Jack Thompson has the Masterchief in his sights!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Images of the Halo 3 legendary SKU surface!

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!

Today's Stories:

1. Rockstar games announces a $90.00 SE GTA IV! 
2. Halo 3 beta Matchmaking Playlist updated! 
3. Chatpad impression's from Gamingnexus! 
4. Xevious and Rush 'n Attack coming to XBLA this WED! 
5. Crash Bandicoot finally goes nex-gen but will not appear on the PS3! 
6. Peter Molyneux reveals new info about Fable 2 in a recent interview! 
7. Reserve Halo 3 and get a free 4' wall graphic!

Rockstar games announces a $90.00 SE GTA IV!

Rockstar Games announced today a special edition of Grand Theft Auto IV, which will be available the same day as the standard edition. A company's press release stated:

The Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition will be presented in a customized Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box. The box will contain:

• Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system or the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, both with special packaging
• The Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from Grand Theft Auto IV
• Selected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release
• An exclusive Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box keys
• Completing the collection is a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag

All of the items have been created with the utmost attention to detail to create a unique Grand Theft Auto IV experience for any fan of the series. The Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition is available for pre-orders today and will retail for $89.99 in North America.

Halo 3 beta Matchmaking Playlist updated!

Earlier today Bungie revealed on it's website that they are updating the Matchmaking Playlist and performing some tweaks to Team Skirmish in the Halo 3 beta. 

Bungie says that they are replacing Team Training with Big Team Training so you will begin playing 6V6 on Valhalla and Snow Bound:

Like any good chef we're making some changes to the recipe in the Public tastetest we call the Halo 3 Beta. This week we're making our first change to the Matchmaking Playlist . We're swapping out Team Training and adding in Big Team Training. In Big Team Training players will play 6v6 on High Ground and Valhalla. In addition to some existing modes look for some new modes in Big Team Training, like Multi Flag CTF on Valhalla. Additionally, we've made some slight tweaks to the Team Skirmish playlist that should add greater variety in the opponents you'll face.

[UPDATED @ 3:18 PM]

Teamxbox is reporting that the Banshee is now available in Big Team Training matches.

Chatpad impression's from Gamingnexus!

Last night the guys at Gamingnexus.com got a chance to try out the Chatpad that isn't scheduled to be released until late Summer.  I am posting this because I wanted to see what a 3rd party non Microsoft employee had thought of this little device and from what Gamingnexus had to say, it sounds extremely promising.

Last night Dan and I attended the GamerScoreBlog community event in Chicago.  Besides getting the chance to check out some of Microsoft's upcoming titles (which we'll report on later today) we got the chance to check out Microsoft's new Chatpad add-on. 

While the unit we got to check out last night was not the final version that will ship later this summer, it is a pretty close approximation of what will be shipped to stores.  The ChatPad snaps snugly onto the bottom of the controller.  It's a pretty tight fit so you don't have to worry about accidentally knocking it off during gameplay.  The unit isn't really that heavy and doesn't really impact the weight or balance of the Xbox 360 controller.  I think this is something that a lot of people will snap on and leave on.

Using the buttons will take a little getting used to but like any small QWERTY keyboard once you get used to it you'll be ripping off long diatribes in no time.  The buttons have a good feeling to them and the keyboard is backlit so you'll be able to type in the dark if that's how you roll.  The unit we saw did not have the final LED light installed so I can't really vouch for how bright it is.  I asked the Microsoft guys if the backlight had a negative impact on battery life and they said it did but not too much as the backlight goes off when you're not typing. 

We didn't really get a chance to use it in any games so I can't say how responsive the unit is but it looks great, feels great, and I think a lot of people are going to snap this sucker up (especially now that Live is hooked into Live Messenger).  Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet but I think this is going to be another great Xbox accessory that a lot of people

Xevious and Rush 'n Attack coming to XBLA this WED!

 

The following is from Gamerscoreblog.com:

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

Rush ‘n Attack will be available worldwide for 400 Microsoft Points and is rated E10+.

