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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.

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  • 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:

     

    Sega: Virtua Fighter 5 is still due out in summer!

    Last week rumors started circulating that Virtua Fighter 5 for the XBOX 360 has been delayed until late fall early winter. 

    According to Eurogamer.net, they received confirmation from Sega, that Virtua Fighter 5 is still on track for a summer release:

    Sega has told Eurogamer this afternoon that, as far as it's concerned, Virtua Fighter 5 on Xbox 360 is still due out in summer.

    It was speaking in the aftermath of various retailers changing their dates to later in the year. US outfit Gamestop has pushed its forecast back to October, while UK-based GAME reckons we'll see it in November. But both Play.com and Amazon.co.uk believe it's 28th September that the game will be released. Which is somewhat confusing.

    Another day 5/30/07!

    Today's Stories:

    1. Call of Duty 3 Bravo map pack drops tomorrow! 
    2. Hour of Victory demo is now LIVE! 
    3. Microsoft unveils "Microsoft Surface"! 
    4. Halo 3 beta reveals pistols, swords, 200% speed and Wraiths! 
    5. Bungie comments on the much talked about graphics in the Halo 3 beta! 

    Wednesday, May 30, 2007

    Call of Duty 3 Bravo map pack drops tomorrow!

    Just a reminder for all of you die hard Call of Duty 3 fans out there.  Tomorrow, Treyarch is releasing the Bravo map pack for 800 points or $10. 

    That should tide everyone over until Call of Duty 4 right? probably not but hey, it's nice to see developers showing their games and fans some love unlike some games that will go un-named. (F.E.A.R.)

    Hour of Victory demo is now LIVE!

    Name: Hour of Victory Demo
    Price: Free
    Availability: Not available in Asia
    Dash Details: Play the highly anticipated demo for WWII action shooter, Hour of Victory.
    Size: 937.6 MB (approx)

    Microsoft unveils "Microsoft Surface"!

    I can't even express myself fully when it comes to Microsoft's new table PC.  It is, hands down, one of the most amazing pieces of technology that I have ever seen, I had no idea that this kind of technology was possible.  This is something I would expect to see 20-30 years down the road.

    Halo 3 beta reveals pistols, swords, 200% speed and Wraiths!

    Apparently a bunch of geek's were able to unlock a shit load of items in a custom gametype in the Halo 3 beta. 

    A group of guys who call themselves, "Project Mod Studios" are able to play games with 200% speed, pistols, low gravity, swords and wraiths. 

    One thing that really stands out in this video is that the Wraith in Halo 3 can hold 2 people.  One drives and fires the main cannon while the passenger can fire a turret.

    Bungie comments on the much talked about graphics in the Halo 3 beta!

    I have been having a lot of fun with the Halo 3 beta, so much so I can barely wait for the final build of the game to come out this Sept. 

    Some of you out there can't have fun, you are too busy nit picking at the graphics and ignoring that little line of text at the bottom of the screen that says, "BETA BUILD".

    Well, for all you haters out there, Bungie's very own Frankie decided to comment on what people have been saying about the graphics:

    Multiplayer is by necessity a more sterile iteration of our graphical style and will always be tuned for performance and elegance rather than jamming the screen full of pixels. We think that the final aesthetic look of our game will be judged at launch in September and in part based on the more intense single player spaces. We're also focused on maintaining the Halo character and atmosphere in our visual design - we're competing with ourselves, and not simply trying to match the aesthetic of other games. We think that folks will be happy with Halo 3's graphical polish come September.

    Tuesday, May 29, 2007

    Another day 5/29/07!

    I thought I would get to my final post before I go to bed, granted, I should have done it hours ago but I have been playing the Forza 2 demo with my wheel setup for hours.  I figured I would tide myself over with the demo before I finally get my hands on the final game tomorrow, I CAN'T WAIT!

    Today's stories:

    1. Bungie adds 2V2 and ranked Big Team Battle! 
    2. PS3 feels left out! (Funny comic) 
    3. Mad Tracks comes to XBLA this WED! 
    4. Halo 3 beta: Escort gametype with pistol was found and played! 
    5. UT3 finally has a release date for the XBOX 360 and PC! 
    6. Destructoid claims to have confirmation of MGS4 coming to the 360! 

    Bungie adds 2V2 and ranked Big Team Battle!

    I know I am a little late posting this but I noticed yesterday after a few matches of Halo 3 that when I went to change my gametype I noticed a few changes that weren't there 5 minutes earlier.

    The following comes VIA Bungie.net:

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    Last week  in the Halo 3 Beta, we ushered Big Team Training into the fold and this week we're launching a ranked version of Big Team action. Additionally, we've added a nouveau classique to the Matchmaking Playlist -- Double Team Training. In Double Team Training, players will pair off and square off in 2v2 games of the Slayer and Skirmish variety. In case you've lost track of the Playlists during the truffle shuffle of adjustments and tweaks we've been making, here's the current breakdown:

    Social Matches

    • Big Team Training
    • Double Team Training
    • Team Training
    Ranked Matches
    • Team Slayer
    • Big Team Battle
    • Rumble Pit

    PS3 feels left out! (Funny comic)

    I'm not even going to go in to detail about this fine piece, it just kind of speaks for itself.

