Fans of the Xbox LIVE Arcade will be happy to know that the next two titles slated for release have been announced and are en route: Rocky & Bullwinkle, and Battlezone. They’ll both be on XBLA this Wednesday and ready for download.

Rocky & Bullwinkle is a homage to the oldschool cartoon that was probably made by stoners but was marketed to children. It’s about the crazy adventures of a talking moose and his castrato sidekick squirrel as they… actually, never mind. It sounds lame. Battlezone does hit something of a happy place for me in that it’s a decent adaptation of the old Atari classic with some new visuals and new game types. Each costs 800 MS points and, as mentioned, will be good to go tomorrow.

Halo 3 fans have eagerly awaited Microsoft’s release of the “Legendary” map pack for download on April 15 (i.e. today), but the $10 pricetag might be a bit off-putting for those who don’t want to buy three new maps sight-unseen. Fear not: 1up has been playing the Legendary maps for a while now and have given some pretty thorough impressions (replete with video) and will fill in a lot of the blanks for those of you who are wondering what’s behind the curtain. Here’s a taste of what they had to say about a new map called “Avalanche”:

Helping to cut down on the long treks are two-way teleporters and lots of vehicles, including Ghosts, Warthogs, Wraiths, Scorpions, and a toned-down-and-balanced-for-multiplayer, rocket-launcher-less Hornet. (”We knew the [original] Hornet was a death machine,” says Bakken. “It wasn’t tweaked very well for multiplayer.”) The developers also removed the interior hallways that used to connect the two bases, forcing most of the conflicts outdoors. The result? The most exciting, most action-packed large-sized Halo map yet.

As a side note, the previous map pack (entitled “Heroic”) was also priced at $10 (or 800 Ms points) when it was first released, but as of the 15th will be available for free download.

Electronic Arts, publisher of the wildly successful Call of Duty 4, describes competitors’ attempts to usurp the first person shooter’s pole position as “failing to inspire”. EA marketing guy David Tyler wasn’t shy about reminding print mag MCV about who’s number one where the shooter genre is concerned: “We’re pleased to have Call of Duty 4 leading the way in the FPS genre, with recent launches such as Army of Two and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 failing to inspire.” Sure, it’s a bit like asking a Ford dealer if he likes the latest products from Honda, but EA has sold more than 1.3 copies of CoD4 in the UK alone, so he has reason to be smug. “One of the things we’ve seen is that people outside of what you’d consider ‘normal’ gamers, are actually getting into this a lot, including quite a number of celebrities.” I’m not sure what the celebrity angle is supposed to leverage for him. Personally, if I knew Tom Cruise and Steve O were on the other end of the server, I might just log off.

This piece from Eurogamer about mod support on the Xbox caught my eye, and with games like Unreal Tournament and Half Life 2 - two games with a healthy mod-making community - playing such a prominent role in the Xbox’s history (and popularity), it does give one pause to ask why it is that the Xbox doesn’t support certain kinds of user-based add-ons. Microsoft XNA general manager Chris Satchell cited several concerns with user-created mods becoming commonly supported for the Xbox, some of which included security concerns:

Really what works in this industry is the people who have access to that native metal of the console, that go through these processes, are financially invested in this industry; they wouldn’t do anything bad. Developers want to do good things because they want this industry to work. There’s a lot of people out there that just want to prove they can screw things up.

I think there’s very mature, sensible hackers who just want to prove how good they are, and they don’t cause harm, and there’s malicious hackers, and any platform that let’s you do that, and doesn’t have the right security measures in place - whether it’s Sony, whether it’s Nintendo, whether it’s Apple, whether it’s anyone - you’re inviting trouble, because sooner or later someone will want to prove they can do it.

This begs the question of whether or not Satchell is suggesting that PS3 users are exposed to security threats that the Xbox 360 is not (as there are no such restrictions on the PS3). He didn’t totally answer the question.

Bethesda’s cult-classic franchise, Fallout, will be receiving its third installment (rumored to arrive this October), and GameStop has cried “ta daaa” and shown off a special collectors’ edition for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The verrrrrry special box will include a Vault Boy Bobblehead, a hardcover art book and a making-of DVD (the box itself will be a Vault-Tech Lunch Box). According to Shacknews, the Collectors’ Edition will be $79.99 (whereas the PC version is $69.99), and the “standard” version will be $59.99 for consoles and $49.99 for PC. Shacknews also has some nice impressions in their preview of the game in case you want to get a sense of whether or not it’s good enough to fork out $79.99 to get it in a special lunchbox.

Most folks who are following emerging news about Grand Theft Auto IV will know that there are Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions on deck, and a lot of people also know that the Xbox version boasts something that the PS3 doesn’t: Downloadable content. Joystiq decided to rub some salt in Playstation 3 owners’ wounds by running a little poll to see which of the two would be the one gamers want to grab. Not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 version came out on top (capturing 58% of votes where the PS3 grabbed a more modest 42%). It’s an interesting poll, and Joystiq reports these findings:

The top reasons cited for playing Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360 were achievements (24), the downloadable content (24) and more friends on Xbox Live (20). As for those who picked the PlayStation 3, the reason commenters most often gave was hardware concern for the Xbox 360 (17), either the Red Ring of Death or the loud cooling fan, especially after 100 hours of gameplay. Surprising to us was the number of people who said they didn’t care about downloadable content (10).

Personally, if I own one console or the other (few people own both) then I’d have to learn to live with the fact that certain titles that the other guy can get aren’t available to me… or aren’t available with all the same features. Obviously, if I own a PS3 I’m going to vote for the PS3 version (cause I’m gonna buy a second console to play a game I can already play on the console I have?), so I wouldn’t say the methodology was rock-solid… but it IS interesting to notice which features matter most to those who voted.

Vivendi’s upcoming Bourne Conspiracy game for Xbox will have a demo, Vivendi confirms, and it’ll appear next month around the time of the game’s release. No word on a Playstation version yet, but CVG reports that it’s on the way for Xbox and will be grabbable off the Xbox LIVE Marketplace store.

Press have been singing this song’s praises, especially in the graphics department, but it’s worth mentioning for fans of the Bourne movies: Matt Damon’s likeness wasn’t licensed for the creation of the game… so if you’re hoping to see Mr. Good Will Hunting beat someone down with a rolled-up magazine (that was awesome btw) you’ll be disappointed.

If you were listening to pop and rock in the 80’s then your life, like mine, has in some way been touched by a music legend… and that legend’s name is Motley Crüe. Their heyday may be 25 years behind us now, but they’re bringin’ The Dirt to Harmonix’ Rock Band this week when their song, “Saints of Los Angeles” is made available as downloadable content. You’ll be able to get it Tuesday on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 80 MS points. The Playstation version follows this Thursday for $0.99.

Saints of Los Angeles is off their upcoming album, The Dirt, which you’ll be able to get for yourself in June when Gen X’ers all over the world will be Shouting at the Devil.

(See what I did there?)

I just stumbled across this YouTube video, showing off the loading times in the Xbox 360 version of Sonic the Hedgehog. I know it’s an older game but I simply had to share the video, as I’ve never seen anything this bad. The video shows a gamer’s attempt to play through a mini-game where you view a stack of boxes with a fixed camera angle and have to guess the number of boxes in it, taking into account the ones you can’t see. This is already bad, a prime example of “boring mini-game filler,” but I can get over it. Unfortunately, what should be a 2 minute process is turned into an interminable ordeal by the ridiculous loading times. After accepting the mini-game, you’re treated to a 20 second loading screen so that a character can say one 3 second line, followed by another 20 second loading screen allowing you to view the boxes, followed by another 20 second loading screen so you can pick a number, followed by another 20 second loading screen so you can find out if you were correct. If you were, you get to view another stack of boxes (after a 20 second loading screen), but if you were wrong you get dumped back to the main world (after a 20 second loading screen) and have to start all over. I’ve seen bad, but… wow.

I love a happy ending.

Quick recap: Nathaniel took his XBox 360 to the shop because of Red Ring of Death issues (like so many other people do) and got it fixed. No big, at first, but this Xbox was special: The Halo team had signed it all over with personalized messages and autographs, so obviously it was of great sentimental value. Imagine the shock when Nathaniel got it back in working condition but scrubbed from top to bottom with all the signatures gone from sight. Not a happy boy.

Destructoid tells the tale of “all’s well that ends well” by talking about who stepped up to the plate to make amends:

Bungie stepped in and showered Nathaniel with a ton of Halo swag. Most people figured this would be the end of the story but it looks like Microsoft actually stepped in and made it up to Nathaniel. Microsoft sent Nathaniel a box full of awesome things. He got an Xbox 360 signed by the original RT signers, new artwork by Luke McKay, signatures from the Xbox 360 team and signatures from Bungie. The faceplate was also signed by a few others including Bill Gates himself. The package also contained:

* Devil May Cry 4
* Lost Odyssey
* Rainbow Six Vegas 2
* Gears of War
* Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
* 2 ‘What’s Your Gamerscore?’ Bumperstickers
* Xbox 360 CD Wallet
* Signed picture of Bill Gates

That signed pic of Bill Gates is gonna make him Big Man on Campus, I tell you.

A bit of news about a game I really like: Value will be dropping new content for the PC version of Team Fortress 2. Due to arrive some time around April 20, the new stuff will include unlockable weapons for the medic and a new map as well, entitled Goldrush, which will show off Ep2 cinematic physics. Also coming is a new game mode called “Payload” (where Blue Team takes a mining car full of explosives to the Red Base. As you can probably imagine, the Red Team works to stop the Blue). More weapons for other classes will be forthcoming in future downloads as well.

While we’re on the subject of TF2, I’ve been wanting to show this image off to all the TF2 players out there (mainly because those who don’t play won’t understand it much).

This is kind of weird, so stay with me.

The recent Bank of America SmidCap Conference (yeah, I’ve never heard of it either) spurned Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick to give a presentation at the event about how Take-Two was going to continue telling Electronic Arts to get stuffed and that their takeover bids will garner no traction any time soon. This was presented in the form of a ridiculously boring slideshow full of graphs and charts and other things I didn’t pay attention to in high school before I quit. The gem, however, is slide 24… which suggests that Bioshock and Civilization carry pretty good value as the nuclei of successful MMO’s.

