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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.
THE LATEST NEWS BELOW
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May 15th, 2006, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster
SuccessHK posted the release of this new product:
MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE XBOX 360 and endorsed by Team Ninja, this limited edition Xbox 360 Dead or Alive 4 Arcade Stick will give you the upper hand in all your Dead or Alive matches by giving you the freedom and flexibility of the familiar Arcade Button layout.
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May 15th, 2006, 18:48 Posted By: wraggster
SuccessHK posted the release of this new product:
This is officially licensed controller by HORI for XBOX 360. This is the only pad featuring 2 extra turbo functions which are not available on standard Xbox 360 controller.
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May 15th, 2006, 17:45 Posted By: wraggster
Via Eurogamer
Following confirmation that an EyeToy-style peripheral is currently in development for the Xbox 360, Microsoft has announced that GestureTek will be providing the technology behind the Xbox Live Vision camera.
Like Sony's EyeToy, the camera will let you control the action on screen using physical gestures. Examples of games which might use the technology, as suggested by GestureTek, include poker titles, snowboarding and volleyball games, music games which feature virtual instruments, and titles where the you'll have to physically dodge bullets or martial arts attacks.
"Gesture recognition and control is a logical evolution in gaming," said GestureTek CEO Bill Leconby.
"Our technology has been thrilling and entertaining users in public and private installations around the world since well before the movie Minority Report popularised the concept of gesture control. This offering opens doors to unlimited applications in the gaming experience."
"The fusion of GestureTek technology and the Xbox 360 will enhance the entertainment and gaming experience for our customers," said Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg.
"As the Xbox 360 camera offering enables a more immersive and integrated gaming experience, gesture control will further redefine entertainment."
Microsoft is arguably playing catch-up here - Sony's EyeToy first hit the shelves in July 2003. Since then, more than 5.3 million first-party EyeToy titles have been sold.
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May 15th, 2006, 17:43 Posted By: wraggster
Via Eurogamer:
Microsoft could have had Grand Theft Auto III on Xbox first if a third-party publishing initiative called "The Star Chamber" hadn't turned down a Rockstar proposal, author Dean Takahashi claims in his new book, The Xbox 360 Uncloaked.
In an extract published on 1UP, Takahashi reports that under J Allard's direction, The Star Chamber - a group of game managers organised to evaluate game proposals sent to Microsoft - turned down a GTA III proposal, returning it with suggestions to "beef up" the game.
Rockstar went on to create the game exclusively for PlayStation 2, and it didn't appear on Xbox until much later - by which time the GTA brand was firmly associated with PS2. Further instalments launched first on the Sony format.
Takahashi said: "It wasn't Microsoft's kind of game, since it was a gritty crime game with foul language, abusive treatment of women, and cop killing. Microsoft had a corporate image to maintain and, like Electronic Arts, it avoided that category."
That's all in the past though - and Microsoft believes that the fact it'll have Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360 on the same day it launches on PlayStation 3 could be a significant factor in the next-gen console war - as Peter Moore said on this site last week.
"When we do our research and ask PS2 owners why they're going to buy a PS3, they say it's because it's the only place they'll get Grand Theft Auto," he told us.
"So when you talk about neutralising that, that's very important to us. Then we say to gamers - and this flooded my inbox during the night - the only place you can play Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV is on an Xbox 360, and they've seen Gears of War and it blows the doors down for them."
Microsoft has yet to say anything about Takahashi's comments on GTA III and Xbox.
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May 15th, 2006, 17:32 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Mythic Entertainment's latest MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, may - may - be smashing its way onto Microsoft's Xbox 360 as well as PC.
According to a report on GameSpot, at last week's E3 where Mythic was showcasing its PC MMO game, one of the Warhammer Online adventurers whom attendees were playing alongside was actually hidden away in the developer's booth controlling their character with a wireless Xbox 360 controller - the report going on to add that the website got to see PC and Xbox 360 versions of Warhammer Online running side-by-side at the event.
However... Apparently, Mythic's getting Age of Reckoning onto Xbox 360 is a proving-it-can-be-done exercise only, the developer not confirming it's in the pipeline for release - at this stage anyway. And the only other real slice of info on the game on 360 that the developer's let slip is that getting the title up and running on the console has actually led to improvements for the announced PC version.
So then, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on Xbox 360, and cross-platform MMORPG action looms? Well, it certainly all seems possible, but we can only wait to see if we get an official announcement somewhere down the line.
