Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta

OK, so I was at work all day wishing I was at home playing the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta.  I finally got home and popped in my Halo 3 ODST disk and downloaded the beta.  It took less than 30 minutes to download the 1.15 gigabyte beta.  I connected to a match and I had the first kill which announced I believe first strike or something to that nature.  I was playing team slayer.  For a good portion of the match I had the most kills on my team.  Later I lost that lead on my team.  Not that I am competing against my team but its always nice to be able to say I have the most kills on my team.  lol  My team did end up losing.  Now for glitches I can definitely say there are some glitches in the beta but that is to be expected.  Bungie wants us to find and report these glitches so they can fix them for the game's release in the Fall.  Now the glitch that I and probably everyone had noticed was that on the map it shows way too many red dots (the red team) than there actually were playing the game.  I saw probably 20 or more red dots on the map when there was actually way less than that playing the game.  Respawning after a death usually went without a hitch till one death when it looked like it was going to start a new game.  I died and then it said something like starting game.  I was like what???  The game isn't over yet, just respawn me.  Eventually it did respawn me back into action.  I went back to fighting the good fight.  When the game ended and my team lost, the servers went down and I could not connect to another match.  Now before I go onto the server problems let me talk about the experience points and rewards.  So after a match has ended you are shown your experience you earned from the previous match.  You gain experience points for things you accomplished in the game.  For example, I had the first kill in the match so I was awarded points for that and along with all the kills I had.  It also puts a cool icon next to your accomplishment which is a nice feature.  I waited around for 20 minutes with no luck so I shut my Xbox off and here I am now blogging about it.  I enjoyed the one and only match that I was able to connect to and I want more but I am not going to wait around all day.  I definitely will be getting the game on day one of release in the fall.  Like I said before I only played one match but I was definitely having fun and I really enjoyed the new additions to the game.  Bungie is aware of the problem and they are actively working on getting the servers back online.  I think I am done gaming for today and I will give it another shot tomorrow.  I am sure the servers will be working fine by then.  How about you guys, have you played the beta and if so how do you like it?  What don't you like?   What do you like?  What glitches have you found so far?

Plumbing Problems

Sunday night I had gotten home from my Mom's house from having dinner.  I had gone up stairs to use the toilet and when I went to flush I noticed the handle was very loose and would not flush.  So I took the top off of the toilet and quickly saw what the problem was and fixed it.  Awesome its working now!!  OK so the night ends and its time for bed.  I wake up the next day and have breakfast and take a shower.  Later while I am doing the dishes I hear water to my left.  I look over and see water coming out of the hookup for the washer (we don't have a washer).  After a few seconds the water stops flowing out of the washer hookup.  My brother is sleeping in the living room on the couch.  I ran over to him and woke him up so I could tell him about it.  I am wondering what the hell is going on and why the water is coming out of the washer hook up.  My brother goes to the bathroom and I can hear the toilet being flushed and more water comes out of the wall where the washer hookup is.  Its coming out pretty fast and stops after a few seconds.  I called my brother downstairs to tell him that we can't flush the toilet till we get this fixed.  So I got the towels out and cleaned up the water and went to work.  My brother called the land lord to come and fix the water problem.  When I got home it was fixed.  Problem solved yeah!!!  Later that night I go to do the dishes and the water in the sink won't go down the drain.  I try using the garbage disposal and the water goes down the drain and when I turn the garbage disposal off it comes back up.  So I'm thinking shit we have another problem.  I knew that if they were going to fix it in the morning that I had to do the dishes so I did the dishes and went to bed.  In the morning the water was down the drain.  I think good the problem is no more.  So I take a shower and shave and I start coming down stairs and I hear dripping.  I am thinking shit what the hell is going on?  So when I get to the bottom of the stairs and step on the tile floor my foot touches not a dry floor but a soaking wet floor.  The hall way is flooded along with the kitchen.  The sink is full of water that has overflown on to the floor and counter.  Water is every where.  I am flipping out and cursing up a storm.  Not happy at all!!  I used all the towels in the apartment to clean up the water and then I wake up my brother telling him about the flood.  He says OK I will get up at 6:30 and give the landlord a call.  So I do what I can and leave for work.  Later at work on my break I call my brother to see if the plumbing problem has been fixed.  He tells me they are working on it and that the apartment to the left and on our right both are having the same problem.  So something went wrong and I don't know what it was but that was really a pain in my ass but I was not the only one to have to deal with a water problem.  I later received a call from my brother telling me that the problem was fixed and that tomorrow (Friday) the landlord would be sending over someone to shampoo the carpet.  I said why because the carpet did not get wet?  My brother says well they are doing it as a courtesy.  I thought wow that's really nice of them.  So now its Friday, and I got home from work about an hour ago and I can see the carpet people were here and it looks great!!  The water has been working fine since yesterday and its still working the way it should.

Crazy Taxi And More Coming To Xbox Live Arcade

Over at Digiex today, screenshots have been posted called, wasabifights2, which shows Quake Arena Arcade, Hydro Thunder, Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure: Director's Cut and Doom 2.

Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi and been rumored before as coming to XBLA but we haven't seen anything to help support that hunch. From these screenshots though it all looks pretty believable.

I cant remember how many hours I have spent playing Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure. I suspect we might be hearing more in a few months at E3.
What do you all think of that?

Final Fight Remix Soundtrack Available Free

If you are a fan of the classic Final Fight, then you are probably a a fan of the latest remix on XBLA Final Fight: Double Impact. So for all of you out there looking for some new video game music to enhance your iPod and Zune experiance, you will be happy to hear that creator Simon Viklund has made the remix soundtrack available as a free download.

You can pick up all 46 tracks here.
Hope everyone enjoys!

Free DLC Every Thursday For Splinter Cell: Conviction

In a very generous and unexpected announcement on the in-game dashboard of Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft announced that every Thursday they will be releasing free weekly DLC.

The planned DLC will include some very nice detailed touches to the game, including, new outfits, skills, weapons and even maps for the game's Deniable Ops multiplayer.

