BioShock screenshot contest & release date revealed

March 1st, 2007, 13:39 Posted By: Darksaviour69

on the official website that BioShock will be hitting the US in the August 21st, and it should hit European shelves on 24th August.

They also announced a screenshot contest:

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Scissor Sisters does Halo Wars track

March 1st, 2007, 17:36 Posted By: wraggster

Scissor Sisters has launched the Xbox Soundtracks programme, which looks for artists inspired by gaming to create their own 360 trailer music and remixes.

The group launched the programme with a reworking of their track "She's My Man", which bizarrely was inspired by the X06 trailer for Ensemble RTS Halo Wars.

The remix apparently features "dirty beats and distorted vocals" inspired by the "epic graphics and vision" behind the trailer, though somehow we can't see it featuring on the final soundtrack, unless the convenient goes a bit camp.

"It's such a cool project to be involved in. Babydaddy and I are massive gamers so it was a great experience reworking our mix to the Halo Wars game," said Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the other tracks people create. The games on the Xbox 360 are so intense and emotional, that they can be just as inspiring as sitting down and watching a movie."

There's also a competition for wannabe artists to create their own tunes to a range of 360 trailers. When the contest goes live in May aspiring musicians will be able to upload their track and video on to the Xbox Soundtracks site where anyone can view and rate their efforts, and hopefully win them a trip to lay down the track for real with Universal Music.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

PC / Xbox MMO canned

March 1st, 2007, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster

Citizen Zero has been in development for a number of years with an anticipated release for Xbox, but the company behind the game is now turning its attention to a new spy-themed MMO.

Steve Wang, head of studios for Micro Forté, said, "Although we were sad to stop working on CZ, we are extremely excited about the progress of our spy project."

Speaking of the new project, lead designer Paul McInnes added, "Our new project is a spy-themed MMO, but it incorporates new game-play elements and technologies that we are really looking forward to delivering to the public."

Further announcements are expected in the coming months.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Warner Music buys Halo rights

March 1st, 2007, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster

Warner Music and Microsoft have penned a deal that will see a greater emphasis places on pushing videogame soundtracks in your face.

Under terms of the deal Warner Music will claim, administer and license music compositions owned and controlled by Microsoft. Some of these will obviously include scores for Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Age of Empires, Fable, Kameo: Elements of Power.

Ed Pierson, Warner's legal chap, explains: "We're confident we can develop and identify some exciting and unique new licensing opportunities for these well-known game compositions."

So a Halo 3 pop single for the charts? Sung by the Scissor Sisters? We'll let you know.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Raiden IV coming to Xbox 360

March 1st, 2007, 19:42 Posted By: wraggster

A port of Raiden IV for the Xbox 360 is apparently in alpha stage and is scheduled to be released in the US at some unspecified point in the distant future. This news comes from an interview with one of UFO Interactive's managers recently conducted by Team Fremont. (And don't forget, UFO is also bringing to the US the PS2 port of Raiden III later this month.)

This is all very surprising, especially considering that it's going to be a while before Raiden IV is even released in Japanese arcades (it's currently slated for July). Moreover, no news of a Japanese 360 port has emerged through any of the usual sources. What has me worried the most is that UFO is considering releasing this on XBLA, which could very well mean a shoddy port in unsuitable resolution and with no option for tate. On the other hand, even if this is a regular disc release it could turn out ugly. By Royal decree all Xbox 360 games have to be 720p minimum and Raiden IV is a 640x480 game -- which is not even a widescreen resolution. G.rev faced the same problem when porting Senko no Ronde, but then again their game was in yoko so things were much simpler. It will be interesting to see how this gets handled.

via insert credit

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xbox 360 cracked

March 1st, 2007, 19:48 Posted By: wraggster

via register

Hardware hackers have developed a technique to hack Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console so that it might be possible to run alternative operating systems on the hardware.

The approach, which only works given physical access to the hardware and is strictly for fun, relies on a taking advantage of a vulnerability in the Xbox 360 hypervisor. Properly exploited, the bug allows tinkerers to run arbitrary code (even an alternative OS) with full privileges and full hardware access.

The hypervisor on Xbox 360 machines controls access to memory and provides encryption and decryption services. The approach means that all games and other applications running on the Xbox 360, in theory at least, need to be cryptographically signed with Microsoft's private key and run in non-privileged read-only mode.

Unprivileged code cannot change executable code, but flaws in the way unprivileged code interacts with the hypervisor via the syscall instruction laid the groundwork to the hack.

Full details on the ingenious exploit, including proof of concept code, were published on BugTraq on Wednesday. The anonymous hackers tipped Microsoft off about the issue last month and "following cordial discussions" the software giant quickly produced a patch. The hack has been possible since since the bug was introduced in late October.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Zune hacked for DivX support (sorta)

March 1st, 2007, 22:04 Posted By: wraggster

Via engadget

The Zune has already seen its fair share of hacks in its relatively short lifetime, from running Linux to supporting USB drives, but it seems that there's still plenty of room for improvement, the latest addition being a small but significant tweak that forces the device to play nice with your DivX files. Whipped up by a member of the Zune Scene forums, the hack simply consists of a modification to the Windows registry that allows DivX files to be dragged and dropped into the Zune software. Then, the next time you sync the device, the files are automatically transcoded into the more Zune-friendly WMV format, ready to be viewed at your leisure. The hack also apparently supports Xvid files, albeit with less than optimal results. Not exactly the solution that native DivX support on the player would be, but if you've got a pile of DivX file and nothing else to play 'em on, it looks like it's about the best you're gonna get for the foreseeable future. As always, however, if you're not comfortable messing with your registry, you may want to steer clear this one.

More Info

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

South Park heads new XBL content

March 1st, 2007, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster

via gamespot

The video portion of Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace continues to swell, thanks largely to an animated group of troublemakers from South Park, Colorado.

Microsoft's director of Xbox Live programming, Major Nelson (real name Larry Hryb), updated his blog with a list of new content coming to Video Marketplace this week, and fans of South Park will have plenty to watch.

I have no idea what's going on right now.
Seasons 5 through 8 of the program, which includes the classics "Cripple Fight," "Scott Tenorman Must Die," and "Good Times With Weapons," will be available for download exclusively over Xbox Live. The Academy Award-nominated South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut feature film is also due on XBL this week.

Other TV shows new to the Video Marketplace include teen dramas The OC, Laguna Beach, and One Tree Hill, season two of Robot Chicken, and new UFC brawls. New content from beyond the boob tube includes the geriatric romp Grumpy Old Men and trailers for Transformers, Bee Movie, and Blades of Glory. A complete list of this week's content is below.

Television Shows
South Park (Seasons 5-8)
The OC
Laguna Beach (Seasons 1, 2)
All of Us (Season 4)
New UFC Fights
Robot Chicken (Season 2)
Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job (Season 1)
One Tree Hill (Season 4)

Movies
South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut
Grumpy Old Men

Theatrical Trailers
Blades of Glory
Pathfinder
Bee Movie
Simpsons Movie
Fred Clause
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Transformers

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Hello World Xbox 360!

March 2nd, 2007, 07:30 Posted By: BrooksyX

Following Xbox360 Hypervisor Vulnerability released on Tuesday, Crawler360 just released the first Xbox 360 homebrew app (non XNA). It uses the shader hack found in King Kong and requires kernel 4532 or 4548. This will not work on newer kernel versions and downgrading is no longer possible due to the effuse being blown in the latest kernel update. The source file must be compiled before use, read the readme file for directions.

The readme file

Xbox 360 Hypervisor/King Kong Exploit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to Anonymous Hacker's great work, I' m now able to publish my own
little implementation of the exploit.

I've used the full version of the King Kong game, as it has been shown to
work by these anonymous people at 22C3, and it was the first one I found
with editable shaders. Most games have these - KK was just the first one
I've checked.

So you need a KK full (USA or PAL doesn't matter, they are the same) DVD
image (including video partition), and obviously a hacked drive firmware.
You could also try hotswapping from your (hopefully existing!) KK original
to the modified copy. Then you could go with a stock firmware.

Why not using the KK demo? It would work the same (though the shader file
format is different), but requires a firmware hack too, as the possibility
to run it from DVD-R was blacklisted in a very early kernel already, which
doesn't have the vulnerability.

So, how does the hack work? Basically, the bugtraq post
(http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/461489 in case you haven't read it
yet) explains it all. All I did was to convert the series of memory writes
into a shader, and writing a small serial loader stub.

You need to connect the serial port to use this hack. Ready Speedy22's
fine "Xbox 360 Motherboards and Headers" documentation, it's on J2B1.

NOTE: It's LVTTL. Do not even think about connecting to an RS232 port
directly.
RS232 is +-12V, LVTTL is 3V. Think about what's happening when you connect
your 110V equipment to 220V. You don't want to happen that on your
southbridge.

For example, use a MAX3232, or just use any of these USB serial port
adapters which already output 3.3V.

Speed is hardcoded to 115200/8N1.

To modify your existing game image, start the "patcher" tool. It will patch
your game image to include the loader. It is a bit lame, but works. The
tool will also remove the three startup videos for a faster boot.

When you launch the modified game, it will directly go to the main screen.
Press start on a controller. It should display "LOADING", and then freeze
while displaying "Acessing Content". If it doesn't freeze, you don't have
the correct kernel version (4532 or 4548, but only 4532 was tested). See
below on how to update.

Now, the serial loader gets active. You should see a "Xe>" on the serial
port. Now, upload your binary code (just as a binary blob). To terminate
your upload, send 16x 'x'. It will be loaded to 0x01300000, and executed.

Be warned, only CPU #0 is trapped. The other threads/cores are still
happily executing, so you need to catch them.

"Hello, world!"
===============

Use the source, luke!

compile with
powerpc64-linux-gcc hello.S -o hello.o -Ttext=0x1300000 -nostdlib
objcopy -O binary hello.o hello.bin

HOWTO UPDATE (to the correct kernel)
============

To clarify things again:

If you have 4552, you are screwed. Sorry.
If you have 4532 or 4548, it has to work. If it doesn' t work, something
else is wrong, but please don't try to update.
If you have pre-4532:

Grab http://assets.xbox.com/en-us/hardwar...VD_10-2006.zip
(check MD5SUM first: microsoft could have changed this file!
the correct md5 is cd4db8e2c94266ab73513c361dd5b8f6)

Burn it to a CD, and start it. It will update your console to 4532.

- crawler360

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Crackdown Released

March 2nd, 2007, 07:39 Posted By: wraggster

New 360 game that works on both US and PAL (UK etc) Xbox 360s:



features
Brilliant experience from a legendary game designer. From Dave Jones, the creative mastermind behind “Grand Theft Auto” and “Lemmings,” comes “Crackdown,” an explosive masterpiece set to define open-world, free-form next-generation gaming.
True next-generation visuals. Harnessing the power of Xbox 360, “Crackdown” players enforce justice against the backdrop of a crime-ridden metropolis that is massive in scale, monstrous in scope and meticulous in detail. The unique presentation style employs a highly stylized rendering technique that turns the game into a living graphical novel.
Cooperative gameplay for double the mayhem. From the game’s initial concept to final design, Real Time Worlds focused on delivering dynamic, engaging cooperative gameplay for double the carnage, action and intensity.
3-D free-form gameplay. For the first time ever, an urban playground has been created to encourage players to explore and exploit the full width, depth and height of a city. Players wage war on the crime syndicates by taking part in high-octane chases on foot and on wheels while using any appropriate route along, around, across, over, under or through the environment. Freedom abounds because it is up to the player to determine how best to complete the nonlinear objectives in a myriad of wild and creative ways.
Over-the-top action. All strategies and tactics are acceptable, provided players reclaim the streets by unleashing the awesome abilities inside each agent. As players develop and hone their gameplay skills, their agent’s genetic tendencies will increase, allowing players to realize their agent’s full potential. Players will be able to run at dazzling speeds, take death-defying leaps, handle the most incredible weapons, perform impossible vehicular maneuvers, move massive objects and deliver bone-crushing blows.
Music as environment. More than 100 licensed tracks, spanning a wide range of styles and genres, give audio identities to characters and locations in “Crackdown.” The music coupled with a next-generation use of 5.1 surround sound will let gamers know just from the music and sound effects they hear which crime syndicate is headed their way.
The environment as a weapon. Is a character low on ammo? No problem. Thanks to an amazing amount of props and a deep physics system, players can use whatever they can get their hands on as weapons — trash cans, vehicles, even people — to clean the streets of crime. In “Crackdown,” the effects of the players’ actions stay in place much longer than in other open-environment titles, giving gamers a far greater range of options when setting the scene for mass destruction. If players gather vehicles to create a barricade, they will be there when the they return with more. Gamers can create an arrangement of explosives and come back later to set the explosion. “Crackdown” remembers, and reacts, to the players’ actions within the game world.
Limited Time Offer - Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta

description
Crackdownâ„¢ pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with the first ever truly 3-D playground. Enforce justice by any means necessary in a crime-ridden urban center built to encourage the exploration of the full width, depth, and height of the city. Coupled with highly innovative co-op gameplay, a first for the genre, and an interactive world where nearly anything can be used as a weapon, create a volatile cocktail of action as you clean up the streets.

Crackdown is developed by Scotland's Real Time Worlds exclusively for Microsoft Game Studios and Xbox 360â„¢. Real Time Worlds is led by Dave Jones, the creative mastermind behind some of the most innovative and best-selling video games including the global blockbuster Grand Theft Auto and the legendary hit Lemmings.

Buy at Play Asia

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Major League Baseball 2K7

March 2nd, 2007, 07:47 Posted By: wraggster

New 360 Game released:



It's a whole new ballgame! Major League Baseball 2K7 redefines the pure baseball video game experience with true, Next-Gen details, all-new throwing mechanics and a revolutionary presentation system. Featuring stunning, lifelike player models, Signature Style animations, Inside Edge data and more, Major League Baseball 2K7 delivers the most authentic baseball action to date.

Buy at Play Asia

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Worms Coming Wednesday!

March 2nd, 2007, 10:53 Posted By: Darksaviour69

After many delays, Worms will be available for download beginning Wednesday, March 7 at 0800 GMT (1 a.m. PST), and will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points ($10.00/£6.80/€9.30)

GAME FEATURES

* A mix of strategy and arcade action that, although simple to understand, contains real depth and massive replayability
* Turn-based multiplayer action for up to four players locally or over Xbox Live
* An assortment of game options:
o Landscape on which to do battle
o Turn and round times
o Starting weapon arsenal for each team
* Three detailed tutorials to introduce the mechanics to first-time players
* Twenty increasingly difficult single-player challenges
* Three graphical themes for play
* A random landscape generator to ensure that no two landscapes are ever the same
* Twenty-two weapons and utilities to deploy against your enemies
* Many customizable elements, including what worms and teams are named, what worms say, and which gravestone they have when they die
* High-definition visuals and many graphical improvements throughout the game
* Twelve achievements
* Weekly, monthly and overall leaderboards

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

SKATE: New Video

March 2nd, 2007, 17:31 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xbox 360 Handbook: The Official User's Guide

March 2nd, 2007, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster

New from Play Asia



features
Pages: 224
Coverage of every option in every dashboard blade to maximize performance.
Detailed instructions to use every multimedia facet, including Windows® Media Center, Windows XP, music, TV shows, etc.
Learn how to build your own library of music to listen to while you game!
Coverage on expanding usage beyond the Xbox 360, including Xbox.com, and more details on HD-DVD, Xbox Live® Vision Camera, and the Microsoft® Zune™.
Information on XNAâ„¢ compatibility and use with the Xbox 360. Learn how to turn your Xbox 360 into your very own video game development kit!
In depth look at the evolution of the Xbox 360 from concept design to bringing it home.
Foreword from Paolo “WildChicken” Malabuyo, Lead Design Program Manager for the Xbox Platform Experience.

description
Get the most out of your Xbox 360â„¢!