So if you wanted to get into those worlds and rock out with thousands of your close personal friends, Take-Two may have you in mind.

Supreme Commander (a darn good game, let me tell you) is making its way to Xbox 360. Many of you know that already, but what you might not know yet is that we won’t have our hands on it until this summer, according to Gamespot. The sequel to the Chris Taylor cult classic, Total Annihilation, met with good reviews on the PC side… but critics will have to keep it in park for a while longer where the Xbox is concerned:

Aspyr Media announced today that the Hellbent Games-developed Xbox 360 edition of Supreme Commander has been pushed beyond its expected March release to “later this spring or early summer.” According to an Aspyr spokesperson, the extra time in development will allow Hellbent to further improve SupCom’s gameplay on the 360. Aspyr announced in November that Hellbent would be handling console-adaptation duties for Chris Taylor’s supersized real-time strategy game.

You can get some Supreme Commander mojo over at Game Infowire where they are showing off some SC Xbox pics. It’s better than nothing.

Bungie.net showed off the new map from the soon-to-be-released Legendary Map Pack which will be coming down the pipe for Halo 3 on April 15. Entitled “Blackout”, the map goes under the microscope in this interview with several of the Bungie team, and Producer Allen Murray had this to say about what goes into a piece of work like this one.

It’s a UNSC research station set in the Arctic, and I am pretty sure that this is also where all of the R&D on military grade Otter Pop rations took place. Early on I thought it was going to be an oil derrick, but that changed over time. We have some cool racks of glacier core samples, Doppler radar and other pieces of research gear strewn about, which makes for a nice touch – and when you look up to see them make sure you notice the beautiful Aurora Borealis in the sky. There were other, more outlandish settings done in the concept phase, but we’ll keep those secret as you never know when we’ll dig into that bag and pull it out for a future project.

The Legendary pack will cost $10, but the previously released map pack (”Heroic”) will be available for free starting on the very same day.

This weekend some sites brokes some leaked screenshots from this trailer. That’s just fine, but I’m going to take my time if it’s only screenshots. I mean, with rendering tech what it is these days, those could have been from some fan-made thing. But no, the movie from official sources kind of proves it.

FINALLY! A Sonic game that captures the feeling of speed. Jeez, about time, people.

Hm, coming “soon.” Where’s the rolleyes icon…

I admit, however, the Wii guy in me wonders what’s so great here that requires the power of the XBox 360 and the PS3. I mean, how about a little Wii lovin’?

Bungie is about to drop a second map pack, entitled “Legendary” on Halo 3 fans this April 15, which will be downloadable for anyone who has the game. It’ll ring in at a cost of 800 Microsoft points (which is worth $10), but Microsoft also intends to simultaneously make the previous downloadable map pack (called “Heroic”) available for free on the same day. I don’t like paying for downloadable content for a game I’ve already bought, but I find it a bit telling that Luke Smith of Bungie doesn’t seem to either (on the company’s site he says “Remember, we just make the maps, we don’t get to price them”).

The pack includes three new multiplayer maps, one of which is a reworking of the original Halo’s Sidewinder map (which was quite popular). The other two maps, Ghost Town and Moonlight, are being kept under wraps at the moment… but they promise to be real purty.

After reporting yesterday about the pervasive and widespread problems people have been having with Rockstar’s Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox (including freezing and abysmal frame rates), Rockstar stepped up to the plate and spoke to Kotaku about it.

We have just become aware of the issues people are having with Bully Scholarship Edition on Xbox 360. It appears that some older 360s are experiencing framerate issues, freezes and other problems. You have our word that we never experienced any of this in QA - in any of our offices or at Microsoft. I am horrified, and we are now working around the clock to rectify this situation. Thanks to Neo-Gaf for bringing this matter to our attention. We love our games and put a huge amount of energy and care into making them all that they can be. We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will. We apologise to everyone affected for the inconvenience. Respectfully, Sam Houser

I don’t want to be overly cynical (especially because I really respect it when a company just comes out and apologizes for a screwup rather than trying to white-wash it… particularly when it’s done in such a sincere way as this), but I can’t help but think “that’s all fine and well, but what about my game?” When they say they’ll rectify it, do they mean in the form of a downloadable patch? A trade-in program? I sure hope it isn’t just “We’re really sorry and we want you to know we feel your pain” and nothing else.

Oh, and Microsoft? It wouldn’t kill you to say something contrite right about now, either.

An XBox 360 price cut? Yes please. MCV is reporting that a drop is planned for the Xbox 360 pricetag, presumably to allow the lower-end Xbox model (the Arcade) to compete more directly with Nintendo’s Wii. The new price of the Arcade would be in the area of £170 (~$340 USD) from a previous £199, but it’s not yet clear if this price drop will run the whole gamut: “It is unknown if Microsoft’s other Xbox 360 SKUs, the Premium pack and the Xbox 360 Elite, would enjoy similar price drops. However, the platform holder introduced a simultaneous price cut on more than one model in August last year.”

News about Blu-Ray overtaking HD DVD as the Ultimate Warrior of Destiny has been pretty thoroughly documented, and now the inevitable vanishing of HD DVD devices has begun: Gizmodo reports that Microsoft has k-lined their HD DVD version of the Xbox 360. They’ll still support your console if you’re one of those poor saps who got an HD DVD model, but don’t be so sure you can move to a Blu-Ray Xbox just yet; nothing has been announced and, as Gizmodo explains, it’s hard to get the cost of a Blu-Ray add-on down to a manageable price for consumers… especially when the PS3 does it for $399.

News about this has been going around for a few days, but we wanted to make sure you heard it from GameLedge’s mouth: Gears of War 2 is officially announced and coming to the Xbox 360 (as if everyone was expecting it to be a Commodore 64 exclusive, but whatever). Epic’s Mark Rein is (predictably) ecstatic about the upcoming title and shared a few thoughts on the subject with Kotaku:

Yes, we’re doing Gears of War 2! Did you ever doubt that? It’s been in development since before Gears of War 1 shipped… We had an executive review the other day and I can tell you it is definitely more badass. It’s really good. One thing I can say is that compared to where we were in the February before we shipped the last Gears, the game is in phenomenal shape. There are some good surprises for people.

Nice to hear they’re turning up the “badass” dial. Otherwise, that quote kinda says… absolutely nothing.

Just when you think there’s nothing left in the Xbox bag of schadenfreude, a story like this comes along: The Red Ring of Death (an Xbox 360-specific phenomenon where the unit suddenly dies and only shows 3/4 of a red circle on the front panel) plagued a company called XNA at this year’s GDC… and Gaming Today is not only there, but they’re there with video cameras rolling. The link leads to a short blurb about demonstration Xbox units going belly-up on the show floor and a brief movie in which one of the XNA guys squeezes some restrained words through his teeth about how it’s “pretty embarrassing”.

To be honest, the article is a tad “much ado about nothing” in the sense that you don’t see floor models keeling over everywhere at the show… but the Red Ring is a persistent thorn in Xbox 360-owners’ sides and causes plenty of complicated problems for them (while covered by standard warrantee, the RRoD resets the machine in such a way that all Xbox Live games you’ve downloaded and paid for revert to demo mode). Microsoft still (still) hasn’t come up with a viable way to transform this issue from a big-P “Problem” into a little-p “problem”. Here’s hoping it won’t be something they only take care of for the Xbox Mk III.

Addendum (excerpt from a chat I had with Kit Pierce this afternoon):

Kit Pierce: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gaming/xbox-360-failure-rate-30-says-retailers-271487.php 30% is not much ado about nothing.
Corey Tamas: So be it
Corey Tamas: I was referring specifically to how many were dying on the floor. I didn’t want to give the impression that all the Xboxes at GDC were going up in smoke.
Kit Pierce: I’m going back to work now.

A little hard to believe? Maybe… but sales figures show that Sony’s Playstation 3 has pegged the 10 million mark… four months ahead of the XBox 360. Folks who remember the PS3 launch a couple of years back will recall that it didn’t have the most auspicious start: Not that many kickass games, and the ones they had were delayed considerably… Nintendo coming out of left field with the spunky Wii to make the PS3 look bloated and mirthless by comparison… and let’s not forget the insanely high price of $600+. As time went by, however, Sony fought back… reduced the feature bloat, dropped the price, pushed some nifty titles out the door and beat their marketing department with frozen garden hoses until they got results. The Xbox also had a few problems (*cough*redringofdeath*cough*) that may have put a bit of a dent in their sales and gave Sony a bit of a boost in that area.

Wanna see some official-looking chart type stuff? If it’s on the internet, it must be true!

Despite the fact that I am sick of editing images which either feature an Xbox or the Microsoft Logo (for today, anyhow), I think you all need to hear about the possibility of a new Xbox Live that’s rumored to, well… not suck as much as the current one. The rumor is sparked by a job listing from Microsoft which states: “Want to be involved in the next release of Xbox? Join the server-backed games team, part of the Xbox Live team that’s responsible for creating a completely new way for mainstream audiences to enjoy the Xbox and Live.” It goes on to say “We’re building the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new Live experience. Both the games and the dashboard experience will be deeply paired with dynamic server support to create a compelling, fresh scenario each time” and “We are looking for a passionate games producer to help implement our first generation games that will run in this new environment.”

Naturally, this has all the Xbox fanboys by the short and curlies… and why not? It could possibly signify some new directions for Microsoft and their popular but beleaguered Xbox Live system.

Most Xbox 360 users and enthusiasts have heard about (or experienced) what’s sometimes referred to as the “Red Ring of Death”; a common condition where the Xbox 360 unit breaks down and displays 3/4 of a red ring around the start button. While the Red Ring of Death problem is covered under standard Warrantee, the complicated issue around the RRoD stems from the fact that once the problem is fixed the unit no longer plays games which have been acquired through Xbox Live (Microsoft’s online service which sells games over the net to Xbox 360 owners). Fixing the RRoD apparently resets or changes the serial number of the device, which trips the machine’s DRM alerts - in essence, making the Xbox think that the downloaded content on the hard drive was not downloaded by that particular owner and, therefore, isn’t legally theirs… rendering all that legally acquired software as useless.

