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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Friday, July 6, 2007

Creator of Blue Dragon confirms that an MMO for the 360 is in the works!

It appears that Hironobu Sakaguchi is working on a MMO for the XBOX 360 that he calls, 50% MMO and 50% RPG.

Attending a recent anime/manga event held in Paris, Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi has confirmed to TVG that he is currently working on a new title for the Xbox 360. Described as "50% MMO and 50% RPG" and definitely not Cry On or Blue Dragon 2, unfortunately that's about all we know at this stage until our reporter gets back from the event before knowing more.

Source: Totalvideogames.com

Bungie will release free marketplace content on 7/7/07 to celebrate "Bungie day"!

To celebrate Bungie day, Bungie plans on releasing some free content on they're website and on the XBOX LIVE marketplace beginning at 12:01 AM 7/7/07.

July 7th has come to be known as "Bungie Day" amongst our fan community and this year is extra special on account of it actually falling in a year ending with 7. If you're new to our fan community, do some digging to find out the rich history of Bungie and the number 7 and you'll see why 7/7/07 has special meaning within our family.

Lukems and the Bungie.net team have some cool things lined up for the site tomorrow but we also managed to pull a few strings to make some extra special content available on Xbox 360 Marketplace. I won't spoil the fun and tell you exactly what it is (don't get too excited, it's not Halo 3 - think something of a more decorative nature) but I did want to give you a heads-up that these commemorative goodies are ONLY available on 7/7/07 and then they are gone forever.

Log on to Marketplace any time starting at 12:01 AM PDT on July 7th and get it while you can. Once the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, this content is gone forever. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Spread the word throughout the Bungie community and join us on Marketplace and Bungie.net tomorrow for good times.  And we wouldn't have a "Bungie Day" without our loyal fans who have stuck by us for so long.  Thanks for all of your support and here's to 2007 - the best year yet in the history of Bungie Studios and our fan community!

Source: Bungie.net.

New Turok "Carnage" gameplay!

UTIII will feature 3-4 dozen maps!

The following info comes via Teamxbox.com:

The newest issue of OXM has a short video documentary on it's demo disc. While it's only a few minutes in length I think it possibly the most detailed look at UT3 to date. Within the video there are many maps shown. As far as one can tell, it showed mostly all CTF and DM maps. Some maps are shown with vehicles, but I saw no nodes to distinguish them as Warfare maps. One particular interesting map shown looks like the new Deck DM map. While I can't confirm it as Deck, it had the signature pool of toxic sludge at the bottom of the map. The other maps shown had a wide variety of different themes and they all looked fantastic.

Aside from the gameplay shown in the video, it offered a few details about the game. It was said that the original idea was to make gigantic maps utilizing UE3's streaming technology for up to 64 players at once. They decided that it didn't feel like a UT game and went back to improving the original formula. Each map starts out as a basic BSP layout and is play tested until they think it is fun and then it is handed over to have static meshes and the rest of the artistic assets created. There will be 3 to 4 dozen multiplayer maps in the retail version of the game. The single player portion will have even more maps than multiplayer.

Epic Games’ Steven Polge, the lead designer of Unreal Tournament 3, has confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of the game will support four-player co-op and two-player split-screen in the single-player campaign, which will let you take different paths depending on the decisions you take.

MOH Airborne has been delayed for the PS3!

It appears that Medal of Honor Airborne has been delayed for the PS3 according to Gamespot.com.

In April, a trailer for Medal of Honor: Airborne debuted on online retailer GameStop's Web site. Though brief, the preview contained some big news: The latest installment in Electronic Arts' long-running series would arrive in stores on August 28, beating the fourth-quarter crush of releases.

Today, though, EA revealed that the trailer's release date only applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. Tucked inconspicuously away at the bottom of the announcement that Lost composer Michael Giacchino would score the forthcoming World War II shooter was official word that the game would arrive "in November for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system." No explanation was given for the delay.

Much like the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, Medal of Honor: Airborne follows a group of US paratroopers as they jump out of a perfectly good airplane and into Nazi-occupied Europe. As outlined in GameSpot's previous coverage, the game will feature several missions based on actual WWII battles, such as D-Day and Operation Varsity, the largest military airdrop in history. Each mission will begin with a parachute drop to a starting point of the player's choosing, and will then become a free-roaming action game.

This has become a trend with multiplatform games on the PS3.  They either are cancelled or end up facing delays for months on end.

VF5 for the XBOX 360 to support online play.

Nice to see Sega showing some XBOX love with the addition of online play. 

