Apparently Microsoft hands out “Microsoft Expert Zone” quizzes to retailers so that they can be better informed on the products that they’re selling. A recent quiz contained details on Mass Effect 2 DLC content, and as luck would have it, those details made their way to the internet.

Gaming blog Destructoid received word that the quiz listed “planned episodic combat via DLC,” downloadable characters for the “campaign experience,” as well as new worlds and campaign expansions. It also mentioned periodic updates that will happen through some in-game system called the “Cerberus Network.”

In conclusion: BioWare is going to go the extra mile with Mass Effect 2 support and Microsoft needs to keep a tighter lid on things.

With the recent $100 price cut to the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite, it looks like Microsoft might have a more superior console taking its place. The above ad was discovered from a South African retailer, BT Games, showing a “Super Elite” Xbox 360 with a 250 GB hard drive and two wireless controllers. XboxGaming.co.za is reporting that they have spoken to Comztek, a South African Xbox distributor, and they have indeed confirmed that they will be getting the “Super Elite” Xbox 360 bundled with a copy of Forza 3 and two wireless controllers for R4,999 ($644).

None of this has been confirmed by Microsoft, but it hasn’t been denied either. I guess we’ll just have to wait for an official announcement, but if had to put a bet on it, I’d say the “Super Elite” Xbox 360 is more than likely real and we should see it in stores within the next few months.

Well, this ain’t no surprise. After weeks of rumor and speculation for a price cut on the Xbox 360 Elite and a discontinuation of the 360 Pro, Microsoft has finally confirmed the price cut and it officially starts today. The 120GB Elite console is now $300, a whopping $100 cheaper, and the 60GB Pro console is now $50 cheaper at $250, but only while supplies last because once they’re sold out, there won’t be anymore. The hard drive-less Arcade edition still remains at $200.

With Sony’s recently announced $299 120GB PS3 Slim, Microsoft’s Elite console is now on par with their counterpart and we’re in for another heated battle for sales this holiday season. So, what’s the catch with $100 price drop? No HDMI cables that’s what. Yep, the new Xbox 360 Elite bundle comes in a new fancy package, but now minus the HD cables and is instead bundled with the standard AV connector. That’s whack, but still a worth the price cut as you can find HDMI cables for rather cheap these days.

The price cut starts today, so if you’re one of the few gamers without an Xbox 360, now’s the time to get one.

According to Kotaku, via the above pic from a Meijer catalogue due on August 30, the Elite version of the Xbox 360 is set to drop in price a whole $100, to $299.

Well, what does this do to the Xbox 360 Pro? Looks like the Pro version is being phased out and will eventually be completely taken off the market. That will leave only two versions of the Xbox 360 to choose from: the hard drive-less Arcade and the 120GB HDD Elite. According to the catalogue, this is set to take place in just a matter of weeks.

No confirmation from Microsoft yet, but if they don’t announce it this week, you can bet they will next week at Gamescom.

It’s August 11 folks and that means the Xbox Live New Xbox Experience summer update is now up and running for everyone to download. I’m actually downloading it right now as I’m typing this, so I’ll be able to enjoy all the new perks like Games on Demand, the Avatar Marketplace, new updates to Netflix and more in just a few moments. Oh, I think it just finished downloading. Time to check it out, holla!

Okay, we all know that the Twitter and Facebook integration into Xbox Live will not happen in the upcoming Dashboard update on August 11, but we do know that it will happen sometime soon.

Well, in a discussion with Eurogamer, Mircrosoft Marketing rep James Halton said that they are aiming for an “autumn” release and that the Twitter and Facebook integration will be separate applications instead of another huge dashboard update.

Halton addded, “It will be before Christmas. A lot of the background work’s been done for a lot of applications that are coming.”

There you have it Xbox Live peeps. You’ll be able to Tweet and update your Facebook status over your 360 in just a matter of months. But are we really that pumped up about this? I mean you can already do this on your computer and even your cell phone, in which both options seem like they would be easier to do. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Microsoft announced today that a major update to Xbox Live will be arriving on August 11. The update is set to include many new features including Games on Demand, improved Netflix performance (complete with Movie Parties), Avatar Marketplace, the ability to rate games and more.

Confirmed titles for the Games on Demand service include Mass Effect, BioShock, Assassin’s Creed, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM integration will not be included in this update, but will arrive in a future fall update alongside 1080p streaming support.

