XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 5/14/07!

You can pretty much expect the Halo 3 beta to knock Gears of War out of the top spot in next week's activity list.

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

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

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Double Dragon
2 Catan
3 Pinball FX
4 3D Ultra™ Minigolf Adventures
5 TMNT 1989 Arcade
6 Soltrio Solitaire
7 Worms
8 UNO
9 Castlevania: SOTN
10 Centipede & Millipede

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 Ghost Recon 2
9 Rainbow Six 3
10 Splinter Cell Chaos

 

Top 10 Weekly Movie
1 Happy Feet (HD)
2 Blood Diamond (HD)
3 Death of a President (HD)
4 Beerfest (HD)
5 Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
6 Employee of the Month (HD)
7 The Departed (HD)
8 Crank (HD)
9 The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (Unrated)
10 Jackass Number Two
 

Top 10 Weekly TV Titles
1 South Park (HD)
2 Comedy Central Stand Up
3 Fights (HD)
4 Enterprise (HD)
5 Jericho (HD)
6 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
7 Chappelle's Show: Uncensored
8 Robot Chicken
9 Supernatural
10 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (HD)

Another day 5/18/07! (with Halo rant)

Today was a pretty mild news day but it was pretty heavy on the Halo side of things.  I myself have been playing the beta a lot and I can honestly say that Halo 3 is going to be fantastic, the beta alone is so much fun that I could play forever.

From what I can tell so far, Halo 3 multiplayer seems to feel more like Halo 1 where there is more emphasis on rifles and grenades as Halo 2 was about racing to a power weapon and duel wielding.  In Halo 3, I feel like I could pick up any weapon or just use the standard AR and you would be ok which gives the game a very balanced feel.

I would like to talk a little about the graphics for a sec here because people are getting out of control by saying Halo 3 looks slightly better than Halo 2.  Apparently these people have not played Halo 2 in a while, trust me when I say that it looks like shit now and if you don't believe me just put Halo 2 in your 360 and you will see what I am talking about, it hasn't held up very well.  There is this look that Halo has, it has it's own style and it will never change so stop comparing it to Gears of War.  Gears would not look as good as it does if there were 16 people on screen in a map the size of Valhalla with the speed and pace of Halo so that comparison just needs to stop.

Ok this is going on longer than I wanted but I want to cover the things that make Halo a superior multiplayer game.

• Great on large open maps.
• Great at close quarter combat.
• Vehicle controls.
• You can go balls out or be quiet and stealthy.
• Great campaign mode with a great story.

All of the other great FPS's out there has never been able to nail all of those in one game.  Most of the greats handle close quarter combat but not large open combat area's or vice versa or the vehicle controls might suck or the campaign might be good but the multiplayer might blow (Prey).  Halo hit's the mark on all these that no other has touched since Halo 1, so until I see an online multiplayer shooter that has the versatility of Halo than the quest for the Halo killer will go on because there hasn't been one yet.

P.S

Why is there all this hype over Killzone 2? if the first one sucked, I can guarantee you that the sequel will too that's the way it works. 

Today's stories:

1. Bungie weekly update 5/18/07! 
2. Halo 3 beta impression by 1UP.com! 
3. Modders find new weapons, vehicles and gametypes in the Halo 3 beta code! 
4. Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena coming to the XBOX 360 and PS3! 
5. Ubisoft CEO demands PS3 price cut!

Bungie weekly update 5/18/07!

For some reason, today is turning in to a Halo 3 news day but that probably has something to do with Halo being the biggest game franchise in the last 7 years not to mention the release of Halo 3 is right around the corner, so people have Bungie under the microscope and print everything that Bungie post's on it's website.

Today's Bungie weekly update was done by lukems because Frankie is in Europe pitching Halo 3 to numerous game rating review boards for it's European release date of Sept 26th.

lukems talked about some of the hiccups that people have encountered with the beta and how the feedback is important because Bungie can take care of these issues before the retail game ships, that's why it's called......... a (beta):

Some folks are still having the odd issue with the Beta – occasionally not seeing text for the interface. There’s an easy fix for that problem, repeated here for reference:

No Text in the UI Fix:

• If you encounter this issue, you can fix it yourself by doing the following:
• Restart your Xbox 360
• Boot up the Halo 3 Beta
• While the Halo 3 Beta is loading, immediately press up on the D-Pad and hold the A button until you see the Bungie logo. If you perform this correctly a dialog box will appear confirming maintenance has been done to your system.
• Resume the Halo 3 Beta!

