Gaming nostalgia, a look back at the most memorable games I’ve played (part 4)

Ever since I pumped a quarter into my first pinball machine I’ve been a gamer. To help kick off the new year I’ve decided to have a look back at my gaming past…

PART FOUR: THE NEXT GEN

Xbox 360

So bongo, bongo, bongo I don’t want to leave the congo. Oh no no no no no. Bingle, bangle, bungle I’m so happy in the jungle I refuse to go. Don’t want no bright lights, false teeth, doorbells, landlords. I make it clear. That no matter how they coax him. I’ll stay right here. ~ Civilization, Danny Kay with the Andrews Sisters

Fallout 3 is a game I will remember playing on my deathbed. It’s a masterpiece. I had the previous iterations of the series on PC way back when, but I never got into them. Fallout 3 had me entranced for hours, days, months even. I’ve always had an obsession with apocalyptic settings and this is a well crafted story surrounded by a living and breathing virtual world. I’ll never forget that moment in a burnt out supermarket when a Raider announced over the speaker system that he and his pals were gunning for me. Or the pang of guilt I felt when I realized I wouldn’t be able to save the sheriff and a little virtual boy would have to spend the rest of his virtual existence without a father. If you don’t like this game there is something intrinsically wrong with you.

Of course, you know, I have to mention the Bioshock games here, that wonderful and immersive voice acting will stick with me for a long, long time and be the yard stick I measure all future games to. But I’ve bantered enough about them on this blog, so let’s move on.

And the last game I’ll mention is Batman: Arkham Asylum. It’s the gameplay mechanics that stand out the most and the talented Mark Hamil voicing the Joker is a bonus. This is the first superhero based game that I feel really lived up to its namesake. Taking down the bad guys in this game was just as fun as killing Nazis. Hang one from a gargoyle, wait for his buddies to come investigate, swoop down and BAM! Two for one. This too was another well voiced and immersive game.

An honorable mention should be extended to Rock Band. More so for personal reasons. It was this game that helped me get over the grief of losing two dogs. Creating a band based on my pets, calling it Graham and the GUNKS (I spent a lot of time grooming Graham, specially his ears which always had gunk in them) and playing bass as Oliver Twisted (our wheaten terrier that passed away a year before we adopted Graham) was a good healing process for me. Even if the game has worn thin on me now I will always remember the GUNKS.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

Let’s hope the Mayans were wrong…

Gaming nostalgia, a look back at the most memorable games I’ve played (part 3)

Ever since I pumped a quarter into my first pinball machine I’ve been a gamer. To help kick off the new year I’ve decided to have a look back at my gaming past…

PART THREE: THE REIGN OF SONY

Playstation 2
The only games that stood out for me on this console were GTA Vice City, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Dynasty Warriors 4. Vice City provided me with much needed stress relief at the time, there was nothing like the mayhem a floating smiley face would allow you to wreak on the pixelated denizens of Vice City. This game saved quite a few of my co-workers lives back then (I’m not a violent person by nature, believe me, these guys were assholes.) Metal Gear Solid 2 was a great game and the first–and last–stealth title I’ve played all the way through. I think it was the political and social aspects of the story line (information is power, the control of the flow of information) that made it most memorable for me. Then there was Dynasty Warriors 4. I had a bang up time playing this button masher. I remember having so much fun playing this game that I’ve tried various iterations of it on the 360 to no avail. I recall the gameplay and graphics being far superior on the Ps2 than what I’ve experienced in the various versions available for the 360. Maybe it’s because when I played DW4 I was still smoking weed and had access to Humboldt quality dope but after viewing the gameplay video on YouTube I’m convinced the graphics and gameplay of DW4 for the PS2 are far superior.

Xbox
Another GTA title, San Andreas, will dominate my memories here. Wasting time exercising your virtual toon with virtual weights on a virtual beach was oddly, quite fun. Mercenaries was hella fun too. Blowing shit up in North Korea was a satisfying experience. Not that I really have anything against North Korea, I just liked blowing shit up. Fable was another standout here though Fable 2 would disappoint me (don’t promise an open world and then put me on rails.) And I shouldn’t forget Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2. Wielding dual light sabers was great.

I nearly forgot about Spider-Man 2. I’ve always been a HUGE Spidey fan, even back before being a Spidey fan was cool. The best thing about this one was the web slinging. I must have spent hours just web slinging across Manhattan… A guy has to have his hobbies, right?

