Crackdown 2 grab the Keys to the City with the New Toy Box Game Add-on full details

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside, the action in Pacific City rages on. Coming soon to Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Microsoft Game Studios and Ruffian Games keep the “Crackdown 2” adrenaline pumping with “Toy Box,” the first Game Add-on for the action-packed, open world Xbox 360 exclusive. “Toy Box” offers “Crackdown 2” fans free downloadable content and an additional premium content pack for 560 Microsoft Points to keep the guns blazing and the bodies flying long after you rid Pacific City of crime and injustice.

Welcome back Commander Shepard as Mass Effect 2 released today

Bioware release one of the most anticipated games of 2010 - Mass Effect 2. The game is now on sale worldwide.

Read the full release...

Xbox Gold membership for only £1 in UK

From now until the 3rd of July you can sign up to a 1 month Xbox LIVE Gold membership for just £1! Don't hang about - take full advantage of everything the GOLD experience has to offer:

* Playing online with friends
* Exclusive offers and discounts
* Early access to demos
* Holding Xbox LIVE Parties
* Video Chat

After your first month, your membership will automatically renew at the normal monthly cost of £3.99. Or you can upgrade to a longer-term subscription to get Gold for less than £3.34 per month.

Hurry - this offer is too good to last long.

Eternal Sonata - Fact Sheet PlayStation 3 - Xbox 360

Cross the Bridge Between Dreams and Reality… On his deathbed, the famous composer, Chopin, drifts between this life and the next. In his final hours, he experiences a fantastical dream where he encounters a young girl facing a terrible destiny and the boy who will fight to save her. On the border between dreams and reality, Chopin discovers the light that shines in all of us in this enduring tale of good and evil, love and betrayal.

Developed by Tri-Crescendo and featuring the music of Chopin, Eternal Sonata for the PLAYSTATION 3 delivers amazingly detailed 3D graphics, a captivating storyline, an innovative action battle system as well as new playable characters, quests, music and more.




FEATURES:

• New PS3 Quests, Battles and Events: Experience new quests, battles, events and multiple endings that will shed new light on the dramatic and evolving storyline;

• New Playable Characters and Costume Changes for the PS3: Now players can play as Crescendo or Serenade and change favourite character’s costumes;

• Exclusive New Music for the PS3: Listen to newly added Chopin music – a key element in the environment and story;

• Custom-Made for Next-Gen: Enjoy amazing, high-definition, anime style cel-shading and high quality textures delivering an spectacular next gen experience.

• Innovative Battle System: Battle using a unique, hybrid turn-based / action RPG system that combines free-roam and turn-based action (up to three players during battle).

• Strategic Use of Light and Darkness: Adjust your battle strategy in the ongoing struggle between light and darkness. Beware of enemies lurking in the shadows, as their stats – attacks and potency – will change, as will their physical form. Lure them out into the light or destroy them under the cloak of darkness. Change your special attacks depending on whether you are in the light or the dark.

• Dramatic and Evolving Storyline: Experience a deeply moving story focusing on the enduring struggle between good and evil, all taking place in a dream during the final 3 hours of world-famous music composer Frederic Chopin’s life.

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
Release Date: February 2009
Developer: Tri-Crescendo
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Distributor: Atari (Europe)
Category: Role-playing
Players: 1, 2-3 battle co-op
Rating: 12+

Download Free Chronicles of Riddick demo on Xbox Live

Get your Chronicles of Riddick demo for free - download the Chronicles Of Riddick - Assault on Dark Athena demo now from XBox Live.

Players can get a taste of life as the galaxy's most notorious criminal, Riddick wielding Riddick's Razor-sharp Ulaks for the first time..

The demo plays out on the Athena Main Decks level and showcases the evocative art style and breadth of gameplay contained in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. If brutal combat and high-powered gunplay is your bag you'll get a kick out of this new game. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will ship for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PC on April 24 in Australia.

Source: CyberShack

Call of Duty 4 halves map cost and doubles XP

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare fans are in for a treat next week, with all sorts of bonuses planned.

