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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Friday, July 6, 2007

Creator of Blue Dragon confirms that an MMO for the 360 is in the works!

It appears that Hironobu Sakaguchi is working on a MMO for the XBOX 360 that he calls, 50% MMO and 50% RPG.

Attending a recent anime/manga event held in Paris, Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi has confirmed to TVG that he is currently working on a new title for the Xbox 360. Described as "50% MMO and 50% RPG" and definitely not Cry On or Blue Dragon 2, unfortunately that's about all we know at this stage until our reporter gets back from the event before knowing more.

Source: Totalvideogames.com

Bungie will release free marketplace content on 7/7/07 to celebrate "Bungie day"!

To celebrate Bungie day, Bungie plans on releasing some free content on they're website and on the XBOX LIVE marketplace beginning at 12:01 AM 7/7/07.

July 7th has come to be known as "Bungie Day" amongst our fan community and this year is extra special on account of it actually falling in a year ending with 7. If you're new to our fan community, do some digging to find out the rich history of Bungie and the number 7 and you'll see why 7/7/07 has special meaning within our family.

Lukems and the Bungie.net team have some cool things lined up for the site tomorrow but we also managed to pull a few strings to make some extra special content available on Xbox 360 Marketplace. I won't spoil the fun and tell you exactly what it is (don't get too excited, it's not Halo 3 - think something of a more decorative nature) but I did want to give you a heads-up that these commemorative goodies are ONLY available on 7/7/07 and then they are gone forever.

Log on to Marketplace any time starting at 12:01 AM PDT on July 7th and get it while you can. Once the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, this content is gone forever. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Spread the word throughout the Bungie community and join us on Marketplace and Bungie.net tomorrow for good times.  And we wouldn't have a "Bungie Day" without our loyal fans who have stuck by us for so long.  Thanks for all of your support and here's to 2007 - the best year yet in the history of Bungie Studios and our fan community!

Source: Bungie.net.

New Turok "Carnage" gameplay!

UTIII will feature 3-4 dozen maps!

The following info comes via Teamxbox.com:

The newest issue of OXM has a short video documentary on it's demo disc. While it's only a few minutes in length I think it possibly the most detailed look at UT3 to date. Within the video there are many maps shown. As far as one can tell, it showed mostly all CTF and DM maps. Some maps are shown with vehicles, but I saw no nodes to distinguish them as Warfare maps. One particular interesting map shown looks like the new Deck DM map. While I can't confirm it as Deck, it had the signature pool of toxic sludge at the bottom of the map. The other maps shown had a wide variety of different themes and they all looked fantastic.

Aside from the gameplay shown in the video, it offered a few details about the game. It was said that the original idea was to make gigantic maps utilizing UE3's streaming technology for up to 64 players at once. They decided that it didn't feel like a UT game and went back to improving the original formula. Each map starts out as a basic BSP layout and is play tested until they think it is fun and then it is handed over to have static meshes and the rest of the artistic assets created. There will be 3 to 4 dozen multiplayer maps in the retail version of the game. The single player portion will have even more maps than multiplayer.

Epic Games’ Steven Polge, the lead designer of Unreal Tournament 3, has confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of the game will support four-player co-op and two-player split-screen in the single-player campaign, which will let you take different paths depending on the decisions you take.

MOH Airborne has been delayed for the PS3!

It appears that Medal of Honor Airborne has been delayed for the PS3 according to Gamespot.com.

In April, a trailer for Medal of Honor: Airborne debuted on online retailer GameStop's Web site. Though brief, the preview contained some big news: The latest installment in Electronic Arts' long-running series would arrive in stores on August 28, beating the fourth-quarter crush of releases.

Today, though, EA revealed that the trailer's release date only applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. Tucked inconspicuously away at the bottom of the announcement that Lost composer Michael Giacchino would score the forthcoming World War II shooter was official word that the game would arrive "in November for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system." No explanation was given for the delay.

Much like the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Medal of Honor: Airborne follows a group of US paratroopers as they jump out of a perfectly good airplane and into Nazi-occupied Europe. As outlined in GameSpot's previous coverage, the game will feature several missions based on actual WWII battles, such as D-Day and Operation Varsity, the largest military airdrop in history. Each mission will begin with a parachute drop to a starting point of the player's choosing, and will then become a free-roaming action game.

This has become a trend with multiplatform games on the PS3.  They either are cancelled or end up facing delays for months on end.

VF5 for the XBOX 360 to support online play.

Nice to see Sega showing some XBOX love with the addition of online play. 

"Virtua Fighter 5 is the most intense fighting experience available on next-generation consoles," said Scott A. Steinberg, VP of Marketing at Sega of America. "The addition of online multiplayer support opens up the competition to a global scale enabling players to compete and challenge anyone, anywhere, anytime, using Xbox Live."

Microsoft admits problem by an open letter from Peter Moore!

We have all heard about the red ring of death that people have been experiencing with they're consoles.  Worry no more because Microsoft's very own Peter Moore said in an open letter that they have extended the warranty to 3 years and will reimburse everyone who has paid for a repair.

To our Xbox Community:

You've spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we've not been doing a good enough job.   

Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console. 

The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it's something I take very seriously.

We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.

We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free. 

As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing  today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge—including shipping—for three years from the console’s purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.

If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.  

This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I've posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we'll update it over the next few days. 

I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty. 

It's cool to see Microsoft taking care of they're customers but I have a launch box that has worked perfectly since day one along with several friends and family members that has had zero issues as well.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Player's Pack Black edition is now available!

