Tavdogg.com

E3 Resident Evil 5 trailer!

2007-07-11T08:17:00.001-07:00

E3 Halo 3 campaign trailer!

2007-07-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

E3 Halo Wars trailer

2007-07-11T08:04:00.001-07:00

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

2007-07-06T16:48:00.001-07:00

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

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

Source: Totalvideogames.com

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

2007-07-06T15:11:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

Source: Bungie.net.

New Turok "Carnage" gameplay!

2007-07-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

UTIII will feature 3-4 dozen maps!

2007-07-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

The following info comes via Teamxbox.com:

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

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

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

MOH Airborne has been delayed for the PS3!

2007-07-06T14:44:00.001-07:00

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

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

Today, though, EA revealed that the trailer's release date only applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. Tucked inconspicuously away at the bottom of the announcement that Lost composer Michael Giacchino would score the forthcoming World War II shooter was official word that the game would arrive "in November for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system." No explanation was given for the delay.
Much like the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Medal of Honor: Airborne follows a group of US paratroopers as they jump out of a perfectly good airplane and into Nazi-occupied Europe. As outlined in GameSpot's previous coverage, the game will feature several missions based on actual WWII battles, such as D-Day and Operation Varsity, the largest military airdrop in history. Each mission will begin with a parachute drop to a starting point of the player's choosing, and will then become a free-roaming action game.

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

VF5 for the XBOX 360 to support online play.

2007-07-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

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

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

Microsoft admits problem by an open letter from Peter Moore!

2007-07-06T09:10:00.001-07:00

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

To our Xbox Community:
You've spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we've not been doing a good enough job.
Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console.
The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it's something I take very seriously.
We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.
We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.
As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge—including shipping—for three years from the console’s purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.
If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.
This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I've posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we'll update it over the next few days.
I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty.

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

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

2007-06-26T13:34:00.001-07:00

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

Source: Majornelson.com

(UPDATE)

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

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

2007-06-26T09:02:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

2007-06-25T13:59:00.001-07:00

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

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

Call of Duty 4 multiplayer video!

2007-06-25T13:34:00.001-07:00

Carcassonne is this WED XBLA title!

2007-06-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

The following is the press release from Gamerscoreblog.com:

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

Named after the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne in southern France, famed for its city walls, “Carcassonne” for Xbox LIVE Arcade starts with an empty landscape and a single square tile. Using strategic tactics and a little luck, one to five four players take turns selecting from 72 tiles displaying various features of a city including roads, the walls of a castle or fields. The medieval countryside thrives as players and their opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to accumulate the most points.
The rules of the game are easy with no elimination and fast gameplay – perfect for just about anyone! Although simple, devoted players will find layers of strategy that will keep them coming back for more. Combining a fresh visual experience and the opportunity to always have a playing partner, “Carcassonne” is the future for board game fanatics.
“Carcassonne” from Sierra Online is the Xbox LIVE Arcade edition of the hit multiplayer tile-based German board game of the same name, designed by Klaus-Jurgen. Shortly after its release in Germany in 2000, the board game won Spiel des Jahres in 2001, the European equivalent of a Game of the Year Award.
“Carcassonne” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.
Game Features

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

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

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

2007-06-22T13:50:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ships 6/25

Discover the real Hogwarts.

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

Hour of Victory

Ships 6/25

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

The Bigs

Ships 6/25

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

The Darkness

Ships 6/25

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

Transformers

Ships 6/25

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

Overlord

Ships 6/26

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

Ratatouille

Ships 6/26

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

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

Bioshock in action!

2007-06-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

XBOX LIVE has been ripped off!

2007-06-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

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

Click here to see for yourself!

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

2007-06-22T07:24:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

Lost Planet multiplayer map pack #3 is now available!

