JamesMuirhead.com

Ok, so I’ve just head, thanks to the good folks at Destructoid (well, the show)that the Saints Row Platinum Edition on PS3 and Xbox 360 will include a headset. Problem is, it is not compatible with the PS3 or Xbox 360. Yeh, weird right! The headset is question is designed for plugging into your iPhone and prank calling friends apparently and has the 4 pole 3.5mm plug on the end.

Now, what exactly is there to stop you from making an adapter to use it on the 360? The 360 uses a standard 2.5mm stereo jack (mono headphone and mono mic) and I have been using an adapter to use a standard PC headset (stereo 35mm headphone jack & 3.5mm sterero mic jack) for some time now with no problems. And you can get these as cheap as a about £3 on eBay. Just search for “xbox 360 headset adapter“.

Xbox 360 PC Headset Adapter

Now, a 3.5mm 4 pole socket to 2.5mm stereo jack adapter doesn’t seem to exist (from what I can find). But, there’s nothing to stop you from buying a 2.5mm stereo jack and 3.5mm 4 pole socket on eBay and soldering them together (with a little wire) to make your adapter.

So, after a little research I’ve found out what the pinout is for both devices and created  this diagram…

Xbox 360 headset adapter wiring diagram.

So, with a 2.5mm jack plug and a 3.5mm 4 pole socket you can have your Saint’s Row the Third voice changing awesomeness on the 360. All it will cost you is £3 and a little patience with a soldering iron.

NOTE: For all you Playstation 3 users, I’m still looking into the prospects of an adapter for the Playstation 3, but I haven’t found it yet. I’m sure however that there is a bluetooth adapter somewhere out there which will be suitable for modification to do this.

UPDATE (20th September 2011)

I have discovered, after a bit of poking about on eBay that one can effectively buy the necessary adapter by buying two adapters.

Firstly a 3.5mm PC headset to Xbox 360 adapter as noted above…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Headset-Earphone-Converter-Adapter-Xbox-360-UK-/180717205175?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameAccessories_VideoGameAccessories_JN&hash=item2a1395b6b7

Additionally, you will need a iphone to PC headset adapter…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iPhone-Headset-3-5mm-PC-Laptop-Mic-Speaker-Adapter-/280737587795?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item415d43a253

Putting these 2 adapters together will give you what I think will be the necessary adapter to use the Saint’s Row the Third headset in game on the Xbox 360.

If you have a Playstation 3, you can still use the headset. You just need to substitute the first adapter (PC headset to Xbox 360) with a special USB one (and possibly a USB extension cable). I cannot comment if this actually works since I’ve not tested myself, but good luck…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-Headset-Mic-Converter-Adapter-PS3-Slim-PC-SKYPE-/270704492670?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f073ec07e

Granted, if the headphone has closed ears then it will likely make playing the game difficult since it’d be harder to hear the game itself. This will probably result in the TV being turned up, a lot. On the other hand, you could build / buy a small audio mixer and amplifier to balence both inputs (taking stereo feed from TVs headphone socket, or back of console) to allow both chat and in game audio to appear through the headphones. This is rather expensive though, case in point, Turtle Beach Headphones which have made a business out of making these headsets for years now.

The really strange thing is, the special edition of the game including the headset is not available in the UK (where I live) so I can never do this unless I specifically get it imported. Shame!

This last fortnight, I have been mostly playing… Not a lot to be honest, been rather busy doing other things so spent the bare minimum amount of time playing.

• Runes of Magic – PC
• Sam & Max 101: Culture Shock – PC (bought all 16 games for £11.67 on Steam)
• Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty – PS3 (thanks Sony)
• Bulletstorm – Xbox 360
• American McGee’s Alice – PC (awesome game, catching up before sequal, Alice: Madness Returns)

This next week, I’m hoping to play more games. Alas I have to catch up with my reading, but I’ll probably put in a few hours on the following…

• World of Goo – PC/Mac
• Uno – iPod / Xbox 360
• Broken Sword II – Mac / PC / Linux / PSP / DS / whatever I fee like (Scummvm)
• Fallout: New Vegas – Xbox 360
• Red Faction – PC (just bought on Steam for £1.24, score)
• Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty – PS3
• American McGee’s Alice – PC
• Portal 2 CO-OP Levels – PC & PS3 (hopefully can manage this with brother on PS3 and me on PC)
• Sam & Max 101, 102 & etc – PC
• PLUS MANY MORE, hopefully!

