Xbox Blogger

Gears of War 3 Xbox 360 pre-order holds top 3 position

2011-08-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Corp. and Epic Games Inc.’s Gears of War 3 for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 held in the top three retail position at Amazon.com Inc. amid strong demand for the action sequel.

This week, Gears of War 3 ranked as the No. 2 best-selling product in Amazon’s Video Games division.
This week, customers who pre-order Gears of War 3 will receive an exclusive Savage Kantus character skin.

It is concurrently offering a $20 Bonus with the pre-order purchase of Gears of War 3.

Gears of War 3 will be sold in a standard, Limited, and Epic Edition.

The Limited Edition SKU will include an Octus Service Medal, Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character, Infected Omen Weapon Pack, Fenix Family Mementos & Fabric COG Flag, and the Octus Award Box display case for the Octus Service Medal at $79.99.
Gears of War 3 Epic Edition includes Gears of War 3 Limited Edition, a collectible Marcus Fenix statue, The Art and Design of Gears of War, and the Infected Omen Weapon Pack – custom multiplayer skins for the game’s five starting weapons; Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Sawed-off Shotgun, and Gnasher Shotgun at $149.99.
Microsoft in Apr. released the Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Beta which includes three new multiplayer versus modes on four new maps.
In Gears of War 3, users fight as Marcus Fenix, leader of Delta Squad, 18 months after the fall of the last human city.

Gears of War 3 will be released Sept. 20, 2011.

Epic Games Inc. in Oct. said Gears of War 3 will utilize dedicated servers to facilitate online play.
The dedicated servers are said to offer balance and optimized online play. In addition, the development team has made online code improvements.
Microsoft in Sept. will sell a new limited edition Xbox 360 320GB Gears of War 3 Bundle at $399.99.
This holiday it will sell the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Star Wars Kinect Bundle at $449.99.
Current Xbox 360 stand-alone SKUs include the Xbox 360 250GB hardware at $299.99 and the Xbox 360 4GB hardware at $199.99.
Bundle SKUs include the Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Special Edition Bundle at $399.99 and the Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect bundle at $299.99.

http://news.punchjump.com/

From Dust - Available from Xbox LIVE Arcade !

2011-08-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Xbox LIVE announce the available of Ubisoft's From Dust for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). A game where players shift terrain and the power of nature in order to impact a tribe's destiny. Fan of god games shouldn't missed this as the visual look impressive and unique; total gaming experience that will calm you in the same time.

For a limited period, GelaSkins announces its From Dusk Till Dawn for Xbox 360 Controller is available for purchased now !

GelaSkins are removable covers for protecting and customizing your portable devices (iPods, Phones, Laptops, Gaming Devices, eReaders, and more…). They feature stunning, photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images designed by our growing family of artists from around the globe.

Killed by blood clot after 12 hour gaming of Xbox

2011-08-01T15:02:00.000-07:00

A mourning father has sent out a plea to other parents to protect their children from the dangers of playing computer games.
Blood clot victim, Chris Staniforth, 20, died after spending up to 12 hours at a time playing on his Xbox.
The gaming enthusiast suffered a blockage to his lungs when he developed deep vein thrombosis – commonly associated with passengers on long haul flights where they are relatively immobile for hours on end.

Chris’ heartbroken father, David told The Sun, ‘As a parent you think playing computer games can’t do them any harm because you know what they are doing.

‘Kids all over the country are playing these games for long periods - they don’t realise it could kill them.’
Chris, an avid player of popular games such as Halo collapsed after an interview at a JobCentre while telling a friend he’d been experiencing peculiar pains in his chest.
He explained how he was woken in the night by a ‘strange feeling’ in his chest and that his heart rate was incredibly low, although this returned to normal and he fell back to sleep.
During the conversation outside the JobCentre David explained the moment Chris started to suffer:

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2020462/Xbox-addict-20-killed-blood-clot-12-hour-gaming-sessions.html#ixzz1VERYVKBX

Famous Red Ring Of Death Backed By Microsoft

2009-10-07T03:18:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has again defended the famous red ring of death of Xbox 360 and claimed that the problem is increasingly going to achieved zero problem of reoccurring issues about it, as reported.

Here the full stories

San Francisco (CA) - Microsoft has responded to a recent survey that claimed the Xbox 360 was plagued by a 54 percent failure rate. Although Microsoft termed the Xbox 360 a "superior console," the company conceded that it was "constantly improving" the unit's design.

"Microsoft stands behind the Xbox 360 as a superior entertainment console with one of the best warranties in the industry," TG Daily was told by a Microsoft spokesperson. "We are constantly improving the design, manufacture and performance of the console through extensive testing of potential sources of any problems. Xbox 360 is pleased to maintain the title of 'most played console' and the vast majority of Xbox 360 customers have enjoyed a terrific gaming and entertainment experience since their first day, and continue to, day in and day out."

The controversial survey was conducted by Game Informer and polled approximately 5,000 readers to obtain the above-mentioned data. The study also indicated significantly lower failure rates for the Playstation 3 and Wii, which were pegged at 10.6 and 6.8 percent, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the "red ring of death" survey sparked a heated debate on TG Daily, with many readers doubting the poll's accuracy.

"The very first SKU had about a 16 percent fail rate. With every revision since that number has fallen fast. Falcon is reliable and Jasper takes it to where it ought to have been," wrote DavidBG. "Of course there was a high fail rate, but at least they fixed the hardware and gave us a 3yr warranty. But a survey of people claiming to be 360 owners?! Yeah like as if the viral Sony gang didn't corrupt that with their fanboy stink. Get real."

Another reader named PMB opined that the failure rate was likely higher than the reported 54.2 percent.

"I'm on my fifth 360 now. Like others have said, I can't believe that there is not a higher failure rate for the 360. Everyone that I play with online have had at least 1 if not 2 RRODS," noted PMB. "The other 45.8 percent must be consoles that are used about an hour a week to have not have failed yet. The original Xbox wasn't much better IMAO. I had like 4 of those. Lets just face facts that Microsoft makes some crappy hardware. As far as being a loyal customer, I would buy a different console if they offered the same online experience and games that are available on the 360."

Meanwhile, Nick B expressed his amazement at the alleged 54 percent failure rate, explaining that the number sounded "ridiculous."

"Okay, I don't have an XBOX, 360, nor a PS3 and I had no idea there were this many problems with these things. That number sounds ridiculous to me. I understand that they are replacing the systems for free, but how can these companies exist churning out one bad unit after another?" asked Nick. "54 percent...that's baffling to me. I wish cars worked the same way. 'Sure my Mustang broke down 4 times, but they just replaced it with a new one every time, and I love it. Of course I'll buy a new model in the future.'"

Blue Blood Xbox Controller

2009-10-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

If you're bored with your current Xbox controller kit, you can try the new XCM Blue Blood Xbox 360 Controller Kit

This new controller features a better improved D-pad which looks larger that the existing standard controller kit.

Other features includeds:

1.Illuminated ABXY button
2.Blue Back Lighting For Dasboard
3.Select & Start Button

Modern Warfare 2 Ready To Scam

2009-10-05T02:38:00.000-07:00

Examiner.com has reported that some scam that related to Xbox 360 is hitting netizen. Here's the full stories

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is expected to be the best-selling game of 2009. Unfortunately, some individuals are trying to take advantage of the hype from the upcoming title by scamming Xbox Live users to reveal their passwords to their accounts. Stephen Toulouse, Director of Policy and Enforcement for Xbox Live, sent out the following warning to Xbox 360 gamers in the latest Major Nelson Radio podcast:

“We’re starting to see some people, evildoers, who are trying to impersonate people from Infinity Ward or from Microsoft, saying: ‘oh I got the key to the Modern Warfare 2 secret beta, if you just give me your password, I will get you in.’ There is no beta and don’t give out your password.” He later added, “We all got to remember, giving out a password, that’s always a scam. That’s never not a scam.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be released on November 10th for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Xbox 720: Futuristic Handheld Console Concept

2009-09-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

Modders and designers have realized what is missing in the world of gaming that has been created by Microsoft. While rival companies like Sony and Nintendo have their portable and handheld console, it is only Microsoft that does not have anything that is portable or handheld. Thus, Microsoft is leaving a huge gap where competitors can actually take Xbox for a ride.

Thus, keeping that in mind designers and modders have been keeping themselves busy trying to design an Xbox handheld which they feel would garner the attention of the guys at Microsoft. Djeric has designed an Xbox touch pad portable which almost looks futuristic. With the conceptual console being named Xbox 720, we can expect twice the amount of fun we have been having Xbox 360. Nevertheless, it is just a concept and it would take a long time for the developers at Microsoft to even consider an Xbox portable or handheld console for Xbox fans.

f such a console were ever designed, we could take our Xbox games wherever we wanted and be able to play the games without having to worry about plugging in. The conceptual handheld also comes with a sleek keyboard which can be shoved inside the console at your discretion. With such talented designers bringing forward their amazing designs, why can’t Microsoft realize the huge and growing market for a portable console? If things go well, we might actually see one in the coming future!

http://xboxfreedom.com/

Canwest News Service: About Xbox 360

2009-09-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

We all know about the huge success of the Wii.

And, of course, Xbox has a planned release for something called Project Natal, a way to play with your own motion and not controller.

Sony have also announced plans for a more interactive system, and today released details of their new interactive controller.

The addition will be released in Spring 2010 and will be made with high-precision motion sensors that link with the PlayStationEye camera. The system will recognize a users face and voice and will use body motion to move around in games.

The controller will also come with a "three-axes gyroscope" and "three axes accelerometer" to measure tilt, angle and speed.

Games in development that will use the new technology include (some are working titles and the names may change by release date):

Ape Escape; Echochrome 2; Eccentric Slider; Sing and Draw; Champions of Time; Motion Party; The Shoot; Tower; PAIN; Flower; Hustle Kings; High Velocity Bowling; EyePet; Watch the price fall, Wiiiiiii

Own ‘em all?

Wow, what a great time to be a gamer.

FIrst the Xbox 360 slashed the price, then the PS3, now the Wii has followed suit.

Starting this weekend the price of the Wii drops $60 to $219.95. The package includes a controller (with nunchuk) and a copy of the sublime Wii Sports.

I know it’s not dirt cheap, but with the price of all three consoles where they are, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to own all three, or at least two, as they all have some monstrous exclusives.

The lineup on the way for Wii is pretty hot too. If you jump at this new price, look at what’s coming down the road:

Dead Space Extraction (EA) Sept. 29; Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo) Oct. 4; Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (LucasArts) Oct. 6; Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA) Oct. 13; Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 (Konami) Nov. 3; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex (Activision) Nov. 10; New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) Nov. 15; EA Sports Active More Workouts (EA) Nov. 17; Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Capcom) Nov. 17; LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (LucasArts) Nov. 17; James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (Ubisoft) Nov. 24.

