07.03.08

Halo 3’s Cold Storage - Out Monday - For Free

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 12:32 pm by UNSCleric

Most of you probably saw this coming, but now it’s official, and it’s coming today!

 
Bungie.net Update - 7/3/08

Cold Storage will be available for free beginning on July 7, Bungie Day, on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Additionally, don’t forget to grab the one-day-only free gamerpics and theme on 7/7.

Beginning on July 7, there will be a 48-hour long seven-player FFA playlist in Halo 3’s Matchmaking where you can turn the calendar back to 2001 and control l Rockets, Invis and Snipe.

For now, Cold Storage will be implemented in regular rotation in playlists that require the Legendary Maps. To avoid confusion, playlists that previously required the Legendary Maps will now remind players that they need “all Maps” to participate, and since Cold Storage is free, it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to grab the map on July 7 and then return to your regularly scheduled business in SWAT.

Additionally, on 7/7, Microsoft is dropping the price of the Legendary Map Pack from 800 spacebucks to 600 spacebucks. That price drop does mean that purchases after 7/7 will no longer include the Bungie Pro bonus. 

We’re trying to churn one last thing out today regarding Cold Storage, and we hope to have that for you folks later this afternoon. We’re just squeezing it through the download system this morning. If something cataclysmic happens and it doesn’t get out today, I’ll stop drinking beer and consuming grilled meats over the long weekend and get it up for ya’all.

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06.30.08

Rock Band 2 - Releasing this September for Xbox 360 Only

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 3:25 am by UNSCleric

June 30, 2008 - IGN.com - Rock Band is ready for a comeback tour. Today, Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 is set to ship for Xbox 360 this September and PS3 later in the year. However, the official announcement of Rock Band 2 is sparse on details, so we went straight to Harmonix to learn more. We spoke with Lead Designer Dan Teasdale to get the full scoop on the mega-sequel. Teasdale gave us his thoughts on user-created content, improving accessibility, upgrading last year’s model and more.

IGN: The most important question. Will Rock Band 1 DLC be playable in Rock Band 2?

Dan Teasdale: Yes. We’ve been developing Rock Band as a music platform from the start. All of the songs that you’ve purchased so far (and will be able to purchase in the future) are instantly playable and fully supported in Rock Band 2. We’ve even added some cool new features that let you play your DLC in different ways, which I think people will be very excited to get their hands on.

IGN: Once RB2 is out, can you still download and play new tracks on RB1?

Teasdale: Absolutely! We’ve been working hard with Microsoft and Sony to develop a way to share content between games, and we’re really happy that we’ll be the first game to support fully functional cross-title DLC.
As far as Harmonix is concerned, there’s no difference between “Rock Band 1 DLC” and “Rock Band 2 DLC” – we’re just releasing awesome songs every week onto the Rock Band platform, all of which are playable by the Rock Band titles that support DLC.

IGN: Some people are going to ask, why even buy RB2 if you can keep enjoying DLC on RB1? I’m one of those people. So, what’s the hook that will make me want to spend $60 on a new game disc?

Teasdale: At Harmonix, we have a very clear method for making games – we innovate, then we perfect. With Rock Band, we innovated by being the first full band game that you can play in your living room or online.

Rock Band 2 takes all the lessons we’ve learned from making a multi-instrument music game, addresses them, then adds some amazing new ways for you to experience your music library that have never been seen in a music game before. We’ve been scouring forums and parties everywhere for what people liked and didn’t like, and I’m pretty confident we’ve addressed everything I’ve heard people ask for.

On that note, we’ve also secured what I can easily say is the best setlist I’ve ever seen in a music game. The PR team would kill me if I revealed some early, but it reads like a who’s who list of rock music. We have a couple of surprises that we’ll be announcing soon regarding this.
Rock Band 2 really is the ultimate rock experience, and I think people will find it hard going back to the original Rock Band after playing Rock Band 2 for a few minutes.

So why release first on Xbox 360?

“Microsoft has been a great partner throughout the launch of Rock Band in the last year and their continued support is instrumental in supporting the more advanced features and cross title compatibility we will have in Rock Band 2,” a Harmonix representative told IGN. “Of course, our goal is to make Rock Band 2 accessible to all and we look forward to bringing Rock Band 2 to all relevant platforms later this year.”

