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Deals time: Alone in the Dark, Battlefield and more
It's Sunday and that means it's time to open up the newspaper and analyze those Sunday retail ads. Joy! And if you're in the market for Alone in the Dark this week, you're in luck, because there are numerous deals to be had. So, let's get to it ...The only 360 deal Best Buy has going this week is a free $10 gift card with Alone in the Dark and, well ... that's it. Circuit City on the other hand is giving away a $10 J!nx gift card with Alone in the Dark, a free $10 gift card, weapon unlock code and grenade keychain with Battlefield: Bad Company, a free Hellboy II movie ticket with Hellboy: The Science of Evil, and either Bully: SE or SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 for $30. Also, if instant discounts are more your thing, Gamestop is offering Alone in the Dark for the discounted price of $50. Finally, (for our Canadian shoppers) Best Buy Canada is giving away Guitar Hero III with any Xbox 360 console purchase and either Shadowrun, Blue Dragon, Viva Pinata Party Animals or Project Sylpheed for $20. Enjoy Sunday and enjoy shopping.
Ask X3F: yet more questions edition
And the Ask X3F questions keep coming. It's okay though. We're here for you, gentle fanboys. This week we take a look at the nefarious problem with using your premium content (i.e. Xbox Live Arcade games) on a replacement 360. We also chat about missing Marketplace ads, N+, MSN Alerts, and how the find bloggers of Xbox 360 Fanboy landed such a sweet gig. Continue on to reload your mental weapon with bullets ... of knowledge.If you've got a question or just something you'd like to share with the Xbox 360 Fanboy community, send it to: ask [at] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.
Shadowrun forums close as franchise transitions into new hands
Ms. Kimona has dropped by the official Shadowrun forums to let everyone know (all three of you) that the boards will be nailed shut in a few weeks, and eventually Shadowrun.com will be transitioned over to new caretaker (and original creator) Jordan Weisman, who recently formed Tinker & Smith and promptly borrowed back several neglected franchises, including ill-fated Shadowrun. Kimona has urged all members to pack up their dwarves and pot up those Trees of Life for the long journey over to the Shadowrun forums on Xbox.com, or better, suggest a more fitting meet-up site – how about FASA's deserted offices?
Plug is being pulled on Shadowrun forums
Depressing news fellow Shadowrun fanboys. The official Shadowrun forums are being shut down soon due to the fact that most of the original FASA employees have moved on to other roles within' Microsoft and there isn't enough staff to keep watch. As a result, we advise quickly make your way to the forums and posting until your Shadowrun heart is content. Though, there is a semi-silver lining to the forum shutdown. Shadowrun.com and its contents will be transferred over to the new Shadowrun IP owners Smith & Tinker, so they'll have free range to do whatever they wish with the Shadowrun.com name. You had a good run fellow friend, but now it's time to move on to a brighter future.[Via Shadowrun the blog]
CVG picks the Best and Worst Box Art of 2007
Regardless of your loyalties to any particular console, we think we can all agree that 2007 was a damn fine year for video games as a whole. Every system had a number of well received games over the past year, as reflected by the fairly diverse Game of the Year lists springing up around the video game blogosphere. The gaming industry has grown and further caught the attention of the mainstream business media. A video game broke the one-day entertainment sales record in the States. It was a year that all of us, gamers and professionals alike, can feel very good about.Except for you, box art designers. While the rest of the video game industry strove to bring their "A game", or rather, their "AAA game" this year, you chose 2007 to be the year when you collectively dropped the ball. Computer and Video Games has a chronicling of your failure; from Shadowrun's poorly drawn case, to the nightmarish box art for Cheggers' Party Quiz; and who could forget the decadently homoerotic cover for Fire Pro Wrestling Returns? Not us. We've tried.
