Owner: That Xbox360 Blog URL:http://www.thatxbox360blog.com/ Join Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:20:43 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Daily Xbox360 news, media, rumors and other goodness. Site statistics:Click here
E3: PGR4 info, screenshots, gameplay 2007-07-11 08:48:09
I was hoping we’d get to see some new ingame videos from PGR4 this E3. And here it is, along with a bunch of new great looking screenshots and a whole lot of info. Better get cracking - first the info, followed by the gameplay
video and screenshots.
A unique and exciting racing experience compatible with the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel. “Project Gotham Racing 4” will redefine the “PGR” franchise by delivering a unique, exciting racing experience where dramatic racing action is captured in cinematic style and players are rewarded for showing off their skills and performing precise and jaw-dropping skills and maneuvers while winning over the hearts of adoring fans online and off.
(more…)
E3: Time for some Fable 2 info & screens 2007-07-11 07:40:26 Fable 2 take place 500 years after the original and will be a true sequel, offering more choices and building on the core gameplay theme of “Fable” where players’ every decision continually defines who they become. Fable 2 will have an epic story and innovative real-time gameplay, including a massive amount of freedom and choice to explore a vast collection of dungeons, catacombs and caves in the world of Albion.
• Choices, consequences. The innovative gameplay pioneered in the original “Fable” provided gamers with a never-before-seen level of immersion in a truly interactive world. “Fable 2” expands on the scope and depth of the Xbox® classic with incredible new features and a wider, more complex kingdom of limitless choices and consequences. Players will have the option to play as a man or woman, get married, have children, and live a life of their own design. (more…) Read more:Fable
E3: New Too Human screenshots, features info 2007-07-11 06:38:46
New “Too Human” information is always welcome but unfortunately a release date wasn’t a part of it this time around. The game has a vague “2008″ release date at the moment so it’ll be quite some time before we get to play in the shoes of a cybernetic god. But here are some of the games features
and new screenshots:
● The birth of an icon. Fight as Baldur, a powerful cybernetic god battling his way through enemy armies to become one of gaming’s renowned iconic heroes. From weaponry and armor to combat techniques and combos, players can fully customize Baldur to become the best possible hero.
• Thrilling action-RPG gameplay. Unlike some games that may force players to choose between two genres, “Too Human” combines all the creative economy features and social experiences of a typical RPG, such as collecting loot and leveling up, while maintaining the excitement of an action game. With a wide array of weapons, armors, cybernetic implants and
E3: Xbox360 facts ‘n stuff 2007-07-11 05:58:06 It’s that time again - Microsoft sent out a press release where they brag a little about what they’ve achieved with the Xbox
360. It’s a fun little read:
• More than 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles have sold across the 37 countries where it is currently available. Xbox LIVE is currently available in 25 countries across the globe.
• According to NPD in the U.S., since our competitors launched in November, consumers have spent $2.4 billion on Xbox 360 consoles, games and accessories at retail; nearly as much as both of our competitors combined.
• Since our competitors launched we’ve sold more than 18 million games. That’s more than both the Wii and PS3 combined, according to NPD.
• Faster than expected, Xbox LIVE has eclipsed the 7 million member milestone and is on track to reach 10 million members by the end of June 2008 making it larger than the largest city in the U.S. In fact, in the last year we’ve added a new Xbox LIVE member every 8 seconds. (more&h Read more:facts
, stuff
E3: Halo 3 fact sheet plus sweet new screenshots 2007-07-11 05:49:35
Here we go, brand spankin’ new Halo3 campaign screenshots straight from E3. And may we say they look absolutely delicious, just like the one released a few days ago.
Some information on the gameplay, technology and the editions was also released, check it out, screenshots below:
The Gameplay:
• Next-generation experiences. With the power of Xbox 360, “Halo 3” raises the bar on the next-generation gameplay experience with nonstop action, an incredible story, massive battles and visually stunning worlds.
• Stunning single-player action. Epic and compelling storytelling is on a scale never before seen in interactive entertainment, with new weapons, characters and challenges. Gamers can experience Master Chief’s greatest battle as he transcends greatness and becomes a legend.
