Another day 4/7/07!

Man I never thought that a Saturday would produce more news then a typical weekday.  Today Microsoft made available a 4000 point card for 50 bucks, Epic Games want's to give us free maps but Microsoft wont let them, a video of the new dashboard features leaked, thanks to a genius at Gamespot.com and Bungie's own Frankie O Conner loves fusion cores.

I want people to keep checking in because a buddy of mine who's gamertag is SQZ bought something for his 360 that is 3rd party related.  He spent $60 for it and totally regrets it, infact he hates it so much that he wanted to trade it in but no one will take it LOL.  Now I am not saying what it is just yet, but we plan on taking my rifle and a handgun that I carry everyday for personal protection and unloading some led into this thing while taking pictures at the same time.  I will post the pictures of what we shot on the blog for everyone to look at.  I also mentioned to him that I was thinking about raising some money for a PS3 and doing the same thing.

Later!

Epic Games wants to give away new maps but Microsoft want's you to pay!

Epic Games co founder Tim Sweeney was interviewed by Shawn Elliot for this weeks 1UP.com pod cast.  Tim told Shawn that Epic has built four new multiplayer maps for Gears of War and that Epic want's to give them away but Microsoft wont let them:

We already released two (maps) and we have four more maps that we've built. We've been wanting to give them but actually Microsoft has been pushing back on us. They're trying to build this business model around selling additonal content for games and that's a valid idea, but we would definitely like to release more stuff for free, and we haven't been able to do so yet.

In my opinion, now that this story has leaked, Microsoft will now probably let Epic release these maps for free because news like this gives Microsoft a bad name.  I also believe that Tim Sweeney is going to be in some hot water over this because stuff like this needs too stay internal.  Once news like this leaks, all negotiations go right out the window and it turns into a PR nightmare that Microsoft has to take care of and could hurt future business between Microsoft and Epic Games.

XBOX LIVE activity for the week of 4/2/07!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Gears of War
2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
3 Call Of Duty 3
4 GRAW 2
5 Crackdown
6 Oblivion
7 Castlevania: SOTN
8 Guitar Hero II
9 Worms
10 Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Castlevania: SOTN
2 TMNT 1989 Arcade
3 Jetpac Refuelled
4 Worms
5 Luxor 2
6 UNO
7 Alien Hominid HD
8 Geometry Wars Evolved
9 Texas Hold 'em
10 Contra

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

This list compiled and posted on Majornelson.com!

XBOX 360 games for the week of 4/9/07!

Next week, nothing is scheduled to be released and it looks that way until the first week of may.  Now that is fine with me because there is allot of good stuff out right now and with May right around the corner I need to prepare myself or should I say my schedule for games like Forza motorsports 2 which I am dying to try my Force feedback wheel on because the wheel was designed around that game.  Other games that are scheduled to hit store shelves next month include Shadowrun and CC3.

Bungie weekly update, Fusion core edition!

In Bungie's latest weekly update, Frankie talks cinematic's and the return of the ever popular Fusion core's from Halo 2. 

Frankie says that the cinematic's in the Halo 3 cut scenes will be rendered with the in-game engine, just like the previous Halo games.

In Halo 3, the animation resources available to us are deeper and broader, and the sheer volume and quality of animation is increased exponentially this time around. I’ve already been watching some of the roughed in animations, and more excitingly, the fully integrated stuff in-game. Right now, it has a lot of placeholder audio and music, but as those layers are spliced in, it’s going to become even better.

I noticed this with a subtle example - a Marine tech sits on a muddy berm and examines a pice of equipment. He shuffles to get comfortable. Now, this kind of subtlelty is hardly new to any form of animation, but it's a good example of how much extra care and energy we're committing to this important area of the Campaign game.

Although there are a ton of straight up technical improvements – such as better lighting, or more realistic faces – stuff like our new lip-synching tech takes a back seat to the actual events going on in the cinematic's and the vignette-style cutscenes. From the first level of Campaign, to the final moments of the trilogy itself, we hope to bring you a compelling and stunning conclusion to the story arc and the technology ramp that we’ve built ourselves.

