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Xbox News is a site that brings you the very latest Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One news, the latest games and releases, Part of the
DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network.
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July 23rd, 2008, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster
Talking at Microsoft's GameFest event in Seattle, the company's Cameron Egbert and Dan Kroymann have been discussing the creation of avatars for the Xbox 360, revealing lots of new details on the practicality of developers implementing avatars within their games.
"It [Avatars] gives them an online presence they did not have before without Xbox Live. It is ubiquitous across the system. Also, you can use them in your games as a replacement for your characters, or in your UI, or whatnot."
Egbert further explained: "You build them from a predefined set of geometry and textures and customize them as you want... to suit your tastes."
How about edgy avatars? Egbert explained: "This is a product for everyone, so nothing in here will violate an E10 rating - no weapons, no compromising situations."
Finally, Egbert and colleague Kroymann took questions from the audience, with Egbert answering a query about whether there would be branded clothes or hats in the game with: "That's not anything that's being handled in the first iteration."
How about avatars rolling out across Games For Windows or MSN? Egbert said there's "...nothing to announce right now - this is the first stage, doing it on Xbox".
Can you use avatars in Xbox Live Community-developed games? Dan Kroymann noted: "not yet", but that the Community Team had been talking to them.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=19519
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July 23rd, 2008, 22:12 Posted By: wraggster
People are buzzing about today's announcement that developers can start making money soon off their Xbox LIVE Community Games built using XNA Game Studio. Being an ex-XNA member, I can still say, without a shadow of doubt, that Microsoft is offering a groundbreaking game channel, and that some people stand a chance to make great money from the system. It's an exciting opportunity, but the danger for consumers lies in Microsoft's deliberate steps to avoid discussions regarding game quality, even during peer review. I firmly believe that avoiding commentary/ratings on game quality will result in frustrated consumers, who will have no way to discern the quality of a game among (ultimately) thousands. Of course, the game creator has the option of offering a trial game, but it will be interesting to see how many developers take advantage of that path, (as it is not required) [Edit: Peter Hatch points to a Wired article where Chris Satnchell states that a timed trial will be enabled by default, but my concern about te lck of quality indicators still stands]. I doubt consumers will get a refund for buying a sucky game either.
Before anybody thinks I'm bashing the XNA team, please keep in mind that this is the same approach taken for Xbox LIVE Arcade games -- you're on your own to find genuine game reviews and ratings. The difference is that XBLA games have a higher standard for quality and consistency regarding the gaming experience. XBLA games have a large number of technical conformances to adhere to, which are tested by the XBLA team prior to its approval for release -- the Community Games has no such thing during the peer review (remembe, peer review is a check on the content, not on technical quality or gameplay quality). I think the upcoming plethora of games on the Commuity Games pipeline will only create more consumer confusion without them having a reliable guide
http://letskilldave.com/blog/making-...d-not-so-good/
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July 23rd, 2008, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster
I'm a big fan of Xbox Live. Friend lists, achievements, ease of use - Live still towers above the Playstation and Wii online services. But then it should. Live costs around 40 quid [GBP] a year, Sony and Nintendo's offerings are free. Sure the service is good but how long can Microsoft get away with charging? The news that Games for Windows Live - essentially a PC version of Xbox Live - will now be available for free makes it increasingly difficult for Microsoft to justify charging a subscription to Xbox Live.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/ar...xbox_live.html
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July 23rd, 2008, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster
Don Mattrick, head of Xbox at Microsoft: "What we've learned is that consumers like choice. So we're providing a choice in flexibility to consumers. There's different entry points. There's different types of experiences people want to use. That program is working for us. Retailers like it. Consumers like it. So that's why we have it."
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/...s-like-choice/
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July 23rd, 2008, 11:39 Posted By: Darksaviour69
Posted at Capcom's blog
Just wanted to drop everyone a line that we're working on a patch and it will have several fixes for the open beta. I'll be dropping details shortly, but the overall experience in the beta will be vastly improved.
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July 23rd, 2008, 11:37 Posted By: Darksaviour69
There is much confusion over what exactly Portal: Still Alive, an upcoming Xbox Live Arcade release of Valve’s excellent platformer-thing, is. After all, it was announced amazingly vaguely during Microsoft’s E3 press conference, and there was little followup. So I asked Valve’s Doug Lombardi, and he explained it to me.