2007-06-21T13:22:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

Bungie interviews Todd McFarland

2007-06-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

Q: You came to visit Bungie to get a feel for the game – what were your impressions?
Todd McFarlane: You know what, I’m an artist/CEO and I have to wear both of those hats from time to time. When I came back [from the visit] I was telling people “I’ve been in a lot of places, it was the coolest set up I’ve ever been in.” If I could make my office work like that, I would. I wish I could. It looked like a big hangar and you could see everything from the time you get in. From an artistic point of view, you could see that it is a big, giant collaborative effort. I described it as ‘walking into a NASA center.’ It looks like you guys are building a bunch of nuclear stuff and then you can see guys getting into trouble, throwing paper airplanes, and goofing around.
Q: What’s the most important thing about recreating a licensed character, such as the Master Chief?
TM: Really, the number one thing for recreating any license is the accuracy of it. If you’re not getting it right, then you’ve got to do a lot of things to compensate to get it right. It’s tough to get past that first hurdle.
From our understanding, the third game is trying to broaden the audience a little bit more, and be more than a mature shooter – that can become a bunch of old guys playing after awhile. Although we’ve done some sophisticated looking toys, the mindset is to make these as accessible and affordable as possible. It’s easy to do $25 items and trick ‘em out, but you’re playing to a bit of an older demographic. But when you target a more diverse group of consumers, you have to make them more accessible in a number of ways.
Q: These figures are 4-6” tall, these are a bit smaller than Halo fans were used to with our previous toymaker. How did you guys select the sizes for the figures?
TM: Here’s what ends up happening: You’ve got two mainstreams that you can distribute toys through: Mass outlets and for lack of a better word, non-mass. The non-mass is easy; we’ve got that one locked down pretty well.
Over the last six to seven years, some companies that would’ve taken a decent amount of Halo product have changed and amalgamated, and the strong business of doing higher-end, specialty stuff isn’t there. Your next option is to try and sell a couple of those items at mass [market], but you’ll take a loss. So we, as toymakers have to find a balance.
We’ll end up making a wide variety of sizes and prices, but out of the chute we need to make it appeal to a 12-year-old newbie and 25-year-old player alike.
Q: What aspects of the Halo characters and universe appeal to you most?
TM: For me, I’m a big fan of fantasy, sci-fi and monsters, having badasses going to shoot some bad guys is pretty fun. And then in Halo they’re not shooting zombies or other humans, they are shooting these cool, alien creatures. I don’t think it’s by accident that movies like Aliens and Predator do well; you guys have the Brutes, Grunts and the Flood. Your universe allows us as toymakers to do all of the things we’re good at.
Q: Can you describe a little of the actual process that takes the figure from start to completion?
TM: Let’s walk through Halo, specifically:

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

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

Halo 3 achievements revealed!

2007-06-20T19:56:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

20 points

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

20 points

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

20 points

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

30 points

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

30 points

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

30 points

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

40 points

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

40 points

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

50 points

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

125 points

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

125 points

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

125 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

15 points

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

25 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

40 points

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

5 points

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

5 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

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

10 points

XBOX 360 collectors edition for Stranglehold!

2007-06-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

Call of Duty 4 in game footage!

2007-06-20T19:38:00.001-07:00

Microsoft unveils 1st party Halo 3 peripherals!

2007-06-12T14:11:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

2007-06-12T08:27:00.001-07:00

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

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

id Software unveils "id Tech 5" game engine!

2007-06-12T08:12:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

Sony want's they're own Major Nelson!

2007-06-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

"Our friends at Sony are now blogging. Check it out here.
Maybe a podcast is next?"

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

Spartans' face revealed!

2007-06-11T14:26:00.001-07:00

Prince of Persia is this WED XBLA title!

2007-06-11T11:27:00.001-07:00

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

In Ubisoft’s “Prince of Persia Classic,” gamers take on the role of the prince as he embarks on a mission to rescue the princess before she has to wed the wicked Jaffar – all of which must be accomplished in under 60 minutes! Jumping across platforms and avoiding traps, the prince must collect bottles of potions to keep his power bar charged as he duels enemies on his way to the princess.
“Prince of Persia Classic” is available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated T for Teen (Animated Blood and Violence).

Game Features

Enhanced character designs, animations and visuals
New traps, puzzles and enemies to tackle further augment the classic experience
12 Achievements will be available – ranging from the simple (finding the sword in the first level) to the near impossible (finding all the potions in the game or finishing the game without dying!)
The title will feature 3 different leaderboards:

Normal Mode: Complete the game as fast as possible, which saves at the end of each level
Time Attach Mode: Complete the game as fast as possible – but be prepared to start from the beginning if you fail to save the Princess in under 60 minutes
Survival Mode: Complete the entire game in under 60 minutes – without dying

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

2007-06-10T09:44:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

Hitler was a modder!

2007-06-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

Assassin's Creed drops in November!

2007-06-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

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

Ubisoft Announces Assassin’s Creed to Launch Worldwide November 2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007-06-05T20:42:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

New Small Arms content tomorrow!

2007-06-05T17:09:00.001-07:00

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

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

You can read the press release here!

Pac-Man championship edition hits LIVE tomorrow!

2007-06-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

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

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

WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA 2.0 bitches!

For more details, click here!