FASA founder buys Shadowrun and other IPs
When FASA Studios closed its doors a few months back, we thought it was the end of Shadowrun and FASA games as we knew them. But today we find it's not. FASA founder Jordan Weisman has been busy lately, he just created a new game studio called Smith & Tinker and (get this) bought up all of FASA's original IPs from Microsoft. Yup. Weisman and Smith & Tinker now own the Shadowrun IP as well as MechWarrior and Crimson Skies. What will they be doing with these oldy, but golden IPs? They're not ready to show us their hand just yet, but they do promise to "surprise and delight old fans, while welcoming new fans to these fantastic worlds". Anyone up for an Xbox 360 Crimson Skies sequel in 2010?[Via IGN]
Weisman licenses MechWarrior, Shadowrun, Crimson Skies rights back from MS (internet finally notices)
On October 15th, Smith & Tinker, Jordan Weisman's new venture-backed startup, announced the licensing of the "electronic entertainment" rights to a number of Weisman's creations back from Microsoft. The deal, apparently done quietly (and ages ago in web-time), puts franchises like MechWarrior, Shadowrun and Crimson Skies back in Weisman's hands. Previously, these properties were managed and developed by FASA, another Weisman credit, which was sold to Microsoft in 1999 and dissolved several months ago.With Microsoft suddenly short on internal development teams, the most action the FASA catalog has been seeing is a polite dusting off ever few months before being re-shelved. While Weisman and co. have yet to detail the projects, a job listing calling for online game expertise suggests MMOs could be in the works. A posting on the Smith & Tinker website assures fans that "our goal is to surprise and delight old fans, while welcoming new fans to these fantastic worlds."[Via Gamasutra]
FASA Studio closes its doors
Some sad news hit the internets late last night with the revelation that FASA Studio, the team behind the recently released Shadowrun, has closed their doors. Mitch Gitelman posted the news on the official Shadowrun forums saying that the entire crew has known about FASA Studio's sad fate for a while, but they held off announcing their shutdown so it wouldn't affect Shadowrun's release or the perception of the game. The good news is that all of FASA's employees are being dissolved into Microsoft Game Studios and should be able to find projects that they can get excited about and support. Rest in peace FASA Studio, you will always hold a dear place in our hearts, will forever be missed and know that your work will always live on.[Via Hushed Casket]
FASA Studio is dead
FASA Studios, the company behind Shadowrun, is no more -- it has ceased to be. The announcement was made after close of business today on the Shadowrun boards. The post states that those who did not move onto other positions at Microsoft Game Studios are now out of work. A Community Manager and Tech Support Manager will still have a job to support the game, the post says they chose to wait on the announcement because they "didn't want people's attention distracted from our last product Shadowrun, a game we love."Well, at least they did. We said it before and we'll say it again: Poor Shadowrun! The game probably could not have had more things going against it. It was the perfect storm of a half-game with some peripheral Vista drama, going out to an uninterested audience, during the worst time imaginable for an online game during the Halo 3 beta. Shadowrun was just so absolutely doomed. Goodbye FASA, hopefully your splintered team will show what they're truly capable of next time.[Thanks Wes and Michael]
Sarcastic Gamer: Shadowrun is a Bad Game
Sarcastic Gamer is up to their expressive ways again, this time directing their anger and musical talents towards FASA Studios' Shadowrun. Their latest song "Bad Game" is a parody of Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" with lyrics targeted towards bashing what they feel are the worst games of 2007, most notably Shadowrun. Sarcastic Gamer is ready for the emails, hatred and verbal abuse Shadowrun fans will bring after hearing the song, so go ahead give it a listen to see if "Bad Game" captures your feelings. If not, show Sarcastic Gamer the angry!
X3F Achievements 101: Star Power, Summon, Strangle, & Sniping
While a little later than usual, there's another wonderful X3F Achievements 101 for you this week. A first for the column, a reader organized a gaming session in Shadowrun, and the latest downloadable content for Guitar Hero II threw some Achievements that are now easier to get, if you're willing to pay for the content. We're also testing out a new timeslot, posting the column at the tail end of the work week instead of at the beginning. So, continue on to another action packed Achievements 101.
