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Xbox Live April schedule: Final Fight, Mega Man 10 DLC
Microsoft has unfurled some of its plans for Xbox Live downloadable content for April, including new additions to Games on Demand and Deals of the Week, as well as the April 14th release of Final Fight: Double Impact. On top of that, look for a half-priced The Maw on the week of April 12 and two add-ons for Mega Man 10 this week: Bass and Special Stage 1. Head past the break for the full list. %Gallery-79231%
Get your big break in Pro Gaming thanks to Doritos
Do you want to get in fighting shape for your pro gaming debut? Turn to Doritos! The "bold, intense snack brand" announced a "Pro-Gaming Combine" -- essentially a training camp for kids who want to play Halo 3 for a living. During the three-day event, players who show promise in the areas of "slaying power, teamwork/communication, leadership, objective play and support play" will undergo further evaluation by the "MLG Scout Team," just like in sports! One four-person team and four individuals from each location winning a trip to the Major League Gaming Pro Circuit Event and National Championship Competition. Team passes for the first event, in Nashville, Tennessee, go on sale at 7PM EST tonight, with individual passes available tomorrow at the same time. The full schedule of Combines is available after the break.
Amazon: 360 Platinum Hits are buy 2, get 1 free for a limited time
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Amazon is now offering a special buy two, get one free deal on Xbox 360 Platinum Hits titles. The deal is fairly straightforward: just pop three Platinum Hits games into your cart and the cheapest of the three will be knocked down to the wallet-friendly price of zero dollars. It's really the perfect excuse to pick up some great games you might have missed, especially considering many of them have sequels out this year -- notably Fable II, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, BioShock and Dead Rising. You'd better do it quick though, as the offer is only valid through February 13 and only while supplies last. [Thanks, Goldenchild]
This is what it has come to: Halo 3 Legendary for $30
Ever since the supposedly limited run of the Halo 3 Legendary Edition was first released, we've watched its price slowly tumble. Originally sporting a hefty $129.99 price tag, we've seen the price slide ever lower as retailers, desperate for shelf space, slashed the price again and again. Now, 1saleaday.com is selling copies of the Legendary Edition for the absolute rock-bottom price of $30. That's thirty bones for Halo 3, your very own cat helmet and more behind-the-scenes bonus features than you can shake a plasma sword at. The item is listed as "new," although it's hard to imagine the packaging has survived nearly three years without acquiring a few bumps and bruises. Keep in mind that we have no idea how reliable 1 Sale A Day is, but you're not likely to find a better price than this. There are only a few hours left on the sale, so both of you remaining Legendary fence-sitters had better hop to it.
'Splosion Man 'splores $5 price point next week
Twisted Pixel's highly combustible Xbox Live Arcade platformer and object of Joystiq adoration, 'Splosion Man, will headline the upcoming Marketplace schedule (as relayed by Major Nelson) with a temporary 50-percent price reduction. After dropping to 400 ($5) for the week of February 1, 'Splosion Man should prove more challenging to blow off than up. Other highlights include Chime, February 3's non-profit Xbox Live Arcade release from Zoe Mode and OneBigGame, the Halo 3 Mythic 2 Map Pack, and the first part of Assassin's Creed 2 downloadable content, "Battle of Forli." Expect a Joystiq review on that closer to its January 28 launch.
Halo: Reach 'bending the Xbox as far as it'll bend,' Bungie assures
Much like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demonstrated in 2009, Halo: Reach will be expected to deliver an experience that not only speaks highly of its developer, but also of the technological capabilities and commercial identity of its home platform. Whereas Halo 3: ODST was built upon Bungie's 2007 space hoop outing (has it already been that long?), the developer tells Edge that its next shooter is already "bending the Xbox as far as it'll bend." Surely that voids the warranty? "We are... taking every advantage of everything on the CPU and GPU, and every bit of memory in order to produce the look of Reach beyond anything of Halo 3, " creative director Marcus Lehto noted, attributing the evolution -- which also benefits the size of environments and complexity of the AI -- to increased understanding of the hardware. "We're pushing it as far as we can go," Lehto said. "With every iteration we understand what more we can exploit with the hardware." Chalk up another win for longer console life cycles -- and for long-running franchises.
