xbl
Latest
Japan's Xbox Live stats indicate proneness to Japanese-developed games
It'd be impossible to discuss Japan's Xbox Live usage stats, recently released by Microsoft (and posted after the break), without pointing to the overwhelmingly Japanese-developed composition of them. Taking first place among the top XBLA purchases of 2009 was last year's Virtual On port -- a game so popular in Japan that it currently holds second place in the region's all-time bestsellers list. Games like Ikaruga and Trigger Heart Exelica populate the rest of the XBLA stats, though Western-developed Castle Crashers notably takes the number one position in all-time popularity. The sheer Japanosity of these stats is even more apparent in the download numbers for all that other stuff. From demos (75 percent Japanese-developed) to Games on Demand (90 percent) to DLC (also 90 percent), Japanese players clearly have a hankering for homemade games -- even on their Western-developed consoles. [Via Andriasang]
Gears of War now available via Xbox Live Games on Demand
Put down that can of Imulsion energy drink, friend, 'cause we've got some good news for you (and we wouldn't want you to choke, you know). The original Gears of War has arrived on Xbox Live's Games on Demand service, making it that much easier to get ready for next year's big announcement from series creator Cliff Bleszinski (spoilers: it's probably Gears of War 3!). For the usual $19.99, all 6GB of Marcus Fenix's Locust murder opus can be yours -- without all that pesky 'physical media' nonsense -- through the Xbox Live Marketplace (except in Japan, sorry!). We've linked it below of course, for your convenience. Shortcut: Add Gears of War to your Xbox 360 download queue (via Xbox.com)
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, December 14 - December 18, plus Joyswag!
Welcome to Joystiq's "Naughty or Nice" holiday giveaway extravaganza! It's simple: Just follow the instructions below to enter for your chance to win. Ah, but to win what? There's always a catch, isn't there? Each "Naughty or Nice" giveaway features two prizes: a totally sweet bundle of holiday cheer and, um, a lump of coal. Winners are selected randomly, we assure you. Of course, who's to say luck isn't dependent on virtue ... Have you been naughty? Or nice? With the holidays in mind, we're going to be giving away ... wait for it ... MOVIES with each Joystiq Box Office post on Friday from today through January 1! Simply leave a comment below telling us what you'll be watching on your Xbox, PS3, PC, PSP, DS, OMG or whatever (whether it be naughty or nice) and we'll pick winners at random each week to receive a nifty prize. This week we're joining the rest of Joyswag and going Naughty or Nice. Five "Nice" winners will win a copy of District 9 on Blu-ray, which includes the God of War III demo, and one "Naughty" winner will wind up with a copy of the American Godzilla on Blu-ray. [Update: The entry period has closed.] Recommendation of the Week: Inglourious Basterds (Blu-ray, $39.95 suggested retail) If you haven't already seen this film, then you owe it to yourself to check it out in high definition. This is definitely Tarantino's most mature film to date, and despite numerous trailers out there, it's not a gory, Nazi slaughter-fest. There is some violence, to be sure, but I've talked to people who avoided this in theaters because they thought it was going to be torture porn. There's an extremely good film in here, and what's really compelling is that it's nearly two movies in one. The story of the Basterds and the story of a woman who owns a theater run separate courses throughout the film until a head-on collision at the end, but they stand on their own very well. Extremely crisp and sharp in HD and filled with extras, including the bizarre but hilarious "Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel," this is a must-see, must-own, must-covet title. Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
PSA: Second Halo Legends episode free, available today only
If you enjoyed the Cowboy Bebop-meets-Master Chief action presented in the first episode of Halo Legends (seriously, that main character looked just like Spike Spiegel!), then you may want to check out the second episode of the Spartan-themed anime premiering today on Halo Waypoint. For 24 hours starting at 12:00AM PST (about eight hours ago), Xbox Live Silver and Gold members will be able to access "The Duel" through the "all-things-Halo" hub. Microsoft also notes that this will be the last week for Xbox Live Silver members to explore Waypoint, and in turn, enjoy the weekly free episodes of Halo Legends. If you're wondering what time the show will be available for you and you don't live in North America, a full list of showtimes is available on Xbox.com.
