins with my city elf rogue. Steam says I’ve played for quite a long time, but I’m only at about 15% completion. Maybe it’s because I love reading every entry in the admirably written codex, or because I can’t help but talk to every NPC, but I’m getting an astronomically entertaining experience for my money with this game. I’m really struggling to fathom just how Mass Effect 2 could top the quality of this experience once it hits in January.

I also sank a few rounds in with the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta. I’d been hoping for a return to the glory days of Battlefield 2, and instead what I got was Bad Company with a moderate graphical upgrade; it’s good, but there are better options available. Looks like I’ll still be holding out for Battlefield 3 after all.

Doug sums up his feelings on this picture with an articulate "WEEEEEEE!"

Doug:

While I’ve been way too busy finishing up the majority of my grad school quarter, I’ve still found time to play a little bit of…erm…Forza Motorsport 3. And nothing else.

But it’s so good! I still love pretty much everything about it, even if I haven’t been able to play online with my friends at all. The rewind button is a godsend — it erases single-player frustration with the ease of control-z functionality. The selection of cars and tuning options are superb; I’ve made an old-school Volkswagen Rabbit into a fire-breathing, turbocharged four-wheel-drive monster that could eat a Ferrari for lunch and spit out its bones.

It’s been said that Microsoft and Turn 10 gets things right in the third iteration, and this particular game is a great example of that. It’s almost strange to think that all three Forza Motosport games have been released since Sony and Polyphony released Gran Turismo 4 on the PlayStation 2. It’s scary to think how much Forza has moved ahead certain aspects of console racing games.

Along with Forza, I’ve tried out a few of the Xbox Live improvements from this week’s update — namely the implementation of Facebook and Twitter. And that’s really the extent of my interaction; they’re there, they work just as advertised, but I feel like I’m kind of missing the point. It’s nice to have both services everywhere at all times, but until a real killer use for either blooms on the 360 they’re going to feel like tacked-on additions.

I don't think James Brown had this in mind when he wanted to take us to "the bridge."

Aaron:

Let’s get down to it. Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age: Origins are two amazing games that deserve to be played on the PC only.

Now, I love consoles. This isn’t a fanboy thing. And I fully understand that not everyone has a modern computer capable of playing the latest releases — Boot Camp Macs included. So, let’s assume you’re a lucky gamer who has the following: a home console of the PS3 or Xbox 360 variety, and a gaming PC. Let’s also assume you enjoy co-op zombie shooting and in-depth fantasy RPGs. You’re excited about the aforementioned titles, but you’re hesitant to commit to a particular platform. Here’s the answer: Play those games on the PC, or you’re not getting your money’s worth.

That may be a blatantly ignorant statement to some, but these words come from a person who, before this month, more or less abandoned PC gaming over the past year (aside from Dawn of War II and Left 4 Dead 1). PCs get the short end of the doomsday stick these days. People say the PC as a gaming device is dead, no one makes money off of the games anymore, and pirating is ruining developers left and right. Controversies aren’t helping the perception of PC gamers amongst the general gaming populace either. So that’s why I’m glad to see Electronic Arts promoting the platform with a definitive version Dragon Age, and Valve doing their thing by releasing such a quality computer title as L4D2.

Dragon Age works best on PC because of the following: the overall better performance (higher frame rate, less glitching, faster loading), a more sensible control/camera mechanic, and a BioWare community toolset that paves the way for future user mods. If Neverwinter Nights is an example to go by, expect years of free, quality content flowing from the collective mind of an invested fan base.

Now, Left 4 Dead 2 deserves to be experienced on the PC because it’s a Valve title first, console port second — plain and simple. The Steam service is consistent in its ability to match like minded players and bring friends together promptly. PC gamers are spoiled when it comes to online play. Thanks, dedicated servers.

I’d also wager the community on Steam is better than Xbox Live’s. Actually, it is better. Left 4 Dead 2 even has a section specifically for add-ons, and it’s exciting to think of the campaigns an active community will create using the sequel’s assets. The original’s user-made maps were generally great, so expect a longer lifespan if you pick up L4D2 on the PC.

