XBox Originals: Max Payne 1 and 2

It’s official, Max Payne is now available on Xbox Live as a digital download.  While the 1200 MSP download ($15) may be a little steep for an original xbox game, Max Payne is definitely worth the download.

Max Payne

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Best Buy Mayhem

Sunday was a day for gamers to rejoice and be glad.  Not because Miyamoto revealed himself as the one true God (Although I’m willing to bet he is) but because Best Buy selected some choice titles to reduce to bargain bin prices.  The experience I had wasn’t much, I walked in and got what I wanted.  Other shoppers were less fortunate as one expressed in the Cheap Ass Gamer forums:

“OK so I head down to Best Buy just now and get there about 10 minutes before they open. I notice a line of NERDS in front of the store. I stuck out like a sore thumb since I wasnt wearing an under-sized Donkey Kong or Naruto T-Shirt (that wasn’t an exaggeration, they did exist). The doors finally open and you should have seen the first guy, he couldnt even wait for it to open. He jammed his hands between the door and tried with all his might to assist the opening mechanism. Unable to do so he forced himself against the door until he was JUST able to squeeze through. I laughed as his shirt got caught on the lock and he had to do a double-pump to get through.

The nerds immediately RAN to the video games, one dude did a flanking maneuver and ran around the video games and got in through the rear opening of the aisle. He impressed me as he had a baby in his arms while doing so. There really is nothing more exciting than running with an infant through a store full of sharp cornered shelves and a hard floor, all to acquire $10 video games.

The video games were frantically searched through and people were coming up empty-handed. A store employee stated all the games on sale were in the front of the store on a shelf. One nerd in the center of the pile barreled through everyone, broke free from the pack, and then tripped on something and did that squatted over 3-step run of futility forward until he crashed to the floor. It really was one of the funniest things I had seen this quarter.

So during all this I keep my dignity by remaining calm and kept a walking pace. They always tell you when there is a fire you should walk, not run. It’s obvious why after seeing the guy wipe out. If this had been a Wal-Mart sale he would have been trampled to death. I figured that when I got to the shelf I could just muscle my way through the nerds and get what I wanted. But this was by far the tightest nerd-wall ever. Seriously, these guys were packed in front of this shelf like sardines. They were whining and huffing and video games were dropping off the shelves, crashing on the heads of the bottom layer of nerds crouched at the bottom shelf. I started to get frustrated, I saw one nerd with like 10 ******* games and I hadn’t even gotten my hands on one. I picked one nerd and followed him as he thumbed through the games. As he revealed a desired title I would quickly shoot my arm through the pile and grasp it. I managed to get 007 Quantum of Solace, but as I grabbed it I was met with resistance as a limp-wristed, overweight dork challenged me to a tugging match. I looked around the pile tracing the position of our arms and noticed it was my nemesis, Donkey Kong shirt guy. I quickly outwitted and overpowered him by using a technique where I give a slight amount of slack allowing the game to move in his direction but a forceful jerk in my direction easily removing the game case from his sweaty palm. His face winced in defeat and disappointment.

Not seeing any other titles I wanted, I decided to go back to the video game section and see if anyone had hidden any games in that area the night before. Behind a stack of Smash Court Tennis I found not only The Bourne Conspiracy, but also Silent Hill: Homecoming. I felt proud knowing I had discovered someones secret cache of bargain goodies. I desperately hunted for Pure, as it was the real reason I came to Best Buy that morning. Unfortunately the employees and/or the really good software hiders had gotten to them before me and I left without it.

So, 3 games for $30. Not bad but without Pure it barely made it worth it. If you weren’t there at opening time, you are most likely going to be left with Blitz the League and Rock Revolution. Those went untouched”

From IGN

Codemasters announces F1 2010

Codemasters knows racing games.  They have been heralded for years for making the famous Colin McCrea Rally series and recently Dirt, Grid and the upcoming Fuel.  IGN broke the announcement on Friday, instantly setting aglow my need for speed.

For those that have never played Dirt or Grid, these two are seemingly redefining the genre.  Codemasters have gotten the formula down pat by combining stunning realism and arcade elements.  They have achieved a perfect balance between the two so any fan of racing games should give those a look.

From IGN:
Rod Cousens, CEO, Codemasters, said, “FORMULA ONE is the pinnacle of motorsport. For many, it embraces a lifestyle and its audience is far reaching and growing. We are producing a series of games that will deliver the passion, glamour and exhilaration that fans deserve and we know how to do that. F1 2009 is the start of something very special for Codemasters and will set the standard for the high definition versions that will follow in mid 2010.”

Not a real screenshot of the game, duh.

Sure, that’s just fancy PR speak, but I honestly believe it.   Codemasters is using the EGO engine which was used in Grid, so I expect that this will be nothing short of sexy at 211 MPH.  The game itself is going to be fully backed by F1 so you can expect all the big names and crews to be included in the game.

This beast of a game is being designed for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Games for Windows, but that doesn’t mean that the other systems will be left behind.  Codemasters is setting up teams for the PSP and Wii.

The PSP will feature an online challenge system, single player modes and championships and other features “exclusively tuned for portable play.”

The Wii version will include a deep season mode and custom driving aids so that novice and expert racers can be on an even playing field.