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May 13th, 2006, 09:21 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamespot
Tucked away behind Sony's gigantic West Hall stand at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo is a Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning booth belonging to Mythic Entertainment. Visitors to the booth are being invited to get hands-on with the upcoming massively multiplayer online game, where they can check out one of the game's areas on live servers and play alongside members of the development team who are playing from the company's Virginia headquarters.
What none of these players have realized, though, is that one of the "green-skins" questing alongside them is being controlled by a player not armed with a mouse and keyboard, but with a wireless Xbox 360 controller. That player is in a closely guarded room to the rear of Mythic's booth.
To be clear, Mythic is not announcing an Xbox 360 version of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, but in what was purportedly a period of only six weeks, the developer has managed to get its game up and running on Microsoft's new console simply to prove that it can be done. Given the content of Bill Gates' "Live everywhere" speech at Microsoft's pre-E3 conference, it seems that Mythic's timing could hardly have been better. To quote one of Mythic's senior staffers, "What Microsoft is talking about, here is a company that's doing it."
We had an opportunity to see the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning running alongside each other, and although the console demo lacked any kind of user interface, its widescreen, high-definition visuals were practically indistinguishable from those on the PC. Furthermore, the character on the Xbox 360 was interacting with PC players, and if it wasn't for the fact that one of the games was running on a huge TV rather than a monitor, it would be difficult to tell them apart.
Mythic says the work done optimizing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning for the Xbox 360 made the development team realize that they could use similar techniques in the PC game. So what started out as an experiment to get an MMO game running on a console has actually resulted in some improvements for the PC version.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is currently scheduled for release on the PC in the fall of 2007. Whether or not the game will ever see a release on the Xbox 360 or any other console remains to be seen, but one thing is certain--it's definitely a possibility.
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May 13th, 2006, 09:16 Posted By: wraggster
Via Engadget
This morning, Vlad Cole and I had an opportunity to chat with Microsoft's Peter Moore, the man responsible for marketing the Xbox 360. When we last pinned him down at CES, there were still so many unanswered questions about the competition. After Sony and Nintendo's keynotes at E3, not to mention their own, the time was ripe to ask him about a portable Xbox, the Nintendo Wii complementing the Xbox 360, the Sony Dual Shake controller, and where he got that ink on his arm.
Forgive me if I interrupt you, if I hear something that I already heard at the press briefing, I might cut your answer short a little bit. Congratulations on Gears of War. Everyone is saying it looks and plays awesome. It actually appears to be head and shoulders above everything we're seeing on the show floor. Is that a conscious choice to keep it off the floor itself, so that the comparison gap doesn't pop?
No, not really. I think the idea is that the game deserves hands-on. We're trying to show it to as many people as we can up here. The team at Epic is really so conscious of the quality of what they're doing and presenting that bringing them up here, we'll get thousands of people through in the end, they churn people through pretty quickly, there was no conscious effort, no.
So where are the rest of the games that look this good?
Here? That depends on your ... you tell me. What is it that you think is missing?
There does appear to be a gap in quality between that and everything else. It's just head and shoulders above. We're wondering if there are other titles that will match that by the time they come out.
Quality of gameplay, graphics, depth, immersion? It's all subjective. I'm biased on all of them. Games like Crackdown: different visual style, different genre. But, it's coming together really well. Mass Effect. I was on some blogs last night where people are spending some time on it and are really impressed with it. Dave Perry and a few other people wrote some really strong stories about Mass Effect. That's a weird question ... I mean, which of my children do I love more?
Where's J Allard?
J was just, umm. J was doing a BMX event or something. I don't know. He's back in Redmond now.
It's just that he's been MIA since launch.
J's working hard. J runs the platform. J has his engineers. He's been working hard on Live updates and what have you. Live as a platform is something something to J.
It's just that the difference from pre-launch, where we saw him in the ourcolony video. He was the face of the Xbox 360.
Remember, you were there Tuesday right? I started off saying we had an organizational change. I run the business from the point of view what people have to do. One thing it means is a singular face. One thing we figured out was that the J/Robbie/Peter thing probably wasn't working. J's incredibly busy. J is one of smartest guys on the face of the Earth, and developing platforms is what he does. From that point of view ... I don't know. J's a very active young man and ... snowboarding season's over.
