Gadzooki

My Oblivion Achievements Addiction

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After Months of intense waiting I finally got my Xbox 360 back from the repairs. I’m really excited to play Oblivion, Oh I’m so addicted to Oblivion and the expansion Shivering Isles, there 60 achievements and a total of 1230 points waiting to be unlocked and achieved. So for I have unlocked the Oblivion achievments. My target now is the Shivering Isles.
Even after months of it’s initial release, even though other gamers have moved on to unlock other game achievements. I still get excited like a schoolboy every time I fire up Oblivion.

Oblivion Achievements

Main Quest

  1. Escaped the Imperial Sewers (Main Quest Beginning) 50 points
  2. Closed an Oblivion Gate (Main Quest) 50 points
  3. Located the Shrine of Dagon (Main Quest) 50 points
  4. Delivered Daedric Artifact (Main Quest) 50 points
  5. Destroyed the Great Gate (Main Quest) 50 points
  6. Champion of Cyrodiil (Completed the Main Questline) 110 points


Dark Brotherhood

  1. Murderer (Join the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  2. Slayer (Reached Slayer rank in the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  3. Eliminator (Reached Eliminator rank in the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  4. Assassin (Reached Assassin rank in the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  5. Silencer (Reached Silencer rank in the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  6. Speaker (Reached Speaker rank in the Dark Brotherhood) 10 points
  7. Listener (Completed the Dark Brotherhood Quest line) 50 points

Arena

  1. Pit Dog (Joined the Arena in the Imperial City) 10 points
  2. Brawler (Reached Brawler rank in the Arena) 10 points
  3. Bloodletter (Reached Bloodletter rank in the Arena) 10 points
  4. Myrmidon (Reached Myrmidon rank in the Arena) 10 points
  5. Warrior (Reached Warrior rank in the Arena) 10 points
  6. Gladiator (Reached Gladiator rank in the Arena) 10 points
  7. Hero (Reached Hero rank in the Arena) 10 points
  8. Champion (Reached Champion rank in the Arena) 10 points
  9. Grand Champion (Completed the Arena Questline) 50 points

Thieves Guild

  1. Pickpocket (Joined the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  2. Footpad (Reached Footpad rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  3. Bandit (Reached Bandit rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  4. Prowler (Reached Prowler rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  5. Cat Burglar (Reached Cat Burglar rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  6. Shadowfoot (Reached Shadowfoot rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  7. Master Thief (Reached Master Thief rank in the Thieves Guild) 10 points
  8. Guildmaster (Completed the Thieves Guild Questline) 50 points

Mages Guild

  1. Associate (Joined the Mages Guild) 10 points
  2. Apprentice (Reached Apprentice rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  3. Journeyman (Reached Journeyman rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  4. Evoker (Reached Evoker rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  5. Conjurer (Reached Conjurer rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  6. Magician (Reached Magician rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  7. Warlock (Reached Warlock rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  8. Wizard (Reached Wizard rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  9. Master-Wizard (Reached Master-Wizard rank in the Mages Guild) 10 points
  10. Arch-Mage (Completed the Mages Guild Questline) 50 points

Fighters Guild

  1. Associate (Joined the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  2. Apprentice (Reached Apprentice rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  3. Journeyman (Reached Journeyman rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  4. Swordsman (Reached Swordsman rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  5. Protector (Reached Protector rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  6. Defender (Reached Defender rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  7. Warder (Reached Warder rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  8. Guardian (Reached Guardian rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  9. Champion (Reached Champion rank in the Fighters Guild) 10 points
  10. Master (Completed the Fighters Guild Questline) 50 points

Shivering Isles Achievements

  1. Tourist (Entered the Shivering Isles) 20 points
  2. Aspirant (Reached Aspirant Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  3. Citizen (Reached Citizen Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  4. Madman (Reached Madman Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  5. Honored Madman (Reached Honored Madman Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  6. Duke Dementia (Reached Duke of Dementia Rank in the Court of Madness) 30 points
  7. Duke Mania (Reached Duke of Mania Rank in the Court of Madness) 30 points
  8. Regent (Reached Regent Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  9. Defender (Reached Defender of the Realm Rank in the Court of Madness) 20 points
  10. Madgod (Stopped the Greymarch) 50 points

So far I’m a level 36 Nord Vampire BattleMage in complete Daedric Armor, almost got all of my skills maxed out.
and I’m close to getting all the daedric artifacts.

