Gamerscore Blog is retired, closed for good

Sad news on the Xbox community front. Our Microsoft friends over at the Gamerscore Blog recently revealed that their blog will be no more and is officially retired. Microsoft has made the decision to end the GSB in an effort to focus on "community outreach through Xbox.com and through the Xbox dashboard." From what we understand, the GSB crew will be helping create content for Inside Xbox and other projects.

On behalf of Xbox 360 Fanboy, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the entire Gamerscore Blog team. We recognize all the hard work they've done over the years to keep gamers informed and we appreciate all their Xbox community building efforts. They'll be missed and we hope to see their familiar faces and personalities in their upcoming projects. Here's to you GSB (raises glass of ginger ale), you'll be missed.

Also, if you're up for it, we think it'd be appropriate to visit the GSB one last time to post a comment telling the team how much their contribution to the Xbox community was appreciated

Hurry! 12 month Xbox Live card $30 from Buy.com [update]

If you missed out on Buy.com's last 12 month Xbox Live subscription sale, then wipe those tears and head over to Buy.com ASAP because they're doing it again. For only $29.99, you can score a 12+1 month Xbox Live subscription card from Buy.com and also receive FREE shipping. There's a limit of 5 subscription cards per order. Ahem ... HURRY!

[Thanks, Faiz R.]

Underworld movie sponsors Fable 2 Play & Win

160,000 Microsoft points are up for grabs during this weekend's Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Sweepstakes and all you need to do to attempt to win your share of the MS point pot is to play Fable 2. Registration into the sweeps can be done online or via the XBLM and, once completed, you're required to play a Fable 2 co-op game. First prize is 80,000 MS points (enough to buy even the most expensive XBLM content) and the giveaway fun ends Monday, January 19th.
Via Xbox

360 WiFi adapter for $69 this Sunday on Buy.com

If you've been wanting to snag the Xbox 360 wireless adapter but unwilling to stomach the incredibly steep $99 price tag, we have good news. According to GamerDeals.net, Buy.com will be hosting a sale on the peripheral starting this Sunday, January 18 at midnight (PST) and ending January 25. The WiFi adapter price will be slashed by 30%, lowering the price to a (slightly) more palatable $69.99. Sure, it's still a far cry from what typical adapters cost, but it's certainly better.

If that doesn't float your boat, Buy.com will also be offering the red wireless controller bundle -- which includes a Play & Charge Kit -- for $42.99, a significant savings over the $64.99 suggested price. GamerDeals suspects the products will likely sell out quickly, and we're inclined to agree, so you might want to start warming up your clicking finger now.

Mysterious dash update released. It's a mystery

A handful of loyal X3F fanboys just sent word (via carrier pigeon, no less) that a new Xbox 360 dashboard update has just been released. The update installs the new dashboard version 2.0.7363.0 (replacing the old 2.0.7357.0 version) and has been slowly releasing across all consoles connected to Xbox Live. Here at Fanboy Towers, we have yet to be prompted to download the new update. We are sad.

So, what new bells and whistles does the new dash update bring? Well ... we aren't really sure and nobody at Microsoft has announced the update's release. Those who have received it haven't been able to find anything new, so we're speculating that it's one of those behind the scenes / no new features dash upgrades. We'll keep you updated on the update once we're updated.

Xbox 360 dominates 2008 rental charts, GTAIV leads

Rentrak's list of the Top 10 most rented video games of 2008 reveals the Xbox 360 is a primary source of free-time destruction. According to Rentrack's data, which covers both online and offline rental destinations, Grand Theft Auto IV (X360) Rentrak's list of the Top 10 was the most popular rental of 2008 followed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360) and Halo 3.

In the end, seven Xbox 360 titles made the list; Coincidentally all of which were rated 'M for Mature' by the ESRB. As a final nod to the Xbox 360's power on the list, Rentrak notes that Xbox 360's share of the rental market increased from 26.1 percent to 36.8 percent during 2008. The Nintendo Wii jumped from 7.3 percent to 17.1 percent and PS3 data was, strangely, absent from the list.

Jump in for the entire Top 10 List.

Grand Theft Auto IV / Xbox 360
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare / Xbox 360
Halo 3 / Xbox 360
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 / Xbox 360
Army of Two / Xbox 360
Mario Kart Wii / Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl / Wii
Fallout 3 / Xbox 360 / Bethesda
Assassin's Creed / Xbox 360
Mario Party 8 / Wii
Via X360 Fanboy

Mirror's Edge DLC rolls onto PSN on 1/29

The downloadable content for Midnight Club: Los Angeles announced in December went live this morning for Xbox 360 owners. We (and Microsoft) hope you didn't download it. Because that could be bad.

Turns out the sudden appearance of the "South Central" content for MCLA wasn't actually meant to go live on Live. That means, according to Microsoft, that you should delete it, should you already have it.