There's a rumor that he's maybe working on the Xboy, a portable Xbox.
I think J was actually on the grassy-knoll in '63 in Dallas.
Was he also responsible for hiding all those Xboxes at Area 51?
He actually hid the E.T. cartridges, that's how far back he goes.
If you're really serious about the whole games thing, don't you think portable's a part of that?
Portable's a part of everything, but there's a billion cell phones now that I don't think that in any way our industry is doing a fine job of exploiting what's possible on mobile phones. We're blind to the fact that everyone will carry one of these devices. It h as have input, it has a screen. Anything that has input, has a screen, you can play games.
What do you think of Nokia's new N-Gage push? I don't think they're blind to it.
I have to admire them for persistency. I have not walked the show floor.
Do you think that persistence can get them developer support the same way that you've said persistence in Japan will earn you developer support?
Nokia's an unbelievable company. They remind us a little bit of Microsoft: they stick to things they believe in it. They have the capital resources and software engineers to get stuff done. Maybe later on today I'll go have a look. My priorities are to go talk with three or four partners, maybe go play with the Wii, and get on a flight home.
To hammer this one more time: do you really think that the cell phone itself can compete against the likes of the DS and the PSP?
The cell phone at its current structure... as they evolve now. [Pulls phone out.] This is a smart phone from HTC. You start getting this level of functionality -- you know the deal -- you've got the same thing. You've got 16 by 9 aspect ratios, you've got pretty decent screens, I look at this and I think, "geez, you could probably get things on the capability of Genesis or the old days on this pretty well. I will never be able to play things like this. I just can't do it. I also prefer to use the soft key pad because I can go faster with the stylus. But yeah -- the Chairman said so. The Chairman says so, believe me. I haven't been at Microsoft long, but I know when the Chairman says so, things happen.
Services as ambitious as Live Anywhere have to be rolled out over a number of years. You're not going to get that all at once.
That's right.
So what are we going to see when Vista launches [in January]. Are we going to see any of it with Vista?
As Scott [Henson, director of the Xbox Advanced Technology Group] said, a lot of that -- certainly the interface that hooks into the service is already in Vista. I haven't seen ... we eat dog food (our stuff) at Microsoft. I think we've got the latest build of Vista coming up soon, and I'll see where we're at on that. It's all come together nicely.
Games is a major part of what Vista's about. It wasn't vaporware we put up there. The importance is when Bill does do something and puts his commitment to it, things happen. If I say do something maybe it'll get done.
Let's assume that it'll get done. The question is about timeframe.
You know what, I could make stuff up and say "here's the 18-month -- I'm sure there is -- rollout schedule." It'll happen. You're exactly right, it'll roll out. How it rolls out, don't know.
So you've said that the lack of rumble [in the redesigned controller] will hurt the PS3.
That's a personal thing about the way that I like to play. I like the tactile, the visceral response of the controller. Maybe that's because it's always been there for me. And I make that joke that maybe because I'm older I need the reminder that I'm hitting the wall. Don't you think that --
Well we went around the show floor and asked some people yesterday. Opinion's split. People who really care about the entire experience and who have played games where rumble is integral to the gameplay say that it's very important. For instance, the Rockstar Ping Pong title, you need rumble to know when you're about to hit the ball out of bounds.
Ok, I've played the title, but I haven't played to that level.
But a number of other people have said that's the least of Sony's worries. What do you think their key weaknesses are?
Price point is a weakness. As much as they will say that -- I think that Kutaragi overnight said it's too cheap or something like that -- I don't know. Price is going to be an issue. But the way that we as an industry need to cost reduce and bring better value to the consumer as quickly as we can... There are consumer segments that enter the market when the price hits a particular point. You've got to be able to cost-reduce your product accordingly.
They may be able to do an amazing job of incredibly bringing [the price] of that product down. I don't know.
Speaking of cost-reducing, Todd Holmdahl told Reuters in ... I believe it was September of last year that you have plans to cost-reduce the Xbox 360 every single year as part of the strategy.
Oh yeah. More than every year. It's not like, "January 1st let's take some cost out of the box." You have teams that are constantly looking at how you bring the box to a more -- you know, as componentry evolves... amortization, all of this stuff. It's complex stuff.
So people misquoted that as "price reduce."
Cost and price are two very different things.
It's feasible though.
Well of course.
So by launch window this holiday?
