Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! My gift to you this Holiday Season is a link to a humorous web site. http://www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com. Just for comparison reasons, I had 23. Sounds low to me. Leave your results in the comments.

Nightmare Before Xmas Impressions

I survived The Nightmare before Xmas. Just barely, it was kind of a nightmare. Parking at this venue is a joke. people were backed up onto the freeway for about a mile waiting to get in to the place. But, this was no surprise to me, I've been to concerts at the Great Saltair before. The place was packed. We're talking like 20,000 people, all of which is general admission. Although it was packed, we were able to find a pretty awesome spot on the balcony straight back from the stage.

At about 8:00 the first band that played was "I hate Kate." Their music was pretty good and they put on a great show. Their set lasted about 30 or 40 minutes.

Then the real problem of the show reared it's ugly head. A 45 minute wait for the next band to start playing? It was kind of a joke. It needed to be a bit more organized. By the time "DATAROCK" started playing we were pretty stoked. Too bad the show they put on sucked ass. A couple of the songs were ok, but the show pretty much consisted of four guys jumping up and down in red warm up suits. All the while one little guitar player kept pelvic thrusting his guitar. Sad.

Yet again another 45 minutes to wait. The "Shiny Toy Guns" kicked ass! They put on a good show and they sounded awesome. It was fun as hell. They played their big songs and a couple of new songs I haven't heard before. I do wish they had played a bit longer though.

Tree Dude

I've heard from some of you who are skeptical about this guy, as to whether this could be true. So I did a little digging and found this article from "Britain's No.1 quality newspaper website", Telegraph.co.uk. In the article it talks of a documentary about the man. The documentary appeared on Discovery Channel Britain. Here's a link to the shows description. If I can find the entire video link I'll post it.

I've also played some of the other youtube vids where they showed more detail of his feet, it really showed how these things were growing from him. Seems entirely real to me.

Nightmare Before X Mas with Shiny Toy Guns

If you're a frequent visitor to my myspace page, you may know that I'm a big Shiny Toy Guns fan. Tonight I will attend a concert with said band, and there will be much rejoicing. It will be at the historic Great Saltair, located on the southern tip of the Great Salt Lake. I wanna shout out to my wife for the tickets. It was an awesome surprise.

I'll post again with my impressions of the show.

Tree guy

Alright. This isn't a typical post that I'd put on the blog, but this is just amazing to me. This guy is a tree guy. No shit. Honest to god tree dude. I believe this to be real too.



If you want to see more vids just search for "Tree Man" on YouTube.

Red ROD

OK. Most of you know by now that I was the unfortunate recipient of a "Red Ring of Death" (Red ROD) on my Xbox 360. This is not to be confused with a "Red Eye." Both are bad, but not everybody has a Red ROD.

I first noticed a problem while owning newbs on GRAW 2. During 4 consecutive matches my box froze. After I powered down and restarted, it seemed to be fine. But, it froze each time shortly after the match was started. So, I threw in Gears of War and had the same results; this time during a cinematic. I then contacted Best Buy to inquire about my product replacement warranty. After I attained the shipping info I decided to start cataloging what I might need to save to a memory card, during this process it freezes. I powered it down thinking that it would restart like it had before when, viola. Red muthafuckin ROD!

I think that this clearly shows that my 360 suffered from an overheating issue, which brought it to a slow agonizing death. I admit, I'm no electronics engineer or anything, but there was clearly an issue with the freezing and the amount of time I was playing. The amount of time I was able to play a match decreased after each time it froze. 5 minutes of play, then 3, then 2, etc...

Nevertheless, I should be back and running by July 4th. Crosses fingers. Just in time for the Army Gaming Championships Tourney. Out team, ONES and ZEROS placed in the top eight of a recent tourney and we hope to improve dramatically over our last showing. This might be hampered by the lack of practice time though. So wish us luck.

