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Konami Publishing Ninety-Nine Nights 2

2009-09-02T22:35:00.000+05:30

The first Ninety-Nine Nights was one of Microsoft Japan's key titles in the Xbox 360's early life. The second entry doesn't look like it will have as much stature. In fact, it's not even going to be a first party title!

This information comes our way from Inside Games, which is hosting a live blog from Microsoft's Xbox 360 Media Briefing 2009 press conference today in Tokyo.

According to the site, Konami will be serving as publisher on Ninety-Nine Nights II. Unfortunately, that's all the site's live blog says about the game. It lists a release date as "TBA."

There isn't much else of pertinence in Inside Games' live blog at this point, but here's a quick summary.

Microsoft shared a recap of the 360's current worldwide performance thus far. The system currently has a userbase of 31.4 million, with 20 million Xbox Live users. Between January and August, Japan saw 61 Xbox 360 titles released.

Surprise game announces from the press conference appear to be limited to foreign titles. Microsoft confirmed Japanese releases for Fable III and also said that it would make a formal announcement for Borderland shortly.

On the third party front, the big news comes from Capcom. Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi appeared in a video message and said that the Lost Planet 2 demo has seen comparable success to the Resident Evil 5 demo. At the Tokyo Game Show, players will be able to sample eight player multiplayer.

I presume Microsoft is saving its big price drop announcement until the end of the press conference, although the information has already leaked out.

I'll have a followup report if anything else is unveiled.

Source:

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/09/02/ms_press_conference/

Forza 3 World First – V8 Supercars Details – OXCGN Update

2009-09-02T22:34:00.000+05:30

Forza 3 World First Images & V8 Supercars Details

Forza 3 Update 2nd September #1

Well, having just returned home from the Forza 3 Media Event in Sydney’s Lamborghini Showroom, I can now say without a shadow of doubt, that Forza 3 is going to rock many gamers’ boat.

I have over 500 hours invested in Forza 2, and just 4 laps into Forza Motorsport 3 I can already tell that this game is going to eat up a lot more than the hours I’ve spent so far in Forza Motorsport 2.

We are lucky enough to make known for the first time globally that there will be EIGHT V8 Supercars appearing in the upcoming Forza 3 which will also be released a day early here in Austr/NZ – that being, 22nd October, with the release of 23rd October for UK and Eu and the 27th for Nth America.

Here are some more screenshots exclusively for you and probably the first ones of these available on the net. We have many more stills and interviews from today, along with some videos, but we wanted you to see these first, as we had promised late last month.

So, without further ado . V8 Supercars – Aussie Style:

The eight V8 Supercars that will appear in Forza 3 come from eight great teams, four of which are from Holden, and the other four from Ford – of course.

• V8 Supercars Mark Skaife had this to say about the game:

“I’m extremely imprssd with the polish of Forza Motorsport 3 and excited about the exposure it will bring to our great sport internationally. Aussie Holden and Ford fans can now battle head-to-head everyday of the week, and get up-close and personal with the power and precision of V8 Supercars”

While Australian V8 Spercars Chairman, Tony Cochrane commented:

“V8 Supercars is recognised globally as the best touring car championship on the planet and being included in the internationally acclaimed Forza 3 is a testament to that”

Ford:

Car #1 TeamVodafone FG Falcon 2009

Car #5 Ford Performance Racing FG Falcon 2009

Car #9 Stone Brothers Racing FG Falcon

Car #25 Britek Motorsport FG Falcon 2009

Holden:

Car #2 Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE 2009

Car #33 Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodore VE 2009

Car #39 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VE 2009

Car #51 Sprint Gas Racing Commodore VE 2009

Sadly there will be “no Aussie tracks” in this iteration of Forza 3, well none we were told about, and it’s highly unlikely there will be, considering this was a World-First press release and showing of the V8’s in action and playable to the general public (well, non-development team – put it that way).

The event was held at the beautiful Lamborghini Showroom in William Street Sydney and was a hub of activity as 5 V8 Supercar drivers went head-to-head to set the fastest lap time on one of the great Forza 3 tracks.

Speaking with a few of the drivers later, they all were very impressed with the cars’ performance, handling and details in the physics as well as look. We will have a more detailed breakdown of the day in an upcoming update for you, but hopefully this will help many of you get an idea of what to expect.

My time in the hot-seat was only 4 laps- not enough time to bed-in as it were, but set a reasonable 55.473 lap time. Tanner set a blistering 50.567 on the track, and was exceptionally pleased with the whole experience.

We were using CyberKarts excellent cockpit setup (five set ups including sound and LCD screens fully adjustable seating and pedals made it a great deal easier to get comfortable and feel at home in the saddle as it were). CyberKart confirmed that they’d be working with OXCGN on the upcoming OXCGN Forza 3 Racing Cockpit along with Fantec and GAME (AU).

So there will be more news coming on that soon as well as a detailed report on today’s event, so stay tuned (pun intended).

Source:

http://oxcgn.com/2009/09/02/forza-3-world-first-v8-supercars-details-oxcgn-update/

Leaked Halo 3 ODST Details and Screenshots

2009-09-02T22:33:00.000+05:30

Halo 3 ODST is still due for release in a couple of weeks, but video footage and screenshots have surfaced recently, along with new details about the gameplay and features.

The game has certainly evolved into a much more non-linear and tactical experience. The city of New Mombasa is vast and feels empty after a battle; one needs to constantly look over the map to ascertain his position and adjust his movements accordingly.

Interestingly, several modules of the Firefight mode can be seen in the single-player campaign. For instance, the appearance of enemies in waves of drop-ships along with your designated objective to hold a position until victory are just like the separate Firefight campaign. This gives us the impression that just like how Halo 2’s levels was primarily designed from a multi-player perspective, so have several of the levels in Halo 3 ODST been designed keeping Firefight mode in mind.

Probably one of the most defining new features is the Achievement Tracker (seen in two of the screens below). This same feature was seen in Epic Games’ Gears of War 2. On the right side of your Heads-Up Display, you’ll see the various Achievements you can unlock, along with how many more kills and such you need to make before reaching them. Thus, you’ll be kept up to date in real time on the status of your Achievements.

You can also see in the second screenshot something regarding an “audio transcript”. The game keeps track of all audio and visual material you gather. The different audio logs help flesh out story elements surrounding the game’s world. Keep in mind though that most of the audio logs are hidden, like the terminals in Halo 3, so you’ll need to do a bit of exploring to find them if you want to know more about the backstory.

Source:

http://www.split-screen.com/2009/09/02/leaked-halo-3-odst-details-and-screenshots/

Forza Motorsport 3 Exclusive cam footage 2

2009-09-02T22:30:00.000+05:30

Right Click HERE and "save target as" to download this movie file.

Microsoft gets its act together... sort of

2009-09-02T22:28:00.000+05:30

Fair Go

WATCH the video (2:50)

Reporter: Gordon Harcourt

A few weeks back we told you about some surprising incompetence on Microsoft's part. They were doing the right thing, preventing under 18s accessing "mature content". They just didn't bother telling anybody what they were doing.

Angry xbox users contacted fair go when they suddenly found they couldn't download any material at all from the Xbox website.

Dismissive Microsoft statement
When we asked about it, Microsoft sent a remarkably brief statement, in which they completely failed to say "sorry" or "regret" or give any indication at all they realised they'd messed their customers about.

We are happy to say the wheels are slowly turning. If you're a New Zealand Xbox user under 18, you still can't download anything at all, even G content. However, we are assured Microsoft are working on sorting this out.

"Sorry" isn't the hardest word
More immediately, they've got their act together on actually informing their customers. Retailers have been briefed, and a couple of weeks back they emailed all the child account holders, saying "We sincerely regret any inconvenience this update has caused and we are working on restoring access to appropriate content. This is not a straightforward matter and we are unable to confirm when a solution will be in place but we will stay in touch."

We're glad to see they're finally saying sorry. And they've blocked under 18s from spending cash they then couldn't use, which was what the kids we talked to were most angry about.

Refunds
If you've bought Microsoft download points you now can't use, you can get a refund by going to the following web address, or calling 0508 555 592.

www.xbox.com/en-nz/support

Source:
http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/xbox-update-microsoft-gets-its-act-together-sort-2963373

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

2009-09-02T22:25:00.000+05:30

1280x720 | 640x360

Need for Speed SHIFT - Willow Springs Trailer

2009-09-02T22:22:00.002+05:30

Halo 3: ODST leaked Campaign gameplay in HD

2009-09-02T22:22:00.001+05:30

Part 1:

Part 2:

Wold Premire of Halo 3: ODST opening cutscene

2009-09-02T22:20:00.000+05:30

In our previous post we where showing the gameplay in HD well now courtesy of SpongeFreakX we have the World premiere of Halo 3: ODST opening cutscene so sit back and enjoy and dont worry it has sub-titles in English

Source:

http://greenlightgamer.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/wold-premire-of-halo-3-odst-opening-cutscene/

Xbox 360 to Replace Sky Set-Top Boxes?

2009-07-05T13:40:00.001+05:30

Just prior to this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles last month, Microsoft unveiled plans to make Sky TV available to Xbox 360 gamers across the UK and Ireland. In a world first, Microsoft and Sky are set to make live premium television available directly through a videogames console. The story gets even more interesting, however, with the revelation today that one of the parties involved is currently conducting market research for the prospect.

Details of the full channel line-up will be revealed closer to launch, but it is anticipated that Xbox LIVE! users will be able to access blockbuster movies, entertainment shows, documentaries, kids TV, music and the arts, as well as Premier League football, Test Match cricket and a wide variety of other sports through Sky Sports. For a new customer joining Sky through their Xbox 360, Sky Player will offer a wide range of live channels and on-demand content via a number of different packages. These customers will also be able to access their favourite shows on a pay-per-view basis.

The service is due to launch this Autumn, and rumours have already begun to suggest that a total replacement of Sky Set-Top Boxes may well be on the cards. With Xbox 360’s retailing for only slightly more than a standard Sky Set-Top Box, it’s not out of the question to suggest that both may be offered to new customers as perhaps standard and premium options, aside the current standard, Sky+ and Sky+HD boxes. Of course, it’s not too difficult to figure out the benefits for both parties should such a deal be formed.

Further adding validity to the suggestion would be the news today that one of the involved parties appears to be conducting research into that exact subject matter. Registered users at OpinionWorld, an online market research company, have recently been asked a series of questions concerning both Sky TV and the Xbox 360 in quick succession, and while this is in no way confirmation that the Xbox 360 console is intended to replace Sky Set-Top Boxes and it remains impossible to discover who OpinionWorld are conducting the research on behalf of, reading between the lines of the questions asked certainly paints a picture.

“Does you household currently subscribe to Sky TV?” Participants were asked, requiring a simple “Yes” or “No” in response, with selecting “No” presenting a question asking the user how likely they were to subscribe in the next twelve months, based on a scale of 1 to 10. A random, seemingly red herring question about visiting Denmark then followed, before the user was asked whether or not their household currently owns an Xbox 360, with again only a simple “Yes” or “No” required in response.

The two next questions certainly drum home the importance of an on-demand movie system, as of course the North American partnership with Netflix remains absent from UK Xbox 360’s. “How many DVDs have you bought in the past 6 months for at least £9.99?” With the possible answers of “1”, “2-5”, “6-10”, “11 or more” and “none” available, followed directly by a question about broadband connection speeds. “From the list below can you choose the speed that is closest to the speed of the fixed line Internet connection you have at home?” With the responses “Up to 2Mb”, “Up to 8Mb”, “Up to 10Mb”, “Up to 20Mb”, “Up to 24Mb”, “Up to 50Mb” and “Don’t know” available.

Any gamer well versed with the Xbox 360’s online potential will immediately piece together the clues laid out here, and the depths at which the entirely agreeable proposition will be marketed seem to be much greater than initially suggested by the rather subdued revelation back in late May. The Xbox 360 is quickly becoming an essential living room addition, and Electronic Theatre will be certain to keep you updated with it’s progress.

Source:

http://www.electronictheatre.co.uk/index.php/industry-blogs/editors-commentary/2408-xbox-360-to-replace-sky-set-top-boxes

Ubisoft: Spielberg inspired by Splinter Cell

2009-07-05T13:39:00.001+05:30

Film director Steven Spielberg has said he gets a lot of ideas from games like Splinter Cell, according to Ubisoft's Maxime Bernard.
Speaking during an interview for our exclusive hands-on with Splinter Cell Conviction in the new issue, Bernard recounted a visit from Spielberg at E3.

"He had an entourage... and he said to his friend 'it gives us a lot of ideas, it's very inspiring'" said Bernard. "I was thinking, like, wow. If we made a game that inspires Spielberg then [censored], we're doing something good here."

High praise indeed. We were pretty blown away by our time with the game too - read about it in issue 49 on-sale now.

Source:

http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=11382

Gears of War 2 for PC Coming?

2009-07-05T13:36:00.001+05:30

Gears of War is the highly acclaimed third person video game from Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games, and the Windows PC version of the game was release about a year after the Xbox 360 version. Now IGN reports that website Beantown Games has put up the PC version of Gears of War 2 for pre-order.

When they contacted Microsoft for comment, a company rep told them, “Gears of War 2 is a great franchise for the 360, and so we are putting all of our attention into making sure that it stands out on that console. There are no plans to bring the game to the PC.”

The site offering the pre-order also lists December 4, 2009 as the release date for the Games for Windows version of Gears of War 2. They also say that the limited edition version will come for 59.99 USD (approx. Rs. 2,850) and includes a PC DVD-ROM, a 48 page book called ‘Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2’ all in a special case, plus a gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle for online play.

Source:

http://www.gameguru.in/pc/2009/12/gears-of-war-2-for-pc-coming/

Silverlight ads on Xbox 360

2009-07-03T13:37:00.001+05:30

I’ve seen quite a bit of discussion today about how we’re bringing Silverlight ads to LIVE in the future.
I need to let you know that you don’t need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard. One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we’ve done with some of the NXE slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like like Shibuya Crossing. That’s just not good for anyone.

Source:

http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/07/01/advertising-on-xbox-live.aspx

IGN: Funny Extended Milo Demo

2009-07-03T13:36:00.001+05:30

Watch below a very funny video about the Project Milo demonstration. Must be over 18+ to watch.

Review: gearzap.com

2009-07-03T13:05:00.005+05:30

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First Impression:
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All in one Website of Net book and laptop users with best filtering and searching features which makes easy to get accessories and bags best fit for Laptop you own and I highly recommend this website to Laptop User’s who are having hard time finding perfect accessories and bags for their laptops

New Dead Rising 2 Scans from Famitsu

2009-04-22T13:27:00.001+05:30

Some new scans of Dead Rising 2 have emerged in a 4 page feature for Famitsu. You can find said scans after the jump but already, the info has already emerged on the scans from Kotaku. The lead character’s name is Chuck Greene and the game will be based on a 72 hour period like the last game.

Release date TBC, out for PS3 and 360… whenever.

Expect more info at Captivate this week.

Will Wright Leaves EA

2009-04-09T07:48:00.001+05:30

The top game designer in the United States — maybe the world — has left one of the biggest publishers in the industry. And he’s already got a new job.

***

Will Wright, famous designer of “Sim City,” “The Sims,” and “Spore” is leaving Electronic Arts, his publisher announced today. Wright will be running the Stupid Fun Club, an organization he started in 2001 with EA and had used for robot experiments, TV pilots and other offbeat ideas for years.

Wright had been part of EA since the publisher bought Maxis, the studio where Wright made “Sim City” in 1997.

Wright’s effectively done at EA today, Lucy Bradshaw, vice president and general manager at Maxis told MTV Multiplayer in an interview about the news earlier today. No one’s taken Wright’s office yet, but she imagines someone will occupy it. For aspiring Maxis employees with eyes on that space, note that it has windows and –fittingly for Wright — a “smoker’s patio.”

Wright explained his departure in a press release: “The entertainment industry is moving rapidly into an era of revolutionary change,” he said in the release announcing his career change. “Stupid Fun Club will explore new possibilities that are emerging from this sublime chaos and create new forms of entertainment on a variety of platforms. In my twelve years at EA, I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside some of the brightest and most talented game developers in the industry and I look forward to working with them again in the near future.”

Bradshaw said Wright will be working on ideas for a range of media formats at Stupid Fun Club, which will be jointly owned by Wright, EA — both holding an equal stake — along with an unnamed third investor who holds a smaller stake. “EA has first right on options to any games in development [from the Stupid Fun Club],” Bradshaw said. She noted that the career change was Wright’s idea. “At no point was there resistance,” she said. “There was a lot of collaborative dialogue about how the partnership would move forward.”

Bradshaw said that the development of Wright-created franchises owned by EA such as “Sim City,” “The Sims” and “Spore” will continue without Wright, steered, as they have been in recent years, by top creators in the company. And beyond that, she emphasized, EA is stocked with top creators. “Yes, Will is one of our amazing creators,” she said, “But EA did spend time thinking and investing in its own [intellectual property] and we’ve got a number of creators within the umbrella of Electronic Arts — Greg and Ray at BioWare, Alex Ward at Criterion doing ‘Burnout‘ — that you’ll continue to see EA innovate and continue to take in new directions.”

Asked whether Wright could be hired by another game publisher like Activision, Bradshaw emphasized that EA gets first look at any game projects that could spin out of Wright’s Stupid Fun Club work. When asked for clarification about whether that meant Wright was contractually prevented from working at another game company, she said she didn’t have the specific details on that but didn’t think that was possible: “Essentially it is a partnership with Stupid Fun Club that would dissolve if he was not the primary owner there.”

No game projects are currently in development at the Stupid Fun Club.

The Stupid Fun Club is based in Berkley, not far from Maxis. “I think we’ll see him here from time to time,” Bradshaw said.

A 2002 Newsweek article described the Club as an incubator for wild idea:

The two-year-old stupid Fun Club is organized around the interest in robots, shared by Thorpe and filmmaker Mike Winter, Wright’s partners in the club. Their first TV pilot, called “M.Y. Robot,” features six-inch-high puppets, a roaming robot and a 16th-century Japanese village that has been altered by alien technology. In postproduction, anime-style graphics were overlaid onto the footage to communicate with viewers in a secret script. Wright explains that he was appropriating Japanese visual styles in the same way the Japanese shows reinterpret American cultural mores. “As far as we know, nobody has done this,” he says.

