ODST Tops Most Offered List

Jimmy James 70 Says The Most Offered list was updated a couple days ago and I was surprised to see Halo 3: ODST topping the list. This turn of events made my predictions from last week appear foolish in that ODST would not be available to trade for a long, long, time.


However, if you take a closer look at the numbers, I'm holding true to the idea that the majority of Goozers do have a Long Wait ahead of them for ODST. Check out this screenshot:

Even though ODST tops the Most Offered list, the Trading Info shows there are no copies currently Actively available. There are, however, 111 copies On Hold. That's a lot of teasing going on... Meanwhile, 244 Goozers are Actively requesting the game while another 206 have it On Hold, and then there's 114 Goozers who want it but have restrictions against them (either lack of points or trade credits).

Since the game released, ODST has traded eight times. So, there are eight lucky Goozers out there who scored a copy. It does appear that copies are leaking through the system, but it's a trickle, and I still don't expect the floodgates to open for a long time.

Is there a lesson to learn with this list? What I'm asking is, should the list be updated so that only the Most Active and Offered games make the list, and the Most Offered but On Hold are excluded? That way, Goozers can see a list of games that they can readily trade for. With the list as it is, certain games are dangled in front of you, without a whole lot of hope of you playing it.

Maybe we can go ahead and make that a Goozex Feature Request: to configure the Most Offered list to exclude games that are On Hold.

With that said, I did find on Goozex.com a Most Available list, which excludes ODST. The problem is, I can't find the javascript to place this list here on the blog. Maybe that's the real Feature Request?

The Anomaly That is ODST

Jimmy James 70 Says What exactly is ODST? It's not a brand new, groundbreaking game. It's not a sequel. It's not DLC. It's not promoted as an expansion pack. It's billed as having a new hero, new campaign, and new multiplayer; yet besides Firefight mode, the multiplayer is simply a repackaged online experience with previously released maps and a few new ones. So, what is ODST?

This article is not for the hardcore fans. Chances are, if you are a hardcore fan you’ve already completed the campaign. This article is also not for the non-fans, if you’re a non-fan, you’ve already passed this by.

This article is geared for those of you sitting on the fence. Those of you who are wondering what the fuss is all about, and you want to try the game, but you’re hesitant on dropping $60 on an expanded, glorified expansion pack. This article is for you. The fence sitter. The waiter. Should you buy ODST now, or should you wait for the price to drop. That’s what this article is all about.

If you are on the fence about ODST, and you are wondering if you should pay full price or not, the answer lies on what type of gamer you are. If you’re a newbie to the Halo series, is ODST the best place to start? No. Newbies will miss out on the history of the Master Chief. If you’re new to the series, then start with Halo 2, which is available at 100 Goozex points and is backwards compatible on the Xbox 360. Halo 3 is also relatively cheap at 400 points.

Under normal circumstances, lukewarm fans to a game can usually wait a few months for the price point to drop. Then, they can pick up a game they might be vaguely interested in and not have to pay full price. However, Microsoft and Bungie threw a curve ball with ODST and it’s called the Halo Reach multiplayer beta invite. You need your disc in order to play the beta. This will most likely stop the majority of fans from selling or trading ODST until well after the beta, which is slated for 2010.

Because of the MP beta, demand for ODST will remain high and the value of the game will most likely not drop for a long, long time. ODST will be selling for $60 and staying at 1000 Goozex points for many, many, many months to come.

Advice to Goozers: if you havn't already purchased the game, chances are you're just not that into it. Your best plan of action is to sit tight and wait; maybe even for a year or so. As of today, there are currently zero Active Offers for the game and over 230 Active Requests. You, my fellow Goozer, have a Long Wait ahead of you. If you don’t want to wait that long for the game, then you’re gonna have to plunk down the $60.

If you don’t mind waiting, then simply go back and play Halo, Halo 2, or for that matter, Halo 3. After the beta is over, my hunch is that ODST will become available in droves, the price point will drop like a rock, and the casual Halo fan can play ODST on the cheap. Even if it is late next year.

Future Releases Worth Your Purchase

Cole Burton Says As all of us gamers know, there are very many great and popular games coming out this year and the next. That is why I am going to give my opinions on some of the games that I am most hyped for.

Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2

I used to be a huge Halo fan, but after 5 minutes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, all that changed. There are 3 editions of Modern Warfare 2: Normal, Hardened, and Prestige edition. I currently have the prestige edition pre-ordered for $150.00, that’s how much I like Call of Duty.

This game will have a great campaign and multiplayer by the looks of it. Not only that, it will also have the new, two-player special ops missions.

