Modern Warfare 2 has surpassed sales expectations, selling an estimated 4.7 million units within the first 24 hours; that’s an estimated $310 million in profit within 24 hours. As it turns out, people have been rushing onto Xbox Live to play Modern Warfare 2, respectively, with their friends; pushing the amount of online users to “record breaking heights”.

In a post on his Twitter account, Xbox Live’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb said that, “Over TWO MILLION people [were] connected to the [online] service at once”, something that has never been done before on any online platform; setting a new record for most concurrent users for the service.

It’s no secret that Epic Games has established a very avid relationship with Microsoft, producing such exclusives as Gears of War and Shadow Complex – both very high sellers for Microsoft’s system, the Xbox 360. However, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Epic would proclaim themselves as the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal, Microsoft’s upcoming motion-sensing device.

When speaking to Official Xbox Magazine UK in an interview, Mark Rein Vice President of Epic Games talked about the many ways that Unreal technology could be implanted with Project Natal, even going as far as to call it the “unofficial engine” of Project Natal.

“We are going to work with Microsoft to make that available to Unreal Engine licensees who want to make Natal games,” Rein said. “So, if you want to make a game on Natal, you want to get a big head start and use the same tech as Microsoft, come talk to me. We are the unofficial engine of Natal, or maybe the official, I don’t know. In other words, we consider ourselves the ‘economic engine of Natal.’ You want to make money with Natal, come talk to us, we’ll help you.”

Let’s do the math. Natal + ideas = Unreal Engine usage. Sounds good to me.

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]

Update: Microsoft has revealed much needed information about the second disc that will come encased with Forza Motorsport 3 saying that players will be able to play the whole career on disc one, and that the second disc is just extra content.

“The game comes on two discs, but you can play through the whole career on disc 1. Disc 2 is just additional content, ie extra cars and tracks,” a spokeperson told GamerCenterOnline. Or, in other words, Forza Motorsport 3 has alot of “extra content”.

Original: Because not all the cars and tracks could fit onto one disc, Turn 10 had to split Forza Motorsport 3 onto two discs. The first disc is most of the game, which features most of the tracks and about 300 cars, and the second you’ll need to install the onto the hard dive or memory card to get the remaining 104 cars and 29 tracks, reports IGN.

When you insert the first disc, the game will ask if you want to install the second disc, which takes up 1.9 GB of space. However, if you don’t have that much space on your hard dive, you can choose pieces of disc two to install – in which it’s broken up into four packs, much like downloadable content (IGN has a list).

After that, the game reads it and adds in the content seamlessly to the game. If you don’t have them stored onto your hard dive or memory card, you won’t see the content offline or online. We’ve contacted Microsoft to learn more about these packs, and if they’ll be fully available right at the games launch.

When grasping his hands on Project Natal for the first time, Konami’s Hideo Kojima was caught smitten by Microsoft’s motion sensing technology, he revealed during a Q&A session at the Tokyo Game Show. He told the crowd that he was shocked by the experience of Natal. “I had to restrain myself from telling everyone I met,” Kojima said.

He believes Natal will raise the bar in all aspects of entertainment and allow people to be connected with their machines in a way that we’ve encountered only in science fiction – I think that he was thinking around the lines of Minority Report, or something like that. Even people who are not gamers can be a part of it because Natal is based on intuition, something that will take video games to a whole new level of interactivity.

“Using Natal, I’d like to come up with a completely new game that no one has seen before. I know I have lots of fans that are loyal to me, and I don’t want to leave them behind. So maybe I can come up with a car that can fly, so my fans can follow me…metaphorically speaking, of course,” Kojima said during the Panel.

[Konami's Kojima, Capcom's Inafune, Sega's Nagoshi discuss Project Natal's potential via GameSpot]

During Microsoft’s E3 ‘09 keynote, they revealed the long awaited and rumored sequel, Crackdown 2. However, it isn’t until now – the Tokyo Game Show – that we’re getting to see the first pair of screenshots, and, well, they’re freaking amazing.

[Show as slideshow]

In the shadow of the recent announcement of Star Ocean on PlayStation 3, Square Enix confirmed that its upcoming action-RPG NieR will release in two versions; NieR Gesthalt for the Xbox 360, and NieR Replicant for the PlayStation 3. However, during the past couple of weeks, the names recently made an appearance, but no clarifications were made, at that time.

Details are incredibly light at the moment on the two versions. But, what we do know is that both versions have their NieR character attempting to find a cure for a character who has a mysterious illness. Hopefully, all will be cleared up at next week’s Tokyo Game Show, where the Xbox 360 version will be playable.

Infinity Ward announced during a press event in Los Angeles tonight, that with the release of Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft is planning to release a new Xbox 360 model based on the upcoming game.

This new bundle (to be available in both North America and Europe) comes with an Elite console marked Modern Warfare 2 branding (seen above), a 250GB HDD (hard dive), a copy of Modern Warfare 2, and two wireless Black controllers. And it will be available for $399.

“It’s the highest compliment to the team and our fans to have a special themed Xbox 360 console,” said Vince Zampella, CEO of Infinity Ward. “The precision and detail that’s been put into the console captures the intensity and feel of ‘Modern Warfare 2.’ We can’t wait for our community and fans around the world to see for themselves on Nov. 10.”

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]

It seems as if the checkered flag is waving towards the release of Forza Motorsport 3 because Microsoft and Turn 10 confirmed that Forza Motorsport 3 has gone gold, and that it’s entering its final lap before launching on Oct. 23 exclusively on Xbox 360.

Along with the announcement, they also confirmed that a demo of the highly anticipated title will arrive on Xbox Live Marketplace starting Sept. 24. In the demo, players get behind the wheel of five of the world’s most amazing cars on the full circuit of the game’s Camino Viejo track – including the 2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR, 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro, 2009 Ferrari California, 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR, and 2009 Mini John Cooper Works.

At Tokyo’s Xbox 360 Media Briefing 2009, Microsoft confirmed that Konami will be publishing Ninety-Nine Nights II. There’s little information know about the title, however, the sequel will feature the same style of gameplay as the original – which blends a  large groups of enemies with fast-paced combat. Ninety-Nine Nights II was said to be developed by Rez designer Testsuya Mizuguch, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Konami had “no comment” to make about the news.

I’m really starting to wonder what “breaking an Xbox Live sales record” really means because, every week, this seems to be the issue. Anyway, adding to the list of many Xbox Live record breakers, Microsoft today dubbed Chair Entertainment’s action-adventure game Shadow Complex “the most downloaded single-player title in Xbox Live Arcade history,” meaning that it has planted itself as an “XBLA sales record breaker”. So, from us here at GamerCenterOnline. Shadow Complex… we congratulate you. O yeah, by the way, Microsoft hasn’t revealed your sales numbers yet (that’s just there for all of you that were hoping they would).

Microsoft has confirmed that they’ll be getting rid of the Xbox 360 Pro by stopping production of the product all together, which we all ready knew. However, the main attraction here is that they have revealed that the Elite – originally sold at $399 – will get a price drop and will sell for $299.99, and what’s remaining of the Pros will be cut to $249.99. While the hard drive-less Arcade units will remain at $199.

Responding to the news, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg had this to say to CNET. “I’m sure some will think this is a response to competitor pricing,” he said. “But we had planned this reduction months in advance. Retail circular ads and store merchandising were all lined up. We wanted to be ready for the holiday season.” However, Microsoft’s decision to reduce the price of the Xbox 360 isn’t a surprise because numerous rumors have been swirling around the internet of a price drop. Expect to see the price drop in effect this Friday.

When speaking to Kotaku, Hiromuchi Tanaka, producer on FFXIV, told them that there’s an important issue  keeping them from bringing the title on to the Xbox 360. The “rockblock” that he speaks of is, Microsoft’s “network policy”.

Since the PlayStation 3 and Windows PC versions allow for cross communication and cross platform play, this is an important issue that Square Enix can not over look. Because it can effect the longevity of the tite on that paffic system, “system” being the Xbox 360. However, Tanaka says that Square Enix is trying to reach an agreement with Microsoft allowing Xbox 360 players to enjoy the game, saying the developer is still “considering” the platform.

Anyway, with that said. It’s no wonder as to why Square Enix hasn’t announced a Xbox 360 version of the game yet. However, we hope that Microsoft can over look this and bring Final Fantasy XIV on to the 360.

Amadeus Arkham, celebrated doctor or demented murderer? You be the judge! With a new video vignette, Eidos Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today reveal the “History of Arkham Asylum” as featured in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame, coming out August 2, 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Peter Molyneux announced Fable III during Microsoft’s GamesCon press conference today for the Xbox 360. Months before, Molyneux teased fans that the series might be taking a new direction – seeing that the recently released “See The Future” downloadable content for Fable II teased at that.

“I think there’s something fundamentally wrong with RPGs like Fable… It’s a mechanic that’s been there since the eighties. I’m going to take that foundation stone and throw it away,” said Molyneux when talking about making RPGs “new, fresh, and different”.