Firm considers class action over Xbox Live bannings
Boutique law firm AbingtonIP is "investigating" what it considers the "convenient" recent Xbox Live bannings. The firm posits that the "tens of thousands" of banned Xbox Live subscribers who used modded consoles deserve recompense due to the timing of the action. The firm believes that said timing -- i.e., after Halo 3: ODST and shortly before Modern Warfare 2's releases -- was executed to net Microsoft as much money as possible out of potential Xbox Live subscribers before banning the modded devices. The class action lawsuit would attempt to obtain a refund for the prorated sums left on the banned Xbox Live subscriptions. According to Joystiq legal columnist Mark Methenitis' analysis: "To me, this certainly sounds a lot like a cash grab directed at a company with deep pockets, but perhaps there are more facts than they are letting on." He explains that a user savvy enough to have a modded console would also know not to connect it to Live without "serious risk." Methenitis concludes, "If, in fact, Microsoft is inducing people to buy a service only to terminate them, then there's certainly a deceptive business practice concern. But this seems far more cut and dry than that." [Thanks, C. Carl Carlston]
Band Hero clothing and accessories head to Xbox Live Marketplace
We might normally scoff at the array of Xbox Live Avatar clothing being made available for Band Hero – a near ubiquitous occurrence with game releases for the Xbox 360 these days. Not today though, friends. Nope, today we have the opportunity to get our Avatar a totally rad, Say Anything style boombox. We know, we know – finally. For the low, low price of 240 ($3), you too can be as cool as Lloyd Dobler (though there's no promise of landing a lady as fine as Diane Court with said item). We suppose you could pick up the other stuff too, available for 80 ($1) to 240 ($3), if you're into that kinda thing. You could get a microphone or a shirt or a ... just get the boombox, alright? You don't wanna end up being given a pen and getting told how "valuable the friendship" is, do you? Hmm?
1 vs. 100 Season 2 details dished on dev blog
New information on Microsoft's still free for now Xbox Live-based game show 1 vs. 100 has been a bit on the light side since the game's initial release so many moons ago. The official 1 vs. 100 Blogs have detailed some new features of the game's second season. For one, rather than Avatars amorphously apparating on-stage, "The One" will strut down a central staircase right after dropping a fancy pose on the plebeians below. Players in the hot seat will also have their Xbox Live statuses automatically set to "Busy," so as not to knock their concentration from the mind grape squeezing at hand. No details were revealed on when we might actually get to play more 1 vs. 100, unfortunately.[Via Destructoid]
Xbox Live update preview program now rolling out
Xbox 360's resident spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb wants you to know that the Xbox Live update preview program is now officially a go, with the first wave of registered participants getting automatically prompted to update upon sign-in (you should also receive an email, but apparently they're behind on the notifications). More people are said to be getting the update "in the coming days," so don't lose hope yet -- not that waiting for Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm integration, and 1080p instant-on streaming should cause ultimate despair, but we digress. The only thing you don't get is the Halo Waypoint preview, which doesn't join the preview fun until next week. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Xbox 360 'Games on Demand' priced between $20-$30
Microsoft informed us this afternoon that its initial offerings of Games on Demand, the company's selection of downloadable Xbox 360 titles, will be priced between 1600-2400 -- that's $20-30 in American credit card currency. We got a little curious after one price was revealed in a video earlier today, but we wanted to make sure about the rest. We're currently working on getting the full list of prices for each game, but all will be revealed next week when the latest dashboard update goes live, on August 11.
Interview: Last.fm on Xbox Live
Last week we published the first part of our Last.fm on Xbox Live interview, speaking with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for Xbox Live. Today, we present the second part, a conversation with Orlena Yeung, VP of Marketing at Last.fm. After the break, read Yeung's take from the Last.fm side of the deal, as she discusses a range of topics, including why her company is better than Pandora, its social media plans, and how audio scrobbling works in APB.%Gallery-65408%
Dude, give me a fist bump: Madden 10 demo up now on Xbox Live
Bro, like, Major Nelson says if you're an Xbox Live Gold member, then you can totally download the demo for Madden 10, right now! Word? Wooord! Of course, if you pre-ordered from GameStop, then you've already got a better demo for the annual franchise, which releases August 14 ... brodawg.%Gallery-50174%
Interview: Xbox Live on Last.fm
By now, you're aware of the news that Last.fm is coming to Xbox Live, along with Twitter and Facebook in a social media onslaught. We wanted to find out what that means for the service, so we spoke with Orlena Yeung, VP of Marketing at Last.fm (which was purchased by CBS two years ago for a big chunk of change), and Christina DeRosa, a general manager for Xbox Live, to find out how the experience will work on our consoles.We've already reported on the planned Last.fm pricing, but read on after the break for DeRosa's take on the Xbox side of things, including her thoughts on a Pandora partnership, how Xbox will enhance Last.fm (Party Mode?), and where the service fits into the Xbox Live music channel that's in the works. (One interesting note: Xbox says that the console won't audio scrobble, while Last.fm says it will. We've reached out to both parties in search of a definitive answer.)Update: Microsoft got back to us with the following information, "We circled back on this one and can confirm that music played in other parts of the dash will not be scrobbled. In other words, you can't put in an audio CD and scrobble." So, that's a bit of a bummer.%Gallery-65408%
Tour de France 2009: The Official Game pedals onto Xbox Live
Forget about watching the seemingly infinite amount of stages roll by as Lance Armstrong attempts to win his eighth yellow jersey in the world's most famous bicycle race. Do it yourself! And by yourself we mean using nothing more than your fingers and thumbs when Tour de France 2009: The Official Game comes to Xbox Live today for 800 ($10) . Who needs all that real legwork anyhow?Cyanide Studios, the brains behind the recent Blood Bowl and the popular-in-some-other-country Cycling Manager series must have been quietly working on this in their spare time, because it caught all of us off-guard, including Xbox Live's Major Nelson. But why not release this game just before the actual Tour de France, instead of smack dab in the middle of it? We may never know. You can play two players locally, and race up to four simultaneously on Xbox Live using one of the official teams in the current race. We just wish they would have included a drug testing minigame or something -- you know, to add some realism. Catch all the pedal-pumping power in the preview trailer right here.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 6 - July 10
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: Let The Right One In (480 to rent HD, 320 to rent SD): Saria the Cat and our own David Hinkle suggested Let The Right One In in our first JBO post, and it's definitely worth our official stamp of approval. Probably one of the best vampire movies you'll ever see. It's subtitled, but don't let that turn you off. There's a scene near the end that makes it worth all that reading, and then some. It's a good example of how foreign films have pulled far ahead of American movies in the storytelling department. Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, June 29 - July 3
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly, and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: Sunshine (Blu-ray: $29.99): We all know about Danny Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire; winning a few Oscars will do that to your movie, particularly if it's great. However, his sci-fi masterpiece Sunshine is severely underrated and underwatched. The Sun becomes an ominous character in this taut thriller, which, granted, has a plot point that could be completely jettisoned to make for a perfectly streamlined film. However, the sound, the action, and the attention to detail in this movie make this a must see in HD. Read for the full list on a system by system basis just after the break, this time with a bent toward the upcoming Independence Day holiday this Saturday. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift.
