Feature- The Demise of 1 vs. 100

Sadly, Microsoft have formally announced that 1 vs. 100 is no more, after a short stint of two seasons. But why, you may ask!? Well, it turns out the demand isn't big enough for the record-breaking game show, although Microsoft's spokesperson stated that the company were extremely “proud” of the creative team, nevertheless.

Was it always destined for failure, however? The beta may have seen over 100,000 try it out, but those astronomical figures dwindled to an average of around 10,000 on those nights that weren't hosting the live show (although the live shows' figures were also on a slippery slope!) So what was it that killed 1 vs. 100 before it could return for its third season? Was it over-zealous ambition from Microsoft? After all, they seemed to flood us with game modes night after night during each season which surely couldn't have helped inability to sustain any resounding figures. I'd take a guess that if they solely stuck to live shows, they'd have experienced a much more positive vibe from us gamers, for what they were, the live shows were on the whole, excellent. Other from the missing host most of the time and seemingly random pickings of the '1', the live shows were engaging and thoroughly entertaining to play through, each game weighing in at mere minutes for quick and swift bites of tense multiplayer quizzing action.

Many bemoaned the choice picks of the '1' and '100', complaining how they'd “not been picked yet”. Infuriating me in equal measure for their inability to calculate probability, I didn't have a problem myself with how the show was conducted. Out of the two seasons, I knew of one person to get into the top 100- my brother was lucky enough to be picked on that fateful Friday night to rapturous hollering from the demanding avatars in the stands. Sufficient to say, his nervousness got the better of him and he left with nothing...

I can't falter Microsoft either in what they held back for winners either, with one night the grand prize being a car! So, I'm going to take a wild punt and put the blame solely onto Microsoft's ingenuity. We've never had anything like it before, where members of the public can turn on a device in their living room and take part in a live game show for prizes. Therefore, I don't see 1 vs. 100 as a failure, I see it as the very beginning of something much bigger to come...

Feature- My Top 10 Games of this Generation so Far

I shall begin my first ever thought piece for Gamers Guide to Life with an apology. Sorry for my reserved judgements in favour of the games as featured below, I apologise now if I have left out any games from the past few years that perhaps deserve to be in such a thorough list, but these are, regardless, only my favoured of the generation of which we are told we are only mid-way through! You will have your own favourites, as I mine, so without further adieu, here are my top 10 games of this generation. Long may it continue.

Fallout 3

What better game to pick up the mantle for the first of the list than Bethesda's post apocalyptic RPG Fallout 3. Fitting, since this generation has pretty much birthed the open world genre of which we know see with aplomb. Following on from the critically acclaimed Oblivion (which I could never get on with), Fallout 3 was a lesson to potential RPG developer's in how to create an immersive world with an engaging storyline and excellent role-playing mechanics. Hours could disappear roaming the wasteland for hidden delights, only boosted by the additional DLC that was offered after release.

LittleBigPlanet

One of my favourite games of 2008, LittleBigPlanet was like nothing truly seen before. Spawning the label of 'Play, Create, Share', over 2 million levels have been created by its community to date (I lent my talents to two). A platformer at heart, the level designer and community features were where the game really stood out, with unbelievable levels created by fantastically creative people. Search for anything within LBP's servers and you'll probably find a match. From re-creations of classic Mario levels to representations of people's home lives- LBP was worthy of its limelight.

Rock Band

For being the first game to introduce the full band set-up and hours upon hours of lost time, Harmonix's return to rhythm-action after they had spawned the Guitar Hero franchise let us run wild in our search for rock stardom, now on drums and mic, as well as guitar. The sequel may have refined the template as layed out here, but for the first game to be a success was praise enough after Activision's vital head start with the GH series. Cluttering our living rooms with cheap plastic peripherals ever since, Rock Band- we salute you.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Possibly the most sought after sequel for the current generation, GTA IV set the record at the time for the best single day sales and week sales for a video game, despite its '18' age certificate. The departure from the fun filled San Andreas to the much grittier life of immigrant Niko Bellic was bold, although one in which I felt was needed. Despite its clunky controls, GTA IV was exceptional in its design with the hugely detailed Liberty City inspired by NYC and exciting cast of characters.

Uncharted 2

Despite the strong original, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, at the early life of Sony's PS3 (and one of the first Playstation exclusives of this generation), Uncharted 2 has to be considered over the first since it got nearly everything spot on. Superbly animated character models and expertly directed cut scenes seamlessly integrated with game play, yep, Naughty Dog's treasure hunting Nathan Drake is set to be one of the flagship's for Sony for years to come. If you haven't played it yet and don't yet quite understand the hype regarding Sony's console, try it. You won't be disappointed.