In your hands is everything you need to know to turn your premier gaming system into the nexus of your home entertainment system and maximize its gaming potential.

Buy from Play Asia

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GTA IV trailer later this month.

March 2nd, 2007, 17:54 Posted By: BrooksyX

http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/ has a count down to the GTA IV trailer, which ends later this month. Finally we get some more info on this much awaited game.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Trash Talk for XBOX360

March 4th, 2007, 10:53 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo UK



Insult your enemies at the push of a button…

Trash Talker for Xbox 360 is the ultimate weapon to flame, taunt and ridicule your buddies over Xbox Live. Sitting between your game controller and your plug-in headset, Trash Talker gives you a bank of buttons which activate pre-recorded sound clips, letting you assemble your own messages and activate them at will.

You can record your own taunts and insults if you wish, but Trash Talker’s capable of much more. Why not slip in a soundbite from your favourite film or TV show, to activate during the game? If you’re injured, you could utter “I ain’t got time to bleed” in Jessie Ventura’s sepulchral growl from Predator. If you’re killed, play Arnie’s catchline, “I’ll be back!”. If a talkative opponent is getting on your nerves, play him BA from The A-Team saying, “Shut up, you crazy fool”. The possibilities are endless…

Trash Talker for Xbox 360 contains everything you need. There’s the Trash Talker unit, a USB cable to connect it to your PC and a PC application with which to manage your sounds. You can store up to 16 samples at a time, and the device has a total storage capacity of one minute.

Taunt, strategise and control…
Easy to use.
Soundbites and recordings at the push of a button.
Stores up to 16 samples.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Crackdown, The new GTA?

March 5th, 2007, 01:22 Posted By: Lebow

Crackdown microsofts newest hit is one that deserves being the best selling game for xbox 360 on EB games. Crackdown is like the game that everyone loves, GrandTheftAuto, except that this time your the good guy and not the bad guy. You take a roll as a new supercop that is just like a human but better. Through out the game you will progress your skills to jumping rooftop to rooftop,bring able to thorw deceased boddies and cars, and being able to use super cars. The theme of crackdown is that you are a supercop with the mission to kill Gang members and there leaders. With this unique idea to turn GTA into a super GTA no wonder the game is selling like crazy. If you want this game get it as soon as you can so that you can ensure your spot in the halo 3 online beta for free because it is first come first serve on this offer.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

South Park HD hits Marketplace for free

March 5th, 2007, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft and Viacom have teamed up to offer Xbox Live subscribers the first ever high definition episode of South Park.

According to Wired News, Xbox Live members in the US will be able to download the episode, Good Times With Weapons, for free from March 6 exclusively on Marketplace. Good news if you've got a US Xbox 360 but we're still waiting for this whole TV download service to kick in over here.

It looks like MS is pushing its HD DVD player too across the pond too, as US retailers are offering special deals on the 360 add-on. Best Buy will give away a free HD-DVD disc featuring the South Park episode with any purchase of Xbox 360 or the HD-DVD add-on for two weeks at the end of March.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Get your game on XBLA

March 5th, 2007, 17:03 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has finally revealed more details on its XNA contest dubbed Dream-Build-Play at the Game Developers Conference, which is quite appropriate when you think about it.

Four bedroom developers will each bag themselves $10,000 for their winning XNA games. It'snot been made official, but each winner will get the opportunity to have their game published Xbox Live Arcade.

The contest ends July 2 and the winners will be announced on August 13 at Microsoft's Gamefest 2007 event held in Seattle.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Dead Rising co-op download?

March 5th, 2007, 17:04 Posted By: wraggster

A rumour has appeared in the latest issue of EGM suggesting that Capcom will release a co-op mode for its hit zombie game (that's got nothing to do with Dawn of the Dead) Dead Rising.

The co-op mode is rumoured to be released in two different forms. The first will be with a platinum edition of the Xbox 360 game and the second as a download via Xbox Live, presumably for those that already own the game and don't want a co-op mode enough to pay out for the game again.

Capcom has yet to comment on the rumours so take this one with a pinch of flesh for the time being.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

MotoGP '07 trailer roars into view

March 5th, 2007, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster

The first trailer from THQ's recently announced MotoGP '07 on Xbox 360 is now spitting exhaust fumes in our video player on the right. Take a gander.

Expected to release in September 2007, the sequel features the likes of brand new bikes, tracks and enhanced customisation options, and beefs up the Extreme mode of play that lets you race crotch-rockets around city streets.

Trailer Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Halo 3: One beta to rule them all

March 5th, 2007, 17:13 Posted By: wraggster

Bungie has explained the confusion surrounding last week's rumours that there could be two separate Halo 3 betas.

The rumour suggested that people who scored codes via its website would be on a separate beta program to those that will gain access through Crackdown. This isn't the case as Bungie's community voice Frank O'Connor told CVG it's the "same beta. Different way to get in."

Speaking to Next Gen, O'Connor explained, "Like, we have time to be working on two separate betas? No, people have confused the issue. Bungie's going to have a friends and family program which is basically a tiny alternative to the Crackdown Beta program. We're going to get a bunch of beta invites sent to people in the Bungie community as well as those people who have bought Crackdown. Some people have decided that it was this whole separate beta but it's the same beta, we're just giving out our own tokens."

Late spring is the latest date Bungie has given for the Halo 3 beta.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Mizuguchi's new XBLA game

March 5th, 2007, 17:14 Posted By: wraggster

Entertainment - that of Lumines Live! And Every Extend Extra fame - is to reveal a new Xbox Live Arcade game at this week's GDC in San Francisco.

The company previously released the much-anticipated Lumines Live! onto the service, which was greeted with a reception of controversy due to its pricey 'package' structure.

The exact identity of the new title is shrouded in mystery at the moment, though persistent rumour is expectedly bellowing claims that cult-classic music-shooter Rez is up for an Arcade re-jiggering - which would admittedly make us whet our pants.

But for all we know it could be a totally original piece of work, despite how good Every Extend Extra Arcade would look on our HD telly in the office.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Xbox 360 gets official memory boost

March 5th, 2007, 17:19 Posted By: wraggster

A new 512MB Memory Unit has been confirmed by Microsoft for launch in April.

The original 64MB Memory Unit will now drop in price from $39.99 (£20) to $29.99 (£15). All this has been done because Microsoft has officially upped the size limit for its Xbox Live Arcade games from 50 MB to 150 MB.

The new 512MB Memory Unit will go for $49.99 (£29.99) and be available worldwide from April 3. The new MU will also come pre-loaded with the awesome XBLA title Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved from developer Bizarre Creations for a limited time.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Space Giraffe "is not Tempest 4000", says Minter

March 5th, 2007, 22:09 Posted By: wraggster

Kicking off the Independent Game Summit at this year's GDC, veteran game coder and camel fanatic Jeff Minter has given a fresh showcase of his new XBLA game Space Giraffe, which he insists "is not Tempest 4000".

"Space Girafe is not Tempest. It may look like Tempest but that's basically because I wanted to have some kind of continuity with Tempest 2000," he told the keynote audience. "Plus I don't want to have to always worry about who owns the rights to the name Tempest," he notes as one of the reasons for ditching the shooter IP.

Minter demoed several levels of the psychedelic 360 blaster (including our favourites 'Stargate: Basingstoke' and 'Another Day in the Orifice') which shares technology with the Xbox 360's own visualization software, which Minter developed for Microsoft.

As for when Space Giraffe will hit Live Arcade, Minter says it will be ready for the submission process in "maybe March", after which it will take "maybe six weeks" to get through

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

More claims of cracked Zune screens

March 5th, 2007, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

While earlier reports of Zune screens cracking from battery pressure didn't exactly prove to be widespread, that hasn't stopped others from supposedly finding new cracks of a different sort, although the cause of them remains unclear. As the shot above courtesy of Cliczune.com shows, at least one of the cracks appears to have occurred on the LCD panel itself, with the Zune's screen protector remaining intact, which would seem to preclude damage as a result of direct impact. What's more, according to Cliczune, another of its readers reported hearing a popping noise just before their screen cracked, and yet another reportedly sent their cracked Zune back to Microsoft for repairs, only to have the newly replaced screen crack a week later. That said, the problems still appear to be relatively few and far between, so if anyone's had some unfortunate Zune experiences of their own, feel free to let us know about 'em.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

ZuneTVWatcher beta to bridge Media Center gap

March 5th, 2007, 22:20 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

Microsoft certainly has its basket full with peace disturbance complaints and even a potential doubleshot casing dispute with Apple -- perhaps distracting it from properly integrating Zune TV show uploads with Media Center. Zune software doesn't read Media Center's proprietary DVR-MS files, perform .wmv conversions for Zune playback, nor does it list hand-encoded episodes as TV shows in the library. This means your patience is in for a workout when it comes to getting TV shows and movies onto your Zune from a Windows Media Center PC. Newly released ZuneTVWatcher beta acts as a liaison by monitoring your recorded TV show folder and automatically converting files to a .wmv format, meaning way less manual labor on the user's part. While third party conversion apps tend to incorrectly label shows as "Videos" on the Zune, ZTVW sets the metadata to group them as "TV Shows," and also syncs to delete shows from the Zune when removed from Media Center. For those left hangin' from Media Center's inadequacies, this option might be worth a try for smoother-sailing integration.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Microsoft triples Xbox Live Arcade size limit

March 5th, 2007, 22:24 Posted By: wraggster

via gibiz

The size limit for games distributed using Microsoft's popular Xbox Live Arcade service is to be tripled to 150MB, effective immediately - with the firm launching a new 512MB memory unit for the Xbox 360 to allow Core System owners to take advantage of the new games.

Previously, all software distributed on Xbox Live Arcade had to fit inside a 50MB file - which also meant that all software was compatible with the Xbox 360 Core System, which uses 64MB memory cards for data storage rather than the much larger hard drive in the "full" Xbox 360 system. However, Microsoft has made exceptions to that rule - notably for Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which it admitted at the start of this year would not fit inside 50MB.

Now developers will be free to develop games up to a size limit of 150MB - a size which hits a sweet spot between giving flexibility to developers and maintaining accessibility for consumers, according to Xbox Live Arcade product manager Chris Early.

"The new size limit offers developers increased flexibility and continued opportunities for innovative game development, while also ensuring that the millions of gamers on Xbox LIVE can continue to easily access, download and play all Xbox LIVE Arcade games on Xbox 360," Early explained in a statement on the size limit changes.

"If you take a look at current games like 'Roboblitz' and 'Small Arms,' it's clear that our developers deliver amazing game experiences within a compact size limit," he continued. "Our focus is on continuing to provide developers with an environment that allows for the creation of cost-efficient games and that nurtures an artistic and creative approach to game development."

The 512MB memory unit for the Xbox 360 will launch on April 3rd, and is expected to retail at $49.99 in North America when it launches - with the existing 64MB memory unit set to drop in price from $39.99 to $29.99 at the same time. For a limited period, each 512MB unit sold will also come with a full copy of popular Xbox Live Arcade title Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

The announcements concerning the size limit change and the launch of the new memory unit came ahead of Microsoft's planned Xbox Live Arcade showcase at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, where the firm plans to show off a range of Xbox Live Arcade titles including Boom Boom Rocket (EA / Bizarre Creations), 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures (Sierra Online / Wanako Games), Eets: Chowdown (Klei Entertainment), Jetpac Refuelled (Rare) and Pinball FX (ZEN Studios).

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Battlestations Midway US Version

March 5th, 2007, 22:49 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



Battlestations: Midway blends intense 3rd-person action with epic, large-scale naval combat and brings to life the great Pacific battles of World War II. From the chaos of Pearl Harbor, through the Philippines, Java and the Coral Sea all the way to the epic Battle of Midway. Players can relive classic battles with realistic locations and accurate historical detail and take part in huge multi-unit online battles with up to eight players controlling over 60 units. Players can take direct control of over 60 different warships, planes and submarines, many of which are based on actual historical vehicles, from a 3rd-person perspective. Single Player mode features 11 large-scale campaigns with 12 bonus challenge missions while the online multi-player combat offers an entirely new online battle experience and features head-to-head and co-operative battles featuring over 60 Allied and Japanese units.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Dance Dance Revolution Universe Bundle (w/ Dance Mat)

March 5th, 2007, 23:19 Posted By: wraggster

Newly released for Xbox 360:



features
Over 65 new songs, including songs and dance remixes exclusive for the Xbox 360â„¢, licensed songs, and popular hits!
New HOW TO PLAY, TRIAL and SUPER EASY modes aimed at first-time players and beginners
All-new nonstop megamixes now offer "DJ continuous mixes" of multiple songs just like a real dance club
New Relay mode lets friends and family play DDR like a marathon race, allowing players to switch off to other teammates and keep the dance party going all night long
Enhancements to the common modes and features from the original DDR series, including Workout Mode, Edit Mode, Quest Mode, Party Mode and more!
Xbox Live enabled online competitions, download new songs and dance steps, upload content, compete head-to-head, view internet ranking, instant messaging/email, talk live and more!
New Xbox 360â„¢ exclusive downloadable song packs
Includes one (1) Konami Dance Dance Revolution Controller inside

description
The hottest revolution and bestselling video game in the music game category continues its long tradition of innovation and creativity with an entirely new game for the next-generation! Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE, exclusively designed for the Xbox 360â„¢, takes dancing to a whole new dance floor - offering features and options not possible until now. Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE is designed to be a "universal" DDR - a game that everyone can play and enjoy, including anyone with two left feet.

Buy Dance Dance Revolution Universe Bundle (w/ Dance Mat)

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xport

March 5th, 2007, 23:22 Posted By: wraggster

New for Xbox 360:



features
Transfer files between your PC and your Xbox360 hard drive and memory cards.
Unique ‘docking station’ means your Xbox 360 does not need to be near your PC.
Includes Xbox1 memory card adapter so you can access saves stored on Xbox 1 memory cards for use on your Xbox 360.
Transfer gamesaves from the internet to your Xbox 360 hard drive to boost your achievements!

description
XPORT for Xbox 360 lets you back up your hard drive and your memory cards to your PC’s own drive, preserving valuable data and freeing up space for other projects and protecting valuable data in case of corruption or accidental deletion. Just plug your Xbox 360 hard drive or memory card into the dock unit, and connect it to your PC using a spare USB port.

You can also install files from your PC to your console’s hard drive, and inspect, modify and install files of your own using Datel’s impressive XPORT 360 PC application. Download fan-created files and enhance your games in ways Microsoft never intended…

Buy Xport

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Bullet Witch

March 5th, 2007, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

New Xbox360 Game released:



features
Guns and Magic: Bullet Witch offers an exciting combination of overly offensive spells and massive upgradeable guns. The action sequences are incredibly intense and will challenge you to make clever usage of both firepower and magic power.
Intense Visuals: Offering mind-blowing environments and enemies, Bullet Witch is a true next generation title, exclusive only to the Xbox360. The interactive and fully destructible environments are brought to live through an advanced physics system. Cascading explosions, where blowing up one structure or vehicle causes others to explode in turn, causing massive destruction upon destruction.
Unique and Beautiful: Alicia, the Bullet Witch is a strong, sexy heroine with distinctive visual style and personality. As you progress through the story, her past and dark secrets are revealed.

description
Set in 2013, Bullet Witch tells the story of a desperate fight between humanity and an army of demons. Playing as a beautiful witch named Alicia, Bullet Witch is an action adventure game with riveting story sequences intermixed with intense gun fights and incredibly destructive magic.

