X360

Gamerscore Blog is retired, closed for good

2009-01-18T15:38:00.001-08:00

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]

2009-01-18T07:00:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-17T11:20:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-16T16:55:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-15T11:12:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-13T15:12:00.001-08:00

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"

2009-01-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-13T13:04:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-13T13:01:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-13T13:00:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-12T17:16:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

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]

2009-01-12T12:57:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-12T12:56:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-11T12:34:00.001-08:00

'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

2009-01-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-10T17:50:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-10T16:35:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-01-10T16:31:00.001-08:00

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??

2009-01-10T16:25:00.001-08:00

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?

Resident Evil 5 Hands-On Preview (Xbox 360)

2008-12-24T10:46:00.001-08:00

Capcom recently held a press event in San Francisco to offer up a fresh look at the latest installment in its hard-core survival-horror franchise, Resident Evil. From what we were shown, the title provides a lot of the thrills and chills that you’d expect, but there was also plenty of gameplay variety over what we’ve seen in previous RE releases.

As is normal for such high-profile games, Capcom limited what we were able to see of Resident Evil 5, though, to its credit, the publishing giant had plenty of displays and systems set up, so everyone could get some time playing it, as well as to see how others handled the situations into which we were all dumped.

The first thing I did was scope out a couple of people while they played co-op, not only to get familiar with the controls, but to better assess how it all flowed. This one section they were playing was tied to a timer, with the objective being to get from one side of a boat dock to the other in a couple of minutes’ time. Of course, there were myriad ghoulies fixated on trying to keep them from meeting their goals, with all forms of blades and bullet slingers—there’s no way it was just a scenario set up to see if the good guys could get across the map in the allotted time. But it was clear that the mission had multiple threats: If you don’t end up succumbing to the direct attacks of the horde, dawdling and allowing the timer to tick closer to zero…well, then you risk having the boat go boom all over you.

Download 200 gamerpoints for free

2008-12-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's a promotional game in the spirit of Yaris (oh oh) but fortunately, NinjaBee is the crew behind this one, so it's not too bad to play.

Never mind all that though. What's important is it'll take you about 10 minutes to get all the achievements, so you're effectively downloading 200 gamerpoints, free of charge. The achievements are spread across the truck and T-Rex campaign with only a split-screen multiplayer achievement worth 10 points needing another pad and profile to be created (just make a free one).

Not bad, eh? Almost makes you want to buy a bag of Doritos as some sort of thank you for this surprise early Christmas gift.

Report: MS knew about disc-scratching problems with the 360

2008-12-16T15:34:00.001-08:00

Even though a vast number of gamers own and love their Xbox 360 systems, they are often imperfect machines prone to a multitude of problems like the oft-encountered Red Ring of Death. A problem that has received less media attention is the issue of game discs being scratched by the console when moved or reoriented while in use. According to a motion that seeks to establish class action status for owners of 360s with defective disc drives, Microsoft knew about this problem before the console was launched in 2005.

The motion contains testimony from program manager Hiroo Umeno, which claims that the manufacturer was well aware of the damage that could be caused to discs when players repositioned their consoles. "This is ... information that we as a team, optical disc drive team, knew about. When we first discovered the problem in September or October, when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what’s causing the problem."

There are also allegations that the company considered and rejected three possible solutions to this issue before the console was released: the first solution would have increased the magnetic force of the disc holder was rejected because, "it would allegedly interfere with the mechanism that opened and closed the disc tray,"; the second would have required slowing disc rotation speed to 8x, but was ruled against because it would have apparently increased loading times; the final solution would have involved installing soft patches called "bumpers" (routinely used in other consumer optical disc drives), but was deemed too costly to implement at $0.50 per console.

According to the documentation within the motion, Microsoft had registered roughly 55,000 complaints from consumers about this issue as of April 30, 2008. Subsequently, the company has instituted a replacement plan, but it only replaces Microsoft games and requires a $20 fee to do so.

Student Uses Wireless Controller to Track Down Stolen Xbox 360

2008-12-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

We love it when the good guys win.