Halo 3: Mythic 2 Map Pack coming to Xbox Live Marketplace on Feb. 2
Do you love Halo enough to purchase new multiplayer maps, but not enough to buy new Halo games? If that's the case, you'll be pleased to learn that the Mythic 2 Map Pack, which was previously available with 2009's Halo 3: ODST, will be sold separately as Halo 3 (sans overly descriptive subtitle treatment) content on the Xbox Live Marketplace starting February 2. For 800 MS Points ($10) you'll gain access to three distinct kill zones, namely Heretic, Citadel and Longshore. And if winning on any of them seems like a long shot, why not practice online today and Thursday in benefit of Haiti relief efforts? %Gallery-67527%
Bungie asking Halo 3 players to show their hearts for Haiti
If you haven't got any cash to donate to charitable organizations who're currently lending a hand with recovery efforts in Haiti, don't fret -- Bungie's organizing a free method for you to show your support. All you have to do is change your Halo 3 (or ODST) emblem to the heart seen in the image above, and play any of the games' online modes this coming Wednesday and Thursday. Bungie's donating a dime for every person who does so to the Red Cross (up to a maximum donation of $77,000). Check out Bungie's blog for more information about the event. If you're wanting to make a slightly larger contribution, you could also purchase a special version of the Superintendent t-shirt from the Bungie store -- all of the proceeds from which will also go directly to the Red Cross.
Microsoft reveals the top Xbox Live games of 2009
Now that the new year is in full swing, Microsoft has decided to take a look back at the top games of 2009. Specifically, Major Nelson has released a breakdown of the most popular games on Xbox Live during 2009. The overall top twenty list seems pretty standard with Halo 3 at the top, followed by Call of Duty 4. What's amazing, though, is that after releasing in November, Modern Warfare 2 managed to snag third place for the entire year. So, pretty popular game, then. On the downloadable front, Battlefield 1943 takes top XBLA honors, followed by Castle Crashers and Trials HD. Indie Games are topped by I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1N IT!!!1 (it is just a dollar), followed by Avatar Drop and RC-AirSim. Unsurprisingly, the top original Xbox game is still Halo 2, while Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and the original Fable take second and third place, respectively. Head over to Major Nelson for the full list.
17 Spartans bust a move at the Philly Mummers Parade
[Image: Kotaku] Flash mobs are all the rage now, but the above image actually comes from the Philadelphia Mummers Parade this year. Kotaku reader Justin managed to snag video of the choreographed event which, if it were real cyborg human heroes and not a bunch of faux-Spartans, would probably end up costing taxpayers about $814 gajillion -- and that's in today's dollars, not even accounting for 500 years of inflation. To check out video of the dance routine, head on over to Kotaku.
Wife makes hubby a Halo screenshot quilt
Ironworks Gaming Crew user WillyQ has a great wife, as evidenced by the Halo quilt she made him for the holidays. The winter quilt features 20 of WillyQ's screenshots, along with game emblems and his name at the top (just in case someone tries to take it). This is a good time to mention that the divorce rate in America is between 40-50 percent. If spouses did more thoughtful stuff like this we could easily reduce it by ... 1-2 percent, maybe? [Via Hawtymcbloggy]
Xbox Live Top Ten: Call of Duty holds 3 of top 5 slots
You know what we want for Christmas? A more interesting Xbox Live Activity top ten to write about. Just as it did the week of Nov. 9, the Call of Duty franchise has held up three of the top five slots this week, with Halo 3 in second place and Grand Theft Auto IV taking the spot formerly held by the Left 4 Dead 2 demo. As hard as we might wish for a shakeup in the new year, we're not sure what title's going to be the one to do it. Surely we won't see four CoD games in the top five in 2010. Surely.
Vodafone Portugal releases IPTV service for Xbox 360
Portuguese digital television service, Vodafone Casa TV, is now available to Gold members of Xbox Live. In fact, the company is even promoting a special IPTV Xbox 360 bundle there, which includes an Elite console, 12 months of subscription for Xbox Live Gold and four games -- Lego Batman, Pure, Fable 2 and Halo 3 -- all for €259 (about $375). The Vodafone Casa TV service not only lets you watch on-demand TV through your Xbox 360, but also grants Portuguese patrons the ability to access content from their set-top boxes and set times for their set-top box to record live television. While users won't be able to directly record content to their Xbox 360, they can still access certain functions of the console while streaming content, including private chat and accepting game invites. Existing Vodafone Casa TV subscribers with an Xbox 360 can snag the software for a mere €9.90. [Thanks, Assassin Monk]
Halo 3, PS2 get nods from AdWeek for best commercials of the decade
The average American viewed over 9 million advertising messages over the past decade -- logically, a few would stick out in your mind as being better than the rest. Advertising trade publication Adweek recently voted on the best piece of video marketing to be released this decade. Two video game ads you might remember made the final nominees: "Diorama," for Halo 3, and "Mountain," for the PlayStation 2. Sadly, both of these ads lost to Honda's "Grrr" ad -- if only Sony's "Horrifying, Reverse-Weeping Baby" spot had made it into the list of nominees, the company could have brought home the gold. [Via IndustryGamers]
Bungie explains 'series of stumbles' in ODST marketing