Why? "Achievements won't register and could cause you problems with your Midnight Club: LA game saves" according to the Community Manager for Xbox EMEA. That and it looks like some of things given away for free weren't meant to be. Oops!

Indiana Jones rumored to be canceled, LucasArts still "committed"

IGN reports that multiple sources from within LucasArts and beyond have stated that all development on an upcoming X360/PS3 Indiana Jones game has been canceled. Our investigative sister-site, Joystiq, contacted LucasArts and it appears the situation isn't as clear-cut as rumors indicate.

"LucasArts remains absolutely committed to the Indiana Jones franchise," a representative for LucasArts told Joystiq. "While we are aware that fans have been eagerly awaiting additional information on the upcoming game, they can rest assured that details are forthcoming."

LucasArts is vague about the future of the game itself, instead opting to address its commitment to the franchise as a whole. It appears new details for an upcoming Indiana Jones title could spell the bright future or complete demise of the long-teased adventure. Only time will tell.

EA Sports Gets Into The Sneaker Business

Game sneakers? Old news! But it's new news for EA Sports and the Skate series, with skate company Etnies unveiling a new sneaker designed to cash in on the impending launch of Skate 2.They're called the RVM Skate 2, and should be out in the US later this month at Zumiez stores, with an international release to follow. Not the most eye-catching pair of shoes you'll ever see, but then, as a collabo between a sneaker company and a video game publisher, they could have been worse.

Robbie Bach: Next Xbox Still Quite A Ways Away

After the first-generation came and went in a relative blink of an eye, Microsoft's Robbie Bach says that the company isn't in quite as much of a hurry to upgrade the Xbox 360.

Speaking to The Mercury News, Bach explains that in today's economy especially, persuading consumers to upgrade is becoming more and more difficult, especially with the quality of graphics on today's consoles.
"Just coming up with something that's faster and prettier isn't going to be sufficient," said Bach, 47. "The life cycle for this generation of consoles — and I'm not just talking about Xbox, I'd include Wii and PS3 as well — is probably going to be a little longer than previous generations."
I suppose the only question remains is which generations is he talking about here? The nearly ten-year Atari 2600 generation? The seven-year reign of the original NES? I'm pretty sure the current crop can last the latter, but the former might just be pushing it a bit too far. Longer development times will certainly contribute, but can consumers really wait nearly a decade for the next big thing?

Microsoft in no hurry to upgrade Xbox [The Mercury News via Edge]

Fallout 3 Bug Fix Update Hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 Today

A patch to fix quite a number of bugs in Fallout 3 hits all versions of the role-playing game today, Bethesda says.

The update is available for the English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish versions. The patch will also be required to play the downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, coming to the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows on Jan. 27. Now for those fixes. Here's the short list:

Bug Fixes
Friends notification no longer causes the game to pause. (Playstation 3)

Fixed occasional crashes during loading and waiting.

Friendly or neutral NPC health bars, when taking damage, no longer flicker repeatedly.

Fixed issue where certain NPCs would occasionally disappear from the game.

Fixed issue where dead NPCs would occasionally come back to life.

Fixed rendering issue with the Gatling Laser gun's tracers.

Fixed issue where the haircut menu would occasionally not appear properly.

Added ability to remap your VATS and pip boy buttons.

Fixed rare load/save issues that would cause NPCs to behave incorrectly.

Fixed issue where quest objectives would occasionally not update properly due to talking activators,
intercoms and conversations.

Using Radaway from the Pip-Boy's Status Menu repeatedly no longer crashes the game.

Player no longer gets stuck in level up menu if their skills are maxed out.

Fixed issue where multiple followers would occasionally not load into an interior.

Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode.

Fixed rare crash with fighting NPCs with corrupted data.

In game radios will now play properly if player was listening to the radio in the Pip-Boy first. (Playstation 3)

Fixed rare crashes while loading and saving games.

Fixed rare issue where player would fall through the floor while in VATS.

Fixed occasional crash after scoring a critical hit in the head with a Railway Rifle.

Prevent NPCs from inadvertently dying from falling.

Fixed occasional issue where the controller would stop working properly.

Fixed crashes related to repeatedly equipping and dropping clothing and armor into the world.

Quest Fixes
Fixed several instances where quest item stayed in inventory permanently after completing quests.

Fixed an issue where the distress message would occasionally not play in Trouble on the Homefront.

In The Waters of Life quest, the Citadel gate will open properly if the player fast travels away after exiting the Taft Tunnels but before reaching the Citadel gate with Doctor Li.

For the Home Sweet Home quest, the broken protectrons in Big Town become active at the proper time.

In The American Dream quest, fixed specific issue which prevented the player from accessing their belongings in the locker by the door if they left the room first.

Fixed infinite caps exploit in Strictly Business quest.