Gaming nostalgia, a look back at the most memorable games I’ve played (part 2)

Ever since I pumped a quarter into my first pinball machine I’ve been a gamer. To help kick off the new year I’ve decided to have a look back at my gaming past…

PART TWO: THE ERA OF PERPETUAL UPGRADING

PC Gaming
Enter the mid 90′s and my obsession with building the perfect computer to play the perfect game, NHL 97. The moment I saw the 3d graphics on the back cover of this game I had to have it. I spent about $300 that day, for the game and the necessary upgrades so my PC would run it. Then there was Interstate ’76, give me disco on its own back then and I’d puke, feign a headache and ask you to turn it off. But add in cars with machine gun and rocket launcher attachments that could spill oil slicks from their rears and throw in some fantastic game play mechanics and suddenly the name Groove Champion didn’t sound the least bit cheesy. This game made me respect Disco. Maybe that’s why I’ve been listening to Abba lately…

And then there were the WW2 games, like Medal of Honor Allied Assault, a game I’ve played through more than once on a few different systems. There’s something about killing Nazis that never gets old. I also remember, in great detail, the hours I spent playing Red Baron 3D, probably one of the greatest flight sims ever. I can still hear the the creaks and moans of my wooden plane as it strained against the tight turns of combat. I can still see no man’s land as I flew over it. And how could I ever forget the one game in which I didn’t mind playing as a Nazi, Aces of the Deep. Patrolling the Atlantic for supply convoys was so much fun, despite the guilt I felt because my Grandfather had been a merchant marine in the war.

Then there was EverCrack, I mean Everquest. I have vivid, vivid  memories of playing this game, memories that often leave me feeling like I was actually in it. Most of them involved sitting around a safe area with a group of people, chatting and waiting for our health and mana to replenish so the puller can pull another beast for us to slay. Or sitting around the Freeport gate yelling for a group. And then there was that whole losing a level and two days worth of experience because some idiot trained a Sand Giant on you while you were resting in the Desert of Ro. Not sure how many keyboards and mice I broke in fits of rage due to this game but it was quite a few. Evercrack was definitely designed with the sole purpose of keeping you playing and paying monthly. The quintessential classic skinner box. Then came Asheron’s Call, I think I remember this one mostly because I got to play it a lot with my brother, Bowin. It was a great game and a lot more forgiving than Evercrack, though not as diverse in character building. But the fact that you didn’t have to rely on a group all the time was a huge bonus.

Gaming nostalgia, a look back at the most memorable games I’ve played (part 1)

Ever since I pumped a quarter into my first pinball machine I’ve been a gamer. To help kick off the new year I’ve decided to have a look back at my gaming past…

PART ONE: THE EARLY YEARS

ATARI 2600
I was a latecomer to the Atari scene. By the time it became affordable for my working class parents the ColecoVision was the latest and greatest thing. Regardless, I was happier than a pig in mud the day I got it. The only games that I really remember vividly playing for hours on end were the arcade classics; Asteroids, Pac-Man, Missile Command and Defender. I also remember the painful blister I got on the crook of my thumb after playing for 3 days straight. No, it didn’t stop me from playing.

ColecoVision
My parents picked this one up for me when they saw it at Odd Lots for dirt cheap. I was never a big fan of this system, I always thought the controllers were perfect examples of human engineering skills gone horribly wrong. It was as though they designed them with the sole purpose of fitting them neatly into the system’s casing, any case for the practical use of them was abandoned for the sake of aesthetics. The only games I remember playing on it were Venture, Donkey Kong and oddly, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle… I was heavy into Dungeons & Dragons so computer gaming was taking a back seat at the time.

Nintendo Entertainment System
I started working full time at the age of 16 to help my mom out. Nintendo was the first system I bought with my own money and the only game that really stands out in my memories is Zelda. Was it the gold covered cartridge or the fact that you could save the game? I don’t know, I just remember playing it.

Sega Genesis
The moment I purchased the 32X for this system its life span was finished, this near turned me off consoles forever. Still there were a few good titles for it. I’ve never been much of a fighting game person (I hated Mortal Combat) but I played the hell out of Eternal Champions. My first basketball sim was on the Genesis, I can’t find record of it on Wikipedia, the earliest one they show from EA is Live 95 but I know I had one as early as 1990 or 1991, this was also the last basketball game I would enjoy playing. The Genesis also introduced me to my life long obsession with hockey sims. NHL Hockey is one of the greatest games I’ve ever played and, back then at least, each new year’s iteration got significantly better and better. NHL games had me feeding the EA corporate machine money with every new release for years to come. I even tried out EA Sports Rugby on this system, but only being able to pass the ball backwards when I needed it to go forwards was a little too much for my logical brain to handle!