The sequel to one of my my personal favourite games, Portal, comes to the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac.

My dilemma is that while my PCs & Mac will run the original game, I seriously doubt it will play the modern games. So which console version do I buy?

Generally speaking, when I buy a game available on both PS3 & Xbox 360, I will buy the Xbox 360 version since I’ve had it for longer and I prefer the UI.

However, since Valve have decided to bring Steam to Playstation 3, by buying said version you get the PC & Mac version for free as long as you link your PSN & Steam accounts. See the Destructoid article.

In this basis I’m giving great thought to buying the PS3 version to get the PC version for when I can play it. This way I’m getting 2 games for the price of 1. While if I bought the Xbox 360 all I’d get is Achievements.

Plus, if I want the extra Xbox Gamerscore points at a later date (and I probably will), I can rent it via Love Film or buy it cheaply second hand.

So, I think the Playstation 3 is likely the best choice… But what do you think?

So, the bitter end has come to Mass Effect 2 in the form of Arrival, a new DLC. It sees you defend the Galaxy from the appearance of The Reapers through alternative means.

Tough Decisions and dyer consequences.

You’re first mission is to arrange the escape of a prisoner from a prison on a Batarian colony. There’s actually an Achievement for not alerting any guards before freeing the good doctor. It’s the usual fair of, shoot this, turn off that, and pick up items along the way.

Following this you come to the Alliance outpost which was planning a way to stop the Reapers. They have intel that the Reapers will arrive in 2 days, from yes, a Reaper Artefact. I think you can see where this is going, but I’m not going to spoil it any further for you.

All in all, this expansion is along the same lines as all the others. It’s painfully short and just gives you a glimpse of the game which you loved, just to keep you going till the next one. It is unfortunately really short this expansion, you really wish it was longer. The storyline is also, kinda disappointing. Yes, it was nice to save the world, but so little happens in this DLC you almost think it’s not worth it. But just to know how The Reapers will be retuning fills in the gaps leading into the final game.

The biggest issue with this game is that it is the final ME2 DLC… There’s a certain finality to it all. You’ve connected with the characters, you’ve saved the galaxy and you’ve put all this time into the storyline. It just feels kinda sad, putting away your ME2 discs potentially until after you’ve finished Mass Effect 3.

My opinion, it’s short, it’s enjoyable, it may not really be worth the 560 MSP (£4.76), but it’s still worth downloading. It’ll give you a good lead into the 3rd and final game due out sometime this year. But, if you’re shy on funds you may want to wait until it’s cheap (like during the New Year sale).

This week I’ve been playing…

• Mass Effect 2: Arrival (360 DLC)
• Costume Quest (360 Arcade)
• Fallout New Vegas (360)

Plus, I’ve dug out my PSP with the thought of using it, since I haven’t in a long while now. Unfortunately my Silent Hill Origins save games are apparently corrupted, so I’ll have to start over (unless I have a backup somewhere).

Video Games I am currently playing…

• inFamous (Playstation 3)
• Perfect Dark (Xbox 360 Arcade)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops [MULTIPLAYER] (Xbox 360)
• Torchlight (PC / Mac)

Well, Black Ops for the multiplayer. Perfect Dark because I felt like finishing it. Torchlight cos I’ve had it since Christmas and wanted to play something not on a console. And, as for inFamous, it’s so damn good and I’d barely played since I bought it at Christmas.

Actually, all of the above games came out of the post Christmas sales or presents.

The following is a review I submitted to the IGN Game Changer competition to find new writers. Unfortunately it was not selected…

Fallout 3 was immediately of interest to me upon it’s release in 2008. This harsh post-apocalyptic world, full of monsters, and people intent on killing you. Yet, at the same time, completely beautiful.