The “Game Over” screen problem – and some of the issues with file sharing and slow matchmaking – were related to our servers being overwhelmed and should be drastically improved by the time you read this. The great thing about a Beta test is that it helps everyone identify these types of hiccups BEFORE the final game ships. So, thanks everyone for slamming our back-end infrastructure. This is the precise reason we needed such a large scale beta in the first place.

And again, we’re sorry for the inconvenience and headaches from the past two days and we hope the fun you have playing the game makes up for the drama.

You can read the entire weekly update by clicking here!

Halo 3 beta impression by 1UP.com!

Modders find new weapons, vehicles and gametypes in the Halo 3 beta code!

A group of modders recently got in to the Halo 3 beta code and have noticed a few things burried in the code that is not in the beta.  This group claims to have stumbled accross new gametypes, weapons and vehicles that Bungie has said nothing about (yet).

Now what I am about to post is from a modding community forum that was recently posted on Gamesradar.com.  Also, none of these new weapons, vehicles and gametypes have not been confirmed either but knowing how secretive Bungie operates, it is very likely that there is going to be a shit load of things about Halo 3 that no one knows about.  Remember how tight lipped Bungie was about the Arbiter being a playable character in Halo 2? no one knew about that until the game was released.

New equipment:
Instacover
Smoke (suggested this might be a smoke grenade?)
Jammer

New vehicles:
Chopper
Pelican
Shadow

New weapons:
Flamethrower
Claymore Grenade

New mode:
Infection (described as "Destroy the Flood or become infected. Score points for killing flood or big points for infecting a human. The player with the most points wins."

New rankings:
The highest rankings are now Killpocalypse and Killionaire, instead of Double Kill and Triple Kill.

A reference to a map editor has also been found, a returning feature from Halo 2.

The information has since been removed from the forum in question.

Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena coming to the XBOX 360 and PS3!

Starbreeze has confirmed that it's working on a next-gen makeover of the Chronicles of Riddick for the XBOX 360 and PS3 called, "Assault on Dark Athena". 

Starbreeze is shooting for a late 07 release and the game will feature 50% more single-player content and will support online multiplayer.

Ubisoft CEO demands PS3 price cut!

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot seems a little concerned over the price of the PS3 and is demanding that Sony drop it's price or risk losing the console war to the XBOX 360 and Nintendo Wii.

"They have to decrease the price quite significantly" Guillemot said at the recent Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York.

It's a bit of no-brainer that lowering the cost of PS3 would make it more appealing to consumers, but we're still too waiting on the real killer games that'll make Sony's console a must-have. However, perhaps we'll see such in the 34 titles due to release for the machine in the coming year.

According to April's NPD numbers that were released yesterday, he has a point.  Not only is the PS3 being obliterated in sales, Sony's cheaper PS2 barely outsold the XBOX 360.

Source: Computerandvideogames.com!

Another day 5/17/07!

Today's stories:

1. April's NPD numbers are in and Sony must be freakin out by now! 
2. Microsoft has a zero tolerance policy for modded 360's! 
3. Halo 3 beta "Three ways to Play" promotion causing some problems. 
4. Is MGS4 being prepped for the 360 just in case? 
5. Halo 3 Zune details surface! Square Enix announces The Last Remnant for the XBOX 360 and PS3! 
6. Microsoft squashes Blue Ray support rumors! 
7. Kia uses PGR3 as a PS3 game in promotion!

April's NPD numbers are in and Sony must be freakin out by now!

April 2007 vs. March 2007

Nintendo DS: 471,000 vs. 508,000

PlayStation 2: 194,000 vs. 280,000

Wii: 360,000 vs. 259,000

Xbox 360: 174,000 vs. 199,000

Game Boy Advance: 84,000 vs. 148,000

PlayStation 3: 82,000 vs. 130,000

PSP: 183,000 vs. 180,000

GameCube: 13,000 vs. 22,000

Microsoft has a zero tolerance policy for modded 360's!