Portal: Still Alive is a standalone version of the original Portal that can be purchased through Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition to Portal itself, it will include a number of levels that are not part of the game’s story, and do not feature story-related elements such as GLaDOS voiceover.
The game is exclusive to Live Arcade, at least for a while, but PC players can get basically the same experience right now anyway. Here’s why.
You may have seen Portal: The Flash Version, a clever Flash-based tribute to Valve’s game. You are slightly less likely to have seen the Portal: The Flash Version MapPack, which recursively ports the Flash game’s levels to Portal itself.
Still Alive’s bonus content consists of 360-certified versions of the levels from that pack.
via Remowned
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July 23rd, 2008, 11:03 Posted By: Darksaviour69
After a long time playing second fiddle to COD4, Halo has reclaimed the top stop for most played game last week. It seems that with the legendary being reduce by 200 point (to 600) and the free map cold storage, was enough to entice gamers back to Halo 3.
The much hyped (and controversial) Too Human demo also makes it into the top 10.
As for the Arcade, Golf: Tee It Up! starts of well, taking top spot, Soul Calibur continues to sell well after 3 weeks on the market Place, at No 2, while Schizoid has a poor debut at 6th, with Coffeetime Crosswords also starting bad, just scraps into the top ten.
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty 4
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War
5 Guitar Hero III
6 Rock Band
7 Too Human Demo
8 Battlefield: Bad Company
9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
10 FIFA 08
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Golf: Tee It Up!
2 SOULCALIBUR
3 UNO
4 DOOM
5 Worms
6 Schizoid
7 N+
8 Geometry Wars Evolved
9 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
10 Coffeetime Crosswords
Source Major Nelson
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July 22nd, 2008, 21:53 Posted By: Shrygue
via Games Industry
Online retailer Play.com has dropped the price of the 20GB Xbox 360 in the UK to GBP 169.99.
Rival store Amazon sells the 20GB console in the UK for GBP 179.99. Although Microsoft announced a price reduction of the 20GB unit in the US last week, there are currently no plans for a similar move in Europe.
A spokesperson for Microsoft has told VG247 that the deal is "nothing to do with us," but some industry watchers are now expecting a price cut to be announced at Game Convention in Leipzig this August, with the possible introduction of a 60GB unit to the market.
Yesterday, Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald said that he remained sceptical of Microsoft's pricing strategy, and that the "Xbox 360 needs a real price cut".
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July 22nd, 2008, 21:17 Posted By: Shrygue
via Computer and Video Games
BioWare's brilliant RPG Jade Empire has been added to the Xbox Originals available for download on Xbox 360.
Jade Empire is a very Knights of the Old Republic-style RPG with a mystical Eastern flavour. Just like the Jedi role-player, Jade' has you treading the path of good or evil as you battle human and supernatural foes with a wide variety of fighting styles. It's also got John Cleese doing voices.
Jade' joins the other games on the service, such as Halo, Fable, Burnout 3 and Psychonauts at 1200 Microsoft Points (about 10 quid).
Read the review from the olden days here.
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July 22nd, 2008, 21:08 Posted By: Shrygue
via Eurogamer
Activision will release the Virtuoso Pack for Guitar Hero 3 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Store this Thursday.
The pack is made up of three songs from accomplished shredders: "Surfing with the Alien" by Joe Satriani, "For the Love of God" by Steve Vai, and "Soothsayer" by Buckethead.
There's a bonus Buckethead song called "Jordan" available in the Guitar Hero 2 area if you want a taste of what to expect. On Xbox 360 you get an Achievement for beating it on Expert. We can only finish it on Hard.
Anyway, you may remember Steve Vai for his "Halo Theme (Mjolnir Mix)" in Halo 2. You can download this as a free add-on for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 3.
For which, of course, Track Packs cost 500 Microsoft Points (GBP 4.25 / EUR 6.00) on Xbox Live and GBP 3.99 on the PlayStation Store.
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July 22nd, 2008, 20:59 Posted By: Shrygue
via Kotaku
Back in February Xbox 360 gamers got a chance to try out some of the exciting homebrew games coming out of the XNA Code Creators Club, and this holiday season they'll be able to buy them. Microsoft has dropped details about how pricing and payments will work for folks who have their games published via the new program, now called Xbox LIVE Community Games. Paying members of the Creators Club will be able to submit their games to the community for peer review, and if they deem it worthy they'll be able to set a price and put it up for sale.