Source: Shacknews

In a recent speech at the NAACP 100th anniversary event, President Obama encouraged parents to “put away the Xbox.” Microsoft took the President’s slight condemnation and spun it into a positive.

The President remarked:

To parents, we can’t tell our kids to do well in school and fail to support them when they get home. For our kids to excel, we must accept our own responsibilities. That means putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour. It means attending those parent-teacher conferences, reading to our kids, and helping them with their homework…

-to which Microsoft answered:

We agree with President Obama that it’s a time for families to work together so that kids use media in ways that are safe, healthy and balanced. Xbox 360 is the only console gaming system that has a timer feature allowing parents to set time limits for their kids, as well as parent controls to enable parents to set limits on what their kids are playing and watching.

That’s some pretty crafty work from Microsoft there, turning Obama’s remark into an endorsement of sorts. Put away that Xbox, kids!

Game Politics

Yes, you read that right. There is another set of multiplayer maps coming out for Halo 3, no joke. When ODST launches this fall, it will come packed with a Halo 3 multiplayer map disk complete with three new maps.

And if you’re thinking the picture above looks a lot like “Midship” from Halo 2, well you’re right because it’s a remake called “Heretic” included in the new map pack along with “Citadel” and “Longshore”. Hit the jump for a look at the other two maps coming out with ODST this fall.

Citadel

Longshore

1 vs 100, the new Xbox Live online game show for the 360, will feature prizes of Xbox Live Arcade games and Microsoft Points beginning this week. Starting July 10 at 7 p.m. PST, Xbox Live Gold Members will have the chance to win up to 10,000 MP in every round played in 1 vs 100.

The easiest way to win Microsoft Points is to be chosen as “The One” or being part of “The Mob”. If you’re lucky enough to be chosen as the One, you’ll need to eliminate players in the Mob, earning MP for each member you eliminate, up to a total 10,000 MP if you can eliminate every player.  On the other hand, if you’re part of the Mob and the One makes a mistake, you’ll be able to earn an Arcade game and a part of the One’s MP. If you’re one of the people stuck in the crowd, you still have a chance to win a prize if you’re one of the top three highest scoring members.

Sounds like a lot of fun and a great chance to win some Microsoft Points and even some Arcade titles. Good Luck!

Source: 1up

In celebration of Independence Day in the US, Microsoft has announced that Call of Duty: World at War wil be running a double XP weekend from July 3 to July 6. The double XP weekend will be available to all Xbox Live gold members worldwide.

Along with the double XP promotion, a playlist update is scheduled to go live on July 3, integrating the Map Pack 2 maps into the Core and Hardcore rotations. Time to prestige!

Source: Xbox.com

It’s surprising how many games there are that actually use microphones on the Xbox 360: Guitar Hero Metallica, Rock Band 2, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Lips and The Beatles: Rock Band. This fall, Microsoft is poised to release a new wireless microphone that’s compatible with all of those games, and presumably more.

Although I have no use for a microphone myself, I’m sure someone loves the look of it and wants to rock out cordless. If you’re willing to spend $49.99 on the microphone, you should look forward to it hitting store shelves this fall.

Okay that’s all cool with me, but on a night when it’s double experience points for World at War? That’s whack and it’s even more whack that Xbox Live will be down all day today until midnite. No Xbox Live gaming for today me, guess I might hop on my PS3 and play some Killzone 2, maybe SOCOM? Or I could possibly hit up my Wii for some Punch-Out!!?

“Microsoft will not only release Natal as an add-on for the Xbox 360, it will come standard with the next Xbox console,” 1UP writes. “Yes, there will be a new Xbox console next fall.”

But don’t get it twisted. This new console won’t be a whole new leap to another console generation, but more of a slight upgrade.

“However, the new console won’t just be an Xbox 360 with a camera, though — we’ve heard it will be considered a new platform and carry a new name (Xbox Natal?). It’s not clear what sort of upgrades we might see, but some have suggested it will be an slight upgrade of the current Xbox 360 technology.”

So, if 1UP sources are correct, we can expect a new Xbox console next year that will be a slighlty upgraded 360, with the Project Natal camera with it. I guess you can look it at like what Nintendo did, essentially taking the GameCube hardware and adding motion controls and slapping the Wii name on it.

1UP is believes that we will hear about the new Xbox console at next year’s Game Developer’s Conference, where it will be unveiled and a target release date of Fall 2010 will be announced.