Shadowrun gets third title update
We had our concerns, but Shadowrun has really impressed with its continued support after launch. It seems that FASA and Microsoft are actually committed to giving the game the sort of fine-tuning it needed to become a top-notch multi-player experience. To that end, the game just received its third title update. Most of the changes are things only fans can appreciate (the "elves' regeneration ability has been tweaked," for example), but we're sure it's a big deal for people who are still gliding and porting. If you aren't among them, maybe now's the time to take Shadowrun for another spin. We've got a full list of changes after the jump.[Via X3F]
Shadowrun gets some title update #3 love
FASA Studios just released a freshly new title update for Shadowrun (number three in fact) which fixes some bugs, alters gameplay a little and enhances the overall Shadowrun experience. The title update is free (as always) and should download the next time you pop in the game. A complete list of enhancments, fixes and all the jazz the Shadowrun title update brings is viewable after the break. Haha Elves, your healing powers are a quarter second slower ... mwahahaha![Thanks, MageGriff]
X3F Achievements 101: Of Ninjas and Darklings
Welcome to another edition of X3F Achievements 101, and this week we touch on some of the builds used in Shadowrun while getting the Achievements for playing 100 matches as each race, and the fun found in being a Katan00b, though scoring bleed outs takes far more skill that just mashing the right trigger on your enemy and hoping for a kill. I also dabbed into the multiplayer portion of The Darkness, and scored some Achievements in that, as well as finally getting some overdue ones in the game's single player story. All of this and more can be found after the break.
X3F Achievements 101: The Return [update 1]
After a small hiatus following the craziness that is E3, X3F Achievements 101 is back with a variety of subjects worth covering. In case some of you have forgotten how this column works, this a space devoted to Achievement Whores around the world, and gives me the opportunity to chronicle my continuing conquest of Gamerscore, on a daily basis. This week, we cover a little bit of a backlog, as there's the survival of my Achievement streak during E3, my hitting of a couple Gamerscore Milestones, and the completion of a couple more 1000 GS rentals, TMNT and Cars.
Shadowrun title update now available
Humans and elves, dwarves and trolls rejoice, for a patch title update for Shadowrun has been released. Despite TeamXbox reporting that the patch would go up sometime next week, it looks like it has already hit. The title update features several fixes including some exploit fixes (FASA isn't talking about what those exploits are by the way), crash fixes, and improved bot AI. The biggest change, however, has to be reduced wait times in matchmaking, which FASA reports to be improved by 200-300%. Hit the "read" link for the full list of fixes.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, SadistiK Roth]
Shadowrun patched [update]
Shadowrun players may have to drop one of their hobbies once they download the new title update. No, they won't be forced to quit the multiplayer FPS, they'll have to give up whatever they've been doing during the hours (OK, minutes) it takes to join a game. In the official Shadowrun forums, lead program manager "Kimona" says that the new update is expected to improve wait times 200 to 300%. The post also promises improved sync times when new players join a game and changes to the party system. There are also some changes specific to Vista.Kimona isn't saying exactly what day next week the update will drop, but suffice it to say you had better put some major time into that "Bless This Mess" needlepoint over the weekend. Update: Doh, the patch is now live (and has been since yesterday!). Anyone notice improved wait times?[Via Team Xbox]
Calling 1-800-Magic episode 4
The fourth installment of 1-800-Magic is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Strangely, the episode isn't available at Rooster Teeth yet, so, for the moment, you're stuck watching from your Xbox 360. In this episode we continue the story of Bitterman in his quest to understand his newfound magical abilities. Now that the series has been established in the first three episodes, the fourth gives it a little twist to keep things interesting. We won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say it is both funny and intriguing. We're looking forward to future episodes. This is the last episode, so we hope you weren't too attached to the series.Update: Looks like this is the last episode of the series, so there won't be any more. So sad.
$20 discounts on R6 Vegas, GRAW 2 and more
Looking for some great video game deals? Well, look no further than Circuit City and the Sunday newspaper ads. This week, Circuit City is slashing $20 off select games including titles like TMNT ($29.99), GRAW 2 ($39.99), Spider-Man 3 ($39.99) and Call of Duty 3 ($39.99). Also, since both the Red and Black Edition Player Packs will be free downloads, why not pick up Rainbow Six Vegas for the low, low price of $39.99 too? You can't pass that up. Maybe new releases are more up your alley, then we advise picking up a free $10 gift card with a Transformers: The Game purchase. And if you're in the market for Shadowrun, purchase it for $37.99 on Windows Vista and Circuit City will throw in a wireless receiver for free!All deals are available online or in-store, so save a few bucks and pick up some new games to add to your video game library this week.
Live Top Ten: Old favorites
Another week goes by and another Live Top Ten is upon us. This week sees some things that don't change, the return of a few old faces, and other movements. The top four remain the same, with Shadowrun also remaining at tenth, though its demo dropped to 9th, which is unfortunate. Oblivion and GRAW 2 make returns at sixth and seventh respectively, as it looks like players are coming back to those in the summer lull. Full list breakdown after the break.
