Is Sega Nights coming to the Wii?

I know this is an XBOX news blog but I have to post this.  About a week ago, Sega ran a poll on their website asking gamers "what classic Sega franchise would you like to see return". 

When the poll closed, Sega Night's blew away the competition and  when I wrote about it I asked if Sega would release a special controller like the one that came with the Saturn when the game was released.

Well a week has passed since this poll and now this surfaces in the  Official Nintendo magazine.  In the magazine there is a picture of a cluster of stars with the words, “World Exclusive! Step back in time as a classic game makes a long overdue return”.

If this is true, it makes total sence.  If you have ever played the original Night's on the Saturn then you would fully understand how this game would fit perfectly on the Wii.  Why the Wii?  The Wii's controller would fit this game perfectly, infact this game in my opinion could only be done on the Wii.  I can only imagine using the Wiimote and Nunchuck with this game.

Go Wii....!

XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 3/12/07!

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Gears of War
2 Crackdown
3 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas
4 Worms
5 GRAW 2
6 Call Of Duty 3
7 TMNT 1989 Arcade
8 Oblivion
9 Madden NFL 07
10 Lost Planet

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Worms
2 TMNT 1989 Arcade
3 Alien Hominid HD
4 UNO
5 Paperboy
6 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
7 LUMINES LIVE!
8 DOOM
9 Contra
10 Heavy Weapon

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

This list is put together every Friday by XBOX LIVE's Major Nelson!

Bungie weekly update 3/16/07!

In Bungie's latest update, Frankie went into detail about the size of some of the battles that we will see in Halo 3 and how the graphics are coming along.  He even touches a little on the improvements in the AI compared to Halo 1 and 2:

"It was a battle of such ferociously large scale, that it stood out even in the newly embiggened Halo 3. I mean, scale. Scale of combat and literal, physical scale. There’s a couple of things I’m not at liberty to reveal about that encounter, and the one immediately before it, but it was big. Think dozens of fiery explosions, plasma fire coming from everywhere. Aerial combat in the skies above. Jerks with turrets on the ground below. Rockets flying everywhere and dozens of ways to approach the combat. It was epic and mind numbing, and still 100% Halo."

Frankie then goes on to talk about how the graphics looked in area's of the game like the large battle sequence he just talked about:

"But graphically, this level was sort of a shock to me. Some of the interiors were apparently totally complete. Lit, shader effects, proper detail, atmospherics, audio, everything. The exteriors still needed some polish, but sweet crimeny Christmas. It looked amazing. Last week I talked about how we were adding all this hyper realistic stuff, while still trying to keep it true to the look and feel of Halo. The evolution of those ideas is that some of the test screenshots we took for an internal presentation, looked exactly like their concept paintings. Not just in terms of scale or detail, but the actual color palette. It’s rich and vivid and full of life."

Here Frankie talks about the improvements to the AI, like when you want the marines to get in your vehicle:

"Other vehicle behaviors have been vastly improved too. When you drove quickly up to Marines in Halo 2, they used to scatter and dive out of the way – which is cool, but not too convenient when your intent is to cruise up to them and tempt them into a vehicle. Now they’re far smarter about knowing where you’re aiming and how fast you’re going, and will only dive at the last second if they sense real danger to their livelihood. They’re also way faster and more logical about getting in and out of vehicles. It’s almost as if they know there’s a war going on…."

To read all of what Frankie talks about, click here!

Guitar Hero 2 lands 4/4/07!

Finally Guitar Hero 2 actually has a release date of 4/4/07.  Today Red Octane confirmed the release date and if you pre order the game now, you will receive a free gig bag to put your guitar in. 

"RedOctane's follow-up to the critically acclaimed rhythm game. Guitar Hero II features a brand-new and expanded track list, more venues and new play modes, and aims to rock longer and harder than its predecessor. RedOctane has once again teamed up with veteran music game developer Harmonix for the sequel, and is using famed recording studio WaveGroup for its music production, who also recorded the covers for the licensed tracks in the original Guitar Hero. The game's all-important track list encompasses all forms of rock and metal music including classic rock, "hair metal", heavy metal, modern rock and alternative rock. In total, Guitar Hero II features more than 55 songs. New modes include a multiplayer co-op mode where players can play not only the lead guitar track, but rhythm or bass as well, allowing players to take on two different sections of the song simultaneously. Supports the Guitar Hero SG controller."