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

· Classic 2-D “Pac-Man” presentation with a new, modern look in HD
· Six new, timed game modes:
§ The Championship Mode. This is the main game mode designed by NAMCO BANDAI Games and Iwatani specifically for the championship round of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. This mode – as well as all others within the “Pac-Man Championship Edition” – features redesigned mazes with wide maze walls and a widescreen configuration to better enable high-speed game play. Timed limit of five minutes.
§ Challenge Mode 1 (Patience and Reward Course). This mode is an evolution of the Championship Mode. Patience mazes strategically offer fewer Power Pellets and Reward mazes provide a large number of Power Pellets – providing unique challenges and rewards for the player. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
§ Challenge Mode 2 (The Darkness Course). In this mode, only the area directly around Pac-Man and the Ghosts is visible and the maze walls are completely hidden. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
§ Extra Mode 1 (The Freeway Course). An extremely high-speed mode for advanced players, this mode features warp-speed Pac-Man and Ghosts and plenty of tunnels. Timed limit of five minutes.
§ Extra Mode 2 (The Manhattan Course). A mode inspired by the streets of Manhattan — the home for the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Timed limit of five minutes.
§ Extra Mode 3 (The Overall Course). A mix of all other modes resulting in extreme mazes for the most devout Pac-Man fans. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
· Xbox LIVE leaderboards, Achievements and Gamerscore
· Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
· Costs 800 MicrosoftPoints
· Available for download only on Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360 starting at 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) on Wednesday, June 6, 2007

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

2007-06-05T08:13:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

2007-06-04T13:47:00.001-07:00

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

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

2007-06-04T13:33:00.001-07:00

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

Teamxbox.com was the first to report on this:

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

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

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

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

2007-06-03T09:20:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007-06-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-06-02T09:44:00.001-07:00

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

Free Lost Planet map drops June 7th!

2007-06-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-06-01T14:41:00.001-07:00

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%!

2007-06-01T11:59:00.001-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another day 5/31/07!

2007-05-31T21:11:00.001-07:00

Today's stories:

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

2007-05-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

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?

2007-05-31T12:54:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-31T10:01:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-31T08:39:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-31T00:52:00.001-07:00

Today's Stories:

Call of Duty 3 Bravo map pack drops tomorrow!

2007-05-30T20:16:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-30T15:26:00.001-07:00

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"!

2007-05-30T13:42:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-30T09:01:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-30T08:26:00.001-07:00

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.

Another day 5/29/07!

2007-05-29T22:55:00.001-07:00

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:

Bungie adds 2V2 and ranked Big Team Battle!

2007-05-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

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)

2007-05-29T14:24:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

The following comes VIA Gamerscoreblog.com:

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

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!

2007-05-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-29T09:10:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

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.

Halo 3 source code reveals detailed armor customization features!

2007-05-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

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!

Big sale at EB Games/GameStop!

2007-05-27T20:03:00.001-07:00

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

XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 5/21/07!

2007-05-26T10:33:00.001-07:00

I have to admit, I am blown away that the Halo 3 beta wasn't #1 for last week.

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

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

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

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

Top 10 Weekly TV Titles
1 South Park (HD)
2 Comedy Central Stand Up
3 Taboo
4 Enterprise (HD)
5 Robot Chicken
6 Supernatural
7 Babylon 5
8 Aqua Teen Hunger Force
9 The Animatrix
10 Chappelle's Show: Uncensored

Famitsu gives Forza 2 a platinum award!

2007-05-26T10:00:00.001-07:00

With Forza Motorsports 2 scheduled to hit next week it was only a matter of time before the first review would pop up and the first one is a rewarding one to say the least.

Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has given Forza 2 the rare platinum rating. This is huge because it's a western made game reviewed by the Japanese, a market that Microsoft has had so much trouble penetrating.

"Kamikaze" Nagata: As it stands now, the ultimate racing game. No complaints about the variety of car types offered. Can micromanage the different assists, and it's good how that impacts your race bonus. Even beginners can get into the races. A lot of features aside from Xbox Live. 9/10
Yamamoto "Benki": Career mode lets you swap cars and mod them, which is very satisfying. There's plenty of options for cars, parts and settings. In the beginning it can be intimidating since the races are more in the realm of simulation, but as in real life, you can improve the handling to get a smoother ride. It's a game that I really want to thoroughly play through. 9/10
Yoshiike Maria: You can simply pick up and play the game, or really get nitty gritty with all the intricate settings. Depending on the car, some races are a bit challenging with normal tires, but once you get over that you can enjoy driving the car for awhile. [Something about her being straightly impressed with the sounds of the tires... some letters are obscuring her review]. 9/10
Dealy Matsuo: With all the options to change assists, it has depth that can be appreciated as both a simulator and a game. No complaints about the variety of cars and car mods. Although there's no tutorial, the game is easy to play with all of the assists. Loading times before races are neither slow nor fast. 9/10

And what does former GT racer Takeshi Tsuchiya think of the game? he loves it according to an interview he did with Turn 10 studios:

Q: You adjusted your settings a lot – how was that aspect of it?