And finally, Frankie talks Fusion core's:

Fusion Cores can be used as weapons, or as traps. Personally I liked tipping them off the elevator in Ivory Tower, or shooting them as an opponent walks by, rather than wasting bullets on multiple headshots. In Halo 3, you’re going to need to use them a lot. Especially in High Ground. Conserve bullets – shoot Fusion Cores - It’s the green thing to do. Also, do not hide behind Fusion Cores. Why are we giving out all this information and imagery about Fusion Cores you ask? Well because they’re about the least top-secret thing in all of Halo 3, and also to distract you from the slightly bad news below. But keep reading, because the news eventually gets better. And then much better.

Click here to read the entire weekly update!

4000 Microsoft points coming your way!

Microsoft has unveiled a new points card for you marketplace addicts.  You can now buy a 4000 point card for $49.99, according to this page on Circuit City's website.  Now with 4000 points you can really fill up that brand new 120GB HDD that is slated for a April 29th release date.

What is funny about this is that it just shows up on websites for pre order without any formal announcement, kind of like their 512MB memory card.  It seems like when Microsoft tries to keep things secret, video and pics get leaked.  But when they don't try hard on keeping things secret like the memory card and new points for example, they just show up on websites and store shelves and people start saying "wow I didn't know this was coming out".

XBOX LIVE spring update video!

This video has just appeared on You Tube and it  shows some of the new features that will be included in the spring update on May 6th.  If this video is legit, how did it get out? it appears to be the real deal.  What do you think?  watch the video and decide for yourself.

(UPDATE) This video is apparently the real deal and was accidentally posted on Gamespot.com a little early.  Once they realized that it was not supposed to be released yet, they took it down but it was up long enough for some people to get a hold of it and place it on You Tube.  The first thing that came to mind was that someone is going to lose their job over this one and Microsoft will probably be excluding Gamespot.com from future inside information.

• 600 Windows Live Messenger contacts for your friends list
• Contact list will integrate Windows Live Messenger and show joinable session status
• Messenger contacts see what game you're playing and gamertag
• Marketplace has own blade, skin will change independent from theme
• Users will now see what achievement they've unlocked onscreen
• Low-power download mode followed by auto-shutdown
• You can watch partially downloaded video files

Another day 4/6/07!

Today was one of the lightest news days I have seen in a while, probably because it is Easter weekend and people just want to get away from everything and chill for the next few days. 

The news that did make the rounds that were XBOX 360 related aren't even mentioning, infact the only things worth mentioning was the Guitar Hero II Halo theme and the XBOX LIVE for Vista images that I posted earlier.

Have a good weekend and check back frequently because I will stay on top of all of your gaming news that is XBOX related all weekend long.

Later!

Instruction manual for Jetpac is now available!

Are you one of the millions who download XBLA games? do you miss the instruction manuals that you get when you purchase a game from the store? well Rare has just the thing for you.  If you downloaded Jetpac Refuelled and are interested in a manual in either PDF form or via website manual, click here!

XBOX LIVE for Vista details with images!

Lately some people has taken notice to certain individuals on their friends list playing a game called "Bug Bash" but no one knows what that game is.  Well today, an Xboxic reader by the name of David sent Xboxic images and all the detail's about the game "Bug Bash".  It turns out that people playing this game are actually Beta testing the XBOX LIVE for Vista and the game is just a very generic button mashing game so people can test the service. 

Below, David explains the beta test and the features he got to play with in the XBOX LIVE for Vista:

Bug Bash is basically a PC version of the old video arcade games that had an alligator or a mole pop out and you whack it. That’s essentially all that’s going on. The bug pops out of the hole, and then you have to whack it. You can use your Xbox 360 Controller for this or you can use the letters on your keyboard.