Last.fm on XBL: free to gold subscribers, 3 hours per month for others
Microsoft announced at their E3 keynote last month that Last.fm would be coming to Xbox Live. We're working on an interview with key players at both Last.fm and Microsoft to bring you more details about the collaboration soon. However, we can share one tidbit: today we spoke with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for XBL, and she let us know who the service will be available to."Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks."Last.fm's subscription prices are currently $3.00 US (€3 EU or £3 GBP) per month, so you'll have to shell out an additional $36 a year if you want to avoid the ads and have full access to their service. You'll also need a Last.fm account, in case you haven't set one up already. Luckily, that part is free.%Gallery-65408%
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, June 22 - 26
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly, and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: The Girlfriend Experience (XBL to rent: 480 MS points for HD, 320 for SD): Steven Soderbergh returns to his indie film roots with this character study that was shot on one of the new RedOne HD cameras for only $1.3 million dollars. Real-life porn star Sasha Grey stars as Christine; an escort who offers the full "Girlfriend Experience" for a high price. Her boyfriend is okay with the arrangement on the surface, but underneath he's struggling. The film follows both of them as they deal with the reality of her job, and how they each handle the repercussions. Read for the full list on a system by system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift.
Mass Effect pops up early on XBL Games on Demand service
It appears as though Microsoft's plans for an August launch of its Games on Demand service is popping up a bit early. Why just this morning, we spotted a listing for the already confirmed Mass Effect (sporting its snazzy new Platinum Hits packaging) in our Xbox.com Marketplace RSS feed. Unsurprisingly, the listing has been removed from the website itself, though RSS feeds won't allow for editing after something has been published.As 360sync.com rightfully points out, game manuals will be provided virtually through the Xbox.com Marketplace website according to the listing, so you've got that going for ya (which is nice). We're not sure when these puppies are showin' up on XBL for sure, but from the looks of things, we'd say sooner rather than later. For a video tour of the upcoming Games on Demand service, hit the break.[Via 360sync]
Xbox Live gets 1080p Zune video store, Netflix browsing, Twitter and Facebook integration
digg_url ='http://digg.com/xbox/Xbox_Live_gets_TV_streaming_Netflix_browsing_HD_vid_store'; Microsoft is busy announcing a slew of upgrades to Xbox Live, and the biggest news so far is relaunch of the video service, now Zune-branded with 1080p instant-on streaming content in 18 countries. XBL is also now integrated with Facebook -- your Facebook account can be linked to your Gamertag, and games will support Facebook Connect for sharing content online. That's pretty huge -- but if that wasn't enough, you're also getting Twitter and Last.fm in the deal. Want more? Netflix users will now be able to browse the entire catalog instead of simply loading their queue, and Microsoft has also gotten its Party Watch system in order, so you'll be able to heckle videos with your online friends. Last but not least, there's now live TV streaming for UK and Ireland gamers, who'll get Premier League soccer live from Sky. All in all, a solid set of updates for XBL -- but we'll wait and see how that "1080p" video looks before we pronounce Blu-ray dead. PR blurb after the break.
Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo now available for everyone
Our mother always used to tell us that "destroying something beautiful is always better if you do it with friends." She was, of course, a known anarchist and generally untrustworthy. You can imagine, then, how interested we are to test her words in the destructive Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo, which is now available to all 360 and PS3 owners (or at least it will be available when the PSN update drops).If our mom was on the level (it would be quite the anomaly) and you have a blast, you'll be able to pick up the full game on June 2.
