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Konami Gets Groove On With Announcement of Rhythm Party for Xbox Live

Michael Gruver — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:30:58 +0000

Konami announced today that their game Rythm Party will be coming to Xbox Live on February 1st, 2012. It’s scheduled to launch with tracks by artists such as Lady Gaga, Bobby Brown, and Vanilla Ice to name a few. Below is the full press release, so stop the train, and check it out.

KONAMI ANNOUNCES RHYTHM PARTY FOR XBOX LIVE®ARCADE

Get Yourself Moving with this Kooky, High-Energy Rhythm Game that Brings Dancing Simulation and a Over the Top Style

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – January 27, 2012 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Rhythm Party, a new downloadable game for the Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Designed exclusively for use with the Kinect sensor, no avatars or elaborate customizations are needed in Rhythm Party, because YOU are the star! Use the Kinect sensor to put your own silhouette in the game, giving a whole new level of fun and entertainment.

One of the best features of Rhythm Party is the “open format” dancing. Unlike other music and dancing games, there isn’t any contrived choreography, so players can move about the beat and groove freely to create their own performance. Hit the performance “ripples” on screen to collect points and gain multipliers to increase your score. Players are thrown into a world of vivid color, wild backgrounds and random awesomeness. Zany and outlandish interactive backgrounds such as electric carnivals, wild discos and Spanish cafes will keep players laughing along the way!

And of course, no music game is complete without great music. Rhythm Party includes special collaborations with hit artists, motivating dancers with an interactive music experience unlike ever before.

TRACK, ARTIST
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Every Little Step, Bobby Brown
Y.M.C.A., Village People
A Midnight Rendezvous, Shanice
Still unbreakable, Des-ROW Ft. Vanilla Ice
SAY A PRAYER, Des-ROW Ft. Maxi Priest
BEFREE, Des-ROW Ft. Vanilla Ice
Summer Fairytale, Design-MAD crew
HEARTBREAK (Sound Selektaz remix), NAOKI feat. Becca Hossany
All Thu The Night, jun feat. Lisa Lisa

Rhythm Party will be available February 1, 2012.

Are you excited for this? Is your body ready for the juking and the jiving it’s about to undertake? Well, better start preparing for the February 1st release window then, because the Village people can’t Y.M.C.A without you.

New Video Game Releases: Jan. 23 – Jan. 29

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:30:59 +0000

Another release week without, yet again, a full physical release title. Though this week won’t be a complete dissapointment with a few key digital releases.

PS3 shooter fanatics should should be thrilled with a PS3 release of the PS2 shooter classic Killzone. Disappointingly, Killzone will not be getting the HD treatment, but it should make for a great pick-up for those who missed out on the PS2 classic.

The PSN finally gets ScaryGirl which can best be described as wondrous adventure into a distinctive and beautifully bizarre world.

The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff adds some sizzle to their home life! From stylish bedroom sets to spa-inspired bathroom furnishings to romantic new lingerie and hairstyles, your Sims will relax in comfort and style with this add-on available on the PC.

Play Oil Rush and engage in a global war for oil in the flooded post-apocalyptic world of Oil Rush, a real-time naval strategy game based on group control that combines strategic challenge of classic RTS with sheer fun of Tower Defense, all wrapped in state-of-an-art visuals. Oil Rush will be available for PC.

Pick of the Week: When Guerrilla games first released Killzone in 2004, it was created as a Halo killer. While it did not reach its lofty goal, it was still recognized for Amazing graphics and an intense gameplay experience. Being that I have never played the original, I will definitely pick-up this PSN re-release (although I’d be happier if it were in HD) – Killzone

Check out the full list of this week’s new releases below.

