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. 

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Summer of Arcade was big last year, and their doing it all over again. This year the Summer of Arcade will feature some of the most highly anticipated titles from this years Electronic Entertainment Expo. So hit the break for the full schedule and be sure to mark these dates on your calender.

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While I like the concepts of Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Dance Dance Revolution I see the same thing happening to those accessories that happened to my light gun.

Then came along an article on DJ Hero when I first read the headline and saw some of the pictures I thought “this is a joke”.  But then I realized it wasn’t April 1st so I continued reading. I imagined this would be another great add on idea for the Xbox 360, who wouldn’t want to spin a record “round round” and do a little scratching without ruining your mom’s old vinyl’s.

But do you really need another accessory?  You already have your XBOX 360, Wii, Playstation3, satellite receiver, Tivo , 5.1 stereo receiver.  Then you have your guitar hero axe, Wii Fit board, and Dance Dance Revolution mat just lying around.

Can your living room handle much more?  And to further complicate the situation Tony Hawk wants you to “RIDE” on his new skateboard.

According to SlashGear.com

“The controller uses motion sensors to track body position, and infra-red sensors can recognize grabs around the edge of the board.  To push, you run your foot along the edge, and Tony Hawk: RIDE apparently allows for multiple levels of “realism” in how accurately movements are translated.”

Gamestop has a price tag on the new Tony Hawk: Ride with SkateBoard at an astounding $119.99.  Did anyone tell Tony that we are in a recession?

So there is good news and bad news here.  Bad news is you will clutter up your living room a little bit more but the good news is you will clean out some space in your wallet.

This may seem like some what of a cheesy game, but it is going to be free. Announced at the E3 Microsoft keynote, it will be released later this year as an arcade title. Free to play and download (joining a very small group of equally interesting titles), the content associated with the game such as new cars will set you back some MS Points. Look for it in the fall.

The dudes, and dudettes, at Redmond showed off their Project Natal at this year’s E3 event. Rebirthing the concept of motion sensing tech as full body control, sega’s activator anyone? Let’s hope not.  The Project Natal accessory, from what we’ve seen in video form, promises to have you control your in-game Gerard Butler with your entire body movement, like that kid from the trailer for Gamer.  Here’s to strangling zombies with my bare hands and taking down thugs with a nice clean cut across the throat from behind. Check out the link for more ways to play with your ’self’, courtesy of Microsoft

Project Natal Press Video

It was announced today that Final Fantasy XIV:Online will be “exclusive” to PS3 and PC. Our favorite console was seemingly missing from that announcement, but is “exclusive” forever? Xbox has won over many important exclusive that gamers have wanted already. After all, demand is going to drive supply, and if we demand the games, they are going to come eventually. Some big ones off the top of my head:

1. GTA

2. Resident Evil

3. Metal Gear Solid

4. Final Fantasy(Online and 13)

5. Rare

I bet when 360 first came out, nobody expected any of those titles to be on it, just like people wont expect FF14 to come to Xbox either. Anybody think we’ll get a piece of this new Final Fantasy? Any other notable “exclusive” steals that we’ve already nabbed? Some Final Fantasy Online with Natal would be pretty epic.

Our expectations for Xbox360 were finally confirmed yesterday with the announcement of the motion detecting technology, Natal. I think its safe to say that if it works as demonstrated, it blows away those expectations. This raises an important question, especially for penny pinching, time-crunching college students like myself: Should we hold off on or sell our Wiis now? As a former Nintendo fanboy its funny to hear myself saying this, but the only reason the Wii was even worth keeping around was the fun social aspect of the motion controls. Now that 360 is going to incorporate motion controls AND have good graphics, is there really any reason for a mature gamer to have a Wii? I’m going to say that unless Nintendo unveils an amazing new Zelda and Mario this year, then no(Update: they revealed a Mario game…okay). The only reason for mature gamers to have a Wii once Natal is out is to play a couple a few kick ass first-party titles that are more and more rare lately(as well as becoming older and older). Hate to be so hard on Nintendo, but they have totally let me down and I’m glad Xbox has stepped up to the plate. What do you all think?

Update: After reading about the Nintendo Presser and seeing the Sony event, I’m even more confident that The Wii is finished. The best they had was a vitality sensor and an old school-new school Mario game, really? They shouldn’t even market it as a videogame console anymore. It’s going from a little kids’ system to a system for the out of shape and the elderly. Sony is stepping up to the plate as well, and now that we have motion controls on systems with current age graphics, is there any reason why a person above the age of 12 with the choice to get only one system would get a Wii?