And A very fun idea it is to create a “werewolf” character based on a Khajiit Character? Although werewolves are dog-like and Khajiit are cats.

Major skills

  1. Hand to Hand (werewolves don’t use weapons)
  2. Athletics
  3. Acrobatics
  4. Sneak
  5. Security (to simulate breaking down a door or something when chasing someone)
  6. Restoration (Werewolves Regenerate)
  7. Light armor (to use of fur armor to its full potential)

Gamer Score Point Addiction

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Recently, I’ve been playing a few more games on the 360 and the PC. One thing I’ve noticed though is that I’m less inclined to play any game that doesn’t give me achievement points. Stupid I know. However, I’m not the only one to pick up on this trend. Matt and Todd over at SAG (Short Attention Gamer) have both commented and said that of course the game should be the reward in itself, yet this is not the case for a lot of Xbox 360 gamers.

I have a Gamer Tag (blackvv – feel free to add me to your friends list) and I am surprised to admit that I actually care about the score that I get. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to run out and buy every EA game (well known for having much easier ways in which to earn your Gamer Score Points) – but I do actually want to see a score of over 5,000 if possible, as apparently that’s when you have ‘made it’.

Some games give you a real sense of achievement for getting the points. Forza 2 for instance is an excellent example of having to work for your points. The game requires you to complete each section in order to achieve the points that you need – you can’t just plod through it ad hoc. You can however hire a driver to win your races if you have half decent cars!
Even the official Xbox site has an ‘achievements annoymous’ section – quite worrying really! Carrie Gouskos has also written a feature about this strange addiction over at Gamespot. There are of course a few reasons why the points are popular.

Firstly, it’s quite like a game in and of itself. Can you really do the 25-metre jump and then go on to kill 10,000 zombies? Whatever the game, there might be a weird way in which to get some points. Second, you can see your progress through the game, and when matched with True Skill Points, is a great way to show off to your friends.

Overall, Gamerscore Points are a really good feature on Xbox Live and I can’t wait to get some more of them. Of course, I really want to earn them on some of the upcoming games such as Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed and Blue Dragon.

Microsoft’s Repair Bill

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Microsoft as promised that the total repair bill for the clearly faulty Xbox360 has reached the golden billion – and that they’ll pick up the bill. The actual failure rates for a new console should be around 5% or less to be seen as acceptable. Whilst Microsoft has not revealed figures some are citing it to be a lot closer to 33% for Microsoft’s latest console. So what on Earth is going wrong?

One of the issues could be the factor where the processor graphics card is made. These sorts of extremely fragile items tend to require a clean room (a sterile environment) during their fabrication process. This is to ensure that all no air or dust enters the delicate chipset. Even still, problems can arise in batches, which can result in errors and or damage.

The second main issue is that the 360 is potentially overheating. From the first faulty batches this looked to be the case. Now though there’s too many for this to be the case, unless of course there is an intrinsically poor design. Some have noted that you shouldn’t put anything on top of your 360 and in fact there have been a variety of ‘cooling’ systems that have been created as third party peripherals to capitalise on this.

I guess what really bothers me is the reputational damage. I honestly feel that the 360 is a good product and it annoys me that Microsoft has seen it okay to continue producing them in same manner when there’s a potential fault. I feel bad for those who have had issues, and frankly I feel very lucky that my 360 has only crashed twice. Each time it did I can tell you though my heart skipped a beat!