 
Rock Band 2 Screenshot

For the full interview, click here.  More details on Rock Band 2 will be known in two weeks when E3 2008 begins!

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06.25.08

New Gears of War 2 Media

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 2:34 am by UNSCleric

Microsoft just sent along a note revealing that new screenshots and concept art from Gears of War 2 will be released tomorrow at 9 a.m. PDT.

The screens will showcase the new Locust Rockworm and snow-capped locale of Landown. Additionally, screens from the competitive multiplayer aspect of the game will reveal all-new gameplay modes, maps and weaponry.

EGM will also be releasing the first-ever Gears of War 2 multiplayer footage today around the same time.

Update: Here it is -

 EGM Multiplayer Video - 16 minutes

Also, here are all the screenshots and renders that were released by Microsoft today.

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06.18.08

It’s Always "Next Year" for Sony

Posted in Xbox 360 News, E306, PS3 Related, Site News at 1:45 am by UNSCleric

Finally, we know why countless games have been delayed or cancelled for the PS3.  The President for Sony’s Worldwide Studios knows the secret:

“They (the third-party developers) massively underestimated the effort that was needed to re-architect the game to properly take advantage of the PS3’s multi-core architecture.”

Yes, it’s now the developers fault that the PS3 was built so horribly for them to make games on.  I wonder what Gabe Newell (the director of Valve) would have to say about this? 

I think the PS3 is a waste of everybody’s time.  Investing in the Cell, investing in the SPE gives you no long-term benefits. There’s nothing there that you’re going to apply to anything else. You’re not going to gain anything except a hatred of the architecture they’ve created…I don’t think they’re going to make money off their box. I don’t think it’s a good solution. - October 2007

It seems Gabe is not the only one who thinks the PS3 is not worth his time.

Valve has also gone on to say that the PS3 will not be getting a version of Valve’s blockbuster Left 4 Dead, at least not a version developed from Valve.

Back in May 2005, when the Xbox 360 was revealed, all we heard from Sony and their followers was, “Wait till the PS3 comes out next spring”.  Then, when the PS3 was delayed until the fall in March of 2006, all we heard was, “Wait till the fall, then you’ll see the power of the PS3″.  Then it launched…and had one of the worst launch line-ups in history and every single multi-platform game was rated lower than Xbox 360’s version, with many of them having critical flaws.

Then all throughout 2007, we were told, “Wait till MGS4, Home, and LittleBigPlanet come out”, and then all of those things were delayed, and now it’s mid-2008, nearly two years since the PS3 launched, and we’re still getting the, “Just wait and see” line from Sony. 

Here’s the latest:

Next year will be the ‘year of differentiation,’ claims Yoshida - PS3Fanboy.com

Shuhei Yoshida isn’t wasting any time getting his PR machine in prime condition. As the new head of Sony Worldwide Studios (he took over for Phil Harrison recently), he’s got a lot of responsibility under his belt, but also a lot of knowledge. He admits the first year of the PS3 was riddled with growing pains because developers built their games on the 360’s architecture. This was the developers error, since releasing the game on the PS3 involved more effort than thought to take advantage of the multi-core processor — leading to delays or sub-par ports.

This was also Sony’s fault, he says, but now that good tools exist to assist developers and many have gotten their hands into the PS3, the trend may change soon. “Moving forward I’m totally confident that developers will start to use more from the PlayStation 3 platform. This year is the year of parity, next year is the year of differentiation in favor of the PS3 platform,” he said. With the clear difference in power between PS3-based games like Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid 4, we hope more devs take his advice and start their projects on the PS3 in the coming years. It will prove easier in the long run, since moving PS3 titles to the 360 is supposed to be much simpler.

Related: Development will favor PS3 in 2009, says Yoshida

All I have to say is, keep it up buddy.  In another two years, when Sony is desperately telling everyone just to wait till next year, it’ll be even funnier than it is now, three years since they started this desperate attempt to stay on top.  Instead, they’re in last place, and will be staying there for quite a while.