Buy Bullet Witch

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Samurai Warriors 2 Empires

March 5th, 2007, 23:32 Posted By: wraggster

New Xbox360 Game released:



Japan is divided into 25 warring states and it is up to you to resurrect a nation. A tantalizing blend of strategy and true warrior action. Unleash multi-Musou attacks with up to four officers. Choose from over 400 playable characters to choose, or create your own.

Buy Samurai Warriors 2 Empires

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xbox360 Homebrew in Progress: MAME360, ScummVM

March 6th, 2007, 00:00 Posted By: wraggster

In light of the recent Xbox 360 hypervisor hack and possibility of widespread homebrew in the future, a trusted developer decided to show what he has been working on for some time. He released details and pictures about a port of MAME to Xbox360 and also mentions he has been working on a ScummVM port.

More Info

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

South Park HD hits Live in all Euroland

March 6th, 2007, 17:00 Posted By: wraggster

The first ever HD episode of South Park recently released on Xbox Live Marketplace is now available to all us Europeans. For free.

Initially, the episode was only intended for North America, Australia and New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium and Asian territories.

Microsoft's informed us that it's "made the episode available for free in ALL European Live territories" due to "a lot of negative feedback from the European community" regards its limited-territory release.

"Well, you made your voice heard and we've listened - the South park episode will now be available in ALL European countries with Live! We want to send our apologies for the disappointment the original announcement caused amongst the European community but hope that making the episode available helps to ease that disappointment", the company has said.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Bizarre's Boom Boom Rocket priced

March 6th, 2007, 17:01 Posted By: wraggster

Bizarre Creations' new Xbox Live Arcade game Boom Boom Rocket will cost you 800 Microsoft Points when it hits Arcade this spring.

Boom Boom Rocket's been described as a "hypnotic rhythm music game". It finds players triggering firework rockets to the beats of original music tracks while travelling through a 3D cityscape.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Miz's Every Extend Extra Extreme XBLA revealed

March 6th, 2007, 17:07 Posted By: wraggster

Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Q Entertainment have revealed their new Xbox Live Arcade Game; a new version of PSP music-blaster Every Extend Extra, that looks quite bloody gorgeous.

Every Extend Extra Extreme (or E4 for short) will be arriving later this year with 5.1 surround sound, leaderboards and full online multiplayer via Xbox Live. There's also an option to implement your own music into the game via CD, which will certainly be interesting if Q maêage to pull it off properly.

As always we would've rather of had a HD version of Rez, but by the looks of the screenshots E4 has had a major 360 overhall and we reckon it'll lend itself to television play wonderfully.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Turtle Power for XBLA this month

March 6th, 2007, 17:08 Posted By: wraggster

A conversion of late 1980s arcade game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is releasing on Xbox Live Arcade this month, according to an IGN report.

It'll cost 400 Microsoft Points and features the original game's seven levels, which are playable on Live in co-op for two to four heroes in a half-shell if you wish to dabble with multiplayer. Alternatively, you could just play it solo and shout cowabunga at the bedroom wall, we guess.

We've contacted Ubisoft, which is responsible for putting TMNT on XBLA, to get a definite release date. We're waiting to hear back.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

MiniSpy: Connect your PC to your Xbox 360

March 6th, 2007, 17:11 Posted By: wraggster

News from Divineo China



Minispy, the original kit from Talismoon that allows you to transfer data from your PC to your Xbox 360 (and from your Xbox 360 back to your PC) is now offered at a new rock bottom price of only $8.95. Unbeatable!

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Microsoft thwarts Xbox 360 hacks with sneaky "update"

March 6th, 2007, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

So, Microsoft is officially striking back to halt recent Xbox 360 hack-tivity after having been alerted to recent breach methods of the system's non-privileged memory areas, allowing users to run their own code. With potential homebrews beginning to surface, Microsoft concocted its own brew: a system-wide fix, or as it's officially dubbed, an "online system update," which doesn't mention the vulnerability patch or even what the update is for. The update was unleashed on Xbox Live, can be burned to a DVD or CD from the website, and ships with all games released after February 20. Unsuspecting hax0rz who fall victim to Microsoft's furtive "booyah" will be sent back to the drawing board -- and if they manage to find another loophole, they'd best think twice before installing a patch in update's clothing.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

XBLA is "so conservative"

March 6th, 2007, 17:18 Posted By: wraggster

Zee-3's co-creator Ste Pickford believes that digital distribution services like Xbox Live Arcade are still too conservative and inaccessible for independent developers.

"Potentially, for people like us it's brilliant, but at the moment I think the door is closed," he told GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview. "There are very few people allowed to release games and I think it really comes down to who you know, and whether you're friends with the gatekeeper at Microsoft."

Increased development costs for next-generation titles, he believes, are forcing studios to rely more heavily on publishers' vast coffers, decreasing the amount of independent games being created.

For his UK studio, making his games available for download isn't just another option, it's a necessity.

"For us it's not just the best way of getting a game out, it's the only way. I think it's a great thing and I think it'll replace retail," he added. "The cost of development is just too high to compete as a business any more."

However, there's light at the end of the tunnel and he believes there's room for smaller budget games to co-exist with AAA titles in the next-generation.

"The rise in Internet distribution, indie games and things like XBLA has opened the door again and allowed smaller budget games to exist and succeed."

via eurogamer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xbox Live tops six million users

March 6th, 2007, 17:23 Posted By: wraggster

The Xbox Live service has topped six million members worldwide, Microsoft has announced - demonstrating that the service is growing even faster than the company itself predicted.

Last year at E3, Microsoft pledged that it would double the subscriber base of Xbox Live from three million users to six million by the end of June 2007 - a milestone it has now reached four months ahead of schedule.

To mark hitting six million users on the service, Microsoft has released an update on key statistics related to Xbox Live - revealing that as well as the 2.3 biillion hours spent playing games on the service since its launch in 2002, Live is also coming into its own as a communication system, with over 2,000,000 voice and text messages sent between users every day.

Halo 2 remains the most popular game on the service to date, followed by Gears of War in second place and Xbox Live Arcade title Hexic HD in third.

However, while Microsoft revealed a number of statistics related to its Gold (paying) subscribers - such as the fact that on average, a Gold subscriber has 22 friends in his friend list - the company remains silent on the question of how many of its six million Xbox Live users are paying a Gold subscription, and how many are using a free Silver account. Silver users can download patches and content updates, chat with friends and access Xbox Live Marketplace, but cannot play multiplayer games online.

Today's announcement did, however, include an interesting update on the popularity of the Xbox Live Arcade service - and more specifically, on what the most popular games on the service to date have been.

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting is the most-downloaded game on Arcade (based on downloads of the full version), followed by card title UNO in second, Bankshot Billiards 2 in third, and iconic launch title Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved in fourth.

Other games which have proved successful on the service are Texas Hold 'Em, PAC-MAN, DOOM, Contra and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, which fill out the chart from fifth place through to ninth place respectively. Overall, Xbox Live Arcade has seen 25 million downloads - and Microsoft estimates that almost 70 per cent of users who have connected their console to the network have downloaded from Xbox Live Arcade.

via gibiz

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xbox 360 100 Percent Failure Rate

March 6th, 2007, 17:32 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

And the crapped-out Xbox 360 frustrated consumer train continues! This time it's an employee at Texas-based Tek Republik, a full-service computer shop that also doubles as a gaming center. According to employee Chris_Tom:

Yes, every Xbox 360 I bought at launch is bricked with the 3 red flashing lights. Microsoft despite the widely reported policy of repairing hosed 360s for free that were manufactured in 2005 refuses to do so. That is pathetic. I have 4 hosed Xbox 360s sitting right here. I would gladly fix them if I could get an Xbox 360 motherboard from Foxconn. Believe me I would. Sorry, Microsoft wants to make even more money by forcing you to only be able to repair with them... Apparently only 4% of Xbox 360s have been faulty. My 100% rate must just be a statistical abberation beyond the mean. I doubt it. I've had statistics, and no other computer component I have ever owned has had that failure rate... This is a manufacturing failure of epic proportions. Perhaps one of the worst in history. This is right up their with the Atari ET game... I would prefer to just be able to buy a replacement board from Foxconn. Anyway, $140 a Xbox, half the cost of a core system to replace it. What a joke.
Just did a search around the Tek Republik's site, and they advertising having two Xbox 360s. If this is true, who's to blame: Microsoft or this dude's rotten luck?

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Australia Gets Free Xbox Live Gold This Weekend

March 6th, 2007, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster

Yes, New Zealand, that means you too. From 3pm this Friday (March 9) until 9:59pm on Sunday (March 11), Australasian Xbox Live Silver subscribers can sit at the big kids table and get Gold priveleges for nothin'. Enjoy it. Just don't mess up the place.

Like the last free weekend, which coincided with the release of Gears, this act of charity is in honour of GRAW 2, which comes out on Thursday. Nice for you if you're picking GRAW, but for most, this is going to be all about the Crackdown.

via kotaku

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Def Jam Icon

March 6th, 2007, 21:29 Posted By: wraggster

New release for 360:



In collaboration with urban lifestyle powerhouse Def Jam Interactive, EA Chicago-the team behind the critically acclaimed EA SPORTSâ„¢ Fight Night series-is integrating hip hop culture and gaming like never before. With the hottest music seamlessly infused into the world around you, the game's environments pulsate, crumble, and explode to life with every bone-jarring beat. Time your attacks to the driving bass and use falling debris and exposed environmental hazards to pound your rivals.

Featuring an all-new single-player story, the game takes you deep into the life of a high-rolling hip hop mogul to build a record label, discover new superstars, and become a hip hop icon.

Infusing hip-hop music, culture and lifestyle into the gameplay, EA Chicago and Def Jam Interactive continue to push the boundaries of game development bringing unique and innovative content to the next generation of gaming, changing the way fighting games are played.

EA's Def Jam Icon for Xbox360â„¢ is in stock today as English language NTSC/J encoded Asia release, shipping at US$ 44.90 only.

The PS3â„¢ release version has been postponed for a few days due to a manufacturing problem. The same applies to NBA Street Homecourt. Both games are now estimated to be released within the next ten days.

Game features:

Music is Your Weapon-Beats trigger interactive hazards around you as your environment comes alive and reacts to the music. From exploding gas pumps to spinning helicopter propellers,
DJ Controls-Use the analog sticks like turntables to add beats, switch songs, and make music your weapon. Take control of the music to control the outcome of the fight!
Become a Hip Hop Icon-The story mode will allow you to build an empire and live the life of a music mogul by signing artists, managing their careers, and releasing their hit songs.
Hip Hop's Hottest Stars-Fight with or against the biggest stars in hip hop. Artists like Big Boi, The Game, Ludacris, Paul Wall, T.I., and more are all instrumental in your building a record label and becoming a hip hop icon.
Online Gameplay - Go head to head with friends across the country for the ultimate hip hop showdown.

Buy Def Jam Icon

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Blue Dragon in Europe this September

March 7th, 2007, 19:18 Posted By: wraggster

Flagship Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon has finally been confirmed for European release this September, and will be fully localized in to five different languages.

The Mistwalker RPG will come to Europe in French, Italian, German, Spanish and English, and two of the Japanese version's title songs will be translated into English.

We managed to get a preview of the English-voiced game this afternoon and the voice actors have done a great job of capturing the Japanese game's character.

Microsoft Game Studios also outlined some of the RPG's upcoming download content, telling CVG that the next update will bring a new option for re-arranged dungeons. Good news for Far-Eastern gamers who blitzed it over Christmas, then.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Larger XBLA games could affect pricing, says MS

March 7th, 2007, 19:19 Posted By: wraggster

The new size-cap increase for Xbox Live Arcade games could affect the price of titles on the service, Microsoft Casual Games manager Bryan Trussel has told CVG.

Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Trussel said: "I think as you find that people make a very, very robust game with a lot of levels, a lot of art or a lot of music associated with it, you might see a correlation between some of the pricing."

"There won't be any direct 'this size equals this price' but I think you might see correlations along those lines."

The size increase of XBLA titles was officially announced earlier this week, and brings the total size of download titles to 150MB from 50MB. The first title to break the cap is expected to be Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night which will arrive at 96MB.

"We really want to make the canvas size for this type of game an area where a three-person garage developer can make games that stand side by side with EA in a cost effective way," Trussel says. "And that has to do with size and pricing."

The most expensive titles on the 360 download service are currently 1200 Microsoft points (£10.20). Would you hand over more cash for deeper, more complex XBLA titles? Share your opinion in the comments below.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Mass Effect looking better and better

March 7th, 2007, 19:21 Posted By: wraggster

Following a new demo at the Game Developers Conference, Bioware has released a fresh batch of Mass Effect screenshots - and as usual it's looking gorgeous.

This afternoon we were able to sit through the first hour of the stellar 360 RPG, and as promised there's certainly some tense cinematic moments in there and a plethora of sci-fi laser action scattered in between.

Look for a more detailed run down of what we saw in San Francisco in the next few days, and for now stare at these screenshots and contemplate just how fantastic Bioware's latest could be.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: First XNA-powered XBLA title shown

March 7th, 2007, 19:22 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has released first screenshots from Schizoid, an Xbox Live Arcade title developed by Torpex Games using XNA Game Studio Express.

It'll be the first XNA-developed game to hit XBLA, and is expected later in the year.

Schizoid is a co-op action game "in which teamwork matters like never before, as gamers and their friend or AI ally protect each other from barrages of glowing enemies", Microsoft has explained.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Watch Jetpac Refueled in action

March 7th, 2007, 19:23 Posted By: wraggster

Forget the screenshots - you can now see Rare's debut XBLA game Jetpac Refueled in action on the CVG video player. It's looking rather nice, isn't it?

In case you're not familiar with the game, Refueled is a remake of Rare's first ZX Spectrum blaster Jetpac, which has you zipping a spaceman around the screen collecting scattered ship parts and blasting tentacled beasties.

Trailer Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GRAW 2 multiplayer targeted in dev diary

March 7th, 2007, 19:26 Posted By: wraggster

Ubisoft's latest Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 video developer diary can now be viewed via our video player.

Running for just over five minutes and chock-full of gameplay, the diary provides an in-depth look at GRAW 2 multiplayer. Numerous topics are covered, including the co-op campaign, gameplay, missions and the new dynamic objective system, adversarial play, the clan system, the new respawn and healing systems and weaponry. Phew.

Trailer Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Is TMNT on XBLA not coming to Europe?

March 7th, 2007, 19:29 Posted By: wraggster

The Xbox Live Arcade port of 1980s side-scrolling beat-'em-up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may only release in North America.

In the wake of yesterday's news stating the game would be out this month, Ubisoft, which is responsible for putting TMNT on XBLA, has now told us it's "unsure if this is coming out in Europe."

A representative for the publisher added that solid information on this should be available shortly. We'll let you know as soon as we get anything concrete.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Lost Odyssey takes to the stage

March 7th, 2007, 19:53 Posted By: wraggster

Mistwalker's RPG appears to be coming along very nicely indeed as Microsoft gives out one lonely but new screen.

The Xbox 360 community has high hopes for Lost Odyssey, especially in Japan. If it can build on the success of Mistwalker's debut 360 RPG Blue Dragon, Japan's perception of the console could change for the better.

Blue Dragon was a step in the right direction, and that momentum looks to carry on with Lost Odyssey.

Stay tuned for more on Lost Odyssey direct from Microsoft's camp at GDC.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Look at that Shadowrun

March 7th, 2007, 19:54 Posted By: wraggster

Shadowrun is Microsoft's game that's spearheading its cross-platform multiplayer gaming initiative. New screens have been released.