TT: I just can’t race smoothly or enjoyably without the car being set up properly. In an actual race, I make little adjustments on every lap. You have to use your head in exactly the same way as you would in real life – you might want to set it up so that you don’t lose it on the curves, but if you overdo it, you might not be able to turn fast enough, things like that. Today, I just did enough tuning to be able to take the last corner at full throttle, but it was very close to the set-up I actually use in practice with the real car. I’m sure if I spent more time on it, I could get a better time with some fine-tuning.

Q: Any tips for us?

TT: It’s just as difficult to drive in the game as it is in real life, so the best advice is probably to practice in a real car ;) Joking aside, if you want to play as I do with the assists (ABS, TCS) etc. off, the first tuning adjustment you should make is to make sure the rear tires don’t spin when you hit the throttle. Next, I’d set it up to make it easier to take the turns. Everyone has their own driving style, so they should practice a lot and make their own adjustments. Prepare for the race with the same concentration as you would use if you were getting ready to race on a circuit in a GT car.

Q: This time you went for a Time Trial, but what other modes are you interested in?

TT: Since FM2 reproduces car characteristics so accurately, what I want to do most are virtual test-drives, where I take cars I could never afford out on the circuit to see what they’re like and how they handle. Also, racing against other players looks fun. If I did it, I’m sorry but I’d have to go all-out – I don’t think anyone would have a chance at taking me on Suzuka with the Eclipse Advan Supra, no matter how good a gamer they are!

Q: Finally, a message for the fans eagerly awaiting Forza Motorsport 2 please!

TT: I think it really goes beyond what you expect from a game. I think it’s probably the first racing game that a real life race driver like myself can actually win at ;) Only race drivers ever get the chance to drive a race car. This game is the only one that can give you a glimpse of the real world of the circuit as seen from the cockpit of a race car. I really want you to play this, so you can realize that it’s pretty freaking tough being a race driver! ;)

Bungie's weekly update!

2007-05-26T09:15:00.001-07:00

In Bungie's latest weekly update Frankie answered some of the questions that people have been asking about the beta, so I decided to post a few of the Q&A's here.

Before I do, I came away with a higher level of respect for Bungie when it comes to how they handle and fine tune Halo's multiplayer design. When you read the update, the first thing you will notice is an overhead view in grid form of Valhalla. What makes this grid view so interesting is that Bungie uses these grids to map the "hot spots" in each map and adjust and tweak the maps accordingly for a better experience.

So all of you haters out there and especially all of the developers out there that shove shitty online games down our throat. Pay attention to what Bungie is doing, because there is a reason Halo is the best online multiplayer game around. They use the latest technology not to mention busting their ass to produce a killer product (unlike Killzone) when it comes to multiplayer functionality.

Stan Marsh: What's missing from the public beta that was/is available in the internal beta?

A: In short, lots of stuff. To be specific, you’re missing obvious things, like levels, weapons, vehicles and so on, but you’re also missing a vast swathe of functionality – some hinted at (character customization) and some explained plainly (Saved Film functionality). I would describe what you’re playing in the Beta as a small percentage of what you’ll have access to in the final game – and while we’ll obviously have lots of new maps and extra game modes, there are a few things we’re still saving as surprises.

Scottymate: How does the game calculate the MVP at the end of the game? And why does it seem to get it wrong sometimes?

A: Well, for one thing, the game is in Beta and MVP is not functioning the way it will in the final game, but MVP will be decided on a formula that changes on a per game type basis. So in a game of CTF, successful flag caps can be more important than kills. We’ll also be implementing measures to prevent incidences of betrayals and other unsportsmanlike conduct.

xI MadRoX Ix Why can't we use N64 as a service tag in Halo 3?

A: Because it’s somebody else’s trademark and a common combination – imagine being in a game where half the players used the same Service Tag? It would defeat the purpose of having it.

JoeSki73: Why does the mongoose sound like a 50cc 4-stroke engine? (weak and "slow" sounding.) Is this the final version? I wouldn't mind hearing a strong "fast sounding" motor. A 2-stroke might be nice?

A: Because it sounds sweet. 2-stroke sounded too clean and domestic. We wanted a sound with a little visceral oomph. And if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that it’s actually a combination of two different engine types.

Ajustice: How far off is the beta from the current build you guys are kicking around the office? What has changed between these builds?

A: There are different multiplayer builds appearing on our dev kits every day. Sometimes the weapon/equipment/vehicle placements change, sometimes the fundamental construction of a map changes, sometimes there’s some new, mind-numbing effect that scorches your eyes out of your skull. It changes daily.

Click here to read the update!