• Enhanced Xbox LIVE multiplayer capability. Working in concert with Xbox LIVE on Xbox 360, “Halo 3” builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience of “Halo 2” and promises to enhance Read more:sheet
E3 ‘07-Blue Dragon demo available now 2007-07-11 00:21:18 Without any sort of fanfare or announcement, a demo of Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Xbox 360 RPG has become available
for download on the XBL marketplace.The demo weighs in at 1.1 GB, so be prepared to wait a bit.
Blue Dragon
’s release is currently set for August.
-David Patterson
Update: It appears the demo has been pulled from Markerplace. Hopefully it will re-appear shortly. In the meanwhile, go grab the Ace Combat 6 demo instead.
Update 2: The Blue Dragon
demo has re-appeared, go get it!
Conviction music composed by newbies to the industry 2007-07-16 06:29:10
The music for the 5th Splinter Cell game, Conviction
, will be composed by Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen in association with Groove Addicts.
This marks Groove Addicts first foray in original scoring for interactive gaming, an initiative for the company spearheaded by GA’s Business Development team, led by Mike Zarin and J.P. Rahmann.
First or not, it seems these guys know what they’re doing as Ubisoft Montreal’s Technical & Artistic Director of Audio Simon Pressey is happy: “It’s the most definitive music I have heard to date for the series. I would go so far to call it ‘classic Splinter Cell.’ ”
Groove Addicts’ Zarin concurs: ”We are ecstatic to be involved with this incredible Ubisoft AAA franchise. The fact that this is our first game says a lot about the caliber of music we at Groove Addicts work so very hard to deliver everyday. Michael Nielsen and Kaveh Cohen have a rare knack to consistently create great music in a timely man Read more:industry
Peter Moore resigns.. 2007-07-18 06:43:33 This certainly came out of the blue - PeterMoore
, currently the corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, has decided to resign and move back to back to Northern California with his family for personal reasons. He’s not going to leave video games though, he has already secured another opportunity in the industry. Update: It’s been confirmed that Moore will head up EA’s Sports division.
Moore’s position will be filled with Don Mattrick, a former president at Electronic Arts, who will lead the Interactive Entertainment Business, which includes overseeing the Xbox and Games for Windows businesses.
Mattrick will take over as the senior vice president of IEB at Microsoft, effective July 30. Mattrick held various senior positions within EA, most recently as president of Worldwide Studios, until his resignation in February 2006. In February 2007, Mattrick began working with the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft as an e
New Devil May Cry 4 screen-shots 2007-07-20 15:50:42
Capcom has just released six brand-new screen
-shots
for the game. The new screen-shots show off several new characters, including a rather goofy looking fellow wearing a monocle. The new shots really do a great job of getting across the fidelity of the graphics and the robustness of Capcom’s Dead Rising engine.
This game looks hot and these new screen-shots only reaffirm that fact. Let’s just hope 4 is more Devil
May Cry 1 and 3 rather than the abysmal Devil May Cry 2. Check out the screen-shots after the jump.
(more…)
OXM: Metal Gear Solid 4 is coming to Xbox 360 2007-07-19 22:30:17 This rumor just will not die. According to the August issue of the Official Xbox
Magazine by way of their “rumor mole,” Metal
Gear Solid
4 will appear on the Xbox 360 in just a “few months” after the Playstation 3 version.
The rumor appeared to pick up some validity when Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue was quoted as saying, “Since Metal Gear
Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game. But we might have to take some steps.” However, the statement can be construed in multiple ways because of its ambiguous nature.
While the appearance of Metal Gear Solid
4 on our favorite console would certainly be welcome, ultimately, if you really want to play MGS4 just break down and buy a Playstation 3. In addition, there are so many triple-A quality titles coming to the 360; a statement announcing MGS4’s Playstation 3 exclusivity (again) would barely phase me. Hideo Kojima’s appearance at Sony’s E3 conference se
Too Human developer is suing Epic Games 2007-07-19 21:56:00
It appears that Gears of War developer and proprietor of the Unreal Engine 3, Epic Games
is being sued by UE3 licensee Silicon Knights.
