majornelson
Latest
Marvel Ultimate Alliance content on Live ... no, seriously
After being announced two weeks ago with prices and everything, then promptly disappearing, three content packs for Marvel Ultimate Alliance have finally, actually made their way to the Xbox Live Marketplace. The packs are still the same stuff as before Nightcrawler BAMF-ed the whole team to Aruba for two weeks of fun in the sun: 500 MS Points will get you the Hero Pack of Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Hawkeye and The Incredible Hulk or the Villain Pack of Venom, Doctor Doom, Magneto and Sabertooth. The description also says not to buy the packs if you've bought Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Gold Edition (due out next month) because these characters are already in there. So keep that in mind.For those of you who are buying though, there's a third option, and one we'd love to see other DLC feature: A bargain pack, which gives you all the heroes and villains for the value price of 800 points. No, it's not a huge difference, but it is nice. Now, just give us our Spider-Ham, NFL Superpro and Matthew Lesko pack, and we can die happy. You can watch a trailer featuring all the new content after the break.
Major Nelson on GHII DLC, Halo 3, Sony
Before the NYC Guitar Hero II event with Gene Simmons got into full swing, Joystiq got the chance to sit down with Larry Hryb (AKA Major Nelson) and talk about all things Xbox. Speaking about the highly priced Guitar Hero II downloadable songs, Major Nelson states that it's not analogous to iTunes. In other words, the interactivity, the licensing, and the testing all go into creating a price for the new tracks. Furthermore, since the tracks are on a new platform, all the contracts have to be renegotiated. Of course, Red Octane wants to make some money as well. When asked about the bundling issue -- i.e. "I have to buy two crappy songs to get the one I like" -- Major Nelson says that bundling was probably done to bring the cost down. By working on three songs at once, rather than individual songs, Red Octane could conceivably cut down on development costs, thus reducing the price to consumers. In other words, individual songs would likely be even more expensive.Major Nelson also discusses the upcoming Halo 3 beta, the competition from Sony, the Spring Update, and the Wii. Hit the "read" link for the full interview.See Also:Xbox 360 Fancast 010 (featuring Major Nelson)
Major Nelson teases new Dashboard details on Xbox 360 Fancast
If you haven't been listening to our very own Xbox 360 Fancast, you really ought to be! The team at Xbox 360 Fanboy just celebrated their tenth installment with a very special guest: Spring Dashboard rumors! Oh, and Major Nelson was there too. First, the bad news. According to Major (at around 0:39:45), the oft-requested clan support functionality ain't gonna be coming in the impending Spring update. That doesn't mean individual titles can't use the available API to support clans, but don't expect to see Dashboard level functionality.Now the good news: Major says (at around 0:40:30) that the update will include "simple things that I've been asking for since launch." 360 Fanboy put their thinking caps on and came up with a pretty convincing guess. Adding some "Play Game" verbiage to determine what game is in the drive is a feature that Major's been vocal about and, they remind us, early Dashboard screenshots (like the one pictures above) included this functionality. It's been a long time coming, so let's hope it is coming.Listen -- Xbox 360 Fancast 010 featuring XBL's Major NelsonSpeculate -- Spring update may upgrade "Play Game" verbiageDenied -- What's not in the spring update: clan support
Armored Core 4 demo now Live
Fans of giant battling robots, rejoice! A demo for Armored Core 4 has been released onto Xbox Live. Also rejoicing: Fans of not paying $60 for games with uniformly mediocre reviews. Xbox Live's Major Nelson spilled the giant, robotic beans yesterday on his official blog that the strictly single-player affair was available for download and contained three -- count 'em -- three single player missions.Oh, and those of you who don't like to get involved with a new franchise until it reaches at least its 10th iteration, giving it time to age like a fine wine, can download with confidence. It may say it's the fourth in the series, but it's a little more like the bajillionth.
Fancast: Got a question for Major Nelson?
We hinted at having a special guest on this upcoming Xbox 360 Fancast, and as it turns out, it will be Larry Hryb a.k.a. Major Nelson. We're thrilled at the chance to have him on our show, especially considering some of the current events this week. So, since we're going to be there, he's going to be there, and you're going to be listening, we figured you should be involved. So, do you have any questions for the Xbox Live Director of Programming? Obviously, inquiries about upcoming demos or patches may be a little tedious, so we're looking for unique and/or well thought out questions. You can either leave them in a comment, or shoot us an email at fancast [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com.
Xbox Live security foiled by smooth talkers, not hackers
Do not be alarmed, maniacally typing hackers have not invaded, penetrated or otherwise violated the Bungie.net or Xbox Live networks. This was the message delivered by Microsoft's Major Nelson earlier this week after reports indicated that Xbox Live user information had fallen into the wrong and noticeably greasy hands. However, it seems the firewalls and encryption routines provided by computers are doing a much better job than those organic meatbags that operate the Xbox support call center.Major Nelson writes in his latest post that some Xbox Live accounts may have already been compromised thanks to phonies phoning in and extracting sensitive information via the use of pretexting -- the invention of a scenario that fools the operator into divulging your precious data. "There's no other way to say it; this situation shouldn't have happened. Our customers deserve better." The Major promises that support staff will be better trained and be made aware of such "social engineering" attempts.While the transparency is appreciated, it's alarming to think that Xbox Live security is succumbing to one of the oldest tricks in what's, by now, a rather pig-eared book.
