360 News

[USO36]

January 23rd, 2007 Crackdown is the latest brainchild of Dave Jones, whose prior masterpieces include smash hits such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto. Realtime Worlds have developed the title exclusively for Microsoft Game Studios and the Xbox 360, and a demo offering both single and multiplayer modes is set to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace later today.

Crackdown is a sandbox game (think Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row...or get the complete, long-winded explanation here) set in the futuristic Pacific City. Surprisingly, Crackdown turns the genre on its head, and the player takes the role of a police officer trying to eliminate the gangs that control the city. At your disposal are superhuman abilities that increase throughout the course of the game, and will eventually see players leaping over tall buildings, and able to pick up cars to throw at enemies.

The demo will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday the 23rd of January at 2 am PST. For your convenience, this link at timeanddate.com will tell you when that is in your city.

An invitation to join the Halo 3 beta (scheduled for Q2 2007) is included in specially marked retail copies of the game, which will be available worldwide. This alone is guaranteed to see copies flying off shelves, so if the demo floats your boat, be sure to pre-order your copy to avoid being disappointed.

[USO36]

Vampire hunters, artillery-toting worms, rambunctious aliens and trailblazing settlers are among the “likeable” characters that will soon make their debut in living rooms everywhere via Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 as part of the award-winning service’s upcoming round of new game releases. Starting with the first release in February, 10 highly anticipated titles will begin making their way to Xbox Live Arcade, including these (titles are not listed in chronological release order):

* “3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures,” from developer Wanako Games and publisher Sierra Online, allows gamers to putt their way through 36 fun-filled holes of manic minigolf action on wild courses that range from the Old West to outer space and feature a bevy of crazy hazards and obstacles.

* “Alien Hominid HD” from The Behemoth features side-scrolling, hysterical cartoon action with a quirky twist and exclusive Xbox Live Arcade features.

* “Band of Bugs” from NinjaBee is a fast-paced tactical strategy game that offers gameplay deep enough to satisfy tactical genre fans and friendly enough to appeal to casual gamers. Creative gamers can even design their own levels with the built-in level editor, then play them solo or over Xbox Live with friends.

* “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” from Konami is a faithful version of this legendary classic updated for Xbox Live Arcade and featuring the game’s full soundtrack and memorable side-scrolling vampire-hunting action.

* “Catan,” from developer Big Huge Games Inc. and publisher Microsoft Game Studios, is a faithful remake of the immensely popular strategy board game.

* “Eets: Chowdown” from Klei Entertainment Inc. is a completely revamped version of the popular PC title of the same name. It offers new items, 120 new levels and the exclusive debut of Marsho Madness, a high-adrenaline action game in which players must keep the impending evil marshmallows at bay.

* “LUXOR 2,” from developer MumboJumbo LLC, sets a new standard for action puzzlers as players match and shoot their way through the land of ancient Egypt.

* “Paperboy,” from developer Digital Eclipse and publisher Midway, is a classic coin-op hit, specially enhanced for Xbox Live Arcade.

* “Root Beer Tapper,” also from developer Digital Eclipse and publisher Midway, features fast-paced reflex action as players scramble to keep thirsty patrons happy without dropping root beer mugs in the scramble to earn the biggest tips.

* “Worms” from developer Team 17 Software Ltd. features armies of adorable weapon-toting worms locked in tactical combat.

The popularity of Xbox Live Arcade continues to grow as downloads have surpassed 20 million games. These 10 titles are just a sample of the diverse and entertaining games that will be coming to the service in 2007.

Several of these games also mark significant firsts for Xbox Live Arcade, including the first turn-based strategy game to be released on the service (“Worms”), the first Xbox Live Arcade board game release (“Catan”), and the first Xbox Live Arcade outdoor sports game release (“3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures”).

All these games are scheduled to become available during Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays in the coming weeks, and specific game information will be announced closer to each game’s launch date. Although a game may not be launched every week, every Wednesday is an opportunity to share in the Xbox Live Arcade experience with friends and family.

[inuyashaa]

man where do u get ur info from

[USO36]

Xbox 360 promoted to Elite
A new $479 black, HDMI-enabled, 120GB version of Microsoft's latest console will arrive on April 29; $179 120GB HDD add-on to be sold separately; Sony unimpressed.