PlayStation 3

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations-Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack (DLC)
Killzone (PSN)
Scarygirl (PSN)

Xbox 360

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations-Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack (DLC)

Wii

NADA

Oil Rush
The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff

3DS

NADA

Kids Learn 2Think: A+ Edition

PSP

Stick Man Rescue (PSN)

Microsoft Denies Xbox Live Security Compromised

Brandon Fenty — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:39:07 +0000

When we start to talk about possible breaches of Microsoft’s online security, many gamers get paranoid. While known for being much more secure than some other online gaming networks (ahem, Sony), they are not totally immune to security breaches. Microsoft today responded to a scare about possible loss of personal data, stating that no data was stolen and that your information is secure.

“Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox Live service. The online safety of Xbox LIVE members remains of the utmost importance, which is why we consistently take measures to protect Xbox LIVE against ever-changing threats. Security in the technology industry is an ongoing process, and with each new form of technology designed to deter attacks, the attackers try to find new ways to subvert it. We continue to evolve our security features and processes to ensure Xbox LIVE customers information is secure. Online fraud and identity theft are industry-wide problems, and as such people using any online services should set strong passwords, not share those passwords across multiple services and refrain from sharing any personal details that could leave them vulnerable. As always, we highly recommend our members follow the Xbox LIVE Account Security guidance provided a thttp://xbox.com/security to protect your account.”

Well that lets us all sleep easier at night, knowing our Xbox Live accounts are safe. I mean, a big company that could stand to lose millions like Microsoft would never lie about something like this, right?

EA Sports NFL Blitz is Ready to Roll with Ray Rice Running for the Ravens from Rutgers!

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:44:41 +0000

I can still remember the arcade release of NFL Blitz in 1997. My serious arcade playing days ended a year or two after the release of NBA Jam in the early 90s, but NFL Blitz still coerced a few quarters from my pocket from time to time.

The HD remake video looks sick, and despite having a player from a team I despise on the cover, I may just find myself dipping into my pocket once again to play this bad-boy. You can get a hold of it on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 points and PlayStation Network for $14.99. Video and press release below.

EA SPORTS NFL BLITZ NOW AVAILABLE
HD Version of the Arcade Classic Hits

PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade for Only $14.99

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – January 4, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that the all-new HD version of NFL Blitz™ from EA SPORTS™ is now available via digital download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for 1200 points and PLAYSTATION®Network for $14.99. A remarkable value, NFL Blitz features the arcade-style gameplay that made the original game a hit, but takes the experience to a whole new level with immersive online* game modes in high-definition.

The recharged NFL Blitz offers fans the opportunity to battle rivals 7-on-7, fight their way through the Blitz Gauntlet, take over the online leaderboards in Blitz Battles, or create a true dream team by collecting player cards in Elite League. Featuring the twitch gameplay and ultra-responsive controls of the original game, combined with all-new single-player and cooperative game modes, NFL Blitz hits the virtual gridiron with blazing 60fps/60Hz gameplay. Challenging to master, yet easy to pick up and play, NFL Blitz is reborn as the ultimate arcade football experience for a new generation.

“We look forward to introducing the over-the-top football action that made NFL Blitz a classic arcade hit to a new generation of gamers,” says Cam Weber, General Manager of American Football for EA SPORTS. “And we are excited to deliver to fans of the original game, the new NFL Blitz complete with online features and in high definition for the first time.”

Fittingly, with NFL Blitz entering into a new era, fans were given the opportunity to choose the NFL player who would become the first-ever digital cover athlete for an EA SPORTS game. Fans exercised their right to vote for the NFL Blitz cover during the 2011 Spike “Video Game Awards”, choosing Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice over fellow Pro Bowlers Roddy White and Patrick Willis. NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice announced the news, revealing Ray Rice as the fan-voted winner at the end of the award show.

First released as an arcade game in 1997, NFL Blitz quickly became one of the most memorable football titles in video game history. In 1998, the first console version became available for the Nintendo 64™ and PlayStation® computer entertainment system, with several console editions released between 1998 and 2003. The new NFL Blitz by EA SPORTS is the first version of the game to carry the NFL license since 2003 and is the only version to be released for HD consoles to date.