And if you’re wondering if the price drops work, in the three weeks since Sony dropped the price of the PlayStation 3, they’ve sold more than a million units.

With God of War 3, a new Ratchet and Clank and a new Uncharted on the way, that’s some great gaming on the way.

http://www.kelowna.com/

Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death Issue

2009-09-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Xbox 360 is one of the most popular video game console in the market
today, competing with other video game consoles such as Sony PS3 (PlayStation 3) and Nintendo Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. Although popular, there are several issues regarding the console. There have been several reports of the Xbox 360 breaking down from one specific issue, the Red Ring Of Death. The Xbox 360 video game console is subject to a number of technical problems that can render it unusable. Many of the issues can be identified by a series of red lights flashing on the face of the console; the three flashing red lights (nicknamed the "Red Ring of Death") being the most infamous.

The Red Ring Of Death

When a Microsoft Xbox 360 console experiences a "general hardware" failure or "core digital" failure, three flashing red lights appear (known as the "Red Ring of Death") around the power button, in lieu of the four green lights indicating normal operation. According to electronics philippines enthusiasts that made several reports on Xbox's failures, this error code is usually caused by failure of one or more hardware components, although it can indicate that the console is not receiving enough power from the power supply, which can either be due to a faulty power supply or if the power supply cable is not fully inserted into the console.

Xbox's Response

In the early months after the console's launch, Microsoft stated that the Xbox 360's failure rate was within the consumer electronics industry's typical 3% to 5%. Nevertheless, Microsoft has not released its official statistics on the failure rate of the various versions of the console; the company's press relations policy is to focus on the prompt resolution of any technical problems.

On July 5, 2007, the Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division published an open letter recognizing the console's problems, as well as announcing a three-year warranty extension for every Xbox 360 console that experiences the "general hardware failure" indicated by three flashing red LEDs on the console.

In February 2008, during the Game Developers Conference 2008, Microsoft announced that the "Failure rate has officially dropped", but without mentioning any specifics. The same month, electronics warranty provider SquareTrade published an examination of 1040 Xbox 360s and said that they suffered from a failure rate of 16.4% (one in six). According to electronics philippines reports, of the 171 failures, 60% were due to a general hardware failure (and thus fell under the 3 year extended warranty). And of the remaining 40% which were not covered by the extended warranty, 18% were disc read errors, 13% were video card failures, 13% were hard drive freezes, 10% were power issues and 7% were disc tray malfunctions.

SquareTrade also stated that its estimates are likely much lower than reality due to the time span of the sample (six to ten months), the eventual failure of many consoles that did not fail within this time span and the fact that many owners did not deal with SquareTrade and had their consoles repaired directly through Microsoft via the much publicized extended RROD warranty. According to electronics philippines reviewers, on October 17, 2008 a class action lawsuit was filed in California against Microsoft over the RROD problem.

Colt Weeson

How to Fix the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death (Three Red Lights Syndrome)

2009-09-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Is your Xbox 360 giving you the "Red Ring of Death?" Do you wish you could get rid of it, so you could start playing again?

Well don't throw or sell that thing just yet - there is a better way.

Did you know that you can actually fix your xbox 360's 3 Red lights...

And have it up and running again within the hour?

Before I tell you how you can do so, here are some facts you should know:

1) The red ring of death is a defect in the console that Microsoft has openly admitted as being their fault.

2) The most common issue with the Xbox360 console is overheating.

3) The 4 quadrants of the complete "ring of death" actually represent different functions.

What the Quadrants Stand For

The first quadrant lighting up means that an internal error has occurred. There is not really anything you can do about this.

If the second quadrant lights up, then the system is overheating. Simply disconnect the console and give it some much needed down time.

If the third quadrant lights up, again this is a type of hardware issues that can most likely be fixed.

If all the lights are flashing, it is most likely the AV cord that is not properly setup or inserted correctly.

But, if 3 of the rings are red, then my friend, you have...

The red Ring of Death (or the "(3) Three Red lights" of death).

How to Fix the Three Red Lights Syndrome

While you can send it back to Microsoft, it can take you days to get it back. Also, I've even heard of them sending people defective ones in exchange.

On the other hand you can take it to a local game store, but there are 2 issues with this:

1. It may take a while for them to get around to it, and

2. The game store employee probably isn't Xbox certified in order to fix it...

Meaning you're handing it over to a stranger!

The last option is probably the quickest, cheapest and most painless way to do it.

This is the method I mentioned earlier, and that's to fix it yourself.

And before you get all worried because you've never done it before, worry not friend. I recently found a course that actually teaches you how to do it all on your own, and within an hour to boot...

The course is called "Xbox 360 Ring of Death Repair", and it is THE BEST system I have seen online in order to help you get your favorite console back to running condition - so you can go back to dominating online or off (I personally enjoy Gears of War 2 and Assassin's Creed myself...).

Anyways, the course comes with the Xbox 360 Ring Of Death Repair Guide PLUS an additional 8 High Definition step by Step Instructional videos...

Perfect for anyone who has never even seen the inside of their console!

If you're ready to get back into the game, as quickly as possible, then you need to check out this awesome Xbox 360 Ring of death repair Guide.

Thanks to Colt Wesson

Can You Repair Xbox Ring of Death? Absolutely, Fix it Yourself

2009-09-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Your Xbox has been a strong part of your arsenal for some time now, why does it mess up like this? There is nothing perfect, but hey now that we got that out of the way, how are we going to repair Xbox ring of death? Well lets look at the whole picture, then lets fix it ourselves!!

Okay, if you get the red rings and want to fix it then we need to understand what the problem is. There are a couple of good things that come out of having them. Well at least when you have them, they are good and that is.

* All the red rings as general hardware problems.
* And they can all be fixed my you!

The red rings are general hardware failures. What you can do very quickly that may resolve the problem is to..

1. Unplug the cables and reconnect them.
2. Check for loose connections.
3. Disconnect the hard drive and reconnect it.
4. Don't do the lame towel technique.

Now at times, this will repair Xbox ring of death, but if it doesn't then the issue is inside your console. Now this would mean that you need to do some surgery. I know, I know it sounds complicated and hard, but it really is not. BUT unless you are an expert already or know exactly what you are doing in there, you can damage your favorite possession. I would recommend you look for guidance and assistance.

This may not mean someone else, but a guide which can help you on your journeys.

Don't wait until you don't have any sanity left. This is a problem that can hurt your ego and self worth especially after a long day of stress. Go and repair xbox ring of death today!

Find a great guide and fix your xbox here

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Acevedo

Microsoft Takes on Wii with Video Camera

2009-05-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is planning to introduce a new motion control sensing 3DV video camera for Xbox 360 to take on Nintendo Wii's MotionPlus control. A Microsoft spokesperson had declined to comment on the The Wall Street Journal news. Microsoft's 3DV video camera comes from its speculated acquisition of 3DV systems.

Microsoft's new purported video camera would use 3-D technology for sensing the motions of the user in front of it. This video camera would eliminate the requirement of holding any gaming peripheral. Instead the 3D video camera would be placed next to the display and can sense the motion gestures of the individual.

Microsoft's Research Arm is said to have worked closely with Israeli 3DV Systems for developing the 3D video camera.

Basically, Microsoft aims to increase Xbox 360's market against Nintendo Wii's popularity and sales. Another similar peripheral is used by Sony's EyeToy game that detects gestures in 2D.

Last November, we saw a similar 3D video camera from MGESTYK which does exactly the same function like that of Microsoft's 3D Video camera.

Microsoft is being rumored for unveiling this new technology at the approaching E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/home.jsp

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 Review

2009-05-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a series that seems to make a lot of sense. Giant robots fighting other giant robots is always a good thing. Plus, Gundam has a long history with tons of great characters and storylines to draw from. Of course, the “Gundam” part is only half of the equation and it is the “Dynasty Warriors” part that ultimately messes everything up. Does Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 fall into the standard pattern of repetition and blandness DW is known for? Find out in our review.

Game Details

* Publisher: Namco Bandai, Koei
* Developer: Omega Force
* Also On: PS3
* ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
* Genre: Hack n’ Slash
* Pros: Tons of content, co-op, great for Gundam fans
* Cons: Not that different from original DWG; gets repetitive

The first thing that needs to be said about Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 is that it is pretty much exactly like the first DW Gundam. And I mean exactly. The list of modes is pretty much the same and even some of the missions themselves are the exact same as the first game. Don’t misunderstand, there is plenty of new stuff here, but it isn’t terribly different from the first game.

Official Mode is just like the mode from the first game and features real storylines from various Gundam series. Mission Mode takes the place of Original Mode from the first game and lets you choose different characters and mobile suits to tackle stories created for the game. There are also co-op and deathmatch multiplayer modes available both for splitscreen and online play.

Basically, there is a ton to do here. Dozens of mobile suits, tons of characters, familiar missions and locations – for Gundam fans there is dozens of hours worth of content here. The first DWG offered all of this also, however, and if you have already devoted a lot of time to the first game it seems like a heck of a lot to ask for you to do it all again.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 follows the same formula that every Dynasty Warriors game has used since the beginning. There are tons of enemies that don’t fight back, and it is your job to hack and slash your way through them. This means repetitive button mashing and using the same handful of attacks over and over and over again. For fans of the series, this is heaven. For people that hate the series, it is five minutes of fun and then boredom.

If you aren’t familiar with the DW style, the game plays like this. You melee attack with X, shoot your gun with Y, and various combinations of these produce different special attacks. As you fight you build up a meter that lets you unleash a powerful super attack when it is full. The idea is that you run around the maps and claim designated areas by killing the enemies within an area. Occasionally, higher-level command units will show up as well as other mobile suits (i.e. main characters) that you have to take out that put up much more of a fight than the standard drones. For the most part, the same pattern of button mashing repeats throughout the game and despite the wealth of selectable mobile suits, they all play exactly the same.

Dynasty Warriors is, in essence, the same 5 minutes of gameplay multiplied about 500 times.

Graphics and Sound
One area that has seen some improvement from the first game in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 is the graphics. It still isn’t a graphical powerhouse, not by any means, but the game has an overall sharper and noticeably better look. Most importantly, the mobile suits look great.

The sound is good or bad depending on your tastes. The music and sound effects are good, but the game only offers English voices so if you are a die-hard “sub>dub” fan, it’ll grate on you quite a bit.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 is a bit of a tricky game to judge. It isn’t that it is bad, but it is just mind numbingly repetitive. Some people love the Dynasty Warriors games, though, and we’re cool with that. If you love Dynasty Warriors or are a huge fan of Gundam in all of its forms, there is a lot to like here. If you aren’t a huge Gundam fan or already know Dynasty Warriors isn’t your cup of tea, DWG2 isn’t going to change anything. A bigger problem, however, comes when comparing DWG 1 to DWG 2. Frankly, there isn’t a huge difference or improvement between the two games and there plain and simple isn’t $60 worth of new stuff here if you already have played the heck out of the first game. If you’re interested, give Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 a rental or pick up the first DWG for cheap instead, but I can’t recommend DWG2 for a full price purchase.