No, that's not what he said. He said you're going to cost-reduce the box every year.
I'm asking you though.
You're asking me to tell you I'm going to drop the price? We had a price drop on Monday when Sony announced their price. We obviously don't talk about price drops, and I can't think of any good reason right now that we would drop the price even further from the delta between what we're offering and what our competitor's are currently offering.
And when Nintendo announces a price that is lower than the Xbox 360 -- which is the expectation -- than, by that logic, you've suffered a price increase.
You could put it that way. It's a price increase if the consumer doesn't see the difference between the experiences. I would posit that the consumer right now would be hard pressed to find the price delta between an Xbox 360 and all it has to offer, as we currently stand here today, and the PlayStation 3, and what it promises to offer.
You're not often talking about Nintendo as a competitor ...
I talk about Nintendo every day. They are a competitor, but I think they're in a different space. They have spectacular first-party intellectual property that is timeless, that is built around fun, it's character-based in many instances, it's iterations of great franchises that have gone for decades, but it's primarily youth-based. They're also doing, with the Wii controller, which eventually I'll go and get my hands on, things that are innovative that, from the moment I saw them in Tokyo, I was quoted that day as saying that I loved the innovation and that has stayed with me forever, and I don't back down from that, but I think we're in different spaces as two different companies that can certainly coexist and complement each other.
My point would be that I can see exactly where the value proposition and the positioning of the Nintendo Wii; from who it's made for, what the price is, what would be attractive, to which demographic, on a global basis. I think we've made it clear about we are where we are, what you're getting for your $299 or $399, what the value proposition is, titles like Gears of War, Xbox Live Marketplace. Growing our reach on a global basis. In the middle, it's not clear to me, and maybe I need to take a breather and read this weekend what the value proposition is, potentially I read that Blu-ray is worth the $100 to $200 to $300 and I get very confused when Cell technology is a consumer value proposition. And I ask you guys, what does that do for me as a consumer?
From the game demos we've seen so far, and from the people we've asked, there seems to be a visual parity so they're not yet seeing what this processor is doing for the graphics of the games. But this isn't necessarily a fair comparison since you're now on the second wave of titles while they're just now getting used to developing for that processor. It might be years before we're able to see a difference. Maybe a year or year and a half from now, who's going to be the first to twenty million?
I'd like to think we'd be the first. Let's say we get to the 10 million [mark] ... they won't sell 20 million in the 12 months, it just doesn't happen. If we maintain our commitment to Xbox Live, which we will do, we've built up Live Anywhere, Vista that supports the platform, the content pipeline flow that I can see in 2007 / 2008 -- and in some instances now starting to see things that we're putting up past 2009 -- all of that comes into fruition of the quality levels I believe our third-party partners and my first party studios are doing, we have the price advantage. We globalize our strategy ... we bring China online eventually. Something's gone badly wrong if it's not at the Xbox 360.
So let's talk about Japan for a minute. Your continued investment in Japan is a sign that you really want to stay in the market in the long run. To an extent, you're saying, "the more we lost, the better the signal is to that market."
It's a commitment to the market that's very important, and when I looked at the Japanese markets, a lot of the metrics is how many pieces of hardware we sell to the Japanese consumer, but it's one of many metrics. Asia is a major part of our expansion profile cause online gaming is very important in Asia and we have an advantage. Japanese developers like Sakaguchi, Mizuguchi, Okamoto, all of these guys have an incredible impact outside the shores of the Japanese islands in to the Asian market. Companies like Konami, Capcom, Sega, Namco Bandai, Koie, are now, from an ecosystem point of view, looking globally. Our continued commitment to work with them in their domestic markets, whether it's Capcom with Dead Rising or Lost Planet, I don't talk enough about those two games either. I'm guilty of talking about Sakaguchi. Lost Planet demo has most of our data servers around the world on fire right now. For a game that's still a long way away ... what's happening with Lost Planet already, they're getting feedback from users already. You set up a URL to immediately get people like yourself saying, "Inafune-san, demo's great. Here are the three things I like, here are a couple things I don't like."
Why don't you build that right into the demo itself?
You could do that ... feedback? DeadRising.com. LostPlanet.com. Or Inafune@LostPlanet.com.
At GDC, you said that you run Japan as a hobby. Yesterday, you said that you run Japan directly.