Guitar Hero II Track List:
Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
Danzig - Mother
Cheap Trick - Surrender
Wolfmother - Woman
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
Kiss - Strutter
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
Police - Message in a Bottle
Van Halen - You Really Got Me
Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench
Alice in Chains - Them Bones
Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Search and Destroy
Pretenders - Tattooed Love Boys
Black Sabbath - War Pigs
Warrant - Cherry Pie
Butthole Surfers - Who Was in My Room Last Night
Mathew Sweet - Girlfriend
Rolling Stones - Can't You Hear Me Knockin'
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of
Primus - John the Fisherman
Sword - Freya
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
Aerosmith - Last Child
Heart - Crazy on You
Stone Temple Pilots - Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Stray Cats - Rock This Town
Allman Brothers - Jessica
Jane's Addiction - Stop
Anthrax - Madhouse
Living End - Carry Me Home
Lamb of God - Laid to Rest
Reverend Horton Heat - Psychobilly Freakout
Rush - YYZ
Avenged Sevenfold - Beast and the Harlot
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
Dick Dale - Misirlou
Megadeth - Hangar 18
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Shadowrun will not support custom gametypes!

Bill Fulton, the user interface and matchmaking designer for Shadowrun was interviewed by Gamespot.com.  In the interview, Bill was asked by Gamespot to go into a little bit of detail regarding the different modes in Shadowrun's multiplayer:

"GameSpot: Tell us about the multiplayer modes in Shadowrun. How many modes are there and what are they? Will there be any way for players to create custom modes?

 

Bill Fulton: We have three modes in Shadowrun, which are tried-and-true game types for first-person shooters. With the innovation of the core gameplay, we didn't want to overwhelm players with exotic game types."

The game types are raid, extraction, and attrition. Raid is one-flag capture the flag. The Lineage's mission is to get the artifact (the flag) and escape with it. RNA Corp's mission is to prevent that, hopefully by killing the Lineage. In extraction, both teams' mission is to secure the artifact and escape with it. Attrition is team elimination. Both teams' mission is to destroy the other. The team that survives, wins.

Go to Gamespot.com to read the entire article!

Achievement unlocked sound clip!

Major Nelson posted the Achievement unlocked sound effect on his website for download. 

"After posting the Agility Orb sound effect a couple of weeks ago, I was deluged with requests to post the ‘Achievement Unlocked’ sound that has been heard about 300 Billion times on Xbox 360 consoles around the world. For most gamers, this sound causes an increase in heart rate and a Pavlovian reaction that causes them to tap the Xbox 360 button to find out what achievement was unlocked and how many points were added to their Gamerscore."

Major also knows what everyone is going to do with this sound effect:

I know that you’ll use it for a ring tone, but what are some of the other creative ways you plan to use this?

Head on over to Majornelson.com if you want the clip!

Playing first person shooters improve vision!

MSNBC.com is reporting on a study that was published in the journal of Psychological Science.

"The finding suggests that playing first-person action video games could be a useful rehabilitation therapy for people with certain vision problems, she said, such as amblyopia (or lazy eye) and the simple effects of aging."

• "These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it,"
• "That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life."

"Another study has showed that playing certain virtual reality games that involved physical motion helped stroke victims improve their ability to walk eventually."

I think someone need's to send Jack Thompson this study because Jack has convinced himself that these games cause people to murder each other. But than again we aren't ass holes like Jack!

Virtua Tennis 3 demo in full 1080p!

Major Nelson has posted on his blog that there is a demo to Virtua Tennis 3 up on the Marketplace. 

The demo is available in full 1080p and comes in at (approx) 850MB!

Halo 3 Legendary edition will go for $129.99

It has become very apparent that Halo 3 will be on shelves very soon because there is nothing but Halo 3 news for the past 2 days.

Microsoft revealed today that the Halo 3 Legendary SKU that everyone thought was going to be $99 will actually be $129.99.

So, what will $129.99 get you? and how hardcore are you?