Eric Qualls
http://xbox.about.com/mbiopage.htm

Fallout: New Vegas Coming 2010

2009-04-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

2008 was the year of Fallout 3 as it took home several awards including game of the year in some cases. 2009 was a bit of a different story as the DLC content "The Pitt" was released with a bug in it and and had to be yanked from the Xbox Live Marketplace briefly. That minor inconvenience will barely be a blip on the radar after the disappointed fans get wind of the Fallout news of the day.

Gamasutra was on hand at Bethesda's event in London where they heard the announcement of a new Fallout game due out next year for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian and is "is neither a Fallout 3 sequel nor a spin-off."

"It's not Fallout Tactics -- it's not Brotherhood Of Steel. It's another Fallout game," said Hines. "It has no impact on what [Bethesda Game Studios game director] Todd Howard and his guys are planning."

There were no real details on the game itself right now but Gamasutra points out that many of the staff at Obsidian were part of the Black Isle that created some of the original Fallout games.

http://www.pwnordie.com/

Digital and Hardware Rose For Microsoft

2009-04-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Xbox 360 is the only machine to see year-on-year gains whilst Live usage rises sharply

Microsoft was understandably upbeat following the release of NPD’s March statistics, which showed that Xbox 360 was the only console to see year-on-year hardware sales increases.

The 360 sold 330,000 units throughout the month, a 25 per cent increase on the same month in 2008. The numbers, the platform holder stated, were “in contrast to double-digit declines posted by Wii and PlayStation 3”.

The firm added that sales of third party games on Xbox 360 totalled $185m, which was more than on any other console throughout the month.

There were also some impressive Xbox Live numbers thrown about, with Microsoft boasting a 128 per cent increase in unique users compared to the same month last year. Since the beginning of 2009, there has also been a 220 per cent increase in the numbers of 360 owners purchasing game add-ons – indeed, the number of downloadable add-ons released in the period has also increased 62 per cent year-on-year.

“2009 marks the year that we’ve take online console gaming and entertainment to new heights through downloadable games and Game Add-ons,” a statement read.
“Game add-ons give Xbox 360 owners the ability to extend the life of their favourite games, whether it’s new song tracks for music games, The Pitt expansion for Fallout 3 or the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack, which launched April 9.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/

Xbox Live Welcomes Bionic Commando Multiplayer Demo

2009-04-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

Focusing on Bionic Commando's exhilarating online multiplayer mode, the demo will feature “Vertigo,” one of the game's 16 multiplayer maps where 8 players will go head to head in an all out Deathmatch. But this is no ordinary Deathmatch. Swing through the air while showering your opponents with hot lead, use the grapple to zip to safety before a grenade explodes at your feet and laugh as enemies plummet from the tops of skyscrapers following a well aimed zip-kick to the chest!

Taking its inspiration from its 8-bit namesake released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988, Bionic Commando features Nathan Spencer (voiced by former lead singer of Faith No More, Mike Patton), a government operative who represents the ultimate fusion of man and machine. After distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, Spencer is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served.

Three years later, on the day he is due to be executed for his supposed crimes, an experimental weapon detonates in Ascension City, unleashing an immensely powerful earthquake coupled with a radiation shockwave that leaves the city in ruins, wiping out its populace. Military intelligence suggests that a large terrorist search force has moved in and occupied Ascension City, but as yet their motives remain unclear. With the terrain in ruins and the terrorists in control of Ascension City’s air defences the FSA has only one option open to them – the reactivation of Nathan Spencer.

Bionic Commando harnesses the power of the latest generation of hardware to fully exploit the swing mechanic that made the original title so unique. The ruins of Ascension City and its surroundings provide an engaging environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces that allow gamers to traverse each area via multiple routes using swinging, rappeling, climbing and wall-walking techniques.

An expertly trained operative, Spencer is able to target and take out enemies while hanging upside down, climbing a building or even in mid-swing. At close quarters, the bionic arm packs a mean punch, while from a distance, objects such as boulders and cars can be grabbed and launched at enemies.

The development team behind Bionic Commando represents a unique and compelling collaboration of cultures and skills, consisting of an American Producer living in Japan, a Japanese Creative Advisor and highly-rated Swedish developer GRIN providing a European influence. This partnership provides a further example of Capcom’s strategy to work with the best developer talent, whilst maintaining the unique elements of creativity and approach to game design for which Capcom is renowned.

Bionic Commando for PS3 and Xbox 360 will ship to retailers in North America on May 19, 2009, in Europe on May 22, 2009, while the PC edition will ship shortly after the console release.

www.worthplaying.com

Xbox 360 got Shinobi on their way

2009-04-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Sega's arcade classic Shinobi looks possible to exist on the Xbox 360 after a listing for the game surfaced in the Entertainment Software Rating Board's (ESRB) database.

According to the ESRB's description of the title, the Xbox 360 version will be a direct port of the arcade original, released by Xbox Live Arcade.

In addition to its Shinobi port, Sega has confirmed a host of other releases on Microsoft's online storefront including Outrun Online Arcade and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram.

The original Shinobi made its arcade debut in 1987 before finding its way to multiple home platforms, including the Sega Master System and ZX Spectrum.

www.digitalspy.co.uk

Wii and Xbox 360 outsold by PS3

2009-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Sony PS3 outsells Wii and Xbox 360 combined
PlayStation single-handedly puts Microsoft and Nintendo in the shade – but only in Japan

Rumours of the PS3's death – or, at least, lack of life –could be greatly exaggerated. For, rather surprisingly, Sony's HD games console has actually managed to outsell the all-conquering Nintendo Wii in March.

In fact, it actually managed to sell more units than the Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 combined!

For the record, the numbers show 146,948 PS3 sales, versus 99,335 Wiis and 43,172 Xbox 360s.

Startling though this sudden upsurge in PS3 sales is – after all, the Wii had previously outsold the PS3 every month for well over a year – it's too soon to necessarily say that the PS3 has finally turned the corner.

Especially since these figures are for Japan only. It's hard to imagine the PS3 seeing off its rivals so convincingly anywhere else in the world.

http://www.igizmo.co.uk/

Play time with Consoles

2009-03-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

QUIRKY new shapes of game controllers are perhaps prompting families to play video games together.

Consider the guitar-shaped controller and drums for music games like Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band, and the microphone used in karaoke game Lips for the Xbox 360 console.

The controllers are non-threatening and intuitive, so they are easier to use.

Of course when the games go beyond shooting and punching and involve family-friendly activities such as participating in a quiz show and taking part in a sing-off, the stage is set for lots of interaction between the generations.

Banker Peter Zotos, 39, and his wife Kelly, 39, a housewife, need no invitation to join their children, aged 10 and eight, in playing Rock Band.

"It ’s easy to play the guitar," said Kelly of the controller, which requires her to simply press coloured buttons in tandem with what is shown onscreen.

Here are some other games for all ages, that come with controllers mum and dad can easily pick up:

Buzz it
Playing games like Buzz! Quiz TV on PlayStation 3, or the Scene IT series on Xbox 360 just involves pressing a button to answer a multiple choice question.

These games which test general knowledge come with four special controllers, so up to four can compete at any one time.

The quizzes can be as easy as identifying a popular movie star or as tough as guessing the title of an obscure movie from a single line of dialogue.

Sing along
Games like Lips on Xbox 360 and SingStar on PS3 require you to just sing or scream into a microphone. The better you sing, the higher your score.

It is karaoke with a competitive streak.

Ham it up for the cam
How well can you put on a show? Find out with the Xbox 360 ’s You ’re In The Movies, where you are filmed in action by a Web camera and featured onscreen in video clips.

You don ’t need a controller here except to switch the game on. The action takes place in front of a webcam. The game "directs" you on what you need to do.

Say, if the clip is one where you are pursued by wild animals, you will be asked to run in front of the camera. The footage will be incorporated into the clip and you can watch yourself being chased.

The Straiits Time
Singaapore

Grabbed by Ghoulies Arrives Monday On Xbox Live

2009-02-14T15:47:00.001-08:00

Rare has announced that Grabbed by Ghoulies will be available for download February 16th (Monday) on Xbox Live. The title is a port of Ghoulies which originally came out in 2003.

According to Rare "Grabbed by the Ghoulies is a fun and stylish haunted house beat-'em-up adventure from the makers of Banjo-Kazooie that encourages you to throw toilet rolls at hunchbacks and beat up zombies with their own severed arms. It's also entirely suitable for kids, despite what we just said."

Gregg Mayles, head of the Ghoulies team states "For all those discerning games connoisseurs who somehow managed to miss out on playing Ghoulies the first time (and I'm sure there must be a few million of you somewhere), I highly recommend you spend a few lazy evenings (or a lot if you're rubbish at games) inside the Baron's delightful Ghoulhaven Hall. Imagine a game you really like and then visualise Ghoulies as a stylish haunted house version of that. So, if you like Halo, pretend that the main character is Master Chief and the hilarious DJ Mummy is a terrifying Covenant alien. It works for me."

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/profile-Wade.html

Grand Theft Auto 4 Expansion Steals Free Xbox Live

2009-02-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

Scott Nichols

Feb 11, 2009 8:55 am

Microsoft is going all out to promote the Grand Theft Auto 4 expansion The Lost and Damned by giving everyone who downloads it free access to Microsoft's Xbox Live service for a week. Well, almost a week. The promotion begins with the release of The Lost and Damned on February 17, with the free Xbox Live access cut off on the February 22. Xbox Live users with a free silver account can download games through the Xbox Live Marketplace, but normally a gold account is required to play games online. During the five days of the promotion online multiplayer will be available for silver account members as if they had a gold account.

Microsoft will also be hosting several Game with Fame events during the five-day promotion of the delayed expansion, including allowing players to play against the developers at Rockstar who made the game. Game with Fame events are a regular occurrence on Xbox Live, so scheduling them during the promotion should give silver account holders a taste of what the Xbox Live community has to offer.

I'm sure Microsoft feels a lot of pressure to get a return on the $50 million investment put into Xbox 360 exclusive content, and this promotion might help get there. The idea is that people who don't already have a gold subscription to Xbox Live will get hooked to the online play and shell out the $50 yearly fee. Will it work? A handful of people will be converted by the promotion, but probably not $50 million worth of subscriptions.

Massage Your Partner Over Xbox Live - "Remote Masseuse"

2009-02-14T15:40:00.001-08:00

by Eric Bush

Need a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for that special someone? The Xbox Live Marketplace has got you covered with the release of new Community Game "Remote Masseuse". Priced at just 200 Microsoft Points ($2.50 USD), "Remote Masseuse" is a godsend for lovers separated by distance or laziness, allowing players to manipulate the speed and intensity of the vibrations of another player's controller in order to give a remote, ersatz massage. Players can hook up for local or networked sessions via Xbox Live.