Another day 5/25/07!

2007-05-26T08:20:00.001-07:00

I know I am a day late for this post but I was just way to tired after all of the traveling that I did in the past couple days.

Yesterday's stories:

CNET says that the XBOX 360 controller is #1!

2007-05-25T19:01:00.001-07:00

CNET recently posted a list of the top 5 controllers of all time with the XBOX 360 controller coming in at #1 according to CNET.

Did you expect the Wii? Sorry. It's a brilliant piece of innovation, that's not in question, but there simply aren't enough games to judge it against the best controllers ever. The Xbox 360 pad has proven itself over a longer time and on a wider selection of titles -- and it has its own claims to originality.
It's not terribly pretty -- it's beige, for a start -- but the Xbox 360's pad is a winner on several counts. For starters, it was the first wireless pad to come as standard. Its comfy, solid design offers dual analogue joysticks and two analogue trigger buttons underneath.
There's also a built-in jack for connecting a headset, so you can hear and talk to your n00b opponents. Can it be waved around like a magician's wand? Hell no, but this is about serious man-gaming -- there's no time for moving your arms when your thumbs are tapping this fast.

XBOX 360 controller
Playstation 2 Dual Shock
N64 controller
Super Nintendo game-pad
Atari Joystick

I have to agree but I think the absence of the Sega Genesis 6 button controller from the list is kind of a let down. Also the only thing that prevents the XBOX 360 controller from being 100% flawless is that the D-pad need's a makeover big time. It is just not that responsive and is almost unusable in 2D fighting games, but besides that the controller is a gem to say the least.

Fatal Fury Special and Streets of Rage 2 are coming to XBLA!

2007-05-25T17:35:00.001-07:00

As most people know, browsing the ESRB website can be a source for a wealth of information when it comes to games that have not been announced yet they appear on the ESRB site with the rating that it has been given. Earlier today, I decided to comb through the list of games to see if they have posted anything new and sure enough I found a few of my favorite game franchises of all time.

If the ESRB site is correct and so far it has yet to fail me, Fatal Fury Special and Streets of Rage 2 is headed to the XBOX 360 as an XBLA title. Next to Street Fighter, I have always had a special place in my heart for the classic Neo Geo 2d fighters and just the idea of playing this game over Live get's me all giddy as a girl.

Click here to view the list for yourself

New Gears content will add an extra 250 possible achievement points!

2007-05-25T16:32:00.001-07:00

Epic VP Mark Rein wants everyone to know that they've made "signficant progress" on the next update to Gears of War.

Epic is currently working on an update that will add an extra 250 achievement points and tweak some of the existing game-play. Mark Rein said that the update will be free but some of the new Achievement's will require you to play some of the maps in the Hidden Front's map pack, no need to worry because the Hidden Fronts map pack will be free in a few month's.

Halo 2 Vista nudity explained!

2007-05-25T16:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday It was reported that Halo 2 for Vista was delayed do to some nudity that slipped past the QC. That left me asking my self, what kind of nudity could possibly be in a Halo game? well wonder no more.

Microsoft reps told Next-Gen that it was a certain ass shot in Halo 2's map editor and the pic below pretty much speaks for it's self.

Force Feedback wheel price drop!

2007-05-25T16:06:00.001-07:00

In case you have been wanting to get Microsoft's Force Feedback wheel but felt that it was a little pricey, than I have some good news for you. Just in time for the release of Forza Motorsports 2, Microsoft has reduced the price from $149.99 to $129.99.

Are the Wii's sales based on curiosity or great games?

2007-05-25T15:57:00.001-07:00

About 2 months ago I got my hands on that hard to find console with innovative controls that goes for a paltry $250.00. For about a month I really enjoyed Wii Sports and the whole create your own Mii function that is built in to the console. After I have made dozen's of Mii's based on my family and friends and played the hell out of Wii Sports I am left with a lingering thought.

Is the Wii selling well for it's innovative controls or is it more of a curiosity factor because they are hard to find and you really can't play any at a kiosk because Nintendo didn't supply controllers attached to the kiosk which means retailers have simply turned them in to running visual demo unit's. I have had several retailers tell me that they don't want people stealing the Wii mote so they don't put it out.

I find the Wii fun for the Wii Sports but really nothing else, the lack of any real online functionality is a turn off and the controller really isn't that great for any other game besides Wii Sports. I'm sorry but I just want to chill and play fun games, I don't feel like playing all of these games hoping my daughter isn't standing next to me because I don't feel like knocking her over. I just feel like the Wii's popularity is more of an impulse buy and nothing else. Let's be honest here, the Wii isn't in the same league as the XBOX 360, period. I am not going to go in to detail but if you try to compare the 2 in what is offered and it's not even close whether it's the graphic's the video marketplace to the quality of games with XBOX LIVE, it's no match.

