Those planning on opting the digital version; be warned. As past reports stated, when Microsoft introduced the “game install” feature, installing Halo 3 “may” affect in-game loading times — increasing them, instead of decreasing them. Now, according to Microsoft, this hasn’t been fixed, and it “may” have an effect on the digital version.

“Halo 3 has undergone extensive testing to ensure that players will have a positive experience, whether the game is played from a DVD, hard disk drive or USB drive,” said Microsoft. “When installed to the Xbox 360 hard disk drive, players may experience longer than average mission and map load times, but regardless of where the game is installed, gameplay performance is not affected.”

It’s very unclear if Bungie will be returning to develop another entry into the Halo series, other then next year’s Halo: Reach. However, Microsoft is hellbent on continuing the franchise. So much, in fact, that they’re planning on continuing the Halo series well into the next decade with, or without, Bungie’s help.

“We do have a plan that goes out at least six years [2015],” 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor reveals when speaking to USA Today. SPOILER! Specially, with Halo 3′s legendary ending, he thinks that, that will be a great point of continuation. “I think that [the Master Chief's] fate, Cortana‘s fate and the identity of that giant, dark planet at the ending are probably big mysteries that would be irritating if they were just cliffhangers,” he continued.

[Thanks to GameSpot]

Just in time. Today, Microsoft revealed the “Epic” list of games that it will be showcasing during the Tokyo Game Show, which takes place in no place other then Japan. Thelist mostly consistencies of titles that are currently in playable form for the Japanese public to enjoy. Better yet, Microsoft will also be showcasing some of the top games for 2010 in video-only form – however, we’re not sure if the videos are new.  Here’s the list:

• Forza Motorsport 3 (Demo, Trailer)
• Alan Wake (Trailer)
• Fable III (Trailer)
• Halo 3: ODST (Demo, Trailer)
• Halo Legends (Trailer)
• Halo: Reach (Trailer)
• Crackdown 2 (Trailer)
• Borderlands (Trailer)
• Samurai Shodown Sen (Demo, Trailer)
• FIFA 10 (Demo, Trailer)
• Lost Planet 2 (Demo, Trailer)
• MUSHIHIME SAMA Futari Ver1.5 (Demo, Trailer)
• Shin Sangoku MULTI RAID Special (Demo, Trailer)
• Castlevania ~Lords of Shadow~ (Trailer)
• NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II (Demo, Trailer)
• Pro Evo 2010 (Demo, Trailer)
• FRONT MISSION EVOLVED (Demo, Trailer)
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Trailer)
• NeiR Gestalt (Demo, Trailer)
• BAYONETTA (Demo, Trailer)
• Resonance of Fate (Demo, Trailer)
• Assassin’s Creed II (Demo, Trailer)
• Splinter Cell Conviction (Trailer)
• Infernal (Demo, Trailer)
• Dragon Ball Rising Burst (Demo, Trailer)
• Tekken 6 (Demo, Trailer)
• STEINS;GATE (Demo, Trailer)

[Thanks to Kotaku]

And… the news about Halo: Reach just keeps coming, and coming. Probably one of the most noted things about Halo 3: ODST is its survival-like mode, Firefight. When speaking to Eurogamer, community lead Brian Jarrard revealed that Firefight isn’t set in stone for ODST, and it could make a reappearing in a future Halo title.

“I can’t talk too much about Reach specifics, but hopefully the game mode’s going to be received as well we think it will be, and people are going to enjoy it. I don’t think we’ve ever been known to really take things away from each successive release, so I think it’s safe to say that if Firefight gets a lot of traction and people love it, it probably has a good future home in our next title as well,” said Jarrard at PAX.

Announced back at E3, you would think that Bungie would be willing to reveal some new information having to do with Halo: Reach, other then its genre. However, on Thursday, they gave an explanation as to why they haven’t been flashing any new information about Halo: Reach. Stating that they’re in no rush to start talking about the game with Halo 3: ODST yet to release.