Regardless of how much non-gaming work will be happening at the Stupid Fun Club, don’t presume that Will Wright is retired as a video game creator. “I think Will will continue in the games space,” Bradshaw said. “It’s something that’s very natural to him… I think what gamers might see is other directions Will might take on as well”

Last year, Wright told MTV Multiplayer he already knew what he was working on next. It would be something “pretty grandiose.” Today, it seems, we can also count it being stupid. And fun.

SOurce:

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/04/08/will-wright-leaves-ea/

Assassin’s Creed 2 In Leonardo Da Vinci’s Venice

2009-04-07T12:03:00.001+05:30

Many disliked the first iteration of Assassin’s Creed (not me that’s for sure) yet failed to see the depth and intricacy of the whole concept. I believe it was an excellently laid out scenario that will carry the franchise on for several iterations. It also will be in competition with another game of similar proportions called The Crossing that is based on a similar time manipulation idea, except this one flickers back and forth from the earlier period and modern day. The two should compete well together.

Ubisoft are gearing up to release information on the next iteration of Assassin’s Creed on April 16th. Earlier we saw signs it was set during the French Revolution, but that looks to be wrong now. If you head to their Official Assassin’s Creed site, you’ll find the video below, and see the icon on the left is active, but does not give you any details - yet.

Gamers of today seem to need more stimulation than previous generations and want everything yesterday if not sooner, and rush through games at a blazing pace. They often miss some of the most crucial aspects that the developers have built into a franchise over several years.

Ideally they will be patient with this one and see what they are building up to. Ideally this series is building up to something even better than what we’ve seen.

Assassin's Creed 2 - Altair in Venice with Leonardo Da Vinci at his side ?!

The game is obviously set in Leonardo Da Vinci’s period (1452 - 1519) in Venice Italy. A fitting theme and location given the fact that Leonardo was excommunicated for his work on the human body and his various art works. During this time a great deal of his work and plans were destroyed or hidden away to stop the church from destroying them.

His mind was light years ahead of anyone at the time, and still blows many concepts out of the water even in today’s times. His work on the human body would fit in well with the concept drawings showing how the left arm was altered and how the muscles were worked into the “blade” Altair uses for his assassinations. The drawings show how the elbow joint articulated more than normal to allow for easier assassinations.

The wings sketches are a common image with his work - does this mean our new ‘Altair’ may well have flight abilities? After all, in the earlier iteration his name means ‘bird’ and his bird’s-eye view, diving and white cloak and hooked hood give the impression of an eagle. I couldn’t see anything around his rumoured swimming capabilities, but if it is set in Venice that seems plausible. Perhaps this will come with later unlocking of more ‘Da Vinci’ codes.

Once we have more concrete details, we’ll elaborate on the hints, but for now dig away at the teaser and see what you can uncover. Let us know in the comment section below what you see that we missed.

SOurce:

http://oxcgn.com/2009/04/07/assassins-creed-2-in-leonardo-da-vincis-period-in-venice/

OPM UK & Edge May 2009 Issue scan

2009-04-07T00:10:00.001+05:30

Edge

Crytek: The Internet Isn't Ready For Streaming Game Services

2009-04-03T07:18:00.001+05:30

Crysis developer Crytek reveals that they have done research into providing streaming game services like the ones Onlive is promising, only to conclude that the internet wouldn't be ready for them until at least 2013.

According to Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli, the company began research the potential of a service that allowed games played on high-end servers to be controlled remotely via an internet connection back in 2005, only to stop in 2007, having determined that such a service wasn't feasible yet.

"We saw that by 2013 - 2015 with the development of bandwidths and household connections worldwide that it might become more viable then...It doesn't take a lot to make a video-based renderer, but what you need is the right infrastructure that is beyond the technology we have, it's more like cable net providers and communication networks. They have to provide fast bandwidths and connectivity in order to allow such technology to excel. So as it was dependent on somebody else, we decided to wait."

This was actually my primary concern when I first heard about the Onlive service. Having watched my supposedly stable internet connection have to reset itself at least three times while streaming a Netflix movie to my Xbox 360, my faith in streaming even something as simple as keyboard and mouse commands is a bit shaken, even with Steve Perlman of Onlive's assurances.

Despite his own company's conclusions, Yerli wants to see Onlive succeed.

"I want to see it myself. I don't want to say it's either 'top or flop'. I hope it works for them because it could improve gamers lives. The technology of video-based rendering is not actually a very new concept but they do some things that others didn't do before so it will be interesting to see."

Crytek: Streaming games service viable in 2013 [GamesIndustry.biz]

Source:

http://kotaku.com/5195486/crytek-the-internet-isnt-ready-for-streaming-game-services

Xbox 360 System update now available (no new features)

2009-04-02T20:07:00.003+05:30

A few minutes ago, the team released a system update for the Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE. Sometime over the next few hours when you sign in to Xbox LIVE you’ll receive a prompt to accept this mandatory update. This update addresses interruption issues that some Xbox LIVE users may have experienced when playing a limited number of Xbox 360 games.

There are no other changes or enhancements in this update…in other words no new features.

This update will be rolled out to all Xbox LIVE members around the world over the space of a few hours, so you may not get prompted for the update immediately.

Thanks for your patience.

SOurce:

http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/04/02/xbox-360-system-update-now-available-no-new-features-4-2.aspx

Namco: Tekken 6 on 360 will not be inferior

2009-04-02T20:07:00.001+05:30

Tekken 6 director Katsuhiro Harada has said the 360 version of Namco's upcoming beat em' up will not be inferior to the PS3 version

"We want to dispel any fears that fans might have that the 360 version will be inferior [to the PS3 version]," said Harada. "We are making progress every day and we're quite confident."

Harada added that it has been a "big challenge" to develop Tekken 6 on the 360, as the game was originally designed for an arcade board based on similar architecture to the PS3.

“We are making progress every day and we're quite confident”

When it came to Sony's console, Harada said the potential of the PS3's hardware became more apparent during Tekken 6's development.

"As far as [the PS3's] potential goes, this is something we really noticed when developing Bloodline Rebellion. In the Tekken Project, when we talk about dividing the processing we say to “SPU it”. If you use the SPU’s capabilities properly and optimize the code accordingly you can pull a lot out of the hardware."

Harada previously said it was proving difficult to fit Tekken 6 onto a single DVD, and that the next iteration of the Xbox 360 could benefit from technology used in Tekken 6's development.

Follow the link for our full Tekken 6 interview with Katsuhiro Harada.

The Top Spelunker Player In Japan Is A Pin-Up Model

2009-03-30T21:21:00.001+05:30

...though, calling idol Haruna Anno simply a "pin-up model" isn't entirely accurate. She's a gaming idol and not by accident.

Last month, Haruna posted her Street Fighter IV online stats. She had fought in 214 fights, won 178 of them and lost 36. Her winning percentage was an impressive 83.13 percent.

Haruna is hardly a casual player. Her room is a gaming shrine, filled with retro game hardware, an arcade cabinet and games — lots of games. She's dead serious about playing, too. She claims to have once played Chrono Trigger for 36 hours straight and has whizzed through Super Mario Bros. so many times that she can clear World 1-1 without looking at the screen.

Since her specialty is retro gaming, the HD Spelunker remake for the PS3 is right up her alley. She came, she saw and, yes, she has already conquered. She blogs this about Minna de Spelunker:

Now, it's 3 o'clock. Finally, I'm in first place!! Number one nationwide! It's currently 3am on March 27. I can totally keep going. I should be able to even for the next three weeks.

This isn't totally unexpected as Anno was involved in the game's promotion. Still, she'll pwn you proper.

みんなでスペランカー　一位になった。寝る [杏野はるなの日常 via チラシの裏でゲーム鈍報] Pic]

Source:

http://kotaku.com/5189702/the-top-spelunker-player-in-japan-is-a-pin+up-model

GDC 09: 'Metal Gear Solid'... Raiden?

2009-03-27T07:51:00.001+05:30

If you've followed the Live Blog of the Kojima's GDC 2009 Keynote, you might be asking yourself, "What's the deal with the last startling images of the presentation?".

After a rousing speech taking audience members through the entire Metal Gear franchise the last image we were left with was a bold still which reads "Mission: The Next MGS". Furthermore, planted in the top right corner of the still is a clear impression of the cyber ninja Raiden (close-up after the cut):

Which leads us to Kojima's interview earlier this week with IGN, where he stated that work was currently underway on a new game and that "An official game announcement will be made at E3." Could the images above be the smoking gun for the next Metal Gear Solid to be a Raiden-specific outing? Given that of course, there was no other mention of specifics or hints given throughout the keynote, for we'll have to wait and see not when, but what will be announced at this year's E3.

There's definite writing on the wall, but what's your theory on the official announcement at E3?

source:

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/694324/GDC-09-Metal-Gear-Solid-Raiden.html

BBC Watchdog about Xbox 360 disc scratching

2009-03-25T21:23:00.001+05:30

We decided to set up an experiment with two Xboxes, a brand new console and one that we knew had already caused a scratch. We placed them both on level, stable surfaces. We arranged vases of water to indicate any movements, sealed off a secure space and inserted brand new games. Watchdog researchers then played solidly for six hours a day for three days, with neither Xbox being moved once.

After three days, the team hadn't had a single scratch. The conditions, however, weren't exactly what you'd find in an average teenager's bedroom, so we decided to take the test a little further and this time the result was quite different.

Boxes subjected to simulated vibrations
We sent the same Xbox 360s to a lab in Hampshire, where special testing equipment replicated the vibrations you'd find in a typical home. The first test simulated walking and caused the consoles no problem at all. Then the boxes were subjected to shock vibration testing, which simulated vibrations equivalent to that of someone putting a book down on the table near the Xbox. The newer console passed with flying colours; however, the older console caused a scratch similar to those experienced by the previous owner.

Our testers told us that the console had failed "very, very quickly" and that these are the kinds of vibrations you'd expect any household to have - particularly when playing games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero that encourage you to get physically involved.

Microsoft unwilling to admit there's a problem
The US lawyers have had similar test results to Watchdog's and they're likely to be a key part of their case against Microsoft. In the meantime, it seems Microsoft is unwilling to admit there's any such problem with the consoles.

Full Story: bbc.co.uk

Yosuke Hayashi Mans Up, Moves Out Of Itagaki's Shadow

2009-03-25T13:14:00.001+05:30

Tecmo's redundant announcement of Ninja Gaiden Σ 2 was more than just a chance to talk about online co-op; it was Producer Yosuke Hayashi's chance to come out of his ex-boss's shadow.

Tomonobu Itagaki has always been critical of Sigma. He even said that a Ninja Gaiden II Sigma version would be a "loss of face."

Responding publicly to Itagaki's criticism for the first time since the Team Ninja leader left Tecmo, Hayashi said, "There's nothing I'd put against the Sigma series. The face has changed, the leader [of Team Ninja] has changed, the so-called creator has left..." But it's still Ninja Gaiden, he said. "The DNA is there."

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 picks up where Sigma left off and will be an "encapsulation" of the entire Ninja Gaiden series from Xbox to DS. Hayashi hopes to keep the series going even beyond that with downloadable content for the PS3 (but not the 360, sorry) and possibly future games.

"We're confident," Hayashi said of Sigma 2. "This will be the ultimate package, the one you will always remember."

Hayashi's also confident that he can fill the void left by Itagaki: "I'll prove it with the game," he said, which sounded way more badass in Japanese. Later, in English, he told me he was the boss of Team Ninja now.

You go, boy. Don't let them tell you that you can't be The Man just because you don't wear Bono shades. Go forth and make the best PS3 port/upgrade ever!

SOrce:

http://kotaku.com/5182867/yosuke-hayashi-mans-up-moves-out-of-itagakis-shadow

Bungie teases something for April 9

2009-03-21T17:30:00.001+05:30

Bungie’s included “P.S. 04/09/09&Prime at the end of its weekly update, which almost certainly points to the release date of Halo 3’s Mythic Map Pack.

That said, it’s Bungie. So we may get something new on Halo: ODST. Or not. Who knows?

Bungie does.

Thanks, IGN

69 Super Sexy Gamer Girls

2009-03-19T20:21:00.001+05:30

Since the beginning of time - or at least since the release of the Commodore 64 - man has reveled in the awesome hotness that is the ‘gamer girl.’ These rare specimens of humanity can bring even a level 12 Mage to his knees with horniness. So to celebrate this elusive powerhouse of attraction, we’ve compiled 69 of these glorious hotties for your viewing pleasure. Just don’t blame us when your brain explodes from sexiness overload.

(Click thumb to view full image)

SOurce:

http://coedmagazine.com/2009/03/17/69-super-sexy-gamer-girls/

Resident Evil 5 prototypes

2009-03-19T20:20:00.001+05:30

Early concept sketches

At an even earlier stage in development, the Resident Evil 5 team weighed up the relative merits of different game engines. These screenshots give an intriguing glimpse of how RE5 looked around that time.

The following screenshots are taken from a map built by the Resident Evil 5 dev team for testing purposes. Though this locale is not used in the ﬁnal game, it is clearly evocative of the Public Assembly area. Dedicated Resident Evil fans may also recognize it from an early promotional trailer.

Prototype: Final:

Chris ﬁghting on top of a dilapidated bus. The ﬁgure approaching him is an early version of the “agitator” Majini encountered in Chapter 1-1.

Prototype: Final:

This screen reveals an assault riﬂe not used in the retail version. Note the size of Chris’s arm; his build was slimmed down considerably for the ﬁnal game.

Chris standing beside the bus, now overturned. In an earlier design concept, the RE5 team considered the introduction of a set-piece event where Majini would push the vehicle onto its side. The Majini to the left is in a “waiting” stance that was only used during the early stages of development.

A still that illustrates one of the central design concepts in Resident Evil 5: the sharp contrasts between light and shadow, with Chris ﬁring at Majini approaching from the shade beneath the footbridge.

A female Majini (Town) variant without bandana, not encountered in the ﬁnal game.

A Majini either attacking with a chair, or hastily adjusting nearby furniture in order to enhance the feng shui of the ongoing slaughter. Either way, this weapon didn’t make the ﬁnal cut.

These sequences of screenshots illustrate Chris evading enemy assaults. There are no visible button prompts here, but players were required to press the Action Button to evade blade attacks back then. The development team also went through several iterations of the grapple attack, each time improving the attack method and camera work.

Source:

http://www.rehorror.net/v20/resident-evil-5-prototypes

Microsoft getting the Community involved in E3 this year; Microsoft’s E3 2009 booth is HUGE

2009-03-16T23:09:00.001+05:30

While listening to Major Nelson’s (Microsoft’s own Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Larry Hryb) podcast for today, Major Nelson announced some very interesting news.

Major Nelson stated:

“I can’t say much but I will say this; part of the Xbox Experience is Xbox Live, and part of Xbox Live is the community. The community will definitely play a role in this.”

In response to Major Nelson, “e” stated:

“We’re gonna try and get the community involved in E3 this year.”

So what is this “Community getting involved in E3&Prime? Unveiled at E3 2008, Microsoft introduced its Xbox Live expansion named Xbox Live Primetime. Featured in Xbox Live Primetime was a game based off the hit TV game show 1 vs. 100. Will Microsoft invite the community to play 1 vs. 100 with them at their E3 press conference? Will we see new games that will be released for Primetime?

Also stated in Major Nelson’s Podcast, Major Nelson talked about Microsoft’s booth:

“I’ve seen that picture of our booth, its gonna be HUGE.”

So with Microsoft’s booth will be plentiful of games, and with the introduction of the fans participating in Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference, it looks like we can certainly look forward to E3 this year.

[AKA: Major Nelson Podcast #312]

Source:

http://giantgamer.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/microsoft-getting-the-community-involved-in-e3-this-year/

Privacy Policy

2009-03-16T22:11:00.001+05:30

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Xbox UK chief doesn't believe Sony's 20m PSN figure

2009-03-10T09:53:00.001+05:30

Stephen McGill says there's questions over what Sony's numbers really mean.

Microsoft UK has responded to Sony's recent claim that the PlayStation Network has exceeded 20 million registered accounts, questioning what exactly it means.

Last month Sony sparked intense debate after it sent out a press release announcing that "the cumulative number of registered accounts on PlayStation Network has exceeded 20 million as of February 20, 2009".

The announcement suggested PSN had three million more registered users than Xbox LIVE, which, according to Microsoft's latest figures, has more than "17 million active members".

However, speaking to VideoGamer.com, Microsoft's head of gaming and entertainment in the UK, Stephen McGill, said that "there's questions over what does Sony's numbers really mean".

He said: "When we talk about our numbers we feel they're active users who are actively engaged in all the forms of entertainment we offer on Xbox 360. I think if you look at the comments made on the forums, or the comments made by analysts at Screen Digest then there's questions over, well what does Sony's numbers really mean? Are they duplicates? I think there's a lot of questions there.

"All I'm really worried about is, I know I'm the largest online video on demand service in the UK, we are worldwide, we've got a great online service the others can't come close to. They're not right now. When you think of our heritage as a company Microsoft has proven we are probably the only company in the world that can offer great online experiences for millions and millions and millions of people. And that's what we do every day with Xbox LIVE."

McGill added: "Sony do what Sony want to do and if they think that's right for their business to say those kind of numbers then they can do and will do whatever they want to do. Do I believe them? No."

For more from McGill head elsewhere on VideoGamer.com for the interview in full.

Tekken 6 can’t fit on the 360? Really Guys?

2009-03-10T09:50:00.003+05:30

Rumors have been circulating saying that Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion will be inferior on the Xbox 360 as opposed to the Playstation 3 version. I’m here to tell you that rumor is false and 360 owners need not worry about having an inferior game. Below are the listed specifications of the Sega Lindbergh which housed Virtua Fighter 5 R and Namco System 357 which is housing Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion.