Once the game's begun, one simply applies the controller to areas in need of massage, sits back and relaxes. The game also supports voice chat, allowing you to listen in on the purrs and contented sighs your remote-controlled attentions will no doubt elicit from your partner, or, you know, let you talk about carpentry or BSG or whatever. Spending Valentine's Day on your own? Don't worry, lonely guy, "Remote Masseuse" has a Solo Session option, too. Check out some images from the game below or more details by going to Xbox.com's game page here.

Foiled by eBay, Xbox gamertag seller turns to Craigslist

2009-02-14T15:35:00.001-08:00

Having had two separate eBay auctions to sell his rare Xbox Live gamertag yanked off the site for apparent terms of service violations, a New York State man is now moving his business to Craigslist.

Earlier this week, as first reported here, Chris Graziano had put his gamertag, "Hitman," up for auction on eBay. Graziano, a student at SUNY New Paltz, had been hoping to capitalize on the rarity of the moniker to score a big payday, and indeed, in the hours after his auction went up, more than $500 was bid for the gamertag.

"Don't bid on this item if you don't want to be the center of attention of every game lobby you're in," Graziano wrote on the original eBay ad. "You'll regularly hear comments of 'You're the original Hitman?' and 'Wow, how did you get that gamertag?!'"

But eBay wasn't amused and quickly pulled the auction, claiming that the attempted sale of the Hitman account violated its ban on the traffic of virtual goods and assets, Graziano said.

"EBay doesn't allow the sale of virtual items," Graziano said eBay told him in an e-mailed explanation. "This includes--but isn't limited to--online game characters, accounts, currency, codes that can be redeemed for in-game items, and related software."

Undaunted, Graziano felt he had another way to approach the problem. Rather than selling the account itself as a purely digital good, he figured that he could probably attract buyers by offering up an Xbox memory card--a physical item--that just happened to contain all the data associated with the Hitman account.

"This is an auction for my memory card," Graziano wrote in his second eBay auction. "I used the memory card to bring over to my friends' houses in case we played Xbox Live online. So on the memory card along with a few saved games and rosters is my XBL gamertag. I'm not selling that since Microsoft owns the rights to it, but it is on the memory card. I recently purchased another year of gold service, so whoever wins the auction will be able to play using the 'Hitman' gamertag...People sell a year of gold service all the time on eBay, so now you have it on the tangible form of a memory card.

"Just like if you were selling a computer on eBay, you sell the computer, and with it comes a hard drive with random stuff." Graziano continued. "I'm selling a memory card. With it comes saved games, sport rosters, and my XBL Gamertag--Hitman. It's a pretty cool gamertag by the way. No extra letters or numbers. I was an XBL beta tester years ago and was one of the first to sign up, so I got the most popular phrase used in gamertags all by itself, Hitman. This memory card along with its contents would be great for any hardcore gamer looking to steal the spotlight in all of his online games."

But yet again, eBay disallowed the auction, this time at the behest of Microsoft, which bans the sale or redistribution of any part of the Xbox Live service.

"In accordance with the Xbox Live terms of use," said David Dennis, an Xbox 360 spokesperson, "Xbox Live Gold subscriptions are not transferable and cannot be resold for commercial purposes."

EBay did not respond to a request for comment.

Now, despite getting some unsolicited offers for the gamertag of several hundred dollars, Graziano is determined to get what he thinks could still be four figures for the account. As such, he has offered it for sale once again, this time on Craigslist.

"I'm trying to sell this memory card I have for Xbox 360," Graziano's new Craigslist ad begins. "On the memory card, along with a few saved games and rosters is my XBL gamertag. I'm not selling that since Microsoft owns the rights to it, but it is on the memory card. I recently purchased another year of gold service. So while I may not own the gamertag, I do own the right to use this gamertag on XBL for the next year as long as I abide by their terms of service."

While it's too early to tell what will happen to the post on Craigslist--a representative of that service did not immediately respond to a request for comment--it stands to reason that Microsoft will once again pull rank. Graziano's attempt to, oh by the way, include the gamertag with the Xbox memory card is similar to efforts by some to auction off tickets to the 2000 World Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets by including the tickets for free with a Yankees cap.

EBay had pulled all such auctions at that time because of restrictions on the site against scalping tickets.

Graziano is aware that Microsoft may tire of his persistence and simply unilaterally close his Xbox Live account.

"That's what makes me want to just take an offer now and run with it," he said.

Originally posted at Gaming and Culture

Students quiz Microsoft exec

2009-02-14T15:28:00.001-08:00

Hundreds of students from around the country tuned in Friday for a discussion with Microsoft executive Robbie Bach. As part of Microsoft's annual Minority Student Day, Bach and members of the Blacks at Microsoft employee group counseled the kids on how to pursue careers in technology.

By Benjamin J. Romano
Seattle Times technology reporter

Hundreds of students from around the country tuned in Friday for a discussion with Microsoft executive Robbie Bach.

As part of Microsoft's annual Minority Student Day, Bach and members of the Blacks at Microsoft employee group counseled the kids on how to pursue careers in technology.

"Here at Microsoft we hire a lot of engineers ... and we struggle to find people who are qualified in the engineering space," Bach said.

After a demonstration of the latest Xbox Live technology, Bach told the students that if they want to "help define the future of that entertainment, we'd love to have you here. But that involves making sure you do well in school ... making sure you're doing math and science."

But at the end of a half-hour Q&A with the students, Bach was ready to suggest careers in journalism for some of them. They asked on-point questions about the strategy and future of products in Bach's Entertainment and Devices Division.

"That was a press interview," Bach said afterward with reporters. "That was a press conference."

Here are highlights of Bach's conversation with the students:

Q: I was wondering if you plan on making a touch-screen Zune?

Bach: Ah, a question about whether we're going to make a touch-screen Zune. I won't talk about future product things that we're doing explicitly because that will get me in trouble with a lot of people.

I will say that some of the things I showed today — around touch and voice and cameras — you will start to see in a lot of places, not just in my division but across all of Microsoft. ... And once you have something like touch or voice to interact with, you wonder why you did it the old way.

Q: I'm going to throw the Apple iPod out there and the Zune. How are you going to deal with competition; what's your plan or strategy?

Bach: We've been doing Zune now for about three years and I would say that today if you took at Zune and an iPod, and you include iTunes and our marketplace and just looked at the whole product offering, we win about 40 to 50 percent of the reviews.

So from a product-quality and capability perspective, in some semiobjective sense, we think we have as good or a better product.

Now, it's not selling like that in the marketplace today; I mean, you can look at the data. Today, Apple has, depending on what month you look at, 70, 75 percent market share and, you know, ours is much less.

And that's a function of the fact that they have a very strong brand and they got to market four years earlier than we did, and so they have built up a very tough position for us to respond to, even with as good, or in some cases, a better product.

So you could say, "Well, Robbie, what are you doing about that?"

The thing that we're looking at, and I think what you'll see play out is, the stand-alone music-playing category is declining....

The portable device increasingly is going to become the phone and so I think what you're going to see is a lot of work on our part to take what we've built with Zune ... and use it in a lot of other places.

And again, I won't make any specific announcements, but you are going to see us think about the great software we've done as an asset that can be used across multiple screens as opposed to just on a dedicated Zune device.

The Zune devices will continue, but there will be other opportunities to experience music that I think will be very rich.

Q: I was wondering what would be the new features on Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile 6 is good, but I was wondering how the new ones are going to be used?

Bach: ... You should think that the next two generations of Windows Mobile are going to do some of the following things:

One, you'll get a different, what we would call a user experience; basically a different way to interact with the phone itself — things being much more touch organized, much better transitions, much richer.

It will look a lot less like a PC and a lot more like a fun experience on a phone. I think that will be a pretty dramatic change. ...

Today, our Windows Mobile devices are pretty business-oriented.

They look like something I would use, not something you would use — let's say it that way.

You're going to see that expand pretty dramatically, including music, video and some other capabilities in what we would call the consumer space, that I think will be super exciting.

The final thing I'll say, a bunch of changes in Windows Mobile aren't going to happen on the phone itself. One of the biggest trends ... is that people are going to be connected to services.

Because the phone now has 3G, which is a kind of broadband on a mobile phone, you can now connect to other services and have new capabilities.

(He listed Xbox Live, Facebook and Twitter as examples.)

You want to be able to connect to those things in a rich way. We're going to enable those services in a very cool way on our future Windows Mobile technology.

Benjamin J. Romano: 206-464-2149 or bromano@seattletimes.com

PS3, Xbox 360 sales below Wii in Jan. U.S. sales

2009-02-14T15:25:00.001-08:00

by Marcus Lai

Sales for Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 ranked behind Nintendo Co.'s Wii in Jan. U.S. sales.

NPD Group Inc. this week said that the PS3 sold 203,000 units in Jan., while the Xbox 360 sold 309,000 units for the month.

By comparison, the Wii sold 680,000 units the same month to rank as the top selling game hardware in Jan.

Video game software sales increased 10 percent to $676.6 million while hardware sales moved up 17 percent to $445.4 million.

Sales of accessories gained 11 percent to $209.8 million.

Total industry sales reached $1.33 billion in Jan.

Search Video Games

Xbox 360 Live 3 Month Gold Card
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Sales for Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 ranked behind Nintendo Co.'s Wii in Jan. U.S. sales.

NPD Group Inc. this week said that the PS3 sold 203,000 units in Jan., while the Xbox 360 sold 309,000 units for the month.

By comparison, the Wii sold 680,000 units the same month to rank as the top selling game hardware in Jan.

Video game software sales increased 10 percent to $676.6 million while hardware sales moved up 17 percent to $445.4 million.

Sales of accessories gained 11 percent to $209.8 million.

Total industry sales reached $1.33 billion in Jan.

XBOX Gamers Can Now Target Opponents with DDoS attacks

2009-02-14T15:01:00.001-08:00

Xbox live gamers now have a new method of revenging against undefeatable opponents. Controlling the entire map with a battle rifle and a few grenades is no longer the best attack method you can use. The use of a Distributed Denial of Service attack is the new way to go. For those of you that still don't know, according to Wikipedia, Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation.

SpyWareGuide.com reported a consistent increase in the number of users utilizing sniffing and DDoS botnets to boot players off the Xbox live network. The DDoS attack floods an opponent's channel with information that eventually renders it unusable. This in turn breaks the connection between the Xbox and the servers on the Xbox Live Network. In order to execute this DDoS attack the victims IP address is required. Once a user has connected their Xbox, he/she will sniff the traffic for an opponent. This method of sniffing can also be used to obtain IP addresses, but if this proves to be too difficult others might prefer to use social engineering techniques.

Once a target is established, custom made tools are combined to create bots/zombies specifically designed to form a botnet that knocks a target out of any game he/she is currently on. Refer to: Spyware Guide.com for additional details. The interesting thing is that game traffic is generally UDP traffic which may make it easy to flood a home DSL or Cable line with traffic using a fairly small botnet. The problem arises with most DSL or Cable modems. In order to flood the Xbox console you first have to flood the modem, forcing you to use a bigger botnet. On average forty to sixty bots are recommended to execute an effective DDoS attack against the enemy Xbox gamer..