FIFA 12, the beautiful game is now the perfect sports sim.

Being only one generation removed from the shores of Liverpool, soccer is kind of in my blood. I do prefer the faster pace of hockey (hockey is just soccer on ice) but I will watch a big match, like the Merseyside Derby on ESPN via the Xbox. I grew up right across the street from Anfield and my grandparents lived just down the road from Goodison Park. I remember there was this candy shop right across the street from Goodison that I would venture to when gramps gave me a few copper to spend.

When I played the NHL 12 demo nothing stood out for me. The new physics engine seemed to take the oomph out of hitting, and that pesky interference call still keeps showing up far too often during a game. Maybe it’s because I’m still married to NHL 10 where my Be A Pro is now in his fourth season and just started playing for the Oilers because the Rangers shafted him on his contract renewal–and to think I won them 3 cups! I also never liked the way you could buy unlockables for your online pro and receive an unfair advantage in competitive play. Whatever the reason I just didn’t see enough in NHL 12 to warrant investing in it and the memory of NHL 10′s drawbacks are still strong with me.

EA Sports, a company I feel has largely rested on its laurels (and licensing) for the past 10 years, has stepped up its game with FIFA 12.

FIFA 12 on the other hand has received nothing but rave reviews since its release. Well guess what b33m3R’s wife got him for Christmas, that’s right EA Sports FIFA 12 and I have not been this excited about a sports sim since the first NHL game I bought for the Sega Genesis way back when. The last FIFA title I had was 07 for the original Xbox, in and of itself a fantastic title that I still occasional play. Not only was 07 one of the best sports sims I have ever played it also sported one of the greatest soundtracks I have heard in a game. FIFA 07 turned me on to groups like Shiny Toy Guns and Belasco. EA Sports, a company I feel has largely rested on its laurels (and licensing) for the past 10 years, has stepped up its game with FIFA 12.

GRAPHICS & PRESENTATION
FIFA 12 takes the soccer sim to a whole new level of sporty sports sim goodness. The beautiful game is a f—ing beautiful game (imagine I said that with a scouser accent, for those of you who don’t know what a scouser accent is, imagine the early Beatles, for those of you that don’t know who the Beatles are, there is no hope for you.) Playing it is like watching a real life game in high-def glory. The graphics are simply jaw dropping. The first thing I noticed was the crowds. They are vivid, animated and alive. These virtual reality denizens pull you completely into the game unlike the uninspired crowds in EA’s NHL series. I’m still noticing new nuances in the stands when I begin match. My wife has the hots for Stephen Gerrard and her eyes never left the game whilst I played as Liverpool, she even pitched a fit when he got injured in one game and made me watch the replay so I could figure out who did it and retaliate. It took me 10 minutes to explain that the use of enforcers was strictly a hockey thing. Commentating has been revamped to a whole new level, the game even wished me a Merry Christmas last night. That’s f—ing impressive (sorry, the New Yorker in me comes out when I’m this excited over something and I tend to cuss more, can’t help it.)

GAMEPLAY
The biggest addition EA has implemented into its sports titles is the new Player Impact Engine. When I played the NHL 12 demo I felt that this new impact system took the impact out of checking but in FIFA 12 it adds a whole new level of clarity to player contact. Bumping into someone does not feel like you’ve hit a stiff, lifeless wall anymore. There is plenty of give and take when initiating contact with another player. I found the Precision Dribbling far more easy to pick up in FIFA 12 than it was for me in 07 but I will confess that I’m still playing the game on amateur while I adapt to the new controls. Regardless, the dribbling skill system is executed flawlessly and while it may take some time to master, it’s easy to pick up a few key moves to help you in a match. The trick is remembering which players can perform those moves. The Tactical Defending is a great addition to the game that adds true strategy to your defensive decision making. Sending in a teammate to attack the ball carrier while you jockey around, cutting off his passing lanes is something you must master. Rushing in for the tackle is going to get you into a lot of trouble. You have to be patient and wait for them to make a mistake and be prepared to capitalize on it. The only thing I’m having trouble adjusting to is switching players with the left bumper, I still keep hitting the pass button in a pinch to try and control a player closer to the ball. Old dogs and new tricks I guess.