Namco System 357

Hardware : PS3 Based
CPU : Cell
CPU Notes : Microprocessor consisting of one 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based Power Processing Element (PPE) and six Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs).
A seventh runs in a special mode and is dedicated to aspects of the OS and security, and an eighth is disabled to improve production yields.
PlayStation 3’s Cell CPU achieves 204 GFLOPS single precision float and 15 GFLOPS double precision.
GPU : RSX
GPU Notes : Based on NVIDIA G70 (NV47) architecture. The GPU makes use of 256 MB GDDR3 RAM clocked at 700 MHz with an effective transmission rate of 1.4 GHz and up to 224 MB of the 3.2 GHz XDR main memory via the CPU (480 MB max)

Ram : 256MB Rambus XDR DRAM, clocked at CPU die speed.

Notes : The floating point performance of the whole system (CPU + GPU) is reported to be 2 TFLOPS.

Lindbergh Specifications

CPU: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz with 1 megabyte L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Compatible, 800 MHz FSB

RAM: 184 pin DDR SDRAM PC3200(400 MHz) 512 MB × 2(Dual)

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 AGP (NV40), 256 Bit GDDR3 256 MB, compatible with Vertex Shader 3.0 & Pixel Shader 3.0

Sound: 64 channel, 5.1 ch SP-DIF

LAN: On board, 10/100/1000 BASE-TX. JVS I/O Connector

Serial: 2 Channel (can switch one channel between 232C and 422)

Other: USB port x 4, Compatible HDTV (High Definition), DVD Drive Support, Sega ALL.NET online support

Operating System: Linux^[26]

Protection : High Spec original security module.

The Sega Lindbergh standard sit-down cabinet uses a 1360×768 WXGA LCD display.

As you can see the Namco System 357 has only a better processor and that would only be because it is newer hardware. The graphics card however is more or less the same. The Sega Lindbergh housed Virtua Fighter 5 which is a beautiful looking game and easily comparible to Tekken 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 was ported to the Xbox 360 flawlessly. The Xbox 360 is able to handle Street Fighter 4 just as well as the PS3 can which again is a testament to the fact that at the very least when it comes to fighting games the 360 versions can play just as well as the PS3 versions. I will now link to videos of Tekken 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 which both in my opinion look gorgeous but no more so than each other.

Now that you’ve seen the graphics comparisons as well as the original system specs of both games I’d like to tell you that it is a fighting game people. There’ll be an arcade mode, versus, training, online, and maybe a movie gallery, that’s not that many modes, the game will not be on 2 discs or any of that nonsense. The rumor that Tekken 6 wouldn’t be able to fit onto a single DVD was probably started by a PS3 owner for some sort of hype. The graphics processor for Tekken 6’s original version is the same for a game that was ported to 360 flawlessly the amount of features the game will have could not possibly warrant 2 discs or inferiority on one console or the other, especially since Soul Calibur 4 had way more features than I Tekken would usually have and was also a multi-platform game that looks gorgeous on both consoles. So put you fears at ease 360 fighting fans your copy of a 1 disc Tekken 6 will most definitely be the same as the PS3 owners’

Source:

http://gamingvice.net/2009/03/09/tekken-6-cant-fit-on-the-360-really-guys/

MS "no comment" on Elite discontinuation

2009-03-10T09:50:00.001+05:30

Microsoft has refused to comment on reports that its planning to discontinue the Elite SKU of the Xbox 360, instead moving it into a more limited edition role ala the blood red Resident Evil 5 console.

In reply to a web report that claims that manufacturing of the Elite console will cease in the second quarter of this year, a Microsoft spokesperson told CVG: "Microsoft does not comment on rumours or speculation." Not a denial nor confirmation, then.

According to the original report's insider "sources," the Elite will move into a more limited edition role, like the above Resi 5 box, and will be available at only "select retailers".

As part of the transition, a larger 120GB-plus hard drive will also be made available, the site claims. We'd hate to think how much that will retail for...

Sounds fair enough to us. Especially if MS ends up bundling the standard Pro console with an even larger hard drive. We'll let you know if anything else leaks out...

SOurce:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=210104

Sorry, Your XBOX 360 Isn't The Right Kind Of Broken

2009-03-10T09:49:00.001+05:30

By now, most people know about the dreaded Red Ring of Death issue on the XBOX 360 — and the accompanying 3 year warranty. What many do not know is that that 3 year warranty only covers the "3 red lights" issue. If you get any other error code, you're out of luck.

Reader Matthew just found out about this the hard way:

I bought my Xbox 360 Pro at the end of January 2008 and I've had a flawless experience with it until Saturday afternoon. I turn the system on and see an error screen that says "System Error. Contact Xbox Customer Support" Also, an error code of "E74" appears in a larger font at the bottom of the screen. I quickly glance over to the Xbox itself and see flashing red coming from it. Now, at this point I'm thinking my time has come for the Red Ring of Death (or 3 flashing red lights error). I wasn't even angry, thinking that this is just a rite of passage for anyone that owns this system and I just have to deal with it. Though my normal one year warranty ran out on 1/23/09, I figured I'd still be in the clear with the extended warranty for flashing red light errors.

Guess again.

My next step was to get on Xbox.com to set up a repair on there. When I get to the drop down box where you specify the problem, I'm surprised to see 1 flashing red light, 2 flashing red lights, and 4 flashing red lights in addition to the 3. Just to be sure, I turned my Xbox back on to make sure it was 3 red lights — only 1 red light flashed in the lower right. I did a few more tests and the result was always the same. So, I returned to Xbox.com to select "1 flashing red light" but I see that costs $99 to fix! I looked the other flashing light selections and only "3 red flashing lights" came up at $0. At this point, I'm stunned and fairly angry. My system has failed, but because I have one light instead of three I have to pay half the cost of a new system to get it repaired. What gives?

As much as the RROD gets reported, I never once heard of other flashing red light errors besides the RROD. I Googled "xbox 360 E74" and quite a few hits come back. Turns out it's a well documented issue among users — one that Microsoft does not want to include in the extended warranty since it's not 3 red lights. From what I gathered, this problem seems to be on the increase with newer consoles like mine. Since attempting to set up a repair online to my satisfaction failed, I decided to call Xbox Customer Support. I knew this would get me nowhere, but I wanted to exhaust all the "standard" ways to get my problem resolved.

I spoke to a younger male who I think was named "Ed" (The thick Indian accent made him difficult to understand.) and I explained to him my problem. We first went through the game of making sure the connections were good, etc. I asked Ed what is causing the 1 flashing red light and and the E74 error code and the response was "hardware failure or some other problem." I then ask what causes the 3 flashing lights and the response there was "general hardware failure." I then inquire what the exact differences are and why isn't the 1 flashing light covered by the extended warranty. Ed, unfortunately, could not give me a straight answer and just trailed off. I immediately ask for a supervisor, but Ed claimed there was no one else for me to speak to, but that technical support might have the answers. For some reason, Ed could not put me through to them either. Ed then brings up getting the console repaired. If I chose to set up the repair over the phone it would be $120 (plus shipping). He also points out that if I did it online, I would get the discounted price of $99. I declined both of these offers said "Thank you" and ended the call.

I have spent a good deal of money on games, peripherals, and an Xbox Live subscription. I took good care of my system, but in the end, it did not matter. As far as I'm concerned (and I suppose its a matter of opinion) both 3 flashing lights and 1 flashing light are the same thing — Hardware failures. In both cases the console does not function properly and must be sent off for repair. Of course, Microsoft is only going to see it their way. That's how they've always operated and it isn't going to change anytime soon. The last thing I want to do is argue semantics over the phone with a CSR in India. I'm aware of do-it-yourself guides to fix the problem myself, but I don't want to go down that road quite yet. It will be interesting to see if a new wave of failures emerge.

So, the moral of the story: 3 red lights means life after death. 1 red light means eternal darkness and damnation.

We haven't heard of anyone convincing Microsoft that the "1 red light" error should be covered under the extended warranty — but we suppose if it starts happening with the frequency that the "3 red light" errors occur, they'll have to start covering it.

In the meantime, if you bought the XBOX with a credit card, check to see if your card offers extended warranty protection. Some cars automatically double the warranty — so you may be covered without even knowing it.

(Photo:julian-'s )

Source:

http://consumerist.com/5166698/sorry-your-xbox-360-isnt-the-right-kind-of-broken

Next Xbox could be affected by Tekken 6 tech

2009-03-06T08:27:00.003+05:30

According to its executive producer, Tekken 6's graphics approach the limit of what the Xbox 360 is capable of, and the beat-'em up's technology may affect development of the console's successor

"It is a challenge to fit this game onto one DVD and to make sure the data is read at a fast rate," Katsuhiro Harada told X360. "It is essential to utilize the 360’s functions and strengths to the fullest in order to accomplish the same goal. I believe that the data and experience gained during development may affect development of the next iteration of the console."

As Tekken 6 was developed on an arcade board based on the PS3's architecture, replicating the its high graphical fidelity on the 360 - at 60fps - has been very challenging according to Harada.

“This technology has been very difficult to realise with fighting games running at 60fps”

"Tekken 6’s graphics engine was developed for a high frame rate to create fluid motion rather than focusing purely on extravagant still shots," he said. "Using a ‘fulltime adjustable animation blur’ which adjusts to each character’s movement and speed, these games show a new level of smooth and dynamic movement. This technology has proved very difficult to realise with fighting games running at 60fps.

Even here at NBGI, the Soul Calibur Team gave up on it for Soul Calibur IV. In order to accomplish this effect, we had to write a lot of code optimised to make full use of the PS3’s SPU. Ultimately, we implement the same motion blur on the 360 so this will be a great challenge."

You can read the full interview with Harada in issue 44 of X360, out later this month.

Source:

http://xbox-360.nowgamer.com/news/249/next-xbox-could-be-affected-by-tekken-6-tech

Halo Wars in 90 seconds

2009-03-06T08:27:00.001+05:30

You don’t have time to draw out strategic plans and command dozens of your Spartan soldiers to take out the Covenant. Either you’re used to running and gunning down Grunts and Elites with your trusty battle rifle, or you just plain don’t like all this RTS BS. Whatever the case, we’ve come to the rescue to make things easier for you. Here is the entire Halo Wars story in 90 seconds. So don’t be upset if you missed the game’s midnight release (we checked, there was no line). Oh, we’ve also uncovered the spoiler of the century, ie Master Chief’s true identity, but you’ll have to watch the video first. Check it out below.

There you have it. Now you know that the humans are at war with the Covenant in the year 2531, 20 years before the first Halo game. The Arbiter kidnaps cute Professor Anders, takes her to an uncharted planet in another star system and uses her to activate a fleet of dormant Forerunner ships. She then escapes and assigns Sergeant J. Forge the task of destroying the planet by driving their ship’s FTL reactor into the planet’s sun. However, the core needs to be detonated manually, meaning whoever does it will surely die. And that’s the end of Sergeant Forge. Or is it?? All signs point to the massive revelation that Sergeant J. Forge is actually Master Chief. Wishful thinking? Put on your tinfoil hat and step into our Halobratory, we think we have a pretty compelling case.

Above: Extensive Halobratory

Above: Mounds of clues

Sergeant John Forge shares the same name with Master Chief, also known as John-117.

Back in our Top 7… Ugliest bastards in gaming, we showcased Master Chief’s face, which was first discovered as a glitch during the Halo 3 beta. We compared it side by side with a screenshot of Sgt. Forge from Halo Wars and found striking similarities, from the same brow arch down to the flares of their noses.

Above: “Master Chief” in Halo 3 beta

Above: Sergeant John Forge, also Master Chief!

On his right breast plate, Sgt. Forge bears 9 Legendary symbols. It doesn’t take an Einstein to know that 1 + 1 + 7 equals 9. Coincidence? We think not! 9 = 9, therefore Forge is the Chief.

Above: What the blur really is on Forge’s pistol

You’ll notice in Halo Wars that Sgt. Forge wears an Ace of Spades playing card on his left shoulder pad. Well, so does Master Chief in Halo 3. And don’t forget that Halo 3’s map editor is named Forge, just like Halo Wars’ protagonist. They could have named him anything in the known universe, but they purposefully picked the name of a Halo 3 game mode (was John Matchmaking already taken?)

You may have thought that Master Chief’s origins were explained in the novels, and that he was born in 2511, making him at least 20 years old during Halo Wars. But you know what, we didn’t read the novels and we don’t care what they say. The novels are heretical. The games are the only thing we consider canon, and there’s enough evidence in the games that John Forge and John-117 are at least related if not the same person. (We know Forge dies at the end, but they may have been able to salvage bits of his DNA after the explosion, or possibly cloned him off an old hair found in his cryostasis tube.)

CASE CLOSED.

Source:

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/halo-wars-in-90-seconds/a-20090305124654632068

Ninja Blade Review

2009-03-06T08:23:00.001+05:30

After months of bashing Ninja Blade and its complete resemblance to Ninja Gaiden, I finally imported Ninja Blade via PlayAsia and gave it a test run. After fully emerging myself in the ninja world, I've returned with surprising results.

Ninja Blade has you taking on the role of Ken, a ninja part of a task force trying to rid Tokyo of an infection that's rapidly spreading across the city. The infection turns humans into Resident Evil-like monsters.

Your first mission gives you a crash course of all the main mechanics in the game. It essentially teaches you what weapons to use in each of the sticky situations. You have the Ninja Blade, which is your standard weapon. The Twin Falcon knives are the fastest weapons in the game, capable of executing 30 plus hit combos.The falcon knives can also be used as grappling hooks. On the other side, we have the Stonerender sword. Its a slow, but heavy attack weapon that can also be used to break through walls and break the armor of bigger enemies. You're also given a shuriken that can summon different elemental attacks.

Ninja Blade's combat system isn't up to par with Ninja Gaiden, but the combat is varied. At times, you will take control of gun turrets on several different vehicles. These scenes are a welcome break from the hack and slashing and doesn't feel like a chore. Each mission is filled with boss battles. In one mission, you take on six different bosses. Each boss battle has a very epic feel to it, thanks to the quicktime events and the massiveness of every boss. Once you waste away a boss's health to nil, you have the opportunity to perform a Todome finisher.

The Todome finisher is an over the top finisher to attack the enemy. My personal favorite is when you climb a giant worm and the worm flings you off and flings buildings and vehicles at you. Using the QTE, you dodge the debris and catch a motorcycle. You are then able ride the motorcycle right at the worm. Ken then throws a dagger at the motorcycle, causing it to explode in the worm's face. It was a very satisfying experience.

Right from a boss battle, you're most likely going to encounter another one within a couple of minutes. Defeating enemies gives you experience and health orbs. The experience orbs gives you the ability to upgrade your weapons to unlock more deadly combos. You also can find new outfits and change every detail of it. My ninja has an orange and black pinstripe suit with a green sword handle.

Conclusion

Ninja Blade exceeded my expectations and not just because I had low expectations. The game's cinematics and QTE makes this game a very enjoyable experience. There are many times where you're not going to want to put the game down. If you played Ninja Gaiden and got frustrated with how hard it is, I promise you will love this game.

AnalogHype Rating: 9/10

Buy, Rent, or Demo? Buy

Source:

http://www.analoghype.com/xbox-360/reviews/ninja-blade-review/

Xbox 360 Leading To PlayStation Glory?

2009-03-06T08:22:00.001+05:30

Microsoft has a plan. I know that this statement might conjure up images of Steve Ballmer and Robbie Bach sitting in darkened office plotting new ways to steal more PS3 exclusives but if you look at Microsoft as a game company, they’ve come a long way in just two short generations of consoles.

The original Xbox cautiously tested the market; it built a fan base and turned Halo into an industry buzzword. Microsoft learned the ropes from the old king of the hill— the PlayStation Brand. Those lessons for success were simple: Get to the market first; aid developers and programmers; and finally, the most important of all— give gamers games. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft did this in a big way, promoting new franchises like Gears of War and Left 4 Dead.

No, these lessons weren’t learnt from that hype beast that was the PS2. They were gleaned from the console that started modern 3D console gaming as we know it: the PSone. The PSone embraced the relatively new (at the time) CD format. It had an extensive coding library to aid developers; Sony strived to make connections with publishers to bring games to the marketplace. Sony was aggressive with price cuts and with advertising campaigns. They were a force to be reckoned with and it made Nintendo and Sega almost pedestrian in comparison. That hunger and drive from Sony as they first faced off against Nintendo and the now-defunct Sega birthed a classic gaming system whose effects are still ringing in the ears of gamers today. Just go to a gaming convention and say: “Final Fantasy 7 remake” and you’ll drown in drool.

Sony used their brand recognition to build anticipation and tantalize gamers with the PS2. The PS2 was in many ways the opposite of the PSone. No longer a pure gaming system, it was far more difficult to program for and doubled as DVD player. As consumers snatched up this product developers were forced to follow the market in masses. The later launching GameCube and Xbox could do little to cut into the gigantic lead the Sony had amassed. This is why the original Xbox was quickly and quietly killed and replaced by its younger sibling. Microsoft wanted to upset the balance of power in the console war. They had learned firsthand that having more horsepower does not necessarily lead to more sales.

Sure, the Xbox 360 launch was tarnished by red rings and disc scratching, but early PSones and PS2s were plagued courted the hardcore, and helped developers so much that industry players like Gabe Newell and John Carmack have publicly stated how much easier it is to program for the Xbox 360. For better or worse, the Xbox 360 is a dumb PC. A dumb PC that is easy to build great games on.

What went wrong with the PS3? No console manufacturer has been able to hold a lead across three consecutive generations. Over confident, Sony tried to build upon brand confidence like the PS2 and failed. They did manage to build one of the best future-proof Blu-ray players money could buy but the market wasn’t ready for high definition players and gamers wanted games. The Xbox 360 delivered where the PS3 could not.

Even Japanese developers like Capcom know that the growth of the console gaming industry is a North American phenomena. Microsoft has delivered a product that caters to the tastes of a North American palate. We’ve been given first person shooters in bucketfuls, addictive sport games, and droves of platforms to live out our rock’n’roll fantasies. Microsoft and the Wii have proven that Sony can no longer rely on brand recognition alone. This generation may still have a longer life span than most; but make no mistake, the plans and strategies are already plotted and in motion.

