The weapon-based off-road vehicle combat game Vigilante 8: Arcade is coming to X-Box Live, here is the first trailer. The game is
coming November 5th.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to play Gin Rummy. Sierra Online has brought one of the most famous classic card games to Xbox LIVE® Arcade with Gin Rummy. First introduced to the world almost 100 years ago, Gin Rummy comes to life online, where players can ‘knock’ out opponents with big scores and bonus points for endless hours of casual card game fun.

In Gin Rummy, players strategically select the right cards to create combinations of sets and runs to complete their hand, and in turn cleverly discard to minimize the risk of getting caught with a handful of high cards. Featuring six popular game modes, including Classic, Speed Gin, Hollywood Gin and Three-Hand Gin, players can also create their own rules for a truly unique experience. The game comes with rapid automatic scoring at the end of each match to get a detailed breakdown of each player’s points and bonuses. Gin Rummy features multiplayer for up to four players, with Xbox LIVE Vision support that lets players build up the atmosphere as the games progress. In addition, players can select from numerous game themes, including game skins, card decks and entertaining music selections. Gin Rummy is available now for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for 400 Microsoft Points. To help us noobs along they also released a tips and tricks video. 

It’s almost time for me to go back to War. Oh, the stories I can tell about my experience using modern weapons to take out some middle eastern despot. Or the time I had to make it through a village without being spotted. Or the time I thought I rescued that downed chopper pilot and got nuked instead. Good times, good times. My favorite game from last year, Call of Duty is returning this fall. Boot camp will soon take on a new meaning, as  Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch, have confirmed plans for Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer betas in October for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and separately for download on Windows PC. These betas will serve as an early chance for players to practice the tactics needed for survival in the intense chaos of Call of Duty: World at War’s Pacific and European theaters. Players will experience the game’s new squad system, as well as fan favorite perks and kill streaks.  All preparation for the full battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide. “We are excited to share a sneak peak of Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer with the community,” says Mark Lamia, Treyarch Studio Head. “The team has worked hard to build upon the great history and foundation of Call of Duty multiplayer and we can’t wait to go online to ramp up for our November launch.”

Last week I gave you a look at the first footage from Tomb Raider: Underworld, now take a look at the new trailer.

One of the first signature games for X-Box Live Marketplace was Geometry Wars. Now several years later the long awaited sequel is finally available for a reasonable 800 points. I have to admit that I love XBLA but all of the games are starting to be the same. Geometry Wars is the best shooter on XBLA, but I’d like to see more diversity in my market. Get it while it’s hot. You can check out the official Press release after the break.

The much anticipated Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved™ 2 is now available for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.  Developed by Bizarre Creations, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is the sequel to the original smash hit, thrusting players back into the pilot’s seat to blast through hordes of deadly enemy shapes in six heart-pumping gameplay modes.  In addition to the frenetic single player game, each level is now playable in multiplayer mode for up to four players.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 features all the signature eye-popping visuals, adrenaline-filled action and mesmerizing music that fans have come to know and love.  The game allows players to test their skills in a diverse mix of classic modes including Deadline, Evolved and Waves, and brand new modes including King, Sequence and Pacifism.  Expanding the game further than ever, gamers also have the ability to compete against or team up with their friends in the ultimate multiplayer shooter pandemonium.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is available now via download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 for 800 Microsoft Points.

After a couple of painfully slow weeks, we have a nice group of strong, diverse titles.  Starting with a trio of movie games Lego Indiana Jones, The Bourne Conspiracy and The Incredible Hulk.  Then we have a little game called Ninja Gaiden II - I personally could never get into Ninja Gaiden the puzzles were too obtuse and the best part is all four titles are available on both PS3 and 360.  These days I’m desperate to have something to play on my PS3 so I may try and get these for that system. Who am I kidding? I’ll be picking up all the 360 versions. I finally gave up on Gamefly’s incredibly lousy East Coast service, so I’m going to have to actually buy all of these games.

In case you missed it, Codemasters Grid hit the shelves next week.  I checked out the X-Box demo and the game is shaping up pretty nicely. I’m not big on racing games, but I do love to smash up a car. Check out the new Press Release.

 

The finish line looms for Codemasters® as the June 3 launch for GRID™ draws near.  For the game that delivers a truly smashing racing experience, Codemasters has released a new video that showcases GRID’s incredible damage engine that drives the game’s signature high-impact moments. The video is now available to view and download from http://community.racedrivergrid.com/ and http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/product_page.asp?i=847.
In the video, GRID Chief Game Designer Ralph Fulton provides commentary and details about the innovative new Flashback feature over video footage of an Aston Martin DBR9, Dodge Challenger Concept, Nissan Skyline and over 20 other thrilling race cars crashing, smashing and taking punishment in this bone-jarring demonstration of the EGO Engine™’s unparalleled damage system.

Intrinsic to GRID’s intense, aggressive wheel-to-wheel races are its spectacular, genre-leading crashes. Up to 70 individual components on each car will damage, break or fall off depending on the severity of each collision. The damage doesn’t stop there: glass shatters, carbon fibre will splinter and steel bends all in jaw-dropping real time.

Debris from damaged cars becomes a persistent danger on the tracks and must be negotiated. Taking damage also plays a vital part in gameplay, as each car can take dents, scrapes and bashes to its bodywork, but too much damage on the wheels and engine bay will affect performance, ultimately terminally.
Going for that audacious over-taking maneuver and nailing the racing line pushes drivers and their cars to the very limit. If players go beyond that limit and write off their car, it may be time to take advantage of GRID’s new Flashback feature, which gives players a chance replay the action and try again.

The replay function can first be used to inspect the detail of each impact through a rotating camera and witness the carnage unfold frame by frame in stunning slow-motion. Evolving the replay technology, players can rewind to any point within the replay and then use Flashback to once again take control of the car and see if they can avoid the smash on the next run. Depending on the chosen difficulty setting, players can take advantage of Flashback up to five times during race at any point. Racing purists can, however, opt to disable the feature when in Pro Mode.

The alien invasion has begun with the announcement that id Software’s Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™ published by Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Set in the year 2065, Enemy Territory:  QUAKE Wars pits the armies of Earth’s Global Defense Force (GDF) against the invading alien menace, the Strogg, in an all-out struggle for the fate of the planet.  Enemy Territory:  QUAKE Wars is slated to arrive on European and Australian store shelves on May 30, 2008. "Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars raises the bar for next-gen console games with its variety and intense combat," said Kevin Cloud, Executive Producer, id Software. “Whether you’re playing online with fifteen friends, or playing a single-player campaign against amazing AI, Enemy Territory:  QUAKE Wars delivers a new level of team play and combat strategy to the PS3 and 360.”

Set within the expansive QUAKE® universe in the year 2065, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is the ultimate team and mission-based multiplayer warfare game offering console gamers distinct classes, vehicles and weapons to choose from, giving players countless ways to join the battle.   Players work as a team to defeat the enemy and achieve objectives either online against other players or battle offline with surprisingly lifelike AI.  Across multi-mission campaigns, players earn experience and promotions while stats are recorded globally for players to track their rank and prestige in the community at www.enemyterritory.com.   Based on the critically-acclaimed game from id Software and Splash Damage for Windows® PC that has received over eighty awards and nominations, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars was developed for the Xbox 360 by Nerve Software.

After spending this weekend fighting with my new Macbook (contrary to what the commercials say, it doesn’t “just work.” But I’ll save my tales of Apple woe until later in the week. I decided to download and watch Warner Home Video’s latest direct to video animated fair Justice League: New Frontier. I downloaded it on my X-Box 360. The download took less than an 1/2 hour so I had instant gratification. When the movie first started, it was weird. The animation was literally just some weird drawings, then the camera pulls back and you see it’s an children’s book author telling a story about the end of the world. But what’s more shocking is, the guy puts a gun in his mouth and blows his brains out. So three minutes into this you know this film isn’t for kids.

But in case you missed the point, a few minutes later Air Force pilot Hal Jordan (voiced by David Boreanaz) is shot down over Russia at the end of the war. He puts a gun to some kid’s face and pulls the trigger. We get to see it in it’s gory detail. I would say this definitely isn’t your father’s Superhero film, but it actually is. The conceit of this piece is that everything takes place in the fifties. At the height of the cold war, McCarthyism, the red scare and more. And our Superheroes are stuck in the middle trying to stick to their convictions when the world around them has turned to chaos and against them. Watching all of this as an outsider, trying to do good in his small way is a Martian - J’onn J’onzz / Martian Manhunter (voiced by Miguel Ferrer).The movie packs a lot of oomph into it’s short 77 minute running time. We really get a sense of the time period and all of it’s turmoil.

Director Dave Bullock and the writers Stan Berkowitz and Darwyn Cooke don’t shy away from talking about some of the racial and political problems of the time period. Mentioning the KKK lynching a black hero, or Superman (Kyle MacLachlan) trying to lecture Diana (Lucy Lawless) about letting enslaved Chinese women murder their former captures after she freed them. The movie pretty relentlessly dark, but there was a great line from Batman (Jeremy Sisto) to the Manhunter “I have a $70,000 sliver of rock that will take care of the one in Metropolis, all I need for you is a Penny and a book of matches.”

The film falls apart at the end when the Heroes finally come together to stop the big bad. It’s some lame living Island thing. It felt a little anti-climatic. But this movie isn’t about big Super Hero battles, it truly is a character piece and manages to juggle it’s large cast really well.

I haven’t watched the DVD, but it looks like a packed affair. The animated adventure is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The picture quality is excellent. Its 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is clear with good surround effects. The DVD includes the revealing “Super Heroes United”, “The Legion of Doom” and “Comic Book Commentary” documentaries, two in-depth audio commentaries with filmmakers and comic book writer Darwyn Cooke, three bonus “Justice League Unlimited” episodes (The Dark Heart, Task Force X & To Another Shore), trailers and an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming “Batman - Gotham Knight”.

Final Grade A

EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria

In a move that surprises no one, Microsoft has officially put an end to it’s HD-DVD add-on drive.  I actually bought one of these last summer from Gamestop as an impulse buy and immediately regretted my decision but couldn’t take it back because Gamestop draconian return policy. Word of advice - NEVER shop there. So I kept it and it grew on me. I never officially jumped on either bandwagon, preferring to rent from Netflix to starting a new collection. My only regret is I paid $120 for the Harry Potter set on HD instead of Blu.  It was my only real HD purchase so I don’t feel too upset over it’s demise. I hope the inevitable Blu-ray add-on (replacement) is smaller, includes a smaller power cable (the one for the HD-DVD is ridiculously large) and includes HDMI with up-conversion.  Last week I finally broke down and purchased the 120 gig hard drive and a pleasant surprise side benefit is it cut down the noise on my 360 by almost 90 percent!  It’s still loud, but it no longer sounds like a jet airplane.  Anyway, here’s the statement.

"As a result of recent decisions made by Toshiba, Hollywood studios, and retailers, Microsoft plans to withdraw from HD DVD.  Xbox will no longer manufacture new HD DVD players for the Xbox 360, but we will continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market.  As we stated earlier, we do not believe this decision will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace.  HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own."

A few years ago I interviewed Scott Henson one of the big wigs for Microsoft’s X-Box Live service and we talked extensively about the future of the platform and the idea of user generated games for the service.  Today that dream has become a reality as Microsoft announces the immediate availability of XNA created games are available on X-Box Live. “The time has come for the games industry to open its doors to all game creators, enabling anyone to share their creations with the world,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Our goal is to drive a creative and social revolution in games with the same transformative power that we’ve seen in digital music and video sharing.” 

Demonstrating a look into the future potential of community-created games on Xbox 360, Chris Satchell, general manager and chief XNA architect at Microsoft, announced that seven games created using XNA Game Studio 2.0 would be available immediately for Xbox 360 owners to download from Xbox LIVE Marketplace. This move makes all of us who dream of one day creating that surprise "hit" game one step closer to reality.  The one thing I would like to find out is if creators will also be able to eventually sell their games on XBL.

An Xbox 360 community game created using Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio software and XNA Creators Club membership will be able to be submitted for distribution on Xbox LIVE. Each community-created game must then undergo a thorough peer-review process and be evaluated for accuracy in representation and appropriateness. Community game developers will be able to beta test the process this spring and will be able to distribute their games on Xbox LIVE by the end of this year.

Microsoft also announced their 2008 slate of games, looks a bit skimpy at the moment. But it’s still early. We can look forward to Gears of War 2 in November, Fable 2, Ninja Gaiden II, and Too Human.

I saw this tech demo for the new Alone In The Dark game on Joystiq and thought it was really cool.  Check out the end where we see the many joys of Sticky tape.  The game is coming along very nicely and the it’s use of real time lighting effects is definitely intriguing.  My only issue with the game is that I’m not much of a fan of the Horror genre, but this could make me a believer.

Yesterday morning I woke up bright and early. The first thing I did was fire up my X-Box 360 to get the new Fall Update and I have to say I am impressed. It took less than a minute to download and install. The update includes a couple of new features including support for Divx, so now I can watch my Sci-Fi screener DVDs on my 360 and another major addition is the ability for people to browse your friend’s list. I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. My gut is, it’s an invasion of privacy, and the Dashboard update turns this feature on by default. Other new features include the new X-Box Originals store where you can download original X-Box titles like Fables and Halo; and everything is just organized a lot better most of the clutter has been cleaned up. One major redesign is all of your downloaded games - Demos and Arcade, are now in one area. It’s going to take a little getting used to, but I understand the logic of this grouping. Check out the full press release for more details.

As promised, Microsoft is bringing some early gifts to your Xbox 360® just prior to the holiday season. Beginning at 0200 A.M. PST on December 4, 2007, the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update will be available for all connected Xbox 360 consoles free of charge, bringing an array of new features and enhancements to the leading gaming and entertainment system.

Among the key new enhancements are the previously announced Xbox Originals game download service, Family Timer parental control feature, and expanded social networking experiences. Xbox 360 owners can also look forward to enhanced navigation, profile, and video features and Xbox LIVE® Arcade Hits.

This free update will be digitally distributed over Xbox LIVE to the more than eight million Xbox LIVE members worldwide (Xbox LIVE Silver and Gold) with no disc or hard drive required. If you don’t have an Xbox LIVE account, you can easily sign up for the free network by connecting your console to a broadband Internet connection. New features and enhancements include:

MORE DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

• Xbox Originals: With this new service, announced on November 13, you can download-to-own full original Xbox® games that were previously only available at retail. The digital shelves will always be stocked with classic titles, such as Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™, Halo®, Fable®, Fuzion Frenzy®, Psychonauts™, and more as the catalogue grows over time, at 1200 Microsoft Points per game. Read more…
• Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits: On Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Arcade Hits program kicks off as some of the best-selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games become available at permanently reduced prices, making it easier than ever for everyone to build a library of downloadable games! The first games to become Arcade Hits will be Bankshot Billiards 2™ and Lumines™ Live!, which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms™, and Zuma® Deluxe, which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each. With free trial downloads for every game and over 100 games to choose from, Xbox LIVE Arcade offers something for every member of the family.

NEW WAYS TO KEEP UP TO DATE AND CONNECTED

• Inside Xbox: A new direct feed brings current news straight from Xbox.com into the Xbox LIVE Dashboard providing an easy, predictable entry point where you can discover what’s new in game releases, events, Xbox LIVE Marketplace offers, and lots more. Inside Xbox is currently available only in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. It will be available in more regions in coming months.
• Enhanced online profile: If you’re interested in sharing a few more details about yourself you can go beyond your motto and further personalize your profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to “Friends Only” or the entire Xbox LIVE community.
• Expanded Friends List access: A quick and easy way for gamers to expand their personal community on Xbox LIVE, members will be able to see the Friends Lists of other Xbox LIVE members, boosting their social networking experience on the service.

ENHANCED OVERALL EXPERIENCE AND CONTROL

• Enhanced Parental Controls: Family Timer, a strong and flexible new addition to the Xbox 360 Family Settings, enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360 can be used on a per-day or per-week basis by their children or other members of the household.
• New video features: The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience.
• Easy-to-use navigation features: With several noteworthy changes in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want, when they want it.