The first-person shooter is based on the pen and paper RPG of the same name, plonking players into a near-future world where they have access to magic and kick-ass tech and weaponry. You get to fight for global mega-corporation RNA or the spell-loving Lineage and blast things to kingdom come.

Shadowrun should be out by July.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Forza 2's first in-game screens

March 7th, 2007, 19:58 Posted By: wraggster

Jeez, we can't wait for this game, and Microsoft isn't making the wait any easier by drip-feeding us these awesome-looking screens - these ones straight out of GDC.

Earlier we got snaps of a Lexus and a new VW Golf in action - not the most desirable cars in the world. But now we've got action shots of an awesome Enzo, a Porsche and a shiny yellow Lamborghini. That's better.

Forza 2 will be out in May, and we fully expect it to leave tyre marks all over the face of PGR 3's online racing.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Molyneux reveals Fable 2 secrets

March 7th, 2007, 20:00 Posted By: wraggster

In a San Francisco hotel room yesterday, Lionhead's ever-talkative top man Peter Molyneux finally removed the veal from his Fable 2 sequel, revealing its new "unexpected" gameplay feature.

But as it turned out the big surprise wasn't that new afterall. As CVG reported back in 2005, each player will have their own dog in Fable 2, which is really just Molyneux's way of trying to get players to feel "genuine love" in the action RPG.

"If I could get you to feel genuine love," he said, "That would be an innovation, that would be drama.You would walk away from that game feeling different, it would stay with you like a great movie or a great book."

The dog is but one of three innovations in Fable 2, Molyneux says, but the other pair are under tight leach for now.

The dog itself looks very impressive on screen, with super-smooth animation and no clumsy AI to speak of. "The dog is all based on simulation", Molyneux points out. As reported earlier, your dog in Fable 2 also mimics your appearance, adopting a fluffy sheepdog guise if you're good or morphing into a rock-hard attack dog if you're bad.

But your mutt also provides less-obvious benefits; he runs ahead just like a real dog, helping guide you through the forest without the use or clutter of a mini map. Molyneux is visually thrilled to get rid of the mini map, which he says has taken away from real exploration of his worlds.

Your four-legged companion also has a place in combat but with no instruction buttons to speak of a new system of attack orders has been created. In Fable 2, your dog picks out the your biggest threat automatically; if you unsheathe your sword he'll go for the enemey with the gun, if you unsheathe your gun, he'll go for the guy with the sword.

It all seemed to work very well, and you can see it in action for yourself when we upload the first videos later on.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Xeno Top Gear for 360: Preorders, delivery in 2 weeks.

March 7th, 2007, 20:06 Posted By: wraggster

News from Divineo China



The Xeno Top Gear for Xbox 360 is a light version of the Team Xecuter Blaster device. With its low price tag, it is a good alternative to Blaster.

- After the easy one time only installation, flash your Xbox360 without
the need to open it ever again.
- Works with all Xbox360 drives that can be firmware-upgraded.
- High Quality digital Sata exchange switching
- No soldering required at all = no chance to brick your drive from bad
soldering.
- Installation is done in just a few minutes
- Built in eject button, 360/PC switch, HDD/PC switch.
- High quality Sata Ports
- Can transfer all data from the Xbox360 HD to your PC
- Superior quality design.of casemodding accessories.
- LED version will be available for crystal, smoke colors of Xeno Top Gear
- Comes with 360 opening tool for opening the console
- No need for external power supply, Xeno Top Gear is fully powered by the console.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Rare promises more Piñata

March 7th, 2007, 20:54 Posted By: wraggster

Rare has told GamesIndustry.biz that consumers can expect more Viva Piñata in the future - with the developer promising to support the Xbox 360 franchise for at least another two or three years.

Microsoft has targeted Viva Piñata at the family audience and with a tie-in animated series hopes to capture a younger market not currently associated with its next-gen home console.

"We're pleased with the overall support that it's got and there's more to come within that franchise," said Lee Schuneman, head of production at Rare.

"We'd obviously like more sales, but we were happy with the game and critically it's gone down very well."

The game was released at the beginning of December but failed to break into the top forty in the UK All Formats charts.

Yet despite the lacklustre sales performance Schuneman remains optimistic of its shelf life.

"If the sales were there to match that we'd be over the moon, but they're not. Although that doesn't mean we don't believe in the franchise," he added.

With the 4 Kids produced animated series doing well in North America, and just this week launching in Europe, the strength of the cartoon could help reignite sales of a title so far under appreciated by the consumer.

"The TV show has been doing well in North America and it's got pretty good figures," commented Schuneman.

"It launched in the UK this week on Nicktoons and it's due in the rest of Europe later this year. It's a two or three year push, and if after that it's a terrible failure then we'll say fair enough," he concluded.

via gibiz

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Oblivion gets Shivering Isles this month

March 7th, 2007, 20:59 Posted By: wraggster

It was barely two months ago that word first arrived of Bethesda Softworks' Shivering Isles expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the company hasn't said much about the project in the meantime, but this week it spilled its guts in the game's official forums. Responding to questions pulled from the forum community, the game's developers revealed a number of details about the expansion, from storyline minutiae to a release date and price.

Shivering Isles will be available "everywhere" for the PC and downloadable through Xbox Live on March 27, according to executive producer Todd Howard. The PC edition of the expansion can be purchased at retailers for $30, while Xbox 360 players will have to download it from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 2400 Microsoft Points ($30).

When asked about The Elder Scrolls V, Howard replied, "I wouldn't expect TESV any time soon, I can tell you that. We're very focused on Fallout 3 right now." He also said another download might be in the cards for Oblivion, but added the team has no plans to make another full expansion like Shivering Isles. The interview contained no mention of the PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion (confirmed for a March 20 release) and when--or if--it would receive the Shivering Isles expansion.

via gamespot

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC 07: 360 developers on the future of RPGs

March 7th, 2007, 21:00 Posted By: wraggster

While Blue Dragon, Fable 2, and Mass Effect are three strikingly distinct games in style, setting, and execution, they are all considered role-playing games. Microsoft today gathered the men behind these games--Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi, Lionhead Studios' Peter Molyneux, and BioWare's Raz Muzyka, respectively--to discuss "The Evolution of RPG Development" in a 40-minute panel moderated by GameHead host Geoff Keighley.

With the lines between RPGs and other genres becoming increasingly muddied, Keighley asked each member of the panel what makes a game an RPG. Muyzka broke down the BioWare approach to RPGs as a game resting on four activity pillars: great stories and characters, a sense of exploration and awe, addictive character progression, and combat that evokes feelings like fear--all of which feed into one another.

In just one of many moments of mutual admiration that dotted the panel, Molyneux said he agreed with absolutely everything Muzyka said, adding that he was "completely, 100 percent correct." However, Molyneux's definition of a role-playing game focused less on the mechanics and more on the tone of the game.

"For me, it comes back to this one simple phrase," Molyneux said. "'Role-playing game.' You are playing a role. What I want to experiment with is to say, 'What should it feel like to be a hero? To start off as nothing and end up being a hero? That is an emotional journey you're going through, and that's my real focus."

Speaking through a translator, Sakaguchi said what he is trying to accomplish with his RPGs is "to tell a great storyline and [offer] characters and a world view that players can relate to." He also brought up a sense of exploration and accomplishment as key factors for RPGs.

All three developers brought up telling a story and creating an emotional connection with the player as primary goals, but their approaches to achieve those goals differ in a number of key areas. Sakaguchi's Blue Dragon is a traditional Japanese RPG with turn-based combat, but the developer said he is working on a few other projects (Cry On for the Xbox 360 as well as a pair of unannounced RPGs) that were "based on new, different ideas," suggesting he will be venturing outside of the turn-based realm in the future.

Molyneux said Lionhead committed to real-time combat with Fable simply because the team felt it made for a more immersive experience. Muzyka, meanwhile, said Mass Effect and previous BioWare titles have crafted a flexible merger of turn-based and real-time combat in order to accommodate the individual player's tastes.

Following up on that subject, Keighley asked the developers what the future holds for customizable characters and other player-controlled gameplay experiences. Sakaguchi admitted such customization was fun and expects the trend to continue, but he expressed little interest in using it in his own games. He said that movies can tell great stories and reflect a creator's worldview specifically because their characters and story are set in stone.

Molyneux and Muzyka were both warmer to the idea of player customization and characters that evolve uniquely for each gamer, but the two diverged on the idea of branching storylines. Molyneux said he likes the idea, but had a good deal of concern that players would always worry they had made the wrong choice or missed something because of the path they took through the game. Muzyka countered that it was instead a good thing if two players had several different paths through a game, since that would make them feel as if their choices actually mattered and would make the game more replayable.

Keighley's last question to the panel centered on the incorporation of online multiplayer gameplay into the RPG genre. Sakaguchi said he was fond of the idea, noting his work on Final Fantasy XI, and then said he hoped to do another one with the approval of Microsoft Game Studios Genreal Manager Shane Kim. With Kim watching the panel from the back of the room, Sakaguchi had the opportunity to put him on the spot.

"Please Shane, I want to make it," Sakaguchi said in English.

"Whatever you want," Kim responded as the audience laughed.

Ever the opportunist, Molyneux followed suit, asking, "Could I do one as well, Shane?"

One more "whatever you want" later, Molyneux said he found the potential of online role-playing games enormously exciting and "would love to talk about that in great, enormous detail, but I have been gagged by lots of people."

Muzyka also weighed in on the issue, giving a little insight into a future BioWare offering.

"We're very excited [about] where massively multiplayer games are going, because the story that develops between players--the social interaction--is a different kind of story, something you can't achieve in a single-player game. So what if you fused the concepts that great RPGs have built in terms of a great storyline and the emotional impact on players, and you put that into an MMO? That's what we're building at BioWare Austin."

During a short Q&A session following the main panel, the participants were asked if they thought there was a place for modern-day RPGs that dealt with more intimate (mundane, some would say) issues than the ordinary fare. Muzyka downplayed the idea, calling RPGs "aspirational fantasies," saying players wanted to be anything but mundane, a hero or an antihero.

"Either way, you want to be someone you can't be in real life, I think," Muzyka said, adding, "For me the exciting thing is to be able to do things I can't do every day."

Molyneux similarly stressed the player's need to feel important or to be a hero, but noted that it was possible to set that sort of story in today's world. He referenced an idea for a game he calls Dmitri--which he said he can't talk about--which is based on the premise of being a hero in today's world. Molyneux also pointed to TV shows like 24 and Lost as possible models of contemporary stories featuring larger-than-life heroes.

Sakaguchi diverged from his fellow panelists on the issue of more mundane RPGs, saying he'd spent the last decade kicking around an idea for such a game. The hypothetical game involved a schoolboy's attempts to get back together with his ex-girlfriend, but Sakaguchi said "it's pretty tough." When pressed for an explanation of why it's so tough, Sakaguchi and his translator huddled for nearly a minute before emerging with a terse, "We'll do it someday."

via gamespot

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Mercenaries 2 - first 360 footage

March 8th, 2007, 19:06 Posted By: wraggster

CVG got to check out the Xbox 360 version of Mercenaries 2 yesterday, and guess what? We took the shaky-cam with us.

The build of the game we got to see was looking fantastic, with plenty of QTE-style enemy fights and a tank section which had the game's hero demolishing an entire village in a barrage of explosions.

The sequel is due out at the end of the year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Enjoy the screens and movies.

Screens and Movies Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Peter Jackson's Halo episodic plans revealed

March 8th, 2007, 19:18 Posted By: wraggster

Latest news following the announcement of Peter Jackson's involvement with the Halo universe at X06 last year has revealed that the movie director's project will be episodic.

The revelation has come from Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Shane Kim, who's stated at this week's GDC that Jackson is actually "developing two episodic series" for Xbox 360.

Quite what the second episodic series is though remains a mystery.

Here's hoping that Jackson's film directing talents will translate well over to videogame production.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: July eyed for Mass Effect launch

March 8th, 2007, 19:27 Posted By: wraggster

It's speculated, off the back of a little comment from BioWare, that its hotly anticipated Xbox 360 sci-fi RPG Mass Effect will be out before mid-July.

Speaking to IGN at GDC, the developer's CEO Ray Muzyka indicated that the role-playing game wouldn't be present at this year's E3, which runs from July 11 to July 13 in California.

BioWare is known to be in the final stages of production on Mass Effect - a July release would give it around three months to conduct the last bit of spit and polish on the title. Would that be long enough?

Obviously, the cryptic nature of Muzyka's comment makes it impossible to do anything other than speculate on a release date - but we'll do some digging and see what we can discover.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Brian Lara 360 and PC demos released

March 8th, 2007, 19:30 Posted By: wraggster

PC and Xbox 360 demos of Codemasters' Brian Lara Cricket 2007 have been released.

The 360 demo can be download from Live, obviously, while the PC version is available from Codemasters.

For your download, you get to compete in a warm-up one-day match of three overs between England and Australia, taken from the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 in India.

The full game releases on March 23.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

March 9th, 2007, 07:31 Posted By: wraggster

REGION FREE Xbox 360 Game released:



The award-winning original next-generation killer app returns with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighterâ„¢ 2. The Ghosts are back!

It's 2014, and the soldier of the future returns to encounter a new and more imminent threat along the recently completed wall on the U.S./Mexico border. The Ghosts are more powerful, with an upgraded Integrated Warfighter System (IWS) but will have only 72 hours to assess the threat and stop the rebels from reaching U.S. soil. With a border that's 1,900 miles long and an enemy that doesn't play by the rules, this is a job for the U.S. military's most elite fighting unit. This is a job for the Ghosts.

A small shipment of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for Xbox360â„¢ has arrived today, shipping at US$ 49.90 only. As expected, the game is region free and can be played on any Xbox360â„¢ console.




We are also expecting limited supply of a Collector's Edition (incl. T-Shirt, Badge and Map) to be in stock later this month. Due to its limited availability and yet unconfirmed quantities, the item will only go on sale upon stock arrival.

Please notice that general supply of this Asian release version has been kept low by Ubisoft, our preorder has been cut down to roughly 10% of what we have initially tried to preorder. We have some spare quantities in stock while those news are written, but estimate the game to be on backorder within less than a day. Another restock batch is likely to follow within two weeks earliest.

Game features:

Groundbreaking Visual Experience: The original Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter set the visual standard for next-gen consoles; Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will take that achievement to a whole new level.
All-New Battlegrounds: For the first time ever, the Ghosts will defend U.S. soil from a cross-border attack, taking the fight to all-new locations.
Vastly Improved AI: AI is more challenging than ever.
Improved Cross-Com: The revolutionary Cross-Com feature has been upgraded for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
Multiplayer Returns: The game that dominated the Xbox Live® online gaming service is back and it’s bigger and better than ever before. Additional details to follow…

Buy Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Microsoft responds to PlayStation Home

March 9th, 2007, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster

Following Sony's much-discussed PlayStation Home announcement earlier this week, Microsoft's Chris Satchell has talked down the service saying that it's "not a very game-centric approach".

The general manager of Microsoft's Game Developer Group told CVG this afternoon: "I think they've definitely taken some concepts that we originated like achievements, but I think they're pushing in a different direction and we've sort of fundamentally got two different approaches going on here."

"I think theres is very much a vision that people see it and it looks cool but it's fundamentally separate from the games - or at least what they've shown so far."

he continues: "It's a cool world but it's like a little game by itself. Our approach is the other way around; it's that games are the center and that's the star of the show, that's what people buy the console for."

As for how Microsoft is going to answer Sony's user-generated content drive, Satchell says that Forza Motorsport 2 is already prepped to get 360 gamers creating: "You're able to take a car out, completely paint it, completely mod it, tune it and you're able to auction it online, take the funds from that and reimburse them in the game to do whatever you want," he says. "That's great user-generated content. It's not building a world but if you're into racing games it's just as meaningful."