Hold though, the console war is still in full effect. I believe that this E3 could be a turning point in the war; either solidifying Xbox 360 as a hardcore champion or rocketing the PS3 back to its crown. The PS3 owes a lot to the competition. Sony would not be nearly as innovative without the Xbox 360. For example, with the loud public outcry over the red rings, it did not surprise me when the PS3 launched problem free. The relatively quick growth of PSN and PlayStation Store into a viable alternative to Xbox Live show that Sony is not simply resting on its laurels. Inadvertently, the Xbox 360 could be leading the Sony brand back to its former glory.

Competition breeds innovation and arguably Sony is already leading in artistic innovation category with titles like Flower, Pixel Junk Eden, and Everyday Shooter. The PS3 is home to some epic and new headlining franchises like Resistance, Uncharted, and LittleBigPlanet. There is a wealth of franchises on the PS2 that haven’t transitioned over to the PS3 yet—where’s my Team ICO game? Where’s my new Twisted Metal? My full-fledged Gran Turismo? This year is looking like a great year to be a Sony fan. Killzone 2 is already rocking consoles and God of War is making media waves almost every day. Nathan Drake is coming back to consoles and I can’t wait to try out Zipper Interactive’s MAG. Maybe it’s just me, but Sony is starting to look hungry again.

Source:

http://www.thegameraccess.com/2009/03/xbox-360-leading-to-playstation-glory/

Review : Lombok.co.uk

2009-03-06T07:55:00.003+05:30

In the world for Furniture, lighting and accessories Lombok has distinct and easily recognizable purpose Lombok is known for ultra stylish Eastern inspired furniture, lighting and accessories including wooden beds, dining tables, wooden bookcases, chests of drawers, coffee tables, wardrobes, also beautiful accessories including cushions, baskets, candles, mirrors, quilts and more. And LOMBOK is listed for third year running in the Sunday times Fast track 100(which ranks Britain’s hundred private companies with fastest growing sales over the last three years) at position in December 2006

Web Design:

The best Web design in the category the furniture and the accessories are presented in a beautiful way and the picture slide give a overview of style of products they sell and the website is easily navigable and user-friendly and highlighting the important and rare designs in homepage makes easily to get most of money.

General:

LOMBOK has wide range of furniture and above all one of the best thing is LOMBOK Gift Vouchers which is a perfect way to gift parents or friends and being updated with LOMBOK is very easy with SUBCRIBE feature which keeps customers updated with Exclusive New Designs and models and LOMBOK offers £50 Gift prize

LOMBOK has 10 stores in LONDON and 9 international stores for making our living more comfortable and stylized. LAMBOK deals with Accessories starting from eating to living and work and sleeping it is a complete package for everyone who wants to have a life full of luxury and comfort. LAMBOK deal log Basket,Lamp Shades,Laundry Baskets .The design and styles of LAMBOK are exclusive and their seasonal collections are the best. So what are you waiting for the best Living style Store is in click of a button and the best part is you will be charged only once for multiple items so start ordering you dream furniture now.

Inafune-san: Xbox The Only Way To Break Into Overseas Market News

2009-03-03T22:17:00.003+05:30

Traditionally Capcom's internal Q&A's with leading developers and senior executives have failed to create anything of note. However the latest chat with Capcom's Keiji Inafune Managing Corporate Officer, Head of Research & Development Management Group, has proved to be a little more revealing.

When discussing the virtues of Capcom's overseas policy, Inafune-san suggests that long before Dead Rising and Lost Planet established the model, it was in fact the relatively little-heard of PS2 title Shadow of Rome that became the first title to adopt it.

Elaborating on the overseas policy further, Inafune-san makes his high opinion of the Xbox 360 well-known. Despite the perceived risk of developing for a Western format, Inafune's decision to support the Xbox 360 exclusively with Dead Rising, the timed exclusive of Lost Planet, and added support of PlayStation brands such as Devil May Cry and Resident Evil, ultimately bore significant success.

"I think I can only get away with saying this now, but I really thought that the using the Xbox was only way to break into overseas markets, and I took that hypothesis all the way", exclaimed Inafune-san. "In the end, I am very happy that I did so. Also, I think the hit success of Dead Rising and Lost Planet helped to bring our sometimes difficult creator organization together."

Source:

http://www.totalvideogames.com/Dead-Rising/news/Inafune-san-Xbox-The-Only-Way-To-Break-Into-Overseas-Market-13791.html

Is Microsofts new step to stop piracy enough?

2009-03-03T22:17:00.001+05:30

Well, it has been pretty smooth sailing for modders of Micosofts next-gen console. Maybe its been a little too easy for them! But with the forthcoming release of MLB 2k9 and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, Microsoft has thrown the modding community a little bit of a curveball.

Editors Note
We at AnalogHype do not condone or encourage pirating games.

Microsoft has implemented a new way in which they create discs, maybe a way to stop piracy or just a way to get the New Xbox Experience to people that dont have internet access? In these 2 new releases, Microsoft has added a portion of the disc dedicated with the NXE update which is throwing off the the way 360 modders are able to play discs. There have previoulsy only been 2 types of PFI and Video partitions, and now they have discovered a new "3rd Wave" video partition on the discs.

The way these new discs are made, they are said to only boot up on systems that were modded with firmware before the developers of the hacked firmware discovered how to stealth the backup discs. So, users with modded systems that want to play these games are forced to downgrade their hacked firmware to a firmware that Microsoft has been able to detect, and therefore, ban users of Xbox LIVE.

Is this a new way to thwart off piracy of Xbox 360 games, or will the modding community find away to play new backup games on LIVE?

Source:

http://www.analoghype.com/xbox-360/news/is-microsofts-new-step-to-stop-piracy-enough/

RED RING REPAIRED?

2009-03-02T03:03:00.001+05:30

Xbox designers say they have resolved the 'red ring of death' that resulted in many ruined consoles.

Our Blog: 22 of the Hottest Celebrity Women that Play Video Games

2009-03-01T18:05:00.001+05:30

We scoured the internet to try and find a good number of beautiful women that play video games. The task was difficult as could be expected. In our findings we found a combination of women that have been in video game movies or voiced video game characters in games. We also found some that use games for fitness or training. Some even enjoy games with their kids.

In a handful of cases we actually struck gold. Some of these women play games fanatically and know as much about the games they play as the average gamer if not more. So below are 22 of the hottest celebrity women that play video games... to some extent.

They are arranged alphabetically and not by how hot they are or by how much they game. You can enlarge the pictures and for some we actually have videos. If you know of any others left off the list, please let us know.

Gemma Atkinson

Videos

American fans may not be as familiar with the UK star Gemma Atkinson. She is best known for her role on the hit television show Hollyoaks as Lisa Hunter or maybe for her magazine covers and inclusion in the various "sexiest people" lists. As for gaming, Gemma recently starred in Command&Conquer: Red Alert 3 as role of Lt. Eva McKenna, a communications officer for the Allies. She will reprise that role in Command&Conquer: Red Alert 3 "Uprising". Gemma is a "secret game geek" herself and that fact makes her more than qualified for this list.

Quote:

"I'm a gamer and the chance to act in one of the best loved videogames was an opportunity I was really keen to explore - especially as Eva is such a strong female character."

Full Interview by Daily Mail

Gina Carano

Videos

If you follow MMA then you already know Gina "Conviction" Carano from her undefeated days at the recently folded EliteXC. Gamers that don't follow the extreme sports may recognize her as Natasha in Command&Conquer: Red Alert 3. Besides vowing to start with that game and broaden her gaming horizon, Gina is not exactly known as a gamer. In fact she has claimed to know very little about video games. She qualifies for this list only because of her looks, the fact that she is in a game, and knowing that she broke out her "old school Nintendo" to game it up. Maybe she has more time to game now since EliteXC is gone?

Quote:

"I have been playing recently Nintendo, my old school Nintendo."

Full Interview by Das Gamer

Asia Carrera

With an IQ of over 150, the ability to build her own computers, build and design her own website, and a love for video games, Asia Carrera sounds like a gamer's fantasy. I forgot to add to that list that she is also an award winning adult film star. In fact she took top honor as "AVN Performer of the Year". This porn star has also done a fair share of pwning in PC games like Unreal Tournament. Asia enjoys playing countless hours of games, even hosting her on UT servers and LAN parties at her house.

Quote:

"I always joke that UT causes Touret's syndrome, because when I frag I'm constantly spewing barrages of cuss words at my monitor, but in normal life I rarely curse at all."

Full Interview by XSReality at AsiaCarrera.com

Sarah Carter

Sarah Carter is sort of a stretch for this list and not because of her looks. She has a little credibility with fanboys for having small roles (in some cases, very small) in Dark Angel, Entourage, and Smallville. Her role that gets her on this list is her portrayal of Helena Douglas in DOA: Dead or Alive. Apparantly she spent at least two weeks playing DOA while filming the movie, but there is little evidence of her playing any other games anytime. She gets one bonus point for being in a movie with "Zelda" in the title.

Quote:

"We all got X-Boxes in our hotel rooms in China so I did get pretty good at it. It’s easy to figure out; it’s a little harder to master. But, I don’t know, probably two weeks of playing helped.”

Full Interview by About.com

Lexa Doig

Lexa Doig is an icon in the Sci-Fi world. She has been in numerous science fiction televison shows inluding Flash Gordon, TekWar, CI5, The 4400, Stargate SG-1, and most notably she held down multiple roles in Andromeda for 108 episodes. Lexa also was also the lead role in the slasher film, Jason X. Her first role on television was hosting a Canadian TV show called Video & Arcade Top 10 where kids would compete by playing video games against each other. Her interest in gaming is more than professional as she lists playing RPG computer games as one of her hobbies.

Quote:

"In her spare time (which is very limited with her new job as full-time Mommy), Lexa enjoys reading, rollerblading and playing RPG video games. She is a prolific internet surfer (a trait she inherited from her father) and a huge "Dungeons and Dragons" fan."

Full Biography by Lexa Fans

Jodie Foster

Videos

Jodie Foster is old enough to be the mother of some of the other women on this list. She is one of the most accomplished actresses of recent years, gaining numerous Academy Award nominations and bringing home two Oscars. In addition to all of that Jodie went to Yale and graduated with honors after being valedictorian at her high school. So what does a woman with such a high level education and decorated professional career do for fun? Guitar Hero with her kids is one thing she does for fun. Bonus points to her for having a stalker that is so dedicated that they tried to assassinate a US President to impress her.

Quote:

"Guitar Hero is big... We fight each other over it. I'm bad at it, but I'm still better than them."

Full Interview by ContactMusic

Megan Fox

Videos

Megan Fox is known for her role in the Transformers movie and everything else that came with it including being named "Sexiest Women in the World" by FHM. Megan did reprise her role Transformers role as Mikaela for the Transformers video game and the upcoming sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Gamers were excited to see this beauty play Guitar Hero in her "real life" and were excited that she was being hand picked to take over as Lara Croft for Angelina Jolie. Too bad she declined.

Quote:

"It's so surreal to be included in a video game that I myself was gonna play anyway."

Full Video Interview

Jo Garcia

Videos

Jo Garcia was the easiest woman to put on this list. She has the looks and the credentials as the 2008 Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year. We have personally had discussions with her on Madden 09 football and her notebook she keeps to track her Final Fantasy status. She is very friendly and very serious about her gaming. Oh, and have you seen her play Wii Fit in her underwear? Case closed.

Quote:

"In the gaming industry, I would like to meet the makers of Final Fantasy. I think it would be the first time I'd be actually star-struck."

Full Interview by OG Master

Sarah Michelle Gellar

The actress best known as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is included on this list partially due to something no other woman on the list can claim. Sarah Michelle Gellar actually has owned the film rights to American McGee's Alice based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Early in her acting career she lent her voice to an animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and the Small Soldiers video game, an adaptation of a movie by the same name that she also starred in. Ironically though she declined on reprising her role as Buffy in the numerous video game spin-offs of the hit show (movie spin-off).

We know that Sarah Michelle is married to actor Freddie Prinze who is an avid gamer and who helped her "master" American McGee's Alice. It sounds like her experience with the game caused her to seek out the rights to make the game into a movie. Sadly the project had been held in limbo for years with her name attached to it. It does appear that the movie is being made which may have to do with the fact that EA has announced they will be making a new installment of the franchise. It is also unclear whether SMG has any involvement with it any longer. It doesn't matter for this list either way.

Quote:

"I just thought [it] was the most weirdly beautiful game."

Full Interview by Sci Fi

Kate Ground

Videos

Kate's Ground is a pioneer of sorts on the internet. She has run an "amateur" adult themed website on the web since 2003 called Kate's Playground. Since then her network has grown into multiple sites serving up several thousand images and videos. What gets Kate on this list though is that she is heavy into World of Warcraft.

Quote:

"I play as an Undead Rogue, Level 52. I would totally own you."

Full Video Interview

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is just about as famous as anybody in the world right now. Her film career is not only filled with the art films, but also the action and animated films that many gamers would enjoy. Two of her most recent movies Kung Fu Panda and Wanted have both spawned video game adaptations. Perhaps her most iconic role of her career came as an adaptation of a popular video game franchise turned into movies. Jolie played arguably the most recognizable character Lara Croft in two Tomb Raider movies.

Now her and Brad Pitt have their hands full with a group of children, some of which are old enough to play video games. It appears that 'Mama Jolie' was introduced to a Nintendo DS game called Let's Pilates! when shopping for games online with 7 year old son Maddox. Now she tries to get an hour of the game in three times a week (to shed baby weight). Even if it is an exercise game, it counts for me.

Quote:

"She tries to get in an hour of Pilates three times a week,” the source says. "She’s picking it up pretty quickly and is already at the hardest setting!”

Full Article by Ok! Magazine

Kim Kardashian

Videos

We had a chance to meet Kim Kardashian at a video game event. She was kind enough to stop and talk with us about video games for a few minutes and was friendly throughout the night. We even watched her play Forza too (taking last place and wrecking most of the time). Kim told us that she plays video games including Rock Band with her boyfriend Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints. Since that interview, Kim has been added as a playable character in Facebreaker. I'm not sure what she does for her job though. Shout out to PWN or DIE!

Quote:

"I'm the singer, Reggie plays the guitar, and my brother plays the drums."

Full Video Interview

Heidi Klum

Videos

This is the biggest stretch for the list. Heidi Klum is certainly hot enough, but there is really no evidence that she plays video games. She is included because of her Guitar Hero: World Tour TV commercial where she recreates the famous Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business and ends up dancing around on the furniture playing in her underwear. Maybe Heidi plays video games with Seal? If not, who cares? She can still be on the list.

Quote:

"Theres only sure way to get me to go, start playing old time rock n roll."

Old Time Rock & Roll by Bob Seger

Mila Kunis

Videos

Mila Kunis is on Family Guy, was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, That 70's Show, and even played a young Gia (Angelina Jolie played the older). Last year she even starred in a video game movie, Max Payne. Throw on the fact that she has done voices for the Family Guy video game, Saints Row, and the upcoming Max Payne 3 and you could say that she is likely a favorite around these parts.

That is not all though. The hot in real life and ugly as Meg Griffin actress is another World of Warcraft fanatic. She has talked about it on Jimmy Kimmel's show and scored highly on a quiz given to her by Complex Magazine. Can you say WOW? It turns out that her boyfriend, Macaulay Culkin is pretty heavy in the game as well.

Quote:

"In Stormwind, there's Dust Home Marsh, there's Stormwind, there's the forest."

Full WOW Quiz by Complex

Jenny McCarthy

Videos

Jenny McCarthy has seemingly been around forever. She has been in movies, on tv shows, and in magazines. She is even dating Mr. "Ace Ventura" himself Jim Carrey. When it comes to video games, Jenny is a gamer. She has been playing since her childhood including games like Pac Man and battling being "addicted" to Syphon Filter and Silent Hill. In recent years she has been involved in the gaming community somewhat, including playing "Game With Fame" sessions on Xbox Live and starring in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as gun-toting Special Agent Tanya.

Quote:

"I've always been a gamer. I used to be a Pac Man champion when I was 9 years old and still love to play."

Full Interview by Ask Men

Jillian Michaels

Videos

You may know Jillian Michaels from the hit TV show The Biggest Loser. She has been a trainer for the show and an exercise guru. Because of her gained fame and expertise, she has endorsed and help create a fitness game with her name on it. Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009 was released last fall for Nintendo Wii and uses the Balance Board. She claims to be a "huge gamer" and also gets some bonus points for her game aiming to help women be in better shape via video games.

Quote:

"As a huge gamer myself with younger siblings and godchildren, I recognize the importance of staying current with how people digest their media and information."

Full Press Release at GamesIndustry.biz

Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn is the perfect woman for this list. There is no doubting her looks or her involvement with video games and the gaming industry. Olivia is one of the hosts of G4tv's "Attack of the Show" and fulfills endless amount of geeky fantasies by dressing up as famous characters like Chun-Li, Wonder Woman, and Princess Leia or by jumping into a chocolate filled pie wearing a french maid costume. Let's not forget her numerous "licking gadgets" moments. It is also worth noting that Olivia plays games herself which is icing on the chocolate pie.

Quote:

“Nothing’s better than a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon and playing some Guitar Hero until 3 in the morning.”

Full Interview by Complex

Tera Patrick

Videos

Tera Patrick is one of the best known adult film stars due to the fact that she has branched out from that industry in many ways. She was a guest of Howard Stern's on several occasions and even was made into a character in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon by Adult Swim. She has even been on many mainstream magazines and was in a music video for Everlast.

Tera has her own adult PC game called "Virtual Tera" and stars in the "InTERActive DVD" which allows users to control the movie much like a game. Besides adult themed games, Tera has been a playable character in Backyard Wrestling 2 and Saints Row 2 where she was also a "special producer" for the game. She claims to never go anywhere without her pink Nintendo DS and has virtually all of the gaming consoles in her home.

Quote:

"I'm kind of torn--I really love the classics like Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede, and Asteroids. I have a Hello Kitty game for my GameCube and I'll always love Kirby, Strawberry Shortcake, and anything with Mario in it for Nintendo DS."