Make sure to check out my archive with Phil Harrison while you wait for 2009 (and PS3’s utter dominance) to come.  Mr. Harrison was the genius who said things like rumble was “last-gen and no longer needed.”

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06.11.08

Summer 2008 Gaming

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 2:52 am by UNSCleric

What are your plans and goals for this summer in gaming?  I have many nostalgic memories of summer gaming going back many years. 

I remember many, many years ago, staying up till 4 or 5 in the morning every night playing Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast and Perfect Dark on the N64.  In the summer of 2002, all I owned was the GameCube (and recently killed Dreamcast), and even though I was missing out on a lot of third-party games, I spent the summer with classics like the Resident Evil Remake and Eternal Darkness (along with some WrestleMania X8). 

I remember the summer of 2003, my first summer with the Xbox, staying up with MotoGP, NBA2K3, Soldier of Fortune, and NHL Hitz 20-03 (and of course Halo).  It still is my favorite summer, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.  Summer 2006 brings back great memories of Prey, and 2007 makes me think of The Darkness, Forza 2, and BioShock.  Basically, when I chart chunks of my life by season or eras, the games (and movies, to a lesser extent) I was playing at the time always stick out to me and become special to me.

This summer doesn’t have anything that really stands out to me like most summers though, so I’ve been playing some older games, and just continuing on with Halo 3 and Rock Band, as well as my repeated & continued play-throughs the Halo trilogy (which are very unique…I’ll be posting exactly what I mean by that at a later time.)

I’ve also been going through some games I’ve missed out on.  Last week I played through Turning Point: The Fall of Liberty, which was a game with so much potential, and an awesomely creative premise, but it just didn’t have the polish, budget, or testing to become a classic.  I did enjoy it though, even though it was frustrating at times.  Quake Wars was also a game I recently tried, and I honestly couldn’t play it longer than 45 minutes…I just couldn’t take it anymore.

I’ll be trying out GRID and NBA Ballers shortly, and am looking forward to seeing how they are, as it’s been over a year since I’ve played a basketball game, and the demo for GRID was excellent.  A few days ago, I set a GamerScore Goal for myself of 50,000 by July 7th (aka Bungie/Halo day).  I like setting goals like that for myself (and it seems many others do too), cause it’s just a little more added fun on top of everything else.

So anyway, what are YOUR goals and plans for summer gaming?  There are quite a few games coming out this summer, so there’s plenty to play!

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06.09.08

MGS4 Attempts to Insult Xbox 360. Succeeds at being lame.

Posted in Xbox 360 News, PS3 Related at 2:32 am by UNSCleric

The PS3 fanboys are going crazy over this one. 

As if the Metal Gear Solid games hadn’t already become a joke even to themselves, they’re now being used as weapons in Kojima’s xenophobic hatred of American companies and their products.  Ironically, the only games I can think of for the Xbox 360 (or any other system) that are more than one disc, are games that originate from Japanese developers.

I’m curious though, does Otacon ever mention the fact that to play a game on the PS3, you have to install it, due to the read times on the Blu-Ray being so incredibly slow?  I guess we’ll have to wait until gamers have a chance to sit through all the game’s two-hour cut-scenes later this week to find out.

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06.03.08

Free Rock Band Disturbed DLC

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 4:15 am by UNSCleric

There’s six new songs out for Rock Band today, and three of them are from Disturbed, but here’s a way to get two of them for free!

Go to http://disturbed1.com/xbox
Enter 1lfa89 and click submit.
Enter the code you receive into your Xbox 360’s Dashboard for the songs “Indestructible” and “Inside The Fire”

I’m not sure how long this is going to last or if it’s permanent or not, so get it while you can!

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05.28.08

Far Cry 2: Official Trailers

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 1:28 am by UNSCleric

(Below: Updated with second video)

I’ve always been a fan of the Far Cry series ever since it first hit the PC back in 2004.  The Xbox/Xbox 360 versions in late 2005/spring 2006 were quite a bit different than that first game, but were still enjoyable, and Far Cry 2 looks to continue the trend.