Name: Player's Pack: Black Edition
Price: 800 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Not to be outdone by the Red Edition, the award winning development team for Rainbow Six Vegas continues to raise the stakes on the game Team Xbox called the "Multiplayer Game of the year" with the all new Player's pack: Black Edition. This pack includes 5 maps; 3 new never before seen maps like Red Lotus and Wartown, a reduxed version of Streets, and a very special appearance by an original classic, PRESIDIO from the award-winning Rainbow Six 3. Place your bets on the Player's Packs: Black Edition to complete the ultimate Vegas experience.
Size: 705.5 MB (approx.)

Source: Majornelson.com

(UPDATE)

It appears that Ubisoft made a mistake.  Apparently the content was supposed to be free. (WOOPS) That shows that the publishers do set the price for the DLC.

F.E.A.R. receives it's first major update!

Sierra has released an update for F.E.A.R. that includes 2 new gametypes called, "control" and "Conquer All".

In Control there are three points that the player’s team seeks to control. The object of the game is to seize and control these points for the most time whilst defending opponents from taking over.

In Conquer All there are five control points on the map and players take control of the points the same way they would in a Control match. The goal is to capture all five control points at the same time. Failing to do so, the time of possession and team kills will determine the winner.

Monday, June 25, 2007

XCM Brings the first 1080p HDMI cable to the white XBOX 360's

Maxconsole has first hand info on a new cable coming out by XCM that will allow full 1080p support through a HDMI conversion cable designed exclusivly for the HDMI-less 360's.

We have managed to score some exclusive information regarding XCM's 360 HDMI 1080p for use with the original white Xbox 360 console. The cable itself is nearly finished and will be completed in approximately 4 weeks and promises to allow 1080p output on a regular white original Xbox 360.

Call of Duty 4 multiplayer video!

Carcassonne is this WED XBLA title!

The following is the press release from Gamerscoreblog.com:

The classic, well-known European board game “Carcassonne” arrives on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 this Wednesday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. Pacific).

Named after the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne in southern France, famed for its city walls, “Carcassonne” for Xbox LIVE Arcade starts with an empty landscape and a single square tile. Using strategic tactics and a little luck, one to five four players take turns selecting from 72 tiles displaying various features of a city including roads, the walls of a castle or fields. The medieval countryside thrives as players and their opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to accumulate the most points.

The rules of the game are easy with no elimination and fast gameplay – perfect for just about anyone! Although simple, devoted players will find layers of strategy that will keep them coming back for more. Combining a fresh visual experience and the opportunity to always have a playing partner, “Carcassonne” is the future for board game fanatics.

“Carcassonne” from Sierra Online is the Xbox LIVE Arcade edition of the hit multiplayer tile-based German board game of the same name, designed by Klaus-Jurgen. Shortly after its release in Germany in 2000, the board game won Spiel des Jahres in 2001, the European equivalent of a Game of the Year Award.

“Carcassonne” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

Game Features

  • Special AI settings to challenge any skill level
  • Challenge your friends – Up to five players can play over Xbox LIVE or up to four players can play on the same Xbox 360
  • Interact with new and old friends alike over Xbox LIVE while you play “Carcassonne” with the Xbox LIVE Vision camera
  • Helpful step-by-step tutorial to teach you the game in minutes
  • Skill-based matchmaking for ranked games
  • The complete “Carcassonne” includes 72 tiles and all rule sets
  • “Carcassonne” includes the “Rivers II” expansion set - 12 additional tiles
  • Earn up to 200 Gamerscore and 12 Achievements

More information is available at http://www.xbox.com/games/livearcade.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Games for the week of 6/25! (shit load edition)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ships 6/25

Discover the real Hogwarts.

Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts is shaping up to be his most dangerous yet. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about the return of Voldemort in order to undermine his power, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s ministry-approved course leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared, so Hermione, Ron and Harry form “Dumbledore’s Army” with the goal of preparing themselves and other courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that looms against Voldemort™ and his Death Eaters.

Hour of Victory

Ships 6/25

Hour of Victory allows you to play a key role in the pivotal and cinematic battles from the European and North African theaters of World War II, using the skills and gameplay style you choose. Sneak into enemy territory as a covert operative, storm the gates as a British Commando, or snipe from afar as an Army Ranger – each character’s unique attributes will be needed for the fulfillment of the overall objective. Only with all these skills working closely together will you be able to say that you helped define the Hour of Victory.

The Bigs

Ships 6/25

The Bigs elevates America's favorite pastime to new heights with the larger-than-life ballparks, heroic gameplay, and incredible player models. Setting this MLB experience aside from anything you've ever seen before are spectacular power-ups, stunning special effects, and a totally unique career mode. Featuring fantastic pitching, batting and fielding animations, The Bigs brings new meaning to the term highlight reel.

The Darkness

Ships 6/25

On his 21st birthday, the awesome and terrible powers of the Darkness awaken within Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman for the Franchetti crime family. With his new powers, Jackie is able to wreak terrifying havoc on his enemies. Jackie must learn to fully command the Darkness so he can take back control of the Franchetti family, which is ruled by his uncle Paulie, a despicable man who is almost universally despised.

Transformers

Ships 6/25

Control the outcome in the battle for Earth this summer with Transformers, the official game of the upcoming blockbuster film from Producer Steven Spielberg and Director Michael Bay. Protect the earth as Autobots or destroy it as Decepticons as you lead the Transformers in the epic battle for control of planet Earth!