According to Gamasutra, Silicon Knights has entered a lawsuit against Epic Games citing a lack of support for Unreal Engine 3’s licensees, “Rather than provide support to Silicon Knights and Epic’s other many licensees of the Engine, Epic intentionally and wrongfully has used the fees from those licenses to launch its own game to widespread commercial success while simultaneously sabotaging efforts by Silicon Knights and others to develop their own video games,”states the document Gamasutra has obtained.
This news comes as a bit of shock because of Silicon Knight’s president Denis Dyack’s previous statements to the contrary, including a 2006 statement released to Gamespot.
In addition, the Unreal Engine 3 engine has been scraped for use in Too Human and its subsequent sequels in favor of an internally developed eng
Gears of War gets a soundtrack 2007-07-19 08:27:55
Sumthing Else Music Works shot out a press release today saying they are releasing the Gears
of War Original Soundtrack. The soundtrack has 29 tracks and over an hour of orchestral music from the game written by Kevin Riepl, orchestrated and conducted by Corey Status, and performed by The Northwest Sinfonia orchestra.
The soundtrack will be available on July 31st and Amazon for example has it priced at $13.99. You can also get it as a digital download from sumthingdigital.com but it looks like they haven’t put it up yet so just check later this month.
Ubisoft snags Avatar publishing rights 2007-07-25 18:59:39 Ubisoft
has aquired the video game publishing rights to James Cameron’s Avatar
, the first endeavor from the director since 1997’s Titanic.
Avatar (the movie) is about the struggle of man torn between the alien culture he has come to embrace and the planet from which he hails, all amidst an oncoming of war. Insert spectacular special effects, courtesy of WETA and Cameron’s (usually) excellent directing skills and you have all the makings of a summer blockbuster. The game will launch alongside the movie in May of 2009.
As of yet, there has been no definite mention on which platform(s) the game will arrive. However, Ubisoft’s multi-platform approach to releases speaks volumes. Unless, another one of those “brilliant” temporary exclusivity arrangements is the works.
-David Patterson Read more:snags
Microsoft bringing Comic-Con home 2007-07-24 20:00:27 Microsoft
will follow up their ability to deliever demos and covearge of E3 ‘07 to the Xbox Live Marketplace by delivering similar coverage of this year’s Comic
-Con July 26-29.
This is Microsoft’s first stab at delevering content from Comic-Con. Perhaps something big is brewing at the world’s largest comic convention this year…
-David Patterson
New Gears of War content is not coming to the 360 2007-07-27 15:31:37 Good things apparently come to those who wait, if you are a PC owner that is. To those who are hoping that the substantial extras that are being added to the Gears
of War PC release would eventually be added to 360 version, well, keep on waiting ad infinitum.
Straight from Gears of War PC Producer Scott Ferguson at Epic, no such update is in the works, “There is no plan to provide the PC exclusive content to Xbox 360 gamers for a number of technical reasons. One is simply the size and scope of the new content which would be difficult to deliver as an update. But more importantly, Gears of War for Windows was not created with the same version of Unreal Engine 3 as Gears of War for 360. We wanted to take advantage of all the latest and greatest optimizations and features that are constantly being added to UE3 and as such, this new content is not easily compatible with the Xbox 360 version.” says Ferguson.
Well darn, I was hoping I would be able to give some more of my “
HD DVD player getting a price cut 2007-07-26 11:35:33 Microsoft announced at Comic-Con today that it will lower the HD DVD’s price
from $199 to $179 starting August 1st. On top of that, anyone making the purchase between August 1 and September 30th will get five free HD DVD’s.
Microsoft also announced HD DVD versions of “300″ and “Heroes: Season 1″. Xbox LIVE will offer “300″ on demand in HD starting Aug. 14, and is working with Warner Bros. at Comic-Con on a Bringing It Home campaign featuring “300″ and other Warner Bros. properties.
