Microsoft Banks On Halo 3 To Save Its Dodgy Gaming Reputation

After forking out over $1.3 billion to fix dodgy XBox 360 consoles, Microsoft is now banking on the roll out of Halo 3 to save its day in a bitter battle with both Sony and Nintendo in the games console market.

With Australia set to be one of the first countries in the world where Halo 3 software will offically go on sale, Microsoft is doing everything it can in an effort to rescue its gaming reputation which has been hit hard by the constant failures of the Xbox console which had a 30 percent failure rate in Australia compared to less than 1.5 percent failure rate for the Sony PS3 and the Nintendo Wii.

More than 42,000 advances have been lodged for the Halo 3 game in Australia, which will retail at $99.95 for the standard edition.

Also available is a AU$199.95 Legendary Edition of Halo 3 which will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case. Included in the Legendary Edition will be two bonus discs packed full of extra content.

Already millions of fans around the world have placed orders for the new Halo 3.

Microsoft's marketing mavens are using the slogan "Finish the Fight" to promote the company's "Halo 3" video game, the final chapter in a popular science-fiction combat game trilogy.

Microsoft is hoping that Halo 3 will be the rallying cry for Microsoft to beat rival Sony n the next-generation video game console war. Though few hold out hope as Sony is getting stronger by the week with PS3 sales improving over forecasts.

"We're locked in a pretty good fight with Sony and (its) PlayStation 3 to win the generation. That's always been our aspiration," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "This holiday season is critical in terms of winning that generation."

"Halo 3" is Microsoft's biggest weapon yet. The game goes on sale on Monday night at EB Games stores and JB Hi Fi. Some retailers, including EB games, will hold Monday night events capped off with "Halo 3" sales at midnight.

With its big guns and corny sci-fi plot, the Halo video game series is undeniably the province of die hard gamer, as a result it has become one of the most lucrative entertainment franchises of all time. Sam Leith of the Daily Telegraph in the UK met up with the programmers and professional gamers to find out why.

More form Smarthouse

Phil Harrison on developing Game third Age Games

Sony Executive Phil Harrison on the Possibilities Of Connected Communities In 2007 Game Developers Conference.

Phil Harrison, President, Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), will return to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to present the keynote, “Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the Third Age of Video Games.” Complementing the “Take Control” theme of GDC 2007, Harrison’s talk aims to enable developers to make the most of the countless opportunities made available by the new era of connectivity. GDC, CMP Technology’s annual conference dedicated to the art, science and business of games, takes place March 5-9, 2007 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.

In his talk, Harrison will explore the seemingly infinite entertainment, creative, and commercial opportunities presented by the massively connected communities of players and developers. He will enlighten attendees as to what “always on” can mean for both the game development industry and consumer, as well as what some of the innovative products and services are that will help content developers define and shape the meaning of Game 3.0. The SCE Worldwide Studios head will also demonstrate some exclusive insights into the company’s development of products and services that will help define future growth in the video game market.

“Each console cycle gives platforms the chance to reinvent the experiences they enable developers to provide to gamers,” said Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of the Game Developers Conference. “Phil Harrison is uniquely positioned to apply both his prescient creative abilities and his command of a globe-spanning network of leading development teams — to bring the entire developer community in on the giant leap forward of the PLAYSTATION®3.”

Phil Harrison has been immersed in the creativity, technology and business of game development for over 20 years. In September 2005, Sony Computer Entertainment unified its regional product development operations under a global structure, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, and appointed Harrison to serve as President of the new organization. Working closely with the talented studios in Japan, Europe, North America and Polyphony Digital, Inc., Harrison is responsible for setting the global product strategy and managing development operations of 14 studios in 5 countries. He is a corporate executive and representative director of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, and Executive Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Since joining Sony in 1992, Harrison has held executive management positions in Europe and North America — where he served as Vice President, 3rd Party Relations and Research and Development for SCEA from 1996 to 2000. He has been a core member of the teams that successfully launched all of the PlayStation family of hardware formats and innovative software that have helped expand the market for interactive entertainment worldwide.

Phil Harrison’s keynote, “Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the Third Age of Video Games,” will take place from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. in the Esplanade Room of the Moscone Center’s South Hall on Wednesday, March 7.

More than 12,500 game industry professionals will convene during GDC, the world’s largest games industry-only event dedicated to the advancement of resources, tools and technologies used to create interactive entertainment. The GDC features more than 300 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts.

Rumor: Mario Galaxy Pushed Back Metroid Coming in April

The word around Nintendo is that promises of Mario Galaxy in the spring are not going to be kept. Although, the New Metroid for Wii will be coming sometime between April and June. He also told me that Metroid will be the first Wii game to be playable over the internet. When. The lack of Wi-Fi games so far has been due to developers not making use of it.

Playstation 3 Capacity

How much capacity on a BluRay disc?



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