Talk about cashing in. We’ve heard of Halo toys, a spin-off game, novels, a motion picture, and even inhalers. Now, Genius Products and B1 Games are introducing a Halo board game. They call it the Halo Interactive Strategy Game. Do you hear that? It’s the collective groan of gamers everywhere.

Hitting retail stores this September, the board game is said to have the same premise and characters as the video game. It also comes with a “modular” board that can be “re-configured,” though the press release doesn’t say how. I think this modular bit refers to the possibility of future add-ons of new adventures, vehicles, characters and weapons.

In the game, players will control character pieces for two different levels of play: Heroic for faster, more casual playing, and Legendary for a more strategic style. The board game is targeted at kids aged 10+. There’s more! The package also provides the original Halo soundtrack and “exclusive” DVD content.

I got a better idea. Why don’t we just play the Halo games in the Xbox, Xbox 360, or PC? There’s no need to dole out additional cash just to play a board game while listening to the soundtrack in the background (which sounds losery, by the way). And those kids aged 10+? They get to play Halo anyways.

Oh right, your 360 is in the repair shop.

Post from: EveryJoe

Crap-Detector: New Halo cash-in is a board game

Don’t believe everything you read in the internet, even if they came from so-called reputable game websites like GameSpot, GameSpy, IGN, or Eurogamer. The reviews they’re churning aren’t always as “spot-on” as people say they are.

Case in point: The previously-released reviews for Gears of War’s PC version.

I took the time to read all of them today. Yes, all. And you know what I observed? Aside from the fact that they’re full of crap, the reviews also had a very strong similarity to that of GameTrailers’. The reviews glossed over the important factors that turns Gears from Xbox 360 legend to PC gaming’s latest tragic port.

And indeed, Gears of War for the PC is a tragic port. Despite all my efforts to make the game work, tweak its settings, and update my drivers, nothing prevents it from crashing back into the desktop or causing the PC to reset.

At this point, I simply cannot review Gears of War until a proper patch is released. Why not? Because I can’t move any further than act two. What use is a review if the game isn’t finished or even quarter-of-the-way through?

I have a good question for these so-called reputable sites: How did you finish the game if it had so many hardware issues? It’s either:

1. You’re lying and that you didn’t finish the PC version;
2. You played Gears in Epic or Microsoft’s offices.

Either way, you can’t be trusted.

Unlike larger game sites, FPS Rantings is committed to providing unbiased reviews that are based on real-world conditions. You can be sure of that.

Post from: EveryJoe

Crap-Detector: Previously-released Gears of War PC reviews