Remember how excited  you were to get the beta for Halo?  60 bucks to play the online multiplayer for the most anticipated game of the year?  Easy decision.  Oh yeah, it also came with a game.  Many gamers were pleasantly surprised with what seemed like a side note to the real reason they bought the disc.  Crackdown turned out to be a diamond in the rough.  A diamond that could bench press a truck, kick a gangster across a city block, and jump off a 10 story building just to dent the asphalt below.  Amidst a slew of Halo related announcements is the perfect place to announce Crackdown2.  There have long been rumors of Crackdown 2, but with Realtime Worlds working on All Points Bulletin it seemed as though a sequel would only ever be rumors.  Crackdown 2 is being developed by Ruffian Games (www.rufiangames.com), which is made up of many former Realtime Worlds developers who worked on the first game.  If you haven’t played the first one now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the series.  With all the good games coming out this fall don’t forget Crackdown 2. Read more…

Dear Xbox LIVE Members,
Last week we announced that Xbox LIVE has reached a staggering 20 million active members, reinforcing that Xbox LIVE isn’t just an online gaming service; it’s a community. That’s why we’re committed to offering entertainment for everyone on Xbox LIVE, from the core gamers with us since the beginning, to our newest members just learning about all the fun of Xbox 360.
We took a great step toward that goal last November when we re-imagined the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE with the New Xbox Experience.
I talked then about our commitment to innovation on LIVE, and today we continue to deliver on that promise as we showcase new blockbuster games, technologies and partnerships that will transform the way people think about home entertainment. With Xbox LIVE at the center of your living room, you can watch your favorite movies in instant on 1080p HD and 5.1 channel surround sound with Zune video, or update your Netflix instant Queue and share the fun with a virtual movie party.
You can take your entertainment experiences to the largest social network on the planet with Facebook on Xbox LIVE, and even post a snap shot of your favorite gaming moments through Facebook Connect. And with Twitter, you can stay connected and keep your social circle up to date by reading, posting and replying to tweets right on your Xbox 360.
And for music lovers like me, our partnership with Last.fm will bring personalized streaming radio stations right to your Xbox 360.
We’re also thinking globally, and delivering a custom experience from BSkyB, one of the biggest names in European home entertainment – bringing great local content and live football to our members in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
We’re excited about all the innovations we unveiled today, and I want to share some of the new gaming and community features coming to Xbox LIVE this fall:

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Microsoft unveils ‘Forza Motorsport 3,’ ‘Halo: Reach,’ ‘Crackdown 2,’ ‘Shadow Complex’ and ‘Alan Wake’ on Xbox 360.

LOS ANGELES, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Rock out. Duck and cover. Shift into overdrive. On the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft Corp. today made it perfectly clear: No matter who you are or what games you crave, Xbox 360 is the only gaming and entertainment console for you.

At a time when, according to NPD Group Inc., nearly seven in 10 consumers plan to spend the same or more on video games compared with last year, Xbox 360 today unveiled a lineup that is sure to tip the scales in favor of more – more fun, more entertainment value and more games available only on Xbox 360.

A “who’s who” of hot games, the list of Xbox exclusives includes “Forza Motorsport 3,” “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction(TM),” “Left 4 Dead 2,” “Alan Wake,” “Shadow Complex,” “Crackdown 2,” blockbuster “Halo 3: ODST” and the surprise announce of “Halo” trilogy prequel “Halo: Reach.” Sharing the stage were blockbusters Infinity Ward’s “Modern Warfare 2″ and “The Beatles: Rock Band.”

“We know that your fun and our success boil down to one thing: our ability to make games that are creative, diverse and entertaining. Period. And this year, we deliver in spades with the biggest and best lineup in our history,” said Phil Spencer, general manager of the global Microsoft Game Studios business. “From the core first-person-shooter fans who’ve enjoyed Xbox since the first ‘Halo’ to new audiences who are discovering us today with genre-defining games like ‘1 vs 100,’ we have something for everyone with our best and broadest lineup ever.”

Xbox 360 has the most celebrated, most played, most coveted and most E-rated games in the industry – and with 1,000-plus titles to date, there’s more than one for you.

Heart-Thumping Entertainment, Exclusively on Xbox 360

Get behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10 in “Forza Motorsport 3,” jump into the immersive movie-like action of “Alan Wake,” and download “Shadow Complex,” the newest Xbox LIVE Arcade game from the minds behind the blockbuster “Gears of War” franchise. Some of the most exciting games in 2009 and beyond are only on Xbox 360, including the following:

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