Well, "hobby" is my typical irreverent way of saying that it's weird that I run Japan. But that comes from my legacy of being with Sega ... knowing the ecosystem there, knowing all the publishers, knowing the retailers, knowing the developers, and having as much of a gaijin as you can of understanding what makes the Japanese market tick.
But it's still accurate to characterize your involvement as increased now?
Yeah. The GM of Japan reports directly to me, which is the only country that doesn't report to Mitch Kock who's the head of worldwide sales and marketing. So, from that point of view ... But I'm very involved because all first party development reports to me, so we have MGSA , which is our first party people on the ground in Tokyo. And the third party reports to me. So, I'll go there twice a year and meet with our partners and third parties.
This one's a bit of a branding, marketing question: Would you ever name a product "Wii?" Why or why not? And, also at the same time talk about how Xbox 360, as a name, is a little hard-edged -- a little technical. How does that help or hinder the Xbox 360 in the marketplace?
Moore: Names that seem ridiculous at first, quickly get involved in our culture. "iPod." It's not even a pod. The idea of something that is unique and distinctive is what you brand. One of the challenges of global branding nowadays is finding a word you can protect on a global basis. And people said, "why not Revolution?" Well, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been to brand "Revolution." So now you see -- particularly in the world of technology -- you see these names that you can protect. And you see made up names. In the dot-com base it was "Avayo" ... "Lucent" ... there's a reason there's "Yahoo" and "Google." These are somewhat nonsensical names that try and give some can of a descriptor to the experience. And you can protect them on a legal basis.
So you don't see in problem with that name?
I mean, I'm saying "the Wii." You know, I'm from England, you know, we go for a wee. In England, it's more the Brits because Americans are completely petrified by bodily functions, so we can't even say, "toilet!" (Laughs). If you have to go to, it's the restroom. (More laughs). So in England, we ask where the toilets are ... here, toilet is horrific. So, there's a bit of toilet humor, bathroom humor ...
The portfolio strategy in Japan, it seems that PS3 will always have the advantage in terms of relationships there because Sony is just there and its a hits driven business. One title out of ten really sells consoles. Most people have characterized Sony's involvement there as magnitudes greater than yours. If you've got a portfolio of 100, you've got 10. If they've got 1000, you've got 500. So, just by virtue of luck, they're gonna have more hits and sell consoles in that territory. Would you agree?
No, what I would say is -- that my experience in Japan is it's three or four major franchises that thrive. And, whether that's Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, Yu-gi-Oh, a Sega title ... these games would sell huge numbers. From that point of view, you're right, throw enough mud at the wall, some of it sticks. My strategy is to not to throw mud at all, but focus on bigger bets, obviously with bringing in Sakai-Sana. And you know, if you're going to do that sort of thing you will find the best in the worldm, and we were fortuitous that Sakai-san was available after leaving Square, and you place your bets accordingly. Trying to spread your bets and maybe going with a lot of mud but none of it sticks is not a smart strategy. I believe that if there's anybody I'm gonna put my bets on and ride a horse it's Sakaguchi. And I may be proven right, I may be proven wrong, it's a lot more than that as well. We haven't done a great job yet really driving the advantage of Xbox Live. We didn't do a good job with Arcade, you know, to my horror we only had one Arcade game at launch, that was Hexic. We're doing a lot now with Japanese publishers with Arcade.
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May 13th, 2006, 09:05 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
As hotly anticipated as Halo 3 but for ahem entirely different reasons, Team Ninja has finally unveiled the sequel to Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
But perhaps as sign of honesty, taking into account the main focus (or two) for the vast majority of goggle eyed punters interested in this game, they have dropped the subtitle; it's now the snappy DOA: Extreme 2.
If you don't know much about DOAX2, or are just too embarrassed to admit you do, it revolves everyone's favourite Dead or Alive girls taking a vacation from the fisticuffs and instead sees them partaking in a variety of activities on Zack's Island. Featuring a host of mini games that range from water sports (ahem) to jet-skiing time trials, playing beach volleyball is of course the mainstay of the title. Besides gawping at the girls themselves that is...
For all you collectors out there the game's extensive swimsuits and accessories list once more makes an appearance, allowing you to dress up (or down) the DOA girl of your choice, and as the evening sets you can head on over to Zack's Casino to gamble your credits away in an increased number of chance games.
The mini-games list is quite extensive and we won't bore you with them all, because not only are we starting to get slightly hot around the collar, but also because we know you're all too busy checking out the tasty screenshots to be reading this bit.