In the epic story of Fable III, the journey to rule the throne of Albion begins five decades after the events of the last chapter, and you play as the child of your hero from Fable II. As you rule your kingdom as king or queen, you will be called upon to make choices and sacrifices that will test your morality and can affect your entire kingdom. Themes of heroism, leadership and consequence are taken to a grand scale as you fight to unite a divided people.

“Ultimately you overthrow that terrible tyrant who rules Albion, but to do that you have to make some promises,” Molyneux stated. ”You are going to become the ruler of the whole of Albion. You’ve played in this land in Fable 1, in Fable 2 you became a hero; this time, why not rule Albion? Why not be a king or a queen?” He added, “I want players to feel and experience what it’s like to be a ruler.”

Fable III will deliver a sweeping, powerful story and new innovations in gameplay and Xbox LIVE functionality when it is made available in the 2010 holiday season, only on Xbox 360.

If you live in the United States and you have to an Xbox Live account, boy! do I have some news for you. In an information update posted by Major Nelson, he revealed that Xbox Live members can now access PayPal as a method of payment for Xbox Live Marketplace – that’s if they live in the United States.

Anyway, with this system, you can use PayPal to buy Microsoft Points without having to associate your credit card information to your account.

A couple of things to point out:

PayPal is currently supported for Xbox LIVE users in the U.S. only.
PayPal can only be used to purchase Microsoft Points on Xbox.com.
PayPal accounts are not available for purchasing Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 console.
You can associate multiple Pay Pal accounts with your Xbox LIVE account.

As reported by so many sources stating that Gearbox maybe working on the next Halo project, which was unofficially titled Halo 4. It seems that you may scratch Gearbox off the list of developers that are making the next Halo title because on the official twitter account for Halo Waypoint, it confirmed that the developer is not involved in any upcoming Halo projects.

“For the record, Gearbox is NOT working on a Halo title for Microsoft,” the twitter feed read.

Microsoft was e-mail by IGN to confirmed this.

And you thought you that you couldn’t get enough Halo. During the San Diego Comic-Con, Microsoft revealed its plans for an anime-style Halo miniseries entitled “Halo Legends“.

“Five production houses in Japan are handling the physical animation, but Microsoft’s creative staff is approving major visual and storytelling decisions,” said Frank O’Connor, creative director for 343 Industries, the Microsoft division that oversees all Halo products to the LA Times.

Those five well-known anime studios are Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C, and Toei Animation. They’ll be playing key parts in “Halo Legends” seven-part series product. “Halo Legends” will release on DVD and “digital platforms” in early 2010 through Warner Bros.

“If you look at how George Lucas held on to ‘Star Wars,’ not just to make money from action figures but to control the direction the universe went in, you can see why we think it’s pretty vital,” said O’Connor. “Luckily, Microsoft has the resources to enable us to do that.”

Updated: The episodic content will also arrive on a disc along with previous DLC episode, The Lost and Damned, as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, only on 360, and set to release on Oct. 29 for $39.99 and does not require a
copy of the original Grand Theft Auto IV to play.

Original: GTA IV’s second and latest piece of exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony will release on Oct. 29, Rockstar Games announced today.

The Ballad of Gay Tony focuses on the glitzy “high-end night life” of Liberty City. And puts players in the role of Luis Lopez, as his part-time hoodlum duties are supplemented by full-time work for nightclub impresario Tony “Gay Tony” Prince.

The DLC will release for Microsoft’s console this fall for $19.99, or 1600 MS points, and will require players to have a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV and an Xbox Live membership in order to download it.

[Next Grand Theft Auto DLC Hits Oct. 29 [Update] via Kotaku]

Last week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office assigned Microsoft, the publisher of such games as Gears of War, the ability to offer seamless switching from solo to co-op campaigns within squad-based shooter video games. You really have to patent such a thing?

Anyway, the patent, #7,559,834, was originally owned, and invented, by James York of Texas – Austin, Texas to be more exact. And was filed back in December of 2002. However, nearly a decade later, this is what Microsoft gains access to:

A squad-based shooter video game allows players to dynamically join and leave the game, while that game is in progress, without the players having to save and restart the game. When a new player joins an in-progress game, a new squad member is allocated to the new player and the screen is split to present a viewing panel for the new player that depicts scenes from the perspective of the new squad member. When an existing player leaves the game, the screen is unsplit to remove the viewing panel for the exiting player and that player’s squad member becomes part of the squad being controlled by the remaining player(s).

The patent came filled with co-op game sketches (one shown above). Anyway, the one shown above resembles a screenshot from the original Xbox co-op shooter Brute Force, developed by the now non-existent Digital Anvil. So for what reason would Microsoft patent this? With Natal’s release coming upon us, who knows what they are planning.

[Microsoft Patents Drop-In Co-Op In Shooters via Kotaku]

In an interview with Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Game Studios, it revealed that Project Natal, a new no controller technology that allows games to be played with ones body, will not only feature a number of games at its launch, but that it isn’t the only piece of hardware they plan to release for the Xbox 360 of its kind.

Although there’s currently no new hardware other than Natal in the works, Spencer mentions that, “It’s not about trying to sell consumers a new piece of hardware at the wrong time, it’s about evolving the platform continuously,” meaning that new hardware is necessary for the 360 to move forward. Basically, adjusting its abilities as a console.

As for launch titles, there have been some hints to some of the games that will be releasing with Project Natal at its launch; the amazing artificial intelligence called Milo that Peter Molyneux debut at E3, and when Microsoft  showcased the power of Natal during their press conference at E3 with the painting and dodge ball games.

However, with Natal’s launch upon us, the public has yet to see any other titles that work with Natal. Could this mean a “Wii Sports” like title that utilizes the Xbox 360’s avatars? Let the speculations begin.

[Natal will ‘relaunch’ 360 in 2010 via MCV]

It looks like Remedy’s planning for another Alan Wake title, after all it’s only the “first season”.

“Yeah we see Alan Wake like a DVD-box containing the first season of a bigger story,” Sam Järvi of Remedy told LEVEL. “It is like a TV-series that became a game. The story is cut into episodes that are all ending with a cliffhanger.”

Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller from Remedy, the legendary and renowned developers of highly successful action titles. In this exciting new title exclusively for Windows and Xbox 360, gamers assume the role of Alan Wake, a best-selling suspense author who escapes to a small town to recover from the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee.

[Remedy: Alan Wake is only the first season via GameZine.co.uk]

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.

[Show as slideshow]

Namco Bandai has announced that its secured exclusive North American rights to publish all future Dragon Ball titles “across all major consoles and handhelds” for the next five years, beginning in January 2010.

Along with this, Namco Bandai has secured the right to initially publish three Dragon Ball titles in 2009, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo exclusively for Wii, and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans exclusively for Nintendo DS.

“We are very excited to have signed this long term agreement with Toei Animation Co., Ltd and FUNimation Entertainment, which grants Namco Bandai Games North American multi-platform rights to the testosterone-driven, action-packed world of Dragon Ball,”said Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Namco Bandai Games America Inc..

“This move reunites Namco Bandai Games with the Dragon Ball series in North America which will considerably increase our ability to develop titles that perfectly capture every nuance of what makes the Dragon Ball world exciting to the consumer.”

Advertisement innovation. That’s what Microsoft plans to do by bringing Silverlight to Xbox Live.

Apparently, Microsoft “plans to bring IAB specifications for rich media technologies, including Silverlight, to Xbox Live within the year.” Enabling companies to build advertising campaigns that span four screens: computers, mobile phones, Surface and now televisions.

Silverlight as a technology is similar in intent to Adobe Flash. It is used for advertising as well as other purposes, such as browser-based games and video streaming. The arrival of Silverlight to the Xbox 360 aims to boost campaigns on Xbox Live by turning ads into interactive and interconnected experiences.

Media Post reports:

Silverlight-powered media on Xbox will have the same appearance as ads seen on a Web browser. Think technology that competes with Flash, only supported by 6 million Silverlight developers worldwide who now have the option to tap a variety of Microsoft tools and technologies and develop marketing campaigns for Xbox.

“Today, movie trailers are available in a high-definition (HD) format, but Silverlight will deliver 1080p HD and 5.1 surround sound without discs directly into the Xbox.” Sean Alexander, director at Microsoft’s Advertising Business Group, told MediaPost.

[Microsoft Silverlight For Xbox Live Eases Creative Across Platforms via Media Post]

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.”

Question: what about Splinter Cell: Conviction making its on to the PlayStation 3? UbiSoft spoke about that on its forums yesterday.

“Splinter Cell: Conviction is a true Microsoft exclusive title and there are no plans to have Splinter Cell: Conviction on other platforms,” said UbiSoft. ”There are several reasons behind this choice. First of all, Splinter Cell games are historically linked with Microsoft platforms. The first Splinter Cell on the original Xbox was one of the first games to fully exploit the console’s technical possibilities. At that time, Microsoft really believed in the game potential and provided strong support to promote it. So, there is a “link of heart” between the franchise and the platform. Some games are like this (think of Final Fantasy for instance).”