But even Microsoft can't resist Little Big Planet's wool-coated charm: "I think Little Big Planet is very cool," he says. " but I can't see a big portfolio of games at the moment that do this. I don't think there's a whole load to catch up."

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: 55 Forza 2 cars revealed

March 9th, 2007, 16:45 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has popped the hood on the American production cars featuring in forthcoming Xbox 360 racing title Forza 2, the 55-vehicle list including new interpretations of muscle cars, old classics and sporty motors.

The list follows in the wake of new screenshots and fun footage that's emerged from GDC this week.

You can view the full list below, but before scrolling down we need to inform you that beans have also been spilled on "very exciting new feature" the beefed up version of the Livery Editor which, Microsoft explains, gives the Forza community "the freedom to truly build their dream vehicle using any of the 300+ cars in the game."

"With the new and improved livery editor, gamers can put their own personal touch on every vehicle in their garage using unique paint schemes, personalized decals and logos, as well as their own art creations", the company has elaborated.

The Livery Editor is tied in with the Xbox Live Auction House in the game, and players can put up their designs for virtual sale. Real money isn't used in the auction house. A post on official Forza forums explains that "You're encouraged to use the auction house to further your in-game 'credits' so you can buy nicer, faster, and more expensive cars (and parts for them)." And car livery.

Anyway, below is the list of American production cars that have been revealed. Vehicles from other parts of the world featuring in Forza 2 are to be revealed as follows - Asian Production Cars (March 22), Tuner and Aftermarket Cars (April 5), Race Class Cars (April 19). The game releases in May.

1997 Acura NSX
2001 Acura Integra Type-R
2002 Acura RSX Type-S
2005 Acura NSX
2006 Acura RL A-Spec
1987 Buick Regal GNX
2004 Cadillac CTS-V
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427
1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Coupe
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS
2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-454
1970 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
2002 Chevrolet Camaro 35th Anniversary SS
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
1998 Chrysler Eagle Talon TSi Turbo
2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT
2005 Chrysler ME Four-Twelve Concept
1968 Chrysler Plymouth Barracuda Formula-S
2006 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6
1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo
1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR
2003 Dodge SRT4
2003 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
2003 Dodge Viper SRT10
1969 Dodge Charger R/T-SE
2006 Dodge Charger SRT8
1966 Ford GT40 MkII
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429
2000 Ford Mustang Cobra R
2003 Ford Focus SVT
2005 Ford Ford GT
2005 Ford Mustang GT
2006 Ford Focus ST
2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe
2002 Lexus SC430
2003 Lexus IS300
2006 Lexus IS350
2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM
1968 Pontiac GTO Hardtop
2004 Pontiac GTO
2006 Pontiac Solstice
2000 Saleen S281
2004 Saleen S7
2006 Saleen S281 E
2006 Saturn ION Red Line
2005 Scion tC
1965 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C
1968 Shelby Mustang GT-500KR
1999 Shelby Series 1
2007 Shelby GT500

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: First Fable 2 video - secrets revealed

March 9th, 2007, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster

In a San Francisco hotel room yesterday, Lionhead's ever-talkative top man Peter Molyneux finally removed the veil from his Fable 2 sequel, revealing its new "unexpected" gameplay feature.

But as it turned out the big surprise wasn't that new after all. As CVG reported back in 2005, each player will have their own dog in Fable 2, which is really just Molyneux's way of trying to get players to feel "genuine love" in the action RPG.

"If I could get you to feel genuine love," he said, "That would be an innovation, that would be drama.You would walk away from that game feeling different, it would stay with you like a great movie or a great book."

The dog is but one of three innovations in Fable 2, Molyneux says, but the other pair are under tight leash for now.

The dog itself looks very impressive on screen, with super-smooth animation and no clumsy AI to speak of. "The dog is all based on simulation", Molyneux points out. As reported earlier, your dog in Fable 2 also mimics your appearance, adopting a fluffy sheepdog guise if you're good or morphing into a rock-hard attack dog if you're bad.

But your mutt also provides less-obvious benefits; he runs ahead just like a real dog, helping guide you through the forest without the use or clutter of a mini map. Molyneux is visually thrilled to get rid of the mini map, which he says has taken away from real exploration of his worlds.

Your four-legged companion also has a place in combat but with no instruction buttons to speak of a new system of attack orders has been created. In Fable 2, your dog picks out the your biggest threat automatically; if you unsheathe your sword he'll go for the enemey with the gun, if you unsheathe your gun, he'll go for the guy with the sword.

Molyneux also spoke briefly on his plans for family in the sequel; apparently you can chose to have either protected or unprotected nookie with your missus, with a chance of having a kid if you choose the latter. As Mr. M points out, this will be the first game to let you play as a pregnant women who slays dragons. Ahem.

The dog stuff seemed to work very well, and you can see it in action for yourself in the first video
below. Oh and yes - we left the tripod at home.

Video Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Blue Dragon in autumn

March 9th, 2007, 16:56 Posted By: wraggster

Blue Dragon will be released across Europe this Autumn, Microsoft has confirmed this afternoon, with September looking the likely month of launch.

Developed by Mistwalker and Artoon, the Japanese RPG epic is based around a boy named Shu and his friends, who possess the power to control phantoms that mirror the actions of their masters.

It's a typically lavish romp presented in a very impressive cartoon-inspired style. You'll also be able to create your own original attack methods whilst choosing to focus your approach on various different areas, as your dragon-like shadow levels up and gains new abilities.

The game was released in Japan last December, and met with huge critical acclaim. A US release date for the game has been set for August.

via eurogamer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Nothing Says Sorry Like Free XBLA Games

March 9th, 2007, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster

Remember when you were little, and that kid who stole your Grimlock figure tried to run away, but you caught him and beat his face in until he wept for mercy? And your parents made you say sorry, but the first time you said it you were all "...sorry...", and even though he snorted through his busted teeth "dath okay" they just looked at you sternly and said "now say it like you mean it"? And you did?

That's what Microsoft are doing. Sorry, just took me a while to get there. After their Old Spice/Xbox Rewards extravaganza got off to a shaky start and some people got messed around, they came out and said "sorry". Good, but not good enough it seems. They could do better, like sending everyone who experienced "difficulties" logging into the competition two free XBLA games (Joust and Robotron) along with a very polite letter apologising for the errors.

Awfully good of you, Microsoft. Now run along, and make sure it doesn't happen again.

via kotaku

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility soon to be forgotten

March 9th, 2007, 20:49 Posted By: Shrygue

via GamePro

Microsoft plans to decrease focus on backwards compatibility in favor of concentrating on future Xbox 360 titles

It doesn't seem to be a good time for backwards compatibility, if one takes into account what Sony and Microsoft have had to say about the matter. While the downgrading of backwards compatibility on the PS3's European model made headlines across the world, very little has been stated recently on the progress to make more original Xbox games compatible with the Xbox 360.

Kotaku recently spoke with Microsoft rep Chris Satchell at the Microsoft Blogger Breakfast yesterday, and asked him about the status of future backwards compatibility updates. But, what he stated in response doesn't bode well for owners of Xbox games:

"At some point we're going to focus less on it. When you get to the end of this year there will be a reduced focus on backwards compatibility. There are so many 360 games out there. I don't know if it's important anymore."

It looks like backwards compatibility on next-gen consoles is turning out to be what it's supposed to be in the first place: a thing of the past.


Leave feedback via comments.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC: Lost Planet creator disses Clover

March 9th, 2007, 21:07 Posted By: Shrygue

via GamePro

Capcom's Keiji Inafune doesn't buy into the whole "video games are an art form" spiel. The creative force behind such games as Lost Planet and the Mega Man series believes strongly that video games are first and foremost a business, and the level of success a game receives is proportional only to the number of copies it sells at the end of the day.

So with that mindset intact, Inafune didn't have many kind words to relay to the former producers at Clover, Capcom's now-defunct development studio previously responsible for Okami and Viewtiful Joe. In a session at GDC hosted by Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, he spoke candidly about Clover's inability to produce a successful bottom line in spite of rave critical reviews:

Perhaps I might get into trouble if I say this in front of people from the mass media. Games are not a work of art. It's actually a product. If we think of it as a work of art, then... when we think about Picasso and Van Gogh's paintings, the end result is beauty, so it doesn't matter if you sell it or not. However for games, it's a product. It is a commodity. The producer has to think about that.

Okami and Viewtiful Joe, I think, are wonderful games and because they are wonderful games I think, the job of the director was fantastic. But the producer didn't do his work. The producers work is to make the team make good games and then sell those games. The producer has to do the promotion. They have to think about the promotion. The producer has to take those good games and think about how to deliver it to as many users as possible. Certainly to get good reviews is part of his job. However, the producer has to make sure the game sells [on par with the review]. I think the producer dropped the ball there. Capcom said they would do it, but Clover said "Oh, we'll do it ourselves." And I think this was a failure.

Great directors may exist in great numbers, however, if you don't have a good producer it won't lead to sales. And I think this Clover Studios example is a really good example of that.

Consistent with other remarks made in the past (although not nearly as vocal), the Lost Planet team has made something of a name for themselves by evangelizing to Japanese development teams about the importance of broadening their global audience. Producer Jun Takeuchi himself had stated in a previous interview that most Japanese developers are in danger of isolating themselves by concentrating exclusively on Japanese niche markets.

Leave feedback via comments.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

SharpNES Release 3

March 9th, 2007, 22:39 Posted By: wraggster

The Nes Emulator for the Xbox 360 made with XNA has been updated, heres whats new:

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Shivering Isles on March 27, $30 (2400 Microsoft Points)

March 11th, 2007, 14:21 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

Bethesda's Todd Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles will be available on March 27 for PC ($29.99 at retail) and Xbox 360 (downloadable for 2400 points). While not unreasonably priced for an expansion -- especially for one that claims roughly 30 hours of gameplay -- Shivering Isles nevertheless will enter Xbox Live Marketplace with an unprecedented price tag. (Good thing Bethesda is no stranger to testing the limits of consumer practice.) No doubt the expansion's price will be met with skepticism when the content arrives on Xbox Live.

Xbox 360 Fanboy reports that Shivering Isles might also be included in a future retail edition of Oblivion, providing Xbox 360 owners without Xbox Live access to the expansion. According to statements made by senior game designer Bruce Nesmith during an interview with Gamertag Radio, if sold at retail, the expansion would have to be included with the full game, forcing many fans to re-purchase Oblivion. This is "not really an ideal situation," admitted Nesmith, explaining that current Microsoft limitations do not offer an alternative. Nesmith also confirmed that at least one more piece of downloadable content is being produced for Oblivion. "A fighter stronghold kind of thing", said Nesmith. "It's the one character class that we haven't really dealt with yet, so it'll be something for those guys who are into the heavy armor and the big, big sticks."

Bethesda has also confirmed that the PS3 version of Oblivion will release March 20 (Shivering Isles not included).

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Kontrolfreak Gives You a Better Grip on Console Gaming

March 11th, 2007, 14:27 Posted By: wraggster

via gizmodo

Designed for both Xbox 360 and the original Xbox, Kontrolfreak is a small plastic attachment that gives you better grip on the analog sticks on your controllers. It's essentially two wings that ensures your thumbs don't slide off and go flying, which honestly hasn't been a problem for us as far as we can remember. But we don't really go ape shit when we play games, despite what Kotaku says.

The price is 2 for $9.95 (enough for one controller), and will be available around late April or May.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles - Trailer

March 12th, 2007, 18:08 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Cliffy B "didn't confirm" Gears 2 says Epic VP

March 12th, 2007, 18:53 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Mark Rein has responded to reports that Gears designer Cliff Bleszinski confirmed a Gears sequel is in development, saying there are wrong.

On the back of GDC, Gamespot posted an article (quickly followed-up by IGN) proclaiming that Bleszinski has confirmed Gears of War 2 is in development. Hardly a suprise really.

But Epic VP Mark Rein was quick off the mark over the weekend to shoot down the stories saying, "The Gamespot article is wrong. Cliff didn't confirm anything of the sort."

Of course a Gears sequel will be in the pipeline, especially on the back of the success of the original. Just don't expect anything official until Microsoft says so though.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Juárez Mayor attacks GRAW 2

March 12th, 2007, 18:55 Posted By: wraggster

Juárez Mayor Héctor MurguÃ*a has condemned Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 which is set in El Paso and Juárez, reports the El Paso Times.

Ubisoft's tactical shooter launched last Friday here in the UK, which features fictional battles between the US Ghosts and Mexican rebels. Keyword there being 'fictional'. But the Mayor of Juárez (one of the locations featured in the game) isn't impressed.

He said, "Violent video games instill values which are upside down, and these actions are despicable because they attempt to divide the good will of the residents of American and Mexican cities."

MurguÃ*a sais that GRAW 2 exposes children and teens to ideas that are xenophobic and warlike and that generate violence. He went as far as asking Mexican federal authorities to band the game from reaching children. On the flipside, El Paso Mayor John Cook said he had no problem with the game.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Look - it's a new Halo Wars screen

March 12th, 2007, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster

In a trickling update on its official website, RTS veteran Ensemble has released a new Halo Wars image, but don't get too excited; it's only more concept art.

But while it's not in-game, the pic does reveal a new vehicle that will likely crop up as a controllable unit in Wars; a sort of Command & Conquer Orca with a big laser gun on the bottom.

Going by the swarming, wasp-like appearance of the 'copter and lack of UT-style redeemer launchers, we're guessing that this is some sort of scouting unit available early in the game - though that's just our educated guess.

Actual gameplay details on Halo Wars have been scarce since the game was unveiled last year, though an assortment of random MS execs apparently had a good time during recent internal playtests, where a "fairly polished" version of the 360 RTS was up and running at Ensemble.

Screen Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Too Human slips to 2008?

March 12th, 2007, 18:59 Posted By: wraggster

After a poor E3 showing and a stupidly-long stretch of delays (it was originally due on PSone), it looks like Silicon Knight's 360 action RPG Too Human has slipped again to 2008.

The word comes from a recent interview with Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim, in which he suggests yet another delay for the first entry in the sci-fi trilogy.

"The game is coming along," Kim tells IGN. "It's coming along. We recently saw it. We'll have more to show on it soon. We did it an injustice last year at E3. We showed it too early.

"Some games take longer than others to develop, and since we have so many great games coming already, it's OK for some to develop slower than others. We already have a lot of games this year."

It doesn't sound hopeful for fans expecting Too Human this year then. But with all the massive titles flooding into the shops in 2007, we're actually quite pleased that Silicon Knights is giving its latest a little more polishing time, and hopefully it'll find a nice gap in the market in the post-Halo 3/GTA IV madness.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Zune hack wipes out guest syncing

March 12th, 2007, 20:28 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

For now at least, Zune hacks appear to be far outweighing the Zune cracks, although we doubt neither are making Microsoft very happy these days. The latest on hack front comes to us courtesy of Zune Boards member Marshilboy, who whipped up a little something that does away with the Zune's guest sync feature, instead letting you sync any Zune as if it were the "home" Zune. That also does away with the need to erase everything on your Zune and start over from scratch should you ever somehow completely mess things up with it. Of course, as with all such hacks, it's probably not be the best idea to start modifying software you're dependent on unless you know what you're doing, so proceed at your own risk.

More Info

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GDC XNA challenge complete

March 12th, 2007, 20:36 Posted By: wraggster

via eurogamer

Microsoft challenged four community developer teams to create four games in four days at this year's GDC, in an effort to show how simple it was to use the XNA Game Studio Express tool.

Well, they all rose to the challenge and produced a handful of gems for you to try out, providing you have a copy of the free XNA program for your PC installed, which you can grab from the official place (you'll need C# 2005 Express Edition installed to run it).

