Rod Fergesson, the Senior Producer from Gears of War 2 has outlined on the official forums (linked above) the problems with their online matchmaking service and acknowledges that and patch will be released in the near future to counter the issues.
To quote: We're aware that some folks are experiencing longer-than-ideal wait times while using the skill-based Public matchmaking in Gears 2 multiplayer.
We're working on some solutions but it's a complicated issue as there isn't any one problem; it's a combination of factors. Clearly, scale is one of them as we've had millions of successful matches played online so far, however a small percentage of players are having issues, which is unacceptable.
We're working closely with Microsoft to address the matchmaking issues, I promise you that it is our #1 priority, and we hope to have an update soon.
In the meantime, I would like to suggest some workarounds:
It seems no matter which Web site you go to, they all shower praise on the latest game by Valve entitled Left 4 Dead. As a zombie—and video game enthusiast—I assumed this would become one of my favorite games. It sounded like a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, I came away from the demo very underwhelmed. Sub par graphics and average gun play killed my enthusiasm pretty quickly. I did find the gun play enjoyable in Left 4 Dead, but I really wasn't overwhelmed by how good each gun felt. They felt appropriate.
The guns sounded average. Nothing praise worthy, but nothing to whine about, either. I don't want to offend anyone, but if you're going to tell me that this game has amazing texturing, lighting effects, environments, character models, and animations then you are probably one of those people that think Turok is a great looking game.
The environments themselves looked appropriately drab but they weren't very inspired or pleasing to the... More »
This Christmas, both Sony and Microsoft are placing their bets on a bunch of ugly aliens and a couple of anti-heroes who are almost as ugly.
The massive gaming companies are going head-to-head in the build-up to the crucial holiday sales season with two much anticipated and very similar titles, Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2.
The games, both sequels, are first-person shooters, in which the player assumes the role of the man behind the big gun and the main antagonists are sharp-toothed aliens. Both games were released this week.
In Resistance 2, the invading creatures are called the Chimera, horrific beings that have the ability to turn mankind into disfigured slaves. In Gears of War 2, the focus shifts to stopping the evil Locust Horde, a subterranean race trying to exterminate the human race. In both titles, it's up to the dysfunctional hero to save the day.
But a far bigger battle is going on behind the scenes, where executives be... More »
From Software is known for developing very stylistic games, from Otogi: Myth of Demons to Armored Core for Answer, among others. Their next project is a first-party game from Microsoft called Ninja Blade.
In Ninja Blade, which takes place high atop the skyscrapers of Tokyo, Ken Ogawa and his team of ninjas are deployed to destroy an infected monster horde and stem the spreading disease.
After narrowly escaping betrayal and death, Ogawa is left to fight the daunting battle alone. Armed with an arsenal of specialized ninja weapons, tools and skills, players must fight insurmountable odds to restore peace to Tokyo.
Microsoft has just released three new in-game screens from Ninja Blade, which we've included for your viewing pleasure. Although From Software has never been a graphical slouch, It's obvious that the studio is doing things graphically on Xbox 360 that many developers are hard-pressed to achieve on the PS3.
Gears of War 2 has made an appearance at E for All, and it looks like they have decided to show off the four player horde gameplay. A round of never ending locust madness can make you really piss your pants even when you have four other badass buddies with you.
Those baddies want you dead, and they will stop at nothing to get to you. One of the attendees at E for All captured some amateur footage of the horde gameplay, and I must say that this November I will be one busy gamer. Be sure to watch some juicy four player horde co-op below!
Here are Yahoo's picks for the Top 20 games of fall, 2008:
Lego Batman Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS
Genre: Action
Release Date: September 23
The caped crusader gets an angular makeover in Lego Batman. Protect Gotham as Batman and sidekick Robin from a rash of criminals, including nefarious villains like The Penguin, Two-Face, The Riddler and Mr. Freeze. Utilize a wealth of Bat-gadgets to survive over 30 levels in another comical Lego adventure.
Why It's Hot:
It's Lego. It's Batman. If you can't suss out why this is hot, we're not sure we can help you. Go sit in the corner and put on your Bat-dunce cap.
Why It's Not:
We stand by these Lego games because they are that very rare breed of video game that appeals equally to parents and kids. Still, they're all sort of the same game. If you've played Lego Star Wars and Lego Indy, don't expect a huge change in gameplay with the blocky D... More »
We’ve heard some rather interesting rumors from camp Microsoft this year, ranging from the mysterious Lips, to MiiToos aka Avatars, a new Dashboard that might be navigated using a motion controller etc. Microsoft has just wrapped up their E3 press conference in LA, and it’s time to see which of those rumors were dead on, and which not so much.
Below is everything that Microsoft announced during the briefing.
* Don Mattrick takes the stage and opens the conference, talks of past successes for Microsoft’s Xbox business, and leads in a reel showing Fallout 3.
* Bethesda’s Todd Howard takes the stage, plays Fallout 3 on-stage. Announces extensive downloadable content exclusive to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows.
* Jun Takeuchi from Capcom, the producer of Resident Evil 5 takes the stage and demonstrates a live gameplay of the game, including the online co-op mode. Release date announced: March 13 2009.
Gears of War 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the 4.7-million-selling blockbuster third-person tactical action game, one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history.
Gears of War 2 picks up six months after the events of Gears of War, and thrusts players back into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against a nightmarish force of underground creatures known as the Locust Horde.
Gears of War 2 is developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Players continue the story of Marcus Fenix, a reluctant war hero, as he leads Delta Squad on a series of perilous and adrenaline-pumping missions.
Gears of War 2 blends a best-in-class third-person shooter with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution.
Features:
Bigger, better and more badass gameplay. Gears of War 2 builds upon the... More »
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