This type of cyber war has been underground for a while now but only recently has its popularity taken a bit of a leap. The control software required to execute an attack is free but there are those budding entrepreneurs that can't let an opportunity like this go and are therefore leasing out bots for about $2 each.

For those Xbox gamers that might find this growing form of attack irritating, blaming Microsoft would not be a plausible idea because they can't really do anything about it. This is because the attack goes directly from a PC to the Xbox 360 console, bypassing the Xbox Live network. And to those that think of this as the best way to get back at strong opponents, you should consider the fact that somehow you are assisting hackers in expanding their networks. Reports indicating that the tools utilized to create the botnet contain a malware that can eventually turn your computer into a bot/zombie computer, have already been made. So, just to be safe, don't be a sore looser, it's just a game. Accept your defeat and leave the DDoS attacks to the real hackers.

Resources:
Botnets Beat Spartan Laser on Halo 3
Xbox live
Sniffing

Make Yahoo!7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find out more.

Top 5 ways Xbox can win over PC gamers with Halo Wars

2009-02-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Microsoft's bold claim with Halo Wars is that it'll be the console RTS that finally cures the curse of console RTS games -- namely that it won't have controls that suck compared to a PC's keyboard and mouse combo.

We spent some time at Microsoft HQ this week playing through sections of the single and multiplayer modes of this highly anticipated title. Here's five reasons why it may be the RTS of choice this year, whether or not you're a PC devotee or a console fan.

1 Control Freaks

PC RTS gamers will bemoan that a console controller can't deliver the precision of a mouse and keyboard. And they'd be right, even with Halo Wars. That being said, the way the screen maps around the controller -- so your pointer is always in the centre of the screen -- works surprisingly well for swift unit selection

2 It's identifiably Halo

Halo's a huge brand for Microsoft, and it's clear even from a couple of hours of rudimentary solo and multiplayer action that Ensemble studios have done a great job capturing the Halo "feel", from Warthogs to Spartans to Covenant, and everything in-between

3 Well Matched gameplay

One thing that Halo 2 and 3 did very well was match up players of similar skill rankings online. While our play test was essentially within a closed loop on Xbox Live, the game still tried to check our experience levels against each other. Practical upshot: You shouldn't get swamped by an expert on your first playthrough. We did, but then our guide (and then opponent) had finished the whole game before we even started.

4 Keep It Simple, Stupid

One thing that's made console RTS titles too difficult up to now has been mapping all the necessary micromanagement tasks onto a limited button set. Ensemble's done some careful work here, from minimising harvesting roles (you essentially grow your own supplies on base) to quick D-Pad shortcuts for flicking around the map. It's simple and effective even after a short play time.

5 Simple doesn't have to mean stupid, stupid

While the controls are easy to understand, there's a definite level of strategy, even in the early going. We knew the controls and basic build trees, but our Microsoft guide rather mercilessly wiped the floor with us in competitive play, because he knew the strategies and how to keep multiple units on the bubble all the time.

What do you think? Can console RTS titles ever really compete? Would you buy an Xbox 360 for Halo Wars, or hold out hope for a PC version?

Top 5 ways Xbox can win over PC gamers with Halo Wars

2009-02-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

1 Control Freaks

2 It's identifiably Halo

3 Well Matched gameplay

4 Keep It Simple, Stupid

5 Simple doesn't have to mean stupid, stupid

What do you think? Can console RTS titles ever really compete? Would you buy an Xbox 360 for Halo Wars, or hold out hope for a PC version?

Microsoft plans free Xbox Live for Grand Theft Auto IV

2009-02-12T01:37:00.001-08:00

Not only will Rockstar's DLC be available on the Xbox 360 February 17, but
Microsoft will allow free access to Live Gold functionality for players of
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV and the upcoming expansion The Lost and
Damned.

You've got to give it to Microsoft, what better way to get people online to
play a game that's almost a year old and pump them up for the next
installment from Rockstar? Grand Theft Auto IV is a great game. I can see
the servers taking a huge hit Feb. 17; maybe I'll see you there.

This free access expires February 22, so I suggest you get your game on
soon. Wishful thinking, but what would make this sweeter is a Feb. 16
(Presidents' Day) release; ah, I'd play all day.

Velvet Assassin Final Box Art And Graphic Novel Images

2009-02-07T03:36:00.000-08:00

SouthPeak has teamed with renown graphic novel artist Peter Chung for the 15-plus page graphic novel of Velvet Assassin. And while the novel may be an exclusive at GameStop (and in limited quantities) when gamers purchase Velvet Assassin, we have a few of those images right here for your viewing pleasure.

For those of you who don’t know, Pete Chung is the same hip cat that worked on animation projects that include The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury and The Animatrix. He also happens to be the legendary creator and director of Aeon Flux. Need I say more?

Well, this guy Mr. Chung, has collaborated with SouthSpeak Games and Replay Studios to bring gamers an extensive look at the early years of Velvet Assassin’s protagonist, Violette Summer. The graphic novel explains how she became a secret, undercover agent and sets up the story in which the game takes place.

You can check out the new box art for the game below, as well as the images from the graphic novel. You can also look for Velvet Assassin to hit retailer shelves soon for the Xbox 360 and PC. As always, be sure to stay tuned in with Blend Games for more news and updates on all things gaming.

By William Usher: 2009-02-06 09:21:48

Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360) Review

2009-02-07T03:25:00.000-08:00

Does Sonic Run Faster Than Ever Or Crash And Burn?

Title: Sonic Unleased Xbox 360
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Team Sonic
Genre: Platform
Players: 1
Rated: E for Everyone
Also available on: PS3, Wii

As a product of the 1980’s, I grew up with the 8-bit mascot. I considered Mario one of my best friends. Soon, the consoles took a dive into the bright lit and colorful 16-bit era. As I got older and wiser, so did the consoles. I found myself wanting more than just to be shooting fireballs and searching for princesses who always seemed to be in another castle, leaving behind one lone talking mushroom who would inform me of my wasted time. The Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog came to my rescue. The speed! Mario never moves this fast! It was a nice change of pace; literally. Since his initial release on the little black box, Sonic has seen some changes in his line-up, some good and some bad. And then there’s Sonic Unleashed. A game that breaks the mold when it comes to Sonic games. It’s not good. However, at the same time, it isn’t bad. It’s much, much worse than bad. It’s horrific. Let me break this down for you.

Graphics

When you first put this game into your system, you’re going to say “Wow! That opening CG cut scene was incredible!” However, it was a CG cut scene. The rest of the game is looks mediocre. Don’t get me wrong. Sonic games have never intended to push any system to any breaking point. Character models look good and move smoothly. The levels and texture work for each stage is also well done. From the bright green grass that most Sonic games incorporate to the metal walls of Eggman’s lair, it looks pretty good! The Hedgehog Engine (yup, that’s a real thing) does a good job in making Sonic Unleashed look like it belongs in this generation of gaming. I did, however, notice some frame rate issues during the first few levels of the game.

Gameplay

So after plummeting from space and losing the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic finds that he can now transform into a Were-Hog at night. “That’s weird” you say. Oh, but it gets better. His arms are stretchy, allowing him to hit enemies from a bit of a distance. Let’s also add on a Navi style guide to annoy you throughout the game. Chip, as he’s named, alerts you to things. All things. Things like “Hey push that button and maybe the door will open.” Sure enough the door opens. It’s as if the team behind Sonic Unleashed doesn’t think their audiences to be smart enough to do such things on their own. I can understand how this game might be geared for little kids. Even so, anyone with the ability to read (which is required for this game) has the ability to look to the left to see the button to open the door.
Before beginning a stage, Sonic must walk through a town. Usually, you’re going to have to talk to the townspeople, who don’t have audio, only text (which I find unforgivable in a current-gen game). They’ll have you go about town doing various missions in order to obtain medals and such. So when you finally get to the actual game stages, you’ll be thinking “sweet, finally some speed!” Well, you’re wrong.

We’ve all gotten frustrated at a video game at some point in our gaming careers, but Sonic Unleashed takes the cake. Not only does it take the cake, but it smashes it in your face and kicks you in the balls (if applicable) while doing so. The Sonic levels are awful. You hold the “Up” direction on your controller for 99% of the stage you are playing through. Once or twice, you may be called upon to jump or crawl. Yes, crawl. They expect you to go from a blazing gazllion miles per hour to crawling in a split second. No, I am not exaggerating in the least. The same goes with jumping across a bottomless pit or ever-so-cleverly placed spikes (which any Sonic fans know that Sonic is deathly allergic to gravity and spikes). You will be close to the end of the stage when you suddenly will have fallen off a ledge or run into wall spikes and died, having to restart from the nearest check point. All the while you’ll be trying to figure out how that just happened. If Sonic was moving as fast as he seems to be, I figure he’d float over pits or pass through the spikes.

But at night, Sonic turns into a Were-Hog with stretchy arms…because that makes sense. The Were-Hog levels are less annoying. This doesn’t make it better, just less bad. These levels have a more beat’em up style. Sonic uses his stretchy arms (which, at first sight, I sighed and rolled my eyes) to defeat enemies across the level. There are various puzzles and bosses to fight as a Were-Hog, some of which can be pretty entertaining. If this was the entire aspect of the game, it would have been an entirely different experience.
To simplify all of this, the controls are difficult, the speed is too fast, and the levels are too inconsistent to hold your attention.

Sound

The sound and music of Sonic Unleashed is nothing short of an auditory raping. At one point, I wanted to rip my ear balls out and I don’t even have ear balls. The music is reminiscent of big-band swing music, which is awful for both running fast and using stretchy arms. It just doesn’t seem to fit with the game. I tried playing my own music through the dashboard, but even this wouldn’t cover up the obnoxious sound effects. After defeating an enemy, Sonic collects orbs or crystals. These give you the ability to use your Unleash power and upgrade Sonic at the end of the level. Ok, that’s fine. But why do you need to punish me with nails-on-a-chalkboard sound effects while collecting them? And you will collect them; hundreds of them per level. It’s possibly one of the worst sounds to be included into a video game.

The voice work is as campy as ever. I think we need to sign a petition to Sonic Team to have Tails finally get through puberty. The voice work is forgivable. There are many games in which the main characters sound like complete tools. I complained earlier that the townspeople didn’t have voices, but I think this is a blessing in disguise. I realize now that I don’t want to hear them anyway.

Also, is it just me or does Sonic as a Were-Hog sound like a 4-year old trying to sound like Clint Eastwood?

Lasting Appeal

I cannot fathom even putting this back into my Xbox 360 for any reason. I suppose if you are severely desperate for achievement points, you may go back again. Sure there are medals to collect that could warrant another run through, but the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.

