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Gamerscore Blog is retired, closed for good
Sad news on the Xbox community front. Our Microsoft friends over at the Gamerscore Blog recently revealed that their blog will be no more and is officially retired. Microsoft has made the decision to end the GSB in an effort to focus on "community outreach through Xbox.com and through the Xbox dashboard." From what we understand, the GSB crew will be helping create content for Inside Xbox and other projects.On behalf of Xbox 360 Fanboy, we want to express our sincere gratitude to the entire Gamerscore Blog team. We recognize all the hard work they've done over the years to keep gamers informed and we appreciate all their Xbox community building efforts. They'll be missed and we hope to see their familiar faces and personalities in their upcoming projects. Here's to you GSB (raises glass of ginger ale), you'll be missed.Also, if you're up for it, we think it'd be appropriate to visit the GSB one last time to post a comment telling the team how much their contribution to the Xbox community was appreciated.
Hurry! 12 month Xbox Live card $30 from Buy.com [update]
Update: Buy.com is now sold out. Hopefully, you placed your order in time.If you missed out on Buy.com's last 12 month Xbox Live subscription sale, then wipe those tears and head over to Buy.com ASAP because they're doing it again. For only $29.99, you can score a 12+1 month Xbox Live subscription card from Buy.com and also receive FREE shipping. There's a limit of 5 subscription cards per order. Ahem ... HURRY![Thanks, Faiz R.]
Gears of War 2 serves 4 million in two months
Gears of War 2 continues to sell well, so well that Gears 2 global product manager Guy Welch has given us another sales update. To date, Epic's Gears sequel has sold over 4 million copies worldwide since its release in November 2008. How epic! Last time we check, Gears 2 just surpassed the 3 million mark, but with December NPD numbers revealing an additional 745K units and other worldwide sales, Marcus and crew are sitting at a comfortable 4 million. In comparison, the original Gears sold "only" 2 million copies during the same period. That's, like, double the sales pace.
Mysterious dash update released. It's a mystery
A handful of loyal X3F fanboys just sent word (via carrier pigeon, no less) that a new Xbox 360 dashboard update has just been released. The update installs the new dashboard version 2.0.7363.0 (replacing the old 2.0.7357.0 version) and has been slowly releasing across all consoles connected to Xbox Live. Here at Fanboy Towers, we have yet to be prompted to download the new update. We are sad. So, what new bells and whistles does the new dash update bring? Well ... we aren't really sure and nobody at Microsoft has announced the update's release. Those who have received it haven't been able to find anything new, so we're speculating that it's one of those behind the scenes / no new features dash upgrades. We'll keep you updated on the update once we're updated.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Dec NPD: Xbox 360 outsells PS3 by 2:1
You can let go of all that anxiety you've been experiencing while waiting for December's NPD sales figures to be released, because we have 'em and are nice enough to share.For December, the NPD group is reporting that the Xbox 360 performed as expected, selling a satisfying 1.44 million units which is double that of the Playstation 3's 726K, but way (way, way) below the Wii's 2.15 million in sales. 360 software sales also did well, with World at War taking the number two spot with 1.33 million copies, Gears 2 selling an additional 745K and Left 4 Dead selling a very respectable 629K.Make your way towards the break for a complete listing of December's NPD hardware and software sales as well as 2008's top ten best selling games. We won't ruin all the sales surprises, but will tell you that a certain Grand Theft Auto IV was the Xbox 360's best selling game in '08.
Left 4 Dead update hits 360 "in the coming weeks"
Valve sends word that an update for the PC version of Left 4 Dead is now available, with an update for the 360 version planned in "the coming weeks." The update includes lots of bug fixes as well as many improvements to the versus multiplayer mode. As a general improvement, the Infected HUD now shows the status of other Infected teammates, which is nice. Several changes and improvements have been made to the various Infected classes, including increased pounce damage for Hunters, changes to the Smoker's tongue mechanics -- sounds like it's harder to melee the tongue now -- and reduced autoshotgun damage against Tanks. Perhaps most notable to those that play a lot of versus, the percentage chance that either a Witch or Tank will spawn is now the same for both teams. Hopefully that will quell the constant cries of "no fairsies!"Find the complete list of fixes and improvements after the break. We'll be sure to let you know when the update hits the Xbox 360.