You can bet that these free DLC packages wont last forever but for the time being I say "Bring it on!" The more free DLC the better, as im sure much of the community will agree. I would also guess that at some point Ubisoft will throw in a more conventional paid DLC as well.

This week's free item is the MP7A1 Machine Pistol as seen below. You can grab it from SCC's 'Extra Content' menu right now. UK and Europe will have to wait until Friday when the game launches.

Forza 3 Road & Track DLC Pack Now Available

Fans of Forza 3 will be happy to hear that earlier today Turn 10 released a new DLC pack for their latest Racing Sim in their over powering series. The Road & Track Pack includes a long list of 10 different cars that can be seen below. Also if you want there is a sample pack available containing the Mini Coupe Concept.

- 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports
- 2010 Mazda MX-5 Superlight
- 2010 SEAT Leon Cupra R
- 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
- 2010 Renault Megane RS 250
- 2010 Vauxhall Insignia VXR
- 2010 Mini Coupe Concept
- 2010 Volkswagen Golf R
- 2009 Holden HSV w427
- 2010 Ford Taurus SHO

The DLC of 10 cars will set you back 400MSP.

Gears of War 3 Officially Announced On Jimmy Fallon

Even with last weeks slip up on Xbox Live Dashboard last week showing an advertisement of Gears of War 3 for April 2011, we were still waiting for Cliff Bleszinski's "Big Announcement" on the Jimmy Fallon show.

During Cliff's time on the show, we were graced with the Announcement Trailer entitled "Ashes to Ashes". We got to see the debut of the double barrel shotgun (because you can always use another barrel) and a much older more grizzled Dom.

Its looking great so far, and I'm sure we are all going to be on the edge of our seats for more information. As of right now there is a penciled in release date for April 5th in North America and April 8th 2011 for Europe.

PSA: Xbox 360 8 & 16GB USB Flash Drives On The Way

With the much anticipated USB flash drive update to the Xbox 360 last week, comes the not so much anticipated overpriced 8 and 16GB Xbox 360 flash drives by SanDisk. Over at Gamestop.com you can find these two specially designed flash drives for $39.99 and $69.99 respectively. This would be great if only Microsoft's prices would be even a little bit competitive with the 'normal' competition. What I mean is that right now you can go to Amazon.com and find up to 4 pages of 16GB flash drives by SanDisk and a few other big names for as little as $27.99. on Average you looking to spend about $35 give or take with shipping and handling.

The Microsoft branded flash drives are listed to come preloaded with the updated Xbox Live update software, a one (1) month free of Xbox Live Gold Membership and a few other things that don't make a difference from any other flash drive.

At first I was excited when I heard about Microsoft making their own flash drives for the Xbox 360. I as many other people out there would love to have more things branded by Microsoft with there Xbox 360 logo. But when your charging more then double the price, its really hard to justify making this kind of purchase.

Windows Games For PC Getting Microsoft Live Treatment?

Well, the 'Rumor Mill' strikes again and this time with some very interesting claims. From a source within, Microsoft is allegedly preparing to implement Live functionality into the free suite of games that comes with all Windows-enabled PCs: Solitaire, Chess, Checkers, Spades, Hearts, Backgammon, Minesweeper, Purple Place, Spider Solitaire and Freecell. Its been reported that each Windows game will not only get Achievements, but also chat and leaderboard support.

No word on if this would just be a free update or not but I would assume so. For fellow Achievement junkies out there this will be a great and much welcomed update to get our fix. For the new people out there, this will be a great way to give them just a small taste of what Microsoft has to offer with there Live service and leave them craving for more.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

3D Video Games????

I have just received word that 3D video games are coming to the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360.  Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of The Year edition will be coming out on May 11th 2010.  The game will use TriOviz 3D technology and will require the use of 3D glasses which will come included with the game.  That's not all that's coming with the game, you will also get to play in four new challenge maps.  Attack of the Movies which is another 3D game that requires 3D glasses is coming out for the XBOX 360 and the Nintendo Wii on May 18th 2010.  I don't know about you guys but I sure am excited to see these games in 3D.  Now the question is, if you played the original Batman Arkham Asylum are you going to buy the 3D one just so you can see how much better the gaming experience will be in 3D?  I would at least rent it if I were you.

Happy Easter

Outside The Box would just like to wish everyone and their families a Happy Easter.  Please drive safely if you are traveling on this sunny warm day.

PS3 Mandatory Update Upsets Gamers

Sony recently pushed out a mandatory update to all PS3 systems that are connected to the internet.  This update is version 3.21.  What this update does is it makes it impossible to install a third party OS such as Linux onto the PS3.  Sony use to encourage their customers to install Linux onto the PS3 but now Sony has put a stop to third party operating systems from being installed onto their system in order to prevent piracy.  This has of course angered many gamers that have installed Linux onto their PS3 systems because the update removes the third party OS if one is found and disallows another OS from being installed in the first place.  Gamers are upset because they claim that most gamers were not using other OS's for the purpose of piracy but to explore other features that Linux provides to the PS3.  Gaming forums are flooded with people complaining about this update and encouraging each other to contact the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the BBB (Better Business Bureau) in order to fight this.  I am sure that Sony is also putting the 3.21 version update on all new game discs for gamers who do not have their console connected to the internet.  I believe that a company must do what ever is necessary to protect their investment and I am with Sony on this one.  I can't stand piracy because it raises the cost to video games, DVD's, movie ticket prices, CD's and computer software.  I also believe that people should be paid for 100% of their work.  I do hope that the FCC and the BBB is in favor of Sony.  Good luck Sony!

250GB HDD On Sale Today

In the beginning of the month we posted that Gamestop listed the 250GB HDD for sale as a stand alone item. Just as soon as our post went live the link was taken down, so we all figured that Gamestop was a little trigger happy on information that they weren't suppose to be releasing yet. We all figured that the 250GB HDD was on its way, we just didn't realize how long we would be waiting.

Well Wait no more, or if your ordering from Gamestop a little bit longer. Today Microsoft released their stand alone 250GB HDD for sale at a very affordable (Microsoft style) rate of $129.99 US. As of right now they are on back order from Gamestop but if you like Amazon and deals, then they have what your looking for and under $100!

