Major Nelson
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Xbox 360 gets backwards compatibility update
Taking a moment away from E3, Major Nelson updated his blog to give the latest information on Xbox 360 backwards compatibility. The whole list of new titles can be found after the break, and you can always go to Xbox's site to get the full list. This would typically be the part where we'd say something about how silly it is that the Xbox 360 has backwards compatibility issues in the first place, but now he's not the only guy in town with a problem. There aren't that many original Xbox games that are still worth worrying about. Our concern is more with the new version of the PS3 which will have "limited backwards compatibility," especially when there was nothing limited about its compatibility before. Oh well, if you're planning on getting the PS3 and you have a favorite old game on the system, make sure to check it will still work -- or got get yourself a current PS3 model while you still can.
Microsoft 'Bringing it Home' again for Min-E3
Microsoft is reemploying their Bringing it Home campaign for this year's Min-E3. The campaign has previously been seen during last year's E3 and their X06 event in Barcelona, Spain.As part of Bringing it Home, a barrage of content will be made available via Xbox Live, including their July 10 press conference, game trailers, themes, gamer pictures, demos and other video updates. Some of the games mentioned include Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Blue Dragon and Project Gotham Racing 4. A partial list (expect surprises from the show) is available after the break.[Via X3F]
Microsoft booting modders off Xbox Live
If you've been using a modified Xbox 360 to beta test first-person shooters on Xbox Live, you're about to be shunned by the online world like a leper operating a Simple Plan Myspace page. "How could this happen to me?" you ask. Well, Major Nelson bluntly blurts it out on his temporary post-meltdown page: "As you can imagine, we have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modded consoles connecting to LIVE. We're very serious about this, and if we detect you have a modded Xbox then you will not be able to connect to Xbox Live."Aside from the sudden disconnection, modders will be informed of their newly-banished status by the above screen and the status code, "Z: 8015 - 190D." Those recipients without eye patches will no doubt be livid and ready to assault message boards with all manner of exclamations and emoticons, but when used for evil, the power of Mod can open the door to online cheating and other unfair unpleasantness. Sometimes innocent bystanders have to pay the price in Microsoft's war on enemy solders.[Thanks, keeel]
How to make a million ... in Pac-Man
Tie that scarf around your head, put on your sweatbands, stock up on energy drinks. Major Nelson wants to help your Pac-Man game for the Xbox Live World Championship, and he's offering a downloadable PDF guide. Most of it involves memorizing patterns -- lots of patterns -- but if you're into a challenge, this 33-page book from 1982 may be up your alley. And before you laugh at someone making a book that long on Pac-Man, just take a gander at the sizes of some of the obscure guides on GameFAQs.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
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)
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.
Xbox Live maintenance next Tuesday, purely housekeeping
Xbox Live will be down next Tuesday for 14 hours from 3AM until 5PM EST, so you shouldn't plan any marathon sessions of online gaming with your Xbox ... because you'll be a very unhappy camper. Major Nelson said this is only for internal maintenance, and there won't be any new updates to the Dashboard or anything nifty like that happening.So prepare for an all-night session on Monday right up until the plug is pulled if you really want to get your gaming on. Fourteen hours seems like a long time for internal maintenance ... could there be something else going on behind the scenes?
Major Nelson: No Xbox Live security breach
Major Nelson has issued a statement dismissing recent reports that there has been a collapse in security with Xbox Live and Bungie.net. Nelson says, "Despite some recent reports and speculation, I want to reassure all of our 6 million Xbox Live members that we have looked into the situation and found no evidence of any compromise of the security of the Xbox Live Network or Bungie.net."Nelson goes on to say that there have been "isolated incidents" where users are trying to gain personal information. Microsoft is offering a PDF on how to protect yourself against identity theft. Seriously though, it's the internets, there are predators out there trying to steal your identity. Don't ever give someone your passwords or personal info.
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.
Download Crackdown's agility orb sound clip [update 1]
If you've played Crackdown you know locating agility orbs in the game is not only an addiction, but can affect your daily habits. And for that reason Gemeni Ace was kind enough to cut the agility orb sound clip from Major Nelson's most recent blogcast. This short mp3 is extremely universal and can be used for a variety of things. Have it play on your cell phone when you receive a text message, put it on your mp3 player of choice whenever you spot an orb in the neighborhood, or simply loop it to annoy everyone around you. There are so many practical applications for this Crackdown agility orb sound, how are you going to use it? Update 1: Looks like Major Nelson posted the same clip, so choose your mp3 wisely.
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.