They then went on the give another reason.

“The second reason behind this choice is purely linked to production. Having a single target platform means that we can optimize the game even further, because we only have one type of – console – hardware to support.”

Update: No matter what people thought they heard Steve Ballmer say in Chicago, Microsoft is not planning to introduce a successor to the Xbox 360 next year – stated by cnet.

Original: Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer spoke about “the role of innovation in changing economic times” at The Executive’s Club of Chicago earlier on today. However, what took the show, the announcement that a new Xbox 360 will be hitting shelves in 2010.

Ballmer stated openly, during a speech on the recession to those in attendance at the Executives Club in Chicago, that a new Xbox 360 will hit the store shelves in 2010.

The device will come fully packed with technology that’s “really, really, close” to actuality. The console, which was described as having a “natural interface,” will have a built in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice.

Sounds alot like Natal.

[Ballmer announces 2010 Xbox 360 at The Executive Club Chicago via TG Daily]

No this isn’t a April Fools joke, mainly because it’s not April. But, the kind sirs, and madams, over at Microsoft are offering Silver members the chance to upgrade to Gold for one month. Here’s were it gets good, all this for the one time price of $1.

However, being a “limited-time offer”, which it is, when the free months up, you’ll be charged for the rest of the year, but, of course, you can opt out of it.

Max Payne developer Remedy Entertainment has licensed Umbra Software’s rendering optimization middleware for its upcoming title Alan Wake, which was announced all the way back at E3 ‘05 and was recently shown at E3 ‘09.

Umbra Software is the expert in 3D rendering optimization middleware for PC, Xbox360 and PS3. Umbra Software’s flagship product, Umbra, increases rendering performance in 3D games and allows game developers to create rich, complex and highly dynamic game worlds previously impossible.

“Umbra gave a significant boost in rendering performance on the Xbox360, and at the same time made our content creation faster. With Umbra’s culling technology, Remedy’s team can add more details to Alan Wake’s world and concentrate on the cool visuals while minimizing tedious work such as adding portals,” said Remedy Entertainment’s Development Director Markus Mäki.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Remedy on Alan Wake,” said Marko Nurro, Umbra Software’s CEO. “Remedy is one of the most innovative and technically competent studios in the world. Their games just rock, simple as that.”

Square Enix has revealed some very shocking info about the development of the 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII. However, it seems to be coming along nicely, considering that it has only been in development for two months.

“Up to the trial demo version that was released [in April] in Japan, [FFXIII] was PS3-only in terms of development,” producer Yoshinori Kitase told Giant Bomb. ”The Xbox 360 version is definitely following after the PS3 version, but [we] were finally able to come to a point in the PS3 development where some of the staff could take their hands off and start programming the 360 version.”

Kitase and fellow producer/designer Motomu Toriyama gave an on-stage demonstration of FFXIII for Xbox 360 during Microsoft’s E3 conference. The pair promised a Western release of spring 2010.

This game looks better and better every time we talk about it. Crackdown’s 2 product page on Xbox.com has some details not revealed during Microsoft’s E3 Keynote. And these details are juicy.

The sequel is to have four-player co-op and competitive multiplayer for up to 16 people.

The games developer said earlier this week that it “takes multiplayer gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate co-op and competitive multiplayer experience”.

According to Joystiq, when questioning about Shadow Complex’s pricing, Epic Games programmer Rob McLaughlin commented saying that it would likely not see price point below $20. Joystiq “grilled hm for more info” , but didn’t accomodate them.

Don Mustard along with Cliff Bleszinski, lead game designer on the Gears of War titles, are currently busy working on Epic Game’s first arcade title Shadow Complex – announced earlier at Microsoft’s E3 keynote.

Peter Molyneux has been promoted to creative director of European studios at Microsoft Games Studios, revealed by Develop.

Previously creative director of Guildford-based Lionhead Studios, Molyneux will now also oversee the creative direction of fellow UK Microsoft studio Rare, as well as other European external projects.

Peter Molyneux actually assumed this new role back in March.

He has over 20 years of experience with games Populous, Syndicate, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper, Black & White and Fable to his name.

You would’ve thought an announcement of a new Halo game would be huge news, but the reaction’s been a bit muted because many wanted to know what kind of game was it.

Now, Microsoft can at least confirm that the upcoming Halo: Reach is indeed what we wanted it to be.

Microsoft’s John Schappert has confirmed to Joystiq that “Of course, it’s an FPS”, when asked if Halo: Reach was a FPS.

[Halo: Reach is an FPS via Joystiq]

During the Microsoft keynote, Epic Games revealed their upcoming title Shadow Complex, which is the developers first arcade title, coming exclusive to Xbox Live arcade.

The game combines the best of old-school side-scroller design with modern, cutting-edge gameplay and incredible high-definition graphics. Collect power-ups, discover new abilities and evolve your character into a force of destruction as you explore an original story set in the world of Orson Scott Card’s best-selling novel, Empire.

Following the recent showcase during the Microsoft keynote, we have just received latest screens for UbiSoft’s upcoming title Splinter Cell: Conviction. As you can see, the game has really “gone back to the drawing borad” changing its perceptive from what it once was.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 this fall, unleash the ferocious skills of renegade agent Sam Fisher and uncover a deadly terrorist plot in “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction.” Completely reinvented and revolutionized, “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction” ushers in a new breed of action gameplay leaving players fully immersed in the life of the world’s most dangerous spy.

[Show as slideshow]

As expected by so many of us, during the Microsoft Keynote today in Los Angeles, Bungie revealed its development on the latest Halo title, Halo: Reach.

Thanks to the very short teaser trailer that was shown during the keynote, Halo: Reach is due for release in Fall 2010. Along with the reveal, it was said that if you buy the Halo 3 expansion, Halo: ODST, you’ll get an invite to the Reach MP beta.

Advertisement: Mountain Dew is teaming up with the people over at World of Warcraft to produce two new favors for the second version of Game Fuel. Anyway, by clicking here you can win gaming gear for your PC via their promotion site.

In case you missed the pure amazement that was the Microsoft keynote, Gametrailers has just posted the Crackdown 2 debut trailer that was shown during the conference this morning. There isn’t anything new about the trailer because, once again, its the same trailer from this morning.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 in 2010, Crackdown 2 will take multiplayer2 gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate cooperative and competitive multiplayer experience, providing you and your friends with the complete freedom to explore, destroy and play as you return to restore justice and peace to Pacific City — by any means necessary.

Beside reports stating that the game is an on going discussion, during the Microsoft keynote, Microsoft unveiled Crackdown 2 via a trailer.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 in 2010, Crackdown 2 will take multiplayer2 gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate cooperative and competitive multiplayer experience, providing you and your friends with the complete freedom to explore, destroy and play as you return to restore justice and peace to Pacific City — by any means necessary.

Holy cow… This maybe a bit too soon, but has Microsoft just debuted a Left 4 Dead 2 trailer during its E3 Press Conference. There wasn’t much details given at the conference about the game, but according to end the trailer the game will be releasing on November 17th of this year. The game is set to release exclusively for Xbox 360 and PC.

That’s right. According to a twitter post made by Tony Hawk himself, he’ll be showing of Tony Hawk Ride, the newest installment in to the Tony Hawk frachise, at the Microsoft E3 Keynote in LA tomorrow.

“Just practiced my part for Microsoft’s E3 keynote tomorrow (introducing #thride),” said Hawk. “First time I’ve ever had to wear make-up for a rehearsal.”

Well, it looks like someone on the Xbox Team is going to be humiliated during the MS keynote, much like what happened at the Nintendo Keynote last year – but not you Tony, we’ll be fine.

Tony Hawk: Ride features a wireless skateboard controller designed in conjunction with the game to offer a dynamic gaming experience built from the ground up. Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the intuitive controller allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game.

You know what’s amazing? A one hundred percent hand drawn proof video game (you know like alcohol?) such as King of Fighters XII and the way its online features work.

King of Fighters XII’s online play is run through a lobby system. Two players will fight it out while up to six other players wait in line for their turn. While they’re waiting, they can chat via voice or text. Depending on the lobby’s settings, the winner or loser of the match will continue playing. You can also randomize the match-ups if you wish.

Including: Winner Stays: Winner fights the next opponent in line; Loser Stays: Loser stays and gets to fight the next opponent in line; Sparring – The players that are to fight are randomized after each match.

The game also features a online ranking system and leaderboard system, which grades each player’s performances and keeps track of their best Time Attack times. Along with a public leaderboard. Due out this July for Xbox360 and PlayStation3, KOFXII offers exclusive online features for each system;

PS3: Exclusive Clan Mode that allows players to create clans, recruit clan members, blacklist players and compete against other clans. Xbox 360: Exclusive Truskill online ranking lets players record, replay and share matches.