The line-up begins with DungeonQuest, created by German team Benjamin Nitschke and Cristoph Reinaecker; a 3D action RPG that lets you crawl through various dungeons in a two-player co-op team.

Then there's Simian Escape from American chaps Jonathon Stevens and Patrick Glanville, which is a 2D run-and-jump romp in a prehistoric setting. They've craftily utilised the help of the Torque X tools, available in the paid-for version of XNA.

The United Kingdom creation Damage Control came from Josh Butterworth and Maher Al-Samkari, and is a four-player siege game that challenges you with seeing off hordes of aliens that are advancing on your base.

Last but not least is AbduX from Brazillian Andre Furtado, which puts you in the space boots of a wide-eyed alien, and lets you plough through the counrtyside in your flying saucer whilst abducting scores of unsuspecting humanoids. Particularly impressive in this little chestnut is the voice recognition controls that let you command different functions of the spacecraft.

It's all part of promoting Microsoft's Dream-Build-Play competition, which is designed to create awareness of its XNA development tools. Simply make a great game using the software, win US$ 1000, and get your creation on Xbox Live Arcade.

XNA Game Studio Express is a free download that lets hobbyists, students, and independent developers create and share games for Windows. It was released last December along with the Creators Club, which is available for a yearly EUR 99 subscription and enables you to develop and play games on Xbox 360.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

XBLA gets shellshocked Wednesday

March 12th, 2007, 20:46 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft today announced the latest release in its Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program, the 1989 coin-op beat-'em-up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Originally produced by Konami, the game is being offered on Live Arcade through an agreement with Ubisoft, the brand's current rights holder and publisher of its own line of movie-based TMNT games.

Developed by Digital Eclipse (the studio behind Live Arcade ports of Contra, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game will feature voice chat capability and online or offline cooperative multiplayer for up to four gamers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set to go live on XBLA this Wednesday at 2 a.m. PDT and will be available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

via gamespot

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

No Xbox Live Arcade price increase

March 12th, 2007, 20:53 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesradar

You could forgive us for speculating about a rise in Xbox Live Arcade pricing. Especially following the somewhat ambiguous proclamation made by Microsoft Casual Games manager Bryan Trussel, stating that we'd "see a correlation between some of the pricing" of games now that the maximum downloadable file size has increased from 50MB to 150MB.

Frugal gamers can put away their torches and pitchforks, because Microsoft shot back at us with a resounding "Nu-uh!" assuring us that a price increase will not be the case. Behold, the official statement from Trussel himself:

"There are currently no plans to offer Xbox Live Arcade games for more than 1200 points. My comments were meant to imply that a larger game may lead to a price that is at the high end of the current pricing range, not eclipse that range as suggested in the reporting."

That slight gust of wind you're feeling? The collective sigh of relief from all those who couldn't muster the balls to beg their boss for a raise just to play Root Beer Tapper.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Next Xbox tipped for 2012 launch

March 13th, 2007, 20:13 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games

Talk about getting ahead of yourself. In an interview from EGM, Peter Moore has said that the production team behind the creation of Xbox 360 is already working on the next Xbox.

Moore even went as far as saying that Xbox 360's successor could launch around 2012, as the team of tech-heads are looking into what kind of computing power would be available around that time frame. The Olympic Games don't strand a chance against a new Xbox.

In other 360 news, we're getting word that Microsoft could soon ditch the Xbox 360 Core version. That's the one without the hard drive and wireless pads that currently goes for around two hundred quid.

We think it makes perfect sense to drop the cheaper model, as the Premium System is a bargain in its own right. By now everyone that has a 360 should be online (or close to it) and for that you need a hard drive. We've put the call into Microsoft who kindly told us that they don't comment on rumours.

It wouldn't surprise us too if Sony's lite PS3 model never made it to the shops over here either. You'd only end up spending more in the long run anyway.

We'll keep you posted. In the meantime let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Too Human boss hits the forums to defend 360 action game

March 13th, 2007, 20:43 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

We reported yesterday that Xbox 360 exclusive action title Too Human may have been delayed until 2008. Not good news, considering this game was originally in development on PSone.

Suggesting that Microsoft's comments aren't 100 percent accurate, Silicon Knight president Dennis Dyack hit the Neogaf forums and had a few things to say: "I am sorry to see not much has changed here on the GAF. There should be no question as to why many developers do not post here. Thanks to those who were positive and made some logical comments."

A brave man indeed. He then added, "In time these comments will be bearers of fruit. Unfortunately for many here, they are going to be very bitter."

Silicon Knights and Too Human may be on the ropes at the moment, but don't write either off just yet.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Black Xbox 360 Premium rumor for $299 will not die

March 13th, 2007, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

According to German gaming site Xbox-Archiv, the much rumored black Xbox 360 Premium is in fact coming, despite constant efforts to diffuse its existence and dash gamer hopes.

The site claims a little bird told them the new system is coming this May, at a lower $299 price replacing the useless Core model in the process. Also included are a 120 GB hard drive and HDMI outputs. Spring is the time for price drops, and our golden gut tells us Microsoft will more than likely run with something come this May...

UPDATE: A little clarification - the rumor suggests the current premium will take the place of the Core and its $299 price with the souped up Premium Pro costing $400 or more.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Portal only four hours long

March 14th, 2007, 15:46 Posted By: Darksaviour69

via eurogamer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Rumour details new Crackdown content

March 14th, 2007, 18:27 Posted By: wraggster

Rumour claiming to have details on planned new content for Realtime Worlds' Xbox 360 game Crackdown has surfaced on the 'net.

Reported on website msxbox-world.com, the rumour comes via its forum, where a poster says "An un-named source who I have no doubt in trusting has revealed to me that Crackdown is set for some new content."

The poster goes the content "is possibly going to be free" and will include "things like vehicle impounding (taking marked cars back to agency); street racing vs. AI controlled cars, extra equipment, new agent outfits and a number of new mini games."

"The observant amongst you may have noticed some different activities in the game's training videos which look like rampage missions with weapons and vehicles. If all of this stuff becomes available soon and is free of charge then there is certainly a lot of life left in the game for those who have already beaten it", the poster concludes.

Excited fan wish or actually concrete information? We'll contact Microsoft to see what it says (and if it's anything other than "We do not comment on rumour and speculation", we'll eat our pyjamas).

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Sweet carnage in FlatOut Ultimate Carnage screens

March 14th, 2007, 18:29 Posted By: wraggster

Bugbear Entertainment's Xbox 360 racer crash-'em-up FlatOut Ultimate Carnage is spitting out exhaust fumes and car debris in new screenshots. Pass mince pies over the action and see what you think.

Previous games in the FlatOut series have provided some excellent physics-laden driving fun, and with the developer building Ultimate Carnage from the ground up for 360 to take full advantage of available horsepower, we can't wait to see it in action.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Sega refuses to comment on Condemned 2

March 14th, 2007, 18:33 Posted By: wraggster

The as yet unannounced Condemned 2 has been listed on a retailer, even allowing for customers to pre-order their copy.

The brief synopsis for the sequel reads: "A superb sequel of brilliantly brutal bloody hand to hand brawling...", which doesn't reveal much, and doesn't seem to make much sense either.

But play.com is seemingly so sure of its release that it even specifies a date to the day, down as 30 November 2007.

We contacted Sega but were offered "no comment" on the matter.

This isn't the first time that a retailer has let slip about a game they shouldn't have, so we'll be keeping an ear out for that one some time soon.

For the record, the original was awesome.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Fire up your 360s! Turtles hits XBLA

March 14th, 2007, 18:34 Posted By: wraggster

Another Wednesday, another Xbox Live Arcade release, but this week's is one of our favourites; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 (!).

Konami's Turtles game is undoubtedly one of the biggest consumers of our circa-1991 pocket money, which was when we used to blitz the game at a random Haven holiday camp with 3 other hopelessly addicted ten-year-olds.

If you haven't had the pleasure to encounter the Turtle's at their finest we recommend you pick it up for the bargain price of 400 Microsoft points - though it's not quite the same without an over-iced coke and Rory the Tiger.

If that still doesn't convince you to part with the best par tof four quid, stay tuned for our review later this week.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Can Transformers: The Game meet fans' expectations?

March 14th, 2007, 18:37 Posted By: wraggster

Transformers: The Game was presented to an underwhelmed crowed of journos yesterday, as the giant-robot action failed to meet high expectations set by the movie.

CVG attended the unveiling with high hopes, after having been impressed by the action-packed trailer of the live-action film. Giant robots, guns, rockets, explosions - it's perfect videogame fodder.

We were shown a city-based level that demonstrated destructible scenery by having robots smashing through buildings. We were also shown the combat system as two robots squared up to each other.

But the physics engine lacked impact during combat and failed to portray the extreme force you would imagine a punch from a 30-foot robot to have.

Two robots stood in-front of each other, throwing punches that seemed to have no physical effect until one eventually slowly fell to the floor.

Although the game's still in development, it also lacked the detail and polish we've come to expect from 360 games. The environment looked bland and there was a distinct lack of people and traffic. Fingers crossed this will change though.

As another sandbox-type game, it has a long way to go before it approaches the quality of Microsoft's Crackdown. And there's not long to go - the game is due out in summer.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

We want more games on XBLA, says Microsoft

March 14th, 2007, 18:42 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft is trying to "bump up the pipeline" on Xbox Live Arcade and wants to see more releases on the service, Casual Games general manager Bryan Trussel has told CVG.

Speaking at the Game Developers Conference last week, Trussel said that Microsoft is "trying to bump up the pipeline quite a bit".

"We have these Wednesdays where we release our games and they come out not every week but most weeks," he said. "We're increasing that pipeline. We want to do a couple of things; we want to have more games come out so that it becomes a new game every Wednesday, and occasionally more than one game coming out every week."

Trussel also talked to CVG about his desires to turn XBLA Wednesdays into an "actual destination time" for gamers to come for both new games, new download content, tournaments and competitions.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Exclusive Ken Levine interview for Bioshock

March 14th, 2007, 18:48 Posted By: wraggster

Ken Levine, Creative Director of Bioshock, talks exclusively to the free Xbox 360 magazine, 360Zine, about the game and the creative process behind it.

Issue 4 of 360Zine brings a 5 page exclusive extravaganza of one of 2007's most anticipated Xbox 360 games, Bioshock. Winning awards before it has even been released, the eagerly awaited follow up from the creator of System Shock is top of many gamers' most wanted list. The coverage includes a preview and a three page interview with Ken Levine, where he opens up about the impact he hopes the game will have.

"Violence is quite often necessary, but I think it's always important to remember what it means, whether it's necessary or not. It's important to remember the consequences and Bioshock brings people back to the consequences," says Ken Levine in the interview. He also covers the unique gameplay elements and the legacy of System Shock.

Also included in issue 4 are the full reviews of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Bullet Witch among others, plus previews of Frontlines: Fuel of War and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. This issue also introduces a new Community section in which Xbxo 360 gamers are encouraged to participate with clan news, podcasts and more.

360Zine is a Gamerzine, published in PDF format. Readers simply require a copy of the free Adobe Reader (version 6 or above) to read the magazines. Each Gamerzine includes more than 30 pages of professionally written games journalism and is enhanced with embedded video and multimedia.

360Zine can be downloaded now from: http://www.gamerzines.com/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Shadowrun emerges in June

March 14th, 2007, 19:01 Posted By: wraggster

One of the more interesting features debuting later this year is the ability for Vista and Xbox 360 gamers to play online multiplayer sessions together. The first to allow them to do that is Shadowrun, a new first-person shooter from FASA Studio.



Elves have trigger fingers.
Today, Microsoft finally revealed when geeks can settle the age-old "keyboard and mouse or controller" debate. Both the Vista and Xbox 360 versions of Shadowrun will be available in June. Microsoft did not specify when in June Shadowrun would be released.

Online sessions will support up to 16 players, but for Vista owners to play against Xbox 360 gamers, they'll need a Gold-level Games for Windows - Live membership; PC-to-PC online play will be included in the Silver membership. As is the case with all Xbox 360 games, a Gold Xbox Live subscription is required to play multiplayer matches online.

The FPS is based on the Shadowrun universe, which first came to life in the world of pen-and-paper games. The game features various classes, each armed with weapons and magical abilities, such as teleportation.

via gamespot

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Peter Moore sez: Next Xbox in 5 Years

March 14th, 2007, 19:16 Posted By: wraggster

via gizmodo

Peter Moore, who I like to call the Jesus of the Xbox, has announced that Microsoft has already begun work on the next generation Xbox 360 and it won't be available until the 2011, 2012 range.

The 360 production team has begun researching what kinds of processors will be available in five years. The Marty McFly in me wants to suggest that the next-next-gen Xbox will be a 32-core console with multiple terabytes of storage, no media format (everything will be downloaded) and no controllers because everything will be done telepathically.

Any other ideas of what the next-next-gen Xbox will be able to do? Please tell me that it can give foot massages. I love a good foot massage.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Championship Manager 2007

March 14th, 2007, 21:19 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Radar

The latest in the once glorious but now frankly mediocre Championship Manager series sets out with a host of new features that threaten to push it up the table. The inclusion of Prozone analysis, for one, is inspirational: it’s more comprehensive than ever before and the set-piece editor gives you more control over what you can do with free kicks and corners than you could have imagined possible. But, like the beautiful game itself, it’s no good having the skills and tricks if you can’t pay the bills by getting the basics right. And Champ Manager 2007 remains, at this stage, hampered by some, sadly, fundamental problems.

First up, despite its much-talked-about “revolutionary” control system we found it very easy to end up completely lost in its deep navigation tree. Finding things was often a process of trial and error and with a fat wedge burning a hole in our pocket, getting to the transfer page was like getting out of a maze blindfolded. Crappy and inefficient, the inclusion of a quick “home”-style button, which lets you bring up a comprehensive menu at any time, often bailed us out. The home button is a good thing. The fact that it becomes more of a panic button most definitely isn’t.

And then onto the game engine. There’s a lot here we like, especially the range of camera views and in particular the isometric angles - a great improvement that we suspect, and hope, will soon be aped by market leaders Football Manager. Unfortunately, play still seemed wobbly, with weird throw-ins and absurd goal-keeping positions. If they smooth these problems out (and the attacking play needs to be addressed, especially) it could still succeed, particularly as - again - there’s some neat stuff dovetailing this: on-the-fly tactic changes and individual instructions or pep talks to your overpaid prima donnas from the sidelines being one of them. A mixed bag then with navigation and engine issues, plus an ugly interface at this stage undo a lot of the good. There is a strong chance this won’t come out here, but we’ll keep you posted.


Screenshots in link above. Leave feedback via comments.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Developer Diary: Getting Started on XNA

March 15th, 2007, 10:17 Posted By: Talvish

Over at The Pensive Gamer I've started a Developer Diary concentrating on exploring XNA.

The first Developer Diary describes how to get started in XNA. Includes useful tools, community sites and blogs related to XNA.

Here is a snippet from the article:
===============================
Each week I like to set aside a few hours to explore software development technologies I haven't tried. This past weekend I started to take a deeper look at XNA.

I'll be documenting my XNA investigation with periodic updates as a Developer Diary. Today's Developer Diary is simple, I documented what I did to get a base understanding of XNA.
===============================

I'm also curious to hear of any other tutorials or tools people have found valuable for XNA development.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Get Robbie on your 360

March 15th, 2007, 18:15 Posted By: wraggster

Former Take That cheeky-boy Robbie Williams has teamed up with Microsoft to offer some of his choice music videos for download on Xbox Live Marketplace.

His latest warble She's Madonna will be up there, as will A Place To Crash and Lovelight. All will be available for 280 Microsoft points in HD, or 230 in standard definition.