Overlord

Ships 6/26

Overlord is a groundbreaking, completely original action adventure, set in a seriously warped fantasy world. Controlling a mysterious figure that has inherited the legacy of the evil, long-dead Overlord, the player emerges, near death, from the ruins of the old Overlord’s Dark Tower. Only the player’s actions will determine if they will rise to become the new all-powerful Overlord; it’s all down to how much of a bad ass they want to be in order to succeed...evil or really evil! Played out with plenty of black humor and dark irony, the game will immerse players in twisted parodies of classic fantasy scenarios and characters.

Ratatouille

Ships 6/26

Ratatouille, the video game, features an acrobatic rat named Remy who must balance his love for cooking with loyalty to his family. Based on the next Disney/Pixar film directed by Academy Award winner Brad Bird (The Incredibles).

 

 

All dates are compiled from Ebgames.com and are subject to change.

Bioshock in action!

XBOX LIVE has been ripped off!

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the biggest XBOX LIVE rip off and no it has nothing to do with Sony.

Click here to see for yourself!

Virtua Fighter 5 for the 360 supports a higher level of anti-aliasing!

Virtua Fighter 5 has been out for the PS3 for several months now and with the 360 version on the horizon, what improvements if any will be included in the 360 version? that's my question.

Gamepro.com sat down and got they're feet wet with the latest version of Sega's brawler and this is what they had to say in regards to any improvements.

The major changes include a higher level of anti-aliasing compared to the PS3 version, word that the Xbox 360 version will also see an official VF5 arcade joystick, and confirmation that the 360 version will see refined fighter A.I. and more options in the Dojo mode.

It should also be noted that Hori is producing a stick to coincide with the release of VF5.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Lost Planet multiplayer map pack #3 is now available!

There is a patch coming in July to take care of the connectivity issues that some people are experiencing.

Multiplayer map pack #3 for Lost Planet ™: Extreme Condition for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft is now available for download on Xbox Live® Marketplace. The map pack costs 400 Microsoft Points™ and includes THREE new multiplayer levels: “Lost Technology,” a throw-back to the good ol’ days of pixelated 8-bit gaming; “Ruins,” ancient temples set amidst a lush jungle; and “Ice Drop,” a frigid glacier with lots of peaks, nooks and crannies.

Lost Planet is an epic gaming masterpiece combining a gripping single player campaign and intense multiplayer modes with support for up to 16 players on the Xbox Live® online game service. Taking full advantage of Xbox 360 system’s power , Lost Planet contains sophisticated visuals, with an unmatched level of detail as advanced light sourcing is used to ensure a realistic presentation that enhances every explosion, smoke and particle effect. Enormous world maps unfold as players battle hostile creatures in blistering weather conditions across vast snowfields and deserted cities either on foot or in armed, robotic Vital Suits.

Lost Planet, which carries a “T” rating for teen audiences by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), can be found on retail shelves around the world. For more information on Lost Planet , please visit the official site at http://www.lostplanet-thegame.com or join the growing community of fans at http://www.lostplanetcommunity.com

Bungie interviews Todd McFarland

Last week it was announced that McFarland toys will be taking over the duties of producing the Halo action figures that was once done by Joyride.

Todd McFarland visited Bungie studios to get a "feel" for the Halo franchise and while in town he sat down for an interview.

In the wake of the McFarlane Toys and Bungie team-up to create a line of action figures for Halo 3, we chatted to Todd McFarlane, overlord of the eponymous McFarlane Toys empire about his recent trip to Bungie, some of what goes into making a good action figure and what lured McFarlane Toys to the Master Chief.

Q: You came to visit Bungie to get a feel for the game – what were your impressions?

Todd McFarlane: You know what, I’m an artist/CEO and I have to wear both of those hats from time to time. When I came back [from the visit] I was telling people “I’ve been in a lot of places, it was the coolest set up I’ve ever been in.” If I could make my office work like that, I would. I wish I could. It looked like a big hangar and you could see everything from the time you get in. From an artistic point of view, you could see that it is a big, giant collaborative effort. I described it as ‘walking into a NASA center.’ It looks like you guys are building a bunch of nuclear stuff and then you can see guys getting into trouble, throwing paper airplanes, and goofing around.

Q: What’s the most important thing about recreating a licensed character, such as the Master Chief?

TM: Really, the number one thing for recreating any license is the accuracy of it. If you’re not getting it right, then you’ve got to do a lot of things to compensate to get it right. It’s tough to get past that first hurdle.

From our understanding, the third game is trying to broaden the audience a little bit more, and be more than a mature shooter – that can become a bunch of old guys playing after awhile. Although we’ve done some sophisticated looking toys, the mindset is to make these as accessible and affordable as possible.  It’s easy to do $25 items and trick ‘em out, but you’re playing to a bit of an older demographic. But when you target a more diverse group of consumers, you have to make them more accessible in a number of ways.

Q: These figures are 4-6” tall, these are a bit smaller than Halo fans were used to with our previous toymaker. How did you guys select the sizes for the figures?

TM: Here’s what ends up happening: You’ve got two mainstreams that you can distribute toys through: Mass outlets and for lack of a better word, non-mass. The non-mass is easy; we’ve got that one locked down pretty well.

Over the last six to seven years, some companies that would’ve taken a decent amount of Halo product have changed and amalgamated, and the strong business of doing higher-end, specialty stuff isn’t there. Your next option is to try and sell a couple of those items at mass [market], but you’ll take a loss. So we, as toymakers have to find a balance.

We’ll end up making a wide variety of sizes and prices, but out of the chute we need to make it appeal to a 12-year-old newbie and 25-year-old player alike.