Full Interview by GamerHelp

Michelle Rodriguez

Videos

Michelle Rodriguez has been in numerous movies including The Fast and the Furious, S.W.A.T., Blue Crush, Girlfight, and was a hit on the TV show Lost. She has also been in two video game movies, Resident Evil and Blood Rayne. Add video game voice credits like Halo 2, Driv3r, and True Crime: Streets of LA and you have a woman well rounded enough to fit this list perfectly.

Quote:

"I love video games. I've been playing since Atari, ColecoVision, to Sega, to Nintendo, to Super Nintendo. All the game consoles."

Full Video Interview

Emmy Rossum

Drangonball fans will soon recognize Emmy Rossum who stars as Bulma in the upcoming Dragonball Evolution movie. To kill time and to enhance her hand/eye coordination for her gun fight scenes in the movie, Emmy picked up an Xbox 360. She says she is not a big gamer but enjoys adventure games. In her random purchase of games she picked up Stranglehold featuring her co-star Chow Yun-Fat. So props to her for using video games as training and for playing a shooter like Stranglehold.

Quote:

"I picked up a few games not really knowing what I was buying and when I started playing one I realized I had picked up ‘Stranglehold’ starring Chow Yun Fat! Based on the John Woo movie ‘Hard Boiled,’ the graphics are incredible, he jumps, flies and shoots in slow-mo, very John Woo, very cool."

Full Report at Comic Book Movie

Holly Valance

Holly Valance played the assassin Christie Allen in the film adaptation of DOA: Dead or Alive. She will also be portraying Brenda Snow, a news reporter, in the standalone add-on expansion Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 "Uprising" due out in March for PC. In addition to playing DOA in her hotel room during shooting of the film, she claims to own and play games on Wii, Xbox 360, and PSP.

Quote:

"I'm learning to get better at the Wii, and I've got a 360 and a PSP. I do try, because I see boys get so much satisfaction out of playing it. I think if I understand and get better at it, I'll enjoy it more. The Wii's good because it's exercising at the same time."

Full Interview by Eurogamer

Alexa Vega

A few years ago Alexa Vega was the up and coming teenage star of the Spy Kids franchise. Back then at least, she was a fan of video games and played them on the set of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, a movie where her character was warped into a video game world. Director Robert Rodriguez is also a big gamer and spent time playing video games with the child actors during filming. Alexa was asked what game she would like to be warped into in real life and she replied with the fighting game DOA 3.

Quote:

"Yeah, that would be fun... but you're not really dancing in that game, you know, you're just hitting buttons. I'd like to do a game where you actually get to come up with your own dance moves."

Full Interview by The Next Level

SOurce:

http://www.pwnordie.com/blog/posts/14059

Forza dev says 360 can compete with Wii

2009-02-27T09:01:00.001+05:30

During an interview with 360 magazine, Turn 10's Dan Greenwalt said that the 360 offers better value than Wii, and is capable of competing with Nintendo's console when it comes to casual gamers

"The casual crowd doesn’t appear to be as brand loyal and opinionated as the hardcore crowd," Greenwalt told 360 magazine. "Casual players are looking for quick fun, accessibility, social interaction, and price. For those consumers, Microsoft offers a compelling value with a console offering that is less expensive than the Wii...[the 360 is] arguably better value as we offer a diverse library of games and experiences for all types of consumers."

During the interview, which included individuals from Rare, Bungie, EA and Microsoft, Greenwalt also commented on whether or not 360 games had reached a plateau in terms of innovation, saying that - now the platform is well-understood by developers - the best is still yet to come.

“The casual crowd doesn't appear to be as brand loyal and opinionated as the hardcore crowd”

"There is still a ton to be done on the Xbox 360," he said. "...the truth of the matter is real gameplay innovation happens with a stable and wellunderstood platform, not with new bleedingedge hardware and protocols. Look at the innovative perspective that Fable II and Mass Effect took on storytelling. The innovation in these games was not hardware-based, but rather experience-based."

Follow the links for part 1 and part 2 for 360 magazine's discussion on the future of the Xbox360.

SOurce:

http://xbox-360.nowgamer.com/news/226/forza-creator-says-360-can-compete-with-wii

Mass Effect 2: Four Huge Things We Know From the Trailer

2009-02-27T09:00:00.001+05:30

We've finally gotten our first tease of Mass Effect 2, and GamePro's editorial office put their heads together in an attempt to answer the biggest questions about the upcoming space epic.

We've finally gotten our first tease of Mass Effect 2, the long-awaited, highly anticipated sequel to Mass Effect, 2007's RPG of the Year. (And one of OMGRPG's Best Games of 2008.) Bioware's definitely stirring up some hype with the second part of this massive space trilogy, and they're doing it right. GamePro's editorial office exploded in debate and speculation upon seeing the mysterious trailer, and we've all put our heads together in an attempt to answer the biggest questions about this upcoming science fiction epic. Feel free to join in and tell us what YOU think about the clues in the trailer -- maybe there's more than meets the eye to Shepard's KIA status.

WATCH OUT: Mass Effect spoilers are just around the corner!

#4: Cerberus Could Be Hunting Down Shepherd

The Shadow Broker has agents everywhere, including black market merchant Barla Von.

The Mass Effect 2 trailer shows a video feed labeled with the insignia of Cerberus, a black operations unit that used to be part of the Alliance, now operating in illegal biotechnological experiments. In a side mission from the first Mass Effect, Commander Shepard and the Normandy crew was tasked with raiding three Cerberus research facilities on the planet Binthu as a favor to David Anderson's comrade, Alliance Admiral Kahoku, who was trying to uncover the secret behind the deaths of some of his missing soldiers. Not only did players discover that the missing marines had been lured into deathtraps, but Cerberus was behind it all. What were they trying to protect?

After the mission, Admiral Kahoku's body turned up in one of the many Cerberus bio-research facilities, with the details of his death quickly covered up by political spies and reported as natural causes. Going on to attack the main Cerberus base on Nepheron, the Normandy crew collected files from the main database, although we never do find out exactly what the information is. In the aftermath, Cerberus's facilities and experiments are completely, totally eradicated by Shepard's crew.

All this ties back to one mysterious figure known only as the "Shadow Broker," an entity wielding a great deal of intergalactic influence who apparently orchestrated the event from behind the scenes. The Shadow Broker offers to buy the information from Shepard, where gamers had the option of complying or refusing. Either way, you were already on Cerberus's bad side. Did the Shadow Broker have an agenda against Cerberus, or was Shepard simply being set up to take them on? And more importantly, what is Cerberus doing with the background and profile information on Shepard's crew that is seen flashing throughout the trailer?

The Cerberus logo definitely suggests that the crew of the Normandy are under surveillance... but by whom?

#3: Some Members Won't Make It

If Wrex died in your Mass Effect campaign, you can bet it'll affect the story of Mass Effect 2.

Thanks to the tie-in novel "Mass Effect: Ascension", it's known that Cerberus's main goal is to make humanity the ruling race in the galaxy. Safe to say, they have an obvious dislike of aliens, which make up a good chunk of Shepard's crew on the Normandy. But, Cerberus apparently knows or suspects that Shepard has been killed in action, yet that information is nowhere present in its list of "Known Alien Accomplices."

Would Wrex, Tali, Garrus, and Liara be worth Cerberus's notice if they weren't going to play some major role in Mass Effect 2? And what about Kaiden Alenko and Ashley Williams? Only one of them can live through the events of Mass Effect, but how will the sequel's storyline compensate for the possibility of losing either crewmate? Despite initial balking claims that a possible absence of Shepard renders Mass Effect's achievements and level-building moot, Bioware's developers have been explicitly telling fans to hold on to their save data -- and maybe that's the key to selecting which characters will take the main stage in players' next Mass Effect adventure.

This updated banner just might confirm the return of Liara (and possibly Shepard), but what the heck is Saren doing in this image?

#2: The Geth's War Likely Rages On Against The Alliance

Shepard's trademark N7 Alliance armor may be the same that we see in the trailer.

Saren's been defeated, so the Geth have no herald and no leader under which to fight against the Alliance. But, the trailer shows that the Geth are definitely going to remain at the center of the battle between the Alliance and the Reapers. The only thing that fans can't agree on is the final image of the lone Geth drone with the N7 Alliance armor. Is the blood on the armor really Shepard's? And just what is that Geth drone looking at -- Shepard's corpse?

Or, is the lone Geth in the trailer simply wearing the armor, instead of carrying a limp corpse to be turned into a Husk? Have the Geth been taken control of by a new group? If the Cerberus group was ex-Alliance to begin with, could the N7 Alliance armor mean that Cerberus has taken control of the bio-organics and outfitted them with illegal Alliance resources? Will the Geth, a living mix of organic and synthetic life, become a new experiment headed by the remains of the Cerberus organization? The real mystery in Mass Effect 2 might be who are the Geth working for now, and how it will affect the war between the Alliance and the Reapers.

Is this a close-up glimpse of Shepard's bloodied corpse?

#1: Shepherd's "Dead," But Probably Not "Dead-Dead"

With the human race seated on the council, David Anderson's definitely going to have your back if he returns in Mass Effect 2.

The trailer's ominous message of "Killed In Action" suggests that not only is Shepard dead, but there is a body, or else the info would say "Mission In Action". But is that really true? All we see in the trailer is blood-covered armor and Shepard's trademark assault rifle, which, while probably belonging to Shepard, don't indicate a corpse.

It's also a clear fact that David Anderson knows of an existing Cerberus presence within the Alliance military. This means that no matter how the Normandy crew seeks to stop the Reapers, there's someone out there that could track their movements. Enter Cerberus. Also, Commander Shepard is now a very prominent figure in the fight against the Reapers, especially after Mass Effect's conclusion. Wouldn't it make sense for Anderson to cover up Shepard's active Spectre status by faking his (or her) death?

We certainly hope that Shepard isn't dead -- or doomed to die -- in Mass Effect 2. It's commonly agreed on that this trilogy is telling the story of the first human Spectre, and more importantly, a character that many people spent hours crafting and perfecting. Bioware's not a group that's afraid to shake things up, but we're assuming that there's some way they're going to bring back our beloved customizable commander.

Source:

http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/208974/mass-effect-2-four-huge-things-we-know-from-the-trailer/

Splinter Cell Conviction to Have Deeper Game play Than Metal Gear Solid 4?

2009-02-27T08:59:00.001+05:30

Metal Gear Solid has been the stealth espionage king ever since the days of the NES. The game since then has been perfected to the tip seen only on the PS3. The graphics, game play, the way you blend in to the textures on the wall or the ground to remain anonymous, it’s all brilliant. For every game, there are its competitors, and the bigger they are, the more competition it gets. For many years metal gear didn’t really have any competition would be worthy enough to go head to head or even be considered in Hideo Kojima’s class of development.

After enough waiting, along comes another great publisher also known as Ubisoft. Ubisoft introduced the hit Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series. Ubisoft with their amazing Splinter Cell instantly became direct competition for Metal Gear & Konami. The debate went on about what game was better while it seems lenient that people preferred Splinter Cell. Above many reasons there was the camera angle Used in the game. Although Metal Gear was a great game, people grew dreary of the slight over head game play style. Splinter Cell gave you a great camera angle so you could feel more a part of the game, even more so than Metal Gear.

The Splinter Cell franchise has made millions and the installment is set to change dramatically but fortunately in a good way. Splinter Cell Conviction is said to have a deep fighting system, tons of enemies on screen, run and gun action, and an extreme physics based engine that’s going to allegedly take it a step above that of what you’d see in Metal Gear (Series).

View the video clip below so you can see what this article is about. Sam Fisher is back and sadly and unfortunately Snake is dead (Or so it’s said). As of now, this title is slated to be released exclusively on the Xbox 360.

Source:

http://www.hiphopgamershow.com/?p=4059

“A New Experience In the Halo Universe”-Coming Soon From Microsoft Game Studios

2009-02-27T00:44:00.001+05:30

Halo Wars now, Orbital Drop Shock Trooper in November, and the Halo experience it seems shows no signs of letting any steam off. A plethora of job postings at our beloved Gamasutra tell many Halo fans that Microsoft is currently looking out for lead Designer(s), executive producer(s), lead environment artist(s), technical art director(s), senior concept artist(s) , animation director(s) for their upcoming unannounced Halo game. The postings also confirm a new team dedicated to the Halo universe grinding the cogs to fit in the legacy left by Bungie which now moves onto different projects. The advertisements squeal a number of changes that players might encounter, since they niftily boast of “breath(ing) a fresh vision into a new Halo experience” which aims to “drive the future of Halo.”

Since this will be a freshly coined studio at work, the question that remains poised in our minds is whether they shall actually release the next Halo project on the 360, in the view of the fact of rumors of Gearbox Studios being already hard at work building up an experience that is based on one of the most successful first person shooter franchises which somehow also translates into the world of Halo.

So guys if you think you fit the mark send in your resumes and give us an addition to the deadly and menacing Halo franchise.

Source:

http://v4vg.com/%E2%80%9Ca-new-experience-in-the-halo-universe%E2%80%9D-coming-soon-from-microsoft-game-studios/

New Xbox360 Controller On The Way?

2009-02-26T18:21:00.001+05:30

At yesterday’s Gamefest event in Seattle, Microsoft’s product unit manager, Robert S. Walker suggested that they might be creating an advanced version of the Xbox360 controller. The plan is to make the controller a second choice for gamers, instead of replacing the original one.

The new controller would have an improved and more precise right analog stick for games requiring higher precision, like first person shooters. The current 360 controller does a decent job in FPS games, although improving controls for console shooters is always welcome.

SOurce:

http://www.digitalbattle.com/2006/08/15/new-xbox360-controller-on-the-way/

Is Lost Planet 2 Only On Xbox 360?

2009-02-25T10:33:00.001+05:30

Earlier this week, Lost Planet 2 was announced on Xbox LIVE. The upcoming issue of Japanese game magazine lists the game as only "Xbox 360." Guess that means it's on the Xbox 360.

But how does that fit into Capcom's multi-platform strategy?

Famitsu reports that the game's development is 40 percent done, has online player and four player co-op. As we posted previously, it features new environments, new enemies and new weapons. Check out the debut trailer here and new Famitsu scans below.

Planet

SOurce:

http://kotaku.com/5159891/is-lost-planet-2-only-on-xbox-360

MICROSOFT SET TO BRING 3D MOTION CONTROL TO XBOX360 & PC GAMES

2009-02-25T02:37:00.001+05:30

First reported as a rumour by Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Dean Takahashi, a veteran journalist now writing for VentureBeat states that his sources also confirm the takeover deal in a recent column. Microsoft stands to acquire 3DV Systems for the relatively small sum of $35 million. 3DV Systems has raised over $38 million from investors like Rafael Development Corporation and The IDB Group since its inception in 1997. Obviously this will result in a significant loss for the investors.

With the acquisition of 3DV Systems, Microsoft is looking to gain a stronger foothold in the video game console market. The company’s Xbox 360 is currently in a distant second place in this generation of video game consoles behind Nintendo’s Wii; a system that relies heavily on motion-based control, often considered easier for “non-gamers” to play.

Though the Xbox 360 and its nearest competitor the PlayStation 3 from Sony already have camera peripherals that can be used as control devices, the software for these has been less than stellar. The titles are always played on a 2D plane, leaving little room for innovative game design and the devices themselves are often imprecise or require excessive lighting to function.

The ZCam, which will undoubtedly be renamed by the time it is released to the public, was first announced back in 2007. It differentiates itself from the current Xbox Vision Cam, Wii Remote and PlayStation Eye by allowing users to make gesture inputs in a fully 3D space without the need to hold or wear an external input device.

The Zcam is also capable of rendering a user’s own 3D image within software in real-time. This feature could provide an unparalleled amount of realism for just about every video game genre. Microsoft has not yet officially announced their takeover of 3DV systems, so it is unclear if they will incorporate the technology into the Xbox 360 or wait until it’s next-generation console debuts in a couple of years

reported by digital journal.com:

Red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 Bundle Revealed (Update: Price)

2009-02-24T20:01:00.001+05:30

An Xbox 360 spotlight blip confirmed what Ars Technica’s mole leaked last month: Capcom and Microsoft are preparing a Red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle. The package contains a limited edition red Xbox 360 Elite (the console with a 120GB hard drive), matching controller, Resident Evil 5 (standard edition), Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, a headset for online co-op, and an exclusive Resident Evil Premium theme.

Update: The bundle comes out on March 13 and will retail for $399.99, the current price of an Xbox 360 Elite. Basically, Resident Evil 5, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and the Resident Evil 5 theme are free with the bundle.

Source:

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/02/23/red-resident-evil-5-xbox-360-bundle-revealed/

Xbox Live Gold members get more benefits

2009-02-24T19:59:00.001+05:30

Microsoft is giving its Xbox Live members an even better deal. Members will now get 25-50% off DLC, Xbox Original games, and Arcade titles. Benefits to a Gold membership already include:

Multiplayer games: Invite your friends online to play games

Marketplace: Gold members get early and exclusive access to game videos and demos

TrueSkill matchmaking: Matches every game you play to your appropriate skill level.

Parties: Invite a group of friends into an Xbox LIVE Party, then you can transfer this party to a certain game, watch movies, and chat.

Gamer feedback: Use the feedback system to select players you want to play with or don't when you are online. This also affects your "REP".

Watch Netflix movies: Xbox LIVE Gold members who also belong to Netflix can watch Netflix’s streaming movies and TV shows right on their console with no extra charge from Microsoft or Netflix.

The deal this week will give gamers 33% off Braid. It will be available for 800 Microsoft points ($10) compared to the previous price of 1200 Microsoft points ($15). Gamers can look forward to these deals weekly with Ninja Gaiden II DLC, Project Gotham Racing 4 DLC and Fable to come.

It's refreshingly surprising that Microsoft is throwing more deals our way considering that most people have a Gold membership already. I imagine though, with these kind of offers people will be more satisfied with what they are getting when they pay the $50 for access. Will these offers convince you to buy more content on Xbox Live?