Microsoft Surface

This is a video of a new technology that Microsoft is working on. They announced it earlier this morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIDEO GAMES!

Today marks the 40th Birthday of video games, which really makes me feel old. There is a great artictle over at 1up with the 411. Check it out here.

Now, are you gonna sit around all day playing those video games, or are you gonna go out and do somethin' !?

The 10 Worst Selling Game Consoles of All Time

Here's an interesting list of the worst selling consoles. Some of the numbers that Gamepro.com uses sound a bit sketchy to me but is interesting nonetheless.

Sadly, I have owned three of the ten consoles myself. They are the Sega Dreamcast, the Sega CD, and the 3DO. I enjoyed the hell out of all three systems so you'll get no complaints from me. Check it out!

Chipmaker displays the promise of 80-core chip technology

At the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in San Francisco, Jerry Bautista, Intel's director of technology management, demonstrates how, in the future, Intel will power virtual environments using its multicore chip technology.

It sounds boring but it's a cool vid' describing future gaming technologies. It's interesting. Click here for the video.

Halo3.com updated

Halo3.com has been updated. It includes a plethora of screenshots, videos, concept art and more. Go check it out. Unless you want to be a little punk ass bitch.

COD 4 Trailer

This game looks like it could be pretty f*cking sick! I thought it looked so good I jizzed all over myself! As you can see, at the end of the vid there is an official web page at www.charlieoscardelta.com, where you can view an extended and uncut trailer. Thanks 'bot.

EndWar Viral Videos [updated]

Alright, by now most of us have seen the viral site at www.rev64.com. What some of you haven't seen is the new videos hidden on the site. One consists of a shaky cam following a soldier. The other shows an F-22 like jet dropping a bomb onto a city and or town. To access the videos, go to the site, use passcode "s9p1z6" to get in, and listen to the nice lady describe the events that lead to WWIII. Afterwards you'll see two links that read "REGISTER" and "FORUM". Those links lead to their respective content, but what you might have missed are the two dots in the lower left hand corner. Click those dots and they bring up the before mentioned videos. This is getting kind of exciting, and I can't wait to see what's next.

[edit] Like the fucktard that I am; I forgot to give the passcode to the site. It's "s9p1z6". Added passcode to story.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare confirmed

Xbox 360 Fanboy has the deets on when we can learn more about the freshly announced CoD4. So Check it out by clicking on the provided link. Provided Link. Or you can just look at the .jpg to the right. Whatever's easiest.

Ubisoft Announces Tom Clancy's EndWar

After teasing us for a couple of weeks at rev64.com, Ubisoft has finally revealed the name of the new Tom Clancy franchise with today's announcement of Tom Clancy's EndWar, a war strategy game developed exclusively for next-generation systems.

---

Ubisoft Announces Tom Clancy's EndWar

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that it is creating Tom Clancy's EndWar, a new brand in the Tom Clancy series of video games. Led by strategy veteran and Ubisoft creative director Michael de Plater, Tom Clancy's EndWar is being developed by a world-class team at Ubisoft's Shanghai studio whose members have experience developing Ubisoft's hit franchises including Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Tom Clancy's EndWar is scheduled for release on next-generation consoles in fiscal year 2007/2008.

Set on the battlefields of World War III , Tom Clancy's EndWar will push the envelope of technology, showcasing artificial intelligence, graphics, physics and animations that were not possible prior to the launch of the new hardware systems. Tom Clancy's EndWar has been built from the ground up as a revolutionary war strategy game solely for next-generation consoles.

"Our development teams are invigorated to be creating the first 100 percent next-generation Tom Clancy brand," said Serge Hascoët, chief creative officer at Ubisoft. "Our success with Tom Clancy franchises is unparalleled in the next-generation and Tom Clancy's EndWar will be a marvelous addition to the already critically acclaimed library of games. A strategy game like no other, EndWar will allow gamers to lead their own armies against hundreds of others online in real global locations on the massive battlefields of World War III."