GDC 07: Major Nelson and his Sony swag bag
Make no mistake, covering a conference is mind bending work. Getting a chance to stop and chat is a welcome respite. While waiting for the Microsoft RPG Panel to begin, we ran into Larry Hryb, better known as Xbox Live's Major Nelson. We had time to shoot the breeze about what's happening at GDC, including the super secret feature in Fable 2 (patience, it's coming). Before we ran off to do our blogging duty, we made sure to snag a picture of him holding his newly acquired and highly fashionable Sony swag bag. What was in it we can't say (a golden PSP perhaps) but we sure like those snazzy logos. Much to our shock and delight, Larry asked us why he hadn't been given the honor of appearing on the Xbox 360 Fancast. Soon, Major, very soon.
Live top ten: Sin City descends
Last week, Crackdown came on strong with bronze position on the Live top ten. Now it's swapped spots with Rainbow Six: Vegas as Call of Duty 3 continues to be just shy of the podium. GRAW 2's mulitplayer demo makes a return to take the Crackdown demo's position, which moved to 7th. Madden refuses to budge at sixth while Lost Planet and Oblivion get nudged to eighth and ninth, respectively. GRAW rounds out the bottom of the list while last, and obviously not least, Gears of War retains its top spot over all of Xbox Live-dom. Do you feel slightly confused? If so, our simple, yet eloquent list awaits your review after the break, complete with last weeks standings in parentheses.
Xbox Live maintenance scheduled for tomorrow
Those hoping to maim or possibly kill complete strangers in the early hours of the morning will need to leave the comfort of their homes this February 20th, as the Xbox Live network will be out of commission then from 2AM to 5AM PT (check your time zone). The "My Xbox" section of Xbox.com will be unavailable during this time, and those hoping to express their grievances about it will find the official forums set to read-only mode. Major Nelson insists that server maintenance is solely to blame for the downtime -- no new features will accompany Live's return.
Xbox.com no message mystery: Part deux
Indeed, we pride ourselves on being stealth investigative reporters, similar to Sam Fisher, but with a hint of Sherlock Holmes. So, when we cracked the Xbox.com no message mystery we were rightfully proud of ourselves, giving up the high-fives around Fanboy Towers. But we didn't uncover all of the truth, because the "Bear" gamertag eluded us and as a result ended up with a mediocre report. That is until now, where we recently discovered (via Major Nelson's podcast blogcast) that Bear is really Scott Henson! Ha Scotty, and you thought you could just keep on running didn't you? And so you know, Mr. Henson is the director of Microsoft's Game Technology Group and is actually one cool dude. Chalk another successful investigation for team Xbox 360 Fanboy ... because we're like mini Sherlock Fishers, remember?[Thanks, Iced_Eagle]
Major Nelson wants your Marketplace rules
Inspired by the recent changes to the gamerscore policy, Major Nelson is asking for user feedback on defining new rules for the Xbox Live Marketplace. Of course, there are rules and policies around Marketplace content right now, but Major Nelson is looking for suggestions from all 360 users to make it better. If you're interested in contributing to the conversation, head over to Major Nelson and tell him what you think. Let's try and keep the suggestions constructive, too. "Faster download speeds" is really a given and doesn't add to the conversation.We'd like to go on record and agree with one of the first suggestions: no charging for cheat codes. If you make any suggestions, be sure to post them here as well.Anyone have any bright ideas?
Crackdown Demo climbs up Top Live Titles
Yesterday, Major Nelson released his weekly report regarding the Xbox Live activity, and the results caught us off guard. No, Halo 2 didn't beat out Gears of War due to the Halo 3 beta's Rule of 3 phase. Crackdown's demo came in 2nd for unique users on Xbox Live. It even toppled Rainbow Six Vegas, which is equally surprising. Obviously the game is a lot of fun and people are enjoying the demo, and doesn't need a marketing ploy to sell copies. The thing that we're curious about is how the Crackdown demo compared to Halo 2's unique user count? Then again, perhaps the Rule of Three kept Halo 2 as second overall between Xbox and Xbox 360 combined. So, obviously, some of you must have been playing the demo, have you done anything cool this past week in Crackdown?
Fetch new movies, shows, and music off the XBLM
Major Nelson just posted a list of what content will be coming to the XBLM this week. It looks like we've only got one movie (Hunt for Red October), but a few good television shows. They are even giving us an episode of Pros v. Joes and The Sarah Silverman Program for FREE, but only for limited time. And there's a new Artist of the Month, erm ... this month. Compose yourself and give it up for this month's Artist of the Month Good Charlotte (thunderous applause)! We just love teenage angst music ... it makes us feel good about ourselves. Check out the complete list of new XBLM content after the break.