Consumerist follows the story of one reader who had exactly this problem and the harrowing process he went through to try and resolve it. The step-by-step tale of woe basically goes like this:

-November 2007: Kevin’s XBOX 360 is replaced, causing his content to lose full functionality. He calls Microsoft.
- Microsoft keeps Kevin on the phone for an hour trying different methods of restoring functionality to his content. Nothing works. They say they will call him back in two weeks.
- They do not call him back, so he calls them. Microsoft makes him repeat the steps he tried the first time he called. They tell him they will call him back in two weeks.
- This cycle repeats twice more before Kevin gets a call from Frank at XBOX escalations. It’s now the second week of January.
- Kevin periodically speaks to Frank. Frank has no answers for him.
- February 7, 2008: Frank tells Kevin that there’s nothing more he can do and, when Kevin asks when he can expect a resolution, Frank says “hopefully sometime in 2008.”

Stories like this seem to be quite common where the Xbox 360 is concerned, and anyone who owns that machine may want to give the Consumerist’s feature a looksee in order to know what they may be up against if the RRoD situation ever happens to them.

File this under “pure awesome”; do-it-yourselfer Ben Heck has actually turned an Xbox 360 Elite into a laptop… case and screen and everything. Pictures and video at Engadget show off a somewhat homely but entirely workable laptop concept, and even shows you how: “Luckily for us lay-people, he’s included a graphic breakdown of just about every step on the road to a portable Xbox 360, replete will all the case cracking, innards opening, wire splaying photos you could possibly want or need.” It’s no MacBook Air, but… if you wanted to play games then you weren’t thinking about getting one of those anyhow.

The story about how people are trying to sue Microsoft for the Xbox Life’s failure to let them play online as much as they thought they should be able to is well documented on the net lately, but four gamers from Texas are now filing a class action lawsuit on the matter. MTV news reports that Jason Gibson, lawyer to the four whelps who are suing, has a few things to say on the matter.

“When you have one person who is mad and they can’t get a response, and they can’t get their complaints addressed by a company like Microsoft, the only way to get their attention is in numbers,” Gibson said. He said the company had to have known what was going to happen with the Xbox Live overload. “If they had not anticipated the sales, then they would not have put out that many units of the Xbox to begin with.” Last week, Microsoft announced that Live had reached 10 million subscribers and claimed record-setting revenue for consoles sold in 2007, covering strong sales through the holiday season. Gibson said that proves Microsoft’s priorities were out of order.

As much as I like to make fun of people who sue Microsoft over the inability to play video games, this lawyer has a point: Did Microsoft just think all those people would wait till spring to go online? Or not go online at all? Claims from Redmond that they couldn’t anticipate the demand are kinda silly.

There’s an ongoing problem that a lot of us have heard about (and many, many of us have seen) with the Xbox 360 where you end up seeing the “Red Ring of Death” (the name for every technology problem is always “…of Death”; that part is non-negotiable). It appears to be a problem with the stuff that’s used to glue the heat sinks to the CPU. When this happens, you get the RRoD — when three quarters of the “on” light glow red and the Xbox doesn’t want to work anymore. Microsoft is pretty tight-lipped about the specifics of what causes it but, to their credit, they’re good about replacing or repairing the units that bite the biscuit this way. Unfortunately, the Xbox DRM system is screwed up; the games you buy on Xbox Arcade will often vanish or revert to trial versions (even if they’re paid for) after repairs to fix the RRoD are done. I found an interesting blog entry which talks about it and how it gets fixed.

How is this getting resolved? You’re going to love this.

First, you have to create a new gamer profile and make it an Xbox Live “Silver” membership. It’s free to create that new profile since the “Silver” membership is free, but there is a heck of a lot of data entry for contact information, not to mention the fact you need to give it an email address and password so it can sign on - just like a real profile. The representatives on the phone will tell you it doesn’t matter what email address you give it, but from experience I know they send account notices and such to that email address, so it should probably be legitimate. Of course, that means if you don’t have your own domain and/or can’t figure out how to set up email address forwarding then you’ll need to create a new, dummy Hotmail account or something. Super convenient.

Once you have the dummy gamer profile set up, Microsoft will credit that account with enough credits to go in and re-purchase all of the games you previously had unlocked. Getting that credit to come through takes eight-to-ten business days.

Even now, Microsoft still hasn’t fixed the DRM issue which locks people out from games for which they’ve paid. We aren’t officially telling anyone not to use Xbox Marketplace to buy games, but only to be aware that, although the RRoD problem is usually repaired without much hassle, the DRM problem exists and support and/or compensation from Microsoft for lost content is reportedly very bad. Mazeltov.

We’ve been making jokes at the expense of the ever-delayed Duke Nukem Forever that we sometimes forget its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D, was one of the greatest shooters ever created. Now there’s a possibility we may end up playing it again on Xbox Live; according to Ign.com, George Broussard has suggested that his studio (3D Realms) would create a version of the acclaimed Duke game for Xbox Live, and this Monday sources close to 3D Realms confirmed kinda-but-not-totally-on-the-record that it’s a done deal and should appear in the next several months. Wanna hear the cool part? “And best of all, it’ll feature a four-player online cooperative mode over Live. Insiders also allege that it will boast an eight-player online deathmatch mode.”

I’m so happy to hear about this that I’m going to hold off my Duke Nukem Forever jokes until the next time the subject comes up. And for me, that’s really something which requires a lot of will power.

Again with the Goldeneye XBL thing: Kotaku reports that Microsoft lays the blame squarely on Nintendo for the cancelation of Goldeneye for Xbox Live. Straight from the “Big Surprise There” department, Microsoft spoke to Kotaku, and had a few interesting words about the matter…

Sources within Microsoft who were very close to the project (and who also pointed us towards the above, alleged screen) have told us the game was canned not because of disagreements between the two parties, but because of Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata, who believes that, as a title which appeared on a Nintendo console, GoldenEye shouldn’t be made available on a competitor’s system.

I’m not saying Nintendo is necessarily going to stand as the paragon of altruism and generosity, but I wouldn’t quite buy this one at face value. It’s rather like going to a Ford dealer and asking them whether Ford or Honda makes better cars; you can sorta guess the answer before it comes out of his mouth.

In a very entertaining and informative article, Gaming Today looks at the 12,000 word Xbox Live Terms of Service Agreement and distills it down to a brief article that explains how Microsoft, as always, pretty much has you by the thumbsticks. The catalyst for this descent into legal gobbledygook is the stuttering, patchy service provided by Xbox Live ever since (let’s just say it) Halo 3 came out. This slowdown has prompted a lot of very serious gamers to shake their fists and threaten lawsuits (for our own editorial spin on that kind of thinking, click here). Gaming Today holds a candle for the common gamer but finds, before long, that it snuffs right out:

…But then we reach clause #16 which takes the issue and just slaughters any argument to the contrary. (It was also at this point that I went insane.) The clause, in its entirety, reads:

16. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY
We provide the Service “as-is,” “with all faults” and “as available.” The Microsoft Parties give no express warranties, guarantees or conditions. You may have additional consumer rights under your local laws that this contract cannot change. To the extent permitted by law, we exclude the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, workmanlike effort and non-infringement.

This is a pretty darn good article and also very informative about just what you’ve gotten yourself into by plopping your headphones onto your head and diving into your favorite Halo map.

Portal is a bit like Radiohead; sure, you occasionally meet people who don’t like Radiohead… but they’re so few and far between that it really underlines just how many people love Radiohead. Ask yourself: Have you ever met someone who played Portal and didn’t like it? A few of you might say yes, but I’ll bet none of you say “I meet someone who dislikes Portal every day”.

As it is with most things we like, we wonder what comes next… even if the thing we like wouldn’t necessarily benefit from “more”. This is how we ended up with two Matrix sequels. Anyhow… Joystiq is asking today: Should we have a Portal sequel, or is it better to leave it as it is? Getting inspiration from MTV (and there’s a phrase you won’t hear very often around here), Joystiq poses the question to its commenters for feedback, asking “But what do you think? Do you believe Valve should leave well enough alone? Or do you think it needs another slice?”

Last week we reported that Goldeneye for Xbox Live was canceled, primarily due to the fact that Microsoft and Nintendo couldn’t figure out how to divide up the money (ok… maybe “primarily” is the wrong word; it’s more like “entirely”). Since then, sweet, innocent and wide-eyed gamers all over have begun to chant the common mantra that gets chanted every time something happens that they don’t like: “Petition”. It’s adorable, really.

The truth of the matter is that in the 10-or-so years I’ve been reporting on game cancelations of one sort or another, I have yet to see a petition bring a game back from the dead. It’s great to have that plucky never-say-die attitude, but more than one publisher has told me that petitions are an annoyance (at best). In fact, sometimes petitions confirm the decision to cancel a game when they see only enough signatures to compose a fraction of the total numbers needed to buy the game and make it financially viable. Yet, the phenomenon repeats itself: Gamers fall in love with their favorite games and begin to feel a sense of ownership where there is none, and that attitude gives them a skewed perspective which makes them think that the consumer wanting a product is the only consideration in getting made. Even more erroneous: They often misjudge the scale of the market and their contextual influence, thus thinking that a hundred to a thousand signatures on a petition adds up to critical mass. Look, I’m an eternal optimist myself… but optimism is best when tempered with a little knowledge. Otherwise, I think we call that naiveté.

On a personal note, I think that if you can get off your ass to gather up all your little buddies and make a petition to get an antiquated N64 game made for the Xbox then you can probably spare the time to raise awareness about, oh… I don’t know… literacy, hunger, poverty… you know. Stuff that’s almost as important.

Team Fortress 2 fans will be happy to know that two new maps for Valve’s awesome Team Fortress 2 will be released in the next two months or so. One map is reportedly a remake of the old “Badlands” map from days of yore. Shacknews spoke to Valve guy Robin Walker and he claimed we’d see the maps within 60 days, but “We expect to ship other new content before that.” The content of which he speaks is a new “Medic achievement pack” which gives the Medic more achievements and some gameplay changes (Walker reports all classes will get buffed the same way eventually). Shacknews goes on to mention that Walker confirms these maps for PC, but can’t say yet whether we’ll see them on the Xbox or PS3 versions.