Very excited to see they are selling this now, as I'm sure everyone is.

Free Avatar BBQ Grill

To celebrate Xbox Live Block Party this year Microsoft is giving away a FREE BBQ Grill Prop for your Avatar. They have sent out reusable codes for all of us to pass along. I dont know how long the code will be good for, so if you want this item snag it up while you can.

Code: 9XBX9-9RCD9-9BCK9-9PRTY-9RCKZ

Hope everyone enjoys there new prop and feel free to share the code with your friends!

Early Dashboard Update For A Repaired 360

A repaired XBOX 360 was accidentally updated to an unreleased dashboard update. Supposedly the new Dashboard update when it's released will update your XBOX 360's dashboard to version 2.0.9195.0. Microsoft is currently trying to locate the early updated console. There is no word as to who took this photo and what new features are included in the update. If the console was already sent back to the customer who sent the console in for repair then Microsoft is at a loss and they will just have to let it go. If this shot was taken by a Microsoft employee, then they have an employee that can't keep his or her mouth shut. The only company that really knows how to keep their mouth's shut about upcoming products (not that this is a new product) is Apple. That comes at a cost though. Apple pays big money to manufactures if they keep their mouths shut till official word is given from Apple them selves about an upcoming product. I don't know what their other tactics are for keeping people quiet about upcoming products but I am sure its very strict. Not too long ago an employee of a Chinese manufacturing plant for Apple had lost a prototype of a new iPhone. The employee committed suicide after being questioned about the lost iPhone. His apartment was illegally searched by employees of the manufacturing plant. Supposedly the employee was also beaten while being questioned about the loss of the new iPhone. You can rest assured that Microsoft will not be beating any of its employees for the repaired console getting a dashboard update early. I am looking forward to hearing more on this upcoming dashboard update and as soon as I hear more I will post it for you.

First Details Of Portal 2 Emerge

Game Informer's April issue had the first details of the highly anticipated sequel to the ground breaking game Portal, by developer Valve. So here they are, for all of your viewing pleasure, the first real and most interesting details of Portal 2.

Portal 2 is set hundreds of years after the original game and sees the return of nasty GlaDOS and female protagonist/test subject, Chell. There's also two-player co-op planned with a pair of humanoid robots controlled by each player. They like to hold hands.

• Portal was a 'trial game' apparently. Size and assets were specifically kept minimal as Valve had no idea it would be as popular as it turned out to be.
  


• Portal was a 'test bed', Portal 2 is a 'full game'.
  


• Portal 2 takes place hundreds of years after the original and so the Aperture Science complex has overgrown and almost looks like a jungle.
  


• GlaDOS returns as the antagonist.
  


• Chell returns as the hero, and we play as her once again.
  


• Those personality orbs you may recall from the last Portal have sectioned off parts of the Aperture labs as their territory and are concerned about the decaying state of the complex.
  


• The original Portal gun thankfully remains unchanged, so will still be the same sleek, crisp white lump of tech we're used to.
  


• There's a new 'paint' mechanic wherein certain liquid substances can be used to cause a reaction. For instance, the demo showed an orange substance on the floor that propelled Chell upwards. Using portals you can chuck these 'paints' through to other areas of the level for puzzle solving.
  


• New reflection cubes will enable you to reflect laser beams for some puzzles.
  


• Physics will now be an integral part of portal puzzle solving. A vent that sucks air in can be combined with a portal to 'suck' from a different location is cited as an example.
  


• The co-op campaign has you play as two bipedal robots that like to hold hands. Fruity.
  


• Co-op will also have a splitscreen option and will reportedly utilise picture-in-picture online to allow you to easily communicate with the other player and combine efforts for puzzle solving. Nice.

Some great news to start getting excited if I do say so myself. Really looking forward to this game and hearing some more news come E3 if not sooner.

Aliens vs Predator DLC Next Week

SEGA announced today that they will be releasing their first batch of DLC next week for their recently released Aliens vs. Predator.

The Swarm Map Pack will contain 2 maps for all competitive game types and 2 new Survivor maps. These maps were previously only available to those that purchased the Special Edition of the game. The Swarm Map Pack will include the Docks and Machine maps for competitive play and the Outpost and Hive maps for the Survivor mode.

The “Swarm Map Pack” will be available on March 18th for €5.99/ £4.79/ 560 Microsoft Points.

Not much good news here for those of us that purchased the Special Edition of the game. Hopefully they will keep supporting this great game with upcoming DLC that will be new for all of us.

Microsoft To Announce Full Natal Line-up At E3 2010

"We're going to have some great stuff," says Mindy Mount, Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer of Entertainment & Devices while she talks about Project Natal; The upcoming motion controller camera for the Xbox 360 and its game line-up that is due to be announced at this years E3.

About 70 percent of game publishers are now supporting Natal from Bethesda, Square Enix and EA. Even big titles such as Fable III are planning to boast Natal motion features.

Mount continued with saying "As a history, Microsoft works very strong with third-party developers, so we're hoping that we're going to get some great titles from that,". "You'll be able to see more news about that this summer at E3. We'll show you the full line-up."

Project Natal is rumoured for release towards the tail end of the year. We still sadly don't know the official name of Project Natal, we are hoping to find out at this years E3 as well.

Valve Officially Announce Portal 2

Just a few days ago Valve officially announced that Portal 2 is on its way, with GameStop listing the title as a fully priced retail version with a release date of October 26th 2010.

Game Informer also has Portal 2 as their cover story for the upcoming April issue too, noting that the "12-page cover story gives you the first details on Portal 2's new gameplay mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists."

According to Valve, Portal 2 will becoming this "holiday season" and their are rumours circulating that the game may even feature co-op.

There is little else to say about the game so far. We will have to look forward to the Game Informer article that's on its way. Still hungry for more cake? I know I am!

BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' DLC Dated

Announced last week, BioShock 2's first DLC pack entitled 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' has been given a March 11th release date, bringing with it a host of multiplayer content listed below:

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
  
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
  
• 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
  
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
  
• Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
  

The 'Sinclair Solutions Test Pack' will set you back 400 Microsoft Points.