Ubisoft's Tom Clancy video games are consistently among the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed video game series in the industry. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games have collectively sold more than 45 million units worldwide to date. In 2006, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas was named Best First Person Action Game of the Year by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter took home the Best Video Game of the Year award from the prestigious BAFTA awards.

Tom Clancy's EndWar is featured in a world-exclusive first look in the June issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, available on newsstands in North America on May 8, 2007.

Halo 3 Beta video leaked.

[edit] The video has been dropped by Youtube, so hopefully you viewed it before it was dropped. If not you can catch it here from GameTrailers.com. Hurry! Before it's gone.

As you can probably tell the map appears to be a recreation of Zanzibar called Last Resort. In the vid you can see the new shield in action, among other cool shit. Nothing groundbreaking, but it does look pretty good. What do you think?

120GB 360 HDD worth only $100

From: Xbox360 Fanboy

Perhaps you've heard of the brand new, super fancy Xbox 360 Elite. You know, it's black, has HDMI and a 120GB hard drive, and it's super cool. You may have heard that the Elite has been utterly gutted, all of its vitals exposed to the world. It just so happens the 120GB hard drive was part of this dismantling process. With the drive cracked open and exposed, we can finally see the wondrous, ultra high-tech hard drive that justifies Microsoft's $179 price tag. Or can we?

It turns out that the drive inside the plastic case is in fact a Fujitsu MHW2120BH 2.5" laptop drive. Shindakun.net did some Google searching and discovered that these drives generally cost around $100. Not long ago, Aaron Greenberg stated that the drive in the Xbox 360 is comparable to a self-powered external hard drive for a PC. Alright, so there must be some sort of additional work that justifies an $80 increase above retail, right? The thing is, according to Shindakun, the 360 drive isn't self powered. You have to shut down the console to install it, because it's just an SATA drive with a proprietary connector. So, where does the extra cost come from? The plastic casing isn't that nice. Granted, there are R&D costs to consider, but $80 extra per unit seems a little steep. Without a direct explanation of the costs from Microsoft, we can make only one conclusion: we're getting ripped off.

Buyer beware.

Apple (or a rogue programmer) added Dashboard Widget Anti-War message

I thought this story was interesting. Click the read more link to a.... Read more.

We were intrigued by the idea that perhaps this line of text was somehow added by Apple (or a rogue programmer) who felt the need to express their personal beliefs. So in one of our very rare pieces of investigational reporting, we wrote to Oxford University Press to get their take on this. Three weeks later, we have our response.

read more

Splinter Cell Double Agent - Xbox 360/Playstation 3 Comparison Shots

Over at the "Back Buffer" blog they have some nice comparison shots of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of Splinter Cell Double Agent. Check it out!

Rainbow Six: Vegas' Player's Pack Red Edition Gets Its Date On

According to Xbox 360 Fanboy, and others, the new content will be available for download Thursday, April 18th. The download will include 3 new maps, 2 tweaked maps and 2 new game modes. If you want to read more about the new content click here. There is no official word on a price point, but expect it to be less than 1000 MS points. Now eat my blood glistening trots... Bitches!

Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Hits on May 16

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today confirmed the multiplayer beta of Halo® 3 will debut to audiences worldwide via Xbox LIVE® on May 16 at 5 A.M. Pacific Time and run through June 6 at 11:59 P.M. Pacific Time. Coming exclusively to Xbox 360™ this fall, Halo 3 is the highly anticipated third chapter in the groundbreaking Halo trilogy from legendary developers Bungie.

Halo 3 lets you experience Master Chief's greatest battle as he launches an epic mission to stop the Covenant, destroy the impending Flood threat, and ultimately save mankind.

New Levels, Weapons, Game Types
Made possible through the Xbox LIVE gaming and entertainment network, which provides a robust online service for more than six million gamers worldwide, the multiplayer beta for Halo 3 will provide the first opportunity to get your hands on the new levels, weapons, vehicles, and game types, as well as a chance to provide valuable data that Bungie will use in continued development.