An Xbox Live version of the classic N64 shooter, Goldeneye, seemed like such a great idea… but, alas, was not meant to be. It really was in development but, according to Kotaku, Microsoft and Nintendo couldn’t agree on how to split up the profits and they k-lined it. 1up.com and Kotaku both seem to think that complaining loudly will make it come back, but I wouldn’t be so optimistic. Anyhow, 1up goes a bit more in depth about what happened and adds their moaning to the pile.

Kind of a shame tho.

Stories like this seem to be all over the place lately; Microsoft contacted the Editor in Chief of GamePartisan to ask them to drop writer Ben Paddon to “remove any potential sources of contention” between the site and Microsoft. Paddon wrote an editorial about his experiences with Xbox Live and how he was unable to use it overseas (you should just read the editorial to get the whole story), and Microsoft didn’t particularly care for his take on the matter. Paddon went on to blog about his experience and, as you can imagine, isn’t very happy.

…I’m not sure what DeViney’s answer was exactly, but the general jist of it from what I’ve heard is that he told them to take their hand and go f*** themselves.

Not content with denying me my request to be able to, y’know, pay for my Xbox Live services, they’ve now taken to flat-out attacking me by trying to lose me a writing job. Well, no. I’m very thankful that DeViney has decided to back me on this one…

I don’t like to be the one to throw cold water on the mushy-mushy feelings everyone has for Microsoft and Bill Gates after this week’s CES show in Las Vegas where Gates retired and everyone joined hands and sang Kumbayah to celebrate the life’s work of the man who gave us The Blue Screen of Death, but… it’s good to remember that Microsoft is still pretty good at, well, being Microsoft.

You know… I’m the one who wrote the title and even I can’t totally grasp what I’m reading.

The idea, if I understand correctly, is that there’s a lot of racism and racist comments happening on Xbox Live (gosh… I can’t imagine), and Dr. Phil has some input on the matter about how to respond, what’s in and what’s out of bounds, and apparently has even advocated on behalf of an african-American gamer directly to Microsoft.

We explained to them that you have filed multiple complaints. You have the numbers; you have the tagline of the people who are doing this sort of thing, so Microsoft has said they are going to set up with [you] one of their security team members, and they are going to discuss this investigation regarding your complaints and try to get the ball rolling. So we have gotten them, at least, to assign an investigator specific to you, so they can sit down and start this ball rolling.

I don’t totally get it… but I’m gonna tell you that anyone who makes an attempt to stuff a cork in the mouth of racist idiots gets a thumbs-up from me. I just never thought I’d have opportunity to create a “Dr. Phil” tag here at GameLedge.

I had to read this one a couple of times to see if I had it right: Xbox 360 Fanboy is reporting that Microsoft, Bungie, and the US Army are planning to get recruits from the best of the best at the first ever Halo 3 Championship Tournament this April. What’s kinda cool about it is that registration will open in March and there will actually be classes and training to help get players into shape, including Sniper School (which is now open), Heavy Weapons on Feb 9, and Vehicles on March 1. That does sound pretty cool. Here’s the part I’m not sure I totally get…

Finally, the US Army will be sponsoring a Destination Experience site on Xbox Live that will serve up videos, tips and expert Halo 3 advice. Get in on the action by registering for Sniper School right now, join all the other events through March, learn to pwn like a pro and come April you’ll have a chance to prove yourself in the online tournament. We expect that you’ll do just fine.

I’m not sure how that’s all supposed to work out, but I do know one thing: I don’t think I want US Army recruits to be under the impression that putting as many grenades as you can under a personnel transport vehicle to see how high in the air you can make it fly is a good idea.

NVIDIA is giving away a free copy of Portal: First Slice to its customers. Simple as that. It’s an extended demo of Valve’s everyoneisinlovewithit game and can be nabbed by having a Steam account. There’s nothing to it; head over to Steampowered.com and click.

It’s a great game. You won’t regret it.

I’m actually getting a bit sick of “Blu-ray this, Blu-ray that”, but there’s no denying that it’s a news story when Microsoft decides to throw in their hat. Albert Penello, Microsoft’s director of global marketing, reportedly told Betanews that they could possibly decide to create an external Blu-ray player if that does, in fact, become the standard. According to Betanews, “He admitted that Sony’s inclusion of Blu-ray in the PlayStation 3 has helped that format, but said Microsoft’s add-on HD DVD drive alone has outsold all standalone Blu-ray players combined.” There’s no ignoring the fact that Microsoft admitting that Blu-ray might be worth supporting comes as a kick in the nards for the Big Company from Redmond, and that every single public word they utter about the format will be bookended by two comments about how awesome they are for previously supporting HD DVD, but the news is still good if they end up making it possible for Xbox 360 owners to keep step with PS3 folks where cutting-edge technology is concerned.

Namco has announced the console-specific characters that will be appearing in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Soulcalibur IV.

The PS3 version of the game will feature a playable Darth Vader, while the Xbox 360 version will allow gamers to play as Jedi Master Yoda. Namco has included characters from other games ever since Soulcalibur II, which featured Link, Spawn, and Heihachi Mishima (from Tekken) on the Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2 ports respectively. Soulcalibur III was only ported to the PS2, but the create-a-character mode allowed you to make lookalikes of KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series and Arthur from Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, amongst others.

Screenshots of the two in action after the jump.

There’s a rumor floating around that Goldeneye 007, which many consider one of the best FPS games ever (and easily the best on the Nintendo 64) might be hitting XBox LIVE Arcade along with a few other Rareware titles.

XBox Evolved apparently spoke with “very reliable sources” who revealed that Microsoft and Rareware are talking with MGM Studios and Activision (who hold the movie and game licenses, respectively, for the James Bond franchise) to update and rerelease Goldeneye 007 on XBLA. The update will feature new and better graphics and, of course, Xbox LIVE multiplayer action.

If the prospect of having proximity-mine-only battles with people around the globe doesn’t excite you enough, there are also apparently plans to have Perfect Dark and Banjo-Kazooie on your 360. I cannot be excited enough about this.

At this juncture it’s only a rumor, but there’s talk going around of a Bioshock prequel. Next-Gen.biz has a piece about the next chapter of the successful X Box shooter, and how we may be going back in time a little to take a look at the underwater city of Rapture. Set for a possible 200 release, Take-Two has suggested that the franchise could see a new installment every two years.

Another rumor based around Take-Two job postings suggests the title will primarily be developed at the publisher’s recently formed 2K Marin studio, while it has also been speculated that BioShock creator and director Ken Levine will not be involved in the project.

You can get the whole story over at Next-Gen… but it’s the kind of rumor that makes us all warm and squishy inside.

Wired Blogs has dropped this juicy tidbit onto the internet for all to see.

Turns out that, despite Microsoft’s insistence that XBox Live is completely secure, the evidence is clear: it’s not. A hacker snuck into the system and walked away with some rare armor awarded to players as a gift directly from Microsoft or Bungie.

What good is something like this? Can you wear it in-game without being found out and shut down? Oh, and another thing, so frickin’ what? Dude, just because you wheedled a virtual costume away from another gamer doesn’t mean you’re still not going to get your armor-plated butt handed to you in-game. Tool.

Oh my! Where did that come from? My inner smack is trying to get out, apparently.

Anyway, the whole skinny is here for your perusal.

VRX Industries Ltd. has announced the VRX MACH 4, which had better be the ultimate racing simulation because I’m not sure how it could get better.

Designed solely for Forza Motorsport 2, this bad boy features four Xbox 360s powering four screens: three 37″ LCDs showing the left, center, and right views and one small 7″ display showing the rear view. There’s also a surround sound system with subwoofer, a tactile vibration feedback system, a virtual wind system with two fans, and of course two pedals and a real steering wheel.

I don’t even like racing games and I can’t even begin to describe how badly I want this. There’s no pricing information, but you can email them from their website to inquire about sales.

Hudson Entertainment has announced a new tournament taking place on Xbox LIVE.

Players have to attempt to get on the Week Ranked Friendly Fire Leaderboard by participating in the new Friendly Fire game mode, which is available in the download Bomb-Up Pack 3 add-on. The grand prize winner will receive 100,000 Microsoft Points, worth about $1,250. There’s also a sweepstakes where you can win, like, a t-shirt or a sweater or something. I’m not sure why you’d bother.

Check this link if you like blowing up tiny, cute little men and think you can do it better than anyone else!

Microsoft has announced that Bungie has released the much-awaited map pack for Halo 3.

Dubbed the Heroic Map Pack, it contains three new maps: Standoff, Rat’s Nest, and Foundry. Standoff takes place in a symmetrical valley with bases constructed at either end. The valley floor is littered with boulders for cover. Rat’s Nest is a huge network of tunnels inspired by the single player campaign mode, and is described as an indoor vehicle paradise. Finally, Foundry is more or less a playground for the map editor Forge. It’s a large industrial warehouse where players can place stairways, wall, bridges, and tunnels to create a new map every time.

Annoyingly enough, the pack isn’t free but costs 800 MS Point to download. I’ll pay it, of course I’ll pay it, but I will grumble and mutter and glare fiercely at my screen as I do. It will become free in spring, just in time for the next map pack.

Microsoft has announced a couple new games that will be hitting the Xbox LIVE Arcade on Wednesday.

Arkadian Warriors is a new dungeon-crawler featuring three shape-shafting warriors and their battle against the mythical Gorgon. Players will wander through randomly generated dungeons, upgrading their skills, equipment, and magic. It features a singleplayer campaign and a multiplayer campaign both for local play and over LIVE.

GripShift is a racing game with some puzzle elements thrown in for good measure. It features 120 levels spread over 25 race tracks and 20 deathmatch arenas. It can be played solo or with up to 4 players on Xbox LIVE.

Both game cost 800 Microsoft Points and will be available Wednesday morning.

Namco Bandai has announced the release of a Culdcept Saga demo on Xbox LIVE.

The game is an interesting blend of a trading card game and a board game. Players travel around a board and attempt to gain ownership of land squares. However, they’ll have to fight off enemies and opposing players using decks of cards with monsters, spells, and equipment. There are around 500 cards, each of which is hand-illustrated.

Sounds like a pretty neat game if you’ve ever been interested in Magic: The Gathering or other trading card games. The full game launches February 5th.

Codemasters and Microsoft have announced a release date for the upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade game Sensible World of Soccer.

