Microsoft plans to upgrade its disc technology in its next console to Blu-Ray discs, according to industry sources.

Sony, its competitors, utilizes the disc technology in its PlayStation 3, which contains 25 or 50GB of data compared to only 9GB on DVD discs. However, the disc integration could be far less impactful to the next generation of game consoles.

“I’ve heard from one reliable industry source that Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720,” reports Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo. “My source wasn’t sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine.”

Totilo also reports that Microsoft is interested in making a smaller controller for its new console.

Throughout history there have been a select characters that have represented a set console generation. Many of these iconic characters reside as console poster boys, however they’re much more then that. These characters are the reasons why gamers, and casual gamers, purchase a set console.

In my studies throughout this generation, I’ve personally composed a list of the characters that have shaped this generation of console; so far, of course. This list is a non-bias composition of characters that have single-handedly shaped this generation, all of the iconic characters that we already love, won’t be on this list – no discrimination was important when making this list.

The first character I’ll like to mention is Nathan Drake, the chromatic and adventurous, adventurer. I placed him as one of the more iconic characters of this generation because he has single-handedly transformed the way characters are portrayed in video games. His realistic mannerisms have changed the way developers craft characters — challenging developers and animators to really take on character development in a different form. Personally, I find his impact to the industry hard to describe. But, understand this; his influence has re-imagine the iconic Tomb Raider franchise.

The next character I’ll like to mention is Desmond Miles/Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad/Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who are all technically the same person. I didn’t pick these characters based off what they’ve done but, instead, because they matter so much to this generation of console. The Assassin’s Creed franchise represents something greater, it could indeed represent this generation as a whole because the titles have improved so much over each installment, in terms of plot and gameplay.

The next character I’ll like to mention is Commander Shepard, who’s an important addition to this list. He’s the main reason I decided to conduct this list of the today’s most iconic characters. Basically, Shepard has fitted to everyone’s portrait of him or her, giving the player an emotional attachment to the story, which is an incredible task within itself. But, more importantly, the addition of the “Decision Wheel,” which has transformed character interaction forever because of it has “simplified” the in-game decision process for consoles.

The next character I picked, the Big Daddy. Picking the Big Daddy was challenge for me because, well, I wanted to pick Jack, the character whom the player controls. But, I couldn’t; the Big Daddy character was prefect in representing BioShock, a game that has transformed story telling in video games forever. The game was so artfullily crafted and unique that, even though the main character couldn’t talk, the story was relayed throw the people around Jack and the location.

In conclusion, I’ll like to mention Marcus Fenix, the main character of Epic’s Gears of War series. As I’ve said, each generation their are characters the define a generation of console, and I believe that Fenix represents this generation of console for Microsoft. Master Chef wholehearted represent the original Xbox and the revolution of the first person shooter, and Gears of War represents the revolution of cover-based third-person shooters, it just makes sense that he would be one of this generations more iconic characters.

I’ll also like to mention these characters: Sackboy, Niko Bellic, John Marston, Issac Clarke and GlaDOS.

*These characters also represent the both assistant characters and main characters.

During the Microsoft press conference, Ray Muzyka stepped on stage to announced Kinect support for Mass Effect 3. However, Kinect isn’t planned as the primary input of the game; it’s used to “augment” the experience.

When the game releases, players will be able to command their team on the battlefield using the motion device — in addition to verbally using the dialog three, the main conversation feature from past installments of the series.

According to a WinRumors source, Microsoft engineers have been hard at work “for some months” developing a Silverlight application which will allow Windows Phone developers to bring their applications to its home console.

Developers have already been coding Windows Phone applications using Silverlight tools. The software programmer had originally planned to bring the service to consoles, however it failed to attach a specific timescale to an update.

According to another source, Microsoft maybe planning to launch its own application Marketplace adding the potential for writing apps for both phones and consoles. In addition, Microsoft is expected to make an announcement at its MIX 11 developer conference.

In response to a dominating marketing campaign, Kinect, the “controller-free” motion control device, has sold out at many traditional retailers. However, consumers can still grab the device bundled with a console, but they’re “thinning at this time.”

WalMart, apparently, has a some of the devices remaining, but a spokesperson warned, “there is going to be very high demand for these products. We will continue to restock throughout the season.”

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of excitement and demand for (Kinect) and saw lines at our midnight openings around the country,” said Best Buy’s Chris Homeister. “We are currently sold out online, but we continue to work with Microsoft to obtain product shipments now and throughout the holiday season.”

As speculated, Microsoft has unveiled a smaller, sleeker version of the Xbox 360, packing a 250GB hard drive and built-in wi-fi. And, according to Microsoft’s Don Mattrick, it will be hitting retail by the end of this week — priced at $299. Below are the specs:

Xbox 360 250GB

Xbox 360 is fully loaded with new features and still comes with everything you know and love. Here’s a feature list to make sure you don’t miss any of the newest Xbox 360 250GB parts.

Form Factor: Sleek, lean and gloss black finish with chrome accents. Place vertically or horizontally in any living room entertainment center.

Touch Sensitive Buttons: Turn the Xbox 360 video game system on/off and eject a disc with the swipe of a finger.

Whisper Quiet: Whether you’re playing a DVD disc or from the hard drive, or navigating the dashboard, with the all-new and much quieter Xbox 360, the only noise you’ll hear is your own laughing, cheering and playing.

Wi-Fi: Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi for fast, easy connection to your friends and entertainment on Xbox LIVE.

Hard Drive: 250GB internal, swappable hard drive for even more storage. To access, remove the bottom panel by pushing the small tab toward the front of the console.

Kinect-Ready: Custom Kinect port on the back of the console that directly hooks up to the Kinect sensor for controller-free fun.

USB Slots: Five USB ports; three in the back of the console and two in the front for easy plug and play.

AV Connections:

AV Cable included for standard definition TV connnection.
HDMI port for high definition TV connection.
Optical Audio out port integrated on back of console for AV system connection.

Power Supply: Smaller and more efficient. Xbox 360 250GB and Xbox 360 Original power supplies are not interchangeable.

Wireless Controller: The award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controller matches the console in all black with color-matched thumsticks and directional pad with a touch of gloss and chrome to complete the look.

Backwards Compatible. Your favorite accessories and games will work with Xbox 360 250GB. (Xbox 360 External Hard Drives and Memory Units are not compatible.)

Accessories. Customize your Xbox 360 250GB with matching black accessories, including favorites such as Controllers, Wireless Headset, Chatpad, Quick Charge and Play & Charge Kits and more. Get a look at a few of these today.

Key Internal Components Changes:

Fan: Moved from two small fans to one larger fan for improved acoustics.
Chipset: 45 nanometer and integrated CPU and GPU.
Wi-Fi: Integrated wireless capability.

There’s nothing more debilitating then the darkness; it’s unwielding and it emits an irregular feeling of discomfort, tension. However, when you turn a light, all the discomforts seem to dissipate. This is the primness behind Alan Wake; making the darkness dissipate. That in mind, Alan Wake, obviously, isn’t an childhood narrative of the dark; it’s the tale of a brave soul plunging into the darkness. Evidently enough, Alan Wake delivers on its promises — it delivering an “unforgettable” experience, etc.

Apparently, it’s hectic being a best-selling author, especially when you have cortical writers block. However, as soon as Alan Wake is given some “time away from it all”, he’s forced into the writing a new novel. A novel that, for some apparent reason, he doesn’t recall writing. Nevertheless, the novel spills from fictionalization, into realization. And, somewhere throughout the process, his wife, Alice, goes missing. Now, Alan Wake’s on a quest to solve the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance — and to uncover the pages of the missing manuscript.