The Legendary Edition ($129.99 U.S. ERP*) will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case that no hardcore “Halo” fan should be without, along with two bonus disks full of supplemental content. The first disk will provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage and videos, including a high-definition “Making of ‘Halo 3’” documentary showcasing the Bungie team and its effort to create the most anticipated title in the industry’s history; numerous high-definition featurettes documenting the creative design processes involved in developing the game; and even a look at some early game concepts and their evolution through the game’s development. The disk will also include an audio-visual calibration tool, never before seen on a video game and custom designed by the “Halo 3” graphics and audio team to make the most of fans’ high-definition home theaters, for the ultimate “Halo 3” and Xbox 360^™ audio and video performance.

Click here for all the details!

Next Wednesday's XBLA title is Castlevania Symphony of the night!

Next Wed for 800 points you can download Castlevania Symphony of the night.  You will get improved HD visuals and sound with the greatest Castlevania game ever made. 

XBLA was silent for a few weeks but man they have stepped up as of late with Alien Hominid HD, TMNT and now Castlevania SOTN.

I cant even begin to tell you how much I played this game when it was released on the PS1.  This game was that one game that comes out every now and then that you cant put down and when you aren't playing it, you are thinking about it. 

What made it so great was the mix of traditional Castlevania game play with a great story and some RPG elements thrown in for good measure.

Halo 3 packaging!

More fuel to the Sept release of Halo 3 fire!

According to IGN a "big-name publisher and well-established development house" has revealed that Halo 3 will be released in Sept to beat the holiday rush and to push more 360's then PS3's and Wii's during the Holidays. 

I think this is a smart move on Microsoft's part. Not only will Halo 3 move systems, it will also give Halo some alone time on the shelf before the busy month of Nov rolls around. 

With Halo 3 and GTA4 out before the holidays, the XBOX 360 looks to be the system to beat this holiday.

Reserve Halo 3 and play the beta! (if you live in Germany that is)

If you live in Germany you can get an invite to the Halo 3 beta by just preordering the game.  All you need to to is put down €10 on the game and you will be able to play the Beta.

Here in America you have to spend $60 on a game to play the Beta, (Crackdown anyone?).  I want to know why that offer didn't take place here in the states.  Last I checked, we Americans gobbled up more copies of Halo 1 and 2 then any other country in the world.

C' mon Microsoft, don't bite the hand that feeds you!

NPD hardware sales for February!

Wow that is the first thing that comes to mind when I look at the sales of the Wii, DS and the 360.  Both Microsoft and Nintendo are kicking some serious ass but the best part is, that the PS3 was outsold by the GBA.  That's right, The Gameboy Advance.

As far as software sales go, Crackdown blew away the competition with 427K copies sold. 

I expect the PS2 sales to start dropping pretty rapidly since God of War 2 is the last great game that was scheduled for the PS2 and that game just came out.

 

TOTAL HARDWARE SALES

DS - 485,000
Wii - 335,000
PS2 - 295,000
360 - 228,000
PSP - 176,000
GBA - 136,000-WTF?
PS3 - 127,000
NGC - 24,000

 

TOP 10 GAMES

1. Crackdown (Xbox 360) - Microsoft - 427K

2. Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - Nintendo - 371K

3. Diddy Kong Racing (DS) - Nintendo - 262K

4. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) - Nintendo - 130K

5. Guitar Hero 2 w/ guitar (PS2) - Activision - 130K

6. Gears of War (Xbox 360) - Microsoft - 119K

7. Major League Baseball 2K7 (Xbox 360) - Take-Two - 113K

8. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360) - Capcom - 111K

9. WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Wii) - Nintendo - 109K

10. NBA Street Homecourt (Xbox 360) - Electronic Arts - 102K

Shadowrun to support Halo 2's matchmaking!

Bill Fulton, the user interface and matchmaking designer for Shadowrun, has revealed that the upcoming Xbox Live Anywhere-enabled shooter will feature a Halo 2-like party system that will allow you to play public matches with your friends, going together from match to match over Xbox Live.

"Note that we keep the group you just played with together for the next game so you can get to know how your teammates play and develop strategies together."

Fulton told Gamespot.