You can also splash your cash on a trendy Robbie Williams Theme for 150 points, which is virtually guaranteed to impress your friends with its four included snaps of the pop hero.

"I love playing Xbox at home and on the road," Robbie chirped. "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 kept me company through the tour!"

All three videos are on the service now, so if that's your cup of tea, rude-box your way over and get downloading.

via eurogamer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Bizarre wanted to give you Geometry Wars for free, MS said no

March 15th, 2007, 22:00 Posted By: wraggster

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, one of the most popular games on the Xbox Live Arcade download service, was intended to be a free download.

Bizarre Creations' Ben Ward stated in an interview with IGN: ""Geometry Wars was really intended as a gift to hardcore gamers and we initially wanted to give the game away for free.

""When it became evident that we couldn't do this, we said to Microsoft 'what's the absolute bare minimum we can charge'. They said 400 points, so we went with that."

The original Geometry Wars on Xbox was a hidden extra included in PGR 2.

Bizarre will get their wish in the long run, as Microsoft recently announced it will give away the hit shoot-'em-up game on the new 512Mb memory cards to be launched worldwide on April 3.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Halo 3 in September?

March 15th, 2007, 22:04 Posted By: wraggster

MS Corporate VP Shane Kim has hinted at a September release date for Halo 3, telling US site 1UP that Bungie would like to get its shooter out the door before Rockstar's massive fourth GTA arrives in October.

MS Corporate VP Shane Kim has hinted at a September release date for Halo 3, telling US site 1UP that Bungie would like to get its shooter out the door before Rockstar's massive fourth GTA arrives in October.

"If they can get out before GTA4, they probably feel like that's better, sort of like Xbox 360 coming out before PlayStation 3," he said, adding that that decision is apparently not up to Microsoft: "We don't tell Bungie when they have to ship Halo 3".

As for the chances of Microsoft shipping the 360 messiah outside of the traditional November window, Kim points out that it's had success jumping the month before: "What happened in September of 2004? In September of 2004 we released Fable, Fable got big sales and then in November got big sales again," Kim said. "I just believe great titles can get the double bump and I think Halo 3 is going to be that."

When we picked up the phone (as if they'd say anything beyond "we don't comment on rumours") Microsoft was unfortunately unavailable comment on the report, but with Blue Dragon occupying the August slot and GTA IV in October one thing looks certain; Halo 3 will launch in either September or November.

Book both months off just to be safe.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Cliffy B: "I have a 40ft hard-on for original IP"

March 15th, 2007, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster

"I have a 40ft hard-on for original IP and that's what Gears of War is", Epic's Cliff Bleszinski told CVG last week, when we quizzed him on the chances of seeing more original properties from the Unreal and Gears studio.

"The fact that [Gears of War] was such a success proves to me that this business is driven by its own internal IPs and not licensed properties," he said.

Following the 3 million-plus sales of its flagship 360 shooter, Epic is now finishing up the third instalment Unreal Tournament and touting the various non-blaster games using Unreal Engine 3, such as Zombies Ate My Neighbours look-alike Monster Madness.

As for what Cliffy's stonking boner for original IP means for his next title, the Epic lead designer says we'll have to wait a while before we get that in our hands: "I think my plate will probably be full the next couple of years working on what I'm working on.

"I'm not really allowed to say anything about what I'm doing but I have about 8 million intellectual properties floating around in my head and I'd love to have a few more developed at some point in the future."

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Even more FlatOut 360 shots

March 15th, 2007, 22:13 Posted By: wraggster

Following up yesterday's batch of screenshots Bugbear entertainment has released even more shots of its 360 crash-em-up FlatOut Ultimate Carnage.

As you can probably see from the pics, the latest series instalment sports bumped-up visuals and over 8,000 dynamic objects per track. Graphics aside, Ultimate Carnage also offers five new single-player and two new multi-player modes over FlatOut 2, and online bouts and downloadable content via Xbox Live.

According to Bugbear, you'll find it in the shops this June.

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Platinum Hits)

March 16th, 2007, 07:36 Posted By: wraggster

New Platinum version of the REGION FREE Xbox 360 game released:



features
Next-generation gaming technology: Advanced Warfighter is built from the ground up for the Xbox 360â„¢, maximizing increased power to deliver phenomenal graphics and a host of innovative features.
The soldier of the future: Gain access to the future of military technology. Using a fully integrated combat system with cutting-edge weapons and communication systems, gamers will embody the soldier of the future
Revolutionary feature: Use the revolutionary Cross-Com, a communication device powered by satellite technology. Attached to the soldier's monocle, the Cross-Com provides full situational awareness and command of the battlefield.
Stunning urban environment: One capital, multiple locations. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter takes place entirely in Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities. A stunning, meticulously detailed universe provides complete immersion in the urban war of the future.
Top-notch multiplayer experience: Just like the previous Ghost Recon titles, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter delivers industry-leading multiplayer and cooperative gameplay for Xbox Live®.

description
The face of war has changed in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighterâ„¢. Enemy lines blur and there is no longer a clear opponent. New enemies and new threats require a new type of warfare and a new type of soldier. Enter the Ghosts.

In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement the Integrated Warfighter System evolving what we know as the modern soldier. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices, and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system. The IWS program has been developed to meet these new threats head on. Now, it can be tested on the battlefield.

In this next installment in Ubisoft's award-winning squad-based military shooter series, become the soldier of the future. Equipped with cutting edge weapons and communications systems, you will find yourself immersed in a detailed universe that sets the stage for the urban war of the near future.

Buy Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Platinum Hits)

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tomb Raider: Legend (Classics)

March 16th, 2007, 07:40 Posted By: wraggster

New Classic version of the REGION FREE Xbox 360 game:



features
Return to the tombs: A new quest brings Lara to lost ancient realms that guard Secrets of the Past.
Fluid movement: The revamped control system provides intuitive and fluid character movement.
Dynamic animation system: Puts focus on continuous motion, giving Lara the ability to seamlessly handle any obstacle.
Variety of player choice: Intelligently use the environment, technical gear and weapons to overcome challenging situations.
New environments: Physics, Water, and Fire systems bring the perilous environments of Lara’s world alive and challenge the player to improvise solutions to obstacles.
Exotic locales: Visit a vast array of cinematic and exotic locations including ancient tombs, dangerous jungles, snowy mountain ruins and numerous unexpected surprises in between!
Move and shoot: Lara uses her physical prowess to combine gunplay with unique signature moves.

description
Lara Croft, everyone’s favorite dual pistol-wielding adventurer, makes her way back to the lost ancient realms that guard Secrets of the Past. In Lara Croft Tomb Raider™ LEGEND for Xbox 360™, immerse yourself in a stunning environment of hardcore adventure and exploration, as you travel through exquisitely detailed and perilous locales.

Buy Tomb Raider: Legend (Classics)

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Virtua Tennis 3 Demo

March 16th, 2007, 13:03 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Virtua Tennis 3 Demo is out now on the market place, weighing in a about 849.1 MB. Go get it now!

Not available in Asia

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Two Worlds: Look out behind you!

March 16th, 2007, 17:04 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Halo 3 Legendary and Collectors Editions blown open!

March 16th, 2007, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie have released a barrage of media showing off the two special editions of Halo 3; Legendary and Collectors Edition.

As previously announced, Legendary Edition will come with a not-quite-full-size Master Chief helmet and two DVDs, while the Collectors edition comes in a tin similar to that of the Halo 2 package of the same name.

While we're sure there are many people out there dieing to get their hands on that plastic helmet we think it's a bit too large (and nerdy) to fit on our games rack, so we're going to go for the classier (and slightly less nerdy) Collectors Edition (or at least asked the nice people at MS to give us one).

Disagree? Sound off in the comments section below and look for more Halo 3 news later on today...

Screens Here

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

XBLA: Castlevania: Symphony of Night, Wed 21st March

March 16th, 2007, 18:19 Posted By: PSmonkey

via xboxyde.com

Journey Into the Darkness With “Castlevania: Symphony of Night” on Xbox Live Arcade

Celebrate more than two decades of the Castlevania franchise by reliving (or experiencing for the first time) one of the series’ most highly regarded games. The legendary 2D side-scrolling action adventure game from Konami Digital Entertainment, “Castlevania: Symphony of Night,” will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, March 21 at 0900 GMT (2 a.m. PDT).

The Castlevania franchise is well known for delivering exceptional quality in all elements that make a great game – story, music, level design, character development, gameplay and controls. In “Castlevania: Symphony of Night,” the 12th iteration of the series, gamers take on the role of Alucard, the half-vampire son of the blood-drinker Dracula, as he ventures into his infamous father’s foreboding castle. Along the way, Alucard must collect items, weapons and armor to defeat the powerful boss monsters that block access to key areas of the castle.

“Castlevania: Symphony of Night” is the first full console classic to appear on Xbox Live Arcade and offers dozens of hours of non-linear action RPG gameplay. “Castlevania: Symphony of Night” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated T for Teen (Animated Blood and Violence).

Game Features

* Play the original version of the game or experience it in enhanced mode with improved graphics and modernized audio and sound effects
* New native widescreen and high-definition support
* Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

More information is available at http://www.xbox.com/games/livearcade.

I've got 800 sitting in my account waiting to spend on this.

So thats been
1) Alien Hom.
2) Worms
3) TMNT
4) Castlevania: SOTN

What will be next? :P

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Three versions of Halo 3 coming

March 16th, 2007, 20:31 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has confirmed that three editions of Halo 3 will be available when the game launches later this year.

First up is the plain old Standard Edition which is comprised of the standalone disc, plus a box and manual we'd wager.

Then there's the Legendary Edition which will be released "in limited quantities", according to a statement. It will come with a collectable Spartan helmet case, Halo 3 storyboard art and two bonus discs.

The first disc will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, including a Making of Halo 3 documentary, plus a look at early game concepts. It will also include an audio-visual calibration tool "never before seen on a videogame", which has been custom designed by the Halo 3 team and will allow you to enjoy high definition footage and optimised audio.

The second disc, which will only be available with the Legendary Edition, will include remastered cinematic material from Halo 2 and Halo: Combat Evovled, complete with developer commentaries.

You'll also get a featurette about a day in the life at Bungie, plus exclusive content from the Machinima artists who created Red vs. Blue and This Spartan Life.

The Limited Edition version of Halo 3 will come in a shiny metal case. Along with the first bonus disc from the Legendary Edition, you'll get a Halo fiction and art book which features a guide to the game's universe and previously unseen material.

Microsoft also confirmed that Halo 3 will arrive in shops this autumn, though they haven't said exactly when yet.

via eurogamer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Yie Ar Kung Fu chopping US 360s?

March 16th, 2007, 20:36 Posted By: wraggster

Last fall, Microsoft tried to woo more Japanese gamers to try the Xbox 360 at the Tokyo Game Show. As part of its effort, the company showed off a number of games that would be released on the Japanese version of Xbox Live arcade.



It's doubtful anyone under 10 would remember a game from the '80s.
While most of the selections were eventually scheduled for a US release, several were not. Other than Rush'n Attack, one of the more notable games without an American ship date was Yie Ar Kung Fu, Konami's classic mid-1980s arcade fighting game.

Luckily, it now appears that Yie Ar Kung Fu will flex its muscles on both sides of the Pacific. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board Web site (pictured) now lists the game as being slated for a US release with an E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up rating. The site does not list release dates or pricing information, and Konami reps had not commented on the listing as of press time.

The ESRB site also revealed a previously unknown 360 title called Aegis Wing. Other than an E rating for "Mild Fantasy Violence," nothing is known about the game. Microsoft Game Studios reps didn't help clarify the situation, declining to comment on either ESRB listing.

via gamespot

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Guitar Hero II surfs Xbox 360 crowd on April 3

March 16th, 2007, 20:43 Posted By: wraggster

Activision has grabbed the nearest microphone and screeched out the official release date for the Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II.

"Pay attention you motherfrackers,
drop the keyboards PC hackers,
Guitar Hero II drops April 3,
get out your wallets these frets ain't free! Woooowrgh!"

You'll likely be able to obtain much better tunes than that lyrical atrocity later on, thanks to this version's ability to download a "consistent stream of new tracks" from Xbox Live. RedOctane's Dusty Welch notes in the press release that the online component "is going to provide an incredible opportunity for our fans to extend the gameplay experience, and we have ambitious ideas to continue to fully support these efforts." Sadly, said ambitious ideas don't include online multiplayer just yet.

via joystiq

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Halo 3 Legendary Edition to command a legendary $130 pricetag

March 16th, 2007, 20:45 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

Originally rumored to cost a measly $99 US dollars, Microsoft has reevaluated the pricing for the Legendary Edition of Halo 3 putting it more in line with its namesake. The new "estimated" retail price is a legendary one hundred and thirty dollars. Ah, that's better. So, what does the dedicated Halo nerd get for his $130? First, the luxury of owning an item that is promised to be released in "limited quantities" only. Next, two supplemental discs with a "Making of Halo 3" documentary, featurettes, and an AV calibration tool on the first and remastered "cinematic material" from Halo 1 and Halo 2 (a refresher course, if you will) and exclusive Red vs. Blue and This Spartan Life content on the second. Deep breath ... and you get a collection of Halo 3 storyboard art.

If you don't want to spend $130 on a game (you obviously never owned a Neo Geo), then there are two other opportunities to give your money to Microsoft. Similar to games like Gears of War, Halo 3 will come in both Standard and Limited editions. The Limited edition will fetch $70 and include the first disc from the Legendary Edition, as well as a Halo "fiction and art book." We're not sure if this book will be available outside of this offer, but we imagine some Legendary owners won't like getting shorted on it. Don't care about the goodies, just want the game? Try the $60 Standard Edition. You could even get two and still bring it in for less than the Legendary edition.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Blaster360 Delay

March 17th, 2007, 11:13 Posted By: wraggster

News from Divineo USA

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s?

March 17th, 2007, 11:18 Posted By: wraggster

via gamespot

Source: Xboxic, which posted sneaky cell-phone pictures of a Blockbuster computer screen showing some new entries into the company database.



The official story: See below.

What we heard: New game information can come from all sorts of sources. Obviously the most concrete information comes straight from the publishers and developers themselves, who time announcements with marketing blitzes.

Some gamers can't wait that long to find out about new titles and do their own sleuthing, as evidenced by a rogue Blockbuster employee who scoured his employer's database for clues. Three pictures of a computer screen taken by a mobile phone appear to show three new games headed to the Xbox 360.

The trio of titles is a grab bag of Namco franchises, with the most interesting being Beautiful Katamari, a new game in the quirky Katamari Damacy franchise. There are also database entries for Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (previously released on the PC) and Ace Combat 6 (subtitle unclear). All are dated for release this fall.

Namco Bandai did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.

Namco has registered a trademark for the name "Beautiful Katamari Damacy," adding legitimacy to the Katamari picture. Porting PC games to the Xbox 360 has so far been proven to be relatively easy--a good sign for Warhammer fans who want to see Mark of Chaos on the 360. As for Ace Combat, a 360 version would be a coup of sorts, as the flight-combat series has almost exclusively taken off from Sony platforms.

It's not uncommon to see some retailers post new listings of expected sequels before an official announcement...but seeing this trio appear on a new platform certainly raises some eyebrows. Barring some crafty Photoshop work, this looks legit.

Bogus or not bogus?: Retailer info is hit and miss, but recently the hits have vastly outweighed the misses. We're going with not bogus

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tetris Attacks Xbox 360

March 19th, 2007, 19:40 Posted By: Shrygue

via IGN


Tetris, perhaps the most popular videogame in history, is evolving on Xbox 360. The classic series makes its debut on 360 this week with Tetris Evolution. Now shipping to stores, Evolution adds custom skins and new modes including "Go Low," "Eraser" and coop "Hotseat." Tetris Evo also enables up to four players to battle on a single 360 or online via Xbox Live.