GAME MODES GALORE
Where NHL 10 utterly failed me in the bang for my buck department, FIFA 12 overcompensates. My Be A Pro persona was flawlessly incorporated into the game and onto my favorite team, Everton. And because I’m not as familiar with the teams and players as I am with NHL, I had no misgivings about letting my BaP jump into the mix right away, allowing him to take some of the simulation out of the sim. Improving your BaP’s skills is a laid back affair. Certainly, right away your BaP is ready for online competition, limited more by your skill than his virtual ones. This is a much welcome change over NHL 10′s implementation of online competition where the addition of 5 points to your wrist shot accuracy can make a big difference therefore causing many a fool to be separated from his money and have it replaced with a virtual gold helmet that comprehensively took the sim out of the simulation.

There are plenty of tourneys to play and I personally obliterated 5 hours from my life last night playing Ultimate Team, a mode where you buy packs of player cards (using MS points or gold coins you make playing the mode) to build your ultimate soccer team and have it compete in online matches and tourneys. Apparently this mode was paid DLC in FIFA 11 but EA included it in the game itself this time around (maybe OWS helped create some empathy for the customer in these corporate titans.) I found this mode to be very addicting. Buying, trading and auctioning cards, moving players around in an attempt to satisfy all their needs and get the right chemistry… It’s a f–ing time sink, a black hole that will swallow whatever free time I can find for months to come.

Then there is career manager mode which I’ve only dabbled in. I can say that it is much easier to pick up than NHL 10′s manager mode was. I’ll be honest in that I’m not as familiar about the leagues and the inner workings of the game to make this feature appealing to me. But maybe after my rhapsodic affair with Ultimate Team wears off…

I like to say that there are no $60 games, only $60 drink coasters. FIFA 12 is a $60 game. Even with EA’s server issues.

Happy Holidays!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

EVERYONE

My thoughts on the new shooters, and the old ones…

MODERN WARFARE 3
My good neighbor Alex stopped by last week with his two new games, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. I played a few rounds of MW3 with him on line and I was quite impressed. We played some Kill Confirmed and I really liked what I saw. Gone are the problems that plagued MW2 (Danger Close anyone?) and the Kill Confirmed mode seemed to put a major damper on camping. The game is pretty. I have not played it enough to go into too much detail but if the shooter grind is your thing you should probably pick this one up.

BATTLEFIELD 3
I also played through the first mission of Battlefield 3 and I was impressed with this as well. Another purdy game, specially if you have the disk space to install it to your drive. I didn’t get to play any multiplayer with Alex but I did play the beta. I sucked at it, friends have informed me I would have got better as my weapon leveled and improved had I stuck at it. Still, multiplayer was a lot of fun, I just wasn’t in a shooter mood when the demo was available to me. If you’re tired of CoD this is good contender for you precious gaming time.

SO WHY AREN’T I PLAYING?
As for me, I don’t think I’ll be getting either of them (but don’t quote me on that.) As I’ve mentioned before I just don’t want to invest that much time into a shooter to get good at it, it’s more frustrating than fun for me, and the atmosphere in the game rooms is far too mean spirited and viciously competitive. I just want to have fun when I play a game. I imagine I will rent them when they become available to me on our Blockbuster plan but until then I’ll stick with Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2.

WHAT’S THAT YOU SAY? MW2?
Yes Modern Warfare 2. Another issue I have is I don’t feel I ever got my moneys worth out of MW2 and Black Ops, map pack expenditures included. I all but stopped playing Black Ops and I wasn’t sure why until Alex brought over MW3 and suddenly I knew why. Mother f-ing LAG. Black Ops is just one freaking lag fest, you don’t suck at Black Ops because you suck, you suck in Black Ops because Treyarch and Activision suck at coding multiplayer or they are just too damn cheap to invest some of their ill-gotten gains on decent servers.

Long story short, playing MW3 gave me pause, and after Alex left that night I revisited Modern Warfare 2 and had a great time. Sure, I had to quit a few games because of noob tubers but all in all I found that most of the assholes are obviously playing MW3 now (sucks for you guys.) The atmosphere was a bit more relaxed in MW2 than what I remember.

Tiger Woods 11, why all the h8tin?