Dark forces populating the night are a tradition form of storytelling element from throughout the horror genre. But, there are some unique storytelling elements throughout Alan Wake. The most interesting element being the manuscript pages. These pages relay foreshadowed events; giving the player an insight to the future and past events. There are also abandoned TV and radio sets. The television and radio broadcasts are particularly intriguing; and they also give the player insight to foreshadowing events.

That said, there aren’t a lot of distractions that take the player off the beaten path, including collectibles. However, there are some vehicular segments that make the gameplay more diversified, but these segments feel out of place and monotonous. The vehicular segments just can’t compare to the on-foot combat. In terms of combat, the game takes advantage of two unique mechanics; light and weaponry mechanics. These mechanic aren’t only unique, but they add to the overall tension.

It’s because of these is an intuitive mechanics that the combat is so varied; basically, the more you progress, the more skills are needed to evaded attacking enemies and to dispose of them. This incentive mechanic truly intensify the experience, giving the game a bit more longevity, unpredictability. However, were Alan Wake truly shines is in the presentation department; there’s no doubting that Alan Wake is an impressive looking, sounding title. The in-game lighting is amazing, and the sound is top rate.

Nevertheless, though Alan Wake is a technological masterpiece, it lacks a climax and memorable moments. The beginning of the title sets the intension for the rest of the experience, but there are few instances were this intension is capitalized on. Thus sending sending the player into the predictable whirlpool; there aren’t too many unpredictable moments throughout. However, this isn’t to say that there aren’t different takes on the core action. It’s just that these situations don’t necessary count as “unexpected” moments.

Closing Statement:

It’s not the genre defining experience that we all were hoping for, but it’s pretty damn good. Remedy has truly developed a universe that’s truly unique, beside it sampling some from the elements within its genre — in the terms of atmosphere. Despite its flaws, Alan Wake is still a gripping, nerve-wracking experience. Though some may disagree, Alan Wake is a tough game to put down once you’ve started. That said, if you’ve haven’t already picked this up; rush out and purchase it.

Final Score: 8.4

Today, Insomniac Games announced their partnership with Electronic Arts giving the developers upcoming title multiplatform status. “We want to reach more players,” CEO Ted Price told GameSpot.

“We’ve always been very excited about our PS3 fanbase, but we’re at the time in our company growth where we would like to also bring the entertainment experiences we’re creating to the Xbox 360 fanbase… Certainly, our interest is in owning what we create. And working with EAP, we can do that and that’s a boon for us.”

However, while this doesn’t mean that Ratchet & Clank or Resistance will be multiplatform, it does mean that their future IPs will be multiplatform. In addition, it also doesn’t mean that the developer will complete forget about the PlayStation 3.

“I want to make it clear that we’re not stopping working with Sony,” continued Price. “We’ve had a long relationship with Sony, and we’ve produced some great franchises together, and our commitment to them and those franchises–Ratchet and Resistance–remain just as strong.”

A few months back, I got an e-mail from Netflix stating that in the near future they will be offering their wonderful service on the Nintendo Wii. I signed up, thinking “why not. It’s free after all”. Fast-forward to the present, and I received a disc from Netflix in one of their famous red envelopes. So I pop the sucker in, register it, and away I went.

First thing I notice is the interface. To say the least, it’s great. You simply press left, or right, on the d-pad or drag the scroll bar with the Wiimote. Up or down arrow changes the criteria. One negative is that there is no search button. I guess they left that out to make the presentation smoother.

I first tested out ‘24‘ to see how the conversion from HD was. The loading time was 19 seconds, by my count. The video quality was just on par with a DVD. My connection isn’t all that great, but Netflix Wii made it shine.

Next, I tested an old cartoon series, The Super Mario Brothers Show. The loading time was about 15 seconds. The video quality, obviously, wasn’t all that great, because the source material wasn’t that great. Lastly, I tested Beetlejuice, and the loading time was 24 seconds. Not that bad at all, for a full length movie. The video quality was DVD quality, also.

One thing users maybe disheartened about is the lack of HD support. First of all, the Wii cannot even output video in HD, secondly, for the majority of us, it won’t matter. I certainly don’t mind DVD quality video from streaming from the Wii. If I wanted to watch it in HD, I would buy an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but then  you’ll would lose the point-and-click interface.

Overall, I can fully recommend Netflix Wii. It’s easy, it’s free, and it got me using my Netflix account a lot more than before.

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

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

I recent had the chance to sit down with Pint Shot Riot’s Baby Dave to talk about their future within the gaming industry and what they think of it thus far.

GCO: I’ll like to start this interview with some general questions — if you don’t mind. How do you feel about video games this day in age?

Bady Dave, Band Member/ Band Representative: “I feel there has been such amazing developments in video games since I started playing them it’s unreal. I definitely enjoy a session in my spare time and the games are getting better and better.”

GCO: If you were on a isolated island, which console would you take with you — just for keeps, of course?

BD: “Definitely an Xbox 360, especially if it is hooked up to Xbox live!”

GCO: Do you believe that Dante’s Inferno should get a sequel?

BD: I’ve no idea I’ve not played it sorry

GCO: Now, with those question out of the way, how did you all get into the EA Games, and how has the experience been so far?

BD: “We were spotted by E.A, they approached us and it just went from there really. It has been an amazing experience so far, especially being on Fifa, which has been my favourite game series for years!”

GCO: What’s the story behind your band’s name?

BD: Rocket was texting his friend one day when he noticed that if you use predictive text, the words pint, shot and riot are typed in with the same numbers and it just seemed a perfect fit for us.

GCO: If you weren’t making music, what would do?

GD: Spend a lot more time playing Xbox for one! I’d probably teach music if I wasn’t making music full-time, I always enjoy passing on tips to people learning the bass guitar.

GCO: I know these aren’t a EA game, but are you guys planning on playing God of War III, or Final Fantasy XIII?

BD: Not for me actually, I’m not a massive RPG fan, I prefer sports or fighting games.

GCO: Are you please tell our reads how they could be more involved with your band?

BD: Sure, you can find us on www.pintshotriot.co.uk and you will find links to our Facebook and Myspace pages there too. We have some free downloads available there too so feel free to get amongst it!

GCO: That said, I’ll like to thank you for your time.

BD: No problem, thank you too! Baby Dave

[EA Music - Blog - Facebook]

It’s hard to say that something has “out done” the original without some kind of proof, something without a doubt proofing that the successor is better than the original. Throughout the review process, I considered searching for this. Then I stopped and realized that I needed no evidence; this sequel is proof on its own. That’s why I pride myself by saying that BioWare have outdone themselves with Mass Effect 2. By them doing so, they’ve fulfilled the promises of the original while continuing to push the boundaries of what we can expect from a modern-day role-playing game.

Intended to capture a darker and more serious tone, Mass Effect 2 begins with an attack on the SSV Normandy, leaving it destroyed and Shepard, series protagonist, missing in action. However, thanks to some “unexplainable” events, Shepard returns. This time under the influence of a controversial pro-human organization called Cerberus. You see, human colonies have been disappearing across the galaxy and The Illusive Man, the watchful eyes of Cerberus, needs you to find and eliminated the forces behind these disappearances. However, Shepard can’t do this alone; he’ll need a squad.

In total there are eleven squad members, each with their own past experiences and specialization. However their most important attribute are their motivations; their motivations add a level of engagement to the Mass Effect 2 experience. For example, Thane, a Drell assassin, has chosen to fight alongside you in his final hours. Just by this example alone, you can understand him; him wanting to pass on in a positive light and the absolution of his sins. Its human characteristics like these that build a bond between the player and the character, an aspect present throughout the Mass Effect 2 experience.