Remember that Project Natal device Microsoft unveiled at E3 just a few days ago? Well, the bad boy and its creative director figure head, Kudo Tsunoda, made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

If ever you needed proof that television promotional appearances are as choreographed as a high school musical, just take a listen to Jimmy Fallon’s desperate cry to “jump in” and play with Microsoft’s Project Natal. Amongst the loud noise and fan applause, you can once again hear confirmation that the game has yet to receive a release date.

Are you like Jimmy? Will you have to “jump in” and own this as soon as it’s available or will you be able to restrain your school girl like excitement until you get to see a little more of this device in action?

Source: latenightwithjimmyfallon.com

The red ring of death is something that Xboxers the world over dread. However, Microsoft has done what they can to ease the pain of the repair process, which includes shipping you a pre-paid box to send your broken console in. As of May 26th, however, you need to get your own damn box.

Microsoft will no longer be sending out pre-paid boxes to victims of broken consoles.

“Customers can now ship their consoles themselves using an e-label provided by Microsoft and do not need to wait for an empty box to be shipped to them.”

I love how they make it sound like they’re doing this to benefit the customer. Customers have always had the option of shipping using their own box, so really that statement should read “Customers must now ship their consoles themselves.”

Xbox Scene

Yesterday during Microsoft’s pre-E3 press conference, Infinity Ward took the stage to finally show us some actual gameplay footage of Modern Warfare 2, coming out November 10. The game looks awesome and I’m even more excited about it after seeing this demo. Along with their demo, Infinity Ward announced that all map packs for Modern Warfare 2 will come out for the Xbox 360 first, but nothing was said about exclusivity. Check out the video.

Yesterday at Microsoft’s pre-E3 press conference Bungie’s Joe Staten took the stage to show off some actual gameplay footage of Halo 3: ODST, which is scheduled to drop later this year. The single-player expansion campaign will put you in the role as “The Rookie”, a rookie Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, a few weeks before the events of Halo 3. Some features in the game include new silenced weapons, a new visor (which enables a “low-light vision mode”) and a handgun similar the pistol from the first Halo game.

Along with an expanded single-player campaign, ODST will also feature a four-player co-op mode called Firefight mode that will have players take on waves of attacking Covenant (think Horde mode from Gears 2). Check out the video and give us your thoughts.

A lot was announced this year in Microsoft’s E3 press conference. I’m sure you’ve heard it all by the time you get here, but in case you haven’t, hit the jump for a brief description of the show and our impressions of the conference.

The show began with a segment focusing on The Beatles: Rock Band, with a few tracks being detailed: “I Am The Walrus”, “Back In The USSR”, “Tax Man”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Octopuses Garden”, “Get Back”, and “I Feel Fine”, “All You Need Is Love” and “Day Tripper”.

Next came a trailer and gameplay demo of Modern Warfare 2, set in an icy location with a very CoD4-esque demeanour. Also noted is that the first DLC maps will be timed exclusives for the 360.

Final Fantasy XIII was also shown at the conference, with its first Xbox 360 gameplay footage and a tentative release date being set at “Spring 2010″.

Next was a reel of trailers, featuring the announcement of both Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.

Forza 3 was announced following this, with an extended look at the game and its line-up of cars.

Next, a new Halo game entitled Halo: Reach was announced, and following that, Xbox Live’s connectivity with Facebook and Twitter, as well as Last.Fm and Sky TV (and more NetFlix stuff).

Possibly the biggest announcement was that of a brand new Metal Gear game featuring Raiden on the Xbox 360, named “Metal Gear Solid: Rising.”

Finally, The Wii, Project Natal was announced; a motion-sensing webcam device which mirrors the user’s movements exactly on-screen. Peter Molyneux made an appearance and spouted some stuff about how it was the greatest thing ever, and Steven Spielberg also appeared, comparing Project Natal to IMAX for some reason.

Here’s what Ripten thought of the conference. More opinions to come, honest!
–

Sam Naylor

I thought it was a pretty good conference, if only because Left 4 Dead 2 was announced. I did also enjoy the moment when it was mentioned that Project Natal was ‘not just some preset waggle control’. Burn.

Crackdown 2 will likely be a lot of fun, too, and it’s good to see Metal Gear coming to the 360, even if it is only Raiden…

–

Patrick Steen

Although the conference went off to a slow start, with only Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney exciting the Brit in me, Microsoft picked up the pace with game announcements and gameplay debuts.