Oh, and PC versions are cheaper than their console counterparts. That’s a plus.

Via Rock-Paper-Shotgun: Why game companies don't take boycotters seriously…

Core gamers have taken up a new pastime as of late: Whining. Early and often.

Starcraft II won’t allow LAN play? Lord almighty! Modern Warfare 2 on PC moves away from dedicated servers and costs $10 more as well? Goodness gracious! Left 4 Dead 2 is coming out sooner than Valve fans want it to? Heavens no! Forza Motorsport 3 has content locked away behind a VIP-only velvet curtain? Oh, the humanity!

These complaints are rather justified. Game publishers and developers are making moves motivated by the bottom line, and as a result they begin to strip content and features away from gamers grown accustomed to these luxuries. Getting consumers to pay more for less is smart business, but bad for public relations. The complaints are fully warranted.

But the problem I see is that it is nothing but complaints as of right now.

The nerd rage is limited to online petitions and napalming messageboards, but nothing more. The Starcraft fans who complained loudly when it was announced (rather murkily) that all multiplayer is going to be routed through Battle.net are still likely going to be the people standing in line or pre-ordering online and playing the game at launch. Exhibit A? See the image at the top of this article (sourced via Rock, Paper, Shotgun) showing many members of a “BOYCOTT MODERN WARFARE 2″ Steam group…playing Modern Warfare 2. The indignation spilt out on all corners of the Internet now will likely be forgotten — or, perhaps, just ignored — in favor of actually playing the damn game at release.

Left 4 Dead fans display their opinion of Valve coming out with an improved sequel of their chosen game.

This is terrible because that is not how to get through to a business. If you have a problem with the moves these game publishers are making, sack up and take a stand — and vote with your wallet.

“B-b-b-b-b-b-but I’ve been looking forward to—“ Stop. It is achingly hypocritical to take such a stance and then cave once the retail copy of the game is waved in front of your face. Gamers — especially the core audience — have an insanely weak will in that regard.

What message does it send to Blizzard regarding LAN play in Starcraft II if they see record Day 1 sales numbers? Does it harm Infinity Ward and Activision to see an uproar on NeoGAF and Kotaku a month ahead of MW2’s release, but then break sales records once the game is out? If these companies succeed in light of feature-stripping, what does it say about gamers?

That we will buy anything, anyway. This is not a good thing. If you want to effect real change, you cannot cave in.

Fight the power.

If you are perfectly fine with what these companies do, shine on, you crazy diamond. I do not blame you; my desire for Forza 3 exceeded my own personal thoughts about changes to multiplayer and, specifically, the VIP program. There is a real danger that Turn 10 will start splitting the fanbase by releasing essential content to only a portion of its fans. Regarding multiplayer, Turn 10 took away the ability to create custom public lobbies, changing Forza 3 to a solely Halo-style hopper system — if you want to do a custom race, you have to find friends yourself. However, despite these changes, I like Turn 10’s games and quite like being inside that walled garden in Forza (it’s already netted me a few free cars in the game), so I paid the extra price.

I know people who will legitimately boycott Starcraft II — because they value LAN play and think Blizzard is overly greedy right now. I respect that. But that list of people “boycotting” Modern Warfare 2 and showing up on Steam as actually playing it? They are not helping — they are hurting the cause.

I don’t think anybody outside of Activision likes that company’s profit-centric business strategy right now, but the only way to affect it is to hurt their bottom line. Whining online (even this article!) is not going to change anything unless it is backed up by a firm stance.

How’s everybody? Are we all still here?

There’s no way around it: We’re all a little light in the pocketbooks, and October’s only just arrived. None of us were prepared for some of the year’s biggest hits to hit us in a deluge throughout August and September, but with games like Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Beatles: Rock Band and Halo 3: ODST hitting shelves before the fourth quarter of the year, it’s hard to hold fast with one’s spending — even with surefire hits like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Brütal Legend arriving just next week.

To prepare for the next volley of big-name releases, the Silicon Sasquatch team has been busy wrapping up some recent blockbusters.