Here, David has nothing but good things to say about the features in LIVE for Vista: 

The Live Service on PC is incredible. Pretty much every function that you can do on Xbox Live, you can do through the Live Service. This includes voice chat, listening to voice messages sent from 360 or a PC using the Live Service, recording & sending voice messages from your PC to other PC & Xbox 360 users, and even sending game invites to a PC user or a Xbox 360 user. The only thing I noticed that you cannot do, at least as of yet, is any kind of video chat or sending pictures. This service is showing a lot of promise and while the game Bug Bash didn’t get my rocks off, the Live service & the promise it shows do. The only other complaint about the service is the fact that the Live Service isn’t built into your computer. It’s not a separate program on your computer, it’s actually running through the game itself, possibly to make sure that you don’t play more than one game at a time.

View gallery here!

Guitar Hero II Halo theme!

Another day 4/5/07!

Today Rare released a patch for Jetpac, Joanna Dark made the top 5 list of the most popular girls in gaming and we are now being told that hackers want to invade our consoles, yaay!  I received a video from some guy claiming that it is a clip from COD 4 and that is still up in the air, we will see.  As far as I go, the evening is going much better, my daughter didn't play with her poo while napping like yesterday.

Later!

Possible COD 4 video!

I have been playing allot of COD 3 lately and that had me thinking.  I have heard allot about COD 4 being set in the modern times, but no real information has been released.  What we do know is that COD 4 is in production by Infinity Ward and has been since COD3.  That is why Treyarch took over the series, so Infinity Ward could get to work on 4. 

Earlier today I got an a E-mail with a link to a video, the person who sent it to me claims that it is COD 4.  Now this is pure speculation but I have decided to post it because I have never seen this game before not to mention it looks like it is using the COD 3 engine.  There are certain parts in the video where you can here the characters heart rate go up, which indicates that it is using the health regeneration system like in 2 and 3.  Infact the Heart beat sounds exactly like the previous installments.  Now remember, this is pure speculation and if you know what the game is if it isn't COD 4, let me know and I will post the information you gave me.

Top 5 female video game stars!

MSNBC.com is running a story about the top 5 video game heroines.  Their list contains the following:

• Lara Croft
• Samus Aran
• Joanna Dark
• Princess Peach
• MS. Pac-Man

Video games used to be a man’s domain. It seemed like the only time you saw a woman was when she was in trouble and had to be rescued by some muscle-bound hero.

Thankfully, things have changed. Today, you can find many strong female characters saving the day – not waiting to be saved.

Here’s a list of our favorite heroines, women who can take care of business themselves. These are the stars of the show. These ladies are not somebody’s sidekick, and they’re certainly not stuck in the shadows of someone else’s game. Check out the list and then tell us who your favorite heroine is.

Click here for the article!

A little Tenchu Z info!

In a press release today, Microsoft announced that "Tenchu Z" will hit the shelves this summer.

In the Xbox 360 exclusive “Tenchu Z,” you will have the ability to become invisible and infiltrate dangerous territories undetected while eliminating unsuspecting enemies. Judge your situation by utilizing the stealth level bar to find out how easy you are to spot by the enemy. The more stealth kills you can execute, the higher your bounty award will be after completing missions.

Click here for more info!

Hackers next target may be your XBOX 360 and PS3 say experts!

Hackers are planning on making consol's their next target say computer and security experts.  This has been the talk of many of these security experts since last week when Microsoft admitted that some of their customer service reps gave out critical information to some smooth talking callers.  Now granted that wasn't a hacking issue but the experts say that hackers are working on being the first to brick your PS3 or get into your live account and buy 50,000 points.

In a interview with CVG,  Security software maker CA 1's Stefana Mullerand and Australia's Computer Emergency Response Team, MacLeonard Starkey gave their 2 cents on what console owners should be aware of.

"I haven't seen any malicious code that is specifically designed to run on a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox but I would expect it is not very far away,"

said, security analyst for Australia's Computer Emergency Response Team.