Screenshots Via Comments
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May 13th, 2006, 09:01 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Welcome to the 360 version of BiA: HH and the action kicks off in a small Dutch town, with our new set of heroes indulging in some boisterous and laid-back chit-chat in a local cafe. Then, predictably enough seeing as this is a war game, a bomb hits right when you're only-a-bit-expecting-it and makes everything catch fire, fall apart or blow up.
Your team soon hits the street guns and the ready and there's a pretty damn obvious realisation that this is using every 'silicon chip' within Xbox 360. Crawl on the floor and you can see the debris - lumps of brick and glass are everywhere - in way more detail than is strictly necessary.
The Dutch streets are lined by gently swaying trees, and if you're the sort of geek who examines stuff in minute detail like us, you'll notice the shadows the trees cast on the ground gently moving around as they sway. Were it not for the fact that's everything's either on fire or getting blown up and everyone's either bleeding or dead, it'd be quite beautiful and relaxing.
While we're admiring the trees a stray bazooka takes the chimney off a nearby house and it crashes down in the road amid a shower of masonry. You're able to run up to this and use it as cover, helping with your mission of taking out the German gun emplacements that are firing up at Our Boys' bombers in the sky.
We only saw this one dramatic, opening mission, but it looked bloody good and certainly not just Brothers in Arms 2 in high-res. Should be all right and it's due out before the end of the year - you can check out more BiA:HH action at our dedicated home page right here, but we'll bring you more from the BiA frontline soonest.
Screenshots Here
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May 12th, 2006, 20:15 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamesradar
Only Resident Evil 4 has driven survival-horror forwards." So says Eden, the developer of Alone in the Dark for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. As arguably the great granddaddy of the entire survival-horror genre, Alone in the Dark hasn't really fulfilled its horrifying potential until now, but this next-gen regeneration of the classic series is already impressive enough to make us forget that Resi 5 hasn't even turned up to E3 2006.
The game takes place in New York, where a terrifying force has erupted from underneath Central Park and torn through the city. Alone in the Dark is massively ambitious - the game takes place in the whole of Central Park, as a free-roaming open environment, as you search for the paranormal power hidden somewhere under the park.
We were treated to a collection of real-time demos, showing off both the gameplay dynamics and the new technological wonders behind the scenes. The watchword for this dose of scare-tastic action is immersion, something we saw immediately as Alone in the Dark's hero, Edward Carnaby, woke up blindfolded in the first demo.
Like Half-Life, the game keeps you involved even during cutscenes, and we watched as the blindfold was removed and Atari's guide used the analogue sticks to blink and clear the character's vision.
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May 12th, 2006, 19:47 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamespot
A number of big name games are suspiciously absent from this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the absence of one of them, Namco Bandai's Frame City Killer, has been explained today.
A message from the publisher on the Japanese Namco Channel site confirms that after a series of delays, development on the game has been discontinued.
"We are sorry to say that we have decided that Frame City--the Xbox 360 game which our company had planned for a spring 2006 release--will not be released," the company said. "Our apologies to everyone who was looking forward to the game's release."
Despite the setback, Namco Bandai will continue to support Microsoft's new system. It's showing Mobile Ops: The One Year War for the Xbox 360 at its E3 booth this year, and the Frame City Killer announcement indicates further development is underway.
"Our company will continue to develop high quality software for the Xbox 360 next-gen console, from a new RPG to others," Namco Bandai said. "We ask for your understanding. We'll announce new titles and their release dates separately."
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May 12th, 2006, 19:36 Posted By: wraggster
Via Engadget
In a denial that should come as a surprise to no one (what, like they were really gonna tip their hand this early?), Microsoft's Xbox chief for Northern and Eastern Europe told UK tech site T3 "that we're not even thinking about handhelds at the moment." Neil Thompson's remarks came just days after the Internet was buzzing about a claim made by author Dean Takahashi in his new book, Xbox 360 Uncloaked, that said half of the 360 development team immediately began working on a portable 'box right after the next-gen console was launched last November. Thompson went on to say that although the big M has no plans to release a PSP-like device, the huge mobile phone market offers the company a "really good opportunity" to connect people with "other entertainment experiences." You heard it here first, folks: instead of wasting all that money on hardware development, Microsoft is simply going to develop an Xbox emulator for cellphones that lets you pull content directly from the Live service (either that, or Thompson was just toeing the party line in order to keep the wraps on this supposed Xbox2Go -- you be the judge).