Q: What aspects of the Halo characters and universe appeal to you most?

TM: For me, I’m a big fan of fantasy, sci-fi and monsters, having badasses going to shoot some bad guys is pretty fun. And then in Halo they’re not shooting zombies or other humans, they are shooting these cool, alien creatures. I don’t think it’s by accident that movies like Aliens and Predator do well; you guys have the Brutes, Grunts and the Flood. Your universe allows us as toymakers to do all of the things we’re good at.

Q: Can you describe a little of the actual process that takes the figure from start to completion?

TM: Let’s walk through Halo, specifically:

  • We decide on whether to pick up the license.
  • Then our lawyers work out the details (once you get past the lawyers you get to the fun part).
  • We grab all of the assets that we can to try and get the accuracy as tight as possible. If we can get those size and shapes from you and you guys have done a terrific job of giving us color callouts and sizing, we’re just boring into that.
  • Once we get that information down, we make a list of characters, weapons and vehicles that we think should hit the marketplace and those get approved.
  • Then we start going and building our own wireframes.
  • Those go into a computer and get kicked out into a wax form.
  • The wax form is a “finished” product, before it gets painted up to whatever packaging we need to get around it. It’s usually twice the size of what people will be able to buy in stores.
  • The models are shrunk down and mass produced, but at the factory it’s not unlike people buying model kits. At the factory themselves they wire they put all of the toys together and wire the toys into the packaging. Then it’s just a matter of shipping, distributing and displaying product at retail.

Thanks, Todd. Look for McFarlane Toys’ Halo 3 figures in 2008.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Halo 3 achievements revealed!

With Halo 3 on the horizon everyone has began to ask what the achievements are going to be, well the wait is over folks. 

Thanks to the guys over at achieve360points.com you can now view all of the 49 achievements that will be available in Halo 3 but to make it easy I have decided to post them here as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Landfall
Finish the first mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

20 points

2. Holdout
Finish the second mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

20 points

3. The Road
Finish the third mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

20 points

4. Assault
Finish the fourth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

30 points

5. Cleansing
Finish the fifth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

30 points

6. Refuge
Finish the sixth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

30 points

7. Last Stand
Finish the seventh mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

40 points

8. The Key
Finish the eighth mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

40 points

9. Return
Finish the final mission of the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary.

50 points

10. Campaign Complete: Normal
Finish the Campaign on Normal.

125 points

11. Campaign Complete: Heroic
Finish the Campaign on Heroic (unlocks achievement for Normal, if not earned).

125 points

12. Campaign Complete: Legendary
Finish the Campaign on Legendary (unlocks achievements for Normal and Heroic, if not earned).

125 points

13. Iron
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

14. Black Eye
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

15. Tough Luck
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

16. Catch
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

17. Fog
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

18. Famine
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

19. Thunderstorm
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

20. Tilt
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

21. Mythic
Finish the Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary, then find and claim this skull.

10 points

22. Spartan Program Recruit
Win your first game in matchmaking to sign up for the Spartan Program (
Online).

10 points

23. UNSC Spartan
Earn your Sergeant rating to be recognized as a true Spartan (Online).

15 points

24. Spartan Officer
Advance to the Spartan Officer ranks (Online).

25 points

25. Two for One
Score a Double Kill with a single spartan laser shot in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

26. Too Close to the Sun
Destroy an enemy banshee with the spartan laser or missile pod in a ranked playlist or in campaign.

5 points

27. Triple Kill
Kill 3 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

28. Overkill
Kill 4 enemies within 4 seconds of one another in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

29. Lee R Wilson Memorial
Score 5 grenade sticks in any ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

30. We’re in for some Chop
Destroy an enemy vehicle with equipment in a ranked playlist or in campaign.

5 points

31. Killing Frenzy
Kill 10 enemies without dying in any ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

32. Steppin' Razor
Score a Triple Kill with the sword in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

33. Mongoose Mowdown
Splatter an enemy with the mongoose in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

34. Up Close and Personal
Kill 5 enemies by melee or assassination in a ranked free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

35. Fear the Pink Mist
Kill 5 enemies with the needler in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign.

5 points

36. Headshot Honcho
Kill 10 enemies with headshots in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign.

5 points

37. Used Car Salesman
Destroy a vehicle that has three enemies in it in a ranked playlist or in campaign.

5 points

38. Marathon Man
Locate and access all Terminals in the Campaign.

40 points

39. MVP
Earn the MVP in any ranked playlist (Online).

5 points

40. Maybe Next Time Buddy
Board the same vehicle within 10 seconds after being boarded in any free for all playlist (Online).

5 points

41. Demon
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the second mission.

10 points

42. Guerilla
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the first mission.

10 points

43. Cavalier
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the third mission.

10 points

44. Askar
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the fourth mission.

10 points

45. Exterminator
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the fifth mission.

10 points

46. Ranger
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the sixth mission.

10 points

47. Vanguard
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the seventh mission.

10 points

48. Orpheus
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on eighth mission.

10 points

49. Reclaimer
Score over points in the Campaign meta-game on the final mission.

10 points

XBOX 360 collectors edition for Stranglehold!

Midway has announced that the XBOX 360 will be receiving a collectors edition for Stranglehold.

The collector's edition will be available in limited quantity at select retailers for a suggested retail price in the U.S. of $69.95, available August 2007.