From the staggering vistas across steaming pits of Toxic Waste, to the towns constructed from ageing corrugated iron, to the inspired 50s styled Vaults. With this beauty comes a well written storyline and engrossing gameplay to keep everyone happy.

The true love of this game comes not from completing the “quests” (although they are enjoyable) but simply from exploring the Wasteland. The desire to see what is just round the corner leads long into the night. Exploring Sewers and Subway tracks becomes oddly compelling yet slightly claustrophobic. Running around the streets of Washington DC, avoiding the rockets fired by Super Mutants, like your life actually depended on it.

Unlike a lot of games of it’s ilk, you are not just good or evil. But morality is based on a sliding scale from good, through neutral, to evil, a refreshing change.

Fallout 3 was originally in development by Black Isle, along similar lines to the original two games (turn based and 2D). But, I believe that the new Bethesda engineered beauty of this game, in it’s 3D First Person Action RPG glory, is something to savour like a good bottle of Wine. Granted, upon first release it was more bug ridden than Windows ME. But this game is to be loved, cherished, taken time over… Simply enjoyed.

The following is a review I submitted to the IGN Game Changer competition to find new writers. Unfortunately it was not selected…

Some of my fondest gaming experiences from my childhood and teenage years were those associated to the Point-And-Click Adventure. But in 2004 the studio Lucas Arts, synonymous with Star Wars and Adventure gaming, decided to cease its Adventure lineup and merge the staff with its other projects.

This was signaled, by many, to be the death of the Point-and-Click Adventure. And, in the most part, was true. But, in secret, many people were working to continue the legacy.

The Open Source project known as ScummVM, have made it their goal to make all classic Point & Click games playable on modern systems including Monkey Island, Broken Sword and Discworld. They have largely been successful and most games boast 90%+ compatibility. As a bonus, these 160 games are now capable of running on some 35 platforms, including Windows 7, Mac OS-X, Linux and even iOS. This dedication to the genre has greatly increased the market for the games, seeing continued sales of Lucas Arts classics since its inception.

Similarly, Telltale Games was formed by three former employees of Lucas Arts as a response to public outcry over the cancellation of the Sam & Max sequel, Freelance Police. Now this company boasts several IPs, including Sam & Max and Monkey Island (licensed from Lucas Arts). Telltale have also expanded their market by developing for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and iPhone to complement their traditionally PC-centric genre.

The Renaissance of the Point-And-Click Adventure is here, it’s cross-platform and it’s brilliantly nostalgic.

The following is a review I submitted to the IGN Game Changer competition to find new writers. Unfortunately it was not selected…

Grey and black cartridges were synonymous with video games for many years. But due to technical restrictions and production costs, these were generally abandoned for much cheaper, easier to produce optical discs. But is there to be a renaissance of the cartridge?

Cartridges were essentially a circuit board containing a ROM (the game), and sometimes RAM where progress could be saved. They also occasionally contained extra circuitry, such as the enhanced graphics processor (Super FX) found in Star Fox on the SNES.

This ability to add extra functionality to games is considered the advantages of cartridge based systems. Other functionality has included extra controller ports for multi-player (Micro Machines 2) and Infra-red transceivers in Pokemon Soul Silver & Heart Gold (Nintendo DS).

CD/DVD/BD discs have got their advantages and disadvantages too, they were the first storage technology which was capable of both CD Quality audio and Full Motion Video for cutscenes. But with this technology came inherent problems, such as greater piracy and no addable functionality.

The renaissance in video game cartridges lies in the form of handheld consoles… These machines have always stuck to the premise that ‘the cartridge is more practical’. Even Sony with the PSP2 (formally propriety optical discs) is turning to cartridges in the form of flash memory. However, the games will not be distributed on this media, but downloaded.

With the DS and the PSP both sporting flash memory, it’s re-purposing as download storage continues the life of the cartridge.

Oh, and last night… I passed the 17,000 G point on Xbox Live Gamerscore.