Remember Gay Tony? Well, now you can’t forget. Rockstar Games today announced that the second round of downloadable content for GTA IV is entitled The Ballad of Gay Tony.

In contrast to the seedy biker gang expansion that is The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony is said to focus on the glitzy “high-end night life” of Liberty City. The exclusive 360 episode will put players in the role of Luis Lopez, as his part-time hoodlum duties are supplemented by full-time work for nightclub impresario Tony “Gay Tony” Prince.

“Liberty City is the most vibrant game world we’ve created yet. The episodic structure has allowed us to interweave stories, gameplay and atmosphere in a whole new way,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games.

“The team at Rockstar North have yet again surpassed themselves, and made something that is both epic and very innovative. This episode’s focus on high-end night life contrasts with the biker gangs portrayed in The Lost and Damned, whilst giving us a lot of new gameplay possibilities.”

The DLC will release for Microsoft’s console this fall for $19.99, or 1600 MS points, and will require players to have a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV and an Xbox Live membership in order to download it.

Advertisement: Mountain Dew is teaming up with the people over at World of Warcraft to produce two new favors for the second version of Game Fuel. Anyway, by clicking here you can win gaming gear for your PC via their promotion site.

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.

Expected later on by adventure eager players, it now seems that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be releasing this September in Europe.

According to an update on the European PlayStation site, the game’s release date is scheduled for this September. However, the game was originally schedule for an Quarter 4 release, which was stated when the game was announced late last year.

In addition, the official site also confirms that the game doesn’t feature an mutli-player mode. But, sadly, this isn’t a official confirm so we’d have to wait for an officially announcement if there’s really any release date change.

[Uncharted 2 em Setembro? via Eurogamer.pt]

Today, at the Xbox 360 Spring Press Conference in Tokyo, Yoshihisa Kanesaka of Namco Bandai took the stage to revealed their upcoming game, Magna Carta 2 – which is only releasing on the 360.

Along with the reveal of the game, he also showed the first game play for the game (located below). Magna Carta 2 is expected to release in Japan on 8/6/2009, and Japanese pre-order-ers will get a special visual book for doing so.

However, no word has been given on if we’re going to see an American release, but it’s likely that we are going to be getting one.

In the latest episode of GameTrailers TV, 2K Games revealed the first proper showing of the sequel to BioShock, BioShock 2, in the form of a trailer, which was handed down to GTTV. The sequel looks very remanisant to the first game, but instead of playing a person who stumbled upon the Rapature after a plane cash, you’d be taking on the roll of the first ever Big Daddy. BioShock 2 is set to be released on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in late 2009. 

Remember when Capcom was nice enough to announce Lost Planet 2 via Xbox Live but only for the 360, and how there was a ton of speculation on whether, or not, it would be coming to PS3?

Well, it looks like Capcom is still thinking about it, but let’s hope they come up with something, soon.

“We’re still thinking about it and haven’t announced a PS3 version, so we can’t say more about it just yet,” producer Jun Takeuchi told Gamesradar.

Takeuchi explained the reason as of why they revealed the game via Xbox Live.

“We wanted to show the game first and foremost to fans of the original Lost Planet,” he added. “We talked to Microsoft about doing it this way and they were interested in it as well. Also, I think it was a unique and memorable way to announce the game.”

Capcom has finally confirmed that the Resident Evil 5 Versus Mode DLC will be released on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network this week.

Available from tomorrow, the DLC will set you back $5 on PSN (or 400 Microsoft Points) and it will included the following new multiplayer modes:

Slayer – A point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis.
Survivor – Players hunt the most dangerous game, each other!

Players can pick from Chris, Sheva and any of the hidden characters in a one-on-one or two-versus-two setting for either gameplay modes.

A THQ rep has confirm with us today that Red Faction: Guerrilla has been given a release date of June 9, 2009.

Along with that, we were told that a demo will be releasing on April 23th with any GameStop pre-order of the game, which gives you about three weeks before its release date. 

In Red Faction: Guerrilla, the protagonist Alec will be able to run, jump, hijack vehicles, and use weapons to traverse across the open world of Mars and fight the EDF (Earth Defense Force).

Weapons in the game will include; machine gun turrets, rocket turrets, remote charges, a sledgehammer, machine guns, along with many others. Red Faction: Guerrilla will feature a third-person point of view - all previous Red Faction games were played from  a first-person perspective.

Besides all the controversy over the game’s downloadable content not being free, and that it didn’t come with the full retail version of the game. We can, without a doubt, tell you that the downloadable content for Resident Evil 5 has indeed been delayed, which Capcom announced this morning.

Earlier this month, Capcom announced Resident Evil 5’s ‘versus mode’ DLC will becoming to the market, which means that it’s going to be on both PSN and Live – sorry for the messed up translation. They also revealed the games prices on the system’s marketplaces ($5 on the Playstation Network and 400 Microsoft Points on Live).

They have announced that it has changed its released date to April 9, according to Capcom’s Japanese notice – it’s only for Japan kids. “We deeply apologize to those customers who have been waiting for this down loadable content,” Capcom states.

In an attempt to divert from the ways of the first BioShock, a company spokesperson has revealed 2K Games’  plans to release the game ’simultaneous’ on all platforms.

“We’re aiming for simultaneous release on all platforms (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC),” a company spokesperson told CVG, with the promise of details on the sequel’s illusive multi-player mode “soon enough”, and it really can’t be “SOON ENOUGH”!!! The game is anticipated to be released late 2009.

I’m not surprised. Today, Microsoft was candid enough to announced that sales of Halo Wars have surpassed more than one million units worldwide, which means that it’s now the fastest selling RTS on any nex-gen console.

Set in the year 2525, Halo Wars takes players on a perilous journey through the famed Halo universe. As players take the command seat in the early, epic battles between the UNSC and Covenant, they will begin to unravel events 20 years before Halo: Combat Evolved that shaped the franchise into what it is today.

The game has a total of; 2.6 million multiplayer matches played, 118 years of time has been spent in multiplayer matches on Xbox Live.

For years now Sony has been searching for the perfect game to conquer Microsoft’s Halo. Back when the first version of Killzone was released it got mediocre review scores because it was a “cracked shooter.” Now, it seems that Killzone has made a return, but this time it isn’t promising to be a “Halo killer,” it’s promising to be a new and redefined experience. But, can it deliver? Yes, I can say that it has but what qualities of this title deliver such an experience?

In Killzone 2, you play as a new character to the series, Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko. Instead of calling him Tomas they call him “Sev,” which can sound a lot like “Sav” at some points. Sev is a part of a four-man team known as Alpha Squad, led by series-known character Rico, who was in the first two games, including the PSP title. You and your teammates, Garza and Natko, fight your way through Helghan completing a vast amount of missions. Most importantly, you find yourself trying to capture Emperor Scolar Visari, the Helghast leader.

Taking place two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) has launched an attack on the enemy’s homeland, Helghan. Their goal: take out the leader, Visari. That’s the story, in a nutshell, and MAN, is it good, on both paper and in playing out. But, I’ll say that there are some very weak points in the story. As for one thing, Rico really isn’t a likable character because he’s just annoying. This shows a weakness in the game’s story when it comes to the emotional department. But, other than that, the story is very strong. Sometimes, though, the game’s progression feels a bit sluggish.

Being the most visible part of the title, the game’s visuals stick out like a sore thumb all over. This really is the best-looking game to date. The character models are amazing and the graphical details in the game are, I don’t think that I can say this in a review, off the chain! But, there are some very bad low-res features to be seen, like the zip that comes out of the healer gun and the fire that shoots out the Flamethrower – they are just very last-gen, graphically. Looking into it, the game also has some strong features; the water effects shine and when it comes to the cut scenes the game put on its mega top hat and showed us a step or two.

To add to the graphical detail, the game has a very strong pick-up-and-play control mechanic, which works almost perfectly with most players. However, just like Superman, even this has its kryptonite. Luckily, the game allows you to change the control type, and there are multiple schemes to choose from. Fortunately, the cover mechanics are also very indebted. On the other hand, it kind of feels as though it was dragged on at some points. But, when you finally get how it works, there’s no stopping you.

The AI is very strong in every way, but one thing I didn’t get was why the AI always advance when you are near them. I know that it’s just a video game, but it feels as if they want you to kill them. Don’t get me wrong, they do perform the very technical things that most AI characters do – taking cover and being intelligent – but that’s just one thing that makes me upset. They can also be very resourceful and fighting a group of them at some points can be a BIG challenge, most of the time. Also, they come featured in many character types and each time you respond it feels like as if you are playing a new level.

Killzone 2 gives you an enormous array of weapons to pick from, such as flamethowers and more – you wouldn’t be bored with the weapons in this title. There also is the unique aspect to each weapon, giving you the chance to build your own strategies. You can only carry 2 weapons at a time, the primary weapon and secondary weapon – which generally deals with heavier weaponry.