Following months of speculation, Microsoft has officially unveiled a new version of the Xbox 360. Called the Xbox 360 Elite (pictured), the console will go on sale in North America April 29, with European and Japanese launches later in the year. In the US, the console will retail for $479.

As previously hinted at on many forums and blogs, the new console will have a variety of different bells and whistles than the traditional Xbox 360. It will indeed feature a 120GB hard drive to better accommodate game downloads from Xbox Live Arcade and video content from Xbox Live Marketplace. The news coincides with the announcement of a new batch of television and movie partners who will offer content on the service.

The Xbox 360 Elite has a "premium black finish" which matches the wireless controller it comes with. (Controllers and rechargeable battery kits with the same hue will be sold separately.) The console will also sport a matching black wired headset and, as widely rumored, an HDMI output port. The console will come bundled with an HDMI cable as well as a component video cable.

One thing the console will not come with is a data transfer cable, as had been rumored. However, a standalone, $179 120GB drive for the console will be released alongside the Xbox 360 Elite bundled with a data transfer cable. The cable will allow for the transfer of all Marketplace downloads and game saves from an existing 360 hard drive to the new hard drive.

According to Albert Penello, Microsoft's director of global platform marketing, the old hard drive will be blanked following the data transfer and can then be attached to any other 360. "The standalone drive is the main option we're suggesting to existing Xbox 360 owners," he told GameSpot.

So what about HDMI-craving HDTV owners who want to get an Xbox 360 Elite and transfer their current XBLM content to it? In one word: Wait. Penello said that Microsoft is "working on a solution" for transferring data from current 360s to Elites, but would not elaborate.

Hardware-wise, Penello said the Xbox 360 Elite has the same disc drive and processors as "current models." He also confirmed it would not have an internal HD-DVD drive, as some had suspected. "We don't want to segment the user base," he told GameSpot. He also confirmed that the external Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive would not be available in the Elite's black finish for the foreseeable future.

Another thing the new console won't have is Internet Protocol TV functionality, which Microsoft announced it was bringing to the 360 platform at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. "[IPTV] trials will start this summer," said Penello, who didn't have a start date for the service.

As for the fate of the current hard drive-less $299 Core Xbox 360 and 360-equipped Pro Xbox 360 models, Penello said they would continue to be offered. He also confirmed the new model will be a permanent addition to the 360 product line, and not a limited edition.

The fact the Elite is only $20 less than the 20GB PlayStation 3 and does not have next-generation video format playback did not go unnoticed by Sony. "We think every PlayStation 3 owner should have an 'elite' experience, which is why we include an internal hard drive and HDMI output in every PS3 we sell, along with the 50 GB of storage capacity on a high definition Blu-ray disc," said Peter Dille, Sony Computer Entertainment's senior vice president of marketing. Sony also issued a series of talking points asserting that the release of the 360 Elite "further validates the PS3 business model, which [Microsoft] criticized at launch."

[USO36]

It's already been a big week for Guitar Hero fans. As if Tuesday's release of the Xbox 360 version of this smash hit rhythm game wasn't enough, news crept out on Sunday that the game's original developer is cooperating with uber-publisher EA and music behemoth MTV. The result is a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game that promises to make Guitar Hero look like a flash-in-the-pan boy band.

There's something deeply primal about the Guitar Hero experience. Maybe it's the way it takes the air guitar -- usually an instrument strictly reserved for private practice, at the risk of colossal social humiliation -- and makes it both publicly acceptable and downright encouraged.

Perhaps it's the way it taps into that vague ambition to join a rock band most of us entertained at some point or other. You only have to look at the massive success of Guitar Hero contests in bars, retail stores, and rock concerts around the world to see how popular a theme it's turned out to be. Celeb tie-ins from the likes of Dave Navarro, sponsorship from legendary guitar maker Gibson, and huge sales numbers cemented the game and its style as one of the biggest successes of recent years.

Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360
GuitarFreaks Arcade


So imagine this: you and three friends, in the same room or spread around the world, playing lead guitar, bass, drums, and singing, each with a specially designed peripheral to complete the experience. What Guitar Hero fan hasn't thought, from time to time, how much fun it would be to take this successful formula beyond mere axe-wielding? Rock Band, Harmonix's newly announced title, aims to accomplish exactly this, and should be in your calloused and sweaty hands by the end of the year.

