Ouch! Microsoft takes action against Achievement Cheaters

In an attempt to curb the never ceasing onslaught of Achievement whores cheaters, Microsoft has implemented a new system to humiliate said cheaters into retirement.

Read all about it over at Mr. Larry Hyrbs blog.  Whadda you think?  Will it work?

EA Charging For Bad Company Weapons?

Word from the Battlefield: Bad Company beta test is that several weapons in the game's arsenal are locked, with "Available for purchase on Xbox Live Marketplace" notations next to them. In total 10 weapons are listed as for sale, with five of them also available in the Gold Edition of the game. What this basically means is that people willing to drop a little extra cash, be it in the store or on Xbox Live, will have more weapons to choose from than someone who scrapes together just enough to pick up the game itself. This is not the way microtransactions should be used. Cosmetic additions and extra maps are all well and good, but allowing players to pay in order to get a leg up on the competition is just slimy. Multiplayer games suffer from enough balance issues without this sort of thing going on. Where will this lead? Perhaps eventually they'll allow you to purchase a much better surrogate player to represent you in matches, taking the term "professional gaming" to an all new level. Maybe we can pay for ammo next! "Everybody down! He bought extra clips!" *sigh*

[via Kotaku]

Sadly, the only real way for us consumers to combat this practice is to vote with our wallets. By not purchasing the game and or not purchasing the microtransactions it could send a message to EA and Microsoft that we're not going to take it. Also these "Microtransactions" seem to me to not be so micro anymore. We'll have to wait and see if this is the case.

Battlefield: Bad Company Multiplayer Beta

 

Starting March 25th EA will open up Beta testing for Battlefield: Bad Company.  To get in the Battlefield: Bad Company Beta click this Battlefield: Bad Company Beta Link.  Obviously you'll need a Gold Account on Xbox Live and live in North America.  See you there.

CoD4 Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack Dated and Priced

A new page over at xbox.com announced of the Call of Duty 4 variety map pack will be available for download Thursday, April 3 for 800 MS points.

The Variety Map Pack includes four new multiplayer maps. "Creek" is a
wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference
between life and death. In "Broadcast," fight throughout an enemy
communications building with confined corridors and wide-open parking
lots. "Chinatown" is a foggy downtown district, lit only by a full moon
and the neon glow of the city. "Killhouse" features a desolate training
warehouse filled with a variety of building mock-ups and soft and hard
cover points.

These new maps can't come soon enough for me, I've pretty much had my fill of the current playlists. Hopefully these new maps will be integrated in a way that helps these maps occur in the hoppers more frequently.

Maltese (RIP)

An ode to the Maltese

Rest In Peace, oh grand Maltese.
Your light shone so bright, it burned out in one night.
We put you in a grammy-que. We mistook you for a chupacabra too.
We sprinkled you with cheese. You went best with our favorite cantonese.
You intimidate us with every sight. You piss us off almost every night.
Soon Zirik will be one too, until then we will all miss you.

New Call of Duty 4 DLC to release this Spring... Wait, WTF?

According to Xbox 360 Fanboy, new download content will be released via XBLM starting in the spring. The download content will consist of "a few new multiplayer maps." I was hoping to see some DLC sooner rather than later, but it looks like we'll have to wait just a bit longer. There was no word in the article about the bug patch that was supposedly to be released before the end of last year, we'll probably have to wait for that too.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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/

Halo 3 "ViDoc"

A Halo 3 video documentary has been released on the Marketplace. The "video documentary" gives the public its first peek at the game's campaign mode--something that has been highly guarded until now. The 97MB video, titled "Et Tu Brute?," focuses largely on the Brutes, the apelike race that act as bodyguards for the Prophets.

Bungie has said that the in game footage is months old and in no way should be construed as a current build of the game. More on this info can be found here.

Ubisoft Announces Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2

Today Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2, the next installment in the popular squad-based action franchise, is currently in development for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the PSP® system and Windows® PC. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2 is being developed by the award-winning teams that created the original Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ in Ubisoft’s Paris and Red Storm Studios. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™ 2 is scheduled for worldwide release in Spring 2007.

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter set the standard for what we know as the next-generation gaming experience,” said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America. “With Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Ubisoft is taking all the successful elements in the original to an unparalleled level of quality – the sophisticated technology, weaponry, graphics, story and online gameplay will heighten the intensity and bring gamers an even more amazing experience.”

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 builds off of the events in the first game and places gamers in control of the U.S. military’s elite fighting unit, the Ghosts. In the year 2014, the rising conflict between Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces has thrown Mexico into full-scale civil war. Under the command of Captain Scott Mitchell, the Ghosts are called upon to face an imminent threat to the United States. The fate of two countries now lies in the hands of the Ghosts as they fend off an attack on U.S. soil. Equipped with the most cutting-edge weaponry and technology, the Ghosts must battle on both sides of the border to neutralize the escalating rebel threat.

Key Features:

• Groundbreaking Visual Experience: The war zone in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter comes to life as you navigate through trash-strewn streets and pick off enemies from behind bomb-scarred structures. The cutting-edge physics and particle systems will show you some of the most intense and realistic explosions, smoke, and environment destruction ever seen in a video game. Dynamic lighting and shadows will morph as real-time day/night cycles and a constantly changing weather system require you to adjust to the changing conditions on the fly.
  
  
• All-New Battlegrounds: For the first time ever, the Ghosts will defend U.S. soil from a cross-border attack, taking the fight to all-new locations. The Ghosts will battle enemies in mountain terrains, barren deserts and even on their home turf in El Paso, Texas. Each environment presents its own benefits and challenges and will call for fresh tactical approaches.
  
  
• Vastly Improved Artificial Intelligence (AI): Watch your back as rebels send their own team members to flank your position or gain vantage points by utilizing vertical gameplay to pick you off from the rooftops above. Improved squad-mate AI will now feed you more of the information you need with descriptive commands like “enemy spotted behind red truck ahead.”
  
  
• Improved Cross-Com: The revolutionary new Cross-Com 2.0 will give the player more information than ever before. You will be able to see what your friendly forces see in the top left display and the click of a button will expand that to full-screen view for a clearer and more precise picture. This will give you a more comprehensive view of the entire battlefield. The new Full Command View will allow unprecedented precision in developing and issuing tactical plans on the battlefield.
  
  
• Expanded Support: Command lethal air strikes with jet fighters, gain mobile cover for otherwise impassable situations and replenish armaments on the battlefield using an unmanned artillery MULE. Players can now heal their team on the battlefield, including squad leader Scott Mitchell, with an all-new Medic class of soldier.

Teaser Trailer Direct Link: HD | SD

[ Via Team Xbox ]