Brtal Legend hits the cover of OXM
And that's about all we have to say, actually. Tim Schafer has posted the cover of February's Official Xbox Magazine on Double Fine's website. The cover doesn't mention anything else about the game apart from the fact that Jack Black stars in it. Luckily, Schafer drops his own feelings about the piece via some subtle rollover text. Roll over the image above to read our startlingly accurate recreation.The big question: Will Jack Black buy 5 copies for his mother?
Ten Forgotten Xbox Games that Deserve a Sequel
Even though it fell into a casket when the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, the original Xbox still holds a special place in our heart. Hater's thoughts aside, Xbox had a pile of impressive software in its library that ultimately stands forgotten in time due to poor sales numbers. Don't believe us? Count how many of these studios have been either closed or are in financial trouble. From Crimson Skies to Jet Set Radio Future, here are our picks for Ten Forgotten Games that Deserve a Sequel on the Xbox 360. Jump into the comments and tell us what games you'd like to see return to the current HD-era, such as honorable mentions: Metal Arms, MechAssault and Shenmue. Continue to the feature Ten Forgotten Games that Deserve a Sequel
Resident Evil 5 demo goes global later this month, debuting exclusively on the 360
For those who weren't able to score Resident Evil 5 demo access thanks to it being Japanese exclusive, you'll be happy to hear that the demo will be releasing onto the worldwide Xbox Live Marketplace the week of January 26th. As promised! Best part, the RE5 demo will be premiering exclusively on the Xbox 360, meaning that our friends over on the PS3 platform will have to wait a yet to be determined amount of time one week while 360 owners bask in the RE5 demo glow. The global release Resident Evil 5 demo will be nearly identical to its Japanese counterpart, featuring two levels from the campaign as well as both Live and local co-op support
Fresh Avatar apparel, more polos and pants
Today being an official Avatar Wardrobe Expanding Wednesday (patent pending), Microsoft has unleashed a bunch of new Avatar clothing selections. All of which can be accessed via the 360 dashboard's Avatar customizer. The new apparel includes various jacket and polo combinations for male Avatars along with new bottoms and suspenders for dressing up. Female Avatars now have access to a Lavender polo, new shoes, and some trendy chinos. Check the break for a listing of all the new fashionable duds you can use to play Avatar dress-up.
Ask X3F: Heart healthy edition
This week on Ask X3F -- our weekly, reader-powered Q&A feature -- we discuss the gravest of matters, the Red Ring of Death. Of course, we can't sour the entire column with the stench of dead consoles, so we also devote some time to FASA, gamesaving cheating and the post-launch fate of Halo Wars. Read on, but be sure to call for help if your left arm goes numb.Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
Castle Crashers 'King Pack' DLC releasing this Wed [update]
Update: GSB informs us that the DLC will contain two new characters (Open Faced Grey Knight and The King), a new seal animal orb named Pelter, three new weapons including the Gold Sword, and a King's Heal potion that heals your entire party.Thanks to one helpful Major Nelson, we've just been informed that Castle Crashers' firstest downloadable content will be releasing to the Xbox Live Marketplace this Wednesday and will be priced at 160 Microsoft points. The King Pack is the DLC's name and if the name is any indication of what'll be included in the paid content, we'd say there'd be a king involved in it somewhere. Now that we think about it, the new content will probably look something like this. We've contacted The Behemoth regarding this Castle Crashers DLC and are patiently awaiting concrete details.
Fallout 3 patch released, Anchorage DLC dated
Bethesda just sent word that a new Fallout 3 title update has just been released earlier this morning and will insta-download once connected to Xbox Live with a copy of Fallout in your 360 disc drive. Information and a really, really long list of the bug fixes can viewed here. But there's more! The upcoming Fallout 3 Operation Anchorage DLC has been dated and given an official price. The 800 Microsoft point DLC will be available for download off the Xbox Live Marketplace on (drumroll) Tuesday, January 27th. Good times.