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May 12th, 2006, 19:26 Posted By: wraggster
Divineo China have posted a special offer on a Xbox Modchip called the DuoX 2, for a selected time period the price will be a low $ 9.90, heres some info about the Modchip:
The follow up of the popular DuoX from DuoChip. Reliable yet very affordable, DuoX 2 GS is a great low priced Xbox upgrade! 1MB of flash. Free Rebuild 1.6 PCB is included;
Buy at Divineo China
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May 12th, 2006, 19:10 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Content in his annihilation of the 50s, Crypto the B-movie alien turns his attention to the decade of flower power. Developed by Pandemic, better known for heavyweight titles such as Full Spectrum Warrior and Star Wars: Battlefront, Destroy All Humans! 2 continues the light-hearted, comic style of its forerunner.
The Earth of ours is represented by five environments, modelled on locales such as San Francisco, Tokyo and bits of little old England. This time around you'll be able to start new missions without the chore of first returning to the mothership, and all sorts of side missions will be packed in to keep things fresh. Split-screen co-op and two-player mini-games (such as PK Tennis), and new destructive options including the Meteor Strike and Dislocator will spice things up further still.
Screenshots Here
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May 12th, 2006, 19:08 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
In a clear attempt to mimic the same lack of self-control exhibited by a Las Vegas slot-machine junkie, Ubisoft has simply been unable to control the urge to release yet more Rainbow Six: Vegas screenshots. Not that we're complaining mind, they could send us another 10 billion if they all look as sumptuous as these beauties, although we might have a little trouble fitting them on the site.
To go with the new screens, Ubisoft has released fresh details about the game, including announcing the new members of Team Rainbow, namely: Logan Keller-team leader and recon expert, Michael Walter-heavy weapons and demolition guru, and Jung Park, long range and electronics specialist.
Apparently the new Special Order Location system means that Michael and Jung will offer you tactical suggestions in real time as you race to find the terrorist cell, and you can also expect to experience real-time mission briefings throughout the game.
Visually speaking, expect realistic fast roping, rappelling and window entry (ooh, er) thanks to the motion-capture expertise of a top Hollywood animation boffin, as well as the gorgeous backdrops you see before you in these screenshots, of course!
Also included is a fully customisable multiplayer option, where you get to create your own multiplayer character who will then evolve during online play, enabling you to unlock new accessories and achievements as you go.
Look for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rainbow Six: Vegas in your local games shop this Autumn, with the PC version to follow at a later date.
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May 12th, 2006, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Tina, Hitomi, Helena, the lovely Kasumi and all their 'friends' are set to bring a ray of sunshine to Xbox 360 in Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2. The 'volleyball' part has been dropped from the name as developer Tecmo acknowledges that really, this was never about sporting prowess.
Looking hotter than ever, radiant in their next-gen glory, the girls return to Zak's Island to soak up the rays, compare bikinis and take part in a number of water sports (s******) and beach activities.
The volleyball is back in a 'retooled' format, while other distractions include personal water craft - jet-ski - races, a water slide, hip wrestling (in which you attempt to knock your opponent off a platform by bumping her with your bum!), the original's hopping game and something called 'beach flag', in which you race another girl across the sand to be the first to capture a flag - or just fall over in a heap and start giggling.
Advertisement:Come nightfall, there's the chance to let your hair down in Zak's Casino, which now features even more games. In between all this, of course, you'll be kept busy buying new outfits and gifts for your pretend girlfriend. Online versus modes complete the package.
Dead Or Alive: Xtreme 2 is due out on Xbox 360 at the end of the year.
Screenshots Here
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May 12th, 2006, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamesindustry:
Neil Thompson, head of Xbox for Northern and Eastern Europe, has dismissed claims made by author Dean Takahashi that Microsoft is currently developing a new handheld gaming system.
In his latest book, The Xbox 360 Uncloaked, Takahashi claims that half of the Xbox 360 hardware team is already hard at work on the new machine - which he says is due to be released half way through the next-gen console's lifespan.
But speaking to gadget website T3, Thompson said: "We’re not even thinking about that at the moment. Handhelds, in the way you would think about a handheld like a PSP? No."