Take 2 CEO Says "We'll continue to support the title..." (Boarderlands)

Earlier tonight Take Two had its first fiscal quarter results conference call and we know what that means, right? More news!

In the conference call Take Two CEO, Ben Feder, continued to glorify and praise the Borderlands' sales and impressive DLC. Well good news for Take 2 means good news for for gamers right? Well according to Feder, yes...

"We'll continue to support the title with more add-on content," the CEO said.

Fans of the game, and its already 3 full DLC add-ons will be very happy to hear this news.

I still have yet to play this game and the more and more good news I read about it, the more I want to check it out! I'm wondering though for all of us that haven't picked this great game up yet, if waiting for the GoTY edition would be the best bet. Getting the game at a lower cost and all of the DLC included.

Splinter Cell: Conviction Super Elite Bundle

A few days ago Microsoft announced that Splinter Cell: Conviction will be getting a Special Edition Console bundle as seems to be standard now for pretty much every high profile new release.

Previously, we've seen Mass Effect 2, Modern Warfare 2 and even Final Fantasy XIII getting the Super Elite Bundles. Conviction's console bundle contents will be no different with a 250GB HDD, two wireless controllers and a standard copy of the game itself.

The Xbox 360 Splinter Cell: Conviction Special Edition Bundle will be available in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, retailing for $399 when it releases in mid-April.

Many of you with already good working consoles looking to get a little bit more space might be happy to know that earlier today, Gamestop had listed on their site the 250gig HDD for sale, seprately, for a very low price of $129.99. But as I went back to check agian, it seems that the page was taken down and just goes to a default bad URL for Gamestop.
So things were looking brighter there for a few minutes. We will have to keep our fingers crossed for when they do finaly release the HDD for sale on its own.

Anyways heres a nice fancy picture of the Splinter Cell: Conviction Bundle :)

NES Game Sold For $41,300.00

Stadium Events, one of the rarest NES games was sold to a collector on Ebay for a record breaking $41,300.00. What made the game sell for as much as it did was the fact that the game was still factory sealed with its original price tag left on the box. This game is also rated at number six on a list of 20 of the rarest NES games ever made. JJ Hendricks had previously held the record for the most money paid for a single NES game. JJ Hendricks has purchased the Nintendo Campus Challenge game cartridge off of ebay for $20,000.00.

Mass Effect 2 DLC "Hammerhead" Hits Late March

Bioware, earlier this evening shared some more information on their previously announced DLC called "Hammerhead", sharing with us a rough idea of what we can expect and a handful of some finally crafted screen shots.

On Biowares official site for Mass Effect 2 they have listed as a release date of late March for their DLC and will include a set of 5 Missions. The information on the site states;

"Download the Firewalker pack and gain access to 5 new missions featuring the Hammerhead. The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering. Coming late March, free to all Cerberus Network members!"

The free content is rolling out like wild fire for Mass Effect 2. I really hope they keep this up and maybe other developers in the future will take note of their success.
Until we get a definitive release date, please enjoy these 5 new screen shots.

Nintendo DSi XL

DSi DSi XL

Nintendo will be launching the Nintendo DSi XL in North America next month on March 28th. The DSi XL will have a 93% bigger screen. That's right the two screens will both be 93% bigger than the current screens on the DSi. Why couldn't they go a full 100% bigger? Looks like Levis will benefit from this because everyone will have to buy new jeans with bigger pockets. How much will this cost you ask? Amazon.com is currently taking pre-orders for the device at $189.99

Forza Motorsport 4

I know this is not a surprise to anyone but I just got word that Microsoft and Turn 10 are working on the fourth installment of the Forza Motorsport series. Microsoft and Turn 10 are currently hiring for the next game in the wildly successful racing series. Forza Motorsport 3 has sold over 2 million copies since its release in October 2009. One can only assume that this will be a 2-3 year development cycle. This will give current players of Forza Motorsport 3, plenty of play time with the current game and for more DLC to be released for the current game.

2K Announces BioShock 2 DLC "Sinclair Solutions Test Pack"

Early today 2K announced their extensive plans for supporting BioShock 2 with continued DLC. They also revealed their first piece of DLC pack for the games Multiplayer entitled "Sinclair Solutions Test Pack".

The first of several planned packs, the test pack will raise the multiplayer level cap to 50, granting you even extra rewards as you level up. Theres 2 new characters to run around Rapture with, named Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca, as well as five new masks to customize your characters with. 2K also revealed that there will be 20 new trials to complete and a third weapon upgrade for each weapon. The DLC will be priced at 400 Microsoft Points when it be comes available on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

2K president, Christoph Hartmann, said this about BioShock 2's future support: "The fans who waited in the snow, rain and cold for the midnight launch of BioShock 2 have spoken and their message is that Rapture still has many fascinating stories to tell."

He also added, "Downloadable content is a key part of our efforts to continue to entice the fans that have made 2K a household name - we intend to deliver single and multiplayer content that respects and expands upon one of the greatest fictional worlds ever created."

All and all, 2K will be expanding the game's single player story via DLC in the coming months, promising to provide further insight into Rapture by adding more narrative, new challenges and new tools to enhance the experience.

No word yet on when the DLC will arrive beyond "soon" and there's no confirmation of extra achievements either. We'll just have to wait and see. One thing's clear though. We'll be spending a lot more time in Rapture than we'd first anticipated...

Borderlands' General Knoxx DLC Priced & Dated

Earlier this afternoon, Gearbox and 2K Games talked with Team Xbox saying that their third piece of DLC, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, would be coming out tomorrow on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The DLC will be price at the usual Borderlands DLC price of 800 Microsoft points and will include an all new environment with all new quests, increased level cap and also include 10 achievements worth 250 gamerscore!

Talk about short notice! But this sounds like it will be a great addition to an already great game.

All New Fallout: New Vegas Details That You Can Bet On

GameSpy has posted a list of Fallout: New Vegas features from an article in USA Today, which exposes some very interesting new info regarding Obsidian's new foray into the Fallout world.