Heavy Rain

The third PS3 exclusive to appear on my list is also the most recent. Released this February, I only got a chance to play the “interactive drama” around a month ago. Set apart from any other game, Heavy Rain is an experience unlike any other. Excellent cinematography, resounding score and an involving narrative imbue its cinematic sense, whilst the frankness of its moral choice philosophy gave each player a feeling of crafting their own experience. I was taken aback by how well the game was conveyed, and utterly spellbound by the plotting.

Mass Effect 2

Bioware's sci-fi space saga gave a number of reasons why it ought to be considered one of the best games of this generation. Not only have Bioware created an exceptional and fully in-depth universe of alien species and planetary intergalactic wars, but like a mixture between the cinematic ambition of Uncharted 2 and the moral choices of Heavy Rain, the RPG has rarely become so fully polished as this. I await the third to conclude the trilogy.

Forza Motorsport 2

I'm reluctant to put down the third in the franchise onto the list since I felt slightly let down in its online fuctionality, which was plagued from day one. Instead, I'll go with the sequel to the original Xbox game Forza Motorsport, which was the first true driving simulator for the current generation, and one which still performs admirably and looks excellent some time after. The online was also well handled, as well as the progression of the career mode. Whether Polyphony Digital can match its ambition with Gran Turismo 5 is another story, but it certainly has a tough task ahead.

Halo 3

'Finish the Fight'- yeh, right. Then go back again and fight the in-between years! It might have failed to live up to the hype in terms of its epic conclusion to the trilogy, but it can not be argued Halo 3's success lay within multiplayer, with its matchmaking still one of the most played on Xbox Live besides the competition of recent delights such as Modern Warfare 2. Adding XP and character customisation to the massive Halo 2 online foundation, its the game which I stick on for some multiplayer action before any other.

Mirror's Edge

Received quite poorly, Mirror's Edge is one of my more favoured titles for one reason: it tried something different and it worked. The first person perspective was an odd choice given the free-running game play, but EA DICE delivered in epic proportions with fast and exhilarating game mechanics. Slightly unforgiving and frustrating at times, the game still ought to be remembered for some time to come, regardless of the fact it lies for mere pounds in bargain buckets around the country.

Feature- Ramblings on Move and Kinect

I think it's about time to share my real thoughts about Microsoft and Sony's lofty ambitions to match the Wii at what it did first, if not best. Both Kinect and Move are now mere months from store shelves, so the question is: am I looking forward to either-if not both- of them, or are they merely potential dust collectors!?

Considering the relatively poor showing of Kinect at this year's E3 press conference for Microsoft, I have to say from the off that I have been utterly demoralised to caring about what was previously called 'Natal'. The “hands-free” technology, granted, looks entirely innovative and exceptional in its own right, but given we were presented with cheap knock-off sport collections and duller-than-dull casual titles, I edge my bets that Kinect will be a stupendous failure- alike to other monumental cock-ups like the Mega CD addition to the Megadrive. So, the problem lies not with Microsoft per se (although they can be partly to blame), but also the developers who seem insistent on re-producing shoddy shovel-ware party games that can be taken straight from the mould of the “Nintendo Wii School of Family Friendly Gaming”.

Oh, and the price? Microsoft seem reluctant to waver a mere mention of such a figure, although pre-orders are being taken for $149.99 in the States. This can be converted to around £140-150 upon arrival in the UK after import taxations and VAT etc., although it is very much an estimate at the moment. If it does come out at the price however, I see a very small uptake and poor initial sales. Looking instead at Move's price plan and it's somewhat cumbersome, although at least it can be ordered at the time of writing (take note, Microsoft!). The varied prices will depend on whether or not you already own a Playstation Eye camera, which makes Move's fantastic 1:1 technology possible. The singular Move controller is priced at £34.99 (albeit without the sub-controller- a further £24.99!), whilst a pack to get you started with Move (that is, the initial Move controller, Playstation Eye and demo disc) will set you back around £50. It's by no means over-priced, although by no means cheap, Move is certainly the more generous option at this moment in time, though I question the worthiness of such an addition so late in the consoles life cycle.

The announcement at E3 2009 of Natal/Kinect had me beside myself with conflicting emotions; shock, excitement, awe. It had everything; big name movie directors singing its praises, a great TV spot of its singing possibilities, and good old Peter Molyneux lavishing his wise words to what it means for the industry... Ahh, good times. A year on, and it tells a different story. The poor showing- along with the price point estimation- has me shaking my head in disbelief. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than excited to try it out, but really, how could it go this wrong? Will we be buying the device, only to use it as a swanky Minority Report-esque dashboard controller, or will it really be the 'game-changer' that many at Microsoft really believe it is?