"And, of course, we've replicated Halo 2's party system because that's the best way for friends to play in public matches. For those of you who haven't used the party system, it's a way for friends to aggregate and then travel together over Live. When the party leader joins a game, all party members join with him or her. Playing without the party system is just plain annoying."

Additionally, Shadowrun will also feature Optimatch, a missing feature in Halo 2 that has also been ruled out in Halo 3.

"We also have a system where you set what maps and game types you like to play. When you hit Play, it will seek out matches playing those maps and game types" explained Fulton. "When a match ends, the game takes a look at each player's preferences, then picks the map and game type that most people like. Majority rules."

Fulton also clarified that Shadowrun uses Xbox Live's TrueSkill system for determining the skill of a player, so every time you joing a public match, you are playing with users of the same player skill, connection quality, and map and game-type preferences.

 

SOURCE: Teamxbox.com

Halo 3 in September?

In a interview with 1UP.com, Corporate Vice President Shane Kim spilled the beans on everything from buying Bioware, when Halo 3 will ship and how Microsoft passed on Heavenly Sword.

Here Shane talks about when Halo 3 might ship and shipping it in September could end up selling more copies than the traditional ship date of NOV which has been the standard for all of Microsoft's big titles, for example:

XBOX, XBOX Live, Halo 2, XBOX 360 and Gears of war to name a few have all come out in NOV.

"We don't tell Bungie when they have to ship Halo 3. If they can get out before GTA4, they probably feel like that's better, sort of like Xbox 360 coming out before PlayStation 3."

But would Bungie and Microsoft actually ship Halo 3 outside of the November window? As Kim pointed out, they've had success shipping titles outside of November before:

"What happened in September of 2004? In September of 2004 we released Fable, Fable got big sales and then in November got big sales again," Kim said. "I just believe great titles can get the double bump and I think Halo 3 is going to be that."

Click here to read all of what Kim had to say.

Gears sells 4 million copies?

Over at NeoGaf, they are reporting that Gears of War has sold 4 million copies.  Now that has not been officially confirmed and not to mention that Microsoft announced just 2 months ago that Gears sold 3 million copies. 

So if this is true, then that means that Gears has sold an additional 1 million copies in just 2 months.  We will just have to wait and see if this is true because damn, Microsoft has one hell of a cash cow on it's hands!

One more thing I would like to mention.  VP of Epic Games said in an interview with Game Industry.biz, that "the PS3 is still the one to beat".  Umm hey Mark, this little title called Gears of War that you you released, has made Epic more money than any game you could have released for the PS3.  So you better just calm down with your comments because the XBOX camp has made Epic bigger then ever these days!

New downloadable content for Crackdown!

Over at MSXBOX world a poster by the name of Dark Advocate claims to have some exclusive information regarding downloadable contend for Crackdown.

 

An un-named source who I have no doubt in trusting has revealed to me that Crackdown is set for some new content. Now this news probably comes as no surprise as the team have already pledged that the remaining 100 gamer score points will be allocated to the new content. What you may not know is the content is possibly going to be free and is likely to include things like vehicle impounding (taking marked cars back to agency); street racing vs. AI controlled cars, extra equipment, new agent outfits and a number of new mini games.

The observant amongst you may have noticed some different activities in the game's training videos which look like rampage missions with weapons and vehicles. If all of this stuff becomes available soon and is free of charge then there is certainly a lot of life left in the game for those who have already beaten it.

Microsoft leads in NAVIGATR nominations!

This comes directly from XBOX360fanboy.com:

The nominees for the 2006 National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers (NAViGaTR) awards were just announced with Microsoft leading the pack in nominations count. Microsoft garnered 29 nominations for various games including games like Gears of War and Viva Piñata. Speaking of Gears, it's up for an amazing 16 nominations including Graphics/Technical and Game of the Year. With over 1,150 media critics, analysts, and journalists making the final decision, we'll be keeping our eyes open on May 20th to see if Gears can add to its ever expanding trophy case.

XBOX LIVE for Vista to launch May 8th!