This limited edition includes a bonus disc jam-packed with extras, including:

  • Poetry In Slow Motion - Behind-the-scenes documentary on Midway bringing the style of John Woo to video games.
  • Extended Cinematic Sequences - Extended scenes which didn't make it into the final game.
  • MTV Studio Visit - Follow MTV visit with the game team during crunch time.
  • The Vision of Stranglehold - See the progression from concept art to final game.
  • The Sound of Stranglehold - An insiders look at sounds design.

Call of Duty 4 in game footage!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Microsoft unveils 1st party Halo 3 peripherals!

Today Microsoft unveiled a series of Halo wireless controllers and headset that is scheduled to be released Sept 4th, just in time for the launch of Halo 3.

True Halo fanatics will be able to extend their gaming experience with the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controller. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controllers are only available for a limited time and bring a completely unique and new look to the award winning performance of the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller.

For those who plan to enjoy the thrill of the Halo 3 experience over Xbox Live, The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset offers un-tethered, high quality voice chat with a uniquely “Halo” look. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset is only available for a limited time and can be paired up with the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Wireless Controller for the ultimate Halo 3 gaming experience.

New GTA IV trailer debute's 6/28/07!

Rockstar's official site has a little teaser for a new GTA IV trailer scheduled to debut on 6/68 called "Looking for that special someone".

So get ready for the internets to crash again just like it did when the first trailer was unveiled.  Actually, the site's that will crash are Gametrailers.com, Gamevideos.com and Rockstar's to name a few.

id Software unveils "id Tech 5" game engine!

Yesterday at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference of all places, id Software unveiled it's new game engine.

The ground breaking technology unveiled today will power id's new internally developed game and will be available for licensing to third parties. The new id rendering technology practically eliminates the texture memory constraints typically placed on artists and designers and allows for the unique customization of the entire game world at the pixel level, delivering virtually unlimited visual fidelity. Combined with a powerful new suite of tools designed to specifically facilitate and accelerate this content creation process, id Tech 5™ will power games that contain vast outdoor landscapes that are completely unique to the horizon, yet have indoor environments with unprecedented artistic detail.

While shown for the very first time running in real time on a Mac, id Tech 5 additionally supports the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 console platforms as well as the PC, and will be available for licensing to developers and publishers interested in working with a truly next generation rendering and game development solution.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Sony want's they're own Major Nelson!

Well this took longer than I thought but Sony has decided to launch it's own "official blog". 

Sony has probably seen the success of Major Nelson's blog and decided to launch they're own because let's be honest for a minute here, Sony is way to detached from they're fans and this is one way to fix that.

Even Major Nelson has posted a his own blog with the following words:

"Our friends at Sony are now blogging. Check it out here.

Maybe a podcast is next?"

Major does have an open invitation for anyone at Sony to appear on his show but no one has come forward yet.

Spartans' face revealed!

Prince of Persia is this WED XBLA title!

This Wednesday, Ubisoft is releasing the remake to Prince of Persia for XBLA:

In Ubisoft’s “Prince of Persia Classic,” gamers take on the role of the prince as he embarks on a mission to rescue the princess before she has to wed the wicked Jaffar – all of which must be accomplished in under 60 minutes! Jumping across platforms and avoiding traps,  the prince must collect bottles of potions to keep his power bar charged as he duels enemies on his way to the princess.

“Prince of Persia Classic” is available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated T for Teen (Animated Blood and Violence).

Game Features

  • Enhanced character designs, animations and visuals
  • New traps, puzzles and enemies to tackle further augment the classic experience
  • 12 Achievements will be available – ranging from the simple (finding the sword in the first level) to the near impossible (finding all the potions in the game or finishing the game without dying!)
  • The title will feature 3 different leaderboards:
    • Normal Mode: Complete the game as fast as possible, which saves at the end of each level
    • Time Attach Mode: Complete the game as fast as possible – but be prepared to start from the beginning  if you fail to save the Princess in under 60 minutes
    • Survival Mode: Complete the entire game in under 60 minutes – without dying

Sunday, June 10, 2007

XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 6/4/07!

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Gears of War
2 Crackdown
3 Halo 3 Beta
4 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
5 Guitar Hero II
6 Forza Motorsport 2
7 Hour of Victory Demo
8 DiRT Demo
9 Call Of Duty 3
10 GRAW 2

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Pac-Man C.E.
2 Mad Tracks
3 Worms
4 TMNT 1989 Arcade
5 Double Dragon
6 UNO
7 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
8 Castlevania: SOTN
9 Pinball FX
10 Catan

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Counter-Strike
4 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
5 Call of Duty 3
6 Madden NFL 07
7 Forza Motorsport
8 Rainbow Six 3 BA
9 FIFA 07
10 Rainbow Six 3

 

Top 10 Weekly Movie
1 Blood Diamond (HD)
2 Happily N'Ever After (HD)
3 Team America, World Police (HD)
4 Flags of Our Fathers (HD)
5 Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
6 Freedom Writers (HD)
7 Happy Feet (HD)
8 Jackass Number Two
9 Open Water 2 (HD)
10 The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (Unrated)

Top 10 Weekly TV Titles
1 South Park (HD)
2 CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK
3 Comedy Central Stand Up
4 Star Trek: Voyager
5 Game Head
6 Chappelle's Show: Uncensored
7 Enterprise (HD)
8 Babylon 5
9 Robot Chicken
10 Rob and Big

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Hitler was a modder!

Assassin's Creed drops in November!

Earlier today Ubisoft sent out a press release that reveals the release date for Assassin's Creed.