NFL Blitz is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. NFL Blitz has been rated “E10+” by the ESRB. For exclusive NFL Blitz news and assets please visit: http://www.facebook.com/EASPORTSNFLBlitz. Be a part of the discussion on Twitter® by using #NFLBlitzisBack.

All player participation has been facilitated by National Football League Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences that ignite the emotions of sport through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

* Internet connection and EA/Origin account required.

Microsoft Kicks Off Xbox LIVE Fan Appreciation Sale

Chris Carlson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:30:53 +0000

It’s not even Black Friday yet and Microsoft is already discounting a ton of content on Xbox LIVE. That’s not all, Microsoft plans on offering even more deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here’s just some of the content that is discounted.

Magic 2012 – 50% Off 400MSP
The Baconing – 50% Off 600MSP
Bejeweled 2 – 50% Off 200MSP
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood: Davinci Disappearance – 50% Off 400MSP
Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing – 50% Off 280MSP
Super Meat Boy – 67% Off – 400MSP

For the full list of everything on sale, visit the official Black Friday sale page on Xbox.com

The Call of Duty: Elite App is Now Live on Xbox Live

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:22:22 +0000

The Call of Duty Elite Console App is now live on Xbox Live. Registering for the app will give gamers two hours worth of free XP from Modern Warfare 3.

It is a great time to download it now to get ready to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tomorrow.

Mass Effect 3 Beta Leaks Onto XBL, Bioware Responds

Chris Carlson — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:00:48 +0000

If you happen to be apart of Microsoft‘s Xbox Live Preview Program for the new dashboard launching this holiday, you may have noticed an added tab under the “Pre-Release” section. A picture of nothing but Mass Effect 3, and upon clicking it granted you access to a 1.8GB Private Beta. This was actually a human error on Microsoft’s part and was not intended for public release.

Since the leak, the beta has been removed and deactivated in which case Bioware has responded:

Hello everyone!

As most of you know by now, this evening an accidental leak occurred of some early Mass Effect 3 beta code. Microsoft has advised us that through human error at their end, content which was meant for internal beta testing was flagged incorrectly and released to individuals who had signed up for the beta of the Xbox Live dashboard update. It has since been taken down and deactivated.

We’d like to stress that the leaked code is in a rough, unfinished state and was not meant for public release. The content is not final, and is not reflective of the quality of the finished, polished game due for release on March 6, 2012 (March 9 in Europe).

One feature that was present in this early build is a set of game play modes that are in development. In the beta code they are referred to as “action mode”, “story mode” and “RPG mode”. We want to stress that these features are still in the early stages of development and will receive considerable iteration and refinement. These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before. Whether it be someone who finds the combat difficult but wants to experience the amazing story, someone who wants to focus on the action and combat game play, or fans who want the rich, story-driven RPG Mass Effect experience they’ve come to love – Mass Effect 3 will support all of these options. We’ll have more info in the days ahead!

I was lucky enough to download the beta before it was removed. After playing some of it myself, it definitely isn’t ready for public release. I don’t care what anyone says though, seeing Anderson float in mid-air doing summersaults was cool as shit.

Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6th, 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Watch Nightwing Kick Ass In His Arkham City Trailer

Dave Oshry — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:45:12 +0000

Nananananananana… Nightwing?

Yep, Nightwing is ready to finally deploy in his own DLC pack for Batman: Arkham City

WB and Rocksteady even gave him his own trailer:

The Nightwing Bundle Pack will be available November 1 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points and PlayStation®Network for $6.99. The Robin Bundle Pack will also become available on November 22 to all owners of the game for the same price.

Original Crysis Gets Release Date on XBL and PSN

Chris Carlson — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:20:38 +0000

Just a short few weeks ago, EA came out of no where announcing the original Crysis for XBL and PSN. The games announcement wasn’t the big shocker, it was when EA stated the game would be available in October that caught people by surprise.

