If you think gamers are socially inept, and that they don’t mingle with the opposite gender even if they tried, think again. According to the official Xbox website, a couple met while playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Lockdown.

“I just thought you might be interested to know that Mike and I met playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Lockdown. Funny thing is, we hated each other at first, but somehow ended up falling in love. I was from Georgia and he was from the Bronx. On a leap of faith we met, and we have been together ever since. If it wasn’t for Xbox LIVE, our paths would have never crossed. :) We had our daughter—who we thought to be the first Xbox LIVE baby—on September 24, 2007. Maybe she’s the first Xbox 360 baby, at least. :) Her name is Victoria Marie Figueroa! I AM SO THANKFUL FOR XBOX AND THE ONLINE COMMUNITY! If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have the man of my dreams and a beautiful new baby!”

I never thought FPSes could get people pregnant.

Image of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Lockdown is courtesy of Ubisoft.

Post from: EveryJoe

Couple falls in love while shooting each other in the face

What I don’t like about the 360 is its unreliability. If there was a Guinness World Record for worst failure rate, I won’t be surprised to see the 360’s image placed beside it.

What’s even more surprising is that Xbox 360 gamers are commending Microsoft for having “great customer service.” Don’t believe me? Read the case of the wiped 360 at Gamerscore blog. All you have to do is look at the comments made by its faithful readers.

In a nutshell, this wiped 360 is about some kid’s prized Xbox 360 that had several (possibly important) signatures and drawings on it. The unit was brought in for repairs at Microsoft. When the console was returned, the signatures and drawings were gone. Microsoft said it’s working on the issue and the misguided applauded.

Naturally, I had to put in my two cents’ worth. I said I was surprised that people are okay in seeing 360 problems as a regular occurrence. Some guy stepped up and said “they” commend Microsoft for “fixing what was admittedly broken.”

The fellow even brought up “problems with the PS2,” and that Sony didn’t repair the faulty units for free and that “you were better off getting a new unit.”

My reply? Read below:

@ Torrence Davis

“Remember the problems with the PS2?”

Like any electronic product, I’m sure it had its share of problems. Care to give me a percentile versus the number of people that bought that console?

Now compare this with the 360.

Heck, take any mass-produced electronic product and compare its failure rate with the 360. See any difference?

Gee, you’re right man! The failure rate of the 360 is insane! How can I overlook that fact and still give props to Microsoft for their “good customer service?”

“360 gamers love the system… ”

Correction. 360 gamers love the games, but the system? Not so much. Why? They’re really disappointed that the failure rate is very high. Can you blame them?

Your launch 360 is still working, and you may argue till you’re blue in the face that majority of 360 units don’t fail (since reported figures reveal a ridiculous rate of 33% to 40%; 100% minus this figure means a very rough estimate of 70%+ that don’t fail, right?), but you must face the fact that no other electronic product has this high a failure rate.

I’ve heard of failure rates at .02%, I’ve read of failure rates at 3%, I’ve heard of even 8%, but I have never ever heard of 33% to 40%.

Until now, at least.

What is with you people? Has your devotion to Bill Gates blinded you so? Does he pay for your child’s tuition? Or your mortgage?

FYI, my ancient PS2 is seven years old and still running. My cousin’s PS2 is four years old and still running. My high school buddy’s PS2 was bought at launch and it’s still working. My officemate’s first-generation iPod (circa 2001) is still working, our old Betamax is still working and we bought that thing way back in 1988.

You know what? I would never exchange a quality product with bad customer service for an unreliable one with excellent customer service.

After all, if I purchased a good product, I would rarely need to deal with crappy customer service in the first place. But that’s just me.

Post from: EveryJoe

Xbox 360 fans commend MS customer service, but are fine with console unreliability

Halo 3 is just a day away, and a lot of hardcore fans in North America seem to be lining up for the game. At least, those who didn’t preorder anyway. After all, lining up for a game is the best way to show everyone you’re hardcore, right?