Of greatest annoyance is a comparison between the original Xbox versus the Xbox360. The former could act as a server; even take a bullet. Shame about its successor then. It can barely play the games sometimes. Come on Microsoft, you can do better than this!

Forza Motorsport 2

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Forza Motorsport 2 - modded car.

The waiting is finally over. Forza 2 has arrived for the Xbox360. But is it worth the wait? You bet it is. For those of you who have played the demo (or original), you’ve a good idea what to expect. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to sample it – let’s take a look at what the game is about and why I’m such a fan.

Forza 2 is a racing simulation game featuring over 300 cars, based around real world tracks such as the infamous Nurburgring. The game is set up so that it can be played by both the novice and the expert -options coming in the form of driving aids. With these, games can be made as hard or as easy as you like. Do you lower the difficulty and turn off ABS? Would you rather remove the racing line? This is one of the more famous features of the game from the original – a line giving exact turn-in and breaking for best lap times. Now there’s also an option for just a breaking guide, though it does show where to hit the apex of a turn.

Seeing Forza 2 running in 720p with 60fps shows a good looking, if not beautiful game. The car models are excellent and the tracks are all accurate (where they exist), but this is not groundbreaking to look at in the same way as seeing PGR3 or GOW for the first time.

Another aspect of the graphics is the car decal/modelling. Cosmetically, almost any car can and is easily changed. Just look at some of my designs. All cars have decal layers in the thousands meaning that you can create anything from a tiger-striped mini to a TVR Tuscan with a wolf on the bonnet.

Of course it doesn’t matter what it looks like if the place is terrible, but thankfully it lives up to the hype. Each car has a very different feel to it with weight, drive train and a myriad of other factors giving the near-flawless illusion that you’re driving the car. I guess the only real letdown for me is the lack of a genuine in-car view. Given the simulation nature of the game this seems somewhat of an oversight but apparently it would have had a hugely negative impact on the physics engine that runs at a mammoth 360 updates per second.

Where Forza 2 really excels is the physics. This element of the gameplay is really brought out if you turn off the driver aids and turn on the telemetry. Look at your tyres heating up. What about the g’s you’re pulling around that turn? Where is the weight of the car being moved to? There are pages and pages of telemetry sheets to look at, all with varied bits of information on the car’s performance.

There are various options and modes in the game including an arcade session (featuring time trial, exhibition and free run) but career is really where it’s at. Here there’s probably close to 60 hours gameplay all in, maybe more. There is a huge wealth of cars to unlock and different race types (such as manufacturer originals and endurance races) so there’s sure to be something for everyone.

One final thing to mention about Forza Motorsport 2 is the online component of the game. Once on Xbox Live you can sell cars at auction, show off your car designs, race and much more. One of the coolest things is how well it is integrated to the official website. I can heartily recommend this game and if you’re in the least bit interested in cars you are sure to get a lot out of it. Mentioning which, I’m off to play it again…

Xbox Live – A Reason To Be Cheerful

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For those of you familiar with my blog, you’ll know there are plenty of things I despair about in gaming today. This has included everything from continuous, yearly updates through to the stupidity of enemy AI. One thing I haven’t complained about in a while though is multiplayer gaming. This is because I haven’t ventured beyond split screen in a long time.

Without sounding like a dinosaur, I remember early networked versions of Quake played at school. I also remember how frustrating and technical they could be just to get set up. Don’t even get me started on latency, ping and hacking the game. Of course, things got better. Just look at how (Steam aside) Counter-Strike: Source is practically a three clicks and you’re there affair. Even still, issues can arise.

All of this is what makes Xbox Live such a superb workable solution to online gaming. No longer just the domain of the leet-speaking techno-geek, gaming is now a pursuit enjoyed by the masses (thanks to the Sony magic believe it or not). Online gaming is now only just a button press away – is also on the TV to boot.