"Bringing an early look at the multiplayer
elements of Halo 3 to our passionate fan base
is tremendously exciting for us."
—Shane Kim, Microsoft

Starting May 16, if you secured your admission to the multiplayer beta either through the "Rule of Three" promotion or by purchasing a specially marked copy of Crackdown™ for Xbox 360, you'll be able to don your Spartan armor, download the beta on Xbox LIVE, and jump online using your Xbox LIVE Gold account* to battle other gamers from around the world.

Three Maps to Play
When you gather online to play the multiplayer beta via Xbox LIVE in May, you will be treated to three richly detailed, action-oriented maps: Snowbound, High Ground, and Valhalla, which represent a mixture of large- and medium-scale combat environments and are brand new to Halo 3.

Each map will test your mettle as you are placed behind the controls of new Halo 3 vehicles such as the agile Mongoose all-terrain vehicle, and armed with deadly weapons such as the new and improved Assault Rifle, the ferocious Brute Spiker, the devastating Spartan Laser, and the treacherous new Spike Grenades. This is just a taste of what awaits you later this fall when Halo 3 goes on sale.

"Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 changed the face of console gaming forever," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Gamers from around the world have logged more than 800 million hours on Xbox LIVE playing Halo 2, and years after its launch it remains the number one title on our Xbox LIVE network. Bringing an early look at the multiplayer elements of Halo 3 to our passionate fan base is tremendously exciting for us."

Joining the Multiplayer Beta
If you didn't participate in the "Rule of Three" promotion but are interested in joining the multiplayer beta of Halo 3, you can still participate through the purchase of the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 title Crackdown, which was launched in February.

Crackdownturns you loose in a free-form, persistent city for action-packed crime fighting that requires a bigger, faster, and stronger hero that evolves as a more efficient weapon through continued gameplay. Each copy of Crackdown has been specially marked with a Halo 3 beta sticker prior to the beta period, and starting May 16 the game will act as a key to download and participate in the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

In addition, if you can't wait for the multiplayer beta this May, get an even earlier look at Halo 3 with a new, behind-the-scenes video feature available at http://www.bungie.net and in high definition over Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting today, go behind the scenes at Bungie Studios to learn about the people, technology and process that are making Halo 3 an unforgettable multiplayer experience, and to get a taste of what to expect from the upcoming Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

The latest multiplayer video documentary, titled "Is Quisnam Protero Damno!," will offer a glimpse at how Halo 3 multiplayer maps are being designed, built, and architected, and how these amazing spaces are converted into fun places in which to play. You can also catch the first-ever glimpse of brand-new Halo 3 multiplayer levels in their early stages of evolution and construction.

Instant Messaging Comes to Xbox 360, Expanding the Largest Social Network on Television

Xbox 360 owners can connect with more than 260 million Windows Live Messenger users on Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs and Windows Mobile-powered devices beginning the week of May 7.

REDMOND, Wash. — April 8, 2007 — Your Xbox LIVE^® friends list is about to get a whole lot bigger. Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Windows Live™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft^® Windows^®-based PCs and Windows Mobile^®-powered devices. With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.

Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 Spring Update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox LIVE social network. Members of the 6 million-strong Xbox LIVE community currently send more than 2 million text and voice messages a day and can now use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to six people on their contact list at one time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Text chat adds to the variety of options friends and families already have to communicate with on Xbox LIVE, including voice and video chat.

Current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE will be unified on Xbox 360 and users will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags, instantly expanding the breadth of connected experiences they can share online.

“Bringing the largest IM community in the world, Windows Live Messenger, to Xbox 360 makes sense, as Xbox LIVE has really become the largest social network on television,” said Jerry Johnson, product unit manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. “For our growing community of 6 million on Xbox LIVE, using Xbox 360 is a very social, connected experience. They are using Xbox 360 to play games, music and movies while simultaneously communicating with one another through video, voice and text chat. With this announcement we are simultaneously expanding the access of Xbox LIVE users to existing friends and family while introducing Windows Live Messenger users to the benefits of Xbox 360.”