A clever student at Missouri State University used the Xbox 360 controller's wireless capabilities to track down his stolen console, reports school newspaper the Standard.

It seems that someone swiped Ryan Ketsenburg's 360 from his dorm room after the sophomore forgot to lock his door. He managed to recover his system, however, with a tidy piece of detective work:

Ketsenburg... turned on his wireless Xbox controller and found that it was still connecting to his Xbox. Based on this discovery, Ketsenburg said he realized that his Xbox must be nearby...

The controller connected to the Xbox on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Hutchens but not on the third floor and seventh floor, so through process of elimination, Ketsenburg said he figured out that the stolen Xbox must be on the fifth floor.

Following the controller's signal, Ketsenburg said he was able to pinpoint the room where his Xbox was stolen... The 5th floor resident assistant checked the alleged room where the stolen Xbox was and was able to find the Xbox, Ketsenburg said.

The controller was able to prove that the Xbox belonged to Ketsenburg, because the controller was able to turn on the console unit, he said.

Pearl Jam debut album Ten coming to Rock Band

2008-12-15T15:29:00.001-08:00

MTV Games has announced yet another band's seminal album as Rock Band DLC. Pearl Jam's debut record, Ten, will be re-issued on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009. The press release states the 1991 album will also be downloadable on Rock Band that day, but we are assuming this only applies to the Xbox 360 version of the game. Most likely, the album will be made available to PS3 owners on March 26th, a Thursday, the day PS Store is usually updated.

* "Once"
* "Even Flow"
* "Why Go"
* "Black"
* "Jeremy"
* "Oceans"
* "Porch"
* "Garden"
* "Deep"
* "Release"

Alive is missing because it is already on the Rock Band 2 disc. Pricing information hasn't been announced, but our crystal ball past experience tells us it will be $1.99 per track.

Fallout 3 Operation: Anchorage Screenshots

2008-12-14T10:48:00.001-08:00

Bethesda released today screenshots from the first downloadable content for Fallout 3, Operation: Anchorage, which will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows in January. Two more downloadable content packs are coming in February and March. Below is the description provided by Bethesda:

* Operation: Anchorage Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.
* The Pitt Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.
* Broken Steel Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Infinity Ward to stop making DLCs for Call of Duty 4

2008-12-14T10:39:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, there won't be any more DLCs coming your way for Call of Duty 4 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC). But why would Infinity Ward pull such a mean stunt? Well, it's more of unfortunate than mean, actually. But there's actually a very good reason for this move.

That's because they're all gonna be busy prepping for their next title. That's right, no less than Infinity Ward's communications head, Rob Bowling, divulged this detail over at the Xbox Forums. According to him, "Every level designer/ texture artist/ environmental artist/ etc. working on a new map for a previous game is one less working on a map for a future game."

Makes sense, don't it? Anyway, it's not hard to figure out what "future game" he was referring to that would require everyone's participation in the developmental process. They've already confirmed another Call of Duty next year, remember?

First Assassins Creed 2 Details Accidentally Revealed

2008-12-14T10:32:00.001-08:00

Prince of Persia animation director David Wilkinson seems to have slipped the first information on Assassin's Creed 2... which hasn't even been officially announced yet. Speaking in a very frank interview with AusGamers, Wilkinson was quizzed on the current status of Assassin's animation guru Alex Drouin.
"He's busy making Altair even more beautiful," Wilkinson revealed. "Last thing I saw him do was getting Altair to swim."

Uh-oh, someone's going to get sacked...
So it looks like Altair will be assassinating bad men from the watery deep - and if we know Ubisoft, probably reaching up and dragging guards into the drink with him as well. Ubisoft hasn't said much of a second game, apart from making it clear that Assassin's Creed is "a franchise". So there will be more games.

The conclusion to the original also heavily hints at plot points for a follow-up.

Afro Samurai Hands-on Preview (Xbox 360)

2008-12-13T15:58:00.001-08:00

Just a few minutes into Namco Bandai’s Afro Samurai—a title based on the adult-aimed, Samuel L. Jackson voiced anime series—and I was hooked hard by its super-stylized production values and ambitious presentation. The visuals, voice work, and score come together beautifully, delivering an authentic experience fans of the series will absolutely adore, and even Afro newcomers will have a hard time resisting. Put simply, it provides a detail-drenched showcase of artistic ass kicking. All this, and the combo-heavy, gory combat is pretty slick, too. But more on that in a sec; first, lets dig a bit deeper into the title’s amazing over-the-top style.