The migration of gaming out of the bedroom and into the living room has resulted in the sight of many (more than 50% of Xbox 360 owners according to Microsoft) people sticking on a headset mic and lambasting each other. More to the point, it has conncected them in way which make their experiences more valid. This has been brought on through camaraderie, a sense of adventure, humour and competition.

I am in complete support of Live and really enjoy the features it provides. The demos are good, the micro transactions on the whole reasonably good value and the free game content is excellent. Even factoring in £35 per year, I’d certainly consider it worth the money.

So, here’s a quick recap on the features of Xbox Live Gold:
* Friends service
* Text and video messaging service
* One stop download centre for updates, demos, extra content etc
* Premium multiplayer experience including matchmaking and feedback tools

So, what’s not to like? Well there are idiots on there – there is a system to report them though. How bothered you get by a twelve-year-old kid calling you names is up to you. A lack of open net access was also a very glib choice by Microsoft. After all, it does mean you are a locked into an extremely value engineered system.

With this few problems in mind, I’m pretty sure that Xbox Live Gold is pretty much a must buy – if you’re a bit luckier than me. I’m unlucky in that my router is too far away from my 360 at the moment, and there’s no way I’m paying for the overpriced wireless dongle for it. Never mind. Other than that though, if you’re curious to experience multiplayer and you are looking at a console then there’s no better a choice than Live.

The Failings of the PS3

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I have made it no secret that, out of the 3 ‘this gen’ consoles, I believe the PS3 to have the most potential.  This is for reasons of power, capability and having a wireless control pad.  However, it seems that each of the three consoles – PS3, Xbox360 and Wii – have reasons to doubt them.  I have covered the latter two here already, so lets move on to the PS3.

One of the most obvious that things that hits you about the PS3 is the lack of rumble.  Now that Sony has settled a suit with Immersion there shouldn’t be a problem.  But there is.  All the consoles shipped already don’t have force feedback.  To find out how enjoyable force feedback is, try the new Microsoft Wireless Steering Wheel.  For a previous gen experience, try Forza Motorsport on the Xbox.  Rumble and feedback feels just as it should on that.

Price is the major point that everyone has pulled up the PS3 on, and with good reason.  Over in the UK it is still retailing at over £420 – which is more than $700.  That’s not far off half a month’s wages for some people.  You can now get an 32 inch LCD TV for that price.  Or a new washer, or cooker.  Any essential for the home really.  This should really put into perspective how much it costs.

So if the PS3 is so expensive, is it still being bought?  Well, yes.  However, as I’m a cynical marketer I’m 100% sure that even if it were a couple of hundred dollars more, people would still flock to the Sony brand.  This is evidenced in the fact that as much as it’s been slated in the gaming press, the console is still being sold.

Games, and the selection thereof, is perhaps the number one criticism of the PS3.  What do you want to play at the moment beyond Motorstorm?  For me, it’s nothing really.  That’s a shame given the power of the console and the matched motion-sensing controller.  The number of exclusive games has been reduced (Devil May Cry 4 anyone) – though this is a symptom of the industry and something I’ll cover in another article.  However, if there aren’t any AAA exclusives, why wouldn’t someone just buy the cheaper 360?

Online functionality is an issue, though in my opinion I see the PS3 as between the Wii and the Xbox360 in terms of current ability.  Rubbish friend codes ruin the Wii, whilst Live is hampered by being a paid-for service.  Home looks impressive, if similar to Second Life.

Overall, I guess that the PS3 doesn’t have any spectacular detractions to what it is currently providing, more like niggly faults.  This speaks in turn to potential in the near future, and I’m hoping for great things.  Of course, two of these great things would be a price cut and some games I am genuinely excited to play.  This will come with time though, I know I certainly wasn’t an early adopter of the 360…

Xbox 360 recap: how much more life left?