Now I gave the Wii a legitimate shot because I am a Nintendo fan but right now I'm just not feeling it. Maybe there will be a game that blows me away and I have a felling that game might be Mario Galaxy because I am a huge Mario fan and that game looks stunning. At this time I just don't think the Wii has the ability to keep it's sales up in the long run, I do see the Wii finishing this console war in second place with the PS3 a DISTANT third.

Another day 5/24/07!

2007-05-24T21:56:00.001-07:00

Today's stories:

Games for the week of 5/28/07!

2007-05-24T21:46:00.001-07:00

Forza Motorsports 2

Ships 5/29

With authentic simulation physics, bone-jarring damage, photo-realistic graphics, and licensed tuning and customization options, the franchise improves on the unprecedented features gamers enjoyed in its debut installment. Loaded with more than 300 of the world's hottest cars for you to collect, personalize and tune, "Forza Motorsport 2" gives you a complete racing experience.

Shadowrun

Ships 5/29

FASA Studio, the creative minds behind “MechWarrior®” and “Crimson Skies®,” are back with “Shadowrun,” the new multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) based on the much-beloved role-playing game (RPG) franchise. “Shadowrun” propels team-based combat into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic. Up to 16 players can battle for control of this new world through Xbox 360-to-Windows Vista online compatibility. In “Shadowrun” players vie for supremacy in a constantly evolving battlefield where advanced technology and ancient magic provide an unprecedented and high-velocity tactical action experience.

Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia

Ships 5/29

Four friends get together for a party while the parents are away, but somebody ... or something, is about to crash the party. In four-player melee action, you will fight off the monster invasion in this top-down action/shooting game. Customize and build your own weapons by grabbing parts from the house and town to create more powerful attack tools, and find rare parts to build some ultimate weapons. Jack abandoned vehicles and deck them out with weapons to ride through the terrain and take out creatures. Visit five locations, including the suburban town, the high school, and the "Shopping Maul." The use of the Ageia NovodeX Physics platform allows you to interact with the environments physics to give yourself an advantage, such as creating barrides or throwing large objects, while the visual system uses the advanced Unreal 3 Engine.

Surf's up

Ships 5/29

Surf’s Up is an exciting arcade surfing and extreme sports video game. The action is set at the annual "Reggie Belafonte Big Z Memorial Surf Off," where surfers from around the world are ready to risk it all for glory. Players will experience the rush and thrills of surfing in exotic surf spots around Pen Gu Island and can rip it up and play as one of 10 characters from the film, including Cody, the young challenger from Shiverpool; Tank, the merciless champion; or Big Z, the surfing legend from the past. Only by mastering and understanding the waves can the player become not only the new champion, but a true surf legend.

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

Halo 2 Vista ships with accidental partial nudity!

2007-05-24T20:37:00.001-07:00

I am not sure what to think about this because it is pretty bizarre to say the least but apparently, Halo 2 for Vista has shipped with "accidental" partial nudity.

Now I don't know what the partial nudity is but I would love to see what this is all about so if someone out there could send me a pic of this it would be greatly appreciated.

It has come to our attention that an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of "Halo 2" for Windows Vista. As such, we have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game. Additionally, we've developed an online update which can be downloaded from www.halo2.com to remove the content.

I would love to see what a grunt's unit would actually look like or better yet, Cortana's digital dairy pillow's.

Lawsuit claims XBOX killed baby!

2007-05-24T20:24:00.001-07:00

A lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft claiming that an XBOX 360 power cord over heated and caused a fire that killed a baby in 2004.

I think the lawsuit that has made it's way on to the Internet's has made a mistake because the 360 wasn't even out in 2004. Now if you remember back in 2005, Microsoft issued a recall on XBOX 1 power cords and it's this issue that the lawsuit is actually about.

InformationWeek is reporting that a lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft and Wal-Mart, claiming that a house fire that killed an infant boy in Illinois was caused by the overheating of an Xbox 360 power cord. The lawsuit stated the fire occured in December 2004, which means that the console couldn't had been caused by an Xbox 360 since it had not yet been released to stores. Microsoft did announce a recall of 14 million original Xbox power cords in February 2005, however. The lawsuit is seeking damages in excess of $50,000. An unnamed power supply maker is also named in the lawsuit.

This story comes via Firingsquad.com!

Halo 3 to drive the XBOX game division in to the black!

2007-05-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Gamespot.com is running an article about the sales of Halo 3 pushing Microsoft's XBOX game division in to the black for the first time according to analysts Goldman-Sachs.