Fixed rare instance where Dad would have no valid dialogue during The Waters of Life quest.

Prevent issue during the Finding the Garden of Eden quest where player would fade to black, instead of traveling to Raven Rock, while in combat with a follower.

Fixed several XP speech exploits with certain NPCs.

Fixed XP exploit with a robot in Fort Bannister.

Fixed issue where player's controls can become locked permanently during The American Dream.

The Maw Opens On XBLA Next Week, Castle Crashers DLC Tides Us Over

After a couple weeks of casual releases, Xbox Live Arcade heats up this month with this week's release of the Castle Crashers: King Pack followed immediately by Twisted Pixel's The Maw next week.

The Castle Crashers: King Pack hits XBLA tomorrow, with it gobs of new content for all the good little boys and girls. The Open Faced Grey Knight and The King join the fray, bringing with them a new seal animal orb called Pelter (ha!), three new weapons, and the King's Heal spell, which heals both yourself and your party.

Twisted Pixel's The Maw is an action adventure platformer that places you in the role of Frank, an alien stranded on a strange planet with the Maw, a strange, blob-like creature that acts as his only friend and ultimate weapon, all at the same time. It's the type of game I would have readily picked up at retail (Crecente probably would agree), so getting it for a mere 800 Microsoft points on the 21st seems like a steal.

So Xbox Live Arcade has had a slow start this year, but it looks like they'll be fully up to speed by the time we get our greedy little hands on The Maw.
Let action and adventure fill your January with the release of “Castle Crashers: King Pack” downloadable content and “The Maw” on Xbox LIVE Arcade

There’s nothing like a jam packed January from Xbox LIVE Arcade to whittle away those winter blues. You’ve been ringing in the new year with international investigation in “Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos,” but it’s officially time to crash some castles and master The Maw!

“Castle Crashers” is the game that keeps on giving after the holiday season with “Castle Crashers: King Pack” downloadable content available on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT), while indie title “The Maw” hits the circuit Wednesday, Jan. 21.

It’s time to revisit your favorite modern medieval magic kingdom and load up on two new kicking characters - the Open Faced Grey Knight and the leader of the fearless knights, The King, a new seal animal orb named Pelter, and three new weapons, including the Gold Sword. Last but not least cast a new spell called the King's Heal which heals not only yourself but your party as well!

Re-storming the castle not quite enough to carry you through the month? Keep a lookout for full featured 3D action/adventure indie title “The Maw” and try your skill at navigating a strange planet with an even stranger blob.

With no powers of his own, Frank must rely on a blob-like creature named Maw. Discover the mysteries of the Maw’s abilities as you try to pilot Frank around the dangerous planet and ultimately help him escape the ruthless bounty hunters. An unlockable theme and gamer pictures will earn you bragging rights for the month of January .

Published by Microsoft and developed by The Behemoth!, “Castle Crasher: King Pack” will be available for 160 Microsoft Points per pack, worldwide. The game is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

For more details on “Castle Crashers” please visit: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584108b7/?of=7

Published by Microsoft and developed by Twisted Pixel Games, LLC, “The Maw” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points, worldwide. The game is rated E+ for Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.

For more details on “The Maw” please visit: http://mawgame.com/
Via The Maw

The Godfather II: Build Your Custom Crews

If you missed the option of rollin' with your homies in Grand Theft Auto IV, EA wants to appeal to your crew-building, thug-managing side with The Godfather II.

The class-based options sound clever alright, but we're not sure that this is enough to get us fired up for another Godfather adventure. After all, I think some of us were keeping an eye on the original Godfather game just to see what a horrible disaster it would be.

Shame that EA let us down. Now we're expecting this one to be good, what with that vicious back-stabbing and those flamboyant shirt collars.

Petric Convicted Of Halo 3 Inspired Matricide

Daniel Petric, the Ohio teen who shot and killed his mother over a dispute involving Halo 3, was convicted today of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, and other charges related to the heinous crime.

As reported previously, Petric had purchased a copy of Halo 3 following his parents' Mark and Susan had forbid him to do so. After having the game confiscated, Daniel broke into his father's lock box, which held the game and a 9mm handgun, entered the living room of his house, asked his parents to close their eyes, and shot both of them in the head, killing his mother and wounding his father.

Petric's lawyers argued that video game addiction had driven the teen to the crime, but Common Pleas Judge James Burge found otherwise. Petric now faces up a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Once again my condolences go out to the Petric family for this horrible tragedy, though I sincerely hope Daniel doesn't see the outside of a prison for quite a long line.
Via Kotaku

Year of Xbox Live for only $30 at Buy.com [update]

Those in need of an Xbox Live subscription for the cheap should check out Buy.com's super special sale on 12+1 month Live subscriptions. For only $29.99 and FREE shipping, you can haz a year of Xbox Live.