Microsoft this morning announced that Xbox Live! is coming to Windows Vista on May 8th, which coincides with the release of Halo 2 Vista and Shadowrun. Oh yeah, and Uno... Here's the word:

 

Microsoft Corp. today announced the extension of the Xbox LIVE games and entertainment network to the Windows platform, bringing together the most popular online console game service with the most popular games platform in the world. Debuting on May 8, 2007, with the launch of the Windows Vista™ version of the Xbox blockbuster "Halo 2," Games for Windows — LIVE will connect Windows gamers to over six million gamers already in the Xbox LIVE community. Then, launching in June, "Shadowrun" will for the first time connect Windows gamers with Xbox 360 players in cross-platform matches using a single service. "UNO," releasing later in 2007, will also support cross-platform play between Windows and Xbox 360.

The launch of Games for Windows — LIVE marks a major expansion of the Xbox LIVE service across multiple platforms, uniting gamers with a single identity, a single gamertag, a single friends list and a single list of achievements attainable on the Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC. Games for Windows — LIVE gamers will be able to easily find and play supported titles online with their friends across a Windows computer or an Xbox 360. As a unified service with Xbox LIVE, Games for Windows — LIVE will be available in every country and region supported today by Xbox LIVE.

"Five years ago, we began building a service that now defines the bar for online gameplay," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "The benefits of expanding Xbox LIVE to Games for Windows titles is twofold: We're bringing together two communities that share a passion for playing online games, and we're enhancing the online experience for PC gamers who have long desired seamless game and voice connectivity — it's a win for everyone."

Members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows — LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list at no additional cost. For a single, unified service, the pricing of the LIVE services across both Xbox and Games for Windows is identical. In addition, Games for Windows — LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as in-game voice chat, integrated achievements and dedicated servers. The offering of both Silver and Gold memberships will remain in place for gamers on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC. There is no cost associated with signing up for a Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience for $49.95 (U.S.) per year. Current Xbox LIVE Gold members will automatically have access to Gold features on Games for Windows — LIVE titles.

Silver Membership Features
* Single gamertag
* Common gamer profile
* Common gamerscore
* Single player achievements
* Private chat via text and voice
* Common friends list and online presence
* PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games

Gold Membership Features
* All Silver membership features
* Multiplayer matchmaking with friends
* TrueSkill™ matchmaking
* Multiplayer achievements
* Cross-platform gameplay

Nintendo.com see's 91% growth, Playstation.com see's 8% decrease!

Joystiq.com did a write up on the growth of Nintendo.com, Xbox.com and a decrease in growth by 8% of Playstation.com. 

according to the Nielsen/NetRatings report, Nintendo.com grew by a whopping 91% over last year during the month of Febuary while Xbox.com saw a growth of 47%.

 

Site                         Feb '06             Feb '07               YOY Growth

Nintendo.com           856                  1,631                   91%

Xbox.com                 827                  1,218                   47%

PlayStation.com       1,105               1,016                  -8%

The 17 lamest achievements!

G4TV.com has a list of the 17 lamest achievements, in the list you will find games of all genres.  For the most part I agree with the list that G4 did but I disagree with their complaints with the 2 achievements that they listed for Gears of War.

12 Gears of War - The COG tag achievements - 60 total points. Like most people, I love Gears of War. However, I haven’t liked searching for hidden packages since GTA 3, and even then it was more of a chore to get the good weapons in my hideout than anything else. The COG tags seem like nothing more than a throw-in for an otherwise great game, as they don’t really unlock anything other than some points.

I found this achievement one of the most fun out of all the others to achieve.  It blends today's style of gameplay with the old school cliche of collecting and finding items throughout the entire game.  Infact I spent dozens of hours back tracking to find all of the cog tags.

11 Gears of War - Series of Tubes - 20 points. A number of online shooters have achievements like this one, which reward the player for hosting matches. The fact that the person hosting the game’s shotgun fires about a half of a second quicker than everyone else’s should be reward enough. They don’t need an achievement for having a bastard host advantage.

For gods sake G4 someone has to host the games, we all know about the host shotty but damn, if no one hosted there would be no Gears of War online now would there.

To read all 17 on G4's list click here!

Viva Pinata demo is now live!

A demo to Viva Pinata is now available on the Marketplace. 

The demo comes in at approx 1GB, below is a little extra info regarding the demo via Majornelson.com!