I'm not sure what has caused Major Nelson and Gamerscoreblog to post about modded XBOX 360's and their zero tolerance towards people cheating.  Something tells me that the XBOX LIVE team has detected an influx of modded 360's logging in to the Halo 3 beta and have decided to release the following statement:

Keeping Xbox LIVE Fair

One of the great things about LIVE and the unified community is that we work hard to create a level playing field for all gamers and have a no tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior like hacking or cheating. As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to LIVE. This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the large majority of gamers that play by the rules. This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta. As a result, some consumers that try to login to LIVE who we detect have illegally modified their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE, but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified.

We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users.

Remember kiddies, this isn't Halo 2 on the original XBOX, Microsoft can detect this shit now so fuck you and your modded 360's!

Halo 3 beta "Three ways to Play" promotion causing some problems.

Some people that were selected for the "Three ways to play" promotion that Bungie was running are saying that they haven't received their codes to get in to the beta.  Today, Bungie's very own Sketch Factor put up a statement on the Bungie website hoping to clear this whole issue up:

Thousands of lucky gamers around the world won their way into the Halo 3 beta via the “3 ways to play” Microsoft sweepstakes earlier this year. Beta access codes were sent out to everyone on Wednesday 5/16 but we understand that apparently not everyone has received that mail. However, the majority of winners did received a mail and are playing Halo 3 right now. The only explanation we have is that many people likely had the mail blocked by their ISP or they ended up in a junk mail or spam folder. The first thing you should do is check to see if the mail was intercepted and might be buried in your inbox somewhere.

Microsoft is going to send out beta codes one more time to everyone who won at 3pm PDT today.
This will be coming from the email alias  halo3beta@microsoft.com. Please keep an eye out for this mail. This is a second mailing and is NOT a new code. Anyone who originally received a mail the first time can disregard – this is the same code you already have.  The original mail was sent from halo3beta@bungie.com. This is the same mail, different alias.
We understand many of you have been waiting and hopefully this secondary mailing will clear things up. If you still do not receive your code, you are advised to contact Xbox Support – unfortunately there isn't anything we (Bungie) can personally do to assist you. Once the Xbox support team verifies your identity, they will attempt to retrieve your code for you.

Is MGS4 being prepped for the 360 just in case?

Let's just say theoretically speaking, that Konami poked it's head in Kojima's office and said, "we have decided to go multiplatform so tell your guys to get-a-portin", how much work would have to be done? and is Kojima productions making sure that the current build of the game would work on the 360 just in case this scenario went down? according to 1UP's latest pod-cast, Kojima Productions is thinking PS3 only.

"I can tell you honestly at this point, we have not changed the game in any form with the idea of 'oh, we got to do this on 360.' Put aside whether or not we're developing for 360 or not, the game is built on the PS3 hardware, as you guys have known for the past two years or so."

Interesting but I am not convinced that MGS4 is going to stay exclusive to the PS3.  With Microsoft's money and installed user base it only makes financial sense to go multiplatform and since Konami is 3rd party, nothing is guaranteed and I am willing to bet the farm that Shane Kim is on the horn to Konami daily.

MGS4 will be announced for the 360 at E3, you watch!

Halo 3 Zune details surface!

Some more info has surfaced about the Halo 3 Zune that will go on sale June 16th. 

For starters, the special edition Halo 3 Zune will only be sold at Gamestop and will come pre loaded with the entire Halo soundtrack, concept and story board art along with the Halo 3 starry night trailer.

Square Enix announces The Last Remnant for the XBOX 360 and PS3!

Today Square Enix officially announced, "The Last Remnant"  their Unreal Engine 3 powered RPG for the XBOX 360 and PS3 that will be released simultaneously in Japan and the U.S.

Company's First Next Generation, Multiplatform RPG to be Released Simultaneously in Japan and North America

LONDON (17th May, 2007) – Square Enix, Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix), a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software and services, announced today its first next generation multiplatform title, THE LAST REMNANTTM. Revealed at a press event held in Tokyo before the company’s "Square Enix Party 2007," held on May 12 and 13 at Makuhari Messe, the new game is planned for release on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360TM. THE LAST REMNANT is positioned to take on the world, with a simultaneous release in Japan and North America and a European release planned.

THE LAST REMNANT is a completely original RPG title, taking advantage of the power of next-generation hardware to build a lush, realtime fantasy world. Making full use of the power of Epic Games' flexible middleware solution, Unreal® Engine 3, Square Enix can now achieve simultaneous development on multiple platforms.

The game's battle system has been carefully crafted to deliver a brand-new experience for gamers, as they control forces in massive battles between up to seventy different units at once. Today's press conference also featured a demonstration of the game, showing off the dynamic world and sprawling landscapes of THE LAST REMNANT.