Beginning the week of May 7, users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will text chat using the virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging.

Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Spring Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements including the following:

· A richer Achievement notification pop-up will showcase the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value without needing to leave the game to check the Achievements list.

· Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.

· A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek — whether it is game content or TV shows and movies (available in the United States) — from one place on Xbox LIVE.

· Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to quickly see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. Expanded Tell a Friend capabilities make it easier than ever to boast about Achievements and high scores.

· A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.

· New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

· Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.

The Spring Update is free beginning the week of May 7 and is easily accessible to every Xbox 360 owner through Xbox LIVE or on Xbox.com.

Xbox 360 spring dashboard update leaked?

Above, you’ll find a video, of what is supposed to be, the Xbox 360 Spring 2007 Dashboard Update, as leaked and quickly pulled by GameSpot. The video features many of the highlights of the update, some of which are the following:

• Releases May 7th.
  
• Add up to 600 Windows Live Messenger contacts to your Friends List.
  
• Text chat with up to 6 Live Messenger contacts at once during games or movies.
  
• The Marketplace will be getting its own Dashboard Blade.
  
• The Marketplace will be skinned independently of the Dashboard, for special events.
  
• The Marketplace will be getting a new, easier-to-navigate remake.
  
• Achievement Pop-ups will now display how many points and which Achievement you have gained.
  
• Low-power downloading (fans off) and auto-off after finishing queued downloads.
  
• View partially downloaded video files.

I guess we'll soon find out if these are the real features or not. The video looks pretty legit though.

New Tom Clancy Franchise in the works?

Earlier today a got a tip from R080T about a viral marketing web page that is hosted at Ubisoft. Then just now I found a story over at Gamespot addressing this same page. It's an interesting concept which is described pretty well in the Gamespot story, so I'm just going to link to the story and let you read all about it there.

New Tom Clancy Franchise in the Works?

Thanks 'bot

Crackdown tank

I'll let the video speak for itself.



Standing on top, launching fireflies.... Priceless.

Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite

Premium black console includes 120GB hard drive and line of new accessories

REDMOND, Wash. — March 27, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of Xbox 360™ Elite, a new model of the video game and entertainment system that will include a 120GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a high-definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller and Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games and thousands of songs, as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows and movies available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The new 120GB hard drive also will be sold as a stand-alone accessory to give current Xbox 360 owners greater choice and flexibility in their games and entertainment experience. Additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, will be available separately. The Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories are expected to begin arriving in U.S. stores on April 29.

“Today’s games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Xbox 360 Elite’s larger hard drive and premium accessories will allow our community to enjoy all that the next generation of entertainment has to offer.”

Distinguished by its black finish and signature metallic detailing, Xbox 360 Elite will have an estimated retail price1 of $479.99 (U.S.) and will come packed with components and accessories for the ultimate high-definition entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 Elite console: The console is equipped with a premium black finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in HD entertainment (up to 1080p), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, HDMI output and DVD playback with upscaling capabilities right out of the box.
  
  
• Xbox 360 120GB hard drive: The 120GB detachable hard drive allows gamers to save their games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.3 The hard drive is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $179.99 (U.S.).
  
  
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (black): This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller, now in black, features the Xbox® Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of 30 hours on two AA batteries. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.).
  
  
• Xbox 360 headset (black): Now available in black, the headset lets gamers strategize or trade taunts while playing games and send voice messages to friends on Xbox LIVE.
  
  
• Xbox 360 HDMI cable: New to Xbox 360, HDMI allows consumers to get HD video (up to 1080p) and multichannel surround sound, all from one cable.
  
  
• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership: With this, gamers can chat with friends online, collect achievements and gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, HD movies and TV, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade.
  