Prices will be set at 200 MS points for games 50MB and under, with larger games priced at 400 or 800 MS points. Creators will receive 70% of the revenue generated mailed to them via check on a quarterly basis, though Microsoft will be randomly promoting XNA games, for which they will take an extra 10-20% based on traffic generated.
An interesting fact that is pointed out in the FAQ (linked below) is that even big name publishers can submit their games via the Creators Club, meaning a game that might not pass muster with Xbox proper could theoretically make it into the community section. Hit the link here for the full details!
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July 22nd, 2008, 16:37 Posted By: wraggster
Newly released:
features
Strong replay-ability – interact with and change the environment, a different game each time
Fast flying action and exploration with EVE Shooter-Flight game play
Play as co-op WALL-E and EVE
Explore 9 worlds
description
Race, fly and shoot as you take futuristic robots WALL-E and EVE through a fast-paced adventure. From the desolate waste-lands of Earth to the Axiom space cruiser, throw cubes and blast robots and obstacles while you relive some of the movie’s most thrilling moments and explore worlds filled with non-stop action and adventure, along with head-to-head multiplayer challenges. Dodge dangerous enemies, carry out intense missions and navigate your way through a futuristic galaxy!
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2qpk.html
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July 22nd, 2008, 16:31 Posted By: wraggster
Newly released:
features
New multilingual Asia release of Mistwalker's popular Xbox360™ RPG
Supports Japanese & Korean Voices
With either English or traditional Chinese subtitles and menus
Japanese version save game compatible: If you already own the Japanese version of Blue Dragon, you can continue playing this version at the point you have saved.
description
Famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker and developer Artoon present the highly anticipated Xbox 360™ exclusive Blue Dragon. Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball Z and music by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy, Blue Dragon is an epic role-playing game that centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends.
These unlikely heroes possess the power to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters, giving Shu and his comrades miraculous strength and magical powers.
The warriors can create and develop their combat styles by utilizing different types of Shadow Change, including Sword, Assassin, and Power Magic. Shu and his friends must use the shadows as weapons and wield their skills to save their world from impending doom.
Encountering various people on a planet where numerous ancient ruins remain, the characters and their shadows travel through a world full of mysteries and illusions, where the slightest touch can cause reactions of unparalleled magnitude.
This Asian release version supports selectable Japanese and Korean voices, with English or traditional Chinese subtitles and menus.
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2wiw.html
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July 22nd, 2008, 16:30 Posted By: wraggster
New Weekly Special from Play Asia:
From the publisher: Experience the ultimate team - and mission-based multiplayer warfare, defined by award winning Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer, now set in the legendary QUAKE universe.
Choose to play as the human Global Defense Force or the invading alien menace, the Strogg. Each side has distinct classes, vehicles, and weapons to choose from, giving players countless ways to join the battle.
Game Features:
Intense mission-based combat: QUAKE Wars pits teams against each other on massive maps located in desert, Arctic, and tropical environments. Players battle through intense skirmishes with real military style objectives
Offline and online modes: Hone your skills against surprisingly lifelike A.I. offline, then join the battle online with friends.
Unique teams and character classes: The GDF and Strogg are two distinct armies with different soldier classes, weapons, vehicles, and tactics.
Team-based combat: Using class-specific skills, players can be the linchpin of an entire operation
Skill-based matchmaking: Get the perfect challenge in every online game with a match geared to your skills
Choose to conquer Earth as an Alien or defend it as her inhabitant in Activision's exciting action game Quake Wars. The region free Asian version of the game for Xbox360™ is sold at a bargain price of US$ 29.90 only.
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html
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July 22nd, 2008, 10:19 Posted By: Darksaviour69
This Wednesday, take on dancing with your fingers or flying planes as two new games hit Xbox LIVE Arcade.
In Go! Go! Break Steady, choose a character and make them dance by following visual cues on the screen. Once you have mastered the button break dancing, you are taken to a mini game where you shoot balls to make sets of three or more.
There are 20 songs to choose from and the game features local and online co-op and versus modes.
Go! Go! Break Steady can be yours for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Relive another classic with 1942: Joint Strike when it also hits Xbox LIVE Arcade on Wednesday.
In this World War II flying shooter, take to the skies with your newly updated 3D HD plane as you blast enemies below to smithereens. Avoid obstacles such as missiles and explosions alone or with a friend. Co-op is available online or locally.