About THE LAST REMNANT

PRODUCT SUMMARY
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360 (Multiplatform)
Release: TBA (Simulatneous in Japan and North America)

Microsoft squashes Blue Ray support rumors!

There has been a rumor circulating that Microsoft would put out a Blue Ray player add-on for the XBOX 360 and stop supporting HD DVD if they feel that Blue Ray is winning the format war. 

Today, Microsoft's very own Gamerscoreblog.com released a statement that completely takes a shit on this rumor:

'Just want to clear up a few things surrounding several erroneous stories regarding alleged comments from Peter Moore about Xbox 360 supporting Blu-ray.  Simply put...These reports are completely incorrect.

Some online media outlets have picked up this story and are citing Internet speculation of an alleged Associated Press story that does not exist, along with comments taken out of context from a story in ITmedia that appeared back in January.   This information is being reported as news and as a result of a recent interview, neither of which are true.

In an interview with ITmedia back at CES in January of this year, Peter said Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers’ needs, allowing Microsoft to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by the offering of the HD DVD Player as an accessory.

It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. We firmly stand behind the HD DVD format as the best choice for consumers.   Current reports indicating that Microsoft has a back-up plan, which includes Blu-ray support are incorrect.  We’re fully committed to HD DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats.

That's it.

Later,

FightinSunDevil

There you have it folks!

Kia uses PGR3 as a PS3 game in promotion!

I love it when these things happen because it appears that nobody is paying attention and this time it's the Korean car manufacturer Kia. There is promotion running in Kia's Spanish website that compares driving a Kia to an Enzo Ferrari on the PS3.  Now I have to admit, it is a pretty funny add but the picture clearly shows PGR3 on the XBOX 360, maybe the add should have said, driving a Kia is like driving an Enzo Ferrari on the XBOX 360.

One would simply call this a mistake made my Kia but Sony had to approve this add or view it before it was run because Kia can't run add's with PS3's in them without Sony knowing about it, am I wrong on this? maybe I am.

Another day 4/16/07! (Halo 3 beta)

Today's stories: (Halo 3 beta edition)

1. Microsoft extends the Halo 3 Beta by 4 extra days! 
2. Bungie says 3-6 hours before Crackdown owners can play! 
3. Hudson confirms Bomberman for XBLA! 
4. Peter Moore compares the PS3 to the Dreamcast! 
5. Red VS Blue Halo 3 beta PSA! 
6. Halo 3 drops Sept 25th! 

Microsoft extends the Halo 3 Beta by 4 extra days!

Microsoft extended the Halo 3 beta by 4 days do to the delay that the Crackdown owners went through today and I think that is a pretty cool move if you ask me.

The following is from Major Nelson:

Given the circumstances today, we will be extending the duration of the "Halo 3" multiplayer beta from June 6 to June 10, 11:59 PM PDT.

I would like to thank Major Nelson for shutting these nay sayers up for thinking that Bungie and Microsoft don't care about the fans!

Bungie says 3-6 hours before Crackdown owners can play!

We're happy to finally announce that the issues being faced with the Halo 3 beta and Crackdown will be resolved shortly. The Microsoft team has found a solution and it's undergoing final testing now.
Assuming the test pass goes according to plan, the fix will come in the form of a Crackdown title update within the next three to six hours.

We understand many of you were eagerly awaiting your chance to jump into the Halo 3 Beta and this technical issue has put a damper on your plans. Thankfully the fix is incoming and we're sincerely sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Ultimately we hope this will all soon be a distant memory once you pick up the Spartan Laser, launch yourself from a Mancannon and enjoy online shenanigans with your friends.

As a reminder, people who already have the Halo 3 Beta are unaffected by this issue. We'll keep you posted as soon as we have more information.

Source: Bungie.net!

Hudson confirms Bomberman for XBLA!

The following is a press release from Hudson Entertainment:

BOMBERMAN EXPLODES ONTO XBOX LIVE® ARCADE!

REDWOOD SHORES, CA - May16, 2007 - Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they are releasing the all-new Bomberman Live for Xbox LIVE® Arcade - the premier destination for digitally distributed, high definition original and classic games. Retaining classic gameplay elements while adding 8-person online multiplayer, full character customization, and gorgeous high-definition graphics, the game is expected to launch worldwide in Summer 2007.