  
• One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold: An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, chat with more than one person at a time, and take advantage of unique privileges in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

The following accessories for the Xbox 360 Elite console will only be sold separately:

• Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit: Complete with a charging cable and a black rechargeable battery pack, the Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit allows gamers to recharge their Xbox 360 Wireless Controller without interrupting their gameplay. it is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $19.99 (U.S.).

• Xbox 360 rechargeable battery (black): The rechargeable battery pack provides more than 25 hours of gameplay per charge. It is sold separately for an estimated retail price of $11.99 (U.S.).

Flikr Photos via Gamerscore Blog.

edit: added flikr link

GRAW 2 Tactical Maps

Today Ubisoft made available overhead screenshots for each of the GRAW 2 multiplayer maps. The hi-res shots include starting points and key tactical locations. So, brush up or continue to get owned.

Download (.zip)

(Thanks for the 411 'bot)

Achievement Unlocked

Today Major Nelson made the "Achievement Unlocked" audio clip available for download. It comes to us in two flavors.

Achievement Unlocked sound (MP3)
Achievement Unlocked sound (WMA)

Although these sound files are pretty much useless to you and me, RO8OT wasted no time creating a nice little flash for it.

(click the graphic)

So now we can click away and yell "ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!" to our hearts content.

(Update) R080T added the trophy and circle of light animations to the flash. Great work 'bot!

Possible Crackdown DLC details

A fellow on a message board over at msxbox-world has posted some interesting tidbits on the upcoming downloadable content for Crackdown. For example, the content is likely to include several new gameplay elements including vehicle impounding, street races with AI controlled cars, new equipment, new agent skins, and new mini-games. But, this is just rumor and speculation until it can be confirmed by a legitimate source. Interesting nonetheless. When it does arrive, in whatever form, the DLC should be free and include the missing 100 Achievement points. Skills for kills bitches, skills for kills.

Climb the Agency Tower... In an SUV.

With the knowledge that you can drive up wall faces with the SUV in Crackdown, this guy climbed to the top of Agency Tower. Talk about an express elevator. Although I haven't tried it. I'm guessing it is easier said than done.

Now, if I could only find all of the damn hidden orbs, and stunt markers.

The real Halo 3 MARC AR (with pics)

This is pretty cool..



read more...

Top Ten Boobies

Gametrailers.com and Screwattack.com presents to us; The Top Ten Boobies from video games. Alright, I'll shut up and let the video speak for itself.

DRM: the state of disrpair

A lot of us probably own an iPod or other music device, I own 2 iPods and a Zune for instance, so we probably know a bit about DRM. Downloading music from iTunes is an easy task, but if you lose that music from a crashed system or other tragedy, you'll have to jump through some hoops to get that music downloaded again, if at all. It's a pain in the ass. Not to mention the music from iTunes won't work on my Zune and vice versa. In order to do that I would have to burn the music to a CD, and then rip it back to my computer in .mp3. Why do we have DRM? Well, record companies seem to think it increases profits. I'm not so sure that holds any weight though.

To get around DRM for instance I just by CD's. Do you like CD's? j/k. I can rip CD's to my hard drive in .mp3 format and transfer it to my iPod or my Zune with no trouble at all. That also gives me the disc itself for a back up. So why do I have to jump through all of these hoops when it comes to downloaded music? It doesn't make sense to me. Luckily the fight to get rid of DRM is on. The first shot being fired by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Check out this article on engadget. It's a good read. Feel free to post your comments on DRM or the article.

Microsoft wants Halo's matchmaking in all Xbox 360 games

Phil Spencer, the Head of Game Development for Microsoft Game Studios wonders why no one has equaled Halo 2's matchmaking service yet. read more...

Crackdown Disc Required for Halo 3 Beta

Check out the article from 1up.

Xbox Rewards program

Microsoft officially announced today the Xbox Rewards program. Microsoft is teaming with up with Old Spice to launch the first Rewards Challenge.