Another great thing about this title is its multi-player, which will keep you playing for hours on end. The game gives you a long list of unlockables to pick from. It gives you the ability to pick your own map after each round is done. The level design in the maps are up to pair with any title currently available, but one thing we didn’t find so good with the multi-player is the unacceptably bad lag. It has to be one of the biggest problems in the games multi-player, but people at Guerilla Games say that they are working hard to resolve this problem. Also, they removed the cover system, which, lets face it, wouldn’t work in the multi-player areas of the game..

Anyway, the game’s Warzone feature for the multi-player mode really is something unique. It keeps you on your feet and things are always interesting in this mode. You start out as a normal soldier, then slowly advance throughout the rankings to things such as a Saboteur, Scout, etc.There are about six classes in total, but online you should expect the most popular class to dominate the field because not everyone wants to be the Scout. The game also deals out eight maps, but you will find yourself playing some more than others, because people are quick to click the first pick.

Closing Statements:

I feel that the game really has lived up to its hype, besides its minor jumps and skips. This game is time well-played. But, as I said, this game is far from perfect and with that I feel that this is one of the “must-play games of the year.” But, not because it’s so great; it’s because it does so many things right that it’s hard to go wrong. Also, the multi-player is a time eater. That is, if you have a high speed internet connection. Be advised that there’s no local multi-player! Keep that in mind, and you’ll find yourself playing for hours on end.

Score: A+

Ignition Entertainment has confirmed that King of Fighters XII will be coming to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 this Summer. The game has had its up and downs as of lately with one of the longest development cycles for any series title to date, but that is okay. Only if we can get a great game at the end.

But, with time we’ll be able to see how the game has been rebuild from the ground up – with an all new engine and a in-depth improved character sprites. Speaking of, you can view the trailer here.

Yes, Killzone 2 really is landmark for Sony in this ‘nex-gen war’, but, as you know, the war isn’t over until the fat lady sings and it looks Microsoft has a truly long list of songs for her to go through before she’s finished.

When being asked about Killzone 2 and the future of Microsoft, a Microsoft spokesmen told GameGuru that ‘unannounced Xbox 360 exclusives far surpasses what gamers have seen in any game so far’ in the technology aspect of things, which can mean anything – not only graphically.

“We congratulate Sony and Guerilla Games for their efforts with Killzone 2, however this is only the beginning of a new wave. The current technology employed for certain unannounced Xbox 360 exclusives far surpasses what gamers have seen in any game so far. Gears of War was the beginning of this technological benchmark when released on the 360 and this lineage will be carried forward in the following months with exclusives that shall stand for a new definition of gaming experience and provide stiff competition for the opposition.”

It looks like being famous pays itself off because being the DLC for one of the most repected games on the market your definitely going to set some kind of record.

Today, Micrsoft revealed that the DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV has set an Xbox Live sales record, but, sadly, they weren’t candid about revealing how much it sold. According to the company, the downloadable content has “eclipsed first-day revenue for all previous down-loadable content on Xbox LIVE”.

“The success of ‘Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned’ redefines what consumers expect from Game Add-ons,” said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE. “Content like this is extending the lives of our favorite games and fundamentally changing the way we play.”

Well, with that said, it’s kind of point less revealing this when they didn’t even release the sales of the game.

Update: Apparently, they are going to reveal the title not announce it.

Original: In what wouldn’t be their first time in creating such a product for the 360, Capcom has revealed that it has another exclusive product for the Xbox 360 underway. And according to many sources they plan to reveal the product in a very special way, special indeed.

According to Capcom, on Monday, Feburary 23rd, Capcom’s brand new title trailer will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace. But, there’s one question that’s on top of all of our minds and that is what could it be? But, we inspect that it could be the new Lost Planet title because they are yet too announced the title and they rushed to announce the Dead Rising sequel.

Anyway, in order to download the trailer you are going to need to have an Xbox Live account.

In celebration of the release of the first Downloadable Content for Grand Theft Auto 4, Microsoft has announced a week free of multi-player for Grand Theft Auto 4. The experience will give players the chance to play for a total six days, all together – no more or less.

The deal will start from 9 AM on February 17 and continuing until midnight of February 22 for only players with the ability to access Xbox Live.

The company has planned a full slate of Xbox Live events during the time period including a chance to play the game online with members of the development team at Rockstar Games.

There have been many rumors that Fable II will be making it’s way onto the PC, but it’s publisher, Microsoft, hasn’t commented on the possibility.  However, the game’s developer thinks that it is ‘imminent’.

According to WhatIfGaming, Lionhead Studios thinks that Fable II could be coming onto the PC sometime in the near future.

“Fable II has been an enormous success on the Xbox 360. A Fable II for PC users would be likely imminent. Keep checking back with us for more updates,” said a Lionhead rep.

Now, don’t jump the gun. But, still it’s great to see that the developer still has hope about the whole it ‘being on PC’ thing.

SEC chairman Kaz Hirai said in an recent interview that he believes that the PlayStation 3 will outsell the Xbox 360 by the end this generation.

“Unless things go really bad,” Hirai told OPM. “There’s no way that at the end of a life cycle our competition is going to have a higher install base.”

“With the Xbox – again, I can’t come up with one word to fit. You need a word that describes something that lacks longevity,” said Hirai.

“Last time I checked, they’ve never had a console that’s been on the market for more than four or five years and we’ve committed to a ten year life cycle, so you do the math.”

The Sony executive says that regardless of install base he’d “like to think that Sony would continue official leadership in this industry.”

Earlier this week, Sony planted the latest bomb in the console war, which was sent out via a media bulletin, with claims that Nintendo and Microsoft are ‘peddling add-ons’ onto there console. But, it looks like Microsoft has something to say about that.

“First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony,” said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360 to Kotaku. “We feel like being half the price of the PS3 served us quite well this holiday.”

“The fact that we’re doing this at half the price of their platform, we feel confident that we’re delivering great value,” he added. “I believe that we deliver more value for games and entertainment than any other platform on the market.”

“At the end of the day, consumers vote with their dollar,” Greenberg said with anticipation that the sub-$200 price point will give the Xbox 360 the majority of its sales. “I don’t think people take comparison grids into retail stores.”

“I would rather talk about why you should buy our console than why you shouldn’t buy the competitor’s system.” Well, there you go. Microsoft has once again put a close on another ‘claim’ from the people at Sony, but what does Nintendo have to say about it?

As of lately one thing that has been pushing down the number of new friends I make on Xbox Live is the current 100-friends limit that has been pushed by Microsoft since the release of Xbox Live. But, it looks like Microsoft may have plans to increase the limit of friends you can have on Xbox Live.

When speaking to Joystiq at CES, Xbox director Aaron Greenberg told them that, “I can’t commit to when that will happen, but that is something we want to do. It’s definitely something we’re looking at expanding and, as this social network grows, we’ve absolutely heard the pleas for that. It’s on the list.”

Then he went onto say that how they had thousands of potential friends turn away daily on Xbox Live. And, as he said, it’s on the list so lets see what future plans they have for Xbox Live.

Alex Mercer may not remember if he was a hero or a villain, but do you remember the trailer that was ‘leaked’ a month ago? Well, it looks like that trailer has found its way to CES, in Las Vegas, this year and, as I digress into this matter, that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

At the end of the trailer (shown below), there was a simply advert saying that newest release target for Prototype, which reads ‘Summer 2009′. That’s it. That was the newest release target for the title, but also in the trailer it revealed some powerful, and rather painful, powers that haven’t been shown before, here take a look.

Note: to view video in better quality go here and click in ‘watch in HD’.

In 2007, EA’s Skate had proven itself to be a true competitor for Activision’s popular and long-running skate series, Tony Hawk, but what does this year hold for the title? Can EA and Black Box once again claim the crown for best skating title ever made?

Well, it looks like we are going to have to wait and see, but lucky we do not have to wait that long because according to Microsoft’s Xbox site, a Skate 2 demo will be available come January 8 via the “Download & Win” program, which is a sweepstake.

There are two ways to register for this Sweepstakes. Registering online before the close of the Promotion Period, which is between 3:01 A.M. ET on January 8 and 11:55 P.M. ET on January 15, 2009, or register for the Sweepstakes via Xbox LIVE Marketplace by downloading the free Skate 2 Demo Registration Gamer Picture. Sadly there is still no word on the PlayStation demo.

Lionhead’s latest title, Fable II did as well as we hoped, it was a very entertaining and fun experience for all that played it. But, that was for the year of 2008, so what is Lionhead planning to do next year, besides the Fable II DLC?

Peter Molyneux, who is head of the Lionhead, has told BBC that the developer is working on a “super secret” project. He goes on to tell BBC that they “might announce it next year.”

Here’s what he said word for word; “And as for Lionhead: now we’ve got Fable II out of the door we can focus on our other project – it’s super secret for now – but we might announce it next year.”

Now, do not expect the title to be released next year, and knowing the team at Lionhead they will most likely take their time with the title. So I would not be surprised if the announce it at this time next year, but I hope we see it soon.