In addition, there are many improvements, such as in-game host finding and the ability to throw your knife.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 is a game that I plan on getting from The New Goozex Exchange day 1. I loved Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and I was lucky enough to get a beta code from GameTrailers to play the first level cooperatively and play the multiplayer, I was blown away.

There is so much suspense for this game just from the trailers alone. This is my second-most hyped game for the year, right behind Modern Warfare 2. For those of you looking to push your luck, there will be a limited, and I do mean limited, edition of the game. The only way to get it, will be to win it. Check the Playstation blog for more info.

Saw: The Video Game
In my opinion, Saw the video game hasn’t been getting enough attention. If you have seen the movies, this is a must get, if you haven’t seen the movies, watch the first two and you will be hooked. The game places you in the position of Detective Tapp from Saw 1 and it fills the gap between the first and second movies. Another cool thing about this Saw entry is that it will be produced by the original creators of Saw.

M.A.G.

M.A.G. might be one of the best PS3 exclusives of the year. It looks like it will have a great multiplayer with 256 players per match. Some people are worried about lag issues, but this game wouldn’t be made if that were a fact. No one would play a 256-man lag match. There are three teams you can choose from, at least one should fit your fps personality.

Halo ODST

Although I do not play Halo that much anymore, I still plan on getting ODST for old-time sake and to complete my collection.

Assassin’s Creed 2

I enjoyed Assassin’s Creed a lot until I finished the game, then it had right next to zero replay value. However, I am sure the sequel will not have this problem, but, if it does, at least the first play through will be great.

This time, you don’t play as Altair, you play as Ezio. There will also be more weapons and vehicles. In addition, you will have friends that have their own abilities to help you out.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I played the demo of BF:BC and did not like it. I eventually got it on goozex with some spare points and was amazed. Apparently, the demo sucked but the real game was great!

In addition, the multiplayer was great. I cannot wait to add this game to my collection March 2010. The destructible environments were what separated bad company from other mindless fps games and it look like it will do the same again.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about some of the games I am most hyped for this year and next. Remember to keep that wallet fat for these, or do the smart thing and get them from Goozex.com!

Grundy The Man's Current Top Five Wish List

Blake Grundman Says Several triple-A titles are no longer scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, and the 2009 Holiday season is beginning to look more bare than any year in recent memory. That said, there are still a great number of worthwhile titles that are on my wish list, including some games that have already been released and some that are coming out next month. Here is a list of five games that I do not want to live without:

1. Left 4 Dead 2 – After the tremendous success of the original Left 4 Dead on both the Xbox 360 and PC, it seemed obvious that there would be a sequel on the way. To the surprise of many, Microsoft announced that the sequel would be coming on November 17th, 2009. This is less than one year after the release of the first game, so it is likely that the game will be overflowing with new content, in order to rebuff the ire of frothy fanboys everywhere.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Infinity Ward is back at it again, with another soon to be classic installment for both the Call of Duty and Modern Warfare franchises. As much confusion as there has been about the name of the game, in the end it won’t really matter, because this will sell like gangbusters on every platform it is released on. There is no doubt in my mind that with the developer's pedigree, this has the potential to be a legitimate game of the year contender.

3. Halo 3: ODST – Any wish list would seem empty without an appearance from Bungie’s Spartan busting juggernaut. With ODST being the first Halo shooter that doesn’t star Master Chief, there is bound to be some backlash, and I do not expect the game to sell as many units as Halo 3 did; however, the game will most likely not have the same marketing push either. Regardless, look for this to be a big seller.

4. Assassins Creed 2 - Back and better than ever, Ubisoft is looking to throw all of their marketing might behind Ezio’s newest quest into the Renaissance period of Italy. After seeing how well the first game sold, it would not be beyond the realm of possibility to see a repeat of the success. Oddly enough, the publisher decided to release the game side-by-side with Left 4 Dead 2. I am sure both games will do tremendously well, but it will be interesting to see who wins the head-to-head showdown.

5. Wii Sports Resort – This might be at the bottom of my list, but I still want it. Nintendo can do no wrong on the first-party software front, and with the inclusion of the Wii Motion Plus peripheral, there will undoubtedly be droves of housewives that are clambering to get their hands on it; and I'm getting in line right behind them.

So, what's on your wish list?

Sony May Never Have a Halo Killer

MrWeymes Says: It seems like every time an exclusive first person shooter is announced for the Playstation 3, it is instantly dubbed as a "Halo killer" by anticipatory Sony supporters. The original Resistance: Fall of Man comes to mind. While it may have sold well, and established a respectable fan base, it in no way "killed" the Halo franchise. Haze is another game that was hyped up beyond belief, and was also given the title of "Halo killer." That game was met with average reviews, and didn't seem to slay the mighty Halo series, either. Along comes Resistance 2. It looks promising. The graphics have received a considerable upgrade. The scale in the campaign is much larger, and the multiplayer supports up to 60 players, and is very addictive and fun. If anything could kill Halo, it would be this game, right? Nope. Halo lives. Halo hasn't even received any wounds, let alone died. Finally, we have the upcoming Killzone 2. It looks excellent. The graphics seem to push the Playstation 3 further than ever before, the campaign looks exciting, and the multiplayer looks very enjoyable. On top of all of this, the early reviews have been positive. Is this game finally going to slaughter Halo and leave it's children without a daddy? Not a chance, and here is an explanation of why.