“Obviously right now what we’re excited about is the impending launch of ODST, so we don’t want to totally start talking about next year’s model before this one’s even off the assembly line,” community lead Brian Jarrard explained in answer to a fan’s question about Reach gameplay footage during the Penny Arcade Expo ODST panel. “But there is a beta that’s coming next year, so all you’ve got to do is sit tight. If you want to be part of Reach from the very beginning then you want to make sure you keep an ODST disc handy.”

[Bungie not ready to talk about Reach via Eurogamer]

With its release back in 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved marked the franchise’s debut on the original Xbox. Basically, changing first person shooters. However, for more then 7 years, Bungie, its developers, have been working on building the franchise – releasing the second and third installments of the game . But, now, it seems that the developer is ready to move on.

“After Reach that’s it for us,” Bungie’s Lars Bakken told IGN. “We’re already working on a new IP that we can’t talk about yet, I don’t know when we’ll be talking about it – when we’re ready I suppose.”

Bakken was cryptic as to the nature of Bungie’s next game stating to IGN that, “If you look at Bungie’s past we’ve done a lot of different styles – first person to third person to RTS – so it could be anything.”

As you may already know, Halo 3: ODST, the next Halo title to release, is due out this September, while Halo: Reach – which goes back to the origins of the Halo story – is expected next autumn. Future Halo games will be overseen by the recently revealed 343 Industries, which is headed up by former Bungie employee Frank O’Connor.

Lock and load! When Halo 3: ODST drops this September, it will deliver a completely new campaign, a new cooperative multiplayer entitled Firefight, the complete Halo 3 multiplayer experience on a standalone disc, and new competitive multiplayer maps for Halo 3 you won’t find anywhere else. That’s why Microsoft and Bungie today revealed the remaining three multiplayer maps which are sure to get fans around the world excited.

• Heretic returns players to familiar ground as the Halo 2 arena Midship makes its long-rumored debut in Halo 3. The stark interior of the Pious Inquisitor might appear austere on first glance, but Heretic’s symmetrical spaces require players to execute complex strategies in order to outplay their opponents.
• Citadel may be a long abandoned Forerunner stronghold, but its small, symmetrical confines are far from secure. Two opposing bases offer little safety for players looking for solace. Instead, Citadel forces small squads to stay in constant communication, keep their heads on a swivel, and be prepared to adjust combat tactics in close quarters.
• Longshore lacks the commercial ships that once made it a lucrative port for Old Mombasa, but it still bustles with activity. Designed for large scale combat and well suited for smaller affairs, Longshore’s multitude of industrial buildings, elevated walks, and open inlets conspire to create a complex battleground tailored for multiple combat scenarios.

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If you were under the impression that Bungie’s upcoming shooter Halo 3: ODST would be a straight-forward linear shooter, you’re very mistaken, said Bungie to The Seattle Times in a recent interview.

“We’re doing a lot of pretty neat things in terms of mixing it up, introducing some non-linearity, some free exploration,” said Joseph Staten, writer and creative director of ODST.

“This is also a mystery story so there’s a lot more clue-finding and mystery-solving than you would normally find in a game of this kind – nothing that strays too far from the fun ‘Halo‘ experience, but we definitely decided to take a little bit of risk and have some fun with this one,” he continued.

Along with that, Bungie also got a early look at Project Natal, a motion-sensing controller that Microsoft is developing for the Xbox 360. Bungie Studio President Harold Ryan said, when speaking on Project Natal, that ” he absolutely think[s that] ‘Reach‘ could be enabled with it.”

With the recent showing of the “Games of the Year” Halo 3 and Fable 2 Xbox 360 Elite combination, it seems that Microsoft is planning on adding another Bundle to its list. But, this one will feature a Grand Theft Auto combination.

According to a retail listing Kotaku received earlier this week – which showed the Nintendo DS “Mother’s Day Bundle” which was announced recently – it showed a listing for an $399.99 price tag featuring a Grand Theft Auto IV and Xbox 360 Elite Bundle.

No release date, no expanded information on what, beyond GTA IV, will be included in the package. But, it was speculated that its most likely the first downloadable episode, The Lost & Damned.