Want to see what happens when a Mousemallow meets a Syrupent? Want to try your hand at raising your own Sparrowmint? Now is your chance to download the demo for Viva Piñata, the critically acclaimed, award-winning adventure from Rare and Microsoft Game Studios.

C&C3 to use vision camera!

This looks like a cool concept, being able to humiliate your enemy in real time as you crush him.  At the same time other people will see you as you throw your controller at the TV just as you get your ass kicked.

Give it up Epic, we aren't stupid!

Last week at the GDC, Cliffy B said that Epic is to busy with UT3 and a "potential sequel" to Gears of War to bring Cliffy's old school title "Jazz Jackrabbit" to XBLA. 

Today Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games said that Cliffy did not confirm that a sequel is in the works.

C' mon Epic, stop denying that a game that has sold over 3 million copies does not have a sequel in the works.  If those crappy Dragon Ball z games keep coming out, I guarantee that a sequel to Gear is in the works. 

Now I know that Epic doesn't make the Dragon Ball games, what I am trying to say is that even if a game sells decent there is almost always going to be a sequel these days.

TMNT Achievement list revealed!

Of course like every other XBLA game, there is a total of 200 points and they are as follows:

1. Ninjitsu
Defeat three opponents with a direct attack.                                  10 points

 

2. Lofty Goal
Clear out April's Loft, losing 10 health or less, in a Local game.        10 points

 

3. Lickity Split
Clear out the Apartment and April’s Loft in 2:00 minutes or less.      10 points

 

4. Fire Hazard
Rescue Master Splinter without being burned by the flamethrower.   20 points

 

5. Evade
Defeat General Traag in the Technodrome, losing 20 or less health. 15 points

 

6. Deep Freeze
Get past the freezing trap in the Technodrome, without being frozen. 15 points

 

7. Strategy
Defeat Krang's robot, losing 10 health or less.                                 25 points

 

8. Turtle Soup
Defeat Shredder without being turned into a regular turtle.             25 points

 

9. Superhero
Destroy all Parking Meters, Pylons, Barrels, and Speed Signs in the game. 15 points

 

10. Slice and Dice
Earn 250 points, individually, in an Xbox Live CO-OP game.            25 points

 

11. Real Ultimate Power
Defeat Shredder in an Xbox Live CO-OP game, and live to tell the tale. 30 points

 

12. Secret Achievement
0 points

Black 120GB 360 rumor ROUND 3!

XBOX-ARCHIV, the German XBOX news site is reporting that they have a very reliable source saying that the infamous 120GB black XBOX 360 is coming out in May.  They are also reporting that Microsoft is eliminating the core sku and dropping the price of the premium to make room for the "Zephyr".

I think it is time for Microsoft to just come out and confirm that this thing actually exists!

Games for the week of 3/12!

Well folks, this is the slim pickings edition because we only have one game this week and it is a re release.  I'm not sure but I believe the gold edition has the new maps and that is about it.

• 3/13 Call of Duty 3, Gold edition

Australia gets Gears of War XBOX 360 bundle!

Official press release:

SYDNEY 12 March 2007 – After conquering existing Xbox 360TM console owners last year, “Gears of War” has trained its sights on new gamers with the announcement of the Xbox 360 “Gears of War” console bundle. From this Thursday, Australian gamers will be able to experience high definition* entertainment the way it’s meant to be with the Xbox 360 Pro Console and the incredible blockbuster action of “Gears of War”, all for a very affordable $699.95 RRP.

Since launch in November, “Gears of War” has sold over three million copies worldwide to rank as the highest selling Xbox 360 game to date. It has swept the Game of the Year round-ups at many major gaming publications and triumphed at numerous industry awards nights.

Confirming its reputation as the definitive next-generation game, “Gears of War” scooped three major accolades at the recent Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia Awards including Xbox 360 Game of the Year, Ultimate Game of the Year and the Gamespot Editors Choice Award. It also won in eight categories at the Interactive Achievement Awards, hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, including Console Game of the Year and Overall Game of the Year.

The new “Gears of War” bundle contains the Xbox 360 Pro console and the award-winning “Gears of War” game. Gamers will save over $50 off the recommended retail price when the bundle releases on 15 March for $699.95 RRP at all major retailers.