Wrong.

Maxconsole sure got my attention when it revealed the ultimate Halo-version case mod for the Xbox 360. Forget the Halo 3-version 360, which is really just a green-colored console. This case mod highlights a couple of MJOLNIR-wearing Master Chiefs crouched beside the 360, complete with landscape and plasma pistol.

According to Maxconsole, the creator of this mod is some character named “Craget,” who worked on the unit for a couple of months. There are no internal modifications, so the guy/gal’s warranty is intact. Get ready to dish out some cash if you want to get your hands on this mod because Craget is planning to sell the thing in eBay.

I was just wondering–what happens when the RRoD kicks in?

Post from: EveryJoe

The best Halo case mod evar

Judging from the video, nothing much. The shadows in the 360 did seem darker, but there are variables to consider, such as TV or monitor brightness and contrast, among other things. The colors do seem sharper in the 350 version, while the water effects in the PC version looks choppy in some areas.

If you start comparing expenses, however, things get messier. The Xbox 360 seems to be the viable choice here at first glance. A PC that can handle Bioshock’s minimum requirements would prove to be pricier, and we’re not even talking about the hefty eye candy yet. If you want to see all the nice effects, you’ll need a rig that can handily run DirectX10 games. Can you spell Crysis?

If you’re a 360 owner and you’re smirking at the PC gamers’ plight, think again. Aside from your Xbox 360, you’re going to have to get a decent HDTV to appreciate all the graphical excellence that Bioshock has to offer. You wouldn’t want to waste all that magnificence on standard def, do you? Then consider how much an HDTV costs. This range is between $300 to over $3,000, depending on the TV.

Still smirking?

What about the RRoD that plagues at 25 to 33% of Xbox 360 owners? After all, it isn’t rare to find a 360 owner with a busted unit, so bad luck isn’t probably the reason. If you’re going to buy more than ten more consoles because they all get busted every so often, then you’re way ahead of an average PC gamer’s costs.

You may find Bioshock’s price tag trivial, but there’s a $10 difference between the PC and 360 versions, too. Then again, 360 owners don’t have to deal with Vista, which is a whole new category unto itself.

So which one’s better? It really depends on your tolerance, really. Both have their own source of migraines. Which headache do you prefer?

Post from: EveryJoe

Bioshock on the PC and Xbox 360: Which is better?

More Bioshock cash-ins coming your way: There will be an EP remixed by Moby and Oscar the Punk for Bioshock. The CD will be bundled with the GameStop and EB Canada limited edition version of Bioshock. The EP is also available as a pre-sale gift-with-purchase from retailer Game Crazy.

The three remixed tracks on the CD include Beyond the Sea, God Bless the Child and Wild Little Sisters, variations of which appear in their original format in the game.

Notice anything odd about these tunes? Aside from being vintage, I happened to notice that the songs are happy, in contrast to the state of Rapture, that underwater city that everyone’s trying to get into the past few days. This gives Bioshock that ironic feel reminiscent of Fallout. I just have no idea how the tracks would sound if remixed into techno.

Bioshock’s limited edition version also contains a Big Daddy figurine and a behind-the-scenes DVD. Just be forewarned that the figurine isn’t as tough as its virtual counterpart.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bioshock limited edition comes with EP

So you’ve downloaded the Bioshock demo after a long wait, and played through it in a much shorter period. Now what? You play with it some more by exploiting a new bug, that’s what.

Apparently, everyone who’s gotten their hands on the demo or early Toys “R” Us copy is talking about the new Bioshock bug, which lets you explore Rapture by literally jumping out of the level and seeing the game world in a whole new light.

See how this is done after the jump.

Caveat: I don’t know if this bug also works in the retail copies that were prematurely sold. If you were one of the lucky few who’s not selling their new Bioshock in eBay, do tell us if you were able to exploit Rapture in the complete game.

Post from: EveryJoe

Explore more of Bioshock in demo bug