Wednesday, August 06, 2008

RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2: Tropic Thunder!

In what is surely one of the most clever in-game advertising gimmicks ever, Ubisoft has hidden a sweepstakes within R6V2!

http://kotaku.com/5033350/rainbow-six-scavenger-hunt-promotes-tropic-thunder

Now, the screenshot given at the link above doesn't seem to do anything. I tried it, and got no response.

So i started playing the game itself- turns out Clue #1 is located on of the first levels in Vegas- you're out to rescue an undercover operative being tortured. When you pop out on the roof, as you hear him being mutilated, look around and you'll see a Tropic Thunder Billboard- which tells you to go to The Convention Center South Hall.

We'll see what we find there....

Friday, August 01, 2008

GOOD IDEAS FOR BAD COMPANY
(pictures coming soon)


By now, most of us that have Battlefield: Bad Company have cursed at least once about the game not working right. Many talk about getting their money back.

But hold on! Maybe EA can fix this before the next generation Xbox console comes out. Meantime, with gas prices so high, why drive back to the store and get your money back (assuming you can) when there are plenty of thinsg you can do with Bad Company?

GAME DISK USES

Coaster
Sure, this could damage the disk, but think of the protection it will offer furniture. Odds are, your furniture costs more than $60 to replace. And actually works as advertised.

Emergency Signaling Device
Slim, round with no sharp corners, the game disk can easily be placed in a backpack, glovebox or even hip pack for trips into the wilderness. Then, should you need help, it’s a simple matter to look through the spindle hole to site overflying aircraft and flash signals to them. Your chance of rescue is significiantly greater than EA getting their shit together, so what the heck? Give it a try!

Frisbee
The durable polycarbonate construction of the disk allows it to slice through the air with ease. And with the slim profile of a frisbee’d disk, you can make your backyard tosses much more challenging. Like High Stakes mode in Rainbow Six Vegas 2, a game that now doesn’t seem so bad, does it?

Baby’s Mobile
Many of us gamers have children. That’s because only an adult with a job can afford consoles and their overpriced games. So why not recycle some of the money spent on ourselves and make something for our babies? Fishing line, a clothes hangar and copies of other lame games like HALO3, or maybe a scratched Madden NFL disk or even all those HD titles Microsoft suckered us into buying (or that came "free" with the HDDVD player) can be strung up to provide magical entertainment for many hours. Unlike the game- which you’re lucky to get an hour a week of online play out of.
Note Pad/Scratch Paper
Face it, the worst thing about scratch paper is it blends in with garbage in your pocket and you often throw away those brilliant inventions or grocery lists you jotted down. But with a Sharpie marker and a game disk, you can preserve your idea in round, silvery splendor, sure to catch your eye. If only these suckers had a self-adhesive strip so they could be attached to the wall. And don’t forget, you can write on both sides of the disk. A great way to pass the time while waiting for EA’s servers to come back up.

Replacement Wheel
When one of the kids’ toys breaks, don’t throw it away. The tough polycarbonate disk can withstand a great deal of punishment. Heck, if the kids really like it, find some other disks and trick out their wagon with some fly disk spinners! Why, they look almost as good as the Bad Connection demo!

Cymbals
Just mount Bad Connection and maybe LAMO3 on a stick and tell the kids it’s a drum set cymbal! They can beat it all day long, venting your frustration at connectivity issues for you!

THE GAME BOX

Hey, the game sucks and will never work, but the box can live on! Don’t throw that M$ green treasure away! Here are uses for the Box itself!

Replacement DVD box
This just screams HULK replacement box. It’s GREEN. Or maybe you need a box for some of those time-shifted movies you rented from Netflix? One thing’s sure, the neon green case will make spotting your movie a piece of cake, whether it’s on the shelf with those old black cases, or kicked under the couch by the kids- who never put movies back anyway.

Money Stash keeper
In the old days, folks used to put money in cookie jars or under their mattresses. But this game case can easily hold a spare set of checks, bills, even change. Better still, by leaving the Bad Company label on it, you’re sure that no self-respecting thief will steal it from your home.

Turtle habitat
Got a pet Turtle, or hamster, or some other small critter? Look how easily the box converts into immediate shelter for their cage. You’ll be all the rage with PETA and the eco nuts, because your new pet shelter is green.
Snack Case
While not air tight, the game case can protect fragile snacks from crushing. Just place the snacks in a ziplock and close it up. For snacks you want to hide from the kids, use the case, with game label intact, as a food safe, similar to the money stash keeper. Mmmm... twizzlers, jerky and M&Ms- power food for the serious gamer. And by serious, I mean the gamer who plays a game for hours on end instead of trying to connect with EA for hours on end.

Cigarette Case
Okay, I don’t smoke, so I had to use straws, but you get the point. Heck, you could store pencils, paper, plastic knives.... the list goes on and on! Unlike the online game play.
Target
When me and my buddies go to the real firing range, one thing we always seem to forget are targets. Bullets are just so darned expensive, and it’s so rare we get to go. So, at the last minute, we’re scrounging up milk jugs, 2L bottles, even little green army men. Being M$ green, this box is guaranteed to be visible on the range. Extra points for hitting the center spindle/disk holder thingey.

GAME BOX INSERT

A lot of folks might overlook all the labels and insert in a game box. But really, they can be used for a lot of things.

Scratch paper
One side of the label is blank. If you have small kids like me, you’ll know how they like to draw on anything. Thanks EA for making the back side blank. It’s those little touches that so endear you to me.

Paper airplane
This one is so obvious. Why waste a perfectly good piece of paper the kids could draw on- or you could use for random thoughts- when you’ve got this game label ready to provide minutes of aerial entertainment for the kids? And it doesn’t require a network connection.

Paper plate
How many times have you made a sandwhich and then didn’t grab a plate for it? Then you sit down, get comfortable and before you can eat your snack the phone rings and you need somewhere to put the food down? Originally, I was going to have this as a use for the game disk or box, but I wanted something disposable (I hate recycling). So yeah, I’ll use the label one time to catch grease or crumbs and then throw the bastard away. Like I did my money when I bought the game.
Rolling Paper
Okay, I do NOT advocate drug use, but in the old days, folks rolled their own cancer sticks. Gasp! I know, hard to imagine anyone rolling anything up to smoke that isn’t illegal, but it’s true. And what better use for a label for a game that doesn’t work?
Fire Tinder
I like to grill. And I use charcoal, 'cause I just like that burnt taste on everything- rather than the sissified propane some folks use. To light my grill I use a charcoal chimney- it’s a tube that you fill with briquets than stuff paper in the bottom. Light the paper and the flames heat the bottom layer of charcoal, which add to the rising heat for the next layer and so on. And since I read my news online now and don't get a newspaper, I always have to scrounge for paper for the chimney. Hmmm... maybe I can get some use out of Bad Connection yet.
Toilet paper
Alright, while not particularly soft, or absorbent, when you have to go, you have to go. And then you need something to clean up with. I know, I’m skeptical that it would do much good, but I’m willing to give it a try. I’ll pack this sucker in the car for emergencies. I can think of no more fitting end to the game label than to let it meet my end.