At that time, EA never said a specific date, but EA’s site reveals the game is coming a lot sooner than you think. Like, October 4th soon. Not even a full month since the announcement and you can experience the single player portion of the original Crysis on your console for $19.99 (1600 MSP). That is of course if your console can actually run it.

Xbox LIVE is Coming to Windows 8

Chris Carlson — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:15:48 +0000

Microsoft has confirmed that they will be bringing Xbox LIVE to the PC on Windows 8. Major Nelson broke the news today on his blog, along with the keynote and a first screenshot.

“We are very excited about Xbox LIVE coming to Windows 8. Xbox LIVE brings your games, music, movies, and TV shows to your favorite Microsoft and Windows devices. Bringing Xbox LIVE to Windows 8 is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy. At BUILD we are showing that it is easy for developers to create games for Windows 8 that take advantage of the power of Xbox LIVE. We have much more detail to share about the capabilities of Xbox LIVE on Windows and look forward to the opportunity to do so in the near future.”

Original Crysis Will Be a Downloadable Title on XBL and PSN

Chris Carlson — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:20:11 +0000

Earlier this morning we reported that the orignal Crysis would be heading to Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in October. Many of you probably thought it would be a standard retail game for $60. Well let me say, I have some great news for you. Crytek has announced that Crysis will be a downloadable title via PSN and XBL. This remastered version for console players using Crytek’s state-of-the-art CryENGINE 3 will allow all new lighting, effects and other visual optimizations.

Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek stated:

“We are extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish with Crysis. We set out to create a next-generation FPS and delivered a PC experience that became a benchmark for quality – and still is for many gamers even four years later. By bringing the single-player campaign to console, we believe we are again setting a new standard for quality in downloadable gaming.”

Crysis will launch on XBL and PSN next month for $19.99 (1600 MSP).

Valve Says Microsoft Needs To Be More “Comfortable” In Opening Up XBL

Chris Carlson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:30:23 +0000

Gabe Newell says that the company still wants to bring Steamworks to Xbox LIVE, but Microsoft needs to relax and be more comfortable letting them do it. Having Steamworks on the PS3 has allowed Valve to offer cross-platform play for Portal 2 between the PC and deliver updates without restrictions.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Gaben stated:

We certainly can deliver a lot of value to customers to the degree to which we have those capabilities. With the PS3 obviously we made a lot more progress with that.

When asked about Microsoft, Newell added:

“The main thing is having Microsoft get comfortable with it and let us do it. Right now, there’s a huge amount of updates and free content we’ve been able to deliver to people who have The Orange Box that we haven’t been able to deliver to the Xbox because of the restrictions that have been placed on us on Xbox Live.

We’d love to see those relaxed. Other developers on the PS3 are starting to benefit from Sony’s more open approach. Hopefully that will help Microsoft see that’s a good strategy for making customers happy, that the barbarians won’t tear down the walls of Xbox and turn it into some chaotic wasteland”

RipTen Review: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (XBLA)

Chris Carlson — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:44:49 +0000

FuelCell Games has created a fascinating, unique experience with their latest downloadable title, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. The game displays a beautifully artistic open world, slick menu designs, and some very interesting gameplay mechanics. However, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will leave you with a sour taste in your mouth.

After the opening cutscene you’ll be left with a sense of confusion because the game doesn’t tell you anything. I mean nothing at all. There’s not one spoken word throughout the entire game, and no silent dialog either. You start off in your tiny spaceship on what’s labeled your home planet and given a very brief –and I mean extremely brief– tutorial on how to use your object scanner. That’s it. From there, the game assumes you know what to do, where to go and so forth.

See the image in the right hand corner? Yea, that's all the help you'll get....for everything throughout the game.

