Kotaku: oxm

New Health Potion Adds "+160 HP" and Ginseng

AJ Glasser — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:00:00 MST

There's a new video game-inspired energy drink in town. As if we needed another one.

Harcos Inc. has released a new red Health Energy Potion to go with their blue Mana Energy Potion. Mind you, these aren't in any way related to the Final Fantasy Potion drink beyond the basic concept of video game commercialization.

The Health Energy Potion promises gamers up to eight hours of energy, elderberry, ginseng, biotin and folic acid, and as much caffeine as two cans of Red Bull.

"They are not magically delicious," says Dan Amrich, Senior Editor at Official Xbox Magazine and energy drink connoisseur of the Mana potion. "You can really taste the B12."

He's hoping the Health potion will be better. It has an apple cinnamon flavor that might cancel out the B12 taste of death. Starting today, you can find it in weird places like Fry's Electronics, Hot Topic and this website - if for some reason you want to buy it in bulk. Maybe to serve at your gamer party?

Fallout 3 Has Over 200 Endings

Mike Fahey — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:00:49 MDT

It seems Bethesda's changed plans for Fallout 3 quite a bit since I first got a glimpse of the game in action back in June of last year. When they originally stated they were going for 9-12 endings, I was seriously impressed, imagining the sort of replay value that would generate. Now Bethesda's Todd Howard has appeared in the latest OXM podcast, saying that the game now has more than 200 different endings as of last week. 200 endings? That doesn't even seem like a real number, does it? Considering he's also saying the game is twice as long as they initially estimated (40 hours with side quests), I am pretty sure you could play the game forever. Todd says the game is finished and on track for Fall 2008, but needs a ton of testing and polishing. Hit up OXM below for the full story while I try to wrap my head around the whole 200 ending thing.

KOXM Episode 107 [OXM Via Fallout 3 Post Nuclear Blog]

Sony Passes On OXM Bravia Review

Mike Fahey — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:40:23 MST

Sony doesn't want you using their line of Bravia televisions with your Xbox 360, or at least that's the information I am gleaning from last Friday's post over at the Official Xbox Magazine website in which Dan Amrich reveals Sony's response to a request to review one of the televisions in an upcoming issue.

Here's where it gets weird. Murph contacted Sony's PR to request a set for review, and was told...no. It would appear that the console wars extend further than any of us realized, but that's the reason given — we're a Microsoft-focused (but not -owned, I should point out) publication, and they are a PlayStation-creating company (but not the same business division, I should point out), so...just no. "I have to support our friends over at our sister company," said the representative.

Wait, what? Support them? How is selling their own product going to hinder the PlayStation 3? If anything, getting Bravias into the hands of consumers would make the PlayStation 3 that much more attractive of a purchase, wouldn't it? Maybe one quality Sony product would convince consumers to give another quality Sony product a try? When pressed, Sony PR stood firm.

"Sony is going to pass on this opportunity."

Which could very well be taken as, "We don't want Xbox 360 owners buying our product." My suggestion to OXM? Dan Amrich writes in the article that he recently purchased a Bravia for his home. Review that one. Be the better man. Surely Sony PR can't object to a writer publishing his personal experience with a product they purchased with their own money, right?

Sony Doesn't Want Your Money [OXM Online]

OXM's Achievement Reviews

Mike Fahey — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:00:48 MST

Over at the Official Xbox Magazine they've just launched a brand new feature called The Scoreboard, which takes a different approach to reviewing Xbox 360 games. Instead of reviewing the games themselves, Casey Lynch critiques the games' achievement points. The inaugural installment takes a look at Guitar Hero II, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4, and Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth, listing their best, worst, easiest, and hardest achievements, and then giving a final overall score for each title. Guitar Hero II took the the low mark of this round with a 5/10, mainly because many achievements ask you to do things outside the normal parameters of the game, such as playing through a career using the standard controller. The winner was Avatar with an 11/10, an extraordinary score justified by the fact that you can get 1,000 gamerscore points in two minutes. This is just a completely brilliant idea, and I look forward to future installments of The Scoreboard.

The Scoreboard #1 [OXM Online - Thanks GetsomeYo!]

She's Beaten Halo 3 and You Haven't

fdemarco — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:00:00 MDT

Games Radar has posted an interesting interview with Editor-in-Chief of Official Xbox Magazine, Francesca Reyes who apparently has gone to Bungie and played through and beaten the entire of Halo 3. When asked about the experience, Reyes who lives in San Francisco, had this to say:

...I thought to myself: Wow. I can't believe I just did something that hundreds of thousands of people have been waiting years to do. I can't believe I just did something that I'VE been waiting years to do. It was one of those epiphany moments when I got really, really happy and realized how much I loved my job.

Reyes is under embargo and can't talk about the game of course, but all will be revealed when her massive ten page review comes out in OXM later this month. I must admit that I don't have any real burning desire to play Halo 3 given my infamous inability to play FPSs, but reading this little interview made me just a tinge green with envy. I can only imagine how it will make a true Halo 3 die hard feel...

Meet the first person to play, finish and review Bungie's trilogy capping epic [GamesRadar]

Shivering Isles Is The Last Oblivion Expansion

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:40:06 MST

Sorry, gamers hoping to get to the thousand hour mark on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, your chance to log more hours post-Shivering Isles expansion will have to be done with familiar content. In a quote from 360 Gamer Magazine, Bethesda Softwork's Peter Hines reveals that the Shivering Isles expansion will be the first, and last, expansion for the time-swallowing RPG.

I guess they don't count the Knights of the Nine content as an expansion proper. Still, I think we can all absorb this knowledge comforted in the fact (okay, speculation) that Bethesda is hard at work on The Elder Scrolls V. Michael McWhertor

No more expansion for Oblivion... [OXM]

F.E.A.R. Coming To Xbox 360

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:52:29 MDT

It looks like the next OXM will have not only gameply impressions on next-gen Sonic The Hedgehog and Prey, but also shots of the FPS frightfest F.E.A.R. No word on when the technically demanding, nightmare inducing PC hit will... uh, hit but when it does, expect something very pretty and Xbox Live enabled.

This Official Xbox Mag snap courtesy of Gamespot's forums.