On November 15, 2001, the original Halo: Combat Evolved was released for the original Xbox. The game was met with excellent scores, and established a large online community. Without a game like Halo, the original Xbox may have not done as well as it did. Halo: Combat Evolved has sold more than five million copies worldwide. Because the Halo series already had an established fan base by the time the sequel came out, it sold even better than it's predecessor. Halo 2 has sold over eight million copies worldwide. The already established fan base continued to support the Halo series when Halo 3 was released for the Xbox 360. Halo 3 has sold a little over eight million copies as well.

The point of the little history lesson above is to show that calling any first person shooter a "Halo killer" is silly. It's actually becoming quite ridiculous. The Halo series has a very large fan base. These fans have established a large online community, and love to play games of Halo 3 with their friends. Regardless of how much better you think a certain game is, they will be happy playing a game of Halo 3. There could be a huge news story on a respected gaming web site about how Killzone 2, for example, is superior to Halo 3 in every possible way. The graphics could be better, the sound could be better, the controls could be better, the campaign could be better, and the multiplayer could be better in the eyes of professionals, but at the end of the day, Halo fans enjoy playing Halo games. Video games, like films, are a matter of taste. Just because you like something does not mean that other people like it. People may not like the gun selection in Resistance 2 compared to the gun selection in Halo 3. You may think they are insane, but that is their personal opinion, and they are entitled to it.

If Halo 3 received very low scores because it was broken technically, then yes, a game like Resistance 2 would be a "Halo killer" because it's not technically broken. Aside from games that are plagued with terrible controls, and other technical issues, no games are really better than other games in the same genre. Everyone has an opinion on what is a good game, and what is a bad game. There were probably many times that you bought a game that got a high score from some web site, and you got it home, and didn't know what the fuss was about. Another example is a friend telling you how awesome a certain game is, and when you play it, you just don't feel the same. Everyone has a different perspective on what is good, or bad. People have been getting upset about people having different opinions forever, and it's quite silly. For example, Dead Space is a survival horror as is Silent Hill: Homecoming. Critics seemed to enjoy Dead Space more than Silent Hill: Homecoming. Does this mean that Dead Space is a "Silent Hill killer?" No, it doesn't. It means that in most critics’ opinion, Dead Space is a better game. Perhaps some people enjoy Silent Hill: Homecoming more because of the setting, and the storyline. Regardless, it's all a matter of opinion. An old school example is the classic Sonic vs Mario debate. Neither "kills" the other. Some people enjoy one, and not the other, or perhaps both.

In conclusion, Sony will probably never have a "Halo killer." When it comes to media, no one is ever wrong for enjoying a game. No one is ever wrong when they say that one game is better than another, because it's their personal opinion. Regardless of how many people enjoy the upcoming Killzone 2, it will never kill a series with an established fan base. The only "Halo killer" would be a prohibition of the playing of Halo games in general, and that may not even kill the beast. There would be an underground resistance of sorts. It's obvious that this is not an anti-Sony article. All of the games on the Playstation 3 mentioned above are excellent games. Are any of them "Halo killers?" Well, that's a matter of personal opinion.

Grand Theft Auto IV Drops in Value

It's time for another Point Drop Roundup. The biggest news is that Grand Theft Auto IV has dropped in value. That’s right kids, the critics favorite has started dropping in value. It will be interesting to see if it rebounds like Call of Duty 4.

It might be time to request Madden NFL 08. It has not dropped in value since the end of August and 400 points is pretty cheap for a game with a Metacritic score of 85.

Here's a list of games to hold out for because they are dropping in value week-after-week:

• Burnout Paradise
  
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  
• Gears of War
  
• Halo 3
  
• Orange Box
  
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 2
  

Here's a list of games that have dropped marginally in value:

• DiRT
  
• Don King Presents Prizefighter (I wouldn’t be surprised if this one starts dropping value week-after-week)
  
• Elder Scrolls: Shivering Isles
  
• Fight Night Round 3
  
• NHL 07
  
• NHL 2K6, 2K7, and 2K8
  
• Tom Clancy’s GRAW (I’m currently playing this one, and it’s HARD)
  
• Viking: Battle for Asgard