The only help you’ll actually receive throughout the game is when you scan an object, in which case, the icon will display a picture of what can be used on your specific target. I don’t expect a game to hold my hand, but I do want a sense of direction and insight on what it is I’m supposed to be doing. Upon scanning objects and completing objectives –when you’re able to to figure out what those are– your map will be updated with various icons. Objects, points of interest, gates, etc. After all that’s said and done, and you manage to teach yourself how to play, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a fantastic experience.

As I mentioned before, I don’t want a game to hold my hand and thankfully so, during the course of the game’s mass variety of puzzles, it doesn’t. The game consists of six different locations that are all tied together and can be freely explored at any point during the game; Homeworld, Organic Zone, Ocean Zone, Ice Zone, Mechanical Zone, and Electrical Zone, each with their own unique and beautifully crafted display of art. Every area has its own style, enemies, traps, and puzzles. They all feel so different and will hold your interest throughout the game’s four to six hour campaign.

The Electricity Tool will allow you to open doors like this one.

The best part about Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is the selection of tools to choose from. There are nine tools in all and every single one has a different purpose. Most of the time, you’ll need to combine them to proceed through a puzzle and gain access to your destination. The claw tool allows you to virtually grab just about any object or enemy and use it to your advantage. Rocks may be blocking your path, you might need to plug in an electric current to enable a door to open, and many other things.

You can also set up to four hot keys for your tools to quickly switch between them. Unfortunately, later in the game, you’ll need to use just about every tool at your disposable and switching between them manually can be a real pain in the ass. The world itself is quite large and checkpoints are spread throughout respectably, but almost too often as they take some of the challenge away. It doesn’t help that dying has no consequences. Dying will just simply put you at your most recent checkpoint, but all your work prior to your death will still be completed.

Telekinesis is one of the game's many tools.

The puzzles themselves can leave you stumped at times. Sometimes, you may need to use your laser beam through a series of rock crystals to reflect and burn through an object. Other times, you’ll need to telekinetically control objects to push other objects, or use them to activate switches. Each area also comes with its very own boss. The bosses themselves aren’t very interesting, nor are they very difficult. Once you figure out how to kill them, there’s physically no challenge what so ever.

One of the major complaints I have about the bosses is the final one. Without spoiling anything, it’s the most frustrating boss fight you’ll ever encounter in such a game like this. It’s not frustrating because it’s hard, it’s frustrating because there’s so much happening on screen that the frame rate suffers. Fortunately, this issue doesn’t detract from the overall success of this game, even with multiple enemies and objects on the screen.

Zap its week point for massive damage!!!

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet also offers an online component, Lantern Run, which can be played by up to four players locally, or via Xbox LIVE. The basic goal of this mode is to carry a lantern through a series of stages while running from a giant octopus-type monster. Each wave will add different enemies and more obstacles, but the catch is you’re not equipped with anything at all. While trying to beat your high score is fun and all, the game mode itself isn’t very intriguing and will lose your interest after a few rounds.

The campaign also has a few collectibles like concept art and movies, but not much else is to be found. While the game does lack a sense of replay value, it’s still a fantastic, unusual experience that at the very least you should try. A game like this doesn’t come along very often and if you love running from giant octopi to increase your high score, you’ll have a great time with Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ Beautiful artistic design

+ Unique and compelling gameplay mechanics.

- No sense of direction or proper tutorials

- No story explanation. I still have no idea WTF is going on in this game.

Learn more about the RipTen scoring system and what this score means. Visit our review scoring page.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet was developed by FuelCell Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It will be released on August 3rd, 2011 for 1200 MSP ($14.99) on the Xbox 360. The copy used for review was provided to us by the publisher. Campaign was played until completion, taking around 5 hours to finish. Online co-op was played for about an hour.