Game Features

• Fight through 4 stages to free the prisoners of war

• Up to two players can play together locally or over Xbox LIVE in either Versus or Co-op mode

• Local multiplayer features split screen action with results captured on Leaderboards

• Players can chose to play with either the authentic, original graphics or with enhanced graphics which features fully rendered 3-D models

• All music and sound effects have been digitally enhanced

• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

Xevious will be available worldwide for 400 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

Game Features

• Play the 100% arcade accurate reproduction of “Xevious” for the first time anywhere

• Test your memory: uncover hidden bonuses that are scattered throughout the levels just like in the arcade version, where shots to the ground uncover power-ups like Sol towers and 1UPs

• Compare your high score against other “Xevious” players from around the world on the Leaderboards

• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

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

Crash Bandicoot finally goes nex-gen but will not appear on the PS3!

It was announced on Friday that Crash Bandicoot is finally going nex-gen and will appear on the XBOX 360, Wii, DS, PS2, PSP and GBA.  What is a bit surprising here is that Sierra entertainment has made no mention of a version for the PS3.

Although this new title will most likely include the dizzy antics that once made this former Sony poster-bandicoot famous, changes in gameplay will be apparent, including his ability to "hijack" enemies. Crash will be able to physically control 15 of his foes in this game, and use their abilities in his quest to once again topple his arch-villains, Neo and Nina Cortex.

In addition to his hijacking abilities, Crash has also been given an extensively updated movelist, consisting of new offensive techniques and physical feats. The bandicoot can now chain his attacks together to form devastating combos, and even throw his buddy Aku Aku down on the ground to be used as a skateboard or surfboard. Lastly, Crash of the Titans will also feature a co-op mode, in which a second player can join in on the action by playing as Carbon-Crash, his gray-hued doppelganger.

Although only recently announced, Sierra has set a preliminary multiplatform release for this game for fall of this year.

Quote source!

Peter Molyneux reveals new info about Fable 2 in a recent interview!

Lionhead studio's Peter Molyneux spilled the beans about some of the things we will find in Fable 2.  Peter spoke about the new combat system, the new camera and some of the prototypes that didn't make it in to the final game.

I’ve talked about proximity-based context-based combat, confined combat, I think I’ve talked about one-button combat and one-blow kills, I haven’t in any way talked about … and this is something that no-one has ever heard, this word, there’s one thing about combat I haven’t spoken about which is a very interesting area - and, one word? - One word. And it’s death. Death. Think about it. Think about death. Think about what computer games do with death. What have they done with death? What does every game do, what does just about every game do with death?

Try to ignore it, simplify it? Well, it’s even worse than that, you die, and you go back in time twenty minutes to do the same thing over again. That’s fine if I’m playing a platformer, not so fine if you’re doing an RPG game. So I haven’t talked about death, there’s another thing which I haven’t talked at all about which is another word that you’re gonna hear me use - which I’m not gonna talk about - it’s another big thing.

I can tell you about the ambition for NPCs. The ambition is that they say a lot more, they do a lot more, they remember a lot more, they comment a lot more, they’re sort of woven through the game and the gameplay an awful lot more than they were, and you can think of Fable 2 - where Fable 1 I think one of the criticisms which I heard from Fable 1 which we saw ourselves, you had the hero bit, and the fighting bit, and then you had the simulation bit.

Reserve Halo 3 and get a free 4' wall graphic!

Have you reserved Halo 3 yet? if you haven't then you might want to reserve your copy at Circuit City.  If you reserve the standard or limited edition copy of Halo 3, you get a free 4' wall graphic of the Master Chief.

Click here for all the details!

Halo 3 campaign to feature 4 player coop over LIVE!

Maxconsole.net is reporting on a piece of Halo 3 news that has leaked regarding the single player campaign.  It appears that Bungie is planning on adding 4 player coop to the campaign.

You are probably wondering how this news got out right?:

So what’s the big news? Well, scrolling through the list of onscreen text for party menus one sentence in particular stands out:
The game cannot start because all players are set to observer. Too many players for splitscreen.

Only 2 players may play splitscreen coop on the same Xbox 360 console. The party size is too large to start the game. Up to 4 Players may play coop on Xbox Live or System Link. Loading information from Xbox Live…

That’s right, 4 player Co-operative play will be included in in Halo 3. Available both online over Xbox Live and also locally via System link. We begged for it’s inclusion, we got it.

Bungie look all set to live up to their promises delivering all they can with this final entry in the Halo trilogy. This is gonna be sweet.

I have to admit, this is great news but I am a little concerned because I can barely force myself to put the controller down while playing the beta, I can't imagine the demons I will have to face when I get my hands on the final version.