The challenge: Increase your gamerscore by 1,500 between February 12 and April 12, 2007.

The reward:

• Level 1 (Gamers who have an annual gamerscore between 0-4,999 at time of entry): Game Picture, Dashboard theme, Contra for Xbox LIVE Arcade
• Level 2 (5,000-9,999 annual gamerscore): Level 1 Package, 100 Microsoft Points and a contest T-shirt
• Level 3 (10,000+ annual gamerscore): Level 1 Package, 200 Microsoft Points, contest T-shirt and Fusion Frenzy 2

In order to participate, you need to have a valid Windows Live™ ID with your Xbox LIVE® gamercard linked, be a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia (expect future challenges to be global in scope) and at least thirteen years-old.

Be sure to log on to www.xbox.com/rewards on February 12 to sign up for participation. Reward quantities are limited so gamers who reach the set goal will be awarded on a first come, first served basis only.

Halo 3 beta via Crackdown will be downloadable content???

According to a screen shot posted over at Destructoid, the Halo 3 beta via Crackdown will be downloadable content. I would imagine that the Crackdown game disc would need to be inserted to be able to access the beta once it's downloaded, but that's just speculation at this point. If you've failed at the two earlier attempts, this will probably be your last chance to catch an early glimpse of the most anticipated game of all time.

My bowels are full.

The torrent of bloody stains all over the web has been reduced to mere skid marks. You might be asking yourself, "What's causing the constipation?" Well, for now it's the fucking Comcast. I don't want to go on a diatribe about the failures of said company, 'cause everyone hates a rant. But, hopefully the problem will be remedied soon, and I'll be able to release my foul crimson flow to the world once again.

Gears of War map pack 1 coming Jan 10th.

Thanks to the Discovery Channel, the first map pack for Gears of War will be offered up on Wednesday, Jan, 10. for FREE.

The Gears of War Map Pack #1 will contain two new maps for the versus multiplayer mode. The maps are 'Raven Down' and 'Old Bones.'

Raven Down


Old Bones

Gears of War patch announced

Epic Games announced today it will roll out an update for Gears of War tomorrow, Tuesday January 9, 2007, ahead of the release of the Map Pack 1.

Here is a list of what was addressed in this update:

• Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480
• Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress
• Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM
• Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match
• Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in multiplayer
• Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance
• Enabled “Strict” NAT check on host to prevent possible connection issues
• Optimized server browser queries to return results more quickly and prevent scroll bars from hiding quality of service icons
• Reduced number of possible revives in Execution to match Warzone
• Removed host name from Ranked match server browser
• Disabled security cameras in Ranked matches
• Ranked matches now require balanced teams (3v3 or 4v4)
• Increased penalty for quitting a Ranked match to -50 points
• Added additional cheat detection code
• Additional housekeeping updates

Microsoft announces IPTV for the Xbox 360

I'm not going to go into the whole kit and caboodle here for you but basically what happening is that your Xbox 360 will become a DVR or Tivo, if you will. If you want to know more; here is the press release at TeamXbox, or you can watch this informative video from on10.net. The video does a good job showing what this service will offer. Check it out. The service will start rolling out this holiday season, depending on whether your local content provider supports it.

The second Xbox 360 revealed: codename Zephyr

An insider of Microsoft revealed to engadget that a second version of the Xbox 360, codenamed zephyr, will be released "soon". The new version will supposedly come equipped with an HDMI output, as well as a 120 Gigabyte hard drive. The official release is rumored to be announced at the winter CES next week. Stay tuned for more info, bitches.

[via engadget]

Microsoft Announces Two Additional Paths of Entry to Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta

Gamers are invited to join the fight when the beta goes live this spring with Xbox Live and “Crackdown” providing the final two paths.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios are ringing in the year with a proverbial bang, as they announced today two new ways for gamers to receive an invitation to participate in the “Halo^® 3” multiplayer beta program coming this spring through Xbox Live^® Marketplace.

Specifically, gamers will be able to receive an invitation by doing one of the following:

• Qualifying over Xbox Live and then being one of the first 13,333 “Halo 2” gamers to register for the “Rule of Three” program at http://www.halo3.com in early February

• Purchasing the upcoming game “Crackdown™,” which hits store shelves in the U.S. on Feb. 20. (This option is a guaranteed invite to the beta.)

The “Halo 3” multiplayer beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of “Halo 3,” is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on Xbox 360™. The beta also represents an opportunity for gamers to participate in the testing and refinement of the multiplayer gameplay of “Halo 3,” the most anticipated game of 2007. Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further hone the end result of “Halo 3.”

Beginning Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. EST, all gamers need to do is participate in at least three hours of “Halo 2” multiplayer sessions, via Xbox Live, before Feb. 3, 2007, at 11:59 p.m. EST and then be among the first 13,333 to register at http://www.halo3.com. The “Rule of Three” program is currently planned for gamers in the 50 United States (includes District of Columbia) age 17 years and older who have access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive, a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription and the “Halo 2” game. Gamers around the world are encouraged to visit http://www.halo3.com in the coming weeks for more information on the “Rule of Three” program in their region.

As well, when “Crackdown” hits store shelves, gamers eager to take home a copy of the highly anticipated exclusive action title for Xbox 360 will find marked boxes of “Crackdown” that include an invite to participate in the coveted “Halo 3” multiplayer beta program when it becomes available. When the “Halo 3” multiplayer beta surfaces in spring 2007, owners of “Crackdown” with access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive and a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription simply need to load their copy of “Crackdown” into Xbox 360 and use the disc as a key to download the beta from Xbox Live Marketplace and join the battle in “Halo 3” multiplayer. “Crackdown” will be available in the U.S. on Feb. 20, Asian territories on Feb. 22 and European markets on Feb. 23.

In December, Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios completed the first of three ways for North American gamers to participate in the “Halo 3” multiplayer beta, by registering at http://www.halo3.com. Gamers who were selected from this initial opportunity will be contacted in January.

From Realtime Worlds, “Crackdown” pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with a rich and immersive 3-D playground. Gamers level up their Agent’s strength, agility, firearms, explosives and driving skills while scaling the fully vertical world of “Crackdown.” This M-rated game incorporates revolutionary co-op gameplay throughout the entire free-form campaign. Creating a volatile cocktail of judicial oppression, players will clean up the streets of a truly interactive world when “Crackdown” hits store shelves at an estimated retail price of $59.99.

U.S. Soldiers Get to Play Halo 3 Beta, Footage Leaked

TeamXbox has the lowdown on an event held in Iraq for the troops. Visitors were treated to an early look at the Halo 3 public beta. Pictures and a 2 movies are included. So go check it out. No. Seriously go. What the fuck are you reading this for? GO!

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/12501/US-Soldiers-Get-to-Play-Halo-3-Beta-Footage-Leaked/

Japanese IQ Test

This is supposed to be an IQ test given to job applicants in Japan. Though I'm not from Japan, so I don't really know.

"Everybody has to cross the river"

To play, click the link below, then click the blue circle to start.

The following rules apply:

• Only 2 persons on the raft at a time
• The father can not stay with any of the daughters, without their mother's presence
• The mother can not stay with any of the sons, without their father's presence
• The thief (striped shirt) can not stay with any family member,if the Policeman is not there
• Only the Father, the Mother and the Policeman know how to operate the raft

To move the people click on them. To move the raft click on the pole.

** CLICK HERE TO BEGIN **

It is possible. Good luck!

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to say Happy New Year to you all. Sorry for the lack of content. It's slow in the gaming world as of late, but it should pick up for CES and such. Until then read "What's Next?", to see.... What's next. And be sure to vote in the poll box. Later.