Sensible World of Soccer is basically the cutest little soccer game ever, and one with quite a history. Originally released in 1994 (as a sequel to an earlier game called Sensible Soccer) for the Amiga and DOS–two very old computers/operating systems, for you youngsters–SWOS was a broad and far-reaching title for the time, incorporating a 20-season career mode and a variety of obscure teams and clubs. The XBLA version aims to keep the retro feel and playability of the game, while including optional enhancements such as updated graphics.

The whole will hit on December 19th, although there’s no word yet on how much it will cost.

When one mentions stealth assassination in the video game industry Ninjas invariably come to mind. As does poorly lit villages, empty save for the guards who are controlled by horribly scripted AI. Not so with Assassin’s Creed. First off there are no Ninjas. Yes that’s right, there are no Ninjas. Once you manage to get past this first heresy you will quickly discover that your non-Ninja operates in broad daylight. When you get your head around that one the cities are teeming with hundreds of people. Gone are the empty streets, the shadowy corners and the horribly inadequate guards of lore. Assassin’s Creed breaks most of the sacred tenets of stealth games, but in a good way.

The first thing you will notice when you start this game is how gorgeous it looks. I mean really gorgeous. From the subtle movements of Altair’s (the non-Ninja protagonist) clothing to the brick work on the buildings. Most of the game has a grayish cast to it, so that when you see a splash of color it stands out vividly, be it Altair’s sash or an arterial spray of crimson. The attention to detail doesn’t bog down the game either, which is especially nice considering that at any given time there are tons of characters on the screen. In fact, there are few moments when you aren’t surrounded by multiple people. From guards to beggars to common folk, all actors are wonderfully detailed.

As the game starts you must endure a rather overwhelming and unavoidable tutorial. It introduces you to the basic controls and rudimentary combat techniques. At first I was a little leery of the control scheme — it just seemed like too much. Each button controls a different part of Altair’s body; Y his head, X and B his right and left hands and A his feet. Press any of these buttons and you will perform what the game refers to as a “Low Profile” action. For example when you walk and press B Altair gently pushes people from his path. Now if you hold in the right trigger these same four buttons take on a more aggressive lean called “High Profile” actions. In the same scenario with Altair walking pressing B while holding the right trigger has him grab the nearest person to throw them in the direction pressed with the left thumb pad. Sound confusing? For the first twenty minutes my assassin looked drunk. I was running into walls, tripping over people in the crowd and falling off rooftops. Very uncool. However after a bit of running around polishing my skills I found that the controls quickly became rather intuitive. Now I was slipping smoothly through the crowds, running up walls and leaping fearlessly over the rooftops, so don’t let the controls scare you off, they aren’t really that bad.

Combat was another pleasant surprise and break from the previous stealth assassination games. In other titles stealth kills were stressed so strongly that if you actually found yourself in a straight up fight you were as good as dead. Again, not so in Assassin’s Creed. In fact, Altair is more impressive fighting four or five guards at once as opposed to his sneaky stealth kills. I should mention that in the beginning of the game you are really better off running from fights until you master the counter strike ability. The combo attacks are nice, but can be a bit difficult to time, and one mistake could spell disaster in the earlier stages. As you progress and unlock better combat moves, such as counter, the tables quickly turn. Altair’s counter attacks are not only flashy, but beautifully brutal. It quickly becomes apparent how the game received a mature rating. Having played stealth games in the past, there is something very satisfying about be cornered by the guards, turning around and raining destruction down instead of attacking awkwardly and getting impaled on a bamboo spear. That said, the combat is nicely fleshed out with many useful and different techniques available.

The game’s AI is a sweet surprise. Crowds of people roam the streets and react to your actions quite realistically. If you sprint up a wall and start climbing a building, people gather around to watch and ridicule you. Guards will openly challenge you if they see you climbing walls and acting suspicious, verbally at first and violently if you continue on. When trying to spy on someone, if you run into people they will quickly blow your cover, just as if you fail to pick pocket, the intended victim could call the guards or openly attack you, even calling on friends to help maul you. Guards have also been upgraded from their predecessors in games past. Gone are the days of simply climbing a wall and waiting it out. Guards chase you mercilessly and throw rocks to knock you off of walls, they even climb buildings after you. When they find bodies they people instantly alert and search the nearby areas in numbers. What does all this mean? No more running in, a few quick stabs and running out. Escape paths should now be planned, guard routes monitored and smooth operation maintained.

If I have one issue with the game it lies with the story’s presentation. Now this might sound a bit cryptic as I am not going to throw out any spoilers so bear with me. The overall story is sound and interesting, especially Altair’s slow progression as he begins to questions the motives of his order. However there is a storytelling device that Ubisoft used that I at first thought to be a nice spin, but quickly discovered that it just broke up the flow of the game. No biggie really, but it can get a bit frustrating, and I found myself just trying to get though them to get back to the stalking.

Assassin’s Creed is a great game, but I can see that it might not enjoyed by all. If you are like me and love to methodically collect information through spying and carefully plan out escape routes, then you will absolutely love this game. I spent hours just running around rooftops, making sure I could get ahead of a patrol of guards to prepare myself for a flawlessly cool looking kill — I mean it’s all about looking like a bad mother, right? For those other gamers who like to start a game and finish it so that can move on to the next one, you will find Assassin’s Creed to seem a bit repetitive and even a little boring, To those gamers I say rent it. If anything you’ll enjoy the visceral combat and beautifully rendered graphics. If you are like me, this is a must own game. I’m looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Microsoft and Blueside has have announced that Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom, has gone gold and will be shipping to retailers soon.

Circle of Doom departs from the action/strategy roots of previous games in the series and has taken a turn for the RPG. Though still action-oriented, CoD is a story-driven game featuring six playable characters. It features a wide variety of enemies, weapons, and abilities, as well a randomly-created dungeons to explore through the game’s six acts.

The game is on track for a January 8th release.

Vivendi Games has announced the F.E.A.R. Files is now available at retailers.

F.E.A.R. Files is an expansion pack for F.E.A.R. that contains the original expansion pack, Extraction Point, and a brand new one called Perseus Mandate. Extraction Point adds a few new weapons and new features such as being able to kick open doors. Perseus Mandate is a rather more impressive addition, featuring an expanded storyline as well as new multiplayer maps and a variety of new weaponry.

“Since its launch, F.E.A.R. has been adopted by several million players around the world,” said Pascal Brochier, president of Global Retail for Vivendi Games. “This next chapter in the F.E.A.R. universe will further solidify the global success of the franchise, while giving the community an opportunity to experience another level of compelling F.E.A.R. content.”

Codemasters has announced one free and two “premium” downloadable content packs for the recently-released Overlord.

The two “premium” packs, the pricing of which will be announced at the launch, are Raising Hell and a challenge pack. Raising Hell adds new single-player levels to the game, while the challenge pack adds new multiplayer maps. The third pack, which is free, will add split-screen play to the original multiplayer maps and all new survival mode map.

The three packs will be available sometime this month.

Gosh, that sure is pretty. Look at the lighting, the smoke trails, the way you can see metallic sparklies in the sheen of the armor…

But it’s a movie tie-in game. That means it’s going to suck. Such is the conundrum of the modern gaming age. Pretty != Gameplay.

I’m willing to be surprised around May 2008… Wait a sec, that’s when the movie’s coming out. Must just be a coincidence.

More shots after the jump.

Microsoft has announced that two new games will be making an appearance on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace tomorrow.

First up is Battlestar Galactica, developed by Auran Games and based on the TV show of the same name–the remake, not the original. Players can side with the crew of the Galactica or join the Cylons and kill ‘em some humans. Hopefully as one of the hot Cylons and not that one guy with the droopy face. The single-player campaign is based on episodes from the series like 33 and Exodus. There’s also a multiplayer option for up to 8 players. It costs 800 Microsoft points.

The other game, Exit, was developed for the PSP by Taito and is now being ported for XBLA. The puzzle game puts players in control of Mr. ESC, a dashing, fedora-sporting figure, as he rushes through building after building rescuing people and getting out of nearly impossible situations. It also costs 800 points.

Both games will be available tomorrow starting at 9 AM GMT (4 AM EST).

Microsoft and BioWare have announced that this year’s hyped up RPG, Mass Effect, has finally gone gold.

The only reason it hasn’t been posted about before now is that the initial announcement was before we started here at GL, and every news item since then has been “Mass Effect: still being developed!” or “Mass Effect: might or might not be very good upon release!” or “Mass Effect: there will be bosses!!!!” or other similar headlines that aren’t worth posting.

All that said, the game does look to be a winner. Players take control of Command Shepard, a “Spectre” agent–one of the peacekeeping forces in the galaxy. Shepard uncovers a threat that could destroy the galaxy, but gets little to no help from fellow agent due to him being a human, and untrusted by other civilizations in the wider galaxy.

It also features a squad-based combat system–something BioWare proved to be very capable at in Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic–and a deep character customization system.

At last word, the game is on-track for a November 23rd release date, exclusively for the Xbox 360.

I was on the fence about the Simpsons Game, but I think Mr. Sparkle here has changed my mind. Best. Character. Ever.

The Simpsons is due in US retail channels October 30, 2007. A week later for Europe. Releasing on just about every platform being sold these days.

Straight from the We’ve Run Out of Ideas Department, Capcom is preparing the way to release the Bionic Commando into the exciting world of bad camera control, plastic looking character models, and needless in-game cut scenes. That’s right! Bionic Commando is making the Next-Gen jump, leaving gamers scratching their heads and asking, “Why?”

Bionic Commando on the NES was the pinnacle of non-sequitur 8-bit adventure platforming. It stands the test of time. You can’t just make it brown, slap some bloom lighting on it, and call it a day. Here’s an idea: instead of retreading your old properties with million-dollar tires, why don’t you try creating a story instead? Oh, you say you have a story?

Taking its inspiration from its 8-bit namesake released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988, Bionic Commando features Nathan Spencer (voiced by former lead singer of Faith No More, Mike Patton), a government operative who represents the ultimate fusion of man and machine. After distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, Spencer is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served.

You know what? Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes took “inspiration” from the original, too. And what did that give us? Marky Mark avoiding snogging Helena Bonham Carter in a monkey suit.