What comes to mind when you think Music based video games? Is it Rock Band or is it Guitar Hero? Or is it Singstar? Well, probably one of the most over looked downfalls in this gaming generation has to be the fixation on the casual gaming market, and sadly this game doesn’t divert from that manner. But, none the less, Lips is a party game that has one of the greatest bonding powers of getting friends and family to play with on another. However, one can only wonder if Lips is going to be just another video game face plant or an instant sensation?

After previous failed attempts by Microsoft at trying to recreate the fun derived from group gaming, with such examples as Scene It! and You’re In the Movies, Lips is another offspring of the guys over at iNiS in Japan, which is known for games like Elite Beat Agents – another party-driven game – and many others. Opinion-wise, I really do not think that it was a great idea to name the game Lips, which brings up the games first downfall. We really don’t think we need to go into detail about that.

However, with the game having a somewhat bad name, it does differ from its predecessors. The game has a start up track of about 40 songs, all of which are master tracks including music videos and select previews. They also have different videos other than the original video made for the song that the gamer can pick from. The game has a multiplayer feature that pits you against another player, or against the computer. As for mics, Lips has two beautifully designed wireless microphones that light up as you sing.

When singing, the upcoming lyrics will be highlighted in gray, and the current lyrics will be highlighted in white. However, in two player mode, where player one is on the top and player two is on the bottom, you sometimes fix your eyes on the gray lyrics if you are player two and end up singing the wrong words, which becomes a problem. Also, when singing in the right pitch and balance, the word bars will be colored in the the color of your mic (ex. player one red, player two blue).

Luckyly, the guys over at iNiS knew that you may not be able to hit all the notes so, unlike other music games, you are unable to fail any songs, which is both its strength and weakness. It’s just like the problem that many people had with Elika from Prince of Persia in his newest adventure. It really takes away from the challenge, I mean would you really want to play a game that does nothing to challenge the gamer? I think not.

If you add all those things together it really does make for a weak single-player experience, but this game is really strong when you play it was a buddy. Which brings me to the co-op and mutliplayer part of the game. When in this mode, you can take on a song with a friend (ex. Umbrella by Rihanna). This song has a better co-op standard then other songs in the game, for example Another One Bits The Dust by Queen. But, lucky the mutliplayer works great for this game.

Closing Statements:

I really had alot of fun playing this game. It is really strong in most aspects of it and will surely keep you playing for hours on hand. The interface is remarkably easy to use, the initial track list is solid, and the microphones are outstanding. But, there is one problem, it does not push itself as being a game that a hardcore gamer would want to pick up and play. The game also has the ability for you to transfer music from your iPod, but what really makes me mad is that you can’t upload music from an iPhone or iTouch. That is one reason we couldn’t put that in our review. Also the quality of the videos are mostly in SD, which doesn’t fit this game at all.

Score: B-

A developer that’s best known for their hit car crashing series, once developed a shooter game that was more then amazing to look at, it was amazing to play, and the game was simply entitled, Black. And in recent reports it was indicated that Black would be getting a sequel.

And now, however, it seems that the game would not be seeing a Sequel, at least not anytime soon. According to VG247, a very “well-informed source” confirmed that the reports of a Black follow-up are “not true”.

This news comes after a reports that on the Criterion games website there was a listing stating a game for a release in 2009 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC known as Black: Second Mission.

Possessively one of the most rumored games in the passed year, or so, it seems that the sequel to the hit 360 exclusive, Crackdown, maybe coming to reality very soon. It was apparently brought back in to rumor when the all-but-official arrival of Scottish developer Ruffian Games.

The team at Ruffian Games is composed of some of the key members of the original Crackdown development group, which brought up the Crackdown 2 rumor because the company is funded Microsoft.

Now, VideoGaming24/7 is reporting that Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald has confirmed the developer is in “ongoing” discussions with Microsoft regarding a another Crackdown game, Crackdown 2.

MacDonald said that while an offer to develop a second game hadn’t been made to Realtime Worlds, he “very much” doubts “that Microsoft would harm an otherwise fruitful existing development relationship by gambling on funding Crackdown 2 with a startup on RTW’s doorstep, for obvious reasons.”

A developer that’s best known for their hit car crashing series, once developed a shooter game that was more then amazing to look at, it was amazing to play and the game was simply entitled, Black.

Now, as it was pointed out by x360PlayDiary, on the Criterion games website there was a listing stating a game for a release in 2009 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC known as Black: Second Mission, which is most likely the sequel to the Black.

Hopefully soon new information will be disclosed and there will be official confirmation on the game.

Apparently, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 has just about everything you could want in a fighting game, including Inferno Matches, improved tag team battles and even a Create-A-Finisher mode. But, with even all those features, and an amazing list of over sixty playable characters, many of us, sadly, are still left wanting more.

That’s why THQ has official revealed on the WWE website three new Superstars for Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 that will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Download Pack 1

Available for Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360
Price: 400 Microsoft Points

Evan Bourne – playable Superstar
Ted DiBiase, Jr. – playable Superstar
Charlie Haas – playable Superstar
Chris Jericho – alternate attire

Well, this holiday season isn’t as white as it should of been for video game publisher and developer EA, but besides all of its problems they processed to try an fulfill the needs of their Mirror’s Edge fans.

Yesterday, EA confirmed that Mirror’s Edge will be seeing a follow-up, but on the downside, it’s sad to see the company announcing this in the face of a disappointing holiday sales rate.

“While we saw significant improvement in the overall quality of our key products this year, we are disappointed that our holiday slate is not meeting our sales expectations,” said EA CEO John Riccitiello to GI.biz. “Given this performance and the uncertain economic environment, we are taking steps to reduce our cost structure and improve the profitability of our business.”

However, despite slow sales the warm critical reception afforded to Mirror’s Edge will ensure a sequel.

“Many times with a new intellectual property, the first edition doesn’t generate the units that subsequent editions could generate,” Riccitiello continued, “Mirror’s Edge is one that was very strongly reviewed, that one’s going to go forward. We’re probably going to look into some issues around the design to make sure strong IP is married with strong business.”

In recent reports it was revealed that the 360 was “beating PS3 in Europe.” As simple as it may sound, Sony has moved to dispel Microsoft claims revealing internal figures that say its console has sold 300,000 more units than Xbox 360 in PAL territories.

And the company also doesn’t feel it has to follow Microsoft and further ignite consumer interest with a price cut of its own anytime soon. Sony will remain focused on the value offered by the PS3 and its extra functions and services.

“No we are not going to go down in price; neither are we going to go down in price on PS3 in spring time either. Absolutely not, whatever you might have heard to the contrary,” said SCEE president David Reeves.

“Our strategy is very much value added.” Reeves added. Sony’s business model for the console isn’t designed around dropping the RRP every time a manufacturing cost saving has been found. And he was keen to point out that, according to Sony figures, the PS3 is already ahead of Microsoft’s rival.

[Sony: We’re ahead of Xbox via MCV]

I have seen many things and to tell you the truth, I really would love to see Fable II on the PC mainly because I think it’s going to help save PC gaming some more – but it’s not like WoW and L4D haven’t done it already.

A German website has posted a rumor stating that the game will be coming on to the PC. An unnamed “inside source” at Lionhead, who reported the rumor, proclaims that the game would be releasing on the PC on February 15, 2009.

If you didn’t know, the game has been out on the 360 for sometime now and it has been selling fairly well. But when you look at this rumor it isn’t so farfetch’d as it may seem because the original Fable made its way to PC a year after its on the Xbox.

There’s a strongly likeliness that the game would be coming out on the PC, it’s just that the date given is way to early. But anyway if the game comes out on the PC the game will most likely be apart of Games for Windows. Which has seen many 360 games like Bioshock and Gears of War. But we’ll let you know if we hear any more news on this rumor.

Update: According to a source this story was proven fake.

It seems like just yesterday Microsoft revealed that Fable II sold 1.5 million copy’s worldwide since its North American release in October. But now it seems that something else has put Fable into the spot light once again. Today, Microsoft has revealed the first ever DLC for Fable II which is set to be released on Dec. 12 – right before the holidays. The DLC revealed a totally new island called Knothole Island and according to MS the remote island of Knothole is dying. Its golden sands and lush vegetation are covered with snow, its people freezing, its treasures buried.

The pack will be available for 800 MS point via purchase of Xbox LIVE Marketplace once again on Dec. 12. Gamers will be invited to set sail for Knothole Island, where new quests, wondrous items and bizarre characters await. Free and premium downloaders will receive a show of gifts, including Knight’s Boots, Assassins Gloves, a special Weight Loss Potion, collectible silver book and more. Players will also be able to check their standing in over 50 new Leaderboards on Lionhead.com.

As an additional treat for “Fable II” fans, Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios have created an all-new Albion dashboard theme in celebration of the launch of the New Xbox Experience. Fans who want to show off their “Fable II” pride can head over to Xbox LIVE Marketplace to download the Albion theme, available now for 250 Microsoft points.