In advance of the street date for the “Heroes: Season 1″ HD DVD boxed set, Xbox LIVE members will be able to download for free the show’s pilot episode in high definition for a limited time along with trailers, teaser scenes and other promotional materials highlighting the “Heroes: Season 1” boxed set on HD DVD. Read more:player
Grand Theft Auto IV delayed 2007-08-02 23:57:20 The next episode in Rockstar’s insanely popular series has been delayed
to the Spring of ‘08. Previously, the title had been scheduled to hit sometime in October of this year.
Depending on how you look at it, this can potentially bode well for GTA IV. In this humble man’s opinion, no matter how big a GTA release is, rushing into this year’s frenzy of releases alongside tiles such as Halo 3 and Mass Effect would have been suicide for Rockstar’s baby and the extra time to polish the game can only be a good thing.
-David Patterson Read more:Grand
, Grand Theft
, Grand Theft Auto
It’s Official, the Xbox 360 price drops August 8 2007-08-07 00:04:34 The endless forum posts and scans of retail circulars pointing out the imminent Xbox
360 price
drops are true.Today, Microsoft announced that as of August
8, the Xbox 360 Elite retail price will be reduced by $30 to $449.99, the Premium will be priced a $349.99 and the Core will drop to the very friendly price of $279.99.
In addition, the SKU no one asked for-the Halo Limited Edition Xbox 360, will be priced at $399.99 upon its release. Along with the price drops, and the releases of Mass Effect, Bioshock, Halo 3 and numerous other titles, new and existing Xbox 360 owners are in for one heck of holiday season.
-David Patterson Read more:Official
Bioshock demo available now 2007-08-12 23:05:53
After the premiere of the new launch trailer for Bioshock
on Spike, a special announcement following the premiere revealed that a demo for the highly anticipated title from 2K would be available
on the Xbox Live Marketplace tonight.
I have just finished playing and oh boy is it fantastic. If you are not at all looking forward to this game-what’s wrong with you? Do yourself a favor and check out the surprisingly lengthy demo and soak in the atmosphere and amazing graphics and great (if not exactly innovative) gun-play .
Please note that as of yet, the demo is downloading at a snail’s pace, I hope it’s due to the high amount of traffic downloading the demo rather than another Xbox snafu.
-David Patterson
Turning Point gameplay 2007-08-16 09:49:12
Codemasters have released the first gameplay
video from their alternate reality first person shooter today. Turning Point: Fall of Liberty explores the consequences of what may have happened if America was not drawn into WWII until the 1953 Nazi invasion of the U.S. east coast.
Call of Duty 4 screenshots 2007-08-14 04:58:49 Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare has looked absolutely magnificent from the first time they unveiled it. Here we have eight new screenshots once again confirming that. So check ‘em out - the first four are from single-player, the rest from multi-player.
Skate demo now on Marketplace 2007-08-21 07:37:25 The demo of the so called Tony Hawk killer has arrived on XBL Marketplace
.
The 1.09GB demo features tutorials and gameplay challenges in San Vanelona’s community center skatepark to introduce gamers to the Flickit controls. The demo also includes the much talked about skate.reel feature where gamers can capture video footage of their skate session at any time during the demo and share the footage online for others to view, rate and comment on.
The full game will be released in September 21st. Read more:Skate
Epic Games acquires majority stake in People Can Fly 2007-08-20 17:17:55 Epic Games
has acquired a majority interest in Poland-based game developer People Can Fly (PCF), best known for the highly successful Painkiller PC game. PCF has most recently been collaborating with Epic on the PC version of Gears of War.
Epic and PCF are also working on a brand new intellectual property which Epic will be previewing privately to publishers at Games Convention in Leipzig this week.
The relationship between the two companies began last year when PFC was evaluating Unreal Engine 3 to use for a new multi-platform game project. Mark Rein from Epic Games: “PCF showed us their early prototypes within only a few weeks and we were totally blown away. The quality of their work was extremely high, and knew we had to find a way to work more closely with them in the future.”
President of Epic Games, Michael Capps, even went as far as saying that the multiplayer levels PCF created for the PC version of Gears of War look as good or even better than the original.
Price cuts and Elite in the UK 2007-08-20 07:17:23 Microsoft announced today that starting this Friday, they will drop the prices for the Core and Premium 360’s in the UK.