In the news item Bethesda marketing bod, Pete Hines reveals some new details about the forthcoming game, including the following list courtesy of GameSpy:

• You play a courier, not a vault dweller, who is shot and left for dead in a shallow grave in the desert. As evidenced in the teaser trailer, a robot digs you out and brings you to a local caregiver who nurses you back to health.
  
• Vegas is up and running. Said Hines, "It is not a ghost town. It still exists and thrives. There are casinos, and you can go down onto the Strip. It will have a very different feel from that standpoint."
  
• The game takes place a few years after Fallout 3, but New Vegas is a self-contained story. No characters from Fallout 3 appear, but you will hear a bit about the events that took place in that game.
  
• A big part of the story will be finding out who tried to kill you and what they took.
  
• New Vegas is similar in size to the DC area in Fallout 3. Said Hines, "It is a massive game world that will take you hundreds of hours to explore every nook and cranny."

Star Wars: TFU Hoth Mission Comming to XBL Marketplace

A new single-player level for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace on February 23rd. The DLC, previously only available on the retail version of Star Wars: The Force Unleaded Sith Edition will take The Secret Apprentice to Hoth, where the 'Infinities' storyline concludes following the previous Tatooine mission.

Excitingly, while on Hoth you'll face Luke Skywalker himself and will presumably be able to finish the fight that the Wampa couldn't, in a tasty lightsabre duel. The Secret Apprentice will also be able to visit several iconic locations as seen in The Empire Strikes Back.

Still no word yet though as to how many of our hard earned MS Points it will cost.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was also announced recently, due for release later this year. So keep an eye out for more information as it becomes available.

Crackdown 2 Pre-order Incentives

More from last weeks X10 Event is that, Ruffian Games' Crackdown 2 will be getting exclusive pre-order content as a bonus, something becoming increasingly common these days (presumably to get consumers into buying new, rather than used games).

Get your pre-order in early and you'll get four free agency armours, described only as gold, brushed, red and metal.

You can make your own minds up as to what they might look like, but you can bet they'll look damn cool.

We've got a shot of the Gold armour to give you an idea of what kind of uberness you can expect.

Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Console Bundle

Details of the Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Xbox 360 Bundle has been announced at X10 just last week. Major Nelson has also posted a video announcing the bundle on the Xbox Live dashboard in his latest Majors Minute episode.

The bundle will launch on March 9th in North America and will retail for $399.

The Special Edition bundle will be packed with a 250gig HD, two Wireless controllers, a standard copy of the game and Exclusive DLC. In the Majors Minute video, Nelson also said that there would be a special edition custom faceplate that you can get, but no word yet on what you have to do. I'm guessing a mail-in rebate maybe?

Seems as though they are really trying test the waters with there 250gig HD. With the 120gig HD being discontinued in many stores I am guessing by summer or shortly after we will start to see the individual sale of the 250gig HD alone. So if your looking for some more space, try and hold tight just a little bit longer.

Halo: Reach Beta Announcement

Last week we saw the return on Microsoft's X10 Event in San Fransisco, with Microsoft confirming a date of May 3rd for the Halo: Reach Beta.
Bundled with Halo: ODST as an added incentive to purchase the game, the Halo: Reach keys will become active on that date, enabling you to participate in the first public Beta.

Halo: Reach is currently scheduled for a Q4 2010 release.

No Alan Wake for the PC???

It was rumored that a PC version of Alan Wake would be worked on after the release of the Xbox 360 version of the game. If you want to play one of the most talked about games of 2010 then I highly suggest you purchase yourself a Xbox 360 if you haven't already done so. Microsoft seems to think the Xbox 360 is the only platform that this game should be played on. The following quote is from a Microsoft spokesperson: "Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen. We ultimately realized that the most compelling way to experience "Alan Wake" was on the Xbox 360 platform, so we focused on making it an Xbox 360 exclusive. Both Microsoft and Remedy have long histories in PC game development. This decision was about matching this specific game to the right platform." I myself believe that this is a sales strategy for Microsoft to sell Xbox 360's at a time where normally sales are down. Normally big title are released during the holiday season to get profits up for the 4th quarter of the fiscal year. If the Xbox 360 is the only way to play a game then it will force people to pickup the system and generate more green for Microsoft. The comment about "Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC" is absolutely correct. Take a game like WoW or Guild Wars, those games are definitely more suited for the PC but you can make a game work on a console that is normally meant for a PC. RTS games are usually played on a PC but Halo Wars which is an RTS game was made for the XBOX 360 and it works quite well. I have only played the demo and from what I experienced I really enjoyed and I plan on eventually picking up this game. I believe that a game can be enjoyed on either a console or a PC and it is up to the gamer to decide how he or she would like to play their game. Some gamers prefer to play a shooter on a PC while I prefer to play a shooter on a console because I can move better using the analog sticks than I can with the arrow buttons on a keyboard. Also with a keyboard you have many more buttons or keys to remember and what their function is. For a console you have much less buttons to remember and they are right there and you don't have to move your hand way left to get to the button or key and then back right to the next button or key that you need. What ever you prefer is a decision you have to make yourself. The only PC game I play is Guild Wars and I enjoy it on the PC. I suppose it could be made for a console. What would make it or break it for success would be of course the button layout and access to spells and weapons. Fable I and II were both made for Xbox and are highly enjoyable. Everything is easily accessible and I see no reason why putting these games on the PC for them to be enjoyable.

January 2010 NPD numbers

Sales figures in order for the month of January are listed below.

In first place we have the Nintendo Wii with a whopping 465.9k
Second place the Nintendo DS at 422.2k. Not too far behind the Wii sales figures.
In third place we have the Xbox 360 at 332.8K.
In fourth place is the Sony Playstation 3 at 276.9k.
In fifth place is the PSP at 100.1k.
Last but not least is the Playstation 2 still chugging along at 41.6k. It really does amaze me that people are still buying the Playstation 2. I guess some people don't care to have an HD system like the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3.

