My XBOX 360 Died... Again

Since finishing Metal Gear Solid 4, I've been spending time with the 360 again. Unfortunately, that time has been cut short. My home XBOX 360 has died... again. This is the second time that I have had to send in the machine since 2005. I'll have to bring in the one from the office which, by the way, has also been repaired once already for the RROD.



My neighbor just sent his 360 in for repair a couple of weeks ago. For him, it was the second time. I have an employee that has done the RROD round-trip THREE times. Out of 5 employees that have 360s in my office, 4 have been victims of the RROD. Of my relatives that have 360s, every family member has experienced the RROD at least once - that's a 100% failure rate for those keeping score.

Hmm... if the boxes are failing more than once, is the failure rate greater than 100%. Sigh.

thank you -- don't pwn alone(tm)

Top 10 XBOX Live Games for the Week Ending 6/27

It looks like the popularity of GTA IV is trailing off considerably. It's just a matter of time before it loses the #3 spot on XBOX Live. Of course, COD4's unshakable popularity is nothing short of impressive.

Rank. Game (Index)
1. Call of Duty 4 (1000)
2. Halo 3 (870.026754121)
3. GTA IV (622.16276862001)
4. Rock Band (312.59169759213)
5.Guitar Hero III (282.29912833348)
6. Gears of War (251.31613014585)
7. Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 (139.81185811686)
8. NINJA GAIDEN 2 (132.90756882713)
9. BF: Bad Company (92.862690946751)
10. Guitar Hero II (78.708897902822)

Personally, I have stopped playing COD4. While it's entertaining, it's a time latrine. After a while, playing the same maps, it becomes a mechanical emotionless process. Of course, many might suggest the same of Halo 3 or any game in the Battlefield series.

With that said, the Battlefield Bad Company demo is mighty impressive and finally feels like a proper Battlefield game on the console. I'm not surprised to see it break the TOP 10 already. We are in something of a game drought on the 360 at the moment. It's refreshing to play anyhing new.

Thank you and... don't pwn alone (tm)

PS3 has its "Killer App"

With the arrival of the baby last week, my gaming time has been extremely limited. When I have been playing, it's been the PS3 and the game has been Metal Gear Solid 4. While the PS3 lacks the 360's quality catalog of games, MGS4 is simply the defining title for the console. If you're a gamer, it's time to buy a PS3 to keep your 360 company. MGS4 is probably one of the best titles of this console generation.


Of course, if you don't have $400 to blow on a PS3, make a friend with a PS3 and play this game. Until Bad Company comes out at the end of the month, there's nothing new to play on the 360 anyway.

Thank you - don't pwn alone(tm)

Happy Father's Day

The 1337pwn.com team would like to wish you a Happy Father's day! Enjoy a day with the family or a day of caffeine fueled gaming.

Thank you - don't pwn alone(tm)

Warhawk breaks 600k Player Barrier

With the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, there's little doubt that Sony is selling a lot of Playstation 3 consoles now. Interestingly, we've seen a sharp rise in the total number of Warhawk players over the past couple of weeks. What does this mean? New Playstation 3 owners are playing more than MGS4. They are also taking look at gems like Warhawk.

If you're a new PS3 gamer, be sure to check out our Warhawk Stats application for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It provides quick and easy access to stats from the road. You can specify as many Playstation Network IDs as you like from your friends to your clan members.

We also offer a Warhawk Forum signature when you're posting to your favorite forums. Our signature tag includes ranked game statistics such as overall rank, number of kills, and more -- show your Warhawk gamer cred! You can use the quick form below to generate the HTML for your signature.

1337pwn.com Warhawk Signature Generator

PSN ID:

Signature Image Preview:



Paste this HTML into your forum signature:

As always, we welcome your feedback and comments. Send a message to borocouncilman via the Playstation Network.

Thank you - don't pwn alone(tm)

Top 10 XBOX Live Games for the Week Ending 6/14

From 1337pwn.com data, these are the top 10 XBOX Live games for the week ending June 14th. You'll notice that Grand Theft Auto IV is really starting to fall off, but will likely remain at the number 3 position for some time. If you look at the popularity index gap between positions 3 and 4, you'll note that COD4, Halo 3, and GTA IV pretty well represent the bulk of XBOX Live gamer preferences right now. These are titles that are played by hundreds of thousands of people every day.

