Fix the connection error problem with the Games for Windows LIVE Marketplace

*** EDIT:
It seems that this fix is NOT working at this time.
We will do our best to keep you updated with either a solution or that Microsoft has fixed the issue that appears to be on their end. Edited on October 7th, 2014.

To fix the connection error problem with the Games for Windows LIVE Marketplace problem:

1. First uninstall the Microsoft Games for Windows Marketplace
2. Second uninstall the Microsoft Games for Windows – LIVE Redistributable
3. Third download and install the latest Games for Windows Marketplace installer called gfwlivesetup.exe from here:  http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Live/PC/DownloadClient and use the Download button

You should not have to uninstall and reinstall any of your .net frameworks, especially if you have 3.5 up to date. This fix should work for Vista and Windows 7, if you have Windows 8 you may need to download the full installer for the client here:  http://download.microsoft.com/download/D/0/F/D0F9F1BD-9BE6-49E4-8729-4AAAFCAC20F9/gfwlivesetup.exe and when you do install it you will want to set compatibility for Windows 7 and run as administrator. Hopefully this works for all of you who still have games in the LIVE system.

How to recognize phishing email messages, links, or phone calls

In light of the recent onslaught of phishing emails that most people aren’t savvy enough to recognize, I thought I would help you to be able to more easily identify these.

Many of these emails are coming from what appear to be VERY trustworthy sources, but in fact they are not.

How to repair Microsoft Xbox 360™ Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows®

UPDATED 06/03/2012

Intsructions:

How to repair Microsoft Xbox 360™ Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows®

First thing is first, this is a more than uncommon problem, as it is mentioned in various places on the web.  I’m sure a bit of “Google-ing” will yield a result or three.

Basically the receiver stops working.  Trying various USB ports is useless.  Reinstalling the software is useless.  Updating the drivers is useless.  No matter what you have tried (and you have tried everything else right?), the power light simply will not illuminate on your receiver, nor will it be recognized by Windows, nor will it allow your Wireless Xbox 360 Controller™ to connect.

Now you could buy another one, if you can find it by itself, or just buy another one bundled with a new controller, and I strongly suggest one or the other unless you are very comfortable about soldering on your dead receiver.  It does mean “breaking” apart the housing, as it is glued together, but this can be done with little effort and a little patience.

DISCUSSION: What Constitutes RPG Elements?

Here at Replay Project, we decided to stir things up instead of bringing you another post discussing our latest game. Instead, we are going to start a discussion post that we may decide to feature again if all goes well! Today’s topic is due in part to publishers telling Joe Consumer that Borderlands is a “shooter with RPG elements.”  What EXACTLY does that mean?

Weekend Rant: Kids on the net with e-bawlz

Okay, had a rather uneventful weekend, had parties and play-dates for the the kids, normal parent stuff, watched a movie with them last night “Igor” which by the way is not a great movie, I suppose it’s “cute-ish” but even the kids were pretty bored by it, though it had a great cast.

But I digress.. on to the actual rant part of my weekend rant:

I did have some time to get some gaming in on my beloved Shadowrun, and am continually, umm what’s the best word to use here? amazed, no, intrigued, no, awed, no, stunned, no, really frelling stunned, no.. Hmm, flabbergasted, that works, yes flabbergasted is the word. I am continually flabbergasted by the size of the e-bawlz that these 10-16 year old kids have!

More Cross-Platform Ranting… Shadowrun and more

I want to thank NebsiNsaNe for his mention in this blog post of what may well be the best multiplayer FPS game ever, and it is a Cross-Platform game (in fact, as you mentioned, the FIRST Cross-Platform game), Shadowrun. Sure we as PC players got gimped controls, but it did make it more fair, though the auto-aim on the 360 is ridiculous at times, especially with the Smart-Link enabled… still I’ve seen players from both sides do VERY well at the game, so it must have worked, and it still has a player base from both camps, and they still play because it IS fairly evenly matched.  Cross platform COULD work, because it did work.  Too bad FASA was K.I.A. before DLC came for the game.

Weekend Rant: Cross Platform Clash

Last weekend, a post emanating from VoodooPC founder and HP CTO Rahul Sood’s personal blog has been circulating the regular PC and Gaming news sites. The post was a reflection on the state of PC gaming and Microsoft’s supposed failed attempt at Cross Platform gaming. To his credit, he is one of the few people who grasps the state of gaming on personal computers.

Weekend Rant: Gamestop, Used Games, and PC Gaming

Let me start off by saying that I don’t like buying used games, nor do I like contributing to the bottom line of stores like GameStop whose only profit come from their used game offerings. These places seem to think a quick buff of a CD for scratch removal makes a game worthy enough for re-sale at $5 off its current market price, and case and manual be damned.  Not to mention the fact that developers don’t see a dime from the re-sale of the games they worked hard to create for us (though that seems to be changing thanks to ideas like BioWare’s Cerberus Network in Mass Effect 2). With that being said..

Press Start to Continue

Welcome to the Replay Project! The project is simple: play through all the games purchased in the last few years. Why? Why not! Real life has a nasty tendency to get in the way of gaming and I’m sure there are a lot of people out there that have at least ONE game they bought and never played through. Here we plan on fixing that. The plan is to play a game to its end and post a full final review and scorecard, our progress littered with our thoughts, screen shots, and video capture throughout. The games subject for review are not limited in platform and each author has their own list of games they wish to complete, so check out their individual pages for details!