Fallout: New Vegas Details

The first teaser trailer for Fallout: New Vegas was just released last week, and it seems as though we are already getting our first info for the game. It is rumoured that the latest issue of PC Gamer has had the first look at the Obsidian developed title, and that a whole lot of information was gathered.

At the moment, it seems only subscribers have had the privilege of receiving the new issue of PC Gamer, though luckily, the information has been leaked on the web.
the information is as follows;

• There is an optional hardcore mode, the character needs to drink water, ammo has weight, healing isn’t instant etc. Normal mode is more similar to Fallout 3 gameplay.

• The storyline is focused on the New California Republic vs. Caesar’s Legion vs. New Vegas residents.

• You are not a vault dweller but are given a Pip-Boy by someone who is one.

• There is a screenshot of a vault suit as well.

• There is an assault rifle looking like the M4, as well as a new big gun with a backpack, held like a mini gun.

• There are special moves for melee weapons in VATS – specifically a move for a golf club called “Fore” which seems to be a groin shot.

• The Hoover Dam is in the game and is supplying electricity to the city.

• There is a quest to rescue a ghoul from some super mutants. The ghoul can then become your companion.

• The Geckos are back.

• There are both dumb and intelligent super mutants, including the elite Nightkin.

• Some super mutants look similar to the ones in Fallout 3, while others are new. There is e.g. a female super mutant with a 1950s hairstyle who apparently is one of their leaders.

• Screenshots include a guy with a beard and straw hat, a ghoul an NCR Ranger

• The only picture of New Vegas itself is concept art and not a screenshot

• Some location screenshots include a huge model dinosaur advertising a hotel, some satellite dishes, an array of solar panels

• A character generation shot showing a “vigour machine” instead of the skill book

• NCR base is the McCarran Airport, Caesar’s Legion is based in the Vegas Strip, while super mutants are based in a place called Black Mountain. There is also a town called Fremont and another called Primm. A topless reuve is mentioned as being in the latter.

• NCR Ranger armor is similar to a brown combat armor with sleeves, there are concept arts of a Ranger

• Skills have a bigger effect on conversation choices. E.g. someone with a high Explosives skill may be able to have a conversation about explosives where appropriate.

• There is a Reputation system in addition to Karma.

Fallout: New Vegas is due out this Fall 2010. This is a lot of information pretty early in the year so only time will tell on how accurate it all is. I for one am very excited to read some information about the game and can not wait till its release.

Dante's Inferno DLC Plans

Today we are welcomed to Hell as we see the much anticipated release of Dante's Inferno. We are also graced with a small card inside the game box that reveals information on EA and Visceral's 3 month plan of DLC for the game on one side and on the other a $3 off coupon for the Dante's Inferno Animated DVD Epic.

The list is as follows;

February:

Soul Packs

Poet Costume

Animated Feature Film Costume

March:

Prequel Level

April:

New In-Game Abilities

Trials of St. Lucia

No word yet to any exact release dates or how much any of the DLC will cost. It is however very nice to see that EA and Visceral are looking to support this game so well after release.

Ubisoft working on something BIG!!

Attention all Ubisoft fans, the word on the street is that Ubisoft, is planning to announce something big next week! Check out this Tweet from Aymeric Evennou, the community developer for Ubisoft. What could it be? Maybe a new IP? Speculation is that it maybe a new game title to be announced at Microsoft's X10 event. I personally think its too early for it to be a Project Natal announcement. I am sure Microsoft has ordered all game developers to hold off on any Project Natal announcements till the 2010 E3 show. What do you think this news could be?

Review: Aliens Vs Predator Demo On XBL

Today we saw the release of the long awaited (at least for me) Aliens Vs Predator Demo on Xbox Live, and I must say that I was very impressed.

The demo that was released only features one small part of the multiplayer with a 10 minute, 8 player Death match. The multiplayer mode has the look and feel of your standard first person shooter, however as there is the choice between a Colonial Marine, Alien or Predator the game play can differ dramatically. When you start your search for a player match you are stuck in your own private group till you get grouped in a 8 person team. When you enter the game lobby each person is randomly selected a 'race'. As I could tell there could only be 2 Predators in a game then the rest is split up between the Marines and the Aliens.

Each 'race' has its own benefits and its own drawbacks. While the Marines have a handful of guns with the benefit of long range attacks and are able to use grenades, they are little to no match once an enemy Predator or Alien gets close enough to attack. The standard Pulse Rifle was a nice starting weapon, but things really got good once I found the shotgun and was able to dispatch the other players left and right.

Playing as an Alien allows you to walk on all surfaces using the RT button is transfer onto the wall or ceiling. Also if you have your crosshair pointed to the wall or a overhead beam you can jump and attach yourself right to it. Traveling as Alien though can be quite disorientating as you can often be upside-down or on the wall in the middle of combat and not know what way you are facing.

lastly the Predator, I can see why they only let you have 2 of them during one game. the Predators are pretty powerful. they are able to leap far distances, use a cloaking device to run around undetected, use heat sensors and a gray scale mode to easily detect Aliens and also are able to use Predator Discs and the Predator Cannon.

The demo however wasn't all glitz and glam, I didn't find that the graphics and motion of the other players running around the screen really showcase a great game. I did notice that there were some lag issues, seeing the players skipping across the screen and some points (but i don't think that's the games fault, is it?). The demo map used for the MP is a small to medium sized map it seems and is fairly dark, so to get a good look at how things really look was sometimes a challenge. Another thing that really bothered me about the demo was the animation of the finishing moves, when you were the one being attacked. Sometimes you couldn't even tell what was going on, you just couldn't move anywhere then you see a splatter of blood and realize you were dead. While the finishing moves, look great from the attackers point of view, I really think they could have found some better camera angles to focus on what was really happening to you so you could really get a feel for your character getting sliced to bits.

All of this, either good and or bad, is still just a demo. So I can only imagine that the final product will be just a good and better then this. I'm really looking forward to getting this game when it is released this Feb, and even more then I was before I got to play the demo. This game is looking to have one very unique multiplayer with more then enough modes to find every ones sweet spot. And with 3 different single player story modes this will be one game you wont want to miss out on. I encourage everyone to at least check this demo out and give it a shot.