The Core 360’s price will be lowered by £20 to carry an estimated retail price of £179.99 and the Premium’s price will be reduced by £30 to £249.99.
Also happening this Friday is the launch of the 120GB HDD Elite
model which will carry a £299.99 price tag.
Stephen McGill from Xbox UK: “Whether it’s our lead in console sales, record-setting games and accessory attach rates or our leading online service, evidence is everywhere that Xbox is thriving. When you combine that momentum with these great-value offerings with our unbeatable Christmas game line-up, it’s clear that Xbox 360 is uniquely placed to take the UK by storm this Christmas.”
Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta hits Live on Monday 2007-08-24 13:34:26 The multiplayer beta for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will launch via Xbox Live on Monday
, August 27 at 12:00 p.m.
Check CharlieOscarDelta.com at noon for your chance to receive a Token and get in on the action.
From press release: “The beta will enable players to experience the most advanced and powerful arsenal of modern day firepower in customizable multiplayer battles from the world’s most treacherous hotspots. Players will be able to customize their experiences by utilizing new features including create-a-class, player-ranking and the new perk system. Gamers will also be able to ease seamlessly into multiplayer matchmaking with the party system or even join games in-progress. New recruits will enlist for battle across a series of action-packed maps and dynamic game modes to test their mettle in the ultimate multiplayer gameplay arena.”
The full game will hit store shelves the week of November 5th.
Halo 3 SE Xbox360 priced & dated for Europe 2007-08-23 10:45:13 The Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox
360 will be available in Europe
on September 26th for £279.99, Microsoft has announced today.
The SE console will include a Halo 3 themed wireless controller, 20GB hard drive, wired headset. It will also have a component HD AV cable, ethernet cable, HDMI port, Play & Charge Kit, a one-month Xbox LIVE Gold membership plus gamer pics and theme (exclusive via Xbox LIVE). The console itself will have a Spartan green and gold finish.
Stephen McGill, Head of Gaming and Entertainment at Microsoft: “We are pleased to offer the cool Halo 3 Special Edition console for the huge Halo fan community. It’s a great way for Halo fans to show their allegiance to one of the most popular and successful entertainment franchises ever. Halo 3 is just one of the amazing games coming to Xbox 360 this Christmas. Combine the best games lineup of any console ever, including the universally acclaimed Bioshock launching this week, with today’s new affordable estimated reta Read more:dated
Fresh PGR4 eye-candy 2007-08-23 07:09:04 Microsoft released six new Project Gotham Racing 4 screenshots today and the game looks as magnificent as ever.
The press release accompanying the screens also stated that Microsoft wanted to confirm that the game will launch 12th October 2007 and that the development team is putting the finishing touches to the game to ensure it finishes as the best title yet in the franchise. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, we have no doubt about that.
PGR4 shows off an all-new career mode, dynamic weather system and PGR On Demand. The game will also feature a revised kudos system and you’ll be able to burn some rubber in some exotic locations, including St. Petersburg, Shanghai, and Macau. (more…)
Problems with Wireless Wheel 2007-08-23 06:35:21 It seems not all is as it should with Microsoft’s Wireless
Racing Wheel - there have been reports of a malfunction where a component in the Wheel chassis may overheat and release smoke when the AC-DC power supply is used to energize the Wheel. Thankfully there have been no reported incidences of fire, personal injury or property damage due to the component failure in the Wheel.
According to Microsoft, the problem occurs in rare cases and a precautionary measure is being taken by voluntarily providing customers with a free retrofit to the Wheel.
So you should probably stop using the AC-DC power supply until you’ve obtained their retrofit. Until that time, using battery power is fine. Go to xbox.com/support or call Microsoft at 0800 587 1102 to register for the free retrofit.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed trailer, screenshots 2007-08-22 13:10:12
LucasArts has released an impressive Star Wars
: The ForceUnleashed
trailer during the ongoing Games Convention. Three screenshots that you might have seen before we’re also released. From what we can see here, the game looks to be coming along very nicely. (more…)
Recommend Site To A Friend