I have an idea: I’ll go back to bed, and someone wake me when a game company actually has a good idea.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh. It’s possible that the new Bionic Commando will redefine the next-gen adventure game — that the gameplay mechanic will be so refreshing and new that Bionic Commando will immediately shoot straight to the top of everyone’s Game of the Year list. For my money, I’ll take the lady in the monkey suit.

In closing, I leave you with Hitler’s exploding head.

Thank you.

Oh, all right. The press release is after the jump.

London – 16 October, 2007 – Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today confirmed a return for one of its classic franchises with the announcement that Bionic Commando is in development for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony Computer Entertainment’s PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PC platforms.

Taking its inspiration from its 8-bit namesake released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988, Bionic Commando features Nathan Spencer (voiced by former lead singer of Faith No More, Mike Patton), a government operative who represents the ultimate fusion of man and machine. After distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, Spencer is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served.

Three years later, on the day he is due to be executed for his supposed crimes, an experimental weapon detonates in Ascension City, unleashing an immensely powerful earthquake coupled with a radiation shockwave that leaves the city in ruins, wiping out its populace. Military intelligence suggests that a large terrorist search force has moved in and occupied Ascension City, but as yet their motives remain unclear. With the terrain in ruins and the terrorists in control of Ascension City’s air defences the FSA has only one option open to them – the reactivation of Nathan Spencer.

Bionic Commando harnesses the power of the latest generation of hardware to fully exploit the swing mechanic that made the original title so unique. The ruins of Ascension City and its surroundings provide an engaging environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces that allow gamers to traverse each area via multiple routes using swinging, rappeling, climbing and wall-walking techniques.

An expertly trained operative, Spencer is able to target and take out enemies while hanging upside down, climbing a building or even in mid-swing. At close quarters, the bionic arm packs a mean punch, while from a distance, objects such as boulders and cars can be grabbed and launched at enemies.

The development team behind Bionic Commando represents a unique and compelling collaboration of cultures and skills, consisting of an American Producer living in Japan, a Japanese Creative Advisor and highly-rated Swedish developer GRIN providing a European influence. This partnership provides a further example of Capcom’s strategy to work with the best developer talent, whilst maintaining the unique elements of creativity and approach to game design for which Capcom is renowned.

The official Bionic Commando website is now live at www.bioniccommando.com

THQ and JAKKS Pacific have announced that a demo of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

The demo features the RAW, SmackDown, and ECW arenas, and wrestlers Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, the Undertaker, and Randy Orton are playable. Both single-player and multi-player gametypes are available as well as the new Superstar Fighting Styles and Struggle Submission System features.

The full game will be available in November for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii.

On the surface, Portal looks like a game you may have played before — perhaps like several of those games, but appearances are deceiving. It doesn’t take long to see that Portal is a rare game, one that eases you into familiarity before turning you upside down headlong into a completely new experience.



Look familiar?Even though it’s produced by a team on the inside at Valve, Portal is an indie game at heart. It derives a direct lineage from the Senior project of several students at DigiPen, Narbacular Drop. Narbacular Drop won lots of honors in indie game competitions you’ve probably never heard of unless you follow the indie dev circles. That’s okay if you’ve never heard of Narbacular Drop or its awards, but you need to know this: Indie games are important to the game industry. While the big studios are sill turning out multi-million dollar riffs of the same old FPS, the real ideas are being developed by these indie teams. The games that are changing the face of the industry are ones you may never see, but lucky for you the ideas eventually filter up. Sometimes, like in the case of Portal, the small teams make good and get absorbed into the big guys. Valve clearly knew a good thing when they saw it: the original Narbacular Drop team stayed intact for the development of Portal, and still remains a team at the time of Portal’s release.

(Narbacular Drop is still available for download, and if you’re interested in checking out the mother of Portal.)

First Look at Yourself.
That spirit and fire of the indie dev team is alive and well in Portal, and that’s why we love games like this. Portal has one of the most fundamentally original gameplay mechanics available today.

I’m not saying that you’ve never seen portals in games before. Fans of Prey have cried foul at the concept behind Portal, for instance, but the comparison between the two games is not apt. Portal is a non-violent game — a mainstream non-violent game — with portal play central to the entire game. You have no weapons per se, just a device that can open one or two local dimensional gates through which you and objects can pass. You are a test subject in a lab, and you have to use this portal gun to manipulate your environment and the objects in it to advance through levels. The only offense you have is to set up chains of causalities that will knock over the occasional machine gun turret before it can pepper you with lead. While your character can be the subject of violence, you never perform that violence. This is important. Think about all the non-casual games you enjoy playing and then count how many are non-violent. I come up with one: Portal.

Brainy puzzles.Just talking about the mechanic doesn’t do justice to this game. Portal has a quality that I can only attribute to its indie roots. The attitude of the game, the wit, its focus are unlike any I’ve seen in a long time. Some critics decry the length of the game, but I disagree totally. The length of the story is perfect. Portal is a dazzling short story in a sea of mediocre novels — fast paced, intense, and full of surprises, the story kept me going straight through until I hit bed, then I woke up the next morning and played it through again. If Jean Paul Sartre wrote stories for video games, this would be a good candidate for him. In it, two characters face off: you and one of the most engaging NPCs I haven’t encountered since Leela (and eventually Durandal) of Marathon. The voice acting in the game is incredible, engaging, and some of the best I’ve ever heard. The atmosphere established by the art and sound direction helps draw you through an extremely satisfying story arc, and the reward for getting to the end is an enchanting credits song written by Johnathon Coulton. The song alone is worth playing Portal through at least once.

Laws of PhysicsBeyond the story, Portal has achievements and challenge modes. When you’re given a time limit, a limit to the number of portals you can open, or a limit to the number of steps you can take, you start thinking in wildly different ways about the same puzzles. Other achievements invite the player to experiment with wide-scale vandalism or bending the rules of physics. Figure out how to drop 30,000 feet in one fall and you’ll get the Terminal Velocity achievement, for example. Portal’s mechanic begs to be exploited in-game. On youtube, there’s a speed run for one of the levels that involves bypassing the puzzle elements almost entirely and going straight to stacking up various lab equipment in a precarious tower you can climb straight to the exit. Thinking in unconventional ways as I approached the puzzles quickly became second nature and extremely satisfying, and I’m still working at speed solutions to several of the puzzles.

Turret, denied!If that wasn’t enough of a reason to keep coming back, Portal is built on Valve’s Source engine, and the modders out there who have been hacking on Half-Life 2 are already releasing new maps and challenges for Portal mere days after the game’s official release. I expect to see many more maps as the weeks go on.

I have two one criticism of Portal — a criticism of the Source engine. I found the occasional loading screen a minor nuisance. I wish the smarty-guys at Valve would figure out a decent system of level streaming. The second is with marketing. I would gladly pay $20-$30 for Portal, but it’s not available as a stand-alone game right now. The only way to get it is in the Orange Box. Now, the Orange Box is brimming with gaming value, so it’s a small matter, but selling Portal only as a bundle will lose some audience for this fantastic game. Wait, $20 direct from Steam, Thanks Aaron! How did I miss that?

I unreservedly recommend Portal. With its exceedingly tight story and phenominal execution of the central mechanic of the title, Portal is one of the best games I’ve played in years.

Sega has announced that Virtua Fighter 5 is now gold and will be arriving in stores (and hopefully into my hot little hands) on October 30th. The European release is still holding steady at October 26th, you lucky jerks.

The latest version upgrades the series with an improved quest mode including more rivals and items, as well as emblems for character customization. Other new features include leaderboards, and more options for the training mode. And, of course, a new online mutliplayer option, so I can get my butt handed to me by more than just my friends.

The demo on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace lets players get a taste of versus mode, but only offline. The characters Akira and Sarah are available, as well as the two new characters, El Blaze and Eileen. There levels are avilable: Arena, Deep Mountain, and Island.

THQ has announced that a playable demo of Conan is now available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Players take control of Conan as he finds himself stranded on the Barachan Isles. The isles have been beset by the terrifying Blake Plague, and Conan must escape with the help of the warrior A’Kanna and her ship. The demo will allow players to use some of the over 100 fighting moves and combinations at Conan’s disposable, using fists, weapons, and the surrounding environment.

Most likely this means that you will flail ineffectually at the controller until you find the one or two moves that are completely overpowered, and then you’ll use those over and over. I’ve been wrong before, though.

The full game will be out October 23rd.

Sierra has announced that the Xbox 360 version of World in Conflict will be shipping in 2008, not fall of this year as originally planned.

World in Conflict is a strategy game by Massive Entertainment that takes place in 1989, in an alternate take on history where the Cold War didn’t end. Players take command of a battlefield commander retaking American cities after invasion by the Soviets.

There was no reason given for the delay.

A company called Goozex has announced that they’ll be giving away Halo 3-themed Xbox 360s to four Facebook members.

To enter into the content, which is open to all US and Canadian Facebook members, simply download the new “Video Game Community” Facebook application created by Goozex. Winners will be selected based on the number of active friends that they invite and who use the app.

Sure it’s just marketing, but it’s marketing that results in a free 360. You can check out the official rules for the contest or just install the app (assuming you have a Facebook account) and dive right in.

Microsoft has released a press release announcing that, unsurprisingly, Halo 3 has broken–nay, smashed to pieces–previous entertainment launch records.

The surprising part is that “entertainment” is a pretty broad term. Microsoft has stated their estimated $170 million in first-day sales in the US alone has beaten out film launches like Spider-Man 3–which grossed $151.1 million in its first weekend, and only $59.8 million in its first day–and books like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. September 25th was also the most active day that Xbox LIVE has ever seen, with over a million players online throughout the day. It’s certainly never hard to find a game, anyway!

Congratulations to Microsoft and to Bungie, and I really wish I could be there for the party they’re surely having right now.

Whee!

After a long wait in line (and a couple of people running around Wal-Mart screaming “Haloooooooooo!” after they got theirs), I finally held a copy of Halo 3 in my hot little hands, and rushed home for some 4-player co-op with friends.

The first thing you’ll notice about the game is that it looks good. Really, really good. The cutscenes are very well animated, and there’s none of the texture “pop-in” that plagued Halo 2. The second thing you’ll notice is that they’ve changed the reload button from X to the right bumper. This took some getting used to for all 4 of us, but by the end of the first level it’s second nature.

Of course, all this pales in comparison to the real question: is the game fun?