Security software maker CA 1's Stefana Muller spoke of the hacker's motivation for cracking their new targets:

"I think it's going to be an 'I did it' kind of target, 'I got to exploit this gaming console'. It's obvious that once a new thing comes out, if it's cool, it will be exploited."

Money is also a motive for hackers who steal valuable items to sell to other players, as Starkey explains:

"They can log in and steal the items that players have collected over, in some cases, four or five years. There's actually some pretty good money in that."

Starkey's advice is to keep your PC secure.

"The malicious code is often coming through from vectors other than the games themselves, usually via a site that you're directed to go to, sometimes from a MySpace profile or an email, and the code then targets a particular online game," he explains.

Jetpac Refuelled bug fixed!

This comes via Gamerscoreblog.com:

The Rare team just sent over word that they've sent out an update to Jetpac Refuelled.  Here's the deal.  While playing in single player mode, there's a stage that awards you with a free dashboard theme.  Some of you pointed out that the theme wasn't downloading correctly. The issue has now been rectified and an update posted to Xbox Live.

There is a glitch that you should know about.  In order for the update to install correctly you must delete the existing game (package) from your console and follow the instructions below. Don't delete your game save.

Please note: Deleting and then re-downloading the package will NOT affect your saved game or Leaderboard status, or cost you any additional Microsoft Points. In addition, you WILL NOT be charged for this download.

Instructions:

• Navigate to the 'System' blade in the 360 dashboard
• Select the 'Memory' menu option
• Select the storage device on which 'Jetpac Refuelled' is saved
• Select the 'Games' menu option
• Navigate to the 'Jetpac' entry in the menu and select it
• When you select the 'Jetpac' entry, highlight 'Jetpac Xbox Live Arcade Game'
• Select and confirm the 'Delete' option
• FINAL STEP: Re-download from the Arcade downloads section of the dashboard to obtain the updated game package

Team Fortress 2 image gallery!

Team Fortress 2 will soon be hitting the shelves for the PC, PS3 and XBOX 360.  Team Fortress was a huge hit for Valve and the mod community and Valve is looking for the same success with Team Fortress 2.  So far the game looks amazing and it is apparent Valve took a completely different direction in the art style for the sequel.

Click here to view a gallery of Team Fortress 2 to wet your appetite until the game actually comes out and sets XBOX LIVE on fire.

Another day 4/4/07!

Today Epic announced that the new game-type "Annex" that will be included in the next update that will be available on the 9th.  Well, about 4 hours later, that information disappeared from Epic's site, so who knows when it will come out. 

Microsoft confirmed that a demo to Forza 2 is coming out this April but didn't announce a date. 

As far as my personal going's on, I wasn't home more then 10 minutes when my wife went to get our 3 year old up from her nap too find poo all over the place.  That's right folks, the joy of potty training leads to no diaper because every thing is going great, and before you know it bam.......you find your kid rolling in poo.  Shitty, literally, it was a nightmare.  But everything is clean and fresh now and we made her wear a diaper to bed tonight.

Later!

Next GOW update has been delayed?

It appears that the release date for the next Gears update was a little premature.  Earlier today, Epic had a section under news that has since been pulled saying that the update with the game-type "Annex" will be available on the 9th.  I wonder if the update failed Microsoft's certification process? we will have to wait and see.

Burnout 5 pics surface!

Earlier today a batch of fresh Burnout 5 pics hit the web.  I was able to gather them up and place them here for your viewing pleasure.

Click here to view the Burnout 5 gallery!

New GOW game-type "Annex" explained!

Today, the Gears of War website was updated with all of the info on the new game-type, "Annex":

Annex

Objective:   Capture and hold key locations to collect enough points to win the round.