Robert Bowling - community manager, has promised that the Variety Map Pack will have its cost cut in half on February 24th, reducing it to 400 Microsoft Points.

Then a double XP weekend will follow, starting on Friday February 27th and ending Monday morning.

Finally, Hardcore Headquarters will be added to the playlist on Friday... twinned with the double XP, that's a lot of experience points to feast on.

Source: Xbox 360 magazine

Microsoft offers free biker bundle clothes, accessories for The Lost and Damned launch

Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to promote today's launch of Grand Theft Auto's downloadable content pack, The Lost and Damned. While you're waiting for the 1.78 GB download to finish, you'll find a slew of freebies and upcoming promotional events on Xbox Live, including a custom biker bundle for your avatar.


Female avatars can choose from a leather biker jacket or punk tee top (think the anarchy symbol with an x) with arm warmers, leopard-print leggings, black 60's zipper boots, feather earrings, a skull wristband and biker gloves.

Full story here...

Nintendo own half the console market

Nintendo once more led game console shipment numbers, according to market research firm NPD.

The company accounted for 57% of shipments in January and is quickly approaching a 50% share of current-gen game consoles shipped overall – despite a one year market advantage of the Xbox 360.

Of 39.5 the million consoles sold to date, Nintendo shipped almost 18.4 million units, and its share grows every month.

Source: tgdaily

Play Colosseum - Win an Xbox 360 Elite!

Shortfuse Games hosts a Colosseum contest, offering a brand new Xbox 360 Elite as first prize.

On February 2, the Colosseum Boss Challenge opens for entry.

Without breaking a sweat you can be the lucky winner of a slick black Xbox 360 Elite, brand new! The challenge is simple.

All you have to do is to capture yourself beating a boss of your choice on video. Shortfuse Games community manager Johan Hermerén explains what the contest is all about:

"Don't bother finishing off the boss as fast as you can; we'll premiere style and finesse. We recommend you to customize yourself a cool character and perform some nice combos and specials to defeat the boss!"

Colosseum is available on Xbox LIVE Community Games for Xbox 360. The contest opens on February 2 and closes for entries on March 15, 2009. Read more about how to win the Xbox 360 Elite at www.shortfuse.se or www.colosseum-game.com.

Kodu: Game programming so easy, an adult can do it

I'm sure kids will take to Kodu—an easy-as-pie game creation app for Xbox Live—like ducks to water. Indeed, at Microsoft's CES keynote Wednesday night, a precocious 12-year-old named Sparrow wowed the audience as she worked the Kodu menus like an expert.

More surprising, however, is that even an old stick-in-the-mud like me wants to give Kodu a shot.


Set for release on the Xbox Live Community channel in the spring, Kodu isn’t a game so much as a game-authoring tool—although it looks much more fun than it sounds. You can pick a world, populate it with characters and objects, give 'em weapons and behaviors, and then test your creation to see if you’ve got a game on your hands.

Full post here on Yahoo...

Why the PlayStation 3 is better then the Xbox 360 - Sony

The console war is full of never-ending battles, waged between the top three manufacturers, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, in order to show which product is the best and the most attractive in the eyes of the consumer. Although sales charts show that Nintendo and Microsoft currently dominate Sony, the Japanese company won't settle and is determined to put up a fight.

It seems that it has recently released a press statement in which it showcases the many disadvantages of its opposition, claiming that its PlayStation 3 console is the best product any consumer can buy for the long run, despite the fact that its price tag may seem very steep, as opposed to the competition.

Among the points Sony made are the HDMI output, which ensures visual and audio quality, Wi-Fi, which saves you from messing with wires, a hard drive or the online gaming service. All of these arguments are of course won by the PS3, which, from Sony's point of view, offers “years of value with a future-proof system via firmware updates that offer new services and features.”

“The PS3 is the perfect example of a product featuring superior technology and a sophisticated design creating an ideal all-in-one entertainment product. The Xbox 360 requires additional money, multiple upgrades and additional external devices, putting a burden on the wallet and adds clutter to the entertainment center. And the Wii's lack of enhanced features comes at the expense of a comprehensive entertainment solution. So as PS3 continues to evolve without the need for additional parts or expenses, expect the competition to continue peddling add-ons in an effort to keep up with the Jones',” reads the official press release.