"Virtua Fighter 5 is the most intense fighting experience available on next-generation consoles," said Scott A. Steinberg, VP of Marketing at Sega of America. "The addition of online multiplayer support opens up the competition to a global scale enabling players to compete and challenge anyone, anywhere, anytime, using Xbox Live."

Microsoft admits problem by an open letter from Peter Moore!

We have all heard about the red ring of death that people have been experiencing with they're consoles.  Worry no more because Microsoft's very own Peter Moore said in an open letter that they have extended the warranty to 3 years and will reimburse everyone who has paid for a repair.

To our Xbox Community:

You've spoken, and we’ve heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we've not been doing a good enough job.   

Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console. 

The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it's something I take very seriously.

We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.

We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free. 

As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing  today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge—including shipping—for three years from the console’s purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.

If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.  

This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I've posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we'll update it over the next few days. 

I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty. 

It's cool to see Microsoft taking care of they're customers but I have a launch box that has worked perfectly since day one along with several friends and family members that has had zero issues as well.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Player's Pack Black edition is now available!

Name: Player's Pack: Black Edition
Price: 800 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Not to be outdone by the Red Edition, the award winning development team for Rainbow Six Vegas continues to raise the stakes on the game Team Xbox called the "Multiplayer Game of the year" with the all new Player's pack: Black Edition. This pack includes 5 maps; 3 new never before seen maps like Red Lotus and Wartown, a reduxed version of Streets, and a very special appearance by an original classic, PRESIDIO from the award-winning Rainbow Six 3. Place your bets on the Player's Packs: Black Edition to complete the ultimate Vegas experience.
Size: 705.5 MB (approx.)

Source: Majornelson.com

(UPDATE)

It appears that Ubisoft made a mistake.  Apparently the content was supposed to be free. (WOOPS) That shows that the publishers do set the price for the DLC.

F.E.A.R. receives it's first major update!

Sierra has released an update for F.E.A.R. that includes 2 new gametypes called, "control" and "Conquer All".

In Control there are three points that the player’s team seeks to control. The object of the game is to seize and control these points for the most time whilst defending opponents from taking over.

In Conquer All there are five control points on the map and players take control of the points the same way they would in a Control match. The goal is to capture all five control points at the same time. Failing to do so, the time of possession and team kills will determine the winner.

Monday, June 25, 2007

XCM Brings the first 1080p HDMI cable to the white XBOX 360's

Maxconsole has first hand info on a new cable coming out by XCM that will allow full 1080p support through a HDMI conversion cable designed exclusivly for the HDMI-less 360's.

We have managed to score some exclusive information regarding XCM's 360 HDMI 1080p for use with the original white Xbox 360 console. The cable itself is nearly finished and will be completed in approximately 4 weeks and promises to allow 1080p output on a regular white original Xbox 360.

Call of Duty 4 multiplayer video!

Carcassonne is this WED XBLA title!

The following is the press release from Gamerscoreblog.com:

The classic, well-known European board game “Carcassonne” arrives on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 this Wednesday, June 27 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. Pacific).

Named after the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne in southern France, famed for its city walls, “Carcassonne” for Xbox LIVE Arcade starts with an empty landscape and a single square tile. Using strategic tactics and a little luck, one to five four players take turns selecting from 72 tiles displaying various features of a city including roads, the walls of a castle or fields. The medieval countryside thrives as players and their opponents place tiles and complete towns, roads, and farms while competing to accumulate the most points.

The rules of the game are easy with no elimination and fast gameplay – perfect for just about anyone! Although simple, devoted players will find layers of strategy that will keep them coming back for more. Combining a fresh visual experience and the opportunity to always have a playing partner, “Carcassonne” is the future for board game fanatics.

“Carcassonne” from Sierra Online is the Xbox LIVE Arcade edition of the hit multiplayer tile-based German board game of the same name, designed by Klaus-Jurgen. Shortly after its release in Germany in 2000, the board game won Spiel des Jahres in 2001, the European equivalent of a Game of the Year Award.

“Carcassonne” will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

Game Features

  • Special AI settings to challenge any skill level
  • Challenge your friends – Up to five players can play over Xbox LIVE or up to four players can play on the same Xbox 360
  • Interact with new and old friends alike over Xbox LIVE while you play “Carcassonne” with the Xbox LIVE Vision camera
  • Helpful step-by-step tutorial to teach you the game in minutes
  • Skill-based matchmaking for ranked games
  • The complete “Carcassonne” includes 72 tiles and all rule sets
  • “Carcassonne” includes the “Rivers II” expansion set - 12 additional tiles
  • Earn up to 200 Gamerscore and 12 Achievements

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