Fans can now compete with the best Bomberman players worldwide, as Bomberman Live delivers frantic 8-player online. Fans can also play with their friends in 4-player local action on one system. In addition, Bomberman Live features new character customizations, which allow players to personalize their Bomberman from 10,000 possible combinations. Bomberman Live offers gamers the chance to finally prove that they're the best Bomberman player in the world.

"This has been one of our most requested games, our fans have been clamoring for it, and we are thrilled to finally be able to deliver the game they want" said John Greiner, President of Hudson Entertainment. "As our flagship series, Bomberman has been hailed as the best multiplayer game ever created. Now that Xbox LIVE® Arcade delivers a truly worldwide multiplayer gaming platform, we can at last bring to market a Bomberman game that represents our long-term vision of the brand."

About Bomberman:

Originally launched in the US in 1987, the game captured gamers' hearts with its simple yet challenging gameplay. With over 60 iterations on nearly all major consoles since then, and over 10 million units sold, winning accolades as the best multiplayer game of all time, this classic game has stood the test of time. The overall design appeals to gamers of all ages, and to both men and women. The game is simple enough: from a top-down perspective, you compete against other players in a grid-like arena. Your only weapon is a bomb, which you can drop to clear out obstacles or to knock out your opponents. Players can pick up upgrades, which become available when they clear obstacles, to increase their chances of winning. The game is fun, yet frantic, and brings out the most competitive spirit in all of us!

About Hudson Entertainment, Inc.

Hudson Entertainment is the North American publishing arm of Hudson Soft, an international provider of games and entertainment content founded in 1973. Hudson introduced best-selling classic videogame franchises including Bomberman, Bonk, and Super Adventure Island. Since 2000, Hudson's mobile division has been a leading supplier of games and personalized content. Through their partnership with The Source and Death Row Records, Hudson is a leading provider of hip-hop ring tones and mobile content.

For more information on Hudson Entertainment, please visit www.hudsonent.com.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hudson Entertainment and Hudson Soft are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Hudson Soft. Bomberman is a registered trademark of Hudson Soft.

###

Achievements:

Completely Unstoppable! (10)
Win 5 XBox Live matches (4 players or more) in a row

Exterminator (10)
Win 15 local matches against the computer (3 or more computer players)

Paint the town red! (10)
Win a local Zombie Match (?) against 2+ computer players

The Name's Bomb, Dangerous Bomb (10)
Blow up 3 computer players at the same time

Totally bombed! (10)
Win a local match against 3 or more computer players after you occupied a Revenge Super cart.

The Bomb! (15)
Win 30 Xbox live games.

You die so good! (15)
Score 25 frags in Most Frags mode on Xbox live.

Joy of Painting with Bomberman (20)
Cover 130 or more panels in a 3+ player Zombie Match against the computer.

The Good, The Bad and The Bombed (20)
While wearing a complete cowboy outfit, frag another cowboy player over Xbox Live.

Did I just win... AGAIN?! (25)
Win 10 successive matches in Ranked Tournament.

Girl Power! (25)
Win a 'girls only" match against 4 or more players while wearing a complete female outfit.

EXTREME MAKEOVER! (30)
Collect 60 Costume Balls.

Peter Moore compares the PS3 to the Dreamcast!

In a recent interview with Next-gen.biz, Peter Moore made an interesting comment when asked about the current state of the PS3.

He shakes his head, almost mournfully. Obviously, he’s thoroughly enjoying himself, but he hides it well. “I’ve walked a mile in those shoes,” he says. “I’m digging up my tortured past here, but remember Dreamcast?” And there it is. PlayStation 3 is Dreamcast. How delicious is that?”

Moore was president and COO of SEGA of America until 2003 when Microsoft picked him up and appointed him as corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division of Microsoft Corp. 

Go Peter go!

Red VS Blue Halo 3 beta PSA!

Halo 3 drops Sept 25th!

Bungie has just announced that Halo 3 will drop September 25th.  Ok I gotta run, I have the beta to play.

"Halo 3 is much more than a video game release; it's the biggest entertainment event of the year," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, who, if you remember, said essentially the same thing about Halo 2 when it released three years ago. "On September 25, we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come."

Another day 5/15/07!