By diverging from the tried-and-true formula of its predecessors, Halo 3: ODST delivers a refreshing experience with memorable characters — arguably a first for the franchise.

Aaron:

A lot of games found their way into my PC and Xbox 360′s disc drives this week, but let me highlight which one left a lasting impression on me: Halo 3: ODST.

I’ll be the first to confess that I’ve purchased every console iteration of the series, from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo Wars. This type of customer devotion doesn’t stem from blind fanboy love or “Xbot” ignorance; honestly, when it comes down to it I think Halo is solidly decent at best, boring and uninspired at worst. I more or less have purchased the various games to play with friends online, and to not miss out on the experience. So why would I purchase ODST when the other games have generally made me say “lol meh” more times than a thread on NeoGAF? Two words: price point.

I procured a copy for around $44 dollars through Amazon, as was mentioned in last week’s backlog. This particular entry price forced me to give the series another shot, and while the cheapness certainly eased the process of reaching for my credit card, I never expected to like the game more than “kinda.” But even four chapters in, this is the best Halo-branded title I’ve ever played.

It might look the same and feel the same, but the tone and story are much more humanized than the faceless, stalwart Master Chief’s adventures ever were. The ODSTs are soldiers you can care about thanks to wonderful voice acting and animations. Halo 3: ODST may be born of the Halo pedigree, but it’s an overall smarter experience that stands apart from the shadow of its big brother. If this is the direction the series takes in lieu of a direct sequel, Bungie deserves a hefty pat on the over shield.

Sit back and let the evening go!

Doug:

So I finally rented The Beatles: Rock Band. I know it seems like forever since it was released, but it was just a month — the gaming industry just moves quickly, and things become passé within a week.

The rental was completely worth it. I blitzed through the story mode in just under four hours — I wanted that “Day Tripper” achievement and dammit, I got it — but it was an absolutely amazing experience from start to finish. Without encroaching too much on what a review of the game would be (check back next week! — Ed.), I think it was the most complete guitar/band game I’ve played so far, with excellent note charts, songs, and aesthetic throughout. I’m going to own this game, and it’s just a matter of “when,” not “if.”

Otherwise I’ve continued to put time in on EA Sports’ two football video games, NCAA Football 10 and Madden NFL 10. I’ve noticed a difference between defense in the two; namely, that in NCAA it’s just a nice suggestion, but in Madden it can be truly effective. Playing with an average to mediocre defense in NCAA is a battle of futility — many times, especially with strong offensive teams, you’re just trying to slow the opponent down instead of truly stop them. I get that same sensation playing against the CPU as well.

Compared to Madden, though, it’s almost 100% different. Defense in Madden is worth playing — and it seems somehow fairer than defenses in NCAA. Sure, the CPU might go into banzai EA Sports rubber-band mode and decide you are just NOT winning a game in both titles, but in Madden it feels like your defense at least has the chance to do that, too. Not to mention that, much like in the real NFL, there’s a much higher chance of forcing a punt than in college football.

I’ve also been inspired by Eat-Sleep-Game.com‘s RebelFM Game Club, which is currently focusing on Half-Life 2 and its two extra episodes. I’ve started Half-Life 2 before but never completed it, never mind the episodes, and I’m getting the trigger finger itch again…so I might have to sit down with my copy of The Orange Box soon and give it another go.

Bustin' like it's 1991.

Nick:

Call it devotion, obsession or foolishness, but I’m planning on picking up two brand-new games next Tuesday: Brütal Legend and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. That means I’ve only got three more days to tie up any loose ends with the games I’ve picked up over the last few months, because games like Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii are just a few weeks away.

I wrapped up a few games this week:

1. Red Faction: Guerilla‘s single-player expansion, Demons of the Badlands: If this summer’s taught me anything, it’s that any excuse to demolish buildings on Mars is a worthwhile reason. Unfortunately, Demons’ biggest fault is its pricing: $10 for a measly two hours of more of the same.
2. Ghostbusters: The Video Game – I know it’s weird, but I only just saw Ghostbusters for the first time this summer. Even without sharing in the rest of my generation’s adoration for the movies, I found there was plenty to love in this carefully crafted videogame adaptation. Despite only lasting four or five hours, it’s well worth the price of a rental.
3. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts – Don’t be fooled by the game’s vehicle-driven gameplay: This is Rare at its finest. Focusing on its trademark wry humor and a very well-designed vehicle construction system, Nuts and Bolts is one of the most criminally overlooked hits on the Xbox 360.