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I was never a huge Simpsons fan, but that thing up there warms my heart like nothing I’ve ever seen before. No, not even the shiny PS3 when it was officially unveiled May of last year. Roughly a month ago, the Xbox 360 Elite saw light of day with HDMI (which practically nobody in third world Philippines uses today) and a beefier 120 GB hard drive to let you get all the Live Arcade games there are, and there will ever be.

If you haven’t been following the rumor mill lately, new 65-nm processors are on the line and should pave the way for less noisy and cooler 360’s (with hopefully less chances for red rings of death), but none of the graphics bravado and a processor as powerful as the PS3’s Cell. Which makes sense, as any major hardware change can result to compatibility issues with the games that are already out. The question “Is this all Microsoft has up its sleeves in the wake of the Sony PS3 giant?” should then not make very good argument.

Much like the personal computer, console generations are typically three years in between. Already halfway through its lifetime, we have seen the 360’s games go from cartoon-esque (think Dead or Alive 4) to life-like (Rainbow Six: Vegas), and we can expect things to get better as newer games exploit 1080p. Meanwhile, we see PS3 games already undergoing the transition from ports of games from older consoles (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) to finally coming into its own (Resistance: Fall of Man).

The yellow and shiny Xbox 360 – I like. Happy gamers need no stinkin’, yet another next-generation console: at least for the time being. And so ends my talking up Microsoft brownies in an attempt to put balance in a world where Mac users get thunder for all fanboy-ism.

What Would You Like to See From a GOTY Sequel?

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From the rather cryptic (and badly worded) title you’d be forgiven for becoming a little confused. What I’m referring to of course if the Game of the Year (both on my own site and Gamespot) – Gears of War – and what I’d like to see from a sequel. First of all, I’d like to see more characters. Hell, let’s take a jump to the next level. A choice of character with really strong dialogue whomever you choose. How about different abilities and specialities too?

At various chokepoints and triggered incidences Gears of War presents you with a battle that is heavily weighted toward a particular strategy. I liked this a lot as it felt like a reward when you worked it out, rather than a negative, overly controlled experience. With that in mind I’d say more battles like the one defending the house please Epic!

My biggest gripe with Gears of War remains the short duration of the main game, along with the lack of a completion reward (beyond a higher difficulty setting). Therefore in the sequel (or content download) I’d like to see more of – well everything really. Finally, new weapons (and maybe usable vehicles, though this was the weakest part of the game) would be cool. For me, the sniper rifle and the standard issue chainsaw equipped rifle were the best combination, but I’d like to see some new things in the future.

So Epic, there you are. As a huge Gears of War fan I’d really appreciate if you took away my ideas and ran with at least a few of them. Given there’s been a suggestion of a trilogy I don’t see why Marcus and Dom can’t go further in their war against the Locust Horde.

N.B. for all the latest info on Gears of War go here.

The Failings of the Xbox 360

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So, the Xbox360 has been out for a while now. What is it, over a year now? No doubt. So did you get one? I did. I have enjoyed it too, from the Media Centre capabilities all the way through to the latest games such as Gears of War and Lost Planet. Not everything has been plain sailing though. There have been reports of broken consoles, even one guy reporting going through more than 7 360’s. The console launch itself was dogged by average games though the hardware was particularly good.

So overall, what do you make of the 360 so far? Well let’s take a look at a few different elements of it before assigning a judgement so far. The first thing to note is that I have two wireless controllers, but even without those the control pad is obviously extremely well designed. It is comfortable, functional and each button seems to be functional. Beyond that, it is fairly robust and useable over extended periods of time.

The reverse of course of this is that there is nothing new behind the control pad. Evidently, Microsoft could have pushed in the same direction of Sony and had a motion-sensing controller (I’m not here to argue whether Nintendo or Sony came up with it first) but they didn’t do so. Unfortunately, this means we’re seeing not much more beyond a slightly better build of the thumb pad. Oh well.