Time Warner Cable Customers Can Now Use ESPN3 On Xbox Live

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:30:49 +0000

UPDATE: It’s not happening… yet

When ESPN3 was announced for Xbox LIVE many sports fans were ecstatic. However there was a large group of fans who were left with nothing but frustration and disappointment. While Time Warner Cable and Bright House customers could access the still access the app, live streaming for current games were disabled.

In order to enjoy the full experience ESPN3 on XBL had to offer, you needed to get an access code from your ISP. Until recently this has been impossible for Time Warner and Bright House customers. Microsoft stated back in December 2010, that the full service would be available to those customers “soon”. As you can see, that’s clearly not the case until now. It only took close to a year, but Time Warner Cable customers can now enjoy the full experience ESPN3 has to offer. By heading over to the authentication website you can log in to your Time Warner Cable account and you will be granted with an access code.

Unfortunately for Bright House customers, no agreement has been made between the companies. Nine months later and counting, those customers are still without full access.

Homefront The Rock DLC Now Available (Trailer/Screens)

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:10:39 +0000

THQ has released the second downloadable content pack for Homefront today. First on Xbox LIVE, The Rock features four new multiplayer maps for 400 MSP ($4.99).

Alcatraz – America’s most infamous prison becomes the site of fierce close-quarters fighting.
Bridge – A combined arms effort to secure the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounding area, large-scale warfare at its best!
Waterway – Wage war atop storefronts and in the streets of the Spillway, where every inch feels like a mile.
Overpass – Battle in a fan-favorite Ground Control space for the first time in Team Deathmatch!

Check out the DLC trailer and screens below!

EPSN On Xbox 360 Getting Update This August

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:39:45 +0000

Microsoft will be releasing a major update to its ESPN service on XBL this August. The new update will add multiple new features like “My Sports” channel and split-screen support.

My Sports – ESPN on Xbox LIVE now allows you to choose your favorite sports and teams and designate these channels as “My Sports,” so you can jump directly into the games and content you care most about. ESPN on Xbox LIVE will automatically provide you with a personalized daily feed of news and highlights based on “My Sports,” catching you up on only the teams and sports you care most about.
Mini Guide – The Mini Guide gives you a preview and quick access to all the sports content you care about right at the bottom of the screen. Saturday is all about college football, and now the best fans don’t have to miss anything. Is another game tied up late in the fourth? Instantly switch to that game. Halftime? Play the earlier highlights.
Split Screen – Because true sports fans want to watch more than one game at a time, ESPN on Xbox LIVE is adding Split Screen, allowing you to watch two events at once. Watch live events on both screens or a live event on one while you catch up on news and highlights on the other. You can even control both screens independently, pausing and rewinding each separately so you never miss a second of the action.
Voice Control with Kinect – Focus on your team instead of looking for the remote. Navigate through the Content Guide, skip to the next highlight, or play, pause, and rewind that big play…all with the sound of your voice and the magic of Kinect .
Scoreboard – ESPN on Xbox LIVE is also adding a live college football scoreboard that you can jump to any time. You can even use Split Screen to watch the big game on one side of your screen while the live scoreboard occupies the other, keeping you up on all the action from around college football.
Reminders – Too many big games to keep track of in your head? Not to worry – ESPN on Xbox LIVE now lets you tag games and set reminders so you never miss a moment.Live Alerts – With new live alerts, ESPN on Xbox LIVE will keep you posted on score changes from around college football, even if you’re not keeping a close eye on the scoreboard.
ESPN BottomLine – The addition of the ESPN BottomLine to ESPN on Xbox LIVE keeps you in the know with breaking news and score updates from around the world of sports.

The ESPN update will be available on August 25th.

[Source: MajorNelson]

Red Dead Redemption Myths and Mavericks DLC Coming This September

Chris Carlson — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:00:30 +0000

Rockstar Games has revealed on their blog the upcoming free fan appreciation pack, “Myths and Mavericks” will be headed to XBL and PSN this September.