Another engaging aspect of Mass Effect 2 is the improved combat and control systems. Though the controls are relatively the same, BioWare added more options to the control interface with better squad commands and a smoother cover system, addressing complaints of the original. These improvements have drastically changed the control and combat systems, making for a more streamlined, action-packed experienced. However, these systems need work; they are choppy and poorly mixed into combat. Add in some collision issues, and you add for a bad combination; in other words, prepare for a bit of bedlam.

This is what brings me to the technical aspect of Mass Effect 2. Taking note of the criticisms from the original, BioWare has improved on Mass Effect in almost every way. However, the most notable complaint of the original were its technical and presentational issues. That in mind, I’m happy to report that there are no major technical issues to speak of; this is a much smoother experience when compared to the original. But, thanks to the games excellent presentational style, it’s able to seamlessly makes up for any technical mishaps that may happen — there maybe some unseen glitches present.

However, the technical and presentational aspects aren’t the only things that have improved. BioWare also streamlined the games inventory and skill management systems. Though these systems may seem a bit dumbed down from the original, they divert the attention away from content management and onto visceral combat –- visceral combat being very important in this installment. In other words, you’ll don’t have to worry about the armor your teammates equipped with anymore, and seeing that content selection is slim, it shouldn’t take you more than a few moments to get your squad prepped for action.

Closing Statement:

Though there maybe some questionable missteps, planet scanning being a prefect example of one, Mass Effect 2 is the share-product of a developer lessening to the criticisms of the fans and innovating on them. As I said at the beginning of the review, I pride myself by saying that BioWare have outdone themselves with this sequel and, if you have been paying attention, you’ll know that is a game that was only achievable thanks impart to the collective criticisms of its fans. In other words, I can’t wait to see what the final installment in the series is to bring to the table.

Final Score: 9.4

Have you ever sucked at a game? And whatever you did, or do, you continued to suck? (Yeah, me too.) But, there’s a theory behind the madness. In a study published in The Journal of the Cerebral Cortex, it revealed that the size of your brain can actually have an affect on your gaming skills.

Scientists at the University of Illinois have studied specific parts of the Striatum, a collection of tissues deep inside your cerebral cortex, and it revealed that brain size can influence a gamers ability to “refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environments,” or in other words, playing games.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to take a real world task like a video game and show that the size of specific brain regions is predictive of performance and learning rates on this video game,” said Kirk Erickson, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the author on the study.

“Playing a game which requires very fast deployment of visual attention and motor movement could prime a strategy of speed over accuracy,” explained Nelson, “while playing a game which emphasizes a slower, more thoughtful pace could prime the opposite pattern. The main point is that different kinds of video games engage different cognitive and perceptual skills, and there are measurable differences in their effects, even in the short term.”

However, it does not work in reverse; you can’t play a bunch of video games and grow those structures in your brain — you’re stuck with the equipment you’re given from birth.

Despite having previously stated that trilogy’s exclusiveness is “in the question”, the Mass Effect series lead project director, Casey Hudson revealed that the trilogy, just like how it started, will finish on Microsoft’s platform. When questioned about the trilogy going multi-platform, Hudson had a couple of choice words:

“You get the Xbox 360 or your PC, but the Xbox 360 is the one that’s going to run out of time at some point, and you create your character and play through an entire trilogy on that platform,” Hudson told GameZone.

As early last week, Hudson did revealed that he’s expecting a “short turnaround” with the development of third installment into the trilogy, meaning that after the release of Mass Effect 2, development should begin shortly after. Be that as it may, this news still confirms a multi-platform Mass Effect 3; it doesn’t detract from there being one.

Microsoft has done it again, delivering content on its platform before anyone else can receive it. However, unsurprisingly, there are two sides to this pandemic; one supporting Microsoft, and the other against Microsoft dishing out money for exclusives. That said, Microsoft has responded to the “non-supporters”, who are non-supportive of them with their current downloadable content deal.

“I think about it like a sports team, when you sign a star athlete for your team… when you sign that free agent, I think it makes your team better. At the end of the day, we want to turn as many people as possible into Xbox 360 fans,” said Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg when asked about the business of getting exclusive content with ArsTechnica.

“…on top of that, to take the biggest game of last year, and be the exclusive place you can get that downloadable content first, I think that’s a big deal. That’s a big reason you’d want to buy an Xbox 360 instead of another console, “he continued. “So we think from a business standpoint that’s part of the reason more people are buying the Xbox 360, more people are on Xbox Live, it’s part of the reason more people are buying Modern Warfare 2—more than two to one our box vs. the PS3.”

Sony had a very impressive 2009; however, Microsoft is seeking to gain 2010. That said, with expectations set very high on both fronts, Microsoft has added Fable III to the list of games that it will be releasing this year — something that we did see coming, seeing that Lionhead announced the game late-last year.

According to Microsoft’s CES press release, the company is looking to fill its gaming holiday release schedule with highly anticipated titles, such as Halo: Reach and Fable III. “Our holiday line-up of games includes the highly anticipated Fable III, followed by Halo Reach,” read the press release. With that in mind, Fable III is scheduled to release this holiday season on the Xbox 360.

Alan Wake is most likely one of the most anticipated titles of this year, with it nearing development completion, Microsoft revealed during the Consumer Electronics Show that Alan Wake will indeed have “downloadable episodes” after its release — something that was previously mentioned in an interview.

“We have talked about it, and with our episode-based structure, it would be very logical,” Alan Wake creator and writer Sam Lake told Kotaku. “But nothing has been decided on the matter, and right now, we are fully focused on polishing the game and shipping it. After that, let’s see.”

Following its announcement, Capcom polled the fans asking them if they wanted the Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition content in hard-disc form or in a downloadable form. That said, excluding the “Wesker’s Mansion” mission – the first episode – Capcom announced the second episode of downloadable content for Resident Evil 5, “Desperate Escape”.

Desperate Escape, slated to release in March, features series characters Jill Valentine and Josh Stone as they attempt to escape a Tri-cell facility, as well as hordes of zombies. The Desperate Escape downloadable content takes place at the end of Resident Evil 5, as Jill and Josh race to help Chris and Sheva against Albert Wesker.

Desperate Escape will be available on March 3 for Xbox 360 and March 4 for PlayStation 3.

Ever since its announcement, fans have been asking for the introduction of the original Left 4 Dead 1 survivors with the new Left 4 Dead 2 cast. That said, Valve today announced the first piece of downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2, which will feature the introduction of the two survivor casts.

Due out next spring, The Passing will take place between the Dead Center and the Dark Carnival campaigns within Left 4 Dead 2. Set in a small town within rural Georgia, players will assume the role of the L4D2 survivors as they meet up with the L4D1 survivors.

However, that’s not all. The Passing will also include new arenas for Survival, Versus and Scavenge, which will introduce a new co-operative challenge mode of play. As well as, a new “uncommon common” zombie class, melee weapon, and firearm. With that said, The Passing is targeted for release in early spring for the PC and Xbox 360. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.

For years, Rockstar have been keen on reminding its investors of the money-making potential of its Red Dead Revolver franchise. Back in February, the publisher announced Red Dead Redemption, the sequel to its first western shoot ‘em up. However, since the announcement, Redemption has been pushed into 2010; with no announcement of its new release date. But, that’s all about change.

With a lot of heavy hitters, hitting within the first quarter of 2010, Rockstar has announced that Red Dead Redemption will release on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in April, that’s within the exact same time-frame. However, if that wasn’t enough, the publisher also announced that a new trailer will premiere on December 1 for Red Dead Redemption.