Source:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2069-Hartford-Video-Games-Examiner~y2009m2d23-Xbox-Live-Gold-members-get-more-benefits

Alan Wake for GDC? Remedy isn’t saying

2009-02-23T19:39:00.001+05:30

Remedy has told VG247 it’s not saying whether or not Alan Wake will appear at GDC next month, after weekend chatter pegged the horror for a San Franciscan reveal.

“We unfortunately aren’t communicating whether or not we’ll have GDC presence at this point of time,” a Remedy rep told VG247 this morning.

Activity surrounding the project does appear to be increasing, however, with Remedy showing some plot text from the game on its forums on Friday night.

Wake - a first-party 360 effort - has been tight under wraps since first announced in 2005.

Source:

http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/23/alan-wake-for-gdc-remedy-isnt-saying/

Top 5: Websites Xbox 360 Owners Should Visit

2009-02-23T16:21:00.001+05:30

The second of my Top 5 posts is a little different to what will be normal as instead of looking at a particular category of games, I am instead examining what Xbox specific websites, console owners will find the most useful:

Number 5: Trueachievements.com

I have only recently discovered this site and so I have not had time to evaluate if fully, but the concept behind it is one that many achievement addicts have been desiring for ages. What the site does is convert all of your achievements into a modified gamerscore created by a formula that takes the difficulty of the achievements into account rather than the random gamerscore assigned to it on creation. This means that the gamerscore you get for completing Avatar is currently relatively unchanged at 1003 but getting all the achievements in Guitar Hero 3 would net you 4012 points given the difficulty of the achievements.

Number 4: MyGamerCard.net

MyGamerCard.net is one of the older community sites, and is still one of the most useful as it allows you to turn your Gamertag into an image to use as you want. This is demonstrated by the Shamertag image below (note multiple variations of card are available). There are also a multitude of leader boards that indicate where you rank in the world, either in terms of total gamerscore or on a particular game.

Number 3: 360Voice.com

Have you ever wondered what your Xbox 360 would say about you? well wonder no more sign up with 360 Voice and find out as your Xbox blogs about your gaming escapades and complains about the lack of them. That is not all there is to the site as you can set up group blogs and also arrange Gamerscore challenges for your friends to see who can gain the most gamerscore over a set period of time.

Number 2: MajorNelson.com

The official “unofficial” Xbox Blog, run by Larry Hyrb (Major Nelson), the Xbox Live Director of Programming. His blog is the place to go to quickly find out the latest official news about what is going on in the world of Xbox Live. If there are any significant problems with Xbox Live or if it is shut down for maintenence his blog is one of the best places to go to find out information about it. It is also worth visiting for his weekly podcasts that can be listened to from his site or via itunes.

Number 1: Xbox.com

While Xbox.com is the official site it is still probably the most useful given the myriad of tasks it allows you to do. These include the ability to modify your Gamer profile, send messages including friend requests over Xbox live, and arrange downloads from the Xbox Live Marketplace from the site. On a more practical level if anything goes wrong with your console you can use Xbox.com to arrange repairs and to arrange DRM license transfers to a different console (limited to once per year). This choice of number 1 may be boring but Xbox.com is probably for most Xbox 360 owners still the most useful site to visit.

Source:

http://misterrandom.net/2009/02/10/top-5-websites-xbox-360-owners-should-know-about/

Rockstar: The Lost and Damned plot “exceeds what’s out there is all other mainstream media”

2009-02-23T16:20:00.003+05:30

Rockstar dev head Jeronimo Barrera has said he believes The Lost and Damned script “exceeds” writing currently available in all forms of media.

“If you put The Lost and Damned up as a movie script, man, it’d be crazy,” he said, talking in the latest Major Nelson podcast.

“We want the gamers to realise that there’s a lot of super-talented people working on this stuff, and the quality and the calibre of their work, I think, exceeds what’s out there is all other mainstream media.”

Barrera went on to say that gaming as a medium should be reliant on plot and narrative.

“This medium needs to be driven be the quality of the content and the story,” he said. “Some stuff ends up being so generic these days. We want to have something that stands up to all mediums.”

He added: “Not to say there’s anything wrong with aliens and space marines and all that stuff, but for us it’s focussing on delivering quality, whether it’s the story, the animations, the art.”

The Lost and Damned, the first part of GTA IV’s two-part 360-exclusive DLC package, released last week.

Source:

http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/23/rockstar-the-lost-and-damned-plot-exceeds-whats-out-there-is-all-other-mainstream-media/

Rockstar: DLC is the “future of gaming”

2009-02-23T16:20:00.001+05:30

Rockstar: DLC is the “future of gaming”

February 23rd, 2009 @ 08:37
By Patrick Garratt

Fat pipes are the way forward, Rockstar said this morning, claiming that downloading game content is the “future” for the medium.

“I think people are seeing this as the future of gaming, and we see it,” GTA dev chief Jeronimo Barrera said in the latest Major Nelson podcast.

“Obviously we’re going to continue to create more games, full games, but we’re also excited about what we’re going to do with Xbox Live and DLC.”

Barrera was talking in the second part of an interview on The Lost and Damned, GTA IV’s first 360-exclusive DLC episode.

The content released last week.

SOurce:

http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/23/rockstar-dlc-is-the-future-of-gaming/

Rockstar: We’ve made a full game in The Lost and Damned

2009-02-16T14:41:00.001+05:30

Rockstar dev boss Jeronimo Barrera has confirmed that GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned - releasing tomorrow - is at the limit of Live’s file-size restriction, and should be considered a full game.

“There’s nothing ever been out like it,” Barrera told Major Nelson in the first section of a two-part audio interview.

“We’ve done a full game in my opinion, in terms of the production quality and the new gameplay mechanics.

“We’ve literally reached the maximum memory size that we can do for DLC with Microsoft.

“You’re going to get a lot of game.”

Barrera, however, refused to put a play-time estimate on the content, saying only that players can expect “hours and hours and hours” of bang for their buck.

The exec also took the opportunity to snipe at other premium DLC, saying Rockstar had pushed the concept further than anything else yet available.

“That’s not to say there hasn’t been good downloadable content: obviously, there has been, but I find a lot of the times the stuff you can download to be more of an appendage to a game in terms of, you know, a new area opens up, or you can travel to another island, or something like that,” he said.

“You know, it’s cool, and it keep fans coming back, but nothing that’s crossed story arcs and that’s what we’re trying to do, to push this, to deliver something, just like we do with all our titles, is we wanted to deliver a new experience, and I think we’ve hit it right out of the ballpark.”

The full thing’s through the link. Well worth a listen.

Source:

http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/16/rockstar-weve-made-a-full-game-in-the-lost-and-damned/

What is Microsoft’s Next Move against Sony?

2009-02-16T14:39:00.001+05:30

Microsoft has a long line of moves that it made against Sony the past years. Some of which are listed here.
1. Microsoft jumped on the opportunity to shine with online gaming on a console and now leads Sony in that position.
2. Microsoft got the third party support more so than Sony. Example, Star Ocean exclusive to 360, Final Fantasy multiplatform Microsoft is trying their best to cut in to Sony’s market.
3. Price! That advantage will always be there and will possible grant Microsoft the victory against Sony this gen.
4. One of Microsoft’s biggest moves was also releasing the 360 a year earlier than the PS3.

But What’s Next? If rumors are true then Microsoft is ready to drop the price on their 60 GB model to $249 at the same time as Sony drops their lower end model to $299. I say lower end and not 80 GB model, because Sony is making moves. They will more than likely make the 160 GB the core system for $299 and then release a 240 GB or higher for $399. With that price cut, Microsoft is most likely to follow. But are the sales of the 360 beginning to saturate? Just as the Wii in Japan, to many people have Wii’s and the sales are reducing since everyone has a piece of it. Is this happening to the 360? The lead is beginning to loosen up and PS3 may catch up, but if Microsoft follows with a price cut, chances are minimal.

Microsoft might unveil more First party titles this year as they have claimed that they would, but this doesn’t seem to be a very smart move since people are unclear of what the games are, if they will be good, and if they are just mere XBLA games or full retail games. Microsoft could have unveiled an outstanding lineup and build a lot of hype for their games and that would without doubt make everyone more crazy about their lineup. That would’ve been a smart move seeing how it would drive people for pre-orders and actual sales seeing how people would be craving for many of these games.

Rumor: Microsoft can also take the fight to Sony once again by offering an online tournament service for the Xbox 360. This service is supposed to be similar to 1 vs. 100, you sign up for tournaments on the 360 and you win real life prizes, and the part that’s definitely going to drive this is the fact that to access this tournament, you have to have a Gold Membership. Now this may drive the sales for people wanting to play online, but it can also mean many people won’t enter the tournament seeing how they have to first buy a membership. The tournament is said to include many games instead of just the popular ones like Call of Duty and the Halo. It is said that you could also join it and play on Bejeweled, Street Fighter, Uno, or any game that you could think of. This new tournament service can add a lot of depth to the 360 platform, more than it already has. Details are still sketchy but it’s possible that this service is going to be revealed later this year, but nothing’s confirmed until Microsoft comes out and says it, but as of now it’s on the drawing board. Will E3 be the place to unveil this? Let’s hope!

Source:

http://www.hiphopgamershow.com/?p=3518

Microsoft Opening New Line of Stores [UPDATE:] What items can you find?

2009-02-16T14:38:00.001+05:30

To take on the success of its competitors, Microsoft last week announced it will open its own line of stores.

Of course, Microsoft has not made specific what exactly will be sold or featured in the store, but we can predict a couple of items such as Windows, Xbox items, Windows applications, and video games.

One thing that Microsoft did announce however is David Porter, a former executive at Dreamworks will be taking the head position of the division. David Porter has also worked for 17 years as President of the Wal-Mart entertainment division.

Microsoft has already opened one private facility titled the “Microsoft Retail Experience Center” in January 2009 to fulfill the goal to test innovative retail technology. Check the video below for a detailed view and interview of Microsofts new exciting retail chain.

[UPDATE:]

In the video above, Microsoft gives a view of the Microsoft retail facility. I have taken some still shots of items that I saw in the video:

Laptops anyone?

Choose between a million different SKU's of Windows!

Xbox 360's ready for your living room

Need a new Monitor?

Can you find the items in the background?:

What I have found:

Xbox 360 games

Platinum Hits

Zune

Windows Software

Latops

Games for Windows

Can you find anything else?

Microsoft has implemented some solid sale features such as the Television to help you find a specific item, to the Shopping Cart to help you shop with a virtual shopping list and prices very similar to those that you would find online:

Source:

http://giantgamer.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/microsoft-opening-new-line-of-stores/

Rumor: Microsoft Reject Realtime Worlds, Choose Ruffian to Develop Crackdown “Sequel”

2009-01-30T08:38:00.001+05:30

Late last month, it was rumored that a start-up developer called Ruffian, consisting of many ex-Realtime Worlds developers, would be developing the Crackdown sequel. Part of that has already come true, as earlier this month Ruffian Games, confirmed to have been created by many previous Crackdown developers, came into existence. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Will Microsoft buy up this developer and put them on the Crackdown sequel?

In December, Realtime Worlds Studio Head Colin McDonald would have said no to that question. He had said that he doubts “that Microsoft would harm an otherwise fruitful existing development relationship by gambling on funding Crackdown 2 with a startup on RTW’s doorstep, for obvious reasons”. However, if the latest rumor is to be believed, Microsoft is doing just that.

VG247 has the scoop on rumblings around the UK gaming industry that are indicating that Ruffian will be developing the sequel to sleeper hit Crackdown. But, it won’t really be a sequel, more of a “Crackdown 1.5? as it’s being called in UK trade. Players will be in the same city as the original Crackdown with presumably very similar game mechanics. However, the game will be more focused on multiplayer than single-player elements. It’s set to debut in late 2009 or early 2010.

Perhaps bigger news than the actual game announcement is the potential ramifications from this announcement. If Microsoft were to take the development of Crackdown away from Realtime Worlds and give it to a start-up developer (something McDonald clearly stated he didn’t want to happen), it could lead to very bad relations between Realtime Worlds and Microsoft. We’re talking the PS3-exclusive kind of bad.

Apparently we might hear more about this story tomorrow so stay tuned in.

source:

http://secondstorygamer.com/2009/01/microsoft-reject-realtime-worlds-ruffian-develop-crackdown-sequel/

Deconstructing FInal Fantasy XIII Trailer

2009-01-30T08:36:00.001+05:30

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version

By now, you should have seen the amazing Final Fantasy XIII trailer (HD link!). Shame on you if you haven't! Even if you have, you should watch it again, because it totally rules. Even if you've watched it 19 times, chances are you still have no idea what the hell is going on. After all, this is a Japanese role-playing game and they're notoriously difficult to decipher (if you can't read Japanese).

This is where I come in! I've put together a handy guide -- complete with time stamps -- to help you understand what's happening in this incredible trailer. Along with my flippant comments, I've also provided some analysis on the brief gameplay sequences show in the trailer. Just keep in mind that I only took one semester of Japanese and wasn't able to read a thing in the trailer.

Check out my rolling commentary and let me know if you agree or disagree with any of my observations. Enjoy!

00:10 -- It's some kind of a bug-looking thing. It reminds me of Parallax (the embodiment, not Hal Jordan). The airships and their energy trails look awesome...but do they Gcycle?!?

00:18 -- A cute Japanese voice starts narrating. I have a crush on her already.

00:22 -- Her ridiculous hat obliterates my crush.

00:26 -- Insectoid soldier of death appears. What's with all the bug stuff?!?

00:29 -- Girly-man protagonist shows up to destroy the insectoid soldiers of death. Oh wait, it's a girl...I think. His/her hair is stunning. I wonder what kind of conditioner he/she uses??

00:32 -- A ridiculous Japanese voice starts narrating. I most definitely do not have a crush on him.

00:33 -- The lead character is a girl. Phew. It's so hard to tell with Japanese RPG characters. That Tidus chick was totally hot, though.

00:36 -- Warrior princess activates her "glow," which she obviously stole from The Last Dragon. The glow helps her kick all kinds of ass in an awesome action sequence.

00:46 -- The gang shows up. It's Wakka's cousin, dude with a condom on his head, Toad from The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and sexy girl that wears alluring clothes that are totally inappropriate for combat.

00:53 -- The crew has addressed a bunch of poor and dirty people. I'm thinking FFXIII has some kind of caste system.

00:55 -- Condom head asks for ~~cannon fodder~~ volunteers.

01:00 -- The protagonist shows up on a train. She looks more like a guy now. I'm still pretty sure she's a girl...though you can never be too careful.

01:07 -- The spaceships are completely awesome. Totally cool! I might have to change my pants.

01:10 -- The insectoid soldiers of death shoot the dirty people.

01:14 --Wakka's cousin arrives to help out the untouchables.

01:20 -- It's time for a giant spaceship fight!

01:22 -- The protagonist shows up again. This time she's decidedly feminine. It's confounding.

01:38 -- The gorgeous cutscene turns into gorgeous gameplay!

01:57 -- This is pretty interesting stuff. The action uses Square's traditional Active Time Battle (ATB) mechanics and appears to be more traditional than Final Fantasy XII's. The big difference between this and previous FF games is that the action shifts from character to character. It's more realistic this way, as opposed to watching your party members stand around, waiting for their chance to attack.

02:01 -- The action shifts to a snowy area, where the party is fighting lion-like creatures that were stolen from Okami. Hmmmm, condom head was just standing around for a few seconds, so maybe the camera doesn't cover up all the ATB lulls.

02:07 -- Condom head is fighting the Okami monsters now. Oh wait,the others are there too. This area looks like Endor --it's part forest and part tech stuff.

02:20 -- Goodbye gameplay. Welcome back custscenes. Back in the city of the untouchables, condom head is crawling. He appears to have lower-back pain. He should take some Excedrin.

02:25 -- The untouchables are attacked by feline creatures that are covered in bubbles. They almost look like Voltron lions covered in Dow Scrubbing Bubbles. There's voice-over work again too. You know, sometimes I wish Timothy Van Patten narrated my life, just like in Master Ninja.

02:39 -- Awesome stuff blows up in awesomely awesome explosions full of awesomeness...and the trailer ends.

HALO WARS DEMO IMPRESSIONS

2009-01-30T08:35:00.001+05:30

From the moment you start up the demo you get this strange feeling of excitement. Just think back to the moment you picked up Halo 3 and you will understand what I mean. The title screen along with game menu is identical to Halo 3. Ensemble Studios have given us a few things you can play with, Campaign, Skirmish, Tutorial there is a multiplayer option but unfortunately this area is locked. I can tell you however that Halo Wars will feature co-op through the story campaign which you can do via XBOX LIVE. You will also be able to battle online in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 warfare.

In the campaign mode you are give two missions 01-Alpha Base where your objective is to try and help scattered groups of pinned-down soldiers and retake Alpha Base. In the second mission called "Relic Approach" You must rebuild your base and get it back online. Military units must then be trained and sent to investigate the relic.

Available in the demo is skirmish along with "Chasms" one of the 14 multiplayer maps. Players can either choose to take the side of the UNSC along with Captain Cutter's leader powers, or they may wish to play as the Covenant along with Prophet of Regret's and his own unique abilities.

I myself am not a big RTS fan but with the simple controls along with the compelling story Halo Wars is pretty easy to get in to. I love the idea of a secondary fire for your troops, X button can be used to fire a weapon but by press Y instead it will allow them to throw a grenade.

If you are new to this style of game I would recommend you go through the tutorial.

The Story also seems very interesting, I'm not going to spoil anything for you or give away any details regarding it. I will say however the cinematics are very good and set the stage for an epic battle ahead.

The graphics are impressive also for a game of this nature, the best way to describe it, is to imagine Halo 2 or 3 but from a birds eye view looking down over the battle. The audio is on par with the graphics, your standard Halo weapon effects will be heard along with the classic one liners from the UNSC and Covenant. The main musical score from the Halo series has been remixed and sounds great.

Overall Halo Wars will appeal to RTS fans but will also gain fans from the FPS series. With solid RTS gameplay along with a world based around the Halo universe Halo Wars is set to be a sure hit. Even though the demo isn't all that long it's well worth the download.

Story by Peter Biu.