Yes. Oh God yes. In the interests of full disclosure, I should mention that I’ve only ever enjoyed the Halo campaigns when playing in co-op, and Halo 3 definitely didn’t let me down in that area. While I still miss the wide-open spaces of Halo 1, Halo 3’s campaign mode doesn’t disappoint. Lots of scripted events keep the battlefield alive, and there are many situations that require careful planning–in one case, you have to head through a long canyon with snipers lining the walls above.

When playing on heroic difficulty, it’s just hard enough that you’re never bored, but never too hard that it edges over into frustrating rather than challenging. My only real complaint is that if a player disconnects, the level restarts from the beginning. I don’t understand why that limitation is there, and it’s a real pain when someone has to leave near the end of a level.

Competitive multiplayer is, as usual, a blast. A few new options make playing with friends a lot easier, and for once the matchmaking actually worked and I was never paired against people who were vastly better than me. Plus, with 90,000 players online even at 4 AM, it was never hard to find a game of any type.

There’s a lot more to discuss, including the added vehicles and the new “Equipment” type items, but I’ve run out of space and, frankly, want to go play some more. Check back soon for a full-fledged review.

Today’s Saints Row 2 announcement reminds me of something… What was it? Oh yes:

A while back, Cabel Sasser posted a little musical he created called “Buggy Saints Row.” The whole explanation is here, including a track not appearing in the video itself.

Enjoy the movie, and hope they work out the kinks for the sequel.

THQ has announced Saints Row 2, sequel to the urban adventure game where you had to clean up the streets.

Developed by Volition, THQ’s internal development studio, Saints Row 2 will offer expanded customization options, a larger city to explore, new vehicles, and more. One of the biggest draws for the game is a full-figured online mode featuring competitive multiplayer as well as co-op.

“Saints Row 2 has a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge and redemption against the city that has left him for dead, although we’ve blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original,” said Greg Donovan, lead producer at Volition. “Couple that with the most robust open-world feature set ever developed in the genre, and Saints Row 2 promises a gaming experience that will offer players the perfect balance of gripping narrative and compelling gameplay options.”

Not much is known about the game yet. THQ has put up a website, although it currently only features one screenshot and nothing else.

This is barely news, because I’m sure anyone who cares already knows, but Halo 3 is going on sale tomorrow.

What is news, and might not be known to some, is that a great many retailers are promising to stay open late and start selling the game at 12:01 AM.

“The excitement and demand for ‘Halo 3’ has transcended a typical video game release and we’re preparing dedicated registers for its midnight release in our 24-hour stores,” said Darin Dickson, video game merchandise buyer at Wal-Mart. “It’s clear that this is one of the most anticipated games of the year and that 12:01 AM Sept. 25 will be a memorable moment for thousands of gamers.”

For those of you lucky enough to live in the right places, Microsoft will be holding “marquee launch events” that will include celebrity appearances and contests.

Cities and locations are:
• New York: Best Buy, 529 5th Ave, New York, N.Y. 10017
• Seattle: Best Buy, 457 120th Ave NE, Bellevue, Wash. 98005
• Los Angeles: GameStop, 1000 Universal Studios Blvd, Universal City, Calif. 91608
• Miami: Circuit City, 8575 Northwest 13th Terrace, Miami, Fla. 33126

You can also visit here to find a list of Best Buy, Circuit City, Game Crazy, Game Stop, and Wal-Mart stores that are holding midnight openings.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for some first impressions of the game.

Being ported to just about every system out there right now, Spiderman: Friend or Foe is looking pretty good. We all know looks aren’t everything, but the developers would be hard pressed to mess it up much worse than the utterly craptacular Spiderman 3 game.

Here’s hoping the gameplay will be tight, won’t have too much needless waggle on the Wii, and will match these excellent little videos.

Friend…

or Foe…

See? It’s not just a clever title.

My interest was piqued when posting about Eidos’ upcoming Geon: Emotions yesterday, so when the game was released today I snagged it pretty quickly. Unfortunately, my only emotion so far is slight boredom.

The premise behind the game is simple. Players, who are represented as cubes, start on opposite sides–the overside and underside–of a playing field and run around collecting pellets as quickly as possible. When you collect enough pellets to fill your “emotion meter” you can flip to the opposite side of the field and score in your opponent’s goal. The first player to score five goals wins.

Scoring a goal

To offset the tedium of endless pellet collecting there are 8 different power-ups, some combination of which are spread around every battlefield. Each emotion is partial to a certain power-up. For instance, rage is better at the ground smash power-up, while envy gets more use out of the vortex power-up, which pulls pellets towards you. While they add some measure of strategy to the game, the implementation leaves something to be desired. The different types all look the same on the playing field, and even when you pick them up they’re only represented by a small icon. Trying to remember what power-up a given icon represents in the brief second it flashes on your screen is an exercise in frustration.

In the end, the game feels more frustrating than anything. There exactly enough pellets on every level to score enough goals, so you can be ahead until the last goal where you realized you missed one pellet and have to hunt around to find it.

Geon: Emotions will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade tomorrow. This is the first game from Eidos that appears exclusively on LIVE.

Developed by Strawdog Stuidos, Geon is a fast paced, multiplayer-focused action game. Players pick one of eight emotions–rage, passion, fear, envy, rapture, courage, bliss, or melancholy–and race around an arena collecting pellets. Each emotion has its own strengths and weaknesses to use or exploit, respectively. There are three multiplayer modes for up to 4 players: duel, team Geon, and last man standing, as well as duel, time attack, and mini games modes for single player.

All the said, the game looks pretty sweet, and playing as emotions is a interesting enough gimmick that I’m keen to give it a try. Expect a review some time tomorrow, and check out 5 screenshots after the jump.

Square Enix has announced their intention to publish Infinite Undiscovery, a new RPG by developer tri-Ace.

Little is known about the title at the moment. It takes place in a “seamless world” and the battles are handled in real time. It also features “situational battles” such as escaping from a giant ogre or battling in the middle of tidal waves. Square Enix say that the environment will change dynamically, based on the player’s actions.

There’s no information on a release date, either. We’ll have to wait a little longer for anything more, so keep an eye out on GL for the latest.

Microsoft has announced that Project Gotham Racing 4 has been sent off for manufacturing.

PGR 4 expands the series with new features and vehicles. For the first time in the series, players will be able to race motorcycles as well as cars. Additionally, the kudos system has been greatly expanded, and the Xbox LIVE online play has been updated with more community features.

Microsoft and developer Bizzare Creations have also created a new website for the game. It includes the full list of vehicles, as well as forums, leader boards, photos and other media.

The game’s set for for a worldwide release on October 12th.

Someone somewhere apparently decided there was enough overlap between Halo fans and NASCAR fans to paint a car with a Halo 3 theme. Maybe there even is, I don’t really know.

Regardless, the No. 40 car will sport a Halo 3 paint job in the upcoming Dover 400 Nextel Cup Series race at the Dover International Speedway on September 23rd, two days before Halo 3’s September 25th release date. Click on the picture above to see a large photo of the car in question.

“I’m honored and excited to be running the ‘Halo 3′ car at Dover and can’t wait to show off this awesome paint scheme,” said the car’s driver, David Stremme. “It’s going to be a special experience when the car rolls off the truck for the first time at Dover–as a Halo fan, I’m thrilled.”

The paint job is a collaboration between Microsoft, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS), and Target. As part of the promotion, Microsoft and Target will be allowing some lucky CGRFS racers to play Halo 3 before the launch date.

Here’s the trailer entitled, “Meet the Squad.” If that’s really in-game footage, it looks pretty slick. Mmmm. Destructible environments.

You can find a developer walkthrough over at Gametrailers.com, too.

Now, I liked Battlefield 1942, despite being mind-numbingly complex with its keymappings. It was fast, fun, and my friends didn’t try to exploit the game, so that was nice. The release of 2142 was terrible. There, I said it. It would be hard for EA to do worse with Bad Company than the ridiculous 2142. Luckily, if these videos are to be believed, it seems that this release may bring redemption for the Battlefield series for me. Waiting and seeing.

Empire Interactive has announced that they have made available a demo for the recently released game Flatout Ultimate Carnage.

Flatout Ultimate Carnage is the latest in a long running series of action racing games. However, the races have more in common with destruction derbies than NASCAR. It features detailed destruction physics and even a ragdoll effect if your driver is thrown out of the car.

“As well as the trademark destruction and mayhem in FlatOut Career mode, we’ve purposely focused on the new game modes in the playable demo” said Rob Noble, European Marketing Manager at Empire “The introduction of Deathmatch Derby in particular, is sure to be an instant hit with all action racing fans. The launch of the demo is an important element in our effort to bring the game to the broadest possible base of Xbox 360 gamers. We believe it will help build on FlatOut Ultimate Carnage’s excellent initial consumer sales launch.”

The demo is available now on Xbox LIVE.

Atari has announced that their classic game Missile Command has made its way onto Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Originally release in 1980, Missile Command has spawned numerous imitators of its simple, yet addictive gameplay. The original game has been faithfully recreated, but Atari has also released an “evolved” version. The new version adds 3D rendered graphics, as well as enhanced sounds and special effects.

“Atari and Stainless Games have done an incredible job creating the evolved Missile Command for Xbox LIVE Arcade as this version showcases a stunning take on an endearing Atari classic,” said Matt Rush, Producer at Atari. “The new experience features amazing graphics and impressive sound design, with a great way to earn Achievements on this arcade favorite!”

Namco has announced that they have released a trailer for their upcoming RPG Eternal Sonata.

Eternal Sonata covers the adventures of the famous composer Frederic Chopin as he travels through his own dream world. The game makes use of a unique combat system where both music and light influence the outcome. As Chopin and his allies move around the battlefield they will move into fields of darkness and light. These fields can change characters’ abilities, attacks, and even physical form.

You can download the new trailer here or visit the game’s website for more information.

Sega has announced a new tournament for the Xbox 360 game Armored Core 4.

The best of the best will compete in a tournament on GameSpy Arena. The winner will receive a new Xbox 360 Elite system, an HD-DVD player for the console, a copy of Armored Core 4, a Logitech Harmony Remote, and a Logitech X-540 speaker system.

Interested players can sign up here, or check out the official contest rules for more information.