Wheelman Hands-on Preview (Xbox 360)

2008-12-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Vin Diesel is turning into the Tom Hanks of videogame actors. The dude is in everything. But more importantly he’s really good. The voice is great, and his look translates so well into a 3D model that I actually look forward to him being in a game. Amazing that an actor has the power to elevate any videogame he’s in. The guy is a gamer too, and knows his stuff, so I also have faith in him to make good choices. That’s why I have faith that Wheelman will actually be a decent game.

After getting a decent amount of playing time with it, I can also confirm that it’s going to be an exciting one too. Matching the thrill-a-minute pace of an action movie filled with car chases, shootouts and lots of big explosions has been objective number one for the developers at Midway Newcastle. While the Stranglehold engine doesn’t necessarily provide the power to pull off really realistic landscapes or awesomely beautiful fireballs, it does result in a game that’s colorful and moves fairly well.

Rockstar Announces Upgrade and DLC for Midnight Club: LA

2008-12-13T11:10:00.001-08:00

Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the massive downloadable upgrade and content pack for Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the latest installment of its critically acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise. The content will be available early next year for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

The "South Central Upgrade Map" provides players with a whole new area of the city, about one-third the size of the original map, and will be available for free. This area features L.A. landmarks such as Exposition Park, the USC campus, Shrine Auditorium, Crenshaw Plaza, and the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and stretches south to the 105 Freeway. In addition to the free new city area, players will be able to purchase the "South Central Content Pack" which includes new character competitions, races, cars and music available in a single complete package. The new vehicles include a variety of cars and a motorcycle. Also making an appearance for the first time in Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be SUVs, a longtime favorite of the series' fans. "This downloadable content hones in on a very iconic area of Los Angeles," said Jay Panek, Midnight Club Producer at Rockstar San Diego. "'This South Central download features staples of the area, from the landmarks to the types of cars, and we think it really helps enhance the overall L.A. feel we set out to recreate."

Game Informer described Midnight Club: Los Angeles as "just what the doctor ordered: a fun, fast racing experience with enough content to keep you playing for months." The addition of South Central will enhance the overall experience and extend the game even further.

Developed by Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles provides a seamless, breathtaking environment for everyone who loves to compete. With no load times, no tracks, and no rules, the game allows players to race at breakneck speeds through an unbelievable recreation of Los Angeles in fully customizable, licensed cars.

The racing experience in Midnight Club: Los Angeles is extended online at the Rockstar Games Social Club (www.rockstargames.com/socialclub), where players are able to enter tournaments, share in-game photos, rate other people's rides, track stats with other gamers, and listen to and purchase music from the soundtrack.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is currently available for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 and is rated T for Teen. The “South Central Upgrade Map” and “South Central Content Pack” both require players to have the full version of Midnight Club: Los Angeles for Xbox 360 or PLAYSTATION 3 and an Xbox LIVE or a PlayStation Network membership to download.http://www.planetxbox360.com/screenshotlist_346/ for pics

The Godfather II Producer Interview - Exclusive Video

2008-12-13T11:01:00.003-08:00

Wanted

2008-12-07T11:17:00.001-08:00

You'd be forgiven if you mistook GRIN's adaptation of comic book/Hollywood hit "Wanted" for Dark Sector. It's a good-looking game that's filled with a fair share of hard-hitting, flinch-worthy violence. It's got specialized one-hit, one-kill projectiles that have a stylized "killcam" to accompany the attacks. It's got attitude in spades. And that's coming from someone who hasn't seen the film. In conjunction with the movie's home video release, we got a chance to try out three brief levels from Wanted: Weapons of Fate at an event yesterday. We doubt it'll be a perfect game, but the snippets we played seem to form a fairly mindless, if not spectacular, shooter. Not too different, we imagine, from its Hollywood source material.