    Mad Tracks comes to XBLA this WED!

    The following comes VIA Gamerscoreblog.com:

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    3D racing party game Mad Tracks will be available for download  beginning Wednesday, May 30, at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. Pacific Time).

    From the media alert just posted:

    Players can race through 15 challenges consisting of nine mini-games and six different races behind the wheel of one of 12 sleek compact cars. “Mad Tracks,” from Load Inc., features 12 power-ups to keep engines revved up and players in the fast lane ahead of the competition.

    “Mad Tracks” will be available worldwide (with the exception of Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

    Game Features

    • 15 distinct challenges (6 races & 9 mini-games) provide a full-fledged racing game experience
    • 12 stackable power-ups (rockets, freezer, oil drop, EMP and more!)
    • 12 sleek looking cars to choose from
    • 4 player multiplayer over Xbox LIVE and 4 player local multiplayer via split screen mode
    • Championship mode & Arcade mode
    • 2 free gamer pictures
    • Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

    Halo 3 beta: Escort gametype with pistol was found and played!

    A YouTube user by the name of Chaosdude78 was able to unlock and play a gametype called "Escort" in the Halo 3 beta.  Not only did he play a gametype that isn't supposed to be playable in the beta, he was also able to use the pistol that has until this video not been seen in the beta. 

    This is most likely a gametype that Bungie will make playable pretty soon but this guy was able to unlock it by accident.

    UT3 finally has a release date for the XBOX 360 and PC!

    For the longest time, Unreal Tournament 3 has had a release date of "TBA" but as of today, EB Games and many other's has updated it's release date for Unreal Tournament 3 for the XBOX 360 and PC. 

    September 3rd 2007 is the date that Epic plans to release their latest in the Unreal franchise with sometime in 2008 for the PS3 version.

    I like how Unreal 3 was first announced for the PS3 at E3 2005, yet there is still no release date for the PS3 version.  maybe Sony should rename the PS3 to the Delaystation, I think it would be fitting.

    Destructoid claims to have confirmation of MGS4 coming to the 360!

    Boy, if what Destructoid is reporting to be true than it will turn the Playstation community on it's head.  Destructoid.com claims to have confirmation that MGS4 is coming to the XBOX 360 and is currently a timed exclusive for the PS3.

    This news was first leaked over the weekend by a Swedish gaming publication, of all places.  It is only a matter of time before Konami blows the lid off of this and I wouldn't be surprised if that would be today.

    Monday, May 28, 2007

    Halo 3 source code reveals detailed armor customization features!

    Most people play the Halo 3 beta for fun and to get a little taste of what the final game is going to be.  While others play for fun as well, they also pick it apart trying to find some secrets.

    7th Columnist has stumbled upon some source code that appears to reveal some character customization features that are going to let people really go crazy when it comes to making their character special and different.

    As we continue the search through the source files of the Halo 3 beta more and more interesting and revealing information keeps popping up.

    Today we see new evidence of further customization options of multiplayer characters, beyond that of different models like Spartan or Elite (as in Halo 2) and colour and emblem changes (seen in the beta so far) and instead, the exciting possibility of varying armour types and the ability for users to mix and match.

    Cobra, Intruder, Ninja and Regulator seem to be new armour types available for Spartan use in multiplayer, with the standard default Mjolnir selectable of course too. What’s interesting is that seperate armour parts are listed for each of these new types also. Helmet, left and ride shoulders, and body are all listed seperately suggesting players will be able to mix and match parts essentially building their own Spartan. This has been semi-hinted at before and Spartans with different coloured shoulder plates and helmets were spotted in the last Bungie released Vidoc.

    It doesn’t end with Spartan models types though as similar listings are included for Elite use. Fewer options than the Chief, Elite players are offered the choice of new Predator or Raptor types, or the standard default.

    While we expect the differences to be subtle and purely cosmetic, we can’t begin to express how awesome the possibilities are. Colours and emblems are great and all, but me…? I want some of that Cobra armour now!

    Sunday, May 27, 2007

    Big sale at EB Games/GameStop!

    EB Games/GameStop is running a sale right now that is good through the 17th of June where select items are 25-50% off.

    Below are a few items that you can pick up at a bargain price.

    Xbox 360:
    FEAR - $33.34
    Condemned: Criminal Origins - $19.99
    Quake 4 - $14.99
    Chromehounds - $22.49                                                                    
    XBOX 360 universal remote - $9.99

    Xbox:
    Destroy All Humans - $9.99
    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2nd Edition - $14.99
    Soul Calibur 2 - $4.99
    SSX 3 - $9.99