"Awesome!" indeed

So, we want to extend a ginormous gracias to those of you who read Silicon Sasquatch daily and continue to direct your comrades to our corner of the web. We promise to keep bringing you things of a decidedly awesome and videogame-related nature.

Now, it’s time for the real news: Atari gets cold feet, the telenovela that is Midway’s financial woes gets juicier, we get to know Modern Warfare 2 a bit better and Valve’s Team Fortress 2 team takes a “bow.” (You’ll get the pun in a bit.)

Let's hope Atari backing out of E3 doesn't mean advertising for Ghostbusters: The Video Game or Champions Online will suffer

Despite having a very capable line-up of releases coming out this year, Atari has suddenly decided to skip E3 2009, citing a desire to explore “other selling and marketing initiatives.” Joystiq seems to believe the company’s change of heart is due to a lack of sufficient cash flow to pay the Entertainment Software Association‘s fees. That’s possible, but without up-to-date financial analysis available it’s hard to be certain.

Our cursory research implies that Atari has seen significant increases in business-related performance over the last year in comparison to its stock delisting ordeal last May. Things might not be so bad at the company, but without knowing for sure that’s quite the guess.

Maybe Atari is actually going to pursue alternative methods of marketing its Ghostbusters and Champions Online titles as their announcement said. But with E3 2009 supposedly returning to its old tricks of cacophony and neon light insanity–which always made the event a great place to get a game noticed and hyped–this could be the makings of a huge mistake for Atari.

These financial issues are totally getting in the way of a sequel to Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

Gamasutra has a fantastic post on the developing story of creditors who are suing Midway Games‘ former big-wig board members for running the company into the ground to allegedly benefit themselves.

Sumner Redstone, quite the controversial name as far as Midway’s current situation goes, is singled-out along with daughter Shari Redstone and former investor Mark Thomas, among others.  Two of the suit’s many claims center on the Redstones intentionally investing $90 million into the struggling company to then recoup it under claims of “debt,” and also using Midway’s $700 million in tax losses to later obtain a beneficial refund.

It’s a great if depressing read, and goes to show once again that money is quite the motivator when it comes to personal gain. No one wants to see any development studio go under thanks to fraudulent actions of insensitive businesspeople. But, yes, I suppose it’s “just business.”

Digital war has never been so cover-worthy, until now

Infinity Ward‘s Modern Warfare 2 is getting a blowout piece in the next issue of Game Informer, and multiple websites have posted some of the initial details. What’s known so far sounds both promising and unfortunate at the same time. Taking place years after the last game, “Soap” MacTavish–the main character throughout the British SAS missions in Call of Duty 4–is now a captain who will serve as the new character’s mentor as did Captain Price the last time around. It’ll be interesting to see a former protagonist in a different context.

Unfortunately, Infinity Ward won’t be including a cooperative campaign option, although Treyarch managed to include the feature in Call of Duty: World at War in a very polished manner. Also, MW2 sounds like it might be shorter than CoD4′s already short campaign.

Knowing Infinity Ward’s track record, the title will likely turn out to be superb. It’s just a shame to see the team once again won’t add co-op, an ironically modern gameplay feature, into the so-called Modern Warfare 2.

While this picture isn't related to the Sniper update, I think we can appreciate an engineer in mid-burn

And because they’re just so sweet to their fans, Valve has teased its impending Team Fortress 2 Sniper update with details on one of the new unlockable weapons: The Huntsman–it’s a bow and arrow!

The extremely old school weapon will actually pin its victims to surfaces upon a killing shot; even if the target lives through a direct hit, they’ll still have an arrow protruding from their bodies. Groovy.