Fun Factor

The initial excitement of playing a new Sonic game with the prospects of some classic gameplay wears off in the first 4 seconds. It’s not that it’s boring; it’s that it isn’t fun. It comes off as more frustrating and annoying than a game made for enjoyment should. For me, the fun stopped after the CG cut scene ended, and that was before I even got to play. The Were-Hog levels are more fun than the Sonic levels, however, that doesn't mean they are good.

The 411

If you are a fan of the original Sonic the Hedgehog games, leave your nostalgia as it is. This game will only taint the memories you have of running through the Emerald Hills saving helpless woodland animals. If you’re desperate for a current-gen Sonic game, download Sonic 2 on the Xbox Live Arcade if you can. Sonic needs to be remembered as he was, not a constant “re-invention” of the series. The best Sonic game is a 2-D side scroller with great level design. The worst Sonic game is Sonic Unleashed.

Saling The World: Halo 3, Call of Duty Top U.S. Xbox 360 Sales

2009-02-07T03:22:00.000-08:00

Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five real-time Amazon.com sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide.

This week's charts, with data taken from February 5th, 2009, find Halo 3 and Call of Duty: World at War at the top of North America's Xbox 360 software sales charts, while Star Ocean: Second Evolution and Mario Kart DS drive sales on portables.

Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded. This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Samba de Amigo (Sega), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 5. Active Life: Outdoor Challenge (Namco Bandai).

Japan: 1. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Namco), 2. Another Code:R - Kioku no Tobira (Nintendo), 3. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Wii de Asobu: Mario Tennis GC (Nintendo).

UK: 1. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega).

Sega's Samba de Amigo takes a surprise sales victory on the Nintendo Wii this week, thanks to a recent Amazon "Deal of the Day" promotion that dropped the title's price to $9.99. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii continue to see strong sales, while the physical fitness titles My Fitness Coach and Active Life: Outdoor Challenge close out the regional top five.

In Japan, Nintendo's Trace Memory sequel Another Code:R - Kioku no Tobira premieres this week at second place, as Taiko no Tatsujin remains in the region's top spot. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii follow at third and fourth place, while Wii de Asobu: Mario Tennis GC finishes fifth.

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 3. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 4. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 5. Fallout 3 (Bethesda).

Japan: 1. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 2. Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Spike), 3. Ninja Blade (From Software), 4. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision).

UK: 1. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 2. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 3. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 4. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Game of the Year Edition (Activision).

Anticipation for the upcoming release of Halo Wars boosts sales for Halo 3, which finishes as North America's top Xbox 360 title for the week. Call of Duty: World at War and Gears of War 2 finish at second and third place, followed by Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3.

Left 4 Dead also sees a strong sales week in Japan, where it finishes first in overall sales numbers. Midnight Club: Los Angeles finishes up its first week of release at second place, while last week's sales leader Ninja Blade takes third.

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. LittleBigPlanet (SCEA), 2. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Burnout Paradise (EA Games).

Japan: 1. Demon's Souls (SCEI), 2. Fallout 3 (Bethesda), 3. Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! -- PlayStation 3 The Best (Sega), 4. Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Spike), 5. Tomb Raider: Underworld (Eidos).

UK: 1. LittleBigPlanet (SCEE), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- Game of the Year Edition (Activision), 3. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune -- Platinum Edition (SCEE), 4. Mirror's Edge (EA Games), 5. Assassin's Creed -- Platinum Edition (Ubisoft).

LittleBigPlanet takes a weekly sales lead over last week's PS3 chart champion Call of Duty: World at War in North America, as Metal Gear Solid 4 moves up to finish third. Grand Theft Auto IV returns to the platform's top five at fourth place, meanwhile, as Burnout Paradise once again finishes at fifth.

The From Software-developed action-adventure title Demon's Souls tops Japanese PS3 software sales in its first week of release, and pushes last week's top seller Fallout 3 to second place. Fellow newcomer Midnight Club: Los Angeles also makes an impressive showing this week, though Tomb Raider: Underworld may soon be on its way out of the regional top five.

PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Yakuza 2 (Sega), 2. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (Atlus), 3. Katamari Damacy (Namco), 4. Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection (Konami), 5. Madden NFL 09 (EA Sports).

Japan: 1. Hokuouki (Idea Factory), 2. Fate/Unlimited Codes -- SP-BOX (Capcom), 3. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yumenoukihashi Special (Koei), 4. Ryu ga Gotoku 2 -- PlayStation 2 the Best (Sega), 5. Gundam Musou 2 (Bandai).

UK: 1. SingStar: ABBA (SCEE), 2. Tomb Raider: Underworld (Eidos), 3. SingStar Singalong with Disney (SCEE), 4. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 5. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar).

Persona 4 is finally unseated from the PlayStation 2's top sales spot this week in North America, after spending more than a month at first place in weekly sales numbers. This week's champion is Sega's acclaimed but commercially underwhelming Yakuza 2, which finds new sales life this week thanks to a drop in price at Amazon.

Namco's Katamari Damacy returns to the top five this week as well, while Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection and Madden NFL 09 finish close behind.

PC
North America: 1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard), 2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion -- Game of the Year Edition (Bethesda), 3. World of Goo (Brighter Minds), 4. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe (EA Games), 5. Fallout 3 (Bethesda).

Japan: 1. Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection (Square Enix), 2. Left 4 Dead (Zoo), 3. Monster Hunter Frontier Online Season 4.0 Premium Package (E Frontier), 4. RPG Tsukuuru VX (Enterbrain), 5. Civilization IV Complete (Cyber Front).

UK: 1. Football Manager 2009 (Sega), 2. Left 4 Dead (EA Games), 3. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (EA Games), 4. Civilization IV Complete (2K Games), 5. Fallout 3 (Bethesda).

Wrath of the Lich King again tops PC platform sales at Amazon this week, beating out competition from the returning Game of the Year Edition of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. World of Goo moves up a spot in this week's results, as Fallout 3 finishes behind The Sims 2: Double Deluxe at fifth place.

Nintendo DS
North America: 1. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 2. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo), 3. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (Disney), 4. MySims Kingdom (EA Games), 5. Brain Age (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Meitantei Conan & Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbou: Meguri au 2-Jin no Meitantei (Bandai Namco), 2. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix), 3. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo), 4. Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode (Nintendo), 5. Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor (Atlus).

UK: 1. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo), 2. Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (Nintendo), 3. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo), 4. Junior Brain Trainer (Avanquest), 5. 42 All-Time Classics (Nintendo).

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force continues to move up the charts in North America, with this week's results placing the title at third in Nintendo DS software sales. Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. again finish at the top, as MySims Kingdom re-enters chart territory following a recent discount in price at Amazon.

Elsewhere, the manga-licensed detective title Meitantei Conan & Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbou: Meguri au 2-Jin no Meitantei debuts to a first place sales victory in Japan, as Professor Layton continues its multi-week reign as the top DS seller in the UK.

PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Star Ocean: Second Evolution (Square Enix), 2. Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (SCEA), 3. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar), 4. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 5. Daxter (SCEA).

Japan: 1. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Namco), 2. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (Konami), 3. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (Square Enix), 4. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G -- PSP the Best (Capcom), 5. Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 -- Special Edition (Namco).

UK: 1. God of War: Chains of Olympus (SCEE), 2. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 3. Football Manager Handheld 2009 (Sega), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Call of Duty: Roads to Victory (Activision).

Star Ocean: Second Evolution and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow continue to battle for the top PSP sales spot in the United States, with Star Ocean emerging as the victor in this week's results. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Daxter return to the North American charts this week after a brief absence, as Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 tops Japanese sales for the second week in a row.

Atari Unveils 2009 New York Comic Con Line-Up

2009-02-07T03:01:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Atari, one of the world's most recognized video game publishers, today announced the company's product line-up for New York Comic Con, taking place February 6-8, 2009 at the Jacob Javits Center. Blockbuster titles that will be on hand at the Atari booth 1557 include action-packed Ghostbusters: The Video Game(TM) and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena for advanced consoles, the star-studded Ready 2 Rumble Revolution for Wii(TM), plus Champions Online and Star Trek Online from Cryptic Studios. This will be the first time ever that NY fans will be able to have a hands-on experience with Ghostbusters: The Video Game and a global exclusive first chance for action fans to play The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.

Atari will have a variety of activities for show goers and media at the booth including photo opportunities with Ghostbusters and Riddick look-a-likes, booth give-aways and a Slimer ice sculpture. Additionally, Michael Buffer, "The Voice of the Champions," famous for his "Let's Get Ready to Rumble(R)" trademark call and the host of Ready 2 Rumble Revolution, will be in attendance to judge a "Who's Got The Best 'Rumble' " contest. Cryptic Studios will also be holding a Champions Online panel on Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 3-4 p.m. EST in Panel Room 7 (1A24) where the game's executive producer, Bill Roper, will discuss unique aspects of the game. During the panel, Cryptic will also debut a brand new trailer from Star Trek Online, a massively multiplayer online game based on the legendary Star Trek franchise. Cryptic executives will then participate in larger MMO Industry Round Table sponsored by Ten Ton Hammer at 5 pm.

Atari, working closely with Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and acclaimed development studios Terminal Reality and Red Fly, will bring Ghostbusters: The Video Game to retailers across North America on June 16, 2009. This completely all-new chapter of the classic comedy, Ghostbusters, coincides with the 25th anniversary celebration of the film's original theatrical release and the day-and-date debut of the original motion picture on Blu-ray Disc(TM). Ghostbusters: The Video Game, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise, is penned by original Ghostbusters writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and reunites many of the original cast members including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson. The game also features performances from fan favorites such as William Atherton (Walter Peck), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Brian Doyle-Murray (portraying Mayor Jock Mulligan), all on board to recapture the unique blend of humor and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation. Atari will release Ghostbusters: The Video Game(TM) for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation(R)2 system, the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games For Windows(R), Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM).
Featuring a brand new exhilarating adventure, a high-definition remake of the classic Escape from Butcher Bay campaign and new multiplayer options, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will thrill fans when it launches in spring 2009. Atari, in conjunction with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, Tigon Studios and acclaimed developer Starbreeze Studios, is bringing the franchise to the new generation of consoles for the first time. Featuring a brand new full-length campaign, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will give fans a whole new experience in action gaming when they step into the shoes of Riddick, as played by Vin Diesel.

The hilarious Ready 2 Rumble franchise is flexing its muscles and planning a major, star-studded return to the ring in spring 2009 with the launch of Ready 2 Rumble Revolution, developed by AKI, the newest game in the much-loved series. Bringing the franchise to Wii(TM) for the first time, the game retains all the knockout features of best-sellers Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 1 and Round 2, while delivering a knockout punch of style and attitude. Tailored to take advantage of the motion-controlled realism of Wii, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution makes landing a punch more fun than ever. The game features a roster of 18 wildly caricatured cartoony boxers and is hosted by "The Voice of the Champions" Michael Buffer, famous for his "Let's Get Ready to Rumble(R)" trademark call.