Description:  In Annex, you win by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points. Every map has two to five identified objectives available for capture, with one objective active at a time. Objectives are based on map weapon-spawn locations and have a potential value of 60 points toward either team’s score. Teams collect those points by maintaining ownership of an objective until all its 60 points have been distributed. Every second that a team controls an objective, the team gets one point. When an objective falls to zero points, the next objective is selected at random.

On the HUD, the current objective appears below the team scores at top left. This indicator contains several pieces of relevant information.  The weapon icon inside the circle indicates which weapon-spawn location is being used as the objective.  The compass along the outer edge of the circle shows the relative direction to the objective.  The number inside the circle indicates how many points remain at that objective and the background icon color indicates which team currently controls it. No color means the objective awaits capture, a red icon means the Locust Horde hold the objective and a blue icon means the COG hold it. When the icon in the indicator circle fills, the corresponding team's score also changes color, the team begins collecting points from the objective, and the point value of the objective drops.

On the map, a projected ring marks the physical location and boundaries of the objective in the world. The ring's color indicates the current captor: White means neutral, blue COG, and red Locust. To capture an objective, players must stand inside the glowing ring uncontested for a short period of time. How long depends on how many teammates stand in the ring at once. One player can capture an objective in eight seconds, two players in four seconds, three players in two seconds, and four players in one second. Once a team takes an objective, they are not required to remain inside the ring to maintain ownership.  The captured objective's points drain until an opposing team member enters the ring, or until its points fall to zero.

Round scores can be set as low as 120 points or as high as 480 points. The first team to reach the target score wins the round.

Respawns:  Infinite, wave-based every 15 seconds.

Options:

• Selected Map: Which map or series of maps to use.
• Number of Rounds: Number of rounds required to win the match.
• Bleed-out Duration: Amount of time before a player dies while DBNO.
• Round Score: Number of points required to win a round.
• Friendly Fire: In a player match, whether teammates can damage each other.
• Private Slots: In a player match, number of player slots reserved for friend invites.
• Weapons Swapped: In a player match, whether the person who sets up the match can determine whether weapons that appear in the maps are replaced or removed.

Updates:  

• Annex became available as a Gears of War multiplayer game mode in the April 9 update.

Shadowrun trailer!

Gears of War Annex mode to support respawn?

Yesterday on the Epic forums, Cliffy B left a post in regards to the new Annex game-type in GOW.  In the post, Cliffy wrote, "::respawning::" .  That is the only thing he wrote not to mention that one word has set the Gears community on fire, why? well considering that all of the current game-types in GOW supports the your dead now you can watch system.  The only thing left now is, what is Annex? is it a fancy word for deathmatch or a type of territories game-type like Halo's king of the hill?  We will have to wait and see.

Latest Forza 2 car list!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every couple weeks or so Turn 10 studios releases another list of cars and here is the latest addition:

1998 - Toyota - AB Flug S900 Supra Turbo
2000 - Honda - Aerogear Integra Type-R
2003 - Toyota - APR Performance Celica GTS
2000 - Audi - AWE Tuning SilverBullet S4
1995 - Toyota - Border MR2 Turbo T-bar
2003 - Chevrolet - Corvette Guldstrand Edition
1994 - Honda - Do-Luck NSX
1992 - Toyota - Do-Luck Supra
2003 - Nissan - Fairlady Z Custom Edition
2003 - Ford - FocusSport SVT Focus
2003 - Lexus - Foose Design IS430 Project Car
2000 - Dodge - Hennessey Viper 800TT
2006 - Mitsubishi - HKS Time Attack Evolution
1995 - Mazda - INGS RX-7
2002 - Chevrolet - Lingenfelter 427 Corvette
1999 - Mitsubishi - MINE'S CP9A Lancer Evolution VI
1993 - Nissan - MINE'S R32 Skyline GT-R
2002 - Nissan - MINE'S R34 Skyline GT-R
2004 - Honda - Mugen Civic Type-R
2002 - Honda - Mugen Integra Type-R
2003 - Honda - Mugen S2000
1995 - Mazda - RE-Amemiya RX-7
2003 - Mitsubishi - Sparco Lancer Evolution VIII
1998 - Subaru - Tommy Kaira Impreza M20b
2002 - Nissan - Tommy Kaira Skyline GT-R R34
1995 - Toyota - Tom's T020 MR2
2002 - Toyota - Tom's W123 MR-S
2002 - Toyota - Tom's Z382 Soarer
1998 - Toyota - Top Secret 0-300 Supra
2000 - Nissan - Top Secret D1-Spec S15
1998 - Toyota - VeilSide Supra Fortune 03
1998 - Toyota - VeilSide Supra Fortune 99
2000 - Acura - VIS Racing Integra Type-R
1995 - Toyota - VIS Racing MR2 Turbo T-bar
2004 - Honda - Wings West Civic Si