Shipping this week: Lord of the Battlefront edition

Guess what, kids? There's actually a game releasing for the Xbox 360 this week. You'll notice that "game" is singular, as there is only one game out this week. It's appropriate enough though, as the game itself happens to be about the One Ring. Yes, this week marks the release of Lord of the Rings: Conquest. If you've played the demo, you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect. It's essentially Star Wars: Battlefront only with fewer Stormtroopers and a lot more hobbits. Conquest has something that Battlefront definitely doesn't though: You can be a Balrog. A Balrog.

Xbox 360 IPTV Initiative Isn’t Dead

'Like Chris Lanier, I’ve been disappointed in Microsoft’s apparent inability to deliver an IPTV solution onto the Xbox 360 platform… As announced during Bill Gates’ 2007 CES keynote. We’ve heard relatively little regarding the fate of Xbox IPTV since then, and I imagine the lack of deployment is related to both technological challenges and carrier deals. So I cornered a Mediaroom rep today on the show floor.

Before handing me off to the PR team, she confirmed this initiative is still alive and well with multiple carrier field trials in progress. When asked if anything was going on in the US, she suggested I question AT&T. Now, I can’t really speculate if she said that because AT&T is considering the platform, or because AT&T is their primary partner for television services here in the US (with U-verse).

The PR woman was at once both more forthcoming and more secretive. She indicated BT will be deploying Xbox 360 IPTV in the UK. While that’s isn’t entirely recent news and she didn’t give any details on timing, I’m left with the sense it’s definitely happening this year. And she had no comment on other partners or regions.

The photo up top is the Mediaroom interface running on a Motorola set-top box, though I was told the experience will be the same on the Xbox 360 upon entering the television area. Below is another screenshot of what that menu item looked like (in 2007) within the Xbox 360’s original interface. Which, of course, has since been replaced.''
Via Zatz Not Funny

Star Ocean: The Last Hope Will Stay on the 360

The Star Ocean games have traditionally found a home on Sony's various consoles, including the upcoming Star Ocean: Second Evolution for the PSP. However, in a recent Q & A the IGN Xbox Team held with the Star Ocean development team, it was confirmed that Star Ocean: The Last Hope will not be heading to the PS3.the team is explicitly asked if there is "any chance of seeing Star Ocean 4 made for the PlayStation 3." Their answer: "there are currently no plans for a PlayStation 3 version." So Last Hope will be staying on the 360 for the time being, though you never know if plans will change down the line.

Aaron Greenberg Interview: Xbox 360 in 2008 and the Future:G4TV

CES is the first major trade show of 2009 and we wanted to catch up with Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft's Group Product Manager for Xbox 360, to talk about 2008 as well as what they have planned for the 360 in 2009.

We asked about the Xbox 360's holiday performance and found out where Microsoft sees its console's position with regard to the Wii and PS3. We learned some interesting things about Microsoft's recent push in Europe, which led to a lead over the PS3 in the region.

Even though Microsoft hasn't announced too many big, exclusive games for 2009, Greenberg explains that Microsoft is looking to take a different approach to hyping up games. There's a lot of great info about the New Xbox Experience and what the future holds for the Dashboard as well as the console in general. Hint: We might not be seeing the next console from Microsoft anytime soon as the Xbox 360 has a "very long life ahead."

Aaron chats about Sony's Home, the chances of a PS3 price-drop in 2009, the differences between both company's digital distribution strategies and much more in our in-depth CES 2009 interview.
Via G4TV

Godfather II ninja-releasing late February

EA, going against the game releasing grain, will not be delaying Godfather II's release date as is usually the norm when publishers shift around their release schedules. Instead, they'll be bumping Godfather II's release date ahead (an expedite?) to late February. The 24th in North America and the 27th in Europe, to be exact. That means that a game that we really haven't seen or heard much of will be releasing in a little over a month's time. Interesting decision EA, now how about spending that marketing budget?

CES 09: Is Kodu really that simple? Answer: Yes!

According to Microsoft's Matthew MacLaurin, Kodu was created with kids in mind and describes the game as "programming as a fourth-grade art class." And Joystiq's Justin McElroy agrees that it really is basic and well, simple. Check out the informative (and totally factual) Kodu bullet points listed below:
Will ship with 20 different objects/characters.
20 pre-built (and editable) levels will be included.
Commands given to objects are called "Pages".
Kodu has been tested with kids for over a year.
Releasing this Spring for a yet to be disclosed price.
Via X360 Fanboy

Skate 2 Demo on Xbox Live.What about PSN??

According to the official blurb, the demo lets you "hone your skills before Skate 2 hits stores as you rip around Slappy's, move objects to create spots, and take on new set of challenges."
The trial also includes a four-player Hall of Meat multiplayer challenge.My Question is what about PSN?