It's not actually the first time this kind of rhythm game has been proposed, although it's by far the most ambitious. Konami's GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, released in various version at arcades and on the PS1 and 2, could be linked for two-player guitar and drum action, but both underperformed in the USA and are now only available as imports. Rock Band promises to go much, much further.

Harmonix is also talking up its partnership with MTV. Guitar Hero, except in a handful of cases, didn't use the original recordings for its well-known tracks, relying instead on specially created cover versions. Although we don't have any details on the line-up yet, Rock Band will use master recordings from the original artists on at least some of its songs, and downloadable content is going to be a big selling point too.

Rockin' Out!
Guitar Hero II PS2


Where does that leave Guitar Hero, then? Here it gets a little complicated. After Harmonix parted with series publisher Activision last year, development of future Guitar Hero games passed to the studio behind the Tony Hawk games, Neversoft. Aside from today's release of Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360, many others are planned: Guitar Hero: 80s Edition, due on the PS2 later this year, and Guitar Hero III, due in the 2008 fiscal year. Nintendo platforms are coming in for rock star love in the same year: both the Wii and DS are in for Guitar Hero games -- and Activision has patents on the Guitar Villain and Drum Villain names too.

Rock Band still awaits a release date, pictures, pricing details for the peripherals, a track list, and... well, just about everything else. But one thing's for certain: suddenly we have a new contender for this year's most eagerly anticipated new release.

[USO36]

The Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update arrived overnight, and added a long list of new functionality - although the one thing most people are interested in is the relatively unexpected arrival of DivX/XviD playback. We've spent the morning messing about with it to bring you the lowdown... because we figured your boss wouldn't call watching videos "work."

DivX/XviD?

For the uninitiated, DivX and XviD are video codecs. Chances are, if you've downloaded a TV show in the last few years, it's been an XviD file. Obviously the playback of this format is high on the list of priorities for any so-called "Media Centre" - once hackers made the original Xbox capable of it, many people bought the console specifically for that purpose.

Of course, it wasn't until Sony announced the PlayStation 3 would be receiving DivX/XviD playback functionality that Microsoft put a team on the job of bringing it to the Xbox 360 - and beat them to the punch.

How do I do it?

Sign in to Xbox Live (Silver or Gold account - doesn't matter), and accept the update. Try and load a DivX or XviD file from a CD, USB drive or the network. You might be asked to download an additional package for AAC and MPEG4 depending on the file you load - you'll obviously need to sign in again to do so.

So, how is it?

Files can be played from just about anything - CDs, DVDs, USB drives, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Home Server and even Mac formatted drives. It supports a vast majority of files - everything we threw at it, in fact - but apparently some rarely used, non-standard extras like menus will render the files unplayable.

It will automatically try and fit the content to your TV resolution, but you can manually switch between Letterbox, Fullscreen, Stretch and Native modes to taste - we tried 4:3 and 16:9 content on a 16:9 screen with no dramas. You can set bookmarks to resume from later, or just resume from whenever playback last stopped.

If you've seen the XBMC software running on a modified original Xbox, and you're expecting a similar interface and functionality - you're going to be disappointed. Once a file is playing back, you're laughing - but the process of finding it might not be so amusing.

[Ranma4699]

Nice job Oh great one finding this info, but I tried dwnlding it but it didnt work

maybe 2morrow

[USO36]

http://www.gamerecoil.com/Soul-Caliber-IV-Trailer-18.html

[USO36]

9.0
superb Rizer
Mass Effect takes the next step of RPG storytelling to a whole new, and incredibly innovative, level.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Spent: 40 to 100 Hours
"Ambitious"
Bioware is known for its ability to hook gamers who love to do things their way in role-playing a story. It's the little things, really, from the vast amounts of conversational options, to the ability to permanently impact the world simply through a series of quick personal actions that you don't even realized added up until later that make Bioware RPG games so involving. Everything you do, say, or act on, eventually molds your character, affect your character's team mates, NPCs and organizations, and ultimately the epic result on the world at the end of the story...that's the bases of Bioware's ever evolving RPG formula and that's why I couldn't play through any of their games only one time through, including Mass Effect...and to me, in the end, that's what marks a game worth every penny.