Later today I will put together a complete list of cars that has been officially announced.

Forza 2 demo confirmed!

There has been rumors circulating about a Forza Motorsports 2 demo this month thanks to an ad in the latest OXM.  Today Microsoft confirmed the demo in this short but sweet statement:

The rumours this week of a downloadable demo are true and the details on timing will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

According to the ad in OXM, the demo was supposed to hit this month so how many week's are we talking here? not to many I hope.

Another day 4/3/07!

Today not much went on, infact I think the biggest news was that Microsoft has enhanced their customer service and Guitar Hero II hit the shelves for the 360.

At 4:00 PM I had an eye appointment which involved me getting my eyes dialated and getting new lenses and frames.  I found it rather hard to pick out new frames with dialated eyes, I kept squinting at the frames I was looking at which means in about a week or so when I go to pick them up, I will probably hate what I picked out because I will have clear vision by then. 

When I stumbled out of the eye doctor I was blinded by the sun thanks to my dialated issue, I got in the car and drove to Sizzler for some cheap ass steak action then I worked out and here I sit.

Later!

Turn any vehicle into a tank in Crackdown!

I found this funny video on YouTube.  Some guy shows how to turn any vehicle into a tank in Crackdown.

XBOX 360 HD DVD player for under $150.00!

Techbargains.com is reporting that the HD DVD player add-on for the XBOX 360 can be found from $130.99 to $149.99 at select Sam's Clubs.

Select local Sam's Clubs are selling the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player for a low $130.99. Others are selling them for $149.99. In-store only. Before tax.

Xbox 360 Spring dash update feature revealed

Major Nelson dropped a hint to what one of the new features will be for the Spring dashboard update. Major said that a new dash feature is one of those "simple things that I've been asking for since launch" and after doing some research, we think we've figured it out.



read more | digg story

UK PS3 sales down 82% from launch week!

The following comes straight from gameindustry.biz:

"Sales of the PlayStation 3 have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK, with official Chart Track figures revealing a fall of 82 per cent.

Chart Track data is gathered from 7000 UK retail outlets representing 90 per cent of the software market, including GAME, Gamestation, Play.com, Asda and HMV.

A spokesperson for Chart Track confirmed the figure to GamesIndustry.biz this afternoon, stating: "Yes, sales of PS3 hardware have dropped by 82 per cent."

Last week, Chart Track revealed that the PlayStation 3 had sold 165,000 units in the first two days following the launch, making it the fastest-selling home console in the UK.

"We publish the first week figures because there's such a clamour for them that we can't keep it a secret," said the spokesperson.

This week's software charts revealed that sales of the top two PlayStation 3 titles, Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm, had dropped by over 60 per cent."

Microsoft will wait and see on motion sensing controllers!

In a interview with CVG, Microsoft's Developer Group GM Chris Satchel says that they will wait and see before they develop their own motion sensing controller.

"One thing I'm not certain of is that third-parties are super-excited about that motion control - or at least they're not showing it with the games that are hitting the shelves yet".

He continues by saying:

"We're yet to see a really good game on Wii that really says 'OK that control kicked ass'.