Left 4 Dead DLC coming soon for Xbox 360, PC

2009-02-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

Looks like our four bloodied but unbowed survivors—Louis, Francis, Zoey, and Bill—will live to fight the zombie horde another day, thanks to a downloadable add-on slated for the spring.
I don't know about you, but "Left 4 Dead"—the relentless, blood-soaked, yet slyly tongue-in-cheek survival game—quickly became one of my favorite console zombie-fests upon its release last November.

I have to admit, I spent a little too much time on Christmas Eve leading my rag-tag team through deserted city streets, hospitals, and supermarkets, coldly dispatching the shambling undead with an assortment of shotguns, hunting rifles, automatic weapons, and pipe bombs (much to my wife's disgust, I might add).

So yes, zombie fans—get ready for the Left 4 Dead "Survival Pack," which (according to Wired's GameLife) should be lurching our way sometime this spring.

Details are pretty scarce for now (here's the official press release); what we do know, however, is that we'll be getting a pair of new campaigns for the L4D "Versus" mode (the four-on-four multiplayer mode that pits humans against creatures), as well as a new multiplayer game, dubbed "Survival." (Similar to the "zombie" mode in Call of Duty: World at War, perhaps? Hmmm…)

Also on tap: A Left 4 Dead software development kit that'll let coders build their own custom campaigns for the PC.

Valve hasn't announced specific dates yet for either the L4D SDK or the "Survival" DLC pack; the development kit will arrive free of charge, but I'm guessing we'll have to pony up for the DLC. Stay tuned.

Xbox update woes

2009-02-07T02:51:00.002-08:00

A Microsoft Xbox 360 update that came out earlier this week has left many xBox users fuming after seeing it crash their video game consoles.

Online forums and the blogosphere are buzzing with reports on the mandatory update that was meant to fix some earlier issues. Instead it left some users struggling to get their video game consoles working at all.

The Boy Genius Report points out that: "In an Xbox Forums thread currently spanning 23 pages, hundreds of Xbox 360 owners are reporting that recent updates are causing big problems."

And in Shacknews: "Following the release of an Xbox 360 update that was said to fix issues some users were having with HDMI-related sound issues, numerous posters on the official Xbox forums have complained that the update instead rendered their console inoperable."

The UK tech site, Electricpig reported that: "The Xbox 360 update that rolled out on Tuesday appears to have been causing more problems than it intended to fix, including the dreaded red ring of death (RROD)....Users on the Xbox forum have been complaining about a host of bugs that have mysteriously cropped up since the update, including Netflix failing to work, video crashing and even worse - the RROD."

Writes one user on Xbox forum: " So I just turned on my 360 tonight and it tells me there is a system update out. I download the update and the 360 shuts off...but it forgets to turn back on. Instead it decided it would be best to just pass away. Is this an update error or just a random coincidence? Anyone else having problems? I would hate to say that it's a Red Ring even though I'm sure it probably is. Just seems way too random that right after the update it died on me, it did not even start back up at all after the update, just started flashing."

Wrote another: "After I ran todays update I started to notice strange things happening to my video. Tried to reboot and got the E74 error message. Called XBOX support and they told me that it would be 100 bucks to fix it. I have never had any issues with my 360 until after todays update. Guess it's time to dust off the old PS3."

Sony, XBOX announce World Gaming Day on Feb 12

2009-02-07T02:51:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI: Mobile phone major Sony Ericsson along with Zapak.com and Microsoft

XBOX 360 on Thursday announced that 'World Gaming Day' the
largest ever youth
connect initiative to celebrate gaming will be celebrated on February 12, 2009 across the globe.

This first of its kind global initiative from India would be jointly promoted across the media by Zapak.com, Sony Ericsson and Xbox 360 and is intended to be an annual feature. According to the initiative, World Gaming Day is expected to pull at least 10 million gamers from across the world to be part of the celebrations.

The technology companies have also announced prizes worth over Rs 3 crore for winners in a contest. The gaming industry worldwide is estimated to touch $46.5 billion by 2010, according to PwC. In India, the gaming industry is poised to touch $200 million by 2011, according to Nasscom.

Sony Ericsson, the title sponsor of the initiative also launched – Sony Ericsson F305 mobile phone with unique motion gaming technology. The phone can follow a gamer's actions to imitate bowling or casting a fishing line. There are various contests and activities involved in the celebration for 'World Gaming Day' which include mall activities, championships at Zapak Gameplexes and an online contest.

Commenting on the initiative Sudhin Mathur, General Manager, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications India, said "Gaming is no more restricted to PC's and consoles. People want to play games all the time. We are focusing on Gaming as an important aspect of mobiles with unique motion sensor technology which allows users to play games without touching the keypad."

World Gaming Day is aggressively being marketed across various mediums TV, Radio and Online in India. "Gaming is the buzzword in today's entertainment scene. As the leader in console gaming in India, we are committed to the Indian gaming market and will continue to provide the Indian gamer with the latest and the best in gaming. Over 28 million people globally play on Xbox", Jaspreet Bindra, Regional Director – Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft Corporation said.

Feds: Meeting On Xbox Live Led To Sex Crime

2009-02-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

FRESNO, Calif. - A 27-year-old Missouri man who drove almost nonstop to California to meet a teenager he met on Xbox LIVE was indicted Thursday in federal court.

Edward Preston Stout, of Richmond Heights, Mo., communicated with the Sanger, Calif., teen on both the video game system and through MySpace accounts, according to federal officials. They also communicated by text messages and telephone calls.

The U.S. attorney's office in Fresno alleges Stout sent the teen a cell phone as a 15th birthday present so they could communicate more frequently and privately.

On Jan. 25, Stout drove for 30 hours to meet the teen, federal officials said.
He then took the teen to a motel and engaged in criminal sexual activity, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Stout was indicted on charges of using interstate commerce to entice or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity and travel in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Virginia Girl Latest to Be Lured by Xbox Predator

2009-02-07T02:40:00.002-08:00

Rhode Island Man Charged With 'Carnal Knowledge' in Girl's Disappearance

A 13-year-old Virginia girl is back home after being lured away by a man she'd been chatting with for at least six months through a Microsoft Xbox 360 game, police said.

Andrew Holloway, 21, who allegedly traveled to Evington, Va. from his home in Rhode Island, has been charged with a sex crime in connection with the case, according to police.

The teen was the third child in recent weeks to have left home to meet adults they came in contact with through an Xbox game. The others were a 16-year-old girl from Detroit and a 12-year-old boy from Ohio.

The 13-year-old Virginia girl first met Holloway through the game system's chat capabilities and then continued the relationship on the Internet after her Xbox broke, police said.

Bedford County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ricky Gardner said the girl was reported missing Tuesday evening by her father. An hour prior to his call, Gardner said, his office had received a tip from a neighbor about two suspicious people walking along the road near her home, later determined to be the teen and Holloway.

"Every time a car would come, they'd jump over to the wood line" to hide, Gardner told ABCNews.com today.

Police responded and found no trace of the pair, but when the girl's father reported his daughter missing a short time later a team of police, firefighters and K-9 units responded to the area as well as a state police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment.

While police, family and friends were searching for the blond teenager, she and Holloway were apparently figuring out their next move. Ultimately, Gardner said, they ended up knocking on the door of a house about a mile away from her home the next day, asking to use the telephone.

While one person at the home distracted them, the other, who recognized the teen from the news reports, called 911. Police responded and arrested Holloway, charging him with three counts of "carnal knowledge," Gardner said, and two counts of soliciting a female younger than 15 over the Internet.

Messages left with the public defender's office, which is representing Holloway, were not immediately returned. Holloway, who is being held without bond, is due in court Tuesday for a bond hearing.

More news....

Stream video to your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360

2009-02-07T02:40:00.001-08:00

Streaming video and other media to your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 is a lot easier than you might think. You'll want to start weighing your options with the help of a very detailed feature from CNET sister-site Gamespot, which lays out all of your video streaming choices. Things may get a bit dicey during the configuration of these programs, so don't forget Google is your friend.

When you stream content to a console, you'll need to use a network-connected computer to serve the media. For best results, we really recommend a wired connection as you'll need as much bandwidth as you can get your hands on. In terms of software, there are a few applications you can choose from--some free, some not so free. We've had a lot of success using TVersity with both consoles, but we'd recommend XBMC if you're more of an advanced user for its customization capabilities. There's even ways to get YouTube and other online content directly on your console.

Whichever setup you choose, serving video to your console just might get you a step closer to throwing away that satellite or cable box. For now, check out our slide show for an idea of how these media-serving programs operate and how your console will look once you've set everything up correctly.

Konami Nabs Saw Rights for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

2009-02-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

A no doubt Mature title on the way.
By Jared Black 02/06/2009 21:48:12 PST

To put it bluntly, Brash Entertainment was an embarrassment to the video game industry, and deserved every bit of its quick death after only a year and a half in existence. The company was launched in the first place on the premise of cashing in on movie-to-game titles, and horrible titles like Jumper: Griffin's Story and Space Chimps only reinforced the immediate stereotype that Brash's titles would naturally suck as movie cash-ins.

One such movie translation has apparently survived the death of Brash Entertainment, with Variety reporting that Konami has picked up rights to the Saw game that was to be published by Brash (the promo poster for which is shown here) in a deal with Lionsgate. Zombie Studios is still developing the title, with ex-Brash employees reporting to Variety that the game actually looks good so far, unlike Brash's previous releases. Saw is said to be in development for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, with voice talent including Jigsaw himself, Tobin Bell.

Not much is known about Saw at the moment, but Variety speculates that this could be the first in a series of Saw titles from Konami as the deal is a long-term and open one. Naturally, we're expecting an M-rated affair.

New Warriors game coming to Xbox Live Arcade

2009-02-07T02:36:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the cult film classic, a new beat-em-up based on The Warriors will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade this summer.

Earlier today, MTV's Multiplayer Blog revealed a new Xbox Live Arcade game based on the 1979 gang-war cult classic The Warriors. Scheduled to come out later this summer, it will be a part of a large-scale celebration of the movie's 30th anniversary. Unlike the first Warriors videogame, which was a retail release from Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games, this new game will be released by seasoned Xbox Live Arcade developer CXTM, makers of Heavy Weapon.

While the game retains the beat-em-up style of the original, this new Warriors game will eschew the more open-world style of that game in favor of the old side-scrolling arcade style of Double Dragon, Final Fight, and Streets of Rage, and the humorous unlockable extra from the Rockstar Warriors game, Armies of the Night. The official trailer--released on GameTrailers.com--features a comic-book style of narration, which was adapted into the Warriors DVD re-release. The trailer is shown below the two other screenshots.