[Microsoft announces first DLC for Fable II via SI]

Okay. It’s not really ready yet, but it will be making its way onto a console near you very soon, Nov. 19. As of right now, the update is sitting in a sever farm at Microsoft Headquarters just waiting to make its way down your Ethernet cable straight into your 360, but from this video, after the update is complete, you’ll be truly into a the New Xbox Experience. That’s geared to any genre that makes you a gamer. The update is set to bring a profound change that will bring a new ever lasting appeal to a bigger audience.

Fable II outsold the software competition in the United States last month with sales of almost 800,000 copies sold. Now, Microsoft has announced that since its launch in the US on October 21, 2008, Lionhead’s Fable II has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide. No wonder Peter Molyneux was so happy about the sales the other day. This means that this game is the fastest-selling RPG on the Xbox 360 right now.

[Fable II sales reach 1.5 million worldwide via VideoGamer]

Remember the “three red lights of death” issue? Well, how can you forget, and it looks like many of us maybe in for some “three red lights” with the upcoming update for the 360. A trusted source working as a customer service rep for Microsoft has revealed to Gaming Confidential that there will be some “drama” when the Xbox 360’s Fall update hits on November 19th. The rep says that the update could bring the dreaded “three red lights of death” issue back up.

“The slick move by Microsoft here is that it’s releasing the update on the 19th, just a couple of days after the extended warranty period for launch Xbox 360s end. The owners of these units are headed for some pretty tense times in the weeks to come,” he said. “Our department is bracing itself from irrate callers after the update is released. I’m bringing some aspirin to work this holiday season,”.

[MS Rep: Fall update will be big trouble via Gaming Confidential]

Guess what? It’s what you’ve been waiting for. Jimi Hendrix will now have downloadable content for Guitar Hero: World Tour. After announcing the news before the games release, the rock legend will now have a set of three songs coming out on November 13th. To be more specific the DLC will contain the songs If 6 was 9, Little Wing, and a live version of fire. The content will be available for 440 Microsoft points on Xbox Live Marketplace and $5.49 on the PlayStation Store. If music fans can not afford the DLC, the following week on November 20th. There will be another trio of songs by the band called “The Raconteurs”. The songs Salute your Solution, Hold Up, and Console of the lonely. These three songs can be purchased separately on XBL for 160 MP each, $1.99 each on the PSN also on the Wii Store for 200 Wii points each, the game is now out on all three next gen consoles.

Microsoft has shipped 22.5m Xbox 360s through September 2008 and should pass the totals of the original Xbox, which shipped 24.7m worldwide, next quarter. This was revealed in Microsoft’s updated system results earlier today for the Xbox 360, the company is reporting that they shipped 2.2m consoles from July 1 to Sept 30 bringing the total number to 22.5m shipped since launch.

For Microsoft, Q1, Q5, and Q9 are the quarters ending December. Given that Q1 was the supply constrained launch in 2005, and that the original Xbox only shipped 24.7m units worldwide, the Xbox 360 should top its predecessor next quarter.

[Microsoft Details July to Sept Results, Xbox 360 to Top Xbox Next Quarter via VGCharts]

Bioshock has influenced many people’s look on video games, but little did we know that Bioshock was also influencing something big. When being interviewed by Computer and Video Games, Capcom’s Masachika Kawata admitted that Resident Evil 5 was heavily influenced by the popular underwater video game, Bioshock.

“It’s a classic game which really utilized the next gen power very well. The world is very strong and very believable, and the whole game was quite inspiring”.

He also continues to state that the game was also influenced by many other western gaming titles that they can’t talk about at this time, but they were “incorporated” into the game. The game is right now set to make its way on to consoles this March on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

[Resident Evil 5 Interview via CVG]

Many of us are still wondering if the news was true that Fallout 3 looks better on the 360 then it does on the PlayStation 3. Since we’re yet to receive video evidence to confirm this we can only think that the news is true. The game was original planned to make its way to India so that all it’s fans in India could try it out for themselves. But, Microsoft India has announced that it has cancelled its plans to release Fallout 3 in India on the 360. A press statement that was issued by Microsoft states that the game included certain content that could potentially hurt Indian sensibilities.

Due to distribution issues in the region, Microsoft had taken up the role of distributor for Fallout 3 in India, while the PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game were never scheduled for release in the country. The game was originally planned to make it in India on 360 on October 28.

“Microsoft constantly endeavors to bring the best games to Indian consumers in sync with their international release. However, in light of cultural sensitivities in India, we have made the business decision to not bring Fallout 3 into the country.” -Microsoft India

[Fallout 3 controversy: India release cancelled via GamingIndians]

Ever since Microsoft revealed their “Avatar” program at E3, they fell under criticism for copying Nintendo’s “Mii’s”. Now, however the Head of Xbox, Don Mattrick, has revealed in an interview with OXM UK that he invented the whole avatar concept. He claims that the game “4D boxing”, made by his company, on Amiga, DOS, Atari ST and Macintosh, was the first game to feature avatars program. After doing some research, it turns out that 4D Boxing was the first game ever to use “avatar like” characters.

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We all know that last month was the Xbox 360’s key month in terms of sales, but what about the upcoming months for the holiday season? Would the 360 have what it takes to stand in the top spot?

When speaking to Kotaku, Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, said that, “We -Microsoft- expect to continue our price advantage over the PlayStation 3 for a long time,”. He goes on to state that, “And we feel confident that we’ll outsell the PS3 this holiday season in North America and in Europe. We’ll do it on a global scale.” Kotaku had the chance to talk to him right after the NPD sales were released, where it showed that the company moved 347,200 units to American consumers.

I always figured that Yoda and Darth Vader will be playable on both systems because there was always that empty slot right after Yoda or Darth Vador and there was no way of unlocking that “secret character”. But, now today, we have received news that both Yoda and Darth Vader will be available on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as playable characters in Soul Calibur IV. To download Yoda onto the PS3 it will cost you $6.00, while Darth Vader on the Xbox 360 will cost 400 Microsoft points.

If your are like me and you haven’t even finished San Andreas on the Playstation 2 or you haven’t even gotten the chance to even finish a Grand Theft Auto game all together, and you own a 360, I have some news for you because you may want to download this. According to Gamersplatform, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is heading to the Xbox 360 as a downloadable Xbox original game. You will be able to download the game for 1200 Microsoft Points which the is equivalent of $15(US). The game will be releasing on Monday and will be available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace.

Polygamia have gotten their hands on the English version of Fable II and they were nice enough to provide us with a short ten min video of the first ten minutes of “thy” Fable II. The video really doesn’t go into much detail about the games story, but it is just enough to fuel a bit of your hunger. The game will be releasing exclusively on the Xbox 360 on October 21, 2008 in NA, we will be reviewing the game very soon.

When released on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 many of the games fans where very disappointed with the games final product. Also many Playstation fans where very disappointed that they wouldn’t be getting to play the game on the Playstation 3 because they announced that the Playstation version delay, leaving may fans inconsolable. Well, the people at Eden Games have been at work on the game and with the all the upgrades made to the game they decide to make a new upgrade to the games name into something that could heat up the competition, Alone in the Dark: Inferno.

According to the press release issue, Alone in the Dark: Inferno will stay true to the storyline of the previous versions in which gamers take on the role of paranormal investigator Edward Carnby and over the course of one apocalyptic night must fight to survive and uncover the earth-shattering secret behind New York’s Central Park. However, the new edition will fully complement the intense storytelling and unprecedented environmental interactions with an array of improved gameplay elements that will give gamers the ultimate Alone in the Dark experience.

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.

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Today, at TGS according to Dark Zero, Konami revealed another earth-shattering announcement from TGS. According to them, Konami revealed their plans to make a new Castlevania on nex-gen systems, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Regretfully, next to nothing is known about the game as of yet, other than the fact that it does exists. The game was announced to the Japanese press by the name Demon Castle Dracula, which is the Japanese name for the series. Anyway, ITmedia has updated with this rather blury image, which tell us next to nothing about the game.

We all could have seen this one coming from a mile away, but it was all just about the matter of timing and that time was at TGS. Today, at TGS at Microsoft’s keynote, they confirmed that Sony’s hit fighting game Tekken will be making a landing onto the Xbox 360 sometime next autumn for the games sixth installment, Tekken 6. Also like I said before it’s all about a matter of time and by the way things are looking you can only wonder what other game will be making it’s way on to the Xbox 360.

BioWare’s epic science-fiction role-playing game Mass Effect was released last November exclusively on the Xbox 360, the game got many rewards and many fans. Now, today some Mass Effect 2 details are floating around the web and they apparently originate from a now deleted Gamespot post. There alot of details revealed from the game and many key information that will make you wonder just remember that this is a rumor and it may not be true. Back in March, BioWare’s senior manager Matt Atwood was quoted stating that the will be hitting “soon but not real soon” do keep your eye out.