SOurce:

http://www.gamingobsession.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=402&Itemid=1

Halo: Possible Sandbox screenshot leaked

2009-01-30T08:34:00.001+05:30

umor is that this image, is of Sandbox. A new map from Bungie's Mythic Map Pack that is set to release with the Halo Wars Special Edition. There is no confirmation that this is real but if you remember that drawing that was posted on the bungie.net weekly update it resembled Sandtrap at night and I think this is the perfect match.

Source:

http://www.gruntsrus.com/news.php?readmore=310

Velvet Assassin Heroine “Fights Like a Real Woman” says Developer

2009-01-22T11:16:00.001+05:30

After Replay Studios made the statement back in December that with Velvet Assassin they were aiming to portray a normal woman with realistic capabilities, we fired off some questions to the developer to try to find out exactly what they meant by that.

The first part of their response was published two days ago in a revealing look at the conflicting development of Velvet Assassin’s main character, Violet Summer, which attempts to explain her decidedly unrealistic proportions and attire.

Now we are getting a look at the team’s decisions about Violet’s physical prowess and abilities, which they say are far more toned down.

“Indeed, this is what makes Violette different from other heroines and shows her as being more normal in terms of her capabilities: Violette is only strong enough to carry two weapons at a time, a rifle type and a pistol type,” said Inga Mittendorf, PR Manager for Replay Studios. “One cannot imagine a woman of her size carrying more weapons at a time, and still being as agile as if she was transporting feathers. Furthermore, she is not able to do triple flips, long-term free climbing sessions, monstrous athletic scenes, somersaults or fighting scenes in which she beats up strong men with overwhelming strength.”

They added that these decisions are not simply made for the sake of game design, but also to keep the player grounded in reality. The message is clear, Solid Snake she is not, and the game will reflect that.

“She acts tactically and consciously from the shadows. She sneaks towards her enemies and takes them out silently from the back, knowing which risks she can take. She is clever: she fights like a real woman.”

SOurce:

http://pc.thegamereviews.com/story-2831-Velvet-Assassin-Heroine-Fights-Like-a-Real-Woman-says-Developer-.html

Square Enix and the 360

2009-01-08T14:27:00.001+05:30

Square Enix’s new infatuation with the 360 is something of a strange phenomenon, in a time when most publishers are looking to avoid potential risks and maximise revenue streams. Despite a contextually healthy 2008 for the 360 in Japan, it still boggles the mind as to why it’d release Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean IV and The Last Remnant exclusively on the 360 (though the latter will supposedly receive a belated PS3 port). The PS3 still has a dependable install base in Japan. I’m not saying that I personally long for any of those titles on the platform, but in an industry that has embraced multi-platform development, Square Enix’s approach is seemingly old-fashioned.

Still, perhaps the somewhat damp sales of The Last Remnant and Infinite Undiscovery will affect its business model, in future. Seizing Final Fantasy XIII for the 360 was a triumph for Microsoft, and there’s a genuine chance that it’ll outsell the PS3 version – for younger, less market-friendly franchises, however, the chance of failure is far greater.

Source:

http://blog.play-mag.co.uk/xbox-360/square-enix-and-the-360/

Microsoft's CES 2009 Keynote - Press Releases

2009-01-08T14:25:00.001+05:30

Here the Xbox-related information from Microsoft's CES 2009 keynote press release. What's not in their PR, so I'll mention it here, is that Halo Wars will be available on February 28th with a demo hitting Xbox LIVE on February 5th.
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, Robbie Bach, shared the stage at CES with Ballmer. Bach addressed Microsoft's unique ability to deliver entertainment on virtually any screen that consumers commonly use today, including the PC, TV and mobile phone.

Despite a tough holiday and economy, Xbox 360 registered its biggest year ever, driven by record sales at retail with 28 million consoles sold to date, an 84 percent jump in online consumer spending, and Xbox LIVE membership that has grown to 17 million active members.

"Not only is Xbox 360 one of the world's leading next-generation gaming consoles, but with partners like Netflix, it is one of the world's leading entertainment devices, period," Bach said. "With 28 million consoles sold worldwide, an active online community of 17 million members, and more than $1 billion spent on Xbox LIVE since the launch of the Xbox 360, it's clear that consumer demand for these great entertainment experiences has never been higher. We're only beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible with Xbox."

Bach shared how consumer demand for connected TV experiences is growing and announced the Mediaroom platform has reached nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide, an increase of more than 1.5 million new connections in the past year alone. The award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom is driving the future of television by enabling broadband service providers to deliver new connected TV and entertainment experiences to consumers around the world. Bach also unveiled a groundbreaking feature called Mediaroom Anytime that lets subscribers access previously aired shows directly from the Interactive Program Guide without any pre-planning or prior DVR recording.

Bach discussed how Microsoft is making it easier than ever for people to synch their entertainment content across the screens in their lives. This month, Microsoft and Netflix, the world's largest online movie rental service, will offer software that enables Windows Mobile customers to update and view their Netflix movie queue. Changes will appear instantly on Netflix on Xbox LIVE, extending the existing service that launched in November. Xbox 360 is the only game system that lets people instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix, many in HD.

Bach also spoke about how Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are transforming the way people enjoy interactive entertainment at home. This spring, Microsoft will introduce a new interactive entertainment genre with the premiere of the Xbox LIVE Primetime channel, which brings together the best of TV and gaming. Xbox LIVE Primetime will debut with an online version of the popular TV show "1 vs. 100" that enables thousands of gamers to play together with real hosts and compete for real prizes.

In addition, Bach talked about the outpouring of creativity from the Xbox community since the announcement of Community Games in November, with over 100 new games available for anyone to play. He highlighted an upcoming Xbox LIVE Community Game called "Kodu," launching in the spring, designed to help anyone from age 7 to 70 create their own video games.
[/QUOTE]

Microsoft also issued a press release specifically about Kodu:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft announced today that it will turn Xbox 360 players into creators with the release of their new game, "Kodu". Launching on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel, "Kodu's" easy to use game creation techniques will make building personal playgrounds simple for anyone, with the help of an Xbox 360 controller. During a keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 12-year-old student, Sparrow joined Microsoft's President of the Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach on stage to demonstrate the intuitive game that lets players choose from a variety of visual building blocks in order to develop their own unique creation.

This spring, "Kodu" will find its home among some of the freshest, most diverse and creatively independent games showcased on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. "Kodu" is a pick-up-and-create game where anyone can build their own unique world in just minutes using a simple image-based creator menu that makes game creation simple for anyone, from ages seven to 70. "Kodu" created playgrounds are expressed in physical action-reaction terms, using basic concepts like vision, hearing and time to control your character's behavior. Players can start their own unique "Kodu" created playgrounds from scratch or, if they aren't in the mood to create, they can choose from several pre-loaded levels for quick play. With almost 200 different game-creation building blocks to choose from, the opportunities are endless.

"We've done everything possible to make sure that creating a "Kodu" playground is not only easy, but that it is also fun and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds," principal program manager for Microsoft Research and lead "Kodu" designer, Matt MacLaurin said. "Since 'Kodu's' interface is intuitive and prevents common programming mistakes, we're making it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of game creation."

Originally designed by Microsoft Research as a learning tool for young kids, "Kodu" is the newest game to keep minds of all ages sharp by developing logic, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. In fact, in 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after school "Kodu" program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of "Kodu" research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.

"What I love about "Kodu" is that I can do everything myself," Sparrow, who demoed the game, said. "It's fast to build and different from the other games I play. I can do cool, silly things in it!"

"Kodu" will join a host of family-friendly and casual games already on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Since its launch in November, the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel has seen a lot of enthusiasm from both game-makers and consumers, where there are currently more than 100 independent, community-created games available for download.

SOurce:

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EkFEFlkEFyEIxrGezX.php

CES09: Unleash Your Inner Creator with Microsoft's New Xbox LIVE Community Game "Kodu"

2009-01-08T14:24:00.001+05:30

Microsoft announced today that it will turn Xbox 360 players into creators with the release of their new game, “Kodu”. Launching on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel, “Kodu’s” easy to use game creation techniques will make building personal playgrounds simple for anyone, with the help of an Xbox 360 controller. During a keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 12-year-old student, Sparrow joined Microsoft’s President of the Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach on stage to demonstrate the intuitive game that lets players choose from a variety of visual building blocks in order to develop their own unique creation.

This spring, “Kodu” will find its home among some of the freshest, most diverse and creatively independent games showcased on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. “Kodu” is a pick-up-and-create game where anyone can build their own unique world in just minutes using a simple image-based creator menu that makes game creation simple for anyone, from ages seven to 70. “Kodu” created playgrounds are expressed in physical action-reaction terms, using basic concepts like vision, hearing and time to control your character’s behavior. Players can start their own unique “Kodu” created playgrounds from scratch or, if they aren’t in the mood to create, they can choose from several pre-loaded levels for quick play. With almost 200 different game-creation building blocks to choose from, the opportunities are endless.

“We’ve done everything possible to make sure that creating a “Kodu” playground is not only easy, but that it is also fun and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds,” principal program manager for Microsoft Research and lead “Kodu” designer, Matt MacLaurin said. “Since ‘Kodu's’ interface is intuitive and prevents common programming mistakes, we’re making it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of game creation.”

Originally designed by Microsoft Research as a learning tool for young kids, “Kodu” is the newest game to keep minds of all ages sharp by developing logic, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. In fact, in 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after school “Kodu” program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of “Kodu” research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.

“What I love about “Kodu” is that I can do everything myself,” Sparrow, who demoed the game, said. “It’s fast to build and different from the other games I play. I can do cool, silly things in it!”

“Kodu” will join a host of family-friendly and casual games already on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Since its launch in November, the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel has seen a lot of enthusiasm from both game-makers and consumers, where there are currently more than 100 independent, community-created games available for download.

More detailed information about “Kodu” and Community Games can be found by visiting http://creators.xna.com.

Source:

http://www.gamertagradio.com/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?p=62085

CES: A few things coming to Xbox 360

2009-01-08T14:23:00.001+05:30

1 vs 100 will be coming this spring 2009.
1 vs 100 is Xbox Live adaptation of the game show. The players are represented by Xbox Live Avatars. The game was due to be released with the “New Xbox Experience” update but it, along with the rest of the Primetime content, was delayed.

Halo Wars Demo Coming Feb 5th 2008 (Someday as Killzone 2 Demo):
Halo Wars is an upcoming real-time strategy video game that is set in the Halo universe. The game is being designed by Ensemble Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the last project to be developed by Ensemble Studios. Halo Wars has been rated T for Teen by the ESRB.

Source:

http://dlb-network.com/2009/01/ces-a-few-things-coming-to-xbox-360/

Rumor: 360 a footnote in Microsoft's CES keynote

2009-01-06T21:25:00.001+05:30

It's sounding like the only "megatons" at Microsoft's CES 2009 keynote will be the volume of hors d'oeuvres served beforehand. According to TechCruch, the company will focus primarily on Windows 7, mobile devices and home networking, while Xbox 360 will barely get a mention. Lest we forget that MS used CES 2001 as its venue for the global unveiling of the original Xbox.

The site says that some media outlets have already been told -- under embargo -- that the only mention of 360 during MS head Steve Ballmer's presentation will be that Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST are (brace yourself) scheduled for release in 2009. Though we already knew that, we suspect there will be those in attendance overhead saying "Halo wha?" and "2009 ... hey, that's now!"

[Via X3F]

Source:

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/05/rumor-360-a-footnote-in-microsofts-ces-keynote/

God of War 3 potential makes Fallout 3 dev feel faint

2009-01-06T21:22:00.001+05:30

Reckons Final Fantasy XIII looks fantastic, too.

We're all looking forward to God of War III on PS3 here at VideoGamer.com. Our fearless leader Tom is especially excited by the prospect of taking Kratos on a Cell processor powered adventure through Hell. But it seems there's one person in the world who's more excited than everyone else, and that's Fallout 3 lead producer Gavin Carter.

Speaking on the official PlayStation website, Carter said he was most looking forward to upcoming instalments of PlayStation series that haven't seen a true next generation debut, and chief among these is God of War and Final Fantasy.

He said: "Everything I've seen on the new Final Fantasy games has looked fantastic, and I feel faint when I think of the potential of a PS3 God of War game."

High praise indeed, especially when you consider it's coming from the lead producer of a game that for many was the best of 2008.

How does God of War 3 on PS3 make you feel? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source:

http://www.videogamer.com/news/06-01-2009-10291.html

Microsoft "will not be using Home"

2009-01-06T08:42:00.001+05:30

Microsoft has dismissed reports that it's planning to use Sony's PS3 virtual world Home to host business meetings.

"Microsoft will not be using Home as a tool for virtual meetings," the company told us following a recent report to the contrary.

Last week GAAP claimed MS would be one of a number of big companies using Home for meetings in a bid to reduce costs and carbon emissions, but according to the platform holder it's perfectly capable of staging its own virtual bashes.

"With fantastic Microsoft-developed products and applications like Live Meeting and even Xbox Live Party, we have everything we need to host a virtual meeting in-house," it said.

We were sceptical about the original report, and clearly with good reason.

Source:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=205194

Kojima to make "Western" games

2009-01-05T21:50:00.001+05:30

Metal Gear Solid house Kojima Productions is undergoing a thorough "structure, tools and staff" revamp so that it can further penetrate the Western market, Hideo Kojima himself has revealed.

Speaking in the latest Famitsu (via Develop) the MGS creator said that because of the restructuring at the developer, 2009 "is going to be a very important year" for Kojima Productions.

"We're currently reviewing everything in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses," he said.

"I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed.

"I've come to understand that the way we've made games up until now won't translate globally, and I've come to think that I need to make Kojima Productions a team that can compete alongside the rest of the world," he added.

It's anyone's guess what sort of changes Kojima will be making internally (perhaps they're moving to Bromley?) but Hideo has been rumoured to be eyeing up the FPS genre as his next target. Stranger things have happened.

Source:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=205192

Final Fantasy XIII

2009-01-02T09:17:00.001+05:30

Here are some new images of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII for PS3 and Xbox 360. A number of new elements can be found in the battle scene images.

It is possible to evade and counterattack

Lightning's weapon can morph into other weapons in battles. For example from gun to blade

You can score multiple hits on an enemy, or an enemy can have multiple targets

You can hit multiple enemies at once with specific attacks/weapons

It is possible to store multiple commands and execute them at once

There is no MP in the game, each spell/skill has a maximum number of use or require charging to use

The game seamlessly transition between field and battle scenes

In the field you can see the enemies, warning signs appear on enemies who aware of your presence

There is a Chain Bonus and Break Bonus system in the game, details unknown

You can visually see the enemy name and the HP in battle

Counter attack

Visible enemy name and HP bar

Break Bonus

Microsoft to use PS3 Home for meetings

2009-01-01T08:09:00.001+05:30

In a ironic twist of fate, one of the companies that might be testing out the PS3 Home is Microsoft. There is a project in progress with the goal of researching the viability of using the PS3 Home for holding business meetings in a virtual world in order to save time and money.

As it turns out the PS3 Home is considered to be one of the most advanced virtual environments out there. Business users can communicate via a variety of methods: Bluetooth headset, keyboard and USB headset. Users would also be able to design and develop the virtual office to meet the specific criteria of the business needs.

The PS3 Home also has multimedia capabilities that could be leveraged for business presentations such as slideshows, videos and audio sound bytes. Instead of investing in specific computer equipment and software, the only thing business users would require is a PS3 and Ethernet jack.

Apparently, Ernst & Young, a financial institute, will be the first company to test out the PS3 Home for virtual meetings. The project is headed up by Portsmouth University in an effort to cut costs and reduce travel time for corporate meetings.

Other companies participating in the project include Merrill Lynch and PS3 competitor, Microsoft. This indicates that Microsoft could potentially make some significant contributions to the success of the project.

However, such instances are not unheard of as most large businesses eventually interact with each other in one way or another. Sony manufactures PCs and laptops with Microsoft Windows. Microsoft also supports Blu-ray drives in Windows.

If the project is successful, it makes one wonder if we will see Microsoft offices crawling with PS3s. Who knows what the future holds? My company could take away my phone and hand me a PS3 instead. Wouldn’t that be something?

SOurce:

http://gamer.blorge.com/2008/12/31/microsoft-to-use-ps3-home-for-meetings/

Cell Chip Designer Felt 'Contaminated' by Xbox

2008-12-31T21:27:00.001+05:30

A new book from the designer of the heart of Sony's PS3 - the Cell processor - reveals how Sony inadvertently worked with Microsoft on games consoles. The book, The Race for a New Game Machine, details how Sony, working with Toshiba and IBM to produce the powerful processor found itself in bed with arch-gaming rival Microsoft due to business alliances.

Two authors produced the book: Mickie Phipps who worked with David Shippy. The latter was chief architect for the power processing unit for the Cell processor at IBM in Austin, Texas. Prior to this he had worked on the G3 PowerPC.

The Race for a New Game Machine details how Sony, Toshiba and IBM formed the Cell partnership in 2001, each committing several hundred million dollars. It was agreed that IBM would be able to sell the Cell to third-parties. Everybody gathered at IBM's Austin HQ.

Then, in 2002, Microsoft approached its old ally-cum-adversary, IBM, with a view to Big Blue creating a chip for a new game console.

This lead to what could be seen either as a comedy or a tragedy depending on your loyalty. Agreements meant that engineers within the IBM team could not share knowledge with Toshiba or Sony colleagues regarding their Xbox 360 chip design. This lead to work being hidden while simultaneously the Sony Cell was in test just below the room where the Xbox 360 internals were being put through their paces.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Shippy "felt 'contaminated' as he sat down with the Microsoft engineers, helping them to sketch out their architectural requirements with lessons learned from his earlier work on PlayStation".

While Shippy may have felt that way about a Microsoft chip designed with money from Sony, Microsoft's ahead planning was uncontaminated by amateurism. The chips for both consoles arrived on time at IBM's manufacturing facility... but errors occurred in the first batch leaving Sony hanging. Microsoft had arranged for a third-party facility as back-up. Sony had not.