Xbox 360 Halo Wars Demo Live

2009-02-07T02:32:00.000-08:00

The Halo Wars demo is now available for download for all Gold Members on Xbox Live. Get it from the Live Marketplace on your Xbox 360.

Don't have access to your Xbox 360 right now because you are away from home? Watch the official trailer, and go here to have the demo automatically download to your console the next time you sign in.

The new addition to the Halo family, Halo Wars, will come with a TnRating which means its suitable for teens 13 and older, while the restnof the Halo product line were rated M for Mature.

The newnrating will hopefully open up the Halo game to more people and parentsnshould feel better to know that it has a better rating. The T-ratingn"will expand the universe of people we reach," said Robbie Bach of thenMicrosoft Entertainment and Devices division.

Halo Wars is anreal-time strategy game that uses species and vehicles seen in previousnHalo games as well as new units. he game's lead developer, GraemenDevine, has said that the emphasis is more on combat than economy; itnis necessary for the player to "manage a battle instead of watchingnit", and while resources are still present they also have alternativenforms such as time and the number of units present. Some campaignnmissions will take the focus off resources but skirmish and multiplayernmatches still require some management of an economy.

Availability:
The game ships February 28th but won't be avaliable to purchase until March 3rd, 2009.

Games gift restores faith in humanity

2009-01-07T01:47:00.000-08:00

Just days after thieves stole their Christmas presents, tears turned to cheers for the McConnell brothers.

Eddie, 11, Jarrod, 8, and Joshua, 4, were devastated to discover their new Nintendo Wii console and games were among a number of items stolen from their Allansford home while they were on a family holiday in Nelson.

But that was a distant memory yesterday when the youngsters picked up a new Xbox 360 donated by Jack ’s Games owner John Murnane.

Store manager Wayne Stevenson said after reading about the boys ’ bad luck in The Standard both he and Mr Murnane were pleased to be able to put a smile back on their faces. "It ’s never good to have anything stolen, but right after Christmas is terrible," Mr Stevenson said. "We ’re just happy to be able to do something for them." The boys received two games with their new console and a gold membership at the "It ’s very good thing and shows the kids there are decent people in the world." Vicki Burns DVD and games rental store.

Vicki Burns said she and her partner Steve McConnell were "overwhelmed" at the generosity of the donation to their children. "It ’s very good thing and shows the kids there are decent people in the world," Ms Burns said. "They are very excited and very surprised but it ’s much appreciated. "They couldn ’t wait to get here to see it and they can ’t wait to get it home." Ms Burns said the family returned home from a weeklong camping holiday in Nelson to discover their home had been broken into and numerous possessions stolen. "Pretty much everything of value had been stolen," Ms Burns told The Standard earlier this week.

The thieves also took the boys ’ Guitar Hero set, an older Xbox console, controls, games and a laptop computer. Ms Burns ’ Pandora bracelet, rings and a necklace were also taken along with alcohol, an iPod, video cassettes and a backpack.

Ms Burns said their home had been locked while they were away.

The toilet window had been forced open by the thieves.

By Tina Liplai

Xbox beats PlayStation by over 3m units sold

2009-01-07T01:42:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp sold 28 snillion units worldwide of iits Xbox 360 video-game console last year.

The figure expanded the Xbox ’s lead over rival Sony Corp ’s PlayStation 3 console in worldwide un~it sales, the company said on Monday.

Xbox 360 ~product-management director Aaron Greenberg said last year "was our biggest year in Xbox ihistory", despite a sluggish globail economy that has battered Wnited States retailers this past holiday season.

Microsoft said global unit sales of the Xlbox 360, which was launched about a year before the PS~3, outpaced its rival by over eight million units at the close ofT last year.

Rising uneimployment and tighter credit have dented US consumers ’ pinrchasing power, and most retakilers have posted dismal sales results.

Despite problems faced by some publishers, the videogame industry overall has bucked the trend as market researcher NFD said video-game satles rose 10 per cent and totaliled US$2.91 billion (S$4.3 billion) last November, proving consumers were still spemding on video games at the Ibeginning of the holiday season. -

Xbox 360 rides a title wave in 2008

2008-12-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

Lead over PS3 shrinks despite solid releases
NEIL MacFARLANE THE PLAYER

Tales of economic doom and gloom might have dominated headlines in 2008, but don’t tell that to the people behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

While still far behind the money-machine that is Nintendo’s Wii in terms of pure revenue, the X360 quietly enjoyed its best month ever in November and continues to enjoy brisk software sales and a game attach rate which is the envy of the console world.

And even though 2008 saw the gap between Sony’s PS3 and the X360 narrow dramatically, it was still a great year to be an X360 gamer — if not a great year to invest in HD-DVDs.

Here’s a quick rundown at the games that made ripples for the X360:

GAME OF THE YEAR

2nd Runner Up: Fallout 3/Fable II

I simply couldn’t pick one and exclude the other, so both these excellent RPG epics get a nod. Fallout’s surreal neo-apocolyptia provided a haunting backdrop for some of the deepest gaming action, while Fable’s adherence to what made the original so engrossing combined with just the right amount of innovation made it another must-play for RPG fans.

1st Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto IV

There’s just no way to say enough about this sprawling masterpiece. Boasting enough content for three smaller titles, there was little in 2008 that compared to Niko Bellic’s trials and tribulations in Liberty City. With episodic content coming in early 2009, there’s going to be even more carnage and comedy for X360 owners with a taste for the mature.

Game of the Year: Gears of War 2

Possibly rivalling the vaunted Halo series as the signature franchise for the console, GOW2 was a gutbuster with a heavy dose of drama tucked in to boot. A technical marvel and containing of some of the best action sequences of the year, the smash-mouth gameplay this series has become known for jaws left on the floor and hordes of gamers lined up for more online.

Honourable Mention: Left 4 Dead

Inventive, visceral and highly entertaining, this title brought zombie survival movies alive on the screen in a crisp multiplayer format that had friends rearranging their social schedules for another dose of the living dead. One part camp and three parts action, this unique title might be the bellwether of an emerging focus on multiplayer-oriented games.

SHAME OF THE YEAR

Dud of the Year: Jumper: Griffin’s Story

Cranking out a terrible movie-tie-in video game is almost par for the course these days, but unleashing this kind of dreck is just cruel. Brutally short and unabashedly sloppy in its design, this shameless cash grab isn’t worth the disc it comes on.

Dishonourable Mention: Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon

There might have been worse games in 2008, but considering that the first title in the series was fun to play, this mess was all the more disappointing. Abysmally programmed and featuring the comic timing of a corpse, Crypto was more alienating than alien this time around.

HIGHS AND LOWS

Biggest Surprise: New Xbox Experience

Flying a little under the radar at E3 2008, the New Xbox Experience appeared to be a mere cosmetic makeover at first glance. But by streamlining the Xbox GUI and offering great new features like optional HDD game downloading, Microsoft wisely showed it was ready to bow to change rather than break under the competition.

Biggest Letdown: Demise of HD DVD

Another casualty in the Blu-Ray/HD DVD war, Microsoft’s early embracing of the doomed format not only made them appear behind the times but also left a lot of early adopters in possession of $200 paperweights. While not a crippling blow to the system, Blu-Ray’s triumph filled Sony’s sails and left Microsoft to deal with yet another PR nightmare.
OUTLOOK

In 2008, Microsoft lost some of the early ground they had gained over Sony in courting the "core-gamer" demographic Nintendo left up for grabs and in 2009 that battle is only going to intensify.

They’ll certainly have all the ammo they need for the fight, as massive titles like Halo Wars, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams and possibly the long lost Alan Wake are all slated to make bows in the next calendar year.

Whether or not they can keep Sony’s wolves from the door remains to be seen but, as usual, gamers will be there to reap the benefits of the battle.

Neil MacFarlane, a Halifax games enthusiast, freelances this column.

Lips Xbox 360 Review

2008-12-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

Music games are becoming more and more popular among gamers, with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and others topping the charts. The thing about these games though is that even though they appeal to the masses, they are still not the most casual party games as you have to know somewhat about what you are doing. With that said, we are given Lips, the game that aims to create the ultimate karaoke atmosphere on your Xbox 360.

Microsoft is clearly making the push towards casual gamers this year with releases such as Lips, You’re In The Movies, and others. Some of these efforts have been strong, some not so strong. Lips, I can safely say, is up there as one of the best efforts to date.

Lips relies on the fact that people love to get drunk, have a good time, and take part in some good old-fashioned karaoke sessions.

That is the exact crowd that Lips is going for, and it succeeds on many levels in that it will do a great job of being very entertaining for that crowd.

The developer iNiS worked on this one and shipped the game along with two very stylish wireless microphones so you are not tied down to any wires while you sing your hearts out.

This is not a clone of Karaoke Revolution in any way, as it really relies on you just having a good time. The game is all about loading up songs, and going at it on the microphone. The whole idea behind it is that you will see the lyrics up on-screen, and while you are singing, you will see if you are hitting the right notes at the right times.

Once you rack up enough points, after making a total fool of yourself, you can use the mic, which is motion-sensitive, to pose and spark a star power of sorts.

When you are playing Lips, it is important to factor in that you cannot fail. So if you are too drunk to even pay attention to what is going on, you have nothing to worry about.

The scoring is also very lenient to say the least as you can get a good score without even saying the right words at times.

This is not a bad thing though, as Lips only aims to be a great party game. If you have a bunch of people at a party trying to sing and they fail in 10 seconds, the whole fun of the game is gone, this is where the game truly succeeds.

The track list features 40 or so songs that will certainly appeal to people of all ages, with songs from Avril Lavigne, and many other big name artists. As stated above, this is pretty much a karaoke experience as you have nothing to unlock, you get every song the first time you load up the game.

There are some varying game modes here such as a battle mode to go up against somebody, as well as some Xbox Live support where you can compare scores, try to top other people’s high scores on your friends list, etc.

The other bonus is that the game allows you to use your own songs in the experience. These will be filled with standard background videos and such throughout, but no lyrics. So if you wan to sing these songs make sure you know the words! We were able to successfully use our Microsoft Zune to get the songs on there.

In time, it is expected that many more songs are going to be up and available for download off of the Xbox Live Marketplace, and are going to add a lot of legs to the game.

My only wish was that Lips supported the Xbox Vision camera so you could record your own music videos, but hey, maybe in the sequel!

Lips aims to be a karaoke experience which does not force gamers to try and achieve scores, hit the right notes, etc. Instead, the game is simply about loading up some great songs, and singing your heart out no matter how good or bad you are. If you are looking for a good karaoke game to take out at a party, this is a solid choice!

Graphics: 8.0 The music videos that go with the music are very clear, not bad at all!

Audio: 8.0 The sound quality is superb and the selection of tracks is very well-done, will appeal to all ages.

Gameplay: 8.0 The game is not very deep, but it succeeds in being a solid karaoke experience.

Replay Value: 6.0 The biggest issue with this one is that if you are not in the middle of a party, there is really no fun in it.

Final Score: 7.8