Today's stories:

1. Medal of Honor Airborne is looking better everyday! 
2. Sony to report a billion dollar loss last quarter! 
3. The creator of Parapa the Rapper says the poor sales of the PS3 in Japan is do to it's size! 
4. The first XBOX 360 Elite commercial! 
5. Final Fantasy XI Wings of the Goddess announced! 
6. XBOX 360 HD DVD player auto update now available!

Medal of Honor Airborne is looking better everyday!

Sony to report a billion dollar loss last quarter!

When the XBOX launched back in 2001 Microsoft has lost about 1 billion dollars every year, but when the company as a whole makes billions in profit each year it becomes a little less problematic. 

Bill Gates has the know how and money to operate a successful business and when I say money, I mean money (lots of it).  In business there is a saying that goes: you have to spend money to make money and Microsoft knows this that's why they operate at a deficit to eventually make money and it looks like Microsoft's game division will start turning a profit next year considering their losses were way down from last year not to mention a game called Halo 3 is on the horizon. 

Sony's Playstation brand has been a cash cow for the company for over 10 years and it's fanboy's have always thrown jabs at the XBOX brand for how much money it looses by saying: Microsoft should ditch the XBOX because it's a failure, it never makes money.  Well it looks like these fanboys just might be eating their own words. 

According to an article on Gamespot.com, Bloomberg is predicting Sony to report a billion dollar loss last quarter, not last year but last quarter no thanks to the PS3.  I'm sorry but that is absolutely staggering, Sony is not as big of a company as Microsoft so they cannot continue that trend and I wonder how much they would have lost if it wasn't for the shit load of PS2's sold.

Sony is in a situation where they can't lower the price of the PS3 because if they do then they will lose more money but if they don't then they will sell less PS3's, boy I would hate to be in their shoes.

Sony is expected to report its quarterly earnings tomorrow, and a group of analysts are bracing for bad numbers, according to a Bloomberg.com report. The financial news site obtained predictions of Sony's quarterly results from 11 industry analysts, and the group's median estimates for the electronics giant were a company-wide loss of 75.8 billion yen ($630 million), with revenues up 9.5 percent to 2.02 trillion yen ($16.8 billion).

As for the culprit behind those projected losses, they appear to be due to the game division and then some. Bloomberg said responses from five of the analysts pegged Sony's game group as posting a quarterly loss of 121 billion yen ($1 billion), completely wiping out expected profits from the rest of the company's divisions. The gaming business more than offset gains from Bravia HDTVs and the box office performance of Spider-Man 3, according to the report.

The creator of Parapa the Rapper says the poor sales of the PS3 in Japan is do to it's size!

Dailytech.com is reporting that the Japanese market doesn't care for large consoles and that the reason the PS3 is selling so poorly in Japan. Masaya Matsuura, the creator of Parapa the Rapper says that the the size of the original XBOX was the reason it failed in Japan:

When it comes to the Japanese market, the size of your equipment matters. One of the common complaints and cited reasons for the original Xbox’s failure is the large form factor of the console. Japanese consumers complained that the machine was too large to fit in nicely inside their homes.

According to Masaya Matsuura, designer of the original PaRappa the Rapper, the PlayStation 3 is suffering from the same problem of size. “It's too big for the Japanese,” he said GamesIndustry.biz in an interview at the Nordic Game conference.

I think the Japanese need to realize that the more powerful the consoles get the larger they will get.  Microsoft and Sony would love to make a system as small as the Wii but the smaller you make it the more expensive it wil be so unless the Japanese want $1,500 consoles they are just going to have to deal with it.

The first XBOX 360 Elite commercial!

Final Fantasy XI Wings of the Goddess announced!

Square-Enix has announced an expansion pack to Final Fantasy XI called Wings of the Goddess, the expansion is scheduled to be released this winter.  So far the details are few and far between but when asked if the Final Fantasy MMO will be ported to the PS3, series director Koichi Ogawa responded by saying no.  Apparently it would take 4 to 5 years to port the game to another console and it takes over a year alone just to add other languages.

"It took us around a year and a half to add German and French translations to the game as it was only ever designed to display Japanese and English. Sadly we don't have the time to do the same localisation job for Spanish and Italian users as there simply aren't enough subscribers from those regions."

[Source] Eurogamer.com

XBOX 360 HD DVD player auto update now available!