From the initial talk of a lower price to a renaming, Bungie's ever-changing plans for Halo 3: ODST left a lot of people confused as to what the final product would be. "I'm no PR expert, but it's pretty obvious the game had a series of stumbles; from the naming, to the initial E3 2008 countdown reveal failure, and finally pricing ... it would definitely be nice to have a do-over for the game introduction," senior designer Lars Bakken told G4TV in a recent interview. "The big takeaway for us is just to never comment on matters that are outside of our control," added community manager Brian Jarrard. The subject of ODST becoming an "expansion pack," however, was never an arguable point to executive producer Curtis Creamer. "Though ODST was built from the Halo 3 engine, there were enough changes made to the engine that we could not have released it as an expansion in the way that you might equate with a PC game expansion pack ... the ODST executable is not compatible with Halo 3." The crew of Bungie devs also reconfirmed that "there are currently no plans for any ODST DLC," with all of the studio's resources tied up with Halo: Reach. Hopefully, our thirst for more Firefight maps will be quenched by the inclusion of the mode in future Halo games -- a prospect to which the developers responded, "Only time will tell." Do it for us, Bungie! Please? %Gallery-72961%
250GB Elite bundle with Halo 3 and ODST drops into Canada
Microsoft just pulled back the curtain on a brand-new bundle exclusively for our brothers and sisters to the north. Aside from a 250GB Xbox 360 Elite console, the bundle also includes a double dose of Bungie goodness: Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. Starting today, you can get your maple syrup-soaked hands on this for a suggested retail price of $399.99 CAD. If you're a US gamer wondering why we didn't get this piece of gear down here, relax -- let Canada win this one! You have any idea how many driveways a Canadian has to shovel to earn this thing?
Swag Saturday: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers for all those holiday games
Update: This contest is officially closed and the winners will be notified shortly. Please check your email inboxes, folks! With the holiday game release season officially upon us, it's quite possible that you'll find yourself (like us) jammed on a couch next to relatives who – at least passingly – show interest in the video games we know and love. Sometimes, these folks even ask to play alongside us, eschewing their morals for entertainment (for shame!). It's during these times that we reach for our second or third controller. But what if you only have one controller for your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360? WHAT THEN?! Then you can turn to Swag Saturday for the possibility of winning one! We've got one silver PS3 DualShock 3 and two Halo 3: ODST limited edition controllers to give away to three lucky readers. All you have to do is tell us a story about gaming with family during past holidays in the comments below. We get your crazy stories, you get our fancy controllers – talk about a win-win! Prize winners will be alerted by email early this week, so keep your ear to the internet, folks. Leave a comment telling us a story about gaming with family during past holidays. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, based on the outcome of the War of 1812) Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 6:31PM ET on Sunday, November 15 At that time, we'll randomly select three winners to receive one PS3 DualShock 3 (estimated $55 ARV) or one of two Halo 3: ODST limited edition Xbox 360 controllers (estimated $50 ARV each). For a list of complete rules, click here [Image credit: Ewen and Donabel]
Interview: 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor
Now that Halo Waypoint has launched and the Halo Legends anime project will soon begin airing on Xbox consoles everywhere, we got the chance to discuss the current state of Halo with 343 Industries creative director, Frank O'Connor. After the break, you'll find discussion on Waypoint, Legends, Halo 3: ODST sales and whereabouts of Ryan Payton. We also talk about the whether or not there's just too much Halo out there, whether we'll see any Halo games for kids and we even squeeze in a question about Pimps at Sea.
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3, Trials HD continue to dominate
Surprising no one, Major Nelson's weekly list of most-played games on Xbox Live showcases Halo 3 and a double dose of Call of Duty on the top of the charts, with Modern Warfare and World at War grabbing second and third, respectively. XBLA top-seller Trials HD continues to lead the downloadable space, beating out newcomers Tower Bloxx Deluxe and Panzer General: Allied Assault.The most notable item on the list is Gearbox Software's Borderlands, debuting at (a disappointing) ninth on the list. Perhaps evidence that inventory shortages may in fact muck up the wheels of a critically acclaimed game's launch. Color us surprised ... then trace us with sarcasm.
G4 competition dishes out rare Halo 3 flaming armor
Beyond cries from fanboys for Recon, the rarest of all Halo 3 armor permutations -- or at least the rarest option -- is strutting around multiplayer matches with a flaming skull. Originally only available to employees of Bungie, the heated helmets are now the prize for G4's upcoming Sarkathlon.In order to enter the contest, which runs until midnight on November 8, players must download a special variant of the map Longshore (only found on the second disk of Halo 3: ODST) and find eight hidden grenades scattered throughout the map. The player who completes the task and crosses the finish line in the shortest amount of time with saved replay proof walks away with the flaming skull. It's the Halo equivalent of painting a giant bulls eye on your back, so why wouldn't you want it? [Image Credit: Hushed Casket]
