XBOX 360 collectors edition for Stranglehold!

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!

Microsoft unveils 1st party Halo 3 peripherals!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Prince of Persia is this WED XBLA title!

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!

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!

Assassin's Creed drops in November!

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!

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!

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!

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 Microsoft Points

· 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!

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.