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05.16.08

Frank O’Connor Leaves Bungie Studios

Posted in Xbox 360 News, Halo at 8:31 pm by UNSCleric

He’s best known as Frankie, and has been the main guy the Bungie/Halo community has heard from for the last five years or so, ever since Halo 2 was announced, he’s been there delivering weekly updates, every Friday, on what Bungie is up to.  He’s one of the few who knows Halo more than anybody out there, and now he’s leaving Bungie, but everything is not as it seems.  Here’s Frankie’s goodbye letter, posted in today’s Weekly Update:

“Dear Bungie Fans,

It’s not you, it’s me.

In many ways, you’re too good for me. You can find someone better. Maybe a little hairy dude. Maybe a Hungarian Unicyclist. I just know that I don’t deserve you, and that this is just as hard for me as it is for you.

Yours truly,
Frankie.

I am leaving you. I am off to work more closely with Microsoft on the Halo franchise, so I shan’t be too far away, but I wanted to take this last  chance, appropriately enough in a Weekly Update, to tell you a very fond thanks. Thanks for being the most energized, enthusiastic, loyal, faithful, creative, imaginative and incredible community any video game could ever have.

Thanks for being patient when things went wrong, when playlists didn’t work, when matchmaking broke, when bugs were being fixed. Thanks for the mail, the screenshots, the movies, the machinima, the models, the paintings and the sheer enthusiasm and talent you’ve shown me over the years.

Thanks for not following through on the death threats.

Thanks for sticking with us through thick and thin and thanks for the loyalty you’re going to show Bungie over the coming years.

And on that note, let me tell you a bit about the coming years. It was very hard for me to make the decision to move on, but one thing that made it just a bit easier, was seeing the amazing work that’s coming down the pipe. I was busy working on a story for one of our next games, an experience that is destined to surprise, amaze and entertain like nothing we’ve ever made before. That game has an amazing team invested in it, and one that will be tasked with building the Next Big Thing. You should see what they’ve already achieved, you truly should.

And there are other things rumbling at Bungie, just as secret, just as epic and just as incredible. And the thing that turns all that rumbling into incredible gameplay experiences is, has always been and will always continue to be, the people. The brilliant, talented, industrious gang of geniuses who brought you everything from a monochrome Pong clone to the staggering vistas and vision of Halo 3.

Artists, engineers, musicians, designers, writers, administrators, producers, managers, even our security staff are Bungie people, through and through. They are all, every last man, woman and Bob, the very essence of the spirit of the company and the thing I will miss most of all.

There are too many to name. More than 120 now, more than double the number than when I first started, about halfway through Halo 2. Amazing to think that I am Old School Bungie, when I never felt like anything other than a wide-eyed child in a moonlit candy store.

So thanks again. And look forward to all that candy. They’re making it for you.

Goodbye, thanks for all the Photoshops today - and don’t eat stuff off the sidewalk.”

Here’s one of my favorite videos of Frankie, it’s a video tour he did of the new studio Bungie moved into in late 2005.

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05.15.08

April 2008 Hardware/Software Sales

Posted in Xbox 360 News, PS3 Related, Wii Related at 11:48 pm by UNSCleric

In summary, the Xbox 360 beat the PS3 in hardware sales, GTA sales, and Microsoft jumped from a little over 10 million Xbox Live subscribers, to 12 million, which is double what it was last year.  GTA’s sales numbers are from only five days of reporting, since the cut-off for the April NPD occurred just a few days after its launch.

April Software

1. GTA IV – Xbox 360 – 1.85 million
2. Mario Kart Wii – Wii – 1.12 million
3. GTA IV – PS3 – 1.00 million
4. Wii Play w/ remote – Wii – 360K
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii – 326K
6. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue – PS3 – 224K
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness – DS – 202K
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time – DS – 202K
9. Guitar Hero III – Wii – 152K
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Xbox 360 – 141K

April Hardware

- Wii: 714.2K
- DS: 414.8K
- PSP: 192.7K
- Xbox 360: 188K
- PS3: 187.1K
- PS2: 124.4K

(Below: Microsoft Press Release)

By the numbers: Xbox 360 is the most significant contributor to industry spending and growth

- 188,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in April. (April NPD data)

- Xbox 360 has a record-setting attach rate of 7.6 games per console, the highest attach rate in history for a console at this point in its lifecycle. (April NPD data)

- Consumers have spent more than $9.7 billion on the Xbox 360 experience. (April NPD data)
 
- *Xbox 360 titles accounted for $186 million of all third party game sales this generation, or 53% of share. (April NPD data)

- *Xbox 360 games accounted for three of the top ten games in April, and secured the #1 spot with “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (April NPD data)

- *Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii.