STORY LINE:

In the end this is what Mass Effect's focus is and what will hook you and keep you playing it through over and over and over. For those of you who have play other Bioware RPGs such as "Jade Empire" and the famous "Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic" series, you already probably have an inkling as to the kind of experience I'm referring to. For those of you who haven't played those games, I'll try my best to explain it. As with previous installments of Bioware games, the style of game play and how you experience the story is almost completely dependent on you, the player. You see most other videogame RPGs simply run you through a set story with some ability to mold your character's fighting style. What Bioware does to change that trend is to almost flip it completely around. During the course of the game you will find yourself thinking deeply on what to do next, because everything you do will mold the story and your character's personality, rather than just your standard combat stats. Each time you play can be a completely different experience depending on what you feel like responding to. It's a formula Bioware has been successfully experimenting for years and they've definitely taken it up a notch in Mass Effect.

You start the story as a character you can craft. Everything from gender and ****** features and job specialization is there, but a new feature I've never really seen explored before was the fact that you could hack out a basic past from two seemingly simple choices with three possible responses each: Pick out a basic childhood origin and military "claim to fame". These choices at first seem like trivial nonsense, but in Mass Effect they actually affect how NPCs respond to you and can even affect some of the game's hidden side missions. After you make your character the game take place with you as an Alliance military soldier who happen to be getting ready for some sort of secretive mission. From here you can walk around and chat with NPC to get a feel for is lengthy in depth back-story. Eventually you superior will have briefing on your current mission, to pick up an ancient alien beacon for study. It turns out that the mission is a little more than what you where ready for, however, when you discover that the dig site was brutally attacked by Geth, a race a synthetic beings that no one had heard from in many years. To top it all of a mysterious agent called Saren seems to allied himself with them for an unknown purpose. Soon after you survive this mission the true hunt begins when you are assigned to investigate the disturbing implications behind the attack.

I could go into more detail, but I won't simply because it might spoil the experience and the fact that because the story will always very and tweak itself depending on how you proceed after your hit the ground running to the story's intro. It's not too much to go on if you have played, I know, but like I said before navigating clueless through the story on you own is more than half the fun in this case.


GAMEPLAY:

This type of game play was a new unique mix that I've never seen in an RPG before...in that it's like a shooter...but not. You select your weapons and armor, customize them and then proceed to run around shooting as if your where play a standard 3rd person shooter much like "Gears of War" except in this game, you can use powers and moves you can acquired through a skill point system much like any other RPG. It's an admittedly odd mix that takes a bit getting used to but after that first couple of missions and things get a bit more challenging you can have a blast with it.

The only thing that ever really frustrate me, however was when you got to drive around in the tank like land rover that you use to get round the landscapes of the various. It could have been more fun if the mechanic were hammered out a little more before the game's release, but with the game the way it is using the land rover will probably the most annoying thing you'll find in the game as it's slow, bounces around the landscape unpredictably, fights with the camera, and can sometimes get caught in graphics while painfully struggling over brutal mountain sides. Lucky for everyone, however, is possible to get used it and every other aspect in Mass Effect will make the annoyance seem even less than trivial.


GRAPHICS:

This was a very hot/cold issue for me. The animation and sheer detail of Mass Effect's characters and world are nothing less then jaw dropping...when everything is loaded and working right. Most of the time, everything runs smoothly, but for whatever reason, mostly likely due to the fact that everything must be in real time when scenes are clipped together in rapid succession the biggest issue I've experienced is that the textures with always take and awkward couple of seconds to load onto the models. There, is no real lag and the over all performance definitely makes up for this but it is something that you will definitely notice at times.

SOUND:

Mass Effect definitely gets a 10 here. Unique, motivational music paired with possibly the best voice acting I've ever heard in ANY game. This kind of extreme talent, armed with the knowledge that it was played out on one of Bioware's incredibly diverse conversation system makes one realize just how much effort Bioware placed into making the story come to life.

[Ranma4699]

Evidence mounts for Xbox 360 price cut

When Microsoft announced its last Xbox 360 price drop, the cat was already out of the bag several times over. That could be the case once more, given that last week's leaked K-Mart ad, which showed a $50 price drop for the 20GB Xbox 360 model, is being backed up by a number of sources.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Microsoft plans a $50 price cut for the 20GB Xbox 360 before the E3 Media and Business Summit, citing retail sources for the information. That might sound familiar, given that the Reporter was also the first outlet to go public with news of last year's $50 price cut, and cited retail sources for the info in that article as well.