“The team at San Diego have massively exceeded our expectations with the sheer depth of experiences in Red Dead Redemption,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The seamless combination of breathtaking beauty and intense action, all woven together with strong plotlines in a massive vibrant, rural environment is mind-blowing. We think this game helps to push the limits of what an open-world gaming experience can be.”

If you’ve played the original, you’ll known that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men was an entertaining but rough-edged game (it was littered with controversy, most notable the firing of Jeff Gerstman). But, with all the hope in the world, maybe they can address these issues in the sequel, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days.

Square-Enix Europe have announced today that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be releasing sometime next year on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The sequel “is a raw and brutal crime shooter designed to take players on an even more intense story experience, following two of gaming’s most disturbed criminals, through the gritty Shanghai underworld.”

However, they aren’t calling Kane and Lynch 2 a sequel. They’re calling it “[a game] inspired by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era,” meaning that it could be a game played documentary style, or something like that. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be released under the Eidos games label  in 2010.

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.

Final Fantasy XIII will be hitting North American stores on March 9th, announced its developer Square Enix today – just so that you guys know, that’s the same exact month that God of War III will be hitting stores, meaning that March is going to be an amazing month for gaming.

Along with this announcement, Square Enix have also released a new video for the game showcasing the new battle system, the Paradigm system; just for fans to get a better understanding for the new system. Final Fantasy XIII will release on both the Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 March of next year, the Japanese will be getting the game on December 17th.

This holiday season is a huge one for video games; with games selling a number of millions within weeks or, even, a day. However, there are a good number of “underdogs” within this holiday season, who sadly have little public awareness – therefore, they’re producers of low sales. But, it seems that these two underdogs (Brutal Legend and DJ Hero) are, actually, doing very will for their first month on the market.

Released on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Brutal Legend sold over 215,000 units in the month of October, compared with DJ Hero‘s 122,300 units on the 360, PS3, Wii, and PlayStation 2 within the same month. Which is, somewhat, a surprise seeing that, one, they’re both holiday underdogs and, two, DJ Hero’s prices range from $100-$200, $200 being the games “Renegade Edition” – the highest edition.

OCTOBER US SALES:

1. Brutal Legend (360) – 150,000 units
2. Brutal Legend (PS3) – 66,000 units
3. DJ Hero (360) – 62,000 units
4. DJ Hero (PS3) – 39,000 units
5. DJ Hero (Wii) – 19,000 units
6. DJ Hero (PS2) – 3,300 units

[Thanks to GameSpot]

Modern Warfare 2 is estimated to sell a total of 12 million units within the remaining year; that’s between the months of October and December. That said, this morning, it was revealed that Modern Warfare 2 sold over 1.23 million units in the UK in 24 hours.

According to GameSpot, using the UK sales estimation, Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter stated that the overall first day sales of Modern Warfare 2 could total 7 million units worldwide. “While the two-times week-one tally for GTA IV may seem aggressive, the bottom line is that we believe current consensus estimates of around 12 million for the December quarter may end up being conservative,” he told analyst.

I’ll explain this for those that need help understanding it how he got the total. Seeing that most UK sales portion that of those in the United States, he did a rough estimation coming to the total of 7 million units sold worldwide on its first day. However, if this estimation is true, this would mean that Modern Warfare 2 is the fastest selling video game, period. Along with that, VGChartz are reporting that the game sold 7 million units worldwide on its first day.

If you aren’t happy with the current map selection for Brütal Legend‘s Stage Battle multiplayer mode, I have some important news for you. Double Fine, the games developers, have announced Brütal Legend’s first episode of downloadable content entitled “Tears of the Hextadon“, which includes two new maps for the games Stage Battle mode.

In the first map, Circle of Tears, vile waters have carved a rough-hewn circular battlefield into a forsaken land that players must circumvent to destroy their opponent. In the second map, Death’s Fjord, players find themselves on an icy mountain pass with a dense cluster of fans that lie below, waiting to be harvested by those brave enough to capture them without cover from enemy attack. Also, all players who download the new map pack will receive a free axe, the Blade of Ormagöden.

“I play Brütal Legend online every night,” said Tim Schafer, President of Double Fine Productions. “And I need more maps! Circle of Tears is named after the crying of my vanquished foes on the battlefield, and Death’s Fjord is obviously a tribute to my Nordic ancestors, and their love of fan geysers and… Well, actually I just thought the name was cool. See you online!”

Tears of the Hextadon will be available on Xbox LIVE on November 3 for 400 MS Points and on PlayStation Network on November 5. And to up the anty, those that purchase the game via the PlayStation Network by November 19 will be able to download the content for free.

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.

Prepare for the ultimate invasion! The most anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Infinity Ward‘s Modern Warfare 2 will strike worldwide on November 10, 2009. And, MAN!, November 10th can’t come soon enough.

Although its predecessor, Street Fighter IV, has a very successful arcade version, it seems that the newest expansion Super Street Fighter IV won’t be getting an arcade release, after all – its producer Yoshinoro Ono told GamesReactor in a reveal interview about Super Street Fighter IV.

“So, unfortunately, I’m sorry to say to arcade fans out there: there won’t be an arcade version of this. I think a lot of people were kind of requesting an arcade update .I know that, in some parts of the world, it doesn’t really matter if there’s an arcade version or not,” he told GamesReactor.

“But certainly in Japan and the rest of Asia and some parts of the Oceania, there’s still a lot of people playing in arcades. So, I’m sorry to disappoint them but this time its going to be Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 only affair.” Super Street Fighter IV is slated to ship in spring of 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

[Thanks to the Examiner]

Now that Street Fighter IV has done series justice, Capcom is looking to expand the series with a new title called Super Street Fighter IV, reports GameSpot. In which Capcom plans on improving everything about the original, meaning more playable characters, new ultra combos, improved online features, and rebalanced characters.

However, this isn’t a downloadable add-on for Street Fighter IV. You see, when Street Fighter IV was in development, certain aspects of code weren’t laid out in a way to support the features being added to Super Street Fighter IV. As a result, SSFIV will be released as a standalone disc that won’t be sold at full price.

But, don’t get rid your copy of Street Fighter IV just yet. According to its producer, Yoshinori Ono, SSFIV offers SFIV owners a bonus content that Capcom hasn’t revealed yet. As far as what to expect from the new game, Super Street Fighter IV will be a mix of feedback by Street Fighter IV fans, and a mixture of new content that the team had originally planned to add to Street Fighter IV.

As a result, the game’s original roster of 25 characters is being bumped up by roughly eight new playable characters, including T. Hawk and Juri, as Capcom is looking to add both new and retro characters to the mix. Super Street Fighter IV is slated to ship in spring of 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The Alternative Edition of Resident Evil 5 may have sparked a bit jealousy within 360 owners. However, during a Darkside Chronicles stage event at the Tokyo Game Show, producer Jun Takeuchi talked about new content that will be added to the 360 version of Resident Evil 5.

The new content that he mention was an added mission to the 360 version Resident Evil 5, which originally served a as flashback scene; with Chris and Jill duking it out with Wesker in the mansion. 360 owners may not have the availability of motion control yet. However, according to Dengeki, Capcom plans on offering the new content in “a different form” to 360 owners.

Today, Rockstar revealed a new character that will be featured in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, Yusuf Amir – who is obviously a main character in the game – via a trailer.

The exclusive 360 episode, Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, 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. The Ballad of Gay Tony will release on Xbox LIVE this October for $19.99 or 1600 MS points and requires players to have Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download.

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.

[nggallery id=31]

So what! Conviction didn’t actually make its 2009 release schedule, but those who are eagerly awaiting Sam Fisher’s return won’t have to wait much longer. According to IGN, UbiSoft officially “nailed” its release date, basically, setting it up for a February 23rd release in the United States.