On the flip side, Sony's showing of Move in the summer of 2009 was agitated and nervy, with two on-stage demoers utterly bewildered they'd been put in such a situation. The tech seemed buggy and less than responsive, whilst there were absolutely no signs towards a hint of a game, of any sort!

June 2010, however, brought me new-found optimism in favour of Move. The titles that have been shown up to this point look sound, if a little stale. We have the sports mini-game collections that seem to be the one good thing all motion controller inputs are good at (with Sports Champions), whereas the likes of integration into Socom 4 look more than unique, and bizarrely, looks like it actually works well! Where I think Move can really excel however is where games can go that extra step with Move support- imagine, for example, David Cage's Heavy Rain with Move (it is planned, by the way). It's what the game was made for, is it not? Furthermore, such entirely promising demo's of integration into Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet have already been showcased, in a reminder that we may not need outlandish new game mechanics, but merely expanding on existing game play possibilites. Move's on my pre-order list for sure, I now await its September 15^th release. Kinect, you have me disconnected.

Feature- EA announce "online passes"- acceptable or one step too far?

“Project Ten Dollar”, as it is affectionately known, was a way of curtailing the second hand market that we keep being told severely detriments a number of game companies and market shares. Such triple-A releases such as The Sims 3 and Mass Effect 2 have already featured a one-off code within new boxed copies that grants the bearer magical gifts in the usual form of a future DLC package- effectively punishing frugal gamers whose only source of games is their local second-hand retailer! It marks a frustrating time in the gaming sphere, where companies are looking towards outlandish and over-thought, nonsense strategies to halt the second-hand market and the burden of piracy that is still strife all round. Ubisoft started the “always online” format of DRM management- their games on the PC now require the user to be signed onto their on-line service as its legitimacy is constantly checked, meaning the game is, in effect, useless off-line. I'm all for stopping piracy and the like, but come on! Surely upon purchasing a legit copy, gamer's can choose to play that game on-line or off, why limit the end user? Even off-line games such as Assassins Creed II require the use of the system which is just baffling to say the least.

“Project Ten Dollar” was met with similar scepticism although it can be understood- it's neither invasive nor absolutely required. DLC should be used as an extension to a complete game in which development was required outside of the full development cycle (there are exceptions, I'm looking at you; Resident Evil 5 and Bioshock 2, but don't get me started on those!) Thus, the way in which gamers are granted access to 'extra' content for buying the game full price makes certain sense, rewarding and not hindering, first-time buyers. And if you do pick it up on the used shelf at the local store, the DLC is still available for $10 if you so wish to play to purchase it, meaning the publisher still gets its fair slice of the money pie, as it were.

Activision's rise to its status as behemoth publisher (and consequently a growing of an abnormally large head from its leading figures) has seen EA shepherded into a more comfortable position. Activision's constant aggravation towards gamers have made EA's previous grievances seem tame in comparison. But alas, EA couldn't resist and have taken an extremely annoying step towards, supposedly, curtailing the second-hand market even further. The news from earlier in the week that EA were now to use “online passes” in their 'EA Sports' games is a punch to the stomach for gamer's such as myself. Yes, I enjoy a game of Fifa as much as the next person, but now I'll have to pay for my on-line service from Microsoft, and a new copy of the game (or $10) to enable networked features within the game. Really, when is it going to stop!? For one, the online integration is already there, available on the disc and ready to use. I can understand that the addition of extra DLC requires extra work on behalf of developers, thus costs need to be covered. But to need use of a one-time code to simply “allow access” is beyond a joke in my opinion. EA are proving once again, sheer greed is the aim of the game. This isn't a step towards rinsing the proliferation of the second hand market- the 'EA Sports' brand is one of the most successful brands in gaming, year on year delivering huge sales figures. The giant seems to be taking a bite of Activision's apple, delivering radical steps to the detriment of core gamers because they both know how successful these brands have become and people will pay for content, regardless of their thoughts towards it. The casual market is also going to take a massive hit- much more susceptible to buying second hand copies of games. It's going to be a shock when they get home, put the disc in, and are told another wad of cash is required for online play.

Ultimately, it's us as consumers that are getting the hard deal. Such games are now going to be worth much less value if you wish to trade or sell and the code has already been scratched off. I can't see the lower value being transferred over to the next person somehow, instead I expect further exploitation of the trade-in market that can only harm us in the end.