Valve has consistently supported Team Fortress 2 with new maps, unlockables and achievements since its 2007 release, all for free, and it’s a real testament to the company’s belief in PC gaming.

Now we eagerly await the inevitable Zelda mod using the new bow and arrow’s physics. Get to work!

With E3 2009 just around the corner, it seems like an appropriate time to outline the known games we’re excited to see released over the rest of the year. Though our staff hasn’t had access to these games in a professional, hands-on manner, our comments are based on scouring sources for factual elements with pieces of speculation and analysis tossed in. Enjoy.

The Sasquatch Trinity: The three most wickedly awesomest games to watch this year

Brutal Legend: [Double Fine Productions, Electronic Arts, Q3 2009]

Another Tim Schafer game, another memorable experience.

Double Fine’s latest has EA’s publishing power to hopefully encourage sales success instead of repeating Psychonauts’ commercial stagnation under Majesco. The ridiculous concept of the world’s greatest roadie, Eddie Riggs (brought to life by Jack Black), being transported to a heavy metal fantasy land by his belt buckle works because Schafer and his team have created a world that thrives on that very ridiculousness. But this metal homage wouldn’t work without legitimacy: Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead and Rob Halford from Judas Priest are playing major roles in both the game’s creative development and in voicing major characters. However, the undisclosed soundtrack is keeping legions of metalheads with perfect set lists swirling around their cerebrums waiting with bated breath. Will Double Fine’s licensing pull through?

While the gameplay at this stage sounds typical (think third-person portions similar to 3D Zelda titles, Crackdown and GTA), the polish visible in screenshots and trailers is already cranking this game up to “11″ in the wit department. Brütal Legend also expands on Psychonauts’ third-person action-adventure formula with a reported 64 square-kilometer open world littered with metal album cover imagery and over-the-top characters.

Most of all, it looks fun.

Assassin’s Creed 2: [Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, Q4 2009]

We here at the Silicon Sasquatch enjoyed the first Assassin’s Creed. It was a slow-burn title that offered more than the nagging comments of the Internet claimed it did thanks to its wonderful setting and interesting, if not average, plot. In fact, in the coming weeks we’ll post a Retrospective of the title with our team’s compiled commentary.

Generally, the investigation portions suffered the most flak from various reviews and message boards. Which brings us to Assassin’s Creed 2, the recently revealed , Renaissance-era sequel. Desmond’s next assassin ancestor probed by the Animus is one Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an (obviously) Italian nobleman. Details from the next Game Informer posted on a since-removed Ubisoft forum page mention that AC2 will do away with the more disliked investigation options (pickpocketing and eavesdropping) while adding variety to the mission mix. Taking place in Europe will be a great change of pace as well, though it’s worrisome to hear of “flying machine” elements and an apparent emphasis on more action–two hidden blades are, apparently, better than one.

Let’s just hope Desmond does something proactive this time around. Maybe this?

The Beatles: Rock Band: [Harmonix, Electronic Arts/MTV Games, see above]

It’s The Beatles. It’s Rock Band. Despite the currently scant details, we can definitively say this will be the game for music fans. Still, many questions need to be answered before the game’s September release. Will the graphical style be more realistic? Do players only take on the personas of the world’s most acclaimed band? If true, does that mean no one will pass up the bass anymore? E3 is only a couple of months away.

The title, which has been worked on by the music game masters at Harmonix for over a year, benefits from the creative input of the two living Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Even Yoko Ono and George Harrison’s family are lending their support to make the game as authentic as possible. Considering this experience focuses on celebrating the entire career of The Beatles and isn’t a one-shot Guitar Hero: Insert Band title, The Beatles: Rock Band can’t affort to slack off in the “feel” department at all.

In addition, George Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, has confirmed that unreleased Beatles audio content will make it into the game, almost making this Rock Band offshoot another Beatles Anthology project. This ties into the announcement that 14 of The Beatles’ albums, completely remastered in stereo and with other goodies, are dropping the same date as The Beatles: Rock Band. Will these new master tracks make it into the game? Without a doubt.