For those in Europe, you’ll have to wait a couple of extra days – exactly how many “extra days” is still a mystery. Also, both the Xbox 360 and PC versions will hit store selves at the same time, which is more good news. “The added few months of development time is being used for final polishing and tweaking,” added Ubisoft. More news on the European release date should be revealed soon.

Today, 2K Games announced that BioShock 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2007 Game of the Year, will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010. The good news being that BioShock 2 stayed within the first half of 2010 time frame – as stated when they delayed the game. The bad news, we’ll still have to wait a bit longer.

Currently in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, “BioShock 2 will deliver two unique, yet intertwined experiences that form the perfect blend of explosive first-person shooter combat, compelling storytelling and intense multiplayer action” – reads the press release. Once again, BioShock 2 will be available worldwide on February 9, 2010.

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.”

I thought that Electronic Arts wasn’t going to do this, but it looks like the “Skate” series is turning into a yearly thing, which isn’t a move that I condole – I’ll talk more about that later. Anyway, Electronic Arts announced the third installment into their “Skate” franchise, Skate 3. And, unlike the first two games, Skate 3 centers more around forming a skate crew and taking on rival crews.

Scheduled to release in May 2010, “players can now team up with one an other to build the ultimate skate crew in the definitive skateboarding co-op experience” – reads the press release. In a move to depart from the past Skate titles, Skate 3 lets players leave their mark on the all-new skater’s paradise, Port Carverton. “We’re giving gamers a very unique experience by providing them with the tools they need to build their ultimate team or to create a team comprised entirely of their online friends. From there, it’s all about proving yourself – teaming up, and throwing down,” added Senior Producer, Jason DeLong.

Featuring an all-new co-op mode in where teammates can complete challenges together while advancing each other’s careers, the game will retain some of the classic features the rewarding epic bails and fails with a beefed up Hall of Meat mode to honing your craft with the all-new skate.School, in were players of all skill levels have multiple ways to “kill it” in the game. The franchise also continues to raise the bar for user created content with the skate.Create feature suite, an innovative toolset that empowers gamers to truly express their skate style by creating their own graphics, videos, and skate parks. Being developed by Black Box, an Electronic Arts studio, Skate 3 will be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2010.

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.

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).

Rockstar have been quite and it hasn’t said much about much about newest expansion to Grand Theft Auto IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony, ever since it was announced back in May. However, in recent weeks, they have been going all out, even releasing the first pair of screenshots and its release date. In this coming week, you’ll get to see more.

On Tuesday, September 1, they’ll finally release the first trailer for The Ballad of Gay Tony, which will be featured with the Episodes from Liberty City trailer.  The Episodes from Liberty City is a disc-based version featuring both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony add-ons for Xbox 360. Once again, the trailer will release on Tuesday, September 1.

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.

With the overwhelming power it will take to run Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase confirmed that the 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII will ship on multiple discs, as previously thought.

“This is not the final count as we’re still working on it, but we’re aiming for about three discs for the Xbox 360 version,” he stated when talking about the number of discs. After that, he then when on to assure that the two versions of the game will be practically identical, although he did concede that there will be “subtle differences” between the two.

“The 360 version and the PS3 version should be pretty much equal, both in terms of content and the visuals as well,” he continued. ”Since the hardware is different, there might be some subtle differences if you compare screenshots side by side, but the team’s being very careful about the compression of the data and the visuals, so that it’s exactly the same on both.”

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.

Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the Dragon Age: Origins Collector’s Edition and pre-order incentive program. The Collector’s Edition is a premium package available in limited quantities featuring exclusive Dragon Age: Origins collectibles including a unique steel case, a cloth map of the world of Dragon Age, a Making-of documentary DVD, a digital version of the Dragon Age: Origins soundtrack, game trailers, wallpapers, strategy tips and a concept art video, plus three exclusive downloadable items that will provide special advantages to the player.

The Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order today at www.eastore.ea.com for an MSRP of $74.99 (console) and $64.99 (PC) in North America.

As an added bonus, Dragon Age: Origins (both original and Collector’s Edition) includes two special pieces of downloadable content: The Stone Prisoner, as well as a suit of Dragon Age themed armor that can be used in Dragon Age: Origins as well as in the upcoming BioWare Shooter RPG, Mass Effect 2 on all available platforms.

With The Stone Prisoner download pack, players will have access to Shale, the mighty stone golem who can become one of the most powerful party members in the game, and comes with its own personal back-story and unique quests for the player to discover. The Stone Prisoner will also include new environments, items and hours of additional gameplay, further deepening the epic Dragon Age experience. The Stone Prisoner is available to original purchasers of new copies of Dragon Age: Origins at no additional cost. The Stone Prisoner can also be purchased separately for $15.

In addition, players who purchase a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins (original or Collector’s Edition) will receive a code to download the Blood Dragon Armor, an exclusive set of themed armor that will give the player additional protection in combat. This armor will be available for use in both Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2.

I don’t know that much about fighting games, mainly because I grow up in household filled with shooter enthusiasts, but I know for a fact that The King of Fighters series has been around for along time. So long that, if I recall, KOF series played key part as the counter to the popular Street Fighter series. However, over the recent years, The King of Fighters series has lost some of its momentum, make that all of its momentum. Fortunately, The King of Fighters XII doesn’t disappoint.

Boasting a total of 22 fighters, this King of Fighters title is a radical departure from past titles. If you played previous KOF titles, you’ll know that there’s a large amount of fighters normally featured in a game of its kind, but this installment doesn’t have a large group of fighters. The main reason being, for such a low fighter count, is the amount of time the developers spent making a fighter – because all the fighters have been drawn by hand. But, SNK, the developers, have already stated that they’ll be working on more characters as DLC. However, compared with some of the other fighting titles out there, this isn’t a bad turn out.

This hand-drawn style took a lot of man power to create. So much, in fact. That SNK had to set aside a complete team to do the visuals. By doing this, SNK insured very detailed environments and characters. But, as you can tell, this style has a questionable side to it. One, obviously, being the time it takes to create one character. However, as I stated, this is a very good turn out for any fighting game today. Another thing about the characters in the game, KOFXII features a list with character that were in the early titles in the series, this was done with the plan to please fans of the series. And it works.

Speaking of visuals, The King of Fighters XII is absolutely gorgeous – thanks in collaboration to hand-drawn visuals – the game is smooth and stunning. Basically, making up for the series’ lowest franchise count, which, for a fighting title these days, isn’t a bad turn out. However, the key issue with the characters is pixilation. As you can tell, this hand-drawn style is meant for modern day arcades, and it doesn’t play out so will on consoles. Luckily, SNK realized this and added three selectable levels of character filtering options. These filters blur the still-pixilated models making them easier to look at in high-res. But, one can only wonder why KOFXII’s sprites weren’t featured in HD. But, The King of Fighter XII finds all of its triumphs in its combat.

Losing Tactical Shift, the game introduces a Critical Counter and Clash mechanic. Critical Counter mechanics is activated when one player counters an attack with a heavy punch or kick, giving the player that activated it a small window to preform a damaging combo. Along with that, the Clash system works like this, when both fighters strike simultaneously with the same attack, the game breaks the characters up. Anyway, the reactions made by both systems are very enjoyable and entertaining. These aspects are what make the game entertaining and, like I stated, this is were The King of Fighters XII finds its triumph. That and its control scheme.

Closing Statement:

The King of Fighters XII is a mixture of both pain and pleasure. The pain being some of the very poor presentation chooses, like the repetitive menu music, boring menu screens, and a barely functional online component. The pleasure being the awesome gameplay, which is the core of the game making put for almost everything. However, when you put aside all the pains, in which I didn’t list all, you’ll find a true to the heart fighting title. But, because you have to put aside so many mistakes, this game is bitter sweet but it doesn’t disappoint at its core.