Tetris Evolution retails for $29.99.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Spring 360 update adds more "integration and innovation"

March 19th, 2007, 19:56 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games

The next Xbox 360 firmware update will bring more "integration and innovation", says Microsoft's Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb.

The update details comes in the Major's latest podcast, in which the MS blogger says unlike PlayStation Home the Xbox 360 interface will always have games integrated into the experience.

"Our philosophy is that games are at the center of everything we do," he says. "Think about how Live works; the guide is always integrated, I can always view my messages, see who's online, cross-game invites across all games, leaderboards, achievement - all that kind of stuff.

"The new stuff we're bringing in Spring adds more functionality and integration," he promises. "We know you want to hear about it. Stay tuned".

Expectedly, no concrete details on the update are offered beyond Hryb's vague hint, leaving us to contemplate wildly over Microsoft's plans. Will MS follow in Sony's lead adding more "virtual world"-style interface features? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Mistwalker: Blue Dragon demo 'maybe June/July'

March 19th, 2007, 20:04 Posted By: wraggster

Mistwalker's Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon has been a big hit in Japan and us Europeans get to dive into its full delights this September.

However, we could well be getting to dip a toe a couple of months earlier, Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi telling GamesSpot in a recent interview that the studio is making a playable Blue Dragon demo "maybe for June or July" release on Xbox Live Marketplace.

It was additionally revealed that, for the US at least, there'll be download content pumped out over a five to six month period following Blue Dragon's release over there in August.

Hees Kyung, Microsoft's global product manager for Blue Dragon, has explained there'll be "a set of three [pieces of] downloadable content, the last of which is going to be a dungeon with a lot of randomized patterns. By randomized patterns, I mean each time you enter into the dungeon, you encounter a different environment, a set of new characters, and monsters.


"So there are eight-plus patterns that have actually been set for the dungeon. So it is a completely new experience, in addition to this great game that we have."

Kyung added that a new difficulty level of 'Impossible' is to be added too. "This is for the gamers who have completed the game, know the game backward and forward, and have their character's levels above 50 points. A lot of other bosses and new items appear in this impossible mode", GameSpot was told.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Castlevania whipping Xbox Live Arcade this week

March 19th, 2007, 20:05 Posted By: wraggster

Konami's 2D action-adventure Castlevania: Symphony of Night is releasing on Xbox Live Arcade this week. All being well, you'll be able to download it as of 9am on March 21 here in Blighty, for 800 Microsoft Points.

In Symphony of Night you play Alucard, half-vampire son of Dracula, as he ventures into his father's castle and, well, goes a-actioning and adventuring - cue slaying monsters and stuff. The XBLA download features the original version of the game along with a visually enhanced edition - with modernized audio and sound effects! - plus there's new native widescreen and high-definition support and the ability to earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Guitar Hero 360 dated for April

March 19th, 2007, 20:32 Posted By: wraggster

The Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II will be arriving in the States on April 3, with retailers - like this one - pointing to a slightly later release in Europe on April 6.

Considering the 6th is Good Friday, most people might not be able to get their hands on the 360 axe until April 10 when the shops re-open.

The Xbox 360 version of the game sports an entirely re-designed X-Plorer axe and there's also the suggestion of it having the most download content for any game on the console.

We've left an enquiry with the nice chaps at Activison and we'll let you know if they shed some official light on the UK date.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Microsoft responds to Reggie's comments

March 19th, 2007, 20:43 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has told CVG that it is "very happy with how Xbox 360 is performing in Europe" in response to earlier claims made by Reggie Fils-Aime that the console was underperforming.

Speaking about the Wii's competition, the Nintendo of America boss said: "360 is selling well only in one country: UK. Across the rest of Europe, it is not performing well."

But Microsoft disagrees, telling CVG: "We're very happy with how Xbox 360 is performing in Europe. We do not release figures by country, but we are on target to meet our goal of 12 million consoles sold worldwide by the end of June 2007, have sold more than 10.4 million consoles globally as of December 2006, and have built a global Xbox Live community of more than 6 million people.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

"Final Fantasy should come to Xbox 360", says Sakaguchi

March 19th, 2007, 20:44 Posted By: wraggster

After leaving the company to bring his RPG duo Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey to Xbox 360, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi says that Square Enix should bring Final Fantasy to Microsoft's console.

The Mistwalker boss told Gamespot: "I feel that the Final Fantasy series should come to Xbox 360 as well. This is wise. It makes so much sense to me...it has so much potential in North America and in Europe. So there's a great chance for the series to succeed on 360 as well."

Continuing the chat Sakaguchi-san suggested that Square Enix could port its upcoming PS3 instalment Final Fantasy XIII to 360 fairly simply, because "they made the White Engine open platform".


To date Square Enix's support for the Xbox 360 has been fairly week. A port of the 11th Final Fantasy has so far been the only one of the company's titles to make it over, but with the current trend of cross-platform development we wouldn't rule out the idea of Final Fantasy XII on 360.

Sakaguhci's latest, Blue Dragon, was recently confirmed for European release in September, with talk of a demo in June emanating from the same interview.

via cvg

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Stream music from Zune to Zune wirelessly -- not how you think

March 19th, 2007, 21:12 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

Props to Zunerama for an anti-hack so painfully obvious we're kind of kicking ourselves for not having thought of it before. Want to live stream your music to your pals with Zunes (what do you mean your pals don't have Zunes?) or even FM radios? Just use the FM transmitter. It's relatively low-powered, of course (unless you performed that other hack), but at least anyone who happens to know you're broadcasting on that particular frequency can listen in. Of course, it would be nice if they actually added this feature via WiFi so you could get nearby Zune discovery, track information, and all the fun stuff that makes us pissed about having to resort to such a silly hack as this.

More Info

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Fils-Aime: 360 isn't performing well in Europe

March 19th, 2007, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that aside from the UK, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is not proving popular amongst European consumers.

Speaking in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News, Fils-Aime stated that the Wii is trouncing sales of its only next-gen rival in European territories.

"360 is selling well only in one country: UK," he said.

"Across the rest of Europe, it is not performing well. Wii on the other hand, is selling exceptionally well all through Europe."

Although Microsoft hasn't revealed specific sales figures for the Xbox 360 in Europe, the company is expecting to meet worldwide sales of around 12 million units by the end of June 2007.

The outspoken Nintendo boss also acknowledged that demand for the Wii has resulted in a lack of stock at retail, echoing similar comments made last week to GamesIndustry.biz by Nintendo's senior marketing director Laurent Fischer.

He also revealed that claims of damage to consumer's TVs from broken Wii straps are of "a remarkably small number".

via gibiz

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Bungie talks us down from Halo 3 Legendary ledge

March 19th, 2007, 23:34 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

Just when we thought we couldn't take it anymore .. the thought that the $130 Legendary Edition of Halo 3, -- in addition to being priced competitively with a real suit of MJOLNIR armor -- wouldn't include some content found on the cheaper (albeit still expensive) begins-with-an-ell Limited Edition was enough to make us throw our body off the nearest precipice and watch real life's rag-doll physics engine at work. Thankfully, Bungie's Frankie spotted us just in time and told us, in a calm, controlled, and possibly computerized, voice, "[you] will be pleased to know that [you] will not have to live without that content at all."

"Really?" I sniffled back, clearly eager for any excuse to step away from this impressively rendered ledge.

He nodded. "More on that later (some of the details are still being worked out), but it should be smiles and sunshine."

"You aren't just saying this because the inevitable negative press following our plummet would be crushing to the pre-blockbuster status of Halo 3? You're actually serious? Smiles and sunshine?"

"Seriously," Frankie said.

Phew. We're not sure what he means by any of this of course, we're just happy to hear that our little stunt didn't go unnoticed by the fatcats at Bungie Studios. So, is the Limited Edition's "fiction and art book" going to be included in the Legendary Edition? Maybe. We're gonna stay near the ledge just in case

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

March 19th, 2007, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster

Newly released 360 Game:



REGION FREE 360 GAME

features
Groundbreaking Visual Experience: The original Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter set the visual standard for next-gen consoles; Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will take that achievement to a whole new level.
All-New Battlegrounds: For the first time ever, the Ghosts will defend U.S. soil from a cross-border attack, taking the fight to all-new locations.
Vastly Improved AI: AI is more challenging than ever.
Improved Cross-Com: The revolutionary Cross-Com feature has been upgraded for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
Multiplayer Returns: The game that dominated the Xbox Live® online gaming service is back and it’s bigger and better than ever before. Additional details to follow…

description
The award-winning original next-generation killer app returns with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2. The Ghosts are back!

It’s 2014, and the soldier of the future returns to encounter a new and more imminent threat along the recently completed wall on the U.S./Mexico border. The Ghosts are more powerful, with an upgraded Integrated Warfighter System (IWS) but will have only 72 hours to assess the threat and stop the rebels from reaching U.S. soil. With a border that’s 1,900 miles long and an enemy that doesn’t play by the rules, this is a job for the U.S. military’s most elite fighting unit. This is a job for the Ghosts.

Buy Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2: Prima Official Game Guide

March 20th, 2007, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster

New from Play Asia



Pages: 144
Complete campaign walkthrough
Weapons stats
Multiplayer tips, tactics, and maps
Bids for the Ghost Squad
Detailed campaign maps

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Comfirmed: Devil May Cry 4 on the Xbox 360

March 20th, 2007, 11:53 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Linux Bootloader for xbox360: XeLL

March 20th, 2007, 13:30 Posted By: Darksaviour69

XeLL is the Xenon Linux Loader. It's a second-stage bootloader and is usually run by an exploit. The method of booting this is not a part of this project. XeLL catches CPU threads, sets them up (basically setting HRMOR to zero), loads an ELF file from either network (tftp) or CDROM, and launches it. It also contains a flat device tree for linux. cdrom.c includes a very simple ISO9660 parser, which tries to boot the file named ""vmlinux".

lwIP (http://www.sics.se/~adam/lwip/) is used for networking. Network config is currently hardcoded in network.c (and main.c). XeLL also contains a HTTP server. It is not really used. XeLL is licensed under the GPL v2, and no other version. Xenon-specific stuff of XeLL was written by Felix Domke , other parts where taken from other free sourcecodes. No non-free hardware documentation was used for developing XeLL. XeLL is in a very early stage, but is (most of the time) fully working

Grab it here- Keep in mind these sources will need to be compiled before they are ran on your xbox360.


vix Xbox-scene.com

Xell requires an xbox360 console with kernel 4532 or 4548, a flashed drive, and a patched KingKong backup.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

HEI$T: Game details

March 20th, 2007, 15:49 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Kindly place your wallets, purses, jewellery and all other valuables in the swag bag as Codemasters announces HEI$T – an all-new job pullin', bank robbin' action-driving game set in a gritty San Francisco, circa 1969.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Shipping Today: Armored Core 4 & UEFA Championships League

March 20th, 2007, 17:29 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Armored Core 4 is now available as Xbox360™ Japanese release version at US$ 69.90 only. The game is also available for PlayStation3™ (Japanese / Asia). The Armored Core 4 Original Soundtrack is in stock at US$ 21.90. US release versions (Xbox360™ / PlayStation3™) will follow later this month.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Informer: Black Xbox 360 Is Coming

March 20th, 2007, 18:02 Posted By: Darksaviour69

This month's Game Informer says that a black Xbox 360 with larger 120GB hard drive, HDMI output and an HDMI cable will retail for approximately US $479. It does not include HD-DVD playback. A well-placed source at Microsoft tells GI that the reason is because the "format's not proven." Then again, neither is this rumor. And if this is in fact an April Fool's Joke, we've got two words: Not funny.Black Xbox 360 Is Coming


Ed's Note: Matt Helgeson, senior editor over at Game Informer, just dropped us a line to let us know that the story is in fact true. As a rule they don't post fake news stories in their April mag. So go celebrate.

via kotaku

more details

* First of all, the black Xbox 360 will be officially known as the Xbox 360 Elite.
* The Elite will be manufactured in limited quantities, possibly a few hundred thousand.
* Everything included with the unit will be black, including the case, controller, and Live headset. The packaging will be new as well.
* The Elite will cost $479 and will be sold alongside Premium and Core packs.
* Eventually, a white version of the Elite will replace Xbox 360 Premium packs. Presumably, this will happen shortly after the Elite is sold out. Once this happens, Premiums will include the 120 GB HDD and HDMI.
* There is no solid date for the Elite-to-Premium transition, though it is estimated to happen late summer or early fall.
* The Elite runs cooler than the current Premium, but it is unknown if it takes advantage of 65nm chips.
* Prices could remain the same when Premiums convert to 120GB/HDMI, but a price cut may still occur once the 65nm chips are implemented.
* The HD-DVD player will definitely not be bundled with the Elite and Microsoft stands by its claim that it has no plans to ever integrate an HD-DVD drive into the Xbox 360.
* There are no plans to integrate WiFi into the Elite or future Premium packs.

via Engadget.com

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Ace Combat 6 confirmed for Xbox 360

March 20th, 2007, 18:17 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Earlier we posted that Devil May Cry 4, is no longer a PS3 exclusive and is heading to the Xbox 360 and now the PS3 has lost another "exclusive" title , Ace Combat 6!

Namco Bandai's Ace Combat series has all ways been a exclusive for Sony consoles, but now this is the first time the series will appear on a non-Sony platform.

via Famitsu

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Halo 3 graphics looking improved and "amazing"

March 20th, 2007, 23:13 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Graphically what we've seen so far of Halo 3 hasn't exactly blown our socks off, but according to Bungie's latest community update the more-complete version of the game has improved leaps and bounds visually, and is looking "amazing".

"The exteriors still needed some polish, but sweet crimeny Christmas. It looked amazing," the update reads, describing a more complete Halo 3 campaign stage, which apparently has "lit, shader effects, proper detail, atmospherics" and "audio" up and running.

"Last week I talked about how we were adding all this hyper realistic stuff, while still trying to keep it true to the look and feel of Halo," the post continues. "The evolution of those ideas is that some of the test screenshots we took for an internal presentation, looked exactly like their concept paintings. Not just in terms of scale or detail, but the actual color palette. It's rich and vivid and full of life."

"As a matter of fact, we ran the screens back to back with concept paintings, and sometimes you had to blink to distinguish," Bungie claims.

The update goes on to admit that there's still plenty of optimization to be done, and while there's realistic-looking scenery the 360 sequel still has the Halo look

"The graphics have a painterly quality, sure, but this is more to do with the impression they leave you than the details," the update reads. "A game's a game's a game. We're not going cel shaded or oil painting-y."

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Katamari, Ace Combat, Mark of Chaos for 360?

March 20th, 2007, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

New instalments in Namco Bandai's much-loved Katamari Damacy and Ace Combat series along with a port of PC RTS Warhammer: Mark of Chaos are coming to Xbox 360, internet reports claim.

The initial report comes from an alleged photograph of a Blockbuster Video computer terminal listing the inevitable Ace Combat 6, "Beautiful Katamari" and Mark of Chaos for Microsoft's console.

Adding weight to the rumour is a recent trademark Namco Bandai filed for the name Beautiful Katamari in January. In a recent blog post licensed Katamari merchandise company Panic Software also discusses the series' future.

This is also not the first time CVG has heard rummagings of a future Warhammer: Mark of Chaos console port, either.

When we picked up the phone Namco Bandai expectedly told us it has nothing new to announce regarding future titles, though we reckon there's a good chance we could see these three crop-up on a release list sometime soon.

Join In and Discuss Here