Ubisoft Announces Assassin’s Creed to Launch Worldwide November 2007

SAN FRANCISCO--Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced the worldwide launch for the highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed will be November 2007.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise will make its debut on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC. Assassin’s Creed is being developed by an all-star team from Ubisoft’s world-class Montreal studio. As a testament to its pre-launch following and buzz, the latest Assassin’s Creed gameplay trailer, released on May 23, exceeded more than 1.3 million downloads via GameTrailers.com in less than a week.

“Assassin’s Creed is going to be a huge launch for Ubisoft this year along with the added prestige of being the start of this exciting new franchise that is bringing something completely new to the market,” said Tony Key, vice president of marketing, Ubisoft. “We’re confident that Assassin’s Creed will exceed expectations as a ‘must-have’ title this holiday season and will achieve both critical and commercial success.”

The game is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and truly experience the art of a master assassin.

In 2006, Assassin’s Creed received the Game Critics Award: Best of E3 2006 for “Best Action-Adventure Game” and swept the “Best PS3 Game” category across numerous video game Web sites.*
Assassin’s Creed will be available in North America at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 – ESRB rating is pending. For more information, please visit
www.assassinscreed.com.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

F.E.A.R. sequel confirmed and you get to name it!

Warner Bros. Interactive announced today a naming contest for the sequel to F.E.A.R.

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES NAMING CONTEST FOR THE SEQUEL TO F.E.A.R.

Monolith Productions Developing Title for Next Generation Consoles and PC
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will publish the videogame sequels to the hit game F.E.A.R. developed by Monolith Productions for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the PC. Gamers and fans will be able to have a historical impact on the game, as Monolith invites eligible players to submit names and vote on the finalists at
www.nameyourfear.com.

The sequels will continue the original game’s spine-tingling supernatural suspense story of an escalating paranormal crisis that threatens to destroy a major American city. At the center of the calamity is the mysterious Alma, whose rage against those who wronged her triggered a chain of events that have spiraled completely out of control. Now that she has free reign, the consequences will be unimaginable.

New Small Arms content tomorrow!

Gastronaut Studios has announced that the new content for Small Arms will land tomorrow on XBOX LIVE for 250 points.  There will be 2 new levels and characters along with several bug fixes.

The two new characters are Ivar, a saber-toothed tiger, and Gullarp, the elephant.  With this little package only costing 250 points I believe it is the cheapest yet of all the content released.

You can read the press release here!

Pac-Man championship edition hits LIVE tomorrow!

Today at the Pac-Man world championship, Microsoft announced a new Pac-Man game that holds true to it's roots and The game is called Pac-Man championship edition.

Pac-Man championship edition will drop tomorrow for 800 points or $10 for the folks who want to know the dollar figure.

WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA 2.0 bitches!

For more details, click here!

The “Pac-Man Championship Edition” is the same beloved “Pac-Man” game played in pizza parlors and arcades of the ’80s but is updated with new features that former “Pac-Man” fanatics and new generations of fans alike will love. It includes new mazes that dynamically change shape during gameplay, six new timed game modes, new soundtracks and high-definition (HD) graphics. Details include the following:

· Classic 2-D “Pac-Man” presentation with a new, modern look in HD

· Six new, timed game modes:

§ The Championship Mode. This is the main game mode designed by NAMCO BANDAI Games and Iwatani specifically for the championship round of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. This mode – as well as all others within the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” – features redesigned mazes with wide maze walls and a widescreen configuration to better enable high-speed game play. Timed limit of five minutes.

§ Challenge Mode 1 (Patience and Reward Course). This mode is an evolution of the Championship Mode. Patience mazes strategically offer fewer Power Pellets and Reward mazes provide a large number of Power Pellets – providing unique challenges and rewards for the player. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

§ Challenge Mode 2 (The Darkness Course). In this mode, only the area directly around Pac-Man and the Ghosts is visible and the maze walls are completely hidden. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

§ Extra Mode 1 (The Freeway Course). An extremely high-speed mode for advanced players, this mode features warp-speed Pac-Man and Ghosts and plenty of tunnels. Timed limit of five minutes.

§ Extra Mode 2 (The Manhattan Course). A mode inspired by the streets of Manhattan — the home for the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Timed limit of five minutes.

§ Extra Mode 3 (The Overall Course). A mix of all other modes resulting in extreme mazes for the most devout Pac-Man fans. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

· Xbox LIVE leaderboards, Achievements and Gamerscore

· Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board

· Costs 800 Microsoft Points

· Available for download only on Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360 starting at 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday, June 6, 2007

1 Million XBOX 360 games sold in 14 month's down under!

The XBOX 360 may have lost the title as fastest selling console to the Wii in Australia but has since broke a new record.  Microsoft's XBOX 360 has sold 1 million games in Australia and New Zealand in 14 months faster than anyone else.

Now that is a record that I am sure will stand for years to come because let's be honest for a minute.  Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PS3 has a very small library of good games, so much so that I wonder how many people are really playing they're Wii's and PS3's more than they're 360's? I know what I am playing more.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Microsoft to make an announcement at the Pac-Man championship event!

Tomorrow Microsoft is planning an announcement during the Pac-Man world championship.  No one really knows what the announcement will be but one wonders why they would do it at a Pac-Man event.  We will have to wait and see I guess.

Canadian newspaper reveals the name of the Halo 3 armor types!

Of all places to report on the following, a Canadian newspaper is reporting on the names of the different armor that will be available in Halo 3.  How this newspaper got a hold of this information before anyone else is beyond me.

Teamxbox.com was the first to report on this:

Remember the new Halo 3 helmets revealed last week? They resembled those seen in the upcoming first-person shooter HAZE and Star Wars: Republic Commando. Now, following the Gamepro preview, The Toronto Sun has revealed further information regarding these armors; yes, that’s plural.