Perhaps more significant than the sales figures that Goldman-Sachs expects
Halo 3 to put up is the analysts' expectation that by the end of its first week
of release, the game will have driven Microsoft's Xbox division to its first
profitable quarter ever. Microsoft has been touting its fiscal 2008 as the
turning point in the entertainment and devices division for some time, as Robbie
Bach first made mention of the profitability goal in
July of 2006.

Popular PSP game Exit is headed to XBLA!

2007-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Taito's much loved PSP platformer Exit is coming to XBLA for 800 points.

The Xbox 360 version is promised new levels, and of course fancy hi-def graphics - which should help make Exit's unique art style look even more fantastic. Apparently it's due for release on the download service sometime this
summer, at the very reasonable price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Sold.

Hour of Victory is set to drop June 22nd!

2007-05-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

It was announced today that Midways epic WWII FPS has been give a release date of June 22nd with a demo set for next week.

Another day 5/23/07!

2007-05-23T21:42:00.001-07:00

I want everyone to know that I will be updating the blog later than usual tomorrow. Normally I do it all throughout the day of course but tomorrow I will be traveling and in meetings most of the day.

I will be updating my Twitter through my phone if anything big in the gaming world comes down that can't wait to be posted, so keep an eye on that, so until than I will be out until tomorrow evening.

Multiplatform games may jump ship and become 360 exclusives!

2007-05-23T15:25:00.001-07:00

Game journalist Geoff Keighley revealed in a Newsweek blog that some previously announced mult-platform games might be pulling out of the PS3 camp in favor of being an XBOX 360 exclusive if the sales of the PS3 continue to sell under a 100K units a month.

And we both know the sales need to pick up, pronto--especially if Sony wants to keep third party interest. Already third party executives are telling me that if PS3 sales stay below 100k for 3 consecutive months, PS3 SKUs may start disappearing from release lists and in turn create a wealth of de-facto exclusives for the Xbox 360.

HAZE to be a PS3 timed exclusive!

2007-05-23T15:03:00.001-07:00

It was announced yesterday that the PS3 will be "leading the release" of HAZE in 07. What that probably means is that the XBOX 360 and PC will get some HAZE love in 08 which means that HAZE is a PS3 "timed exclusive".

This may have been a smart move by the guys at Ubisoft because HAZE and many other games will most likely be overlooked by the Halo 3 shockwave this fall.

Something tells me that since this is a Ubisoft published game it will probably be delayed until 08 anyway's. Every Ubisoft game for the PS3 like R6V and GRAW 2 are battling it out to see which game gets delayed the most.

PS3 exclusives for 2007 continue to slip to 2008!

2007-05-23T13:45:00.001-07:00

IGN.com is reporting that Final Fantasy XIII has been delayed until April 2008 at the earliest. Now I am reporting on this because yesterday news came from Konami that MGS 4 probably wont be released until 2008 as well.

This news is pretty big because Sony doesn't have any other exclusive "system sellers" scheduled to come out this year.

GTA 4 is coming out later this year but that game is more likely to sell more 360's than PS3's do to it's lower price point.

It looks like the 360 camp will be enjoying Forza 2, Shadowrun, The Darkness, Bioshock, Hour of Victory, Halo 3, GTA 4, Blue Dragon and countless others and as for the PS3 community.....well I guess you can leave your systems on so you can cure cancer with your folding at Home deal.

So I guess there is a good reason to turn your PS3 on huh? if you can't play games I guess curing cancer is the next best thing.

Bungie says if you have any questions to please ask!

2007-05-23T13:25:00.001-07:00

Bungie has a post on it's website letting people know that if you have any questions regarding the beta to please ask.

As part of this week's Weekly Update we're going to take a look at some of your questions about the Halo 3 Public Beta and answer them as best we can. Click here to succept yourself to ridicule and in rare cases, enlightenment.

Gears of War sweeps EMA awards!

2007-05-23T13:02:00.001-07:00

The following comes VIA Gamasutra.com:

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) has announced the winners of its 2007 Video Game Home Entertainment Awards, with Gears of War taking home four awards, including game of the year, and Guitar Hero II winning the most innovative category.

Gears of War and Guitar Hero II were just two of the multiple award winners, with LucasArts' Lego Star Wars II and World of Warcraft expansion The Burning Crusade also taking home more than one prize.

Microsoft considered a new system every 2 years!

2007-05-23T08:41:00.001-07:00

Original Xbox co-creator Kevin Bachus revealed to the Mercury news that Microsoft considered bringing a new console to the market every 2 years.

"our very first thoughts on Xbox included the somewhat misguided notion that we might upgrade the system every TWO years. Now wouldn't that have been disruptive!"