1942: Joint Strike can be yours for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Anyone planing to pick up either of these games?
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July 21st, 2008, 22:14 Posted By: Shrygue
via IGN
Just recently websites like EBGames.com began listing the details of the Gears of War 2: Limited Edition package. The package retails for $69.99, ten dollars more expensive than the regular retail release and it includes the following: - Collectible SteelBook DVD Case that was expect to be very similar from what we've seen recently from Halo 3 and Mass Effect.
- "Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2," this is a 48-page hardbound art book that we expect to be similar to what was included in the first Gears of War limited edition. You'll find concept art, character profiles and a foreword by Epic's Design Director, Cliff Bleszinski.
- Bonus DVD including a making-of documentary and commentary by Epic Games along with promotional videos such as the E3 2008 trailer, Rendezvous.
- An exclusive gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle for us during online play.
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July 21st, 2008, 18:44 Posted By: Shrygue
via Computer and Video Games
If you don't like the look of the new Xbox 360 Dashboard unveiled at E3 last week, then "you don't actually have to use it," says Microsoft's Xbox Live director of programming Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb.
According to The Major, every single function available in current 360 backend will be included in the new, clean-looking Dash', which you can bypass completely if you choose.
"I know that there are some people that aren't going to like the happy, happy, shiny New Xbox Experience. For whatever reason it's not flipping their bit," Hryb said in his latest podcast.
"Here's my message to you: you don't actually have to use it. You can never go there, just leave your game disc in and pretty much do everything that you could before but on the Guide level - one button press away in every single game.
"The Dashboard as you know it today, in other words the 'blades'; Games, Live, Media and System," The Major explained, "We've taken those blades and moved them to the Guide. Every single function that you can do today in the Dashboard you are going to be able to do in the New Xbox Experience in the Guide.
"When you press the Guide button on the Xbox 360 controller, the new Guide will come up and you're going to be able to do everything in there. You're going to be able to contextually browse Marketplace, did you know that? So when you have Gears of War 2 of Halo 3 in there you're going to be able to go straight to that section."
Sounds excellent to us. Even more good news for New Xbox Experience haters comes in the form of Avatars, and how you don't have to use them. "If you don't like the avatars, they're not required. You can use your Gamer Pictures," said Hryb in the podcast. "Your existing and Gamer Pictures and Themes still work," adds co-host 'e'.
If developers choose though, adds the mysterious co-host, they can stick some cool rewards for Avatars in their games.
"I was talking to Todd Howard [Bethesda exec producer]," says The Major, "and he was like, 'hey, I want to talk about Avatars - do you think there's a little hazmat suit for Fallout 3 we could make?" At least they won't be charging for it... (we hope)
The New Xbox Experience will "definitely" be out this year, says Hryb. Watch our video of it in action here.
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July 21st, 2008, 18:29 Posted By: Shrygue
via Games Industry
Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald has said that "Xbox 360 needs a real price cut" in his latest note to investors.
Microsoft dropped the price of the 20GB console in the US by USD 50 last week prior to E3, but Greenwald believes the company needs to do more in the face of competition from the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.
"We remain very sceptical of Microsoft's pricing strategy and competitive positioning versus the PlayStation 3.
"At USD 349, with a 60GB hard drive, we just don't think it is a compelling product compared with the PS3 at USD 399 with an 80GB hard drive (along with more processing horsepower, Blu-ray, Wifi, HDMI, and going forward, more exclusive content)," he offered.
"We'd also note that the Xbox 360 has just been surpassed by the Wii in the US, despite Microsoft's one year head start over Nintendo.
"We do think that the Netflix announcement is a significant addition for Xbox users, though its far more of a positive for Netflix than it is for Microsoft in our opinion," he added of the recently revealed streaming movie deal.
Greenwald pointed to Sony's introduction of the 80GB PS3 in the US at the same retail price as the 40GB unit, and a collection of exclusive titles, as reason why the PlayStation 3 is better positioned than the Xbox 360 for the first time since launch.
"Sony's biggest announcement was a strong counter-punch to Microsoft's USD 50 price cut on the 360.
"We think this should give Sony a leg up versus the 360, along with several exclusive titles like the just-released Metal Gear Solid, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Gran Turismo 5, God of War 3, etc.
"Beyond Gears of War 2, Microsoft doesn't seem to have the same library of exclusive, must-have titles," he added.
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