Here, Chris comments on Sony's SIXAXIS controller:

"I think the jury's way out on that. I don't know if it's really that meaningful or not. So I think the jury's out on whether everybody really wants [motion control] so we'll wait and see."

Microsoft introduces "enhanced" customer service!

Today Microsoft announced what they call "enhanced" customer service.  What does that mean? well for starters, when you used to send your 360 in for repair you would have to pay for the shipping, even if your system was under the 1 year warranty that Microsoft implemented last December.

"We are committed to delivering an improved Xbox customer service experience for our Xbox 360 console customers, one that is faster, more efficient and includes shipping free of any charge. From our customer service representatives to our executive team, the entire Xbox team has made delivering on this commitment a top priority,"

The company has also committed itself to faster service—upon receipt of the console, Microsoft will repair it and ship it to you within five business days—and other general operation enhancements.

"We're increasing the number of Xbox customer care representatives, enhancing our training processes and further building out our on-site technical support, all so our customers will begin to experience a noticeable improvement in the quality of the service they receive when they contact us," the company said. "Xbox will be hiring a customer care champion who will be responsible for ensuring the end-to-end experience for all Xbox customers is first-class, evaluating and implementing new practices and policies to further enhance the Xbox customer experience. We are also adding more staff at the supervisory level, to ensure we serve you better."

Microsoft also announced that they will replace any Microsoft game studio games that have circular scratches that some people have experienced.  Umm hey people could you please stop moving your system from it's vertical position to horizontal or vise versa while the disk is spinning?  it will scratch!  Even though Microsoft will replace your game do to your stupidity, it will cost you $20.

Another day 4/2/07!

Today there wasn't a whole lot to report on, infact earlier I rounded the family up and we went to dinner.  When we got done with dinner my wife wanted to go to Target which means she wants to spend 3 hours looking at clothes and purses but not me, the second we walk in the door I make a b-line right to the video game's of course.  I wanted to see what they had for DS games but the ad Target ran last week that listed most games at under $30 were never restocked, that left crap like Elite Beat agent and That so Raven, oh well.

Later!

Project Sylpheed this summer for $39.99!

Square Enix is showing it's 360 love with Project Sylpheed schedule to come state side this summer with a cool price tag of $39.99.

Project Sylpheed™ takes you centuries into the future where you customize and pilot amazing starships, battle swarms of enemy fighters, and enjoy stellar visuals

• Story-driven action: Become immersed in the full, multilayered storyline.
• Intense combat: Take on hordes of enemy starfighters in extreme 3-D space combat.
• Spectacular visuals: Enjoy amazing animation with vivid visuals, cool space settings, and over 50 minutes of CG video.
• Famed developer: Project Sylpheed is another excellent game from Square-Enix (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Valkyrie Profile, and more). 

New Lost Planet map pack coming friday!

Another multiplayer map pack for Lost Planet: Extreme Condition will be available on Xbox Live on April 6 for 400 Microsoft Points. The pack includes two new levels. Hive Complex is an abandoned mine and features winding tunnels through a mountain, and Trial Point takes combat to a more urban setting, featuring an office complex and a busy city center.

Via Gameinformer.com

Teamxbox.com has plenty of images for your viewing pleasure here!

This week's XBLA title is Luxor 2!

LUXOR 2 will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, Apr. 4, at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST). It will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

From the media alert:

In the second installment of the No. 1 casual game of 2005, “LUXOR 2” from MumboJumbo, players travel through 88 exquisitely detailed and explosive levels shooting and destroying the magical balls that threaten the pyramids at the end of their paths. Players can earn up to 15 exciting power-ups, play through four distinct levels of difficulty, challenge themselves to a total of 13 bonus rounds and work their way up through the new 100-level player ranking system. Also, unique to the Xbox LIVE Arcade version is a new arcade-style mode of play called the Pharaoh’s Challenge. ... 