It's a good thing they didn't because I think the consumers and developers would have taken a shit on that idea.

Another day 5/22/07!

2007-05-22T20:58:00.001-07:00

Today's stories:

HAZE to support 4 player co-op!

2007-05-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

Today Free Radical announced that HAZE will support 4 player co-op in both campaign and online modes.

HAZE is an innovative first-person shooter based on new intellectual property. The game is set twenty-five years in the future, when governments have outsourced military operations to private multinational corporations. As Jake Carpenter, a newly enlisted soldier in the Mantel army, you are seeking fulfillment and thrills by fighting for a good cause.

David Doak worked extensively on GoldenEye and Perfect Dark before going on to co-found Free Radical Design.

Jack Thompson has the Masterchief in his sights!

2007-05-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

Just when you thought Jack Thompson might lay low for a while since he has been looking like a real ass hole as of late, even more so than normal. Earlier today Jack sent a letter to Bill Gates with the following threat:

Here’s the deal, Mr. Gates: Either Microsoft undertakes dramatic, real steps, through its marketing, wholesale, and retail operations to assure that Halo 3 is not sold, via the Internet and in stores, directly to anyone under 17, or I shall proceed to make sure that Microsoft is held to that standard by appropriate legal means. I have done that before successfully as to Best Buy, and I shall do so again as to Microsoft and all retailers of Halo 3.

Jack ass Thompson is attacking the wrong people here, it's not Microsoft's job to police the stores by making sure that an M rated game doesn't make it in to the hands of kids, it's the store's job for Christ sake. So why doesn't he attack Gamestop and Best Buy? that's my question. I would also like to know how many kids get in to a rated R movie? would you attack the theaters or the movie industry? you would crack down on the theaters of course and the same applies here.

I wonder if Jack realizes that he is threatening a man worth 50 billion dollars who will wipe his ass with whatever Jack throws at him or stick him with a plasma grenade.

You can read the entire letter by clicking here!

XBOX 360 Elite comes in 18th in PC WORLD's top 20 list!

2007-05-22T12:25:00.001-07:00

In PC WORLD.com's latest top 20 gadgets of the year, Microsoft's XBOX 360 Elite came in 18th which pales in comparison to the Wii that came in 3rd.

(PS3 is not on the list)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#18 Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite (game console)

The high-end 360 now ships with 1080p support and a 120GB hard drive, but it's the Xbox Live service, and the games and downloadable video on it, that make Microsoft's console really shine. Review | Check Prices

Halo 3 beta maintenance scheduled for tomorrow!

2007-05-22T11:57:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow between 10 a.m and 1 p.m PST, Bungie will be performing some beta maintenance:

Tomorrow, May 23rd, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. PST, we are flipping a switch (temporarily) that probably won’t affect you one iota. But if it does, this is what will happen:

Should your game encounter a rare crash, your Xbox 360 will give you an alert screen, explaining that it’s uploading data to Bungie servers. We actually need this data, and we need your cooperation too. Although you probably won’t see that screen, if you do, let it finish uploading the data. It may take some time – upwards of 10-20 seconds and perhaps longer. So we beg your patience. When the process has completed correctly this is the message you'll see, "File upload complete. Visit http://www.bungie.net/forums/halo3beta for more information (safe to reboot)."

After 1 p.m., we’ll flip it back to normal, and if you do crash after that time, the data upload process will be much shorter. Helping us collect valuable crash data like this is one of the ways you can help us make Halo 3 a better game. And of course, we’re only collecting data on “natural” crashes, so please don’t try to make your 360 crash.

Shadowrun demo goes LIVE on June 6th!

2007-05-22T10:28:00.001-07:00

Today, Fasa has revealed that there will be a demo to Shadowrun on June 6th and will have the following gametypes available with unlimited play:

Power Station, and the gametype Raid, with Humans and Elves. It also won't have a time restriction for play, so you may frag to your heart's content, and it doesn't have an announced expiration at the moment.

Just in time as the Halo 3 beta will be wrapping up on the 10th.

[ Via XBOX360fanboy.com]

Halo 3 beta banshee video!

2007-05-22T08:13:00.001-07:00

Images of the Halo 3 legendary SKU surface!

2007-05-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

Ever since Microsoft unveiled their $130.00 SE copy of halo 3 that comes with a miniature helmet of the Masterchief, only promotional shots of the helmet and stand has been seen, until now. Over the weekend pictures of the final product has begun to surface and I have to admit, this thing looks pretty damn cool. I was also thinking that by the time halo 3 ships, my son will be 15 Mon's old and I am willing to bet that the helmet would fit on him and damn that would be bad ass.

Another day 5/21/07!

2007-05-21T22:44:00.001-07:00

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