Xbox Live is good. Extremely good. It is also a first for console online capable systems, and also makes Nintendo and Sony’s efforts in that direction just a bit of a joke (Nintendo, you really should be doing multiplayer games by now). However, it generates a revenue stream from Microsoft. More importantly, is it worth the £40? Probably yes, being honest. On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to have much new content on board just yet, and some of the talked about features (feeds of games etc) just aren’t there yet.

The Xbox360 games so far have been impressive, at least where there have been new IP’s. But that is just it. Unfortunately I have a bit of deja vu at the moment with some games. PGR3, Forza 2 (when it is released) and DOA4 are basically souped up graphically in the next level, and that’s about it. I’m hoping for more from Forza 2 but I’d wager that it is going to be much of the same. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s still a little disappointing.

Overall, I’m reasonably happy with my Xbox360 as I’m sure you are with yours – on the other hand I’m not seeing anything that I haven’t seen before. This is the killer app that is missing from the 360 so far – variety. On the other hand, there are a few games heading our way that could change a few things. Let’s take a quick look at some of them and what they can add to the offering of the 360:

Alan Wake – A third person survival adventure/horror game with interesting overtones, this one could well be big.
Forza Motorsport 2 – Slightly contradictory I know but I’m expecting something big from the physics engine in this game.
Assassin’s Creed – Third person kill-a-guy with a twist. Your character moves like a mix between the Prince in Prince of Persia and Dante from Devil May Cry.
Mass Effect – Sci fi thriller/mystery and third person action/first person shootery means that this is shaping up to be a great game.

I’d say that these games are going to shape the future of the 360, at least in terms of some of them being exclusives. I really hope to see some of these soon, as I’m running out of games to play…

Top Five Xbox360 Games for Christmas

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Well, it’s almost Christmas, so lets take a look at some games that Santa might bring you if you have an Xbox 360 – and you’ve been a good boy or girl. These are, in my opinion, the pick of the bunch at the moment. Obviously lists like this can change, but they’ll top quality so even if you pick one up post Christmas you’ll still love it. I’ve also included a ‘booby prize’ game which I’ve added to the very bottom of the list.

Oblivion

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There’s not much I’ve said on Gadzooki about The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, and at least part of the reason for that is that there’s not a lot I haven’t said on my own site about it. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, Oblivion is an epic first or third role-playing adventure, where you have a main quest, but the freedom to do almost anything in a hugely expansive world.

There’s any amount of ways to play the game – from combat to magic to sneaking, and everything in between. The cool side quests can range from a mystery (who did the portrait of the dead Count?) to all out combat. Whilst the duplicate levels within each Oblivion Gate may let down some, the sheer scope of the game as you buy a house, trade, barter and fight allows for a truly compelling gameplay experience. With over 200 hours worth of gameplay, Oblivion is an essential purchase.

Gears of War

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This years’ big release was Gears of War. It’s a much-hyped third person shooter with an emphasis on tough enemies, and cover use rather than run-and-gun ballistics. I found Gears to be a very rewarding experience, with the action being explosive and intense. Some have complained about the lack of variety, but the amazing visuals and sheer excitement of the game should keep you coming back for more. A lot more!

Dead Rising

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A much hyped and quite interesting proposition was Dead Rising earlier this year. Based on a similar concept to Dawn of the Dead, your character Frank West is in a mail, and there are zombies on the loose. As Frank is a photojournalist part of the gameplay is taking pictures and scoring points. The real fun is had however in belting the hell out of the zombies with anything you can find. Everything from cash registers to guns to Servebot heads (!) can be used to full effect against your stumbling opponents.

One aim of the game is to find out exactly what has gone on to cause the outbreak of the game. However this is at odds with the other victory condition – to rescue the other survivors. As such, it’s not possible to do both in one sitting, so choose one or the other and then keep on the straight path. An interesting element of the game is the action-RPG styled stat increases after killing zombies and achieving certain win conditions. Go buy it, there’s nothing quite like it. [Read more…]