Game Features

• 88 explosive levels with 13 new bonus rounds
• 4 levels of difficulty, including the mind-bending Challenge of Horus
• 4 modes of play: Adventure, Practice, Survival and Pharaoh’s Challenge
• 15 power-ups including the new Lightning Storm and Pharaoh’s Dagger
• Player ranking system with 100 levels from Farm Hand to Pharaoh of the Two Lands
• Pharaoh’s Challenge: A fast-paced arcade-style version of the game, where the user employs the Pharaoh’s Dagger exclusively to eliminate the approaching spheres
• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

Next Gears content will be free!

Last week on the Epic forums, Mark Rein made a post in regards to the next update to Gears of War.  If you want to read the list of fixes and additions, click here!

When Mark made the announcement about new Gears content people were left wondering if it would be free.  According to some rumblings at Epic, the latest download will be free but nothing has been said if the download will have an advertiser since the last one was made available thanks to Discovery channel.

Anonymous source says a 360 and PC MGS4 are coming!

 The folks over at vg resource center claim to have received some juicy info from a person who would like to remain anonymous from inside Konami had this to say in regards to MGS4 coming to the 360:

"Yes, in fact, we are working on putting Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Xbox 360 and PC, which should both come out roughly 6 months after the PS3 release. However, we've been working with Microsoft so the 360 and PC versions will both take advantage of Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live, with such features as achievements and the ability for 360 and PC owners to play against each other in multiplayer.

I'd love to give you some more details, but this is already pushing it. We are making the big announcement July 11th at this year's E3, so you'll just have to wait until then. Sorry!"

I like how captain anonymous just revealed everything, yet at the end he said we will have to wait until E3 to hear all the details.  In my opinion, the guys at vg are blowing smoke right up our ass or this was an early April fool's joke. 

Now I do believe MGS4 is coming to the 360 and that an announcement will probably come at E3, but I highly doubt a cross play feature between the 360 and PC would ever happen because I believe Hideo Kojima could give 2 shits about PC gaming.

Teamxbox steps up with the best April fools day stories!

Well today is April fool's day and I was expecting way more bullshit stories then what I have been reading, infact I am a little dissapointed by the lack of creativity I am seeing.  That is probably because it is Sunday and people just want to chill instead of sitting in front of the computer like they do all week.

But, just when I thought the stories were just no their, I stumbled on Teamxbox.com.  Actually stumbled is not correct, I went their intentionally because it is one of my favorites, but nevermind that.  Teamxbox is running some pretty funny stories like:

 

Microsoft Planning Xbox 360 Brute Edition
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
Flash-based 1TB hard drive, built-in LG multi-blu drive and a Sidewinder Freestyle Pro controller are some of the features this new edition of Xbox 360 will have. All the details inside.

Microsoft Announces HOMEless
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
This two dimensional service lets you live the life of Xbox Live Silver users at the price of a Gold membership.

Microsoft Announces Halo 3 P.I.M.P. Edition
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
The “Power in My Platform” (P.I.M.P.) Edition comes inside a life-size Spartan statue that no hardcore “Halo” fan should be without. Pictures inside.

Duke Nukem Forever Dated, Xbox 360 Version Announced
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
After ten years in the making, Duke Nukem Forever gets a final release date. 3D Realms confirms Xbox 360 edition to ship simultaneously with PC version.

Microsoft and Nintendo Announce Wii60 Bundle
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
Microsoft Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that will reshape the entertainment industry with the launch of the Wii60 Bundle.

Sony Announces PlayStation 3 Global Recall
Apr. 1, 2007 12:00 AM PDT
Sony announced today a widespread global recall of the PlayStation 3 after accepting customers’ complaints that the system could not perform all the features advertised by the company.

Free 1600 points with the purchase of Guitar Hero!

Cheapassgamer.com is reporting on a Guitar Hero II deal at Circuit City.  If you buy Guitar Hero II, you get a free 1600 Microsoft points card.

Click here to see for yourself!