Another day late and dollar short game review…

Computer golf is a guilty little pleasure of mine. I don’t care for the sport itself much. Considering all the fat “pros” that play, I can’t even think of it as a sport. It’s a game really. Let’s face it, if a round of golf tires you out it’s because you are out of shape, though I will concede it’s good exercise if you forgo the cart and lug your own clubs. Don’t get me wrong it is a fun game to get together with a few good friends and play, but I just don’t see why you would want to watch it on TV. And that’s my main beef with golf, the major networks devote hours of air time to the sport and the only hockey I get to see is the Stanley Cup finals.

Gaming time is a precious commodity these days…

My last golf game was Tiger Woods 08 and I hated it. I still haven’t unlocked all the courses. Gaming time is a precious commodity these days, I don’t want to waste it doing menial to impossible tasks to unlock the meat of the game so I can  finally be able to relax and enjoy it. The Tiger Challenges to improve your golfer and unlock the courses were just ridiculous. You’d spend twenty minutes, most of it watching a computer controlled golfer swing, hit, and watch the ball soar through the air, then watch the computer controlled golfer feign some reaction regarding how well he or she did or didn’t hit the ball and then watch the same thing over again only to come within inches of your goal and have said computer player make some impossible shot from behind a tree, completely eradicating that twenty minutes from your life forever. Did I mention that I can’t understand why anyone would watch this game on TV, let alone watch the computer play?

But still, I enjoy the slow pace of a good golf game every now and then. Pop on some music, pour a glass of wine and just whack the ball along the course for half an hour. Enter Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, a game that received many complaints on the forums, probably from the same people that like to watch golf on TV (masochistic f–ks.) But for me it is the perfect golf game.

For the first time in years I thoroughly enjoyed a round of computer golf and I was completely sober for the whole experience.

EA Sports took out the egregious money making system (seriously, no one should make that much money hitting a ball with a stick into a hole, in a game or in real life) and replaced it with an experience points based system that allows you to decided what skills you want to concentrate on. I panicked a little at first unable to find an FAQ to help me understand the game’s intricacies, unsure of where I should apply my skill points (see how tense previous versions of this game has made me) but my fears subsided quickly when I discovered EA had implemented this new XP based system in the least punishing way possible. Put points into something and it’s not working out for you, take them back and put the points elsewhere. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. This was good because I put all my points into power and accuracy at first only to find out my putting needed the most help, so I took all the points back and boosted my putting skills, which helped a little. I’ve always sucked at putting.

Another surprise for me, one that made me tingle all over; all the courses are unlocked at the get go. My heart fluttered erratically when I realized I would no longer have to chase a fat John Daly around for six holes while doing the hokey pokey just so I can play St. Andrews.

I near passed out when I understood that all I had to do to improve my golfer’s skills was play the game. Sure the game has challenges that can reward you with some serious XP, but they’re completely optional now. I don’t have to do the PGA Tour and place high to improve my golfer. I don’t have to do the Ryder Cup and sit through hours of computer controlled golfer’s animations to get to the point were my golfer can hit a 300 yard drive. All I have to do is start a casual game of stroke play on a course of my choosing, put on some relaxing music, sit back and smack a tiny white ball across miles of beautifully rendered, glorified manicured lawns and into a tiny cup (the game sounds kind of ridiculous when I put it that way, doesn’t’ it?)

The new True-Aim system is the icing on the cake. You really feel like you’re out on the golf course now. No more super human cognitive powers of being able to aim at a specific spot your golfer can’t realistically see. Just a GPS showing you the various distances in that general direction and your own instincts are all you have to send the ball on its path. I struggled with it at first and switched back to the classic method only to back out of the game after three holes and switch it back to True-Aim. It’s a better experience with True-Aim. I never used the arcade mechanics, like Power Boost and Spin, of previous Tiger Woods games much and with the exception of Putt Preview I still won’t, but the addition of Focus makes these advanced techniques seem less cheesy. Using the advanced techniques will deplete your focus, once you’re out of focus you’re out of advanced techniques.

I played my favorite golf course last night, St. Andrews. For the first time in years I thoroughly enjoyed a round of computer golf and I was completely sober for the whole experience. Ball in the rough? No problem, I just smacked it out of there and kept chugging along. Even a couple of double bogeys failed to incite my rage. I just played on, content that I had finally discovered my perfect golf game. Tiger Woods 11 will undoubtedly sedate my hunger for golf until the next gen console comes out.

My only major complaint is the DLC for the TW 11 is way overpriced. Electronic Arts is greedy like that but this is about as egregious as say, paying a golfer millions of dollars a year to smack around a tiny white ball across miles of glorified manicured lawns. 100 MS Points per course should be the maximum here, but EA wants upwards of 400 MS points for each one. This is what happens when a company has no serious competition. The dark side of a free market economy.