Sony’s planning an “electrifying announcement” for April 27th and we all wonder what they are planning to announce. However, it seems that a very in-dept source, when it comes to things like this, thinks that it has came up with the answer.

According to GameZine.co.uk, an Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demo/beta will be included on the inFamous retail disc, which would underline the “electrifying” statement.

But, from the business stand point, this could be attempt from Sony to increase inFamous’ sale, which we have seen with the Final Fantasy XIII demo included on the FFVII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray.

But, there’s another idea rumor. Following recent rumors that Naughty Dog is developing competitive and cooperative for Among Thieves, it seems that Naughty Dog may want to give it a spin in a beta of some kind – seen with Crackdown and the Halo 3 mutli-player beta. However, we’ll have to wait until the 27th to see if this rumor is real.

They have finally said it. When speaking to EuroGamer, Bungie revealed that they currently have ‘no plans’ to continuing the Bungie Halo sage after ODST.

“We’ll never say never, but currently Bungie has no plans to make new Halo 3 content beyond the release of ODST,” Bungie told Eurogamer. “We will, however, continue to support the Halo 3 online experience with regular updates to matchmaking playlists and wield the Banhammer as needed.

“With Forge and the Mythic map Sandbox we’re already seeing the community stepping up to create some great new maps and gametypes that will offer more variety and longevity to the game down the road.”

However, games producer Allen Murray said that the studio would work on Halo 3 for “probably” two more years before given it up.

One of the best third person shooters in history, Resident Evil, is just about ready to make its nex-gen debut, but before it can, all of the lucky Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be, one of the many, to get a chance to sample the game.

Today, Capcom has announced that the ‘Resident Evil 5′ demo will be making a landing on Xbox Live Market Place exclusively.

The next installment of the landmark survival horror franchise from Capcom will take action to a new level with a two-level, playable demo available exclusively on Xbox 360 for one week beginning Monday, January 26. After that, we assume the following Thursday, the PlayStation 3 will have its turn.

In Addition, to the exclusive demo, a new exclusive high-definition trailer of the game, shown only at the past Tokyo Game Show in October of 2008, will be made available for download on the Xbox LIVE service on Friday, Jan. 16.

Xbox 360 gamers will also be first to take on the new enemies in battle, including an army of weapon-wielding infected Majini, the gigantic hooded Majini Executioner and even the dreaded Chainsaw Majini. Players can also choose between the classic ‘Resident Evil’-style controls or switch to the newer ‘Action’ controls inspired by games like ‘Gears of War 2′ and ‘Halo 3′.

Halo 3: Recon might still technically be an expansion, but the looming questions is of the game price and distribution type. Here’s what Microsoft had to say “This new chapter in the Halo saga lets you experience events leading up to the epic story told in Halo 3 through the eyes of a new hero in the Halo universe,” this statement was taken from their website and it goes on to say that, “The stand-alone expansion, set to release in fall 2009, extends the award-winning Halo 3 experience with hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay.” If you missed it they said that the game was a “stand-alone expansion”, which means that it will be going on sale by it’s self. Since this is basically a new game it can go for the price of $60 like any other retail game on the market. Halo 3: Recon will be making it’s release in fall of next year.

source

Remember that drink that you loved to drink when playing Halo 3? Remember the fun you had owning during the drinking of that drink? Well, get ready to own again because Microsoft and Demon Energy Drink are teaming up to promote the launch of Gears of War 2. According to ButtonMasher, the promo will include limited edition Demon Energy Drink cans and bottles as well as a competition to win the first copies of Gears of War 2. But that’s probably not the best part, if you buy a limited edition Gears of War themed can and take it in to your local Harvey Normans before the 7/11/08 and you will get $10 off the price of your pre-order.

The prizes that you can win by buying the Limited Edition cans are as follows:

* 1 of 5 Limited Edition Engraved Xbox 360 consoles
* 1 of 100 Xbox 360 Games
* A massive 50″ Samsung HD Plasma TV

Bohemia Interactive released a new screenshot for there upcoming military simulation game, which will be released sometime this year and is currently in development for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3. While very few details have been released on the game it does have a very strong reputation on the PC, as a game that pushes the maximum realism and putting the player in the middle of true action, like the Call Of Duty franchise. The last time we heard from the game was at the Games Convention in Leipzig 2007, there is a strong chance that there will be word at this years event. Armed Assault 2 will be set in the year 2009.