As if last year's utterly unsurprising price cut wasn't enough to suggest that the retail world leaks like a sieve, Microsoft may have another big price-cut announcement thoroughly undermined by newspaper ads. In addition to the K-Mart ad, Joystiq is now reporting that a Radio Shack employee has passed on that chain's upcoming flyer, which shows a $300 20GB Xbox 360 advertised with the words "New low price!" Joystiq reports that the ad is set to take effect July 13. The E3 Summit is set for July 14-17 in Los Angeles, California.

For its part, Microsoft has been dealing with the reports and ads by sticking to its standard policy of not commenting on rumors or speculation.

[USO36]

Are you Experienced? You soon will be.
By Mike Smith
Turn on your Xbox 360 today, and you may be in for a surprise: your console will automatically download and install an entirely new dashboard for free. Finally fed up with the gibes that have been slung at the 360's clunky interface over the years, Microsoft debuted its so-called "New Xbox Experience" today, dramatically overhauling the console's look and feel, and adding loads of new features to boot. We've been playing with it for a few days now, and here's what you can expect.

Avatars
This is the feature of the NXE you'll notice first -- after the bizarrely abstract intro movie -- and it should be familiar territory if you've ever played with Nintendo's Mii creator. Once you've assembled your avatar, it becomes your visual representation to your friends and in certain games. The range of apparel and features isn't overwhelming, but more is coming, although new kits might well require payment. All the same, the large, attractive avatar graphics are definitely a cut above the old thumbnail Gamerpic system.


VIEW IMAGES OF NEW XBOX EXPERIENCE
New interface
Gone are the "blades" of the 360's old interface -- in their place is a new system that scrolls both horizontally and vertically. It's far better, turning the dashboard from a geeky, high-tech puzzle into a clear, bright and clean interface. In fact, we'd go so far as to say it's the most usable front end out of all three consoles. It still supports themes, so you can change the look if you want, and if you still hanker for the old look, the mini-menu pop-up you get when you press the 360 controller's Guide button still mirrors the old-school blade layout.

Better performance
If you're accustomed to pauses and stuttering when using the Xbox dashboard, get ready for a shock. The NXE is impressively smooth, hopping from category to category without so much as a hiccup. Streaming music or videos from a network-connected PC is vastly improved as well.

Netflix streaming
One of the NXE's most touted features comes courtesy of a brilliant deal between Microsoft and Netflix. But unlike the rest of the NXE, you're gonna have to drop some coin to get it working, as it requires both an Xbox Live Gold account ($60/yr) and a Netflix subscription ($4.99/mo and higher) that allows streaming. It's not quite as tightly integrated into the experience as many of the other new features -- it requires you to queue up movies and TV shows from a PC rather than from your Xbox, for instance.

Video performance in our tests was excellent, and so was the image quality, although surround sound isn't supported yet. The range of streamable content isn't enormous, but you'll find something here to enjoy. A good selection of family-friendly content makes this a handy feature if you have kids in the house, and a handful of shows, including hit TV series Heroes, come in high-def; a nice touch if you have the speedy connection it needs.

Community games
Although it's lower-profile than the Netflix feature, the addition of a Community Games channel is sparking interest among gamers looking for something beyond the high-budget, high-polish experience provided by most commercial titles. Simply put, the Community Games feature offers bedroom Xbox developers the chance to get their works out to a paying public without much expense or hassle. Think of it as a cross between the Xbox Live Arcade and Apple's App Store. There's already a selection of titles to try, but it will take some time before this feature really demonstrates its value.

Installing games
The NXE lets you copy games from DVDs onto a 360's hard drive and play them from there (the Sony PS3 already does this). This increases game load times, but not dramatically. What emphatically is noticeable is that the 360 doesn't have to spin the DVD while you're playing, making it a much, much quieter experience than normal. Oh, and before you get any ideas about renting games, installing them, then taking them back to the store, you still need the DVD in the drive to play. Sorry.

[Ranma4699]

Thats a huge sig lol. Thanks for this post oh great one, when I have time later I will be downloading this version of dash onto my 360.