Tycho explains (with his greatly tuned instruments of eloquence) yet another reason to pass on Games for Windows Live. Apparently, using your account on both your PC and your Xbox doesn't work simultaneously as it should.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun also lists some problems with Games for Windows Live while attempting to get the DLC for Fallout 3.

Now I understand why Microsoft is still trying to push this crap onto our desktops: The mere thought of charging for downloadable content makes the suits salivate. However, I don't think they're seeing the big picture: That they're walking through a pile of dogshit. It's smelly and most PC gamers recoil at the thought of getting any of that on their PCs.

It's not a question of whether Microsoft will eventually get it right, it's that they're dragging the PC as a platform down while they get it wrong.

And now a special letter to Microsoft:

. . .

I know you're going for world domination, please go ahead and rake in those extra bucks on the Xbox, but remember that the PC market is a different beast. Cutting and pasting your cash-cow isn't working.

Work on the value of your operating system, which is tied into the PC games market. Remind gamers that they need Windows for a great gaming experience, make that experience as smooth as possible with the best tools possible, even from 3rd parties (*ahem* Steam). You used to understand this once, back when DirectX was young.

Otherwise, you're taking a dent out of your pocketbook in both games and OS. Surely you cannot be so arrogant that you're blind to how this hurts you on two fronts.

. . .

I somehow doubt they'll take it to heart.

I've been known to rant that EA should join forces with Valve and get their PC games onto Steam. The Spore debacle(s) made the need even more obvious.

The thing is-- The wisdom of jumping on the Steam bandwagon was so clear and smart, it seemed beyond EA's capabilities to recognize. Riccitiello in particular has demonstrated a persistence in boldly doing inherently stupid things, especially regarding the health and good standing of the corporation he heads.

But the suits at EA have done something right for a change. EA has added some recent titles to Steam's library. It's shockingly true, there's a press release proving it.

Next I'd like to see LucasArts on Steam and *gasp* here's hoping that Microsoft clues in and stops trying to weave their own baskets for their eggs (Windows Live sucks for games).

Kudos to Valve once again. They got the digital distribution and DRM-as-a-benefit (as compared to punishment) right in the first place. I was slow to catch on myself, but I'm one hell of a happy customer now. The more publishers on board, the more games I get to buy conveniently.

Happy 10th b-day to the best FPS of all time: Half-Life.

To celebrate, until Friday you can download the original Half-Life via Steam for a buck (well less than a buck: $0.98).

I already own a bazillion copies of the game myself and I played it all the way through again for nostalgia just last year. So I think I'll be raising a toast to Valve by playing Left 4 Dead tonight-- and the next night, and the next.

Now they should get that Half-Life movie made, starring Hugh Laurie of course.

Valve has grabbed another important deal, Assassin's Creed will launch on Steam.

I've just placed my pre-order with glee. I'm a fan of the stalk-action genre, games like Thief and Hitman are among the few single-player games that I consider to have substantial replay value.

When I saw the pre-order banner for Assassin's Creed on Steam yesterday, I almost thought it was an April Fool's joke. The trend lately has been for big title games to release first via boxed Windows Live / Games for Windows retail versions and maybe arrive on Steam later.

I was this close to placing an order at EB for the boxed version, but not quite. Like Gears of War, it was almost enough game to push me over, but the combination of steep minimum requirements, expectations of intrusive copy-protection and the pre-mentioned Windows Live thing held me back. Steam to the rescue!

This is the current make-or-break game for PC gaming, there aren't a lot of big-name games in its wake. It broke sales expectations on the Xbox 360. I'm hoping that it wakes up some dormant PC gamers, because it should be a stellar game to highlight all those new videocards.

Valve has had some serious publishing rollouts lately, they've just announced Unreal Tournament 3 via Steam right on the heels of some Atari releases. Seems like they've hit a success threshold and it's accelerating.

I was initially a detractor, but now I'm hoping Steam becomes the dominant publishing / delivery system for PC Games. I'd love to see Valve put the retail chains to shame.

Electronics Boutique / Gamestop has been shitting all over the market with its craptastic used-software trade-in nonsense. I don't want to buy my games from a glorified pawn shop and stand in line all day while some kid digs his trades out of his knapsack. Fuck the greedy retailers, I'd prefer to give my money to a service that caters to gamers and the game industry as a whole.

While I'm throwing the profanity around: Fuck "Games for Windows" and Microsoft's "Windows Live" service leveraged from Xbox Live. Works great on the console, but it's pure suckage for the PC. Poorly recycled. I keep hearing this garbage about Microsoft wanting to revitalize the PC games market, but all I see is them trying to lock out competition. You don't revitalize by trying to milk every little drop out of the scraps that are there!

Is Epic listening to this? I know they're probably stuck behind their "exclusive" deals with Microsoft, but if Gears of War was available on Steam I would have bought it already. I hope UT3 sells like hotcakes on Steam and convinces them to sell their PC games where the gamers are, because we're not sitting on Live now are we?

It's odd to wish for a monopoly in the market, but Valve has shown some serious integrity with how they've run Steam. The other options out there make me shudder.

Audiosurf is a hella addiction for me already. Maybe it's just a craze, I dunno, but each time I'm playing I reach that "one last round" stage, or more appropriately "one last song".

Mash together Klax, Guitar Hero and Enduro: You would come up with something like Audiosurf. The big feature claim to fame is using your own music collection as the tapestry for the track.

I'd love it if a few of my friends could get as hooked on this as I am. It's a good excuse to see what everyone is listening to. Plus a little friendly competition is better for me than the aggressive masses (and the occasional cheats amongst them, relabelling songs is an occasional problem on the scoreboards). For anyone trying to add me to their friend's list in-game on Audiosurf I'm known as Rogdor and Michelle is Michelle_Mayhem.

It's a good deal for 10 bucks on Steam.

David Bowie - Space Oddity:

ELO - Mr. Blue Sky:

I've embedded two videos from Youtube, the first shows the racing "mono" mode and the second one of the puzzle modes.

Most any mp3, ogg, wma, CD, etc. will work, although results may vary. Tunes with a good solid beat seem to work best.

I just noticed that the price for BioShock on Steam has been dropped to $29.95, which is a great deal for one of the top games of 2007. I'm guessing it's probably dropped for the box version in stores too, although honestly I'll take Steam's form of DRM over the lame-o copy protection in the normal install.

I've only played the demo myself, but it's very likely I'll grab it from Steam at that price. It's a worthy game.

The System Shock games (BioShock's predecessors) drew a lot of critical praise, but I never finished playing them. I guess I didn't "get it" like I was supposed to, the story never grabbed me and I was constantly aware of being in a game of tasks, I just couldn't get lost in the scenario. By all accounts, those games should have fit my profile. Sometimes all of the puzzle pieces can formulaically fit the puzzle, but the complete picture feels less than whole. Considering the lackluster sales of those games, I'd guess I'm not alone with that perspective.

I should note that while the BioShock is the "spiritual successor" to the System Shock games, it's by no means a sequel of any sort, so don't feel like you have to dip into the chilly pool before basking in the hot tub.

Bioshock is a step up though, the story that I've played through so far delivers better than UPS or FedEx even if they had underwater deliveries. Yes, that's my pathetic attempt to be mildly amusing whilst still emphasizing that I like this game. The great work in the previous games finally culminated in a great game.

At the very least, I recommend downloading the demo via Steam. I think this game's plot may intrigue you.