Score: B-

Speaking at a Press Conference in Tokyo last week, Square Enix’s Yoichi Wada stated that a release date for long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII could be revealed in a matter of weeks.

Anyway, Wada told the Japanese press that he would make “an announcement in a few weeks”. However, if you look at the stated time, this could mean that Square Enix is announcing the game’s release at the Tokyo Game Show – scheduled for late September.

The title is due out in Japan this winter, with its Western debut, on PS3 and Xbox 360, expected sometime in 2010. However, we’re hoping to see more on the title at Tokyo because Square has confirmed that the tile will certainly be in attendance.

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.

Note: This is an article was written for the sole purpose of the Arthur’s experience with Left 4 Dead 2, with his dislikes and likes, however, this isn’t a “hands-on” of the game, but we will have a review once the game has released.

At E3, we were shown the first revealed level of Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel to the revered PC and Xbox 360 title. There, we had our choice of preferred console, select food and drink, and even some excellent posters courtesy of Valve. In case you don’t know, Valve does an excellent E3 suite, and to my knowledge, always has.

EA’s showing of the latest revealed level, a swamp, was a little less homey and a little more ghoulish. Set in the same room as Dragon Age, GI Joe and Saboteur, L4D2 had its own entire wall, and to the right of it a leg sticking out of a wall and a body hanging from the ceiling. A nice touch, though perhaps a little extreme for the fast-paced fun that is Left 4 Dead.

Seated, armed only with puny Xbox 360 controllers (seriously, it’s a PC game, and I’m not being a snob about it), the new team begins in the swamp area. A large building, some marshes and a sniper rifle later, my friend and cameraman, myself, and two strangers were under attack by a horde while trying to escape from one land mass to another. Glitchyness aside (one guy accidentally flew off into the water, for no apparent reason except that the hiding alligators compelled him), the brainless zombie defeat was at hand.

I spent half the fight halfway down a ledge in the water, unable to pick myself back up. This, of course, wouldn’t have been a problem if my teammates didn’t have either the brainpower of a piece of toast or the finger dexterity of roasted duck. Suffice to say, I’m used to playing on the hardest difficult on the PC. Normal on the Xbox 360, no matter how much I distaste using a controller for this game, is still ridiculously easy for a veteran, and is only good as fuel for hating your inept teammates even more.

So if you see or have seen any videos of EA’s showcase, you may have heard me yelling at them to do things properly. Like shooting their guns, or throwing pipe bombs/molotov cocktails, or picking up the new incendiary ammo over and over when a horde attacked near a weapons cache.

What does this all mean? It means that Left 4 Dead 2 is as good, if not better, than the first. A few new bosses, larger open areas and more necessary teamwork mean player compatibility is at an all time high, and I was taken out by Valve and beaten with an ego-crushing stick to learn that. At least when it was done, I had that prop zombie to high five, since their side did pretty damn good in comparison to the puny human survivors.

Arriving on September 15 is WET, a third-person shooter from Bethesda Softworks for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Even though few details about the game have been revealed, we know that in WET players take the role of Rubi Malone, a woman who is on a mission to hunt down the man that left her for dead.

“We are extremely excited to bring WET to gamers on September 18th,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “A2M has created an explosive gaming experience and the action is non-stop from start to finish.”

“We’ve worked really hard to make WET different from any other action game available”, said Patrick Fortier, Creative Director at A2M. “When players experience the game’s unique blend of gunplay, sword combat and acrobatics, they won’t want to put the controller down.”

In an interview with Tim Schafer, it revealed that Brütal Legend will have a unique feature not presented in many M-Rated games, a profanity filter. This profanity filter will allow the players of Brütal Legend to turn on and off a filter that censors in-game profanity, “bleeping out” swear words, and putting shields over improper visuals.

“But there’s a certain age where – there are certain players who are old enough, but just don’t really like playing with all that stuff. So we actually put two things up: there’s a profanity filter in the game, where you can actually turn it on and it’ll actually bleep all the language out, and it’ll actually cover certain profane things with the ‘parental advisory’ sign, which is in itself is a reference to the PMRC, right, which is part of the history of heavy metal,” said Schafer when speaking to Planet Xbox 360.

“It’s optional, so you can turn it on if you want. There’s also a gore filter, which you can turn off, and you won’t be dismembered and there won’t be blood. It’s for those people who like playing with their kids, or who just don’t like it.”

This filter will open the option for parents to play Brütal Legend with their kids, while protecting their innocents for the time being. Schafer also mentions that bleeping out swear words in the game adds the possibility of making the in-game jokes funnier, and make your imagination run wild with the options of what the person is actually saying.

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.

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

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

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

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

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]

Information revealed by Rocksteady’s Sefton Hill confirms that the Batman: Arkham Asylum The Joker dowloadable content is a Sony exclusive. Meaning that The Joker will not be available as a playable character for the Xbox 360 version of the game anytime soon, or in the future.

However, he did have some good news for 360 fans, Hill stated that more downloadable content is in the works for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game.

[JOKER EXCLUSIVE TO PS3 FOR GOOD via Wonder Wall Web]

Codemasters today announced that Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, the tactical shooter that’s set to take players as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, will be shipping on October 6th in North America and releasing on October 8th through EPAC territories with a October 9th street date in the UK.

“Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising will take players closer to war then they’ve ever come before,” said Brant Nicholas, Senior Producer, Codemasters Studios. “To achieve that end, we turned to Image Metrics’ facial animation solutions because of their unique ability to perfectly capture the range of emotions that soldiers experience in combat.”

Dragon Rising will set the new standard for sandbox shooters when it arrives in October everywhere for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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]

Ever since the MechWarrior 4 expansion pack released in 2002, fans have been waiting, hoping for another MechWarrior title to cool their Mech fighting needs. Now, seven years later, their prayers, and hopes, have been answered.

First shown via a teaser trailer, we can now confirm that there is a new MechWarrior title in development at Piranha Games, who recently HELPED with the newest Transformer title.

Anyway, this new title is simply entitled MechWarrior, and will serve as a reboot for the franchise. You’ll still be piloting mechs, but the developers reckon that current console technology will for the first time let you feel like you’re really behind the sticks of a giant fighting robot.

They’re also shooting for a “dynamic battlefield”, and rather than feature a food chain of mechs, instead want to let players choose a style of mech and then upgrade that to suit their tastes as they progress through the game. MechWarrior is coming to the PC and Xbox 360, with no details yet on either a publisher or a release time frame.

[New Mechwarrior Game Confirmed, Will Reboot Series via Kotaku]

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]

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.”

The combatants fight for various reasons, but have their sights set on the same goal, to become the next King of Fighters.

“Our development slogan for KOFXII is “KOF Re-Birth” and we’ve aimed to create an entirely new King of Fighters game. To make this a truly unique fighting game, we’ve revolutionized the graphics by creating state of the art visuals – and made no compromises in that process whatsoever,” said Masaaki Kukino, SNK Playmore.

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]

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.”

Something is only “absolutely critical” if it’s needed to help the sales of a game in the gaming intdustry, or if it’s needed to make the experience more entertaining for players online, or off.

However, Activision’s producer for Singularity, Kekoa Lee-Creel, in an interview with Develop, said that the sci-fi oriented FPS is facing a number of challenges.

“The shooter market is saturated, it’s tough to break in right now when there’s a lot of great, well-established franchises,” said Lee-Creel. “We’re definitely on track to release a demo. That’s absolutely critical.”