The Maw chomps its way to the XBLA Jan. 21st
Twisted Pixel Games just informed us that their intergalactic, purple colored and completely original Xbox Live Arcade game The Maw will be releasing to the Arcade next Wednesday, January 21st. The Maw will be priced at 800 Microsoft points and contain enough purple goo creatures to satisfy your need for purple goo creatures. Want more? How about these Twisted Pixel supplied (and completely random) The Maw facts and figures: The Maw is comprised of over 900 animations, 1000 sound effects, 25 music tracks, 200 visual effects, and 150 models. The Maw uses 85:1 compression technology making it a 150MB download. Without it, the game would be a chunky 2GB. The Maw allows gamers to unlock free gamer pictures and a premium theme. The Maw is a video game. %Gallery-24978%
Analyst: 1.5 million 360s sold in December, twice as many as the PS3
Industry analyst Jesse Divnich of EEDAR just sent out his analytical estimates of this week's upcoming December NPD sales figures. And from what we can tell, December looks to have been sales-successful for the gaming industry. According to his estimates, Divnich predicts that 1.5 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold in North America with the Wii selling around 3.2 million and the Playstation 3 a much lower 700,000 units. As far as software goes, it's predicted that Xbox 360 titles sold rather well, with World at War selling an estimated 1.2 million copies in December, Gears of War 2 selling around 800,000 units and both Left 4 Dead and Prince of Persia hovering around the 500,000 unit mark. Official December NPD figures are expected to be released later this week.[Image via TimmyGUNZ]
Xbox 360 life cycle to be a 'little longer than previous generations'
Talking with Mercury News, Microsoft's Robbie Bach quelled our fanboy fears (or hopes) of a new Xbox console releasing anytime soon, admitted that they're in no hurry to release the 360's successor anytime soon. "The life cycle for this generation of consoles - and I'm not just talking about Xbox, I'd include Wii and PS3 as well - is probably going to be a little longer than previous generations," admitted Bach. "Just coming up with something that's faster and prettier isn't going to be sufficient." Well said.So, if our math skills are up to par, we'd say a new Xbox revision should be headed down the pipeline sometime in 2011. Yeah, about then, give or take a year.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Lionhead releases bug fixing Fable 2 patch
Lionhead just sent word that the Fable 2 patch they announced last month has been officially released and will be applied when connected to Xbox Live with Fable 2. So, no longer will the Abbott bug break the game and (sadly) no longer will children be able to be assassination targets. That feature will be missed. Also, in preparation for the release of next week's Knothole Island DLC, Knothole Island has been added to the Albion map. Go get 'em fellow hero! [Via Kotaku]
CES 09: MS wants to raise Live's 100 friend limit
While not quite an official confirmation that we'll see an increase to Xbox Live's current 100 friend limit, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg did come close to admitting that a friend limit increase is in the works.Talking at CES, Greenberg told Joystiq that "I can't commit to when that will happen, but that is something we want to do. It's definitely something we're looking at expanding and, as this social network grows, we've absolutely heard the pleas for that. It's on the list."We can haz friends list increase soon? Maybe. Until then, we'll have to continue to reject friends requests with a frowny face :(
New off-screen Halo Wars footage
GameTrailers has posted some new footage of Halo Wars from CES. Unfortunately, it's off-screen footage, and portions of the screen are cut off. Still, There's plenty of interesting things to see if you know where to look. For one, you can see the system that lets you cycle through each individual unit type when you've selected a large group of different units -- the player uses it at around 0:35 to select the Warthog and ram the enemy. Another prominent feature is the circle menu, which is used to queue up new units and research upgrades. And, of course, you get to see delicious carnage. Check out the video after the break.
Bioware to chat about Mass Effect 2 at GDC '09
Ninja-spotted over on the official Game Developers Conference (GDC) website is a listing for one of the production track session that sorta spills the beans on what Bioware has up their sleeves for GDC.Hosted by Biowares's own Dusty Everman and Project Manager Corey Andruko will be the session "The Iterative Level Design Process of Bioware's MASS EFFECT 2." We don't believe that to be a typo, we think they really mean Mass Effect 2. According to the description, the session will focus on the "Mass Effect team's new level-creation process" where attendees will "gain insight into some of the major issues the development team encountered while building Mass Effect at BioWare." Sounds pretty legit. You can bet Mass Effect 2 will be talked about, shown or completely revealed at this year's GDC.[Via Shacknews, Thanks Mads K.]