(For the rest, click here.)

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05.13.08

Microsoft Shows Off Fall 2008 Line-Up

Posted in Xbox 360 News at 1:01 pm by UNSCleric

Microsoft is showing (part of) their hand for this year!

Too Human - August 19th:

Today, MGS and Silicon Knights confirmed that Too Human will be available on August 19 in North America. Too Human is an epic, highly anticipated action game with integrated RPG elements and features a rich storyline with deep character development, both hallmarks of Silicon Knights’ legendary tradition of video game development. Additionally, Silicon Knights is showcasing for the first time the title’s online cooperative play via Xbox LIVE, allowing you to experience Too Human with friends in a multiplayer setting.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise - September:

Microsoft Game Studios will also crack open Viva Piñata™: Trouble in Paradise, set to appear on store shelves this September. Developed by the creative masterminds at Rare, this sequel to the colorful, sleeper hit builds upon the gameplay of the original and adds innovative twists to the mix. In an effort to help Piñata Central rebuild their computer database of piñatas, send piñatas at full candiosity to parties all around the world while using your creativity and imagination to attract, capture, protect, train, and manage more than 100 newly discovered and existing piñata species.

An exciting, new “Just for Fun” setting makes getting into the game fast and easy. For the first time, collaborate together on a garden through a rich co-op experience, connect and play with others online via Xbox LIVE® as well as instantly introduce new piñata species to your garden through an innovative new feature utilizing the Xbox LIVE Vision Camera.

More Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise Game Details.

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts - November:

MGS will also pull back the curtain on another beloved franchise with the triumphant return of Banjo, one of Rare’s most successful characters, in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Defying the laws of nature, a bear, a bird, and a backpack team up to embark on another incredible adventure this November. MGS is breaking the rules of traditional platform games by putting the power to invent new abilities for Banjo directly into your hands.

Use your ingenuity to build imaginative vehicles that can be combined with infinite variations, helping Banjo successfully complete missions through multiple terrains. Through exploration, discovering hidden secrets, and solving puzzles to win rewards, you will continually find increasing ways to customize and improve your contraptions, creating an unprecedented level of user-generated content and emergent play for a 3-D adventure game.

More Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Game Details.

These instantly recognizable franchises join the enviable company of Fable® 2, Too Human™, and Ninja Gaiden® II from Team NINJA/TECMO, making Xbox 360 the home of the best blockbuster game experiences this year.

Gears of War 2 - November:

Today Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) and industry luminaries from the world’s top development studios are on hand to show off the latest features of the year’s most in-demand titles. In attendance will be Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski, Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux, TECMO/Team NINJA’s Tomonobu Itagaki, and Silicon Knights’ Denis Dyack.

Gears of War 2 headlines the blockbuster lineup.

This year, the visage of Marcus Fenix joins the likes of Ryu Hayabusa, Banjo, vivacious piñatas, cybernetic gods, and a hero with a loyal dog sidekick in the all-star 2008 MGS lineup that promises to make Xbox 360® the console of choice for players everywhere.

Attendees of the MGS San Francisco showcase event can witness the first extended taste of Gears of War® 2, the sequel to the blockbuster third-person tactical action game that sold nearly five million units. Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski will demonstrate dramatic new gameplay elements and stunning visual effects in a campaign sequence from early in the game—where Marcus Fenix and COG forces engage in pulse-pounding firefights between two Derrick transports, fend off vicious Reaver fly-by attacks and rabid Brumaks—all in the same rollercoaster ride of a level.

As the most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive title of the 2008 holiday season, Gears of War 2 offers an unforgettable gameplay experience that blends a gripping story with visceral combat on a grand scale.

More Gears of War 2 Game Details.

This isn’t all they’ve got either, they haven’t even mentioned Halo Wars.

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