The predictable announcements, including Crackdown 2, Halo Reach and Forza 3, were framed by the announcement of Metal Gear Solid Rising for the Xbox 360. Raiden comes to the 360 for the very first time and Microsoft was lucky enough to earn some stage time with Hideo Kojima.

Although the newly revealed motion sensing camera was impressive, the games showcased didn’t look terribly fun: Microsoft’ll need to get their Wii on if they want to trump Nintendo. However, the appearance of Lionhead’s Milo was astounding. Seeing a realistic boy interact with the female gamer in such a convincing manner, using live motion and voice interaction showed very clearly that Microsoft has something truly special on their hands. This conference will be very hard to beat.

–

Dylan Duarte

I awoke today to some awesome announcements, both expected and unexpected. Among the most exciting were Halo: Reach, Crackdown 2, Just Cause 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and, of course, Metal Gear Solid: Rising with its “lightning bolt action.”

The trailers and footage were all awesome, with the MW2 and L4D2 stuff being especially great.

With the Project Natal stuff, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high this soon. It seems too good to be true, but if it does turn out as amazing as it looks, it’s serious game changing stuff.

To echo what Patrick said, everything with Milo was jaw-dropping. Though as excited as I am, I’m also justifiably nervous, as this is what Milo makes me think of.

All in all, Nintendo and Sony are going to have a tough time living up to Microsoft this E3.

E3 is back, and so are our glowing and always insightful predictions. These are from the heart people. Grab a Kleenex and hit the jump.

Beau Rosser

Nintendo will make me feel nostalgic, Sony will excite me, and Microsoft will show me games I don’t really want to play, but they’ll insist that I get in the movies… again. Oddly enough, there will be plenty of iPhone games that use the hardware for its strengths – and I will be excited.

That’s it.

–

Sam Naylor

E3 predictions are getting easier and easier. Microsoft will disappoint fans, Sony will disappoint fans, and Nintendo will disappoint fans.

But seriously, Microsoft will disappoint by announcing nothing of real value, Sony will disappoint by announcing okay stuff in an awful way, and Nintendo will disappoint with, well, whatever they announce. For people who aren’t fans, each company will have some good things and some boring things to say.

–

Chad Lakkis

My prediction. The seats will be uncomfortable on the flight there and back. The conferences themselves will be full of people that look like me (unshaven and with a musky smell).

Nintendo will reveal a line up of porn inspired titles and finish their presentation off by shooting random attendees in the head.

Microsoft will blow the casual doors off the place by introducing a $99 easy bake oven adapter (chocolate frosting not included).

And last but not least, Sony will force people to adopt Home by taking all of E3 hostage and demanding the world’s population to register for the service in exchange for their safe return.

–

Sean Mitchuson

Microsoft will have fancy pictures, Sony will have fancy ladies, and Nintendo will announce Fancy Boy for DSi. If you cant tell, I have no idea. Heh.

–

Demi Adejuyigbe

Microsoft will announce a sequel to Alan Wake. This sequel will be released before Alan Wake is. They’ll also announce Alpine Legend to be a real game, and it will become one of their Greatest Hits games only days after its release. The Zune HD will be presented to the convention-goers, because of its connectivity with Xbox Live. Unfortunately, that’s all it does- Microsoft forgot to implement music, photos, and videos into the device. When started up, all you see is a 10min. long loading video that takes up all of the HD space.

Nintendo will bring out Cammy Dunaway, and she’ll break her jaw within seconds from smiling too hard. They’ll announce a new Mario Kart game for the DS, and bring it out on the stage to demo, but they won’t hook it up to the screen, so everyone can only see what appears to be Cammy having a seizure. Reggie will come out and announce the Wii Micro. It has Wii Sports and Smash Bros. built in, and doesn’t have a CD drive, but that’s okay, because those are the only two games people play on the Wii.

Sony will show off an LBP sequel called BigLittlePlanet. In which you play the Earth, as it rotates. Soon after its release, gamers everywhere will develop carpal tunnel from the game’s “Infinite Rotate Mode.” They’ll show off MAG, and when they try to set up the game with 256 people, the game will lag out, When they try to set it up again, we hear someone screaming “GIANT PENUS” into their microphone. They’ll also announce the PSP go to the audience, but the leak will have progressed so far at this point, that everyone in the audience will already have one. The real announcement will come from the crowd, as someone announces instructions for hacking the PSP go.