Please leave any comments, concerns or questions below. Let us know what you felt about the demo and of the review.

SEGA's Project Needlemouse Is Sonic the Hedgehog 4

Last September SEGA announced a special project called 'Project Needlemouse', we already knew that the codename alluded to something Sonic. But we didn't know it would be a full fledged sequel to the original 2D Sonic games we grew up playing as kids nearly 16 years ago.

The new game now called Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be a true sequel to the original 2D series with 3D graphics. Even more, the game will be released as downloadable episodic adventures on XBLA when it is due to be released this summer 2010.

A small trailer was released today and also some details that Sonic will be the only playable character and players will also be able to compare speed runs with others on the games leaderboards.

If this is going to be as fun as the original then bring it on! sounds like a great game to be for the Summer of Arcade, what do you think?

Fallout: New Vegas Details Emerge

Today is the day, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas... Well not exactly. A press release sent out today from Bethesda states, "Fallout: New Vegas, the follow-up to Fallout 3 – the 2008 Game of the Year – brings this beloved franchise to a location only Fallout could do justice: Vegas. Fallout: New Vegas takes all the action, humour, and post-apocalyptic grime and grit of this legendary series, and raises the stakes."

This time around developer Obsidian takes the rains and shows us what it can do with the franchise and a derelict, destroyed Vegas. The trailer below doesn't have to much to offer about the game and is not much different from Fallout 3's teaser. If it does only one thing though that is leaving you wanting more and anticipating its 2010 Fall release.

Bioshock 2 Special Edition Unboxing!

Elizabeth Tobey, 2K Community Manager, released a video the other day showcasing the Special Edition and all of its contents for Bioshock 2. The video really displays the fine artwork of Rapture with the creativity of the whole team at 2K.

The Special Edition will include:

• Bioshock 2 (the game even!)
  


• 164-page Hardcover Art Book (full size, not a small 5'x7")
  


• Three Rapture Posters (rolled)
  


• Bioshock 2 Orchestral Score on CD
  


• The original Bioshock Orchestral Score on a Vinyl 180g LP

Everything looks to be in great shape and looks to be one truly well crafted Special Edition for a game. I do wonder why they decided to roll up the posters and not lay them flat in the box, I could see where some people may have an issue with that. With the year just underway (only one month down) it seems as though this year will be the year of special editions, collector editions, limited edition, you name it for the gaming industry. I'm loving every minute of it, but if they keep this up though I may need another job to support my collective nature.

Dante's Inferno Post Release DLC: Trials of St. Lucia

A trailer that will apparently be shipped with the game Dante's Inferno will reveal that the game will be supported by some rather substantial post launch downloadable content in the form of the Trials of St. Lucia.

Adding online co-operative play with a new playable character, the divine angel-winged St. Lucia of Syracuse is just the beginning, with the DLC pack also providing a level editor that will enable players to create their very own trials.

The DLC looks to add some great new features including community driven content to push EA Visceral's hack and slash epic to a new dimension when it is released this April on the 29th.

Dante's Inferno is available in Australia on February 4th, in Europe on February 5th with the North American release following on February 9th.

Final Fantasy XIII To Ship On 3 Discs

A few months ago an interview with FF XIII's director Motomu Toriyama which quoted him as saying he "hoped" to have the game ship on "about three discs worth of content." The same interview estimates 40-50 hours for the main story, with additional content through side-quests and achievements. Online game rental site, Gamefly, has the game listed on their product page specifying that the game will be exactly 3 discs.

So we will get ATLEAST 2 breaks from the game to check back in with reality once the game lands this year in early March.

Mass Effect 2 Has Sold 2 Million Copies Worldwide

A few days ago EA sent out a press release saying that Mass Effect 2 has sold 2 million copies in its first week in retail, which is a great start to the games life. In addition they had made it a point to mention the forty perfect scores given by review outlets and the average score of 96, making it the second highest-reviewed game on the 360.

I hear the game is pretty damn good. A lot of hardcore gamers have been already finishing the game this past weekend, logging in about 45-47hrs. I still haven't gotten to play it yet, but after all of the great things I have been hearing its a MUST play and I cant wait!

Next Borderlands DLC, 'The Secret Armory of General Knoxx' Announced

Gearbox Software and 2k Games revealed yesterday the latest upcoming DLC pack planned for Borderlands entitled, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. The new content is said to have "never-before-seen enemies in a huge new environment complete with tons of brand new missions."
New weapons and items are also promised, along with a previously confirmed raising of the character level cap from 50 to ... an undisclosed limit. Still, Gearbox states there will be "new challenges and opportunities for growth for characters from around level 34 to level 50."

There has been no word yet as to when this new DLC will be released but they did show off a few nice screenshots to wet our appetite.

Xbox Live Hits 23 Million Registered Users Worldwide

According to the latest fiscal report by Microsoft, the amount of new Xbox Live registrations grew by 35% year-over-year during the Q2 reporting period (October 1st to December 31st) of 2009 compared to the same period in the previous year. The increase could be attributed to the record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was released on November 10th of last year.

The online gaming service is now at an impressive 23 million users worldwide.


- http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-6894-Video-Game-News-Examiner~y2010m1d28-23-million-users-now-registered-to-Xbox-Live

Dante's Inferno To Get Super Bowl Ad

A report says that EA is looking to invest at least $2.5 million for a Super Bowl commercial spot.
EA has reportedly bought Super Bowl ad time for the upcoming hack-and-slash game Dante’s Inferno, which will be released on February 9. The Super Bowl is one of Americas biggest televised events of the year, with hundreds of millions watching. The only thing as crazy as how many people are watching, is the price for a 30sec commercial spot during the game, $2.5-3 million.
EA is putting a lot of their eggs all into one basket for Dante's Inferno in the upcoming month. EA is looking to score big as they hope to divert buyers from Take 2 Interactive's Bioshock 2, which will also be released on the same day.