Armed 2 is based on the latest generation technology, offering large –scale game world, authentic and extremely detailed modern units, weapons, vehicles and enviroments, challenging single player and vast arrays of multiplayer options.

Isn’t it funny how many times inside sources are used in a rumor. According to Sarcastic Gamer’s “protected source”, Halo 4 is already in full development over at Bungie. The source didn’t get the chance to give them any details on the rumored game at this point, but he/she did confirm for sure that Halo 4 is an official project in development.

Early this week Microsoft vindicated that Halo Wars was not ready to be shown to the public which shows that they are working very hard on this upcoming game although today with the released of one screenshot we where able to pull some strings with some very close sources to attract to you three new screenshots. Hope you like.

Halo Wars is set in 2531, prior to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved which is set in 2552. It follows the story of the UNSC’s discovery of a Forerunner artifact and the first battles with the Covenant after the fall of the first planet, Harvest, to the Covenant. It will allow the player to control the crew and vehicles of a UNSC ship, CFV-88 Spirit of Fire, and receive instructions and commands from its AI Serina.

{GamerCenterOnline 2.0. Coming Summer 2008}

The people at Xbox360 fanboy have post a very cool list about what they have learned about Gears of War 2. Posted after the break, they compiled a rather complete list of new GoW2 facts, tidbits and information we discovered after giving the latest video a good watching analysis.

Things Learned From Gears of War 2 Gameplay Trailer
• The Locust now have the ability to sink entire cities with giant emergence holes.
• To defend against the Locust onslaught, the COG transport vehicles called Derricks bring tunnel machines called Grind Lifts to Locust occupied areas. Underground combat ensues.
• Campaign level act one, chapter three is named “Assault”.
• Reavers are back for GoW2 and they are trouble.
• Both the cover system and active reload look to stay true to their Gears roots.
• Overall combat is much more open and expansive, it truly looks like you’re in the middle of a war.
• Brumaks are back and yes, you will be gunning them down. Take that Gears of War PC!
• The ability to generate hundreds of Locusts on screen looks (as we expected) to be used to set the mood of the battle and make it more frantic. Think of these hundreds of Locusts as interactive decoration.
• We’re introduced to a new Lancer style weapon that shoots ammo in bursts.
• We’re also introduced to a new pistol weapon that sort of looks like Halo 3‘s Brute Spiker.
• When a Locust falls to his knees you’ll be able to use him as hostage cover.
• Locust neck snapping is now an option.
• They’ve added a new chainsaw animation that was seen in the teaser trailer. Basically, the chainsaw is flipped over, stuck into a Locust’s back and is forced up vertically through the torso. Bloody disgusting.
• Chainsaw duels are real! The chainsaw victor is the one who can press “B” the fastest in the mini game.
• Assault Derricks pack a lot of firepower and do a pretty good job at running over Brumaks.
• Gears of War 2 is going to be incredible!

[Things learned from the GoW2 gameplay video via Xbox360Fanboy]

According to a Chart-Track estimate, Grand Theft Auto 4 has "eclipsed the record of 501,000 units set by GTA: San Andreas in 2004" with 609,000 units sold.

"GTA IV also set a record for first day sales Xbox 360 software, with 335,000 units. The prior record, set last September by Halo 3, was 266,000 units.

GTA IV easily eclipsed the first day PS3 sales record previously held by Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, which had day one sales of 80,000 last month. The PS3 version of GTA IV sold 274,000 units in the UK on day one."

[GTA IV sets UK day one records via GamesIndustry.biz]

Microsoft have finally given the European release date for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden II, pin this date on the calendar because Ninja Gaiden II makes it’s European debut on June 6, 2008. Then you can see Ryu Hayabusa makes his big comeback on the 360. We really don’t have even other information about the release date at this time but, check back for updates.