The following comes via Majornelson.com:

If you have an Xbox 360 HD DVD player, you’ll be prompted for an auto update the next time you watch an HD DVD movie (and your are signed into Xbox Live.) 
Here are some improvements you’ll notice after the update:

Added option for user to select from the following audio output formats via TOSLINK or HDMI:
o    Digital Stereo (2 channel PCM)
o    Dolby Digital 5.1
o    DTS 5.1
o    WMA Pro
Added "Dynamic Range Control" toggle for digital audio output
Improved HD DVD networking support
Improved HD DVD title compatibility
Improved performance with MPEG-4 AVC / H.264
1080p via HDMI is supported on the Xbox 360 Elite with HDCP compliant displays
Improved parental controls
If you don’t have access to Xbox Live, this update will be available for download from Xbox.com later this week.

Another day 5/14/07!

I have decided to wrap it up a little early today, that's if 7:00 AM-5:15 PM is early. 

Today's Stories:

1. XBOX 360 HD DVD player update tomorrow! 
2. Prince of Persia headed to XBLA with Sands of Time graphics! 
3. Microsoft's top lawyer reveals the company's plan to sue Linux out of the market! 
4. Halo 3 beta gameplay modes! 
5. Halo 3 offers the "Cheneymania" award! 
6. XBLA game Aegis Wing will be free! 
7. Miyamoto VS Bungie round 1! 
8. Bullet witch content now available! 
9. Eternal Sonata demo is now LIVE for the Japanese market! (But the US has access to, ssshhhhhh)

XBOX 360 HD DVD player update tomorrow!

Amir Majidimehr, the corporate vice president of Microsoft's Consumer Media Technology Group, announced on the AVS Forum that a software update for the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player is scheduled for release tomorrow:

It is my pleasure to let you all know that the HD DVD udpate for Xbox 360 is slated for release on 5/15 (i.e. tomorrow!). So when you wake up in the morning, you should be able to upgrade your software. And me free from telling you when are going to get it . Hope you all download it and provide feedback on what you think!

Prince of Persia headed to XBLA with Sands of Time graphics!

IGN.com got the exclusive first look at Prince of Persia for XBLA.  Prince of Persia classic has had a complete overhaul in the graphics but it maintains it's classic play and IGN sat down with the games producer Vincent Boiteau for an interview that you can read here.

The following comes via IGN.com:

May 14, 2007 - The original Prince of Persia on Apple II was arguably as important to the growth of platform gaming as Super Mario Bros. Xbox gamers will soon have a chance to decide for themselves if Prince of Persia is worthy of such acclaim. No specific date or pricing has been confirmed, however, expect Prince of Persia Classic to be added to the Xbox Live Arcade library soon. Developed by Gameloft, POP Classic takes the original game and gives it stunning graphics, some new enemies and a few unexpected twists.

We spoke with POP Classic Producer Vincent Boiteau about what is easily the most exciting XBLA release so far this year. Boiteau discusses what's changed, the new modes and the Achievements waiting to be unlocked.

[EDIT @ 8:20 P.M-video added]

Microsoft's top lawyer reveals the company's plan to sue Linux out of the market!

Actiontrip is reporting on a lawsuit that Microsoft plans on filing against Linux for violating over 230 patents:

Microsoft's top lawyer reveals the company's plan to sue Linux out of the market for snatching its patents. According to a Q&A, conducted by Fortune magazine, Brad Smith claims that "free and open-source software violates more than 230 of Microsoft's patents. The Linux kernel violates 42 Microsoft patents, while its user interface and other design elements infringe on a further 65."

He added: "Open Office.org is accused of infringing 45, along with 83 more in other free and open-source programs."

Wow, it looks like Linux is fucked!

Halo 3 beta gameplay modes!

Halo 3 offers the "Cheneymania" award!

It looks like the guys over at Bungie has a sense of humor and it really show's with one of the badges you can earn in a Halo 3 multiplayer match.  If you get 10 consecutive kills without dying with the shotgun, you will have earned yourself the "Cheneymania" badge.  And just incase you don't get the joke, click here and you will soon find it very humorous.

XBLA game Aegis Wing will be free!

It was announced last Friday that Soltrio Solitaire will be this Wed XBLA game.  This morning Microsoft has announced that there will be another game for this Wed for free and the game is called Aegis Wing which was developed over the Summer by a couple of Microsoft employees.