Ubisoft will announce Imagine: Assassin’s Creedz for the DS, which targets young children and teaches them how to kill silently, Activision will announce Guitar Hero 6, 8Bit Hero, and Guitar Hero: Nickelback, all to be released on Christmas Day… 2009. Taito will announce Geriatric Ward Mama, where you play Cooking Mama’s Mama, as you deflect old pervs from hitting on you. Pandemic will announce Exploooooodo!, a game in which you drive a car down a straight track, and blow up stuff around you. THQ will announce MX vs. ATX 5. It sucks.

–

Rangebar Merani

I’ll keep my predictions short and straight to the point. Nintendo will announce a new Mario and Zelda game, both for the Wii. Sony will officially announce the “slim” PS3 model that has been floating around the internet. And as for Microsoft, they will announce some sort of new Xbox Live experience, something even more casual and family friendly as they try and take more of Nintendo’s ideas. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the new Mario and Zelda game though!

–

Jonathan Zungre

I only have one prediction: You think Microsofts press conference is over after they show clips from Halo 3: ODST, until all the lights go off and a guitar wails in the darkness. Then the entire stage blows up, including the presenters, and Duke Nukem, the real Duke Nukem climbs on top of the rubble and says, “hail to the king baby.” Duke writes “Duke Nukem Forever, 360 exclusive, fall 2009″, in the far wall with 50 cal bullet holes. Then the entire convention center explodes.

–

Patrick Steen

PSP Go (hehe – not a prediction)
PS3 price cut (PS3 slim at TGS)
Microsoft’s motion sensing camera with voice activation
New Zelda for Wii
Two new big game announcements for PS3
LBP, MGS on PSP
MGS on PS3
MGS on 360
Epic to announce new 360 exclusive
Crysis 2 for PS3, 360 and PC

–

More predictions from additional writers here will be added as the crystal ball reveals them.

Industry respected analysts, Macquarie Research, have predicted that Nintendo will announce WiiFit Plus along with a new Mario or Zelda game for the Wii at next week’s E3.

After last year’s less than exciting E3 announcements of Wii Music and Wii Sports Resort, we can tell that Nintendo might have learned their lesson, so I can’t disagree with Macquarie and that we should see either a new Mario or Zelda (hopefully both!) announced for the Wii.

Other predictions from the analyst include a new PSP with a “sliding screen” and “no UMD”, but instead with downloadable games only. They also go on to say they believe there will be no PS3 price cut, however, an announcement is expected for a new Playstation 3 Slim model, which could be the same one we got a sneak peak at earlier this month. As for the 360, the rumored motion sensing camera/controller is expected to be unveiled, which wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

E3 starts next Monday, June 1, so we’ll just have to wait ’til next week to see what predictions come true.

Joe Graf, Epic Games’ technical director on the Unreal Engine 3, has confirmed via the official Epic forums that Gears of War 2 will be receiving a fourth title update.

As of now, nothing is known about the newly heard of update, but Graf does confirm that a broken message in the game regarding the map packs will be fixed in the patch. Stay tuned for everything else.

GameZine reports that Microsoft have extended their warranty to cover the E74 error as well as the Red Ring of Death. A growing number of complaints about the error have led to Microsoft addressing the issue, mentioning that the error is linked to the RRoD issue.

Microsoft are also refunding those who have already had to pay out: “Microsoft will refund to customers the amount paid for an out of warranty repair due to a general hardware failure associated with the e74 error message. Those customers should automatically receive the refund within 4-12 weeks, and no additional action by customers should be necessary.”

Oh, and here’s some press silliness:

“While the majority of Xbox 360 owners continue to have a great experience with their console, we are aware that a very small percentage of our customers have reported receiving an error that displays “E74″ on their screen.”

Yes, Microsoft. Now add that “small percentage” to the percentage that have had something go wrong, and you’ll have more than a minority.

That’s right folks, this weekend you can play on Halo 3’s multiplayer totally free. To celebrate the release of the Mythic Map Pack, Microsoft have allowed all of their loyal customers, even the ones who don’t pay extra money to them, to play Halo 3’s multiplayer. So, if you’re one of the few people who has Halo 3 but no Gold account, dig out that disc!

Worried that the upcoming ODST expansion for Halo 3 would be the last piece of content for the highly popular FPS? Don’t worry any longer, because it seems like Bungie has plenty more to offer for Halo 3 in the future.