The three levels showcased different environments and effects. Each was rather short and seemed designed to show different elements of the game. Wanted's difficulty levels seem designed to cajole the player into playing tougher levels, as the easiest bar of entry is called "Pussy," and medium is "Assassin." I'd like to admit that I picked "Assassin" mainly because I default to medium difficulty when I play, but I'm sure no one would believe me. In any case, "Assassin" didn't seem to mean that I was the assassin. "Assassinated" would have been a more apt description, as Wanted is hard. Almost too hard, in fact.

Skate 2 Exclusive Skitching Trailer HD

2008-12-06T09:37:00.001-08:00

Its alright,graphics kinda crappy tho.Cant wait to play it

Epic sequel already "raising eyebrows" from the press

2008-05-20T17:32:00.001-07:00

Just a week after its first press showing, Gears of War 2 is already receiving flack from the mainstream press for its "level of gore and detail".

"[Gears of War 2] certainly attracted attention for its realistic visuals and battle scenes, but caused some pause when game designers showed off a new attack players can use in the game," the article reads.

"In the demo, the player can use the chainsaw to cut a person in half, starting at the groin and moving upwards. Also, players can pick up the corpses of fallen enemies and use them as a 'meat shield' to protect themself from enemy fire as they engage in battle from behind the corpse."

That's a "corpse" that you can clearly see Marcus snapping the neck of, even in the Xbox Live video, yes? (Though we suppose Azfamily isn't going to be much happier knowing the poor 'meat shield' is alive...)

The site hardly lays into Gears 2, but to be honest the sequel didn't look that much more shocking than the first when we saw it. But a chainsaw to the crouch - ouch.

Catch a nasty ghost in this Ghostbusters gameplay

2008-05-18T07:57:00.001-07:00

Thanks to this fairly recent Ghostbusters gameplay footage, we certainly aren't afraid of ghosts anymore. The game looks pretty nice and we hope it jump-starts the classic franchise back to life -- a lot of lesser movies and TV series' have been getting brought back, after all. What's interesting, but not in the video, is the use of Sixaxis for the PS3: apparently, you use it to control the trajectory of your ghost-bustin' stream. Of course, crossing them is a bad idea unless you're facing the final boss, we'd imagine.

GTAIV sells like crazy, console sales neck and neck

2008-05-17T15:34:00.001-07:00

It's that time again when corporate execs are held accountable for their actions, sales figures are calculated and the North American "digits" are revealed. It's time for April NPD! W00t!

Last month's video game competition was a heated race between Microsoft and Sony as the Xbox 360 was able to move 188,000 units narrowly beating out the PS3's 187,100. That news on top of Microsoft announcing the 360's 10 million U.S. milestone make it a pretty good month for team Microsoft. Though, Nintendo's Wii continues to dominate even without Grand Theft Auto IV's help moving an amazing 714,200 consoles. Speaking of GTAIV, it rocked the final week of April selling a jaw-dropping 1.85 million units on the 360 alone which is nearly double that of the 1 million units it sold on the PS3. And that's always good to hear. Check the break for a complete rundown of the April NPD hardware and software data.

[Via Joystiq]

April Hardware Sales
1. Wii - 714,200
2. DS - 414,800
3. PSP - 192,700
4. Xbox 360 - 188,000
5. PS3 - 187,100
6. PS2 - 124,400

April Software Sales
1. GTA IV – Xbox 360 – 1.85 million
2. Mario Kart Wii – Wii – 1.12 million
3. GTA IV – PS3 – 1.00 million
4. Wii Play w/ remote – Wii – 360,000
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii – 326,000
6. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue – PS3 – 224,000
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness – DS – 202,000
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time – DS – 202,000
9. Guitar Hero III – Wii – 152,000
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Xbox 360 – 141K

Console War Update!