• Amazing environmental art
• Full symphonic soundtrack
• Up to four-player simultaneous cooperative multiplayer gameplay, either locally on the same Xbox 360 console or over Xbox LIVE*
• Ability to attach your ship to your wingmen’s spacecraft to gain the “turret” ability and increase the firepower of the Super Weapons
• Four Super Weapons: the Hades Beam (wreaks total destruction), the Gorgon Burst (wipes out incoming fire and disables enemy spacecraft with an electromagnetic pulse), the Arcus Missile (a heat-seeking missile) and the Lambda Shield (deflects incoming fire back at enemies)
• Six epic missions and several memorable boss encounters to fight through

Miyamoto VS Bungie round 1!

You may remember last week when Shigeru Miyamoto said that he could make Halo but he chooses not to:

"I could make Halo. It's not that I couldn't design that game. It's just that I choose not to. One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play."

Well, I didn't think this would happen but Bungie's own Frank O Conner actually responded to Miyamoto's comment in a interview with Joystiq:

"Yeah, well. I just want to go on the record and say that Bungie is hard at work on a side-scrolling platform game featuring some plumbers -- I'm not going to say what their ethnicity is, it's none of anyone's business -- but we took that as a gauntlet, a sort of glove slap, and we're going to respond in 2D scrolling style. That's all I'm saying."

Miyamoto isn't known for stirring things up like this, he is a quiet guy that everyone seems to like.

Bullet witch content now available!

Why in the hell is there new content for a shitty game like Bullet Witch that nobody plays yet there has been no new maps for games like F.E.A.R.?  One will never know. 

Name: Dawn in the Valley Extra Edition
Price: 20 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details:A new version of the stage "Dawn in the Valley".

Name: One Shot Kill
Price: 20 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details:Make it to the goal area without taking a single hit from the enemy!

Name: Dawn in the Valley Great spells unlocked
Price: 20 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details:The restrictions on all great magic spells have been unlocked.

Name: Secretary Costume
Price: 20 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details:Eyes like gun barrels hidden behind glasses.

Eternal Sonata demo is now LIVE for the Japanese market! (But the US has access to, ssshhhhhh)

This morning, Microsoft put up a demo on the Japanese XBL marketplace of Eternal Sonata but for some reason the US has access to the demo as well.  Is it a mistake that has yet to be rectified and the LIVE team is working on it? or do they not know about it yet? whatever the reason you better download it now before it disappears.

[UPDATE @11:55 AM]

I made a mistake by saying that you could simply download it with your region set to U.S and that's not the case.  There is a simple work around that you have to do that Microsoft wont condone.  Needless to say, 1UP.com has posted this simple work around:

1UP can confirm that, while this is not a practice Microsoft would condone, if the XBL profile you're using has its region set to Japan (regardless of whether you actually live there), you will be able to download this demo. Thousands of miles removed from the "Land of the Rising Sun," we were able to download the English-language demo for Eternal Sonata as a scientific experiment; a successful one to boot. And once it is on your Xbox 360, you can switch back to your regular profile and play the game. Erm, not that Microsoft wants any of us doing this... but you can for now.

Frontlines: Fuel of War delayed!

THQ has announced in a press release that "Frontlines: Fuel of War" is being pushed back to early 08:

We have selected a January 2008 launch window for our new open-world shooter, Frontlines," he revealed during a postearnings analyst call. The game had been slated for release on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 later this year, and is one of several original IPs the publisher is carefully scheduling.

I would say that is a very smart move, with the release of Halo 3 and GTA 4 you are pretty much wasting your time releasing a game in the same time as those 2 juggernauts.

Games for the week of 5/14/07!

1. Marvel Ultimate Alliance (gold)

Ships-5/15/07

Created by Raven Software, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance GOLD EDITION lets players control the biggest, most powerful Super Hero alliance the world has ever known. Choose from heroes like Spider-Man™, Wolverine™, The Incredible Hulk™ and Captain America™, to form and customize a four-member strike force. Then partner, battle and interact with more than 140 characters from the entire Marvel™ universe.

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

2. Shrek the 3rd

Ships-5/15/07

Save Far Far Away as you adventure as Shrek® and his friends on a quest from the movie and beyond in this hilarious twisted fairy tale. Play as your favorite characters and new friends from the movie each with unique abilities and outlandish moves. Journey through classic locations like Far Far Away, plus explore all new environments in the Shrek® universe. Battle a cast of all-new villains including bosses like the huge Ice Dragon, the musical Captain Hook and the devious Prince Charming.