Microsoft has announced that they will be releasing NinjaBee’s tactical combat game Band of Bugs this Wednesday.

The developer behind Outpost Kaloki X and Cloning Clyde, NinjaBee has seen great success on Xbox LIVE Arcade and hopes to continue the trend with Band of Bugs. In the campaign mode, players take on the role of the insect Maal as he leads a team of bug warriors in the defense of their kingdom. There are also stand-alone missions as well a skirmish mode. The game also includes a level editor, a first for an Xbox LIVE Arcade game.

The game will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Publisher Empire Interactive has announced that their demolition derby thinly disguised a racing game, FlatOut Ultimate Carnage, has gone gold. This means the game is complete and has been sent for duplication and distribution.

“It’s done! All the hard work is over and FlatOut Ultimate Carnage is ready to hit the primetime and to take its rightful place as the number one destruction racer on the market,” said Empire Interactive’s Rob Noble. “This is one game you need to check out for its amazing action, spectacular visuals and just superb action racing!”

Ultimate Carnage builds on it predecessors by upping the number of cars in a race, adding new single and multiplayer modes, and greatly improved graphics. It will be available in stores June 22nd.

Nyko Technologies has announced some new accessories for the Xbox 360.

First up is the Intercooler EX, the latest version of their cooling system for the console. In addition to providing additional cooling, the EX also sports a new, more secure installation mechanism and support for Microsoft’s wireless adaptor. The cooler, available for $19.99, comes in a matte black finish to match the Xbox Elite and a white finish for the original 360.

Nyko has also released the Charge Station 360 in a new matte black Elite color scheme. Available for $29.99, the Charge Station 360 includes two rechargeable NiMH battery packs, and boasts a faster recharge time than the Charge and Play system from Microsoft, which operates over USB.

“Nyko is a company dedicated to delivering what our customers want whether it is augmenting our existing products or providing new solutions that enhance their overall gaming experience,” said Chris Arbogast, marketing manager at Nyko Technologies. “The Intercooler EX and Charge Station 360 compliment the Xbox 360 Elite and deliver new features that fans of the originals have been asking for.”

Microsoft has announced an update for their popular FPS Gears of War, bringing new achievements for the game and a new map pack.

8 new achievements are available for the Annex multiplayer gametype, worth a total of 250 points. Developer Epic Games has also improved the “roadie run” system, making it easier to control. The update also squashes some multiplayer exploits and other small bugs.

The Hidden Fronts map pack contains four new maps: Bullet Marsh, Garden, Process, and Subway, all for 800 Microsoft Points. All four maps will be released for free on September 3rd.

Microsoft has announced that the public beta of Halo 3, a first for the series, has closed.

The beta was, according to Microsoft, a huge success. 820,000 participants played more than 12 million hours of online games–which of course means you’re a “noob” (newbie) before the game even comes out. Sorry.

“The participation in the ‘Halo 3’ beta was staggering,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “Witnessing such a great reaction to a small portion of the game has been inspiring. It’s a testament to the fervor and anticipation that surrounds ‘Halo 3.’ We’re confident that on Sept. 25 Halo 3 will drive an unprecedented wave of new gamers to the Xbox 360 platform and Xbox LIVE.”

With the close of the beta, and in preparation for the game’s launch on September 25th, Microsoft has announced a bunch of new Halo 3-themed merchandise. Two new Halo-branded wireless controllers designed by Todd McFarlane are available, as well an Xbox LIVE headset. There’s also a new book called Halo: Contact Harvest, a new Marvel Comics miniseries on the way, and a Halo 3 edition of Microsoft’s Zune.

Codemasters has announced that a playable demo of Overlord has been released on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, with a PC demo to follow shortly.

Overlord lets you don the mantle of a corrupt and evil leader and flex your despot muscles. Assemble a team of fighter minions and descend upon the unsuspecting populace of The Mellow Hills. Use your loyal minions to gather life-force from the humans and wildlife, then use that life-force to create even more minions.

The full game offers control of up to 50 minions, more minion types, more levels, seven heroes to defeat, powerful spells, and more.

Activision has announced that they have released a downloadable map pack for their FPS Call of Duty 3.

The Bravo Map Pack is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and includes five new maps. Veteran players will recognize two maps from early Call of Duty games. Depot, from the original Call of Duty and set in area complete with warehouses, water towers, and a train depot, is available in the pack with the new name Gare Centrale. Kharkov, now known as Marseilles, was a map in the expansion United Offensive that allows you to use tanks, jeeps, and motorcycles in a vast open combat arena.

There are three brand new maps, as well: Aller Haut takes place at an Axis-held hilltop fortress; Seine River, which describes a quiet, moonlit village; and Rimling, a small picturesque town filled with canals.

The map pack is available for 800 Microsoft Points.

Lionhead Studios has released episode one of their video diaries, which goes in-depth and behind the scenes on upcoming RPG Fable 2.

Fable 2 is an action RPG that continues the gameplay of the original game, where all actions affect the player in a wide range of ways. You can be good or evil, fall in love and get married or stay single, and make the populace love or hate you. The diaries will answer questions about the game such as how the new combat system works, and give gamers an inside look at what it’s like to work at Lionhead studios.

The first diary is available now on Lionhead’s website as well as Xbox Live Marketplace.

Ubisoft has announced that they are developing a remake of the classic Prince of Persia, originally released in 1989.

Dubbed Prince of Persia Classic and developed by Gameloft, the new version updates the original with new graphics as well as new traps, puzzles and enemies. In the game, the evil Visier has seized the throne while the Sultan is away at war. He has also taken the Sultan’s daughter and given the princess one hour to decide her fate–marry him or die. The Prince has sixty minutes to find his way through the maze of traps and rescue his sister.

The game is scheduled for release in early summer.

Atari has announced new downloadable content, available on Xbox Live Marketplace, for their game Test Drive Unlimited.

The Test Drive Collection Volume 4 includes six new cars: the Dino 246 GT, Ferrari Challenge Stradale, Cadillac Cien, RUF RK Spyder, Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster, and the TVR T440R. An additional car, the Saturn Curve, is available for free, while the collection costs 350 Microsoft Points.

Test Drive Unlimited is a racing game with over 90 vehicles, allowing players to win races, challenges, tournaments and missions both on and offline.

“At Eden we’ve worked hard to keep the new cars coming for Test Drive Unlimited, with all the dedicated design and rendering time that doing so involves,” said David Nadal, Studio Head, Eden Games. “With this latest pack and recent Lexus pack, there are now more than 30 brand new, meticulously modelled cars that we’ve made available on Marketplace since launch, plenty for the thousands of committed Test Drive petrol-heads to get their teeth into.”

Microsoft has announced three upcoming games for the Xbox 360: Project Sylpheed, Tenchu Z, and Vampire Rain.

Project Sylpheed is a 3D space shooter developed by Game Arts and published by Square Enix. It features 50 minutes of CG cutscenes and a complex storyline involving the protagonist Katana. Not much is known about this title.

Next up is Tenchu Z, from developer K2 and publisher From Software. Set in Feudal Japan, the game charges players to incorporate stealth, sword-based combat, and a wide variety of ninja accessories to complete missions. You’ll have to take into account how much noise you make, how visible you are, and even how badly you smell.

Finally we have Vampire Rain, a survival horror game developed by Artoon and published by AQ Interactive. The game is set in a city inhabited by the deadly and mysterious Nightwalkers. These vampire-like creatures are indistinguishable from humans and are weakened only by rain. Players must use “Necrovision” to tell them apart, and stealth to avoid them.

All three titles are due for release June 29th of this year.

Microsoft has announced that they will be adding three new games to XBox Live Arcade this Wednesday.

First up is Catan, a version of the popular board game Settlers of Catan. In the game, which is being developed by Big Huge Games, you take control of a group of settlers of on a newly discovered island. You must use strategy and trading to collect valuable resources and beat out the other players. The game includes a “learn as you play” tutorial, four player multiplayer, AI personalities like Alexander and Cleopatra, and alternate rule sets like Friendly Robber and Friendly Resources.

Centipede and Millipede are remakes of the classic coin-op games from Atari. In addition to the classic gameplay, both games will offer an “Evolved” mode with pre-rendered graphics, special effects like motion blur, particle effects and more.

Catan will be available for 800 Microsoft Points and Centipede and Millipede will be available for 400 each.

There is areport on ZDNet that gaming forums are full of posts stating that Xbox Live accounts linked Microsoft’s Windows Live ID service are being attacked and hijacked by hackers.

The story started on the Full Disclosure mailing list, from a post by Kevin Finisterre, a security researcher at Digital Munition. “Some folks are having their Microsoft points stolen and or points purchased via their stolen gamer tag,” Finisterre said. Multiple users are reported to have posted on the xbox.com forums about hijacked accounts.

Finisterre writes that a group called Infamous Clan is openly offering to steal account and boasting about previous successes.

Check the link above for the full story.

Microsoft has released a press release which reveals that Halo 3 will come in three different flavors: the Standard Edition, the Limited Edition, and the Legendary Edition.

The Legendary Edition will be released in limited quantities, and will will arrive in a Spartan helmet case with two bonus disks. The first bonus disk will provide behind-the-scenes footage and videos, including a Making of Halo 3 documentary. There are also featurettes documenting the design process, and even a look at some early game concepts. The second bonus disk will include remastered cinematic material from the original Halo and Halo 2, as well as development commentaries, to refresh your memory of the story. Finally, the Legendary Edition will also include a collection of original Halo 3 storyboard art from artist Lee Wilson.

The Limited Edition comes in a metal collector’s case and the first bonus disk from the Legendary Edition, as well as special Halo fiction and art book.

Ever since Microsoft launched the Xbox Live Marketplace for the 360 people have been able to purchase and download “themes” for their dashboard, the problem has been much of this is done sight-unseen. Enter DashboardThemes.com, a site started by web designer extraordinaire Matt Brett and an old high school friend of his.

The difference between this new site and other previous efforts to show you dashboard themes is that these guys actually purchase the themes themselves and take screenshots of them in action. So if you’re interested in purchasing dashboard themes do yourself a huge favor and check them out at DashboardThemes.com first.

Full disclosure: Matt Brett is the guy we hired to design this site, still its a great service he’s offering, so check it out.