-Platforms: Xbox 360, PC
-Release date: Xbox 360 – November 2009 (Worldwide), PC – TBA 2010
-Developer: BioWare, with support from EA and Microsoft Games Studios
-Publisher: EA
-Engine: Unreal Engine 3 (Custom)
-Mass Effect 2 is a 6-month timed exclusive game for the Xbox 360
-The same team that worked on Mass Effect is working on Mass Effect 2
-Mass Effect 2 has been in development since July 2007,
total development time for Mass Effect 2 will be 28 Months
-The story in Mass Effect 2 will continue 2 months after Mass Effect
-The story will not continue depending on the last decision made by the player in Mass Effect, it will however continue after the PC version ending
-The character created in Mass Effect can be transported into Mass Effect 2 via save-files
-Level cap has been increased to Level 120
-Physics will be power by Havok
-Bioware has spent an enormous time on facial animations and charater movement animations, so expect animation quality to be at the very top.
-BioWare is using the Unreal Engnine 3 for graphics, with many custom changes made, graphics will be better than in Gears of War 2
-Water is confirmed to have fluid simulation, also, if a player or NPC dies on water, the players body will slowly sink, this also applies to weapons and certain objects
-The Game Over sequence has been reduced to 1.78 Seconds, due to complains from fans over the long Game Over sequence in Mass Effect
-Mass Effect 2 will have up to 5-player CO-OP, depending on the host players decision of how many players will be able to assist him/her
-There will be a Multiplayer component called Survival, where players will crash on a planet and battle to survive against endless hordes of enemies, the score will be determined on how many enemies will be killed and how much time players will be able to survive, there is no end to this mode, it’s a very similar mode to Gears of War 2’s Horde.
-Armor has to be repaired, armor will also react to different weapons,
bullets will damage it, fire will melt it, ice will freeze it,…
-The player can now lead a squad of 2-5 members, the player decides how many squad members will be on each mission
-The Citadel is now much larger, and whenever a player visits the Citadel all members of the players squad go with him/her, the squad will interact with other NPC’s if you allow them to
-Battles wil be on a much larger scale, reported scale is the same as in Gears of War 2
-There will 2 more classes added to the aditional classes from the first game
-The Galaxy has been expanded, you can now explore 8 times more planets than in Mass Effect, also, every planet now has a bigger scale, players will be able to set up small bases on planets with a sustainable atmosphere
-The player will be able to create mines near resources and send resources to Earth or by the decision of the player mine illegaly and collect all resources for him/her self
-Weapons can be upgraded and customized, the weapon arsenal has been expanded, the player can now carry a bionic arm on each arm, the player can dual wield not just pistols, but also shotguns and semi-automatic weapons
-One new weapon is called “The Scilary”, it’s a missile based weapon, the player marks a targed on the ground and then shoots a missile into the air, the missile is then split into multiple pieces and hits the target and an area around it
-The player can now equip a knife, the knife can be customized and upgraded, the knife can also be used with different powers, i.e. the knife can be thrown and then brought back, the knife will also react to environment hazards, i.e. a knife over fire will cause it to catch fire and eventually melt
-There will be Boss Battles in the game
-Depending on the decision made by the player on Noveria to either spare or kill the Rachni, they will assist you during a crucial time or you will be left alone
-Preston Watamaniuk, the Lead Designer hints at more and larger environment hazards,
for example a volcano erruption than can destroy a base built by the player, another example is an ice storm of different colors, dependning on the planets atmosphere
-The primary planetary exploration vehicle can now be upgraded and customized,
it can also be expanded to carry up to 4 members of your squad
-The armor can now be upgraded and customized to the players liking, similar to the weapon customization, the player can now select a certain part of the armor, i.e. the left shoulder and put a small picture on it, i.e. the Earth’s flag
-The second mission will be to save a squad member that was believed to be dead in Mass Effect, depending on the decision made on planet Virmire (the cloning facility mission), you will have to rescue the squad member left behind,
the story will explain how the squad member survived the detonation
-Planet Eden Prime can now be visited, explored and the player can now build his own house on the planet, same with many other planets
-The total number of interactive NPC’s you can talk to is around 3000,
total number of NPC’s in Mass Effect 2 is unknown

Today, according to AlleyInsider, Robbie Bach, who heads Entertainment and Devices (Xbox, Zune, etc), sent out an email last night announcing a freeze at his group at Micorsoft. Prior to receiving the news AlleyInsider questioned Microsoft for comment about the possibility of a companywide hiring freeze. Statement from spokesman Lou Gellos:

“Microsoft will continue to grow and add thousands of new jobs this year, but given the current economic environment we are taking the prudent step of reviewing our hiring plans and will make some adjustments as appropriate. We are optimistic about our prospects for growth and will continue hiring the talent we need to ensure our ongoing success.”

Microsoft has revealed the latest figures which was published by Chart Track revealing a massive 214% rise in sales for the Xbox 360 in the last two weeks. The console also outsold the PlayStation 3 by more than two-to-one in the UK.

Here’s what Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA, had to say: “This data shows that the Xbox 360 trajectory continues upwards, and not just in the UK. We’ve seen uplift in all countries in Europe and are confident that even at this rate of growth we can keep retail satisfied with a steady supply of consoles throughout the Christmas season. Our commitment to continuously improving and innovating new content, our new high-profile marketing campaign and the fact that we’re now the best-value next-gen console on the market with an entry-level ERP of £129.99 combine to make Xbox 360 the right blend of gaming and wider experiences at the right price to offer unparalleled entertainment for everyone. And these figures prove it.”

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What are you planing to do this Monday? Well, I hope you didn’t plan anything extreme tomorrow on Xbox Live because Microsoft revealed sometime last week that Xbox Live will be shutting down for some major re-construction. And I’m writing this article to remind you all that Xbox Live would not be working tomorrow. But, for some of us this wouldn’t matter mainly because you don’t have Xbox Live or you were planning to finally beat that single player game that’s is super hard. Here’s Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb had to say:

“As I mentioned earlier in the week, tomorrow (Monday, 9/29/2008) from 12:01 AM PST for up to 24 hours, Xbox Live will be offline for maintenance. As a result, Xbox LIVE and the ‘My Xbox’ section of Xbox.com will be unavailable, and the Xbox forums will be in read only mode (you won’t be able to post.) The remainder of Xbox.com will be available with limited interruptions. When the service returns, you will not have any new features and you will not have the new Xbox experience update. That will happen later this Fall. I will update my Twitter when the service returns.”

But, anyway this service maintenance update is for the “New Xbox Experience”, which will adds Mii-like Avatars to a new dashboard. The new Xbox experience is set to hit this November on the Xbox 360.

At a recent event held in Delhi, Microsoft India revealed some very key information on the future of Xbox and the present. At the event they confirmed that the long rumored Xbox 360 Slim is actually real and that we should wait for an announcement sometime in December. The new version of the Xbox 360 was once rumored to be revealed in 2009, but know we now see that this rumor was actually wrong. Microsoft India has also officially announced its new Xbox 360 package deal for India, which is an 360 Core console, a 20 GB HDD, one wireless controller and free copies of Viva Pinata and Forza 2.

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(this image here is an artists impression)

Update: TheANGRYPixel is reporting that Microsoft India has released a statement denying any such announcement.

Microsoft-India says:
“We would not like to comment on any market speculation or rumor. In India we have the Xbox 360 core and the Xbox 360 Pro console currently available in the market. There are exciting new game titles like Gears of War 2, Fable 2 and Fall Out 3 in the pipeline for the holiday season along with special promotions and festival offers.”

It was announced at Microsoft’s E3 2008 press conference that Banjo-Kazooie will be made available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. Now, today a Youtuber posted a 10 minute video showing some gameplay for the upcoming game for Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade, which was remade from the N64 version so that it is capable with the Xbox 360, entitled Banjo Kazooie. The game will come with a 15 dollar price tag and will be downloadable on Xbox Live Arcade on November 26. When this game was released on the N64 it got very high scores and it’s trying to do the same on the Xbox 360. The game is developed by Rare, which was brought out by Microsoft sometime ago.

The men of the 101st Airborne Division are really up for a fight as Staff Sergeant Matt Baker is going led them through a fight that many still can’t forget. Lucky for them you can help them through this fight and for all you PC fans who don’t know what weapons they will be needing to compete their mission today Ubisoft revealed the system requirements for that said game, Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway,  here they are:

Operating Systems: Windows® XP SP3/Windows Vista SP1 only.
Processor: 2.6 GHz dual-core or 3 GHz for Intel Pentium D.
RAM: 2 GB Recommended (1GB minimum).
Graphics Card: 128 MB DirectX® 9.0 compliant & Shader 3.0 enabled.
Sound Card: Any DirectX® 9.0 or 10.0 compatible card.
Optical Drive: 4x dual-layer DVD-ROM
Online: Broadband with at least 384 Kbps upstream.

Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway will be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 23, 2008 in North America and Microsoft Windows version PC’s the following a week on September 30, 2008.