“Halo 3 took two and a half years to make, and we’re still working on it,” producer Allen Murray said. “We’ll probably be working on it for two more years.”

This is great news for Halo 3 fans and even better news for Microsoft, because even with the break up between the two, Bungie still has their sights set on bringing more to the Halo 3 universe.

Source: Joystiq

In a vicious verbal attack on Sony’s PlayStation 3 gaming platform, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg points out the PS3’s shortcomings While speaking to Gamasutra.

Greenberg in his argument states that the Xbox 360 is becoming the ideal platform for PS2 owners looking into a next gen console.

“You can’t underestimate that we’re half the price of the PS3 at a time when consumers were looking for great value,” said Greenberg

“The PS3 was down in February two per cent even with the launch of Killzone 2 – that’s months of year-over-year declines,” he claimed. “Xbox continues to head north while the PS3 is heading south. We’re gaining share.”

“What we’re finding in our research is that a large portion of the volume we’re driving with Xbox 360 purchasers is actually PS2 owners choosing Xbox for the next generation. We’re switching people from the PlayStation brand over to the Xbox brand.”

He ends it all by stating the Xbox 360 has franchises that were purely known as PlayStation franchises, are making its way to the Xbox 360.

“Not only is [Resident Evil 5] selling more, but we did a limited edition Elite bundle with that as well – so we’ve obviously benefited from having this deep partnership with Capcom, and we’re excited to have the Resident Evil franchise for the first time ever on our platform.”

“That follows in the steps of Grand Theft Auto – and we all know Final Fantasy is coming – that have been historically associated with PlayStation.”

Ouch! This is a tough position for Sony to be in right now. Both with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, Sony was dominant in the gaming industry having both consoles sell well over 100 million units worldwide. Now the PlayStation 3 is at the bottom looking up at the 360 and Wii. From my point of view, Sony needs to really lower the price for the PS3 to make it more competitive with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

A great show of new game releases for the first week of March. Of course the biggest release of the week is Microsoft’s RTS take on the Halo universe, Halo Wars, but there are plenty of other goodies hitting stores this week including MLB 2K9, Sonic and the Black Knight and Tom Clancy’s HAWX. Oh, and don’t forget Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game, I’m picking that one up fo sho. Hit the jump for the full list of new game releases and my pick of the week (not Grey’s Anatomy, I was only kidding).

Pick of the Week: Halo Wars (360)

Xbox 360:

• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
• Halo Wars
• Halo Wars Limited Edition
• MLB 2K9
• SBK: Superbike World Championship
• Tom Clancy’s HAWX

PS3:

• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
• MLB 09: The Show
• MLB 2K9
• SBK: Superbike World Championship
• Tom Clancy’s HAWX

Wii:

• Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game
• MLB 2K9
• Six Flags Fun Park
• Sonic and the Black Knight
• We Ski & Snowboard

PS2:

• MLB 09: The Show
• MLB 2K9
• The King of Fighters ‘98: Ultimate Match
• Tomb Raider: Underworld

PC:

• Empire: Total War
• Empire: Total War Special Forces Edition
• Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game
• MLB 2K9

Nintendo DS:

• Dreamer Series: Pop Star
• Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game
• Littlest Pet Shop: Spring
• MLB 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars
• Peggle: Dual Shot
• SpongeBob vs. The Big One: Beach Party Cook-Off

PSP:

• MLB 09: The Show
• MLB 2K9
• Phantasy Star Portable
• SBK: Superbike World Championship

Shacknews reports that Fallout 3’s first downloadable content pack will be available on 27 January. Operation: Anchorage (the name of the pack) will allow players to liberate Anchorage from China, and you can play in the snow it will take about 4-5 hours to complete. The pack costs 800 MS points on 360 and PC, and nothing on the PS3. Seems like a good deal, but when you factor in that Microsoft’s exclusivity arrangement, your $0 will get you nothing. Still no love for PS3 owners, I suppose. The next packs are coming in February and March, if you’re not a snow fan.

[Update] Patch details after the jump, comes with free PC download link.

