They are doing an API contest at 360 flex and they are giving away an xbox 360 and a ps3…

I think they should have a rock band in one of the open parties after the conference hours. I think people would have a blast!

I’ve got to vent to someone so i’m going to vent to my blog, here is a list of my complaints about some of the current video games.

• Halo 3 (xbox 360)
  • Could the online matchmaking be any SLOWER! for god sake, seriously? and why does it seem to take 8 choices from the time the xbox starts to get online and play…
    • first the xbox starts
    • then you have to sign in
    • then you have to choose a destination of where you want to save your profile.
    • then you have to choose matchmaking (why can’t that just say “online” or “Multiplayer” when i first got the system it took a learning curve to figure out.

      • then it tells you that your NAT isn’t open in your router, and then prompts you with alerts telling you your friends are on. (EVEN IF I SET MY XBOX TO BE THE DMZ ON MY NETWORK I DONT’ GET THE NAT WARNING ANYMORE BUT IT’S STILL FRIGGIN SLOW!)
    • once you get in matchmaking you choose your game type.
    • then you click on start (or whatever the menu item is that you select to go on)
    • then you wait
    • and wait
      • oh then, it finds 7 players out of 8, and restarts the friggin search! wtf!
    • then once your online, someone quits…
    • and then you get your ass handed to you by someone that is 12 years old and sounds like a chipmunk or still has a squeaky voice.

  Halo 2 was a blast on the original xbox, they seriously went and messed it up… it sucks because it’s the new thing out, I wish halo 2 still was going strong.

Need For Speed – Pro Street

• This game is quite fun… if you like racing games…
  • it takes a few races to get used to the style, but you get in, and warm up to it.
• The Menu is slow, and confusing, and prompts you to go online ALLL THE TIME.
  • after every race (do you want to submit your records to EA Nation online?!) NOOOOOO FRIGGIN LEAVE ME ALONE!
    • so you have to unplug your network cable just so it stops prompting you.
  • then you get into a race you can’t beat, and you damage your car.
    • lets prompt you to fix it, and tell you that you can’t do crap until it’s fixed… so then you fix it…
    • get back into the race just to figure out you can’t win again, and go to practice…
    • you think your good enough but your not. so you get pissed and slam your controllers on the coffee table like a baby that can’t control his emotions.

Rock Band

• This is a fantastic game for drunken nights with friends… NOT THAT YOU HAVE TO BE DRUNK TO THINK IT’S A BLAST!
  • but seriously, it’s so fun everyone wants to play! but not everyone SHOULD PLAY. because of course you have multiplayer mode, where you play with a group of friends, but if people can’t keep up, the get knocked out, and that causes your power meter to go down steadily, and if none of your friends are good enough to get in “overdrive mode” (star power for those of you that are familiar with guitar hero) to bring your friend back in, then you are forced to exit the song…
  • this is fine for competitors, but what about the rest of the drinking world where people are just looking to have a good time, and maybe forget about their problems for a little bit?
    • THEY NEED A PARTY MODE where people can’t get knocked out! PLEASE PLEASE EA do something about this!

    thats about the only complaint I have about rockband.

I suppose that about all the video games I have complaints about…

One main point that I’m trying to make is that with growing technology we are all getting wrapped up in look and feel and features of websites, games, software, etc… but we’re forgetting about usability, there is a fine line between fancy stuff, and over bloading to the point of making your program go down to a crawl.