24 Season 6: Free picture pack and theme
It has been a while since we got our greedy hands on some free themes or picture packs from the Marketplace. No worries though, because Major Nelson sent word that there are some free goods today! Just in time for the television series 24 season premiere, head to the Xbox Live Marketplace to download your free 24 Season 6 theme and picture pack. If you love Jack Bauer or just free stuff, then get a downloading right now. Don't you just love the smell of free content on Fridays?
Double Agent and Vegas for $39.99
Major Nelson brings word that Best Buy has Rainbow Six: Vegas on sale for $39.99. We checked it out and found out that Splinter Cell: Double Agent is available for $39.99 as well. If you've been waiting to pick up either one of these games, you could do a lot worse than a $20 discount. While you're at it, you may want to pick up a copy of Project 8 or Madden 07, which are on sale for the slightly less attractive price of $49.99. As an added bonus, you can get an additional $10 off of any of these titles if you pre-order Lost Planet. Vegas for $29? Not bad. Anyone else find any good deals today?[Via Major Nelson]
Superman Returns now on Xbox Live Video Marketplace
We were wondering how long it would take to get a high definition blockbuster movie onto Xbox Live Video Marketplace, and it looks like Microsoft and Major Nelson just got in under the wire for 2006, adding Superman Returns yesterday. Weighing in at 7 GB for the 720p HD version (2 GB in 480p SD... for the masochists out there) for the 154 minute movie, it's finally time to clear off some of the Xbox 360 demos we downloaded and see if digital distribution works better in 2007 than it did last year. We'll be back with our impressions of the service, now that they've posted something we want to watch on our HDTVs.
He conquered the wind, welcome back Major!
If you haven't noticed, our buddy Major Nelson hasn't been blogging or doing many online activities lately. It wasn't because he hated us or because he had to find his spiritual center, but because his power went out due to a powerful wind storm. We guess living in Washington state during a freak wind storm causes lots of problems and we're just glad Major made it through not having internet access for days on end. Stop on over at Major Nelson's blog and welcome him back fanboy style (whatever that is).
FTC: Viral ties must be disclosed
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission yesterday said that companies must disclose ties in word-of-mouth marketing campaigns. These fake grass-roots efforts -- dubbed "astroturfing" by critics -- hire people to endorse products as themselves, rather than as company representatives.The FTC didn't announce any specific action or fines against this type of misleading marketing, although it may investigate campaigns on a case-by-case basis. The Washington Post covers the story.Gamers see these sorts of campaigns all the time, from fake commentors who are actually paid marketers to the recent fake-PSP-fan weblog. While this kind of hidden corporate sponsorship makes us distrustful, we think better of companies, like Ubisoft, that disclose ties to its affiliates like the Frag Dolls. We most like the Major Nelson-type relationships, where a weblog spokesperson and a company are obviously linked.
Viva Piata missing from top Xbox Live titles
Major Nelson has released this week's Xbox Live activity report*. Gears of War is still atop the heap, but where's Viva Piñata?Microsoft's 'other' big holiday title has enjoyed favorable reception, but continues to maintain a low profile. Perhaps most of the kid-centric fanbase is unplugged, but we're wondering if some older gamers are signing out of their Live accounts before doing the Piñata dance. After all, a gamertag like '[l33t]murd3rd34thk1ll187' would lose its impact if an all-night session of Viva Piñata was being broadcast to Xbox Live community members.In related news, check out the Lost Planet multiplayer demo's position; it currently ranks fourth among Xbox 360's most popular Live titles. Could this be foreshadowing another Capcom hit, or is it just proof that we love freebies?*Activity lists are calculated using data collected from unique Xbox Live users (all games are included; not just multiplayer titles).
Shadowrun will have party based Live play
Shadowrun, Microsoft's Live Anywhere launch title, is coming along nicely, according to Lead Designer, John Howard. Howard is interviewed in the latest episode of Major Nelson's blogcast and speaks at length about his job and the development of Shadowrun. A few choice bits of information are revealed, chief among them is that Shadowrun will feature a party based online system similar to Halo 2. What this means is that friends will be able to form a party online and face other players as a team. Many of you will remember that Gears of War has been criticized for lacking such a system. With Shadowrun now including a party system, Epic's excuse for excluding the feature -- essentially, "Microsoft made us do it" -- is getting flimsier all the time. Howard also speaks to the age old debate of mouse vs. controller, stating that the issue doesn't even come up during Shadowrun play tests. He goes on to say that the controls were designed for the 360 first, which may explain how well they work. In fact, he says that many testers actually prefer the gamepad to a keyboard and mouse combo. Head over to Major Nelson to hear the whole interview. And, don't forget to sign up for the Shadowrun beta if you're interested.