Bug Fixes

* Friends notification no longer causes the game to pause. (Playstation 3)
* Fixed occasional crashes during loading and waiting.
* Friendly or neutral NPC health bars, when taking damage, no longer flicker repeatedly.
* Fixed issue where certain NPCs would occasionally disappear from the game.
* Fixed issue where dead NPCs would occasionally come back to life.
* Fixed rendering issue with the Gatling Laser gun’s tracers.
* Fixed issue where the haircut menu would occasionally not appear properly.
* Added ability to remap your VATS and pip boy buttons.
* Fixed rare load/save issues that would cause NPCs to behave incorrectly.
* Fixed issue where quest objectives would occasionally not update properly due to talking activators, intercoms and conversations.
* Using Radaway from the Pip-Boy’s Status Menu repeatedly no longer crashes the game.
* Player no longer gets stuck in level up menu if their skills are maxed out.
* Fixed issue where multiple followers would occasionally not load into an interior.
* Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode.
* Fixed rare crash with fighting NPCs with corrupted data.
* In game radios will now play properly if player was listening to the radio in the Pip-Boy first. (Playstation 3)
* Fixed rare crashes while loading and saving games.
* Fixed rare issue where player would fall through the floor while in VATS.
* Fixed occasional crash after scoring a critical hit in the head with a Railway Rifle.
* Prevent NPCs from inadvertently dying from falling.
* Fixed occasional issue where the controller would stop working properly.
* Fixed crashes related to repeatedly equipping and dropping clothing and armor into the world.

Quest Fixes

* Fixed several instances where quest item stayed in inventory permanently after completing quests.
* Fixed an issue where the distress message would occasionally not play in Trouble on the Homefront.
* In The Waters of Life quest, the Citadel gate will open properly if the player fast travels away after exiting the Taft Tunnels but before reaching the Citadel gate with Doctor Li.
* For the Home Sweet Home quest, the broken protectrons in Big Town become active at the proper time.
* In The American Dream quest, fixed specific issue which prevented the player from accessing their belongings in the locker by the door if they left the room first.
* Fixed infinite caps exploit in Strictly Business quest.
* Fixed rare instance where Dad would have no valid dialogue during The Waters of Life quest.
* Prevent issue during the Finding the Garden of Eden quest where player would fade to black, instead of traveling to Raven Rock, while in combat with a follower.
* Fixed several XP speech exploits with certain NPCs.
* Fixed XP exploit with a robot in Fort Bannister.
* Fixed issue where player’s controls can become locked permanently during The American Dream.

Download it here or here.

Microsoft, modest as ever, are now comparing the launch of the much-awaited New Xbox Experience (NXE), or “firmware update”, with the conversion to colour television. “In 1954, the introduction of colour TV heralded the dawn of a new era in entertainment,” Microsoft said. “On Nov. 19, more than 50 years after that dramatic shift, a new era in home entertainment begins with the New Xbox Experience as millions of Xbox 360™ consoles will transform instantly through the power of software,” they continued, adding “A bold new future begins now.”

We all know Microsoft need to pimp out their new product, especially as they’re trying to steal Nintendo’s market away with thier innovative new avatars, but comparing a firmware update to the advent of colour television is taking it a little too far. The reasoning Microsoft give? “High definition entertainment [will be] delivered in an instant, the best games [will] share the stage with the best movies, and every experience [will be] shared with friends and families, in the same room or around the world.” Well, colour television was all grainy and not even in proper 1080p! How could that possibly be revolutionary in the entertainment world?

Oh and the reason for the Stingray image? It was the first British show to be filmed entirely in colour (sadly not in true HD).

Source: Destructoid via our good friends at Negative Gamer.

Remember last year, soon after the release of Call of Duty 4, when all the good little boys and girls that got Xbox 360s for Christmas proceeded to destroy Xbox Live? I do, as I’m sure a lot of you do as well, and I know for damn sure that Dan Landis does. When he reported on it last year, the article became a hot topic on Ripten for a good long while.

Well, this year is looking pretty scary with multiplayer heavy hitters Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, and Left 4 Dead on the horizon, not to mention the New Xbox Experience. All of these hit within the next three weeks. However, Microsoft claims that this year, they’ll be prepared.

Talking to Eurogamer, Xbox Live product unit manager Jerry Johnson seemed pretty confident that Microsoft won’t get caught off guard this year.

“I can tell you that when Robbie Bach is on the phone on Christmas Day calling people asking what the hell is going on, and that’s coming down from Steve Ballmer… that’s the kind of attention it got last holiday.”

Steve Ballmer is a pretty terrifying-looking man, so I imagine that he gets what he wants. Here’s to hoping that Microsoft won’t get caught with its pants down again.