“It’s so hard to convey how a game feels, but I have confidence that once we can cross that threshold I think we’re good.”

The game, developed by Raven Software, is set for its PS3, Xbox 360 and PC release in 2009

Midway Newcastle may be on the verge of closing its doors, but that hasn’t stopped it from announcing its development on its newest IP, Necessary Force. However, its announcement isn’t a lost cause, the studio hopes that it can end its seek for a buyer with it.

Develop even had the chance of meeting up with studio head Craig Duncan to talk about the game, which after three months of work is playable, and says the team is not giving up just yet.

“The idea of a detective who sets his own rules is the sort of story that’s been around in movies for a while, but we don’t think anyone’s managed to capture the essence of those choices and consequences in games,” said Duncan. “That unprecedented level of open world influence and troubled morality is something we’re really keen to explore.”

“It’s really important that people know that this is a team that wants to stick together – sometimes when you look at buying a studio you can worry that the real talent, the people, will just flee the ship, leaving you with some IP, kit and an empty building; the pieces of the puzzle that aren’t really worth anything,” he added.

“But everyone here as worked together for at least two years, with the original core team still together after about ten years. We’ve been through the ups and downs and all want to stay working together.”

“Despite all that’s been going on, we’ve only had three people leave this year – it just goes to show that everyone wants to stay together, how galvanized they are as a team. They don’t know if they’re going to have a job in a month’s time, but they’re still putting in a huge amount of effort now; staying until nine in the evening working on this – and that’s because they’re all so motivated by the great project we’re working on.”

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.

FreeStyleGames studio, the developers behind the upcoming DJ Hero title, have been hinting at the possibility all of E3, but the developers over at Neversoft, known for the Guitar Hero series, haven’t put their two cents into the equation, until now.

“We’ve worked with [DJ Hero creator FreeStyleGames], talked to them about the game for a couple of years now, looked at different builds and played it,” GH director Brian Bright told Eurogamer TV. “We would love to integrate in the future.”

However, Bright went on to say that the games release dates did not allow the team to include the option in the latest major Guitar Hero installment.

“Unfortunately for Guitar Hero 5, we ship a few months before they do. [But] we’d love to explore instrument compatibility in the future; we’ll see where it goes.”

Updated: Beside the reports that it was shown on 360, we have learned that it was show on the PC.

Original: The PlayStation 3 has some of the most beautiful games on its system, one of these just happen to be Killzone 2. Now, when this game was announced, back at E3 ’05, it was one of the most hyped, and most discussed titles because of its visual representation.

Four years later, over 2 million copies sold, Killzone 2 has lived up to its hype, to add, its visuals were dead on to what was shown at E3 ’05. But, during this years E3, Bethesda Software’s Brink was shown behind closed door and everyone that witness it was blown away by the way it looked. Most importantly, because it was running on 360. Why? Because it had the same graphical quality as Killzone 2.

Anyway, Bethesda Software is a very incredible company with some very unique development tricks up its sleeve. One trick they used to achieve this level of quality, was the way they used their textures.

[Bethesda Software Brings Killzone 2 Quality For Xbox360 With Brink. via HipHopGamerShow]

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is, undoubtedly, one of the best looking games of this console generation, however, it seems that the upcoming Metal Gear title, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, won’t be utilizing that engine.

Instead, its developers Kojima Productions are building an engine that can be used for multiplatform proposes. They also promise that Metal Gear Solid: Rising will end up looking better than Guns of the Patriots - revealed in their latest podcast.

“We’re redoing the engine from scratch, and it’s going to look amazing,” says podcast host Sean Eyestone. “It’s going to be a big project like Metal Gear Solid 4. The entire team is serious about making it look as good as possible on every platform.”

The sales reports are in, making it clear that UFC 2009 Undisputed is May’s undisputed champion selling a total of 1,014,000 within May alone.

The title moved in 679,600 copies on the Xbox 360, 334,400 on the PlayStation 3, meaning that it overcame Nintendo’s donating Wii Fit by almost tripling its score putting it in second place. It also pwned EA’s, EA Sports Active putting it in third place.

Hardware

• PlayStation 2 117K
• PlayStation 3 131K
• PSP 100.4K
• Xbox 360 175K
• Wii 289.5K
• Nintendo DS 633.5K

Software

• 01. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Xbox 360) – 679,600
• 02. Wii Fit (Wii) – 352,800
• 03. EA Sports Active (Wii) – 345,800
• 04. UFC 2009 Undisputed (PS3) – 334,400
• 05. inFamous (PS3) – 175,900
• 06. Pokemon Platinum (DS) – 168,900
• 07. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) – 158,300
• 08. Punch-Out!! (Wii) – 156,900
• 09. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Xbox 360) – 120,700
• 10. Wii Play (Wii) – 109,800

In May hardware sales, revenue came in at $302.5 million, a 30 percent decline while software was off 17 percent at $448.9 million. “This is the first month that industry sales have dipped below $1 billion since August 2007,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in an email.

“May is typically one of the lowest revenue-generating months in any given year for the industry in general,” she added.

Ubisoft has confirmed the multiplayer mode for the newest version of Splinter Cell: Conviction that was unveiled at this years E3.

“We’re going to have a multiplayer, but I can’t talk about it anymore than that. It’s part of the things we’re going to announce during the summer,” producer Alexandre Parizeau told Joystiq.

Joystiq then went on to ask about the possibility of their being downloadable content within the game’s future.

“DLC? Yes, it’s always part of our strategies. We always want to keep the content fresh, so as soon as the team is done with the game we can move on and continue expanding the experience,” he added.

Multiplayer historically plays an important role in the Splinter Cell series, but Ubisoft has – until now – been cagey about this next instalment, which is exclusive to Xbox 360.

[Multiplayer confirmed for SC: Conviction via EuroGamer]

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”.

Note: Updated with press information via http://www.wiinintendo.net/.

Finally. During the Nintendo keynote, Nintendo announced that it’s busy working on a new Super Mario Bros. title, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, coming exclusive to the Wii.

In the game players can jump on each other, shoot each other with fireballs and other attacks. Item boxes generally produce one item per character. Killed players reappear in bubbles and players can free them, or leave them stuck for a while. One of the new powerups is the Propeller Suit, a jump suit that has a helmet with a propeller. Shaking the Wii-remote will let players fly in the air.

When a player goes into a warp pipe the game forces the other players to follow in, where they fight over the coins in the secret room.

At the end of the level, as soon as one player grabs the flag pole, the other players have about three seconds to grab it for bonus points. The points are tallied up and the players are ranked.

According to Cammie from Nintendo, the game will release Holiday 2009.

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.

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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.

Holy Molly! Crysis, the beloved and beauty PC game from German developer Crytek Frankfurt, will be getting a sequel and, get this, its an Xbox 360 and a PS3 game also. Crysis 2 is the second entry in the planned Crysis triology and will be published by EA.

“The development of Crysis 2 marks a major stepping stone for our studio,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “This is not only the next game in the Crysis franchise, it’s the first title we are developing for consoles and the first title being built on CryENGINE 3.”

Dante’s Inferno will take gamers to the western world’s most definitive view of the afterlife as created in the 13th century by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri in part one of his epic classic, “The Divine Comedy.” The game is shipping in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the PSP.

Key Features:

• An Epic Adaptation of a Classic – Based on part one of Dante Alighieri’s classic poem “The Divine Comedy,” Dante’s Inferno is a 3rd person action adventure game that takes Dante on an epic journey through Hell as he seeks to rescue the soul of his beloved Beatrice.

• The Nine Circles of Hell – Just like the poem, players will descend through Dante’s unique nine circles of Hell: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. Each circle features distinct environments, enemies and story elements befitting the sins committed by their inhabitants.