Nick Segger, Xbox Group Marketing Manager, says, “The ‘Gears of War’ bundle represents exceptional value for money. The Xbox 360 console comes with a complimentary one-month Xbox Live® Gold account so you can experience the action-packed intensity of ‘Gears of War’ straight out of the box. New Xbox 360 gamers will be able to discover why it has become one of the fastest selling games of all time.”

The Xbox 360 “Gears of War” pack features:

• Xbox 360 Console: Includes the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, Hard Drive, Wireless Controller, Media Remote, Component HD AV cable and an Ethernet Connectivity Cable.
  
• “Gears of War”: “Gears of War” from Epic Games and Microsoft® Game Studios is a third-person tactical action/horror game available exclusively on Xbox 360. The intense, genre-defining game thrusts players into humankind’s epic battle for survival against a nightmarish race of creatures known as the Locust Horde.
  
• Xbox Live: Complimentary Silver membership to the only unified online console community, where games and entertainment come alive through voice chat, game demo downloads, movie trailers and more. Gold membership enables online multiplayer gaming with millions of other players around the globe.**

What do you think are the 10 most important games?

Kotaku.com did an article about the 10 most important games. After going over the list I found some that I feel should and shouldn't be there.

Henry Lowood, the curator of the Stanford University History of Science and Technology Collections, announced this past week a list of the 10 Most Important Video Games of All Time. This game canon has been created to preserve to cultural and historical significance of gaming. The list is a result of a collaboration between Lowood, Warren Spector, Steve Meretzky, academic researcher Matteo Bittani and gaming journalist Christopher Grant from Joystiq, and represents the games we must protect at all costs...our cultural artifacts.

• Spacewar! (1962)
  
• Star Raiders (1979)
  
• Zork (1980)
  
• Tetris (1985)
  
• SimCity (1989)
  
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
  
• Civilization I / II (1991)
  
• Doom (1993)
  
• Warcraft (Series) (1994)
  
• Sensible World of Soccer (1994)

Now I agree on some of those but I would replace Mario 3 with Mario 1 because 3 would have never existed without the success of the original Mario bros on the NES, 1985. 

Next I would eliminate Sensible World of Soccer, WTF is that game doing on the list?  I would include Street Fighter 2 because that game revitalized the coin op industry here in America not to mention the 2d fighting frenzy that lasted for over a decade. 

Next I would kick Star Raiders out because that game was horrible, so in it's place I would include Pac Man, everyone knows who Pac Man is.  Pac Man was huge in it's day and has become synonymous with video games.

Last but not least is pong, I know spacewar was an important title but pong is what got the video game industry rolling as we know it today!

For honorable mentions I would have to include the original Madden and Virtua Fighter!

Shadowrun in April?

EGM is reporting that Shadowrun, the first game that will support XBOX LIVE and PC interactivity will be released in April.

This is a bit odd because that is less than a month away and usually there would have been an official release date by now. 

Is EGM correct on this or did they get their information from a not so reliable source?  I guess we will soon find out.

XBOX 360 mod called "Xeno Top Gear"!

Teamxbox.com posted some info on a new mod for the XBOX 360 called "Xeno Top Gear". 

A new mod for the Xbox 360 has been announced today. Called Xeno Top Gear, this new mod is an external switching device that lets you flash the DVD firmware of your Xbox 360 without the need to open up the console after a first installation. Additionally, with the Xeno Top Gear you can save all your Xbox 360 game saves and media files onto your PC. The mod also lets you flash the DVD firmware of the Xbox 360.

If you want to see all the images click here!

TMNT is this weeks XBLA title!

This comes straight from Gamerscoreblog.com!

Everyone’s favorite totally tubular turtles bring their radical ninja skills to Xbox LIVE Arcade. The 1989 arcade classic, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” will be available for download beginning Wednesday, March 14 at 0900 GMT (2 a.m. PDT). TMNT will be available worldwide for 400 Microsoft Points.

From the media alert:

True to the original arcade classic, gamers will be able to choose from one of four Ninja Turtles: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello or Raphael and master their unique ninja weapons and abilities. Gamers will have the unique opportunity to play through the original seven levels alone, or with up to three others co-operatively via Xbox LIVE.