While it does seem a bit weird that Sony itself releases such a statement, it looks like the Japanese company is very determined to show its customers that the features and the value that the PS3 offers are well above those of its competition and that a price cut isn't necessary when you can have all of these things. Let's just hope that from this “battle” the average consumer will have the most to gain, as only he can decide which console will be better and more popular. What do you think? Is the PS3 the best product on the market or do its rivals, despite the fact that they don't have the same features, offer a better experience?

Source: Softpedia

PlayStation 2 is still the most played console at the start of 2009

According to year-end figures provided by Nielsen, it appears that the Sony PlayStation 2 remains the most played video game console, by far. In fact, in terms of "overall usage minutes", the PS2 accounted for just under 32 percent of the total.
Following in the list was the Microsoft Xbox 360 at 17.2 percent and the Nintendo Wii at 13.4 percent. The PlayStation 3 improved to 7.3 percent but somewhat surprisingly, lost to the original Xbox, which managed 9.7 percent of the total.

The PS2's lead diminished significantly from 2007's 42 percent of the total, but understandably so considering Sony has moved all their efforts to the next-gen PS3.

Year-on-year, the PS3 jumped from 2.5 percent to 7.3 percent of the total, the Wii jumped from 5.5 percent to 13.4 percent of the total, and the 360 jumped from 12 percent to 17 percent, all at the expense of the aging set of the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.

Source: AfterDawn

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The Race for a new Game Machine - Microsoft Xbox 360 helped by Sony's chip team...

Sony's Cell chip developed with IBM helped Microsoft when Microsoft went to IBM for its Xbox 360 chip, according a book published today: The Race for a New Game Machine by David Shippy and Mickie Phipps (Citadel, 240 pages, $14.93). In his book he says:

In 2003, IBM's Adam Bennett showed Microsoft specs for the still-in-development Cell core. Microsoft was interested and contracted with IBM for their own chip, to be built around the core that IBM was still building with Sony.
All three of the original partners had agreed that IBM would eventually sell the Cell to other clients. But it does not seem to have occurred to Sony that IBM would sell key parts of the Cell before it was complete and to Sony's primary videogame-console competitor. The result was that Sony's R&D money was spent creating a component for Microsoft to use against it.

The Xbox 360 chip is based on IBM's PowerPC architecture the same as used in the Apple Macintosh range of computers. IBM's Introduction to the Cell multiprocessor says:

He was one of the lead architects for the POWER2*, G3 PowerPC, and POWER4* processor designs. He is currently the chief architect for the power processing unit for the Cell processor. Mr Shippy holds numerous patents, has received an IBM Tenth Plateau Invention Achievement Award, and has been recognized as an IBM Master Inventor.

For Sony, the Cell processor was such a debacle that two weeks after the Playstation 3 finally appeared in stores, the company fired Ken Kutaragi, the head of its gaming unit, who had championed the Cell and built the Playstation line. The lesson, lost on Mr Shippy and Ms Phipps, is that technical supremacy divorced from sound strategic vision is no virtue. It can even end up in disaster.

You can read the full Wall Street Journal story here...

Xbox Live Arcade make Microsoft Happy this Christmas

Oh the weather outside is frightful – so grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy this year’s biggest hits on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gamers and critics agree that 2008 was a stellar year for Xbox LIVE Arcade, which saw record numbers and the most impressive line-up of titles ever.

Santa’s making a list and checking it twice – he knows that Xbox LIVE Arcade is home to the best pick-up-and-play downloadable games available and some of the year’s best titles. In fact, the games have been so good that people have earned more than 1.25 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”) Gamerscore and unlocked nearly 100 million Achievements in Xbox LIVE Arcade titles to date.

The Xbox LIVE team launched some of the highest rated titles this year, with more than 60 games scoring an industry-leading metacritic rating of over 75.

“Braid,” beat out big-budget blockbuster retail titles and was named the #2 video game of the year by TIME, “Best Independent Game” of the year by G4TV, and #5 game of the year by Associated Press. Developed by Number None, Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, “Braid” is the No. 1 highest-rated game of all time on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and continues to be one of the top Xbox 360 games available. It even had the highest metacritic rating of any downloadable game this year with an astounding 93 (which was on-par with retail titles like critically acclaimed “Gears of War 2” and “Fallout 3”).

Gamers’ wish lists may also include this year’s favorites, “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” (90), “Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix” (89), and “Portal: Still Alive” (89). Last month, Bizarre Creations announced that there are now more than one million combined leader board entries for Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 1 & 2 – that’s a lot of people! Crowd pleaser “Castle Crashers” is also an indisputable favorite and was chosen as Wired Game|Life’s #3 Xbox 360 game of 2008 alongside blockbuster titles “Gears of War 2” and “Fable II.”

We know gamers have been enticed by this impressive line-up – 110 million trial games have been downloaded on Xbox LIVE Arcade to date.

“Momentum for Xbox LIVE Arcade has been incredible this year,” director of digitally distributed games for Microsoft Scott Austin, said. “Xbox LIVE Arcade has really become the top destination for premium downloadable games. And we’ve got a long list of games coming out in 2009 that we think will be just as incredible as what we already have on the service.”

While these new records ring in a winter wonderland, they come hot on the heels of the scorching Summer of Arcade – the most successful season Xbox LIVE Arcade had ever seen. The summer’s best titles which were released over the course of five weeks including “Bionic Commando: Rearmed,” and “Galaga Legions” led to a 58 percent increase in unique members purchasing titles. August broke the monthly revenue high at the time by 67 percent.

After all the eggnog and holiday pudding is gone, Xbox LIVE Arcade has another blockbuster-packed lineup of games coming out in 2009 – so look out for titles including “Lode Runner,” “The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai,” “South Park,” “Puzzle Quest: Galactrix,” and “R-Type Dimensions” to ring in the new year.

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Xbox dinosaur dash game on Xbox Live

Hungry dinosaur chases Doritos trucks, truck drivers defend their cargo

With the release of Doritos Dash of Destruction today on Xbox LIVE Arcade, NinjaBee has unleashed a terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex onto the streets of major cities throughout the world. Luckily, the dinosaur is only after one thing: Doritos tortilla chips. Unfortunately, due to his long, obtrusive tail and his intense desire to get said chips, he has been leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

NinjaBee, the studio who developed the Xbox LIVE Arcade game that features the towering menace, has issued a weak apology for the dinosaur’s behavior.

“We’re really sorry for the destruction the dinosaur is causing, and for all the Doritos truck drivers who have been, uh, consumed,” said Steve Taylor, President of NinjaBee. “But really, it wasn’t our fault. We were just developing the game. The real person you should blame is Mike [Borland]. He created the monster here!”

Taylor is of course referring to Mike Borland, the creator of the game. In June 2007, Doritos, in partnership with Microsoft Games, launched the Unlock Xbox Challenge. Borland’s game idea, Doritos Dash of Destruction, was chosen through popular vote to be developed and put on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Experienced Xbox LIVE Arcade developer NinjaBee was chosen as the studio to develop the game and worked with Borland to bring his game idea to life.

Doritos Dash of Destruction features fun and fast-paced racing elements in both single and local multiplayer gameplay. Players can blast their way through the city as a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex as they chase a speeding Delivery Truck full of tasty Doritos. Or, they can zoom in and out of the T-Rex’s path of destruction as a powerful Delivery Truck in search of its Doritos drop-off points. For even more racing madness, Chaos mode lets up to four players outrun and outsmart each other as the T-Rex or the Truck. In Zen mode, you are what you eat; eat the Truck to become the Truck! Both Zen and Chaos modes are local multiplayer only. Dash of Destruction is rated “E” For Everyone and can be downloaded directly from Xbox LIVE Arcade free of charge worldwide.

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Tomb Raider Underworld - Rise of the Machines

In the latest Tomb Raider Underworld gameplay trailer, Lara Croft takes on the might of machines in the ultimate test of skill and cunning.



Pitting her gymnastic ability against awe inspiring man-made objects of destruction, it leaves you in no doubt about Lara’s outstanding attributes.

Showing off her newest moves and motion captured for the first time, speed and timing are of the essence to overcome a hall of puzzles on your quest into the underworld.

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Tomb Raider Underworld - Rise of the Machines

In the latest Tomb Raider Underworld gamezplay trailer, Lara Croft takes on the might of machines in the ultimate test of skill and cunning.

Pitting her gymnastic ability against awe inspiring man-made objects of destruction, it leaves you in no doubt about Lara’s outstanding attributes.

Showing off her newest moves and motion captured for the first time, speed and timing are of the essence to overcome a hall of puzzles on your quest into the underworld.

Watch the video on my YouTube channel here...

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Brothers in Arms - Hell's Highway video game review

The cinematic "Brothers in Arms" series wants to tell a World War II tale, and "Hell's Highway" keeps the story moving right along as players control Staff Sgt. Matt Baker through the doomed operation Market Garden. The game keeps the suppression system of the previous titles — to advance, players must force Nazi foes behind cover and flank them, and duck behind obstacles themselves; rushing head-on is generally suicide.

A choppy frame rate drags down the graphics, which look good but often don't move smoothly. The sound, voice acting and music are good, however, and the multiplayer modes allow for up to 20 players.

Sony PlayStation 3, also for Microsoft Xbox 360, PC; $59.99 ($49.99 for PC)
Age rating: Mature

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Microsoft and Blizzard ban and suspend thousands of gamers

Video game cheats and pirates got a surprise this week, as Microsoft and Blizzard banned and suspended hundreds of thousands of gamers for infractions.

Microsoft got things started by banning from Xbox Live an unspecified number of gamers who had modified their consoles to play pirated – backup – copies of their games.

There were no official numbers, but the forums where such gamers cruise were full of bizarre outrage. "How dare they ban me for playing pirated games!" some said.

Blizzard, maker of World of Warcraft, was more forthright, stating that it had banned 350,000 online players from its older StarCraft and Diablo II titles for using software cheats and hacks during online games against other players.

What's annoying is that these video game companies are having to divert what seems a growing pool of resources to chasing and defeating these players.

That's time and money and manpower that doesn't go into making new games or improving existing titles.

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Gears of War 2 video game Xbox 360 exclusive out today

Xbox 360 exclusive is unleashed today and is set to be THE biggest action blockbuster this Christmas!

Today sees the much anticipated launch of action-packed “Gears of War 2” on Xbox 360. Following its phenomenal prequel, Gears of War 2 is already creating a frenzy and is poised to provide gamers with an unrivalled experience that will have them locked to their consoles throughout the festive season.

The incredible “Gears of War 2” provides an adrenaline-fuelled rollercoaster ride that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end! Expanding upon the original game’s themes of loss, hope and survival, “Gears of War 2” sees mercenary Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad fighting to save the last cities on Sera from an engulfing locust threat, while the mission turns personal for Dominic Santiago as he uncovers clues in the search for his missing wife, Maria.

“Gears of War 2” is available now as a Standard Edition with an estimated retail price (ERP) of £44.99 as well a Limited Edition with an ERP of £49.99, which includes a hardbound book titled “Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at ‘Gears of War 2,’” and a bonus DVD containing the making-of documentary.

In addition, Microsoft and GAME Group have partnered to celebrate the launch with an exclusive bundle package that comprises an Xbox 360 console with 60GB hard drive, a copy of “Gears of War 2” as well as the coveted original game plus an additional wireless controller - all for an amazing deal of £199.99!

Neil Martin from GAME said, “We’ve seen some incredible excitement around the launch of “Gears of War 2” for months now and are delighted to finally enable fans to get their hands on the game. Last night's midnight launch saw dedicated fans queuing up to get their copies. We're absolutely sure that they won’t be disappointed with what's set to be one of the must-have games this Christmas.”

Prepare for the most epic gaming battle yet as the future of humanity rests on your shoulders when “Gears of War 2” strikes today.

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