Xbox 360 went on sale in 2005... PlayStation 3 (due to problems with diodes in its Blu-ray drives as well as Cell delay apparently) arrived a year later.

The full title for the book is: The Race for a New Game Machine: Creating the Chips Inside the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3, published by Citadel, due out tomorrow.

Source:

http://news.spong.com/article/16821/Cell_Chip_Designer_Felt_Contaminated_by_Xbox?cb=797

Your NXE Avatars Are Ready To Rave In The New Year

2008-12-31T13:21:00.001+05:30

Wanted to go online New Year's Eve, but didn't have a virtual stitch for your avatar to wear? Never fear, totally fresh clothing and accessories for the New Xbox Experience are here.

Keeping up with the latest trends, Microsoft is offering new, brightly colored gear like an all over print "Pixel Art Hoodie" and a pair of "Rave Baseball Caps." Sweat bands, zebra pumps and fingerless gloves can give you horrible electroclash flashbacks while browsing your Xbox Live friends list now too. Yes, more skinny fit jeans (read: Avatar leggings) because you demanded it!

The full list of new wearables is after this. Fire off your "Hey Microsoft, 2006 called and it wants its Bape knock-offs back!" e-mails afterward.

Gents
Pixel Art Hoodie
Rave Baseball Cap
Dark Purple Jeans
Green Skinny Fit Jeans
Pink Sweat Bands

Ladies
Green Chunky Ring
Red Chunky Ring
Yellow Fingerless Gloves
Blue Fingerless Gloves
Chunky Beaded Bracelet
Day-glo Zebra Print Pumps
Rave Baseball Cap

SOurce:

http://kotaku.com/5121178/your-nxe-avatars-are-ready-to-rave-in-the-new-year

Demo: NINJA BLADE (Japan only)

2008-12-30T08:45:00.001+05:30

Content: NINJA BLADE Demo Ver.
Price: Free
Availability: Only in Japan
Dash Text: [CERO: D] シネマティックアクション「ニンジャブレイド」の体験版です。東京の摩天楼を舞台に繰り広げられるダイナミックなアクションの数々。まるでアクション映画のワンシーンのようなドライブ感と臨場感溢れるゲームプレイが可能です。この体験版では製品版の一部を体験できます。

Add to your Xbox 360 download queue

Source:

http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/12/29/demo-ninja-blade-japan-only.aspx

Jasper Is Here: A Look at the New Xbox 360

2008-12-29T22:31:00.001+05:30

Identifying a Jasper

Unlike the Falcon transition, the move to Jasper isn't very clean cut. You can't rely on a lot number or manufacturing date to tell you whether or not you've got a Jasper, there are some hints and only one sure-fire way to determine if you're holding a box with a Jasper inside without actually opening the packaging.

The hints are pretty basic: the Xbox 360 Arcade bundles appear to be the best chance at getting a Jasper right now, although there have been reports of some Xbox 360 Pro systems featuring Jasper. As of now there haven't been any confirmed Elites that have the Jasper boards in them. Remember that Jasper is not only a potential fix for the RRoD, but is also a cost reduction for Microsoft - the GPU die is smaller and the power supply is less powerful, which means lower overall costs - something that makes the most sense in the most price constrained of the three Xbox 360s available today: the $199 Arcade.

Xbox 360 Arcade	Things to Look For	Likelihood that You've Got a Jasper
Lot #	0842X or newer	Maybe
Xbox 360 Arcade Sticker Markings	XGX-00019	Probably a Guarantee
Xbox 360 Arcade Sticker Markings	Value Bundle 2008 E	Probably a Guarantee
Current Rating on 12V Rail	12.1A	Guaranteed

The first thing you'll want to do is look at the sticker on the outside of the box, this will have the lot number, team and some other potentially useful information. The lot numbers you're looking for are 0842X or newer, although unlike Falcon-hunting, the lot number won't guarantee you a Jasper. The lot number refers to the year and week that the console was built, 08 being the year, 42 being the 42nd week of the year. The X is there for, well, good luck I guess. The team isn't as important as it was in the Falcon days either, Xbox 360 Arcade bundles marked lot 0842X from team CSON and FDOU have been both Jasper or Falcons.

If you can't rely on the lot number and manufacturing team, then what can you? The sticker on the side of the box holds the first clues, while you can find the lot number here that's just a quick way of determining the likelihood of you having found a Jasper (e.g. if your lot number is really old, like 0830 then it's not a Jasper). There are two lines that right now appear to be good indications that you may have found a Jasper, I've highlighted them in the picture below:

If you see this XGX-00019 line below the top barcode, chances are that you've got a Jasper. And if you see this Xbox 360 Arcade System Value Bundle 2008 E line (exactly like that, note that this only applies to Arcade units) then you most likely have a Jasper as well. If you want full confirmation though you'll need to look at the current rating on the 12V rail which, believe it or not, you can do without ever opening the box.

Microsoft cut out a little window in the Xbox 360 packaging to allow the barcode/serial number to be scanned. Looking through this window the information you want is most likely obstructed by the cardboard cutout and it's to the left of the opening. The least destructive way to get access to this information is to push down on the Xbox 360 itself through the window on the right side, which will hopefully reveal the information you're looking for. A quicker, easier and potentially get-you-kicked-out-of-the-store way is to push the cardboard itself to the left a bit, possibly even tearing it slightly, to reveal the text you're interested in. The line you're looking for is this:

12.1A on the 12V rail nets you a Jasper

The important text is the current rating on the 12V line, which is immediately to the left of the current rating on the 5V rail. The three options here are 16,5A, 14,2A and 12,1A. All that really matters is the last digit, if you see a 5 then you've got a Zephyr, if you see a 2 you've got a Falcon (most likely) or if you see a 1 you've got a Jasper (take it and run).

12V Current Rating	Xbox 360 Revision
16,5A	Zephyr
14,2A	Falcon
12,1A	Jasper

Now some Jaspers have been mislabeled as 14,2A, but no Zephyr or Falcon has been mislabeled as 12,1A. The explanation is simple, this rating indicates what sort of power supply you'll need to use with the machine. Zephyr and Falcon boxes can't run with only 12.1A on the 12V rail, you'd end up with a box that either crashed a lot, rebooted or had other undesirable behavior (assuming it would even start, assuming you could even find a power supply that you could plug into it). There's only one Xbox 360 power supply that can deliver a max of 12.1A on the 12V rail, that is the 150W power supply that is keyed to only work on Jaspers. Find a machine with 12,1A written on the back of it and you've got yourself a Jasper.

Sneaky Microsoft: Still Shipping Zephyrs

In my Jasper hunting I came across a strange beast, I found an Xbox 360 Pro with lot number 0843X. I figured it was new enough that it could be a Jasper, but looking at the 12V current rating I found that it was a 16.5A unit. I thought perhaps it was mislabeled and I'd heard about some newer systems having a 16.5A 12V rating, so I thought I'd buy it and take a closer look.

Once I got it home I confirmed: the machine was a Zephyr, that's the original Xbox 360 hardware with HDMI support, meaning a 90nm CPU, 90nm GPU and 90nm eDRAM - the very configuration most likely to Red Ring. I'm guessing it's a reworked Xbox 360 that never made it out of the factory in the first place due to an instant failure; something Microsoft fixed and sent out at a much later date.

Even if you don't care about getting a Jasper, it may be worth looking into what it is you are getting to make sure that you're not stuck with a box that's more likely to fail.

SOurce:

http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3472&p=2

Jasper 360s: Secret to succesful identification

2008-12-29T22:29:00.001+05:30

We spotted an informative writeup over at AnandTech regarding various Xbox 360 Jasper identification strategies. What's a Jasper? Well, Jasper is the codename for the latest Xbox 360 models to roll off production and house tiny 65nm CPU and GPUs. The smallest, coolest, least power demanding, most stable and generally "best" Xbox 360 version to be manufactured.

Anyhoo, if you're in the market for a 360, we highly recommend you try to secure a Jasper 360 using a few of AnandTech's Jasper identification strategies. They've detailed tips including console lot number matching, looking up the console wattage and - most accurate of all - looking at the power connector. Remember, Jaspers are teh hawtness. You want Jaspers.

Source:

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/12/11/jasper-360s-secret-to-succesful-identification

Amazon starting to ship Jasper Xbox 360 Pro Consoles

2008-12-29T22:27:00.001+05:30

Santa was a busy elf this year. I try to keep a simple uncluttered media center in my living room. To that end I have had the Xbox 360 Pro since launch and a Yamaha YSP surround sound bar. This worked great until 1080p and serious up-scaling came onto the scene a couple of years back. I added an Oppo 1080p DVD player about 2 years ago and recently I replaced my non 1080p LCD for a Samsung 1080p A650 LCD.

Here is where the dilemma came in; all this shiny new 1080p HDMI gear and an old Xbox 360. I have been waiting for a Jasper unit for some time and finally decided the wait was not worth it. I really wanted HDMI and the larger hard drive as I use Xbox Live Marketplace to buy TV shows and such. I ditched cable TV last month once Netflix and Playon was on the scene in full force.

From what I have been reading only the Xbox 360 Arcade units have been coming as Jasper revisions. The Falcon revisions have been performing well, and I was tired of waiting and was ready to make the purchase. As luck would have it the wait was actually worth it this time.

For Christmas, my girlfriend ordered the Xbox 360 Pro to replace the older unit, thus allowing the older unit to be moved into the bedroom. This I am sure had nothing to do with being able to watch Netflix in bed and her Luxor 2 habit.

Now for the important info; the unit was ordered from Amazon on December 22nd. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Xbox 360 Pro unit I received was actually a Jasper revision. The unit did come with a Falcon revision power supply as I have read can be the case with some of the new Arcade units.

Items that seem to indicate this 360 Pro unit is a Jasper revision: 12.1 amp power requirement, manufacture date Nov 2 2008, proper Jasper keyed power supply input, Team: FDOU, Lot No: 0845X

Update: A few people have asked and there appears to be no added memory like the 256MB found on board the new Arcade units. The console did require an update to install NXE (New Xbox Experience).

Note: Your mileage may vary, I could have just been lucky. In other words ordering from Amazon does not guarantee you a Jasper revision.

Here are the pics for anyone wanting to compare with their new units.

Source:

http://www.pdatoday.com/index.php/weblog/comments/amazon_starting_to_ship_jasper_xbox_360_pro_consoles/

Jasper Xbox 360 Pro acquired: the photograph is proof

2008-12-29T22:26:00.001+05:30

So yeah, finding an Xbox 360 Jasper in Arcade form isn't all that difficult these days, but we certainly haven't seen a glut of Pro models shipping out with the supposedly cooler, smoother and altogether more melancholy Jasper hardware within. A lucky soul over at PDAToday has acquired one such unit, and while he may just be incredibly fortunate, we'd say it's about time you to-be Pro owners start looking out for a few telltale signs. As you can see in the closeups in the read link, there here FDOU team Pro -- which was ordered from Amazon on December 22nd -- boasts a 12.1 amp rating and the unmistakable Jasper power port. Of note, it did come bundled with a Falcon revision (175-watt) power supply just like Ben Heck's Jasper Arcade, though we suspect Microsoft is just clearing out excess inventory given that the older PSU won't damage the Jasper machines. Any others out there run into any holiday luck? Let us know!

[Thanks, Bill]

SOurce:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/29/jasper-xbox-360-pro-acquired-the-photograph-is-proof/

Xbox 360's '08 News-Makers

2008-12-29T17:38:00.001+05:30

2008, it was predicted, was to be the beginning of the end for Microsoft. It’s lead over Sony was born of an early launch and the competition fumbling its first year, some said. But with the forward-looking PS3 picking up steam, the 360 would slowly lose market share and eventually cede the year, sales-wise, to Sony.

Now however, it looks like that won’t be the case, and the reason for the turn-around is also the story of the console’s 2008—a series of strong management decisions and wise market reads that could give the business the strength to power through the entirety of the generation.

Edge will also be covering Sony, Nintendo and the PC's past 12 months in the days to come.

HD-DVD Dies, 360 Player Goes With It
February 25
Our Original Coverage

When HD-DVD threw in the towel at the beginning of the year, it marked the end of the bitter high-definition format war. Microsoft, which had been touting a value-priced HD-DVD addition to the 360 at the time, found itself on the losing side. It quickly discontinued the add-on and liquidated inventory, in the process losing one of its primary counter-attacks against the built-in Blu-Ray capabilities of the PS3. The long-term fallout of this event was felt throughout the year—partially in the recurrence of baseless Blu-Ray 360 rumors, but also in Microsoft’s redoubled efforts to the digital distribution of video to the console. The apex of this was New Xbox Experience’s streaming Netflix capability.

Sony, MS, Duke it Out for GTA Supremacy
May 15
Our Original Coverage

A defining battle in the console war, this was watched intently by industry analysts. Some predictions said that the release of Grand Theft Auto IV would spike PS3 sales, with the result being a net “win” for Sony. What actually happened wasn’t so dramatic; PS3 sales did jump a little bit, by just over 20k consoles in May. And Xbox sales did remain largely flat throughout the period, leading MS into a summer where it was losing, YTD sales-wise, to Sony. But a massive majority of GTA IV copies were sold on 360, and perhaps being outsold by this slight margin was enough to kick Microsoft into high gear—it wasn’t so long after this that MS made significant E3 announcements that took some of the wind out of Sony’s sails.

Shane Kim Gets Promoted
June 12
Our Original Coverage

When Shane Kim left his position as head of Microsoft Games Studios to take on the more all-encompassing role of corporate VP of the entire Interactive Entertainment Business division, it was more than an important personal milestone for Kim. It was also a statement of success from Microsoft Games Studios itself, that under Kim the first-party publisher had met its goals and was in a position to weather a change in leadership. Kim now directs Microsoft’s entire gaming business, with former MGS Europe head Phil Spencer taking Kim’s old job.

Microsoft Wrests Final Fantasy XIII Exclusivity from Sony
July 14
Our Original Coverage

Microsoft ended its E3 press conference with a fanboy bombshell: that Final Fantasy XIII, which for years had been touted as a PS3 exclusive, would also launch on Xbox 360. It takes a bit of tortured logic to explain why this is so important—it’s the first time a numbered, non-remake Final Fantasy has appeared on a non-Sony console (PC doesn’t count) since 1994, not including the online-only Final Fantasy XI. Nevertheless it had the intended effect—Sony stalwarts were outraged, while 360 owners crossed one more reason to switch off the list. Though forums consider this some sort of foul treachery on the part of Square Enix, it really was the only sound business decision to make.

Microsoft Undercuts Wii’s Value Price Point
September 5
Our Original Coverage

Since its launch in late 2006, the Wii has been the cheapest current generation console on the market—and everyone knows how that turned out for the system. But that changed in September, with the slashing of the hard drive-less 360 Arcade to $199. This price has long been considered the sweet spot for consoles, and the effect was immediate, with sales bouncing as the 360 seeped deeper into the mass-market demographics. Though the sales results have since shown that having the lowest price point is no longer an important or necessary part of the Wii’s marketing mix, Sony’s reluctance to counter increased the perceived value of the 360 dramatically.

Halo Wars Becomes Ensemble’s Swan Song
September 9
Our Original Coverage

Microsoft’s announcement that venerable Age of Empires developer Ensemble would be shut down after its first 360 game, Halo Wars, was completed, was an event that shocked the industry—including Ensemble Studios itself. At the time, it seemed like a curious decision; Ensemble has long been a profit-bearing entity for Microsoft Games Studios, so the idea that it was being shut down for long-term financial reasons seemed confusing. But the subsequent halting of the economy provides some new perspective—that this could have been a pre-emptive belt-tightening, with the casualty being a PC-centric branch of a publisher that needed to put its full weight behind its console. But that’s just speculation. That real-time strategy lost one of its most endearing and talented groups in the process is cold, disheartening fact.

Japanese 360 Sales Get Surprising Surge
September 17
Our Original Coverage

Did the 360 actually beat the Wii in Japanese sales that one week ending September 14? Maybe not, but that it was even close showed that Microsoft’s box was fighting well above its usual weight class in the region. This September sales spike wasn’t the only one for the console, either; sales soared earlier and later, thanks to exclusive JRPGs releases like Tales of Vesperia and The Last Remnant. Though the verdict is still out on whether these signs represent a permanent reversal of fortune for the western console in Japan, that the 360 would have stood any sort of chance in that regard would have been laughable a year ago.

Gears of Wars 2’s 2 Million Weekend
November 12
Our Original Coverage

The 360’s biggest exclusive of 2008 didn’t disappoint in achieving instant blockbuster status. Strong reviews, prominent marketing and a simultaneous worldwide launch allowed Epic’s shooter to score two million sold copies out the gate, with possibly the vast majority immediately jumping into the online arena: 1.5m players did, according to Microsoft. Of course no aspect of this launch was on the same scale as 2007’s Halo 3 launch, and really, what could be? This was still an indication that, for the core audience, the 360 remains the console of choice.

New Xbox Experience Launches to Success
November 19
Our Original Coverage

The rollout of the New Xbox Experience should become a textbook example of an innovative launch done right. Despite the fact that no company has ever done anything quite like a global rollout of brand new interface software for a consumer technology product, Microsoft managed it without any notable consumer distress. And thanks to the marketing, this was less like a Windows Service Pack and more like an entertainment event, with PR whipping the media into a frenzy for what could have been perceived as a necessary dashboard update. To top it off, new features like Netflix streaming and Community Games gave the console incredible added value for a free update. Everyone did their job properly, resulting in a gaming event that will be studied by hardware manufacturers for years.

Xbox 360 Outsells its Predecessor
November 24
Our Original Coverage

Everybody already knew that Microsoft was exceeding its past efforts this generation, but the news that 360 needed only three years to beat the original Xbox’s 25 million sales showed just how much the company had improved. It took the first Xbox about five years—from launch to obsolescence—to meet this number. Part of this success can be attributed to the general increased size of the market, but to disregard Microsoft’s role in that growth, or to ignore how well its managed to grow the Xbox brand beyond “a big black box for shooters,” would do the company’s work a disservice. The proof is in the statistics.

Source:

http://www.edge-online.com/features/xbox-360s-08-news-makers