Myths and Mavericks is coming as a show of appreciation for the long-term support Red Dead Redemption has received since it launch just over a year ago. The pack will include fan-favorite multiplayer characters by popular demand, as well as new multiplayer locations in Deathmatch, Grab the Bad, Gang matches and other online modes.

While the exact date wasn’t revealed, Rockstar said the pack will be finished and available in September.

Microsoft Reveals Indie Games Summer Uprising Line-up

Chris Carlson — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:59:18 +0000

From August 22nd until September 2nd, Microsoft will be holding their “Indie Games Summer Uprising” promotion which consist of ten titles. Eight of these games have been revealed and were chosen to represent the Xbox LIVE Indie Games program as a whole to gamers. The final two titles will selected by a voting process that begins next month. The eight titles consist of:

T.E.C. 3001
SpeedRunner
Raventhorne
Take Arms
Train Frontier Express
Cute Things Dying Violently
Doom & Destiny
Battle High: San Bruno

The video below will give you some insight on a few of the games listed above.

Microsoft Launches New Service For Xbox LIVE “My Stats”

Chris Carlson — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:14:44 +0000

Microsoft has just launched “My Stats”, a new stat tracking website where Xbox LIVE Gold Members can view various different stats and compare them globally.

If you’ve opt-in to Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Rewards program and are currently a gold member you can view all of your latest stats by visiting your Xbox LIVE Rewards page. Upon entering the site, you’re greeted with a nice message:

“We love giving stuff back – and as a loyal Xbox LIVE Rewards Gold member, you can enjoy a great new feature we’ve added to your Xbox LIVE experience: your very own MyStats page that collects your Xbox LIVE usage. Check it out and see how you measure up against the global Xbox LIVE community.”

There’s also a box to the right where you can submit your own stat tracking idea for future use. This new site tracks a numerous amount of statistics over the course of the last six months; These range from your top 6 games played, achievements, time spent playing single player & multiplayer games, and entertainment use. It also compares your stats to the rest of the Xbox LIVE community.

The greatest part about the new upgrade to Xbox.com is you can now -finally- turn off that god forsaken Auto-renewal which previously required you to call up Xbox support in order to cancel. Woo hoo for stat tracking!

Burnout CRASH! Announced with Screens

Chris Carlson — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:17:43 +0000

Criterion Games and Electronic Arts Inc. today announced Burnout CRASH! The next instalment in the Burnout series will arrive onto Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network in Fall 2011.

EA has issued a full press release with tons of info about the gameplay, modes, features etc. Read all the details below, including three screenshots.

Criterion Games has gone back to its roots with Burnout CRASH! by bringing the series’ fan-favorite Crash mode to the forefront, adding new top-down gameplay, exciting features and Autolog to let players compete with their friends while embracing their road rage.

In the game, players are rewarded for causing traffic chaos by crashing into cars, triggering explosions and destroying everything in sight. Powered by the acclaimed Autolog technology, players will be able to connect, compete and compare high scores to earn the master of disaster crown, as well as use the all new Autolog Challenges feature to go head to head with their friends.

“Burnout CRASH! is a crazy mix of pinball and game shows,” said Richard Franke, Creative Director, Burnout CRASH! “We’ve evolved the core gameplay which everyone loved about Crash Mode, and expanded the whole experience using music, style and Autolog to create what we feel is the most mindless fun you can have on any gaming platform.

Burnout CRASH! packs countless hours of reckless chaos into an easy to pick up, but difficult to master gameplay experience. There are three explosive game modes available across 18 crash junctions in six unique locations, each requiring different skills and strategies to maximize damage and destroy everything in sight. With a variety of player vehicles to unlock, high-value targets to seek and destroy, and crazy surprise features to discover, players will be hooked on an adrenaline-fuelled rampage to the top of the Crashwall.

Burnout CRASH! is also EA’s first Xbox LIVE Arcade title to feature a game mode designed exclusively for Kinect in which two teams use gestural controls to play on one television in a party battle!