Rank. Game (Popularity Index)
1. Call of Duty 4 (1000)
2. Halo 3 (847.96754838164)
3. GTA IV (785.17704724077)
4. Rock Band (304.90999746472)
5. Guitar Hero III (267.04977605003)
6. Gears of War (250.6549480267)
7. Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 (148.06050874673)
8. NINJA GAIDEN 2 (128.53883207978)
9. Forza Motorsport 2 (70.98791515254)
10. Guitar Hero II (67.776557086115)

The 1337pwn.com top 10 list includes a popularity index using a scale of 1000. This helps give you a better idea of relative popularity. Let us know if you find this information helpful.

Thank you - don't pwn alone (tm)

Metal Gear Online - Game Statistics Site is Live, Works on iPhone/iPod Touch

Konami launched their Metal Gear Online site today. It includes game statistics, record, and rank information. Unlike a certain "social club", the Metal Gear Online site actually works on the iPhone and iPod Touch. If you've picked up Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots, be sure to take a look at the strong online mode.

You can check it out here:
http://mgo2web.konami.com/us/community/


You will need a Konami Game ID to access the site. If you haven't created one in game yet, you can create one here. Incidentally, the amount of effort required to create an ID is a strong argument for what XBOX Live does well.

If you're up for some Metal Gear Online, send a message/friend invite to borocouncilman via the Playstation Network. Let us know if there's a strong interest in bringing the MGO stats to a more iPhone/iPod Touch friendly format.

Thank you - don't pwn alone(tm)
1337pwn.com

Metal Gear Solid 4 Midnight Madness

Yes, the 1337pwn.com team will have MGS4 at midnight. Baby sleep patterns permitting, I will be at the Warminster, PA Gamestop tonight to pick up a copy. Woot.


This will be our fourth GameStop midnight event; Halo 3, Rock Band/Mass Effect, GTA IV being the others.

Heat Wave and A/C = Broken iPhone Screen

About an hour or so ago, I realized that I had left my iPhone in the car. I went outside in the 100 degree F heat to grab it so I could check on a few things. Shortly after bringing it inside, I noticed a crack developing on the screen. Right before my eyes, the crack completed its journey across the face of the iPhone. Diabolical. That beautiful tempered glass screen couldn't take the temperature change.


I ran it over to my local Apple folks. They grimaced. While they said it was obviously not an impact fracture, I was also told that Apple classifies this kind of damage as abuse. The friendly local Apple guy recommended that I make my case to Apple directly.

I just got out off the phone with Apple. Yup, they classify it as abuse. I was told that the broken screen is not covered by AppleCare and that I could get it fixed/replaced for $249. Now, I need to figure out what to do.

Joy!

Call of Duty 4 to reclaim top spot on XBOX Live

At 1337pwn.com, we started seeing the trend over the weekend. From our data, it looks like Call of Duty 4 is poised to retake the top spot on XBOX Live.

1. GTA IV (1000)
2. Call of Duty 4 (999.56604756119)
3. Halo 3 (849.8524561708)

Considering that Call of Duty 4 recently surpassed 10m copies sold, it's hardly a surprise as it manages to be dominant on both the PS3 and XBOX 360.

UPDATE: 1640EDT
COD4 is now back at the top on XBOX Live.

1. Call of Duty 4 (1000)
2. GTA IV (998.01518812565)
3. Halo 3 (853.6416983086)

don't pwn alone(tm)

GTA IV is still #1, but for how long?

Looking at the game rank across the 1337pwn.com community, we've noticed an interesting trend during the past week or so. COD4 and Halo 3 are regaining ground lost to GTA IV.

1. GTA IV (1000)
2. Call of Duty 4 (957.7023940445)
3. Halo 3 (809.49158277641)

With folks completing or abandoning the single player campaign, how long will GTA IV remain at the top?