2008-05-17T15:22:00.001-07:00

Winning in first place Xbox 360
Xbox 360:11,785,282
Wii:11,268,352
Ps3:4,964,793
http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii®1=America&cons2=PS3®2=America&cons3=X360®3=America&start=39040&end=39579&weekly=1

Lost Planet: Colonies Edition Screenshots

2008-05-17T12:37:00.001-07:00

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition provides explosive action for both online and offline players. Gamers who missed the original Lost Planet will have the opportunity to experience the epic gameplay that made the original a global hit with the added bonus of fresh new content and cross platform multi-play all at a great value price. Fans of the Lost Planet’s online action will be thrilled at the inclusion of new online modes, maps, weapons and models.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition will be available for the Xbox 360, as well as Windows-based PCs that support Games for Windows – LIVE. The suggested retail price is $29.99. Capcom plans to ship the game on May 27, 2008.

New Burnout Paradise Location Revealed

2008-05-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Criterion Games unveiled today a new location from the upcoming Davis update for Burnout Paradise.

Here's a great video from the world team. These guys worked on the incredible game world that you'll recognise now as Paradise City.

Since we're releasing images of our new island location, we thought it would be great to give a little insight into how the Paradise City mainland came together.

Here, one of our leads, JohnL, concentrates on a single, small area - the Fish Market in the South Docks (just off Manners Ave). You'll get to see how each of it's distinct components evolved through development.
Criterion Games unveiled today a new location from the upcoming Davis update for Burnout Paradise.

Here's a great video from the world team. These guys worked on the incredible game world that you'll recognise now as Paradise City.

Since we're releasing images of our new island location, we thought it would be great to give a little insight into how the Paradise City mainland came together.

Gold Fever Hits an All Time High with the Upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company Demo (X360)

2008-05-17T12:07:00.001-07:00

The single player and multiplayer demo hits Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store on June 5.
Official Press Release | May 9, 2008

You've been drafted to 'B' Company! DICE, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that a demo for its highly anticipated summer release, Battlefield: Bad Company will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace* and PlayStation Store* on June 5. Players will land on the battlefield as part of the 'B' or Bad Company, a wayward band of soldiers more interested in the pursuit of gold and personal financial gain than following the rules. Gamers will get a sneak peek at how tactical destruction changes the way shooters are played, both offline and online in the single player and multiplayer demo.

Players can also gain early access to the demo by pre-ordering the game through participating retailers in North America and Europe. More details on this special pre-order campaign can be found at http://www.battlefield.com/badcompany.

Players who missed their opportunity to participate in the closed beta get a second chance to experience the intense multiplayer Gold Rush mode on the Oasis map while the single player portion starts gamers at the beginning of their 'B' company career. The single player portion of the demo sets the stage for players as they're introduced to the humorous and sometimes irreverent set of characters that make up the 'B' company. As gamers embark on their quest for gold, they'll experience the same classic Battlefield gameplay including access to numerous vehicles, weapons and open maps as well as the new tactical destruction that only Battlefield: Bad Company can deliver.

In stores on June 25 in North America and June 27 in Europe, Battlefield: Bad Company is developed by Sweden-based developer DICE (Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment, www.dice.se). The game will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and is rated "T" by the ESRB and "16+" by PEGI. For more information about the game, please visit http://www.battlefield.com.

* INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED

Xbox 540 coming in 2009

2008-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

A dramatic and perhaps visible change will happen next year: TSMC plans to begin producing the Valhalla chip, which will be the foundation of the mid-cycle refresh of the Xbox 360, thus called ‘Xbox 2.5’ or simply ‘Xbox 540’ (360+180), in fall of 2009. This new chip is apparently much more than a die-shrink and end up as a system-on-a-chip design. This change is likely to enable to redesign the Xbox 360 casing and go towards a slim-design, much like what Sony did with the Gen1 and Gen2 PS2. We believe that TSMC will use a 45 nm process for this Multi-Chip-Module package (CPU+GPU+eDRAM).

There are also some interesting pieces of information that Microsoft is shopping for a more efficient cooling solution – efficient in more ways than just one: Several people close to the cooling industry told us that Microsoft approached them and asked for better and cheaper cooling than what is used in the Xbox 360 right now. Some may claim that the current Xbox 360 cooler design is already as cheap as it gets, but we have no doubts that Microsoft will find a way to drop the cost once again.