Dante’s Inferno is being developed by Visceral Games, who created 2008’s stunning survival horror epic, Dead Space. It is expected to be a massive hit and EA and Visceral have been making a significant marketing push for the better part of several months in anticipation of the game’s pending release.

Dante’s Inferno will be released on February 9 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. A PSP version will also be released.

Bioware will announce new games at E3 2010

Bioware just shipped Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360 and they are not relaxing anytime soon. That's right, no break for the hard working guys at the Bioware studio. Bioware co-founder Ray Muzyka, has made the claim that Bioware will be announcing some major game titles at this years E3 show. He did not mention or give any clues as to what these games would be but speculation is that the games will be the Mass Effect series for the PS3. Maybe not so much as speculation but hopeful PS3 fans who are missing out on a great RPG.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo

The Battlefield Bad Company 2 multiplayer demo is now available for download on Xbox Live.

Dom and Marcus appear in Lost Planet 2?

Capcom contacted Epic games recently to talk about having Dom and Marcus make a cameo appearance in the Lost Planet 2 game. Epic of course said "heck yeah". Cliff Bleszinski tells Kotaku.com "We're mutual fans of each other's work and crossovers are darned cool so we sent over the Marcus and Dom models for implementation." Capcom is using the character models of Dom and Marcus, but are most likely not using the Gears of War controller layout. "I can't speak about the controls for LP2," Bleszinski adds. "Anything else about how it's accessed or used in game remains to be revealed. I'll leave that to Capcom's capable hands."

Fable III Unveil Next Month

Lionhead plans to unveil Fable III during Microsoft's X10 event next month in San Francisco, the studio announced on its Facebook page 2 days ago.

"We hinted at this a couple of weeks ago but today it's official, a big Xbox event called X10 will take place in San Francisco next month showing all the upcoming Xbox games!," the message reads.

"Of course Lionhead is excited about showing the latest of Fable III, but we're also very much looking forward to all other games and announcements... coming from this event! So put it in your diaries; 11th February in SF and on the internet, X10!"

Announced at last year's Gamescom in Germany, Lionhead director Peter Molyneux has discussed very few details about the project. He did, however, later confirm Fable III will use Microsoft's Project Natal motion camera as well as contain a form of in-game micro-transactions.

I jumped into this series a few months before the release of Fable II and really have grown to love it. I am real excited to hear more about this new game and how it will integrate Project Natal features.

Fable III is currently slated for release this holiday.

Final Fantasy XIII Will Have DLC

After many asked questions and time spent wondering if Square Enix would offer DLC for FFXIII, Producer Yoshinori Kitase has finally gone on record to confirm that there will indeed be extra content arriving for the game.

"At first we had plans to release the game simultaneously worldwide," Kitase revealed to Official PlayStation Magazine. "So we had the intention to deliver identical versions between the regions. When we noticed that we wouldn't make it, we decided to release the game as fast as possible in the west after its release in Japan. We initially had doubts to add extra content to the western version but then it would have taken the international version more months of delay. We did prepare DLC but it will arrive a little later in the west."

So DLC is on the way, a little late, but better late then never i suppose.
No details are forthcoming on what the DLC will be. As long as there are big swords and no armor packs for our Chocobos, I think were in for a treat!

Left 4 Dead 2 update

Valve is updating Left 4 Dead 2 on both the PC and Xbox 360. Players will no longer have to worry about not having enough players on their team to survive a versus mode online. Empty slots will be filled with bots. Many players gripe about having a bot on their team but a bot is better than being down one or two players and struggling to survive. Also the auto spawning will be no more, Valve will give the player the option to choose when to spawn. This should eliminate spawning near enemies and not being able to react in time. These updates should improve the game for everyone making the game more enjoyable for everyone. Now get out there and kill the undead.

Then and Now: The Latest Trailer for Aliens vs Predator

The latest trailer from Sega and Rebellion for their upcoming game Aliens vs Predator, takes a look back 10 years ago to their original game and explores the evolution from the old to new. In this trailer you get a good glimpse at what their original game looks like back from 1999, to what the game will look like now. Also fans and newcomers of the series will see what and how inspiration and direction of the upcoming game took from the roots of the still popular original.

Square Enix Announces Final Fantasy XIII Collector's edition for PAL Territories

Something that many people have been waiting to hear is if Square Enix will do a Collector's Edition of FFXIII. I am proud to tell you that your wish has been answered, well for some of us that is. Square Enix Announced yesterday their planes for the Collector's Edition of their game will be available in PAL territories (although pricing and other territories were not mentioned) and will storm its way into stores on March 9th of this year.
For information on PAL territories and what region you are in check here, Regions.

The Final Fantasy XIII Collector's Edition will contain the following.

• The Final Fantasy XIII game;
  
• Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection - an exclusive soundtrack CD featuring in-game music tracks especially chosen for the Limited Collector’s Edition by composer Masashi Hamauzu;
  
• The World of Final Fantasy XIII – a hardback book featuring character artwork, CG rendered artwork and environments from across the game’s production;
  
• Exclusive Art Prints - three highly collectible prints showing artwork of the Eidolons, the powerful summoned allies of the lead playable characters;
  
• A Unique ‘Brand of the l’Cie’ decal – a collectible decal featuring the most iconic symbol from the game’s storyline.
  
• The "Limited" Collector’s Edition will be available in a branded presentation box.

Sadly there has been no other mention yet if this will be coming to North America or any other regions. Though it is a small offering of some exclusive art and music, I think any fan of Final Fantasy would love to add this in their collection.

Final Fantasy 1 & 2 for the iPhone/iPod Touch

Yesterday Square Enix released on their Facebook page that Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II would be heading to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Over 20 years since the original FF game was released and we are getting them back in a great way. No word yet as to when they will be released but we are left with a few screen shots of each to tease us. You can notice the onscreen Dpad that will be used to move your character in one screen. It also looks as though they switched the old layout of commands (Fight, Magic, Defend, Item, Run) with a more efficient and illustrated touch menu.

I personally don't play to many games on my iPhone but these are just what I have been waiting for and would definitely get a warm welcome from me.

Final Fantasy:

Final Fantasy II: