This summer at E3, the biggest trade show in gaming, Microsoft plans to unveil a full lineup of games designed for Natal. Set to be the biggest release of the year, expectations run high for the full body motion sensing hardware.
Today Major Nelson and company announced their new Special Edition Console. It has the whopping 250 GB Hard Drive (currently only available in Special Edition Consoles) and 2 Wireless Controllers. This will only cost $399 which is a great price considering the Elite with a 120 GB Hard Drive is $299. It wouldn’t be the Splinter Cell bundle if it didn’t include the upcoming game Conviction. This is a great pick up for everyone, beginners and pros alike. After the break see the other high-resolution pictures.
At today’s MCW 2010 Press Event, Microsoft announced what may be the most important announcement of the year for Xbox users: full Xbox LIVE integration with Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7. Players will now be able to achieve the same functions as most of the Xbox 360 Dashboard, including: spotlight feed, looking at achievements and gamer profiles, marveling (or mocking) other players’ avatars, and even… *drum roll* being able to play certain Xbox LIVE Games. Check out the video and links below for more information.
Xbox announced a few games today at their X10 event, see the full press rele
ase after the break as well as a few more pictures. We can also expect Final Fantasy and it’s Special Edition Console to be released on March 9 for $400. Other games announced at X10 include Fable III, the CES newly-announced Game Room, Halo: Reach, and the Xbox exclusive Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack.
[Via Gamerscore Blog and Major Nelson]
As of April 15, 2010 it looks like Microsoft will discontinue the Xbox LIVE service for all Original Xbox consoles and Original Xbox titles available on the Xbox 360. See below from Major Nelson’s blog.
Xbox LIVE being discontinued for Original Xbox consoles and games
I wanted to let you know that on April 15, 2010 Microsoft will discontinue Xbox LIVE service for original Xbox consoles and games, including Xbox 1 games playable on Xbox 360. Our first step in this process will be to turn off auto-renewals for those members who only use Xbox LIVE on a v1 Xbox. While I can’t comment on the specifics, this change will allow us to continue evolving the LIVE service with new features and experiences that fully harness the power of Xbox 360 and the Xbox LIVE community. We did not make this decision lightly, but after careful consideration and review we realize that this decision will allow us unprecedented flexibility for future features.
Xbox LIVE general manager Marc Whitten (Gamertag Notwen) has posted this letter to the community which provides additional context.
The best is yet to come, and we look forward to sharing more details in the near future.
Car enthusiasts around the world will tell you that just seeing the Bugatti Veyron in person is a dream, let alone getting to sit behind the wheel. Turn 10, developers of the Forza Motorsport series, has finally gotten permission to add this beauty to its stable of cars.
For those of you unfamiliar with this absolute mind-blowing $1.4 million vehicle, it has a top speed of 253 MPH (1/3 the speed of sound) and 1,000 HP under the hood. If you can’t comprehend those numbers, then there’s the Bugatti Challenge that was done by the TV series Top Gear. It was a race between the Bugatti and a Cessna 182 Aeroplane from Alba, Nothern Italy to London. Winner? Bugatti.
Below is a developer video that gives some interesting insight on the amount of work and detail they put into crafting this masterpiece, the Veyron. Being my personal favorite racing series and easily one of the best ever made, I’m excited for it’s launch on October 27th.
We’ll be online for an official Xbox community playdate on Wednesday, March 24, starting at 8:00 P.M. ET (5:00 P.M. PT) playing Modern Warfare 2. If you're a Gold Member, send a friend request to one of these gamertags, and we’ll add you to the list! (You’ll also get a friend request from Xbox 360 Digest confirming your interest.) Pkort BillyK128 FlashAK TNT82 Teh Emo Penguin RZAN0L0GY Zayden1620 ...
The Digest: A unique turn-based strategy game that will either thrill you to the core or make you want to jam freshly-sharpened pencils in your eyes. To put it right out there - Greed Corp is not a game for those new to the strategy genre. While the premise of the game is rather simple, it has many elements that will drive an unseasoned TPS player to madness without a lot of hesitation. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2010 PUBLISHER: Xbox LIVE Arcade DEVELOPER: Valcon Games LLC / W!Games ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone GENRE: Strategy & Simulation PRICE: 800 MS Points ($10)
The recommendations in this guide are geared toward the Hardcore/Insanity difficulty. Since almost all enemies have an extra layer of protection or two (Armor/Barrier/Shield), this takes into account which combinations are most effective at stripping away an enemies defense. On the lower level difficulties, where you don’t need to worry about extra defensive layers, then feel free investing points into other abilities such as Pull, Throw, Cryo Blast, etc. When you mainly only need to take into account enemy health, then that’s where classes such as the Adept and Vanguard, shine.
The Digest: 2K Marin dives back into the depths of Rapture to experience life like never before, as a Big Daddy. As a giant walking through the depths of the unknown, 2K Marin and Digital Extremes deliver all of the excitement from the original game, while improving it, and add a great multiplayer that will be sure to keep you playing this game for months. The Fact Sheet RELEASE DATE: February 9, 2010 PUBLISHER: 2K Games DEVELOPER: 2K Marin, 2K Australia, Digital Extremes, and 2K China ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature GENRE: Shooter
The Digest: Somewhere in some secret lab, someone decided to combine the DNA of Dante from Devil May Cry, Ryu Hayabusa of Ninja Gaiden and Kratos from God of War. The result had to be the creation of one bad ass... Witch. I wouldn’t normally picture a witch carrying guns, but carrying guns on her boots? Yeah, only a witch could pull something like that off. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2010 PUBLISHER: Sega DEVELOPER: Platinum Games ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature GENRE: Action
The Digest: I'd like to note right away that I won't be talking about the game at all in this review - one of our other team members is taking care of that soon. This review is specifically about the contents of the Collector's Edition set for Bioshock 2 and whether or not it justifies the additional $40 price tag. In short, the answer is yes. Read on to find out what all it includes, how it is packaged and see photos of the items. This isn't your normal junky bunch of plastic action figures and gimmick items, ...
The Digest: Like all Indie games, Creed Arena uses a basic premise for the game. This works well as the focus is solely on game play. The dual shooter views come in handy, but they usually cater to the particular weapon you’re wielding. While it is a solid first attempt by developer Safari Studios, there are certainly improvements to be made. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: January 1st, 2010 DEVELOPER: Safari Studios Platform: Xbox LIVE® Indie Games GENRE: Shooter PRICE: 400 MS Points
The Digest: Mass Effect 2 is nothing short of a masterpiece. The days of Square Enix ruling this market are long gone as BioWare continues to set the standard for future RPG’s. Improving upon all facets, while fixing many of the problems that plagued the first, the second chapter is leaps and bounds ahead. Using a combat heavy focus with a plethora of new weapons and powers, I can safely move this into one of my all time favorite games. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: January 26th, 2010 PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts ...
Hello All! Today I’ve got another Xbox360 accessory review for you, this one though is for your controllers. Buying the charge and play kits can be expensive, and it’s cheaper to just buy a battery by itself as we know. The problem here is that you’ll need at least one charging cable, and then if you’ve got four controllers you have to share that cable with all of them so charging can take quite a while. Konnet has sent me over the Power Pyramid Xbox360 Controller Charging Station for review today. The Power ...
The Digest: Famously known for their Worms franchise, developer Team 17 has gone back to their roots. This remake of the Amiga classic does what the title suggests. While improving upon the originals top-down view with an isometric camera angle and improved graphics and sound, Alien Breed Evolution will have you wishing Ripley was right by your side. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: December 16th, 2009 PUBLISHER: Team 17 DEVELOPER: Team 17 ESRB RATING: T (Teen) GENRE: Action PRICE: $10 (800MSP)
With 2009 having wrapped up a strong year in gaming, you can expect more of the same in the next 12 months. While there are a plethora of other games that will garner plenty of attention and praise, here’s a list of what we here at Xbox 360 Digest are most excited for. In chronological order of release date (Confirmed & Expected), hit the jump to see the list.
Most of the reviews we’ve done here are games, but I think it’s time we got started with some accessory reviews as well. MobileFun is a company based out of the UK and they carry mobile stuff like phones and accessories. They also carry game related products so they sent me over a nice little, inexpensive starter kit for the Xbox360 for review. It’s aptly named the Xbox 360 Starter Pack and it includes a nice long HDMI cable, full sized headset and a remote that is similar to the Xbox one but only smaller. The price is about $30, ...
The Digest: Assassin's Creed II creates a phenomenal sequel, while incorporating the most lethal Italian on this side of the Mushroom Kingdom. The improvements made to the formula established in the first Assassin’s Creed are what will fans of the series playing while bringing new fans into the fold. Now, me writing this review and you reading this review is robbing us of some valuable AC2 time!! THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: November 17th, 2009 PUBLISHER: Ubisoft DEVELOPER: Ubisoft Montreal ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature GENRE: Action PRICE: $59.99
The Digest: Borderlands has to be one of, if not THE sleeper game of the year. If you’re not prepared, you’ll see the wrong game coming. This is a game that I felt took inspiration from the original Xbox title Deus EX with its brand of RPG/FPS gameplay or as those in the “know” call it, RPS (Role Playing Shooter). I’m not in the “know”, but it says it on the back of the box. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: October 20th, 2009 PUBLISHER: 2K Games DEVELOPER: Gearbox Software ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature GENRE: RPS (Role Playing Shooter) PRICE: $59.99
The Digest: After much hype and promise, the Microsoft gem, Forza, has returned for another generation of simulation goodness. Turn 10 has been hitting hard from the very first Forza, and with this latest release, I can assure you that they’re not showing any signs of slowing down. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2009 PUBLISHER: Microsoft Game Studios DEVELOPER: Turn 10 Studios ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone GENRE: Racing PRICE: $59.99 PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
The Digest: Alright, fine... I'll put down my controller long enough to type a review... Today was a prevalent day for Xbox 360 owners, showing us the release of two heavy-hitting sequels. Assassin's Creed 2 was launched, the follow up to the ever-popular and ever-repetitive Crusade action game. Hopes were high that the sequel would retain the joyous elements of the first title, while fixing the things that made it a tedious punch in the face after a few hours. But alas, I am poor, so I am only here to comment about the other big-time release for today: Left ...
The Digest: Another amazing performance from Rockstar. Grand Theft Auto as usual, with a brand new storyline, weapons and vehicles all set in the massive, detailed Liberty City. For the $39.99 price tag, definitely a must-buy. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: October 29, 2009 PUBLISHER: Rockstar DEVELOPER: Rockstar ESRB RATING: “M” for Mature 17+ GENRE: Action PRICE: $39.99 PRODUCT OVERVIEW:
The Lowdown: The King is back. Several new layers of realism have been added to create the best basketball experience to ever make it to the console. While some minor technical issues hold this title back from reaching it's full potential, this 10th anniversary edition is the basketball game to own. THE FACT SHEET RELEASE DATE: October 6th, 2009 PUBLISHER: Visual Concepts DEVELOPER: 2K Sports ESRB RATING: “E” for Everyone GENRE: Sports Simulation PRICE: $59.99