The article on this Canadian newspaper revealed that there will be different armors for you to wear in Halo 3 multiplayer. The story revealed two of them; the CQB (close-quarters battle) and the EVA (extra-vehicular activity) armors. It seems you’ll be able to choose a certain type of battle armor for your Spartan to wear, with these armors providing certain strengths (ex: melee combat) while also make you more vulnerable in other areas as a required trade-off that assures a balanced gameplay.

It remains to be seen if there are more armor types.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Mark Rein on Gears of War going to the PS3: "Complete bullshit"!

Last week a rumor began to circulate about Epic Games wanting to port Gears of War to the PS3. Apparently Epic Games and Microsoft has had a rock relationship as of late and that is the reason. 

Epic's vice president Mark Rein has cleared up this rumor that began on a PS3 website.

"This story is complete bull****. I emailed the site and asked them to take it down. We're very happy with our relationship with Microsoft. If it weren't for them Gears wouldn't be the huge hit it has become."

People need to realize something, when a game is published by Microsoft Game Studios it is an intellectual IP that Microsoft owns.  A Microsoft Game Studios game will "NEVER" appear on another system, so why these rumors pop up is beyond me.

A perfect example of this is Bizarre Creations's Project Gotham racing series.  Bizarre is not a Microsoft owned studio but Microsoft owns the PGR series that Bizarre produces and that is why you will never see a PGR game on another system.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Could the mighty Halo 3 delay the release of GTA IV?

Now we all know how big the Halo franchise is, but is it big enough to delay the release of GTA IV? it's possible, according to Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter.

"We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to 'throw in the towel' on [its 2007 financial year] by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company's prospects for FY:08." Take-Two's financial year ends on October 31, 2007.

Pachter gave another rationale for a GTA IV delay: namely, that moving it to early November would put more space between GTA IV and Halo 3, which is arriving September 25. "We believe that a two-week delay would provide a reasonable gap between the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of GTA IV, and would actually help sales of both games,"

You can read the rest of the article here!!

XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 5/28/07!

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Gears of War
2 Crackdown
3 Halo 3 Beta
4 DiRT Demo
5 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
6 Guitar Hero II
7 Forza Motorsport 2
8 Call Of Duty 3
9 Aegis Wing
10 GRAW 2

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Rush'n Attack
2 Double Dragon
3 XEVIOUS
4 UNO
5 Soltrio Solitaire
6 TMNT 1989 Arcade
7 3D Ultra™ Minigolf Adventures
8 Pinball FX
9 Worms
10 Castlevania: SOTN

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
4 Counter-Strike
5 Forza Motorsport
6 Madden NFL 07
7 Call of Duty 3
8 Splinter Cell Chaos
9 Ghost Recon 2
10 FIFA 07

 

Top 10 Weekly Movie
1 Flags of Our Fathers (HD)
2 Blood Diamond (HD)
3 Happy Feet (HD)
4 Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
5 Employee of the Month (HD)
6 Open Water 2 (HD)
7 The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (Unrated)
8 Jackass Number Two
9 The Departed (HD)
10 Poison Ivy 2

Top 10 Weekly TV Titles
1 South Park (HD)
2 Game Head
3 Comedy Central Stand Up
4 The Animatrix
5 Taboo
6 Enterprise (HD)
7 Robot Chicken
8 CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK
9 Fights (HD)
10 Babylon 5

Friday, June 1, 2007

Free Lost Planet map drops June 7th!

If you are one of the people who bought the Lost Planet collectors edition than this story isn't for you because you already have it. 

Next week, Capcom is releasing a multiplayer map called, Battleground that was only found in the collectors edition for free over XBOX LIVE. 

That's great news for all of you penny pinchers out there because after next week, you will now be playing with the cool kids at recess.

Games for the week of 6/4/07!

Call of Juarez

Ships 6/5/07

Fight your way through the Wild West, birthplace of the term "shooter," in the only game to give you an authentic look into the Old West and all its glory through the eyes of the hunter AND the hunted. South Texas. 1882. Billy Candle has just turned 19 and he stands accused of murdering his mother and stepfather. Hot on his trail is Reverend Ray McCall, his stepfather's brother and an infamous gunfighter who believes the Lord has chosen him to be Billy's judge, jury and executioner. Call of Juarez is an epic western adventure about vengeance, survival and the search for a legendary lost treasure.

The above list was compiled by release dates from Ebgames.com and are subject to change.

10 Million XBOX 360's = 500,000 failures, thats within the industry standard of 5%!

Today is a very slow news day so I thought I would take the time to post a few XBOX 360 care tips that will keep you and your console happy for many years to come.

A fellow blogger by the name of bs Angel (her gamertag) posted the following tips on her blog, they can also be found on ampednews.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  • Do not change the orientation of the system while you have a disc in the tray. Some people have learned this the hard way unfortunately. Moving the 360 when it has a disc in it will result in the disc being scratched so severely it will no longer be usable. And that is no good.

     

  • Try to keep the system in a place where there are no obstructions to any of the intake vents. It’s not enough to give the system room for the exhaust air to go, it also needs to be able to easily take in cool air. Try to place your console in an open of an area as possible.

     

  • The power supply also has to be kept in a good location. It has a fan in it which intakes air through one end and shoots it out the other. Make sure both ends are clear.