Can’t connect to EA Servers? SOLVED… maybe.

1. Turn off your router for at least five minutes.
2. Reset your 360′s time and date to 11/15/2005, 12:00 AM.
3. Plug your router back in, allow it to reconnect.
4. Sign out of your 360 and sign back in.
5. Pop your game back in and Bob’s your uncle.

I am getting a boat load of hits on this article. I would appreciate it if all you kind folks having issues with the EA servers would take a little time to make a comment below and let me know if this helped and if it didn’t, did you find anything that did help? I was too lazy to do the router, time and date dance last night while playing Tiger Woods 11, but after 15 minutes or so I was able to search for an on-line match.

EDIT 2/2/12: IF you are still having problems, read this. <<<<< click the link!

EA SPORTS. IT’S IN THE GAME (if you can connect to the f—ing servers!)
I picked up a copy of Tiger Woods 2011 for under $20. Frustrated with the fact that I still haven’t opened all of the courses on Tiger Woods 08 I decided not to wait for Christmas morning and opened my new Tiger Woods 2011 as soon as I received it. Actually, I tried to beat Daly and a few other seemingly impossible Tiger 08 Challenges one more time then I opened it. And right after I got through the whole initial set up, you know, where you spend 3 hours making your avatar (and I still can’t settle on a hairstyle,) I began having connection issues.

Remembering that a problem I had downloading the latest New Vegas patch was solved simply by changing my network settings to automatic (I have a static IP and an open NAT on my 360,) I decided to try that last night and my Tiger Woods 2011 was able to connect with no problem. At first I thought this was the ultimate solution to everyone’s ‘unable to connect to EA servers at this time‘ problems. After performing more experiments in preparation for this article I found just adjusting your network settings not to be the ultimate solution.

It’s common knowledge that having an open NAT for your 360 can improve your on-line experience therefore most of you will have set this up already. Changing my network settings back to auto worked for me last night but did not work for me today. Still, if you’re having trouble with your favorite EA Sports title you might want to try it in a pinch. You’ll just have to switch back to the manual setting when you want to play Call of Duty or Halo, games that prefer an open NAT. I do believe I’ve found a solution that works but it’s akin to sacrificing your first born to the EA Server gods… Okay, maybe not, but it is a pain in the arse.

THE SOLUTION

1. Turn off your router (unplug the power supply) for at least five minutes.
2. While your router is off, reset your 360′s time and date to 11/15/2005, 12:00 AM.
3. Plug your router back in, allow it to reconnect.
4. Sign out of your 360 and sign back in. You should be reconnected to the Live service. You could also restart the 360 but simply signing out and back in worked for me every time.

Start your game up and you should have no problems. This worked for me consistently with Tiger Woods 2011, each and every time I received the unable to connect to EA servers message. If you’re having problems with this solution try leaving your router unplugged a little longer. While I can only test this on the EA titles I own I imagine it works with all of the EA sports titles.

The problem recurs the moment I play another title, and for me it’s only happening with Tiger Woods 2011. For example:

• I’m playing Tiger Woods 2011 with no problem, the game sees and communicates with the EA servers.
• I pop in FIFA 12 and can connect to the EA servers with no problem.
• I pop in Tiger Woods 2011 and I’m unable to connect.
• I go back to FIFA 12 and I can connect, no problem.
• Pop in Tiger Woods and I end up having to to do the router/time and date dance to get it working again.

I still can’t get my Fight Night Round 4 to connect to the EA Servers no matter what I do. Not a big issue for me as I never planned on playing that title on-line, but having the option to would be nice, if anyone’s found a solution to this I’d appreciate you telling us about it in the comments.

SOURCE MATERIAL

• How to set up a static IP address on your Xbox 360.
• Link to forum post with EA’s tech support reply explaining the reset your Xbox 360′s time and date setting to 11/15/2005 solution (scroll down to the 6th post.)
• Link to forum post by  ClickClickBoom on how to open your NAT. Covers the 3 ways of doing this. I suggest going with DMZ or Port Forwarding.
• How to set up Port Forwarding on your Xbox 360. First, select your router. Second, click here to skip this advertisement (top right corner of page.) Third, select Xbox Live 360.
• The Unofficial Guide to Xbox Live. Good resource for troubleshooting connections.