• Control the Beasts of Hell – Dante’s Inferno features large scale beasts and bosses, some of which Dante will be able to fully tame, utilizing them to throw back Hell’s wrath to its minions.

• Fast, Addictive, Responsive Combat – Dante fights through the nine circles armed with Death’s Scythe and Beatrice’s Holy Cross, with magic powers and a deep, customizable upgrade system helping the player take full advantage of a fast and fluid gameplay experience that will never run at lower than 60 frames per second.

• Bring Hell With You Wherever You Go – Dante’s Inferno gives PSP owners the same level of fast, responsive gameplay through all nine detailed and unique circles of hell the team is aiming to achieve on the consoles.

• Visceral Games Stamp of Approval - From the award-winning studio that created the critically-acclaimed Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno will receive the same relentless focus on quality and polish Visceral Games has become known for.

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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.

During Spike TV’s E3 special last night the program showed a new CGI trailer for Dragon Age: Origins, the upcoming fantasy RPG from developer BioWare. However, one of the highlights of the trailer was the very end of the it were it showed the official release date for Dragon Age: Origins, October 20.

Dragon Age: Origins was originally supposed to be released earlier this year but EA decided to delay the game to this fall so that BioWare could have the console versions come out at the same time as the the PC version.

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.

And you though YOU couldn’t wait unlit next week. Today, Electronic Arts revealed the games that it well be presenting at E3. Anyway, this year’s lineup features blockbuster franchises, new intellectual property as well as ten titles for the Wii. And thrust us when we say, “there’s more then you can shake a stick at.”

“This year at E3, we have an incredible slate of games for the Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and mobile devices,” said EA’s CEO John Riccitiello. “Our creative teams are developing some of the most innovative experiences on any platform. We couldn’t be more proud of the games we’re presenting this year.”

Featured at E3 will be:
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Battlefield 1943
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Brutal Legend
Dante’s Inferno
Dead Space Extraction
Dragon Age: Origins
EA Sports Active
EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
FIFA 10
Fight Night Round 4
G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Madden NFL 10
Mass Effect 2
MySims Agents
NCAA Football 10
NHL 10
Need for Speed NITRO
Need for Speed SHIFT
Spore Hero
Spore Hero Arena
The Saboteur
The Sims 3
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Rrr… It seems that Disney and Propaganda are working on an on-world action-RPG using the tag name Pirates of the Caribbean for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 entitled Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned.

Anyway, Armada of the Damned takes place before the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and brands players will the ability to make on moral decisions, build their characters, vessels – of course – with the add zombie Pirate fighting.

“We want to make sure our game creates a sense a freedom in how you decide to live your pirate life,” said Alex Peters in an interview with IGN.

“We are trying to make experiences in the Caribbean similar to those featured in the movies so you can expect to see some supernatural elements mixed in with realism.”

When continuing, the game’s director also said that the game’s action takes place on both land and sea, while players interact with the nation powers who inhabit the Caribbean. These such encounters change your loyalties and choices over the course of the game.

The latest addition into downloadable content infantry that is Burnout Paradise, Big Surf Island, will arrive on Xbox Live and PSN on June 11th – revealed in a spiffy new trailer for the game.

“Big Surf is the culmination of everything we learned creating Paradise City, and we want it to bring you a truly spectacular new experience – the highlight of a year of incredible premium content. Burnout already delivers incredible value for money – literally hundreds of hours of gameplay with your original disk or PSN purchase, plus more with the free Cagney Pack and free Burnout Paradise Bikes,” - Criterion Games.

“Burnout Paradise is a complete reinvention of the series, built from the ground up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,” said Alex Ward, director of game design at Criterion Games when announcing the game. “To create truly next-generation gameplay, we needed to create a truly next-generation game, from top to bottom.”

The 360 already had its turn and now it looks like its the PS3s turn. Bethesda announced today that the previously exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of Fallout 3 will be coming to the PlayStation 3. Bethesda has been working on implementing it for a while and are looking forward to bringing it to PS3 gamers via the PlayStation Network.

Operation: Anchorage will be released for PS3 in late June, followed by the release of The Pitt and Broken Steel 4-6 weeks apart. Release dates will be forthcoming. In addition, a new update will be released for PS3 that will allow users to download and play the new DLC. The release date for that update will be announced at a later date. There are also two new DLCs planned for all three platforms:

Point Lookout – Explore a massive new swampland area filled with new quests and it will be available in late June for Xbox 360 and PC. Cost will be 800 Microsoft Points. It will be available through Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live. Point Lookout will be available on PS3 after the first three DLCs have been released.

Mothership Zeta – The aliens have returned, and they’re pissed. Experience an alien abduction first hand and find out if you’re tough enough to survive. And is scheduled for release in late July for Xbox 36 and PC. Cost will be 800 Microsoft Points. It will be available through Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live. Mothership Zeta will be available on PS3 after Point Lookout.

A few weeks ago, SEGA announced a highly anticipated title for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 entitle End of Eternity. However, it now seems that it’s the same trailer for Resonance of Fate, which is the North American version of the same game.

SEGA is teaming up with Tokyo based developer tri-Ace to bring the title to market in Spring 2010.

“Partnering up with a respected developer like tri-Ace adds to SEGA’s already great line-up,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director for SEGA Europe. “With titles like Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile, the team at tri-Ace has proven themselves as masters of real-time combat and great storytelling.”

A first look at Home Run Pinball and other mini-games featured within The Bigs 2. Get ready for some dimonds madness on July 7 on the Wii, DS, PSP, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.

“Fans have been clamoring for a follow-up to The Bigs since it launched two years ago, so we’re excited to now deliver The Bigs 2,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of development, 2K Sports. “In the spirit of celebrating the most epic moments in Major League Baseball, The Bigs 2 offers a refreshingly fun and unique experience of dramatic walk-off homeruns, miraculous wall catches, acrobatic diving grabs, and many more incredible plays you’d usually see only in a highlight reel.”

The downloadable content for Fallout 3 recently came to its maximum with the release of Broken Steel, but Bethesda might not be done releasing new content packs for the game and future packs will rely on projected profits.

In an interview with OXM, Bethesda’s Pete Hines hinted at the prospect for more DLC on the way.

“Whether [Broken Steel is] the absolute last one remains to be seen,” he said. “Because it’s been hugely successful. Operation Anchorage vastly exceeded our expectation. It was like ‘holy shit, we did how many?’ and the Pitt was really successful, after a bit of a false start.”

In addition, he goes on to say that Broken Steel is the most anticipated of the packs among fans, and he expects it to be “hugely, hugely popular.”

[Bethesda Says More Fallout 3 DLC Could Come via 1UP]

For a man that is going to hell, he sure isn’t picky. According to VG24/7, producer Jonathan Knight told them that Dante’s Inferno is being developed equally across - PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP -  meaning that the title doesn’t have a “lead platform” to speak of.

“We’re developing for Xbox 360, PSP and PS3 simultaneously, and the two consoles versions should have parity with each other. We don’t have a lead platform, per se,” said the developer, speaking at EA’s spring showcase in London.

Knight said differences between the platforms, such as PS3 coming with a Blu-ray drive, presented little challenge to the studio.

“[Visceral's] in pretty good shape as regards to that,” he said. “We’ve shipped a number of titles simultaneously on the major consoles platforms as well as handhelds and Wii and so forth, but just specifically talking about PS3 and Xbox, our tech is pretty well suited to shipping simultaneously.”

“Obviously, you’ve got differences with the [terms and conditions] and the different rules and menus and stuff that you have to follow… but generally every day I get a build of both versions and both work equally well every day. It’s not really a problem for us.”