     

  • Put the Xbox 360 on its own outlet. The XBox 360 pulls down 160 watts of power, doubling the original XBox’s power needs. If the Xbox 360’s power supply can’t get enough power to run steadily, it’ll either shut down, or try to draw more, which will result in the PSU heating up more than it needs to.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Sure the above may seem like common sense, but ignoring them only causes problems and adds fuel to the failure rate fire.  People need to treat today's consoles like PC's, they need ventilation and care.  Gone are the days of throwing your NES and Genesis on the carpet and playing for days on end. 

    With today's consoles come A lot of moving parts, from fans to DVD drives from multi core CPU's, they need ventilation.  Another thing that should be noted and this goes with all electronics, NEVER stack your stuff, EVER because the risk of failure sky rockets because electronics need to breath.

    If you follow all of these tips, you will be fine, trust me.  I have had my 360 since day 1 of launch.  I can think of about 10 people off the top of my head that I personaly know who own 360's and not a single one of them has had a single problem.

    Now granted people who has had problems whether it was their fault or not is going to fill the Internet with horror stories while the people who are having zero issues are spending their time playing and not on forums.  Here is something else to think about, electronics have a failure rate of roughly 3-5% and with around 11 million 360's out there that calculates to roughly 500,000 failed 360's.  Now that may sound like a shit load but that is the norm, and if half of those people were to hit up the message boards with complaints, I can see how that would look a little discomforting.

    So basically what I am saying is let your 360 breath, be careful what you read on the Internet and especially these retarded online surveys that are done because the only people taking part in those survey's are the people with a broke 360 so of course their little pie graphs show a 60-70% failure rate.

    Oh and for the people who has had multiple failures, you are doing something wrong and maybe you shouldn't own one!

  • Thursday, May 31, 2007

    Another day 5/31/07!

    Today's stories:

    1. Lite-On IT secures a deal to produce DVD ROM drives for the 360! 
    2. Does your Honda Civic have cardboard ground effects held on with duct tape? 
    3. Hour of Victory demo was LIVE but has disappeared! 
    4. id software is developing a new engine and game! 
    5. Halo 3 armor customization and new vehicle confirmed! 
    6. Sega: Virtua Fighter 5 is still due out in summer! 

    Lite-On IT secures a deal to produce DVD ROM drives for the 360!

    digitimes.com is reporting on a deal that Lite-On IT has made with Microsoft.  According to digitimes sources, Lite-On IT has inked a deal to start producing 0.8 to 1 million DVD ROM drives for the XBOX 360.  Production is scheduled to begin in the 3rd quarter of 2007.

    Lite-On IT has reportedly secured OEM orders for DVD-ROM drives to be built into Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles, with monthly shipments of 0.8-1 million units to begin in the third quarter of 2007, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

    Lite-On IT was unwilling to confirm the report saying that the company will not comment on any reports concerning orders due to non-disclosure agreements signed with clients.

    The built-in DVD-ROM drives for the Xbox 360 have been produced by two OEM makers, Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) and BenQ, the sources indicated. Lite-On IT took over BenQ's optical disc drive business unit in mid-2006 but did not take over the OEM manufacturing rights for Xbox 360 because it was required to obtain new certification from Microsoft, the sources pointed out.

    Although Lite-On IT will succeed BenQ as the secondary OEM maker of the built-in DVD-ROM drive, the company stands a chance of displacing TSST to take the primary status based on its monthly shipment volumes and Microsoft's 2007 sales goal of 15 million Xbox 360 consoles, the sources analyzed. In order to minimize the production costs of Xbox 360, Microsoft may increase Lite-On IT's OEM production of the DVD-ROM drive, the sources added.

    Does your Honda Civic have cardboard ground effects held on with duct tape?

    Forza Motorsports 2 hasn't even been out for 24 hours and people are already getting very creative with the 4 thousand possible layers in the custom paint and decal shop that's found in the game.

    Sure we can sit and swoon over all the Dragon Ball Z and Gundam paint jobs that every anime ass hole produces but instead I decided post something a little more creative.

    A Forzamotorsports.net forum poster by the name of MediocreGuy decided to get a little creative with his Honda Civic paint scheme.  He decided to pay homage to all of the 16 year old kids driving around town with a shitty Civic sporting different colored fenders and doors because hey, when your ghetto and can't drive but you think you can, you have to get replacement parts at the local junk yard.  This dude takes it a step further by adding cardboard ground effects held on with duct tape, now that is funny.

    Hour of Victory demo was LIVE but has disappeared!

    I'm getting reports that the demo to Hour of Victory has vanished from the confines of XBOX LIVE.  I am not sure why the LIVE team took it down, maybe because it sucked, I don't know.

    When I get official word from the house of Gates I will be sure to post it here, but until then play something else.

    id software is developing a new engine and game!

    CEO of id Software revealed to Gameindustry.biz yesterday that a new game is in the works and that John Carmack is developing a new game engine from the ground up.

    Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz at a London event earlier this week, the id CEO said: "We are working on an all-new franchise: it's not Doom, it's not Quake, it's not Wolfenstein, it's not Enemy Territory, it's not even Commander Keen.

    "It is a new id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left."

    Halo 3 armor customization and new vehicle confirmed!

    A few days ago, some Halo fans have been digging into the Halo 3 beta source code.  While digging through the code, some very interesting info was discovered in regards to armor customization and a new vehicle called the "Brute Chopper".

    Sure the Source code held mentions of  customization and new vehicles, but to what extent can the armor be customized and will the vehicles actually make it in to the final game? according to the latest issue of Gamepro, the "Brute Chopper" is real and armor customization will be extensive.

    The following images are hi-res scans from the magazine that was posted on Thefinalfight.com: