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Luke Smith leaves 1UP to be Master Chief's poolboy
No, we don't actually know that 1UP's news editor will be fishing leaves out of the pool at the Spartan's summer home. But we do know, thanks to the most recent 1UP Yours podcast, that Smith, who has wasted no opportunity to express his love for Halo, will soon leave the world of gaming journalism for an unannounced position at Bungie. Smith did hint that he would still be in front of a mic at his new job, and Bungie's Frankie said in recent update that something was in the works that "might make the next official Bungie podcast that much better," so we probably have a pretty good idea of what he'll be doing. Smith's path may remind readers of that of Che Chou, who left his job as 1UP's managing editor for community management at Microsoft Game Studios or former Gamespot chief Greg Kasavin who left the site to work as an associate producer for EA.
Twenty-four cars will appear in mysterious Forza 2 demo
Let's get the most important bit out of the way first. The word has come down from on high (well, from community manager Che Chou) that there's still no date for the Forza Motorsport 2 demo to appear on Xbox Live. There's also still no official release date for the game, though we know it's hitting Japan on May 24, in what's supposed to be a worldwide launch. So if that's what you're looking for, there's nothing to see here.If, on the other hand, you're looking for more details about what you'll be taking for a spin when the demo does finally drop, there's plenty of good info here. Chou says that the demo will include a generous portion of cars, 24 all told, from a variety of different classes. The post reveals 16 of them (all but those in the R2 class), including the 2005 Mercedes SLR and the 2006 Lexus IS350. Chou goes on to rule out customization options outside of color choice in the demo, which also won't have any Xbox Live features. We're still excited for the demo though, an excitement dulled only by the fact that we don't know when we'll get our hands on it. The only thing Chou's saying is that "won't be much longer now," which may have worked when we were driving to Florida in the station wagon, but provides little comfort now. Seriously though, are we there yet?
Forza 2 delayed, release date in limbo
After several days of internet murmurings and a noticeable lack of response from Microsoft, a delay in Forza 2's holiday release has manifested in that cruel place often referred to as "reality." Posting on the official Forza Motorsport forums, community manager Che Chou (username "chespace") revealed that the speedy sim sequel would overtake the 2006 holiday period and that the team would not "announce a new date until X06. Gotta do what you gotta do to get things right, y'know?" Oh, we know. Given the game's relatively brief development time (the first Forza hit the Xbox last year), lofty goals and glut of prerendered promotional trailers, the news will likely disappoint more than it surprises. The few weeks leading up to Microsoft's X06 event are sure to be filled with speculation regarding the new release date -- we hear March 2007 is pretty popular these days. In the meantime, Microsoft expects you to gaze upon the latest screenshots, one of which features a rather exciting wall. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy] See also: Forza 2 jacks PGR3 technology