Fun fact: Two of our writers are confessed rhythm game fanatics and Rock Band addicts, while the other just wants to play “Revolution” on his plastic guitar.

Individual Picks

Aaron Thayer:

Champions Online: [Cryptic Studios, Atari, Q3 2009]
Based on details alone, Champions Online could be the redemption of the superhero MMO concept. Cryptic’s team seems to have learned from their mistakes in City of Heroes by providing character itemization (costume pieces = loot!), more robust hero and villain customization and realtime, cooldown-free fighting.

Mafia II: [2K Czech, Take-Two Interactive, Q4 2009]
The first Mafia in 2002 was the original open-world attempt at a realistic setting long before Niko Bellic came around. Mafia II changes the time period to the classic mobster era of the 1940s and 50s, but looks to keep the in-depth plot and cast while giving players a plethora of gameplay additions like faster cars with working trunks to store bodies and boomsticks. Nice.

Nick Cummings:

Modern Warfare 2: [Infinity Ward, Activision, Fall 2009]

It might be a bit audacious to put this at the top of my list. There hasn’t been any concrete information released about the game, unless poring over cryptic trailers is your thing, but as the company’s last game was the genre-revitalizing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, I’m expecting nothing but brilliance. Infinity Ward is going to great lengths to make this the definitive sequel fans have been waiting for (although Call of Duty: World at War was nothing to scoff at) by asking fans to submit suggestions for MW2 via a special Twitter site and hash tag.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: [Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment, Fall 2009]

I bought a PlayStation 3 for Metal Gear Solid 4, but I didn’t fall in love with the platform until I played Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. I’d had reservations after playing a pre-release demo at the Penny Arcade Expo in 2007 — the controls felt too loose, the environments too constricting — but just a few minutes with the retail release quelled all my fears. Uncharted was a beautiful, rich game of high adventure and sarcasm with just a dash of cheesiness. It was everything the new Indiana Jones film should have been, and the sequel, Among Thieves, aims to improve upon its predecessor in just about every way. It’s a tall order, but Naughty Dog is dead-set on delivering.

Doug Bonham:

Every EA Sports Title Released This Year: [EA Sports, Electronic Arts, various releases]
Being a sports game fan, there’s always a new season’s worth of games to look forward to each year. This is of course true for the lineup from sports-gaming juggernaut EA Sports. Titles worth looking forward to include Tiger Woods 10 in June, NCAA Football 10 in July, and NHL 10 and FIFA 10 in the fall. Of course, seeing how Madden 10 turns out when that launches in August is a necessity as well.

The Bigs 2: [Blue Castle Games, 2K Sports, July 2009]
Of particular note for sports games this year is 2K Sports’ The Bigs 2. The first one two years ago was a great piece of arcade sports gaming, right in the same genre as NBA Street as part of the second wave of arcade-style sports games. The sequel promises to pitch up more wicked yakkers when it launches in June, and is probably an Xbox 360 gamer’s best bet for baseball this year.

The Most Worrisome Games of 2009: Not all games are made equal.

Dragon Age: Origins: [BioWare, Electronic Arts, Late 2009]

BioWare’s announcement of Dragon Age: Origins heralded a return to its roots of high-fantasy roleplaying games like Baldur’s Gate. It’s cause for celebration for any hardcore RPG fan…on paper, at least. Sticking to strict old-school mechanics, like playing a mute protagonist, gives the impression that BioWare is developing a game around the rigid Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset without even possessing the license anymore. After 2007′s stellar Mass Effect became a critical and commercial hit, it’s a little worrisome that BioWare seems to be throwing that game’s innovations out the window.

BioShock 2: [2K Marin, 2k Games, Late 2009]

One man does not a classic make, but there’s no dismissing the invaluable role Ken Levine played in the development of cult horror classic System Shock 2 and its spiritual successor, BioShock. His lack of involvement in BioShock 2 is a little disconcerting, but even more troubling is how uninspired the sequel looks in comparison to the stunning impression the first game had on all who played it. A return to Rapture isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but when the interface, enemies, Plasmids and weapons look nearly identical to the first game, why even bother making a sequel?