Thompson went on to say that the company plans to focus instead on improving its foothold in the mobile gaming market, which he believes offers "a really good opportunity to capitalise on the hundreds of millions of handsets that are out there, and give people a chance to connect that with other entertainment experiences."
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May 12th, 2006, 07:45 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamespot
Though it was only a moderate success when it hit theaters in 1995, Heat has developed a devout cult following. Its deep characters, clockwork-like plot, and intense violence have earned director Michael Mann's three-hour-long crime epic many fans, more than a few of which were game developers. Indeed, the ultra-difficult bank robbery level of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was a direct homage to the film, featuring copies of the hockey-mask-and-coverall disguises worn in the beginning of Heat and recreating its violent street-shootout denouement.
Now, it appears Heat will be getting a more direct game adaptation. Today, the hybrid entertainment company Titan Productions announced that it has reached a deal with Regency Entertainment, the Hollywood production company that owns the rights to Heat, to publish a game based on the film for "next-generation consoles" in 2007.
According to Titan Productions, Mann is in talks with Gearbox to oversee the game's development. There's also a good chance that many of the movies' stars will be lending their voices and likenesses to the game. Titan claims it is in "advanced stages with representatives for Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer to be part of the video game sequel."
According to a statement by Titan, Heat: The Game will be a prequel or sequel to the film. If the game is a sequel, De Niro's character, Neil McCauley, will appear in flashback, perhaps in the form of training missions. If Pacino declines to get on board, it would be a sequel which would have a new detective chasing down McCauley's crew.
Though the prospect of a Heat game elicited whoops of delight inside the GameSpot E3 booth, Titan's record has been more than a little spotty. Clive Barker's Demonik, its next-gen game collaboration with Terminal Reality, was canceled in February. Little has been heard about its other movie-game crossover projects, such as Guillermo del Toro's Sundown and John Carpenter's Psychopath, since they were announced.
However, unlike other Titan projects, the Heat game has a well-respected studio on board--Gearbox Software, developer of Brothers in Arms and the PC port of Halo. "There is something about this concept that I call 'hardcore heist' that has never really been done well in a video game, yet everyone on the planet has thought about robbing a bank or something at one time or another," Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford said in a statement. "Heat pretty much defined what hardcore heist means and it gives us a narrative mechanism to consider both sides."
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May 12th, 2006, 07:40 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Still beaming (get it?!... *sigh*) from the critical and consumer acclaim bestowed upon Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda has announced its new project for the Xbox 360 - a real-time strategy game based on the Star Trek licence, entitled Star Trek: Legacy.
Enlisted as an Admiral (bloody hell that was a quick rise up the ranks) you must command a fleet of war ships through a series of escalating real time battles, which offer all the recognisable starships from the numerous incarnations of the television series - including the tribble infested Enterprise of the Kirk and Spock era, right the way through to the battle hardened version of Jean-Luc Picard's reign. But for the rebel in you, there is relief away from the rules and regulations of the Federation, with the chance to pilot the powerful fleets of Klingon, Romulan, and Borg races too.
Developed by Mad Doc Software, creator of Star Trek Armada II, the game is due out this September for PC and Xbox 360, but won't be the last title we see from the Star Trek universe, due to Bethesda acquiring the rights from CBS Consumer Products to publish a series of games across all gaming consoles, an agreement that has the company looking forward to the challenge ahead...
"Being able to work with the entire universe of this beloved series is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us," said Todd Vaughn, vice president of development for Bethesda Softworks. "We have some great ideas about where we want to go with this license and having the exclusive right to develop and publish Star Trek games across all platforms ensures that every Star Trek game will be a quality game worthy of its name."
The game will also boast a full multiplayer campaign, from small-scale engagements to all-out war involving multiple star systems. Matchmaking, stat tracking, and player rankings on Xbox Live are set to be included, so you can check your progression from Kirk to a Kahn (or visa versa) easily.
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May 11th, 2006, 23:54 Posted By: wraggster
SuccessHK posted this new Commercial Game:
An official bridge between the events of the two films, X2: X-Men United and X3: The Last Stand, X-Men: The Official Game follows main characters Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Iceman as they embark on a 28-mission journey to defeat Hydra, the Brotherhood, and a collection of other surprise villains. Features include character-specific level geometry and super-powers, voice-overs from select members of the motion picture cast, and an original narrative written by Chris Claremont and Zak Penn.
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